Chapter 47 I saw Judy again
The once peaceful life in the Tianjin concession was disrupted by the sudden outbreak of war, and various countries sent observers to observe the situation and study countermeasures. After listening to Dunn's report, the US embassy notified its home country while temporarily withdrawing personnel from China to form a mediation team, preparing for diplomatic intervention.
The Japanese Navy reacted quickly, and a fleet consisting of 6 British-made armored cruisers and 4 troop ships appeared off the coast of Tianjin just four days later, ready to launch a landing operation at any time. On the morning of March 11th, the Japanese fleet sailed into the waters near Tianjin, apparently preparing to launch a landing operation. At the same time, the Japanese troops in the concession also launched a breakout action.
The Jin army snipers stationed outside the Japanese concession shot and killed all the Japanese officers at a distance of 800 to 500 meters with accurate shooting of Type 96 sniper rifles before the Japanese troops dispersed their combat formations and launched a charge, causing the Japanese troops to lose command and collapse instantly. At this moment, the counterattack of the artillery position also began.
The Dagukou fort was defended by Luo Rongguang. The Jin army artillery officers in the command center of each fort were very professional, and they first ordered four cannons to open fire. After being suddenly attacked, the Japanese warships quickly counterattacked, turning their ships 90 degrees to bring their main guns into play. As a result, the Japanese warships exposed their huge sides to the Jin army. The remaining cannons that had been ready to fire seized the opportunity and simultaneously fired lethal 130mm armor-piercing shells at their designated targets. The well-trained Jin army artillerymen received accurate range measurements from the command center, and in the first round of firing, they hit a Japanese warship at the front of the formation. The armor-piercing shell easily penetrated the soft steel-iron composite armor on the side of the ship, causing massive explosions that immediately disabled the vessel. After several more rounds of firing, other Japanese warships were also hit, and the Japanese fleet paid a heavy price for its turn. The sea was filled with smoke and fire, making for a spectacular sight! A few minutes later, the Japanese warships completed their turn and quickly organized a counterattack. The intense firepower from their large-caliber guns immediately covered the fort. The Jin army became disorganized, and in the light of the explosions, casualties increased dramatically. Some soldiers abandoned their positions, and the previously accurate and orderly firing became chaotic. Seizing this opportunity, the Japanese warships adjusted their formation, and their gunfire became more intense and accurate. Kang Fan stood calmly on the fort, observing the battle through his binoculars, seemingly oblivious to the explosions around him. The Dagukou fort's artillery positions were the most solid part of the fort, with walls and ceilings made of reinforced concrete and alloy steel plates that could withstand direct hits from guns with a caliber of 150mm or less. Larger-caliber guns would also have difficulty destroying the positions. Moreover, given the limitations of contemporary technology, the probability of a direct hit on the artillery position was only around 2-3%. What did they have to fear? The young Jin army artillerymen were experiencing their first real battle, and it was normal for them to react in this way. Kang Fan believed in his soldiers: after a while, they would calm down and do better than before. He wanted to give them the opportunity to grow. Therefore, he did not try to stop the temporary chaos: the officers also needed to be tempered.
Several battalion and company officers in the artillery position were running around like madmen, commanding the soldiers who were holding their positions to continue firing while shouting hoarsely at the soldiers who were running around: The headmaster is right next to you! God damn it, you bunch of bears, hurry up and do what you're supposed to do! In a short while, the chaos was stopped, and the Jin army's artillery fire became as neat and accurate as it was in the beginning.
Kang Fan smiled contentedly.
The Jin army's cannons roared even more fiercely, and Kang Fan, despite wearing ear protection, could still feel the intense shockwaves hitting his eardrums one after another. The electrically driven 130mm fortress guns quickly and accurately suppressed the Japanese ships' counter-fire, with shells continuously hitting the Japanese ships, and in the blinding light of the explosions, human bodies and ship fragments flew into the air. A Japanese ship in the middle position seemed to have been hit in its internal ammunition depot, where hundreds of large-caliber shells were stored, which were detonated by the intense metal jet flow of the 130mm armor-piercing shells, causing a massive explosion that blew off the front turret weighing several hundred tons, which fell into the sea, creating an enormous water column! The front section of the ship's hull, dozens of meters long, was also blown to pieces. After the flash of fire, this Japanese ship instantly disappeared from the surface of the sea! The remaining Japanese ships continued to fight back while navigating through the dense columns of water raised by the shells, but under the fierce counterattack of the Jin army's cannons firing as fast as machine guns, they were completely unable to withstand it and soon collapsed. Seeing that things were not going well, the two still operational Japanese ships retreated to the distant sea, dragging along other damaged Japanese ships while fighting back, and the four transport ships that came with them had long been blown away by the Jin army's cannons.
The Jin army artillery, who were in high spirits, pursued relentlessly, and the fierce cannon fire immediately followed. After flying long-range, 130 shells arrived above the Japanese fleet almost vertically with the sea surface. In the dense falling rain of shells, several such vertical shells hit the Japanese fleet again, but these Japanese fleets endured the impact thanks to the British excellent watertight compartment structure design, although each Japanese fleet was smoky and riddled with holes, still limping away.
The turbulent sea finally calmed down after an afternoon of turmoil. The setting sun was a bright red that was piercing to the eyes, as if it were dripping blood.
The Jin army's first real battle shocked the country and abroad. Empress Dowager Cixi issued a stern decree ordering Kang Fang to cease hostilities, sending negotiators to join the American mediation team in quickly signing an unconditional ceasefire agreement with Japan. However, Kang Fang refused: he couldn't let the Japanese off so easily; the Jin army officers and soldiers who had died in battle were watching him from heaven, and he had to do something for them. Therefore, Kang Fang continued to besiege the Japanese concession and notified the Japanese side that they had no reason to provoke war and should take full responsibility for this bloody conflict, providing unconditional compensation: paying a ransom of 50 million taels of silver; otherwise, he would not lift the siege. At the same time, five newly formed Jin army brigades rushed from Shanxi to deploy defenses on the outskirts of Tianjin, while the remaining regular and militia forces stationed in Shanxi had completed preparations for battle and could join the fight at any moment.
The Japanese naval fleet's confidence in their inevitable victory began to waver after suffering such heavy losses. Although only one battleship was sunk, the other main warships that participated in the battle had their thick armor plating and upper structures above the waterline almost completely destroyed, rendering them nearly useless and severely weakening the fleet's strength, disrupting their preparations for war against Russia. With the United States having strongly intervened to mediate, General George Dewey, who had led the US Asiatic Squadron to annihilate the Spanish Philippines squadron in Manila Bay just two years prior, once again led his fleet into Hong Kong, adopting an intimidating posture that made the Japanese believe that the Qing military's advanced weapons were provided by the United States and that it was possible that American soldiers would directly participate in the war. The hard helmets, uniforms with stab-proof vests, rapid-firing rifles, numerous machine guns, and powerful artillery possessed by this branch of the Qing Empire's local armed forces were things that the Japanese had never heard of or seen before. How could the weak and backward Qing Empire's industry possibly produce such novel contraptions? Especially the excellent military quality and brave, tenacious fighting style of these officers and soldiers left a deep impression on them, which was what they feared most! After being forced to surrender, their desire for peace became even more urgent. Furthermore, the Japanese could not come up with conclusive evidence to prove that the bombing of their intelligence headquarters was indeed done by the Qing military, and the situation remained very passive. Moreover, after the supply channels for food, water, fuel, etc. in the concession were completely cut off by the Qing military, the military and civilians inside the concession could only barely survive on meager reserves, and after many days of siege, their living supplies had been completely depleted, with deaths from cold, hunger, thirst, illness, etc. increasing dramatically, making it impossible for them to hold out any longer. And since the naval fleet had also been defeated, when reinforcements would arrive was still an unknown quantity. Therefore, half a month after the signing of the ceasefire agreement, the Japanese finally agreed to Kang Youwei's terms, scraping together the ransom and supervising the withdrawal.
On March 29, fully armed Shanxi soldiers stood in formation outside the Japanese concession, with the same steel helmets, stern faces, grey-green uniforms, boots and rifles. Despite numbering in the thousands, they were silent as a ghost town. Their majestic military bearing and strict discipline sent shivers down the spines of all foreign observers present.
Kang Fan stood alone, holding a 96 rifle with one hand, wearing military attire, leaning against the front bumper of his SX2300 car, expressionless, waiting for the Japanese representative to arrive and pay. His left arm and forehead were bandaged in white, with faint bloodstains still visible. Six armored personnel carriers from the Guard Battalion stood guard beside Kang Fan, their doors open, revealing soldiers standing upright inside, guns at the ready, scanning the surroundings intently. The 96 machine gun on top of the vehicle rotated its muzzle, pointing in all directions, as if ready to spit out deadly flames at any moment. The negotiation team sent by Empress Dowager Cixi, the US mediation team, and personnel from various embassies were blocked outside the Jin army's formation, unable to approach. A Russian military attaché attempted to barge into the Jin army's formation with a haughty attitude but was knocked off his horse by a Guard Battalion soldier with a rifle butt, bleeding from the nose and mouth as he fainted. Others witnessing this scene dared not make another move.
Just as the guards were slightly relaxed, a figure suddenly rushed out of the American mediation team and galloped towards Kang Fan. It was a woman, a blonde-haired blue-eyed white woman!
Several members of the security bureau's working group recognized the woman and hastily stopped the interception by the guards, letting her go. Brothers, that is the principal's mistress, a member of the working group explained with an evil smile.
Kang Fan never thought that he would meet Judy in this situation! He was so shocked that he almost fell to the ground. Judy sat elegantly on her horse, with a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, and her white clothes and golden hair fluttering in the gentle breeze, looking absolutely stunning!
Dismount. Kang Fan, suppressing the excitement in his heart, said as he stretched out his hand to her. Judy noticed that the hand he stretched out was visibly shaking, a phenomenon that occurred on this professional soldier who could remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, showing how turbulent his heart was at this moment! But his face still had a calm expression, this hateful guy! Judy pouted in dissatisfaction and jumped off her horse, throwing herself into Kang Fan's arms. Even though Kang Fan was tall and strong, he was still shaken by her impact and only managed to steady himself by leaning against the bumper of the sx2300.
You don't even look at what kind of occasion this is! Kang Fan took off his own helmet, which had been knocked askew by Judy, and put it on her head. As he helped her fasten the chin strap, he couldn't help but complain, but the joyful expression on his face was genuine.
Judy smiled: Seeing you injured, I forgot everything. After finishing speaking, she wanted to check Kang Fan's injury.
It's nothing, just a scratch. Kong Fan pushed away Judy's hand.
Judy opened his hand, frowned and let me see!
Kang Fan stopped moving, staring straight ahead, letting Judy do her thing. A Guards officer immediately handed his helmet to Kang Fan, and then several Guards officers walked up with live ammunition, blocking the way in front of Kang Fan and Judy.
Judy took out medicine and gauze from her handbag, re-bandaging. Is this the level of your military doctor? Isn't this cheating people?!
Kang Fan smiled and said: This is what battlefield rescue is like.
Judy didn't say a word, under the gaze of thousands of eyes, she intimately leaned against Kang Fan as if no one was around. Originally, having Ma Nuo Wan was already very effective, and this time Judy was added, with these two people working together, the US Embassy absolutely went all out in this mediation! Kang Fan thought about this and couldn't help but smile contentedly, he held his gun in one hand and wrapped his other arm around Judy's slender waist, straightening his body. In front of the two armies, the tense atmosphere that was originally filled with the smell of gunpowder was disrupted by Kang Fan and Judy's ambiguous actions, and the people present actually felt a bit of romance and warmth from it!
