Chapter 62 Preparing for the Siege

  The 10th and 11th Divisions of the Western Sichuan Army arrived at Maqu after a long journey, but did not immediately launch an attack. The soldiers were tired from days of marching, so it was decided to let everyone rest for a day. The 10th Division camped outside the south gate of Maqu, five miles away, while the 11th Division camped outside the west gate, ten miles away, quietly surrounding the entire city. At the same time, troops were dispatched to surround the north and east gates of Maqu, prohibiting the Qing army inside from entering or leaving.

  "General, it seems that Gu Hongqiang and his men are in a precarious situation this time. Since the Sichuan army has arrived here, Yushu must have already fallen. It's likely that Gu Hongqiang's men encountered the Sichuan army halfway. However, the final outcome is obvious - the Sichuan army emerged victorious!" Wei Yuan said, looking at the endless rows of military tents of the Sichuan army on the city wall of Maiqin. There was a hint of schadenfreude in his eyes. He and Gu Hongqiang had been enemies to begin with, and now Gu Hongqiang might have died at the hands of the Sichuan army - how could this not bring him joy?

  "I didn't expect the Western Sichuan Army to have so many people, it looks like there are almost 20,000 people! Damn it, we only have 4,000 people left now, how can we hold on to Maqin!" Lu Haoran's face was full of worry. He had a deep understanding of the strength of the Western Sichuan Army. One-on-one, the Green Horse Army was no match for the Western Sichuan Army, and with such a large difference in military strength, they would be even more unable to defeat the Western Sichuan Army.

  "General! The city walls of Maqin are solid, we can defend the city. Although the Western Sichuan Army has many people, it's not necessarily possible to take down Maqin. Besides, the governor's reinforcements are already on their way. The cavalry from Hezhou and Ningxia are also rushing over. As long as we can hold out until the reinforcements arrive, we will be victorious!" Wei Yuan seemed to show no despair at all.

  "Although the city wall of Maqin is solid, it can't withstand the bombardment of the Sichuan army! However, since General ordered us to defend Maqin to the death, we must hold on." Lu Haoran replied firmly.

  "General, rest assured, brothers will definitely use their hearts." Wei Yuan replied immediately.

  But as for whether they can hold on to Maqin City, Lu Haoran is not sure. It's all up to heaven now, and it depends on whether they can withstand the attack of the Western Sichuan Army before reinforcements arrive. However, whether from Xining to Maqin or from Hezhou to Maqin, it won't take long. Now that the Western Sichuan Army has arrived, I suppose the reinforcements will be here soon too!

  Outside the city of Maqin, in the military account of the Western Sichuan Army. Wang Yuezhe, Cai Yun, Zhao Bowen, Zhasi Duoji, Li Zhuo, Ma Qi, Bai Meng and Ma Yuntao etc., were surrounding a map of Maqin's defense, discussing the next battle. Because many of the surrendered soldiers from the 11th Brigade were originally garrison troops in Maqin, they could easily find out the deployment of the Qinghai Army inside the city.

  "General, Chief of Staff, generals, the garrison in Majin City now only has 4 battalions left. They are the 5th, 15th, 20th and 21st Battalions of the Qingma Army. Among them, the 5th and 15th Battalions are the elite troops of the Qingma Army. The current deployment in the city is mainly the 5th Battalion defending the south gate, the 15th Battalion defending the west gate, the 20th Battalion defending the north gate, and the 21st Battalion defending the east gate. However, Majin City is relatively small, so each battalion can quickly support each other!" Ma Yuntao introduced to everyone.

  "General, Chief of Staff. Let our 11th Brigade take the lead! As long as the 10th Brigade provides us with sufficient firepower support, we have confidence to capture Maqin City within one day!" Ma Qi immediately volunteered.

  "That's right, General, Chief of Staff. Our artillery is enough to blast open the walls of Majin, and at that time, the defenders of Majin will be at our mercy!" Bai Meng also hastened to say.

  "Let's talk about the battle later. First, let me tell you about the situation of the other reinforcements from Ma's army!" Cai Yun said.

  "The reinforcement troops of the Qinghai Army have departed from Xining and are now in Tongde, only 180 kilometers away from Maqin. The cavalry can arrive within two days. The total number of troops has reached 16,000, led by General Ma Haiyan, the commander-in-chief of Qinghai. In addition, the Mazha Army and Ningxia Army have also dispatched more than 32,000 troops. Among them, the Mazha Army has sent 20,000 troops, while the Ningxia Army has sent 12,000 troops. They are currently in Tongren, only 310 kilometers away from Maqin, and can arrive within three days." The commander of the 10th Brigade, Li Zhuo, read out the intelligence he had just received.

  "So many?" Everyone was stunned. The Qing Ma Army, the He Zhou Ma Family Army, and the Ning Ma Army's reinforcements added up to nearly 50,000 people! And their 10th and 11th brigades combined had only around 16,000 to 17,000 people, the difference was just too great.

  Ma Kei's face changed slightly when he heard Ma Haiyan's name, but then returned to normal. Perhaps he had long expected that father and son would meet on the battlefield, but did not expect this day to come so soon.

  "Don't worry, everyone. Although the enemy has a large number of troops, we also have reinforcements on the way. The main force of the Fourth Brigade has already set out from Malang and is no more than 400 kilometers away. They will arrive in four days. Even if it comes to a head-on confrontation, we don't need to be afraid of them!" Cai Yun said.

  "Yes! With the firepower of our Western Sichuan Army, dealing with the Ma family army which doesn't even have many cannons, isn't it just a piece of cake?" Zhao Bowei said disdainfully.

  The three men of the Eleventh Brigade looked a bit unnatural, but they also knew that Zhao Bowens words were true. With the firepower of the Sichuan Army, one brigade could at least withstand an attack by more than 20,000 troops from the Ma Family Army. Two brigades would be enough to resist the reinforcements of the Ma Family Army.

  "Chief of Staff, shall we attack Namaxi City?" Ma Qi asked.

  "Hit, why not hit! Tomorrow afternoon we'll start the attack. It's up to your 11th Brigade to launch the attack. At that time, the artillery of the 10th Brigade will provide full support inside. The city wall of Maqin is not very strong, we can blast a hole in it. Then it's up to you to play!" Cai Yun said with a smile.

  "Chief of Staff, the 11th Brigade guarantees the completion of the task!" Ma Qi, Bai Meng and Ma Yun Tao said in unison.

  "Chief of Staff, everyone, I think we can attack Maqin. However, it's best not to occupy Maqin for the time being!" Wang Yuzhang said.

  "What? Why?" Ma Qi asked in puzzlement.

  "Everyone, don't forget that the garrison in Maqin only has a few thousand people and can't pose too great of a threat to us. Our main enemy is actually the Qingma Army, as well as the Hezhou Ma Family Army and the Ningma Army that make up the reinforcement troops. I think Ma Haiyan must want to gather another reinforcement troop and then come together with us for battle. This would be very unfavorable for us. If we can prevent Ma Haiyan from waiting for the Hezhou Ma Family Army and the Ningma Army to arrive, then we can undoubtedly take down the Qingma Army's reinforcement troops first. After that, the rest of the battles will become much easier!" Wang Yuzhe said with a smile.

  "Haha, besiege and relieve? This is a great strategy!" Cai Yun laughed loudly.

  "Yes, we can attack the city of Maqin on one side and set up an ambush on the road that the Qingma army must take to reinforce it, and strike them again with a surprise attack. This way, the Qingma army will be completely finished!" Zhao Bogu also loudly agreed. It was clear that the great victory at Wild Bull Gorge had left him extremely satisfied, and he couldn't wait to stage another similar victory.

  "Alright, let's prepare according to this plan! Tomorrow morning, the 11th Brigade will start attacking the city!" said Chief of Staff Cai Yun.

  Ma Qi's heart was a bit uncomfortable, but he quickly adjusted. Anyway, he had already joined the Sichuan Army and couldn't turn back now, so he could only follow this path to the end.

  The next morning, the Kansai army immediately sprang into action. After a night's rest, everyone was refreshed and rejuvenated again. The artillery battalion of the 10th Brigade had moved to the front of the 11th Brigade, where they built new artillery positions to support the 11th Brigade's attack on the city. Twenty-four 82-style infantry guns raised their muzzles high, aiming at the walls of Maqu City from a distance of less than two kilometers away.

  Behind the artillery positions, a large number of soldiers from the 11th Brigade of the Kansai Army were ready to go. As soon as the artillery blasted open a gap, they would launch a charge.

  PS: The second update is here!