Chapter Fifty-One: Cannon Fire

  "What's wrong with those Green Horse troops, they're attacking like crazy and our brothers up front can't hold on much longer?" Zhang Mingyuan rushed into the 11th Brigade's command center covered in blood, some of which was his own but most of it belonged to the enemy.

  "Damn it, it seems that Gu Hongtao is getting desperate!" Ma Qi said with a slightly tense expression. Who is Gu Hongtao? As the young master of the Qingma Army, he was naturally very clear. Gu Hongtao and his older brother Gu Hongyun had both been objects of Ma Qi's eager recruitment efforts. However, it seemed that these two brothers did not want to get close to Ma Qi, which made him extremely dissatisfied.

  "It's almost dawn, if Gu Hongtao doesn't make a desperate effort now, he'll have no chance. This is the last opportunity, as long as we hold out against their attack this time, we'll be victorious!" Ma Yuntao said. The main force of the Sichuan Army was about to arrive, and Gu Hongtao naturally began to get anxious. If the reinforcements from the Sichuan Army arrived, he wouldn't even mention defeating the rebel army in front of him, it would be hard to say whether he could escape or not.

  "Order all able-bodied men in the division to reinforce the front line. Since Gu Hongtao wants to fight to the death, we won't be afraid of him either!" Ma Qi said fiercely. If they were defeated, all their previous efforts would have been for nothing. Therefore, before the 10th Division of the Sichuan Army arrived, he had to hold off the attack of the Qingma Army at all costs.

  "Yes, General!" Ma Yuntao replied. He quickly went down to organize the troops. The headquarters of the 11th Division also had hundreds of people, and these fresh soldiers joining the battlefield would definitely play a role in stabilizing the front line. As long as they could hold on for this most critical period of time, they would be victorious.

  "Kill!" Just inside the south gate of Yushu City, less than 100 meters away, the Qinghai Army's Yushu troops and the Sichuan Army's 11th Brigade were engaged in this brutal battle. The crisp sound of gunfire, the gleaming horse sabers, took away life after life. The fresh blood on the ground flowed like a stream, soaking the mud into a dark red color.

  "Attack, drive out those rebels! Whoever dares to retreat will be beheaded!" Behind the Qing Ma Army, a team of cold-faced supervisors were shouting at the top of their lungs. Under their threat, the soldiers of the Qing Ma Army launched a desperate attack, trampling over the bodies of their fallen comrades as they advanced. The houses on both sides of the street had long since been set ablaze, illuminating the surroundings with a fiery glow that dispelled the darkness of night.

  "The battle at Gu's camp was extremely fierce, and the rebel army's resistance was also very strong. We suffered heavy casualties!" said Cen Zhiwen, the commander of the 35th Regiment of the Qing Ma Army, as he came to Gu Hongtao's side again. His regiment had lost half of its men in this night's battle, which made him extremely heartbroken.

  With a "swish" sound, Gu Hongtao's saber was out of its scabbard and placed on Xun Zhiwen's neck. "Dare to disrupt the military again, I'll kill you!" Gu Hongtao said viciously.

  Cen Zhiwen was frightened, Gu Hongtao's icy voice and the cold sensation from the horse knife on his neck made him feel that he was so close to death. "Gu Camp Commander, I'm sorry, little brother won't dare speak recklessly again!" Cen Zhiwen hastily apologized.

  "Hmph!" Gu Hongtao snorted coldly and said no more, shifting his attention back to the battlefield.

  Although the casualties were very heavy, and his own sixth battalion was also heavily damaged, Gu Hongtao persisted. He knew that the rebel army's casualties were not small either, so it was a matter of who could hold on first. However, the rebel army had a great advantage, their reinforcements were rushing over quickly, while their Qing army reinforcements were still unknown where they were. The messenger would have to wait at least until tomorrow to arrive in Maqu. And even if Ma Qi sent troops to Yushu, it would take two to three days for the cavalry to arrive.

  Suddenly, a commotion broke out on the battlefield ahead. The soldiers of the Green Horse Army who were attacking stopped their assault.

  "What's going on?" Gu Hongtao asked in a rage.

  "Sir, it's the young master. The young master of the Green Horse Army has appeared on the battlefield. The young master has already become a brigade commander in the Sichuan Western Army and is about to have his brothers join the Sichuan Western Army too?" A low-ranking officer covered in blood ran back to report with a look of astonishment.

  "What? Ma Qi, that little kid? He's defected to the Sichuan Army?" Gu Hongtao was also full of incredulity. Ma Qi had been detained by the Sichuan Army, he was very clear about this. But how did Ma Qi defect to the Sichuan Army and even become a division commander?

  Gu Hongtao didn't say another word and hurriedly ran towards the battlefield. If the soldiers in front were deceived by Ma Qi and defected to the Sichuan Army, he would be finished.

  On the battlefield where the 11th Brigade of the Chuanxi Army of the Qing Dynasty was fighting, Ma Kei led hundreds of people from the brigade to join the battle and immediately stabilized the front line. Ma Kei himself also joined the battle. Raised on horseback since childhood, he was equally skilled in archery and horsemanship. With his sword swinging, ordinary soldiers were no match for him.

  However, Ma Qi was soon recognized by the soldiers of the Qingma Army. Suddenly, one spread to ten and ten to a hundred, the soldiers of the Qingma Army exclaimed in surprise, they never thought that even their young master had become a member of the Qingma Army.

  "Comrades of the Green Horse Army, I am indeed Ma Qi, the former young master of the Green Horse Army. However, after arriving in Western Sichuan, I realized that Western Sichuan is countless times stronger than the Green Horse Army. We are no match for them and will only suffer a bad outcome if we oppose them. The future China will inevitably belong to Western Sichuan, and our only good path forward is to follow them. Comrades, I am now a division commander in the Western Sichuan Army, so why don't you all follow me and defect as well? I, Ma Qi, guarantee that if you follow me, you will have endless wealth and glory!"

  "Fart! Ma Qi, you disloyal and unfilial thing, how dare you betray Commander Ditu! Come on! Tie up this disloyal and unfilial guy and take him back to see Commander Ditu!" Gu Hongtao scolded.

  Ma Haiyan has a very high prestige in Qinghai, and these ordinary soldiers are extremely respectful. Gu Hongtao jumped out, and instantly, those Qing Ma soldiers who were originally deceived by Ma Qi's nonsense regained their clarity.

  The battle unfolded again, and Gu Hongtao also took to the battlefield personally. He was a seasoned general who had been through many battles, and with his horse sword swinging back and forth, he opened up a big gap, and no one could be his opponent.

  "Haha! Kill! Catch Ma Qi, General Ti will heavily reward you!" Gu Hongtao cut a soldier of the 11th Regiment in half with one knife and shouted loudly.

  "Kill! Capture Ma Qi!" The soldiers of the Green Horse Army were suddenly filled with morale, and they originally had more people. With Gu Hongtao leading the charge, their fighting spirit was even more inspired. On the contrary, the 11th Brigade was retreating step by step, and it seemed that they would not be able to hold their position.

  "Boom!" A loud explosion suddenly rang out. A residential house on the side of the street was hit, and it was instantly destroyed, with debris flying everywhere, flames shooting into the sky.

  "Artillery fire? This is artillery fire! Haha! Brothers, reinforcements have arrived, follow me to kill the enemy!" Ma Qi shouted loudly. The soldiers of the 11th Brigade immediately became spirited and morale-boosted.

  The green horse soldiers in the Jade Tree City were pale and fearful. The Western Sichuan Army had arrived, could they still win? This was obviously not possible.

  Continuous explosions rang out in Yushu City. A large number of shells hit the center of Yushu City. Of course, the main target of the artillery fire was around the city center, avoiding the direction of the 11th Brigade.

  At this time, less than a kilometer away from Yushu City, the 24 75mm infantry guns of the artillery battalion of the Tenth Brigade of the Western Sichuan Army were fiercely spewing flames. At the same time, a team of cavalry rushed towards Yushu City. They did not enter the city but surrounded the small Yushu City, apparently preparing to annihilate all the Qinghai Army inside.

  "General Xiao, Chief of Staff. Now Yushu is already surrounded by us, can we launch an attack?" reported Zhao Bowei, the commander of the 10th Brigade of the Chuanxi Army.

  "Launch the attack! Wang Jueze looked at the flames engulfing Yushu City and said, "They shouldn't be able to withstand it!"

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