Chapter Fifty-two: Total Annihilation

  The 75mm infantry gun used by the Xīnán Army was developed in 1882 and mass-produced in 1886, named as Type 82 Infantry Gun. It became the main firepower support equipment for the battalion level of the Xīnán Army. The 10th Brigade was a cavalry brigade and it was not easy to carry large-caliber howitzers, so only the 75mm infantry gun was equipped.

  Type 82 infantry gun, caliber 75mm, weight 0.25 tons, total length 2.8m, height 0.62m, elevation -10° to +75°, traverse ±45°. Ammunition includes 75mm HE shells and others. Shell weight 4kg, muzzle velocity 180m/s, maximum range 2500m, minimum range 100m.

  Due to its light weight and disassembled transportation, 4 horses can transport one Type 82 infantry support gun and some ammunition. Therefore, the Type 82 infantry support gun has become the most effective firepower support equipment for cavalry brigades and regiments in Western Sichuan Army.

  Outside the Jade Tree City, 24 Type 82 infantry guns were lined up and fired more than 300 shells into the city within five minutes, greatly intimidating the Qing army inside.

  "Run quickly! The Xichuan army has arrived. The Xichuan army's cannons are fierce! They can't be withstood at all!" Those Qing cavalrymen who were originally fighting the 11th Brigade suddenly panicked, they desperately ran towards their own barracks, trying to mount their war horses and leave this damned place.

  "Retreat! Immediately retreat to Maqin!" Gu Hongtao gritted his teeth and said. Just as they were about to win, they ultimately failed due to a single mistake. The arrival of the Western Sichuan Army had caused them to lose their last chance at victory. Now, there was only one option: to take advantage of the Western Sichuan Army's recent arrival and retreat immediately, otherwise, they would likely lose their lives here.

  Gu Hongtao led the remnants of the Green Horse Army to retreat from the north gate of Yushu City, heading towards Maqu in the north, where there were ten camps of the Green Horse Army that could rely on solid fortifications to resist the Sichuan Army and wait for reinforcements. However, he did not know that at this moment, Yushu had already been surrounded by the Sichuan Army. The artillery of the Sichuan Army opened fire only after surrounding Yushu, with the intention of annihilating the Green Horse Army here.

  The 10th Brigade of the Western Sichuan Army, with its five cavalry regiments, has been fully mobilized. The first regiment is defending the east gate of Yushu, the second regiment is defending the north gate, and the third regiment is defending the west gate. The remaining fourth and fifth regiments have entered the city from the south gate occupied by the 11th Brigade, coordinating with the 11th Brigade to clear out the remaining enemy forces within the city. Under Zhao Bowens command, the 10th Brigade of the Western Sichuan Army immediately sprang into action. Yushu is about to be controlled by the Western Sichuan Army, and the thousands of Qing soldiers inside will only have the fate of being captured or shot.

  The arrival of the Tenth Brigade relieved the Eleventh Brigade from danger. If the Tenth Brigade had arrived a little later, they might have been driven out of Yushu City by the Qing cavalry. Afterwards, Ma Ke handed over the troops to Bai Meng, Ding Zhongming and Zhang Mingyuan for command, while he and Ma Yuntao went out of the city to pay respects to General Wang Yuezhe and Deputy Chief of Staff Cai Yun.

  Two men arrived outside the city, just in time to see Wang Yuze and Cai Yun standing on the artillery position of the 10th Brigade. They saw a row of twenty-four 82-style infantry guns, and both were shocked in their hearts. Just now, it was these big guns that made the Qing Ma Army collapse immediately. Otherwise, their 11th Brigade would have suffered even greater casualties. However, thinking about Wang Yuze's promise to replenish their equipment after the war, Ma Qi and Ma Yun Tao felt a burning passion in their hearts. The two men had also been opposing the Sichuan Army for many years, knowing the ferocity of the Sichuan Army's artillery, but this time, facing it head-on, left an even deeper impression on them.

  "General, Chief of Staff, Ma Qi (Ma Yun-tao) reporting!" Ma Qi and Ma Yun-tao saluted Wang Yu-ze and Cai Yun with a military salute. Both of them looked a bit haggard, having just come from the battlefield, although they were not injured, but covered in dust.

  "Both of you have worked hard! This time we were able to take down Yushu City so smoothly, you are both meritorious!" Wang Yuze said with a smile.

  "The merits of your 11th Brigade will be recorded by the General Staff, and after the war, they will certainly be rewarded!" Cai Yun also said.

  "Thanks to General Xiao and Chief of Staff, this is what we should do!" Ma Qi said excitedly.

  "General, Chief of Staff. This time Bai Meng also made a great contribution, it was him and his subordinates who disguised themselves as defeated troops, which easily took down the south gate of Yushu City!" Ma Yuntao said.

  "Don't worry, he will definitely make his contribution when the time comes!" Cai Yun said with a smile.

  "General Xiao, Chief of Staff. The Green Horse Army has started to break through. However, they obviously no longer have this opportunity!" reported Zhao Bowen, commander of the 10th Brigade.

  Wang Yuezhe and Cai Yun both picked up their binoculars. They saw that the north gate of Yushu City was already shrouded in smoke. The intense gunfire and explosions continued to come, clearly indicating a fierce battle was underway.

  The north gate of Yushu City became the main direction for the Qing cavalry to break through, and nearly three thousand defeated soldiers and generals inside Yushu City broke through from here. The other two directions and the Qing cavalry inside the city were extremely scarce.

  At the north gate of Yushu City, the soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 10th Brigade were responsible for blocking the enemy. Although time was urgent and there was no time to build defensive fortifications, they all dismounted their war horses, placed their cavalry guns on the horseback, and opened fire on the defeated army of Qingma Jun. At the same time, two 82-style infantry cannons and two 60mm caliber mortars belonging to the battalion also opened fire. The firepower groups of each company and platoon also opened fire one after another. The sound of artillery, the low roar of machine guns, filled the air. Those Qingma Jun soldiers who were rushing out of the city were like wheat being cut down, falling in large numbers under the gunfire of the Sichuan Army.

  "The old camp is surrounded by the Sichuan troops, we can't break out of Yushu?" The deputy commander of the sixth battalion hastily reported to Gu Hongtao.

  "We must charge forward even if we can't break through! If we stay behind, there's only one road to death!" Gu Hongtao commanded stubbornly.

  Under his command, the soldiers of the Qing Ma Army rode their war horses and launched a desperate charge against the 2nd Battalion of the 10th Regiment of the Chuanxi Army outside the city. Although there was only a distance of two hundred meters between the north gate of Yushu City and the position of the Chuanxi Army, this section of road became a death path leading to hell. One after another, soldiers of the Qing Ma Army were shot down, fell from their horses, and were trampled into minced meat by the cavalry behind them. The short distance of two hundred meters had become an insurmountable chasm for them.

  As casualties mounted, the morale of the Qing Ma Army also plummeted rapidly. Knowing they would certainly die, naturally not many people were willing to go to their deaths. Later on, even when Gu Hongtao repeatedly pressured them, they still refused to go and die.

  "General Gu, we've already lost, why not surrender?" Zhen Zhiwen said with a terrified face, bringing several people to the front of Gu Hongtao. He had just witnessed from afar the firepower of the Sichuan Army and saw the Qingma troops being easily shot down like cutting wheat, which almost scared him to death.

  "Bastard! It's because of cowards like you that we'll fail!" Gu Hongtao was furious, drawing his saber and chopping down at Xun Zhiwen, intent on killing him.

  "Ah!" Cen Zhiwen cried out in terror, never expecting that at this moment, Gu Hongtao would still want to kill him.

  "Bang!" At this time, the gun went off. Xun Zhiwen's guard fired and accurately hit Gu Hongtao's chest. Blood kept seeping out, and Gu Hongtao pointed at Xun Zhiwen, unable to speak. A few seconds later, he fell to the ground.

  "Damn it!" But Xun Zhiwen immediately rushed up, beheaded Gu Hongtao with one knife, held his head in his hand, and shouted loudly: "Gu Hongtao is dead, surrender! We surrender!"

  Afterwards, the Qinghai Ma Clique, who were already frightened, put down their weapons and surrendered to the Sichuan Army. After this battle, the city of Yushu was completely under the control of the Sichuan Army. The five battalions of the Qinghai Ma Clique that guarded Yushu had only over 2,000 men captured, with the rest killed in action. These prisoners joined the 11th Brigade after Ma Ke personally intervened, bringing the brigade's strength to nearly 5,000 men. Although still not comparable to other regular brigades of the Sichuan Army, it was now roughly on par.

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