The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 235 Means and Attitude
Not only Teng Yuzao was aware of the serious decline in combat effectiveness, but several of his generals were also aware of it.

In the past two days, without any arrangements from Teng Yuzhao, Liu Yuzhi, Li Xiange, Hu Dianjia, Liu Shijiu, Cao Futian and others have been training and integrating the troops day and night. Even though they all came here for the meeting today, the training of their respective troops has not stopped.

This time, due to the expansion of the troops, the problem of various rifle models became more obvious. The most obvious one was Hu Dianjia's Third Mixed Brigade. He did not have so many Mannlicher rifles and could only use other types of rifles, which brought a lot of trouble in logistics support.

In the end, Teng Yuzao had no choice but to hand over Hu Dianjia's 7.9-caliber Mannlicher rifle and the seized Mannlicher of the same caliber to Liu Bingyi's guard standard. The 8.5-caliber could only be temporarily stored in the warehouse and then a way would be found to sell it.

Now, only Liu Yuzhi's 98st Mixed Brigade and Li Xianze's nd Mixed Brigade are using G Mauser rifles. The rifles of Hu Dianjia's rd Mixed Brigade, Liu th Assault Battalion, and Cao Futian's Independent Battalion have all been replaced with water-jet rifles, that is, the Russian army's Mosin-Nagant rifles.

Among the remaining rifles in Teng Yuzhao's hands, the most common models are the water-repellent rifles and the golden hook rifles, the golden hook rifles and the Mannlicher rifles, as well as the standard rifles of the French and American armies. The final outcome can only be to sell them.

The battalion that uses the most diverse weapons now is Teng Yuzhao's Guards Battalion, which not only has Mauser G98, but also the British Army's Lee-Enfield rifles.

"So, the foreign devils will deliberately try to destroy us!"

Teng Yuzao continued his speech, "As long as our vanguard army exists, the foreign devils will not be able to plunder our wealth and divide our territory with confidence."

Teng Yuzao raised his voice, "Therefore, the vanguard army must remain highly vigilant at all times. All of you must do the same, even sleeping with one eye open, otherwise the battle of Anping will happen again."

After breaking out to Anping, Teng Yuzhao led the vanguard troops and was not idle. He successfully ambushed the logistics supplies of the Allied Forces attacking Tongzhou twice in a row, forcing the Allied Forces to retreat to Langfang and dare not advance further.

Teng Yuzhao even commanded his troops to defeat more than 30,000 coalition forces, mainly Japanese and Russian forces, who came to encircle and suppress him in Anping.

The three consecutive victories not only wiped out nearly 7,000 coalition troops, but also seized countless weapons, ammunition and other supplies. This greatly boosted the morale of the vanguard troops. At the same time, the idea of ​​underestimating the enemy began to spread, and even Teng Yuzhao himself became a little complacent.

It was because of underestimating the enemy that we were besieged by heavy Japanese and Russian forces in Anping this time, and suffered a considerable loss.

Fortunately, the fortifications had been built, and there were a few hills in Anping, so it was no longer a flat plain. The vanguard army also arranged a defensive depth extending to the east, and the sentries five miles away also issued timely warnings, which allowed the hastily-equipped vanguard army to barely block the first and most fiercest wave of the coalition forces' assault.

The sudden siege by the Allied Forces caused the vanguard army generals and troops, including Teng Yuzao, to be in a panic. Some troops were even in chaos. Several positions were breached by the Japanese and Russian armies one after another, so that not only did Liu Shijiu and Cao Futian personally lead their broadsword teams to rush forward and fight to the death, but Teng Yuzao also had to personally lead the Guards Battalion and fought with the Japanese army that had rushed to a few hundred meters away from his headquarters for more than an hour before they blocked the breach.

It was not until more than two hours of fighting that the vanguard army managed to stabilize its position. Then, in the early morning, it successfully broke through the encirclement and retreated eastward into the hilly area.

The Japanese-Russian coalition forces had marched all night to raid Anping, and had fought fiercely with the vanguard for half a night. They were hungry and tired, and had no strength to pursue further. They could only stop at Xianghe, which allowed Teng Yuzhao to escape.

In order to completely get rid of this coalition force, Teng Yuzhao did not even dare to rest, but led his troops to move continuously. After making a circle with the coalition force, he retreated all the way west to Gu'an.

Gu'an was still under the jurisdiction of Zhili. Here, the document that Ronglu gave to Teng Yuzhao played a big role. After seeing the document and his seal that Teng Yuzhao took out, the Gu'an County Magistrate immediately became very diligent. He not only provided food, but also mobilized merchants in the city to donate military pay and military support.

The county magistrate even temporarily gave his yamen to Teng Yuzhao for use.

In this battle, although the Vanguard Army relied on a sufficient number of Maxim heavy machine guns to inflict heavy casualties on the Allied forces who were desperate to break into the Vanguard Army's positions, the Vanguard Army itself also suffered more than 4,000 casualties. This was the battle with the highest casualty ratio since the Vanguard Army was established.

Fortunately, Teng Yuzhao had arranged for Li Yulin to lead the camp office to move to Yizhou a day in advance. The main consideration was that it was backed by the Taihang Mountains. Once the coalition forces caught up, they could quickly retreat into the mountains, thus avoiding greater losses.

Yizhou is Yi County in later generations. It was the provincial capital at that time and governed Laishui and Guangchang counties.

Teng Yuzao's words made many generals bow their heads. Everything Teng Yuzao said today was reminding them to guard against arrogance and impatience and never be carried away by victory, otherwise not only would there be a second defeat in Anping, but they would even suffer greater losses.

Although in the eyes of many people, if we only look at the casualty ratio, the Battle of Anping cannot be said to be a defeat for the vanguard army.

But considering that the vanguard army was forced into a panic, with even Teng Yuzhao forced to rush to the front line to urgently fight against the oncoming coalition forces, and that they suffered unprecedented casualties of nearly 4,000 in one battle, and were even forced to withdraw in a hurry and transfer over large areas and long distances, it is not wrong to say that the vanguard army suffered a defeat.

Wei Jinghai stood up and said in a heavy tone, "Sir, the vanguard army suffered a loss in the Battle of Anping. This is my fault. It was all caused by my failure to urge the troops below to strengthen their vigilance. Please punish me!"

Liu Yuzhi and Li Xiance stood up almost at the same time. "Sir, this responsibility does not lie with Deputy Chief of Staff Wei. This is the responsibility of us generals. We have been overwhelmed by our successive victories and never lost a single battle. We all share this responsibility."

Hu Dianjia, Cao Futian and Pan Jinshan also stood up and said, "We were the same. We underestimated the enemy. That's why we were beaten so badly by the foreign devils in Anping. Please punish us as well, sir!"

Among the many generals, only the artillery commander Liu Changfa, the cavalry commander Xue Qian, and the assault battalion commander Liu Shijiu with a white bandage on his head did not stand up.

Alert defense has nothing to do with the artillery brigade and the cavalry battalion. Because the assault battalion had too many new recruits, it was not responsible for guarding the periphery in Anping. Instead, it was stationed in Anping Town with Teng Yuzhao's headquarters. During the battle, Liu Shijiu led the assault battalion to rush to rescue everywhere, and he himself almost became the first senior general of the vanguard army to be killed.

Naturally, Anping's negligence in vigilance had nothing to do with him directly.

Teng Yuzao waved his hand and said, "You all sit down."

There was only a table and a chair placed on the steps for today's meeting. This was done by Xu Ting at the instruction of Teng Yuzhao.

He did not plan to provide seats on the stone steps for his senior generals such as Liu Yuzhi, Li Xianze, Wei Jinghai, etc. If Li Yulin was there, he would also have to sit down there.

There was only one Teng Yuzhao in the vanguard army. As long as he was there, he could only be the one in charge. This was just the beginning of him consciously establishing his prestige.

The court's move to cancel the designation of the Vanguard Army attracted Teng Yuzhao's attention and also served as a reminder to him that since the court was now preparing for the possibility of seizing this army in the future, he had to do something as well. Teng Yuzhao was never a person who would just lie down and do nothing.

"I called you to this meeting today not to hold anyone responsible, but to remind you all to abandon the idea of ​​being complacent and underestimating the enemy, and to always remain vigilant. Regarding the Battle of Anping, everyone present today must write a battle summary as soon as possible, summarizing the gains and losses of that battle, to avoid similar incidents in the future."

"Especially the commanders of the battalions. You should not only summarize the gains and losses of your own battalions, but also consider the gains and losses of this battle from the perspective of your superior officers, or even the entire vanguard army."

Teng Yuzao smiled for the only time since the meeting began today. "I have to make it clear to you captains that the Vanguard Army will never stop at its current size. Under our constant attacks, the foreign devils will continue to increase their forces. Therefore, it is inevitable that we will expand our army. Each of you may become the next battalion commander, assistant commander, or even town commander. Do you understand clearly?"

When Teng Yuzao said the last sentence, he suddenly raised his voice. The more than 30 band members in the audience were stunned at first, and then they cheered and burst into thunderous applause.

Teng Yuzao was not just painting a rosy picture for these people, but giving them hope to work hard and letting these middle-level generals understand that only he, Teng Yuzao, could give them the opportunity to get promoted, which was something their direct superiors could not give them.

If we must say that Teng Yuzao is just drawing a pie in the sky, then this pie in the sky is what these middle-level officers are most willing to eat.

In fact, this is also a warning to their superiors, the senior generals of the vanguard army.

The meaning is very clear. It does not mean that you will stay in this position forever. You will even be promoted naturally. If they are not capable, there will be others to take their place, even their former subordinates.

Teng Yuzao changed his tone and continued, "It's not easy for the Vanguard Army to have the situation it has today. We fought hard and it's not something we got for nothing."

Teng Yuzao raised his voice again and said in a loud and generous tone, "Whether it is the foreign devils or anyone else who wants to covet or even destroy our vanguard army, I, Teng Yuzao, will never agree. All our enemies will be destroyed by us without hesitation!"

This time, Teng Yuzao's words were not only a bit explicit, but he also used the word "covet".

The word "covet" means to desire or possess something that one should not have. As for the relationship between the Eight-Nation Alliance and the Vanguard Army, there is naturally no question of possession. The only person who has this ability is a certain person in the country, or a certain faction, or even...
Although Liu Shijiu, Cao Futian, Wang Decheng, and even Pan Jinshan might not understand the meaning of this word, except for a small number of generals like them, all other middle and high-level generals of the vanguard army came from the Beiyang Military Academy or the Wuwei Vanguard Army School, and these people could understand it.

Li Xianze stood up from his seat and said, "All the officers of the Second Mixed Brigade are grateful to you for your kindness. We will follow you for the rest of our lives!"

Although Li Xianze didn't say much and didn't use any grand words, his tone was firm, especially the words "this life" and "follow", which were enough to express his feelings.

As soon as Li Xianze stood up, several captains of the Second Mixed Brigade also stood up behind him and shouted in unison, "We will resolutely follow you, my Lord!"

With Li Xian Ce taking the lead, Liu Yuzhi, Hu Dianjia, Liu Changfa, Wei Jinghai and their subordinates all stood up and shouted in unison, "We will resolutely follow you, my Lord!"

Following Wei Jinghai, the commander of the supply battalion that had just been established at the headquarters stood up.

Teng Yuzao's words made Hu Dianjia stunned for a moment, but it was only for a moment, then he stood up with the captains of the Third Mixed Brigade, and also took the opportunity to express his opinions when Liu Yuzhi, Liu Changfa, Wei Jinghai and other confidants of Teng Yuzao stood up.

Faced with the sudden situation, Liu Shijiu, Cao Futian and Pan Jinshan were a little confused at first, but then they saw the eager Chief of Staff Li Jinyu, and they all reacted quickly. Cao Futian pulled Pan Jinshan and jumped up first, shouting, "All the generals of the independent battalion will resolutely follow you for the rest of your life!"

Although Cao Futian and Pan Jinshan reacted a little slowly, Chief of Staff Li Jinyu and the squadron leaders of the independent brigade still stood up in time. Two squadron leaders even stood up earlier than Cao Futian. It seems that even if Cao Futian and Pan Jinshan did not stand up to express their opinions, these two would have expressed their attitudes individually.

Afterwards, Security Director Li Yaoting and Guard Battalion Commander Hu Daqiu quickly stood up to express their attitudes.

These two people were naturally highly trusted by Teng Yuzao, but they did not stand up with Wei Jinghai. Of course, it was not easy for them to stand up before Cao Futian and Xue Qian. When they saw Xue Qian was still in a daze, the two of them exchanged glances and stood up together to show their attitude.

The last person to stand up was Xue Qian. He seemed shocked by Teng Yuzao's words and the subsequent statements of a group of generals. He just sat in his seat in a daze until Su Xilin, who was standing beside him, bumped him hard with his elbow. Only then did he react and hurriedly stood up with Su Xilin to express his position.

The cavalry battalion still only had six companies of cavalry, but now they had all been equipped with Don horses. Since they did not have a battalion-level organization, there were only him and Su Xilin.

What surprised everyone was that Liu Jiujiu, who had obviously reacted, did not stand up with Cao Futian and Pan Jinshan. Instead, after these people had expressed their attitudes and positions, Liu Jiujiu with a bandage on his head jumped up.

As soon as Liu Shijiu stood up, the two deputy captains of the assault brigade, including Wang Decheng, and several squadron leaders, who had been scratching their heads anxiously, jumped up immediately.

Liu Nineteen waved his hand fiercely and said, "Damn it, the Vanguard Army was founded by Xingfu with all his hard work. Without Xingfu, the Vanguard Army would not have reached its current size. All of you here, including me, Liu Nineteen, dare to say that you would have the status you have today. It can be said that without Teng Xingfu, there would be no Vanguard Army today, and none of you here would have the official positions you have quickly risen to today."

Liu Shijiu rolled up his sleeves and said loudly, "There will only be one commander-in-chief of the Vanguard Army, and that is Teng Xingfu. If there is any blind bastard who wants to attack our Vanguard Army, even if Xingfu gives in, I will not agree. No matter who it is, I will twist his head off."

After Liu Shijiu finished speaking, he turned around and shouted loudly not only to the squadron leaders under him, but also to all the captains behind him.

"Brothers, don't you agree?"

"Correct!"

Almost all the captains, led by Liu Shijiu, shouted in unison.

Looking at this scene, Cao Futian couldn't help but glance at Pan Jinshan. Both of them smacked their lips and secretly admired Liu Shijiu.

Ever since Li Xiance was the first to stand up and take the lead in expressing his attitude, Teng Yuzhao has been watching coldly. He remembered all the actions of the generals below in his mind. He not only secretly praised Li Xiance and Liu Shijiu, but also remembered the two squadron leaders of the independent battalion who stood up before Cao Futian.

Until then, Teng Yuzao said, "What I want to say is that the vanguard army is not my vanguard army, Teng Yuzao's vanguard army, it is the vanguard army of the court."

He had to say such high-sounding words, but the faint sound of hurried horse hooves interrupted his words.

The hurried sound of horse hooves at this time must be due to urgent military intelligence. Now the vanguard army's scouts have been deployed as far as thirty miles away.

Wei Jinghai jumped up and ran towards the county government office, but before he could take a few steps, the sound of horse hooves stopped abruptly outside the government office amid the neighing of war horses. Immediately afterwards, a man ran in quickly.

The man ignored Wei Jinghai who came over to greet him, and ran directly towards Teng Yuzhao.

Seeing the person coming, Teng Yuzhao's heart tightened and he asked hurriedly.

"What happened?"

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(End of this chapter)