The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 329 The Helplessness of the Allied Forces

That’s right, it was either harassment or attack, and a very fierce attack at that.

After daybreak, the vanguard launched a sudden and fierce attack on them.

In some places, the vanguard troops that attacked them, after seeing the large coalition forces that rushed out in anger to pursue them, turned around and ran, and quickly retreated back to the city under the cover of the support troops.

In some places, the pursuing Allied forces would suddenly come under intensive artillery fire in a certain area, and even a group of British pursuing troops were ambushed by the ambushed vanguard. Although the large British force arrived in time and the ambushed pursuing troops were not destroyed, they still suffered considerable losses.

The coalition forces were exhausted by the large number of attacking forces that appeared in the east, north, and even west and east of the city at the same time.

The coalition forces, who had been busy all day and had not had a good rest, were already exhausted. Some even fell asleep while biting their bread during meals.

Although they knew clearly that the vanguard troops were using fatigue tactics on them, and might even be plotting to escape or some other bigger conspiracy, the allied commanders were helpless. They could not attack the city with their existing forces.

Unless they concentrate their forces and attack one side fiercely, allowing the vanguard troops in the city to escape when necessary.

And this was exactly what they could not accept, because they always believed that the Vanguard Army was the only army of the Qing Dynasty that could be their opponent. As long as they were eliminated, the Qing Dynasty would no longer have an army that could threaten them.

With such thoughts in mind, how could they let the other party escape easily!

Even if it means some casualties, they must persist in keeping this cunning army in their capital.

During this period, the Russians, unable to bear it any longer, launched a siege and even broke into Deshengmen, where the Gansu Army was stationed.

However, with the support of a vanguard army that arrived urgently, the Russian army was quickly driven out.

After suffering heavy losses, the impatient Russians had to be patient and continue waiting for the arrival of reinforcements.

With no better solution, Gasley had to give orders again, asking all the troops from various countries to withdraw and gather in a few main camps that blocked the city gates leading to the outside world. They gathered heavy troops in one place and were ready for battle.

After the German troops and the reinforcements from Russia and Japan arrived, they would deal a devastating blow to this vanguard army that had made them extremely angry and completely wipe them out.

The continuous fatigue made the coalition officers and soldiers exhausted.

Tonight, the coalition forces were all exhausted and even the sentries on duty were dozing off with sleepy eyes and guns in their arms.

Even many of the coalition soldiers on duty at the positions fell asleep while lying on the positions.

As soon as it got dark, the harassment troops of the vanguard army continued to engage in harassment warfare with the coalition forces around the capital as usual.

However, although the fighting was raging outside the city, it was calm inside the city.

On the main streets not leading into the city, there was no one except for the vanguard soldiers on duty and patrol.

Martial law has been imposed in the city since Liu Zhigang and Zhou Zhan's gang were cleared out.

In the vanguard army's garrisons of Li Xianze's Second Mixed Brigade, Hu Dianjia's Third Mixed Brigade, Liu Shijiu's Assault Column, the Artillery Brigade and the newly formed Guards Brigade, it was even quieter.

If you walk in the heavily guarded camps of these troops, you can hear sweet snoring coming from the barracks. There is no doubt that the officers and soldiers of these troops are resting.

Now, the garrisons of various troops are mainly located in established government offices and vacant residences of dignitaries and wealthy families as camps, which has greatly improved the garrison environment and rest conditions for the officers and soldiers of the vanguard officers and soldiers.

However, in the camps of Cao Futian's Independent Column and Liu Changfa's Artillery Brigade, only a small number of officers and soldiers were taking a rest, and more than half of the other barracks were empty.

What's worse, in the artillery brigade's camp, except for the soldiers standing guard inside and outside the camp, and the officers and soldiers patrolling the camp, there was almost no one in all the barracks, including Liu Changfa's command post.

This is because not only are the troops harassing the coalition forces outside the city tonight from the Independent Column, but even the troops responsible for guarding the east, south, and west walls are also from the Independent Column.

Tonight, the independent column will temporarily take over the defense of the three city walls guarded by the vanguard army.

Due to the mission, the troops of the artillery association have moved to the temporary camp inside the Qihua Gate, where they will take the time to rest. In short, the camps of the vanguard troops in the city are full of peace and silence.

Only the Vanguard Army Command Center located in the Ministry of Revenue was still brightly lit. From time to time, one could see staff officers walking in and out in a hurry, creating a tense and solemn atmosphere.

On one side of the main hall of the Ministry of Revenue, in a spacious wing, which was also the meeting room of the vanguard army, more than a dozen horse lanterns illuminated the room as bright as day.

All the senior officers of the vanguard army in the capital sat around the long table that served as a conference table.

There were not only Li Xianze, Hu Dianjia, Liu Shijiu, Wang Decheng, Liu Yuanshou, Cao Futian, Zhu Kaishan, Pan Jinshan, Liu Changfa, and Director of the Security Department Li Yaoting, as well as Lin Lianhui, Director of the Vanguard Army Field Hospital, and Lin Liansheng, Director of the Vanguard Army Telecommunications and Communications Department.

In addition, among these people there were the newly appointed commander of the Imperial Guards Wu Peifu, who had returned three days ago, as well as the Imperial Guards' assistant Hu Daqiu, chief of staff Li Jinyu, and Xu Ting, commander of the Fourth Battalion of the Imperial Guards and captain of the Special Guard Squadron.

After Cixi gave the go-ahead, Wu Peifu and Xu Ting, who had been eager to return home, immediately set off with their guards battalion that day.

Fortunately, all the officers and soldiers of the Guards Battalion were equipped with war horses. They rode non-stop, day and night, and rested for less than three hours a day. It only took them two days to rush back to the capital.

This is because we have to consider the physical strength of the warhorse. We have to rest for a while after riding for a while and feed the horse with grass and water. Otherwise, we would go even faster.

The longest delay occurred outside the capital, as the coalition forces had blocked all the city gates on the south, north and west sides.

Since the German vanguard of more than 7,000 troops arrived in the capital, as well as the Japanese and Russian reinforcements, as well as the reinforcements from the British, American and French colonies in Asia, although the Allied forces had restored their strength to the situation when they first arrived in the capital, the total strength has once again reached 120,000.

However, the Allied commanders still felt that their strength was not enough to launch a strong attack on the capital, and they were still waiting for the arrival of the 30,000 main forces of the German army.

The coalition forces were really frightened by the battle fought by the vanguard army.

At least when it comes to sieges and street fighting, they no longer dare to be careless.

When forming the coalition forces, and even after capturing Dagukou, they had never imagined that in this country, which had been defeated by the British and French forces of 6,000 and by the tiny Japan despite its well-equipped and superior army, an invincible vanguard army that they also deeply feared would suddenly emerge.

Moreover, they believed that the coalition forces' artillery firepower was insufficient.

In order to strengthen artillery firepower, in the Allied Forces, in addition to the Japanese transporting more artillery from their country, Britain, France and the United States, the three countries that had colonies in Asia, also urgently transferred artillery units from their colonies.

In short, without absolutely superior military forces and absolutely powerful artillery support, Gasley and the highest military commanders of several other countries would never launch a siege again.

Even the usually arrogant Russian army, after launching a single siege, gave up under the strong suppression of their actual supreme commander Nikolay Lenavich.

Although the coalition forces did not launch a siege, it did not mean that they did not take any action.

After the increase in troops, the Allied Forces redistributed their troops. Now the British, French and American troops blocked the three southern city gates. The Japanese army, which had the largest number of troops, blocked the three gates of the western city alone. The Russian army, which had the second largest number of troops after the Japanese, blocked the three gates of the northern city.

Only in Dongcheng, there were only about 8,000 German troops blocking outside the Qihua Gate.

The 15th Cossack Cavalry Regiment of the Russian Army and the only cavalry regiment of the American Army, the 6th Cavalry Regiment of the U.S. Army, helped the German army defend Dongzhimen, Guangqumen and Dongbianmen.

It’s not that the coalition forces don’t want to block East City, but they feel that their troops are insufficient and they dare not disperse them further.

There is another very important reason. Gasley and others believed that if the vanguard wanted to break through, the most likely directions would be the north, west, and south.

The east is the most unlikely direction for the vanguard army to break out. If the vanguard army breaks out to the east, it will be blocked by them and the troops in Tianjin, Langfang, and Tongzhou. With their more than 100,000 troops chasing after them, the vanguard army will be unable to escape.

Therefore, only the more than 7,000 German troops who had just arrived, the more than 1,000 German troops who followed the main force of the Allied Forces to the capital of the Qing Dynasty, and the Italian troops were placed outside the Qihua Gate, mainly for surveillance and vigilance.

The Austro-Hungarian army was stationed in Tongzhou, cooperating with the British and French troops stationed in Langfang to protect their transportation lines.

Wu Peifu and Xu Ting had to wait until night before they could lead their troops around the east side of the city, where they launched a surprise attack and wiped out a company of Cossack cavalry on guard outside Dongzhimen, and only then did they enter the city with the support of the troops on the city walls.

(End of this chapter)