The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 84 A Double Act
The only drawback of the defensive position set up by Liu Yuzhi was that the terrain in Xigu was flat and the position had no height.

In addition, there was a large sorghum field a few hundred meters away from the position, and the firing range of the Maxim heavy machine gun fort was not wide enough to give full play to the firepower advantage of the heavy machine gun's long range.

This was done to prevent the coalition forces from using the sorghum fields as cover and launching a surprise attack after getting close to the position, so that the position would not have sufficient time to exert its maximum firepower advantage, making it easy for the coalition forces to break through the position.

Liu Yuzhi not only set up two front and rear positions, with two battalions defending each position, but the Maxim heavy machine gun bunkers on the positions were also located behind the front line. Moreover, each heavy machine gun position was arranged in a circle, with a circle of trenches protecting the heavy machine gun bunkers.

This arrangement can ensure that if the coalition forces break through the first line of defense, the heavy machine gun bunker behind the position can still be protected and continue to provide intensive firepower to kill the subsequent coalition forces.

Also, because the terrain in this area is flat, it is almost traversable everywhere. Even if you don't take the main road, you can cross Xigu by going directly through the fields. It is possible to intercept the artillery of the Seymour coalition forces, but it is difficult to stop the coalition infantry from bypassing the positions.

In order to completely stop the retreating Seymour coalition forces, the position had to be extended to more than ten miles. But even so, as long as Seymour was willing to take a detour, that is, make a big turn and run a few dozen more miles, he could still escape back to the concession, thus making the defensive force in the concession more sufficient, greatly increasing the difficulty of Yu Lu's upcoming attack on the concession.

This is also the reason why Teng Yuzao brought Xue Zhiqian and Su Xilin here. Teng Yuzao asked the two to choose an area behind the second line that was conducive to the deployment of cavalry and temporarily be under the command of Liu Yuzhi. Once the coalition forces broke through the position and rushed over, the cavalry battalion would serve as a reserve force to kill the fleeing enemy in time so that a regiment could follow up and kill from all sides and destroy the Seymour coalition forces.

At the same time, the cavalry battalion and the troops directly under Liu Yuzhi's regiment headquarters can not only serve as the reserve of the entire regiment to ensure the safety of the rear of the two positions, but the cavalry battalion can also stay here. Once Seymour encounters a wall here and flees by a detour, the cavalry battalion will take a detour to intercept him and cooperate with Liu Yuzhi's pursuit troops to consume as many coalition forces as possible.

As for the possibility that the coalition forces would break through the positions and fight with the soldiers of the vanguard army, Teng Yuzhao was not worried at all. The two positions were not far apart. Not only were there solid heavy machine gun bunkers as position supports to block the coalition forces' follow-up troops with intensive firepower, but the second battalion on the second line could also rush up and use the advantage in numbers to wipe out the Seymour coalition forces in one fell swoop.

Teng Yuzhao is still very confident about Liu Yuzhi, who has always been steady.

Therefore, he did not stay in Liu Yuzhi's group for long, but left Xue Zhiqian and Su Xilin behind, and turned back with Wu Peifu and Li Jinyu, rushing non-stop to Li Xianze's position three miles south of Xigu.

Li Xianze has a somewhat eccentric personality, but he is not reckless. On the contrary, the things he does are often eye-opening.

However, there was nothing new in the arrangement of his positions this time; it was almost a replica of Liu Yuzhi's regiment's position.

The difference was that there was an extra trench in front of the first trench of Li Xianze's Second Regiment, and there was no heavy machine gun bunker with obvious targets built on his position, but he only tightly blocked the road leading to Xigu from the concession.

Teng Yuzhao secretly admired Li Xiangze's deployment. This Li Xiangze was indeed a smart guy.

Teng Yuzhao had already guessed that Li Xiance's first trench should be prepared for Liu Shijiu's Yiqian Group. It seemed that Li Xiance's idea coincided with his own. He also realized that the Boxer Group's trump card in fighting against the Allied Forces was close combat.

If the Allied Forces rushed out of the concession, their purpose was only to support Seymour's withdrawal to the concession. They could not abandon their cannons and cross the farmland to join Seymour. If they did so, they would be blocked outside the concession like Seymour, and eventually be besieged day and night by the Qing army and the Boxers. Therefore, they could only fight their way along the main road to the Xigu reservoir area to support Seymour and try to make the Xigu defenders unable to take care of each other, and finally have to let Seymour withdraw to the concession. Teng Yuzao, who was familiar with this period of war history, knew very well that this was the case in history.

Before Teng Yuzhao could ask Li Xianze about the purpose of the other trench he dug in front of the first trench, Liu Shijiu arrived with his Qianzi Group.

Teng Yuzhao and Li Xiance came to meet them from afar outside the position. Liu Shijiu, who was riding a big blue mule, jumped off the horse early when he saw Teng Yuzhao and Li Xiance. The mule threw the reins to a militiaman beside him and walked quickly towards them, laughing and talking.

"Good brother, I'm here to report to you. Am I not too late?"

Looking at Liu Shijiu, whose head was already covered with a thin layer of sweat and whose yellow silk jacket was unbuttoned, revealing a layer of sweat on his bronze chest, and the other members of the regiment behind him, all of whom were sweating profusely and panting from exhaustion, Teng Yuzhao said with a smile.

"Brother, not only did you not come late, you came at the right time."

Then he said to Li Xiance, "Kangnian, quickly get the brothers to the battlefield to rest, and you can make arrangements to have dinner at 4 pm today."

"Also, quickly arrange for people to deliver the watermelons from Jingshui Town that we prepared for the brothers in the Qian Group."

Li Xianze agreed and was eager to make arrangements. Teng Yuzao stopped Li Xianze again and said, "Kangnian, my brother's Qianzi Group is here to help you. Can you tell me what delicious food you have prepared for the good brothers of the Qianzi Group?"

Regarding dinner, Teng Yuzao and Li Xiangze had already talked about it just now. Teng Yuzao not only asked Li Xiangze to advance the dinner time, but also asked Li Xiangze to prepare according to the number of 5,000 people. Teng Yuzao knew very well when and what to eat for dinner, and now he asked Li Xiangze to say it out loud. Li Xiangze naturally understood what Teng Yuzao meant.

Li Xiance jumped onto a bluestone beside him, rolled up his sleeves and shouted loudly to Liu Shijiuqian's regiment, who was being led into the position by a staff officer from his second regiment and was about to be arranged to rest and eat watermelon.

"Brothers of the Qianzi Regiment, you have worked hard. I am Li Xianze, the commander of the Second Regiment of the Vanguard Army. I have prepared a big pot of braised lamb and rice for you tonight. All the food is enough for you to eat. Are you satisfied?"

"If you are not satisfied, just tell me. As long as I, Li Xian Ce, can do it, I will immediately do it according to the brothers' request."

When they heard that they could eat the town's fine watermelons to cool off as soon as they entered, and that they would have braised lamb for dinner, which was enough, the people in the Qian group were all delighted and started to cheer.

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(End of this chapter)