Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 205: Bloody battle, attack on Jiangxia!

Upon hearing this, several Qing army generals looked at each other, their eyes full of bitterness.

Then they raised their glasses and drank the wine in the glasses.

But at this moment, there was a sudden sharp sound of gongs outside the military tent, as well as faint shouting.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"The Tang thief is coming!"

In the dark night, the clear and piercing sound of the gong can be heard clearly even from far away.

The sound of the gong and the shouting were like throwing a stone into the calm water.

In an instant, ripples spread out.

All the soldiers in the entire Qing army garrison were alarmed. Some were looking for weapons and gathering troops to prepare to meet the enemy, while others were frightened by the news that the Tang army was coming and began to run around in panic in the garrison.

The Qing army's originally quiet garrison suddenly became chaotic and noisy.

"The Tang thieves are coming! Meet them! Prepare to meet them!"

"Help! Run away!"

"Don't panic, don't panic, it may not be true."

"Who struck the gong? Who sounded the alarm? What happened?"

"..."

Outside the Qing army’s base, in the dense forest, Bao Chao looked very unhappy.

He lowered his voice and asked the platoon leader next to him.

"First Platoon Leader, what's going on?"

The platoon leader said with a serious expression.

"It was a secret sentry arranged by the Qing army in the woods. We accidentally missed it when we were looking for it just now..."

The Tang army is made up of human beings, not gods, so it is normal for them to make mistakes.

Bao Chao heard this with a unhappy expression.

"grass!"

"What the hell is going on here!"

"Pass the order down, prepare to retreat. If we don't retreat now, once the Qing Yao reacts, we will be in danger."

Bao Chao only had a company of about a hundred men under his command.

Although they are all elite scouts, their number is still too small. If they accidentally fall into the enemy's encirclement, the consequences will be disastrous.

However, just as Bao Chao finished speaking, a platoon leader next to him spoke.

"Captain, I don't think we need to retreat in a hurry."

"Look at those Qing monsters. Just hearing the news that our Tang Dynasty soldiers are coming to kill us, they are already in such a mess before we even start to make a move."

"If we take advantage of this opportunity, we might be able to achieve considerable results."

A platoon leader saw that the Qing army was in chaos and wanted to give it a try and make a great contribution, so he began to persuade them.

Although this gamble might cost him his life, he was willing to give it a try for fame and fortune.

Upon hearing this, Bao Chao did not refuse immediately, but said with a serious expression.

"Is this... a bit too risky?"

A platoon leader began to persuade.

"Captain, this is a rare opportunity!"

Bao Chao was convinced, took a deep breath and spoke.

"Then let's fight and give it a try!"

"If we win, we brothers will share the wealth and glory. If we lose, we can have a companion on the road to the underworld!"

After thinking for a while, Bao Chao gave orders.

"Pass my order, the first row will stay where they are and prepare to deliver firepower to the front of the Qing army's garrison."

"The second and third rows will go around to the left and right sides of the Qing army's camp and open fire at the same time."

"Remember, the key point of this attack on the Qing army's base is to use the firing rate advantage of our army's breech-loading rifles to create momentum and intimidate the Qing army."

"As long as we can make the Qing army mistakenly believe that our main force has arrived, we will have won most of the battle."

Upon hearing this, everyone responded in unison.

The next moment, the Tang army began to move, and the second and third rows began to move towards the designated positions.

Bao Chao personally led a row of soldiers to stay where they were, aiming at the Qing army’s camp outside the woods and raising their guns ready to shoot.

Pull the bolt, load the bullet, then load the chamber and pull the trigger, all in one smooth motion.

With a bang, a cloud of gunpowder spurted out from the muzzle of Bao Chao's gun. In the Qing army's garrison, a Qing army officer who was waving his arms and shouting, wanting to assemble the troops to fight, was shot and fell to the ground.

A ball of blood burst out from his chest and he died instantly!

After Bao Chao fired, other Tang army soldiers around him also began shooting.

Snapped! Bang bang!

The crisp sound of gunfire continued to ring out.

The breech-loading rifles equipped by Bao Chao's elite scouts demonstrated quite terrifying combat effectiveness on the battlefield.

Not only does it have a fast firing rate, but it also has extremely high accuracy.

From time to time, flashes of fire could be seen in the dense forest, and Qing soldiers who were running around in the garrison fell to the ground from time to time.

In an instant, he was stunned.

Moreover, the Tang army soldiers were shouting while shooting.

"The Tang Dynasty's Heavenly Soldiers have arrived. Surrender and you will not be killed!"

"The Qing demon leader is dead. Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"

"The heavenly soldiers have arrived. Surrender and you will not be killed!"

"..."

Listening to the dense gunfire ringing in their ears and the faint calls for surrender, the chaos among the Qing army became more and more serious.

Several Qing army generals including Zhao Zhongyong, Xue Fangzhi, and Min Tongfang left the military tent.

Looking at the commotion in front of them and listening to the crackling sound of gunfire, the drunken men sobered up instantly.

"Oh no! The Tang thieves are here to kill us!"

Min Tongguang said in panic.

"How could this happen? How did the Tang thieves suddenly appear on Xiaogushan Mountain? Has Yinma Town been lost?"

"How could it be so fast?!"

Zhao Zhongyong couldn't help but frown.

Xue Fangzhi was muttering to the side.

"I told you, we should go to reinforce Yinma Town instead of setting up an ambush at Xiaogushan Mountain."

"If we had gone to Yinma Town to provide reinforcements, how could Yinma Town have been lost so quickly?!"

"This Jingzhou general is really incompetent and has exhausted the entire army!"

Several Qing army generals were inevitably a little panicked, just as they were about to give orders to organize the troops and start evacuating.

Gunshots were heard from both sides of the Qing army camp.

Snapped! Bang bang!

clap clap clap!
The dense sound of gunfire rang out like popping beans. The Qing army was facing the three-sided attack from the Tang army and became more and more panicked.

Some people even turned around and fled towards Jiangxia City.

"Quick... run!"

"The Tang bandits are coming, the main force of the Tang bandits is coming!"

"We are surrounded, everyone, run quickly, or we will be killed..."

Zhao Zhongyong looked extremely ugly.

"The gunfire came from three directions, and it was so dense. I'm afraid the main force of the Tang army is coming."

Zhao Zhongyong had heard rumors that a considerable number of Tang army soldiers had switched to breech-loading rifles, but he had never seen the real thing and did not believe that the firing rate of a breech-loading rifle could be so fast. In addition, he had drunk a little wine, so he could not react for a while.

"Sir Admiral, what should we do next?"

Min Tongguang asked in a panic, the flesh on his face trembling constantly, showing that he was very emotional.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhongyong was about to say organize the troops, resist layer by layer, and retreat when the opportunity arises.

Inside the Qing army’s garrison, soldiers were seen fleeing eastward in groups.

As some people took the lead in fleeing, the Qing army began to collapse.

Before the Tang army launched an offensive, people began to flee in a hurry.

Even the supervising team could not stop the fleeing soldiers.

"Hurry...run away!"

"The Tang thieves are coming, run away!"

"The admiral has been killed, everyone, run for your lives..."

"..."

Seeing the Qing army in front of him begin to collapse and retreat like a tide, Bao Chao's eyes lit up and he immediately spoke.

"Damn, the Qing army is so inexperienced!"

“It collapsed so quickly!”

With a click, Bao Chao stuck the bayonet into the buckle of the muzzle and shouted loudly.

"Brothers, follow me and kill!"

The next moment, the piercing sound of the charging horn sounded.

When the Tang army heard the charge, they did not hesitate at all, and regardless of the disparity in numbers between the enemy and us, they immediately raised their rifles with bayonets and charged towards the Qing army in front of them.

Seeing the Tang army soldiers rushing out of the dense forest with great momentum, the Qing army collapsed faster and faster.

Although the number of Tang troops visible to the naked eye was not large.

But no one can guarantee whether there are more Tang troops lurking in the dense forest.

Besides, even if there were fewer people, they were still the Tang army, and the Qing army really did not dare to respond to their attack.

If you don't want to lose your life on the battlefield, just run.

In the chaos, under the charge of the Tang army, the Qing army completely collapsed, and the dark valley was filled with defeated Qing soldiers.

A small number of Tang troops were chasing and killing a large number of defeated Qing troops.

Just like when the Qing army entered the pass, dozens or hundreds of Eight Banners soldiers were able to chase and kill thousands of Ming troops.

Obviously, the Qing army had an absolute advantage in military strength, but faced with the Tang army of only a few men, they did not dare to turn around and fight back, but just fled.

This moment is just like that moment!
Bao Chao led his men to chase the Qing army all the way. Before they knew it, the sky had brightened, and at the end of the distant horizon, the wall of Jiangxia City was already faintly visible.

"Captain, shall we withdraw our troops?"

A platoon leader found Bao Chao and asked him.

When they were at Xiaogushan, the Tang army was discovered. He thought that since they had been discovered anyway, he might as well give it a try. What if he won?
But he couldn't have imagined that they would win so big this time!

A company of a hundred soldiers directly defeated thousands of Qing troops in Xiaogushan.

They even chased the defeated Qing army all the way to the city of Jiangxia!
Bao Chao was now furious, his eyes were full of bloodshot, and he looked a little dizzy.

The gambling nature hidden in his bones broke out and he spoke immediately.

"Withdraw troops? Withdraw what troops?"

"Jiangxia City is right before our eyes. If we give up, wouldn't all the hard fighting last night, with so many brothers killed and injured, be in vain?"

Although the Tang army fought smoothly in last night's battle, due to the disparity in numbers between the enemy and us, there were still some casualties in the end.

Bao Chao said while gritting his teeth.

"Tell my brothers to give me a better effort and give it one last try."

"Follow me!"

"Kill the Qing monsters, and the Tang Dynasty will win!"

After saying this, he led the team again and rushed towards Jiangxia City.

The Tang army chased the defeated Qing soldiers all the way to the gate of Jiangxia City.

Originally, Bao Chao thought that when he reached the outside of Jiangxia City, he would have to work hard to attack the city. Unexpectedly, the defeated Qing army did not close the city gates at all after entering the city.

Even the drawbridge wasn’t retracted!

They rushed into Jiangxia City through the wide-open city gate, and then climbed up the city along the horse path along the city wall.

Bao Chao originally thought that no matter how flooded the Qing army was, they would not flee without even defending the city walls.

Unexpectedly, the defenders of Jiangxia actually fled.

At this time, Jiangxia City was in chaos. After the Tang army entered Jiangxia City, the defenders and the defeated Qing troops in Xiaogushan scrambled to leave the city and continued to flee eastward.

The government officials and clerks in the city also scrambled to flee.

Many young hooligans took the opportunity to cause trouble and started to rob and burn things in the city.

Bao Chao and others stood on the top of Jiangxia City and looked into the city. They could see that the streets in Jiangxia City were full of fleeing Qing soldiers and officials.

Bao Chao stretched out his hand to hold the city wall, looking at the chaos in the city, breathing heavily.

Although he wanted to stop the chaos in the city, he was powerless.

From the beginning of last night until now when the sky is completely bright, the men under his command have been running and fighting all the way.

Even though they were all elite scouts in the Tang army, they were all exhausted by now.

To put it bluntly, the only way to rush into Jiangxia City was to hold on with one breath.

Now that Jiangxia City has been captured and the Qing troops have fled, we are safe for the time being.

Many people had lost their temper and collapsed, sitting on the ground and unable to get up.

Bao Chao took out the kettle from his arms, opened it, took two gulps, and then poured the remaining half of the kettle of water on his face. Only then did his tired spirit perk up a little.

Bao Chao turned around and gave instructions to several platoon leaders under his command.

"Pass on my order. Have the brothers stay alert and take turns to rest."

"Eat something as soon as possible to replenish your energy."

"Then, send someone to report the victory to our main force."

"In this battle, we, with the strength of a company, first defeated thousands of Qing demons, and then bravely seized Wuchang Prefecture and governed Jiangxia. From now on, we will surely be famous throughout the world!"

Upon hearing this, several platoon leaders couldn't help but show joy on their faces.

Because what Bao Chao said was all true.

A hundred men defeated thousands of enemies and bravely captured the important city. Such achievements are rare throughout history.

Waiting for the victory news to be sent back to Guangdong, the king might even meet them in person!
This is a great honor!
Just when the Tang army was resting, a soldier came to report to Bao Chao.

"Captain, the Jiangxia County Lieutenant and the Instructor are here with several gentry to ask for a meeting!"

Bao Chao's expression changed, and then he spoke.

"Bring the person here!"

As soon as Bao Chao finished speaking, the soldier who came to report turned and left.

Soon, the Jiangxia County Magistrate, the instructor, and several gentry were brought before Bao Chao.

After climbing up the city wall, these people could tell at a glance that the number of the invading Tang army was not that large at all.

However, although the number of Tang troops in front of them was not large, they became more and more in awe of Bao Chao and others.

In the eyes of these people, the number of Tang troops was not large, and this was the truly terrifying thing.

Just a few dozen people were able to chase away thousands of Qing soldiers and even captured Jiangxia. How strong was the combat effectiveness of the Tang army?
If tens of thousands of Tang troops arrive, who in the world can stop them?
They couldn't help but be in awe!

The leading county lieutenant saw Bao Chao, whose clothes were stained with blood but whose eyes were gleaming with gleaming light, and realized that he must be the leader, so he stepped forward and bowed politely.

"I, the guilty official Lu Ping, the lieutenant of Jiangxia County, greet you, General!"

"The Tang soldiers have arrived, and the people of Jiangxia are submissive and dare not resist. They are willing to surrender to the Tang and enjoy peace and happiness."

"I hope you will have mercy on me..."

……

(End of this chapter)