Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 312: Breaking Dagu and Seizing Tianjin

Between heaven and earth, the rumbling sound of artillery fire continued.

Although the Tang army fleet approached, it opened fire on the artillery position.

But what rushed up were only steam-clad ironclad ships that could not be hit by the Qing army's Dagukou Fort.

The red single ships, Guang ships and Fu ships in the fleet did not move forward, but stayed far outside the fire coverage of the artillery position and fired cannons.

The Tang army's plan to capture the Dagu Fort was to advance by both land and sea, rather than relying solely on fleet firepower.

In other words, before the landing of its own land forces, the Tang army's fleet only needed to open fire to tie down the artillery, and there was no need to rush to launch a general attack.

Of course, there is no need to take those small boats out at risk.

The artillery battle continued, both sides continued to deliver fire, and the humming sound of shells breaking through the air continued to be heard.

The rumbling sound of artillery fire could be clearly heard throughout the city of Tianjin.

Just as the Tang army fleet and the Qing army artillery were engaged in a fierce artillery battle, the Tang army's landing troops also began to look for a landing site and prepare for a beach landing.

At the same time, Shi Rongchun, the Zhili governor who was temporarily stationed in Tianjin City, also sent reinforcements. He personally led a group of support troops to prepare to support the battle of Dagukou.

Originally, the Zhili Governor's station should have been in Gubeikou.

However, as the Qing government had recently been relocating refugees to the outside of the Great Wall and had begun to develop the area outside the Great Wall, garrisoning in Gubeikou became a lucrative job.

Shi Rongchun had no background in the court, so of course he would not be able to enjoy such a good thing.

So the Qing court transferred Shi Rongchun from Gubeikou to Tianjin in the name of strengthening coastal defense.

It just happened that the Tang army launched an offensive on Dagukou.

On the official road, Shi Rongchun was riding a horse, and behind him was a team of several thousand Zhili Green Camp soldiers.

A group of people rushed towards Dagukou at a rapid speed.

At this moment, a Qing cavalryman came running from a distance.

The Qing cavalryman galloped all the way to Shi Rongchun, dismounted, and began to report with an anxious look on his face.

"Report!"

"Your Excellency the Admiral, there is an emergency at Dagukou!"

"Deputy General Long, General Zhou Qian and others request the Admiral to send reinforcements as soon as possible..."

When Shi Rongchun heard this, the expression on his face changed.

He asked with a frown.

"what happened?"

"Given the strength of the Dagukou Fort, no matter how fierce the Tang bandits are, they shouldn't be calling for help so soon, right?"

"Also, why are Vice General Long and General Zhou Qian asking for help? Where is General Duolong?"

Just now, when Long Ruyuan came to Tianjin to ask him for help, he did not tell him that Duolong had been captured. Shi Rongchun thought that Duolong was arranging defenses at Dagukou.

Only now did he realize something was wrong.

Moreover, after the outbreak of the Opium War, the Qing government began to strengthen the Dagu Fort in order to consolidate coastal defense.

Over the years, the reinforcement work has never stopped. Shi Rongchun is well aware of the solidity of the Dagukou Fort.

Now the emergency came so quickly that he found it hard to believe.

The Qing cavalryman who came to report the news saw this and said with a fist salute.

"To reply to the admiral, the artillery of the Tang pirate fleet is very sharp, and the attack is accurate and fierce."

"Also, the explosive bombs they used had an astonishing killing effect."

"Our artillery is being severely suppressed!"

"In addition, the Tang thieves also sent troops to land on the beach in Tanggu and raid our Dagukou Fort from behind."

"Under the Tang bandits' advance by land and sea, the Dagu Fort is in a state of emergency. Now, it can no longer hold out."

"General Duolong has just led his men to the capital to seek help..."

When Shi Rongchun heard this, the expression on his face changed several times, and he couldn't help but complain about Duolong's cowardice.

But in the end he held back and gave the order.

"Order the entire army to speed up the march and reinforce Dagukou!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the marching speed of the Qing army he led increased significantly.

A group of Qing troops followed the official road and headed straight for Dagukou.

……

Dada! Dada!

There was a burst of intense machine gun fire.

Several rotary machine guns that were transferred to land aimed at the Qing army fortifications in the distance and began to pour fire.

Metal shells flew everywhere, and the dense rain of bullets hit the earth piles and sandbags in front of the Qing army's fortifications, bursting up clouds of sand.

The Qing troops in the fortifications were suppressed and could not even raise their heads.

"Brothers, Dagukou is right in front of us, follow me and kill!"

A Tang army officer shouted loudly and personally led his troops to charge towards the Dagukou Fort.

Under the cover of their own heavy machine guns, the Tang army soldiers rushed forward with high morale.

On the ground, the charging Tang army was like a spread-out gray-black carpet, with a terrifying momentum.

Seeing this scene, the Qing army in Dagukou also began to fight back.

Although the Qing army was severely suppressed and dared not show up, they could still raise their loaded muskets high and use faith shooting to fight back.

Snapped! Bang bang!

The crisp sound of gunfire continued to ring out.

Plume of smoke rose from the Qing army's position.

However, the killing effect is not clear.

Although the Qing army's musketeers tried their best to fire volleys, they were so suppressed by the Tang army's rotary machine guns that they dared not even aim and could only use faith to shoot.

Under such circumstances, one can imagine the hit rate that can be achieved.

In addition, the Tang army is now attacking in a skirmish line, and the formation is relatively scattered.

Therefore, the Qing army's counterattack could only cause extremely limited damage to the Tang army's attacking forces.

A burst of chaotic gunfire rang out, and only a few people were shot and fell to the ground.

Amid the chaotic gunfire, the Tang army rushed forward in a mighty force.

Many people were shooting while charging.

In the blink of an eye, they rushed to the trenches dug by the Qing army.

At the same time, in order to prevent accidental injuries to their own attacking forces, the Tang army's machine guns also stopped firing.

But even so, the Qing troops in the fortifications did not dare to stick their heads out and aim to counterattack the Tang army.

Instead, they chose to drop their weapons, turned around, jumped out of the trench, and fled to the rear without looking back.

Snapped! Bang bang!

The crisp sound of rifle shots rang out, and the Tang army soldiers raised their guns, aimed at the fleeing Qing army and began shooting.

The crisp sound of musket fire continued to ring out.

Bullets flew across the battlefield, cutting through the air and making whooshing sounds.

During the retreat, the Qing army was shot in the back and fell to the ground.

This also made the Qing army's defeat faster.

In the chaos, the Tang army broke through the Qing army's fortifications and fought their way into the Dagukou Fort.

Seeing this scene, the Qing army gunners who were still firing at the Tang army's naval guns became desperate. Facing the black muzzles of the Tang army's guns, surrender was their only choice.

Zhang Biao put down the telescope in his hand and said with a smile.

"Dagukou, we have finally taken it."

The smile on his face was obvious.

But at this moment, a fast horse came galloping from a distance and came to Zhang Biao to report.

"Report!"

"Reporting to the brigade commander, our scouts have detected a Qing army heading towards Dagukou from the direction of Tianjin."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Biao's expression instantly became solemn and he asked with a frown.

"Do you know who is leading the troops? How many troops are there?"

Upon hearing this, the knight began to report.

"Reporting to the commander, judging from the flag, it should be the Qing Dynasty's Zhili governor Shi Rongchun."

"The number of troops of this attacking Qing army should be between 4,000 and 5,000."

Zhang Biao nodded slightly, as if thinking about something.

Then he pondered for a moment, and then made arrangements.

"Send the order, the first regiment quickly takes over the Dagukou Fort." "The second and third regiments prepare for battle and prepare to meet the enemy."

"Haha, a Qing army of only four or five thousand people, or Green Camp soldiers, dares to touch our tiger whiskers?"

"Today, we will make sure these Tartars never return!"

Upon hearing this, the communications soldier standing by immediately clasped his fists in agreement.

Then he took a war horse and rode forward at full speed to deliver the message.

……

"It's broken! Dagukou is lost!"

When Shi Rongchun was halfway there, he saw the flags changing on the Dagu Fort in the distance.

Looking at the large Tang-character flag flying high in the sky, Shi Rongchun's heart skipped a beat and he realized that something was wrong.

But the Dagu Fort was related to Tianjin's coastal defense and was the gateway to the Qing Dynasty. As the governor of Zhili, he could not retreat in the face of the enemy and had to give the order.

"Pass the order down, order all our troops to speed up their march and prepare to retake the Dagu Fort."

The military order was issued, and the Qing army advanced towards Dagukou in a mighty manner.

A gust of sea breeze blew, and the Qing army's flags fluttered.

Shi Rongchun was a little unstable on the horse. When he steadied himself, the official hat on his head loosened and almost fell to the ground. He hurriedly reached out to hold it.

Looking up at the Tang army preparing for battle in the distance, Shi Rongchun suddenly felt a little unsure.

Can the Qing Dynasty win this battle?
The Tang bandits have reached Dagukou.

Tianjin is in danger, the capital is in danger!
Shi Rongchun took a deep breath, forced himself to suppress the heaviness in his heart, and finally gave the order to march.

The dark mass of Qing troops marched forward in an attempt to retake Dagukou.

The next moment, the sound of machine gun fire rang out again.

Dada! Dada!

Amid the sound of intensive machine gun fire, the Qing troops rushing in the front fell down in unison as if they were swept by the wheat waves in the strong wind.

The Green Camp soldiers of the Qing army, who were charging up in neat formations, were like sitting ducks in front of the Tang army's miniature machine guns.

The rotary machine guns continued to fire, and the momentum of the Qing army's charge was obviously slowed down.

The Qing army came quickly and left even faster. In just a moment, the Qing army was defeated and turned around to flee, not daring to fight the Tang army again.

Shi Rongchun shouted loudly.

"Don't mess around! Don't retreat!"

"Damn it! Those who desert the battlefield will be beheaded!"

"..."

The angry Shi Rongchun killed several people in a row, but was unable to stop the Qing army's defeat.

In the blink of an eye, the supervision team was dispersed by the fleeing soldiers. Even Admiral Shi Rongchun was dragged away by the fleeing soldiers and fled towards Tianjin City.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Biao immediately waved his hand and gave an order.

"Order the entire army to charge!"

Tick-tick! Tick-tick!

The shrill sound of the charge echoed throughout the battlefield.

The Tang army soldiers raised their bayonets and launched a bayonet charge against the Qing army that was blocking their way, preparing to expand the results of the battle.

"Kill!"

"Kill the Tartars!"

"The Tang Dynasty is victorious!"

"..."

The Tang army chased the defeated Qing army all the way to the outskirts of Tianjin City.

Soon after, they followed the defeated Qing army and charged into the city of Tianjin.

There was immediate chaos in Tianjin city.

The Tianjin prefect wanted to organize people to resist, but he was completely unable to do so.

In the chaos, the usually greedy prefect of Tianjin was hit on the head with a stick by someone, and his brain burst, and he died instantly.

Soon, the Tang flag was flying on the top of the city wall of Tianjin!

……

Duolong galloped along the official road with several personal soldiers.

It only took him half a day to rush back to the capital from Tianjin.

When he returned to the outskirts of the capital, the sky had begun to darken, the setting sun was slanting in the west.

Seeing that the city gate ahead was about to close, Duolong didn't care about the impact and shouted at the top of his voice.

"Don't close the door! Don't close the door!"

"I am Duolong, the commander-in-chief of the Dagu Coast Defense. I have something important to discuss with the Emperor..."

But when Doron ran all the way to the city gate.

The city gate was already closed.

Doron reined in his horse and circled around the city gate, continuing to shout at the top of his voice.

"I am Duolong, the commander-in-chief of the Dagu Coast Guard. I have important matters to report to the emperor. Open the city gates immediately!"

Duolong shouted several times in succession, and finally a head popped out from the top of the city wall.

"General Duo, I'm so sorry, this city gate cannot be opened."

"It's already past the time today and it's curfew. If the city gates are opened without the order from the Five Cities Military Department, we will all lose our heads."

Upon hearing this, Duolong couldn't help but curse out loud.

"Why don't you guys report it quickly?!"

"The Tang pirate fleet is attacking Dagukou. Dagukou is in danger and could fall at any time."

"If Dagukou falls because of you, can you afford it?!"

Upon hearing this, several soldiers guarding the city could not help but reveal expressions of surprise and fear.

"The Tang thieves are coming?"

"Damn it, the Tang bandits have already reached Dagukou? Doesn't that mean the Tang bandits will soon reach the capital?!"

"Damn it, this Tang thief is here so fast!"

"..."

The soldiers guarding the city were in panic and talked a lot.

In the end, it was the captain at the city gate who reacted first and shouted to Duolong under the city.

"Please wait a moment, Lord Doron."

"I will report it now..."

……

Forbidden City, Qianqing Palace.

There was a floor heating in the Qianqing Palace, it was warm as spring, and the air was filled with the fragrance of incense.

Yi held Concubine Lan Xingzhen in his left hand and Niu Hulu in his right hand, enjoying the afterglow of the event.

During this period of time, although the national situation of the Qing Dynasty was getting worse and worse, Yi lived a very enjoyable life.

Every day he was immersed in the joy of holding parties with Emperor Xianfeng's concubines and couldn't extricate himself.

However, at this moment, a notification sounded outside the Qianqing Palace.

"Report, Your Majesty, the officials from the Military Affairs Office requested to see you late at night, saying that they have something important to report..."

Lin Ronglu stood outside the palace gate, his voice full of urgency.

Yi couldn't help but frown when he heard this, but he also knew that national affairs should be given priority.

After putting on his clothes with the help of Xingzhen and Niu Hulu, he strode out of the Qianqing Palace.

With a creak, the door of the Qianqing Palace was pushed open.

A gust of cold autumn wind blew in Yi's face. He couldn't help but tighten his tiger-skin cloak and asked.

"What happened? Why are you bothering me so late at night?"

Lin Ronglu said with some urgency in his voice.

"In reply to the emperor, there is an urgent report from Dagukou. The Tang army is invading Dagukou. Dagukou is in danger. Tianjin is in danger..."

When Yi heard this, he was stunned where he stood.

The expression on his face couldn't help but twitch, and his heart was extremely solemn.

"Isn't the Tang thief currently providing disaster relief in Shandong?"

"How can you still have the energy to send troops to attack Dagukou?!"