The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 911 Luo Xinzhong: Commander-in-Chief, rest assured, our Fourth Brigade is the best at fighting tanks!
The chimes of Denver Central Station sounded muffled and distant in the snowstorm. Heavy snowflakes blanketed the platforms, tracks, and the distant silhouettes of buildings with their vermilion pillars and gilded domes in a solemn white. On the platforms, large contingents of infantrymen in grey uniforms, the "Black, Red, and Yellow Legion," stood silently in formation, awaiting boarding their northbound trains. The biting wind whipped snowflakes, lashing against the soldiers' reddened faces and the cold barrels of their rifles with a soft crackling sound.

Hong Tiangui, Lieutenant General Zeng Ke O'Hara, and Luo Xinzhong walked side by side on the slippery platform, the hems of their thick military overcoats billowing in the wind. At each assembly point they passed, officers and soldiers stood at attention and saluted. Hong Tiangui maintained an approachable demeanor, frequently returning the salutes with a look that blended authority and friendliness.

“Let’s leave it here!” Hong Tiangui stopped beside a heavily guarded VIP box bearing the flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Western United States Alliance, and turned to Zeng Ke and Luo Xinzhong with a smile. He looked up at the leaden sky and the densely falling snowflakes. “This weather is a good opportunity to secretly send out troops.” He paused, his gaze sweeping across the busy platform. “Besides, these days, there are ‘big shots’ leaving Denver every day, so it’s understandable that the train station is under martial law for several days. It’ll be perfect for concealing our movements.”

Lieutenant General Zengk O'Hara's weathered, dark face remained expressionless, only nodding slightly: "The Commander-in-Chief is farsighted. The snowstorm will slow down communication, which will be advantageous for us in concealing our intentions." His deep voice remained clear despite the snowstorm.

Luo Xinzhong wore a perfectly timed flattering smile: "Yes, Commander-in-Chief, your strategy is brilliant. I wish you a resounding victory and that you will wipe out the Eastern invaders in one fell swoop!" He also raised his arm in salute, mimicking the habits of American generals in the West.

Hong Tiangui laughed heartily, seemingly quite pleased, then turned his gaze to Luo Xinzhong, his expression becoming more serious. He reached out and patted Luo Xinzhong's shoulder forcefully: "Brigadier Luo, your Osaka Fourth Brigade is an elite mixed force, and a powerful reinforcement from afar—they are the most capable fighters! After the main force of the 'Black, Red, and Yellow' forces moved north, Denver is left with only the veterans rearmed by General Zeng Ke and the Colorado militia," he emphasized, "and you too! You'll have to shoulder a heavy burden!"

Luo Xinzhong immediately straightened his back, imitating Hong Tiangui's usual boldness, and slapped his chest with a "thump," causing the snowflakes on his military overcoat to fall in a flurry: "Commander-in-Chief, rest assured! With my Osaka Fourth Brigade here, Denver City is as solid as a rock and will not be lost!" His voice was loud and clear, with the fearlessness of a newborn calf, which attracted the attention of some soldiers nearby.

A barely perceptible glint flashed in Hong Tiangui's eyes, and he nodded with satisfaction: "Good! With Brigade Commander Luo's words, I can head north with peace of mind." He then changed the subject, lowering his voice slightly, with a hint of testing: "By the way, Brigade Commander Luo, according to reliable intelligence, the US Eastern Army has equipped itself with a new contraption this time—a 'steam tank' with a combat weight of up to twelve tons, boasting fierce firepower and extremely strong impact. Can your 4th Brigade... take down this iron behemoth?"

Upon hearing this, Luo Xinzhong showed no fear, but rather a confident smile bordering on contempt. He thumped his chest again, the gesture even more pronounced than before: "We can do it! Commander-in-Chief! Our Fourth Brigade excels at taking down these 'iron turtles'! No matter how heavy or tough they are, we'll turn them into a pile of scrap metal!" His tone was resolute, as if he had personally destroyed countless tanks. "Although..." He paused slightly, his voice still booming, as if stating a trivial fact, "Our brigade has never even seen what a real tank looks like since its inception. But that doesn't stop us from studying tactics and honing our skills! Everyone in the brigade is determined to blow up a tank!"

Looking at Luo Xinzhong's overconfident, even somewhat arrogant, expression, Hong Tiangui's lips seemed to twitch slightly upwards, as if in a smile, but the smile vanished in an instant, so quickly it was almost an illusion caused by the reflection of snow. He nodded vigorously, his tone carrying a peculiar solemnity, a mixture of expectation and deep meaning: "Good! Good that you can fight! The heavy responsibility of destroying tanks rests on your shoulders, Brigade Commander Luo!"

"Yes, Commander-in-Chief! Rest assured, the city stands as long as we are here!" Luo Xinzhong gave another standard military salute, his chest puffed out even higher.

Hong Tiangui said no more, his gaze lingering on Zeng Ke's face for a moment. The black lieutenant general remained as silent as a mountain, but complex thoughts seemed to be churning deep within his eyes amidst the snowstorm. Hong Tiangui withdrew his gaze, turned around, and after his adjutant opened the car door, he nimbly boarded the private compartment that symbolized supreme power.

The heavy train doors slammed shut, shutting out the wind, snow, and visibility. The officers on the platform snapped to attention and saluted again. Soon, the train whistle emitted a long, piercing wail, drowning out the sound of the wind and snow. The massive locomotive spewed even thicker plumes of white smoke, mingling with the swirling snowflakes. Accompanied by the heavy, clanging sound of wheels grinding against rails, the long military train began to move slowly, first slowly, then gradually accelerating, dragging its heavy carriages and the silent soldiers within them, heading north, towards the snow-covered battlefield.

On the platform, the officers who had been saluting lowered their arms. The impassioned expression on Luo Xinzhong's face quickly faded, replaced by a solemn look. He subconsciously touched the hilt of the cold officer's sword at his waist, his gaze following the departing train until it completely disappeared into the distance at the end of the snow and the tracks, leaving only the howling wind and the increasingly dense sound of falling snow.

He slowly turned around and forced a smile at Lieutenant General Zengk O'Hara beside him: "General Zengk, well... I'm heading back to camp too. We need to get the defenses in place quickly." Lieutenant General Zengk's deep gaze shifted from the direction the train had disappeared to Luo Xinzhong's young face, which carried a hint of barely perceptible tension. His dark face was as hard as rock in the wind and snow. After a long pause, he spoke slowly in his distinctive deep voice: "Brigadier Luo, tanks... aren't so easy to fight. A twelve-ton armored monster, spewing steam and raining bullets as it charges... the oppressive feeling is hard to imagine for those who haven't experienced it firsthand." He paused, as if recalling some brutal scene, "Good luck."

Having said this, the former veteran of the "Black, Red, and Yellow Legion," the newly appointed Governor of Colorado and Commander of the Denver Garrison, no longer looking at Luo Xinzhong's reaction, tightened the collar of his military coat, turned and strode away alone, his feet treading through the thick snow, towards the depths of the city outside the station, shrouded in the shadow of the True Covenant Church and the swirling snow. His figure appeared lonely and heavy in the snowstorm, as if bearing the fate of all of Denver.

Luo Xinzhong stood rooted to the spot, the wind and snow instantly enveloping him. Zeng Ke's words of "oppression" were like cold iron spikes, piercing through his feigned bravado and sending a chill down his spine. He watched Zeng Ke's figure disappear into the snowstorm, then glanced back at the empty railway tracks, the meaningful words of Hong Tiangui still seemingly echoing in his ears: "It's up to you now."

He took a deep breath of the cold air, thick with the smell of coal smoke and steel, muttered a curse under his breath that only he could hear, then turned sharply and roared at his guards, "Go! Back to brigade headquarters! Immediately convene a meeting of all officers of regimental commander rank and above to discuss how to fight tanks! Now!" His voice sounded sharp on the empty platform and was instantly swallowed up by the howling wind and snow.

When Luo Xinzhong braved the wind and snow to return to his post, the scene before him made him pause—a long row of thatched sheds had been erected outside the camp fence, and soldiers from the Osaka 4th Brigade were hawking their wares in Kansai dialect: mirrors in gilded lacquer boxes, tortoiseshell combs, tin lighters, bouncy mechanical frogs, and decorated porcelain bowls… Denver’s Black citizens, bundled in thick cotton-padded coats, surrounded the stalls, their coins clinking and jingling, creating a scene as bustling as a New Year’s market in Osaka. Several soldiers were even gesturing and haggling with the Black customers, their frostbitten faces beaming with the eagerness of merchants.

"What kind of behavior is this!" Luo Xinzhong was about to reprimand when Daidouji Yumi's clear voice pierced through the snow: "Captain, you're finally back!" She trotted over, the hem of her crimson hakama sweeping up snowflakes, and the lacquered food box she carried emitted steaming miso soup. "Lunch is ready, the tempura is freshly fried—"

"What are you still eating tempura for!" Luo Xinzhong grabbed her wrist, nearly tipping the food box over. "Yumi, tell me honestly, does our brigade even know how to fight tanks?"

Yumi blinked, tapping her chin with her fingertip: "Yes! We practice every month during the drills!" She started counting on her fingers, "We dug anti-tank trenches that were over ten feet deep, then poured water on the sloping walls to freeze them so they were too slippery for the tanks to climb; we poured cement 'dragon tooth stakes' and stuck them in key areas to jam the tracks; we used sake bottles filled with kerosene, and soaked strips of cloth in pine resin to ignite them instantly..." She became more and more excited as she spoke, her eyes gleaming with the snow, "Our specialty was 'sky-drop grenades'! Three people would bundle five grenades together, pull a fuse, tie a long bamboo pole, and when the tanks crossed the trench, we'd shove them into their tracks—"

"Wait!" Luo Xinzhong interrupted her, "You... you've practiced with real tanks?"

"A real tank?" Yumi shook her head blankly. "Where would we get the chance? There wasn't a single real tank in the whole of Japan, so we used wooden targets! The logistics team made a big thing with wheels, painted metal patterns on it, and pushed it around to simulate an assault. It was so much fun..."

Luo Xinzhong felt a chill run up his spine from the soles of his feet—Hong Tiangui wouldn't mention anti-tank warfare for no reason; it was most likely that there were tanks that were actually going to be used against the Osaka merchants of the Fourth Brigade!
The more Yumi suggested those methods, the less reliable they seemed!

Moreover, it seems that he himself did not learn anything about anti-tank warfare when he was studying at the Army Academy in Tianjing.
(End of this chapter)