Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

"Chief! Hangzhou is the headquarters of our Green Gang, and its survival depends on it!"

"The best course of action is to force General Shi to withdraw his troops from Suzhou and hold Hangzhou!"

The Green Gang's Grand Elder said anxiously.

Eastern Zhejiang was the base of the Green Gang, and Hangzhou was the main base for the Green Gang to raise its banner and rebel.

Therefore,
From any perspective, it is imperative to preserve Hangzhou.

Once Ximen Tang captures Hangzhou, the Green Gang will be finished.

but,

As soon as he finished speaking, the Second Elder beside him said in a deep voice:

"I think Ximen Tang's sudden dispatch of troops from Nanjing seems to be a bluff."

"The journey from Jinling to Hangzhou is long, nearly 600 li, and even with a forced march, it would take seven days."

"Moreover, we still have 30,000 troops stationed in Hangzhou. If we let Shi Jingtang retreat at this time, all our previous efforts will be in vain."

"Boss, there's something fishy about Ximen Tang's recent deployment of troops. We'd better wait and see."

It must be said that the Second Elder's words made sense.

Ximentang led his troops from Jinling to attack Hangzhou, a distance of six hundred li.

Shi Jingtang transferred troops from Hangzhou to attack Suzhou. If he were to withdraw his troops now, there would not be enough time.

because,

The distance between Suzhou Prefecture and Hangzhou Prefecture is also five hundred li.

The three cities of Jinling, Suzhou, and Hangzhou form a triangular relationship.

If Ximentang's dispatch of troops is merely a pretext, and his true aim is to relieve the siege of Suzhou Prefecture, then we will have fallen into a trap.

At this time,

The usually composed Third Elder of the Green Gang took a deep breath and said:
"Chief, how about we have Shi Jingtang withdraw half of his troops, just in case?"

"Hangzhou is the most important place for our Green Gang. Once it falls, there will be no place for our Green Gang to stand in the entire Jiangnan region."

The three elders of the Green Gang each expressed their own opinions.

Everyone's points were valid, making it difficult for Kou San Niang to make a decision.

She lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then looked up at Shinobu Nakajima sitting beside her and asked:

"Miss Nakajima Shinobu, what are your thoughts on the current situation?"

During this period, the Green Gang and the Japanese Black Dragon Society had many collaborations.

When the Green Gang rose up in rebellion, they purchased many of their weapons and ammunition from the Japanese.

of course,

Many of these weapons were purchased at high prices from Westerners, but the Japanese helped the Green Gang a great deal.

This included training the army's combat capabilities and training Green Gang members in the use of various weapons.

Shinobu Nakajima was a special envoy who served as a liaison between the Black Dragon Society and the Green Gang.

in addition,

Shinobu Nakajima's identity within the Black Dragon Society is very special.

She was not only the head of a branch of the Daqian Black Dragon Society, but also a special envoy of the Kwantung Army, and was deeply trusted by Emperor Meiji.

Upon hearing this, Shinobu Nakajima frowned slightly and said:

"According to our Black Dragon Society's investigation, Xi Mentang Chen Jie is skilled in leading troops into battle."

"He was adept at winning with fewer troops and using surprise attacks, and Ximentang's weapons were superior to those of the Western Allied Forces and our Kwantung Army."

"Ximentang has been preparing for this attack on Hangzhou for quite some time."

"Current intelligence indicates that the Ximen Hall has mobilized 25,000 men, carrying more than 5,000 Ximen Hall cannons."

"With the 30,000 troops stationed in Hangzhou, they cannot hold out for two hours."

"Therefore, we must not let our guard down! We must get Shi Jingtang to lead his troops back, otherwise even if we occupy Suzhou Prefecture, it will be of no use."

Kou Sanniang lowered her head and thought for a moment, then looked up and said:
"Alright! I'll listen to you. Send a message by carrier pigeon right now, telling Shi Jingtang to withdraw his troops back to Hangzhou and abandon the attack on Suzhou Prefecture."

"Elder, you are in charge of the overall situation in Jinling. The rest of us will rush back to Hangzhou to confront Ximentang."

"Speed ​​is of the essence in war, let's set off immediately!"

-

The last time they attacked Suzhou Prefecture, the rebel army suffered a crushing defeat.

Shi Jingtang was very unwilling to accept this, so he once again transferred 100,000 troops from Hangzhou Prefecture and 50,000 troops from Ningbo and Dongyang.

With the remaining 20,000 troops, he had a total of 170,000 troops, preparing for a second attack on Suzhou.

but,

He was still shaken by the crossfire of artillery and heavy machine guns from Ximentang last time.

If he fails again this time, he'll be finished.

Not only would the Green Gang purge him, but he himself would also be unable to bear the consequences of defeat.

therefore,

Although Shi Jingtang had amassed 170,000 troops, he dared not launch a general offensive against Suzhou Prefecture.

There was no way around it; Ximentang's cannons were simply too powerful.

Once they enter the ten-mile radius of Suzhou Prefecture, they are easily subjected to severe damage.

He had to be cautious and think about which direction to attack from to avoid Ximentang's cannons.

Just as he was constantly planning and preparing to launch a small-scale probing attack.

Unexpectedly, the Green Gang headquarters sent a message that Ximen Tang had taken advantage of the Hangzhou Prefecture's weak defenses and suddenly launched an attack on the prefecture.

The gang leader, Kou Sanniang, ordered him to immediately retreat from Suzhou Prefecture and return to Hangzhou.

Without much thought, Shi Jingtang immediately ordered his subordinates to evacuate Suzhou.

If Hangzhou is lost, the Green Gang will lose its base of operations, and its rebellion will be completely thwarted.

Therefore,
Hangzhou is more important than attacking Suzhou.

The distance between Suzhou Prefecture and Hangzhou Prefecture is 500 li. It would take more than eight days for the 170,000-strong army to retreat.

Ximentang departed from Jinling, which is 600 li away from Hangzhou.

Therefore,
If Ximentang departs a day earlier, both sides will arrive in Hangzhou around the same time.

but,

Shi Jingtang's 170,000-strong army was not a monolithic force, making it difficult to achieve strict discipline.

Therefore, it will be slower than Ximentang.

Shi Jingtang took the lead by sending his trusted subordinate Hao Yanjia with 20,000 troops ahead of him.

We must march back to Hangzhou to provide support; otherwise, if Hangzhou falls to Ximen Tang, the consequences will be unimaginable.

He himself led an army of 150,000 men, following closely behind.

It continued until the fourth day.

Shi Jingtang's army had just set out from Suzhou Prefecture and traveled 180 li before entering the territory of Jiaxing.

at dusk,

He ordered the army to stop, rest, and set up camp.

Under normal circumstances, they don't march at night; they usually march during the day.

At 8 p.m., Shi Jingtang received a message from the direction of Hangzhou Prefecture.

Hao Yanjia's 20,000-strong army was marching 100 li (approximately 50 kilometers) towards Hangzhou when they were attacked by Ximentang's artillery.

completely annihilated!

That's right, all 20,000 elite troops under Hao Yanjia's command have been wiped out.

Upon receiving the news, Shi Jingtang's expression changed drastically, and he felt his head buzzing.

He was one of the elders of the Green Gang, nicknamed "Stone," and was once a general who led troops into battle.

Although he was not considered a famous general in the Great Qian Dynasty, he had led troops in battle for many years and had rich combat experience.

Upon hearing that Hao Yanjia's 20,000-strong army had been ambushed by Ximentang.

He immediately realized that Ximen Tang's attack on Hangzhou was just a feint.

Make a sound in the east and attack in the west!

Ximentang's real target was his own 170,000-strong army!

in fact,

Shi Jingtang's guess was correct; Chen Jie was indeed using a feint!

In fact, when Chen Jie formulated the plan to attack Hangzhou Prefecture, his target was not only Hangzhou Prefecture.

Chen Jie's real target was the large army under Shi Jingtang's command.

The 170,000-strong army was the foundation for the Green Gang's uprising.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to recapture Hangzhou, they annihilated Shi Jingtang's entire army in one fell swoop.

This was originally Chen Jie's purpose in suppressing the rebellion in eastern Zhejiang.

If Ximen Tang's only objective was to attack Hangzhou, he wouldn't have needed to prepare for so long. Ten thousand troops could have easily taken Hangzhou by bombarding it with a thousand mortars.

but,

Chen Jie knew very well that taking Hangzhou Prefecture did not truly eliminate the rebels.

If Shi Jingtang's 170,000-strong army had not been wiped out, things would have become even more complicated.

Once the rebels break up into smaller groups and disperse to various parts of eastern Zhejiang, or even flee to southern Fujian and southern Jiangxi, they will be able to escape.

Then,

These rebels will become the greatest scourge in the Jiangnan region, posing a tremendous threat.

During the last suppression of the rebellion in Hanzhong, Ximen Tang routed and forced the army of Prince Li Ben of Han to flee.

in fact,

Although Ximentang won that battle.

However, the rebel army under Prince Li Ben of Han was not completely wiped out, which almost allowed him to make a comeback and nearly caused Ximen Tang's suppression of the rebellion to fail.

This time, when Chen Jie comes to eastern Zhejiang to quell the rebellion, he will not make the same mistake again.

He began to bide his time in Nanjing, always appearing very relaxed, as if he had no intention of sending troops.

The goal was to get the rebels to launch an attack from Hangzhou and launch a full-scale assault on Suzhou.

Next,
He led the Ximentang army out of Jinling and headed straight for Hangzhou.

In this way, the Green Gang will definitely be afraid and will surely order Shi Jingtang to return from Suzhou Prefecture to provide reinforcements.

Ximentang could use this opportunity to launch a feint attack and first annihilate the rebel army under Shi Jingtang's command.

Once we completely crush Shi Jingtang's 170,000-strong army, we can then retake Hangzhou.

Then,

There will be no further problems with the rebellion in the entire eastern Zhejiang region.

Without soldiers under their command, what trouble can the Green Gang cause?

Chen Jie's series of plans were all interconnected, and apart from himself, no one else knew his true purpose.

Even Xu Shichang thought that Chen Jie would directly attack Hangzhou Prefecture.

No one could have imagined that he would change lanes midway and get stuck in traffic on the road from Suzhou to Hangzhou.

in fact,

Chen Jie learned of the news from Suzhou Prefecture that Shi Jingtang had withdrawn his troops from Suzhou.

He then changed his marching route and headed towards the vicinity of Jiaxing Prefecture, intending to ambush Shi Jingtang's army en route.

Although Shi Jingtang already knew that Ximentang was using a feint to attack Hangzhou Prefecture, and that the attack was just a pretext.

However, he was powerless to change the outcome.

The ambush of Hao Yanjia's 20,000-strong army by Ximentang was merely an appetizer.

While Shi Jingtang's 150,000-strong army was still resting...

The encirclement set up by Ximentang has begun to close in on Shi Jingtang's army.

At dawn, Ximentang mobilized 25,000 men, divided into three groups, and they arrived at Shijingtang's temporary military camp, which was five kilometers away.

Chen Jie personally led one of the armies to command this annihilation battle.

He was observing the rebel camp with an infrared telescope on a hilly high ground.

The rebels were a motley crew, accustomed to lax discipline.

Moreover, this is a temporary encampment; they've only set up some tents as temporary accommodations.

There were no defensive fortifications around the military camp.

Perhaps due to the hasty march, all the rebel soldiers were exhausted.

Therefore,
The soldiers on night patrol were all half-lying down and dozing off, completely unaware of the impending crisis.

The rebel camp was almost entirely undefended.

After observing through the binoculars for a moment, Chen Jie quickly realized that this ambush would not be too stressful.

then,

He put down his binoculars and gave the order:
"Artillery ready, all to your positions, fire signal flares!"

Following his order,
Boom—boom—boom—!
A series of signal flares were launched into the sky, blooming like fireworks.

Since it was the early hours of the morning, the signal flares in the sky were exceptionally bright.

next moment,
Simultaneously, Ximentang's three armies opened fire on the rebel camp.

Full firepower coverage!
One shell after another whistled through the air as they hurtled towards the rebel camp.

The sight of five thousand mortars firing simultaneously is a rare spectacle.

In the rebels' temporary camp, many soldiers were awakened from their sleep.

They ran out of the tent and looked up at the sky.

Like a storm of shells, they rained down on the camp.

Many rebel soldiers had no idea what was happening; they just felt their heads buzzing.

next moment,
The sound of the explosion echoed around, and the flames illuminated the surroundings.

The earth is shaking!

With a violent explosion and shockwave, everything around was overturned.

Many tents were destroyed instantly, leaving the rebel soldiers dumbfounded and utterly horrified.

They had never seen such a terrifying bombardment before.

After the first round of shelling ended, only a few scattered tents remained, undamaged by the shells.

but,

Then came the second round of shelling.

The shockwave spread again, reaping lives in the pitch-black night.

and,

The second round of artillery fire included a significant number of incendiary shells.

Almost all the tents caught fire quickly after being hit by incendiary bombs.

After three rounds of shelling, the shells unleashed a terrifying heat wave that enveloped the surrounding area.

For a while,
The entire rebel camp was thrown into complete chaos.

All the rebel soldiers were terrified and scattered in all directions.

The surrounding area echoed with pitiful screams as many rebel soldiers were hit by lead pellets from the cannonballs and died on the spot.

At this time.

Shi Jingtang ran out of his tent and looked around.

At that moment, his heart sank.

The entire military camp was engulfed in flames, a scene of utter chaos.

Just as he was at a loss, the sound of something being torn apart came from the air again.

The fourth round of shelling has begun!
From three directions several kilometers away, a deluge of artillery shells was fired.

Cannon fire rained down!

The entire camp was not only engulfed in flames, but the most terrifying thing was the shockwave.

Many rebel soldiers didn't even have time to react before being torn to pieces by artillery shells.

Even many of the Green Gang's elite members, who were highly skilled in martial arts, had no way to avoid the saturation bombardment.

Everywhere you looked, you could see rebel soldiers being destroyed by artillery shells, one after another.

Upon witnessing this scene, Shi Jingtang couldn't help but gasp.

Although he knew that Ximentang's cannons were terrifying, he had suffered from them during the last attack on Suzhou Prefecture.

but,

He never expected that Ximentang would launch a surprise attack at night and use flares and incendiary bombs.

These incendiary bombs are so terrifying that they are impossible to extinguish.

He originally thought he was very familiar with the power of Ximentang's cannons, but now he realized that he had underestimated the terrifying power of Ximentang's cannons.

at this time,

The entire military camp was engulfed in flames, and the soldiers were filled with fear and panic.

Forget about assembling an army to counterattack; they couldn't even retreat if they wanted to.

There was nowhere to hide under the crossfire of incendiary bombs and artillery shells.

After realizing what was happening, many rebel soldiers turned and fled.

but,

How could the elite Ximen Hall troops waiting on the outskirts possibly let them escape?

Ximentang's three armies joined forces, encircling the area from three directions.

Mortars, heavy machine guns, sniper rifles, assault rifles—!
A three-dimensional crossfire erupted, unleashing a devastating barrage at this moment, regardless of cost! (End of Chapter)