Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

One day later, outside Taipei.

Jack Bonaparte held up his binoculars and looked at the Japanese troops stationed on the city walls.

He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "According to your attack plan, it is now our turn to attack Taipei from both sides."

"Pete, you will lead the First Regiment to attack from the left flank and draw the fire of the Japanese garrison in Taipei."

“Morris, you will begin the attack from the right flank. You must break through Taipei’s defenses.”

The two trusted generals stood at attention and said, "Yes, General!"

The forces besieging Taipei were certainly not limited to Jack Bonaparte's French mercenaries.

The marines of the First Fleet of Ximentang were divided into dozens of squads and surrounded the entire city of Taipei.

All strategic high ground and retreat routes were covered by Ximentang's firepower.

Boom! Boom! Boom!
After a barrage of artillery fire, the Japanese troops stationed in Taipei, leaving behind hundreds of corpses, quickly retreated and hid in their fortifications.

have to say,

Chojiro Sakurai's command ability is quite good.

The defensive fortifications of Taipei City even included anti-artillery fortresses.

Once the Ximentang army was within artillery range, they quickly ceased firing to avoid accidentally injuring civilians.

The Japanese garrison is despicable.

They even built some defensive fortifications in civilian areas.

If Ximentang launches a large-scale artillery attack during the siege, it could easily injure civilians.

The Japanese garrison in Taipei went to great lengths to limit the firepower of Ximentang's artillery.

Therefore,
Once inside the city gates of Taipei, only a limited number of cannons could be used to precisely eliminate the firing points of the defensive fortifications.

in addition,

Snipers began targeting and eliminating Japanese soldiers and lower-ranking officers.

The French fleet mercenaries focused their attack on the city gates and launched a fierce assault on them.

When the Japanese garrison saw that Ximentang had stopped firing his artillery, they knew that the other side had something to consider.

Taking advantage of the reduced firepower, the Japanese army launched a counterattack.

then,

Colonels Hirokazu Yamamoto and Takashi Watanabe, who had withdrawn from Taoyuan and New Taipei City, personally led a large army, risking being targeted and killed by snipers from Ximentang.

They lived up to their reputation as capable and brave generals under Sakurai Chojiro, and they actually managed to break through the city gate.

At this time,

Only about a thousand French mercenaries reached within 500 meters of the city gate, and they didn't have time to build any defensive fortifications.

When faced with the counterattack of the Japanese army, the French mercenaries reacted rather hastily.

Cough cough—cough cough—!
then,

French mercenaries had no choice but to take up muskets and employ the most popular Western musket tactics in volley fire to counter the counterattack of the Eastern army.

have to say,

At this moment, the French mercenaries all felt a certain admiration for these Japanese troops.

These bastards truly live up to their reputation for upholding the Bushido spirit; they are fearless and undaunted.

Intense gunfire erupted in the open area outside the city gates of Taipei.

Da da—da da—!
The heavy machine guns began to fire fiercely, like angry dragons venting their fury towards the city gate.

Faced with the overwhelming firepower of the French mercenaries, the Japanese garrison suffered heavy casualties.

but,

These Japanese samurai were fearless and unafraid of death, seemingly wanting to fight the French army to the death.

In terms of fighting spirit, the willpower of these Japanese troops is commendable.

but,

The way they launched their attack was truly indescribable.

With almost no tactics involved, they charged forward, brandishing their muskets and yelling.

The tactics were completely different from those of the Kwantung Army stationed in the northeast of Daqian.

They charged forward relentlessly, engaging in direct combat, but facing the suppressive fire of heavy machine guns was practically tantamount to suicide.

Even in death, they were like moths to a flame; one batch died, and then another batch took their place.

This spirit of facing death without fear is truly awe-inspiring.

The French mercenaries were on high alert, not daring to relax their guard in the slightest.

They no longer cared about volley fire tactics and all fired freely in coordination with the heavy machine gun's attack direction.

If heavy machine guns aren't powerful enough, then we'll just use artillery.

However, the French fleet mercenaries were few in number and were at a significant disadvantage in terms of manpower in the battle in front of Taipei City Gate.

Moreover, the Japanese's reckless suicidal charges were extremely fast and highly lethal.

The French fleet's mercenaries were far less capable than Simon's elite troops.

The mortars and replica AK47 assault rifles of the Westgate were not issued to the mercenaries.

At the same time, it was impossible to provide these Westerners with the 98K ultra-long-range sniper weapon.

The weapons Chen Jie provided to Jack Bonaparte were all modified Western weapons, a generation behind the weapons used by the Simon Hall elites.

Therefore,
When the Japanese army launched its attack, the French mercenaries, outnumbered, found it difficult to withstand the onslaught.

As the Japanese army's counterattack drew ever closer, so too did their distance.

Many mercenary soldiers drew their swords, preparing for a final hand-to-hand battle.

This is quite obvious from here.

Although the French mercenaries were relatively strong in combat.

However, compared to the elite troops stationed in Japan, the gap was not significant.

Without the weapon support of Simon, these French fleet mercenaries would not be able to defeat the Japanese army.

Just as the French mercenaries sensed the crisis, Simon's elite troops finally arrived to provide support.

Three detachments, totaling nearly a thousand men, joined the offensive and defensive battle, beginning to resist the counterattack of the Japanese army.

this moment,
The counterattacking Japanese army clearly felt that the fighting power of the troops at the city gate was becoming increasingly formidable.

The combined firepower of heavy machine guns and mortars, along with the fierce barrage from replica 98K sniper rifles and replica AK47 assault rifles, inflicted heavy casualties on the counterattacking Japanese forces.

After all, the spirit of Bushido cannot infinitely increase combat power.

Moreover, although the Japanese samurai were fearless, they were not so crazy as to actually throw their lives away.

The elite troops of Ximentang, who had arrived from all directions, began bombarding the city gates of Taipei.

For a while,
The French Allied mercenaries regained their footing.

With the support of Ximentang, they took the lead in the charge, acting as vanguards to expand their gains and advance ever closer to the city gates of Taipei.

The Japanese garrison soon discovered that the counter-attacking army had been almost completely wiped out.

Not only were they unable to repel the attacking French pirate legion, but their reinforcements continued to increase.

After this fierce counterattack, the Japanese garrison suffered several thousand casualties.

The current situation is becoming increasingly unfavorable for the Japanese garrison.

The key is,
Once Ximen Tang's main force arrived to provide support, the Japanese defenders were powerless to resist.

Faced with Ximentang's overwhelming firepower, the Japanese army was utterly helpless.

The two commanders in charge of the frontal defense of Taipei City, Hiroichi Yamamoto and Colonel Takashi Watanabe, were both highly skilled in martial arts and are still alive.

but,

They were seriously injured.

The saturation attack of heavy machine guns completely suppressed individual combat abilities.

The bandage wrapped around Takashi Watanabe's head was stained red with blood.

Whether it was a bullet graze or a shrapnel wound, his entire face was swollen.

Hiroichi Yamamoto took a deep breath and said:
"Watanabe-kun, the firepower of the Ximentang is too strong. They have too many cannons and plenty of ammunition. If we continue to fight like this, we will definitely lose."

Judging from the current battle situation, the Japanese army has no chance of breaking out of Taipei.

not to mention,
Ximentang has already surrounded the entire city of Taipei.

Not only was a breakout impossible through the main gate, but attempts to break out from other locations were also repelled by Ximentang's army.

Upon hearing this, Watanabe Kubo Takashi nodded and sighed, saying:

"Yes! It's terrifying, Yamamoto-kun. I've never seen such a fierce artillery attack before." "It's overwhelming, the shells are like a meteor shower, there's nowhere to hide. The anti-artillery fortifications we built before are of little use!"

"No wonder the Kwantung Army's Sakata coalition lost to Nishimondo during the Songjiang Prefecture of the Great Qian Dynasty."

"This army's fighting power is terrifying. Even our most elite troops in Japan are no match for them."

"Let's retreat and return to Taipei City. With the protection of the local people, they won't dare to launch a large-scale attack on the city."

"There's no need to fight them to the death here and make pointless sacrifices."

It seems that Yamamoto Hirokazu was just waiting for Watanabe Kubo Takashi to say that.

He nodded, indicating his agreement to withdraw his troops and retreat to Taipei City.

"Withdraw the troops! I also think withdrawing the troops is in our best interest. With the people inside Taipei City protecting us, they won't dare to cause any trouble!"

The two Japanese colonels quickly reached an agreement and ordered their troops to be stationed at the city gate. The troops that had originally intended to launch a counterattack were all withdrawn to the city gate and the gate was closed.

As the Japanese army withdrew across the board, the French Allied mercenaries and Simon's troops camped outside the city gates.

Hiroichi Yamamoto is right; Nishimendo did have some reservations and did not continue the bombardment.

but,

After stabilizing their position, Ximentang began digging trenches and setting up positions along key roads within a one-kilometer radius of Taipei City to prevent the Japanese from breaking through.

Close the door and beat the dog!

Chen Jie wanted more than just to capture Taipei; he wanted to annihilate the entire Japanese army and prevent them from escaping.

After Yamamoto Hiroichi and Watanabe Kubo's armies retreated to Taipei City.

The total number of troops stationed in Taipei City was reduced to about 70,000.

In this battle, the Japanese army suffered tens of thousands of casualties.

Sakurai Chojiro was utterly shocked after hearing about the counterattack at the city gate.

Especially when he heard Ximentang's cannons bombarding the ground, leaving no room for retaliation and only waiting to be slaughtered, he suddenly felt a sense of fear and disbelief.

Since the Meiji Restoration, the Eastern Empire has placed particular emphasis on the development of artillery.

Therefore,
The field artillery and various artillery technologies of the Japanese were not significantly outdated compared to those of the British Empire in the West.

In order to acquire the artillery technology of the British Empire, the Japanese sent a large number of young people to Europe every year to learn the most advanced artillery techniques.

The reason why the Eastern Empire was able to rise and become a global power was because its artillery and firearms technology was no less advanced than that of the West.

But now, the power of Simon's cannons has exceeded his expectations.

He had never imagined that artillery could so fiercely bombard the ground, while dozens of heavy machine guns were firing at the same time.

How many bullets would that take?
He certainly wouldn't believe it if someone else reported it to him.

but,

Both Yamamoto Hiroichi and Watanabe Kubo Takashi were his trusted confidants and trusted generals, so he couldn't afford to distrust them.

and,

Sakurai Chojiro believed they would never lie, especially since other junior commanders were saying the same thing.

but,

What puzzled him was why Ximentang's army, with such formidable fighting power, would suddenly arrive in Taiwan.
What exactly is their purpose?
It was clear that the Japanese Kwantung Army was about to launch a general offensive in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Why is Ximentang not stationed in the Great Qian Dynasty to resist the Kwantung Army at this time, but instead running to Taiwan Island?

not to mention,
The eight fleets of the Eastern Ocean are still blockading the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and Bohai Sea of ​​the Great Qian Dynasty.

Why don't they lift the blockade at sea, but instead come to Taiwan to show off their power?
in fact,

Not many people know about the battle in which Simon Tang seized control of the First Fleet of the Western Ocean.

Including Sakurai Chojiro, there had always been doubts about whether Nishida possessed the battleship 'Queen Elizabeth'.

but,

After the Ximentang fleet arrived at Wan Island and landed at Keelung Port.

Sakurai Chojiro never understood what kind of army he was fighting against.

He had only heard that Ximentang was very strong in combat, but he had no idea exactly how strong he was.

of course,

He also knew that the Black Dragon Society had been looking for an opportunity to deal with Chen Jie, the leader of the Ximen Hall.

Perhaps the comfortable life of the past two years has made Sakurai Chojiro overlook the crisis.

He originally thought that once the Dutch were driven away, the entire bay island would be safe.

Unexpectedly, the Great Qian Dynasty dispatched such a powerful army this time, and in less than five days, the flames of war spread directly to Taipei.

Taiwan Island is a large, barren island with limited resources.

Why are these people of the Great Qian so determined to take it back?
Sakurai Chojiro kept thinking, and even now, he still couldn't figure out why Ximentang insisted on retaking Wandao at this time.

but,

Unlike Yamamoto Hiroichi and Watanabe Kubo, the other Japanese generals stationed in Taipei were not afraid of Ximen Tang's fighting strength.

In the past two years, the Japanese troops stationed on Taiwan Island have not experienced any war other than suppressing the local natives.

The biggest war was the expulsion of pirates.

Therefore, many of the Japanese troops stationed in Taipei City did not actually experience war.

Many of them were local thugs from Japan who enjoyed fighting and brawling.

These Japanese people always believed that the noblest bloodline flowed in their veins and that they possessed an invincible will.

Therefore,
Despite hearing Yamamoto Hiroichi and Watanabe Kubo Takashi describe how terrifying the cannons of the Ximen Hall of the Daqian Dynasty were.

But ignorance is bliss.

The Japanese soldiers stationed in Taipei were not afraid at all; on the contrary, they were excitedly shouting and hoping to gain merit in battle.

Their mentality was exactly the same as that of the soldiers in Ximentang; they all hoped to start a war, reap the heads of the enemy, and thus be promoted to higher positions.

However, with a counterattack at the main gate of Taipei, the Japanese garrison stationed in Taipei suffered heavy casualties.

For a while,
If the garrison in the city wanted to launch another counterattack, they could only draw troops from other commanders.

This requires coordination and takes a considerable amount of time.

therefore,

Chojiro Sakurai decided to send his elite troops to assist Hiroichi Yamamoto and Takashi Watanabe in guarding the main gate of Taipei City.

Simultaneously,

He dispatched his personal guards to begin recruiting soldiers in Taipei.

Indigenous people are also recruited; all males are welcome.

Even if it means serving as cannon fodder, the size of the Japanese garrison must be expanded.

Only after expanding our forces will we have the opportunity to launch another all-out attack on Ximentang.

Just as Sakurai Chojiro was holding the city, using the people inside Taipei as leverage, and keeping the city gates tightly closed.

Ximentang's reinforcements have arrived, and the troop deployment to besiege the entire city of Taipei has been completed.

Simon's total force numbered 30,000, plus nearly 5,000 French mercenaries and 15,000 native troops.

Therefore, the total number of people besieging Taipei reached 50,000.

All the strategic locations surrounding Taipei were garrisoned and occupied by Ximentang's troops.

They not only dug defensive fortifications, but also moved their positions closer and closer to the city wall.

All the artillery and heavy machine guns were in position, and Jack Bonaparte was determined to win this battle.

This was the greatest opportunity Chen Jie had given him to make a name for himself.

Simon's elite troops had an overwhelming numerical advantage, but he was the commander-in-chief who advocated for war, and they were fighting under the banner of the French Pirate Legion.

Just as Jack Bonaparte was preparing to launch a final assault on Taipei City.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jie sent a special envoy to the French fleet mercenary camp.

Accompanying the special envoy this time were several Japanese samurai from the Toyo Shokai (Oriental Chamber of Commerce).

Toyotomi Masao, under the command of Umemiya Kaoru, served as Jack Bonaparte's guide, providing the most accurate intelligence to the Eastern army.

He brought Jack Bonaparte a handwritten letter from Chen Jie, which detailed the origins of this team of top fighters from the Japanese Black Dragon Society.

and,

Chen Jie told Jack Bonaparte that this group of Japanese samurai could be trusted!

of course,

No one dared to truly trust the Japanese; necessary precautions were still necessary. (End of Chapter)