The Empire will continue to win

Chapter 97 Zhang Zongcang's Armored Train

Yuan Weiting from Xiangcheng took the lead, followed closely by Miao Peilin from northern Anhui, and a large group of militiamen also came out, even dragging a Heimer 75mm mountain gun.

Shen Moqing remained expressionless.

Okay~

The speculators have jumped out on their own!

One was surnamed Yuan, and the other was surnamed Miao. Both of them had a long history of misdeeds. They were both powerful figures who could turn the world upside down at will, and were only interested in profit, without any sense of principles.

However, we still have to use it when necessary.

How can we politicians have such high moral standards? Regardless of gender or how dirty something is, it can still be used after a wash.

The short, stout Yuan Weiting held a gun in his left hand, knelt on his right knee, and said in a loud voice, "This humble guard is late."

"It's not too late. Weiting, you've got guts."

"Wherever you point, sir, I will go. I don't know any governors or assistants; I only have eyes for you, sir."

Before the words were even finished...

-

Miao Peilin also arrived, sliding down his knees and leaving two snow tracks.

"My lord, I would like to fire the cannons at those bastards over there."

Hey ~

Speculators always have a way of saying nice things.

Even an honest person can't catch up with a horse by flattery.

Shen Moqing dismounted, helped the two opportunists to their feet, and said with a gentle smile, "The nation is in dire need of capable people. From now on, I will pledge my loyalty to the Empress Dowager, and you will pledge your loyalty to me. Let's work together to accomplish something truly magnificent, shall we?"

"This humble servant will follow your lead, sir." Young Yuan spoke frankly, mainly due to his profound family learning.

"Me too." Miao Peilin came from humble beginnings. Although he had no family education, he knew the principle of learning from Xiao Yuan to cross the river.

Behind.

Gong Zhaoma, Wang Wu, and Duolonga, who arrived a few steps later, stood there dumbfounded.

About five seconds later, Gong Zhaoyu dropped his rifle and knelt on one knee. Two seconds later, Wang Wu and Duolonga stood at attention and saluted.

"Weapons are a soldier's life; they must never be lost, and this is a one-time exception." Shen Moqing bent down to pick up the rifle, dusted it off, and said this.

"Yes."

Standing behind him, Miao Peilin made a sinister throat-slitting motion, *click*.

Gong Zhaoyu's expression changed drastically in an instant, but Shen Moqing only thought that the boy was ashamed of his behavior of throwing away the gun in public, and did not think much of it.

As for Miao Peilin's unauthorized sale of guns by climbing over the wall, that's not the time to investigate.

Right now, we need to cooperate sincerely, unite as one, and strike hard at Donggong Yan's head.

"Master, Ding Baozhen is here," Gu Hongming said in a low voice, tugging at his sleeve.

The fact that a mere subordinate dared to address the governor by his full name in public made Yuan Weiting even more convinced that Supervisor Shen had an extraordinary background, and he felt quite pleased with himself.

Shen Moqing looked closely and saw the famous upright official Ding Baozhen walking steadily toward him, wearing a black gauze hat, a scarlet silk round-necked shirt, a jade belt around his waist, a brocade pheasant embroidered on his chest, and holding an ivory tablet.

Need to know:

The official robes of the United Empire have been simplified, with only the public robes remaining, which basically follow the style of the Ming Dynasty.

-

However, except for particularly important occasions, officials rarely wear bulky and cumbersome official robes, but instead wear their own everyday clothes.

There is no fixed style for everyday uniforms. Generally, civil officials wear dark blue or moon white, while military officials wear military uniforms directly.

Gifted robes and formal attire also existed, but they were relatively rare.

For example, the formal attire of male royalty is a luxurious version of military uniform.

Two minutes later, the two met in the snow.

Ding Baozhen was tall with a full forehead, a square jaw, and broad shoulders. He exuded righteousness and had a long, flowing beard, making him a truly imposing figure.

This is a middle-aged man who wields considerable power.

Despite being political enemies, Professor Shen couldn't help but secretly admire: I think Old Ding still has his charm; if he were in the pre-time travel era, he would definitely be Song Siming.

It's possible that Empress Dowager An really has a taste for this!

"Are you plotting a rebellion?"

'

"Are you plotting a rebellion?" Old Song's voice suddenly rose, as if he had stood on the moral high ground.

damn it.

In what way is my position as an associate professor at Dan University inferior to Song Siming?

I, a distinguished associate professor at Dandong University, am not buying your act!

Professor Shen exhaled a long puff of white air at the old man. Ding Baozhen was disgusted and involuntarily took two steps back, just about to continue repeating the message.

"Your Excellency, have you heard of Woren?"

~

The guards on both sides watched as the two big shots stood in the snow, face to face, sometimes talking incessantly, sometimes waving their hands and howling, like lunatics.

One of them insisted on plotting a rebellion.

One who clings to unwavering loyalty.

What seems devoid of substance is actually a mutual probing.

During the argument, Ding Baozhen keenly noticed that Shen Moqing's words and actions still followed the rules of officialdom. Feeling somewhat relieved, he decided to use the rules of officialdom to defeat his opponent.

Unless one encounters Hai Rui, fighting within the established rules is more advantageous for those in power.

Why?

Because the rules are made by those in power.

The two of them were secretly delighted. Great, the granularity is aligned.

"Shen Moqing, if you truly have the court's best interests at heart, I expect you to answer two questions truthfully: First, why did you refuse to accept the telegram? Second, do you dare to convene a meeting now?"

"What telegram?"

"I have sent a total of five telegrams instructing your factory's operations remotely, and the telegraph office has records of all of them."

"Did not receive it."

You're lying.

"I just haven't received it. Telegrams are unreliable. In my opinion, we should restore the postal system. It's all written in black and white, with a big red seal. I only feel at ease when I can hold it in my hand."

Ding Baozhen was taken aback. Had he encountered a retro enthusiast?

"Let's not discuss the telegram yet. I'm asking you, if we were to hold a meeting now, would you dare to attend?"

-

"Fine, I'll open it."

"You said that?"

"Call a meeting now, immediately, right now. Call everyone over for a face-to-face confrontation, to clarify things in person, and to clear my name in person." Shen Moqing patted his chest, swearing an oath, as if he had been possessed by a colleague in the office who loved to show off on TV.

"Alright, alright, alright." Ding Baozhen chuckled in exasperation. "Pass the word: all colleagues within the group, except those at Dagu Shipyard, who are considered to be of rank five or above, must attend. The meeting's topic is to discuss Shen Moqing's inappropriate behavior. The meeting location..."

He suddenly paused.

If I'm not familiar with the area around Nanyuan, where should I choose for the meeting room?

"Your Excellency, let's go to the conference room at my gun factory. It's very spacious."

Ding Baozhen hesitated about the suggestion, feeling uneasy about holding a meeting on someone else's turf.

"Your Excellency, you insisted on going into the factory earlier, but now you don't want to?"

Shen Moqing decisively changed his demeanor, as if he had been possessed by that colleague who had dropped out of the Placenta Academy in the office. His face was turned 10 degrees to the left, his eyes were tilted 20 degrees upward, and his chin was slightly raised.

As for his expression, it was roughly three parts humor, four parts confidence, five parts smugness, and one part "you just don't understand".

vivid.

And then he kept talking incessantly.

"Come on, move the barricades, remove the sentries, and open my factory gates! I have a clear conscience, I am innocent, and I am not afraid of being seen. Governor Ding, you wouldn't be afraid to enter the factory, would you?"

No way?!

Ding Baozhen felt a tightness in his chest and shortness of breath. He took a deep breath and roared, "Get out of the way, everyone! I'm going into the factory!"

It would be great to get a job in a factory.

Once you're in the factory, whether or not you tighten the screws is no longer up to you.

Shen Moqing deliberately lagged behind the crowd.

"Gu Hongming".

"Your humble servant is here."

"Go tell Yuxian to have the constables from the Ministry of Justice enter through the back door. You lead them to the factory office building and have them squat downstairs. As soon as you hear three gunshots from upstairs, don't hesitate, rush in and arrest them immediately."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Your humble servant obeys."

Gu Hongming left excitedly.

"Yuan Weiting".

"Your humble servant is here."

"You and Duolonga will be the door gods. Today, you are only allowed to enter, not leave."

"Rest assured, sir. Anyone who disobeys will be shot dead on the spot."

Miao Peilin.

"Your humble servant is here."

"You and Wang Wu will take men to deal with Ding Baozhen's guards. Just disarm them and try not to kill anyone. If you really can't manage, then open fire."

Wang Shizhen, who had just taken Chen Guorui, who had injured his arm, to the infirmary, was stunned when he heard the order to disarm.

"Supervisor Shen, please wait a moment."

"What business does Brother Wang have with me?"

"Ordering the governor's guards to disarm is a bit too much, isn't it?"

"Brother Wang, I have no choice. I don't want to cause trouble, but they insist on picking a fight. What can I do? I can't just stand by and watch the brothers in the First Town on the front line run out of shells and bullets, can I? Oh, by the way, a few days ago, I received a telegram from the Guangning front. 3000 new rifles are due by the end of the month. If one is missing, I'll be shot, and so will my poor old brother Zhang."

Hey~

Wang Shizhen let out a long sigh.

Having spent time with him, he personally admired Shen Moqing. At least she was a real worker and dared to take responsibility, which made her a hundred times better than the insects.

woohoo~

At this moment, 100 li southeast of Guangning Prefecture in Liaodong, Zhang Zongcang, the pitiful elder brother Shen Moqing had mentioned, was speeding along.

The armored train traveled along the narrow rails through the icy wasteland; although the train was short, it moved at a high speed.

Clang, clang, clang~

"General Zhang, how many soldiers do you have under your command?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After layers of approval from the Forbidden City frontline command, the Ministry of Rites, and the Ministry of the Army, allied military observers were permitted to ride in armored vehicles. Morrison, the Times' chief correspondent in Beijing, holding his notebook, asked this question.

Zhang Zongcang was just a sentry officer, at most a second lieutenant, which Morrison was certainly aware of.

But if he doesn't call him "General," Old Zhang's ears will be stuffed with donkey hair.

As soon as someone calls out "General," Old Zhang's ears become perfectly sharp.

In order to obtain fresh and hot news material, Morrison had no choice but to swallow his pride and fawn over General Zhang!

"I don't know."

What are your thoughts on this war?

"win!"

"win?"

"Win!!" Zhang Zongcang grinned, brimming with confidence.

"I'm curious, are all your country's officers as confident as General Zhang?"

"yes.

""

"How long do you expect it will take to reach the Yalu River?"

"Spring Festival."

Zhang Zongcang was merely repeating his second brother's prophecy, but Morrison seized upon it as a treasure and quickly wrote it down.

Because General Zhang's math and hearing were both poor, Morrison had to count the heads himself. The train had a total of 10 crew members, 20 engineers, and 70 riflemen.

General Zhang commands a hundred soldiers!

It is quite rare.

"There are enemies."

"On the left side."

General Zhang, who was eating a pancake roll with scallions, quickly put on a dog-skin hat and, together with his soldiers, lifted the movable cover on the left side of the carriage, sticking out his gun muzzle.

On the icy wasteland, a troop of Dongsang cavalry is running.

bang bang bang~

-

One by one, scorching hot brass cartridge cases fell to the floor of the carriage, clanging and jingling.

The sight of dozens of shooters firing simultaneously was truly spectacular.

In just a short while, there were piles of spent shell casings at his feet.

Bullets fired from enemy muskets sparked as they hit the carriages, but hitting the gunners inside was no easy feat.

In just two minutes, the armored train killed more than 30 East Sang cavalrymen.

The carriage was filled with smoke, like a fairyland.

Someone walked to the right and opened a firing port. Instantly, air convection was created inside the carriage, and the white smoke was sucked out within seconds.

"That felt great."

The crowd laughed and chatted amongst themselves.

Well, the lever rifle is indeed a good weapon, but it's too slow to reload, taking a full 30 seconds. Also, it's not durable; mud or strong impacts can cause it to malfunction.

Morrison huddled in a corner, recording the battle situation, occasionally peeking out to take a look.

Being a journalist these days is tough. You often have to be on the front lines, unlike your colleagues in later years who can sit at home and reprint their work or make it up.

Sudden.

The armored vehicle braked suddenly, the sound of the brakes piercing the air.

"General Zhang, what's going on?"

"Reporting to the sentry, the railway tracks ahead have been stripped."

C

As the driver was driving, he suddenly couldn't see the two black lines ahead anymore and immediately applied the emergency brakes. Sure enough, the tracks had been dug up.

Zhang Zongcang stood on the roof of the carriage with two soldiers, keeping watch!

The wind was biting cold.

Outdoor temperatures can drop to minus twenty degrees Celsius.

General Zhang wore a dog-skin hat that only revealed his eyes and nostrils, a thick overcoat, and long military boots stuffed with ula grass. He kept his hands in his pockets and dared not take them out. He stamped his feet as he stood guard.

dong dong dong~

At least 30 meters of the railway track ahead had been stripped up.

-

The armored vehicle stood silently in place as engineers carried rails and sleepers out of the carriages to begin emergency repairs. As long as the foundation hadn't been dug into a deep pit, repairing the rails wouldn't take long.

Morrison's record:

This seems to be a completely new way of warfare, relying on railway lines, using armored trains for rapid maneuverability, moving like the wind, with dense firepower and thick protection.

I believe that the East Sang Army is unlikely to make any further breakthroughs.

Fifteen minutes later.

Zhang Zongcang suddenly squinted. The snow reflected light, which was very jarring. So he shivered and pulled a cheap, confiscated telescope from his coat.

Northeast direction~

A row of black dots appeared on the top of the snow-covered hills, then another row, and yet another row! The black dots started moving, and very quickly.

Oh no! The camera quickly shifted, and a large number of moving black dots appeared in the northwest direction as well.

bang~

A gunshot pierced the snowfield.

Zhang Zongcang took off his dog-skin hat, brandished his revolver, and shouted, "There's an ambush behind us! Lots and lots of enemies! Get in the car, we're turning back! Charge!"

Chaos erupted immediately.

The engineers abandoned the rail sleepers, grabbed their tools, and ran to the train.

The armored train that everyone was riding in had two locomotives, located at the front and rear, and could move forward or backward.

Four carriages were pulled.

Two sections carried infantry, one carried engineers, and the other carried coal.

At this moment, the front of the car at the rear was extremely busy.

Lighting the fire, adding coal, and waiting for steam to drive the wheels—this process takes time.

The driver, dressed only in a thin shirt, was still drenched in sweat. He stared at the slowly rising pressure gauge dial, muttering, "May the Jade Emperor bless me, please move quickly!"

The coal handlers were incredibly busy, shoveling coal one shovel after another.

Clang clang clang~

All the firing ports on both sides of the carriage were opened, all the ammunition boxes were pried open, and everyone was busy stuffing bullets into their belts. After stuffing them full, they put bullets into their pockets.

Morrison made the following notes in his notebook:

General Zhang personally carried a lever rifle, three revolvers, and hundreds of bullets, like an adventurer walking in the western wilderness.

"Brothers, do not panic."

Clang, clang, clang! Zhang Zongcang pounded the carriage a few times with the butt of his revolver. "Listen to this! How thick this metal casing is, bullets can't penetrate it!"

Clang, clang, clang—the steam finally rose, and the armored train slowly started moving.

Zhang Zongcang rushed to the front of the car.

The train at that time did not have glass windows.

In front of the driver's seat were rows of iron bars with gaps of about 5 centimeters between them. Through the bars, one could see a dark mass of Dong Sang soldiers pressing in from both flanks.

There were cavalry and infantry.

At least two or three thousand people.

Boom~

A 75mm mountain gun shell exploded, splashing up snow everywhere, but it was at least 100 meters away from the train.

Morrison's arms trembled slightly as he continued to record the battle situation.

God bless, this is a war unlike any other in human history!

A regiment of East Sang infantry, a battalion of East Sang cavalry, and three artillery detachments joined forces to besiege the isolated armored train.

The enemy fired bullets at the armored vehicle in dense bursts, but none could penetrate the carriage. Only a very few lucky bullets managed to get through the firing ports, causing casualties.

General Zhang led dozens of riflemen in a counterattack, and the bullet casings inside the carriage were half a foot thick.

It looks like a mobile fortress?

Me~

"Old Mo, load me up!"

Zhang Zongcang tossed the empty lever rifle into Morrison's arms, drew his revolver, and aimed it at the armored vehicle that had rushed within 10 meters—

The enemy opened fire fiercely.

He missed, then tossed the gun to Morrison, who pulled out another and continued firing.

Ice and snow, wasteland, blood and gore, siege.

It's like a post-apocalyptic zombie movie.

Gunshots echoed repeatedly in the carriage. With every breath, their lungs filled with gunpowder gas. Both sides were bloodthirsty, their adrenaline surging.

boom.

A mountain gun shell pierced through the carriage, killing at least 15 people instantly. The metal sheets were twisted, the carriage was broken, and supplies were scattered all over the ground, but the connection was not broken, so the train did not stop.

Ugh~

The steam whistle sounded.

"Stop it!" Major Iguchi, the highest-ranking commander on site, drew his sword and roared with all his might.

A group of bloodthirsty army idiots actually picked up their bayonets and raised their sabers, and launched a pig-like charge towards the locomotive.

-

"accelerate!"

"Onboard~"

The steam locomotive crashed into the enemy ranks at high speed, its speed undiminished, and sped away, leaving a long trail of blood in its wake.

血~

Large amounts of blood dripped down the sleepers, still steaming.

Seeing this horrific scene, the desperate major suddenly drew his gun and pointed it at his temple.

"Black Card Incident, Banzai!"

bang~

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