A Romantic Detective in the Qing Dynasty [Complete] - 9

Chapter Seven: Driving the Donkeys into the Enclosure

The first night of the Battle of Shangganling was only quiet for two or three hours before Hill 635.8 was once again shrouded in smoke.

After the artillery fire subsided, the observation post that emerged from its burrow discovered that the enemy had not attacked the hilltop at all. Thinking that more artillery was about to fire, he hurriedly crawled back into his burrow, but after waiting for a long time, he still heard no more artillery fire.

He emerged from the burrow and, in the pitch black night, carefully examined the area and listened intently for a long time, but still found nothing amiss. He quickly reported this unusual situation to Division Commander Xiao Fuchun, who promptly reported it to my command post.

Holding the phone, I was pondering what tricks Dasanyan was up to when Shu'er, looking at the map on the wall, pointed to a road leading to Pyongyang and Hill 589.6 next to it, saying, "Dasanyan has been fighting desperately for days, suffering heavy losses, and suddenly he's just making empty threats without any real action. This is really abnormal! But their goal is Pyongyang, to destroy the North Korean regime, to rescue their crown prince. They won't give up until they achieve this goal! This abnormality most likely means the enemy is changing their attack point. We need to immediately make them pay attention to the other hills, especially Hill 589.6 on the right. The enemy is using a feint attack; they might be trying to open a passage from here to advance towards Pyongyang! Losing the crown prince means he can't escape death. The only explanation for his continued secrecy is that he wants to gain an advantage in this battle and force China to hand over the crown prince! He will never give up halfway; he will fight to the end! So he will definitely find another way out and gamble again." "!"

Li Bingheng nodded and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Shu is right. These past few days they have been fighting for Hill 635.8, aiming to find a passage out of Shangganling. Now that the road has not yet been opened, they have suddenly changed their tactics. They must have other plans, but they will not give up their goal of rushing towards Pyongyang. I also think that the possibility of them heading towards Hill 589.6 on the right is more likely!"

Shu'er continued, "Now, in order not to expose our strength, we cannot reinforce there. We must quickly have Commander Xiao's secretary adjust the deployment and quickly reinforce Hill 589.6 on the right from the main peak. The sooner the better, to strengthen the defense there before the enemy! Otherwise, we may make a mistake and lose the whole situation!"

I looked at the map on the wall and at the location of Hill 589.6 on the right. Although Dashanyan had not succeeded in opening the road after several days of fierce attacks on Hill 635.8, he felt that he had successfully focused the attention of the Chinese army on Hill 635.8. This inevitably led to a neglect of other areas, allowing him to seize the opportunity to break through from Hill 589.6. He now intends to break through our army's defenses with a lightning-fast surprise attack; Shu'er's judgment must be correct! I immediately told Xiao Fuchun, "Raise a full alert, especially on the right flank, Hill 589.6. The enemy is likely to change their focus! Our female strategist and Minister Li both estimate that the enemy's focus is on Hill 589.6, and I think they have a point! You should immediately send reinforcements to them! Prevent the enemy from opening a breach there!"

I knew that Xiao Fuchun initially deployed a considerable force to Hill 589.6, but later, seeing that the enemy's focus was not there, he gradually shifted his forces towards Hill 635.8, which was very likely his weak point.

Sure enough, as Shu'er and Li Bingheng predicted, while Hill 589.6 on the right was still asleep, nearly a thousand enemy soldiers had already reached the mountainside under the cover of darkness.

To ensure the success of the surprise attack, the Japanese soldiers had their clothes tied to their feet and each had a copper coin in their mouth, allowing them to approach the hilltop silently.

Below, Oyama Iwao looked at the dark, silent Hill 589.6 on his right, a smile playing on his lips. He waved his hand, and his adjutant immediately gave the order. The booming of artillery fire erupted again from Hill 635.8. As soon as the shelling ceased, hundreds of Japanese soldiers charged towards Hill 635.8, shouting.

But they stopped halfway up the hill, merely shouting and making no further progress.

Hill 589.6 remained silent, but the attacking Japanese soldiers had already approached the summit.

Oyama Iwao had already given the order for follow-up troops to prepare to rush out through the breach.

Suddenly, the explosions of mortar shells and grenades echoed like a tsunami on Hill 589.6. Oyama Iwao's facial muscles twitched; he realized the surprise attack had failed!

He immediately ordered, "Fire! Concentrate all artillery and bombard Hill 589.6!"

The adjutant was dumbfounded, standing there stunned: "General, there are still our soldiers there!"

He glared: "Do you think there are any of us alive there? Fire immediately!"

The call went through, and immediately artillery fire and smoke covered Hill 589.6.

He spat out a mouthful of phlegm: "I'll make sure you suffer too!"

But he was wrong; the one who truly suffered was him! Upon receiving my call, Gao Ligen, the deputy commander of the 1st Division, immediately led a battalion to Hill 589.6. The counterattack just now was successfully commanded by him! His soldiers reached the hilltop and silently entered the position.

This Gao Ligen was sharper than a fox; he didn't let his soldiers fire until the enemy had run a few steps away. Suddenly, he ordered his soldiers to throw grenades wildly, blasting the enemy to pieces across the hillside, causing them to flee in disarray. He immediately ordered everyone to quickly retreat into the tunnels.

As soon as the soldiers entered the tunnels, the artillery fire erupted. The Japanese soldiers, who had escaped the Chinese bombardment, could no longer escape the relentless barrage of their own artillery. They could only curse, "Are they blind? Why did they attack us?!" Reluctantly, they went to pay homage to their Amaterasu, the sun goddess.

After the artillery fire subsided, the Japanese soldiers surged forward again in a dark mass. The soldiers emerged from the trenches, and after a short while, the Japanese artillery roared again, engulfing both Chinese and Japanese soldiers in smoke.

Before the smoke cleared, the Japanese attacked once more. The soldiers emerged from the trenches, only to be met with the deafening roar of their artillery, burying both sides in the mud once more.

This protracted battle inflicted heavy casualties on the Chinese army, and allowed the Japanese, using the bodies of their fallen soldiers as a foundation, to finally scale Hill 589.6.

Hill 589.6 fell from the Chinese hands, and the remaining twenty-odd wounded soldiers on the hill were forced to retreat into the trenches under Xiao Fuchun's orders.

The Japanese army immediately surged towards the newly opened breach like a tidal wave. Daiyama Iwao patted his backside excitedly: "Good, good! Shake off the Chinese army, advance north in a great stride, capture Min Ciying alive, and kill Li Huailong!"

The Japanese army sprang into action, and the main force behind them quickly followed, tens of thousands of men frantically rushing towards Hill 589.6.

Hearing the report, I picked up the phone to notify the artillery division, but Shu'er pressed my hand down: "Hooray! They haven't all gotten in yet! Be patient, be patient now, only then can we trap the enemy in their pen, only then can we send them to the boiling pot! If you move now, they'll know we have greater strength in the mountains, and they'll stop their northward advance!"

Li Bingheng looked at the map and said, "But this is too dangerous, 40,000 enemies against our 3,000 soldiers! Xiao Fuchun might not be able to hold them off!"

Damn it, that bastard Daiyama Iwao, actually risking his own soldiers to open a path, how could he even think of that! This crazy donkey is really capable of causing trouble! It seems it won't be easy to drag him into the boiling pot!

Shu'er said, "In the battle of Asan, we shouldn't have wiped out those useless soldiers of his. Even if we wanted to, we should have done it more slowly and with more difficulty. As a result, we exposed our strength too early, which gave Oyama Iwao a new assessment of our strength. Now, even under the pressure of the Emperor, he is still full of doubts and dares not advance rashly because he is worried that we might have set up an ambush! If you expose our strength now, he might turn around and run away! Your ambush formation might be permanently ineffective! We will also lose the opportunity to make Japan behave itself!"

My heart trembled, and I took my hand off the phone. I turned around and called Xiao Fuchun: "The principal believes you can block that gap. It's not the principal's time to take action now. I'll leave that to you to handle!"

Xiao Fuchun was enraged. He ordered all the mountain guns and mortars to fire at Hill 589.6. The hill was engulfed in flames, instantly becoming a crematorium for the Japanese!

Before the shelling had even ceased, Xiao Fuchun, braving the enemy's relentless bombardment, led a battalion, each soldier carrying a basket of grenades, and charged up Hill 589.6. A barrage of grenades soaked the hilltop in the blood of the Japanese soldiers, driving the surviving ones to flee in panic! The red flag of the Chinese army once again flew high on the blood-soaked Hill 589.6.

The breach that the Japanese had just opened was finally closed again! The mad donkey was back in its pen.

For seven days and nights, Shangganling was never quiet. Xiaogushan convulsed amidst artillery fire and smoke. The battle grew increasingly fierce. Artillery shells, bullets, grenades, shovels, knives, and stones pelted the hill. Soldiers from both sides repeatedly charged, leaving the hillside covered in bloody remains and littered with the corpses of Japanese soldiers!

Xiao Fuchun's division was reduced to only a thousand men, and he himself had suffered several wounds, but the position remained in his hands.

Da Shanyan was furious. He had only planned to open a passage with a few hundred casualties, but unexpectedly, over five thousand men had entered, and his troops hadn't made an inch! He was now overconfident; he had realized that Xiao Fuchun's army was nearly exhausted, and it was his time to reap the rewards. He was going to fight to the death!

He immediately ordered the Japanese army to sweep across the hills towards Hill 589.6.

But what he hadn't expected was that the Chinese army remained hidden in their tunnels, showing no reaction.

Were they paralyzed? Had they fled? Or were they too afraid to come out and engage?

He was completely baffled, but then he realized that his soldiers had been subjected to a barrage of artillery fire as soon as they reached the top! This shocked him. The Chinese had been lying in ambush with such a powerful artillery force in the mountains all along, enduring the near loss of Xiaogushan several times without taking action. There had to be a grander conspiracy at play!

What surprised him even more was that just as his reinforcements caught up, a contingent of Chinese soldiers suddenly appeared at the southern gate of Shangganling, driving the rearguard Yamamoto Regiment into the mountains with a barrage of light and heavy machine gun fire and deafening mortar fire.

Then, a series of thunderous explosions echoed across the mountains, a massive blast that shattered half of the mountains on either side, creating a mountain in the middle of their retreat route, leaving the Japanese soldiers with nowhere to go!

Now, the situation had completely changed. The Chinese army, which had been on the defensive without artillery support, suddenly roared into action. The Chinese artillery roared like a tsunami, unleashing a frenzied massacre on the Japanese soldiers trapped in the ravines!

Fei'er, who had just given birth to a daughter a month ago, arrived the very next day with 20 newly produced Chinese rocket launchers (Katyusha). Combined with the original forty mountain guns, my artillery division was now the most powerful artillery force in the world! I hugged Fei'er and said, "My first wife arrived just in time! Now let Dashanyan taste the flavor of the Chinese Iron Gourd!"

Fei'er said, "Don't be so happy yet. There's an even bigger secret I can't tell you now. You'll find out later. Aren't all your wives at home just good for having babies?"

She told me that Yan'er, heavily pregnant, had been busy at the Jiangnan Arsenal in Shanghai and had already exceeded the target. The weapons for the newly built warships had all been installed and handed over to Tan Sitong, the commander of the East China Sea Fleet. The weapons and boilers of all the warships in the Beiyang Fleet had also been updated and they had all entered their respective waters according to my orders!

Tan Sitong was my dark horse. On the surface, he was the Vice Minister of Culture, Education, Science and Technology and the editor-in-chief of the Jinghua Daily. In fact, I had been having him study military affairs at a military academy while secretly leading Liu Buchan, Huang Jianxun, Fang Boqian, Yan Zongguang, He Xinchuan, and Lin Yongsheng to form the Qing Dynasty East China Sea Navy in Weihaiwei. The six large ships that Yan'er and Fei'er were in charge of supervising the construction of were the main warships of the East China Sea Fleet. I deliberately kept sending the Beiyang Fleet on overseas trips to Japan and other places, and I wasn't in a hurry to upgrade the Beiyang Fleet's weapons and boilers, just to give the Japanese the impression that the Qing Dynasty's fleet was inferior to the Japanese navy! My two wives really put in a lot of effort in this regard!

Now that the donkey has already entered the donkey pen I designed for them, I can't let it run wild anymore. I've decided to teach it a lesson first! To this end, I immediately ordered all the cannons to open fire on the Japanese troops cowering in the ravine! After several tens of minutes of intense firing, nearly ten thousand shells rained down on the Japanese soldiers. The ravine, which stretched for more than thirty miles, was a sea of fire and filled with smoke. The Japanese soldiers fled in terror, screaming and howling, with severed limbs flying everywhere along with the swirling stones and dirt. The worst off were the Japanese artillery positions. The Chinese shells seemed to know their way around, taking care of all eighteen of the Japanese cannons. On the battlefield, men and horses were thrown into chaos, cannons scattering in all directions, firing and firing with incredible speed and precision. Within moments, not a single intact cannon remained. The two mountain artillery regiments that Da Shanyan relied on had vanished without a trace. The worst off was the Japanese ammunition depot. Hit by artillery shells, dozens of horses pulling cannons, tied up over a hundred meters away, were blown apart by the blast. The horses charged into the Japanese ranks, trampling and crushing many soldiers. Had they not been blown away by the Chinese artillery, countless more would have been trampled to death!

Strangely, once Da Shanyan's artillery was deployed, Shangganling fell silent. The Chinese army ceased its bombardment and showed no signs of attack. As the smoke cleared, birdsong and cicada chirps returned.

But Da Shanyan knew he was doomed; his army was completely surrounded by the Chinese forces. He now understood that the loss of Zongren, the desperate defense of Xiaogushan, and the sealing of the southern gate were all part of a plan to trap his army. The Chinese plan was complete; death awaited him. Although the Chinese army had ceased its bombardment, it meant they were waiting for something! His death was only a matter of time!

He wondered what kind of artillery had been used for that fierce, relentless bombardment, and how it could move so fast. He finally understood that China had been biding its time all these years, and their strength far surpassed Japan's! Unfortunately, he realized all of this too late!

He spun around frantically on the ground for a while, then suddenly realized: "Fishing! The Chinese are trying to use me as bait to catch us!"

He hurriedly shouted, "Send an urgent telegram to headquarters immediately, tell them not to send any more troops to rescue us!"

His adjutant looked at him in confusion, and he roared, "Send the telegram immediately!"

The adjutant rushed off, but returned a moment later, panicking, saying, "General, the Chinese army has cut off all the telephone lines, both telegraph machines were just blown up, even the telegraph operators were killed, and the small generator was blown up too! They've calculated that the troops have lost about 40% of their men!"

Oyama Iwao was stunned: "It's over, everything is over! Now there's only one way out, which is to retreat, fight our way out, and try to get back to Japan!"

I gave the order to stop the bombardment; I really just wanted to catch a few more fish.

I ordered the Third Army of the First Army Group to begin annihilating the enemy in southern Korea, controlling Busan and other places, and preventing the Japanese army from landing in the south.

The order was given to the Beiyang Fleet to control the Yellow Sea, preventing the Japanese fleet from withdrawing a single ship!

On August 24th, the Japanese army launched a four-pronged attack on the southern gate. From morning till night, they launched eighteen consecutive assaults, each with hundreds or even thousands of soldiers.

They were met with an endless barrage of grenades and mortar shells from the Chinese army. Japanese soldiers were slaughtered, their bodies strewn across the battlefield, blood flowing freely!

However, the Japanese knew this might be their only chance of survival, so they became reckless gamblers. One wave fell, another surged forward. But having lost artillery cover, the Japanese soldiers, facing the superior weaponry and higher ground of the Chinese army, were like donkeys waiting to be slaughtered; their struggles would only hasten their descent into the boiling pot!

Yamagata Aritomo was now frantic with worry. The sudden loss of contact with Oyama Iwao made him realize the situation was dire! He hurriedly telegraphed Japanese fleet commander Ito Hiroki to inquire, and Ito Hiroki replied: "General Oyama Iwao is opening the passage to Pyongyang, where there is constant artillery fire, and it seems that the fighting is very intense. I'm afraid he can't keep up with the calls!"

Yamagata Aritomo warned Ito Hiroaki to be wary of a surprise attack by the Chinese fleet. Ito Hiroaki laughed, "Those lousy warships think they can ambush us? Before they even spot us, I'll have sent them swimming in the ocean!" He then burst into laughter. But his laughter didn't last long before he received an urgent report: two warships anchored in Incheon harbor had changed their flags overnight and were already heading to Weihaiwei, China.

He went mad, pounding the table loudly: "Damn it, who fabricated this battle report? This is impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Chapter Eight: Seals Strike.

Yu'er loved swimming; once in the water, she was like a fish in water, leaping and bounding about, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. Every day, she would drag me and Shu'er to the Hanhai Lake in the Summer Palace for a wild time. Moreover, she loved to tease me as soon as she entered the lake. She would often either pull down my underwear or grab my manhood and refuse to let go, insisting that we make love in the water before she would stop. I was so angry that I wanted to slap her little bottom every time, but she was like a big catfish, darting around in the water, and I couldn't catch her at all.

Looking at her fair and slender body, her tiny waist that could be encircled with one hand, and her round little buttocks, I really couldn't control myself. Ten times out of ten, I lost my virginity in the lake! How unlucky!

Shu'er, on the other hand, was happy to watch our performance. Even the heavily pregnant Queen Min came to see my foolishness, clapping her hands and giggling every time. Enraged, I slapped her little bottom and said, "Be careful of the baby in your belly! Don't scare my precious girl into getting pregnant!"

Queen Min laughed and said, "Who said I'm carrying a girl? I think it's a son!"

I exclaimed in surprise, "That's a problem! I've been wholesaling girls to you all this time. If you give birth to a son, isn't he not mine? Tell me, are you having an affair?"

As I said this, I reached out to grab her, and she quickly raised one hand to block me, while clutching her belly with the other: "Don't be silly, baby!"

I wasn't that stupid. Would I be crazy to hit her now?

Actually, we didn't go crazy for more than a few days. After Shu'er successfully led the donkey, Shu'er, Li Bingheng, and I spent all our time in the operations room. Queen Min also couldn't keep Yu'er company anymore because she had given birth to a daughter. Yu'er was very bored, so she discussed with Queen Min about picking out 100 of the 300 female soldiers with good water intake from Queen Min's army and starting to go crazy with them.

For the first few days, I didn't pay attention. Later, I saw the little girls coming back from the lake, all so tired they could barely walk. I asked her curiously, "Did you torment them? They're so tired they're pulling cat tails onto the bed!"

She chuckled, "That's right! If Wansui has cats, lend Yu'er a hundred so they can climb onto the bed. If not, don't make such sarcastic remarks!"

Shu'er told me, "Sister Yu takes them fighting and killing all day, and they even do weighted long-distance running. These little girls are doing pretty well. If it were anyone else, they would have collapsed from exhaustion! My sisters say Sister Yu is a reincarnated demon, and they cry secretly every day! But none of them say they don't want to do it, and they're really determined to train. Some of the ones who didn't make it are crying and asking me to put in a good word for them so they can join!"

I really don't know what this little one is up to!

When Shu'er and I were resting, we went over to check on her. We saw her making those little girls practice diving, teaching them how to breathe underwater. They were all holding their breath, their faces turning red and purple, but she still wouldn't let them surface. I got so angry I slapped her little bottom and said, "Are you trying to kill me?"

She grabbed me and plopped me down in the water, holding me tightly and refusing to let me surface. My head was throbbing, my chest felt like it was going to burst, before she finally let me out. I was so scared I never dared to watch her go crazy again!

Damn, she was like a mermaid! Once she was in the water, she seemed to come alive; her arms and legs were like fins and tails, incredibly agile. I really don't know what she was born from!

After going crazy for a while, she suddenly made demands of me: she wanted 110 silenced pistols, 110 rifles, 110 military knives, and 110 sets of diving suits that Yan'er had just produced.

I asked curiously, "What are you going to do? Want to go to war again?"

She tilted her head back, her little neck stiff, and said confidently, "Of course! If Shu'er can do good deeds for you, why can't Yu'er kill enemies for you? I'm going to establish a Navy SEAL team to deal with the enemy in the water!"

I was stunned. "How does she know about the US Navy SEALs in the 1960s, the special naval forces directly led by President John F. Kennedy? That was an elite force! They often carried out unconventional warfare, counter-insurgency, and covert infiltration missions at sea. It was a force directly under the president's control! Modern warfare is unpredictable; unforeseen battles often occur. It's only right to..." "They've set up this organization to handle emergencies! But can she handle it?"

Seeing me lost in thought, she pouted and said, "Your Majesty just doesn't trust Yu'er!"

I pulled her into my arms and said, "It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I can't bear to part with you!"

Yu'er chuckled, "You think I'm courting death? Let me tell you, I won't act unless I'm absolutely certain. Don't underestimate them just because you caught them once! My soldiers can stay in the water for an hour or two without any problems, how could they possibly catch them? Your Yu'er, if you throw her in the water, she won't even drown, what danger could she possibly face? Just trust Yu'er!"

This little vixen, she'll take a mile, she'll open a dye shop with a couple of drops of paint! Is fighting such an easy thing? Is knowing how to swim enough? Combat, reconnaissance, intelligence gathering, terrain mapping, enemy capture—that's a whole lot of knowledge, can you really become anything with just a couple of days of training? If we really went to the battlefield, wouldn't we just be licking the teeth of the Japanese devils?

But I couldn't resist her persistent pleading, so I finally approved her request to form a SEAL team. However, it wasn't her original hundred soldiers; instead, Li Bingheng allocated another hundred male soldiers, dividing them into the First and Second Combat Groups, each with two officers and three instructors, and they began arduous, comprehensive training.

She trained them hard, and the three newly appointed instructors were even harder. Within days, they had the female soldiers grimacing in pain, and even Yu'er was practically dragging a cat by its tail to bed every day. Even so, the instructors said, "This is a far cry from the principal's training methods. Back then, we were so pressured we wanted to lock him up so we could rest for a few days. But now we realize he was doing it all for our own good—to sweat more in peacetime so we wouldn't bleed more in wartime!"

After a week of training, the ranks were divided into three, six, and nine. I had Yu'er select captains for each rank, and then chose ten top performers to form the Shadowless Squad, a dark horse directly under her command!

Of course, Yu'er was still the commander of the assault team, but nobody called her "commander." Her soldiers all called her "boss." I called her "Little Fish," and others called her "Empress Yu."

Just as the fighting in Shangganling was at a stalemate, the Japanese government's wartime general headquarters held an imperial conference and decided to reorganize the naval fleet into a wartime structure: merging the standing fleet, the West Sea Fleet, and other ships into the Combined Fleet, appointing Vice Admiral Ito Sukeyuki as commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet, and ordering him to control the waters off the west coast of Korea. The reorganized Combined Fleet was configured as follows:

Regular Fleet: Matsushima, Naniwa, Yoshino, Chiyoda, Itsukushima, Hashidate, Takachiho, Akitsushima, Hiei, Fusō; Communications Ship: Yaeyama; Auxiliary Ships: Tsukushi, Atago, Maya, Chokai, Amagi; Torpedo Boats: Yamaya, No. 7, No. 12, No. 13, No. 22, No. 23; Western Fleet: Kongo, Tenryu, Oshima, Yamato, Iwaki, Katsuragi, Takao, Akagi, Musashi; Naval Port Guard: Yokosuka Port: Tsukuba, Kanju; Kure Port: Hosho, Kaimon, Tateyama; Sasebo Port: Manju. The Minister of the Navy

further proposed that if the Qing fleet or reinforcements were discovered, the Japanese fleet should immediately engage in battle, which was immediately approved. Based on the outcome of the future naval battle, the General Staff formulated three major operational guidelines: First, if the naval battle is won and control of the sea is secured, the army will advance directly to attack Beijing; second, if the outcome of the naval battle is undecided, the army will occupy Pyongyang, while the navy will maintain control of the Korean Strait; third, if the naval battle is lost, the Korean army will be withdrawn, and the navy will defend the Japanese coast.

On August 20, the Japanese government, through the British Minister to Japan, informed the Qing government that if China sent troops to reinforce its troops stationed in Korea, it should be considered an act of hostility towards Japan.

On August 22, the Japanese Navy dispatched eight warships—Matsushima, Yoshino, Chiyoda, Yaeyama, Tsukushi, Yamato, Takao, and Akagi—along with transport ships carrying approximately 8,000 army soldiers and 1,000 marines to Incheon for landing. The 8,000 landing troops immediately headed towards Shangganling to rescue the troops at ōyama Iwao. The Yamato and Akagi, along with 1,000 marines, remained at Incheon to control the port, while the remaining ships returned to Japan, intending to transport more troops to Korea.

I heard there are only two Japanese warships left at Incheon, and my little darling snuggled up to me and started pleading, "Husband, Yu'er wants to go to Incheon to get those two small boats for you!"

I slapped her little bottom, "You think that's fun? What will happen to my baby if something happens to you? What will happen to you and Shu'er, this trio? What will I do when I miss you? Besides, those aren't just small boats, they're top-class Japanese warships! Each ship has two or three hundred people, do you think your two hundred can take them down?"

She pouted and said, "I just don't trust you! You give Shu'er ten thousand men to fetch donkeys, can't Yu'er bring back two hundred boats with two hundred men? Yu'er promises to bring back those two boats without hurting a single person, let's have a three-slap test!"

I thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Alright, I'll discuss it with Minister Li and Consort Shu before I answer. " "I'll get you!"

As soon as I entered the operations room, Consort Shu laughed: "How's it going? Little Fish is going to set sail, isn't he?"

Li Bingheng also said: "The time has come. We should close the door and slaughter the donkey. So Incheon must be under our control. Consort Yu just told us that she wants to take those two Japanese ships from Incheon. We listened to her plan and think it's feasible. Your Majesty, please approve it!"

I laughed: "This girl has learned how to form a united front! Not only must Incheon be under our control, but the whole of Korea cannot be allowed to be touched by the Japanese again! But this battle cannot be simply about capturing two ships. We must mobilize the entire Japanese fleet and annihilate their navy in the Yellow Sea, so that the Japanese will lose their voice at sea forever!"

We planned for a long time, and then called Sheng Bao and Yu'er to discuss it again. Finally, we decided that Sheng Bao and Yu'er would cooperate to fight a special operation in Incheon!

I was worried about Yu'er's safety, so I instructed her for a long time to let Shu'er go with her. She would fight the battle, and Shu'er would come up with the ideas. My two concubines hugged me tightly and kissed me passionately, almost biting my face raw.

On the night of the 24th, Incheon Harbor trembled in the raging storm, and the two Japanese warships, Yamato and Akagi, rocked violently in the crashing waves.

Suddenly, a dark figure flew onto the Yamato and swiftly pounced on the cabin. A Japanese sailor stretched as he stepped out of the cabin, only to be grabbed by the neck by another dark figure who had flown aboard, and kicked him into the sea. Then, one by one, men in black flew onto the warships and quickly disappeared into the hatches.

The same thing happened on the Akagi; men in black, under the cover of darkness, flew onto the warships.

Captain Kobayashi Koji of the Yamato was passionately embracing the ship's telegraph operator, Shiroshita Miwako, making her weak and trembling. He was shouting loudly, "Kobayashi-kun, take Miwako home! Miwako can't live without you! Miwako wants to be your wife!"

Kobayashi Koji, panting heavily, continued his vigorous thrusts, saying, "Stick out your belly and give me a son, then I'll take you as my concubine!"

Miwako immediately said, "Then give Miwako a few more thrusts, see—" Before she could finish, she felt a scalding liquid spray onto her face, blurring her vision.

Kobayashi stopped moving. Angrily wiping her face, she slapped Kobayashi's bottom, "Move! I was just getting into it, why are you so weak already? What are you doing, all sticky and making my eyes water!"

She raised her hand and saw blood on it, and fainted before she could even utter a sound.

Yuko tossed Kobayashi's body aside, then swiftly killed Miwako with a single slash. She then dragged both women out of the bedroom and threw them into the sea.

Everything proceeded silently. Her two hundred soldiers were all mobilized, boarding the Yamato and Akagi, beginning a silent massacre!

Perhaps the waves were too high; the Japanese sailors never expected anyone to board the warships. Even in the bridge, the first and second officers were munching on chicken legs and drinking alcohol.

The second mate said, "I heard that General Daiyama Iwao has met his match. He's been blocked by Chinese soldiers on a small hill for six or seven days, and they still haven't broken through! Tens or twenty thousand men have died!"

The first mate stood up and slapped him across the face: "Baka! You've got your share of dead bodies! General Daiyama Iwao is the pride of Japan, he's invincible! He's incomparable to those useless Qing soldiers! You're just bragging about the Qing army, they couldn't possibly have an army that could stop Daiyama Iwao! You're a Chinese spy!"

The second mate wasn't having it, and punched him back, then said, "That's true, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to send reinforcements! The Chinese army is different now, I heard their guns just fire off in one go and never stop, unlike us who fire one shot and then reload!"

The first mate, who looked like a panda from the punch, was stunned: "Who told you that?"

"My brother was a sergeant under Miyamoto. He was almost killed by the Chinese. They sent him home with a broken leg. He said that when the Chinese army's bugle sounded, their legs trembled. They couldn't even walk, let alone fight!" The second mate took a sip of wine and cried, "This war is humiliating. How much chance can the Japanese have against such a big country like China? We're all going to be cannon fodder for the Emperor!"

The first mate's face changed. He suddenly drew his pistol and shot the second mate: "Damn it, you dare to disrupt morale!"

The second mate stared at the first mate, his body slowly falling down. He said, "I just went before you, and you too—" He died before he could finish.

The first mate was stunned after firing. He had killed someone, and there was no evidence to prove what he said. He knew he wouldn't survive either. He turned his gun around, but before he could even fire, *thud*, his head was blown apart by a black-clad man flying in.

The captain of the Akagi was looking at the nautical chart. He had been ordered to sail north to the West Korean Bay to join the Naniwa, which had sailed from Asan, to intercept the British transport ship, the Kowshing. China had announced it would send reinforcements to Korea, and General Staff said there were bound to be Chinese soldiers there; they were to find a way to sink it. They were about to weigh anchor, and he ordered the

sails to be lit, hoping to depart for the designated area ahead of schedule. However, the messenger stood there motionless, infuriating the captain who reached out to slap him. Suddenly, everything went black, and he collapsed to the ground, dying without ever knowing what had happened!

Meanwhile, in the Yamato's crew quarters, gunfire erupted.

A female sailor was about to stab a sleeping Japanese soldier when he suddenly somersaulted, kicking away her dagger and lunging at her.

A nearby male sailor fired a burst of bullets, riddling the Japanese soldier with bullets!

The gunfire startled the Japanese soldiers in the hold. The special forces soldiers immediately retreated to the hatch and opened fire!

Since the gunfire had begun, the SEALs all started firing, the soldiers firing from the deck into the hold, and then from the hold back onto the ship. By the time Consort Shufei called a halt, none of the 678 Japanese soldiers on the two ships were breathing!

The Japanese ensigns on both warships were torn down and replaced with the red and golden dragon flags of our military academy.

Then, a naval squadron boarded the warships, raised anchor, and headed out of the harbor.

At the same time, the SEAL Team's Shadow Squad infiltrated the Japanese military headquarters in Incheon, slit the throats of several sleeping Japanese officers, and assisted Sheng Bao's army in controlling Incheon.

By dawn, Incheon was under the control of the Chinese army.

Chapter Nine: A Small Test.

Seeing that the first step of my elaborate scheme had succeeded, Li Bingheng immediately rushed to Asan to meet with Lin Taizeng, the deputy commander of the Beiyang Navy, who had already laid a trap for the Japanese.

The two immediately went into the operations room and, looking at the nautical charts, began to plan the second step of the scheme—a small test.

According to my overall plan, on August 20th, Li Hongzhang, the Prime Minister of the Qing Dynasty, had announced the plan to increase troops in Korea and was constantly urging Minister of National Defense Zhang Zhidong to implement it quickly.

Zhang Zhidong immediately established the Anti-Japanese Aid to Korea Command, and mobilized troops and supplies from all over the country on a large scale.

The Beijing Daily also continuously published interviews with officers who had been ordered to Korea, greatly promoting the patriotism and sense of crisis among the people! For a time, aiding Korea against Japan became a major topic of national discussion. Long lines of young men and women waited at recruitment stations to sign up for the army. The Women's Patriotic Association mobilized women everywhere to make military shoes, donate money to build the Patriotic Warship, and create a climate of pride, with wives sending their husbands to the front lines and parents sending their children to protect their hometowns.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense casually mentioned in an interview in Tianjin that due to concerns about the safety of sea routes and the slow progress of land routes due to the mountainous terrain of Korea, it was decided to depart from Tianjin, the headquarters of the Beiyang Army, and advance into Korea by sea. The reinforcement route would involve boarding ships in Tianjin, landing at Asan, and reinforcing Sheng Bao's forces. To avoid interception by Japanese warships, the Ministry of National Defense planned to charter British merchant ships for troop transport and provide escort with warships.

This seemingly haphazard portrayal was a performance I deliberately put on to draw the attention of the Japanese high command to my naval troop transport. Although some parts were clumsy, they were perfectly executed, leaving the Japanese unable to discern the truth. I was steadily advancing my elaborate scheme.

Although I already knew the Japanese navy planned a surprise attack on our warships at Fengdao, I was always worried that my presence would cause them to change their tactics.

Actually, things were already changing. Because we prevented the Japanese from succeeding on land, the naval war had been delayed by a month, making the Japanese more cautious. So I needed to prepare two contingencies, giving them more time to think and guess. My plan was to mobilize their troops effectively. Yu'er

's SEAL team had a successful initial battle, and she was so happy she called me, saying, "How about that? Your little wife isn't just sitting around doing nothing, is she? Don't worry, I've already sent the Shadowless Squad to Asan. You wait at home, and when she comes in, we'll have a three-hundred-round battle. She's exhausted, so you have to pamper her!"

Damn it, this was a secret military phone call! Who asks for that kind of thing here? I'll give her a good spanking when she gets back! Does she really think I'm afraid of my wife? Afraid—so what if I'm afraid of my wife? How many men aren't afraid of their wives these days? Isn't it said that the deeper the love, the greater the fear? "Isn't it because I love them too much? Aren't these wives who risked their lives to fight and make meritorious contributions worthy of love? Not loving them is sickness, it's foolishness! It's—eunuchhood!"

On August 24th, Zhang Zhidong dispatched General Jiang Zikang with 4,000 troops to reinforce Sheng Bao's forces. He also hired three British steamships—the HMS Kowshing, HMS Airen, and HMS Flying Whale—in Tianjin to transport troops, cannons, equipment, and military pay for the Qing Dynasty.

He also transferred the warships Jiyuan and Guangyi from the Beiyang Fleet base at Lushun to escort them. Because there were only 30 barges at Asan, each ship could only carry 30 soldiers at a time, and it took 70 li to reach the port before disembarking, the round trip would take two days. If all three ships arrived at Asan at the same time, it would take several days to land, and the troop transport ships at sea would be vulnerable to attack. Therefore, it was decided that the three ships would depart in batches: the Airen on the morning of the 24th, the Flying Whale on the evening of the 24th, and the Kowshing on the morning of the 25th.

On the morning of the 24th, Ding Ruchang ordered the warships Jiyuan and Guangyi to depart from Tianjin to escort the troop transport ship Airen to Asan. The fleet, personally led by Lin Taizeng, the deputy commander of the Beiyang Navy, arrived off the coast of Asan on the 25th. The Airen entered port, and barges began transporting troops ashore, joining forces with Sheng Bao's troops stationed in Asan.

After receiving intelligence that the Beiyang Army was heading to Asan, the Japanese General Headquarters issued a secret operational order on the 23rd to Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, Ito Hiroki, instructing him to ambush the Beiyang Army off the coast of Korea and prevent it from landing in Korea. At 11:00 AM that day, Ito convened a meeting of ship captains, at which the following formation was decided:

First Flying Squadron: Yoshino (Standing Fleet Flagship), Akitsushima, Naniwa, Fuso, and the Akagi already at Incheon; Second Flying Squadron: Katsuragi (Western Fleet Flagship), Tenryu, Takao; Main Fleet: First Platoon: Matsushima (Combined Fleet Flagship), Chiyoda, Takachiho; Second Platoon: Hashidate, Tsukushi, Itsukushima; Torpedo Fleet: Mothership: Hiei; Torpedo Boats: Yamaya, Boat No. 7, Boat No. 12, Boat No. 13, Boat No. 22, Boat No. 23; Escort Ships: Atago, Maya.

At 11:00 AM on the 24th, the Japanese Combined Fleet departed from Sasebo Port. The First Flying Squadron departed first, followed by the Main Fleet, then the Second Flying Squadron, the Torpedo Fleet, and escort ships. When the fleet departed, the Minister of the Navy personally saw it off by ship. His ship flew a signal flag that read "Uphold the honor of the Imperial Navy." The flagship of the First Flying Squadron, Yoshino, replied, "Fully ready"; the flagship of the Combined Fleet, Matsushima, replied, "Resolutely uphold the honor of the Imperial Navy"; the flagship of the Second Flying Squadron, Katsuragi, replied, "Waiting for my triumphant return"; and the lead escort ship, Atago, replied, "Forever remembering." At 4:20 PM, the entire fleet departed port.

At 6:30 AM on the 26th, the three ships of the Japanese Navy's First Flying Squadron, Yoshino, Fusō, and Akitsushima, arrived southwest of Fengdao Island outside Asan Bay and immediately blocked the waterways in and out of Asan. Meanwhile, Naniwa headed towards Daito-gyo, preparing to rendezvous with the Akagi and launch an attack on the transport ships behind us!

That day, the sea was clear and the sky was blue. The waves gently lapped against the warships, and snow-white seagulls frequently flew near the warships, snatching the leftovers discarded on board.

Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Standing Fleet, Tsuboi Kozo, was in high spirits today. The Imperial Japanese Navy was about to achieve an unparalleled feat, and he would be the leader of this first victory. He would personally send the Qing Dynasty's navy into the depths of the sea, ensuring that Qing would forever remain a subject of Japan! Thinking of this, he grinned. He recalled how, before boarding the ship, his child cried and begged him not to leave. His wife, Sayuriko, held an apple and said to the child, "Don't you love this apple? Daddy is going to fight in the place where apples grow, to bring that place into our great Japan's territory, so we can always have apples to eat! So you can eat apples made in Japan every day!"

He clenched his fist; for his child, he would definitely turn that apple-producing place into a part of Great Japan, making Great Japan even stronger! So that the children of Great Japan would no longer be confined to a small island! So that his son could also visit the Forbidden City in China and broaden his horizons.

A communications soldier ran over to report that two warships had been spotted approaching from the direction of Fengdao. Tsuboi Kozo immediately picked up his telescope and took a look. According to intelligence, the escorting ships were the Jiyuan and Guangyi of the Qing Dynasty's Beiyang Fleet. Although the two ships were still beyond the firing range of the Japanese warships, Tsuboi Kozo still issued an order to prepare for battle. He knew the principle that it is better to strike first than to strike later.

Tsuboi Kozo was extremely familiar with the Chinese ships Jiyuan and Guangyi. He had visited the Beiyang Fleet under the guise of friendship and even boarded both ships for a close inspection. Ironically, the Guangyi was a wooden-hulled ship with a pitifully small displacement and laughably weak firepower! He couldn't understand what the Chinese emperor was thinking, sending such a dilapidated vessel to sea? It was practically suicide! A tiny, broken-down ship like a gourd, one cannonball and it would be sent to the Chinese Dragon Palace for a drink! As for the Jiyuan, although it had an iron hull and was a mainstay of the Beiyang Fleet, its cannons were breech-loading, barely firing a single shot. Its speed was only 18 knots, barely faster than a snail. Fighting them would be like scratching an itch for the Yoshino and Fusō; how much effort could it possibly expend? In this era, ironclad battleships are undoubtedly the masters of the sea, serving as the main combat vessels in navies, participating in regular large-scale naval battles, forming the backbone of navies and symbolizing national power. Japan's Fusō ironclad battleships belong to this category. Compared to the Fusō battleships, the Jiyuan and Guangyi were like toddlers fighting against Yamato samurai—utterly vulnerable! Therefore, the commander of the Japanese standing fleet, Tsuboi Kōzō, didn't take the two small Chinese warships seriously at all.

Lin Taizeng, the deputy commander of the Beiyang Fleet stationed at Asan, had dreamed since childhood of becoming a national hero like his grandfather, Lin Zexu, resisting foreign aggression, and wiping out all the invading foreign powers under his command. He knew this operation was the first battle in the Chinese army's encirclement of the Japanese navy, the second step in the "Long Live the Emperor" strategy, and a crucial step in revitalizing the Qing Dynasty. Therefore, he was extremely excited! Now, aboard the newly built Guangyi warship from the Jiangnan Arsenal, he saw the Japanese army approaching our fleet and angrily cursed, "You little devils, don't be too happy! Our Qing fleet is keeping a low profile and updating our outdated warships to lull you into a false sense of security! Those two old Jiyuan and Guangyi are already training ships for the East Point Naval Academy. These two warships are a hundred times better than your three dilapidated ships! Now you should taste the might of the Qing fleet!"

Seeing that the Japanese fleet had entered our firing range, Lin Taizeng waved his hand: "Fire! Sink those Japanese dilapidated ships in the Yellow Sea! Show the might of the Qing fleet and establish China's status as a great power!"

The 105mm guns on our warships spoke up. The first shell fired by the Jiyuan hit the starboard side of the Yoshino, destroying several sampans, penetrating the steel plates, and damaging its bridge. The Yoshino immediately burst into flames. The port stern of the Akitsushima was also hit by the Guangyi, and the chart room was destroyed.

After more than twenty minutes of shelling, the Yoshino had suffered seventy or eighty casualties. Seeing that it could not hold out, it turned east to avoid the attack. The Jiyuan gave chase amidst cheers, but was retaliated by a shell from the Fusō. The shell fragment hit the port steel deck and shattered the anchor winch. However, the captain of the Jiyuan was unmoved. He ordered the port guns to return fire while continuing to pursue the Yoshino. Seeing that the Yoshino was destroyed, Tsuboi Kōzō ordered the Yoshino to quickly withdraw from the battlefield. The Yoshino hurriedly turned around to escape, but Hayashi Taizeng immediately ordered the Jiyuan to sink it at all costs! Jiyuan immediately sped towards Yoshino at 28 knots. Looking at Jiyuan's speed, Tsuboi Kozo was dumbfounded: "Is this Jiyuan? How can it be so fast? Wasn't its speed supposed to be 15 knots per hour? When did it become so fast? And this isn't that small boat anymore, how did it become a battleship? And how did Guangyi change too, becoming a 4000-ton cruiser? Do the Chinese know magic? In just a few days, how did it become unrecognizable?"

Jiyuan was still chasing the swaying but relentlessly firing Yoshino when Fusang suddenly charged in from the side, closing in on Jiyuan and firing several shells around it. Enraged, Lin Taizeng led the Guangyi to charge forward and relentlessly bombard Fusang, hitting it several times. The ship immediately burst into flames, billowing black smoke, and it immediately turned and began to flee. Seeing that things were going badly, Tsuboi Kozo hurriedly issued the order for a major retreat. Then Akitsushima joined the race, because it was the least injured and ran the fastest. In addition, Jiyuan was doing its best to chase Yoshino and Guangyi was dealing with Fusang, so no one paid attention to it. It was the first to break out of the range of the Chinese warships and escape south.

Seeing the situation was dire, Yoshino hurriedly raised a white flag while running. Seeing that the Jiyuan was still hot on his heels, he raised the Chinese dragon flag. The Jiyuan hoisted the signal: "Stop immediately, or face firing!"

With the two ships still 2700 meters apart, Fleet Commander Tsuboi Kozo hurriedly said, "Full speed ahead! Ignore him! He can't hit us from this distance!" Yoshino immediately began to run frantically. Seeing that the Chinese warships weren't in such a hurry to pursue, Fleet Commander Tsuboi Kozo breathed a long sigh of relief: "Thank God! I've escaped a disaster!" But then, four Chinese torpedo boats flying dragon flags suddenly appeared from the direction of Fengdao, blocking Yoshino's retreat.

Fleet Commander Tsuboi Kozo was truly bewildered by the heavy snow. His hand holding the binoculars trembled, and he froze on the spot!

Strange, when did the Chinese torpedo boats get to Asan? What kind of intelligence are those fishing boats that are always out at sea gathering? How could they not have noticed so many torpedo boats coming? Damn it, what's the point of running? Even if we die, we're already in their grasp!

Damn it, aren't torpedo boats just for launching torpedoes? How come they also have cannons that fire repeatedly? How can they fire dozens of shots in the blink of an eye? There's no way they can fight back!

The Yoshino had no choice but to signal to stop.

The Jiyuan quickly moved closer, and even from a few meters away, the SEAL team members used catapults to leap onto the Yoshino, using automatic rifles to mop up any Japanese soldiers who dared to resist!

Tsuboi Kozo was on the Yoshino. He hadn't expected this situation. In his panic, he frantically destroyed the documents and materials at hand, and even tried to commit suicide with a knife. But the Chinese SEALs didn't give him any time. Before he could even finish burning a single document, he became a prisoner of the Chinese! He stared wide-eyed and lamented, "It seems the Japanese aren't eating Chinese apples anymore, but the Chinese are going to eat Japanese rice! It's over, the Chinese have been preparing to deal with Japan for a long time!"

The situation on the Fusang was even worse. The powerful guns of the Guangyi made it impossible for it to retaliate. There were no Japanese soldiers left breathing on deck. Perhaps because the Chinese wanted to capture the Fusang, the Guangyi didn't fire at its vital points. This allowed him to review the first of the Thirty-Six Stratagems from Sun Tzu's Art of War. He ran at full speed towards the open sea, billowing smoke and trailing a raging fire, like a burning candle, illuminating the sea red.

His ship had firefighting equipment, but where could he find the firefighters braving the hail of bullets to put out the fire? Seeing the rapidly approaching Guangyi, they fired their only two torpedoes, both of which were blown up halfway by some weaponry on the Guangyi. Not only did they fail to damage the Guangyi, but they also damaged their own ship's starboard stern. Now they were out of options; escape was their only choice! Unfortunately, they weren't as fast as the enemy ships, and the distance was closing! Damn it, they always boasted about being faster than the Qing Dynasty's ships, but they were practically being chased like ducks by dogs!

Even worse, several torpedo boats, seeing that the Yoshino had been subdued, angrily surrounded it, making it unable to move an inch!

Lin Taizeng then issued an order: "I am Lin Taizeng, Deputy Commander of the Qing Dynasty's Beiyang Fleet. I order you to surrender immediately, or we will immediately launch torpedoes and wipe you out completely!"

Left with no choice, the captain of the Fusō had to order surrender!

A small test, I won the Battle of Fengdao with two ordinary warships, recovering two large Japanese ships. This gave the Qing court and the public a shot in the arm. Li Hongzhang sent me a telegram that very day saying: "Congratulations on this great victory! I hope Your Majesty will press on and annihilate Ito Sukeyuki's combined fleet in the Yellow Sea!"

Damn, that old bastard's appetite is quite large! Everyone says he engages in appeasement diplomacy. How can a weak country engage in power diplomacy? Powerful countries rely on powerful armies, and only a prosperous nation can guarantee the necessary military strength! Otherwise, people would say that weak countries have no diplomacy, and his diplomats wouldn't be able to stand tall!

Five years of hard work, enduring so much humiliation and insults—wasn't it all for this day?

Upon receiving the report of the minor victory in the Battle of Fengdao, Fei'er happily drank quite a bit of wine and started dancing with me! As she danced, tears streaming down her face, she said, "We didn't come here in vain, we didn't suffer in vain, and so many people didn't endure so much hardship with us! It was worth it, our lives were worth it!"

I said, "You're so excited about such a small victory? We surrounded so many Japanese donkeys at Shangganling, and you weren't this excited!"

She said, "That's different! Our Chinese army has always been invincible, but our navy, since the late Ming Dynasty, has been closed off from the world and has always been our weakness. Now, in our hands, we are beginning to turn the tide. How can I not be happy!"

But before she could finish being happy, shocking news arrived: the troop transport ship Gaosheng had been seized by the Japanese warship Naniwa!

Chapter Ten: Yan'er's Power

Looking at Fei'er's surprised expression, I secretly smiled. The second step of the chain plan had succeeded, and it was time for my third step to begin!

The Gaosheng was the third British troop transport ship we had hired. When it set sail from Tanggu, in front of the cheering crowd, it loaded 1,500 soldiers and a large amount of weapons and pay. The hold was full, so more than a dozen large wooden crates were loaded on the deck.

When the ship passed Lushun, Gao Jishan, the Chinese military commander, demanded that the ship enter Lushun to readjust the cargo, and the British captain had no choice but to comply. After the ship entered the harbor, a group of female soldiers and a beautiful Chinese female translator boarded. She said, "Our base commander invites all the British sailors on board to his residence. Also, because the ship will be carrying some classified weapons, it's not convenient for outsiders to see them, so please leave temporarily!"

Although the British captain was not entirely pleased, the polite explanation made him reluctant to complain further. He could only ride in a comfortable Chinese sedan to the base commander's house and enjoy a delicious meal of Chinese dumplings.

The ship was then piloted by the Chinese crew into a secret dock, where it remained for over an hour before emerging. The Chinese crew disembarked and handed the ship back to the British crew.

This already made the British captain suspicious, but what was even stranger was that he discovered only about thirty Chinese soldiers remained on board, all of whom were men and women he had never seen before. Of the original crew, only Gao Jishan, the Chinese military officer in charge, remained. Moreover, given the current tense situation, Ding Ruchang's decision to send this transport ship out alone was truly baffling. However, he was currently in a mercenary relationship with the Chinese army; they paid him, so he didn't say anything.

The Japanese Navy warship Naniwa arrived at a point 80 nautical miles from Toyoshima at 9:00 AM as scheduled, preparing to rendezvous with the Akagi. Captain Kojima Koichi ordered the ship to anchor and wait for the Akagi.

Kojima Koichi was a lecherous man who couldn't resist beautiful women. Originally, his ship had a female sailor, a telegraph operator and his mistress, but just before departure, she was spotted by the Combined Fleet Commander-in-Chief, Ito Hiroki. He then replaced her with a male telegraph operator, replacing his mistress, Yamada Misadako.

He was utterly unwilling and resentful. He desperately hoped Yamada Misaka would say she couldn't leave, but instead, the woman jumped for joy, grabbed her things, and without even glancing at Kojima, ran off the Naniwa. Right in front of him, she slipped into the bedroom of Combined Fleet Commander-in-Chief Ito Hirohiro. It wasn't until the Naniwa was about to set sail that Kojima saw Yamada Misaka, disheveled and smiling, walk from Ito's bedroom into the telegraph room.

He trembled with rage: "Damn it, you slut! You think you're so great with a bald old man? Did all those words of love you said get swept away by the waves?"

He cursed, but dared not show it. Rank was everything! Besides, Yamada Misaka wasn't his wife. If he let Commander-in-Chief Ito catch him in the act, he could kill Kojima—that wouldn't be worth it!

He could only console himself: "Damn it, what's so great about you, the Combined Fleet Commander? You're just using my leftovers! Heh, heh, by the time she gets to you, she's already a third-hand item, and you treat her like a treasure! She's probably carrying my child!"

Thinking this, he felt relieved, and a smile appeared on his face: "Damn it, I'll figure out how to get a woman back on the ship when we get back to Japan, otherwise this long night will drive me crazy with loneliness!"

He took out his pocket watch and looked at it; it was almost 9:30. Why was there still no sign of Akagi? Damn it, had that drunkard gone too far again? Had he misread the nautical chart and gone somewhere to seek shelter from the storm?

He sighed, "Let's wait! It's better if he doesn't come; he can get all the credit, get a promotion, and a bigger ship when he gets back!"

But he waited and waited, and there was no sign of Akagi. Just then, he saw a British ship flying the British flag approaching. Kojima Koichi determined that this was the ship he was tasked with intercepting. So he ordered a shot to be fired in front of the British ship, and then ordered them to stop and check their documents.

Around 10 o'clock, Kojima Koichi, the captain of the Japanese warship Naniwa, sent a representative to board the ship in a small boat to check the merchant ship's license. The British captain presented his license and reminded the Japanese that it was a British merchant ship, but the Japanese representative ignored him and asked the British captain, "Do you agree to your captain following our Naniwa?"

The British captain reluctantly replied, "If I am ordered to follow, I have no choice but to obey."

So the Japanese representative went back, and a moment later the Naniwa raised the signal again: "Immediately weigh anchor or cut the mooring lines and follow me!" Just

as the British captain was about to obey, Gao Jishan, the Chinese military officer on board, drew his sword and rushed towards the captain, shouting: "Anyone who dares to surrender to Japan will have my sword stained!" The Chinese soldiers on board responded in unison, and the whole ship erupted in commotion.

Because of the language barrier, Gao Jishan summoned the young and beautiful female translator he had brought and told the captain, "We would rather die than obey the Japanese orders!"

The British captain said, "Resistance is useless. One cannonball could sink our ship. You should think it over carefully!"

Gao Jishan said, "We are Chinese. Why should we be controlled by the Japanese? We would rather die than be taken prisoner!"

The captain said with difficulty, "Please reconsider. Surrendering is a better option!"

Gao Jishan said, "Unless the Japanese agree to let us retreat to Dagu, we will fight to the death and never surrender!"

Seeing that there was no other way, the British captain had to say, "If you are determined to fight, our British crew must leave the ship."

The Chinese soldiers disagreed, put him under guard, and guarded all the davits on the ship, forbidding anyone from leaving. The British captain asked to signal Naniwa to send someone again so that he could inform them of the situation on the ship. Gao Jishan actually agreed and even had the captain escorted to the deck to negotiate with the Japanese.

Then, the Japanese representatives approached the Gaosheng in a small boat.

The pretty female translator told the Japanese representative, "The captain has lost his freedom and cannot obey your orders. The thirty Chinese soldiers on board will not allow him to do so."

The captain also said, "Please take a message to the ship's captain, saying that the Chinese refuse to take the Gao Sheng as prisoners and insist on returning to Dagu Port." He also pointed out that the Gao Sheng was a British merchant ship, and Japanese warships had no right to intercept it! The Japanese representative gave vague answers and sailed back. But halfway there, he heard fierce gunfire coming from the Gao Sheng. While he was still wondering, the British captain signaled to Naniwa: "We've already engaged in a firefight with the Chinese soldiers and have killed them all, but they've destroyed the machinery, so the ship can't sail. There's a large amount of Chinese military pay and weapons on board, which we can't handle. Please send a ship to tow us away."

Kojima Koichi had just seen the beautiful female translator through his binoculars and was now dreaming of a rendezvous with her on the balcony. Upon seeing the flag, he hurriedly said, "Ask them if the female translator is still there."

He didn't want to tow this wrecked ship aimlessly at sea; he really wanted to just slam it overboard. But the female translator's beautiful figure had truly captivated him, and the British captain's mention of a large amount of pay and weapons had also tempted him. When he saw the flag that read, "The female translator is still there, but we've taken her into custody. Shall we hand her over?"

he was overjoyed and quickly ordered a flag to be raised that read, "Yes, please have your men stand on the deck."

Then a dozen or so wounded sailors appeared on the ship's deck, supported by their families.

Besides the Chinese woman, there were two blonde women with exposed arms and legs, which immediately caught Kojima Koichi's eye. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "Circle around, get closer immediately! I want to personally check those three women to see if they're carrying any dangerous goods!" The

Naniwa sailed around the Kowshing once, and finding nothing amiss, slowly moved closer.

The Japanese soldiers on board all rushed to the deck, gaping at the three women. Kojima Koichi also ran out of the bridge, looking at the three stunningly beautiful women, and stood by the starboard railing, ready to direct his men to snatch the beauties. He could already smell the intoxicating fragrance of women and the softness of their breasts!

The warship slowly approached the Kowshing, and the impatient Japanese soldiers had already thrown out steel cables, shouting orders for the British to tie the cables to the Kowshing.

A burly man pulled the rope and secured it to the anchor winch, which then roared to life, binding the two ships together. At the stern, someone used an iron hook to secure the Naniwa's railing.

Kojima Koichi, who had been watching the three women, suddenly saw the foreign sailors turn and disappear into the cabin. He realized something was wrong, but it was too late. The beautiful female translator swung her hands repeatedly, and with a loud bang, she was sent flying, her body involuntarily shattering into countless pieces that scattered into the sea.

Then, a dozen or so large wooden crates on the Gaosheng ship suddenly burst open, and a hundred or so Chinese soldiers emerged, armed with light machine guns, and opened fire on the Naniwa. The cheerful shouts were quite pleasant, but the Japanese sailors couldn't bear the sound; they collapsed in droves.

At the same time, another group of young Chinese soldiers, men and women, emerged from the cabin. Each of them carried a basket filled with grenades and hurled them at the Naniwa. The continuous explosions turned the Naniwa into a battlefield. The constant explosions and billowing smoke kept the hundreds of Japanese sailors who were watching the spectacle entertained, sending them all happily to report to Amaterasu.

Seeing the situation was dire, the first mate in the bridge quickly accelerated, and the Naniwa sped off.

But the two ships were already locked together. He ran, taking Gao Sheng with him, and they continued to be hit by the Naniwa's fire. Moreover, the Chinese soldiers had already jumped onto the Naniwa and rushed into the cabins and bridge.

Before the first mate could even close the door, the beautiful female translator burst into the bridge. Just as the first mate reached for his gun, he was shot down by a burst of bullets. His body was convulsing violently, and his mind was still thinking, "It's over, the Japanese Navy is finished!"

The Chinese soldiers were successfully clearing the Japanese soldiers off the warship, but they encountered a problem in the engine room.

The engine room door was locked from the inside. Gao Jishan sensed something was wrong and immediately led his men over.

The second mate, Gao Qiao, had also been watching the commotion on deck. When he saw Gao Sheng's anchor winch start, he immediately sensed something was wrong. He hurriedly crawled into the engine room, and just as he locked the door, gunfire and explosions rang out outside. He knew he'd been tricked by the Chinese, and he hurriedly grabbed the boiler operator who was adding coal to the boiler: "Quick, tell me, how can we make this boiler explode?"

The boiler operator was stunned: "Why would we want to make the boiler explode? Are you looking for death? If you want to die, jump into the sea yourself, why are you dragging us into this? We can't tell him, he doesn't want to live, but I do! Shizuko is waiting for me to go back and get married!" He immediately pretended to be confused and said: "Any cannon outside can explode, but this thing can't!"

Takahashi was so angry that he slapped him, but the boiler operator was a simpleton. He thought: "You must have gotten into some big trouble and wanted to commit suicide. Now you're hitting me. If I catch you, I'll get credit!"

Thinking this, he punched Takahashi in the face. The punch hit Takahashi right on the nose, sending him flying far away. His head went straight into the open boiler furnace, and half of his face was licked off by the flames.

Takahashi's body convulsed from the heat, and he fell outside the boiler. But his soul had already departed to join Amaterasu, and there was no breath left.

The boiler operator was terrified. As he stood there in a daze, there was a knock on the door. He trembled with fear: "If someone sees this, I won't be able to explain myself no matter how hard I try!"

He looked at Takahashi, who was now half-headless, and with a heavy heart, he grabbed his body and shoved him into the boiler. Then he closed the boiler door, turned on the induced draft fan, and the boiler roared. He looked through the observation hole and saw that Takahashi was already engulfed in flames. He took a step back, put his hands together, and prayed: "Takahashi-kun, I didn't mean to kill you. You crawled into the boiler yourself. I helped you into heaven!"

Knocking on the door had turned into prying it open. He hurriedly stood up and looked at Takahashi again through the observation hole. Damn, this guy was too fat. The fat inside his belly hadn't even dried up yet. He looked like a big wax, still emitting scorching flames.

He saw bloodstains on the ground, so he took a shovel, scooped up some coal, covered the blood, rubbed it with his foot, then opened the furnace door, filled the furnace with the coal, and saw that it wasn't finished smelting yet. The prying noises only intensified, and he sensed something was wrong. He quickly grabbed a dagger, ready to fight the person who had entered—Gao Jishan was leading his men in prying open the door when the female translator approached with a group of female soldiers. Gao Jishan quickly stood up and saluted: "Reporting to Your Majesty, someone discovered a Japanese devil running into the engine room. He locked the door from the inside, and we're afraid he'll explode the boiler, but we can't pry it open!"

It turned out that Yan'er was commanding this battle between the cargo ship and the warship. She knew my elaborate scheme and volunteered to join the fight. She had just given birth to a beautiful girl. I asked her what was going on with the child, and she said she had entrusted her to a nanny, and they would take good care of her.

I couldn't dissuade her, so I had to leave this step to her. But I repeatedly warned her not to take too many risks, saying I'd send the Akagi over to impersonate a Japanese warship if necessary. She kept saying, "Don't try to fix things from scratch. I won't take any risks, don't worry!"

I told her to take the Scud missiles, and if that failed, take out the Naniwa! She agreed with a smile, but who knew she'd take such a huge risk? If I'd known, I would never have agreed! I couldn't afford to lose my wife Yan'er; she's my lifeblood!

Yan'er looked at the engine room door and said to the people around her, "Everyone, step back and leave it to me!"

Seeing everyone retreat, she swung her palms and struck the iron door. With a loud bang, the iron door flew off. The boiler operator inside, who was about to rush out, was knocked away by the thick iron door, slammed onto the boiler, and crushed into a bloody pulp.

That guy never understood how the iron door flew off, nor how the people outside knew he'd killed the second mate. She didn't even know the warship had changed hands—how pathetic!

It's all thanks to him as a human cushion; otherwise, that slamming iron door would have surely destroyed the boiler!

Several female soldiers hurriedly leaped into the engine room, only to find everyone else gone. They ran out to report to Yan'er: "Your Majesty, all 341 officers and men on the Naniwa have been killed!"

Yan'er was taken aback: "That's not right! One is missing! Search again carefully!"

The Chinese soldiers, while clearing the bodies from the sea, recounted the numbers. After a long search, there were still 341 men—one was still missing.

Yan'er ordered the soldiers to check every door again, but they still couldn't find the missing person!

Later, the soldier who had found the second mate in the boiler room looked at the dead boiler operator and said, "This isn't the person who ran in! That was an officer's uniform; this is just a common soldier!"

Yan'er then realized that the missing person might have died here, and the boiler operator's delay in opening the door was likely due to this! She led her men in a thorough search of the boiler room, finding nothing suspicious. She immediately ordered Gao Jishan, "Report to both the Emperor and the Ministry of National Defense that Operation Hound III has been successfully completed. Our forces have achieved complete success. Eight soldiers sustained minor injuries, and no one was killed. The Naniwa will proceed to the designated area to rendezvous with the other ships!"

Seeing that everything was calm, the British captain climbed out of the Kao Shing's hold, gave Gao Jishan a thumbs-up, and said, "General Gao is truly brilliant! A cargo ship seizing a warship—unprecedented in naval history! Brother, I admire you! I admire you!"

Gao Jishan Smiling, she pulled him to Yan'er's side and said, "I dare not take credit. This was personally directed and arranged by Empress Yan, the Crown Princess of the Guangxu Emperor of our Great Qing Dynasty, and it was also the result of your close cooperation!"

The captain stared at Yan'er in disbelief, and after a long while, he said, "Unbelievable, unbelievable!"

Chapter Eleven: The Bloody Battle

of Chenghuan Just as my elaborate scheme was winning step by step, a piece of news suddenly stunned me—of the 10,000 Japanese troops led by Lieutenant General Nozu Michikazu, commander of the 5th Division, who was supposed to be rescuing Shangganling, 8,000 of them, led by Brigade Commander Oshima Yoshimasa, had suddenly appeared near Asan.

This Japanese force had been under our surveillance since landing at Incheon. Just now, I received a secret report that this army was approaching Shangganling. Who knew that it was just a small force disguised as a large one, and their real main force had suddenly appeared at Asan!

Damn it, Nozu Michikazu had actually used a feint to deceive me.

The army at Asan numbered less than four thousand, and its terrain was extremely unfavorable for defense. Although Li Bingheng was commanding the troops there, and the valiant general Ma Yukun had deployed two regiments at Chenghuan, 20 kilometers northeast of Asan, he only had four cannons, insufficient firepower, and a mere 2,000 men—far too few to withstand the attack of Oshima Yoshimasa with twenty cannons and eight thousand men.

Fei'er, Shu'er, and Yu'er, who had just returned from Incheon, knew I was worried about the situation there. If Asan fell, the Japanese could bypass Shangganling and reach Pyongyang, so no one spoke, only silently studying the large map on the wall. Should we

reinforce Asan? Or abandon it? The pros and cons were clear, leaving me in a difficult position!

Supporting Asan requires the Incheon army to remain stationed; it's a dagger wedged into Seoul, and their army only numbers 5,000. The only option is to retreat from Shangganling, but that would likely allow Nozu Michikata's strategy of relieving the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao to succeed, allowing the more than 30,000 exhausted troops at Daesan Rock within the encirclement to escape! No, not a single soldier will be moved from Shangganling!

I suddenly turned to Shu'er and asked seriously, "If we abandon Asan, it's like letting the enemy roam to the gates of Pyongyang. Tell me, what do you think of the advantages and disadvantages for our next stage of the war?"

Shu'er chuckled, "My husband already has a plan in mind, why are you testing me?"

I was taken aback, "Why do you say that?"

Shu'er said, "My husband has always valued every move in our conflict with the Japanese, never intending to give them even the slightest morale. Yet today you've suggested abandoning Asan, doesn't that mean you already want to give up? But in my opinion, abandoning it is for the greater good, for a better chance of annihilating the enemy, but now is not the time to abandon it!"

I smiled, "Tell me, why not now?"

She pointed to the map and said, " First, the enemy at Shangganling has not yet been completely wiped out. You've been using them as bait, trying to lure as many Japanese troops as possible into Korea to fight our army and annihilate their manpower. To ensure the Pyongyang campaign can eliminate even more Japanese troops, you don't want to eliminate them now, which will take time. Second, your Pyongyang campaign strategy is not yet complete. Your Majesty needs time to deploy troops!

I nodded: "After the Pyongyang campaign, to create a situation where our army is 'closing the door to beat the dog,' we do need to quickly reinforce our troops. Letting this enemy force near Pyongyang can create pressure on Pyongyang from the west and south. For the Japanese army to completely encircle Pyongyang, they will inevitably need an army to encircle Pyongyang from the east and north. Now, Shangganling has..." Having closed the door to a large-scale Japanese northward advance, even though Asan was handed over to them, they only managed a small force to break through and escape. Incheon remained in our hands, and our army could use Incheon to reinforce and cut off their retreat. Therefore, they are highly likely to reinforce through Wonsan. To fight a major battle in Pyongyang, Wonsan must be cut off, preventing them from reinforcing or escaping! This will indeed take time!

Shu'er laughed, "So Shu'er says Asan should buy His Majesty three days. The enemy will begin their advance on Pyongyang on the fourth day. To form an encirclement of Pyongyang, we need to act on the fifth day. Acting too early might scare the enemy away, while acting too late might cause too much damage to Pyongyang. We should form a counter-encirclement of the enemy by the seventh day." In other words, we must complete the mission of annihilating the enemy at Shangganling within these five days, and prepare to march north after the arrival of Nozu Michikata's 5th Division and the Japanese troops from Wonsan. During these five days, Li Bin's regiment must secretly move south of Hamhung, complete the preparations for blocking Wonsan on the fifth day, and encircling the enemy from the north and east on the sixth day! We are guaranteed to launch a strong attack on the enemy surrounding Pyongyang on the seventh day!

I said happily, "Good, you have already formed a preliminary plan for annihilating the enemy. We will prepare for the Battle of Pyongyang according to this plan!"

Then, I and a group of staff officers went through the details again and again, and after discussing with Zhang Zhidong, Li Hongzhang, and Li Bingheng, the Ministry of National Defense immediately issued the operation order codenamed "Capture the Wolf".

Upon receiving the order, Li Bingheng immediately convened a military conference, made combat mobilization and military deployment.

In the early morning of the 27th, Major General Oshima Yoshimasa led 3,000 Japanese troops to Anseongdu.

Oshima Yoshimasa was extremely arrogant and completely disregarded the mere four thousand Qing troops at Asan. Ignoring Nozu Michikata's orders for a steady and methodical advance, he led his army in a rapid advance. However, just after crossing Anjou Ferry, they were ambushed by the Qing army. Cannonballs and mortar shells rained down on the Japanese troops like a storm, causing them to immediately collapse and flee in panic.

Oshima Yoshimasa hurriedly drew his sword and killed more than a dozen fleeing soldiers in an attempt to regain his footing. Unexpectedly, a Qing mortar shell struck his horse on the head, instantly turning him into a headless general.

Without their commander, the Japanese army moved even faster. Coupled with the overwhelming barrage of Qing fire, no one dared to resist; they all wished they had more legs. The valiant general Ma Yukun personally led a thousand elite soldiers in a charge, relentlessly pursuing the Japanese like dogs chasing ducks, driving them into Ancheng.

Because Nozu Michikata had already established a defensive line at Ancheng, Ma Yukun had to return to Chenghuan to set up defenses.

In this battle, the Japanese lost over eight hundred men, four cannons, and a large quantity of ammunition. Ma Yukun had originally only deployed his four cannons on the left flank, leaving the right flank relatively weak. With this victory, he immediately deployed cannons on the right flank as well, constructing defensive positions.

The 27th was spent on both sides reorganizing their troops.

At dawn on the 28th, the Japanese launched a feint attack on the Qing army's left flank while concentrating eight cannons to launch a fierce attack on the right flank.

Explosions and billowing smoke immediately filled the narrow hilltop on the right flank. Our soldiers quickly launched a counterattack under a hail of bullets. Four artillery pieces and more than twenty mortars relentlessly fired at the enemy gathered below, forcing the Japanese to flee and hide, unable to regroup or organize a proper attack.

The two sides fought fiercely for 14 hours. The Japanese left behind more than 500 corpses and retreated back to Ancheng.

On the 29th, the Japanese concentrated all their artillery fire on the right flank, with Nozu Michikata personally leading troops to supervise the battle from the rear. The Japanese swarmed in like locusts, and by 1 p.m., they had finally captured the hilltop.

The valiant general Ma Yukun immediately led his men, carrying baskets full of grenades and AK-47s, and charged up the hill. A barrage of grenades sent the Japanese screaming and fleeing in terror, no longer caring about any supervisory teams! The Qing army had once again victoriously recaptured the hilltop.

The soldiers immediately began repairing the position, but before they could finish, Japanese artillery fire swept over the hill again. The valiant general Ma Yukun was slightly wounded, but after a quick bandage, he directed his men to hurl grenades at the counterattacking enemy. Eventually, they ran out of ammunition and lost the position once more.

At 3 PM, Li Bingheng dispatched his deputy Zhang Yong with 1,000 men to rescue the wounded Ma Yukun and recapture the hill. They then launched a counter-offensive, wiping out Nozu Michika's supervising force and forcing the Japanese to retreat about ten miles. However, facing a Japanese army several times their size, he dared not advance rashly. He destroyed the mountain artillery left on the position and led his troops in a breakout at 9 PM to rejoin Li Bingheng's forces. Considering Asan's undefendable position and having successfully completed the mission of blocking the enemy, Li Bingheng voluntarily withdrew from Asan and led his troops towards Incheon.

In the Battle of Seonghwan, the Chinese army suffered over 800 casualties, while the Japanese suffered over 1,600.

Three days of bloody fighting bought our army time. We had already concentrated 10,000 defenders, 36 artillery pieces, and a rocket artillery regiment in Pyongyang, and had also repaired several weaker fortifications.

Queen Min also mobilized and conscripted 10,000 Korean militiamen, who, after emergency training and being issued weapons, were assigned to several dangerous locations as supplementary troops.

On the 31st, the 5th Division, which was attacking Asan, arrogantly approached Pyongyang, carrying captured Qing army uniforms and a white flag with the words "Spoils of the Battle of Seonghwan" and "Proof of the Qing Army's Great Defeat" written on it. They joined forces with the 3rd Division, which had landed at Wonsan, to form the 1st Army, commanded by Army General Yamagata Aritomo, with a strength of 19,600 men.

In order to urgently rescue the more than 30,000 Japanese troops stationed at Oyama Iwao, and to revive the morale dampened by the defeats suffered by Miyamoto and Oyama Iwao's forces and the navy, coupled with the heavy burden of the Japanese army's large-scale troop concentration and the resistance from the Korean people, which made supplying the Japanese army extremely difficult and unfavorable for a protracted war, and also considering the need to suppress the growing war-weariness at home and to avoid leaving room for intervention by Western powers, the Japanese army was forced to launch this campaign immediately. Therefore, Nozu Michikata, commander of the 5th Division who had arrived in Pyongyang first, decided to launch a strong attack on Pyongyang without waiting for Yamagata Aritomo to take up his post, and decided to launch the general offensive at dawn on September 1.

On the 31st, in order to facilitate command of the operation, the Japanese government moved the General Headquarters from Tokyo to Hiroshima. General Yamagata Aritomo, commander of the Japanese First Army, arrived in Seoul, Korea, to command the Battle of Pyongyang. He instructed his troops: "Even if the battle becomes extremely difficult, we must never be captured alive by the enemy. We would rather die a noble death to demonstrate the integrity of Japanese men and preserve their honor."

That same day, Emperor Mutsuhito arrived in Hiroshima to personally command the war against China.

But on that very day, I issued the order to annihilate the Oyama Iwao unit. The hungry, demoralized, and losing-the-willed Japanese troops in Shangganling were quickly wiped out under intense artillery fire. When the crisp bugle call of the Chinese army sounded, there was no longer any semblance of resistance in the ravines. Facing the overwhelming tide of Chinese soldiers, Oyama Iwao chose to commit seppuku.

In just four hours, our army wiped out the remaining 31,000 Japanese troops in Shangganling. Sheng Bao and Li Gang immediately led their troops to encircle Pyongyang.

Upon hearing this news, Emperor Mutsuhito was so shocked that he tripped and fell on the steps, bleeding profusely from his face and requiring stitches. Upon waking, he said weakly, "Withdraw, withdraw from Korea immediately! We no longer have the resources to defeat China!"

But when he heard that Wonsan and Asan were already under the control of the Chinese army, he gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's fight! Let the blood of Pyongyang be a tribute to my soldiers!"

Thus, the Sino-Japanese Battle of Pyongyang finally began at four o'clock in the morning on September 1, 1894.

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