[Eastern Revelation] - Part 2: Soldiers' Frontline Fight - Half Dead or Alive

The battle unfolded so rapidly that even the seventy-year-old Song Qing couldn't keep up with the changes.
The Qing soldiers on Tiger Mountain realized they had become pawns of Yiketang, but unfortunately, these were
pawns destined for certain death.
To capture the Yalu River, one must take Jiuliancheng; to take Jiuliancheng, one must take Tiger Mountain; and to take Tiger Mountain, one must take Zigaodi. Jiuliancheng
was the connecting point between the Qing army's two flanks, the central core position, housing the Qing army's command structure and a large amount of ammunition and supplies.
Its artillery positions directly threatened the entire Yalu River line, making it the core of the entire defense line. Tiger Mountain, located northeast of Jiuliancheng, was
the confluence of the Ai River and the Yalu River. It faced Jiuliancheng to the west across the Ai River and Tongjunting across the Yalu River to the south.
Although only 200 meters high, its terrain was extremely steep and difficult to climb, making it the highest point on the entire Yalu River front,
allowing direct firepower to threaten the defenders of Jiuliancheng. Song Qing had long recognized the importance of this location and specifically
transferred four battalions of Nie's army from the central government
to reinforce it, along with a battalion of elite troops from Yi's army. He also rebuilt and reinforced the long-collapsed Ming Great Wall ruins, using it as a crucial strategic stronghold. At this time, the renowned Qing general Nie Shicheng happened
to be inspecting the area, and the gathering of elite troops and generals instantly made it the focus of the entire battlefield. Zigaodi, located on
the east side of Tiger Mountain, was slightly lower than the highest point of Tiger Mountain by 20 meters, but as a flank barrier, it was sufficient to effectively support the
main Tiger Mountain position and threaten enemy artillery occupying Tiger Mountain. Furthermore, its terrain was slightly flatter than the Tiger Mountain position, with a trestle leading directly to
the summit, making it a target the Japanese army had to contest.
The Qing troops who were unable to escape from the foot of the mountain became targets for the Japanese vanguard regiment, but they still served their purpose
. At least during the sporadic firing, the Japanese could only advance in skirmish formations and could not immediately rush towards Tiger
Mountain. Meanwhile, the remaining border troops, unable to retreat in time, continued to resist using the bunkers and outer artillery positions. Taking advantage of the final
lull in the fighting, the Qing troops on Tiger Mountain were preparing for battle.
"Elise, gather all officers as your subordinates, they must be there within five minutes. Move the two vanguard sentries
to the front lines as the first-line troops, and take all the watch and observation posts into position." Lafitt quickly straightened his uniform, issuing orders as
he ran towards the command post.
Good heavens, he hadn't gone ten meters when his right foot bounced back as if he'd kicked a metal plate.
An invisible wall of air blocked his path. He hurriedly shouted, "Remove your barrier, Elise!"
"Yes, yes, Master," Elise, who was frantically clearing the dishes, finally came to her senses.
"Wait," Lafitt, about to leave, remembered something. "How much ammunition do we have?" "
200 rounds per soldier, 10,000 rounds each for the two Gatling guns, and 20,000 rounds each for the ten Maxim guns,
" Elise answered crisply.
"Immediately, Elise, I'm handing over all the reserves and third-line troops to you. Within two hours,
before the Japanese encirclement is complete, take 200 men and retrieve 220 boxes of ammunition from Nie Shicheng and Song Qing.
Increase the ammunition for two Gatling guns and four .45 Maxim guns by a total of 100,000 rounds. For the remaining six 7.9mm Maxim
guns, increase the ammunition for each by 20,000 rounds. This is of paramount importance; whether we can hold out until tomorrow depends on them.
Nie Shicheng may not have much stock, so whether you steal or rob, you must get ammunition from Song Qing.
" "Yes, sir." Elise saluted, puffed out her chest, and her half-exposed breasts suddenly heaved.
Just as Lafitte was about to leave, Elise suddenly rushed towards him like a bird, pouting at her master
. "Don't forget!"
"Okay, okay." Lafitte shrugged and suddenly embraced the beauty before him with a deep kiss. The surrounding cannons roared as
the two shared a passionate kiss, their tongues entwined in their mouths. They barely separated after two minutes. "
If Admiral Scheer saw you like this, he'd probably tie me to the main gun of the warship and blast me to smithereens,"
Lafitte said with a laugh. "
Anyway, Elise just loves her master, and only her master," Elise replied, blushing. "
Hurry up and change your clothes, and remember to call Xiaoli when you get to Jiuliancheng. Germans can't understand your Chinese, and Chinese people
certainly can't understand it either," Lafitte instructed.
"Xiaoli is very sad. She said that her master sold her out like a prostitute for a few broken machine guns," Elise
said, tilting her head. "
It's just showing an arm, isn't it? Chinese women are really something." Lafitte sighed. "She'll help you. Please convey my
apologies. There won't be a next time.
" Lafitte had only been in charge of this unit for a little over a year. Following the Qing army's organizational structure, the battalion was the basic
tactical unit, with the platoon as the lowest level of organization. In terms of troop composition, there were approximately 40 foreign officers, mainly in
technical branches, with a small number of commanders. Few had actual combat experience. The infantry consisted mostly of
Qing Dynasty veterans recruited from Beijing and Tianjin, with the most combat-effective force being about one platoon of retired Chinese soldiers from the British garrison in Hong Kong (the famous Chinese Battalion)
. After taking office, Lafitte didn't concern himself with issues like military discipline,
as these weren't problems that could be solved quickly. Instead, he focused his energy on several simpler issues. First, he needed to teach the Qing army how to aim. Incredibly,
the Qing army, or rather the Chinese army in general, lacked any awareness of aiming. Their infantry marksmanship was remarkably similar to
the era of firing squads, a purely linear tactic relying on the commander's orders for dense firing. Second, he needed to change the deeply ingrained
formation mentality within the Chinese army. For some reason, China had a strong affinity for various inexplicable large formations,
generally based on dense squares. This tactical thinking from the era of cold weapons
was practically suicidal in the age of repeating rifles and field artillery. Thirdly, there was the earthwork. For this, they recruited many miners from small coal mines in Shanxi
, spending a year on it. Lafitte realized that relying on this force for offensive operations would take
three to five years to become effective. Furthermore, considering the Qing army's tactical philosophy of building strongholds and fighting to the death,
they preferred a defensive counter-attacking style. Since they would be mostly on the defensive, they needed to at
least make their fortified positions better. Finally, they were to stop wearing their red-tasseled hats and unsightly uniforms with the character "勇" (yong, meaning bravery), and instead change them to dark gray hunting caps
.
The Japanese army, having crossed the Yalu River, used the 3rd Division as their attacking force. With the 5th Brigade as the main force and the 18th
Regiment as the second echelon, they launched a fierce attack on the Hushan position. The 6th Regiment, having just achieved a great victory, charged forward,
heading straight for Zigaodi. The weaker 4th Division served as a blocking force, intercepting the reinforcements from Jiuliancheng.
The majority of the Japanese forces attacked the Zuo Daying Yiketang unit as a diversionary attack, blocking any possible reinforcements from the Qing army at Hushan
.
The 5th Brigade, responsible for attacking the Hushan position, numbered approximately 3,000 men, reinforced by the 18th Regiment,
for a total strength of nearly 5,000. The main Qing force defending Hushan consisted of four battalions from Nie's unit and one battalion from Yi's army, along with artillery, totaling approximately
3,000 men. Although the Japanese had a numerical advantage, the extremely rugged terrain of Hushan prevented them from deploying their forces effectively
; they could only commit a maximum of three companies at a time. The 5th Brigade, having just cleared the remaining Qing troops at the foot of the mountain
, began their arduous ascent under intense suppressive fire from Nie's unit. Fighting with their heads up, the Japanese had to keep
their upper bodies exposed, advancing relentlessly under heavy Qing fire, making extremely slow progress.
In half an hour, they had advanced only 20 meters before the 12th Company Commander, Infantry Captain Matsuzaki Naotomi, was killed in the crossfire.
The 6th Regiment attacking Zigaodi encountered a completely different situation. Zigaodi was no less treacherous than Tiger Mountain
, but a horse trail led directly to the summit. The Japanese vanguard, in company units, 　　advanced 40 meters in half an hour, despite
facing suppressive fire from field artillery that couldn't find positions and officers being occasionally shot by Qing soldiers. 　　 Looking at the dark mass of Japanese troops through his binoculars, Lafitte sneered. The holiday was coming to an end. 　　Near the halfway point of Zigaodi, the terrain became extremely narrow, the surrounding rocks covered in moss, making it impossible to stand. The few remaining 　　vegetation areas had been completely cleared by the Qing army, leaving large, towering rocks with gaps too narrow for a single person to pass through. The advancing Japanese could only 　　charge densely along the narrow path; the rear ranks, fearing friendly fire, even abandoned firing and fixed bayonets prematurely. 　　 From the vantage point of Zigao, the horrific scene of the Japanese troops at Hushan was faintly visible. Captain Yamada, leading his company as the vanguard, 　　was relieved that he had attacked the relatively easy Zigao, but a question kept arising: where had the Qing troops 　　gone? For half an hour, apart from sniper fire and artillery fire from those who couldn't find their positions, not a single Qing soldier was in sight. Based on past experience, 　　he could deduce that the commander had likely fled, leaving only a small number of courageous Qing soldiers to hold them off. But 　　judging from the carnage at Hushan, things didn't seem to be going so smoothly. 　　 "Why have you stopped? Advance!" Yamada suddenly looked up and saw that the dozens of infantrymen 　　at the forefront had stopped. Yamada was about to reprimand them when suddenly, like a storm, a 　　large number of the Japanese soldiers at the forefront fell. Overwhelmed by the fallen soldiers, Yamada, with horrified eyes, finally saw what was happening before him. 　　At that moment, the gates of hell slowly opened. 　　 Section 2 　　 At the end of the 19th century, although firepower was greatly enhanced with the widespread use of store-bought rifles and more mobile field artillery, 　　the infantry regulations of the army did not show much progress compared to the Napoleonic era. Perhaps the most unavoidable change 　　was that almost all advanced countries abandoned linear tactics and emphasized skirmish warfare in the field. 　　However, even in 1914, the French infantry regulations still stated that, under artillery cover, 　　French soldiers in bright red uniforms, marching in orderly steps, were capable of overrunning any enemy position, resulting in 　　a six-foot-high wall of corpses in a single day. However, changes in infantry tactics were not unseen; it's just that these changes 　　were often not noticed by European military observers. For example, the use of barbed wire and trenches during the American Civil War 　　demonstrated new progress in the development of infantry fortification. During the colonial wars in Africa, the Maxim machine 　　gun, a revolutionary weapon, emerged and was rejected by almost all major powers' armies. Even 　　Li Hongzhang, the Prime Minister of the Qing Dynasty, was astonished by its immense power but immediately refused to use it, as the ammunition it consumed 　　was a major obstacle. Its largest market was in the colonies, where small colonists 　　could easily wipe out large numbers of locals. 　　 Yamada finally saw everything clearly, things he had never seen even in his deepest nightmares. Although the terrain 　　began to flatten, and the highest point was less than 400 meters ahead, dozens of deep trenches 　　stretched upwards in a Z-shape, obscuring the Qing army. In the two foremost trenches, four and a half 　　underground bunkers were vaguely visible, their firing lines overlapping on the flanks, creating crossfire. Broken branches were scattered around both the trenches and bunkers 　　, likely used for camouflage. At the front of the trenches, 　　the entire road was cut off, forming a steep slope nearly five meters high. Fifty meters ahead of the slope, 　　the road was covered with countless barbed wire fences; the next one hundred and fifty meters were completely exposed, an empty expanse 　　except for a large number of caltrops scattered on the ground. The entire hill resembled a 　　ferocious beast that had shed its disguise, its jaws wide open, waiting for its prey. 　　 Charge! As a loyal and courageous soldier, this was the only thought in Yamada's mind. Although he 　　felt an inexplicable fear of everything before him, his fighting instincts drove him to leap up and charge forward. Before he could even 　　utter a shout, Yamada finally saw the reason for his men's deaths. Almost simultaneously, the four bunkers spewed fire; the 　　rank of Japanese soldiers at the forefront were cut down to the waist, their corpses lying in disarray like harvested rice. A few surviving 　　Japanese soldiers were even in a daze, standing there blankly. A bloodbath ensued, and Yamada's company had suffered 　　over half its losses, with its commander, Yamada, killed in action. The follow-up troops 　　, unaware of what had happened, continued their advance with bayonets fixed. Within ten minutes, the two vanguard companies of the 6th Regiment launched three charges, none 　　advancing more than 30 meters. The cost was the deaths of two company commanders, and the near annihilation of both companies. Upon receiving the urgent report, the 6th 　　Regiment Commander, Tsukamoto Katsuyoshi, personally rushed to the front lines to investigate. Lafitte, witnessing all this, could only sneer. 　　 Whether it was the Qing army's good fortune or the Japanese army's misfortune, the Marquis André de Lafitte, in charge of this unit, had 　　, for certain special reasons, 　　chosen to spend his life traversing various battlefields, from the war-torn G?stadt to the vast German East Africa. Having personally witnessed 　　the rapid advancements in modern weaponry, he possessed unprecedented insights into the future of the army. What he witnessed 　　was a direct reflection of his tactical understanding. Although Ronglu ordered that this unit be prioritized for equipping, 　　obtaining these ten machine guns was indeed not easy. The Qing Dynasty's inventory contained fewer than ten for research purposes, and it was learned that a certain Huai...

The military commander secretly purchased four .45 Maxim rifles, and Lafitte went so far as to instruct his men to use a honey trap
to forcibly obtain them. He also misappropriated military funds, nearly causing a mutiny, and only
managed to acquire six prototype 7.9mm machine guns from Germany through a semi-credit deal. However, all of this was about to
be put to the test here.
Under the cover of iron shields, the regimental commander, Tsukamoto, slowly advanced to the front lines. Seeing what lay before him
, he was just as utterly shocked as Captain Yamada had been initially. Driven by a bloodlust to prove the enemy's firepower to the regimental commander
, he launched a fourth assault, killing half his company and gaining nothing.
From then on, the designations of the two vanguard companies could be cancelled. Just as Tsukamoto was pondering his dilemma, the
death knell arrived. Major General Osako Naotoshi of the 5th Brigade, unaware of the situation, was furious to find that
the troops assaulting the hill had halted. He sent a messenger to reprimand Tsukamoto's regiment, ordering them to surrender if they failed to capture the hill on time
.
Orders are absolute, and Tsukamoto, left with no choice, concentrated the four mountain guns assigned to the regiment to suppress the enemy's front lines
. He ordered one company to launch a decisive frontal assault, while two platoons took advantage of the lull in enemy fire to find
a way to flank through the rubble. Amidst a hail of artillery fire, before the smoke had even cleared, a Japanese
company, shouting "Banzai!", fixed bayonets and launched a fierce charge. Unfortunately, the Japanese artillery bombardment had little effect .
The machine guns, which had briefly paused, erupted again, and the Japanese soldiers continued to fall like mowing grass. The Japanese troops, charging over the corpses of their comrades
, continued their relentless advance. Tsukamoto, who had already prepared for a breakthrough, immediately committed the second wave as the first echelon was nearly exhausted,
attempting to force their way into hand-to-hand combat using human bomb tactics. The Japanese frontal breakthrough paid off; some Japanese
soldiers finally advanced more than fifty meters. At 150 meters, suddenly dozens of Qing rifles opened fire fiercely.
The volley fire from these rifles was as powerful as machine gun fire, and the advancing Japanese troops were immediately halted. At the same time,
two small squads flanking the enemy also cried out in agony. The crevices between the rocks were filled with countless barbs
and sharp pieces of metal; any foothold was either a trap or a landmine. Those who tried to force their
way over the rocks immediately became sitting ducks for the Qing second-line positions on higher ground, and were wiped out in less than eight minutes. Tsukamoto
's charge came at a high cost. When the Japanese finally admitted defeat and retreated, two more companies were gone
. By this point, the total casualties since crossing the river had reached five companies. Especially on the small hill,
four and a half companies were wiped out in forty minutes. The 6th Regiment had lost nearly half its infantry and was unable to fight any longer.
Meanwhile, the vanguard regiment of the 5th Brigade attacking Tiger Hill not only received no fire support from the east,
but the field artillery hidden on the hill was also inflicting heavy casualties on the attacking Japanese from the flanks with shrapnel shells. Nie Shicheng, holding the position,
fought bravely, relying on the terrain, but the Tiger Hill position made no progress and suffered heavy casualties.
Upon finally learning of the 6th Regiment's devastation, Major General Osako, commander of the 5th Brigade, listened three times before confirming the number of casualties. Incredulous, Major General Osako 　　only accepted reality
when he saw the thick layer of Japanese corpses through his binoculars .
On one hand, a report was immediately sent to General Yamagata, who was stationed at Tongjun Pavilion; on the other hand, orders were given to
integrate the attached 18th Regiment into the 6th Regiment, with the sole purpose of retaking the Zigao Hill.
Section 3.
After questioning the survivors of the 6th Regiment, Colonel Sato, commander of the 18th Regiment, immediately made a decision
: he wanted to personally inspect this road of death at the front lines. This road of death was now completely
covered with the corpses of Japanese soldiers, blood and limbs intertwined, making the path even more slippery; the nearly 30-degree mountain path meant a easy
fall. After a moment's thought, Colonel Sato surprisingly ordered the mentally collapsing Colonel Tsukamoto to launch another
charge, intending to further observe the Qing army's fighting style during the attack. Sato's reasoning was that since the 6th Regiment
had already lost its offensive capabilities, it was better to accumulate
valuable experience for the 18th Regiment, which was a vital force, than to retreat and regroup. The deluded Tsukamoto actually agreed. So another Japanese company was ordered to join
this great experiment. Initially, Tsukamoto wanted to preserve some seed,
charging in small squads at a time. However, under short bursts of fire, the Japanese squads were being wiped out too quickly. Sato was dissatisfied, and the ruthless
Tsukamoto ordered the entire company to charge upwards in waves, coordinating with flanking maneuvers, to
completely replicate the previous failure for Sato. Finally, after destroying two and a half companies, Sato was satisfied.
The irrational Tsukamoto collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again.
After completing the infantry experiment, Sato drew a preliminary analysis: the Qing army's strength
lay in the automated firepower in the forward bunkers, initially identified as Gatling guns. The Japanese also possessed these, but they were
too cumbersome for offensive operations; their power within the fixed defensive lines was unexpected. Furthermore,
while the Qing army's heavy firepower had a reloading time, the time interval between the latter two points seemed even longer, and the firepower appeared to be
more intense than a Gatling gun, perhaps some kind of improved version, such as an eleven-barrel Gatling gun. During the reloading
intervals at the heavy firepower points, the Qing army generally used the rapid firepower of repeating rifles to suppress the infantry, not aiming for heavy casualties, but simply to
slow the Japanese advance. The Japanese, using Murata Type 22 rifles, were at a disadvantage even in terms of rifle quality. Most seriously
, the path of advance was practically completely blocked. Flanking maneuvers were too difficult, and the road in front, due to the large
amount of blood and debris, was extremely slippery and steep, forcing the Japanese to advance at a crawling pace, almost like stationary targets,
which undoubtedly greatly increased casualties. In addition, due to the high slope dug by the Qing army, the downward field of fire was exceptionally wide,
and even if the Japanese used a low-profile charge, they were completely exposed to fire, which did not help reduce exposure but instead slowed down the advance,
making it pointless. Only by rushing to the blind spot below the slope could they escape the Qing army's fire, but
how to get through under such firepower was an even bigger problem. In short, the four bunkers had to be destroyed.
To destroy the Qing army's bunkers, Sato first mobilized two mountain guns for close-range firing.
However, shortly after reaching the top, the artillerymen were hit by continuous fire, and by the time they reached their positions, all but
the gunners were dead. Just as they were about to retreat, the guns were suddenly hit by Qing army field guns appearing from nowhere, and both...
The mountain gun was destroyed on the spot. They hadn't expected such a skilled sniper to exist within the Qing army. This plan had to be abandoned.
Left with no other choice, Sato ordered the artillery to fire upwards from the foot of the hill from their makeshift fortifications. At this distance and
angle, the probability of hitting such a small target was about the same as hitting the moon, but the Japanese artillery resolutely carried it out .
After expending about 40 shells, a miracle occurred: a high-explosive shell accurately struck one of the bunkers
. The Japanese officers and soldiers all looked up expectantly. When the smoke cleared, the scene seen through their binoculars nearly drove Sato mad.
The bunker had only lost some debris; judging from the exposed structure, it was exceptionally sturdy. Japanese engineers analyzed that
it likely used cement and rocks as a framework, layered with multiple layers of rammed earth, then cushioned with sand and gravel, with wood in between
, and finally covered with sand, gravel, and trees. Unless directly hit by a large-caliber cannon, ordinary artillery fire would be ineffective.
However, the Japanese army's only heavy artillery unit was under the command of General Yamagata. Due to rapid wear and tear on the gun barrels and a shortage of ammunition, the general
had ordered that it could only be used to support the direct attack on Jiuliancheng. Thus, the artillery operation also failed.
Like a trapped beast pacing back and forth, Sato pondered deeply before finally making a decision. He hastily wrote two
documents, ordering the communications officer to immediately forward them to the 5th Brigade and the 1st Army Headquarters, and then whispered to Colonel Tsukamoto for a long time.
Soon, the Japanese situation changed. The Japanese troops that had been aggressively attacking Hushan and Zigaodi slowed their
advance, instead committing their forces to the 4th Division. Upon learning of the crisis at Hushan, Song Qing, whose general Ma Yukun was being held back,
personally led twelve elite battalions to attempt to break through the Japanese blocking line, but was blocked by the reinforced 4th Division and unable
to break through. Meanwhile, the main force of the 2nd Division crossed the river and, together with a part of the 3rd Division, launched a strong attack on the Yiketang camp.
However, the nearly 30,000 troops of Yiketang were huddled together, relying on their fortified positions. After a half-day of fierce attacks, although they captured the outer positions
, they were unable to annihilate the enemy. Only at sunset did a regiment and a half of the troops besieging
Zigaodi launch another fierce attack, taking advantage of the oblique rays of the setting sun that affected the Qing army's vision. Unfortunately, they also failed and wasted
the strength of two more companies.
As the sun set, the first battle on the banks of the Yalu River ended in this strange stalemate. The Japanese army had almost
cut the Qing army's positions in two, and it seemed that victory was assured. However, they could not swallow the central Jiuliancheng to achieve a complete division
. The two Qing army groups, one attacking and one defending, could converge at any time, and the situation still held hope.
On the high ground, gazing at the countless Japanese corpses littering the ground under the setting sun, the Swift Battalion had annihilated
a Japanese force nearly three times its size with almost no casualties—a truly brilliant victory. The new tactics had proven their effectiveness in actual combat
. However, ammunition depletion was a major problem. Why hadn't Elise returned yet? Moreover, she had taken
all the third-line troops and reserves with her. Now, they relied entirely on the first two lines of defense, lacking mobile forces,
significantly weakening their strength. They also wondered if the Japanese 280mm heavy artillery would directly target this area. Amidst worry and
joy, Lafitte watched the last rays of sunlight disappear into the horizon, and night fell.

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