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Text Chapter 103: Bombardment of the Capital (Please subscribe)

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    "Xu Gengshen, what happened to those losers on the front line? Why did the Western Sichuan Army appear outside the capital? How did they get here?" Emperor Guangxu was furious.  The Ministry of War wanted to send reinforcements to the front line. Well, he transferred 100,000 of the most elite new guards.  However, in the blink of an eye, the rebels in western Sichuan had already reached the capital.  Are all the generals leading troops on the front line useless?

    "Go back to the emperor. According to what General Xuanhua said, these Western Sichuan troops came in from outside the mouth. They must have hidden their whereabouts along the way, so no trace of them was found!" Xu Geng said with sweating profusely.  As the Minister of War, now that the Western Sichuan Army has reached the capital, he has a very big responsibility.  Once Emperor Guangxu wanted to take someone to top the vat, he would undoubtedly be the best candidate.

    "Humph! It came from outside the mouth? What should we do now?" Emperor Guangxu was furious.  Could it be that this time, like the late emperor, he was beaten to the capital and then abandoned the city and fled?  Emperor Guangxu swore that he would never do such a thing.

    "Your Majesty, the city has ordered the Eight Banners soldiers outside the city to enter the city. Now the city gates of the capital have been closed. With the capital's defense power, we will be able to ensure that the capital is safe and sound. According to the intelligence we have received, the incoming Western Sichuan Army has only a few  Only 20,000 people. They can't attack the capital!" Xu Gengshen assured.

    "Master Xu, what you said is too full! Some time ago, Master Xu said that after the new army of 100,000 imperial guards arrived at the front line, they would be able to stabilize the war situation? What about now? The Western Sichuan Army has all reached the capital. Your Majesty,  I implore the emperor to immediately ask General Fengshan to lead his troops to return for reinforcements. The capital is in urgent need!" Weng Tonghe immediately reported.

    "Your Majesty, no! One hundred thousand soldiers under the Eight Banners are enough to guard the capital. The new Imperial Guard Army has just arrived in Xi'an. If they are allowed to return now, it will not only cause the fall of Xi'an, but also put the new Imperial Guard Army into danger.  Ah!" Xu Gengshen retorted immediately.

    "Your Majesty, the capital is important! Once the Western Sichuan Army attacks the capital, even if we can defend it, it will inevitably cause turmoil in the world! Among other things, the morale of the frontline troops will be greatly affected. Therefore, now the new imperial guard army  Withdrawing will also preserve the strength for the Qing Dynasty to the greatest extent!" Weng Tonghe said in a deep voice.  At the same time, he also gave Emperor Guangxu a look. Having been a teacher and student for so long, he and Emperor Guangxu knew each other very well.  Now, the failure of the Qing Dynasty is certain.  But after the failure, how to ensure Emperor Guangxu's status depends on whether the new imperial guard army can return to the capital safely.  If the new imperial guard army is lost again, Emperor Guangxu will inevitably become a puppet in the hands of Empress Dowager Cixi again.

    Emperor Guangxu understood what Weng Tonghe meant, but he still felt a little melancholy in his heart.  I originally thought that with a million-strong army, I could wipe out Western Sichuan in one fell swoop and redefine the Qing Dynasty, but in the end, it was all in vain!  Now that Western Sichuan is coming fiercely, we must do our best to protect the interests of the Qing Dynasty.  At the same time, he also had to keep his own power.  As for Western Sichuan, the worst thing is to give them some benefits.  If Western Sichuan does not agree, then ask foreigners to come forward.  Emperor Guangxu believed that foreigners would not want to see the Qing Dynasty overthrown by Western Sichuan.

    "When someone comes, immediately pass an order to Fengshan, asking him to lead his army back to the capital immediately. He must rush back to the capital within ten days to face the Western Sichuan Army. In addition, he orders all the ministries in the capital, together with the nine admirals, to guard and defend to the death.  Capital!" Emperor Guangxu ordered.

    "Your Majesty, you must not do this!" Xu Geng shouted from his height.  He had a bad feeling that something might happen to the new imperial guard army that had just arrived in Xi'an if they returned immediately.  By then, the Qing Dynasty will be finished for me.

    "Retreat!" Emperor Guangxu ignored Xu Gengshen and left directly.

    "Let's go, Mr. Xu, the emperor has already left!" Weng Tonghe looked at Xu Gengshen quietly with a smile on his face.

    "Alas! The Qing Dynasty is probably coming to an end!" Xu Geng shook his head and left the palace dejectedly.

    At the same time, the Empress Dowager Cixi also learned that the Western Sichuan Army was about to attack the capital.  In her Chuxiu Palace, Prince Li Shiduo, who had been dismissed, was kneeling in front of her.

    "Queen Mother! The Qing Dynasty is about to end! What do you think the emperor has done? Now the bandits from western Sichuan are coming!" Shi Duo said with runny nose and tears.

    "Okay, okay! Not to mention that the Western Sichuan Army only came with less than 20,000 people. With 20,000 people, they still can't capture the capital!" Empress Dowager Cixi said.

    "Empress Dowager! These 20,000 people are just the vanguard of the Western Sichuan Army! Once the front line is defeated, the Western Sichuan Army will launch a massive attack! After all, the emperor is too young and too impatient. If it is you, the Queen Mother, who makes the decision,  Where could such a thing happen?" Shi Duo said again.  He belongs to the Empress Dowager Cixi, and he can only rise again if the Empress Dowager Cixi takes power again.  Therefore, taking this opportunity, he tried every possible means to persuade the Empress Dowager Cixi to return to theCome out of the mountain and take control of the court.  At that time, he will naturally be able to lift all boats.

    "Hmph! Shiduo, are these things something you, a slave, can say? The emperor has his own reasons for how he acts." Empress Dowager Cixi said with a stern face.  Even if the emperor has made mistakes, he is still the master. How can these slaves criticize him at will?

    "Ah! Queen Mother, this servant realizes his mistake!" Shi Duo kowtowed and admitted his mistake.

    "Okay, please step back! If nothing can be done, the Ai family will not just watch the Qing Dynasty be destroyed!" Empress Dowager Cixi said.

    "Yes, I resign!" Shiduo was overjoyed, knowing that this was Cixi's statement.  As long as Cixi regains power, he will be the majestic Prince Li again.

    On the night of July 4th, the entire capital was in panic.  Martial law has been imposed on the streets, and people are strictly prohibited from taking to the streets.  The prices of various foods and daily necessities have soared.  However, the Qing court seemed not to pay attention to this issue at all.

    When the morning sun shone on the entire capital, a muffled thunder sound came from the west of Guang'an Gate in the capital.  The rising smoke and dust covered the sky and the sun even more, and the faces of the Qing soldiers guarding the city turned pale.  They all knew that this was the impact of the large-scale cavalry gallop.  The Western Sichuan Army has already arrived and is right in front of us.

    "Come here, hurry up and report to your lord, the Western Sichuan Army has arrived!" The generals guarding the city did not dare to neglect and immediately ordered people to report the news.  Now, Prince Su Aixinjueluo, the commander-in-chief of the Eight Banners soldiers in Fengtai?  Good senior.

    "Wang Wei, do you think we can capture the capital with just a few people?" Wang Yuze asked, riding on his horse, looking at the towering walls of the capital.  Although he had been to Beijing more than once in his previous life, Beijing in later generations no longer had tall city walls.  Although the tall city walls could not hide the weakness of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, it still looks very majestic and spectacular now.

    "Ah! Master, we only have such a small number of people, so it's not realistic to capture the capital!" Wang Wei was startled and quickly dissuaded him. He thought Wang Yuze really wanted to capture Beijing.

    "Don't worry, I'm just talking, I won't mess around!" Wang Yuze said.  Even though he said this, he couldn't help but feel a little regretful.  How great would it be if we could accomplish all our efforts in one battle and completely destroy the Manchu Qing Dynasty!  However, this battle seems to be impossible, and we have to continue to wait for the opportunity.  Three years later, it should be the opportunity for Western Sichuan to replace the Manchus.

    Soon, the Western Sichuan Army arrived at the foot of the capital. The forward troops were less than two kilometers away from the capital. This position was already within the range of the cannons placed on the walls of the capital.  However, surprisingly, the Qing army did not fire any artillery fire.

    However, the arrival of the Western Sichuan Army caused a burst of tension among the Qing troops on the city wall.  The Eight Banners disciples who were defending near Guang'anmen were nervously watching the movements of the Western Sichuan Army outside the city.  In their hands, some held rifles, while others held bows, arrows, broadswords and spears. Compared with the new guards, their equipment was of all kinds. It is no wonder that Xu Gengshen did not believe in their weapons.  reasons for combat effectiveness.

    After a while, there was a commotion on the city wall.  It turned out to be Xu Gengshen, Minister of the Ministry of War, and Aixinjueluo, Prince Su?  Shanqi led people to the city wall.  After receiving the report, the two naturally did not dare to neglect it.  Although the Western Sichuan Army has few soldiers, no one can guarantee whether they will attack the city.  If the city gate is damaged, the two of them will be blamed.

    "Is there any way to blow open the walls or gates of the capital?" Wang Yuze asked.  At this time, Tashi Duoji, the commander of the 10th Brigade, and Ma Zhengyuan, the commander of the 13th Brigade, had already arrived at Wang Yuze's side.  Both of them were of very high status, especially Ma Zhengyuan, who was already in his fifties, but he never thought that he would one day lead his troops to the capital.

    "Young Marshal, don't worry about the city wall. With our current weapons, we can't blow it open at all. The west wall of the capital is 10.3 meters high on the outside, 10.1 meters high on the inside, 11.5 meters wide at the top, and 14.8 meters thick at the base. Unless there is a large caliber  The siege guns fire armor-piercing shells, otherwise we will be powerless against the thick city wall! However, the city gate may be able to explode. But there are more than 100,000 Qing troops inside, and many Qing troops are coming now. We  I'm afraid that even if the city gate is blown open, we won't be able to capture the entire capital!" Tashi Duoji said.  Their troops are too weak. If the entire Second Cavalry Army comes together, they can give it a try.

    "Young Marshal, we can give it a try. As long as the city gate is blown open, my Thirteenth Brigade will definitely rush in!" Ma Zhengyuan was eager to try.

    "Whether we want to attack the city or not, we don't care for the moment. Let the artillery test the defense of the capital first!" Wang Yuze said.

    Soon, two brigades with a total of sixty-four Type 82 infantry guns were ready outside the Guang'an Gate of the capital, preparing to use artillery shells to announce the arrival of the Western Sichuan Army.

    "Fire!"

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