1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 32

Soon after the train came to a complete stop, station staff immediately went forward and opened the doors, revealing the scene inside.

The carriages were filled with wounded soldiers evacuated from the front lines, the remains of the dead, and various weapon fragments and parts.

Wounded soldiers, their bodies wrapped in bandages, lay in the carriage. Some were too weak to move, while others, still able to move, were helping each other to get off the train.

There were many vehicles prepared at the station to transport wounded soldiers and their remains, and medical staff rushed forward to help them.

Various seriously wounded soldiers, missing limbs or riddled with holes, were carried off in front of the new recruits, leaving behind only cold corpses.

The officers leading the group shouted, "Take a good look! This is war, not some child's play in the recruit camp! The cruelty on the front lines is ten times greater than what you're seeing now."

You think you're so great after spending more than a month in the recruit camp, and you even clamor to take on ten people at once. Now think about it yourselves, how many can each of you actually take on?

If you can survive a week on the front lines, you're a veteran; if you can survive a month, you're a sergeant—provided you stay alive!

"Remember, don't try to be a hero, don't do anything stupid, just listen to me!"

After the wounded disembarked, staff immediately entered the carriage with tools, and a water hose was pulled in to start washing the carriage floor.

Reddish-black sewage began to flow out of the carriage, mixed with bandages and human remains.

After rinsing the floor, a layer of disinfectant powder was sprinkled on it, and then a new layer of straw was laid down, thus completing the cleaning of the carriage.

"What are you all standing there for? Get on the train!"

Groups of bewildered recruits were forced into the train carriages by officers. All the boxes of guns and ammunition in the station were opened, and each recruit received a rifle and twenty rounds of ammunition. The matching equipment was stuffed into their arms, regardless of whether they knew how to wear it.

Many new recruits received secondhand and shoddy equipment, but nobody cared; everyone was only concerned with speed.

The train was reloaded but the locomotive remained the same. After several train cars of new recruits were loaded, the train was refueled and filled with water. A new locomotive was installed, and the train started up again, heading back to the front line along the same route.

That's probably what it means to keep going one after another. For every wounded and dead brought back from the front, the rear has to be replenished with more new recruits. It's a never-ending cycle.

The advantages of fighting along the railway line began to emerge. Wounded soldiers at the front could return to the rear for treatment in just one and a half days, and new recruits in the rear could reach the Central Plains battlefield in just the same amount of time.

After boarding the train to the front lines, the new recruits in the carriages, still smelling the lingering scent of blood, fell silent, appearing utterly speechless.

The officers stopped trying to scare the new recruits. They just wanted to let them experience some harshness; it would be counterproductive to completely terrify them.

The party representative accompanying the army began to read out the mobilization order as usual. The general meaning was that everyone was now a revolutionary soldier in a state of war, and the motherland and the people would never allow any betrayal or cowardice!

Anyone found to have engaged in any behavior such as desertion, passivity, avoidance of combat, or self-harm will be treated as a deserter, stripped of their revolutionary soldier status, have all benefits revoked, and be sent to a military court for trial.

At the same time, family members will also have their military dependent benefits revoked, and all immediate family members will no longer enjoy any social welfare benefits!

The party representative's warning was very intimidating. The revolutionary army treated all its soldiers equally, and all those who joined the army would enjoy generous benefits.

Needless to say, the officers and soldiers serving in the military are provided with food and lodging, and are issued weapons and uniforms by the military. They are paid two and a half taels of silver per month during peacetime training, but during frontline combat, they will receive an additional wartime allowance of one tael of silver per month.

Retirement pay is calculated based on years of service. Even if you complete the full years of service during your time in the Qing Dynasty's revolutionary army, as long as you can provide proof, the revolutionary army will recognize it.

In addition to fixed income, there is also wartime spoils. The revolutionary army has three core military disciplines: all actions must be obeyed, all spoils must be turned over to the public, and all actions must be loyal to the revolution!

The most crucial point is that all spoils of war must be turned over to the public. This doesn't mean that once you hand over your spoils, that's it; rather, they are distributed uniformly after being turned over to the public. The public receives 70%, and the remaining 30% is distributed among the participating officers and soldiers.

This income is also the core income of soldiers who participated in the war, and sometimes it is even higher than military pay and subsidies. This has been the old rule since the revolutionary army uprising. Collective interests are very important, but individual interests should not be ignored.

Finally, there are the implicit benefits for serving soldiers. During the soldier's service, the soldier's family enjoys a tax exemption of no more than the soldier's official salary each year, including but not limited to agricultural tax, commercial tax, etc.

There will be various medical and educational support in the future, but these will only be addressed after Zhao Yan unifies China.

If a soldier is wounded during combat service, he will receive a one-time disability allowance depending on his level of disability, which is about 10 to 85 taels of silver. Those who die in battle will receive a death benefit based on their years of service and rank, which is about 135 to 1200 taels of silver. Ordinary new recruits will only receive a little over 100 taels of silver as a death benefit, while the highest level of 1200 taels of silver would probably only be received if Wang Chongshan died.

The missing persons are uniformly compensated with 50 taels of silver. Almost all of the compensation is paid in a lump sum. The reason is that the overall situation is still uncertain. If you talk about long-term planning, not many people will believe you. It is more reliable to get it in one lump sum!

All of the above benefits were jointly stipulated by the Provisional Government, the Head of State, and the Revolutionary Army Headquarters. These benefits are legally entitled and not gifts bestowed by His Majesty or favors granted by the court. They are equal rights and legally obtained benefits.

The party representative is now giving everyone a heads-up: it's okay if you're scared to death on the front lines, it's okay if your legs go weak, but if you dare to turn back, then you can expect to be stripped of everything and reduced to your original state!

There have been quite a few deserters on the front lines of the Central Plains battlefield, totaling about four hundred. They were all full of enthusiasm, but after arriving on the battlefield and seeing their blood spilled everywhere, they couldn't help but run away.

All of these people were sent to the temporary battlefield tribunal for trial, and their fate was almost certain: execution by firing squad, followed by the stripping of all their privileges!

Chapter 58 Frontline Offense and Defense

March 29, 1906. Central Plains, Handan front.

Another fierce attack has ended. The Qing generals stared at the Northern Expeditionary Army's defense line, which remained unmoved, and a gray despair filled their hearts.

The Battle of Handan has been going on for almost a month. With the help of foreign powers and the continuous conscription by the Qing Dynasty, the Qing army has maintained the initiative on the battlefield and launched attacks on the Northern Expeditionary Army's defenses every day, but the results have been unsatisfactory.

No matter how many men the Northern Expeditionary Army lost, their defensive line remained strong, and they withstood every attack from the Qing army, which was as powerful as a tidal wave.

At the beginning, the Northern Expeditionary Army was on the defensive and could only take hits. When they were lucky, the Qing army could break through the lines several times a day and rush in for hand-to-hand combat.

But gradually, the Qing army realized that something was wrong, and it became increasingly so. The Northern Expeditionary Army's defenses were becoming increasingly difficult to breach, and their combat skills were improving almost visibly.

Even now, the Northern Expeditionary Army is able to launch counterattacks in some areas. It's not just the Qing army that's attacking; the Northern Expeditionary Army is also slowly trying to attack the Qing army.

Yuan Shikai was terrified. The most dangerous time was when the Northern Expeditionary Army launched a night attack on the Qing army camp and almost approached Handan City. The Qing army was just a hair's breadth away from a rout. Fortunately, the Northern Expeditionary Army was not experienced enough and failed to organize a follow-up attack, which allowed the Qing army to escape a disaster.

That was a surprise attack a few days earlier, on the night of the 23rd. The Northern Expeditionary Army dispatched a brigade of about 16,000 troops to conduct a trial night attack.

The Qing army survived the ordeal, and the Northern Expeditionary Army was completely unaware that it had almost destroyed the Qing army's camp. The Northern Expeditionary Army launched that night raid purely to test whether the troops had offensive capabilities. Fearing that there would be serious problems if they faced the Qing army's superior firepower during the day, they chose to carry it out at night.

The attack was brief and the Northern Expeditionary Army made no follow-up plans; it was purely a test. Once they felt they had fought enough and obtained the results, Zhao Yan ordered a voluntary retreat.

After all, this was Zhao Yan's first time commanding such a large-scale operation, especially in the dead of night. Once he felt the operation had been effective, he took the initiative to order a retreat.

It wasn't until after the war, when the Northern Expeditionary Army captured high-ranking officers of the Beiyang Army and learned that the night raid could have blown up the Qing army camp with just a little more effort, that Zhao Yan was filled with deep regret.

But that's how war is; opportunities don't come twice. If you can seize these fleeting opportunities, you'll be a great general; if you can't, you'll just be an ordinary one. And Zhao Yan wasn't some genius; he was just a normal person.

After that night raid, the Qing army also started to act like groundhogs, learning from the Northern Expeditionary Army to build fortifications, importing barbed wire and heavy machine guns. They simply copied what the enemy did.

"Damn it, the Tartars and traitors have used up their three tricks, now it's our turn! Pass on my order: attack!"

Zhao Yan saw through the cannon scope that the Qing army's offensive was gradually fading, and immediately ordered his side to counterattack.

"Yes, Führer!"

Upon receiving the order, the staff officer immediately turned around and began relaying it, preparing for the attack.

"Boom boom"

About ten minutes later, the Northern Expeditionary Army's artillery began firing shells to cover the Qing army's positions. Batches of shells landed in front of the Qing army's positions and then gradually spread out, blasting the barbed wire and wooden stakes that the Qing army had set up in front of the positions into a hail of bullets.

"Kill the Tartars and exterminate the traitors!"

Squads of Northern Expeditionary Army soldiers, shouting and yelling, rushed out of the trenches, bayonets at the ready, and bent over as they began to cross the no-man's-land between the two armies' positions.

"Da da da"

After the artillery fire extended, the Qing army's heavy firepower immediately began to fire. The revolutionary army's artillery could only bombard for a few minutes before the attack to build up momentum. If they wanted to maintain continuous suppressive fire, sorry, they didn't have the resources.

"puff puff"

The soldiers of the Northern Expeditionary Army at the forefront were constantly hit and fell to the ground. The soldiers behind them stepped over the bodies of their comrades without hesitation and continued to advance. Whether you liked it or not, before the retreat signal was given from the rear, anyone who dared to stop or turn around and run away would be regarded as a deserter.

On the battlefield, one by one, young soldiers rush out of the trenches, and their lives begin to count down. Those with bad luck may fall within seconds, while those with good luck may be able to hold on until the moment the retreat order is given.

"Assault team, get the hell out of here!"

A group of heavily armored soldiers wearing thick iron helmets and steel plates protecting their chests stepped forward, and the one at the front immediately pounced on the barbed wire.

The soldiers behind them stepped over the obstacles one by one, stepping on the backs of their comrades. The assault team of more than a dozen men, carrying Madsen light machine guns, took advantage of the gaps in the Qing army's firepower to rush across the final hundred meters of death distance.

"Grenades, throw them at me! Shoot me dead!"

One after another, wooden-handled grenades manufactured by the Hanyang Arsenal were thrown into the Qing army's trenches, followed by a series of explosions, and the Qing army's heavy machine guns were completely silenced.

Under special requirements from the frontline command, the Hanyang Arsenal manufactured the first wooden-handled grenade according to design specifications and targets, using up its limited reserves of explosives.

The grenade was very well received after it was deployed to the front lines, and the Northern Expeditionary Army Headquarters requested increased supplies. The Maxim, Madsen, and wooden-handled grenades became the most in-demand weapons at the front.

However, the Hanyang Arsenal was limited by a shortage of raw materials, and its production capacity could not be increased. It could only use black powder grenades to make up the supply, which was less effective, but better than nothing.

After the assault team, armed with light machine guns, entered the Qing army's trenches, they began their killing spree. In the narrow and cramped trenches, a light machine gun that could fire continuously was like a close-range chainsaw. The assault team soldiers pulled the trigger and fired a few bursts, and the Qing soldiers were shot down like skewers of candied hawthorns.

Following the assault team, the engineers cleared the obstacles, and the main attacking force of infantry poured into the gap, then entered the Qing army's position and engaged in brutal close-quarters combat.

Bayonets, entrenching tools, hammers, and even teeth became weapons. The Qing army simply could not accept such brutal fighting. Even though the Manchu officers shot several deserters, they could not stop the Qing army from fleeing from this hellish battlefield.

After the Northern Expeditionary Army charged in and wiped out the Qing troops, they did not continue the pursuit. Instead, they reported the completion of the attack, and the rear quickly ordered a retreat.

The Northern Expeditionary Army, carrying the wounded and the remains of their fallen comrades, withdrew swiftly and methodically, taking with them all the spoils of war and captured trophies.

Not long after the retreat, the Beiyang Army's artillery fire came down, and a large number of fresh Qing troops began to rush to the aid of the area.

However, the Northern Expeditionary Army, familiar with the Qing army's tactics, had already completed its retreat.

Zhao Yan, in the rear, was very satisfied with this attack: "Very good. Issue the order that this attacking force be converted into a permanent unit, the commander be promoted one rank to a formal military rank, and each soldier who returns alive will be rewarded with five taels of silver, the wounded with ten taels, and the dead with thirty taels!"

"Yes, Führer!"

After receiving the order, the staff officer turned around and carried it out, while Wang Chongshan leaned over.

"Your Majesty, it's so humiliating to have to retreat every time we fight!"

Zhao Yan said, "If I had a few hundred large-caliber cannons and enough shells, not many, just a few hundred thousand, I would like to break through in one go, but I really don't have them!"

"With our limited artillery resources, we even had to bring in mountain-splitting guns from the last century, barely managing to gather a hundred guns. We still had to count the shells before firing them. How are you going to make a breakthrough in one go?"

In warfare with firearms, artillery is king, but the Northern Expeditionary Army was just lacking in this area. The Northern Expeditionary Army cobbled together a few pieces of equipment, which amounted to only one artillery regiment.

The main artillery consisted of 75mm mountain guns, about 27 imported German Krupp guns, and 16 domestically produced 57mm rapid-fire guns. The most numerous were 75mm rapid-fire guns imported from Japan. The remaining guns were mostly mortars and muzzle-loading cannons from the Qing army at that time. The quantity was insufficient and the quality was also worrying.

However, the Beiyang Army was far superior in terms of artillery. A single town had nearly fifty imported cannons, and with subsequent aid from foreign powers, the number of cannons increased even further.

However, the Beiyang Army was divided into numerous hilltops, and its artillery was under the command of individual garrisons, unlike the Northern Expeditionary Army, where artillery could be concentrated and used directly at Zhao Yan's command.

In some areas, the Northern Expeditionary Army could gain an advantage by concentrating its firepower, but overall, the Northern Expeditionary Army's artillery was still at a significant disadvantage.

In trench warfare, simply charging in is useless because you can't gain a foothold. Once the enemy artillery reacts, their shelling can cut off your reinforcements' supply lines and retreat routes. If you don't retreat proactively, you're just waiting to be surrounded and wiped out.

Artillery is that awesome these days. An army with enough cannons and shells is not afraid of anyone.

In other words, the Beiyang Army's artillery was too incompetent and unable to respond in real time. Unless it was a pre-planned offensive operation, the time it took to relay orders from the front line to the artillery positions reacting and starting to fire was at least half an hour.

Every time the Northern Expeditionary Army attacked, it seized this time difference, fought and then left, never getting caught in the Qing army's superior artillery fire.

After hearing this, Wang Chongshan felt extremely frustrated. In the plains, the battlefield was completely exposed. If they attacked outside the defensive line, the enemy's artillery was even more threatening than their cavalry. The cannonballs flew over much faster than the cavalry could charge.

In every Northern Expedition, the number of soldiers killed by Qing army machine guns was almost the same as the number killed by Qing army artillery fire. There was nothing they could do, since the Qing army had the backing of foreign powers.

Trench warfare is a type of warfare that not only bleeds the enemy but also bleeds oneself. No one can stay put forever; if you have the ability, you must launch an attack.

Although the attacking side suffers greater losses, if you keep cowering and holding your ground, the loss won't just be in terms of troop strength, but also in terms of morale and fighting spirit!

World War I was so brutal that whoever attacked would die, but why did both sides, who were fearless minions, insist on attacking? Because neither side could afford to remain holed up in the trenches like insects and have their morale completely collapse.

Everyone knows that offensive attacks result in heavy losses; nobody is stupid. But as long as you attack, it means the battle is still going on, with both sides trading blows.

But if you completely cower in fear, then everyone will see that you're hopeless, unable to even organize an attack, and the war will be utterly hopeless.

Chapter 59 The outcome of the war was already determined from the rear.

Zhao Yan was now fully confident about the outcome of the war; he was certain of victory, and the Manchus were doomed to defeat!

Facing a host of generals, Zhao Yan generously shared his confidence in victory, even speculating that the Beiyang Army could hold out for at most three months.

The outcome of the war was already decided in the rear. Now everyone is just performing a pre-arranged show according to the script. The result was already predetermined.

If Zhao Yan was still apprehensive when the great war first began, he was now full of confidence. Even if the foreign powers aided the Qing Dynasty, it didn't matter. It would just mean a little more hardship.

As it turned out, Zhao Yan's strategy of building strongholds and fighting a protracted war was correct. He made up for his inferior equipment and troop quality with abundant manpower and resources, and dragged out a more elite enemy until he was defeated.

With the balance of power shifting, once our own troops have adapted to the war and grown stronger, that will be the moment to finally launch a complete counterattack and defeat the enemy.

In fact, Zhao Yan no longer regarded the Qing army as his opponent. The real opponents were the foreign powers entrenched on Chinese soil, the Manchu army and the Beiyang Six Divisions, who were at most training targets for the revolutionary army.

Zhao Yan's plan was to give all the hundreds of thousands of troops at the front lines a thorough training exercise, so that they could get used to the combat capabilities of the scaled-down versions of the great powers' armies.

Only when the entire frontline army has been trained and matured will Zhao Yan have the confidence to face the upcoming war.

This method is extremely cruel, a process of selecting and training the army through the survival of the fittest. But there's no way around it; Zhao Yan isn't a god, and he can't conjure up millions of capable soldiers all at once.

Now, the only way to hone his own revolutionary army is through the Beiyang Army as an opponent. As for incorporating the Beiyang Army, Zhao Yan has no such idea whatsoever. He doesn't want any messy factions like the Fengtian Clique, Zhili Clique, or Northwest Clique to spring up under his command in a few years. A revolutionary army can only have one leader and one will!

The current wars are just appetizers; the real battles will begin after the defeat of the Qing Dynasty. Without a few wars to establish the new regime, it simply cannot stand firm.

After unifying China, Zhao Yan had to seamlessly begin reclaiming leased and ceded territories without any room for delay, because his subordinates wouldn't allow him to delay.

The public will be even more opposed, and the will of the state will also push these things forward.

Zhao Yan and the principles of the Restoration Party have spread throughout the world. Previously, the revolutionary army and the public had been eager to take action against the foreign concessions, but Zhao Yan had only been using tricks to delay them, not wanting to completely break ties before seizing power.

But if the Central Plains are recovered and China is unified, Zhao Yan will have no reason or excuse to continue delaying. The new republican regime, from top to bottom, will not allow the existence of concessions or extraterritorial jurisdictions on its territory. Otherwise, your revolution will be nothing more than a huge boast and political show!