vrcanaries Chapter 115 A Smooth Start
Chapter 115 A Smooth Start
At one o'clock in the afternoon, the sun blazed down on the earth. People who had just finished lunch were fanning themselves with palm-leaf fans, feeling drowsy.
Seven or eight horse-drawn carriages arrived at the gate of Yongding, each carrying tall sacks, indicating they were a grain transport convoy. A dozen or so strong men accompanied them.
The situation was basically the same at each city gate. With over a million people living in the city, it was normal for grain carts to enter, and the allied forces wouldn't stop them.
There were a few Allied soldiers on duty at the other city gates, but there wasn't a single soldier on guard at the Yongding Gate. The convoy entered the city without any hindrance.
Soon, two men who looked like shop assistants, who were waiting in the city, rushed up to greet them. After discussing with the shopkeeper, the caravan sped off towards the inner city.
Dozens of similarly dressed carriages quickly followed, but instead of servants, they were accompanied by fully armed soldiers in modern uniforms.
At each intersection, several horse-drawn carriages would stop. Soldiers would quickly unload the sacks from the carriages, and soon a temporary circular fortification would be erected.
Two Maxim heavy machine guns, their dark muzzles pointing forward. A squad of soldiers, rifles in hand, lay prone behind sandbags, vigilantly watching all directions.
At the entrance of Di'an Gate, several Japanese soldiers casually inspected the carriages. The shopkeeper bowed and scraped as he offered cigarettes, and the leading Japanese sergeant's eyes lit up. "Yoshi!"
The sergeant lit a cigarette and bent down to light the match the shopkeeper was striking. Just as he lowered his head, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and the cigarette fell out of his mouth.
The shopkeeper reached out and covered the sergeant's gaping mouth, then stirred it forcefully with his right hand. The sergeant's eyes widened in terror, and after a few struggles, he went limp.
Several Japanese soldiers nearby had already fallen into pools of blood!
With a wave of his hand, the shopkeeper sent several carriages quickly into the city. They then parted to the sides, clearing the main road in the middle.
A column of cavalry swept in like a whirlwind, followed by a large number of wagons pulling sandbags.
The horses' hooves thundered on the paving stones, a jarring sound in the quiet afternoon!
"Baka! Which bastard is making such a racket in the middle of the day? It's so noisy!" A Japanese soldier pulled up his trousers and walked out of the gate, only to see a cavalry column roaring past.
The Japanese soldier blinked. These men's uniforms weren't their own! Were they British or French? No, they didn't seem like it. Wait, the cavalrymen on horseback had queues (braids) at the back of their heads—Qing dynasty soldiers?
Just as the Japanese soldier was about to shout "Enemy attack!", a cavalryman flashed past him. The Japanese soldier felt a chill on his neck, and a surge of blood rushed out.
The Japanese soldier quickly reached out to cover his neck, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stop the bleeding. He eventually collapsed to the ground, convulsing.
"Miki, are those bastards running horses outside?" a voice asked from inside the house.
Unfortunately, Miki lay on the ground convulsing, his mouth wide open but unable to make a sound.
Sensing something was wrong, the Japanese platoon leader put on his trousers, picked up his rifle, and went out to investigate.
He had just reached the doorway when two gunshots rang out, killing the Japanese platoon leader right there in the threshold.
The Japanese soldiers inside the house were thrown into chaos by the gunfire, frantically dressing and searching for weapons. But all they could hear were the orderly footsteps on the street outside; no one rushed in.
More than ten minutes passed, and there was no sound outside. A few Japanese soldiers then quietly crept out and saw their captain and Miki lying dead at the doorway. But there wasn't a single enemy outside?
"Damn it! It must have been the Russians again! They killed two of us this time, damn it! Come on, let's go settle the score with them!" the short, fat sergeant roared angrily.
It's no wonder the Japanese army was confused; in the days since entering the city, they hadn't encountered any large-scale resistance from the Qing army. However, after the looting began, they clashed frequently with nearby Russian troops.
The Japanese army occupied the most valuable areas, where the Russian army had the most valuable items. It would be strange if the Russian army wasn't envious. The two countries already disliked each other, so it was inevitable that they would secretly fight each other.
The conflict between the two armies alarmed the high-level officials of the eight nations, which led to the delineation of the scope of looting for each country. Even so, minor skirmishes still occurred frequently.
Several Japanese soldiers, enraged, grabbed their rifles and gave chase. They had just turned the corner when, before they could even see what was happening, a chain of fire swept across them.
Several Japanese soldiers were beaten until they collapsed to the ground, covered in blood, and died without ever knowing who the enemy was.
The Japanese soldiers who rushed out from nearby courtyards after hearing the commotion and seeing what was happening all retreated.
They now knew they had encountered the enemy. They didn't know exactly who it was, but they were certain the enemy had heavy firepower.
The Wanfo Tower in Beihai Park served as the command post of the Japanese army. Major General Fukushima Yasumasa, the highest-ranking officer in the Japanese forces, was not resting at this moment. He was enthusiastically inspecting the various spoils of war.
Fukushima Yasumasa, born into nobility, had been fascinated by Chinese culture since childhood. Seeing these priceless treasures become his spoils had kept him ecstatic for days.
As the new army advanced, the sound of gunfire gradually reached Fukushima Yasumasa's ears.
"Damn it! Someone, go warn them to be careful and not to massacre Qing people!" Fukushima Yasumasa roared at the soldiers at the door.
As a rising power, Japan dared not offend the great powers. In this campaign against Qing China alongside the seven nations, they contributed the most and suffered the greatest casualties.
Having already captured the Qing Dynasty's capital and plundered the greatest wealth, he believed it was essential for Japan to establish a civilized image in the eyes of the great powers.
"Yes, sir!" The guard got up and went out to relay the order.
The sound of hooves clattering rang out. A cavalry force of two hundred men had already charged towards the Ten Thousand Buddhas Tower.
Shen Lian had already marked out the command posts of each of the eight countries and handed them over to each unit. Now, each regiment has a small detachment moving towards the command posts of each country.
Shen Xiaohu was the fastest, after all, they were cavalry. They encountered almost no resistance along the way, and he arrived at the Wanfo Tower.
Before the dozens of Japanese soldiers left behind could react, Shen Xiaohu launched an attack immediately.
The same routine: heavy machine guns to block the door, and hand grenades to bombard from close range.
Within ten minutes, Shen Xiaohu stormed into Wanfo Tower, forcing the remaining Japanese troops into the main hall.
"No need to fight them! Bring me some firewood and burn this building down. Anyway, the Buddha statues are all made of gold and bronze, they won't burn!" Shen Xiaohu shouted loudly from behind the stone lion.
Soon, large amounts of firewood were piled up around the main hall of the Wanfo Tower.
Seeing that the enemy was about to set the place on fire, Fukushima Yasumasa had no choice but to order a surrender. He was a nobleman and a general, and he didn't want to be burned to ashes.
"You're Fukushima Yasumasa?" Shen Xiaohu smiled crookedly when he saw the Japanese officer with a gold star on his shoulder insignia.
"The Imperial Japanese Army..." Fukushima Yasumasa bowed.
"Little Japan, you're just a tiny island nation with barely any eye boogers, and you dare to call yourself great! Hah!" Shen Xiaohu interrupted Fukushima Yasumasa with disdain.