The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Soon, there was another explosion and another violent tremor. Shells were hitting the Haichou with increasing frequency, and the dizzying roars were so deafening that Huang Zhongying felt numb. Miraculously, he had dodged every round of artillery fire since the battle began, suffering only a graze wound on his right arm.

In any case, the "Haichou" has heavy armor, and destroyer-level shells are definitely unable to sink it.

Unless... unless torpedoes are used! Huang Zhongying suddenly realized that if the British ship launched a torpedo, at such a close distance, it would be absolutely difficult for the "Haichou" to avoid it.

"Retreat, turn rudder, watch out for torpedoes..."

The "Fury" had also been injured and hit many times, and a raging fire broke out on the deck, so Willis also wanted to end the shooting immediately.

Sure enough, a large puff of steam erupted from the center of the Fury, and a two- to three-meter-long rod-like object fell into the water, creating a massive splash. Huang Zhongying, a naval veteran, understood what it was almost immediately—this was the reason the predecessors of destroyers were called torpedo boats, their ability to outmaneuver cruisers and battleships with their smaller size.

The Haichou immediately began to turn to port, turning at full speed and with full rudder, desperately trying to avoid the torpedo. The massive ship tilted to starboard, the water churned by the propellers hitting the rudder, trembling and pushing the stern sideways, breaking the river water from the side. Huang Zhongying held onto the bulkhead, holding his breath. The gunfire on the deck had also ceased, as if everyone, like him, was quietly awaiting some kind of disaster.

A white streak cut through the waves, hurtling toward the side of the Haichou. It was just an old, lightweight torpedo—but then again, the Haichou itself was a warship of relatively backward design, with virtually no torpedo protection. The soldiers could only watch in silence as the white snake of death, not swiftly but irreversibly, pounced on the starboard side of the Haichou.

The explosion sent shockwaves from the keel to the bridge, the mast swaying like a frail antenna, the broken cables cascading onto the deck. Near the blast point, tons of river water were lifted high into the air and then fell heavily, soaking the entire deck.

A huge impact and explosion swept across the entire ship, mixed with the groans of metal panels tearing and steel beams twisting and breaking. Huang Zhongying threw himself against the bulkhead, feeling the entire battleship being thrown into the air and then plummeting to the bottom of the water.

The explosion was earth-shattering; unmistakably, a torpedo had struck the starboard side of the Haichou. A powerful current of water crashed against the ship's bottom, hurling it into the air again, where it fell again, and then soared again... The repeated surges of weightlessness and hypergravity combined into a violent tremor, seemingly with an extraordinary penetrating force, shaking everyone's very being. The soldiers felt dizzy, slid to the ground, and unconsciously closed their eyes.

After everything calmed down, the two watertight compartments were irreparably damaged. However, the outboard buoyancy tanks unexpectedly served as mine-proof bulkheads, and the warship's main structure was spared significant damage. Huang Zhongying could not help but admire Chairman Zhang Yinghao's ingenious design and ingenuity, ensuring the survivability of the "Haichou" under such limited conditions.

The Haichou ran aground after being struck by a torpedo, but fortunately the Fury was also damaged and forced to retreat, without launching further attacks. Perhaps British Commander Willis believed that with Chinese repair technology, it was impossible to salvage a sunken warship of several thousand tons.

Unfortunately, the Haichou did not sink; its hull remained intact. The torpedo had limited power, but only damaged two watertight compartments, causing the hull to tilt and its draft to deepen. Furthermore, the ship strayed from its course while trying to avoid the torpedo, leading to its stranding on the riverbank. As long as the watertight compartments are repaired and the water inside is drained, the Haichou could be revived by the time the flood season arrives.

That's exactly what the navy did. They towed a barge that was sitting on the bottom and installed buoys to make the ship float. They towed the barge to the "Haichou" and sat it on the bottom next to the "Haichou" again to start repair work.

Not long after, as the river water slowly rose, the boiler of the "Haichou" was lit again, supplying high-pressure steam to the steam engine, and the "Haichou" came back to life.

The most thrilling part of this exchange of fire with the British warships was undoubtedly the artillery soldiers aboard the warships. The PLA is a force that places great emphasis on military training, and while the artillery units don't practice live-fire exercises often, they do try to maintain them. To enhance their battlefield experience, the infantry also try to feel the impact of the artillery fire during live-fire drills.

The British warships' bombardment was so high that the artillerymen were stunned. Even with direct aim, the rate of fire was so rapid, and the impact so precise. The PLA artillerymen couldn't even dream of achieving it, let alone achieving it. They gulped and stared at each other, and the artillerymen could almost see the word "incredible" on their fellow comrades' faces.

However, since the British warships have opened fire, it means that war has broken out for the PLA. The PLA may not have many ways to deal with warships at sea, but on this narrow Yangtze River waterway, the PLA still has many ways to deal with the warships of the great powers.

Chapter 739: First update!

Poor planning and coordination led to the "Haichou" fighting alone, ultimately suffering heavy losses. Zhang Yinghao had never imagined that he would wake up to such bad news. The loss of a warship was heartbreaking. In today's China, no one cares more about the navy than Zhang Yinghao, no one yearns for the sea more than Zhang Yinghao, and no one hopes more than Zhang Yinghao that China can become a maritime power.

However, the navy is a technical branch of the military, and China's international environment is extremely harsh, which means that China's maritime path is doomed to be extremely difficult. Every warship and every naval soldier is a treasure in Zhang Yinghao's heart. Now that the losses are heavy, how can Zhang Yinghao not feel distressed?

Zhang Yinghao took the telegram and had no intention of pursuing anyone's responsibility. He just said to his somewhat frustrated comrades: "If you stand on the wind, even pigs can fly. As the leading country in the First Industrial Revolution, Britain can be said to have caught up with the east wind of the development of machinery and heavy industry. Therefore, Britain's advanced warships are more than one level higher than those of other countries. Back then, Portugal and Spain joined forces to open the Age of Exploration. Britain took advantage of the trend of the Age of Exploration, overcame all obstacles, and took its warships to show off its power around the world, plundering countless things.

In 1840, Britain launched the First Opium War, using its powerful ships and cannons to force open China's borders. Britain was the first Western imperialist power to invade mainland China from the sea. This incident also highlights the long-standing resentment between China and Britain. Think of the forcible cession of Hong Kong; think of the Chinese people poisoned by opium; think of the vast outflow of gold and silver; think of consular jurisdiction and concessions; think of the magnificent Old Summer Palace burned to the ground. The Chinese people have repeatedly felt the deep humiliation brought upon them by Britain.

These past events also laid the groundwork for our current conflict with Britain. However, as a traditional continental nation, our navy is minimal. Facing the powerful British navy, we would be powerless in a head-on confrontation. Not to mention Britain, even the small island nation of Japan is currently outmatched by the Chinese navy.

"Chairman, we also want to build a century-old navy."

Zhang Yinghao shook his head and corrected him, "A century-old navy doesn't mean that a particular warship or all the warships in a fleet can last a hundred years. Rather, it refers to the level of skill ultimately achieved through a century of continuous accumulation and refinement. In other words, developing naval heavy machinery and other technologies requires a century of development and refinement. Our nation's navy and industry undoubtedly lack such a historical heritage."

I used to say that it takes ten years for the Army, fifty years for the Air Force, and a hundred years for the Navy. This shows that building a naval force and improving its capabilities are extremely difficult tasks.

Zhang Yinghao knew full well that in the days of wooden sailboats, the wood had to be at least a century old and meticulously processed, requiring a long time to build. The saying "a navy lasts a century" was absolutely correct. However, in the age of giant steel ships and industrialized mass production, large ships and cannons have become mass-produced industrial products. As long as the shipbuilding technology was available and the talent could keep up, the time it took to build a strong navy would be greatly shortened.

"Chairman, I think we can definitely do it. Our army hasn't been used for ten years."

Zhang Yinghao immediately laughed and said, "When the Qing Dynasty established the Beiyang Fleet, some people suggested placing the Beiyang Fleet base in Dengzhou. However, after careful consideration, the Qing Dynasty decided to choose Weihaiwei and Lushun as the Beiyang Fleet base. The reason is very simple. Although Dengzhou has a good geographical location, it lacks a suitable military port. Because it protrudes from the northern end of the entire Shandong Peninsula and lacks the favorable terrain like Lushun and Weihaiwei, Dengzhou is extremely vulnerable to attacks from the sea. Dengzhou is not suitable for use as a naval base.

But what happened? Although the Qing Dynasty took great pains in choosing the location of the Beiyang Fleet, the final facts have shown that for a navy, terrain advantage alone is far from enough. As a technical branch of the military, the navy is definitely not something that a traditional agricultural country like the Qing Dynasty can support. Ultimately, the Beiyang Fleet was defeated, and Japan carried out the Port Arthur Massacre, which completely ruined the Qing Dynasty's path to developing a navy.

Of course, it's good for us to be confident, comrades. I also believe that our navy will eventually flourish. However, the foundation of a navy isn't its warships, but the industrial system behind them, the system for cultivating naval personnel. Without a solid foundation, the foundation will be shaky. Unless our country can complete initial industrialization and develop a relatively complete shipbuilding industry, a navy that can't even repair ships will never be able to shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending our country. "Work hard, comrades."

Japan's Meiji Restoration, which began with the announcement of the Meiji era on October 23, 1868, and lasted only about twenty years until the defeat of the Beiyang Fleet in 1894, was a distant twenty. Therefore, Zhang Yinghao was well aware that, in that era, as long as a certain industrial foundation was in place, building warships capable of sailing the oceans was not particularly difficult. However, with the advancement of technology, building warships with the same combat effectiveness as other nations would become increasingly difficult. Previously, building a powerful navy required only a dozen years of mechanical engineering and heavy industry, but now it is virtually impossible without at least twenty years, and the gap between generations increases, making construction increasingly difficult.

Needless to say, China has a bad neighbor, Japan, a powerful navy, and many powerful countries in Europe and the United States will not allow China to build a strong navy again. Therefore, they will inevitably obstruct it in every possible way. China's road to the ocean is extremely difficult.

Seeing the expressions of his comrades, Zhang Yinghao continued, "Even if we had a strong navy now, wouldn't we be able to maintain one in our liberated areas? The Qing Dynasty, for all its might, built Asia's formidable Beiyang Fleet, but in the end, wasn't it virtually wiped out after the First World War? Furthermore, training a qualified naval officer takes four to eight years, and training a qualified captain perhaps fifteen years. Maintaining warships is a massive burden. Even if we could buy one or two powerful warships from foreign countries, what good would that do? They certainly wouldn't be the most advanced. Furthermore, our fragile shipbuilding industry, still stuck in the handmade era, can't even repair warships over 10,000 tons, let alone build them. By contrast, training a qualified army officer only takes a few months to two years. The cost of building a 20,000-ton battleship could produce dozens or even hundreds of airships, enough to fully arm six to eight army divisions. Therefore, we must be pragmatic in developing our navy, and not be overly ambitious or impulsive."

Zhang Yinghao knew he would have to buy warships sooner or later, but with the money he had now, it would be better to focus on strengthening the heavy industry. Once the heavy industry developed, he could build as many warships as he wanted, and any type of warship he wanted. Of course, Zhang Yinghao would no longer focus on developing battleships, but instead on developing fast-flying and submarine-based weapons, asymmetric warfare, and achieving a naval dominance and becoming a major naval power.

"Comrade Shen Ruo, you must protest to the British immediately and tell Jordan that this is an act of war. Tell them to immediately leave the Yangtze River and get out of China. Otherwise, the great powers will be responsible for all the consequences. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Yes!"

"Order the army and navy to advance simultaneously, coordinating and supporting each other as they advance down the Yangtze River to drive out the foreign powers. If the foreign powers do not voluntarily withdraw from China, then drive them out. The airship force will follow closely behind. If another exchange of fire occurs, immediately bomb the foreign powers' warships and soldiers."

"clear."

"Chairman, should we follow tradition and expel the diplomatic corps of the foreign powers from the liberated areas?"

"No, the great powers currently have no diplomatic relations with our liberated areas. We treat them as ordinary foreigners. Moreover, we also need a channel of communication with the great powers. The war cannot last forever. After the war begins, we should work hard to end it."

Upon receiving the order, the People's Liberation Army in various directions immediately began to take action. The troops in Chuzhou and the Yangtze River attacked Nanjing, and the People's Liberation Army in Hangzhou and Jiaxing attacked Shanghai directly, trying to cut off the retreat route of the powers.

The PLA's navy and army had advanced only 30 kilometers from Ma'anshan when they encountered a fleet of foreign warships, again advancing upstream, led by British warships. Faced with the PLA's legitimate demand for the withdrawal of the foreign warships from the Yangtze River, Britain, a true world hegemon and accustomed to its arrogance, not only failed to turn back or respond, but continued its advance, a clear provocation to the liberated areas.

The British Navy, confident in its own strength, has often brazenly engaged in provocative actions in Chinese territorial waters. This time, when the two armies met face to face, neither side showed any courtesy. Navy officers from the Liberated Areas issued a warning to the British Navy, demanding they immediately halt their voyage and withdraw from the Yangtze River.

The Liberated Areas did not recognize the treaty signed by the Qing Dynasty. Naturally, they would drive away the enemy warships that had entered the Yangtze River. However, the British naval fleet ignored the Liberated Areas' warnings and continued sailing as usual. The commander of the warship even used obscenities that the Chinese soldiers could not understand. This behavior completely angered the Liberated Areas' naval soldiers, who immediately turned their guns on the foreign warships.

The PLA's intention was very clear: if the powers continued to advance, the PLA would no longer exchange pleasantries and would directly engage in battle. However, the British ignored this and instead regarded our actions as a sign of cowardice. They even ordered their ship's gunners to bring out their own artillery and point them at the PLA Navy warships.

The British warship maliciously intruded into the inland waters of the Yangtze River, disregarding the warnings from the liberated areas, and even openly posed a threat to the People's Liberation Army in action. How could this be tolerated? The naval fleet had long been resentful of the British, and had previously damaged the "Haichou". Now, with both old and new grudges being settled together, no one wanted to tolerate it any longer.

So, with the order from the naval commander, a gun on the warship suddenly opened fire, and the whistling shells immediately flew towards the warships of the great powers. The sound of the shells exploding resounded through the sky. However, the People's Liberation Army still took into account the principle of courtesy before force, and did not point the guns at the British warship itself, but only at the waters around the British ship.

However, it was obvious that the arrogant and domineering British Navy had no idea that the PLA was completely furious. Not only did they not stop, but they stood on the deck and shouted wildly.

The great powers did not know that when the liberated areas were still ready to negotiate, it would be best to agree immediately, otherwise the consequences would be unbearable.

The PLA soldiers had reached the limit of their patience and naturally did not need to endure it any longer. The naval soldiers in the liberated areas were already furious and they all asked Commander Lin Chenghu for instructions to defeat the foreign powers.

Lin Chenghu was also a man of hot temper. He had long been disgusted by the blatant provocations of the foreign powers' warships for some time. Now that the foreign powers had come knocking on his door, if he didn't drive their warships out of the Yangtze River, they might not have understood the Liberated Area's attitude and would have mistaken tolerance for cowardice.

Lin Chenghu then decisively ordered, "Everyone, listen to my command, aim at the target, and hit hard."

The PLA Navy warships immediately fired artillery shells, and the coordinating infantry artillery on land saw the signal and immediately fired artillery shells at the warships of the great powers. The shells whizzed towards the warships of the great powers.

Before the smug navies of the great powers could react, their warships were already covered in PLA artillery fire. Shells were fired at them like shuttles. Suddenly, the sound of shells exploding resounded throughout the world, and flames shot up into the sky. In just a few minutes, several ridiculously large holes had been torn into the warships of the great powers.

The navies of the great powers were immediately furious and planned to open fire on the PLA. However, our soldiers were one step ahead. We anticipated the great powers' decision and opened fire first, bombing the decks, killing and wounding large numbers of the great powers' naval personnel and destroying all their radio stations and transmission systems.

At this moment, the airship troops also appeared immediately, and they immediately formed a team and rushed to the top of the warships of the great powers. When the great powers saw the airships and the bombs on them, they were all stunned and didn't know what to do.

The first airship adjusted its position slightly and immediately dropped the bomb. Unfortunately, due to fear of danger, the airship flew too high, and the bomb plunged into the water more than 20 meters away from the warship, making an earth-shaking explosion.

The airship that had finished dropping its bombs quickly gave way to the following airship. Using the first airship as a guide, the second airship made minor adjustments and immediately dropped its own bombs, this time with two near misses. The following airships continued to drop bombs, but the warships of the great powers also realized what was happening and immediately began to maneuver quickly to avoid the bombs falling from the sky.

It takes a thousand days to train an army and only a moment to deploy it. The PLA soldiers have trained for so long and worked so hard, and today they finally have a place to use their skills against the powerful countries, and can finally hold their heads high and avenge their previous humiliation.

The warships of the great powers had been badly damaged by the People's Liberation Army at this time, causing six warships of the great powers to be forced to run aground while avoiding bombs and were eventually captured by the People's Liberation Army. The other warships were frightened and quickly turned around and fled to the exit of the Yangtze River.

Seeing the foreign powers driving their warships away in disgrace, the PLA continued to extend its artillery fire, hitting the fallen dogs and continuing to bombard them. When the foreign powers' warships disappeared from the soldiers' sight, the PLA soldiers burst into a fierce cheer.

Someone asked his comrades nearby: "Did you see that? It seems that a lieutenant on the British warship was hit by us and was seriously injured. I'm afraid he won't live long."

The other soldiers echoed, saying, "They deserved it. We didn't even come to their territory to fight them. Who made them so blind as to come to our Yangtze River and become our sitting duck?"

All the soldiers were extremely happy. China had suffered humiliation for decades, and today, all the anger was vented. The soldiers were extremely happy. The British lieutenant that the soldiers were discussing was indeed hit, and eventually died painfully from excessive blood loss. It could be said that he brought it upon himself.

If the deputy captain had not struggled to stand up and control the warship, and quickly turned around and fled, the warship would have most likely been captured by the People's Liberation Army. Even if the great powers managed to escape, their navies would have suffered a heavy blow.

The great powers, always arrogant and conceited, could not believe that China, once their own vanquished enemy, could now raise its head in such a way that inspired the people. The PLA's heroic and fearless performance in driving away the great powers' warships was a satisfactory response.

After the warships of the great powers fled in a panic, the governments of the great powers joined forces with Western media to exaggerate the incident. The great powers used the style of the Spring and Autumn Period to portray the navy of the great powers as a victim, and emphasized that the Yangtze River was a harmless waterway open to the great powers. This was an act of provoking war.

Although the PLA won a resounding victory in this battle, the media of the great powers believed that the victory of the liberated areas was unfair and that the attack was launched unexpectedly, taking advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness. Therefore, the great powers characterized the PLA's actions as unjust and violating international conventions.

However, while the defeated powers exaggerated the incident in the media, the victorious Liberated Areas (LIBTAs) did not overly publicize their victory. They simply stated that the LIBTA fleet's battle took place on the Yangtze River, within inland waters. Therefore, the PLA did not actively provoke war on other territory, and therefore the PLA's actions could not be equated with unjust behavior. The PLA's attack was launched only because someone violated China's sovereignty first.

Because of the principle of unity among the great powers towards China, the entanglement of interests among the imperialist powers in China is far deeper than the outside world knows.

The warships of the great powers naturally refused to concede defeat. As the PLA bombarded their warships, those in Taihu Lake received the news and immediately launched an indiscriminate bombardment of Huzhou, Zhejiang, and the towns along the lake, causing 561 casualties and burning thousands of houses. Japanese and British patrol ships in the Wanwan Strait also bombarded coastal cities in Fujian. The Anglo-Japanese Allied Forces, in particular, launched an indiscriminate bombardment of Quanzhou, turning the city into a sea of ​​fire. By 5:00 PM, the Anglo-Japanese Allied commanders had finally vented their anger, and the city had been largely destroyed by the artillery fire.

In this incident, the number of civilian casualties in Quanzhou City reached 6,000. News media reporters rushed to the scene to interview, take photos, and release the news to the world.

The Anglo-Japanese Alliance's brutality, spread widely through the Progress Party's propaganda. When the news reached Taiwan, it sparked outrage among the Taiwanese people. Students boycotted classes, workers went on strike, protesting the Japanese atrocities. Soon, a wave of protests spread across the island. Because of the Korean issue, the action caused great concern among the Japanese authorities, and the order to massacre was secretly distributed to the garrison troops.

The Japanese army immediately marched into Taipei and other cities, leaving rivers of blood and mountains of corpses. By mid-June, nearly 10,000 people who participated in the strike and class boycott had been persecuted and murdered, and countless women were raped and tortured to death by the brutal Japanese troops.

The Japanese atrocities did not stop there. A Japanese naval fleet, patrolling the Bohai Sea, immediately launched an indiscriminate bombardment of Gaizhou, Yingkou, and other cities, causing over 1,500 casualties. Naturally, coastal artillery units immediately retaliated, ultimately damaging two Japanese destroyers. Japan then announced it would deploy four additional divisions to Korea, vowing to annihilate the PLA invaders.

When news of the British and Japanese atrocities reached Macau and Hong Kong, popular demonstrations erupted there. The Portuguese colonists immediately used their outdated warships to bombard the Macau protesters, killing over 130 people and injuring countless more. As for the Hong Kong protests, the British colonists were even more direct, using force to suppress the protesters and striking workers, indiscriminately firing on the protesters and even using their warships' secondary guns to indiscriminately bombard the unarmed Hong Kong civilians, killing over 500 people and injuring countless others. This resulted in a series of tragedies that shocked the world.

After Britain, France, Japan, and Russia signed a treaty to attack China, the British and French warships and troop transports that had rendezvoused in Gibraltar weighed anchor again, their sights set squarely on China. The French government also announced that the next batch of three French Army infantry divisions would depart for French Indochina in three days. Five days later, the French government announced the dispatch of two more infantry divisions to the Far East. Needless to say, with such a large army deployment, France's goal was also to target China.

Instigated by the British, the Portuguese government announced it would send a 1,500-man force to accompany France to French Indochina to defend Portuguese interests in Macau. The British government even announced it would dispatch dreadnought-class battleships directly to the Far East to safeguard British interests in China.

At this moment, the eyes of the world were fixed firmly on China. Political leaders from around the world realized that a new wave of efforts to divide China had begun. Important figures from various countries were mobilized, seeking either a share of the spoils or seeking to gain corresponding benefits through mediation. Diplomatic activity suddenly surged in frequency, with betrayals, deals, probing, and alliances. Politicians with exceptional political acumen realized that another war was approaching.

As Zhang Yinghao faced more and more situations, he finally understood the pressure the Soviet Union faced when it was founded, facing foreign intervention. He also finally understood why the Soviet Union was constantly exporting revolution. Because when the Western world united, it formed a major trend. To stop this trend, a two-pronged approach was needed. One of the best ways was to divide and disintegrate the enemy from within.

Zhang Yinghao had already understood that Britain, France, and Japan had undoubtedly contributed significantly to this alliance. Both Britain and France hoped to achieve victory in a single battle, quickly defeating China, and then immediately return to continental Europe to suppress Germany's ambitions. At this point, Zhang Yinghao still didn't understand the attitudes of the United States and Germany, wondering whether they would personally send large armies to participate in this frenzy of carving up China.

Chapter 740: First update!

Zhang Yinghao received news of the reckless bombardment by the foreign powers. Although he had anticipated it, he was still furious. This news also fueled the growing nationalism in China, which was now completely devoid of any scruples. Just then, Zhang Yinghao received news again: British and French warships were attempting to invade and bombard Guangzhou, but were repelled by the brave PLA soldiers using fortress artillery from Humen and other locations.

Zhang Yinghao recalled the time in his past when the great powers joined forces to intervene in Soviet Russia. Ideology was merely a pretext. The war had just ended, leaving all nations hollowed out. The powers had no time for such frivolous ideological tricks. The primary reason was Lenin's refusal to assume all foreign debts. Remember, Tsarist Russia wasn't paying indemnities like the Qing Dynasty. Instead, it was actually borrowing a massive foreign debt from the great powers, totaling over 18 billion gold rubles. How impressive was that? Pre-war, Tsarist Russia's annual revenue was roughly 30 to 40 billion. The Soviet Union simply couldn't repay this debt. If it did, the Soviet Union wouldn't develop, and the Bolsheviks might lose their power. Naturally, the Soviet Union tried to evade repayment. Fourteen countries intervened in the Soviet Civil War, but most of them took some spoils and returned home. So ideology was empty talk; profit was the real issue.

Zhang Yinghao was worried that in order to reduce losses, the great powers might wantonly plunder Shanghai, Nanjing and other places, or they might force Yuan Shikai, the Beiyang leader, to pay compensation.

Zhang Yinghao marked the places where the great powers committed atrocities on the map, and he was really gritting his teeth. If they wanted to fight, then they would fight. If they wanted to compete in ruthlessness, then they would see who was more ruthless.

Zhang Yinghao immediately issued an order: "Order, immediately reclaim the British and French concessions in Guangzhou, the British concession in Xiamen, and the French concession in Wuhan. Furthermore, the Executive Yuan is responsible for immediately sending personnel to negotiate with Germany regarding the reclaiming of the German concession in Wuhan. The garbage in Wuhan must also be cleared. Furthermore, for the time being, evacuate the people from the coastal areas and prohibit fishing at sea to prevent the foreign powers from brutally shelling our innocent soldiers and civilians again."

"Yes."

Zhang Yinghao thought for a moment and continued, "Order the Yangtze River Bureau to have the soldiers continue the offensive, liberate Nanjing and Shanghai, and liberate the area south of the Yangtze River."

In fact, even without Zhang Yinghao's orders, the army continued to attack. In the history of world wars, airships were unprecedented weapons, having only recently appeared on the Korean battlefield. The armies of the great powers were now completely at a loss as to what to do. From this point on, the great powers knew that the flames of war had extended from land and sea to the sky, and humanity had officially entered the era of aerial bombardment.

The PLA scouts who attacked Shanghai from Jiaxing soon encountered the armies of the great powers who came to block them. Facing the armies of the great powers, the PLA was not yet familiar with their fighting style and combat effectiveness, so they immediately switched from offense to defense. While using the terrain to set ambushes, they also dug trenches and established skirmish positions to wait for the attack of the great powers' armies.

Soon, the two armies met, and the enemies' eyes were filled with jealousy. The coalition's first offensive began. After a barrage of artillery fire, the infantry immediately launched an offensive. Lacking the baptism of World War I, the armies' tactics remained unchanged. They were unaware of the PLA's combat effectiveness, perhaps also underestimating the Chinese. After all, among these soldiers were veterans of the Eight-Nation Alliance's invasion of China a few years prior. Therefore, the armies began their assault as if on a picnic, with their rifles drawn, forming formations and leisurely strolling towards the PLA positions.

The soldiers were stunned by this situation. It was completely unbelievable. How could these foreigners attack like this? Aren't they just going to die? However, since the foreign army was going to die, the PLA would not be polite. They immediately issued an order: "Shoot when you hear gunshots, and shoot when you get close."

When the armies of the great powers were still more than ten meters away from the position, and when the coalition forces of the great powers straightened up and rushed towards the position, thinking that the cowardly Chinese had all fled or been blown to death, the front-line commander immediately fired a shot at the opposing coalition forces of the great powers.

The sound of gunfire was the order. In an instant, the dense crossfire of Madsen light machine guns, Maxim heavy machine guns, mortars, and other weapons crazily harvested the lives of the soldiers of the great powers. From this battle on, the history of the great powers' attempt to easily massacre Chinese soldiers and civilians with inferior weapons was gone forever.

As heavy firepower unleashed its full force, soldiers also raised their rifles. Ever since the introduction of firearms into China, China has had no shortage of sharpshooters. However, it was Zhang Yinghao who systematized and professionalized sniping theory, transforming it from individual, intuitive sniping into a system. This feat is unique in the world today. Zhang Yinghao recognized the irreplaceable importance and prestige of snipers in the future, and therefore, from the very beginning of the revolutionary army, placed great emphasis on the training of sharpshooters within the ranks.

Under Zhang Yinghao's personal teaching, the original sharpshooters in the revolutionary army all understood shooting trajectory, camouflage, reconnaissance skills, observation distance, wind speed, learned to use scopes and various professional equipment, and understood various sniper theories such as calculating lead time.

Although the People's Liberation Army is not yet strong enough and the technology in the liberated areas is not yet developed enough, the army holds at least one regimental-level competition every month to select various special talents. Accurate shooters are given higher treatment. Even particularly outstanding shooters can apply to design and manufacture their own exclusive firearms and scopes based on their personal habits and various data.

The PLA prioritizes special forces and sharpshooters. Each regiment and battalion has a strategic sniper, and each squad has a sharpshooter. They can easily snipe and kill ordinary enemies from a distance of two or three hundred meters. In particular, they have large-caliber sniper rifles with specially crafted bullets. A hit at a distance of one thousand meters can shatter flesh, and their power is incomparable to that of ordinary rifles.

With a bang, another British officer collapsed with a look of disbelief on his face, his chest a bright red. Because the armies of the great powers at that time placed great emphasis on hierarchy, and officers were particularly eager to distinguish themselves, the distinction between officers and enlisted personnel was almost clear and easy to tell apart. On the battlefield, anyone who kept shouting, dressed in fancy clothes, or held a sword was undoubtedly an officer.

It was precisely because the PLA valued sharpshooters that the military suffered particularly severe officer casualties in the armies of the great powers. Without their officers, and without their familiar shouts, the soldiers naturally lost their fighting spirit and their combat effectiveness declined, giving the PLA more opportunities.

The massacre continued, and the morale of the soldiers of the powerful countries who witnessed all this immediately dropped. Their originally extremely inflated self-confidence suddenly waned. It turned out that the yellow monkeys were not as weak as their predecessors and officers said!

After the battle, a PLA soldier recalled: "The enemy rushed forward with their bodies straight, and then fell one by one, dead or wounded. The bodies piled up together. We were even worried that the bodies would block our sight and affect our shooting..."

Of course, wars involve casualties, and the tension between life and death is immense. Therefore, unless armies engage in wars of annihilation, they evolve rapidly in internecine warfare. Flexibility, maneuverability, and adaptability are the norm. The military's greatest fear is a leader who is incompetent, stubborn, and blindly directs orders, unwilling to admit mistakes, and stubbornly refusing to listen to advice. Such officers are undoubtedly detrimental to the people.

The People's Liberation Army naturally understood the principle of not allowing the enemy to make progress, so they tried their best to destroy the enemy's vitality, especially the armies of the great powers, which traveled thousands of miles to reach China and needed to spend at least a month on the road. The enemy's strength would decrease if they killed one, and killing one enemy meant one less point of combat power.

After repelling the coalition's attack, the soldiers knew the coalition's artillery would inevitably launch a retaliatory bombardment, so they immediately withdrew from their positions and took shelter in their artillery holes. Sure enough, the PLA had anticipated the enemy's actions, and the retaliatory bombardment from the powers followed. Unfortunately, it inflicted few casualties on the PLA. Even more tragically, the intensity of the powers' artillery fire in China was nowhere near that of Europe. After all, transporting artillery shells across such great distances to the Far East was no easy task. When the coalition attacked again, without tanks or other weapons to counter trenches, machine guns, and barbed wire, another massacre awaited them.

As the battle raged on the front lines, operations in the rear immediately began. The liberated areas were in a frenzy. The artillery bombardment from the front hadn't even ceased, yet orders were being sent out one after another via wired or wireless telegraphs. Whether it was the police forces in Wuhan or the armed police forces in Xiamen and Guangzhou, upon receiving the orders, they immediately entered the British and French concessions, consulates, and garrisons.

The Liberated Areas had long ago announced that all foreigners in the Liberated Areas would now be treated as ordinary expatriates. The Ministry of Public Security immediately took the lead in investigating all illegal organizations and armed forces. The order from the Liberated Areas was very clear: all the garbage left behind by the old powers in the Liberated Areas must be thoroughly cleaned up before a new treat could be offered.

Upon receiving the central government's clear demand to reclaim the concessions in the liberated areas, all personnel immediately became highly motivated. Wuhan's armed police were the first to receive the order, and the well-prepared force immediately stormed the French Concession. Confronted with patrol officers who refused to surrender, the armed police shouted, "As illegal aliens and members of illegal organizations, you must surrender immediately and accept government action. Any resistance will be charged with assaulting a police officer, and the armed police officers of the Wuhan Public Security Bureau have the authority to shoot you immediately..."

In the liberated areas, faced with the most decadent and backward garbage like the concessions, Zhang Yinghao was too lazy to use the army, and only needed the police force to solve the problem.

After several attempts at persuasion, the captain of the armed police force in charge of the operation immediately waved his hand and said, "Comrades, load your guns, fix your bayonets, and attack."

There was the sound of bayonets being fixed, followed by the sound of rifle bolts being pulled. The armed police prepared for battle, while the French who persisted in resisting wanted to maintain France's Gallic pride, buying time to inform Luban and his men, or even to destroy certain files, which contained much evidence of their crimes.

However, seeing that the armed police force was ready for battle, and that these armed police soldiers had an overwhelming advantage in numbers, the gleaming bayonets and the sounds of loading bullets proved that the liberated areas had taken back the French Concession after taking back the British, Japanese, Russian and Belgian concessions.

The leader of the resistance at the French police station immediately shouted: "Leave the concession immediately, we are protected by the treaty."

After shouting, he immediately asked if he had contacted Lu Ban, but the answer he got was that the phone line was broken and there was no response. At this time, the head of the police station hoped that the warships of the great powers would still be anchored in Wuhan and still support them. With the warships there, no one could withstand the wrath of the great powers.