Chapter 167: Battle of Hanshin (1)

Yang Changjun and Hu Ruilan were given suicide, but the emperor refused to let him go. Next were Tu Zongying, Pan Feng, and Zhang Shusheng, who were the governors of Hubei, Jiangxi and Guangdong and Guangxi. There was nothing they had to do with this case, but the emperor caught them in the matter of using troops in Japan and responded to Yang Changjun's mistakes, and made great reprimands and further severe punishments.

Zai Ying recalled the first passage with Li Hongzhang, and realized that it was time for him to make a comeback. When he asked for morning class on the tenth day of the October 10th, he tactfully advised him, "The emperor is as wise as the sky, and he is even more clear about right and wrong. This time, the Ministry of Education reviewed the case of Yang Naiwu, so that the world can be returned to his heart and praise the wise wisdom of the emperor."

He first flattered him hard and said, "However, my minister thinks that Tu Zongying, Pan Shi and others have occasional inappropriate words, they will never hide their loyalty to serve the master. At a critical moment, the imperial court used troops in Japan, and the coastal provinces had to rely on the work of the people behind to work together. It was still not appropriate to deal with the officials of each province, so that no one could take care of the official business. My son's stupid opinion, please give the emperor a precept."

"No one has taken care of? I have changed the official business every time. When did I delay the business?" the emperor said, "You are wrong!"

"Yes. Emperor Ama's holy candle shines, and my son's little insight is a slight gain." Zai Ying said respectfully, "Please give advice from Emperor Ama."

"The court has me and the Military Affairs Office. The cabinet's grand officials discussed state affairs and decided national policies. Although they must go through deliberations and research beforehand, they can determine the country and go all over the world. Naturally, they must carefully and carefully circulate in advance, think of all possible disadvantages and loopholes in the future, and come up with solutions to prevent problems from happening. However, the first-class government promulgation cannot be discussed by anyone. Why? It is to make the government orders unimpeded - think about it, if there is a memorial in Henan today and an Anhui tomorrow, will the court still do things?"

"What Emperor Ama taught me is," Zai Ying sat on Xiudun and bowed, "but my son thought that Emperor Ama was kind-hearted, and Yu Tu Zongying, Pan Shi and others were scolded strictly, which was originally intended to protect the good, and it was not a killing. If the person could realize that Emperor Ama was full of love, he would definitely change his mind and do his job seriously in the future."

The emperor pondered for a long time and finally waved his hand, "Forget it..." he said with a smile, "This time, as you asked, let these people go temporarily, but if you have any mistakes, you still can't escape punishment. Let's demote them to three levels and keep them in their original position."

"Yes!" Zai Ying was overjoyed. After his request, Emperor Ama let go of Tu Zongying and others. I think his reputation for being generous will be passed down soon?

After conquering Himeji Castle, the gate of Kobe was completely opened. The railway from Himeji to Kobe provided great convenience for Qing army soldiers and materials transportation. Although some of the railway tracks were temporarily destroyed by the Japanese army, the damage was not very serious and would not delay the Qing army's operations and combat plans.

The Japanese naturally knew very well what the Hanshin region meant to their own country. From the emperor to the cabinet and then to the military headquarters, they invested the greatest energy and capital in this battle: Prince Akihito Komatsumiya, who fled back to Tokyo in a hurry after being conquered in Fukuyama Castle, personally directed the battle. The regular full-member divisions selected by the first, second and fourth towns were all accompanied by the third, fourth, fifth and six fourth new national military divisions, as well as the six military brigades and the Kobe Prefecture's own police force, totaling 160,000 people! In addition to these people, all the people in the Kobe Prefecture, regardless of gender, were divided by age, from 18 to 40, and were all gathered to serve as battlefield rescue. In an emergency, these people also had to take on the important task of guarding and killing the enemy.

Before the start of this Kobe battle, Japanese officials and civilians got a voice that did not know the source: if the Chinese could be blocked out of Kobe, especially the number of unacceptable soldiers to the other party, the Chinese government would consider sitting down and resolving each other's disputes with Japan at the negotiating table; and if such a strategic goal is not achieved, Kobe Castle will eventually change hands, and if Japan is declared a complete failure!

Because such voices were rampant, the Japanese military and civilians burst out with great enthusiasm for defending their country, and they had only one idea in their hearts: try to kill more Chinese people! Force them to solve the problem in another way! Everyone believes that the Kobe Battle is a decisive battle between the Qing army and the Japanese army, and a decisive battle that will completely determine the situation and destiny of both sides on the battlefield of Honshu Island!

When the war came to this point, it showed the cleverness of the generals on both sides. Prince Akihito Komatsumiya was able to serve as the head of the military headquarters, so he would never be the result of his identity as a royal family. In the battle of Fukuyama Castle, Hirozawa's army assisted Lieutenant General Cheng Ren, and he was only exempted from his own life. If it were not for the fourth town to protect it in time, he would probably not be able to escape Hu Xiaomao's pursuit; but that battle was not considered a failure in his life for him. After all, the lack of troops and the limited conditions of Fukuyama Castle, he would have a chance to make a comeback once.

This time, the government and military headquarters once again gathered huge forces to gather almost all the people in the Hanshin area who could take on weapons! The prince also had to fight desperately. If Kobe was lost, the Japanese army could not retreat, and Osaka, Kyoto, the front line would be out of stock. Even if the Qing army stopped attacking due to weather reasons, he could not bear the result of the loss of half of the territory!

Li Hongzhang also knew the importance of Kobe. He rarely went to the army to fight, transferring the front line command to Himeji, and commanding the battle here.

Prince Akihito Komatsumiya was indeed informative. His plan was very clear. He did not fight head-on decisively with the enemy's attack troops and used large-scale defense to restrain the Qing army's attack. Therefore, he placed all his main forces in the rear, and the number of reserve troops was sufficient. He hoped to drag down the Chinese by enhancing the depth of defense and using the advantages of local combat.

This is his experience summed up in the Battle of Fushan City. The Qing army's green camp infantry had extremely strong firepower. Even if the troops defending the city had heavy weapons in their hands and could withstand the Qing army's attack for a while, it would not help the overall situation. The Qing army's firepower advantage was incomparable to the Japanese army. Then, to offset their firepower advantage, the only way to use the advantages of local combat, increase in depth defense, and use their own strengths to defeat the enemy's weaknesses! From this point of view, he is indeed a military talent.

Li Hongzhang also understood this, but he did not have many choices. The emperor's decree had arrived, and the Northern Army was progressing smoothly. By September 27, it had already reached Yamagata's capital Yamagata Prefecture. Although there was no further news, with Hu Damao's military talent, it would not be a big problem to take down this county seat.

The emperor's decree was very clear. The Southern Army should strengthen its offensive and occupy Kobe as soon as possible, and strive to push the troops to Osaka and Kyoto before the official arrival of winter, so that the soldiers could rest and recuperate in these two places and wait for further decrees. If the conditions were sufficient, Li Hongzhang was really unwilling to spend a lot of effort to attack Kobe. However, now he had to focus on Kobe and prepare for a large-scale assault battle!

The two sides were well prepared and started this major battle. For each other, the strength gap was not very large. The Qing army had the advantage of firepower and had the initiative on the battlefield. Similarly, the Japanese army had the advantage of military strength and was local combat, and they could make full use of the advantages of local combat. In this way, neither China nor Japan had more advantages to stand, and they could only look at their performance on the battlefield!

Outside Kobe City, Bao Chao, Hu Xiaomao, Li Hongzhang, and Zhang Peilun were standing on the mountain, staring at the destination that he would finally arrive after conquering several strong cities since the use of troops in early July. "Master, take this place, brothers can rest for a while, right?"

"It's probably true." Li Hongzhang nodded and said, "But, this battle is not easy to fight. Think about it, the Hanshin region is the lifeblood of Japan's economy. Once this place is taken by our army, the only place in Yokosuka Port can be relied on by the Japanese. However, it is not a good port. If you talk about ability, it is not far from it. Therefore, Kobe is a place that Japan must not lose."

Li Hongzhang put down his telescope and turned around and said, "When we get it here for our army, the Southern Army will move forward without any obstacles. It depends on the actions of the soldiers of the Northern Army."

Bao Chao was the first to speak up, "How can that be done?" He said, "How can we watch Lao Hu and the others kill the Japanese, and we stand on the shore? Grandmaster, if you turn back and ask the emperor for an order, why don't you let me go to Lao Hu too?"

Li Hongzhang laughed at it, "Chunting, you! I haven't finished speaking yet!" He said, "I think after Kobe takes it down, the Japanese will be at the end of their lives and must take the initiative to make peace with me. At that time, it depends on how the emperor decides."

"I can't control myself, why did I break the blame? Anyway, I have to take this Kobe Castle first!"

Li Hongzhang laughed, "General Bao is so proud. We will wait for a day to rest and start attacking tomorrow morning!"

On September 26, the Qing army launched a full-scale attack and began to march towards Kobe Castle. The season has entered the end of October in Japan. Although Kobe is the southern city, the changes in the weather are still very obvious. At the beginning of the Qing army's dispatch, sporadic snow powder fell from the sky, "Is it snowing?"

"Stop talking nonsense, act quickly!" Yao Fuzeng scolded loudly, tightening his military uniform, and cursing the old men in the court in his heart that it was already like this. The soldiers were still fighting in summer clothes, while the winter clothes had already arrived in Japan, but the number was very small. With too many monks and too little porridge, he had to take turns to equip him. He felt the cold wind pouring in from his neck, picked up his braids with his back hand, and wrapped them around his neck to resist the coldness in the wind.

Going forward, Kobe City is not far away. He and Liu Ronggui, Chen Benqin, Shan Maoqian, Zhu Kai, Gaorenjian and other six battalions of troops accepted the combat order to attack from the east of the city and enter until the Kobe Port Pier. Before the war, several people had seen the combat map and had a consensus: this will be the most tragic battle since the two countries started!

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Chapter completed!