C570 Tianjin Fall (1/2)
The name of TIANJIN Wei originated from the first year of Yongle. In the past, when Yan Emperor Zhu Di crossed the river from here to the south, he gave Tianjing as the Crossing of the Son of Heaven. Later on, because of his military use, he established a Acropolis, also known as the ”TIANJIN Wei”.
The low city walls protected a very small city as it curled up at the corner of the sea river. The four walls faced the river from the north to the east, while the old iron-clad red cannons on the city walls protected the four sides.
According to the older generation of Tianjin, the four roads north, south, east and west were the same as the city wall of Tianjin in the past.
After the capture of Tianjin in 1900, in order to punish the resistance of the military and people of Tianjin at that time, the combined forces of the eight countries ordered the demolition of four city walls and the construction of four wide roads.
Furthermore, in 1906, the first bus route was set up on all four roads. At that time, there was a proverb that passed down from that moment onwards, 'Fourth Street, An Line, White Battery Enclosure', and from that moment onwards, the military role of the city, Tianjin, gradually decreased, while its commercial status flourished, even surpassing that of the Beijing during the Republic of China.
In fact, the transformation of Tianjin City from a military city to a commercial city had already started since the age of Tongzhi. When Xiao Letian rode on the Shattered Waves and saw the important town in the north, the darkness before dawn had just passed.
”Look, in the large residential area outside the southern city wall, the black mass cannot be seen to the end. Also, the wharf beside the sea river has all proven that the TIANJIN Wei has started to change towards a commercial city. This group of useless Manchu are still using this place as their military base even now …”
”Look at the narrow and stifling city walls. I'm afraid even drinking water inside wouldn't suffice, right?” Even if he became an army, he would still not be qualified. He was just a piece of trash … Brothers, let's just act as an obligatory demolition team! ”
”gunner is in position, your cannons are filled with solid bullets, and they have blown up the east wall! ”The infantry soldiers prepare to land, and force those captives into the city …”
Xiao Letian stood on top of the tall poop and arrogantly said, ”Since the Qing Dynasty dares to attack our Special Zone, then they should be mentally prepared to be beaten back by us. The new army is fighting! ”
Xiao Letian's roar was filled with energy, following that, the shouts of the soldiers on the three battleships rose and fell like a tide, reaching the two sides of the sea.
”The new army is fighting... Prepare to fight! ”
It was still dawn and the city hadn't fully woken up yet. There were only a few people who had come out of their shops early in the morning to wander the streets. There was still a bit of human life around the shops.
At this time, the citizens of TIANJIN Wei had already known about Maylor's army's defeat, but they didn't seem to care. It wasn't because these citizens were brave, but because they had their own thoughts.
”Aside from the time when the British and French combined forces took control of the city once, there hasn't been a single military attack in the history of the Qing Dynasty. Even the North Guard of the Heaven Realm didn't see the city walls of Tianjin back then … With just him, Xiao Letian? ”I think it's mysterious …”
”That's right, that's right! War was not child's play, he, Xiao Letian, had just solved the problem of the Tanggu yesterday. Just sweeping the battlefield would take him three days, so how could the wounded not be treated? Tanggu City is not peaceful? Don't worry, they won't be free unless it's eight to ten days … ”Taking advantage of the recent price hikes, it's true that we can earn more …”
”That's right, that's right. Listen to Lord San. All the rich families in the city have been busy moving to flee for their lives. Some of them even want to leave for us to pick up. This is a golden opportunity …”
Everyone was thinking of making a fortune, and even the garrison was thinking of ways to extort the two rich families. Since ancient times, when society was in chaos, there was always a chance to redistribute the wealth.
However, reality slapped these people so hard that it was loud and clear. When the three battleships charged into the city, and the soldiers started howling fanatically, the city seemed to wake up from a nightmare and immediately became flustered.
”What's wrong? What happened... Look at the sea, there are ships of the foreigners on the sea... ”
”Bullsh * t, that's Xiao Letian …” Didn't you see the flag with the word 'Xiao' on it? Grandpa Buddha ah, Xiao Letian is here to slaughter the city, he's here to take revenge … ”
On the main street, adults were asking children to cry, the streets were filled with the sounds of fighting, someone's door was knocked down, another tile basin was broken, and TIANJIN Wei immediately exploded.
At this time, the garrison troops on the city wall also panicked. Under the pressure of countless officers' whips, the shivering soldiers began to clean up the red-clothed cannons. It was unknown how long it had been since they last trained, but they were actually able to wipe off handfuls of rust from the cannons.
”Where's the sniper? ”Kill those who are prepared to resist …” Xiao Letian dug his ears, as if he could hear the screams of the enemies more clearly.
Ye Qiu and Pang Chaoyun did not care about this kind of sniping attack that was more than 100 metres away. In just a short moment, the entire battleship was covered in white smoke, and now Xiao Letian had brought them an even more reliable Mauser's rifle.
The bullets shot accurately at the chest of the defending troops. Corpses fell from the sky one by one, and in less than three minutes, the entire city had been thrown into chaos. Countless people were screaming like ghosts.