Chapter 213: The Line of Life and Death (Part 2)

Nearly ten thousand Qing troops were trapped south of Yanglousi, belonging to over forty battalions. Some of these battalions faced the need to be reorganized after losing their commanders—Xiang-Huai troops always relied on their leaders.
Just before facing destruction, these Xiang troops finally erupted into action. The first to be driven forward were those units that had lost or might lose their commanders.
The Black Flag Army’s Maxim machine guns fired short bursts, gradually switching to longer bursts, but as more and more people gathered under the banners, they slowly advanced.
Both the snipers’ rifles and the machine guns’ long bursts caused significant trouble for the Xiang troops, but their formations gradually closed in, and their artillery also fired at Yanglousi Town at great risk to their own lives.
Soon, the Black Flag Army’s only light mountain gun and 60-mm mortars joined the firefight with the Qing troops. Several shells whizzed by, instantly engulfing the front ranks of the Qing troops in thick smoke. But soon their hollow squares broke through the smoke again.
The Qing troops were clearly enraged. Neither the continuous bursts from the Black Flag Army’s machine guns nor the repeated artillery attacks could stop their advance. An officer from the Black Flag Army exclaimed in shock, “Can the Qing troops advance like this under artillery fire? I thought only the French did that!”
“That’s right! This is the toughest Qing army we’ve ever seen, but…” The deputy company commander drew out his words, “Victory belongs to us! Victory belongs to the Black Flag Army!”
These Xiang troops seemed once again like the army of Hunan peasants under Zeng Guofan’s command—full of flaws yet victorious on the battlefield.
Some of them began to cry, but the entire army was now committed to battle. Thousands of soldiers charged forward with a roar, determined to crush this small, strengthened platoon of the Black Flag Army.
Shrapnel shells landed on the Black Flag Army’s positions, causing minor casualties. Their officers shouted, “Machine guns… prepare!”
“Artillery… prepare for rapid fire!”
“Rifles… aim…”
The opposing crowd filled the entire field of vision. All that could be seen was that surging tide of people in uniforms, rushing forward at full speed.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The Xiang troops had already started firing first. Several Black Flag Army soldiers screamed in pain after being hit, but their positions remained silent.
The crowd continued to advance. From above, the vast sight was awe-inspiring. They got closer and closer, their faces smiling. The occasional long bursts and stray shells couldn’t stop them.
To the north of the town, the E army, which had failed in its initial attack, organized another assault, aiming to encircle the town from both sides and recapture it.
“Fire!”
Countless machine gun shells poured out like grains of rice falling from fingers—glittering yet carrying the sound of death. The soldiers in the front lines were knocked down like wheat in a harvest by the dense hail of bullets.

Both howitzers and mortars fired at their maximum rate—in simple terms, using howitzer shells and mortar shells like machine guns. Even a massive force of several thousand men was overwhelmed by such intense firepower. Rifles also fired at the fastest rate, but it was no match for the advancing Qing troops. Before long, the Black Flag Army began throwing grenades. The Hunan Army was truly fighting desperately; by now, seven or eight hundred of their men had been killed or wounded, yet they still didn’t take it seriously. Some continued to charge forward, while others used obstacles to engage the Black Flag Army in close combat. “Victory belongs to us!” The Black Flag Army’s casualties soared immediately. After this exchange of fire, nearly half of the 75-strong reinforced platoon had been killed or wounded, and the losses continued. The heavy machine guns positioned on high ground became the primary target of the Qing forces’ firepower. Two machine gunners had already been killed, and the third fired two bursts before being hit. Now a fourth machine gunner was firing to suppress the Hunan Army. “Victory belongs to us!” The E army from the north also pressed forward. Now the Black Flag Army was trapped on all sides, and close combat broke out in many positions. Bayonets, entrenching tools, fists, stones, gun butts—anything that could be used as a weapon was employed by the Black Flag Army. In close combat, the Black Flag Army had unwavering confidence. Whether it was Vietnamese, French, or African infantry, none could match them, let alone a group of Hunan and E army troops. Time and again, they drove the enemy troops charging into their positions back with bayonets, then resumed fierce firefights, with casualties continuing to rise. The defenders of several flanking positions were all killed or wounded and forced to retreat. Yet they still held their ground. The soldiers in the artillery positions repeatedly put down their guns, picked up rifles and bayonets to engage in close combat, and once the enemy was repelled, they fired again at the advancing forces. For the Qing forces, the real nightmare was that relentless heavy machine gun—its “bang bang bang” sound overpowering all other weapons on the battlefield. At least half of the Qing casualties that day were caused by this machine gun. Qing officers even suspected that several battalions had lost their combat effectiveness due to it. But at this point, both sides had no choice but to throw everything they had at the battle. The fighting had reached an intense level. The Qing troops involved in the battle could never believe that their opponents were just a reinforced platoon. They would only say, “At the most critical moments of the battle, another battalion backed by heavy machine guns appeared among the Black Flag Army…” They would never believe that the Black Flag Army, with its heavy machine guns, that charged into Yanglousi Town consisted of just a reinforced platoon. Two heavy machine guns roared from the rooftops of Yanglousi Town. That reinforced platoon fought desperately, bringing the heavy machine guns and light howitzers right in front of the infantry to fire, cutting through the Qing forces’ flanks. The roaring hail of bullets knocked down any enemy in their path. By the time that infantry platoon rushed into the town, half of its members had been killed or wounded. As for that reinforced platoon inside the town, including those still fighting despite being lightly or seriously injured, it numbered less than one-third of its original strength.

But for the Qing troops, these two infantry platoons were like reefs at sea; their attacks were completely futile. Throughout the afternoon, the Qing forces lost 1,700 to 1,800 men yet still failed to capture Yanglousi Town. When they heard the deafening cannon fire in their rear, they lost all desire to attack and retreated on their own. Cries of pain also came from the Black Flag Army; their two reinforced platoons had suffered such heavy losses that they no longer had the strength to use heavy machine guns to shoot at the retreating Qing infantry. Marked by the Black Flag Army’s first surprise attack using all their firepower, a line of life and death appeared on the battlefield. Beyond this line, only scattered corpses could be seen. Before this line, the ground was covered with Qing corpses piled up so densely that it was impossible to walk through. This was the line of life and death, and it served as the best testament to the destruction of the Qing forces in Hunan.