Chapter 219: Victory or Defeat (Part 2)

For the Black Flag Army, such an exchange was nothing short of a failure—neither did they annihilate the entire Qing army nor defeat the British forces. Although they managed to withdraw intact from the battlefield, the outcome was hard to accept.

In the following days, the two sides’ front lines engaged in similar battles, exposing the Black Flag Army’s numerical disadvantage. Despite having the upper hand against the numerically superior Qing forces, they could only defeat or severely damage them, after which the Qing troops would retreat behind the British and Japanese forces, leaving it to the Anglo-Japanese coalition to withstand the Black Flag Army’s attacks.

The combat strength of the Anglo-Japanese coalition was roughly on par with that of the French forces, but they had a significant numerical advantage. Coupled with the additional support from the larger Qing forces, it became extremely difficult for the Black Flag Army to eliminate even a portion of them.

“Better to cut off one finger than harm ten,” had long been the Black Flag Army’s combat principle. Yet under the current circumstances, they were forced to resort to attritional warfare. After six or seven clashes between the front lines, the Black Flag Army still achieved no satisfactory results.

The only notable incident was a brief assault in which the Black Flag Army successfully wiped out an Indian scouting party under British command—twenty-three British soldiers were killed—though the Black Flag Army suffered 47 casualties in return. Aside from this, the only other significant achievement was the complete annihilation of two Qing infantry battalions.

Over seven days of fighting, the Black Flag Army lost over 700 officers and soldiers, the British lost more than 300, the Japanese lost around 70–80, while the Qing forces, subjected to wave after wave of attacks by the Black Flag Army, lost no less than 3,000 men due to casualties and desertions.

However, such low-quality Qing troops were easy to recruit and just as easy to dismiss. As they advanced northward, many local warlords organized their own militias, believing that since the Anglo-Japanese coalition had intervened, the outcome was already decided, and it would be better to side with them.

Behind the Black Flag Army, this news also caused turmoil. Many warlords thought the situation had turned in their favor and that the Black Flag Army’s days were numbered, so they rose up against them. Soon, there were as many as a hundred rebel groups, totaling around 7,000–8,000 men.

Even in Guangxi, which had become a stable stronghold for the Black Flag Army, there were some fluctuations. Dozens of sizable local armed groups resurfaced and caused trouble. Yet Pan Dingxin was highly skilled at suppressing these militias, and since most of the Black Flag Army’s commanders were from Guangxi, no major upheaval occurred.

The aftermath of these events also reached Hunan and Hubei provinces. People in both provinces attempted to follow in the footsteps of the Four Great Ministers of the mid-Qing era by eliminating the Black Flag Army to secure their own titles as kings. Swords flashed, guns fired, and chaos ensued.

But for Yamagata Aritomo, he said to Governor Baoyun, “Our Japanese army is willing to take on a more important mission. But can the British Empire provide logistical support?”

For this Japanese army, maintaining supply lines was manageable when fighting on home soil. But once they went abroad, their logistics were always strained. Even during the Sino-Japanese War eight years later, logistical problems remained the biggest challenge for the Japanese army.

As the commander of this Japanese force, Oyama Iwao had to negotiate with the Governor of Hong Kong: “We can take on more important missions!” For Sir Paul Bowring, his mission aligned with Oyama Iwao’s request—to urge the Japanese forces to advance faster. For the British army, losing over 300 men in a week was still acceptable, and the British infantry was known for its bravery, tenacity, and resilience, allowing them to endure greater casualties. These losses were even less significant than those suffered by the reinforcements sent from India, but to the British, the Japanese forces’ slow pace clearly hindered the overall offensive progress. The biggest battle this Japanese force had experienced was the Southwest War, but there were hardly any long marches involving tens of thousands of troops there; both sides mainly fought in small to medium-sized units, let alone dealing with logistical challenges of an expedition to the mainland. The British had first-rate intelligence on China and the Black Flag Army, and they were well aware of the tougher battles awaiting them ahead. After several days of fighting, they had seen the Black Flag Army in action. Though they still underestimated them, they had to consider that two elite infantry brigades of the Black Flag Army along with numerous European-style heavy weapons were waiting for them, so they preferred to let the Japanese attempt this attack. Oyama Iwao only had inaccurate intelligence provided by Shirai Renzo, and since his troops’ logistics were not keeping up, they had not suffered heavy losses from the Black Flag Army—so far, only seventy or eighty men had been killed or wounded, giving him great confidence. Moreover, in any era, Japanese commanders’ imagination often exceeded their logistical and tactical capabilities. Upon hearing that Sir Paul Bowring was willing to provide all possible assistance, they readily promised, “So far, since we landed in Hong Kong, we have one and a half divisions, nearly 20,000 men, with more troops still arriving. We are willing to take on more important missions…” “Would your unit be willing to undertake the mission of attacking Dongguan?” “Dongguan?” “Yes, Dongguan!” Sir Paul Bowring marked Dongguan on the map: “It’s here!” “There is a main infantry brigade of the Black Flag Army stationed there, consisting of two infantry regiments and one artillery battalion. Although they suffered heavy losses from our British army in previous battles, they still have 3,500 soldiers and several cannons, and they can also receive support from another infantry brigade!” “3,500?” Oyama Iwao believed the figure given by his ally, trusting even more in the combat strength of the Japanese forces. “No problem at all. In one day!” Historically, Marshal Oyama Iwao was regarded as a commander who valued both courage and strategy. Now, he easily made this promise: “In one day, our army will surely capture Dongguan!” At that time, it was Ye Chenglin’s brigade that was stationed in Dongguan. Although they had suffered some setbacks in previous battles, the entire brigade, along with its supporting units, had a total strength of nearly 5,000 men. The previous battles had instead heightened the morale of the troops, as the reputation of the “Crows’ Battalion” meant that wherever this unit went, the enemy would be terrified, and misfortunes would befall them.

And the current situation is simply an insult to the honor of the troops. For this reason, Ye Chenglin personally inspected the carefully constructed field fortifications, preparing to deal a fatal blow to the enemy.
“The entire brigade has stockpiled enough ammunition for one and a half battles!” he shouted at his officers. “Thirteen permanent fortifications made of reinforced concrete have been built; now it’s up to you!”
The officers erupted in thunderous cheers: “Kill the Brits!”
They were unaware of the Japanese forces approaching.