Chapter 220: Clash of Iron and Blood (Part 1)

Almost simultaneously with the French army’s cries of pain came silence beneath Dongguan City. That morning, only the faint sound of the wind could be heard, along with the heavy breathing of comrades. Thousands of Black Flag Army soldiers waited quietly in their labyrinthine positions, ready for battle to begin.
It was so quiet that everyone longed for a gust of wind to break the stillness. The silence had set in since last night. Many veterans who had fought against the French used their experience to tell the newcomers, “Something big is going to happen today. Just wait for those Japanese to come—we’ll take care of them!”
On many nights before the battles against the French, it had been just as quiet as last night, except that there had been intense gunfire before then. Starting from the afternoon of the day before yesterday, both sides engaged in fierce skirmishes. The reconnaissance units of the Black Flag Army, the Dongguan Independent Battalion, an enhanced infantry company, along with some captured armed forces, launched several attacks almost daily to drive away the Japanese reconnaissance teams.
The battles raged all day long. The Japanese suffered losses greater than those incurred in the first half month of fighting. The Black Flag Army even encircled and annihilated a Japanese cavalry scouting unit that had rashly charged forward—none of the thirteen Japanese cavalrymen escaped, and eight of the thirteen fine American horses were killed, becoming extra food for the soldiers. The remaining seven horses held special significance.
Thanks to those five American horses provided by the Japanese, along with dozens of other horses captured later—both American and Mongolian—Ye Chenglin’s brigade formed an independent cavalry company. This company was later expanded into an independent cavalry battalion of the Western Expeditionary Army, and eventually into the First Independent Cuirassier Regiment of Siberia and the First Independent Cuirassier Brigade of Siberia. These units eventually became the precursors to the Republic of China’s first motorized and mechanized forces.
The officers of the Black Flag Army were unaware of such significant historical changes. They only felt, “These Orientals are really desperate—they know how to fight with bayonets and guns. They’re not easy to deal with!”
After two days of fighting, the Black Flag Army had killed nearly 200 enemies and gained a clear understanding of the enemy’s combat strength. Knowing the enemy was formidable, they were prepared for a tough battle.
On the other hand, Oyama Iwao also felt that Hakuishi Kenzo’s intelligence was suspicious. Over the past two days, he had sent a cavalry squadron and more infantry squadrons to secure starting positions for his infantry. However, the enemy was equipped with numerous machine guns and had strong firepower under artillery support, repeatedly driving back the Japanese scouts.
After two days, the Japanese had suffered nearly 200 casualties before barely securing a position near Dongguan City and getting most of their infantry in position. Yet their artillery and supply units were separated from the main force. So far, only half of their artillery pieces had arrived, and they had less than half the required ammunition.
All this surprised Oyama Iwao. But Naiki Shiden, the commander of the Second Brigade, loudly asked, “Lord Oyama Iwao, may we begin the attack?”
“Idiot!” Oyama Iwao cursed inwardly. “What else do you know besides attacking?”

This Nogi was the man who lost his regimental flag during the Southwest War; an entire infantry regiment was nearly wiped out under his incompetent leadership. Thinking of Nogi’s “glorious” history only made Oyama Iwao feel even more troubled. The regimental flag is the soul of a unit, yet Nogi lost it without being punished and continued to rise in rank—this could only mean he had backers. In the early days of the Japanese army, those with connections could act with impunity; Yamagata Aritomo could lend a tenth of the national budget to friends who would lose everything, yet face no consequences. Nogi, backed by Kodama Gentarō and Yamagata Aritomo, even took on the prestigious role of brigade commander after being sent to study in Europe, leaving Oyama Iwao, the army commander, deeply perplexed. “The great sword has yet to be wielded; years of imperial favor have gone to waste. Pouring out my last drops of wine in drunken dreams, I’ll conquer all 400 provinces of China… Oyama-kun, this is a perfect chance to eliminate the Black Flag Army—there’s no need for further hesitation!” Clearly, Nogi was confident: “We have 14,000 troops at the battlefield, with 6,000 British-Indian troops on the flanks and over 10,000 Qing troops covering the sides. With just one strike today, the Chinese defenses will crumble like sandcastles…” Oyama Iwao’s initial hesitation was now clearly dispelled. The results of the recent battles had drastically changed his perception of the Black Flag Army—from “their defenses being roughly equivalent to one Japanese infantry regiment” to “equivalent to one well-equipped Japanese infantry regiment.” “Well-equipped” was his first impression. But his assessment stopped there; among the Qing troops, he also saw some with fine equipment, yet these units lacked fighting spirit and would collapse on their own even without facing the Japanese. Thus, Oyama quickly made up his mind: “Fire five shells per cannon quickly to suppress the Chinese forces; the infantry should prepare bayonets and charge…” Meanwhile, on the Black Flag Army’s positions, soldiers were enjoying breakfast. It combined Chinese and Western dishes—barrels of wine imported from Vietnam were opened, French canned goods were available in abundance, along with delicious Western pastries. There were also plenty of Chinese dishes. Soldiers who preferred baijiu were fortunate, as steaming hot meals were prepared, and those with different tastes could have special dishes made in the main kitchen. Tobacco was ready, and the military supply shop offered special stock today—five pounds per person. As for ammunition, each rifle was stocked with 200 rounds, and each cannon had 60 rounds per base, with an additional base of ammunition stored in the brigade’s logistics department. Zhang Tao enjoyed this rare breakfast, eyes half-closed, watching the distant battlefield, hoping this last meal wouldn’t be interrupted so easily. But his wish wasn’t fulfilled—he soon saw the Rising Sun flags in the distance; the Japanese army had begun to assemble. They too had their last breakfast—two rice balls each.

Due to logistical reasons, these two types of onigiri were specially prepared by an entire battalion of soldiers at dawn. As a result, this infantry battalion was left behind and is likely to miss the battle in the morning. The only good news is that another 300 shells were delivered, which boosted the Japanese troops’ confidence greatly. The artillery unit hastily set up its positions, and after observation, the artillery squadron leader shouted, “Long live the Empire! The first shot must hit—fire!” “Fire!” “Fire!”