Chapter 200: The Decisive Battle (Part 1)

The sound of slaughter filled the air as the Black Flag Army’s assault was like a storm, turning the entire battlefield into ruins ravaged by a typhoon.
The situation changed in an instant. The Qing troops stared in shock as a grass-green figure suddenly moved with agility. Armed with pitch-black rifles, they charged at them with gleaming bayonets at the muzzle.
The artillery fire grew denser. The Qing troops couldn’t see their own cannons firing; all they saw were flags being torn down by sniper fire, with officers collapsing to the ground, half-covered in blood, never to rise again.
“Kill… kill them!!!”
The battlefield was now deafening with gunshots and artillery blasts. Many were covered in gray-black gunpowder dust. They screamed loudly, yet those around them could only hear the roar of gunfire and couldn’t make out what their comrades nearby were saying.
But the cries of the Black Flag Army pierced through the noise, reaching their ears. Seeing the enemy advancing like tigers, many Qing soldiers felt their hands go weak, unsure where to aim their guns.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
After firing their bullets, they couldn’t reload. Seeing the black double willow-leaf flags, their legs turned to water as a barrage of bullets came from the enemy. Unable to hold on any longer, a young officer threw down his flag and turned to run, shouting, “The Black Flag bandits are too strong! If caught, we’ll be beheaded! Run!”
His unit reacted quickly, following him as they abandoned their equipment and even their flags.
This was just the first wave of the storm. On every front, the Qing troops felt as though the enemy numbers had doubled. They were now at a complete disadvantage, with countless deaths and injuries from falling shells.
Seeing Qing soldiers in uniform retreating in disarray, the enemy cheered. Some followed in their footsteps, while others shouted at their officers, “Retreat! Save some of us for our unit!”
When the main force of the Second Xiliu Regiment attacked, they became even more panicked. One group after another of Qing soldiers fled the battlefield.
Seeing this, Wang Debang was furious: “Execute them on the spot! Execute them now!”
His personal guards rushed forward, beheading many enemies and driving back hundreds of retreating soldiers, showing even greater bravery than the Black Flag Army.
Yet across the entire front, the Qing troops were like sheep driven by tigers. Though some camps still held their ground, few could resist until the end.
They hadn’t completely collapsed because the Black Flag Army had deployed only one infantry regiment across the whole front—a pitiful three infantry battalions of 1,500 men—while the Qing forces numbered over twenty battalions, with seven to eight thousand soldiers in battle.

“Reinforcements are coming! Tell Pan Dingxin that if he refuses to help, I won’t spare him even after my death! Hurry!”
By now, Wang Debang was completely lost control. Apart from a small number of his personal troops, he couldn’t command the other battalions at all and could only watch as chaos reigned at the front line.
The Black Flag Army had captured several fortresses in succession. Especially after their main forces joined the battle, their offensive became even more fierce, capturing three strongholds in one go.
Although they suffered heavy losses in the battles, they had taken complete control of the battlefield and were now attacking the fourth fortress.
“Should we send troops in?”
On the city walls, Tang Jingsong hesitated again as he heard the sounds of fighting. He didn’t know how many reinforcements the Black Flag Army had, only that even if they repelled this wave of reinforcements, Taiyuan should still be able to hold out.
After all, the ten battalions defending the city weren’t there for nothing. But he hesitated whether to send more troops to reinforce them. Initially, when his generals requested reinforcements, he only sent one reinforced company out to attack. Although they achieved some success, the situation at the front line had now reached a stalemate.
Seeing the urgency of the battle, Tang Jingsong was anxious but couldn’t make a final decision. Finally, he gritted his teeth and said, “Send another company!”
Although he considered himself like Ban Chao, in actual combat, he acted like a scholar and failed to achieve anything significant. Several battalion commanders said in unison, “There are at least six or seven enemy battalions ahead. What’s the use of adding one company? We should send at least two companies!”
“If we can’t even take down two companies, we should also send in more 82mm mortars!”
Tang Jingsong’s face stiffened. “As long as we can hold Taiyuan, that will be a great achievement! Send one company!”
One officer gave his colleague a wink. “As you command!”
But after stepping back, he said, “We’re veterans of the Xiliu Camp. We won’t listen to this idiot. How can two companies possibly succeed?”
“That’s right! Tang Jingsong knows nothing about military affairs!”
“We won’t listen to him!”
“Listen to me! At least one battalion needs to be sent in!”
“Two battalions—one to attack, one as a reserve!” the officer said decisively. “If anything goes wrong, I’ll take responsibility in front of the commander!”
“That’s right! I suggest sending in all available infantry and artillery reinforcements!”
Although it was planned to have one battalion attacking and one as a reserve, in practice, a strategy of heavier forces at the front and lighter forces at the back was adopted. Only half a battalion was kept as a reserve, ready to be reinforced at any time.
“Charge!”
When the two infantry battalions launched their attack, though not as elite as the Second Regiment of Xiliu, they fought with great momentum under the command of the Black Flag Army’s veterans, who had considerable combat experience. They managed to break through the Qing army’s front-line infantry battalion and capture four rapid-fire cannons.
Once they seized the artillery positions, the Black Flag Army’s offensive gained even more strength. The four two-pound rapid-fire cannons were turned to bombard the Qing army’s positions behind them, leaving Pan Dingxin extremely anxious.
What seemed like a sure victory had now turned into a critical situation. That useless Wang Debang couldn’t even hold off the Black Flag Army’s offensive with over twenty battalions, and four or five more battalions from inside the city were adding to the chaos.

“It now depends on Yunnan. It seems we won’t be able to take Taiyuan City!” He turned to look at Su Yuanchun, his most trusted general: “It seems we’ll have to rely on Yuanchun’s tactics!”
Su Yuanchun was quite confident: “General, just rest assured! If I can’t return with a complete victory this time, I’ll bring their heads back!”
This was Pan Ding’s best unit.