Chapter 205: Determination (Part 2)

Over the past twenty years since its end, the Battle of Guilin has gained world-class recognition. In the history classes of some Western countries, the account of the defense of Guilin even takes precedence over the fall of Constantinople, becoming a must-read and must-learn topic.

In these history textbooks, the significance of the defense of Guilin far exceeds that of Constantinople or Vienna, which was defended by the Imperial Guard. It is described as a decisive battle between civilization and darkness, between barbarism and order—historians from the American Republic summarize it in such solemn terms.

“Amidst endless darkness, the great Battle of Guilin stands as the brightest star of light. At that moment, the great and ancient Central Dynasty unleashed all its strength to resist the black rebels emerging from the forests, engaging in a heroic and stirring struggle…”

“We must emphasize that there were only ten thousand defenders inside Guilin City—no food, no uniforms, no weapons. Yet faced with brutal attacks, they uttered the loudest voices of resistance. Although some criticize their shortcomings, we must acknowledge these real-life examples of courage!”

“Faced by these barbaric black rebels, cities with strong defenses and numerous troops—such as Nanjing and Xuzhou in China, Rangoon in Asia, Tokyo, Jakarta, and even the fortified bastions of the civilized world like Vienna and Berlin—all fell into perpetual darkness after brief resistance!”

“But Guilin’s performance at that moment will be forever etched in history. Though the official histories compiled by the evil empire claim they captured Guilin in just one week, they are forced to admit their repeated failures in attacking the city!”

“Based on our most precious documents—diaries and memoirs of the resistors—since the Black Flag Army invaded Guangxi, the city resisted for a full one and a half months. Even from the start of the external attacks until October 7th, when the defenders were completely wiped out, the city held its ground for twenty days under the assault of 160,000 black rebels!”

“The evil empire, under the guise of republicanism and revival, stirs up conflicts everywhere in the world, attacking the peace-loving and democratic American people and seizing countless of our interests. Yet they cannot hide the fact that they suffered heavy losses in this small city!”

“According to conscientious Chinese young historians, during the War against France, the French General Staff estimated that the Black Flag Army had 200,000 troops. Based on documents seized from the combatants, four-fifths of their forces were deployed in this campaign—meaning the number of barbaric invaders attacking Guilin reached 160,000.”

“The official histories of the black rebels admit that after the Battle of Guilin, one of their infantry brigades had fewer than one infantry regiment left—meaning they lost over half of their forces. In this glorious battle, the defenders, through their bravery, tenacity, and fierce struggle, made the barbaric rebels pay a price of over 100,000 lives!”

“This battle is so glorious that it will be remembered by every citizen of the Christian world!”

The above is excerpted from “The Truth About the Black Flag Army – Barbarity and Massacres” (published by the Republic Governed by the People of America in 1919).
……
But for the true defenders of this city, their lives were quite different.
Beyond the brief bursts of gunfire, two Qing soldiers in uniforms retreated beneath the city walls, not daring to show even a hint of themselves, shouting at each other, “Be careful, be careful!”
A few of the new recruits, thinking they were already cautious enough, said, “It can’t really be that bad, right?”
“Nonsense! If you don’t want your head blown off, don’t show yourself! I’ve seen five people get shot in the head right there!”
“That’s right. The marksmen of the Black Flag Army are incredible. I saw the battalion commander show his face on the city wall and get shot in the head on the spot!”
“Fortunately, back then they targeted only the officials, so my head stayed intact!”
The new recruits’ faces turned pale with fear. They were conscripts brought from the countryside, having never even killed a chicken before. Someone asked, “Why haven’t they attacked yet?”
“How can they not attack? They attacked fiercely in the first three days, killing and wounding thousands of people in the city. Smell this!”
It was the unbearable stench of corpses, which scared the recruits even more. An old soldier smiled bitterly and said, “In other battles, we might have tried to scare you off, newbies, so that all the equipment would fall into our hands. But this time, it’s different!”
“The Black Flag Army has guns and cannons. Once they start firing, it’s like a rain of bullets—no one survives. This time, it’s not the newbies who are fleeing; it’s the experienced soldiers!”
“That’s true. Every battalion is in terror. Those who can run do so. I heard even the nominal commander has fled!”
“The nominal commander has fled three times, taking his personal guards with him. It’s a blessing to be just an ordinary citizen. Two nominal governors have also fled. In our battalion, out of over 360 men, more than 60 have died or been wounded, and 120 have fled—filled in by you newbies!”
“When the time comes, just fire a couple of shots and run too. There’s no need to die for them. With our meager pay, firing a couple of shots is enough as compensation!”
The Black Flag Army pressed forward relentlessly, leaving the city’s defenders with no time to think about such trivial matters. But now that they had time, they began to consider their own futures.
In just three days, hundreds of people fled the city every day, with some days seeing over a thousand flee. An entire infantry battalion simply deserted en masse. Everyone knew staying in Guilin was a death sentence.
It wasn’t just the soldiers and lower-ranking officers fleeing; the most alarming sign was that even the middle-ranking officers in charge of the troops were starting to run away—some heading back to their hometowns, others surrendering to the Black Flag Army.
Li Bingheng did try to launch surprise attacks outside the city, but the results were swift. An infantry battalion set out less than half an hour ago and was completely surrounded. Out of 370 people, only 13 returned, five of whom were released after being persuaded to surrender.
As for the reinforcements from outside, they too were completely defeated by the Black Flag Army, leaving no resources for the defenders. The defenders also began to realize they were running out of food and ammunition.

It’s simply unbelievable. According to Li Bingheng’s plans, Guilin should have had enough military provisions and weapons for over half a year, yet within just seven days, shortages began to arise, and even military pay became difficult to manage.
On the city walls, this manifested as extremely low morale: “It’s already a fortune that we all share the same food. I originally wanted to flee too, but my second uncle is here—he raised me. I owe it to him, but to be honest, we can’t hold this city!”
“If we can’t hold it, we still have to be true to ourselves!”
Just as they were speaking, suddenly the sky echoed with countless thunderclaps, and the ground shook violently. The Black Flag Army launched a full-scale attack.