Chapter 216: Feeding the Horses (Continued)

The Black Flag Army sent only an advance company, but their artillery charged desperately, forcing their way to the riverbank ahead of the infantry. Two shells sent the defending troops into utter chaos, knocking down a large number of them at once.

Then the Black Flag Army’s rifles opened fire, turning the riverbank into a hell on earth. Cries and sobs filled the air as tens of thousands of people lost control and struggled to move forward. From time to time, someone was trampled underfoot and never rose again.

Officers and soldiers jumped into the river like dumplings being dropped into boiling water. With no boats available, they had no choice but to swim across with empty hands. Some unlucky ones were even pushed into the river by the crowd.

The situation was in complete chaos. The Black Flag Army didn’t know what to do with such a massive crowd of civilians and soldiers. Watching the crowds surge back and forth, they could only fire a few shells to suppress them before sending soldiers with bayonets forward, shouting, “Surrender, and you’ll live!”

It took the Black Flag Army a whole day and night to deal with tens of thousands of captives by the river. They found it as difficult as fighting a major battle against the Qing army.

In the areas south of the Yangtze River, apart from Wang Debang’s Hunan troops and a small number of Hubei troops who had crossed earlier, nearly all forty battalions there had been wiped out. In Hanyang and Hankou north of the Yangtze River, although the Governor of Huguang still had some somewhat combat-effective troops, they were not fit for battle.

Thinking of this, the Governor of Huguang, who had abandoned the provincial capital Wuchang, felt murderous rage. If not for Wang Debang’s failure to seize the opportunity, why would he now have so few troops? If Wang Debang had been willing to risk his life, Wuchang wouldn’t have even been able to mount a defense before being breached by the advancing Black Flag Army.

In fact, neither the Black Flag Army nor the Qing army expected Wuchang to fall so easily. The Black Flag Army had planned to bombard the city with artillery and then carry out a bombing attack under machine gun cover. Yet an advance company had already swept through most of Wuchang and reached the riverbank. Now, with just a few infantry battalions, they had taken over the entire city with almost no serious resistance. The dispirited defenders had tried to hold onto the river but couldn’t even find a boat.

While they couldn’t find boats, the Black Flag Army already had them.

Jing Shiyi received the news almost as soon as he arrived in Wuchang: “Boats are here! Boats are here!”

Wang Debang naturally couldn’t control all the river ferries, but many forces supporting the Black Flag Army—such as banks and finance companies in Wuhan, the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, and some ambitious individuals—had prepared boats for them to cross the Yangtze River.

As the detachment leader, Jing Shiyi quickly understood the situation: “There are five small steamers and several small fishing boats. People on the other side are ready to stage an uprising at the docks to support us. One reinforced infantry battalion can cross at a time, along with an artillery company!”

Liu Yu had no plan for the next steps after capturing Wuchang and only ordered his troops to act as appropriate. But even Jing Shiyi, who was usually cautious, saw an opportunity: “Organize the crossing immediately! The entire detachment must cross the Yangtze River today and capture Hanyang!”

At present, about two-thirds of the troops of the Jing Shi Yi detachment have arrived in Wuhan. Infantry and artillery units from other units have also been temporarily placed under the command of the Jing Shi Yi detachment. Though exhausted, their morale is high.

The one who led the uprising in Hanyang to support the Black Flag Army was Chen Feipeng, a battalion officer of the Hubei army. Seeing the defeat of the troops at the front line, he became tempted. Almost simultaneously with the Black Flag Army crossing the river, he led his men to kill two Manchu sentries: “Brothers, the Black Flag Army is here! Let’s turn sides!”
“Brothers, the Black Flag Army has arrived! We’ll all be heroes for turning sides!”

As the saying goes, soldiers follow their leaders. With his call, the entire battalion defected, seized the docks, and opened fire on the Qing troops across the river: “We’ve turned sides! You should come over too!”
“Damn it, why didn’t you tell me? Stop fighting! We’re turning sides too!”
“They’ve defected! They’ve defected!”

Before the Black Flag Army’s crossing force could cross the river, the Qing troops here were already in chaos. Under pressure, two and a half more battalions joined the rebellion. They not only occupied the docks but also attacked with white towels tied around their arms.

The situation was chaotic. The Hubei general and the governor of Huguang didn’t have many capable troops, so they couldn’t even stop the rebels’ advance. The Hubei general fled the city with the Eight Banners troops, and the Green Standard Army followed suit.

By the time the Black Flag Army transported an additional reinforced battalion ashore, the battle situation was completely out of control. After all, one of their reinforced battalions was equivalent to at least five infantry battalions for the Qing forces. The defenders of Hanyang, already panicked, fled the city immediately to avoid being completely annihilated by the Black Flag Army.

By the next morning, the headquarters of the Jing Shi Yi detachment had crossed the river, and Liu Yu had arrived in Wuchang. The Black Flag Army’s signal troops were organizing the deployment of cable lines beneath the river. New news came that the Qing troops in Hankou had surrendered without a fight and had all withdrawn.

Jing Shi Yi temporarily sent a reinforced company to Hankou. Now all three towns of Wuhan were in the hands of the Black Flag Army. Liu Yu’s plan to capture Hunan and Hubei and control the Yangtze River was essentially complete.

However, Jing Shi Yi was also aware that the campaign in Hunan and Hubei was largely over. Moving further north would mean heading to Henan via Jigong Mountain. But the Black Flag Army’s front line was already stretched too thin. Apart from clearing out remaining Qing troops near Hankou and Hanyang, there would be no major military actions in the short term.

Still, Jing Shi Yi greatly admired Liu Yu’s foresight. Who would have thought that Changsha and Wuhan, two provincial capitals, could be captured so easily? Especially Wuhan, with tens of thousands of Qing troops stationed there, ultimately surrendered without a fight. The Black Flag Army hardly had any chance to fight; they simply accepted surrender.

Yet, just by glancing at the map, Jing Shi Yi felt deep pride. From Guangdong and Guangxi to Hunan and Hubei, the Black Flag Army’s influence had spread far and wide. Although there were still large groups of Qing troops lurking around, they posed no threat at the moment. As Liu Yu put it, “We hold one-third of the land!”

At this time, Liu Yu received the angry final ultimatum from the British consul: “On behalf of the Government of the British Kingdom, I hereby issue a written declaration that the British Empire has special interests along the Yangtze River. The Kingdom’s government hopes that your forces will not cross the river. Additionally, the Kingdom’s government is temporarily tolerating your occupation of Wuchang City…” “However, there are numerous British businesses in Hanyang and Hankou; no form of infringement is permitted, nor are any attempts by your forces to attack these two cities allowed…” The consul had not yet received news that Hanyang and Hankou had been captured by the Black Flag Army.