“What’s going on? What was that noise just now?”
Inside the Two-River Governor’s Mansion, Zeng Guofan was startled by the loud noise and couldn’t help but shout in panic.
“Master, it’s not good. The rebels have blown up the city wall and have already entered the city!” the steward reported.
“What? It’s over. It’s completely over!” Zeng Guofan was immediately disheartened.
“Order the servants to defend the mansion gate. When the rebels, no, the Beiyang Army attacks, I will meet their commander!” Zeng Guofan instructed.
Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang had, after all, worked together for a while.
Initially, Li Hongzhang was Zeng Guofan’s strategist. And Zeng Guofan was Zeng Guofan’s own brother. The two of them still had some friendship.
Zeng Guofan now hoped that Li Hongzhang, for old times’ sake, could let him off.
Not to mention anything else, his wife and children needed to be protected, right?
It didn’t matter whether he was an official or not. He was already this old anyway.
As long as he could enjoy his old age and his family was safe and sound, that would be enough.
“Yes, Master!” the steward nodded repeatedly.
Outside the city, Feng Guo Zhang, the Major General commanding the 3rd Infantry Division of the Beiyang Army, issued the order to attack.
The Beiyang soldiers, who had long been prepared, rushed into Nanjing City from the breach in the city wall.
For a moment, gunfire rang out in the city.
“Da da da!”
On the Beiyang side, heavy machine guns and mortars were all moving with the troops, providing ample firepower support for the attacking forces. This meant that even in urban warfare, the Beiyang Army had an overwhelming advantage in firepower.
Moreover, the Qing soldiers inside Nanjing City were only a very small minority who dared to resist.
Even the Bannermen wouldn’t fight to the death for the Qing Dynasty against the Beiyang Army, let alone the Green Battalions and the local militia.
When the Beiyang soldiers shouted the slogan "Surrender and you will not be killed, lay down your weapons and you will be spared," a large number of Qing soldiers surrendered to the Beiyang Army.
As a result, the Beiyang Army encountered little resistance within Nanjing City.
By the time the sun set, the Beiyang Army had basically taken control of Nanjing City.
Zeng Guofan, the Governor of Two-River, and Tan Bi Li, the Nanjing Garrison Commander, surrendered to the Beiyang Army.
Feng Kun, the Nanjing General, and Lian Qing, the Deputy Garrison Commander of Nanjing, led their troops to resist. After being surrounded by the Beiyang Army, they also laid down their weapons and surrendered.
Only Zhong Yun, the Deputy Garrison Commander of Jingkou, was very stubborn, refusing to surrender, and was consequently blown to pieces by a Beiyang artillery shell.
Most of the more than 100,000 Qing troops gathered in Nanjing City surrendered to the Beiyang Army, with only a small number fleeing after the Beiyang Army entered the city.
It could be said that the Beiyang Army achieved a major victory in the Battle of Nanjing.
Afterwards, Major General Feng Guo Zhang sent people to report the news to Li Jingyuan. At the same time, he also began to dispatch troops to attack the southern part of Jiangsu.
He clearly remembered his promise to Li Jingyuan to capture the entire Jiangsu Province, including the southern part, within a month.
Especially Songjiang Prefecture, he had to capture it.
The Jiangnan Manufactory there was the Beiyang Army's next important arsenal.
After the Battle of Nanjing, the Qing troops on the ground in Jiangsu Province were almost completely wiped out.
Faced with the Beiyang Army's subsequent offensive, they were completely unable to resist.
Wherever the Beiyang Army went, the Qing troops fled in fear.
The prefectures and counties all opened their gates to surrender.
The enthusiastic people welcomed the army with food and water, awaiting their arrival as if they were liberators.
Especially the poor farmers, they had long known about the Beiyang Army's land distribution system and had been eagerly looking forward to their arrival.
This allowed the Beiyang Army to quickly gain control of southern Jiangsu.
On November 25th, a Beiyang Army infantry battalion entered Songjiang Prefecture, Hai County.
An infantry company even set up machine guns and mortars directly outside the International Settlement, causing the foreigners inside to be very nervous, fearing that the Beiyang Army would attack the settlement.
At the same time, the 9th Infantry Division of the Beiyang Army also achieved victory in its operations in Anhui Province.
The Qing troops in Anhui Province suffered heavy casualties and were severely defeated.
The entire Anhui Province soon fell into the hands of the Beiyang Army.
In the entire jurisdiction of the Two-River Governor's Mansion, only Jiangxi Province remained under Qing control.
But with Jiangsu and Anhui provinces successively falling, the Qing troops in Jiangxi Province were also terrified, afraid that the Beiyang Army would attack them. How could they possibly resist?
The 2nd Infantry Division, the 6th Infantry Division, and the 8th Infantry Division of the Beiyang Army were also very successful in their operations in Henan Province.
Major General Duan Qi Rui, commanding the 2nd Infantry Division, led his troops to fight steadily. By mid-November, they had already captured the entire Henan Province.
Afterwards, the 6th Infantry Division stayed behind to guard against the Qing troops from Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, while ensuring the Beiyang Army's rule in Henan.
Duan Qi Rui, leading the 2nd Infantry Division and the 8th Infantry Division, moved south to attack Hubei Province.
Rong Lu, the Governor of Huguang, led the Qing troops from Hubei and Hunan provinces to resist the Beiyang Army's attack.
But the two sides were vastly different in strength. It was almost impossible for the Qing troops to resist the Beiyang Army's attack.
For a time, the Beiyang Army's counterattack had already achieved a major victory!