Chapter 88: Raising Wolves

  The ones blocked outside the Zhuque Gate were the Japanese Eighth Regiment, this was the authentic Osaka regiment. Because of the unfavorable war situation, the wounded soldiers filled the camp, and with the cold weather, the anxiety of being invaded, their homes and the uncertainty of their loved ones' lives, the entire regiment was now in a state of unease, even at midnight more than half of the soldiers were tossing and turning, some couldn't sleep and ran outside to cry. This point tonight can be said to have saved them to the greatest extent.

  Two Japanese soldiers who had just received news of their parents' tragic death at the hands of invaders from a notification letter from home, were comforting each other and crying bitterly outside the camp. They planned to turn their sorrow into strength and engage in a fierce battle with the brutal enemy tomorrow. Suddenly, they noticed something shiny in the distance, and there seemed to be many of them, sparkling like ripples on water under the moonlight. The two immediately became vigilant, stopped crying, and quietly approached with their rifles at the ready.

  Wearing crash helmets and preparing to charge the Japanese camp along the Taedong River, the mercenaries had no idea they had been discovered. If it weren't for their sinister appearance with gas masks on, they might have slipped past these two Japanese soldiers.

  Before their eyes appeared a round, rolling head reflecting a faint glow, a long pig-like snout and big, round egg-like eyes. The two Japanese soldiers instinctively let out a blood-curdling scream: "Monster!"

  Then immediately afterwards, bullets shot out from the hands of the quick-reacting mercenaries opposite them.

  The gunshot suddenly awakened the entire Eighth Alliance, but at first, including the alliance leader, they had not reacted yet. After all, according to theory, the Qing army in Pingchu was unlikely to have reinforcements. However, the whistling sound from the sky immediately made them sober up.

  "The whole camp was immediately filled with screams as shells rained down from the sky, followed by a series of not-too-loud explosions and then plumes of smoke suddenly rose up."

  "What's that?" The Japanese soldiers looked at each other in dismay, they had never seen a poison gas shell before. The Japanese government had also taken measures to seal off news of this cruel weapon, at least from their own soldiers, so as not to cause panic on the front lines. So when the thick smoke of mustard gas rose up, no one except the regimental commander realized that disaster was imminent.

  "Quickly cover your mouth and nose and evacuate the camp, this smoke is toxic!" The regimental commander shouted while covering his nose, but it was already too late. Besides, covering one's mouth and nose wouldn't do much good anyway, you can't just stop breathing, can you? He watched as large numbers of soldiers began to cough violently and squat on the ground, with those reacting more severely already lying on the ground convulsing.

  Just then the Zhuque Gate opened, with cavalry leading the way. More than 2,000 brave soldiers under Song Qing's leadership shouted and killed their way out. At first, some soldiers didn't have a handkerchief to cover their noses, but when they saw the miserable state of the Japanese army in front of them, they were frightened and quickly took out the prepared alkaline water wet handkerchiefs. The clever ones even covered their entire face, exposing only two eyes. Suddenly, a huge explosion sounded from within Pyongyang Castle behind them, and the soldiers at the back had detonated the ammunition.

  "Avoid the smoke, it's also harmful to your eyes!" Roy shouted as he rode his horse, wearing a simple gas mask he had made himself. His awkward Chinese words echoed through the air, and even Song Qing hastily dodged the toxic fumes. Unfortunately, at that moment, their horses refused to move forward. These animals with keen senses of smell knew that the smoke was not good without needing to get close, and they stubbornly refused to budge. As a result, the cavalry was quickly surpassed by the infantry, and the horsemen one by one dismounted their warhorses, wincing in pain.

  Roy had to abandon the thoroughbred he brought from Europe and join the fleeing crowd on foot. As for the Japanese soldiers in front of them, they were too busy coughing on the ground to stop them. Some kind-hearted Japanese soldiers couldn't help but do a good deed and gave them a finishing blow as they coughed up blood together.

  However, there were also brave soldiers who were knocked down by the poisonous fog. It's hard to avoid having a few people with unclear minds rushing in without covering their mouths and noses, only to be knocked down without hesitation. Even Jiang Gui was among them, that traitorous general of the Green Standard Army who had sold out Zhang Lezhang. He probably didn't take the foreign devil's words seriously, and as a result, he didn't even prepare a handkerchief, charging into the poisonous fog on horseback, then letting out a miserable cry as he was thrown off by his startled precious horse. Just as he was about to be disabled, a small soldier rushed forward and pulled him up, half-dragging and half-pulling him as they frantically ran forward.

  At this time, the dense gunfire had already been transmitted from the front. Under the leadership of the regimental commander, the remaining Japanese troops and the attacking mercenaries encountered each other. Many Japanese soldiers abandoned their helmets and armor, and some didn't even have guns. How could they withstand them? Moreover, these guys' appearance was too eerie. Thousands of monsters suddenly emerged from the darkness, many Japanese soldiers were frightened out of their wits, and even if they reacted, they subconsciously chose to flee.

  Only a few of the braver ones were left, and before they even made contact, they were riddled with bullets like hailstones. The soldier who was dragging Jiang Gui's body carefully tried to avoid the toxic fog as much as possible, and when he couldn't, he chose the thinnest part of it. Just as he was about to rush over, a strange creature suddenly appeared in front of him. His machete instinctively slashed down, but the creature raised its rifle to block the blow, then gestured for him to stop.

  That soldier immediately understood and quickly put away his saber. He then used a gloved hand to place something with a long nozzle over Jiang Gui's face and together they carried him out of the poisonous fog. At this time, most of the Yi army soldiers also rushed out, while those who didn't were likely left inside. Meanwhile, other Japanese troops from various battalions hastened towards them upon hearing the gunfire.

  Song Qing, who broke out of the Japanese army's blockade, didn't dare to hesitate for a moment. Under the protection of the mercenaries who came to meet them, they ran wildly along the Taedong River towards the coastline without stopping. From Pyongyang to Jinnampo, it was only tens of miles away, and by dawn, they had already seen the towering giant warships on the coast. At this time, the Japanese army had also caught up, and soon the sound of gunfire from the rearguard could be heard from behind.

  "Brother, have your men board first. I'll bring up the rear with my troops." Song Qing drew his waist knife and said to a military officer beside him.

  The officer with a steel helmet on his head smiled and waved his hand, only to see the warships in the distance suddenly flashing with firelight, shells whizzing overhead, followed by dense explosions coming from the position of the Japanese army behind him. Song Qing then knew he had worried for nothing.

  On the landing ship by the Zhenhai shore, 76mm naval guns continuously poured shells onto the Japanese pursuit troops, completely cutting off both sides with a hail of bullets. Under the leadership of those mercenaries, Song Qing and his soldiers quickly rushed into the landing ship, then the cabin door closed and the ballast tank was filled with water. As the weight increased, the originally stranded landing ship began to slowly retreat until the propeller entered the deep water area, then quickly drained the water as the weight decreased, and the bow broke free from the grounding state and sailed away from the coast.

  In the distance, Prince Kitashirakawa Nagahisa, who was watching this scene with binoculars, was so angry that he punched the big tree next to him with his fist, and the flesh in his mouth flew out. Moreover, thousands of Japanese army corpses were left for him, and the giant warship that charged directly onto the beach was too terrifying. No wonder that shameless villain could come and go freely in Osaka, and there was also that terrible poisonous gas. Just thinking about the soldiers he saw earlier in the Eighth Regiment's barracks, who even coughed up their burnt lungs, made him feel a chill run down his spine.

  Just as the Japanese army retreated with hatred, Yang Da Boss was also considering where to send Song Qing and his Yi Army. The order from Cixi was to send them to the mouth of the Qing River to support Iketa in Anzhou, while Li Er Guizi thought it would be better to have Yang Feng take them to Yashan to reinforce Liu Mingchuan. But this guy felt that taking them on a tour of Japan would be quite nice, and also let these Chinese soldiers who had been holed up at home for generations know the benefits of invading other countries.

  In the end, why do Chinese people lack a bit of wolf-like nature? It's because they've been invaded less, especially since the Song Dynasty, and have been bound by those twisted and evil ideologies. The entire nation has become weaker and weaker, and when it comes to internal conflicts, they're actually quite skilled at killing each other, with hundreds of millions dying without batting an eye. But as soon as they talk about going out to fight others, a whole bunch of saintly thoughts emerge, and even someone like Zhu Di who dared to expand the territory ended up being criticized for being a za (a derogatory term).

  This guy is going to gradually let the Chinese people know the benefits of aggression and expansion, letting the Yi army follow him to Sendai, waiting for the gold and silver to be snatched into their hands, and then one by one shining with golden light on their way back, while other armies can't help but drool. The rise of Erdao Fanzi 88

  As for Cixi's order, there is no need to make sense of it. At worst, tell her that the Qingchuan River mouth has frozen and the landing ship cannot dock. As for why the Dajiang River mouth, which is over a hundred miles away, does not freeze while the Qingchuan River mouth freezes, those profound scientific theories would be too complicated for an old woman like her to understand.

  But before that, Song Qing had to be informed first. The fleet, which was still moving, came to a stop. A landing ship then lowered a small boat and sent Song Qing and Ma Yukun over to the Nautilus. As for Jiang Guotie, he shouldn't disturb others' rescue efforts. He had inhaled too much toxic gas; if it weren't for a soldier picking him up, he might have become the first general officer casualty of this war.

  "General Song, I've long admired your name. Let's skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. As a businessman, I only do deals that benefit me, so I rescued you in exchange for a favor from you." Yang Feng said bluntly to the white-haired general.

  "Yang Lao Di, please speak, a life-saving favor, no matter what busy or urgent matters the army has, we will not decline. Even if it's a mountain of knives and a sea of fire, it's just one word." Song Qing said with a smile.

  "It's simple, I think you should know that my brother has already conquered Osaka, next I will go to conquer Sendai, you have to help me." Yang Feng said.