111: Chapter 21 Suppressing the Northern Rebellion

## I. Snowy Night March

The winter of 1904 was exceptionally cold.

Li Ling stood before the window of the temporary command post, watching the heavy, swirling snow outside.

This was the last snow before the destruction of the Northern rebels.

He had waited three months, waiting precisely for this day.

Ever since the news of the destruction of the United Fleet and the surrender of Japan spread across the nation, those warlords who had been restless became like cats whose tails had been stepped on, causing an uproar.

The three largest factions in the North—Yuan Shikai, who occupied Zhili; Warlord Yan Xishan, who held Shanxi; and Zhang Zuolin, who controlled the Northeast—finally set aside their mutual grievances under the secret mediation of the foreign powers and formed a loose "Northern Alliance."

They declared that they wanted to "defend the North and resist the aggression of the Southern warlords," but in reality, anyone could see that what they feared was Li Ling's Northern Expedition, and they feared losing their own little patches of territory.

"My Lord, the Reconnaissance Balloon has sent back the latest intelligence." An adjutant pushed the door open, holding a stack of photos, "The main force of the rebels has advanced south from Baoding and is expected to arrive at the banks of the Yellow River in three days. The total force is about 150,000, equipped mainly with old-fashioned rifles. There are not many artillery pieces, and the ammunition reserves are estimated to be enough for only a medium-scale battle."

Li Ling took the photos and examined them one by one carefully.

The photos were taken by the Reconnaissance Balloon at an altitude of 3,000 meters; although the clarity could not compare with satellites, it was sufficient to clearly see the rebels' marching columns, supply convoys, and cavalry scouts.

Judging from the photos, the rebels' formation was loose and slack, with excessive spacing, and there was even a gap of over ten kilometers between the supply convoys and the main force.

"Yuan Shikai is in such a hurry to seek death." Li Ling sneered and spread the photos on the table, "150,000 people, a formation stretched out for dozens of miles, supply lines exposed, and not even basic anti-aircraft reconnaissance. Does he think I won't attack him, or does he think I will wait until he is ready before I strike?"

The Chief of Staff walked over, looked at the photos, and frowned, saying, "My Lord, Yuan Shikai cannot be so stupid as to act like this. Could it be a trap? Pretending to be weak on purpose to lure us into the hook?"

"It is possible." Li Ling nodded, "But regardless of whether it is a trap or not, we must fight this battle. It is winter now, and the Yellow River is frozen, so his heavy equipment cannot cross the river. Once spring arrives and the ice melts, he will be able to use the natural barrier of the Yellow River to hold his position. By then, it will be much more difficult for us to cross the river."

He turned and walked to the map, pointing to several ferry crossings along the Yellow River.

"Therefore, we must annihilate his main force north of the Yellow River before spring. We cannot let him cross the river, nor can we let him retreat back to Baoding. Right here on this plain, we will swallow him up in one bite."

## II. Besiege the Point to Strike the Reinforcements

The war council was convened that evening.

Li Ling stood in front of the map, holding a long, thin wooden stick, and drew a large circle on the plain north of the Yellow River.

"Yuan Shikai's goal is very clear—to take advantage of the frozen Yellow River to cross from the ice, establish a bridgehead in Henan, and then advance north to threaten our base." He paused, his gaze sweeping over all the generals present, "But we will not let him have his way."

The wooden stick pointed to several key positions on the map.

"The First Army Group will be deployed along the Zhengzhou-Kaifeng line on the south bank of the Yellow River to closely monitor the situation of the ice on the Yellow River. Once it is discovered that the rebels are attempting to cross the river, use artillery fire to intercept them immediately. There is no cover on the ice; a single shell can kill dozens of people. I do not need you to fight beautifully, I only need you to fight fiercely and quickly, so that the rebels dare not stay on the ice."

"The Second Army Group will advance westward from the direction of Shandong to cut off the rebels' retreat. If Yuan Shikai finds that he cannot cross the river, he will inevitably retreat to Baoding. We must set an ambush on their retreat route and catch him off guard."

"The Third Army Group, as the general reserve, must be ready to provide support at any time."

"The Special Forces and the Air Force are responsible for destroying the rebels' command system and supply lines. I have already marked the targets for you—Yuan Shikai's command post, communication hubs, ammunition depots, and supply convoys. Once these are destroyed, his 150,000 men will be like a flock of headless flies."

After the meeting ended, Li Ling remained alone in the command post. He leaned back in a rattan chair and closed his eyes, but in his mind, he was repeatedly simulating the war situation. The movements of every army, every possible variable, and every response plan passed through his mind countless times.

"System, do you think I am overthinking things?" He murmured in his heart.

Silence.

"System?"

Still silence.

Li Ling sighed. He was already used to the system being offline every other day. Ever since the system said something about "finding an interesting singing and dancing system and needing to go exchange ideas" last time, it had often disappeared. Sometimes it wouldn't show up for days, and sometimes it would just pop up to say "I'm busy" before vanishing again.

"Forget it, as long as you are happy." Li Ling muttered, and continued to study the map.

## III. Airstrike

The battle broke out in the early morning three days later.

Li Ling mobilized all twelve biplanes, each carrying four 50-kilogram aerial bombs. Although the payload was not large, for the rebels who had never seen an airplane before, this was already a dimensionality-reduction strike.

Just as the sky was beginning to brighten, the twelve planes took off from the temporary airfield, formed into three four-plane formations, and flew toward the rear of the rebels. Their target was the rebel ammunition depot and supply warehouse outside Baoding—the nest egg that Yuan Shikai had spent half a year accumulating.

The rebel sentries were the first to discover the planes.

"What is that? A big bird?"

"It's not a bird, it's an iron lump! There are people on it!"

"Run! Run!"

But they could not run away.

In the first wave of bombing, eight bombs landed precisely on the roof of the ammunition depot. The violent explosions were deafening; orange-red fireballs shot into the sky, and mushroom cloud-like smoke rose hundreds of meters into the air. The gunpowder, artillery shells, and bullets stored inside the ammunition depot were detonated, and the explosions were continuous, like a massive earthquake that lasted for half an hour.

In the second wave of bombing, the targets shifted to the supply warehouses. Food, clothing, medicine, building materials... everything turned to ashes in the fire. Rebel soldiers around the warehouses were knocked to the ground by the shockwaves; some were blown to pieces, and others were choked by the thick smoke, unable to breathe.

In the third wave of bombing, the planes' machine guns began to strafe. Dense bullets poured down on the rebel camp like a rainstorm, the tents were riddled with holes, and soldiers who couldn't dodge in time fell in droves.

Air Force Commander Zhao Peng, piloting the lead plane, circled the battlefield once, and after confirming that all targets had been destroyed, ordered the return via radio.

"My Lord, mission accomplished." He reported over the radio, his voice slightly trembling with excitement.

Li Ling in the command post put down the receiver, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned. He turned to the Chief of Staff and said, "Order the First Army Group and the Second Army Group to advance simultaneously and deploy according to the plan."

"Yes!"

## IV. Banks of the Yellow River

That same morning, Yuan Shikai's vanguard arrived at the north bank of the Yellow River.

The general leading the unit was named Duan Qirui, Yuan Shikai's number one fierce general. This man was in his early forties, burly, with a full beard, and was known for his bravery in battle. He rode a tall horse, stood on the bank of the Yellow River, and looked at the wide expanse of ice in front of him, his brows tightly locked.

"General, the ice is very thick, even horse-drawn carriages can pass." An engineering officer ran over to report, "We have already drilled several holes in the ice and measured the thickness; even the thinnest part is half a foot, absolutely no problem."

Duan Qirui did not immediately order the crossing. He looked up at the sky, always feeling that something was not quite right. It was too quiet, so quiet that it made one's heart creep.

"Where are the scouts?" He asked, "Is there any movement on the opposite bank?"

"Reporting to the General, no enemy troops were found on the opposite bank. The three reconnaissance teams sent out have all returned safely, saying that there are no traces of enemy troops within a fifty-mile radius."

Duan Qirui felt slightly relieved, but that feeling of unease lingered. He had been through the wars for decades, and his intuition told him that the calm before the storm was often the most dangerous.

"Pass the order: first send a regiment to cross the river and establish a bridgehead. The main force will follow after the bridgehead is secured."

"Yes!"

An infantry regiment of about two thousand men, carrying rifles and ammunition boxes, stepped onto the frozen Yellow River. The ice was slippery, and the soldiers walked cautiously, with people falling from time to time, drawing roars of laughter.

The first batch of soldiers arrived safely on the opposite bank without encountering any resistance.

"See? I told you it was fine." Duan Qirui breathed a sigh of relief and was just about to order the main force to cross the river when a strange buzzing sound suddenly came from the sky.

He looked up, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Twelve planes dove down from the clouds, the machine guns on the noses of the planes spewing tongues of fire, and bullets strafed the ice like a rainstorm.

"Scatter! Scatter!" Duan Qirui roared at the top of his lungs.

But it was already too late.

Bullets hit the ice, kicking up shards of ice. The ice layer was pierced through, and cracks spread in all directions like spiderwebs. Soldiers slipped, rolled, and screamed on the ice; some fell into ice holes and were swallowed by the freezing river water; others were hit by bullets and fell on the ice, blood spreading out and staining the white ice dark red.

The most lethal part was not the machine gun strafing, but the artillery shells.

On the artillery position on the south bank of the Yellow River, thirty-six 105mm howitzers opened fire simultaneously. The shells landed on the ice, and the violent explosions blew huge holes in the ice layer, with ice water mixed with blood gushing out. Soldiers who couldn't retreat in time were blown to pieces, with limbs and severed arms scattered on the ice, a shocking sight.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!" Duan Qirui roared like a madman.

But his voice was swallowed by the sound of the explosions.

As the smoke cleared, the rebel army on the north bank of the Yellow River had completely collapsed.

Of an entire infantry regiment, fewer than three hundred people returned alive.

The ice was covered with corpses and wreckage, and blood stained large patches of it, gleaming glaringly under the winter sun.

Duan Qirui knelt on the bank, covered in blood, his face streaked with tears and mud.

He looked at the soldiers who had died on the ice, his lips trembling, but he could not utter a word.

"General, we must leave now!" his adjutant pulled at his arm, "Li Ling's troops are flanking us from both sides. If we don't leave now, it will be too late!"

Like a walking corpse, Duan Qirui was dragged onto his horse and fled south with the routed troops.

Behind him, on the frozen Yellow River, two thousand corpses gradually stiffened in the cold wind.

## V. Pursuit

When Yuan Shikai received news of the vanguard's defeat, he was drinking tea in the headquarters in Baoding.

"What? Only fewer than three hundred returned out of two thousand?" The teacup in his hand fell to the ground and shattered, "What about Duan Qirui? Where is Duan Qirui?"

"General Duan has returned, but he... he was wounded by an explosion and is currently being bandaged at the infirmary." The messenger officer knelt on the ground, trembling all over, "General, Li Ling's troops are too powerful! They have flying iron birds that can drop bombs from the sky; they also have cannons that can fire for dozens of miles. We didn't even see where the enemy was before we were blown to pieces!"

Yuan Shikai's face turned livid.

He had long heard that Li Ling had airplanes and long-range cannons, but he had always assumed those were exaggerated rumors.

How could a local warlord possess such things? Even the armies of the great powers didn't have them; by what right did a warlord of the Qingxia Kingdom possess them?

But now, he believed it.

"Order the entire army to retreat, withdraw to Baoding," Yuan Shikai said through gritted teeth, "Rely on the city's defensive fortifications and hold out for reinforcements."

"General, from whom shall we seek reinforcements?"

"Send telegrams to Warlord Yan Xishan in Shanxi and Zhang Zuolin in the Northeast. Tell them that if Li Ling destroys me, they will be next. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold; they should understand this principle."

After the order was issued, the rebel army of over 140,000 men began a panicked retreat north.

But their retreat was completely disorganized, with no coordination between units. Their supply lines had been bombed by the Air Force.

The soldiers were starving, carrying heavy equipment, and struggling to march in the cold wind, their morale reaching an all-time low.

Li Ling naturally would not let this opportunity pass.

Three corps of the Second Army Group cut westward from the direction of Shandong, severing the rebels' retreat route back to Baoding.

At the same time, two corps of the First Army Group pursued northward from the direction of Henan, forming a pincer movement with the Second Army Group, completely surrounding the rebels on a plain fifty miles south of Baoding.

"My lord, the rebels have been surrounded." The Chief of Staff pointed to the map, "There are about 120,000 men in the encirclement, including Yuan Shikai's main force and the remnants of Duan Qirui's troops. Their ammunition and food supplies are only enough to last two days."

Li Ling looked at the map and remained silent for a moment.

"Send a telegram to Yuan Shikai," he said, "Tell him to lay down his weapons and surrender, and he will be spared. The lives of 120,000 men hang on his single thought."

The telegram was quickly delivered to Yuan Shikai.

"Li Ling wants me to surrender." Yuan Shikai looked at the telegram and sneered, "Who does he think he is? I, Yuan Shikai, have operated in Zhili for twenty years and have over a hundred thousand troops under my command. Does he think a single telegram can scare me?"

He picked up a pen and wrote a line on the back of the telegram: "Better to die than surrender."

Then, he tore the telegram into pieces.

"Order the entire army to prepare to break out. Concentrate all forces, launch a fierce attack to the south, and carve out a bloody path."

"General, to the south is Li Ling's main force..." a staff officer said cautiously.

"I know," Yuan Shikai gritted his teeth, "But to the north and east are Li Ling's encirclement lines, and to the west is the Taihang Mountains. Only to the south is there a chance. Although Li Ling's main force is strong, their defensive line cannot be without loopholes. We must find that loophole and break out from there."

## VI. The Final Resistance

The breakout battle began late that night.

Yuan Shikai's 120,000-strong army poured out, organized into battalion and company units, split into hundreds of small groups, and launched a frantic charge against Li Ling's defensive lines.

This was not an organized offensive, but a desperate struggle.

The soldiers, starving and wearing thin cotton clothes, ran, charged, and fell in the freezing night at temperatures over ten degrees below zero.

Some would run and suddenly collapse to the ground, never to get up again; some had their legs blown off by artillery shells and were still crawling forward with their hands; some, holding a determination to die, pulled the pins on their Hand grenades and charged into Li Ling's positions to perish together with the defenders.

Li Ling stood in front of the binoculars at the headquarters, looking at the battlefield in the distance.

The firelight, explosions, gunfire, screams... everything told him that this was not a fair battle, but a one-sided slaughter.

But he did not soften his heart.

He thought of the fishermen who had been slaughtered by the Japan along the coast, the common people whose families were destroyed under the artillery fire of the great powers, and the brothers who had followed him through life and death and fallen on the battlefield.

These people, although also citizens of the Qingxia Kingdom, had chosen to stand on the side of the great powers, chosen to be enemies of Li Ling, and chosen to use guns and cannons to defend their own territory and interests.

"Pass the order." Li Ling's voice was as cold as ice shards, "All units are to hold their positions; do not let a single enemy escape. Before dawn, I want to see Yuan Shikai's commander flag fall."

"Yes!"

The battle lasted for the entire night.

When dawn broke, the smoke cleared, and the tragic state of the battlefield was shocking.

The plain was covered with corpses and wreckage, the white snow stained a dark red by blood, and the air was filled with a mixture of smoke, burning, and the smell of blood.

The corpses of tens of thousands of people lay helter-skelter in the snow, some curled up, some stretched out, and some still maintaining the posture of charging.

Of Yuan Shikai's 120,000-strong army, over 30,000 were killed in action, over 80,000 were captured, and only fewer than 10,000 successfully broke out with him, fleeing in a sorry state toward the northeast.

Li Ling rode into the battlefield and looked at the corpses lying on the ground, remaining silent for a long time.

"My lord, Yuan Shikai has fled." The Chief of Staff rode up, "Should we pursue?"

"Pursue." Li Ling nodded, "Let the cavalry division of the Second Army Group pursue. But do not press too hard; let him run. The further he runs, the faster his support will dissipate."

"Yes!"

Li Ling dismounted, walked to a corpse, squatted down, and closed the eyes that were staring in death.

It was a young soldier, who looked less than twenty years old, his face still retaining a childish innocence.

"System, tell me, is this worth it?" he thought to himself.

There was no response.

The system was still slacking off.

Li Ling gave a bitter smile, stood up, and mounted his horse.

"Pass the order: clear the battlefield, treat the wounded, and compile the list of the fallen. All captured supplies are to be distributed according to the rules."

"Yes!"

He took one last look at the battlefield, then turned his horse around and rode toward the headquarters.

Behind him, the smoke had not yet dissipated, and the cold wind howled.

In this battle, the main force of the northern rebels was completely routed, and 120,000 men were wiped out.

Yuan Shikai fled to the northeast with fewer than 10,000 remnants and sought refuge with Zhang Zuolin.

Warlord Yan Xishan in Shanxi was shocked to hear the news and sent an envoy overnight with a letter of surrender, expressing his willingness to hand over his territory and army, asking only to preserve his life.

Although Zhang Zuolin did not surrender, he also understood that Li Ling's next target was him.

In the north, the overall situation was settled.

Li Ling stood in front of the window of the headquarters, looking at the distant, snow-covered land, and let out a long breath.

"System." He tried again.

"Hmm? What is it?" The system's voice finally sounded in his mind, carrying a hint of a guilty conscience, "I was just dealing with some... uh... important matters."

"What important matters?" Li Ling asked.

"I was researching a new type of... singing and dancing system tactics," the system said earnestly, "You don't know, but the singing and dancing system has many advanced... uh... rhythm algorithms that also have reference value for our military operations."

Li Ling rolled his eyes: "You just went to flirt with a female system; don't think I don't know."

"Host, it is very impolite of you to speak like that," the system said righteously, "I was working."

"Fine, fine, you were working." Li Ling couldn't be bothered to argue with it, "The main force of the northern rebels has been defeated. Do you have anything to say?"

The system was silent for a few seconds, then said: "Congratulations to the Host for achieving the minor achievement of 'Pacifying the North'. You have one lucky draw opportunity. Would you like to draw now?"

"Draw." Li Ling said listlessly.

"Drawing... Congratulations to the Host for obtaining a set of blueprints for 'Mechanized Reconnaissance Vehicles'. You can produce light armored reconnaissance vehicles with a maximum speed of sixty kilometers per hour, equipped with radios and reconnaissance equipment, suitable for rapid reconnaissance and communication."

Li Ling's eyes lit up: "Armored vehicles? Good stuff!"

"This is prerequisite technology. Once the Host unlocks higher-level technology, you can produce real tanks."

"That's enough, that's enough. The armored vehicles are enough to keep me happy for half a day." Li Ling rubbed his hands, "Where are the blueprints?"

"Transmitted to the Production Base. The Host can arrange production at any time."

"Good!" Li Ling slapped the table excitedly, "With armored vehicles, I can form a rapid assault force. Then we'll see how Zhang Zuolin runs!"

Outside the window, heavy snow was falling.

But Li Ling knew that the snow would eventually stop, and spring would eventually come. And spring was the day he would lead his troops north.