Two days later, the special train departed from Nanhua and passed through the famous "Devil's Nose", passed the Yunling Tunnel Group, passed the Andes Mountains, crossed the Central Valley and entered Linhai City. When the special train entered Linhai City,
On the Linhai Fortress, a rumbling salute sounded...
The salute is loud!
That was the roar of the ten-inch cannon. The sound of the cannon had echoed countless times in Zhu Xianhai's dreams. It was the sound of the cannon from the Linhai Fortress!
…
In February 1877, just after the Chinese New Year, shelling from the sea once again broke the tranquility of the coast.
Linhai Fortress!
The Chilean army's attack on the coastal fortress has lasted for a year.
For more than 370 days and nights, the 27,000 soldiers and civilians guarding the coastal bay never surrendered despite repeated attempts to persuade them to surrender.
There was a deafening explosion, the walls of the fortress trembled, bricks and stones collapsed, and the blast of air overturned a nearby teahouse, throwing several corpses aside. In an instant, everything was blocked by the choking smell of gunpowder smoke.
The air filled with sulfur smell was suffocating.
"One company, one company, follow me! Follow me to the front line."
Lu Anxue stood up and shouted. Before the war, he was an engineer in a shipyard. His dream was to build warships, but now, he is an ordinary soldier.
"Listen carefully to the sound in the air. You can hear the shells from the sound..."
As Lu Anxue ran, he said to the dozens of soldiers following behind him, "They are of different ages, male and female. They may have been factory workers, students, traders, or even housewives, but now
They are all soldiers guarding this city.
After a year of being under siege, there were no men, women, old people or children left in the city, only the city's defenders.
Under his leadership, dozens of soldiers ran out of the city along the streets that were covered with ruins. Artillery shells roared in the air, and explosions occurred one after another.
Suddenly, Lu Anxue shouted loudly.
"Lie down..."
The moment he lay down, there was a sharp whistling sound, and there was another loud noise next to him. The bricks and stones of the nearby buildings fell one after another, and there was another explosion. One after another, the continuous explosions filled the air.
, The rumbling explosions are like the fireworks during the New Year in previous years...
No one can remember how long the bombardment lasted. In Linhai, time has no meaning.
When the surroundings began to fall silent, among the ruins of the fortress, the soldiers stood out from the piles of bricks and trenches again. They saw the Chileans once again making unbridled shouts and began to attack the fortress.
Gunshots rang out again.
After the attack was thwarted, the bombardment resumed.
During the bombardment, they lay down under the wall again. The earth was groaning. Bricks and gravel collapsed. The seemingly solid fortress became crumbling under the continuous bombardment. The dust, thick smoke, and the smell of burnt gunpowder were suffocating.
.
The strength of the soldiers who avoided the bombardment had long been exhausted. Some soldiers had almost lost their consciousness. Only their bodies were still bearing the shock and blow of the explosion without any pain.
400 days and nights!
Amid repeated sieges by the Chilean army and navy, Linhai, a small seaside town, persisted for four hundred days and nights.
What did their perseverance gain in return?
It was the Chilean attacks that were thwarted time and time again, and tens of thousands of corpses! Also, in the defense of the fortress, the officers and soldiers of South China showed a high degree of spirit and fighting qualities, winning honor for South China.
"This is the greatest battle in human history! The defenders of the fortress shocked the whole world with their unparalleled courage!"
In London, New York, and Paris, almost every newspaper praised the "heroic defenders of the seaside" with all their praise. Regardless of their stance, their tenacious fighting won honor for South China.
But for those who are involved, each of them knows very well that the price of all this is death!
"Alive..."
Lu Anxue thought vaguely, his eardrums were shattered, and even under the most violent shelling, the world was silent to him.
"I'm alive."
But he didn't want to move, not even for a moment. He felt that the bricks and stones on his back were heavy. He had a splitting headache and his whole body felt like it was falling apart. Every bone was hurting and his mouth was dry.
It was swollen, as if it were on fire, and it hurt my throat.
It would be nice if I could drink some water.
He touched the kettle. There was not a drop of water in the empty kettle.
"Chilean guy..."
The sudden shout came from afar, as if pulling him back from the silent world, but he understood what it meant. He tried to stand up, but he didn't have any strength in his body. In the smoke, he saw a group of
The shadow came over.
He's from Chile.
Looking at the Chileans getting closer and closer, Lu Anxue, who still had not fully recovered his consciousness, saw a table of grenades in front of him.
When they saw the box of grenades, a smile appeared on their tired faces filled with smoke. Although they seemed a little happy, they seemed a little helpless in their happiness.
Tears fell from his face as he fired the grenade.
There was a "boom" and in the violent explosion, nearby Chileans were swallowed up by billowing smoke.
No one knows how long this battle in Linhai will last.
For four hundred days and nights, the defenders here have been fighting. In 1877, the world was watching this small seaside town on the Pacific coast.
But Linhai is only a small part of this protracted war. From the Pacific to the Atlantic, the war never stops.
…
Tears have already flowed from Zhu Xianhai's eyes. There were too many similar scenes in the simulator. He saw "with his own eyes" how the best sons and daughters sacrificed themselves on the battlefield. He saw too many sacrifices.
I saw too many heroes.
After witnessing so many sacrifices, the desire for revenge has never faded from his heart.
For more than a thousand years, day and night, he has been longing for the day of revenge, longing for the arrival of that day!
And today!
When he came to Linhai again, listening to the rumbling salute, and when the salute overlapped with the roaring cannon in the simulator, Zhu Xianhai knew that the time for revenge had come!
Looking at the platform outside the car window, he looked at the people who came to greet him on the platform. There were not only government officials, but also soldiers, and ordinary citizens, including Chinese, Europeans, and Mapuches.
.Everyone stood there happily, and the military band played military music.
Listening to the cheerful music through the glass window, Zhu Xianhai couldn't calm down for a moment. The moment the car door opened and he stepped onto the platform, he couldn't help but say amidst the cheers of people.
"Today, I am honored to come to this heroic city again!"
This chapter has been completed!