Rongcheng County is the easternmost county under Dengzhou. As the top of the Shandong Peninsula and a corner of the Bohai Bay, it naturally has a very important strategic position. In the Ming Dynasty, there were two guards, Shan and Jinghai, and a garrison in the early Qing Dynasty.
However, with the passage of time, these things have long since become obsolete in Rongcheng County. As the Liaodong Peninsula was occupied by the Japanese, Yang Chengze, the magistrate of Rongcheng County, was even more shocked. For this reason, he ordered the gentry in the county to organize a militia and established Rongcheng County.
Coastal Defense Corps.
However, it is easy to build a militia. Shandong has suffered many disasters in recent years. There are many people who want to serve as soldiers and feed themselves, but it is difficult to obtain weapons. So far, the coastal defense corps established by Yangzhi County has more than 500 people, which is only ten
There are many shotguns, more than thirty waist knives, shields, not to mention rifles, not even one to carry a gun. It's okay for the poor.
In view of the difficulty of getting weapons, Magistrate Yang could only buy some gun heads and let the militiamen use the spears. After a lot of practice, the militiamen were able to use the spears in a decent manner. They could wave them to the beat of the drums, which was quite beautiful. Every time
When the militiamen were practicing, the training ground outside the city was surrounded by a large number of people who were shouting for them and almost throwing out rewards.
In fact, Magistrate Yang had an idea of the quality of the militia in his hands, but what could he do? As the magistrate, he had the responsibility to defend the territory, and having troops in his hands gave him some psychological comfort.
Look at the soldiers of the imperial court who have been trained for so many years. These Qiu Ba are very impressive on weekdays, but they are useless on the battlefield. How can they be worthy of the imperial court's many years of support and the Holy Emperor? They actually asked Li Zhongtang to hire foreigners.
Fortunately, the imperial court still had Li Zhongtang, a capable official who could help the world. Without Li Zhongtang, this would have been unimaginable.
"Let Min Yong work harder these days and don't be lazy. The foreign soldiers are coming soon. Don't let the Japanese sneak ashore."
In the county government office, Magistrate Yang was giving instructions to his master.
Masters were hired privately and were only loyal to their clients. Therefore, in the Qing Dynasty, officials at all levels hired masters, and Yang Zhixian was no exception.
"Don't worry, Dong Weng. I will keep an eye on Min Yong at all times and will not let them relax their vigilance."
"That's good. Tell Minyong that when the Italian foreign soldiers arrive, I will give them two taels of silver each, but before that, we can't relax."
Obviously, Magistrate Yang was also a magistrate. He knew that he could not let the horses run without giving them a path to graze. He also promised huge profits to encourage the people to be brave.
When Yangzhi County was worrying about coastal defense, Qinglong Bay, located five kilometers away from the county seat, has flat terrain and long sandy beaches, which are the favorites of many crabs. But today, Min Yong, who patrols Qinglong Bay, is stunned.
looking at the boats appearing in the bay.
"Ships, so many ships!"
"They are both big foreign ships and warships. They are bigger than the warships of the Beiyang Navy."
"Boom boom boom!"
While Minyong was discussing, there was a sudden deafening sound of cannons and they immediately exploded.
"Run quickly, the Japanese are coming."
"Run."
Before the Japanese fleet could make its next move, the civilians on the shore immediately dispersed.
All this was seen by Lieutenant General Yamachi Motoharu who was on the warship and accompanying the first batch of landing troops.
"Order Major General Nishi Kanjiro not to delay the fighter plane and land immediately."
In fact, there was no need for him to issue an order. Kanjiro Nishi, the commander of the First Brigade, had already issued an order to land.
A large number of soldiers lowered the small wooden boats that had been prepared on the ship, filled them with the first batch of Japanese officers and soldiers to land, and rushed towards the beach.
The word "rush" may not be appropriate, but the word "row" is better, because the landing boat has no power and can only rely on people to paddle forward. At this time, there will be more than a dozen Maxims deployed on the beach, and the Japanese army will not be able to get ashore at all. Human power can row
How fast, in front of Maxim he was simply a fixed target, a fixed target without protection.
But it is a pity that there is not even a single person in Qinglong Bay, let alone Maxim, and the civilian warriors who are good with spears have long been scared away by the sound of shelling.
Therefore, more than 60 small wooden boats and more than 500 fully armed Japanese troops were sent up.
"Leave one team behind and let the others seize the high ground."
Although everything went well, the officer leading the team was still worried and immediately ordered to occupy the commanding heights and protect the landing site.
After waiting for an hour, when the second batch of landing troops landed, it was announced that the Japanese troops had successfully landed.
The next step is to expand the landing site and occupy the surrounding areas before the Qing army can react. Of course, Rongcheng County, five kilometers away, must be occupied first.
"The Japanese are coming, the Japanese are coming ashore!"
On the streets of Rongcheng County, a civilian hero beat a gong and carried a message while carrying a flag, shouting and running towards the county government office.
Magistrate Yang, who was in the county office, also heard this voice.
"broken!"
The first thought that flashed through Yang Zhixian's mind, he immediately ignored his official manners and rushed to the gate of the county government office. He wanted to personally ask and confirm whether the Japanese were really coming.
As soon as he arrived at the gate of the yamen, he saw that his master had already arrived at the gate, and the Min Yong who was delivering the order was being carried into the lobby by two yamen servants. Moreover, there were many people watching at the gate of the county yamen. Magistrate Yang immediately returned to his former appearance.
.
"Master, please ask what is going on."
"Come here, bring a bowl of warm water to this strong man."
Seeing that the county magistrate was acting as usual, there was some panic at the scene, but it disappeared immediately.
However, as the messenger Minyong narrated, everyone inevitably panicked. Dozens of large warships and tens of thousands of Japanese attacked, and Rongcheng County was in trouble.
"Why panic!"
Seeing that the government officials were even more panicked than before, Zhixian Yang reprimanded angrily.
"Immediately summon the people to defend the city, and also send a report to Weihaiwei and Jinan that the Japanese troops have landed in our Rongcheng County. I, Yang Chengze, will swear to die to repay the divine grace."
Yang Zhixian's words shocked everyone, and the master just listened and said, "Dong Weng, do you want to consider this matter in the long term?"
As a master, he didn't want to die in Rongcheng County in vain.
"Order someone to do it immediately."
After finishing speaking, Yang Zhixian quietly said, "Find two smart people and some ordinary clothes."
That's right, when the Japanese army is about to come, Yang Zhixian plans to perform a show of being a loyal minister who defends the land. Whether he can succeed depends on his hard work.
Of course, he also knew the benefits of sending a report first.
We still don’t know whether Yang Zhixian’s performance will be successful. But he did one thing right and reported the news of the Japanese landing.
In the evening of that day, Li Zhongtang learned about the Japanese troops' landing in Rongcheng County.
After receiving the news of the Japanese landing, Li Zhongtang ordered the deployment of troops to prepare to drive away the Japanese troops, and also ordered the reinforcement of Weihaiwei's defense.
With so many capable people around Li Zhongtang, how could he not see the purpose of the Japanese landing?
