The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

Chapter 230 No Surrender Accepted

As dawn broke, the surrounding New Army positions came alive with activity. The commander-in-chief's order was to annihilate the Japanese troops within the encirclement today.

The soldiers checked their weapons and ammunition and began to assemble!

Two armored divisions were also transferred overnight, and now the logistics soldiers are inspecting the tanks, refueling them, and replenishing their ammunition.

The armored soldiers smoked and joked around! The Japanese army no longer had many heavy weapons that could threaten them; today they would be the protagonists of the battlefield.

The movements of the Chinese troops were also noticed by the Japanese army, and the news quickly reached the high command of the Japanese army.

With the Chinese army's attack imminent, Mutsuhito, who hadn't slept all night, finally decided to surrender. He sent Ito Hirobumi to negotiate!

"Trying to surrender now? Too late!" Shen Lian held the telegram in his hand, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

The Japanese soldiers and high-ranking officials surrounded were mostly die-hard loyalists of the Japanese Imperial Family. For the sake of Japan's long-term stability, it was best to eliminate them physically to avoid leaving any potential threats.

At seven o'clock in the morning, several signal flares soared into the sky. Immediately afterwards, a barrage of artillery shells rained down on the Japanese positions.

The new army concentrated the artillery of five divisions and launched a carpet bombing campaign against the Japanese troops in the encirclement.

Several planes circled overhead, constantly monitoring the effects of the artillery fire!

The sudden shelling threw the Japanese army into chaos. Soldiers mingled with civilians, and officials scattered in all directions to hide. Unfortunately, in an area of ​​only a dozen square kilometers, where could they possibly find refuge?

Guided by aircraft overhead, the shells landed precisely among the Japanese troops, sending limbs and fragments flying everywhere. A single 150mm heavy gun shell could kill hundreds of people—it was incredibly brutal.

The officers around them, peering through their binoculars, were deeply shocked by the horrific scene. Thankfully, it was the Japanese army being bombed; if such intense bombing had struck them, they didn't know if they could have survived.

The half-hour shelling felt like an eternity to the Japanese.

The shelling ended, before the Japanese could even react, a thunderous roar followed, and the ground began to tremble. Hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles charged towards the Japanese from two directions.

This was the first time the new army had deployed such a large-scale armored force, which greatly excited the officers and soldiers.

Tanks and armored vehicles charged forward, kicking up plumes of dust, followed by large numbers of infantry.

From the plane above, the observer kept pressing the shutter to capture this precious moment.

"Boom boom boom, ratt ratt ratt..." The tanks and armored vehicles advanced relentlessly, firing as they went, destroying all Japanese fortifications and soldiers that came into view.

Most of the Japanese soldiers had never seen anything like it before. The steel monsters, impervious to swords and spears, charged in, and many Japanese soldiers turned and ran.

The armored vehicle's 25mm rapid-fire cannon was incredibly brutal, its bullets piercing through the ranks of Japanese soldiers, creating waves of blood. Not a single Japanese soldier hit by the cannon died intact.

"Ah!" A small group of Japanese soldiers, seeing no way to escape, rushed out, holding up explosive charges, intending to die together with their comrades.

Unfortunately for them, the well-prepared soldiers didn't let them have their way. After a burst of gunfire, all the Japanese soldiers fell to the ground.

"Boom boom boom," the Japanese explosives exploded, sending Japanese soldiers' corpses flying everywhere.

The previous shelling had already caused heavy losses to the Japanese troops in the encirclement, and it also caused great chaos.

The onslaught of hundreds of tanks and armored vehicles completely demoralized the Japanese army. They were utterly unable to mount an effective defense, and swathes of territory gradually fell into the hands of the new army.

The Japanese soldiers and civilians, like headless flies, fled in panic, dying row after row under the guns of the new army.

Anyone who did not kneel down and surrender was to be shot dead. The new army soldiers carried out their orders well. Although some soldiers showed reluctance, they continued to fire, killing fleeing Japanese soldiers and civilians.

With some Japanese soldiers launching counterattacks out of desperation, there were naturally many more who surrendered.

Large numbers of surrendered Japanese soldiers and civilians were continuously escorted to various locations for centralized custody.

Those wounded soldiers lying on the ground groaning were all given a finishing blow. The New Army had no medicine to treat them.

Inside the encirclement, the Emperor and his family changed into civilian clothes and fled in all directions under the protection of guards.

They used to have several carriages, but now it's too chaotic. They dare not use them to avoid attracting attention. The whole family has to walk.

"I...I really can't run anymore!"