"Wen Qing, must you leave after taking Anqing?" Tao Chengzhang asked very seriously. If half a day ago, Tao Chengzhang still viewed this matter with a skeptical attitude, now the tone of this Guangfuhui leader had turned into dissuasion.

"We haven't taken Anqing yet." Chen Ke didn't want to waste energy on such meaningless discussions at all.

Tao Chengzhang undoubtedly misunderstood Chen Ke's meaning; he distorted this sentence to mean that Chen Ke hadn't made up his mind whether to occupy Anqing yet. This made Tao Chengzhang feel much more relaxed.

After Chen Ke frankly imparted a lot of knowledge to Tao Chengzhang, Tao Chengzhang had changed his original attitude towards Chen Ke. February 1, 1907, was not 100 years later. 100 years later, the knowledge mastered by Chen Ke had spread to every corner of China, and getting this "precious" knowledge didn't require any special price. But in 1907, only those in the upper strata of society could possibly access this knowledge. As for such detailed narration, it was only taught to disciples who had entered the master's inner circle. According to the general understanding of this era, Chen Ke was showing goodwill to Tao Chengzhang, and the purpose of showing goodwill was nothing more than to reach a compromise. The basis for cooperation Tao Chengzhang could provide now was nothing more than helping Chen Ke seize the dominance of Anqing. Tao Chengzhang had no objection to this. Anyway, the biggest local revolutionary faction in Anqing was the Yuewang Society; whether the People's Party or the Guangfuhui, they were undoubtedly outsiders. Joining hands with Chen Ke to dominate the situation in Anqing was by no means a losing deal for the Guangfuhui. More importantly, Tao Chengzhang had recognized Chen Ke's military talent.

Tao Chengzhang did not have the depth of Chen Ke's understanding of the whole world and revolution, so he had been confused by the negative effects brought by this knowledge. "Knowledge is power!" Having obtained new knowledge, Tao Chengzhang felt that as long as the existing things could be applied, if the People's Party and the Guangfuhui joined hands, they would definitely be able to create a glorious revolution after occupying Anqing. Didn't the Manchu Qing occupy these cities? With the siege skills taught by Chen Ke and the thousands of elites already possessed by the People's Party, what city on both banks of the Yangtze River couldn't be taken?

Since Chen Ke said "talk after taking Anqing," Tao Chengzhang didn't ask further. He asked seriously: "What does Brother Wen Qing plan to do next?"

Chen Ke didn't even think: "Give the soldiers a meal. The general offensive will start at dawn."

regarding this statement which sounded very abrupt, Tao Chengzhang immediately praised: "Well said! Wen Qing said it well!"

Tao Chengzhang really praised it sincerely. In the uprisings launched by the Guangfuhui, those "jianghu heroes" who came to charge and break through enemy lines had to eat and drink well. If one meal was not taken care of well, someone would make trouble. Chen Ke letting the soldiers eat before the battle was extremely important in Tao Chengzhang's view. But the staff officers and guards in the headquarters felt Tao Chengzhang's attitude was really too strange. The Worker-Peasant Revolutionary Army had always attached importance to the food of the troops, especially diet during combat. The troops arranged it extremely strictly when conditions permitted. Tao Chengzhang's exaggerated performance made everyone look at him with great disdain.

At 1:30 a.m., the feint attack that had harassed Anqing for most of the night finally ended. The exhausted soldiers retreated to safe positions and began to eat. The pre-war meal of the People's Party was very simple: two salted duck eggs, half a mantou, and a bamboo tube of water. The food in the east of the city was all hot food transported from the cooking squad near the command post. The troops strictly forbade noise, so no one spoke. Silently finishing their portion of rice, at this time, dark blue simple tents were set up; in the night, these tents were not conspicuous at all. Under the low-voiced orders of squad and platoon leaders, soldiers crawled into the low tents to rest one after another. Everyone knew that siege warfare would be carried out before long. The Qing troops on the city wall did not show special combat capabilities, which reassured the soldiers who were originally excited but somewhat apprehensive. Everyone was tired too; after eating, they soon began to get sleepy. These soldiers with a lot of war experience soon entered dreamland.

Commanders at all levels did not sleep. Being selected was not only because they had stronger physiques than soldiers, but these commanders had more enduring willpower than soldiers. The general headquarters was not far from the front line. Squad and platoon leaders were responsible for the front-line positions, while company commanders in the east of the city rushed back to the headquarters. The originally deserted headquarters soon became lively. Since everyone couldn't sleep, at least some food like hot soup had to be provided. A group of commanders gathered around the map with bowls in hand.

Chen Ke's finger pointed to important locations on the map one by one. "Provincial Administration Commissioner's Office, Governor's Yamen, Huaining County Yamen, Anqing Prefect Yamen, Anqing Inner Arsenal, Gunpowder Depot. Everyone confirm the target you are responsible for."

These commanders had worked their way up with Chen Ke step by step from disaster relief. Following Chen Ke to determine combat targets again gave everyone a long-lost sense of familiarity. After all, Chen Ke hadn't been directly responsible for military operations for a long time. This Anqing campaign was almost a war promoted by Chen Ke alone. Up to now, whether the thousand-li water march or the pincer attack on Anqing City from both sides, the war had always been proceeding on the track pre-planned by Chen Ke. This kind of plan, which everyone dared not even think about originally, had reached the final stage of actual combat, entering the actual siege warfare where these middle and high-ranking commanders had sufficient experience. Everyone's admiration for Chen Ke had turned into an indescribable firm belief. Everyone didn't even think about the possibility that the war might fail.

Chen Ke pointed to these key departments in Anqing City, and the commanders responsible for attacking these places immediately stood up to repeat the operational plan they were to undertake.

In the west of the city, hot food was transported directly from the kitchen of the Cavalry Camp. Chai Qingguo and Pu Guanshui were also formulating battle plans. The west of the city was not the main direction of attack; the feint attack in the first half of the night was carried out in the east of the city. But starting from 3:30, the troops in the west of the city had to launch feint attacks on three city gates simultaneously. To mobilize the troops in Anqing City, making them transfer troops to support the west of the city as much as possible.

Chai Qingguo was not so conservative. After the night's battle, he was not optimistic about the combat effectiveness of the Anhui New Army. "Old Pu, say, what if we take the city gate in the west, what should we do?"

Pu Guanshui was a very orthodox soldier. Since the plan asked him to feint, he placed himself on the stance of resolutely executing orders. Hearing Chai Qingguo ask this, Pu Guanshui was stunned. "Our military strength is insufficient to begin with; executing a feint attack is already very inadequate. Let alone whether we can take the West Gate, even if we take one of the three West Gates, if the Anqing defenders attack from the other two gates and detour to our rear, what do we do?"

Chai Qingguo was very disdainful of Pu Guanshui's conservative attitude. "We captured so many guns; the New Army has no bullets, but we do. Can't these 900 guns defeat the New Army?"

Pu Guanshui couldn't be so optimistic. "How many in our troops have practiced with this new-style rifle? This isn't something you can hit just by having a gun. Insufficient training won't do."

Chai Qingguo still didn't think his idea was wrong. He said: "If we can't hit from far away, we hit up close. Since we want to hold the captured city gate, firing guns is enough. It's not like we want hand-to-hand combat. As for the New Army rushing out as you said, there are more than thirty people in our gate who know how to ride horses, plus those from the Yuewang Society, totaling seventy or eighty. It's enough for me to lead such a cavalry team." Having captured so many horses, Chai Qingguo was already itching to use them.

Pu Guanshui was very helpless about Chai Qingguo's attitude. He paused before continuing to persuade: "Brigade Commander Chai, fighting a war is not just about what you think works. Since we have an operational plan beforehand, we have to execute the plan strictly. Otherwise, why did we spend so much effort formulating this plan?"

"Alright, alright, I can't out-talk you. Then let's follow the plan." Chai Qingguo didn't have the guts to break discipline himself; his idea of letting cavalry guard the city was purely impromptu. Seeing Pu Guanshui didn't cooperate, Chai Qingguo gave up this self-assertive idea.

But Pu Guanshui didn't treat Chai Qingguo's suggestion completely as wind past his ears. He thought for a while and asked: "Brigade Commander Chai, if you lead this horse team of seventy or eighty people, how big a momentum can you feign?"

"Hmm?" Chai Qingguo was quite puzzled by Pu Guanshui's strange question.

Pu Guanshui told Chai Qingguo his idea. "Roads are hard to walk at night; this is a disadvantageous point. But the Qing troops on the city wall can't see our actions clearly either. If Brigade Commander Chai..."

After listening to Pu Guanshui's suggestion, Chai Qingguo couldn't help laughing out loud. "Haha, you scholars are indeed different. I know night roads are hard to walk. I'll take people to scout the way first, and talk about this matter after returning."

The night of February 1, 1907, was a difficult night for the residents in Anqing City. Bandits from unknown places surrounded Anqing City; gunshots hadn't stopped since nightfall. Nearly fifty years ago, Anqing suffered torment in the fires of war; the gunshots awakened the fear of elderly residents again. Every household closed their doors and windows; almost everyone was sleepless all night. The soldiers of the Anhui New Army hadn't experienced any substantive battles either; when the battle suddenly descended, no one was really ready to fulfill the duties of a soldier. Although sent to the city wall and streets, the performance of these New Army soldiers was less like soldiers and more like a group of "armed common people."

The government could implement a curfew to forbid common people from colluding with each other. But they couldn't forbid officers and soldiers from exchanging intelligence with each other. Since quite a few people already knew the news that the People's Party wanted to attack Anqing, these news spread wildly among officers and soldiers. The small-scale battle at the North Gate, where fifty New Army brothers died in an instant, spread like wildfire. The "People's Party," originally rumored to be thousands strong, soon became tens of thousands strong. The two muffled loud noises of the North Gate battle turned into the People's Party using cannons to bomb dozens of brothers to death. Someone was already secretly asking how to save their lives in battle. New Army soldiers served for pay; establishing merits and careers was all for eating better and more pay. Since they encountered a strong enemy, there was absolutely no reason to lose their lives for the Court. If not for the New Army's daily drills being passable, the situation would probably be even more chaotic.

Brigade Commander Yu Dahong's mood became extremely bad. He originally thought the outside was just a mob; sending people out from the city gate could disperse them. Unexpectedly, the opponent's firearms were sharp, and quite a few rifles sounded like official army equipment; there were enemies outside several city gates. This confused him; who exactly was outside? Since they couldn't rush out, Commander Yu Dahong simply prepared to wait until daylight. Seeing unclearly at night, daytime should be fine, right? But the opponent kept feinting at the Zongyang Gate in the east, making everyone unsure what to do. His own artillery was all at Yingjiang Temple and had already been taken by the opponent. There was a burst of gunfire and explosions at the Cavalry Camp in the west of the city; as a result, after the sound ended, all gates in the west of the city were blocked. Presumably, the Cavalry Camp was also destroyed. Such a military force suddenly appeared in Anqing City; Yu Dahong didn't know how to respond anymore. He even suspected the other party was some rebellious New Army unit preparing to seize Anqing.

After midnight, the thieves outside the city seemed tired and finally stopped firing. Commander Yu finally felt relieved. Anqing's city walls were very high; although the naval forces were not there, they should be back soon. As long as they held out until that time, with attacks from water and land, there was no worry the thieves wouldn't retreat. But the Governor's Yamen sent people over to ask repeatedly, annoying Commander Yu to death. Finally, Commander Yu simply had someone say he went to patrol the city, and only then returned to the bedroom to lie down fully clothed.

Not long after lying down, someone ran in from outside. "My Lord, someone outside the West City is persuading surrender. The Cavalry Camp rebelled!"

Commander Yu Dahong was already a bit sleepy; hearing this, he was scared awake immediately. "What?"

The one who came in was a battalion officer from the west of the city. Under the light, his face was pale with fright. "My Lord, the Cavalry Camp indeed surrendered to the rebel bandits. The rebel bandits claim to be some People's Party. Quite a few people from the Cavalry Camp are helping them persuade surrender under the city wall."

"Then you guard the city well; what are you doing here at my place?"

"Their persuasion failed. Seeing the West City refused to open the gates, the main force has already gone to the north of the city."

"How do you know they went to the north of the city?" Yu Dahong asked hurriedly.

"This subordinate heard clearly; the main force ran with earth-shaking noise. Straight towards the north of the city."

Yu Dahong was very apprehensive about the matter of 50 people being killed in one go at the North Gate. Although there was no movement at the North Gate up to now, how many thieves were hidden in the dark night? Yu Dahong was very worried about this, so he placed quite a few troops at the North Gate. Now the rebelled Cavalry Camp and the thieves combined forces to rush to the North Gate; he dared not neglect anymore. "Pass the order down, transfer two reliable teams from the North Gate [Wait, text says "Transfer from North Gate to North Gate"? Or "Transfer two reliable teams to North Gate"? Text: `从北门先抽调两队可靠的队伍到北门防守`. This might be a typo in source for "From East Gate"? Or "From somewhere to North Gate". But context says "North Gate has quite a few troops". Maybe he means "Transfer two reliable teams *from* North Gate *to* somewhere else"? No, he fears North Gate. Wait, later he says "Also, transfer two teams from East Gate to West Gate." Let's re-read carefully. `从北门先抽调两队可靠的队伍到北门防守`. It says "Transfer from North Gate... to North Gate defense". This is contradictory. Maybe "From *Reserve* to North Gate"? Or "From *East* to North Gate"? Let's look at the next sentence. `看好了下头的那些兵...`. Then `另外，从城东给我抽调两队人，到西门来。` (Transfer two teams from East to West). So the North Gate part is confusing. Maybe he means "Take two reliable teams *at* the North Gate to *defend* the North Gate" (focusing defense)? Or maybe the source meant "From South/East to North". Given the confusion, I will translate literally or assume he reinforces North. Actually, later Pu Guanshui hears troops moving. Let's assume he reinforces North and West. I will write "Transfer two reliable teams to defend the North Gate" and skip the "from North Gate" if it seems like a typo, or translate literally "Transfer two reliable teams from the North Gate to defend the North Gate" (redeploying within?). Let's check context. He is worried about North Gate. Maybe he means "Transfer two reliable teams *to* the North Gate". I will assume typo.] Watch the soldiers below closely; if anyone wants to defect to the thief soldiers, they can be killed immediately. In addition, transfer two teams from the east of the city to the West Gate for me."

Just after finishing speaking, Yu Dahong felt uneasy again. He stood up from the bed. "I will give the order personally."

Pu Guanshui, leading soldiers in ambush by the moat, listened to the disturbance on the city wall; a troop of considerable scale had begun to move. When the sound subsided a little, Pu Guanshui said to Xiong Mingyang beside him: "Commissar Xiong, it depends on you."

Xiong Mingyang nodded. He didn't speak either, just quietly took off his clothes, leaving only a pair of underpants. Taking a bowl of wine from the soldier behind him and drinking it in one gulp, Xiong Mingyang crawled forward until he reached the edge of the moat, and quietly slipped into the water. Anqing was by the Yangtze River, with a big lake to the north; there was no shortage of water sources at all. So the moat was several zhang wide, and the water was quite deep. The water in winter was very cold; slipping into the river water, Xiong Mingyang only felt pain on his skin as if countless small needles were pricking. He continued to swim forward without making a sound.

The soldiers ambushing by the river watched Xiong Mingyang disappear into the pitch-black moat water. Everyone held their breath. Not knowing how long passed, until they vaguely saw a figure seem to crawl across the moat. Arriving under the city wall, then a white thing was waving. This was the agreed signal; after Xiong Mingyang crossed the moat, he would wave a white cloth. People with good eyesight saw Xiong Mingyang wave for a while, then quietly slip back into the moat. After another while, Xiong Mingyang climbed up the river bank from this side, still crawling back to the departure position.

"Can cross. There seems to be no one on the city wall. Comrades prepare; follow me immediately." Xiong Mingyang said. Although he tried his best to endure, his teeth still couldn't help chattering.

Soldiers already handed over clothes. Xiong Mingyang didn't take them at all; while breathing out cold air, he said: "I'll get used to it after freezing for a while."

Half of the assault team were party members, and the other half were activists for joining the party; they were all soldiers with good swimming skills in the Water Detachment. Commissar Xiong had already set an example, so everyone didn't say more. First, a long ladder was quietly transported to the river bank. Everyone took off their clothes one after another. Put clothes, guns, and hand grenades into wooden tubs. More than thirty tough men carried the ladder, dragged the wooden tubs, and slipped into the water.

This plan was extremely risky. If it failed, these thirty-some people would be in danger. Pu Guanshui had ordered people to prepare dozens of temporary shelters, which were sacks filled with soil placed on table surfaces. Once the enemy on the opposite wall discovered the movements of Xiong Mingyang and others, these temporary shelters would be immediately transported to the river bank, and riflemen would shoot at the enemy on the wall to cover the return of the assault team.

But the enemy on the city wall might think no one would really swim across the moat in winter, so the number of enemies on this section of the wall was small to begin with. Plus Chai Qingguo's horse team attracted the enemy's attention, the city wall was unexpectedly quiet now.

"Let this silence continue!" All soldiers on this side of the moat, including Pu Guanshui, couldn't help praying. The assault team had quietly crossed the moat. The long ladder was slowly erected, making a not-too-loud-not-too-soft collision sound when contacting the wall surface. Then the assault team members began to climb up the ladder. Pu Guanshui had good eyesight; the foremost assault team member had already climbed halfway, and would reach the top of the city wall in another three or four meters. Just at this moment, someone on the city wall shouted: "Who is it!" Then torches lit up.

"Quick! Push the tables!" Pu Guanshui ordered anxiously in a low voice. According to the plan, if the assault team encountered problems, they should retreat immediately, and Pu Guanshui would provide fire cover. When the comrades on this side of the moat stood up ready to act, they heard Xiong Mingyang's voice ring out on the other side of the moat: "F*ck his mother, Comrades, charge!" With this roar, fierce explosions suddenly rang out on the city wall. That was the sound only People's Party hand grenades had. The sneak attack turned into a forced attack just like that.

Pu Guanshui had seen the toughness of the Worker-Peasant Revolutionary Army many times. As early as when this troop was still called the Insurance Corps, fighting forts in Fengyang Prefecture, comrades responsible for feint attacks turned feint attacks into forced attacks more than once, and could succeed in forced attacks. Pu Guanshui was extremely satisfied with such morale. The problem was that what was on the city wall now was not those bumpkin landlords in forts who didn't even have a few decent rifles. Inside the city were two or three thousand trained Anhui New Army soldiers.

Facing such a backbone act, Pu Guanshui was immediately placed in a dilemma. If he didn't support Xiong Mingyang, they would immediately face the enemy's siege. But the preparations up to now were all preparations to shoot at the enemy on the city wall. When Xiong Mingyang commanded the assault team to attack the city, shooting at the enemy on the city wall would very likely accidentally injure the assault team members. If military reinforcement was implemented, then Pu Guanshui, who opposed Chai Qingguo turning a feint attack into a forced attack not long ago, would personally change the original plan.

Pu Guanshui's dilemma did not last too long. The first assault team member had successfully climbed onto the city wall, and the soldiers behind followed onto the city wall one by one. Then came the explosion of hand grenades first, followed by the sound of rifle shooting. And the screams of the injured. The battle intensified instantly.

It was absolutely impossible not to save the dying. Pu Guanshui gritted his teeth and shouted to the cadre beside him: "Third Platoon Leader, you lead the team over to support immediately."

"Yes!" The Third Platoon Leader didn't hesitate at all. "Third Platoon, fall out!"

With this order, dozens of soldiers ran out rumblingly. "Take off clothes! Carry ladders! Into the water!" the Third Platoon Leader roared. After roaring, he took the lead in unbuttoning his coat, took off the military uniform, and threw it on the ground.

Xiong Mingyang didn't know his action had greatly changed the original deployment. At the same time as being discovered by the enemy, Xiong Mingyang immediately made a judgment in his heart: "Turning and fleeing is death; meeting them bravely is also death." This thought was just a matter of a flash, and then Xiong Mingyang immediately made a decision almost instinctive to a true soldier. Attack!

Once this order was given, the assault team members didn't pause at all. According to the tactics practiced many times, the grenadiers had already pulled the fuses of the hand grenades and threw the grenades onto the city wall. Soldiers climbing the long ladder didn't need to worry about making noise, and the climbing speed accelerated by more than double. Not long after, the assault team rushed onto the city wall.

At 3:05 a.m. on February 2, 1907. The siege battle of Anqing had entered a fierce level.