After a brief deliberation, the Anglo-French Allied Forces concluded that although the Great Qing had strengthened its defenses, they had not fully grasped the invaders' true intentions. The Allied Fleet decided to proceed with the original plan to attack Ningbo Port. Greed and confidence glittered in their eyes, as if they could already envision Ningbo Port falling into their hands.
At dawn, thick mist shrouded the sea like a heavy gauze curtain, veiling everything in mystery. The Allied Fleet approached Ningbo Port like ghosts, their hulls cutting through the calm waters and leaving icy ripples in their wake. At the command, the warships of the Allied Fleet opened fire first. "Boom! Boom! Boom!" The thunderous roars shattered the morning silence as cannonballs rained down upon the fortifications of Ningbo Port. Smoke instantly filled the harbor, and the acrid smell of gunpowder spread rapidly through the air.
The Qing forces deployed by Su Ran at Ningbo Port had been well-prepared. Facing the aggressive enemy, they showed no fear and immediately launched a fierce counterattack. The new-style cannons let out a roar, their muzzle flashes illuminating the grey sky, as shells struck back with precision at the Allied warships. Though the port’s defenses suffered damage under the bombardment, the Qing soldiers held their positions with unyielding determination. Every soldier stared ahead with firm eyes, gripping their weapons tightly, driven by a single belief: to defend the territory of the Great Qing and never let the enemy take a single step forward.
Under the command of their captain, the Great Qing Navy warships surged toward the Allied Fleet like sharpened swords. The vessels became entangled in intense close-quarters combat. Qing soldiers engaged the Allied troops with rifles and hand-to-hand weapons. One Qing soldier, his eyes bloodshot and teeth gritted, wielded his bayonet like a strike from a venomous snake, stabbing at the enemy time and again. He was splattered with the blood of his foes, yet he ignored it entirely, sustained only by a resolute will to kill. Opposite him, the Allied soldiers were no less fierce, brandishing long blades and attempting to break through the Qing line with twisted, menacing expressions. The sound of battle cries shook the sea and sky, as if striving to dissipate the dense fog.
During the exchange, a Great Qing warship was struck by Allied artillery and erupted into a towering inferno. Smoke billowed and flames raged across the deck. A young Qing gunner, thrown to the ground by the blast, scrambled to his feet. Disregarding his injuries, he stumbled toward his cannon, his eyes burning with fury and defiance, and desperately loaded another shell to fire at the Allied fleet. "Brothers, for the sake of the Great Qing, fight to the death!" the captain shouted. The soldiers responded in kind, their voices ringing out to the heavens as they continued to hurl grenades and fire their cannons. In its final moments before sinking, the warship acted like a ferocious beast, ramming into an Allied vessel. With a deafening crash, the enemy ship shook violently, its hull splitting wide open as the sea surged inside, dealing a devastating blow to the attackers.
On land, the Ningbo Port army was also doing its utmost to block the Allied landing. Utilizing their sturdy fortifications, they suppressed the invaders with dense firepower. Several Allied charges were repelled, leaving the beach littered with the corpses of soldiers from both sides. A young soldier lay in a trench, aiming intently at the enemy, his finger pulling the trigger again and again, his face etched with steely resolve. Though his comrades fell around him, he did not shrink back, continuing the fight with stubborn tenacity.
However, the Anglo-French Allied Forces were ultimately powerful; after paying a heavy price, they gradually seized the initiative on the battlefield. Concentrating their firepower, they broke through the Great Qing Navy’s defensive line, and a portion of the Allied warships successfully closed in on the coast to provide cover for their landing forces.
In the Capital, Su Ran kept a close watch on the fighting at Ningbo Port. Upon learning that the situation on the front lines was critical, he was consumed by anxiety. He paced back and forth in the palace, his brow furrowed, his mind in turmoil. He knew full well that every decision made at this moment concerned the fate of the Great Qing. As he considered ordering reinforcements from neighboring provinces, he weighed the risks, fearing that leaving other ports undefended would provide the Allied Forces with an opportunity, yet he also understood that the consequences of losing Ningbo Port would be unthinkable. Finally, gritting his teeth, he immediately ordered the reinforcements to speed toward Ningbo Port. Simultaneously, he commanded the Qing forces at Tianjin Port and Shanghai Port to prepare for an offensive; once the timing was right, they were to form a pincer movement around the Anglo-French Allied Forces to ease the pressure on Ningbo.
At that moment, the Qing forces at Ningbo Port were facing an unprecedented crisis. Covered by the fire of their warships, the Allied landing troops were steadily advancing inland. Though the Qing forces resisted with all their might, the disparity in manpower and equipment was becoming increasingly apparent. Just as the situation reached a breaking point, a mysterious fleet suddenly appeared on the distant horizon. In the mist, the fleet was elusive, its silhouette blurred, and while the flags could be seen flapping in the wind, their markings remained unrecognizable. The fleet moved at extreme speed, rushing toward Ningbo Port as if on a secret mission. This left both sides on the battlefield filled with suspicion: were they friend or foe? What earth-shaking changes would they bring to the already deadlocked battle? The fate of the Great Qing hung in the balance once more, and everyone held their breath, waiting for the arrival of the mysterious fleet.