Having watched the holywood epic "55 days at Peking" starring Charlton Heston and Ava Gardener for most of the evening us two at tale of two gamers then went on to a two day-er game set in Peking during our 1912 campaign between the Japanese and the French over Chinese possesions. The story went that the French, anticipating growing agression from the native Chinese population, were moving in the 2e regiment of Tirailleurs to garisson their Legations in Peking and prevent a repeat of the siege 12 years earlier. Unfortunatly as they marched up legation street they were confronted by a large force of Japanese stationed in the Japanese legation. Scattering into the surrounding housing the French and Japanese forces would now be involved in a bitter fight across the Russo-American legations.
We used the black powder rules with some alterations for the use of biplanes and to represent cavalry of the period better. We gained one point for each enemy unit we broke as well as one point for the US legations, the Russian legations, the Japanese legations, the housing, the canal (the junk basically) and the rail road. When a unit was broken (unless it was a commander or an exceptionally rare unit) it would be regenerated form our board edge.
I deployed a brigade either side of the canal with Lieutenant Balliard and Major Louis Ney taking two Sections of Tirailleurs and the Bleriot Biplane along the left flank and Captain Charles Ney taking one section of Tirailleurs, the Machine gun and the Spahis up the right flank.
The Japanese Deployed their entire force behind the Railway and the ridge line with the Ashigaru taking the centre and the other units holding back. They started off in control of both the railway and the Japanese Legations where as the French would have to detach men to hold the Canal or the Houses.
The Railway could be held by positioning troops within 6" of the centre of the pass. The village was held by having more huts occupied than the opposing player. The legations also worked in a similar way with the Russian one being made up of a courtyard and three huts which could all be occupied. The American legation was made up of a store house, a compound and a tower with a gun (representing "Betsy" or "the International") which could be captured and turned on the enemy (smoothbore artillery with 1-2 shots).
The French made a speedy advance down Legation street, with two sections of Tirailleurs closing in on the American Legations (one of them misunderstanding Captain Ney's blundered order and charging full out for the American legations, bayonets fixed) while the Spahi and one more section of Tirailleurs brought up a line behind. The Biplane also shot forwards across the village with machine gun at the ready.
The Japanese forces quickly surged over the railway and out of the pass towards the Legations, whilst a section of Tirailleurs occupied the American tower turning Betsy upon the Japanese. The Spahi had also occupied the American compound and the Bleriot was heading straight for the railway.
The French began a rapid bombardment of the Ashigaru pikemen from the American legations and compound, with Betsy opening up with her German shells and the Bleriots Machine gun rattling over head.
But the Japanese kept on coming. However the Spahi performed perfectly, charging out from the compound to intercept a Japanese charge. The force of their charge broke the Japanese and they followed up their charge straight into the Ninjas who managed to beat them back and send them retreating into the compound.
Having occupied the compound of the Russian legations, the Japanese now found themselves fighting off a fierce assault over the wall by the French Tirailleurs who were personally lead in the assault by Lieutenant Balliard himself, the heroic frenchman leaping down into the compound and fighting off many Japanese warriors. However the Japanese held out, but they did not quite beat off the French assault and the melee continued.
The Japanese Ninjas quickly assaulted the artillery position in the US legations, blowing off a powder store and sending the rest of the Tirailleurs garrisoned there packing! However the Japanese did not quite manage to take advantage of their flight and could not press the attack to capture Betsy and turn her on the French.
As 9:30 struck the troops settled down for the night and we left the game for the morrow. The positions were strong for the Japanese. They had ninjas ready to secure the artillery piece, they had just moved up their cavalry to strengthen the Russian legations, the spahi were surrounded beyond the railway, the French had made three bad blunders which had now sent the Bleriot flying for home and the Tirailleurs line facing the wrong direction, but on another side the Machine gun was fast approaching the disordered Ninjas, and could probably clear them in a good round of shooting.
The morning dawned over Peking but orders were not ready to be issued till around 1:30 in the afternoon so the men settled down in their respective camps, the French getting the rough side of their commander's tongues.
"The Japanese General surveys the positions from the lofty position of the Japanese legation's roof top, as he receives news of the latest French movements."
As Dawn brakes and the Tirailleurs renew their assault on the Russian legations, Balliard leaping over the wall into the frey. It turns out that but three horsemen now defend the compound, the Japanese infantry having broken at the renewed assault.
With the ninjas failing to receive their General's orders to secure the artillery, it proves too late as the French machine guns from the ground and the Bleriot open renewed fire upon them sending them packing for their own lines and cutting them down to a man.
With Betsy and the American legations now in french hands and the machine gun moved up to the compound, the Bleriot surges forward to bring its guns to bare on the Japanese lines from directly above them.
But even through the intense French artillery bombardment the Japanese natives still managed to get men within the walls of the US compound, though they did not quite make it to an assault which may cost them as they had already taken heavy casualties and were almost at breaking point another round of shots from a machine gun and Betsy may finish them off.
Having lost the first detachment of Spahis to the natives once they crossed the rails, Major Louis Ney now saw fit to bring on another detachment. They were to make for the Russian compound, defended by the three horsemen who had cut down Lieutenant Balliard and many Tirailleurs before sending that section packing!
The Native spearmen some how managed to stay in the compound and assail the artillery emplacements, even under fire from two Machine guns and a 6pdr pop gun!
The Biplane had also taken some damage as the natives (who appeared to have gotten hold of some old American civil war rifles) shot off a piece of the engine!
With Captain Charles bringing up a fresh section of Tirailleurs and the Spahi riding towards the Japanese cavalry who had sallied out of the Russian embassy to meet them in a counter charge, the Artillery and machine guns opened up on the Japanese in the US compound slaughtering them all!
The US legations were once again safe in French hands and the Natives were finding it hard to recover their loss of ground, especially with the Bleriot flying around their lines.
However they soon brought their act together and managed to cross the railway with some of their warriors, who instantly found themselves with an attack column of Tirailleurs in the front, firing off volleys at close range. The Spahi had also taken down their opposing cavalry and were riding on the Russian legations, but the Japanese had been too quick and had already moved some of their warriors into the legations.
And with the arrival of more Japanese cavalry to support them it would take all the skill, enthusiasm and courage of the Algerian horse to defeat them.
So instead of turning our fast cavalry to the job of building to building fighting at close and densely packed quarters we sent them to aid the Tirailleurs in breaking through the Japanese lines and crossing the railway. By now the Bleriot had also been forced to land as it had taken unexpected damage from the natives who had found rifles, something not expected by Major Ney. He was unwilling to commit such an expensive piece of equipment to a mission that could prove dangerous for it.
With the French troops holding off the native waves in their dense formations, and awaiting the order to form a line so as to completly hold the enemy off the US legations, the artillery began a bombardment of the spearmen crossing the rails, sending a few shells into them.
Captain Charles Ney, whilst advancing with his Sergeant and Askari lackeys along the flank found a and of Japanese natives rushing straight for them! They all took flight for the machine gunners ducking down and diving behind it as it sprayed bullets into the japanese before they began to make their (supposed last) stand in the US compound.
But suprisingly with naught but Charles' pistol and sabre, a bayonet and three rifles and a machine gun (all used as clubs) the French and Somalian Askari beat off the Japanese warriors.
This had given the Tirailleurs advancing on the rails enough time to form a line and open fire at close range, supported by the artillery piece.
The spahi on the left flank however engaged in a bitter cavalry clash with their Japanese counterparts, sabres flashing and cutting through the native's bamboo armour.
"The Tirailleurs section forms a line in front of the Japanese troops, opening fire and inflicting much loss on the native bowmen, whilst the Japanese commanders watch on"
Now stationed in the American legation's store house, the machine gun crew is in a perfect place to rattle out bullets at any natives trying to cross the ridge or execute a flank manouvere.
As Major Louis Ney watched on from behind the US compound, he could see his men performing perfectly. True they had lost yet another detachment of Spahis from the field, but they had beaten off most of the enemy cavalry. Two of the sections of Tirailleurs had formed their lines up either side of the US legations and were supported by fire from the remaining section's artillery piece and the 2nd company's machine gun in the central building.
As the line advanced it fired its volley off at the archers, before moving up a 2nd line which in turn fired on the native spearmen defending the ridge.
It certainly seemed that the French forces would soon be wrapping up the Japanese line and advancing over the rails and on to the Japanese legation, hopefully to capture their General, before advancing on their own French legation.
But unfortunatly the native resistance was tougher than expected on our part and as one of our Tirailleurs sections fled the field the other made a move to roll up the Japanese flank, but it was confronte by a wall of archers joined by both their commanders in the melee which the French did not get the advantage of. The store house of the US legations had also fallen with the Native spearmen taking out the machine gun and settling down with the windows bristling with spears!
The Line was now completly broken and the French had lossed all the ground up to their artillery position. However with the arrival of more Spahi and a march column of Tirailleurs, plus a new machine gun things could be changed. But the Japanese wern't without their reinforcements either, and the Russian legations could soon be supported by more cavalry.
But as the cavalry made for the Yamen houses the warriors in the Russian legation who had been counting on support found themselves beset by a section of Tirailleurs and a detachment of Spahi, which they pluckily fought off!
Legation street was now thick with the dead and dying from both armies where countless clashes had taken place between the Russo-US legations. Who could have imagined twelve years before that such firm freinds as they were then would spill each other's blood on the site of their greatest victory!
The Battle ended with the troops exhausted and the spirit of all broken. The Japanese held their legations, the rails and the Russian Legations whilst the French were in control of but the US legations however much blood had been spilt and as the casualties were totted up by the Aide de camps and orderlies the Ney's settled down for a glass of Wine ine the US compound.
But in the end with twelve Japanese units broken to the French eight the Japanese gained no advantage from their two extra positions held. They were swept aside by the French advance and they scattered out of Peking.
As a "necissary measure" Major Louis Ney, with the French Ambassador's permission, put the city of Peking under French marshal law.
Victory for the French, but scraped by just two points over the Japanese. A great game. Black powder lends itself well to Colonial games of the 1900-1914 periods though I would never even try to play a game of WW1 with it or another such type between european armies of this period.
If you wish to know what rules we use for our Biplane these are them (written by myself
Its gun uses the machine gun rules from the advanced rules section in the rulesbook. It can move 12" and can only be harmed by shooting attacks (meaning it can neverbe engaged in close combat).
We designated it at 26pts but in games where the enemy's total shooting adds up to three or less I would suggest 40pts.
Unit | type | armament | Hand to hand | shooting | morale | stamina | special |
Bleriot | Biplane | Machine Gun | - | special | 4+ | 4 | maruaders
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