September 19, 1898
Pyongyang, Northern Defensive Perimeter
The morning broke cold and misty over Pyongyang. Thick fog lingered stubbornly across the muddy fields, obscuring enemy positions and making artillery spotting nearly impossible. Despite this, Chinese forces continued their push toward the city's fortified northern defensive perimeter, aiming to capitalize on their recent gains.
General Yuan Shikai observed the battlefield from a forward command post, surrounded by hastily erected sandbag walls and guarded by riflemen in trenches nearby. The damp air carried distant echoes of intermittent gunfire as both sides exchanged sporadic rifle shots through the fog.
Colonel Deng approached swiftly, saluting. "Sir, recon patrols report heavy fortifications ahead. Amerathian engineers spent the night reinforcing positions along the Taedong River bank. They are constructing secondary defensive lines within Pyongyang itself."
