Chapter 37 The Battle of the Two Crows (7)

Seeing the ceasefire order sent from Beijing and handed over by Lu Jianying to the UK, Bashali, Erkin and others were almost furious! Are the Chinese crazy? Or is the situation of victory and defeat still reversed? Such conditions were proposed by the Chinese first when they were not easy to export as the victorious party?

There are only two conditions in total. First, the British and French expeditionary forces were from below the commander Erkin, and the entire army was the Chinese soldiers who died on the coastal defense fronts of Dajiao, Shajiao and Cross Island. Second, all the British and *** teams withdrew from China's inland rivers and territorial waters.

After these two conditions are met, China will in principle allow the British to land and conduct formal consultations with the imperial envoy sent to Guangzhou. If the British side cannot agree, the Qing Dynasty will not bear any responsibility for any disputes arising from the two countries in the future.

The British government caused an uproar over the Chinese's absurd words, and even the rare moderates in the government were angered, especially the tone of Conservative leader Edward Jeffrey Smith Stanley: "The Chinese are so wild and absurd, and do not understand the importance of mutual respect in international exchanges? Don't they want to die? The British will die for them!"

Although such voices are rampant, Gladstone still makes suggestions: "Even if death ultimately brings us glory, it will not have any practical benefits to the British Empire. Therefore, I think that we should give up those surrounding coastal cities and directly attack China's capital. At least, we should deploy troops along the north, force the Chinese to lower their heads and sign their names on the agreement we recognize. Only in this way can the imperial expeditionary forces return to the British colonies far away from their motherland before Christmas and spend their festivals."

This time, Prime Minister Bamaitun decisively adopted the resolution proposed by the parliamentarian and sent it to Erkin, asking him to give up the confrontation with the Qing court on the southeast coast, go north from the sea, find an appropriate place to land, and attack China's capital city.

Since receiving the two conditions proposed by China, Erkin knew that the war would not stop as quickly as he imagined, but he did not expect that the Prime Minister's resolution would give up the achievements he had already achieved and go north to find a fighter opportunity to fight against the Qing army on land? Once these more than 20,000 soldiers of the expeditionary army entered China's heartland, it would be like sacrificing their own strengths!

Although I had such concerns in my heart, Erkin was not afraid. Fifteen years ago, the British team leader rushed straight into the Yangtze River and rushed to the edge of the Yangtze River. Before I could cross the Yangtze River defense line, wouldn’t the Chinese be obedient? This time, I have to see how brave the ancient Oriental people could have to fight against the great military power of the British Empire that killed the capital city?

His not afraid does not mean that the navy has no worries either. Seeing that winter has begun, all parts of northern China are cold and the boats are suffocating, and they will easily fall into the river and become a living target for the Qing army. If there is any mistake, it is not a joke!

When Galloupe discussed with commanders at all levels of sea and land, British Lieutenant General Sima Ingrid and French Navy Lieutenant General Rigo immediately expressed his objection: "It is deeply trapped in China's inland. Once it is blocked by ice and snow, our glorious force will become the target designed by the Qing army on the shore. Therefore, I and Mr. Boyle believe that attacking China's northern region at this time is not a choice that a shrewd military strategist should make."

As the commander of the British side of the coalition forces, Erkin had already negotiated with Lord Grant. Considering that the Navy might have such problems, he immediately asked, "What if I were to find a port that was not frozen in the south of China?"

This choice is naturally what the Navy is willing to see, but it aroused dissatisfaction from the Army. Their opinions are also very targeted: China is extremely wide, from south to north, tens of thousands of miles away, and there are different Chinese people everywhere. Who knows that they will come up with something bad to secretly? Even if they don’t make trouble, they will just strengthen the walls and clear the fields. Tens of thousands of soldiers in the coalition forces are insufficient to provide for them. In three or two days, they will completely lose their combat effectiveness!

Both sides made sense, and they were quarreling in the conference room. In the end, Erkin, Grant, Lieutenant General Gross Gross, and Mentorban discussed it. Since the left and right could not decide, it would be better to report the two opinions to the government at the same time and ask higher-level politicians to worry.

So he sent his opinions back to China by telegram. Bamaitun also felt very embarrassed. The situation is very clear now, and he can only take care of one side. The best of both worlds is not impossible. But then we have to wait until the next year, when spring is warm and flowers are blooming and the glaciers are thawing. How can we wait for such a long time to delay?

When the news came back to China, Bamaitun felt embarrassed. If this did not achieve any effect, he would retreat tactfully. How do the Chinese people think that they don’t have to worry about it for the time being? The rebukes of the more than 500 members of the House of Commons are really irresistible. The opposition’s impeachment of the opposition is really irresistible. The tens of millions of pounds of military spending will not only fail to achieve results, but will continue to increase military spending to wait for the coming year? If you change your position as the other party, you will also use this to provoke a criminal sect?

Thinking of this, he decided not to delay the war endlessly. After discussing with the cabinet, he decided to order the coalition forces to go north immediately and find a suitable place to land in the battle.

The order was sent back, Erkin and Grant had no choice but to hold a pre-war meeting again, invite the commanders of the expeditionary fleet to come in separately, and discuss the plan for landing operations. The first thing to be determined is the specific question of where the fleet landed.

The first choice is naturally Tianjin, but Lieutenant General Ingrid and Lieutenant General Rigo disagreed: "All the Dagukou forts in Tianjin have extremely strong fortifications. Moreover, as the coastal defense front line closest to the Chinese capital, the artillery configuration and personnel training there are second to none in China. If you want to attack directly, it will be too difficult and the number of casualties will be unacceptable."

"So, what does Lieutenant General think?"

"In my opinion, here..." The two of them pointed their hands on the expanded map. They were located in a deep bay in the middle of the Shandong Peninsula. Erkin looked carefully. The place name marked in English made him feel difficult to pronounce: "dengzhou?"

"It's Dengzhou. Your Excellency," said Lieutenant General of the West Malaysia. "I have also been here. It is a port that is not frozen all year round, and it is not far from the capital of China. More importantly, the defense here is relatively weak, and the waterways in the town are crisscrossing, which is convenient for our army to develop. More importantly, the canals that are transparent north and south of the Chinese are not far from Niuzhuang. As long as the waterway is connected, the supply problem of our soldiers in the north can also be solved by ships following the soldiers to the north. This is all very convenient to operate."

Erkin, Grant, Gro, and Mengtuoban didn't say anything for a long time. He took a magnifying glass and stroked it carefully on the map for a long time. He saw the path from Dengzhou to Beijing, China clearly, and nodded with a wry smile, "I have never figured out these Eastern place names!"

"So, do you agree to such a path?"

"I agree initially and wait for instructions to report the combat plan back to China."

"Oh, Lord Jazz, then, here in Guangzhou City?"

"Waiting for the battle plan to be approved by the cabinet, we left the city."

After waiting for half a month, the telegram from the country was sent back, agreeing to the landing operation plan proposed by Erjin and other expeditionary forces' general staff to land on the Shandong Peninsula. However, Bamaitun attached another one. After transporting the soldiers ashore, the ship turned and parked outside Tianjin, waiting for further instructions.

So, in the strange eyes of the military and civilians inside and outside the city of Guangzhou, the British did not even say a word, and set off fireworks, turned around and left the inland river. Guangzhou City escaped a catastrophe out of thin air, and the people were happy and set off firecrackers. It was no problem. Lu Jianying didn't care about his happiness and quickly sent a telegram to Beijing, informing the emperor of the news that the British went out to sea.

Over the past ten days, in addition to the old emperor and the old god who spent time every day, Yi and others all raised their hearts to their throats: Although the emperor made a solid statement, the barbarians were not tamed and received a telegram from the Qing court containing such two conditions. Will they be angry, turn their guns and violently bombard the people in the city? If so, they will become an eternal sinner!

Fortunately, the British kept holding their troops and didn't know what they were thinking. Just when they were spending their days in the military office, they received a report from Lu Jianying: The British dropped their boats and went out to sea and came north!

The emperor received the report and laughed, and sat up from the soft couch: "Six hundred miles in a hurry, send an order to Chunshou and Lao Chongguang, and act according to what I told them. If the British don't get ashore, I have no choice but to do it. Once they get ashore, they have to follow my baton!"

Yi didn't know what the 'baton' was, but seeing the emperor was so excited, he laughed a few times: "Your Majesty, will the British definitely land on foot in Shandong?"

"There are not many places to choose from." The emperor smiled and said, "No need to mention Dagukou, the British cannot afford to die or injured. Other places are even far away. When traveling for a long distance, the water veins on the road are blocked and the supply cannot be provided. The soldiers will collapse without fighting. Only Dengzhou Prefecture, Shandong, is the best place to land."

Zaiyuan asked intriguedly, "Your Majesty, Rong Nucai asked boldly, I don't know that Yu Chunzimi and Lao Xinjie are two... "

"You all want to know what I said to them in the imperial boat, right?" The emperor smiled in a good mood: "To this day, there is no need to hide it from you. Once the British soldiers leave the warship, I will let Chunshou and Lao Chongguang take the method of strengthening the walls and clearing the fields in the province! The British should not want to get a grain of grain on the land of our heavenly dynasty! Let's see, they can withstand the hunger for several days!"

"That's not all. I want Chunshou to completely cut off his retreat after the gunboats withdrew his soldiers. In a nutshell, I want to leave the British Expeditionary Force of more than 20,000 people and all the warships they used on the land of our Celestial Empire!"

Bai Wei sighed deeply, gently slammed the horse's hoof sleeve and knelt down: "The emperor had already prepared thousands of plans at the beginning of the war. Since the beginning of the war, the British have done everything under the sage of our emperor. I have experienced it one by one, and I am convinced and unspeakable. The day of success in the future will be the time when our emperor's reputation will be passed down through the ages!"

The emperor's words for Bai Wei were really itchy, and he laughed proudly: "The emperor is planning and winning thousands of miles away. Even if Zhuge Wuhou of the Three Kingdoms and Sun Wuzi of the Chunqiu are reborn, he should be willing to give in to the worst!"

When the chanting of the saints in the Hall of Yangxin came to an end, the emperor waved his hand: "You don't have to praise me as if you are anything. But this battle should not be careless at all. Go down and write an order to tell Chunshou and Lao Chongguang that if there is any fault in Shandong Province and there is nothing wrong with them, I will never be spared."

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After seven days of sailing at sea, when the biting sea breeze blows in front of him, he approaches Dengzhou headed by the flagship Calipop. Grant raised his telescope and observed the shore. The coastal defense fortifications on the shore were in chaos in front of the soldiers. The soldiers ran back and forth, and the white air coming out of his mouth was clearly visible, as if he was shouting something. The distance was too far to hear.

He and Erjin smiled at each other. In such a country and such soldiers, they were already in a panic before they even got into battle. How could they compete with the British Empire's army that was tempered into steel?

Xima immediately ordered, "turn the bow of the ship and bombard China's coastal defense fortifications with string cannons."

The huge Yamstrom artillery sounded like thunder, with great power and extremely long range. After three rounds of volleys, after the smoke of gunpowder was gone, after observing, all the coastal defense fortifications on the shore had turned into rubble. "The order was sent to Dulu No. 1 march along the Dagujia River."

After typing the flag, Dulu No. 1 was the first to turn the bow of the ship and sail into the inland river in Dengzhou Prefecture. In a short while, it disappeared in the white mist floating on the river.

When we saw the future was peaceful, the subsequent fleet walked in a huge two-character shape and drove into the Dagujia River at the mouth of the Yellow Sea.

Although it was winter along the way, the river was covered with white mist and it did not freeze. The wide river channel was also very suitable for fleets to pass. When the boats were sailing on the river, the cold wind blew over. From time to time, you can see the people in the Chinese countryside standing on the shore, paying attention to these uninvited guests who came from afar.

"Mr. Jazz, have you seen it? The Chinese people expressed their silent welcome to us."

"Yes, my friend, the Chinese are a hard-working nation. It's a pity that their emperor never refuses to lower his noble head. Otherwise, I really hope to walk and take a look on the land of China as an ordinary tourist."

"Please believe me, Lord Jazz, when the war is over, if you still have such a good mood, I am willing to accompany you to visit the people of China in person, and see what the ordinary Chinese are different from us."

Erjin laughed a few times, looked out of the boat's side, and the white belly was everywhere on the river, and the dead fish floating on the river: "Hmm? What's going on?"

Grant also looked at him and smiled distractedly: "I think it must be the cannons fired by warships that not only destroyed the fortifications on the shore, but also shocked the fish in the water to faint, right?"

Erkin was not watery, so after he explained, he would not take it seriously: "In this way, the power of the British Empire's artillery can not only shock Chinese subjects, but also Chinese fish are scared?"

Lieutenant General West Malaysia, standing aside, burst into laughter.

In winter, the day is short and the night is long. When the sky is getting late, the fleet stopped in the middle of the river. It is in mainland China. Erkin and Grant dare not be careless and ordered each ship to add double posts before returning to the cabin to sleep.

The next day, everything was safe, and the fleet continued to advance inward from Yanhe River. I don’t know where the Chinese team had hidden. I didn’t encounter any resistance on the road. It took only three days to enter the Dawen River from Dagujia River. The boat sailed to Anshan Lake and could no longer walk. The weather became colder and the lake surface was frozen and there was no movement.

Xima looked at the endless ice fields in front of him and smiled bitterly at Grant: "Lord, I think this is the deepest part of China that I can reach."

"Yes." Glante nodded. He knew that he had arrived at the place to say goodbye to the navy soldiers. He reached out and shook with the other party: "Thank you for your care along the way, and wait until we go to Tianjin to see each other."

"I wish you and your soldiers a safe journey. I hope that when I see you again in Tianjin, all the soldiers I sent away today will be able to see you again."

"Please rest assured, my friend. I will definitely bring all the young men back to my motherland safely."

West Malaysia Ingrid took a step back and saluted solemnly: "Goodbye, Your Excellency, Lord."

"Goodbye, my friend."

At the junction of the Dawen River and Anshan Lake, the British army began to unload military supplies from the ship. The assembly of tens of thousands of people was not so easy. All weapons, equipment, and personal supplies were unloaded, loaded, and field artillery were carried one by one on the wheelbarrow, dragged by Indian soldiers and advanced along the river bank. Each soldier was equipped with food for three days. After resting for a night, at 8 o'clock the next morning, he bid farewell to the comrades on the warship and set off in the whole team.

At the same time, the thirty-two warships and twenty-five other warships boarded by the British and French expeditionary forces fired salutes at the same time to see off the soldiers who were on the expedition for the country.

Ingrid and Lieutenant General Rigo, who also came to his ship, stood on the bridge until the end of his sight with all the soldiers who disappeared, turned around and smiled: "Stay here for another night tonight, set sail at 8 o'clock tomorrow morning, and continue to head north!"

Rigo looked up at the sky with a sparse moon and stars, like a large piece of blue cloth satin, "Tomorrow will be a good weather. Your Excellency General."

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The next morning, Xima woke up from the adjutant's quick knock on the door: "Captain? Captain?"

"Come in."

The adjutant pushed the door open and entered: "Is there anything wrong?"

"Yes, yes, ice floes have also begun to appear on the Dawen River we passed by."

"Oh?" Ingrid was stunned, and he got up, followed the adjutant to the side of the ship and looked down, right? There were ice cubes of large and small floating on the river. I really don't know where they floated over that night? Looking up at the sky, it was gloomy. It seemed that it was going to snow?

Ingrid looked a few times, recovered his spirits, and immediately ordered: "Instruct all ships to set fire and anchor immediately, but don't be blocked by this large fog of ice."

In a hurry, the warships and warships of the coalition forces of the two countries became busy, and bursts of black smoke came out from the thick chimneys. The heavy warships Lahn and Fengde were in front and formations were behind. They slowly turned the bow of the ship and drove along the Dawen River toward the way.

After a day of the boat, there were more and more floes on the river. The Rahn and Fengde were unable to drive at all, and the weather was not good. Just after noon, large areas of snowflakes fell, which was really worse.

Xima began to feel anxious. If this speed continues, the fleet of this expeditionary force will be trapped in a small river in China! He is determined to speed up the speed at all costs, but even if he has such a mind, he does not have such ability. Although the warship is iron, if he fights against the floating ice, he will probably pierce holes everywhere. If that is the case, it would be better to stop on the river and wait for the spring flowers to bloom and the time for the river to thaw!

After walking less than 30 kilometers of water in a day, when night fell, West Malaysia suddenly remembered that they should use the cannons loaded on the ship to bomb the ice and continue moving forward. Why are they so anxious and confused?

It is too late to talk about other things at this time. Fortunately, there is no blockade and siege of the Chinese team, and there is still a lot of time to use it - let's wait until tomorrow morning.

The next day, before the sky was bright, the adjutant once again slapped the cabin door like a burst of beans: "Your Excellency General, you General, a large number of Chinese troops appeared on the bank of the river!"

This shock was really extraordinary. Ingrid was in a messy manner to the bow of the ship. This time, if you don’t use a telescope to view it, you can clearly see that the banks on both sides of the river were lined up, full of Qing army teams! Less than two kilometers away from the British warships, the trousers on their bodies and the tasseled hats on their heads were swaying in the cold winter wind. In such cold weather, they were like guns nailed to the ground, without any gaze.

In front of the team, two hundred cannons were also arranged on the left and right river banks! They were entrenched on the ground, with black muzzles spreading to the sky. As for their targets, they could be seen without asking.

Xima looked around and looked at the adjutants around him and the generals on the boat all looked pale. It was not until this time that he realized that not only he, but also the Prime Minister in London, were all played with and applauded by these strange Chinese people!

But, how did they do it?
Chapter completed!