Looking back on the past few decades, the British have always been indispensable in the history of the Ming Dynasty for more than a decade. It was the British who provoked the trouble and invaded, it was the British who repeatedly defeated the Ming army, and it was the British who followed the Yangtze River and besieged Yingtian. Also British.
In the 30th year of Yuan Sheng, that is, in 1858 AD, the Battle of Guangzhou ended with the Ming army's defeat again. The British and French armies moved north the following year. The Ming army lost again in the Battle of Taicang. Then the British and French armies Under Linjing City.
Although the imperial court was aware of the European threat after being defeated by the British army twenty years ago and vigorously reorganized and reformed the army, the half-baked Ming army still could not be the opponent of the British and French armies of that era.
Facing 14,000 British troops and 8,000 French troops, the Ming army, which gathered 100,000 troops from the four provinces of Zhejiang, Southern Zhili, Shandong, and Hubei, fought fiercely for three days and two nights. In the end, they were defeated and the army was defeated. The teacher committed suicide.
The Forbidden Army Shenji, Shenshu, and the Five Military Camps guarding the capital were immediately collapsed. The only thing worth mentioning is that the Xiaoling Guards stationed at Zijin Mountain put up a resolute resistance.
There were also a large number of peace advocates in the imperial court. Although Ming Suzong, who was old and ill, initially planned to run away like the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but considering his inconvenience and reputation, he finally made up his mind to stick to it anyway. I don't have a few years left to live. No matter whether I win or lose, I can at least gain a good reputation.
At the same time, because King Qin's army from other provinces was approaching, the main war faction in the court believed that there was still a good chance of defending the capital. So Emperor Suzong of the Ming Dynasty ordered people to escort the prince to Yanjing, gather the defeated troops to prepare for another battle, and released the weapons storehouse to arm the young men in the city.
[Arming and mobilizing people to participate in wars were done many times by the Ming Dynasty. I think everyone knows why the Qing Dynasty did not dare to do this. In fact, it doesn't matter if it is any Han dynasty, there is nothing to worry about, Li Zicheng's Dashun or even Wu Sangui's Zhou Dynasty will do. 】
Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War, who was in charge of the city defense, believed that the enemy army was far superior to the Ming army in terms of firearms tactics and that it was impossible to win an honest battle. It was better to simply use the large number of densely populated residential buildings outside the city and wait for the enemy army to pass by to ambush brave men and carry out a surprise attack. Use melee and melee combat to offset the gap between the two sides.
In short, although the Ming army also suffered heavy losses, this move still worked, causing the arrogant British army to suffer two heavy losses.
[Zulu Warrior: Yes, this is how asymmetric warfare should be conducted. Firearms tactics are what they are best at, how can they be compared? 】
Finally, with the arrival of King Qin's armies from the north and south, the French army chose to betray their teammates and run away, and then the British army had to retreat in a hurry.
Standing at the door of Tonghui Hotel, Cheng Han stared to the west for a few seconds before getting into the car.
The Ming Dynasty was really eager for a hearty victory. Decades ago, the glory of European countries made many people of insight realize the gap, and the calls for restructuring and strengthening became louder and louder.
The conflict between the conservatives and the reformers also lasted for many years - fighting in the streets, swearing in memorials, and group fights in the court. A series of reforms carried out under this background had some failures and some successes. The measures to establish Westernization and promote industry and commerce were bumpy along the way, with stops and starts and even a few steps back at intervals.
But no matter what, after decades of stumbling, you finally succeeded? But what exactly counts as success? Do we only look at industrial output value?
Obviously, everyone understands in their hearts that behind everything, they have to rely on their fists to speak. On the surface, the Battle of Uzang is to expel British forces, but in fact it is challenging the colonial system and order of European countries.
This is a trial, and the scale must be controlled. Too big will not work, and too small will not work. After repeated weighing, only Uzang Baima Gang can make a big fuss.
"Whether it's sentiment or interest, who doesn't want to win?" Cheng Han said to himself with complicated eyes.
The next day.
The Assam region in the current season is known for being humid and rainy, which is a typical feature of the tropical monsoon climate. The sunny days in the past few days can be said to be rare.
The sky became dark and gloomy, but the officers and soldiers of the first battalion guarding Demaji were very happy, because the British and Indian Air Force generally did not go out in the rain.
Last night, the second team, which suffered more than half of its casualties, withdrew to the city under the darkness of night according to Zhou Changfeng's order. This morning, several reconnaissance teams and combat patrols of the British and Indian troops found that Highland Zero was empty.
So after paying the price of six people being killed by booby traps, Task Force Wilson finally occupied this small hill that was irrigated and devastated by blood and fire. The Battle of Demaji can be regarded as a breakthrough.
Under this circumstance, Zhou Changfeng held a meeting of all officers in the headquarters of the hospital building.
In the early morning, the only two light bulbs left made the headquarters a little dim. Zhou Changfeng, who looked calm, looked around and found that the number of people participating in the meeting was six less than the number on the standard establishment list.
Most of the people's bodies were covered with mud and blood, and their faces were stained with dirty dust and sweat, but their eyes were still bright.
Everyone stood quietly with solemn expressions, waiting for Zhou Changfeng to speak.
After a while, the latter said calmly: "Today is the first day of July, and it is the third day of our defense here. Although each department persists in fighting, the enemy has the advantage in air force, artillery fire, and troop strength, causing our army to suffer heavy losses. Now we By giving up the high ground outside the city, the initiative completely fell into the hands of the enemy. Although the subsequent urban battles can offset the enemy's firepower advantage, it will quite test the morale and organizational capabilities of each unit. Do you have any opinions?"
Xue Can hesitated for a moment and said: "Battal Commander, the order from above is intended to delay this enemy force until tonight. I think...instead of fighting with them in this city, it is better to leave as soon as possible and walk along the roadside." Fighting and retreating can also achieve the goal of blocking the enemy..."
Before he finished speaking, Liu Qidong, who was frowning, said angrily: "You guys, you want to escape, right?! Sun Zhixin died for his country last night, and now you are giving up?!"
"Fart! What I'm thinking about is how to reduce losses and complete the mission at the same time!"
"You are talking nonsense!"
"Have you ever considered that Demaji is now surrounded by enemy forces on both sides? And some of their detachments and patrols have penetrated to the east?" Zhou Changfeng, expressionless, interrupted the argument between the two, "If we retreat , we will continue to be harassed by these enemy infiltration forces, and at the same time, the main enemy force will continue to pursue us."
The lieutenant, a military doctor, added in a cold voice, "Sirs, please don't forget that there are still more than a hundred wounded in our army here."
Fan Wenhai also said seriously: "I am also opposed to retreat. Our defense in the city is quite complete, our morale is not bad, and we have enough ammunition. How can we give up easily?"
"Everyone..." Xue Can said as he pulled out his pistol, removed the magazine and took out a bullet, then put the bullet into the pocket of his military uniform and said loudly:
"I, Mr. Xue, am not afraid of death. If the war goes unfavorably and things go wrong, I will save this bullet for suicide!"
"What I'm worried about is that if we don't leave now, it will be difficult to leave once the enemy completely surrounds us."
"Demaji only has such a small area, how long can we delay it in the city? If the large army cannot arrive, we will be wiped out. Instead of taking that risk, why not retreat and fight at the same time?!"
