The enemy and us who are currently fighting in Ryukyu have probably not realized what impact this war will have on the future situation in East Asia. In the eyes of Ryukyu people, this is a battle to defend their homeland. Since the French are determined to massacre the city, Then everyone won't be a coward waiting to die.
For Molière and others, Ryukyu is just a small island country in East Asia. This war is just a battle of revenge for His Majesty the Emperor. Victory is natural. If it fails unfortunately... it will never happen. In the eyes of the French soldiers, there was no possibility of losing this battle.
But they did not know that this war was of extraordinary significance to later generations of historians, and its importance had been elevated to the decisive battle in the confrontation between Eastern and Western civilizations.
Since the Age of Discovery, Western civilization has never stopped expanding outward, first to Africa, North America, and South America, then to India, Arabia, and Southeast Asia... East Asia is the last frontier for the expansion of Western civilization.
From the earliest attempts by the Portuguese and Spanish to the massive invasions by the British and French, Europeans had prepared for more than four hundred years to conquer Asia.
Until the outbreak of the First Opium War, the victory of this strategic gamble initiated by the British made the entire Europeans understand that they were ready and the time was ripe for a strong presence in East Asia.
Since then, Western forces represented by Britain and France have begun to march in, and strong ships and cannons have knocked on closed country doors one after another. Don't think that only the Qing Dynasty is the only victim. No country in the entire East Asia can escape. survive this catastrophe.
Japan encountered the 'Black Ship Incident' and the 'Shimonoseki Incident', North Korea also had the 'Bingyin Foreign Disturbance' and the 'Xinwei Foreign Disturbance', and Annan, later Vietnam, was humiliated under French artillery fire. With the Treaty of Saigon, it officially became a French colony.
Since the First Opium War in 1840, the West's powerful ships and cannons have roamed East Asia without a single defeat. Over the past two decades, the pessimism of European invincibility has gradually been established in the hearts of Asians.
Xiao Letian once said that the most terrifying thing is that 'there is no greater sorrow than death.' When countless nations and even a civilization are shrouded in pessimism, and no one dares to dream of victory... the horrific scene cannot be imagined at all. Imagine.
Why did Xiao Letian go to Europe? This question has troubled many people, although they all got a clear answer from the Prime Minister's mouth, which is to show the vigor of the new army and the prestige of the Asians.
But this principle sounds easy to understand, but if you chew it carefully, no one can understand the three flavors.
Ryukyu's own affairs haven't been finished yet. Is it worth traveling all the way to get involved in the war in Europe? Is it wise to take risks halfway across the world before even building a navy? Even if you Xiao Letian is right, But our most important strategy now is defense. East Asian countries have been trembling under the Europeans' powerful ships and cannons for more than 20 years. We must first launch a defensive counterattack.
This is a common question in the minds of many decadent scholars after Xiao Letian left Ryukyu. But today, the cruel war has made everyone realize. The changes in the Ryukyu war situation have made all smart people truly understand what the prime minister said.
Especially those college students who have been brainwashed by Xiao Letian. This group of fanatical student soldiers has become one after another morale-boosting preachers, shouting loudly in the crowd.
"Without the courage to fight, the confidence to win, and the proud morale, no matter how many new weapons are given to Ryukyu, the final result will be nothing but failure..."
"A nation without a backbone, even if it is armed with the most advanced armored warships, in the end it will just be intimidation, threats and then signing a few life-saving agreements that are barely surviving..."
"Look at the so-called important ministers of Ryukyu. They clearly have the most advanced coastal defense artillery in the world at that time. They clearly have advanced rifles and massive amounts of ammunition that surpass the enemy. They clearly have a group of warriors who dare to fight and are willing to fight. They clearly have Hundreds of thousands of people who have gradually awakened..."
"They have everything, almost all the resources for victory that make European military strategists jealous, but in the end their choice is still negotiation, trying to use two lips and a little protection fee to exchange for the so-called peace..."
"There is no greater sadness than heartbreak... These medieval-minded ministers who are destined to be swept into the garbage heap have once again proved with facts that the old ways will not work. If we want to survive, we can only rely on the Prime Minister to point it out. The new road..."
"Moving forward on a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood... Even if every Ryukyu soldier is killed in the war, even if not even one of them is left alive, as long as we win, we can build a brand new country from the ruins..."
"Rebirth from the ashes...Phoenix Nirvana..."
The battlefield is the best classroom for mankind. Survival, life and death can temper everyone, and blood can always prove who is right, although no one dares to bear the heavy price.
Now that the old road has been exhausted, the only way is to take the new road of the Prime Minister. If you want to survive in the jungle of beasts, you can only transform yourself into a beast.
The blue crowd swarmed forward. The rain of bullets fired by Spencer made the lobster soldiers tremble, and debris suddenly flew from the simply piled shooting bunkers.
There is no rhythm to the sound of hundreds of rifles firing. In people's ears, every salvo is like a muffled thunder rising from the ground. The billowing white smoke is floating on the battlefield like a wall, and the flying bullets are as dense as In the heavy rain on a summer night, life at this time is as humble as an ant.
The French were also crazy. Many of the veterans selected by Molière had experienced the brutal Crimean War, and the rest had also fought against the barbarians in the colonies for many years. They had a natural intuition for danger.
"Fire...maintain the density of fire...send a signal to the battleship...request artillery support..." The commander looked at the people rushing out of the streets and alleys. He was so surprised that his back was sweating. Such a tenacious enemy. It can only be seen in European wars. I never thought that there are such tenacious soldiers in Asia.
Bruce and Molière were now shocked and speechless. Although in the previous fierce battle at Kunigami and the strategic bombing, they were constantly improving their evaluation of these soldiers. Even though they were enemies, they were worthy of admiration.
But today, when they saw with their own eyes the crazy fighting spirit of this group of new soldiers, they realized that countless times before they could not describe the true image of this group of soldiers. No wonder Xiao Letian was able to defeat the French cavalry regiment on the French-Swiss border. , his soldiers are really a bunch of lunatics.
Molière turned his head and looked at King Shangtai coldly: "Your Majesty, look at these crazy soldiers. They are not loyal to you. They don't care about your life or death at all... Do you still insist on it now? You are a group of people?" What is the responsibility of soldiers who are not loyal to you.”
"Come to France. I will personally exterminate this group of barbaric soldiers, and then help you train a brand new Guards Army that is only loyal to you...a modern army."
"Bah..." King Shangtai didn't care about his image as a king now. When he opened his mouth, a mouthful of phlegm flew over, "I will never trust you again, never will... What is a king, what is a people, what is an army, You don’t understand this, but the Prime Minister understands it, and now I understand it too. If the foundation of the country is lost, no matter how strong the army is, it can’t prevent the country from being destroyed and the family destroyed.”
"Damn it, you stubborn idiot who was brainwashed by Xiao Letian... This is the last time you challenge my patience. If you do it next time, I will shoot you myself." Molière completely lost his patience.
No matter how dense the rain of bullets composed of three hundred lobster soldiers is, it is useless when faced with the impact of thousands of new troops. Under the close fire suppression of the new army Spencer, this group of French troops was overwhelmed. No more starting.
Bullets bounced back and forth on the shooting bunker, and soldiers were shot and killed every moment. The grassroots officers were now going crazy. "Where is the artillery? Where is our artillery? Why don't you fire..."
Amidst the roars, the battleships and cruisers on the sea finally adjusted their shooting postures while cruising, and the sound of cannons that had been silent for a long time sounded again.
The accuracy of the rifled cannon completely surpassed that of the smoothbore cannon for an era. The precise shells smashed into the charging crowd, causing a shower of blood. The pressure on the French defense line around the viewing platform suddenly decreased.
"Well done...continue to maintain fire suppression and ignore the forts on the mountain. As long as our reinforcements enter the city, victory will be ours..." Molière jumped up excitedly.
No matter how powerful the flesh and blood body is, it is still fragile when faced with steel cannonballs. The charging crowd was immediately blown up, and the huge crater was like a crack in hell, spitting out smoke.
"Don't...retreat, retreat to the city, retreat to the mountains, fight in the streets and jungles with these French devils, don't make unnecessary sacrifices..." Looking at the scores of dead New Army soldiers , Cai Mao pulled his neck and shouted anxiously.
King Shangtai also came to his senses. He clenched his fists and shouted, "Go back and fight with them in the street...avoid the enemy's artillery."
"Run, leave us alone, go back and fight guerrilla warfare, didn't the Prime Minister teach you?" The ministers on the viewing platform shouted.
This angered Molière. He discovered how the bones of these barbarians were so hard, and the more they beat them, the harder they beat. The envoy grabbed a rifle and rushed over to hit the prisoners with the butt of the rifle.
"Shut up... shut up... shut up... Your lives are now in my hands. Even if you want to die, I will not give you a happy life."
The hardwood gun butt hit Cai Mao's arm, Jin Changsen's face, and Lin Yuanmiao's forehead... The crazy Molière hated this feeling so much. The situation was gradually out of his control. .
"Damn barbarians, the script I wrote cannot be changed. Only I can decide the fate of Ryukyu."
