Wang Huaiyuan used his actual actions to prove that he could not only do underground work, but he could also lead troops in battle. When the four Gatlings were lifted onto the earth platform half a man high, a modern-day battle against ancient times officially began. .
"Gatling... open fire... free fire... unlimited killing and wounding of enemy troops."
Chug tug tug... A copper sound trembled in the heavy rain, and the four fire gods swayed left and right on the battlefield, starting to harvest life like the scythes of the god of death.
The shooter held the handle with both hands and slowly moved the muzzle. The shooting made his face tremble. At the end of his sight, the crowd fell in pieces as his hands moved.
The shooter is also equipped with an operator who cranks the crank and a loader who installs the bullet chain. These two people with big mouths and eardrums were almost deafened by Gatling's loud noise.
The Gatling was the first heavy machine gun in human history. Its rate of fire of 300 rounds per minute was simply unimaginable by the medieval army.
In the heavy rain, the ballistic trajectory of the heavy machine gun was clearly visible to the naked eye. The Huai army watched helplessly as a chain of death bullets rushed towards them, but no one could avoid it.
The New Army soldiers in this massacre were all hair-raising. They could feel the remnants of heavy machine gun bullets flying over their heads, and the whizzing sound made people's teeth ache.
The Huai soldiers on the opposite side fell to the ground in rows, and some were even beaten in two by bullets from the chest.
No matter how fierce the enemy was, they could not withstand such a massacre. Those soldiers who rushed with blood and lost their senses launched a desperate charge against the new army. However, there were only a few Huai soldiers who could rush to the bayonet formation. A few bayonets flashed and picked him off. Died on the battlefield.
"Revenge...brothers, take revenge..." The Huai Army soldier who had a bayonet stabbed in his chest was probably really crazy. He was stabbed twice in a row and still struggled to move forward.
"Ferocious, indeed fierce enough... This kind of army united by the blood of the township party is too scary. It can be predicted that the Huai Army will always become the mortal enemy of our new army." Xiao Letian said.
Pierre on the side couldn't help but sighed, "Since ancient times, the military spirit of a strong army has relied on either religion, blood, or honor. The Crusaders in the Middle Ages relied on religion, and the European Knights relied on glory, and Generals like Li Hongzhang only rely on blood..."
"What you just said is right. The more Huai soldiers we kill today, the more enemies we will make. This is an irresolvable blood feud. Prime Minister, aren't you afraid that millions of people will scold you at the same time? .”
"I'm afraid, I, Xiao Letian, am afraid of everything. I'm afraid of bullets, I'm afraid of flying knives, and I'm afraid if my wife won't let me go to bed. But I'm not afraid of being scolded. If I want to stir up public opinion and kill someone, then try it. Who's afraid of whom... Gatlin, give me a good beating, I bought three cabins of bullets, enough for you to kill..."
Pierre shrugged, "It doesn't matter. Anyway, I estimate that Li Hongzhang will issue an order to withdraw his troops. The battle damage has reached 30%. I don't think he can hold on..."
Just as he was talking, suddenly there was a sound of Mingjin withdrawing his troops in the woods to the west. The Huai army, which was suppressed by Gatling and could not raise their heads, quickly retreated, and after a while they disappeared into the canal woods.
"Stop shooting, check weapons and ammunition, and replenish bullets for each unit..." Wang Huaiyuan began to issue orders to clean up the battlefield, but when he saw the group of people squatting in the mud, he became angry.
Damn it, everyone is staring at the peep show, a bunch of cowards.
"Come here, organize these common people to go to the battlefield to treat the wounded soldiers. We are not butchers, we still have basic humanity... Gather the wounded soldiers of the Huai Army."
The new army rushed into the refugee group and drove all the men away. "Let's go, let's go... you don't dare to fight. Don't you dare to come with us to save people? Get up immediately."
Groups of civilians were driven to the battlefield by the new army and began to search for wounded soldiers. Countless Huai army wounded were gathered together and given simple treatment.
After a while, a soldier walked out of the woods to the west, raising his hands to indicate that he had no weapons: "The new army across the way, listen... My commander-in-chief thanks you for your kindness in saving me, but we are the army of the imperial court and must listen to the imperial court. We have to fight this battle..."
"My commander-in-chief has said, please ask Prime Minister Xiao from Donghai to withdraw his troops. From now on, turn around and head east, back to Tanggu. We promise not to stop you... Please consider it, Prime Minister."
When Xiao Letian heard this, he whispered a few words to Master Long. Master Long walked out of the battle formation and said angrily, "The Prime Minister said that the new army is marching to the capital in response to the Queen Mother's request. We are acting in accordance with the secret order. Any No one is allowed to stop..."
"I would like to advise your army, if you want to fight, then continue fighting. If you can't fight, then get out of the way. Our new army will not rush to kill the situation."
"These are your Prime Minister's exact words. Let Xiao Letian come out and tell me personally..." the Huai Army officer shouted loudly.
Master Long lost his temper as soon as he heard this. You, a soldier, dared to call the Prime Minister by his first name. You are so audacious. Master Long dodged and rushed over. Before the other party could react, he used a small grapple to control the soldier's wrist, and then used his left hand to control the soldier's wrist. Tan unhooked the soldier's chin.
"Damn it, the Prime Minister's name is also yours. If you want to negotiate directly with the Prime Minister, you are worthy. If I hadn't seen you as the messenger in front of the battle, I would have cut out your tongue..."
"Go back. If you want to interview our Prime Minister, let Li Hongzhang come by himself. I'll see if he dares..." After saying that, he pushed the soldier into the mud.
The soldiers stumbled back. After ten minutes, more than ten Huai Army soldiers began to carry rolls of cowhide and ran to the middle of the battlefield. "Don't shoot. Let's set up a tent here. My commander-in-chief is willing to meet with Prime Minister Xiao here." Negotiation, one-on-one negotiation..."
The new army did not fire a shot and allowed them to set up the tent with a clang. Soon a cowhide tent with only a roof but no surrounding curtains appeared on the position.
"Please tell Prime Minister Xiao that neither side will bring any guards. They are negotiating here one-on-one. There is no surrounding curtain to make everyone feel at ease. No one of us is allowed to bring troops close..."
"Prime Minister, are you going?" Sima Yun asked.
"Go, why don't I go? They are all prominent figures in East Asia. Are you afraid of us dueling with guns? This is not the American West..."
Xiao Letian and Li Hongzhang appeared on the battlefield almost at the same time. One was wearing a coir raincoat and a bamboo hat like a hermit walking out of a traditional Chinese painting. The other was wearing a light blue military uniform and an oilcloth cloak. A big-brimmed hat blocked the rain rushing to his eyes. Incredibly heroic.
The tent was not big, and could only accommodate a square table and two chairs. The wind and rain from all sides rolled in from time to time, and even if I stood inside, I couldn't take off my cloak and raincoat.
Li Hongzhang took off his bamboo hat and put it gently on the table, and saluted Xiao Letian, "This must be the famous Prime Minister Xiao of Donghai. I wonder if my brother has a cousin..."
Xiao Letian smiled and shook his head, "I am the second devil in the eyes of the world. I did not learn the words of a saint. I have no nickname, so I am called Xiao Letian."
"Oh, I don't have a cousin. How old is my cousin? How about I give you a cousin so that everyone can have a name in the court in the future."
Xiao Letian curled his lips when he heard it, "Don't bother, my parents named me Xiao Letian. My name is Xiao Letian today, and I will also be called Xiao Letian a hundred years from now. I don't have the habit of letting others name me... As for the dynasty, Tang, do you think I still have a chance to go to court?"
Being touched by Xiao Letian's soft nail, Li Hongzhang looked a little embarrassed. He had finally learned how powerful the two Japanese were, and he didn't care about any domestic rules at all.
However, with an official position as high as that of Li Hongzhang, he still has some self-cultivation. "Since brothers don't want to have cousins, forget it, but how come we don't have a position for you in the Qing Dynasty? Brother is young and promising, Huijin has You are a talented man of the Qing Dynasty who has mastered the art of military training. As long as you are willing to go to court, how can you be stingy about your official position?"
"You have learned literary and martial arts and sold your goods to the emperor's family. You are already the first person in Western learning in the Qing Dynasty. Why belittle yourself? Listen to my brother's advice. As long as you turn around and go back to Tanggu to save face for the court, the court will naturally not I’ve treated you badly…”
"What do you want, an official position or a title? Do you want to expand the special zone several times? Doesn't Lotte & Co. want to open a semicolon in the interior? As long as you put it forward, I don't think the court will be stingy..."
Xiao Letian laughed when he heard this, "That's all. I, Xiao Letian, am already the Prime Minister of Ryukyu. My official position is not low. As for the title, it is just a false name. I don't care... You said the industrial zone, I have already expanded it more than ten times." , I am going to rent the land in Tanggu from the imperial court, I don’t care whether you agree or not."
"As for the business of Lotte Matheson, you don't have to worry about it. You can't learn how to make money from us."
Li Hongzhang was speechless for a long time, "Then what do you want? You are determined to rebel. No, no, the master has promised me time and time again that you will not rebel. So what do you want?" what do you want."
Xiao Letian did not return to Li Hongzhang's question but asked instead, "Sir, Mr. Li, now Xinjiang Agubai is causing chaos in the Tianshan Mountains with the support of the Russians, and is about to establish a country. How should you deal with it?"
Li Hongzhang was stunned when he was asked, but he looked at Xiao Letian's serious expression and knew that if he did not answer this question, the subsequent negotiations would probably not be able to continue.
He thought for a while and then said the famous argument of later generations: "The imperial court has been extremely short of finances recently, which is known to everyone. In order to revive the situation, it must take into account the overall situation of the world and then make a plan. The cities in Xinjiang have been returning since the Qianlong period." No matter how difficult it is to open up the territory, even if nothing happens, the military expenditure will still be more than three million, which will only cover thousands of miles of open land and increase the gap of thousands of years... Moreover, Xinjiang will not be restored, and the vitality of the limbs will be lost. Injury; if the sea frontier is not guarded, the serious troubles in the heart will become more difficult... With only this financial resources, we can prepare not only the sea frontier thousands of miles to the southeast, but also the wages and fortunes thousands of miles northwest. Is there anyone who is not impoverished and devastated..."
After hearing this, Xiao Letian finally heard from Li Hongzhang's mouth the truth about giving up Xinjiang. If Xinjiang is no longer restored, the vitality of the limbs will not be harmed... This means that even if Xinjiang is lost, it does not matter.
"Okay, okay, Master Li is such a good argumenter. I admire... I admire you." After saying this, Xiao Letian turned and left.
