In the dark night, the Zhiyuan slowly advancing in the distance was like a mountain, weighing on Ferdinand's heart. The consul felt an unprecedented shame, and his face burned like coals.
What went wrong with my plan? It was clear that he had planned everything, but why did he end up in such chaos and fail like this?
This ambush plan was jointly formulated by Ferdinand, French Emperor Napoleon III and many outstanding intelligence officers. It can be said to be an exhaustive plan.
The time and location of the ambush were carefully considered, and Xiao Letian's subsequent reaction was also judged by many parties. Whether it was entering, returning, or stopping, France had a plan.
As long as an ambush occurs, you, Xiao Letian, have to solve the problem. The French side will have an excuse to keep you and cooperate with the investigation of this kind of thing. It can take one month or two months.
Anyway, France didn't expect those few small cannons to destroy the Zhiyuan. What the whole conspiracy was seeking was not victory, but only time.
What France ultimately wants is time for diplomatic mediation so that the alliance of the ethnic groups can be established as soon as possible and the coalition forces can even be organized. This is the significance of this ambush.
The strategy was vicious and clever, but the result was unexpected. Ferdinand had no idea that Xiao Letian would completely disrupt the French's rhythm of field control with an aggressive method that was almost like a lunatic.
From the beginning to the end of the ambush, the Zhiyuan did not slow down even a little bit. The malfunction flag was flying in the night sky, but the battleship did not lose any power.
If we continue moving at this speed, let alone delaying the Chinese, we may have to cross the canal in advance.
What makes Ferdinand even more angry is that Xiao Letian has no intention of stopping to solve the problem. According to international practice, such a big firefight has occurred. The Chinese have already mobilized the army. Shouldn't they stop and rest for a few days? Is the problem settled?
But no, the Zhiyuan and the other warships behind it had no intention of anchoring and sailed exactly at the original speed. This completely disrupted the French plan.
Underestimating the enemy is the root cause of all failures!
The French underestimated the Zhiyuan's ability to resist attacks. They did not expect that the Zhiyuan's protective performance would be so superior. This round of shelling was actually unscathed.
The French also underestimated the adaptability of the Chinese army. As soon as the bombardment began, the Chinese army was able to organize a landing force of more than 400 people. This reaction speed was simply heaven-defying.
The French even underestimated Xiao Letian's toughness. It turned out that this man was really a madman. Not only did he dare to fire artillery in the French colonies, he also dared to join the Marines and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the French Army.
Although both sides exercised restraint and did not kill anyone, the war horses killed many people, young and old, and countless French soldiers were injured.
Nothing was expected, everything was underestimated, how could one be invincible if one underestimated the enemy to this extent.
There is no regret medicine in the world. Ferdinand has to bite the bullet and rush forward. The only thing that can hold back the Chinese people at this moment is his own sharp tongue.
The war horses finally rushed to the side of the Zhiyuan. The maximum width of the Zhiyuan's hull was 12 meters, and the canal channel under its feet was only 22 meters wide, which meant that the side of the warship was less than five meters from the shore.
From such a distance, Ferdinand could see every rivet on the battleship. The black shadow cast by the tall ship hull pressed down on him, making him feel extremely depressed.
"I am Vicomte Ferdinand, the French consul in Egypt...I request to board the ship to meet with the Chinese leader Xiao Letian. Please inform me on my behalf!"
The military attachés around them were shouting back and forth in English and French, but they could only see the figures running back and forth on the Zhiyuan and the flickering light and shadow of the gas lamps. No one paid attention to them for ten full minutes.
Ferdinand didn't know that a hot battle almost broke out between the Chinese Marines and the French Army on the sand dunes.
Hyoutaro controlled the French battalion commander with a knife, but the French army was not weak. The French army, which had been fighting all year round, also had backbone. Some of the hot-blooded soldiers actually launched an attack on the Chinese regardless of the safety of their commanders.
"No... don't attack! Calm down..." At the critical moment, the French battalion commander no longer cared about his own safety. He suddenly remembered the previous instructions of the consul.
"Our purpose in this ambush is to hold back the Chinese, not to escalate the situation... We must always pay attention to the movements of the British and never escalate the situation. If a large-scale hot war breaks out with the Chinese, the British will definitely be attracted. Those who interfere, once their soldiers land and get involved in this conflict, they will give the British an excuse to intervene in the canal!"
The consul's previous judgment is now becoming reality. British warships are preparing to land on the sea, but they have not disembarked yet. This is mainly because the shelling has ended and the Chinese have not suffered any losses, so the situation is easing.
On the other hand, it is because the British are not as efficient as the Chinese in preparing for war. In the process of preventing soldiers from landing, chaos and uncoordination are inevitable. If you want to imitate the Chinese army, they can enter the battle in fifteen minutes. This is really not an easy thing.
Although the British have not yet entered the battle, it does not mean that they have given up intervention. If there is a hot battle between the Chinese Marines and the French garrison, and there are large casualties on both sides, the British will never give up the opportunity to intervene.
In fact, the British are more eager to intervene. The Suez Canal is too important and must not be placed under the control of the French. British forces must take the opportunity to infiltrate.
The French army at the bottom didn't know the importance of the relationship, but the officers were all very knowledgeable. When they saw that the situation was developing into a hot war, they were all shocked.
"Retract the bullets...don't fire! Lower the bayonet..."
"We are here to resolve conflicts, not to fight. What we want is evidence from criminals... Ouch, who are you going to hit me!"
French officers at all levels tried their best to suppress the fighting spirit of their men. The strict military discipline still came into play at the critical moment. The soldiers did not dare to shoot or use bayonets, but they had to say this. As a result, on the sand dunes It suddenly turned into a fight.
Soldiers on both sides knew that no one could be killed today, but no one was willing to be outdone. The two groups of people immediately struggled together, with fists and fists.
"Come in with support! We have many people, don't be afraid..." Noheita raised his arms from behind, and rushed forward with 200 people to support Hyōtaro, while the remaining soldiers hurriedly cleared the scene, and various strange evidences began to be collected. Transport it to the fleet.
Military maps published in France, lots of gold francs, and even rations for the French army... Although the cannons were produced in Austria, not all the shells were Austrian. There were actually four of the remaining sixteen shells. Printed in French.
As for the seriously injured man who was dying, he had been secretly transported away by the Marines.
The group fight lasted for a full twenty minutes. When the fourth green firework shot up into the sky, Xiao Letian in the command cabin stood up and said, "Very good, it seems that our mission has been completed very well! Then let's go see Meet the consul!"
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