Just when Ruan Guangping led his men into Thanh Hoa, the first wave of emergency reports came from various places. From Jiangping in the east to Dong Hoi in the middle, the Taishan Army's water forts along the coast were all attacked by an unknown source. fleet attack.
Ruan Guangping's first reaction was that Ruan Fuying sent troops for a sneak attack, but he immediately rejected this idea because the season was not right.
You must know that the southwest wind blows every summer, and the northeast wind blows in winter. Because the terrain of Annam is long and narrow, whether it is the Taishan Army heading south or Nguyen Phuc Anh's army heading north, they have to cooperate with water and land. Simply sending the army will not work. Moreover, with the help of the French, Nan Ruan is training troops, building ships, rectifying taxation and farming, and its food and grass are completely insufficient to support such a large-scale attack.
Just when Nguyen Quang Binh rushed to Hue without stopping and arrived at Nghe An Phoenix City to inspect the progress of the project, the second wave of reports came, and now he was really furious.
All the warships in the water camp were burned, the cannons were destroyed, and all the ordnance, supplies and food were burned. What surprised the local officials the most was that the fire set by the attackers could not be doused with water at all. Moreover, when fighting the fire, some people were too close and were splashed by the flames. Even if they jumped into the water, they could not extinguish the fire. It would not be finished until the person's skin and flesh were burned through and the fire was automatically extinguished. Local officials apologized one after another in their memorials. It's not that they didn't work hard, it was just that they really couldn't do it.
Moreover, not only his Xishan Army suffered heavy losses, but also many of the recruited Guangdong pirates were killed. Even Chen Tianbao's right-hand man, General Mo Guanfu, was also killed. After two years of hard work, the Xishan Navy army that was finally gathered together has lost most of it. Let alone plundering along the coast of Guangdong, it will be very difficult for Ruan Phuc Anh to attack next year.
Just when Nguyen Quang Binh and his ministers were speculating about who was so vicious, an urgent report from Hue finally made him understand who his opponent was. When they saw the contents of the emergency memorial, Ruan Guangping and the ministers who went to Chengde with him suddenly felt their hands and feet numb and their whole bodies were cold.
Three large ships of unknown origin suddenly appeared in the sea east of Hue the day before yesterday and blocked the mouth of the Xiangjiang River. The other party came up without saying a word and directly bombarded the Xiangjiang water camp and coastal defense forts. Chen Tianbao, the commander-in-chief of Baode, led the naval warships to meet the enemy. In the end, the boat was sunk less than an hour later. Chen Tianbao died in the battle. The rest of the navy was also beaten to a pulp by the intensive artillery fire from the opponent's ship, so they had to Enter Xiangjiang to escape.
The terrible thing is that neither the forts on the shore nor the cannons on the warships can hit the invading enemies at all, and can only be beaten passively. Whether it was the Elephant Army or other troops, corpses were scattered all over the field by the opponent's artillery fire.
The most terrifying thing is a large sailless ship in blue and white with the word "Thunder" written on the bow. It is equipped with a huge cannon that can hit the Imperial City of Hue directly from a distance of more than 20 miles; and Several shots were fired in an instant without stopping.
At present, the Meridian Gate, Taihe Hall, and Qinzheng Hall of the Imperial City have all been blown down, and the city walls have been damaged in many places. Prince Ruan Guangzuan and the two queens had already gone to Baoshan Temple outside the city to take refuge under the protection of the officials. At this moment, there was chaos in the city of Hue, and the people took their families and left the city to escape. Taishi Pei Dexuan and Zhongshu ordered Chen Wen to ask Queen Pei for instructions and were preparing to send someone to negotiate.
Thor? After being reminded by his subordinates, Ruan Guangping immediately thought that this was Beihai Town, where troops had invaded Dagokou last year and defeated the Manchu Qing Dynasty without the ability to fight back. I never expected it! Beihai Town, a bitter and cold place outside the customs, ignored the Manchus and did not fight against the Qing Dynasty, but actually came all the way to "visit" him.
In a palace in Phoenix City, Ruan Guangping was shaking with anger and said angrily: "What on earth is going on?! We have no contact with the North Sea pirates. Why did they come to Hue and destroy my imperial city?!"
Wu Wenchu, a prince who accompanied him to Chengde, reported: "I think that Nan Ruan and Beihai pirates have colluded, so I raised troops in our court."
The other ministers looked at me, and I looked at you, and then they all lowered their heads. It's not that they don't want to express their opinions, the problem is that no matter who is present, they don't understand Beihai Town at all.
What they heard in the capital were all rumors. Officials of the Qing court would naturally not tell them such embarrassing things, and the folk rumors were no longer myths. All the pirates in the North Sea know sorcery, can travel eight hundred miles a day and thousands of miles at night, like to eat Rakshasa ghosts alive, etc.
Besides, what Wu Wenchu said was just speculation, without evidence!
Ruan Guangping thought that if Beihai Town really colluded with Ruan Fuying, then he would have no choice but to run to Sheng Long Mansion. It's hundreds of miles away from the sea, and the pirates' cannons are definitely out of reach. Although it was possible to go upstream from the sea through the Red River and Taiping River, it was impossible for the other party's big ship to sail into the Red River.
Although Fenghuang Zhongdu is good, like Hue City, it is only twenty miles away from the sea. The North Sea Pirates' cannon can hit the Imperial City of Hue, so naturally it can hit here as well.
Thinking of this, he said to Ng Wen Chu: "Draw up the decree. Order Ruan Wenxun to lead two thousand soldiers and horses to protect the queen, the prince and Taishi Pei to Thang Long Mansion. Order Chen Guangyao as the general, mobilize the soldiers and horses to go north to protect Thang Long Mansion! Order! Vu Van Yong immediately investigates Nguyen Phuc Anh’s movements.”
Wu Wenchu bowed to accept the order, and then said: "How will your majesty arrange it here?"
After all, Ruan Guangping was born right away. He dared to fight against Sun Shiyi, so he was a little timid. After thinking about it for a while, he said: "I am sitting in Phoenix Central City, waiting for news before making a decision!"
On the sea twenty miles east of Hue City, three large ships of the North Navy were lined up. Whether it was the two D30 guns raised high on the Thor, or the 75mm guns exposed in the gun windows of North Sea No. 1 and No. 2. Millimeter guns all look murderous and terrifying.
In the past few days since the bombardment began, as the imperial city was bombarded and severely damaged, the people in Hue City left the city to take shelter, while the fishermen along the coast did not dare to go fishing at all. After receiving the artillery bombardment from the Northern Navy, the soldiers and horses of the Xishan court evacuated westward to protect the prince and queen of Baolin Temple. Only a few sentries were left along the coast to monitor the movements of the Northern Navy at all times.
Whether it is the ministers and generals of the DPRK or the common people, what they are most worried about right now is whether the North Navy will send troops to land and loot the city of Hue.
At this moment, in the conference room of the Thor, Deng Fei and Wang Yuanfang were negotiating with the envoys sent from Hue City.
"Two generals, Grand Master Pei asked Nizi to tell you, please don't fire into the city again, so as not to pollute the lives of the people."
"Yes! Please remember that I, Annan, have always admired China, and please show your respect."
One of the two people talking was Zen Master Xingquan, an eminent monk from Linji Sect in Annan. In the first year of Qianlong's reign, he went to Qingyun Temple in Dinghushan, Guangdong to seek Dharma, so he spoke Chinese very fluently. The other one was Ruan Wenming, Minister of Industry of the Xishan Dynasty. He served as a member of the Xishan Dynasty's envoy to the Manchu Qing Dynasty to seek peace.
Deng Fei said expressionlessly: "That's wrong. May I ask you two, apart from the Imperial City, have we bombarded other places in the city?"
"Uh..." Xingquan and Ruan Wenming were speechless. This thing seemed quite magical to them. The North Navy's cannons were very accurate. During the days when the two sides fought, all the artillery shells that landed in Hue City were in the Imperial City, and everywhere else in the city. None.
Nguyen Van Minh, on the other hand, had fought in the war, and he also participated in the Qing-Vietnam War. In his mind, it was common in these days to attack cities and fire cannons to injure innocent people. No one could guarantee where their cannons would hit; besides, the cannonballs were made of iron balls, and they would jump when they hit the ground!
That's not right...the North Pirates' cannonballs don't bounce, they explode when they hit the ground, and they explode in a large area.
Just listen to Deng Fei continue: "I advise you two, stop talking about your admiration for China. In the past two hundred years, you have admired enough! If nothing else, the borders of Guangxi and Yunnan have been encroached upon by you. How to calculate the territory?"
As soon as these words came out, Ruan Wenming's expression suddenly changed, and he immediately realized that these people in Beihai Town could never be kind. Without thinking, he blurted out: "That was given to us by Emperor Yongzheng of the Qing Dynasty!"
"Rewarded?" Deng Fei sneered, stared into Ruan Wenming's eyes and said: "What's going on with Nanlang and Celery Pond? What's going on with places like Cattle and Sheep, Butterfly, and Puyuan? And the Six Villages of Kaihua Prefecture !Don’t think that we don’t know anything because we are far away!”
When Ruan Wenming heard this, cold sweat broke out on his forehead. But Xingquan next to him was confused.
During the Qing Dynasty, the main conflict between Annan and China was the border issue. Like the Li Dynasty, since the south is surrounded by the sea, they can only pursue northern territory. But unlike Li Chao, who was beaten up by Hou Jin, Annan was much more blatant. Li Chao relied on playing word games and using geographical names to steal chickens; Annan would first rob openly as long as the Qing Dynasty was unstable or there was chaos in the northwest, and then write a letter to ask for it.
It is said that from the Tang Dynasty to the late Ming Dynasty, the Sino-Vietnamese border had not changed much, and the Dachushu River was always used as the dividing line. It starts from Qinzhou in Guangdong in the east, from Nanning, Taiping and Zhen'an in Guangxi to the Lin'an, Guangnan and Kaihua in Yunnan in the west, with a total length of more than 1,800 miles. However, when the Ming and Qing Dynasties changed, the Li Dynasty at that time felt that there was an opportunity and intended to take advantage of it.
Regardless of whether it was the Li Dynasty, the Mo Dynasty, or the later Xishan Dynasty, they all adhered to one "principle", which was to inherit the territory of the heyday of the Li Dynasty after Annan as the basis for inheritance. Territory, no matter how it is repeated or who belongs to it, must be included within its own boundaries. This includes the North Vietnam land that was taken back by Zhu Di, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, after he destroyed the Hu Dynasty.
It is precisely because of this that from the turn of the Ming and Qing Dynasties to the late Qianlong period, whether it was the Li Dynasty, the Mo family, or the later Xishan Dynasty, they repeatedly carried out various activities in the border areas of Yunnan and Guangxi, constantly eroding Chinese territory.
I think that when the Qing army went south, the Qing court appeased Annan, but the Li Dynasty did not respond in order to obtain the orthodox status of canonization by the Ming Dynasty. Do you think he has his heart set on China and firmly supports the Yongli regime that just came to power?
In fact, the Li Dynasty clearly saw the defeat of the Southern Ming Dynasty. As the saying goes, "The people of the Ming Dynasty fled south and the situation was in dire straits, so the one who hopes to save our country is Xinxi." They wanted to use the name given by the Ming Dynasty to seek for something that had not been done before. The Ming Dynasty returned the Qinzhou caves to the Ming Dynasty, and even Guangdong wanted to annex it.
At that time, the Gaoping Mo family, who was only living in a corner, even invaded Guangxi many times under the banner of helping the Southern Ming Dynasty to fight against the Qing Dynasty, and was dealt with by the Southern Ming Dynasty and the Manchu Qing Dynasty successively.
When the San Francisco Rebellion broke out, Kangxi ordered the Li Dynasty to send troops to help suppress the rebellion, but the then king Li Weizheng remained silent and watched the situation develop. It wasn't until the Qing army's victory in the eighteenth year of Kangxi that Li quickly wrote a letter expressing allegiance.
Generally speaking, during the Kangxi and Qianlong eras, Annan wrote many times to propose territorial claims to the Qing Dynasty, but they were all rejected by the Qing court, so he could only play dirty tricks. If the local officials of the Manchu Qing Dynasty discovered it, they would act rogue; if they did not discover it, it would become theirs.
On the contrary, during the Yongzheng period, Gao Qizhuo, the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou, and Ertai later invaded and occupied the Six Villages of Kaihua Prefecture due to Annan, and brazenly sent troops to take back Dulong, Nandan and other places between the Da and Xiaoshu Rivers, and established new boundary markers. , set up flood control camps. As a result, because Yongzheng sent troops to the northwest, in order to calm the trouble, he opened his eyes to the so-called "respectful" Annan network and rewarded the 40 miles of territory occupied by the other party to the Li Dynasty.
Do you think Annan will burst into tears with gratitude? No way!
In fact, starting from the Li Dynasty, the monarchs and ministers of Annan had already understood that the Manchu and Qing court was very face-saving and prided itself on being the heavenly dynasty. As long as they recognized themselves as vassals, spoke humbly and appeared obedient, the Manchu and Qing emperors would always look good. . Ruan Guangping chose to fight hard in the early stage, and later took the initiative to surrender and pay tribute. This was exactly the purpose.
Since the Thunder God arrived at Dagokou, Ruan Guangping, who heard the news, went around the capital to find out the details of Beihai Town. When he vaguely learned the rumors that Beihai Town had defeated the Qing army several times, he felt that an opportunity was coming. Since the Manchu Qing Dynasty was busy dealing with Beihai Town, he would make every effort to please Qianlong, who was so happy with his success. When the Qing Dynasty was busy deploying troops to deal with the north, it would definitely have no time to take care of it, or it would have to tolerate his encroachment in Jianou.
The purpose of Zhao Xin's expedition to Annam this time was to kill the chicken of the Taishan Dynasty in order to defeat the Nguyen Phuc Anh regime in the south. At the same time, the crusade against Hue City paved the way for the future recovery of the land lost during the Kangxi and Yongzheng eras. If Ruan Phuc Anh is still ready to make a move later, then he doesn't mind pushing the border to Thanh Hoa House at all.
At this time, Wang Yuanfang also spoke: "In addition, your king also recruited Guangdong pirates, provided ships with weapons, granted official positions, and robbed ships along the coast of Guangdong to supplement the state..."
"This is an unfounded slander! Those people all voluntarily defected to our court, and my king gave them official positions to wipe out the remaining evildoers of Nan Ruan!"
Seeing Ruan Wenming's furious look, Wang Yuanfang smiled and said: "Haha, we have evidence, both witnesses and physical evidence are there!"
In the process of attacking various Xishan military water strongholds, the Northern Navy successively seized a large number of seals, passage tokens and edicts issued by the Xishan court to pirate leaders. They even followed the French example and issued a large number of seals stamped with the Xishan court's seal. A license to plunder.
"We don't know how you are going to attack Nan Ruan. But your robbery business along the coast of Guangdong is quite impressive!"
After Wang Yuanfang finished speaking, he slammed the table, which startled Ruan Wenming.
Deng Fei stood up and said: "Go back and tell your Grand Master Pei to put away your dirty thoughts! If you want us to withdraw our troops, you can sign a contract and promise not to recruit Guangdong pirates again and return to the south of the Great Oath!"
Ruan Wenming was almost dumbfounded, and after a while he said calmly: "You, you... are anti-Qing people."
"Does Beihai Town's rebellion against the Qing have anything to do with you? Stop thinking about the good things about snipe and clam fighting! No matter what happens between us and the Manchu Qing, I will spit out the land we have invaded before."
Wang Yuanfang also stood up and said: "I will give you two days to discuss it. If there is no result after two days, we will continue to bombard the palace, and then go north to bomb the Phoenix Central Capital. We have dealt with the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, do you think you will be stronger than the Manchu Qing?" "
Ruan Wenming felt that he could persist a little longer, so he frowned and said: "Although our country is small, it is not a country that can be bullied! The battle of Furiang River is not far away."
"Have some backbone!" Deng Fei stretched out his thumb and said with a smile: "After we blow up Phoenix Central City, we will go to Jiading to talk to Ruan Fuying. I think he will be very happy to see us off!"
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Set a small goal first, such as remembering in 1 second: Shukeju
