On Manhattan Island in North America, the colonial governor, Marquis Johnson, was looking at the map where the situation was not very good.
He used the civilization staff in his hand to point at the island of Manhattan in front of him.
"The situation is urgent now. In order to avoid the colonists from the East, we have moved the Governor's Palace to Manhattan Island, far away from the land.
Next, Viscount York will introduce the enemy's strength to everyone. "
Under the gaze of Marquis Johnson, Viscount of York, he had no choice but to stand up.
As the top general of the British army in the colonies, he was an army general with a royalist background.
During the English Civil War, they revolted on the battlefield in time, and this was how they ended up being distributed to the colonies.
Viscount York has always remembered his identity, and he must take the initiative to shoulder the blame.
He pointed at the map and said helplessly: "Our army in the colonies is very weak. Counting the emergency trained militia, there are only 30,000 people.
There are less than 2,000 regular soldiers from the real British army.
Our enemies number fully 100,000.
The indigenous tribes located in central America were defeated by an army of 100,000 armed with firearms, and were unable to fight back.
Not to mention these indigenous tribes, we also sent observers to the battlefield to observe.
Even if the British army goes to the battlefield, it can only deal with the same number of enemies.
The gap in strength between the two sides is too great, and it is impossible for us to win this war.
Zhao State, a country established by the Eastern colonists, has sent a large army to attack the colonies, leaving us little time to react.
My advice is to evacuate the colony as soon as possible. "
Viscount York finally said what his companion wanted him to say.
They are not fools, Zhao Guo's strength is obvious to all.
The mainland felt that there was no hope and no reinforcements were sent to support it.
How could it be possible to withstand Zhao's attack by relying solely on the colonial hotspot army?
But even if the person who voluntarily gave up the colony and made the suggestion was not dealt with domestically, he would be called a traitor and the best outcome would be to be dismissed from office.
Among the people in the Governor's Mansion, only the Viscount of York is suitable to bear this responsibility.
After Viscount York finished speaking, the expressions of everyone present became more relaxed.
They supported Viscount York's statement from all angles and demonstrated that Zhao Jun was invincible.
The colonial governor, Marquis Johnson, was not surprised at all when he saw the performance of these people.
The nobles who came to the colonies to serve as officials were basically people who had been marginalized in London or who wanted to get their qualifications mixed up.
No matter what kind of person they are, once they encounter a life and death crisis, they will not coexist or die with the colony.
Governor Johnson would have been like these people if Prime Minister Cromwell hadn't called him to the Prime Minister's Office before taking office and specifically explained some things.
When Prime Minister Cromwell was wreaking havoc on the Chinese Imperial Navy in Europe, he had already anticipated that the American colonies would be attacked.
Prime Minister Cromwell had warned Johnson that if he could not hold the colony, he could choose to evacuate.
But as long as Johnson can seize the Dahua Empire ironclad ship, he can even obtain important parts including steam engines and propellers.
He would become a hero in England, and the king would make him a duke.
He will also become a lifelong member of the House of Lords.
Marquis Johnson initially delayed, showing that he did not have the ability.
He had to say this. Once he spoke big words, Prime Minister Cromwell asked him to represent the British Navy and attack the Chinese Navy in Gibraltar.
He also doesn't have that ability. Not only will he make people laugh, but he will also lose his life.
Marquis Johnson had not seen anything since the last defeat of the Royal Navy.
A secret weapon created by England after the failure of imitating ironclad ships.
With this secret weapon, at least the Royal Navy will not be helpless in the face of the Imperial Navy.
After Marquis Johnson saw the secret weapon that only a few people in England knew about, he knew he had to agree to it.
He had been preparing for this since he came to the colony.
When he heard that the Benniu Road Canal was completed, he knew that Zhao would definitely send a navy to attack.
Just because of the distance, the navy might arrive after the war.
Marquis Johnson had been thinking about how to use limited troops to delay the march of the Zhao Army.
No matter how many times he does war games, the final result is slim hope.
It wasn't until the summer that Marquis Johnson's house was blown away by a typhoon, and he thought of a way to delay the Zhao Army.
Marquis Johnson created several large barrier lakes in the Great Lakes and surrounding rivers for the purpose of flood control.
He looked at Viscount York and gave the order in an unhurried tone.
"Viscount York's conclusion is shocking, but it has to be believed.
The British, who were of pure blood, immediately arranged for them to return home by ship.
Viscount York, you lead your men to immediately dig out the dams on the barrier lake and the rivers surrounding the Great Lakes.
We must use a great flood to stop Zhao's attack. Buy us enough time to evacuate. "
When the Viscount of York heard the Governor's order, he immediately stood up straight and replied meticulously: "Don't worry, Lord Governor, I will complete the corresponding tasks perfectly in my humble position."
The Governor has agreed to evacuate all the colonies, and everyone knows that evacuation will take a long time.
When they evacuate, that will be their weakest moment. If the Zhao army takes the opportunity to attack, they will only become prisoners.
The method of digging rivers is indeed the best way to stop the enemy.
As for how many natives downstream of the river would die if this was done, no one would care.
The meeting in the Governor's Mansion ended quickly, and the colonial leaders immediately took action.
They issued a notice to evacuate, and when the farmers heard the news, they shed silent tears.
The rich plantations will bid them farewell.
The farmers immediately packed up their money and prepared to leave the colony on passenger ships.
In order to vent their anger, some farmers took up muskets and aimed at the black slaves working in the fields.
There were wails one after another, and the slave owners laughed wildly when they saw the fear of the slaves.
Farmer Jack packed up his belongings and prepared to take his family to the dock in a carriage.
"Dad, don't abandon me."
A little boy with slightly dark skin and slightly curly hair was shouting from behind the carriage.
Jack picked up a shovel and immediately threw it at the little black child.
"You, a bastard born of a slave, have no right to call me daddy. The son of a slave will always be a slave.
If the slave market hadn't collapsed now, I would have sold you long ago. "
Jack soon arrived at the dock, which was very crowded.
Everyone wants to escape the battlefield and return to the safety of the British Isles.
The soldiers on duty maintained order at the dock. When they saw anyone with darker skin, they immediately drove away.
"Even a piece of trash wants to get in, unless you can dye your skin white."
…………………………
Next to the embankment of a huge barrier lake, Viscount York saw that the embankment was constantly collapsing.
Fortunately, this was the dry season in late autumn. If it had been the rainy season in summer, this barrier lake would have collapsed long ago.
But it is this barrier lake that accumulates rainwater for most of the summer. Once the dam is excavated, a large amount of floodwater will flow downstream.
Viscount York saw that his men had arranged explosives, and he shouted with a slightly excited voice: "Detonate."
The soldiers lit the fuses in front of them one after another, and the burning sound spread far across the silent embankment.
There were several loud booms, and several cracks were blown out of the relatively strong embankment.
A huge amount of river water, which had nowhere to go, immediately seeped out of these cracks.
Then there was a boom, louder than the salvos of dozens of artillery pieces.
The cracked embankment collapsed in an instant due to the flow of water.
The flood with a huge roar surged forward directly along the original river channel.
When Viscount York saw this, he smiled.
If this barrier lake explodes, the river can still withstand it. If all the barrier lakes explode, and under the impact of massive floods, the downstream will become a swamp, making it difficult for the army to pass.
Without further ado, he immediately led his men to the upper reaches. He would blast all the barrier lakes upstream to release the water.
King Su Xiong of Zhao was sitting on the boat, reading the telegram sent by Zhao's important ministers.
As long as it didn't affect the Eastern Expedition, he delegated power to his son Su Jinghong to exercise his abilities.
While he was reading the telegram, he felt the ship shake violently.
King Zhao Su Xiong was very puzzled. During the dry season, it would be good for the river to sail normally, but why would there be a bumpy feeling caused by the impact of water flow.
He immediately remembered that when he was fighting in Jiangnan, Emperor Su He told him what he needed to pay attention to.
King Zhao Su Xiong immediately put down the telegram and rushed out of the room. He stood on the edge of the ship and carefully observed the situation of the river water.
He found that the water in the river was slowly rising, which was extremely abnormal.
Autumn and winter are dry seasons. It would be good if the river water does not drop. How could it rise abnormally?
King Zhao Su Xiong immediately ordered all ships to dock.
While dropping the anchor, iron pillars were laid on the shore to secure the ship.
The soldiers transported on the ship, carrying necessary food and drinking water, immediately disembarked and sought shelter in high places.
King Zhao Su Xiong also explained to the generals around him who didn't know much about it.
“I noticed that the river water was rising slowly, which is extremely abnormal in autumn and winter.
As far as I know, this is probably a way for the upstream to block the river and use water to attack it. "
Jiang Manyu, the governor of Zhao State, asked with some confusion: "Your Majesty, this kind of water attack is usually used when a city cannot be attacked for a long time.
We are about to arrive at the area controlled by the English. Even if these people are stupid, they will not use such an ineffective method.
There is a very vast plain around us. How much water would it take to flood us? "
Jiang Manyu just raised his own questions. He did not want to refute King Zhao Su Xiong's ideas.
Zhao Wang Su Xiong said in a serious tone: "Fire and water are ruthless and must not be underestimated.
Wait a little longer and we'll know what the English are up to. "
King Zhao Su Xiong was eating fried noodles on the top of a hill. Although the hill was short, it was surrounded by large plains, which made the view here very broad.
He heard a rumbling sound from the distant shore.
It started out muffled, then became clearer and louder.
King Zhao Su Xiong soon saw a flood peak three to four meters high rushing downstream.
Massive floodwaters kept lapping at the shore, making rumbling sounds.
He stood on the hill and looked towards the place where the ship was docked.
The heavy ship was gently lifted by Hong Feng, and then hit the water heavily.
Some ships enter the water at a poor angle, and the propellers can be seen to be damaged.
"My dear, for such a big flood peak, this is how much water is stored upstream.
In a flood of this scale, we are flooded, and the situation upstream is not better. "
Governor Jiang Manyu was very surprised.
He was surprised that the English actually used the method of killing a hundred enemies and losing ten thousand to themselves.
It is very difficult to kill the enemy with this kind of flood.
It can only block the speed of the army's march.
The rivers hit by the floods were riddled with holes, water flowed everywhere, and the rivers were also silted up with numerous debris.
It certainly cannot become a channel for transporting materials and personnel.
Flooded plains are covered with sludge.
Sludge and stagnant water, as well as rotting human and animal corpses, can easily cause plague.
The purpose of Zhao's army is to occupy this area, and they must deal with the flood-ravaged areas.
Not long after they were surprised, another flood peak passed through the river.
When this flood peak came, the fragile river banks could no longer withstand it.
The floodwaters overflowed directly over the river bank and spread towards the wilderness around the river bank.
King Zhao Su Xiong saw in a short period of time that one flood peak after another passed through the river, and the flood near the hill began to gradually rise.
The floodwaters reached halfway up the mountain and then stopped rising.
A day later, the flood completely receded, leaving only the water just above the calf level in the plain area at the foot of the mountain.
These generals and guard camps can stay on the hilltop.
However, the location on the hilltop was limited and could not accommodate the 30,000 vanguard troops.
Most of the troops just found a higher place to wait.
When floods come, many people choose to climb the surrounding trees.
King Zhao Su Xiong immediately summoned Governor Jiang Manyu urgently to learn about the situation of Zhao Jun.
Governor Jiang Manyu was covered in mud, and his hair was stained with a lot of smelly mud.
He didn't bother to wash up and immediately came to Zhao Wang Su Xiong.
"Your Majesty, I just went down the mountain to inspect the situation of the army.
The subsequent floods only rose slowly and were not as powerful as the first wave.
The soldiers were already prepared, and most of them found shelter.
A small number of people had been soaking in the water for a day. Because they had prepared floating objects such as wood or empty kettles in advance, the casualty rate was not high, but some of them had already started to have high fevers.
Fortunately, your Majesty reminded you in time and all the troops disembarked.
If the troops were on board, the casualties would be somewhat heavy when the first wave of floods arrived.
I have sent a hot-air balloon to the sky for inspection. There is a vast country for dozens of miles around, so the marching speed will be very slow.
The cargo ship's granary has taken waterproofing into account, and most of the grain has not been contaminated.
The most difficult problem now is drinking water.
All the surrounding water sources are flooded, which is no longer safe. "
After Zhao Wang Su Xiong heard this, he knew that the army's losses were not large and within the acceptable range.
"Let the military adjust its status as soon as possible, and find ways to send seriously ill soldiers back to the rear so that they can receive proper treatment.
You can dig a well to drink groundwater. Find a place where there is no sewage and dig a deep well. The groundwater has not been polluted. "
King Zhao Su Xiong asked the governor to immediately supervise the execution of the order.
He was very puzzled as to why the English would die together.
"No, the English are going to run away."
He immediately sent a message to the navy to inquire about its location and learn about their situation.
After receiving the news that they were in good condition, King Zhao Su Xiong issued an order to ask the navy to find ways to hinder the English's escape plan. (End of chapter)
