Chapter 119 Bai Gui: For the sake of the Qing Dynasty, let the people suffer a little more...
After listening to Luo Dagang's suggestion, Li Yi nodded slightly.
"Not bad!"
Then he continued to ask.
"What about the other generals? Do you have any different opinions?"
Upon hearing this, all the generals shook their heads to indicate that they had no objection.
Li Yi pondered for a while, then started to make arrangements.
"Wang An, Zhao Xiang, the two of you will lead your troops and the reorganized Qing demon prisoners of war to launch a feint attack on Guangzhou City."
"We don't seek to capture the city, we only seek to contain the Qing monsters in Guangzhou and prevent them from making any rash moves."
Upon hearing this, Wang An and Zhao Xiang immediately clasped their fists and accepted the order.
Li Yi nodded slightly and then said.
"Li Sheng, Bai Yuanqin, and Li Kang, the three of you will lead your troops to defend Longtou Mountain and Datian Mountain in Huangpu, and prepare to fight against the British coming north."
According to the report just now from Li Liang, the British are now advancing by land and sea, along the east bank of the Pearl River towards Guangzhou.
Huangpu is the only way for them to go to Guangzhou!
In order to win the battle against the British, Li Yi even sent out his guard troops again.
Upon hearing this, Li Sheng and the other two clasped their fists in agreement.
After speaking, Li Yi turned his gaze to Fang Haiyang and said.
"The navy must also be prepared to engage in a naval battle with the British."
"Whether our army can defeat or even annihilate the invading British in this battle depends on our navy."
"If our navy cannot defeat the British fleet, then even if our Restoration Army can win the Battle of Guangzhou, the Guangdong coast will probably be harassed by the British using their navy, and we won't be able to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night."
"I know that the British have stronger ships and more powerful guns than our Restoration Army, but I believe that the brothers in the navy will not let me down."
Upon hearing this, Fang Haiyang clasped his fists.
"Don't worry, Grand Admiral. If we cannot defeat the British navy, I will bring my head to you."
Upon hearing this, Li Yi nodded with satisfaction.
Seeing that Li Yi did not assign him any combat mission, Luo Dagang, who was standing by, also asked for a fight.
"Grand Commander, I ask for your help."
Li Yi heard this and shook his head.
"Commander Luo's troops are the reserve for this battle, and they must not be moved lightly."
There has always been such a rule in the Restoration Army that each unit takes turns to take on the roles of main attack, feint attack, and reserve force.
Luo Dagang's troops had just fought in Zhaoqing. Although they won easily, there were still some casualties.
Therefore, Li Yi is not planning to let Luo Dagang's troops take part in the battle of Guangzhou.
Upon hearing this, Luo Dagang could only clasp his fists and say.
"I humble my duty and obey my orders."
Suddenly, Li Yi seemed to remember something and spoke.
"By the way, there is one more thing that needs to be done by Brigadier General Luo."
When Luo Dagang heard this, his eyes lit up immediately.
"Please give your orders, Grand Commander."
Li Yi nodded.
"Let Brigadier General Lao Luo spread the word on behalf of our army, saying that the British are coming to Guangzhou to burn, kill and plunder again, and try to invite heroes from various militias and secret societies to come to help fight against the British."
Li Yi knew that the Qing army used militia to defend the city.
It is because he knew this that Li Yi made such arrangements.
He just didn't believe that the militia guarding the city could still sit still if he was spreading the news that the British were coming to Guangzhou to burn, kill and loot.
As long as the morale of the militia is disrupted, the Qing army will probably be in trouble. At that time, the pressure faced by the Restoration Army, which is responsible for the feint attack on Guangzhou and the task of containment, will naturally be much less.
To put it bluntly, the most important purpose of Li Yi's move was just to disrupt the morale of the militia. As for whether he could really attract some people to help in the battle.
Li Yi actually didn’t have much hope!
Of course, it's not completely impossible.
The Guangdong cousins are very stubborn. They were already very dissatisfied with the rule of the Qing Dynasty. Now that the Qing Dynasty is colluding with the British, the buffs are already stacked up.
Under such circumstances, it is not impossible that some cousins could not bear it anymore and chose to stand up and help the Restoration Army in the battle.
Upon hearing this, Luo Dagang nodded to show that he understood, then turned around and left.
Li Yi looked to the south, towards the direction the British were coming from, with a serious look in his eyes.
He originally wanted to play along with the British and trick them.
Unexpectedly, the British did not even give him a chance to sign an unequal treaty...
……
Inside the city, Guangzhou General’s Mansion!
"General, good news! The British have sent troops."
"It started from Hong Kong and is traveling by land and water, along the Shiziyang, towards the Pearl River."
“Guangzhou is saved!”
Bai Gui came to Muten with a happy face and began to report.
Upon hearing this, Mutten's face couldn't help but show some joy.
But at this moment, Ye Mingchen also walked in from outside.
"General, those British barbarians are too much. They went north from Hong Kong to Guangzhou, looting almost all the way. They killed, burned, raped, and robbed wherever they went. They did all kinds of evil."
"The people along the way are complaining a lot."
"If this continues, Guangzhou will lose the support of the people. General, you have to take care of this!"
Ye Mingchen had just received the news and immediately rushed to report to Muttern.
Upon hearing this, Mutten just shook his head and said in a cold voice.
"It is a great fortune that the Qing Dynasty can borrow the British soldiers to help us defend the city and suppress the rebellion. How can I dare to ask for too much?"
Ever since Ye Mingchen refused to sign the treaty when it was signed last time, Muttern had been very dissatisfied with him.
If it weren't for the tense situation in Guangzhou and the rebel troops approaching, which would not allow internal strife to occur, Ye Mingchen might have been impeached by Muttern and dismissed from office and imprisoned.
Seeing this, Bai Gui, who was standing by, also spoke sarcastically.
"If Governor Ye wants to be the judge who speaks for the people, then you should find a way to make the British enforce military discipline. Don't count on us."
"The only thing we care about now is whether we can defend Guangzhou. Nothing else matters."
"As for those civilians who died at the hands of the British? Haha, for the sake of the Qing Dynasty, let them suffer a little longer."
"The Qing Dynasty will remember them!"
Bai Gui is now unwilling to show any good face to Ye Mingchen.
When Ye Mingchen heard this, his face instantly turned pale and blue, looking extremely ugly.
But in the end he said nothing and just left.
Because, as a "honest official", he may be good at talking, but can you expect him to actually do something?
Ha ha.
If Ye Mingchen had the ability and courage to get things done, he would not be called the "Six No's" Governor.
……
On the Lion Ocean, a huge fleet is sailing forward.
Leading the way was a third-class sailing battleship and two fourth-class sailing battleships. The tall white sails formed a sharp contrast with the black hull.
Densely packed cannons extended from the gun ports on the side of the ship, making one's scalp tingle at the mere sight of them.
Behind these three sailing battleships, there were twenty or thirty armed merchant ships of various sizes.
The fleet that the British currently maintain in Hong Kong is not large, and there are only three sailing battleships that the British Royal Navy relies on as its Great Wall.
But there is no way around it, as Britain's delivery capabilities in the Far East were limited at that time.
It's easy to maintain combat for a short period of time.
If you really want to maintain the existence of a fleet for a long time, you can only reduce the size of the fleet.
It is also normal to temporarily mobilize armed merchant ships for combat during wartime.
Besides, most of the British businessmen who can now reach Hong Kong have close ties with the East India Company.
Everyone knows the relationship between the East India Company and the British government.
Faced with the Governor's call, the East India Company's armed merchant ships naturally had no way to refuse.
Among these armed merchant ships following the fleet were the British East India Company's own ships.
Some of them come from different countries, including France, the Netherlands, the United States, Portugal, Spain, etc.
While they were docked in Hong Kong to load and unload cargo, they also received a call from the Governor of Hong Kong.
In order to further open up the Chinese market, businessmen from various countries have chosen to get involved.
Although the British would gain the greatest benefits after winning this war.
However, since the British eat meat, they will at least drink some soup.
It won’t hurt to get involved!
Then, this huge fleet was assembled.
"Commander, not far ahead is the Humen Fort of the Qing Dynasty. After passing the Humen Fort, the Pearl River is not far away."
On the fleet's flagship, the three-class sailing battleship, a lookout came to Olson, the commander of the Hong Kong fleet, and reported.
Olsen heard this and said with narrowed eyes.
"Oh, I see."
"Have the fleet raise its sails and speed up. We will reach Guangzhou City as soon as possible."
"After this battle, our British merchants will be able to enter and leave Guangzhou freely, and our British missionaries will be able to preach freely in Guangzhou."
Olsen had no doubt that he could win this battle.
Is it possible that the army of the mighty British Empire could not defeat a rebel army in the backward East?
What a joke!
With absolute confidence, Olsen led the team towards Guangzhou.
……
At the same time, the British infantry led by Commander Hope were resting in a coastal village.
In the village, fallen bodies and burning wooden houses could be seen everywhere.
After entering the village, these British soldiers began burning, killing and looting.
They robbed the people of their homes of their property, chopped off the heads of men who dared to resist, pierced the bodies of the elderly with bayonets, and nailed them to the gates of the ancestral halls.
Then all the women in the village were gathered together for group sexual pleasure.
The miserable cries of the people were mixed with the bestial laughter of the invaders.
The combat effectiveness of the British army at this time may not be bad, but its military discipline is really terrible, comparable to that of our Qing Dynasty.
The British army is mostly made up of a bunch of ruffians and social dregs.
These people are useless in their hometown, so it is hard to imagine what they will do after coming to the distant East.
Not to mention the colonial soldiers in India, who served as dogs for the British and were even more ferocious and brutal than the British when facing other people.
Uncle He was sitting under a big tree at the entrance of the village. In the bonfire in front of him were burning several plaques and spirit tablets taken down from the ancestral hall.
On the bonfire, an old hen was roasting that the British soldiers had stolen from the village for laying eggs.
The chicken is brushed with honey and lard that the villagers hide at home and are reluctant to eat on weekdays, and is also sprinkled with various spices.
As time goes by, the golden fat decreases and the tempting meaty aroma fills the air.
"Colonel, our fleet is speeding up."
A messenger came to report to Uncle He.
Upon hearing this, Uncle He stopped tearing the chicken leg, nodded, and then spoke.
"Send word to the boys and the Indians, tell them to stop playing."
"Gather together and prepare to continue marching to catch up with our fleet."
"What's so fun about such a shabby village? Once we get into Guangzhou, I'll let them do whatever they want."
In He Bo's eyes, the burning, killing and looting of the Qing people by British soldiers was just a small game to release pressure before the war, and he didn't care.
Upon hearing this, the messenger immediately took the order and went to convey the order to the troops.
Cornes received an order from the commander to gather, and he reached out and broke the neck of the boy who was still screaming under him.
Then he spoke to several soldiers who were surrounding a woman and taking turns raping her.
"Hey, guys, hurry up and gather together, otherwise I'm going to stab you in the ass with my bayonet."
Upon hearing this, several soldiers stopped what they were doing and started putting on their clothes.
However, after they finished the violence, they did not let go of the woman who had been so badly tortured that she was unrecognizable.
He brutally chopped off the woman's limbs without bandaging her wounds, leaving her to bleed profusely, and left her there to die.
Under Ho's order, the British soldiers under his command quickly assembled, and each of them marched towards Guangzhou with blood-stained gold and silver in their arms.
……
The fourth day of October, the first year of Emperor Xianfeng’s reign in the Qing Dynasty.
The British troops who went upstream advanced to the Huangpu area on the outskirts of Guangzhou.
From a distance, the British army noticed the Restoration Army setting up its battle formation in front of them, ready to meet the enemy.
"Commander, it looks like the rebels are preparing to engage in a field battle with Great Britain."
Adjutant Edson stood beside Ho Bo and spoke.
Hearing this, Uncle He just curled his lips and said.
"Who do these damn rebels think they're facing?"
"I really don't know who gave them the courage to fight against Britain."
Edson also spoke in agreement.
"Dare to fight against Great Britain, this rebel army will soon learn the consequences of its arrogance."
Uncle He nodded and said.
"Send someone to inform Commander Olson and have the fleet provide fire cover for our infantry."
"Send a message to our 10th Battalion, and have them attack the rebels under the cover of the naval guns."
The 10th Battalion mentioned by Ho was an Indian battalion composed of British colonial troops in India.
Although he looked down on the Restoration Army, he would not be blindly arrogant when fighting.
It was natural to send cannon fodder to test the strength of the Restoration Army right before the war broke out.
Soon, as the order from Colonel Commander Hope was issued, the British army began to move. An Indian battalion of about a thousand people formed a strict line-up for shooting and began to advance.
At the same time, the British warships on the Pearl River pushed their guns out of their gun ports, adjusted their shooting parameters, aimed at the Restoration Army on the bank of the Pearl River and prepared to open fire.
(End of this chapter)