Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 355 Great pleasure
At 1881:2 on the afternoon of February 27, 16, Li Weiye personally issued a combat order, commanding the French army to attack Hanoi. At 17:20 in the evening, the French army defeated the Annamite army defending the city, and then, with the cooperation of the believers in the city, took advantage of the situation to attack the city and seized control of Hanoi.

When the news that Li Weiye had captured Hanoi by force reached Saigon, the Governor of Cochinchina, Lu Mei, was panicked at first and kept saying, "Oh no! Oh no!"

But he quickly reacted and thought that Le Vieille's occupation of Hanoi had created a fait accompli, which he could take advantage of to force the Annan government to recognize the fact that the French army occupied the northern region.

After figuring out the key point, Lu Mei immediately forwarded a telegram to the French government: "On February 2, Hanoi, the most important city in northern Annam, was captured by our army. Li Weiye is leading the army to maintain order in the city. The protection of the Annam government by the French Republic will be implemented more thoroughly."

Lu Mei fully approved of Li Weiye's military action and decided to draw 300 marines and 1000 native Annan soldiers from southern Annan to support Li Weiye. Taking advantage of the fact that the Annan people had not yet had time to mobilize their troops to deal with the invasion of the French army, she took the opportunity to
The northern provinces of Bac Ninh, Ha Tay, Hai Duong, Quang Ninh and Lang Son were all occupied and annexed to achieve the pre-planned colonization plan.

The news that Hanoi was breached and the governor of Hanoi, Huang Yao, committed suicide quickly spread. Huang Zuoyan and others who were in charge of the military mission in northern Annan were extremely indignant at Li Weiye's barbaric behavior of killing officials and seizing cities, and they petitioned the Annan government to fight: "Li Weiye used the humiliation of two Frenchmen as an excuse to send a large number of ironclad ships and soldiers to gather outside Hanoi. The governor of Hanoi, Huang Yao, performed his duties faithfully and resolutely rejected the excessive demands of the French. Seeing that the threat failed, the French did not abide by the deadline of three days and suddenly attacked Hanoi. They also conspired to instruct the believers in the city to cooperate and sabotage.
This made it difficult for Governor Huang to be independent, and he eventually died for his country! "

Everyone knows that the French are planning to annex our country. Looking at Li Weiye's actions, he will not stop there until he has annexed the entire Tonkin. Our country has no choice but to gather an army of 100,000 and defeat the French in one all-out battle. This is the only way to fight for peace and maintain our sovereignty and the stability of our people!

I have been blessed by the Emperor for generations, and have been entrusted with the important task of protecting the people in the northern provinces. I am willing to lead the 50,000 troops in the Kitasaka area to fight against the French and avenge the previous humiliation. "…………

The Annan government had not yet reached a consensus on whether to mobilize the entire country's forces to fight a decisive battle with the French. However, the Nanyang Corps, which had just arrived in Hanoi Province in response to the Governor-General of Hanoi's request for assistance, received news that Hanoi city had been captured and the Governor-General of Hanoi had been killed in battle.

"Governor Mei, Hanoi has been captured. The reinforcements from Annan are afraid of the French military threat and dare not rush to Hanoi to join our army. Should we change the original battle plan?"

The new commander of the Nanyang Army, Li Wencai, asked.

"How far are Lu Zhiping and Li Yasheng from our army?"

"Lu Zhiping's troops have just entered Hanoi Province from Taiyuan Province, and are about 50 kilometers away from our army."

"Order them to speed up and rush to Shangqingfang to join our army before this evening. Before that, our army will temporarily stop outside Hanoi and wait and see how the French react."

"I understand."…………

"Commander, the main force of the Chinese army has arrived outside the city."

"How many of them came?"

"More than 4000 people, a bit more than we expected last time."

"Did they call for an attack?"

"No, they stopped at Shangqingfang. The troops are setting up camp there. I guess they are waiting for other reinforcements."

"We have already repelled the Annan reinforcements. How can there be any more reinforcements to join them?"

"Commander, I request to lead the Marines out of the city to fight and drive them out of Hanoi Province!"

Marine Corps Commander Kola Gardek volunteered to fight.

"We should send out troops to teach those stupid Orientals a lesson."

After the victory, Li Weiye was in high spirits and said confidently, "For the first battle against the Chinese army in Quang Ninh Province, we don't need elite marines. Let Major Wei lead 700 black soldiers and 500 Annan native soldiers to teach the Chinese army a lesson!"

"Don't worry, Commander. I will let those backward Eastern monkeys see how powerful the French army is!"

…………

At 2:17 p.m., Major Wei led more than 700 black soldiers and 500 Annan soldiers to Shangqingfang, and immediately sent Annan translators who knew Chinese to challenge the Nanyang Legion.

"Governor May, the French are challenging us."

Li Wencai stood in front of the camp gate, observing the situation on the opposite side.

"700 black indigenous soldiers and 500 Annan soldiers. The French underestimated the Nanyang Army."

Mei Dongxing looked at the French troops lined up outside the camp and said with a smile, "General Li, are you confident that you can teach the French a lesson? Let them know that our Nanyang Army is not like the Annan Army, which can't even defeat the barbarian army composed of some black natives."

"Governor Mei is also a man who knows military affairs. He can tell from a quick observation that the fighting power of the black army and the natives of Annan is just for show. If our elite Nanyang Army cannot even defeat their weak brigades, wouldn't it be a laughing stock if the news spreads to our homeland?"

"Oh, General Li, why do you think so?"

"Governor Mei, please look." Li Wencai raised his right hand slightly, pointed in the direction of the French, and explained, "The troops commanded by the French include blacks and Annamites. The two armies do not speak the same language and have different customs. According to the correct battlefield layout, the French should deploy the Annamites on the front line and the blacks on the second line. However, the French across from us deployed both the Annamites and blacks on the front line without reserving any second-line troops or reserve troops for support.
This is a taboo in military strategy. If the front-line troops fail in combat, without the support of the second-line troops and reserve troops, a small defeat will turn into a big rout. How can the French not be defeated with such a layout? "

"The French must have been used to being arrogant in the Annam region and underestimated the Nanyang Army, so they even dealt with the most basic battlefield military layout in a hasty manner."

Mei Dongxing nodded, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "The French are so arrogant that they don't just hide in Hanoi like turtles, but instead take the initiative to send troops to challenge us. Since the French have come to our door, we can't refuse their kindness.

General Li, you are responsible for dealing with the French vassal army outside the camp. Now, you can order the soldiers of the Nanyang Army to attack and meet the black natives and the Annan army on the opposite side. "

"Yes, I'll arrange it right away."…………

Half an hour later, Li Wencai personally led more than 1500 Nanyang Army soldiers out of the camp, in a skirmish formation, and steadily advanced to the opposite side. "Lieutenant Lakasha, lead your men to attack and kill the yellow monkeys on the opposite side!"

Major Wei, riding on a tall horse, gave combat orders to a black cavalry officer.

"As you command, my major."

A black cavalry officer in a French blue Republican uniform, a white military cap, and a black face, drew his saber and shouted in French with an African accent, "Brave Congolese warriors (French Congo), show your courage, kill every yellow monkey in front of you, kill their men, burn their houses, rob their beautiful women, and let them be afraid of the sabers of Congolese warriors forever in hell!

Warriors, forward!"

After a straightforward and arrogant agitation, more than a hundred black cavalrymen broke out of the formation and accelerated towards the direction of the Nanyang Army!
"Halt, line up, infantry forward, machine gun companies ready!"

Li Wencai rode his horse in the center of the army, staring intently at the black cavalry troops that were getting closer and closer.

"Fire the muskets!"

"Bang bang bang..." A burst of white smoke came out, and more than thirty black cavalrymen who were charging in the front fell down in an instant.

The muskets fired alternately, and the black cavalry and the horses under them were constantly shot and fell to the ground. The narrow battlefield was filled with the painful wails of the black cavalry and the neighing of the horses.

"Major, the cavalry company has lost more than sixty people, and Lieutenant Lakasha has not yet charged into the Chinese army's formation."

"Stupid African natives!" Major Wei cursed fiercely and said angrily, "Order all troops to charge, follow the cavalry company, and defeat the Chinese army on the opposite side!"

"Yes, Major!"…………

As the order was issued, the remaining black indigenous soldiers and Annan servant troops all moved, following the route of the cavalry company's charge, and launched a full-scale attack on the Nanyang Legion.

"General, the French army is moving."

"Very good, order the cavalry to encircle the two wings, the infantry to retreat, and leave the front line to the machine gun and artillery units. The artillery company calibrates its position and is ready to fire at any time!"

Li Wencai carefully observed the changes in the battlefield situation. When he saw that the French black cavalry company had lost most of its men and only about 40 black cavalrymen were left charging to about 70 meters from the front line, he decisively issued a combat order: "Machine guns and artillery fire!"

"Da da da", the Gatling hand-cranked machine gun mounted on the carriage made crisp shooting sounds, and orange-yellow bullet casings fell from the magazine and scattered all over the ground.

The tall war horses and strong black cavalrymen fell down one after another like harvested wheat in the face of the hail of bullets from the Gatling hand-cranked machine guns. Within two minutes, all the remaining 40 or so black cavalrymen fell down. A few black cavalrymen who were lucky enough to be thrown away and fell to the ground because their horses were shot had no time to celebrate before they were overwhelmed by the Nanyang Corps soldiers who rushed forward quickly. …………

At 14:07 in the afternoon, the first battle between the Han and French armies ended with the complete annihilation of the French vassal army.

On the French colonial army side, among the more than 60 white officers and soldiers, including Major Wei, the commander of the black legion, 39 were captured and more than 20 were killed in battle. Of the more than 1100 black indigenous troops and Annan troops, more than 700 were captured and more than 400 were killed or killed.

In the afternoon, outside the small town of Shangqingfang, two thousand local Chinese and Annan people, after hearing the news that the Nanyang Army had wiped out more than 1200 French troops, boldly went to the battle area between the two sides to assist the Nanyang Army in breaking up the battlefield. By the way, after completing tasks such as burying the dead soldiers and transporting the captured combat supplies, they received part of the captured food and horse meat as rewards from the logistics officers of the Nanyang Army.

Horse meat tastes sour and hard and is not tasty. The regular army of the Han Dynasty has abundant food and looks down on horse meat. Therefore, dead horses captured on the battlefield are generally given to local Chinese and Annan people who support the Nanyang Army for consumption.

After the French colonial forces penetrated deep into northern Annam, the income of the Annan central government dropped sharply because important sources of financial revenue such as customs fell into the control of the French. In order to maintain a huge military force and ruling institutions, the Annan government chose to increase the exploitation of its own people. Every Annan household was burdened with heavy taxes and corvee labor. If there was a bad harvest, the family would be destroyed and the people would die. Excessive internal oppression led to increasingly fierce peasant uprisings in northern Annam, and the lives of ordinary Annan people became more and more difficult. In order to survive in troubled times, every year a large number of families chose to marry their daughters to the Han country in South America, and then use the betrothal gifts paid by the Han country to maintain basic living needs.

The chaotic situation in Annan aggravated the suffering of the local people, but for the Han Dynasty, the continuous deterioration of the situation in Annan brought much-needed women of marriageable age to the Han Dynasty.

Since the early days of the founding of the country, the imbalance in the gender ratio has been a major constraint on the population and economic development of the Han Dynasty. However, with tens of thousands of Annan women of marriageable age marrying into the local area every year, the problem of imbalance in the gender ratio has been greatly alleviated.

According to statistics from the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Revenue of the government, from the beginning of 1869 to the beginning of 1881, in the twelve years, Annam sent a total of about 51 women of marriageable age to the mainland. Among them, except for a part of Chinese women stranded in Annam, the vast majority were local Annam women.

Although the Annan women are a little darker in appearance, their overall image is not much different from that of the Chinese. And because of the hardworking and obedient characteristics of the Annan women, many Chinese people who have just immigrated to the Han Dynasty consider marrying Annan women as their first choice.

The large influx of Annanese women has greatly promoted the growth of the local population. Among the newborns each year, the proportion of babies from Chinese and Annanese families ranks third, second only to pure Chinese family combinations and Chinese and white family combinations, and exceeds the family combinations of women from North Korea, Japan, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and other regions and Chinese.

The Annan region is an important destination for foreign female immigrants from the Han Kingdom. Although facing threats from both France and the Qing government, the Han government has been slow to withdraw from the area. It is based on this consideration that the Han Kingdom is rich in products and has low food prices. Mei Dongxing does not mind using some supplies to buy the hearts and minds of the people of Annan, so as to facilitate the continued immigration of women of marriageable age to Annan. However, with the large-scale influx of more than ten years, the number of women of marriageable age in Annan has also declined to a certain extent. If it were not for the annual wars and disasters that resulted in the loss of a large number of young and middle-aged men, the Han Kingdom's targeted immigration action would not be as smooth as it is now.

After inspecting the battlefield, Mei Dongxing and Li Wencai walked towards the camp.

"Among the prisoners we captured, there are 407 black people. What should we do with these people?"

Li Wencai asked casually.

"Where in Africa do these black people come from?"

"More than 70% of them are from French Congo. Several officers who have served in the Congo colony have had some knowledge of the French Congolese black army and are certain that they are from French Congo without a doubt."

"The black army relied on the French as their backer to burn, kill, loot and commit all kinds of evil in the Annan region. The Annan people hate them to the core. There is no point in keeping such people. Tomorrow, notify the Annan government and people in the surrounding areas that the Nanyang Army will uphold justice on behalf of the Annan people. After trial, all the captured black people will be publicly executed to commemorate the Annan and Chinese people who died tragically at their hands and to avenge them!"

"It is not enough to appease the public anger if we don't kill them. It is time to let them know that this is not Africa. Even if it is the Annan region that has been influenced by Chinese civilization, it is not a place where they can do whatever they want. So many local people have paid money to ask someone to marry a daughter-in-law from Annan and bring them home. We cannot let these African savages wantonly destroy them."

(End of this chapter)