The Qing Dynasty

Chapter 93 Let Them Escape Back

Seeing Teng Yuzhao walking towards the door, Li Yaoting hurriedly lifted the straw curtain.

Standing at the exit of the machine gun bunker, Teng Yuzhao listened carefully. Sure enough, amid the "boom boom boom" of artillery attacks on the concession, faint gunfire could be heard from the north. Judging from the sounds, there should be no more than four artillery pieces firing.

Teng Yuzhao waved his hand to signal Li Yaoting that he could go out. He turned around and was about to light another cigarette when Li Xianze asked in confusion.

"Sir, if Seymour really sacrificed his pawns to save his chariot, then he would not have left too early. He should have left more than an hour ago at the earliest, when it would have been dark. In broad daylight, he would have been worried about being discovered by our investigators."

"That is to say, if Seymour really escaped first, he has only walked more than ten miles at most, and the troops he took with him must not be too many. Judging from the fact that the coalition forces left behind dared to attack a regiment, the number of coalition forces left behind must be at least a thousand. This means that the coalition forces Seymour took with him are at most about a thousand people."

"If there is enough time, wouldn't it be better if our battalion and cavalry battalion could stop the fleeing enemy? Why doesn't your Excellency allow them to confront this coalition force that escaped at night?"

Teng Yuzao sighed lightly and said with a wry smile, "Kangnian, I also want to stop Seymour, but the vanguard army is not as powerful as we were in the last battle."

"Now, this battalion has more than a thousand people, and its weapons and equipment are better than before, but the last battle was fought by veterans from our battalion. We can't say they are well-trained, but at least they will obey orders and follow commands."

"And now our troops have just absorbed a large number of Green Camp soldiers. If we have trenches to rely on, plus the advantage of numbers and firepower, we can still fight against the well-trained coalition forces of more than a thousand. But if we have to fight a hasty field battle with the coalition forces at night, I am worried that they will be dispersed by the coalition forces as soon as we fight, and then our losses will be great."

"In addition, cavalry is only suitable for fighting during the day. At night, war horses can't run at all. If they don't dismount to fight, they will just become targets of the enemy."

What Teng Yuzhao said was true. After thinking about it, Li Xianze nodded with a gloomy face and said nothing more.

Liu Shijiu, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly cursed angrily, "Damn it, when did the foreign devils learn our Thirty-Six Stratagems? They actually played this trick on us! They are trying to get away with it."

It is not surprising that Liu Shijiu, who came from a small business family, knew "The Art of War" and even understood strategies such as "repairing the plank road openly and marching through Chencang in secret" and "escaping from the shell like a cicada".

At this time, there were many storytellers in teahouses and taverns in the city, especially in relatively economically prosperous places like the capital and Tianjin. There were many storytellers and crosstalk performers, and they would learn some of the strategies in "Thirty-Six Strategies" through observation and exposure.

Teng Yuzao smiled and said to Liu Shijiu, "Brother, you are right. Although we cannot be completely sure that Seymour has escaped, this possibility is very high. He is indeed very likely to have used the two strategies of 'repairing the plank road in the open and sneaking through Chencang in secret' and escaping from the shell' on us."

In order to relax the atmosphere, Teng Yuzao glanced at everyone and said.

"Not only the Thirty-Six Stratagems, but also the Art of War has long been introduced to Europe. As far as I know, as early as the 37th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign, that is, 228 years ago, the Art of War was translated into French by a French priest named Joseph Amio, and then published in France. People who know about the Art of War are not uncommon in the Western powers in Europe." Everyone was a little surprised at what Teng Yuzao said. Li Xianze said solemnly, "Your Excellency is really knowledgeable. You even know this clearly!"

Teng Yuzao did not respond to Li Xiance's words which seemed to be flattery, but continued.

"You must all remember that the officers of the Western powers are different from ours. Most of their officers are children of nobles and wealthy families. They have received a good education since childhood. Especially their senior officers, all of whom have studied in military academies. Therefore, when fighting against these generals of the powers, we must not underestimate the enemy."

"For example, Seymour was born in Kingworth, Warwickshire, England. His grandfather was a rear admiral, and his father was the local parish priest. He graduated from the Royal Naval Academy and studied at the Torpedo Academy. He participated in the Crimean War against Russia and the Second Opium War. He also participated in the attack on the Guangdong coast and the occupation of Guangzhou, and participated in the First Battle of Dagu and the Third Battle of Dagu."

"He not only cruised the Yangtze River with the fleet and visited Nanjing during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, but also fought against the Taiping Army in Zhejiang in the first year of the Tongzhi reign and participated in the battles to capture Ningbo and Jiading. He was promoted to lieutenant general three years ago and is currently the commander of the British fleet in China. Although he is a naval commander, he is very familiar with the Qing Dynasty. From the fact that he can use such a strategy, it can be seen that this person is by no means an ordinary person."

What Teng Yuzao did not say was that this was the time in history when Seymour led the coalition forces to occupy Xigu, looted all the tens of thousands of rifles, more than a hundred cannons and a large amount of ammunition in the warehouses, and then set the Xigu warehouse area on fire.

Teng Yuzao waved his hand and said, "Well, since fighting has already started in the north of Xigu, the coalition forces in the concession will know that Seymour has arrived in Xigu, so they will soon send troops to support them. We should also prepare."

Li Xianze said confidently, "Sir, don't worry. This time, I will make sure that the allied forces will not return. I will give you another great victory like the Beiyang Wubei Academy."

Liu Shijiu's eyes also shone with excitement, and he rubbed his hands and said, "Captain Li, you have to tell your brothers to fire your Maxim heavy machine guns slowly and not to kill all the foreign devils. I, Old Liu, still need to use my devil-head sword to deal some damage."

Teng Yuzao couldn't help but smile happily at Liu Jiujiu's words, and said with a smile, "Brother is right. Kangnian's Maxim should indeed be slow, but brother, your sword can't just kill the remaining coalition forces as much as you want. You must not kill all the coalition forces that came to help. Let some of them escape."

"What did you say! Do you want to put some of them back?"

As soon as Teng Yuzao finished speaking, Liu Shijiu jumped up anxiously.

Li Xianze, Wu Peifu, Li Jinyu, and even the two staff officers of the Second Regiment all widened their eyes and looked at Teng Yuzao in surprise.

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(End of this chapter)