Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 280 Regret
Louis' troops were harassed by the villagers along the way. Although they suffered heavy losses, they finally managed to retreat to the shore.

However, when he counted the number of people, he couldn't help but be shocked.

Since landing, his troops were first ambushed in Pinghai Town, resulting in more than a hundred casualties, and then were harassed along the way, resulting in continuous loss of troops.

To date, the number of casualties among his troops has reached nearly three hundred.

Compared with the total number of troops, the losses were heavy.

Louis returned to his fleet by small boat and then went to meet with the allied commander, Earl Elgin.

"Mr. Count, our landing operation was not going smoothly this time. We encountered constant attacks along the way and the casualties in each unit were very serious..."

Louis reported to Elgin what happened after his landing.

Upon hearing this, Elgin's expression darkened and he placed the red wine glass in his hand heavily on the table.

"You are such a loser. You are soldiers of the British Empire, but you can't even beat a bunch of peasants."

"You have completely disgraced the British Empire!"

Louis opened his mouth, but in the end, nothing came out.

Because what Elgin said was true.

These professional soldiers were indeed no match for a group of peasants!

This is really heartbreaking!

Elgin spit at Louis wildly, and after he had vented his saliva, Louis continued to ask.

"My Lord, what should we do next?"

"Is the war still going on?"

However, before Elgin could give a reply, the fleet commander Seymour hurriedly pushed the door open.

"Your Excellency, I think you should come out and take a look. The Tang fleet is coming!"

The expression on Elgin's face changed instantly. He stood up from his seat and followed Seymour out of the cabin.

Soon, they arrived on the deck of the ship.

Looking in the direction of Seymour's finger, I saw a dense mass of black spots appearing on the sea.

Looking through the telescope, Elgin keenly discovered that it was a fleet of considerable size.

Seeing this scene, Elgin's heart instantly rose.

But he soon realized that he didn't need to be nervous.

The Tang army’s combat effectiveness was certainly strong, but its strength lay in their infantry, not their navy.

Although the main force of the Allied Fleet was now scattered, what remained with him was only a part of the fleet composed mainly of British troops, which was only about two or three tenths of the main force.

But even so, Elgin did not think that he and his men would lose to the Tang army in a naval battle.

The British have always been very confident in their naval power!

……

On the vast sea, the two fleets were heading towards each other.

Big flags fluttering in the wind.

The fully spread sails are connected together, almost covering the entire sea surface.

At the same time, columns of smoke rose into the sky, like roaring black dragons, rushing straight towards the white clouds in the sky.

This is the billowing smoke produced by the ship's steam engine running at full speed.

The two fleets formed up for battle almost simultaneously and charged forward like a sharp arrow.

"The enemy has advanced two thousand meters. All artillery groups must reload and prepare for test firing immediately!"

Amid shouts, the gunners operated the artillery with swift movements.

The black muzzles of the guns were aimed at the enemy fleet in the distance.

As the distance shortened, the roar of artillery opened the curtain of the battle.

The air was filled with smoke, and shells flew out of the barrels, whistling down towards the Allied fleet.

With a bang, a column of water suddenly rose up.

As the boat rocked, mist filled the air.

Boom! Boom!
The next second, the sound of artillery fire resounded across the sea.

Under the sunlight, the sea surface sparkles and ripples spread out.

The shell landed on the hull, creating a large hole and sending wood chips flying.

The rumbling sound of artillery fire continued.

The outcome was not decided until the sun set.

On the vast sea, several damaged warships were gradually sinking, the broken planks almost covered the entire sea surface, and the soldiers who fell into the water were constantly struggling.

After a great battle, more than half of the coalition fleet was lost and they retreated.

Almost all the remaining ships, large and small, were damaged, and the retreat was extremely hasty.

Fang Haiyang put down the telescope in his hand, exhaled heavily, and looked somewhat unwilling.

"After a hard battle, but only being able to repel the enemy instead of destroying them is really a great regret in life!"

"I am really unwilling to accept this!"

Wu Quanmei, whose arm was in a sling, smiled bitterly and spoke.

"The sea is vast and unobstructed, and our military strength is very limited."

"It may be possible to repel the enemy, but it is difficult to annihilate the enemy army. Letting them escape is also a helpless move."

"Given the king's generosity, I think he will not blame the commander for such a thing."

Upon hearing this, Fang Haiyang could only nod in agreement.

The reason why he didn't chase was not because he didn't want to, but because he was unable to chase.

In the Battle of Humen, the Tang army fleet suffered heavy losses.

Today was another tough battle. Combined with the two battles, the Tang army's fleet had lost nearly half its troops compared to before the war started.

Almost all the remaining ships, large and small, were damaged, and many warships were on the verge of sinking.

If the coalition fleet had not collapsed and retreated, it would be hard to say what the outcome would have been if the fighting had continued.

Fang Haiyang took a deep breath and began to explain.

"Pass the order down, clean up the battlefield, and then retreat as soon as possible!"

"If we delay here for too long, I'm afraid the coalition fleet will gather together to counterattack, and the consequences will be disastrous."

To put it bluntly, the Tang army's fleet's attack this time was to take advantage of the coalition fleet's dispersion to do something.

Now that this vote has been completed, it is time to retreat.

Otherwise, if the other side counterattacks, the Tang army will not be in an easy situation.

Upon hearing this, everyone around responded in unison.

……

Earl Elgin stood on the deck of the ship, looking at the setting red sun behind him and the Tang army fleet that was gradually enveloped by the red sunset, with a complicated look in his eyes.

"We lost! I didn't expect that we would lose even a naval battle!"

As for the defeat in the Battle of Humen, he could still comfort himself with the excuse that the Tang army won by taking advantage of the artillery and that victory in the naval battle was nothing.

This naval battle was a serious encounter at sea, a decisive battle in the ocean.

The Tang army, with a force almost as large as that of the British army, defeated the British army head-on in a naval battle.

This war was fought fairly and honestly. If he lost, he lost. Elgin could no longer make excuses.

Upon hearing this, Seymour spoke to comfort him.

"Your Excellency does not have to do this."

"The reason why our army lost this battle is that the Tang army took advantage of the absence of the main force of our coalition fleet to launch a sneak attack."

"When the main forces of our coalition fleets gather together, we will fight them again. How can we not win?"

When Elgin heard this, he was silent for a moment, but after thinking for a while, he spoke again.

"Pass the order down, immediately send someone to gather the coalition forces to the designated location in advance and prepare for another battle with the Tang army..."

Elgin could not swallow the humiliation of today's defeat and prepared to gather people to get back at square one.

Upon hearing this, Seymour did not object but nodded in agreement.

It’s not because he wants to get back at the rim.

But after today's battle, Seymour found that the combat effectiveness of the Tang army fleet was not bad. If they continued to divide their forces, the Tang army might come to attack them again. To be on the safe side, it is better to concentrate the fleet.

This way, you can ensure that nothing goes wrong.

……

That night, the allied fleet found a sheltered island to drop anchor and rest.

Elgin sat in the cabin, drinking one glass after another to drown his sorrows.

The unfavorable situation of this expedition put him under tremendous pressure.

You know, the reason why Britain called together the coalition forces to launch the Eastern Expedition was not just to vent its anger.

But there is a deeper political purpose behind it!

One is to stabilize domestic capitalists by further opening up the Eastern market.

The second is to conduct coalition operations to integrate people's hearts and serve as a rehearsal for the subsequent Crimean War against Tsarist Russia.

Both of these are extremely important to the UK today.

In other words, Elgin now has a heavy burden on his shoulders.

If he cannot win this battle and achieve his predetermined goal, even if he can return to Britain, the nobles in his home country will not let him go.

Boom! Boom, boom, boom!

There was a knock on the door from outside.

Elgin put down his glass and looked up.

"Come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a creaking sound of door hinges and Seymour walked in from outside.

He said with a rather complicated look.

"Your Excellency, Sir Aliguo's attendant Tust has been released."

Elgin didn't notice Seymour's expression, but he couldn't help frowning.

"What do you mean? Why would the Tang Kingdom release our people at this time? Are they trying to make peace with our coalition forces?"

Seymour didn't say anything. Tust, who was following him, rushed in, knelt down in front of Elgin, and spoke with tears in his eyes.

"Your Excellency, Your Excellency, please find a way to save Sir Aliguo."

"Tang country, the people of Tang are so cruel!"

Looking at Tust kneeling in front of him and crying, Elgin's face was full of impatience, but he still patiently stood up and supported him.

But the next moment, he caught a glimpse of Tust's right hand out of the corner of his eye.

His right hand had been chopped off, and the bare wrist joint was wrapped with white gauze to stop the bleeding.

However, at this time, the pure white gauze had indeed been soaked with blood, and it was shockingly red.

"Trust, you, what happened to your hand?"

"How could this be?"

Tust's eyes were red as he continued to sob.

"Your Excellency, it was the Tang people who chopped him off."

"Not only me, but also Sir Aliguo, Colonel Taylor and others, our right hands were all chopped off by the Tang people."

After Tust finished speaking, several sailors followed him and came in carrying a box.

Before the box was opened, a bloody smell wafted towards me.

Tust turned and motioned for the sailors to open the boxes.

With a click, the box was opened, and a number of pale severed hands appeared in front of everyone.

Tust continued with a voice full of sadness.

"Our...our severed hands are all here!"

When Elgin saw this, his expression changed drastically.

"Oh my God, this is so cruel!"

"Why do these yellow monkeys abuse you like this?!"

Tust continued.

"Tang officials said that they wanted to cut off our hands because after the coalition forces were defeated in Hong Kong and Humen, they did not dare to fight the Tang army, so they ran to rob the people of the Tang Dynasty and bully the unarmed civilians of the Tang Dynasty."

"That's why the King of Tang ordered our hands to be chopped off and sent to the coalition forces as a warning."

"If the coalition forces harass the Tang coast again, loot and kill Tang civilians, the next thing they'll send us will be the heads of all the foreigners in China..."

Upon hearing this, Elgin's expression changed drastically. He subconsciously took a few steps back, his legs and feet went limp, and he sat back on the chair behind him.

The expression on his face kept changing, and he was mumbling something.

"He...how dare he!"

"How dare he!"

Looking at the hands in the box in front of him, Elgin couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling.

"How barbaric!"

“This is really barbaric!”

Even Seymour couldn't help but speak out.

Elgin took a deep breath and then spoke.

"Quick, send someone to pass the message to our troops immediately and ask them to withdraw their troops and stop harassing the Tang coast."

You have to know that these days, most of those who can do business across half the globe have backgrounds.

Who knows, maybe he is the white glove kept by some nobleman.

If all these people were killed because of Elgin, Elgin would probably be shot in the back and commit suicide soon after returning to England.

Facts have proved that Li Yi's method of cutting off hands may be barbaric, but it is effective.

If Li Yi only threatened verbally, Elgin would most likely not take the Tang Dynasty's warning seriously and continue doing what he was doing.

However, when Li Yi really brought a box of severed hands to him, Elgin would definitely seriously consider Li Yi's threat.

The facts are right in front of him, and it is impossible for him not to be cautious!

Tust was taken away, and Elgin picked up the glass and took another sip.

He looked at Seymour standing beside him with a serious expression.

"It seems that our only option now is to negotiate with the Tang Kingdom..."

This time, the Tang Kingdom sent so many severed hands, although on the surface it seemed to be threatening the coalition forces not to plunder the people of the Tang Dynasty again.

But to some extent, it actually shows that you have hostages in my hands.

Then, even if the Tang Dynasty said nothing about the rest, the coalition forces should understand it.

Elgin now feels a little regretful.

He shouldn't have ordered the coalition forces to attack and plunder the coastal areas of the Tang State.

You know, before he ordered the coalition forces to harass the Tang army along the coast, the Tang Dynasty had no intention of threatening them with hostages.

In other words, if he hadn't planned to plunder the coast of the Tang Dynasty, which would have led to the Tang Dynasty taking hostages, the coalition forces wouldn't have been forced into the current predicament...

However, now that things have come to this, no matter how much Elgin regrets his decision, it is too late.

Of course, Elgin had thought about letting the coalition forces continue to plunder along the coast of the Tang Dynasty, and then capture more civilians as prisoners to threaten the Tang Dynasty.

But the problem is that the coalition forces may not necessarily gain any advantage after landing.

You know, Louis' troops suffered a great loss after landing.

Although the rest of the coalition forces may not all suffer losses, if one suffers, there will be two.

No one can guarantee that the other departments will win a complete victory.

The coalition forces do not have many people in total, and they cannot afford to fight against the Tang Dynasty, which has the support of millions of people from the mainland.

After weighing the pros and cons, Elgin decided to negotiate as soon as possible while he still had some capital in his hands in order to strive for the best conditions.

……

PS: Kevin, only one update today.

I will definitely return it when I am slow.

Well, including what I owe today and what I haven't paid off before, I owe two chapters in total...

(End of this chapter)