Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 460: Go and ask the Heavenly Father (6K)

As the Burmese army commander Tun Min Tun led the escape, the battle situation outside Yangon completely collapsed in the blink of an eye.

In the dark night, the Burmese soldiers ran without looking back.

Behind them, British lobster soldiers armed with rifles with bayonets were chasing them.

The shouts of killing were loud!
"kill!"

"For God's sake!"

"Long live the British Empire!"

"..."

Yan Yuanzhou and others followed Tun Mintun and ran wildly in the dark.

The expressions on their faces were complicated. Since they joined the army, this was the first time they were defeated soldiers and the first time they were chased around like dogs.

This gap in mentality made them extremely uncomfortable.

It’s a pity that this is Myanmar and their voice is really weak.

Can't change anything!
……

Dalhousie stood on the top of the city wall of Yangon, looking at the battle situation outside the city, and couldn't help clapping and laughing.

"Hahaha!"

"God bless Dae-young! God bless Dae-young!"

"..."

In his sight, the Burmese troops outside the city offered almost no resistance, and began to flee in panic as the British army attacked.

Outside the city of Yangon, the mountains and plains were filled with defeated Burmese soldiers.

The British army is rapidly expanding its victory!
The siege of Rangoon has been lifted!

Drosen also stood on the top of the city wall, looking outside the city, with a surge of blood in his heart.

This is right!

This is right!

This is how these yellow monkeys from the East should behave when facing the British army!
He knew that the strength of the Tang army was just an accident!

Apart from the Tang army, the armies of these indigenous countries in the East, even though equipped with advanced weapons, have no difference in combat effectiveness from before.

In front of them, Britain is still invincible!

Earl Dalhousie called the commander, Brigadier General Pierre, and started to make arrangements.

"Brigadier General Pierre, continue to send more troops to expand the results of tonight's night attack!"

"In addition, we need to send people to clean up the battlefield and collect the weapons and ordnance left behind by the Burmese army."

"The Burmese army was defeated by our army's night attack this time. They fled in a panic. They could not take away all the weapons and ammunition in the army. A large amount of weapons must have been left behind."

"If we can seize enough breech-loading guns and cannons on the battlefield, we may not be powerless even if the Tang army attacks Yangon!"

After listening to Dalhousie's arrangements, Brigadier General Pierre nodded immediately.

"Don't worry, Your Excellency the Governor. I understand!"

"Tell the boys to prepare to clean up the battlefield and collect the weapons left behind by the Burmese army."

Pierre turned away.

Dalhousie continued to look towards the outside of the city with a gloomy look in his eyes.

He couldn't help but worry. When would Britain's reinforcements arrive?
……

Time passed quietly and the sky gradually brightened.

Pierre ran back excitedly and told Dalhousie the good news.

"Governor, we have reaped a rich harvest. Our army has reaped a great harvest from cleaning up the battlefield this time!"

Dalhousie stretched his hands and feet which were sore from standing for so long and asked.

"What is the exact number?"

Pierre replied with a happy look on his face.

"In reply to the Governor, we have seized nearly 20 breech-loading artillery pieces alone."

"Among them, there are three 150mm howitzers, five 120mm howitzers, and 100 12mm direct-fire guns."

"And nearly 500 rounds of shells of different calibers that match these guns."

"In addition, there are three rotary machine guns, 1400 copper-cased bullets, breech-loading rifles, and nearly paper-cased bullets..."

“This time, we really made it!”

Pierre seemed very excited.

Under normal circumstances, if they wanted to purchase such a large amount of arms from the Tang Dynasty, it would cost at least 200,000 or 300,000 silver dollars.

But now, so much was captured in just one battle.

How could Pierre not be happy!
This time, he really wanted to thank the Burmese army transport captain.

They really can deliver!

Such a large amount of arms was handed over to them so easily that Pierre was willing to call the Burmese Army Commander Tun Min Tun an old friend of the British Empire.

Dalhousie, who was standing by, couldn't help but show joy when he heard this.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"With such a large batch of new rear-loading weapons in hand, even if the Tang army attacks Yangon, we are confident that we can deal with it!"

“God really bless Dae-young!”

"We can definitely hold out until Britain sends reinforcements!"

……

Since the defeat in Yangon, the remnants of the Burmese army fled north in panic.

It was not until they reached Pegu, an important city in Lower Burma, that the fleeing soldiers stopped.

Only then did Tun Min Tun have the opportunity to order the army to stop fleeing and then count the casualties.

But after counting, Tun Min Tun was dumbfounded.

"General, more than half of our troops were killed in Yangon."

"Today, there are less than 5,000 soldiers who have successfully retreated to Pegu."

"In addition, almost all of our army's artillery, machine guns, and other heavy firepower were lost."

"Of the new weapons purchased from the Tang Dynasty at a high price, there are now less than a thousand breech-loading rifles left in the army..."

After Mangchai finished his report, Tunmintun asked with a grim expression.

"Less than a thousand?"

"How much exactly?"

Mangcai licked his cracked lips and said with a grim expression.

"Probably more than 500..."

Tunmintun: "..."

Well, so you have less than a thousand!

Six Ang!

Tun Min Tun looked unhappy and asked with a slightly trembling voice.

"Mangcai, what do you think our army should do next?"

"Withdraw to Mandalay?"

Mangchai heard this and said with a bitter look on his face.

"General, if we withdraw to Mandalay, we will have a hard time explaining to His Majesty the King."

"Then what should we do?"

Tun Min Tun asked with a grim look on his face.

When he said this, his mood was quite desperate.

Upon hearing this, Mangchai opened his mouth but said nothing.

There was a deathly silence in the air.

……

March of the first year of Kaitai in the Tang Dynasty.

When spring came and flowers bloomed, Li Yi took his concubines and children on a spring outing to Nanhaizi.

Nanhaizi was once the royal hunting ground designated by emperors during the Liao, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

Although it is spring now, according to the rules passed down by ancestors, hunting is not allowed in spring, but this does not prevent Li Yi from going for an outing.

He moved a chair, set up a parasol, and sat down by the lake.

He held a fishing rod in his hand with the fishing line hanging over the water, and the surface of Nanhai Zi Lake was calm.

Beside him, there were several palace maids and eunuchs serving him.

On the grass not far away, Li Zai was playing with a short-legged Corgi. The man and the dog were chasing each other, and cheerful laughter rang out.

This Corgi comes from Europe and was brought back by a Tang Dynasty caravan.

Because of her cute appearance and gentle personality, she was presented to the palace as a tribute.

Li Zai especially likes it!

Not far away, Li Jinyue was petting a cat in her mother's arms.

It was a Persian cat that was tributed from Persia. It had pure white fur, a pair of big watery eyes, and a very sweet meow. It captured the hearts of many concubines as soon as it entered the palace.

Although Li Jinyue is young, she also likes cute cats.

Although Li Yi pays close attention to his children's education, he does not simply stifle their interests.

Since the children like small animals, Li Yi doesn't mind raising a few in the palace for fun.

It doesn’t take much effort anyway!
The rest of the concubines gathered around a cage, observing the animals in the cage, and occasionally burst into crisp laughter.

It was a classic black and white animal, as plump and well-fed as a bear.

Round head, fat body and short tail.

The body color is black and white. Except for the eye circles, ear shells, shoulders and limbs which are dark black, the rest is milky white.

Round cheeks and big "dark circles" under the eyes.

Very cute!

Obviously, this is a panda.

People in this era called them iron-eating beasts, which was very inconsistent with their cute appearance.

This is just a tribute from Sichuan. Because of its cute appearance, it is very popular.

However, the destructive power of this thing is not comparable to that of cats and dogs.

Therefore, they can only be kept in cages for viewing, and it is impossible to let them out and pet them closely.

Of course, it’s still okay for cubs!

Li Yi's daughter Li Jinyue had previously wanted to pet a panda, and Li Yi had already ordered people to go to Sichuan to search for one.

I believe there will be results soon!
Ignoring the concubines and children playing around behind him, Li Yi just concentrated on fishing.

Although he is not yet middle-aged, he already has the standard hobbies of middle-aged people.

Start learning how to fish!

He stared at the lake in front of him without blinking. Suddenly, the fishing rod in his hand moved. A look of surprise flashed across Li Yi's face, and he lifted the fishing rod with all his strength.

Wow!
The fish hook was out of water, but there was nothing on the surface.

The smile on Li Yi's face froze, but he didn't take it too seriously.

He has passed the novice protection period, so it is normal that he cannot catch any fish.

He just re-baited the fish himself, threw the hook back into the lake, and continued to wait silently.

However, after the fish hook entered the water, there was no movement.

The expression on Li Yi's face gradually became impatient.

But he had sat by the lake for so long without catching any fish, and he felt really embarrassed, so he didn't just leave in anger.

Just at this moment, a chaotic sound of footsteps was heard in the distance.

Zhang Zhidong and Zuo Zongtang walked towards Li Yi from a distance and were allowed to pass only after being searched by the imperial guards.

The two of them came to Li Yi together and started reporting.

"Your Majesty, something happened in Myanmar!"

Li Yi's expression changed when he heard this, and he frowned and asked.

"What happened?"

As he spoke, he was eager to try and was ready to drop the fishing rod in his hand.

I didn't throw it away just now because I hadn't caught any fish, and it would be embarrassing to give up halfway.

As an emperor, he still has to save face!
But it’s different now, isn’t this an important matter?
Li Yi is a wise ruler. How could he delay serious government affairs for a trivial matter like fishing?

It's so funny, how could Li Yi be such a person?

Zhang Zhidong continued.

"Your Majesty, there is news coming back from Burma."

"It is said that the Burmese army sent troops to retake Yangon but was defeated. Not only did the Burmese army suffer heavy losses, but they also lost the new weapons purchased from our Tang Dynasty to the British army in Yangon."

Li Yi couldn't help but frowning when he heard this.

what?
Not only did they lose the war, but they also gave away all their munitions?

Isn’t this the captain of the transport team?
What? Could it be that the Burmese are also possessed by Principal Nima?

Li Yi dropped the fishing rod in his hand, stood up from the chair, stood by the lake with his hands behind his back, and asked.

"and then?"

“What else has Myanmar done?”

Li Yi was really disappointed with the result. Zhang Zhidong continued.

"After receiving the news of the defeat on the front line, King Mindon of Burma sent a telegram to the capital immediately."

"You want the Tang Dynasty to send troops to help Burma recapture the important city of Yangon in Lower Burma."

"In return, Mindong is willing to bear the military expenses and losses required for my army to fight."

To be honest, King Mindon was a little panicked when he first received the news that Tun Min Tun was defeated at the gates of Yangon.

But soon he stopped panicking!

Because he suddenly realized that he was not fighting alone.

Go and ask the Heavenly Father for help!
The combat effectiveness of the Myanmar Army is indeed not good enough.

But, isn’t there still the Tang army?
The Tang army fleet is now floating off the coast of Myanmar, ready to take action at any time.

Why are you so panicked?

It is obviously the British in Yangon who should be panicking!

These British did defeat the Burmese army, but that didn't matter.

The Tang army is waiting for them behind!
Therefore, King Mindon asked for help from the Tang Dynasty.

Soon, Myanmar's telegram for help was sent to the capital.

Seeing this, Zuo Zongtang asked.

"Your Majesty, how should the Tang Dynasty respond to Myanmar's request for assistance?"

Hearing this, Li Yi stroked his chin and fell into deep thought.

After a moment, he spoke.

"We can accept Myanmar's request for assistance."

"But our Tang Dynasty cannot send troops in vain. After the war, our Tang Dynasty will establish a concession in Yangon City and send troops to garrison there."

“That’s how I responded to the Burmese side!”

"If Myanmar agrees, then our Tang Dynasty will send troops to help them recapture Yangon."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Zongtang immediately clasped his fists in agreement.

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Li Yi nodded slightly, just as he was about to end his spring outing and return to the Old Summer Palace.

Li Liang walked over quickly from outside.

After coming to Li Yi, Li Liang reported in a slightly anxious tone.

"Your Majesty, the latest news has come from India."

"The British army to suppress the rebellion has arrived in India!"

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but frown again.

"What's the specific situation?"

Ever since the Indian mutiny in the middle of last year, the British have been trying to put down the rebellion.

Now, nearly a year later, the British army has finally been defeated.

Li Yi also wanted to know the current progress of the British army.

Upon hearing this, Li Liang opened his mouth and continued.

"In reply to your Majesty, according to the news sent back from India."

"The British army mainly used troops from two directions to suppress the rebellion this time."

"One is to take the land route from north to south, through the Hindu Kush Pass, attack Peshawar, and then advance to Delhi via Lahore."

"The second is to go by sea to reinforce Bombay and, after lifting the siege of Bombay, march towards Delhi via Silvassa, Nagar and Jaigarh."

"According to our army's prediction, the British army may be preparing to send two armies to attack Delhi together!"

Today's Indian uprising has three main centers: Delhi, Kanpur, and Lucknow.

But among them, the most important is Delhi.

The reason is simple. Delhi is currently the political and economic center of India and the capital of the Mughal Empire.

Its political significance is self-evident!

Since the British wanted to quell the rebellion, Delhi must have been their first choice.

First, concentrate your forces, attack Huanglong directly, and capture Delhi.

The British's current choice is to send more troops deep into India to defeat the leaderless rebels one by one.

It is also the most appropriate choice the UK can make at present.

Well, even if Li Yi were put in the British position, he would make the same decision.

Li Yi took a deep breath, his expression serious and focused, and asked.

“What is the situation in Delhi today?”

Li Liang replied.

"In reply to your Majesty, Delhi is now deploying its defenses according to the instructions of the advisors sent by our army."

“But the advisers our military sent had a very bad opinion of the Indian army.”

“It’s hard to say whether Delhi can be defended.”

Li Yi's expression became conflicted when he heard this.

Seeing this, Li Liang asked.

"Your Majesty, are you going to send troops to reinforce India?"

Li Yi shook his head and made a decision.

"No, our Tang Dynasty does not need to intervene too much in the Indian war."

"Just give them more military support."

"The most important thing for the Tang Dynasty to do now is to deal with the war in Burma first."

"After the war in Burma is settled, we will consider getting involved in India."

Upon hearing this, Li Liang nodded in agreement.

……

Mawlamyine Port!

In the harbor, the Tang army fleet was anchored and undergoing repairs.

Be ready to fight at any time.

Inside and outside the port, ships of all sizes came in and out, delivering supplies and various military supplies to the Tang army that was repairing in the port.

Fang Haiyang walked at the port dock of Mawlamyine, looking around with burning eyes, counting the supplies and inspecting the dock.

Fang Haiyang was very pleased to see the boxes of supplies arriving.

"Haha, once this batch of ships is finished, the supplies consumed by the army in the previous battle will be almost restored."

"It won't be long before our army can get back into the fight!"

The deputy general at the side agreed with a smile.

"The commander is right!"

"The Burmese are really useless. They can't even take down Yangon. In the end, the Tang Dynasty has to send troops!"

Obviously, they had also learned the news that the Burmese army attacked Yangon and was defeated.

Fang Haiyang nodded slightly.

"The Burmese army is indeed useless, but it is precisely because of this that the importance of our Tang army can be highlighted, allowing the Burmese king to rely more on our Tang, right?"

"If Myanmar does not rely on the Tang Dynasty, how can the Tang Dynasty gain benefits in Myanmar?"

The two chatted and laughed as they strolled along the pier.

Wherever they passed, Tang army soldiers saluted and greeted them.

Suddenly, Fang Haiyang stopped and saw several boxes piled on the dock and the packaging seals on the boxes.

"Wow, this is filled with chocolate?"

The soldier beside him heard this and responded immediately.

"Yes, Commander. This contains the latest batch of chocolates sent from Southeast Asia!"

Cocoa beans are a typical tropical plant.

After the Tang Dynasty conquered Southeast Asia, in order to promote the economic development of Southeast Asia, it began to promote the planting of various cash crops in Southeast Asia.

Cocoa beans are one of them, and now they have become quite large!
Moreover, the corresponding upstream and downstream industrial chains of cocoa beans have also been completed.

Several chocolate factories have been built in Nanyang.

After the finished products were made in the factory, in addition to supplying them for sale on the market, Li Yi also specially allocated a batch to supply the army, which was considered a kind of military supplies.

Chocolate is small in size but high in calories, and eating a small piece can greatly replenish your physical strength.

Portable and non-perishable.

It is a very good military supply for the army that needs to conduct long-term high-intensity physical training and go out to fight.

Although the Tang army cannot open up its supply now, it is still no problem to let the combat troops on the front line have a taste of it.

After tasting it, Fang Haiyang fell in love with it.

He was fascinated by the slightly bitter, sweet and burnt taste.

Fang Haiyang took a few steps forward and began to give instructions.

"Open it and let me taste a piece."

Upon hearing this, the soldier in charge of carrying the things pried open the box with the dagger he carried with him without any hesitation.

Although it is against the rules to temporarily open boxes during transportation that have not yet been put back into the warehouse, the rules also have to be followed by different people.

Given Fang Haiyang's current status, a box of chocolates is nothing at all, and no one would make things difficult for him over such a thing.

Fang Haiyang took a few pieces from the box, tore open the oil paper wrapper, and took a bite of the brown chocolate bar.

He chewed it carefully, feeling the chocolate melting on his tongue. He really enjoyed the slightly bitter but sweet taste.

After swallowing the chocolate in his mouth, Fang Haiyang stuffed another piece into his adjutant.

The adjutant waved his hands and said with a wry smile.

"No, no, no, Commander, please eat."

"I don't like this!"

He couldn't stand the bitter taste of chocolate.

Fang Haiyang heard this and said something that he hated him for not fighting back.

"You don't know how to enjoy it. This chocolate is so delicious."

"You'll like it if you eat a few more pieces!"

However, despite saying this, he did not force the chocolate in his hand on his adjutant.

I just ate it by myself in small bites.

The two continued to stroll and patrol the dock. At this moment, accompanied by the sound of footsteps, a messenger came running from a distance.

After coming in front of Fang Haiyang, he first saluted and then spoke.

"Report, Commander!"

"Urgent call from the capital!"

"Your Majesty orders our army to attack immediately and capture Rangoon as soon as possible!"

"Help the Burmese army retake Lower Burma!"

After that, the messenger handed a telegram to Fang Haiyang.

Fang Haiyang took the telegram solemnly and said.

"Reply to the capital immediately."

"Just say it, Fang Haiyang obeys the order!"

Upon hearing this, the messenger turned around and left to deliver the message.

Fang Haiyang took a deep breath, turned around and said to his adjutant.

"quick!"

"Pass on my military order, the whole army moves out!"

"Target, Yangon!"

Upon hearing this, the adjutant immediately clasped his fists in response.

"Yes, I obey your command!"

After saying this, the adjutant turned and left.

Soon, as the military order was issued, the Tang army in Mawlamyine Port gathered urgently.

The soldiers gathered according to different organizations and then boarded the ship.

After completing the boarding, the Tang army fleet marched out of the port and headed towards Yangon.

……

Inside Yangon, the British army was still actively preparing for war.

Brigadier General Pierre took Governor Dalhousie on an inspection tour of the city.

The British army has now learned its lesson and knows that the protective effect of ground offensive is limited when facing the artillery fire of the Tang army.

Therefore, they began to dig trenches and build bunkers outside the city of Yangon, preparing to use such means to resist the threat of Tang army's artillery bombardment.

Just as Dalhousie was patrolling the city of Yangon, a British soldier came trotting over to report.

"Governor, good news, good news from India!"

"British anti-rebellion troops have arrived in India!"

(End of this chapter)