Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 463 The Battle of Delhi Begins (6K)

After hearing this, Xie Laosi became even more confused.

"Then what's going on?"

Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Lao Ma just shook his head, indicating that he didn't know either.

But the matter is actually very simple.

As the Tang Dynasty conquered Southeast Asia and Malacca, it was urgently needed to settle there and strengthen the court's control over Southeast Asia while developing it.

In order to complete the immigration work as quickly as possible, the Tang Dynasty court assigned targets to each province and prefecture.

If the immigration targets are not met, the government will even hold officials accountable.

But what is Nanyang?
In the traditional impression of the Chinese, it is a truly wild and barren land, with poisonous insects and ferocious beasts running rampant, the natives being ferocious and malaria everywhere...

If you really can't survive there, who would be willing to go there?

In addition, Chinese people of this era all have a strong attachment to their homeland.

Therefore, the immigration work did not proceed smoothly.

The heads of the various state governments saw this and feared that they would fail to meet the immigration targets and be punished by the imperial court.

They are also afraid that if ordinary people are forced to immigrate, there will be more trouble.

Therefore, he began to think about the prisoners in the cell!
No matter what crime you have committed, as long as it is not a capital crime punishable by beheading or shooting, you will be sent to immigrate to Southeast Asia.

Even if it was just something as minor as urinating or defecating in public, or petty theft, if caught, the person would be exiled to Southeast Asia.

Then, the son of the shopkeeper Lao Ma was included in the immigration list!

Obviously, fighting counts too!

If it were an ordinary time, if the shopkeeper, Old Ma, spent some money and smoothed over some relationships, maybe his son could have been rescued.

But it is definitely not possible now.

Officials will do anything to keep their official hats!
But there are benefits for the officials to do so.

Well, for example, the public security in and around Wenzhou city is obviously much better now.

The young thugs who used to roam the streets, showing off their power and bullying others have now all disappeared.

Or, you have been included in the immigration list and will soon leave for Southeast Asia, with a high probability that you will never be able to return to your homeland in this lifetime.

Or, they just stay at home, fearing that they will be on the immigration list, and dare not show up at all.

Seeing this, Xie Laosi could only speak to comfort Lao Ma.

"Old Ma, think positively, things haven't come to that point yet."

"Nanyang is indeed a poor and remote place, but many people have gone there over the years, and most of them are alive and well, aren't they?"

"There are even quite a few people who have made it big in Nanyang."

"Who knows, maybe your son will return home in glory in the future!"

After hearing Xie Laosi's consolation, Shopkeeper Ma's expression looked a little better.

But the expression on his face was still sighing.

……

In June 1858, the British army, which had divided into two groups and attacked in two directions, finally met outside the city of Delhi.

After the British army took a short rest, the Battle of Delhi began.

The sound of artillery fire was the first to sound!
The Harakah Heights north of Delhi became the focus of contention between the two sides.

This high ground called Harakah is located in the north of Delhi, not far from the city of Delhi.

If artillery is set up on the Harakha Heights, it can even cover the entire Delhi city area and threaten the safety of the Red Fort.

Therefore, the battle for the Harakha Heights became the focus of this battle.

The rumbling sound of artillery fire rang out!
The British army deployed artillery arrays on the Haraka Hill, aimed at the Indian positions on the hill, and began to deliver fire.

Boom! Boom!
Amid the deafening sound of artillery fire, one shell after another whistled through the air and shot towards the high ground.

At the same time, the Indian artillery on the high ground also began to fight back.

The sound of artillery fire rang out, and shell after shell was fired at the British positions below the high ground.

As the saying goes, hit the high and hit the low, hit the stupid.

At the beginning of the battle, the Indian army actually suppressed the British army throughout the whole process.

The reason why this situation occurs is actually easy to understand.

Because the artillery of both sides are all breech-loading rifled cannons from the Tang Dynasty, and they are all export versions.

The performance is almost the same!

When the performance of their artillery is almost the same, the side with the geographical advantage will naturally be able to gain a greater advantage in the battle.

As for the quality of the gunner?
How to say it, although the British army's gunners are elite, the Indian army's gunners are basically hired from the Tang Dynasty.

The quality of the Tang army's gunners is no worse than that of the British army, and may even be better!
Therefore, the situation on the battlefield was that the Indian army was suppressing the British army.

Boom! Boom!
The deafening bombardment continued.

Shells flew across the battlefield, and fireworks continued to explode on the Harakah Plateau.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of blood.

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

"Fire!"

"..."

Amid the sound of artillery bombardment, the British army launched an attack on the Haraka Heights.

"kill!"

"Long live Great Britain!"

"..."

Amid the shouts, the British lobster soldiers appeared on the battlefield and charged towards the Haraka Heights in a skirmish line.

On the vast plain, the British lobster soldiers in red clothes surged like burning flames, with great momentum and unstoppable momentum, charging towards the Haraka Heights.

These British soldiers continued to fire during the charge.

The sound of musket fire resounded throughout the battlefield!

On the other side, the Indian troops on the high ground also fired back.

Snapped! Bang bang!

An Indian soldier squatted in the trench with only his head exposed outside, constantly pulling the bolt, loading ammunition and pulling the trigger.

Amid the crisp and intensive gunfire, although some British soldiers occasionally fell to the ground during the charge, the overall casualty rate was not high.

The reason for this is that Indian soldiers hardly aim when shooting.

There were even many people who didn't even stick their heads out of the trenches, but just kept their guns raised above their heads and shot with faith.

Because of this, despite the constant sound of gunfire from the Indian army's positions, the damage the Indian army could cause to the British army was very limited.

Dada! Dada!

The machine guns placed in the defense bunkers began to rotate their barrels and pour out fire.

Under the dense barrage of bullets, the British troops rushing forward were successfully suppressed.

The British army's momentum was instantly stalled.

Screams could be heard throughout the battlefield.

Unlike ordinary Indian soldiers who just shoot indiscriminately, the machine gunners in the Indian army are also instructors hired from the Tang Dynasty.

Most of these people are veterans who have been tempered on the battlefield. Needless to say, their military skills are very good. Machine gun fire, point fire, and fire suppression are no problem at all.

Under the machine gun fire, the British lobster soldiers who were charging fell to the ground one after another.

The screams never cease!
However, the fact that Britain was able to become the world hegemon in this era shows that the military quality of its soldiers is truly extraordinary.

Even facing the black muzzles of machine guns, they still insisted on charging forward one after another.

"kill!"

"For God's sake!"

"Long live Great Britain!"

"..."

The sound of machine gun fire lasted for half a day. After leaving a large number of piled corpses on the battlefield, the British army reluctantly withdrew.

The battlefield was littered with British soldiers' bodies in various causes of death.

The bodies of the lobster soldiers were piled up one after another, and their blood gathered and flowed, dyeing the land red.

The smell of blood in the air became stronger.

British commander Lieutenant General Kofman put down his telescope.

He closed his eyes, but the image of the sea of ​​blood and corpses was still remnant in his mind.

He took a deep breath, and it seemed as if there was a stagnation of depression in his chest that could not be dispersed no matter what.

"Oh my God, the battle has been so bad, with so many casualties. How can I explain this to the families of these young men?"

Although in this era, human life is the least valuable thing.

However, which general can treat his soldiers as worthless?
The ones who really don't take human life seriously are the politicians.

As a general, he cannot bear to see his soldiers get killed or injured.

"We can't go on like this. How many lives do we need to lose to break through the Indian machine gun blockade?"

"We have to think of another way!"

Colonel Beckett, who was in charge of the artillery, spoke up.

His face was filled with visibly solemnity.

"Our artillery is ineffective?"

Kofman asked.

Beckett nodded.

"Yes, General."

"The artillery we are using now is almost the same as that of the Indian army, but the Indian army now has the advantage of terrain."

"So, in the artillery battle, our army is at a disadvantage!"

"It will be difficult for our army to open up the battlefield situation by just shelling."

Hearing this, Kofman took a deep breath and looked serious.

On the side, another officer, Houston, made a suggestion.

"If that's the case, then we can only continue to fill it with human lives."

"How about recruiting some temporary vassal troops from Delhi to serve as cannon fodder?"

"As far as I know, most of the Indian army's weapons are purchased from abroad, so the Indian army's ammunition must be limited."

"It is better to let the vassal army be cannon fodder to consume the Indian army's ammunition than to let my British boys fill it up."

"When the Indian army's ammunition is almost exhausted, it won't be too late for the boys to launch a general attack!"

Kofman hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

"can!"

"I'll leave this matter to you, Houston."

"Try to speed up!"

"Number 10 Downing Street has urged us more than once to quickly put down the Indian rebellion."

"Her Majesty is also concerned about the war situation in India."

Upon hearing this, Houston nodded in agreement and turned around to arrange what Kofman had asked him to do.

……

time flies.

After a brief adjustment, the British army continued its offensive towards the Harakha Heights north of Delhi, relying on the forcibly conscripted cannon fodder.

For several consecutive days, the British army launched unremitting offensives.

There were densely packed corpses lying on the open space in front of the Harakah Plateau.

Although there were British soldiers among them, most of them were ordinary Indian civilians who were forcibly conscripted by the British army to serve as cannon fodder.

Amid the shouts and cries of killing, heavy artillery roared!
The sound of machine gun fire rang out again.

Niu Jinbao turned the crank of the machine gun, and with a series of clicking sounds, the barrel of the machine gun turned rapidly, and the muzzle aimed at the enemy in front and fired.

As the ammunition belt was stirred into the magazine bit by bit, metal shells were ejected one by one and fell to the ground with a clang.

The narrow and cramped bunker was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder.

On Niu Jinbao's naked upper body, muscles were bulging with blood due to the exertion.

He was shaking constantly under the recoil of the machine gun fire. Sweat beads as big as soybeans dripped down his skin texture, soaking the shorts he was wearing on his lower body.

This was to ensure that the machine gun position would not be easily destroyed by artillery fire, and also to ensure the safety of the machine gunner so that he would not be attacked by concentrated fire.

When the Indian army was building positions on the Haraka Heights, they built bunkers specifically for machine gun positions.

The advantage is that there is the cover of the bunker, the safety of the machine gun position, and the sustainability of firepower is greatly increased.

The downside is, it’s too hot!

The stuffy, hot kind!
You have to know that they are now in India, and it’s summer in India.

Coupled with the narrow and cramped space in the bunker, you can imagine how high the temperature in the bunker is.

"Hurry, the barrel is almost red hot. This won't work. Pour water on the barrel to cool it down."

While operating the machine gun, Niu Jinbao gave instructions to the ammunition handler beside him.

In theory, the problem of excessive barrel temperature should not be a concern for machine guns.

But the problem is that this is India, and the temperature in the bunker is too high. It is warm and humid, which is not conducive to the heat dissipation of the gun barrel.

That's why it is like this!
The ammunition carrier was named Ram and was an Indian.

He followed Niu Jinbao, not only serving as an ammunition carrier, but also learning from Niu Jinbao how to operate a machine gun.

Therefore, Niu Jinbao was not polite when giving him orders.

Hearing this, Ram turned around and saw the bucket beside him. He picked up the ladle, scooped some water and poured it on the rotating gun barrel.

In an instant, there was a crackling sound and a puff of white smoke came out of the gun barrel.

The whole bunker was filled with white smoke and water vapor, making it pitch dark.

Seeing this, in order to prevent wasting bullets, Niu Jinbao slowed down the rotation of the barrel and reduced the firing rate of the machine gun.

The reason for not stopping simply was to continue to maintain fire suppression on the charging enemy.

So as to avoid being rushed in front of the enemy!
There was a loud bang and a shell landed around the bunker.

The shock wave traveled along the ground, causing Niu Jinbao and Ram to feel a stuffy sensation in their chests.

The gravel and sand above my head fell down with a loud noise.

Finally, the white mist in the bunker gradually dissipated, and Niu Jinbao began to continue to deliver firepower with all his strength.

Dada! Dada!

The sound of machine gun fire continued to ring out, and bullet casings flew everywhere and hit the ground with a clanging sound.

However, after a while, the barrel of the machine gun became overheated again and turned red.

"Quick! Water it again!"

Niu Jinbao yelled at the top of his lungs.

Ram reacted quickly, stopped feeding the ammunition belt, scooped up a bucket of water and poured it on the gun barrel.

After going back and forth three or five times, all the water in the bucket was emptied out.

Just when Niu Jinbao was shouting at Ram to water the plants again.

Ram said.

"There's no water, all the water is gone!"

As he spoke, he lifted up the empty barrel and pressed the remaining layer of barrel bottom onto the gun barrel.

With a crackling sound, the bunker was once again covered in smoke.

"Damn!"

"If there's no water, go get some!"

"If the temperature doesn't drop, I'm afraid the barrel will explode!"

Niu Jinbao roared without even turning his head.

Seeing that the enemy was about to rush up, Niu Jinbao felt heavy-hearted.

However, as he was speaking, Niu Jinbao suddenly heard a crisp clicking sound.

He subconsciously looked down and saw that the ammunition belt had been exhausted and detached from the magazine.

"Damn it, we're out of bullets!"

"Quick, open another box!"

Niu Jinbao opened his mouth to give orders, but Ram, who was standing beside him, spoke with a slightly trembling voice when he heard it.

"No...it's not good!"

"The bullets are gone!"

"That was the last box!"

When Niu Jinbao heard this, his face immediately darkened and he spoke hurriedly.

"Then send someone to the logistics department to ask for ammunition."

"Without ammunition, how can the machine gun fire? If the machine gun can't fire, then the enemy will rush over, right?"

Ram heard this and said with difficulty.

"Sir, you may not know that the logistics department has just sent someone over to say that they are out of ammunition."

"Let us figure it out on our own!"

Upon hearing this, Niu Jinbao couldn't help but widen his eyes in disbelief.

Do you want to listen to what you are saying?

"What's the matter?"

"Let us figure it out on our own?"

"Fuck, can I rub bullets with my hands?"

Ram was speechless when he heard this.

At the same time, several machine gun positions on the entire Indian army's position were silent.

In an instant, the sound of machine gun fire on the battlefield disappeared, leaving only
However, at this moment, shouts of killing were heard again on the battlefield.

The British army launched an aggressive attack on the Harakah Heights.

Originally, the British army just let the cannon fodder push forward.

But when the cannon fodder was halfway through the charge, the British army discovered that the machine guns on the Indian position had misfired.

Seeing this scene, British commander Kofman immediately shouted loudly.

"The Indian Army's machine guns are out of bullets!"

"Quick, pass the order down and let our army launch an attack!!"

"All troops attack, capture Harakha Heights!"

As soon as Kofman finished speaking, the British army launched a fierce attack on the Harakha Heights without any hesitation.

Suddenly, shouts of killing resounded throughout the battlefield.

The British army rushed towards the Harakah Heights.

The lobster soldiers in red spread out on the battlefield and charged forward aggressively.

The lobster soldiers charging seemed like flames.

Everything that dares to stand in their way must be completely destroyed!

The Indian troops on the position began to fire back.

The sound of musket fire continued to ring out.

But how could the shooting of faith stop the British offensive?

On the high ground, Indian artillery also began firing, trying to repel the British charge.

However, the number of artillery pieces is limited and the firing speed is relatively slow, so the fire blockade effect produced by artillery firing is much worse than that of machine gun fire.

Amid the rumbling of artillery fire, the British army rushed to the front of the position, less than a hundred meters away.

At this moment, an Indian soldier who was hiding in the trench and firing, stuck his head out to check, and saw that the dark mass of British troops was almost rushing in front of him.

He collapsed in an instant, dropped his weapon, and ran away.

"Help!"

"Run! The British are coming!"

"..."

Under the leadership of this Indian soldier, one led ten, ten led a hundred, and in the blink of an eye, the Indian troops stationed on the high ground collapsed.

The charging British army broke into the Indian position almost effortlessly.

Amid the shouts and cries of killing, the battle situation on the Harakha Plateau changed rapidly.

The Indian army collapsed instantly!
One by one, the Indian soldiers dropped their weapons and ran towards Delhi in panic.

On the high ground, the Tang army gunners in the artillery position also decisively chose to retreat.

This war was ultimately a war between India and Britain. Since they received money, it was natural for them to contribute to India.

However, no matter how hard they try, if the situation becomes unfavorable, they will definitely run away.

It's not worth risking your life for the few dollars given by the Indians.

What’s more, even the Indians themselves ran away, and it was the Indians who took the lead.

At this time, if they run again, they will not have any psychological burden!

Niu Jinbao picked up his rifle and strode out of the bunker. Before leaving, he casually threw a grenade in.

Although he was planning to run away, he couldn't just leave the machine gun to the British army so easily.

It is natural to destroy it before running away.

A loud explosion sounded behind him, and the bunker, which was already shaky due to the shelling, collapsed instantly, burying the machine gun inside.

Soon, the British army successfully captured the Harakah Heights.

……

At the same time, the Mughal Empire's top officials in Delhi received news that the high ground outside the city had changed hands.

Bahadur Shah II was in a state of panic. He paced back and forth, muttering to himself.

"What can we do!"

"Now that the high ground outside the city has been lost, how can we defend the city of Delhi?"

At the side, his attendant Ali quickly spoke to comfort him.

"Don't worry, Khan."

"We still have tens of thousands of troops in and outside Delhi, and reinforcements from all over the country are also gathering in Delhi."

"Besides, we have the foreign aid of Datang!"

"It will be alright, we will definitely be able to defend Delhi!"

The commander-in-chief of the rebel army, Bahd Khan, said with a serious expression.

"Don't worry, Khan. I will command the soldiers to arrange defenses right away."

"Prepare to defend the city!"

"Before I die in battle, I will ensure that no one can enter the city of Delhi!"

Bahadur Shah just nodded vigorously upon hearing this.

At this time, his heart was filled with sadness and regret.

He knew that he should not have agreed to lead the rebel army in the first place.

If I had rejected the rebels...

Then maybe I don't have to worry about the war now.

Well, of course the dead don’t have to worry!
Bahadur Shah did not think that the rebels would spare him if he flatly rejected their demands.

However, the only thing that makes Bahadur Shah feel relieved now is that he had sent his family to the Tang Dynasty several months ago.

Even if he was defeated in India, his family would be able to spend their old age in peace under the protection of the Tang Dynasty.

Thinking of this, Bahadur Shah turned his gaze to Xiang Yuquan, the Tang Dynasty's envoy to Mughal.

"Lord Xiang, the war situation in Delhi is becoming increasingly tense."

"I wonder what it will take for the Tang Dynasty to send troops to help India gain independence?"

In Bahadur Shah's view, from a military point of view, India would never be a match for Britain.

In this case, if India wants to successfully gain independence, it can only hope that the Tang Dynasty will intervene.

After hearing this, Xiang Yuquan thought for a while and then spoke honestly.

"This matter still needs to be reported to the court. Please ask His Majesty the Emperor and the important officials in the court to make the decision."

"It is not my own decision, please forgive me, Khan!"

(End of this chapter)