Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 464: The Fall of Delhi (6K)

Upon hearing this, Bahadur Shah II's face instantly fell.

But there is no way at all!
Xiang Yuquan, who was standing by, saw this and made a suggestion.

"Great Khan, although our Tang Dynasty does not wish to get involved in the war in India."

"However, if the battle in Delhi is really hopeless, the Khan can lead his army to break out of Delhi and head to the Tang Dynasty. I believe that the Tang Dynasty will definitely provide security for the Khan."

Bahadur Shah II felt slightly relieved when he heard this.

In this way, no matter what the final outcome of the war in India is, at least his personal safety is guaranteed.

This can be considered a blessing among misfortunes!
……

While the meeting was taking place in Delhi.

The offensive and defensive battle outside Delhi also entered a white-hot stage.

boom! Boom boom!

The British army set up artillery positions on the Harakah Heights and launched artillery bombardment in the direction of Delhi city from a high position.

Boom! Boom!
Shells fell one after another on the Indian army's positions, and the Indian soldiers were blown to pieces.

The British army began to launch an offensive towards the city of Delhi under the cover of artillery bombardment.

The rumbling sound of artillery fire resounded throughout the battlefield, and the British lobster soldiers launched a fierce charge towards the Indian positions.

Artillery shells fell from the sky and landed on the positions, with loud explosions.

The Indian army's firepower points on the position were eliminated one by one.

As the British lobster soldiers rushed forward, the Indian soldiers on the defensive side collapsed immediately.

The entire battlefield presented a situation of a crushing defeat.

In the blink of an eye, the Indian army lost an outer line of defense in the city of Delhi.

The war continued and the Indian army continued to lose ground.

Fortunately, at this moment, the supervision team of the Indian Army played a role.

The sound of machine gun fire rang out, and the dense ammunition chain fire forced the fleeing Indian troops to stop.

Then he turned around to fight the British troops coming from behind.

The sounds of artillery fire and fighting came one after another, and the fight between the two sides entered a white-hot stage.

The fighting outside Delhi lasted for several days. The Indian army resisted step by step and barely maintained the situation.

Bahadur Shah II even appeared in person outside the city to boost the morale of the army.

Gradually, the battle situation came to a stalemate.

However, at this time, the new British Governor-General of India, Lord Canning, arrived in Delhi with British reinforcements.

This new force of the British army became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

After this new force of the British Army joined the battlefield, the Indian Army finally collapsed!
The battlefield, which was originally barely holding its ground, turned into a one-sided massacre.

……

"Khan, our reinforcements haven't arrived yet, but the British reinforcements have arrived first!"

"Delhi can no longer be defended. Let's retreat!"

The commander-in-chief of the rebel army, Bahd Khan, came before Bahadur Shah and reported with a dejected look.

As he said this, Bahd Khan looked visibly dejected.

Bahadur Shah’s expression froze when he heard this.

"Has it really come to this?"

Bahd Khan said with a grim expression.

"The defense lines outside Delhi have almost been breached by the British Army, and the British Army is about to rush into Delhi."

"If we don't withdraw now, Delhi will be surrounded and we won't be able to withdraw."

Upon hearing this, Bahadur Shah slumped down on his throne with a dejected look on his face. He stroked the golden armrests of the throne with his hands, and looked around the hall in front of him, his eyes filled with an intense and inextricable attachment.

"I'm leaving Delhi this time, and I don't know when I'll be back next time..."

"Maybe I'll never come back..."

At this moment, the Tang Dynasty's special envoy Xiang Yuquan walked in from outside the hall, led by Bahadur Shah's personal attendant Ali.

"Khan, the British army has entered the city!"

"Please give the order to retreat!"

"Gather all the military instructors sent by the Tang Dynasty. I believe they will escort the Khan to safely withdraw from Delhi."

These military instructors sent to India by the Tang Dynasty are not only capable of serving as instructors, but can also gather people together at critical moments and go to the battlefield to kill the enemy.

And their combat effectiveness is definitely stronger than that of the Indian army!
Bahadur Shah nodded immediately after hearing this.

"Good! Good!"

"It will be arranged as it is, please excuse me, Special Envoy."

Historically, after the fall of Delhi, Bahadur Shah II did think about breaking out and escaping.

But under the heavy siege of the British army, the Indian soldiers were unable to escort him out.

But now it’s different!

Under the escort of the Tang army, Bahadur Shah had a real chance of breaking through successfully.

……

boom! Boom boom!

The deafening sound of artillery fire continued.

A few shells landed inside the Red Fort, but more landed on the walls of Delhi.

Amid the explosion, a gap was blown in the wall of Delhi.

British soldiers filed in one after another through the gap created by the artillery shells.

The shouts of killing were loud!
"kill!"

"Long live Her Majesty the Queen!"

"Suppress the rebellion! Suppress the rebellion! Kill all those damn Indians!"

"..."

At this time, the Indian army was completely in a desperate situation, and the situation on the entire Delhi battlefield could be described as a complete defeat.

One by one, Indian soldiers dropped their weapons and fled in panic in the city of Delhi.

The British troops that entered the city, under the orders of their officers, gathered towards the Red Fort, attempting to surround the Red Fort and capture and kill Bahadur Shah, the Indian emperor.

……

"Amir, the defense of the Red Fort is now in your hands!"

Bahd Khan said, patting the man on the shoulder.

"I need you to stay at the Red Fort until the Khan evacuates Delhi. Tell me, can you make it?"

Hearing this, Amir took a deep breath and said solemnly.

"Don't worry, Commander-in-Chief!"

"I will lead my troops to hold out until the last moment!"

"As long as I am alive, the British will have to walk over my dead body to enter the Red Fort!"

Bahd Khan heard this and nodded vigorously.

"Well done! Amir, you are a hero."

"The Khan will never forget you, and India will never forget you!"

After saying this, Bahd Khan turned and left.

Follow Bahadur Shah and retreat outside Delhi.

The reason why Amir was arranged to lead the troops to defend the Red Fort before the retreat was to let him cover the breakout troops.

The longer Amir holds out, the greater the chance that Bahd will be able to safely evacuate Delhi.

……

"quick!"

"Everyone, prepare to break out!"

"Team one will go forward to scout and explore the way, team two will protect the Khan, and team three will be the rear guard, ready to meet the enemy at any time."

"Hurry up and make no mistakes!"

As the military order was issued, the Tang army carrying rifles quickly divided into three teams and began to execute the people one by one.

A group of people quickly rushed along the street towards the outskirts of Delhi.

After Niu Jinbao was assigned to a team, he held a rifle, scanned the surroundings with a sharp gaze, and walked quickly on the street.

Suddenly, he saw a group of British troops appear at the corner of the street.

Without any hesitation, he raised his hand and fired a shot.

Gunshots rang out, and the British soldier in front fell to the ground.

The British troops suddenly encountered the enemy and fell into panic in an instant.

"beat!"

Before they could react, there was a crackling sound of gunfire from the Tang army, and several British soldiers fell to the ground immediately.

The Tang army immediately launched a bayonet charge without any hesitation.

In the blink of an eye, the British army was repelled, leaving only corpses on the ground.

After clearing the way ahead, Niu Jinbao and others continued to move forward.

At this time, the city of Delhi was in chaos.

The British troops entering the city gathered towards the Red Fort, preparing to besiege it.

Still dispersing troops, Mandri search and kill the defeated Indian soldiers!

The British army's discipline was not much better than that of the Qing Dynasty. To put it nicely, they searched and killed the defeated soldiers, but in reality they massacred and looted the city.

When they were on the European battlefield in Crimea, they had no psychological burden about the burning, killing and looting by the Tsarist Russia, which was also a European country.

Not to mention this is India!
They will only be more efficient in killing Indians.

Due to the British army's deliberate burning, killing and looting, the entire city of Delhi was in chaos.

Everywhere you can see Indian soldiers and civilians screaming and wailing, as well as British soldiers robbing, killing and raping.

Fires broke out in many places in Delhi.

After killing and looting, the British army subconsciously set fire, hoping to destroy the evidence of their crimes with flames.

On the streets, dishevelled female corpses and disemboweled male corpses can be seen everywhere...

Blood, killing, and raging flames together formed a hellish scene.

The once prosperous city of Delhi is gradually turning into ruins.

Niu Jinbao and his men fought on and off along the way. Fortunately, the British army's main focus was now on the Red Fort. In addition, the British troops scattered in the city were burning, killing and looting, and had no time to take care of them.

Soon, a group of people took advantage of the chaos and successfully escaped from the city of Delhi.

"Out of town!"

"Horse, go!"

Amidst loud shouts, Tang soldiers mounted their horses one by one and surrounded Bahadur Shah and other Indian high-ranking officials and fled eastward.

……

At the same time, the fighting in the direction of Red Fort also reached its final stage.

The British army had almost broken through all obstacles and reached the Red Fort.

Amir stood behind the sandbag fortification, constantly turning the crank of the machine gun, and the machine gun barrel rotated, pouring out firepower indiscriminately.

In front of him was a wide street.

The British army appeared on the streets and launched continuous attacks on the Red Fort.

But under machine gun fire, the attacking British troops were forced back again and again, leaving corpses all over the ground.

The blood flowed along the stone slabs on the ground and gathered into the drainage ditch on the side of the road.

A thin layer of blood gathered in the drainage ditch.

"Hold on, we must hold on until the Khan withdraws from Delhi!"

"Fight to the last moment for the Khan!"

Amir operated the machine gun and fired at the same time shouting at the top of his lungs.

Beside him, Indian soldiers kept pulling the bolt, loading, aiming, and then pulling the trigger.

Although most of the Indian troops are weak in combat effectiveness and are like useless pieces that will collapse at the slightest touch on the battlefield.

But the Mughal Empire ruled India for so many years that it still has some die-hard fans.

Now the troops left for Amir to defend the Red Fort are all die-hard members of the Indian Army.

These people dared not say anything else, but they were really willing to fight to the last moment to cover the evacuation of Bahadur Shah II. "The British are coming again!"

"Hit me hard!"

Amir saw the British charging again and shouted at the top of his lungs.

The sound of machine gun fire continued.

The British troops who rushed forward were shot at again, suffering heavy casualties.

When everyone saw this scene, their faces were filled with excitement and excitement.

"hold onto!"

"For the Khan, for the Emperor!"

"..."

However, just when everyone was extremely excited.

The British army quietly pulled artillery into the city of Delhi.

boom! Boom boom!

Several heavy artillery roars were heard in succession.

Several artillery shells fell from the sky and landed on the Indian positions.

The next moment, an explosion sounded, the shock wave swept across, and flames spread.

Amir and others were stunned.

There were casualties everywhere on the battlefield.

Many Indian soldiers were blown to pieces, their limbs were blown into the sky, and then fell down, it seemed as if blood was raining from the sky.

The scene is shocking!

An Indian soldier who had his leg blown off but was not killed yet covered his wound and screamed in agony.

"Ah... my legs, my legs, they hurt so much!"

"Save me, save me, no matter who it is, Allah, God, no matter who it is, save me..."

Sharp screams echoed throughout the entire battlefield.

Everyone couldn't help but feel sympathetic.

Amir got up from the ground, his ears clearly ringing from the explosion.

He shook his head, trying to get rid of the tinnitus, but to no avail.

Seeing that the wounded soldier's screams were becoming more and more miserable, which obviously affected the morale of the defenders, Amir gritted his teeth and took out his pistol.

He pulled the trigger with a bang, killing the wounded soldier quickly.

Just at this moment, someone suddenly shouted.

"The British troops, the British troops are coming again!"

"Prepare for battle, everyone, prepare for battle!"

"..."

Amir looked forward while shouting.

At the end of the street, a group of British soldiers appeared again. These British soldiers were stepping on the corpses on the ground and rushing towards the Red Fort with great momentum.

Dada! Dada!

The sound of machine gun fire rang out again.

Along with it, there was the roar of artillery. In addition to machine guns, the defensive positions outside the Red Fort were also equipped with several small-caliber direct-fire artillery.

The shells landed among the charging British troops, explosions rang out, and one British soldier after another was blown away by the shock wave.

There were many casualties!
Amir and others once again defeated the British attack.

But the British troops had just withdrawn when they heard a loud roar.

Shells fell from the sky and landed on the Indian positions. Amid the explosions, the soldiers on the positions suffered heavy casualties.

There are corpses lying everywhere!

Amir got up from the ground again. The sky and the earth were shaking in front of his eyes. His chest was so blocked that he couldn't help but open his mouth and vomit blood.

There were also obvious fragments of internal organs mixed in.

But even so, he still forced himself to get up and continued to operate the machine gun, aiming and shooting at the British troops rushing up.

Around him, most of the Indian soldiers had been killed in the battle, and the remaining ones were mostly wounded.

The originally dense sound of rifle shooting began to become sporadic and insignificant.

boom! Boom boom!

Boom! Boom!
Several more artillery shells fell from the sky and landed on the Indian positions.

Amir was engulfed in flames, and his broken body was blown away by the shock wave, completely losing his life.

At this time, there were almost no living people on the Indian army's position.

The British army successfully charged the Indian army's position, then broke through the blockade and rushed into the Red Fort!

However, at this time, the Red Castle was already deserted.

Bahadur Shah had already fled Delhi. The British army suffered so many casualties in taking down the Red Fort, but in vain.

……

Governor Canning and Army Commander Kofman's faces darkened after receiving the news from the front.

"Commander, it seems that Bahadur Shah II has escaped!"

Governor Canning said with a grim face.

Kofman took a deep breath and said with a grim expression.

"Not long ago, we received news that a small group of troops broke out from the east of the city. We originally thought it was just a group of Indian soldiers fleeing, so we didn't take it seriously."

“I never thought that Bahadur Shah II would be among them!”

Canning looked over here, with some dissatisfaction clearly in his eyes.

Seeing this, Kofman apologized.

"I'm sorry, Your Excellency the Governor. I was negligent!"

Although Canning was dissatisfied when he heard this, since Kofman had already apologized, he couldn't blame him any further.

I can only speak.

"Send someone to chase them immediately!"

"Don't let Bahadur Shah II escape, otherwise we won't be able to explain to Her Majesty the Queen and the Cabinet!"

Canning has a father who is a former British Prime Minister, and he knows the current decisions of the British top leaders.

He knew that the cabinet wanted to take advantage of this Indian mutiny to annex India.

Crown Her Majesty the Queen on the throne of India!
And all this has a prerequisite, that is, Bahadur Shah II, the emperor of the Mughal Empire, must be in their hands.

Otherwise, all of this will be unjustified.

Although Britain did not care much about this, the political significance of Bahadur Shah II's identity was too great. Allowing him to be out of Britain's control was a huge hidden danger.

If Britain wanted to successfully control India, it would be best if Bahadur Shah II was under British control.

Upon hearing this, Kofman took a deep breath.

"Your Excellency the Governor, I understand. Tell someone to do it right away!"

Upon hearing this, Canning just nodded slightly.

The expression on his face was quite complicated.

Because, although the British army won the final victory in the Battle of Delhi, it paid a heavy price in casualties.

According to the report Canning has now received, the British casualties in the Battle of Delhi have reached a staggering 20,000.

Most of them were produced during the attack on the Harakha Heights.

The rest was caused by the street fighting after the British army entered the city of Delhi.

For example, the tug-of-war in the attack on the Red Fort is one example.

You must know that these 20,000-plus British troops are not vassal troops or colonial troops.

But they are the real elite white people from the UK.

More than 20,000 people died in World War I, which was enough to make the British feel the pain.

At the very least, Canning is feeling the pain now!
More importantly, after the Battle of Delhi, the British army suffered such heavy casualties that it was highly likely that they would not be able to fight again in a short period of time.

If the British army wanted to continue its attack on the Indian rebels in Kanpur and Lucknow, it had to rest and replenish its troops and military supplies first.

This will undoubtedly continue to delay the British army's progress in suppressing the rebellion in India.

This is somewhat unacceptable to the UK.

……

The sound of horse hooves!
Bahadur Shah II reined in his horse and galloped away.

He looked back at the city of Delhi which was gradually engulfed by flames, his heart filled with regret and hatred towards the British.

Delhi is ruined!

The capital of the Mughal Empire, which had been painstakingly built for hundreds of years, was destroyed in an instant.

Bahadur Shah really hated the British.

In his opinion, if the British had not invaded, how could his empire have fallen into the current situation? !

All of this is due to the British greed!
He, Bahadur Shah, would one day make the damned British pay for their atrocities.

"Khan, where are we going next?"

“Kanpur, or Lucknow?”

Bahd Khan asked, his face full of confusion and solemnity.

Bahadur Shah thought for a while after hearing this and then said.

“Let’s go to Kanpur first.”

"Kanpur is relatively close to Delhi, so we will base ourselves in Kanpur now and make long-term plans."

"Afterwards, I want to go to the Tang Dynasty to ask for help and request that the Tang Dynasty send troops to reinforce our war in India."

"Otherwise, we alone would be no match for the British, and there would be no hope for Indian independence."

Upon hearing this, Bahd Khan was somewhat dissatisfied with Bahadur Shah's self-depreciation.

But with the facts before him, he could only nod in approval.

The group rode their horses towards Cawnpur, and at this moment, the sound of horse hooves was heard behind them.

A troop of British light cavalry came galloping in an attempt to stop Bahadur Shah II from evacuating.

Bahadur Shah II saw this and shouted at the top of his voice.

"quick!"

"Hurry up, the British are chasing us!"

Seeing this, the group of people spurred their horses and galloped away, quickly widening the distance between themselves and the pursuers behind them.

……

Zhangjiakou!
After the Tang Dynasty pacified the grassland, trade routes inside and outside the Great Wall were opened again.

After experiencing the baptism of war, the gateway city of Zhangjiakou has regained its former prosperity as merchants gather here.

Even worse than before!
Today, outside the city of Zhangjiakou is a large construction site where a large number of workers gather, driving consumption.

Further promoted the economic development of Zhangjiakou!

The construction site outside Zhangjiakou city was nothing else but a railway construction site.

Railroad tracks and sleepers were continuously transported from the interior and gathered in Zhangjiakou.

On the ground, two railway tracks extend towards Guihua City.

Crowds of workers are busy at the construction site.

Whether carrying rails or laying sleepers, thanks to the efforts of a large number of workers, the project progressed rapidly.

There was a squeal of brakes, and a black-painted car stopped at the railway construction site.

The car door opened and the Chechen Khan, wearing a leather jacket and sunglasses, stepped out.

After Chechen Khan got out of the car, the person in charge of the construction site came up to him and greeted him.

"Please come this way, Khan. I will introduce you to the current progress of the construction site."

The person in charge spoke with a distinct Shanxi accent.

Chechen Khan nodded slightly and stepped forward.

The person in charge of the construction site followed closely and spoke.

"Great Khan, Zhangjiakou is the southern end of the Zhangbei Railway. Construction started four months ago and 207 kilometers have been built so far."

"According to the current progress, the railway will be able to reach Guihua City in two months at most, before autumn..."

(End of this chapter)