Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 495: Confederate Army: The Washington Tour Group Made Great Contributions! (8K)

Looking around and enjoying the cheers of the soldiers, McDowell's confidence swelled.

He turned around and instructed the adjutant beside him.

"Addison, go back to Washington and invite some politicians, newspaper reporters, wealthy businessmen and civilians."

"Tell them that I, McDowell, will lead my army to defeat the rebels and march straight to Richmond."

"Please ask them to come and watch the battle!"

Upon hearing this, Adjutant Edson couldn't help but reveal a conflicted expression on his face.

"Your Excellency General, this..."

He did not think it was a good idea to bring politicians, journalists and other people who had nothing to do with the war to the front lines.

However, McDowell heard this and spoke in a very firm tone.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Just do as I tell you!"

"By the way, when you're looking for reporters, remember to pick a few who take good photos."

"Tell them that when they arrive at the frontline, they must film the general commanding the army and defeating the Southern Army!"

Upon hearing this, Edson had no choice but to nod and agree, ready to do as McDowell instructed.

Seeing Adson leave, McDowell finally showed a satisfied expression.

He knew that bringing politicians and reporters to the front line was not a good idea, but he also knew that he needed to use the Battle of Manassas to increase his influence in future elections.

McDowell doesn't want to spend his whole life in the army.

He also wants to get involved in politics!
……

For the next few days, basically nothing happened.

The Southern Army had just suffered a defeat and was licking its wounds, laying low, and resting to prepare for war.

The Northern Army also remained inactive.

"General, the Southern Army has just suffered a defeat, and its morale is low and its combat effectiveness is low."

"Our army should take advantage of this opportunity to pursue the victory, expand the victory, and launch an attack on the Confederate positions, in order to break the Confederate blockade in one fell swoop, open up the railway line, and enter Richmond!"

Adjutant Edson came up to McDowell and suggested.

McDowell heard this, but just waved his hand and spoke righteously.

"Don't worry!"

"Although our army won the battle of Matthew Mountain, we also suffered a lot of casualties. Now is the time to rest and recuperate."

"It won't be too late to mobilize our troops after we have finished our repairs!"

"Besides, the Southern Army has just suffered a defeat and is now a lost cause. We don't need to rush into this!"

McDowell said this though.

But what he really thought in his mind was that he had to wait until the politicians and reporters from Washington arrived at the front line before commanding the troops to continue the attack.

Because only in this way can he pretend to be good in front of everyone and accumulate enough qualifications for his future entry into politics.

How does the saying go? In the officialdom, the most important thing is not to make achievements, but to make your achievements visible to the higher-ups.

This is the most important thing!
McDowell has a deep understanding of this.

Although he may not be a good general, he is definitely a good politician.

Hearing this, Edson couldn't help but open his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't say anything.

As a career officer, he knew McDowell was wrong.

But he couldn't persuade McDowell to change his mind.

Seeing the disappointment on Edson's face, McDowell didn't care and just continued to give orders.

"Addison, you must prepare immediately. Prepare a grand welcoming party to welcome these distinguished gentlemen who have come all the way from Washington!"

"Those distinguished gentlemen will arrive at the battlefield this afternoon!"

"We must not neglect them!"

When Edson heard this, he felt helpless in his heart, but he had no choice but to agree.

……

That afternoon, at the Union Army camp near Matthew Mountain.

The militiamen who were originally idle in the military camp, playing cards and gambling, or drinking and smoking pipes were organized.

We arrived outside the military camp, ready to welcome the Washington tour group coming from far away Washington.

Although these militiamen, who were used to being free and undisciplined, were organized, their military posture was still loose.

At first glance, although it was a dark mass, the array was very chaotic and not neat at all.

They are more like civilians than the military.

Some wore hats, some wore turbans, some wore denim jackets, and some even went shirtless...

Most of these militias were organized temporarily. Due to time constraints, they did not even have time to prepare uniform military uniforms and could only wear their own clothes.

Standing together, they look more and more like a mob.

The drunk Griffin, with a big belly, stood loosely in the first row, burping from time to time.

"Oh, God, General McDowell is such a devil that he organized us to go out to the camp gate to bask in the sun in such hot weather."

"He should be kicked in the ass by God!"

Griffin couldn't help but complain.

Old Pete on the side heard this and turned around and said.

"It's just that the weather is too hot today."

"Griffin, how about we have a few drinks together at the party tonight?"

Griffin said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, my favorite is fruity rum..."

“Rum and barbecue are a perfect match!”

Another soldier named Jack spoke up.

“My favorite drink is brandy!”

Seeing this, the rest of the people couldn't help but talk about it and introduced their favorite drinks.

Just as a group of militiamen were whispering to each other, a cloud of dust suddenly appeared at the end of the road.

I saw a convoy slowly approaching from a distance.

Leading the way were three "Golden Carp" cars produced in the Tang Dynasty.

Well, the reason why cars produced in Datang are called Golden Carp is mainly because the car logo is a golden carp.

It means carp leaping over the dragon gate!
Of course, there is more than one type of car logo.

Cars using the carp logo are the lowest grade and are specifically designed for sale to the public.

More advanced ones also have flying fish logos, bullfighting logos, and unicorn logos, which correspond to the flying fish clothes and bullfighting clothes given as gifts in ancient times.

For cars using these logos, you can only order a car with the corresponding logo from the car manufacturer if you are awarded with specific clothing.

In other words, if certain conditions are not met, you cannot spend money even if you want to.

And above that, there is a python logo, which means this is the car used by the princes and princes.

The highest level is naturally the dragon emblem, which is the emperor’s royal carriage.

If you are born without this thing, you will never have it in your life.

The cars that foreign countries can get are naturally the most basic golden carp logo.

Unless it is a gift from the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to a foreign monarch, it could be some other symbol.

For example, Li Yi gave a car to the Queen of England, the Emperor of France, the Tsar of Russia, the Emperor of Prussia and other kings of powerful countries.

The logo on this car is the python logo.

Of course, it is definitely worth it for Datang to give this car as a gift.

The cost of Li Yi's cars to send to kings and emperors of various countries can be recovered ten or a hundred times from the nobles in their countries.

Behind the first few cars were a number of horse-drawn carriages.

Nowadays, cars in the Tang Dynasty are absolute luxury items and most people certainly cannot afford them.

Horse-drawn carriages are still the most suitable means of transportation for most ordinary wealthy businessmen.

The convoy slowly stopped outside the military camp. An old white man in a tuxedo and a full beard walked out of the lead car, leaning on a cane.

Upon seeing this, McDowell stepped forward and said hello.

"Mr. Marquez, thank you for your hard work!"

The middle-aged man's name is Marquez. He is a Republican congressman and a big backer of McDowell.

Upon hearing this, Marquez patted McDowell on the shoulder and said with a smile.

"What do you mean by hard work or not?"

"The soldiers are fighting bravely on the front lines to suppress the rebellion for the country. I am just here to inspect the front lines. It is not considered hard work!"

"The soldiers are the ones who really work hard!"

While the two were talking, a series of clicking sounds of cameras were heard behind them, and the cameramen picked up their cameras and took pictures of the two of them.

The reporter nearby was already drafting the headline of the newspaper in a small notebook.

[The congressman went to the front line in person, the soldiers were highly motivated and defeated the rebels! ]

【Congressman Marquez showed up at the front line, and the rebels were terrified. 】

[Congressman Marquez encouraged the morale of the army and denounced the ten crimes of the rebels...]

Afterwards, many wealthy and famous people, even their wives, got off the carriage.

These people were all invited to watch the game!
They were also very curious about what the battlefield looked like.

McDowell stepped forward and led all the politicians, reporters, wealthy businessmen and celebrities who were invited to watch the battle into the Union camp.

Afterwards, a grand welcome party was held in the Northern Army camp.

A group of people were singing and dancing, toasting each other!
Of course, Senator Marquez came to the front line not just to watch the battle.

He also brought two newly formed artillery teams to McDowell to support the front-line fighting.

Well, just by the way!

……

Henry Mountain, the Confederate camp!

Confederate commander Beauregard and Johnston sat together to discuss the war.

Beauregard spoke up.

"General Johnston, we now have good news and bad news."

"The good news is that five regiments of reinforcements led by Thomas Jackson have arrived near Henry Mountain and can enter the battlefield at any time to reinforce the war."

Originally, when Matthew Hill was just lost, reinforcements from the Confederate Army were still on the way.

If the Northern Army had continued its attack, the Southern Army would most likely not have been able to withstand it.

Fortunately, McDowell was waiting for the Washington tour group to arrive at the front before launching his attack.

This bought the Southern Army time to rest and for reinforcements to arrive.

Well, thanks to Washington Tours!

After hearing that reinforcements had arrived, Johnston, who had been wearing a tense expression, couldn't help but relax and revealed a rare smile.

Seeing this, Beauregard continued to tell the bad news.

"The bad news is that McDowell has received support from two more artillery units on the Union side..."

Compared with the Southern Army, the biggest advantage of the Northern Army is that the industrial strength of the North is far superior to that of the South.

So, they were able to provide more arms and weapons to the front line.

Well, now the North of the United States has also begun to develop and imitate breech-loading weapons, and the progress is quite good.

At present, a considerable number of weapons used by the Northern Army on the front line are imitations of their own products.

Although the quality and power are not as good as those purchased from the Tang Dynasty, it is cheaper.

The military trade in the Tang Dynasty was really shady!

As for the Southern Army, almost all of its weapons and armaments had to be purchased from abroad. Performance was directly proportional to price, but inversely proportional to quantity...

Johnston couldn't help but frown when he heard this, but he still spoke.

"Where are the reinforcements brought by Thomas Jackson deployed?"

Beauregard thought for a moment, then spoke.

"They are resting in the woods at the top of Henry Mountain!"

Johnston closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then offered a suggestion.

"How about moving the reinforcements Jackson brought to the flank of Mount Matthew?"

"The Union Army's artillery positions are located halfway up Mount Matthew."

"Once McDowell's Union Army attacked Henry Mountain, their artillery positions on Matthew Mountain would be empty."

"If Jackson led a surprise attack from the flank of Mount Matthew at this time, he might be able to capture the Union Army's artillery in one battle."

"Then the situation of the battle can be reversed!"

When Beauregard heard this, an expression of obvious thought flashed across his bearded face.

But in the end, he nodded and said.

"Yeah, sure!"

“That’s a great idea indeed!”

"Send a message to Jackson and ask him to lead his troops to move to the flank of the Northern Army at night..."

……

Thomas Jackson had just arrived at the battlefield with his troops and was stationed at Henry Mountain for rest.

In order to reach the front line as quickly as possible, Jackson's troops did not even carry heavy firepower such as artillery.

This way they could advance quickly and lightly and reach the front line to provide reinforcements before the Northern Army launched another offensive.

But he had just rested for not long when he received another order from above.

In desperation, Thomas Jackson had to mobilize the army again and quietly move towards the flank of Mount Matthew with his soldiers.

The only thing to be thankful for was that Jackson was allocated ten rotary machine guns and 100,000 rounds of machine gun ammunition to fill the heavy firepower gap in his troops.

"Lift them up, lift up all the heavy machine guns!"

"Be careful, don't drop it. This thing is very precious. If it breaks, we can't fix it ourselves..."

Thomas Jackson led his troops on the march. Along the way, they carried heavy machine guns and ammunition boxes and moved forward in the dark, carefully avoiding the Union scouts.

Then, Jackson realized that he had worried too much. Along the way, he didn't even see the shadow of a Union scout.

It seemed as if the Northern Army had not deployed any reconnaissance or sentry posts at all!
The reason for this is simple.

Because, like the Northern Army and the Southern Army, most of the soldiers were militiamen, and the military skills of these militiamen were really limited.

In addition, a tour group from Washington arrived, so McDowell held a party in the barracks to welcome them.

Naturally, these militiamen of the Northern Army became even more lazy!

Although McDowell arranged some visible and hidden sentries, they all sneaked back to the barracks to join the party after the party started.

Thomas Jackson led his men on a sneaky journey and finally arrived at the flank of Mount Matthew in the second half of the night.

After reaching the flank of Matthew's Hill, Thomas Jackson ordered the soldiers to rest in place.

Prepare for the next battle!

……

The next day was July 1861, 7 in the Gregorian calendar.

At dawn, the war started again!

Witnessed by a Washington tour group, McDowell commanded the Union soldiers, who had been partying all night, to launch an offensive toward the Confederate positions in the direction of Henry Mountain.

Union artillery on Matthew's Hill began firing to suppress the Confederate Army.

While the artillery was suppressing the attack, the Northern Army infantry also launched a massive attack.

On the battlefield, cannons roared and gunshots crackled.

Union soldiers swarmed towards the Confederate positions, the two sides fired at each other, and then fought with bayonets.

The fighting immediately entered a white-hot stage!

The Northern Army already had an advantage in firepower, and having just won a victory some time ago, their morale was also boosted.

For a time, the Southern Army was suppressed and defeated!
In just half a day, the Confederate Army lost several lines of defense.

Seeing that the battle situation was unfavorable, Beauregard felt a little flustered and said immediately.

"Quick, send an order to Thomas Jackson and let him lead the army to attack!"

"Share the pressure our army is bearing on the front battlefield!"

But before Beauregard could finish his words, he was stopped by Johnston.

"No, General Beauregard, now is not the time."

"The Union troops on Mount Matthew have not been mobilized yet. If Jackson were to attack now, his troops would undoubtedly not be able to play a real role."

When Beauregard heard this, his expression froze, and then he spoke solemnly.

"Too!"

After thinking for a while, Beauregard ordered his reserve troops to reinforce the battle on the front line.

As the Confederate reserves entered, the Confederates launched a counterattack.

After a fierce fight between the two sides, they actually blocked the attack of the Northern Army...

……

On the side of Matthew Mountain, the Northern Army camp!
On a lookout tower, McDowell directed the battle while observing the battlefield with a Washington tour group.

"General, when do you think our army will be able to break through the Confederate lines and capture Henry Mountain?"

A reporter came forward to ask.

Marquez on the side also cast his gaze over with implicit expectation.

McDowell was a little hesitant when he saw this.

But when he saw Marquez looking at him, he immediately puffed out his chest and spoke.

“Right now!”

As an official, the most important thing is not to disappoint your boss!

He, McDowell, will certainly not disappoint the respected Congressman!

After saying this, McDowell began to give orders.

"Pass the order down, order all units of our army to intensify the offensive."

"Also, mobilize the reserve troops guarding the artillery positions on Matthew Mountain to join the battlefield. Gather your strength and break through the rebel lines in one fell swoop!"

Upon hearing this, Adjutant Edson immediately touched his chest and saluted, then turned around and went down to convey the military order.

As military orders were passed down to the grassroots level, the Northern Army launched a full-scale attack on the Southern Army.

For a moment, the slight advantage that the Southern Army had just gained was taken back by the Northern Army.

And the various units of the Southern Army began to retreat!

But at this moment, Thomas Jackson, who had been leading his troops to lie dormant on the side of Matthew Mountain, finally moved.

"Boys, for the Confederacy, for freedom!"

"Kill!"

Thomas Jackson shouted and ordered his troops to attack the Union positions on Matthew's Hill.

A group of people launched a charge on the battlefield!
Thomas Jackson led his troops to attack the Union artillery positions. They were like a tiger entering a flock of sheep, and captured the Union artillery positions in one fell swoop.

Then, they turned their guns and fired at the Northern Army.

Amid the roar of artillery fire, the situation on the battlefield changed drastically.

The Northern Army, which originally had the upper hand, was bombarded from both sides and collapsed instantly.

One by one, the militiamen dropped their weapons, turned around and started to run away.

……

McDowell, who was originally in high spirits, suddenly received a report.

"General, something terrible has happened. The rebels have raided our artillery positions on Mount Matthew..."

Adjutant Edson said anxiously.

When McDowell heard this, the expression on his face suddenly froze.

"This...how is this possible!"

"Oh, Shit, that's not true!"

McDowell didn't want to believe it, but the continuous sound of artillery fire reminded him that all of this was true.

He subconsciously looked towards Matthew Mountain not far away.

After his expression changed, he made a quick decision.

"Edson, you must immediately send out orders to mobilize our army's Schenck Brigade, Keyes Brigade, Sherman Brigade and other units to immediately return to the artillery position to support them."

"We must recapture our artillery positions at all costs!"

Upon hearing this, Edson immediately nodded to show that he understood, then turned around to convey McDowell's order.

……

At the artillery position of the Northern Army on Matthew Mountain.

After capturing the Union artillery position and attacking the Union Army with artillery, Thomas Jackson did not rest but made quick arrangements.

"Order all units of our army to immediately prepare for a defensive offensive and be ready to meet the counterattack of the Northern Army!"

"For the sake of the alliance and our property, we must stop the counterattack of the Northern Army!"

Under the arrangement of Thomas Jackson, the machine guns they carried were placed in different positions.

The machine gunners quickly completed the machine gun firing position arrangement and prepared to meet the enemy.

The other soldiers were also preparing for battle.

Soon, the Northern Army counterattacked.

McDowell mobilized his troops and rushed towards the artillery position.

But what greeted them was not the panicked Confederate soldiers they had imagined, but the rattling of machine guns.

The machine gun handle turned, continuously firing bullets, and with the sound of shooting, a dense barrage of bullets was fired towards the enemy in front.

Under the sweep of bullets, the charging Union soldiers left behind a large number of corpses and then retreated.

Soon, the Northern Army organized another counterattack.

Charge, be machine gun fired upon, charge again, be machine gun fired upon again!
After several rounds of fighting, the machine gunners from Thomas Jackson's unit discovered it.

Out of bullets!

Most of the South's weapons were originally purchased from abroad. Under such circumstances, it was difficult to provide sufficient ammunition for consumption on the front line.

Look, halfway through the battle, the machine gun ran out of bullets.

However, the Northern Army rushed forward again.

In desperation, the Confederate soldiers had to pick up their rifles and prepare to meet the enemy.

The next moment, the soldiers on both sides drew their guns and shot at each other at close range, then charged with bayonets and fought each other.

The sharp bayonet flashed coldly in the sunlight!

One brave soldier after another fell to the ground, blood flowing everywhere.

The soil of the trench had long been stained with blood and turned into bloody mud. If you stepped into it without being careful, you might even sprain your ankle.

The two sides started a truly bloody fight!

The battle situation gradually became stalemate.

On the battlefield, the sound of gunfire continued to ring out.

If it is said that most of the militiamen in the Northern Army went to the battlefield for such vague reasons as so-called "freedom" and to maintain the unity of the federation.

The Confederate soldiers were completely the opposite!

Almost all of them went to the battlefield to protect their property.

Most of these militiamen in the Confederate Army had black slaves at home.

If the federal government wanted to free the black slaves, it would have to seize their property.

Naturally, these militiamen would never agree to this!
Therefore, the fighting will of the Confederate soldiers was much stronger than that of the Northern Army.

As time passed, the Northern Army, which clearly had an advantage in terms of military strength, was the first to give up and began to collapse.

McDowell ordered his troops to continue the attack, but the front-line troops began to retreat after receiving the order.

The situation on the battlefield is getting worse!

At this moment, on the main battlefield, the Confederate commanders Beauregard and Johnston decisively mobilized all their forces to launch a counterattack against the Northern Army in front of them.

On Matthew's Hill, artillery fired in unison, aiming at the Northern Army on the battlefield and delivering a barrage of firepower.

Under the double-sided attack, the rotten Northern Army finally began to suffer a large-scale defeat.

Seeing the Union Army's defeat on the main battlefield, the Union Army, which was originally attacking the artillery position on Mount Matthew, also panicked.

At this moment, Thomas Jackson's troops took advantage of the situation and launched a counterattack.

"Soldiers, kill!"

"Kill all these northern bandits!"

"..."

Amid the shouts, the Confederate soldiers raised their bayonets and charged forward bravely.

In the blink of an eye, the Northern Army was scattered.

In the chaos, the Northern Army began to flee north in panic...

Looking at the crushing defeat on the battlefield, McDowell had an expression of disbelief on his face.

"No! This is impossible!"

"How could I possibly lose to those rebels?!"

The Washington tour group that was invited to watch the game also fell into panic.

"Shit, how is this possible?!"

"We actually lost, lost to those damn rebels!"

"Oh my God, this can't be true!"

"McDowell is such a loser, he deserves to die!"

"..."

In the chaos, Congressman Marquez was the first to get into the car they came in and led the way in running away.

Then, the Washington tour group followed closely behind, scrambling to escape.

McDowell wanted to organize his army to fight back... or at least hold the line, but he was totally unable to do so.

They were forced to flee with the army!

Adjutant Edson looked at the defeat on the battlefield and opened his mouth to speak.

"I knew it, I knew it would be like this..."

……

Richmond!
Although the Confederacy was indeed declared a nation in Richmond.

But its capital was originally Montgomery.

It was not until the end of May 1861 that the Confederacy moved its capital to Richmond, which was also called the New Capital.

Downtown Richmond, Chinatown!

This was originally where Chinese people who came to the United States to work gathered and lived.

But at that time, most of the Chinese workers who came to the United States went to San Francisco to pan for gold, and there were actually not many people in Richmond.

Naturally, the size of the block is not large.

After the Confederacy moved its capital to Richmond, the Tang Dynasty also moved its embassy in the United States here.

This greatly expanded the size of Chinatown.

The Chinese Theatre in Chinatown.

On the stage, martial artists and actresses in costumes were singing opera.

On the side of the stage, musicians were playing gongs and drums to accompany the music.

This piece of song is the famous Peking Opera "Farewell My Concubine".

As the warrior who played the Overlord drew his sword and committed suicide, the background music suddenly became desolate and tragic.

The audience below the stage stood up and applauded enthusiastically.

Among these audiences, some are Chinese with black hair and black eyes, but there are also many Americans with blond hair and blue eyes.

Although these Americans do not understand the lyrics of Peking Opera, this does not prevent them from coming to the recently popular China Grand Theater to listen to the opera and join in the fun.

Just like in later generations, most Chinese people could not understand what Western operas were about.

But that doesn't stop those petty bourgeoisie from pretending to be cultured!

This is the cultural invasion of a weak civilization by a strong one.

Even the strong civilization does not need to exert any effort itself, the weaker party will imitate the strong party's hobbies on their own.

Clothing, food, culture and art are all included.

Amid the thunderous applause in the theater, Tang Dynasty's ambassador to the United States Huang Weiqi also stood up and applauded. Sitting next to him, Confederate States of America's Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alton Coolidge also had a smile on his face.

"Ambassador Huang, this is truly a hearty oriental opera performance!"

Orton Coolidge said in a slightly flattering tone.

Huang Weiqi raised the teacup beside him and gestured to Alton Coolidge.

The two clinked their glasses and drank together.

Huang Weiqi smiled slightly.

"Thank you Minister Otton for accompanying me to watch this play. Please tell me if you have anything to say!"

Alton Coolidge smiled and then said.

"Ambassador Huang, the Alliance does have something that requires your help."

"The latest news from Manassas is that the Union Army's offensive was very fierce. Our army suffered a defeat along the Bull Run River and Matthew Mountain, and it was difficult to support the attack."

"I hope that the Tang Dynasty can deliver the next batch of arms as soon as possible..."

The situation on the front line was unfavorable, and the Confederate Army urgently needed more arms to stabilize the situation.

Huang Weiqi almost picked up the teacup and took a sip, then asked.

"Has the Alliance considered which port to give to the Tang Dynasty as a concession?"

Although President Jefferson of the Alliance has agreed to concession a port to the Tang Dynasty.

But this matter has always remained on paper and has not been able to move forward.

Therefore, Huang Weiqi chose to urge him.

When Orton Coolidge heard this, his expression was slightly embarrassed, and then he said.

"Congress is still discussing this matter, and I believe there will be a result soon!"

Well, although Jefferson agreed to the Tang Dynasty's request.

But Congress was unwilling to lease the port to the Tang Dynasty.

Because in the eyes of many Americans who are accustomed to the idea of ​​white supremacy, ceding a port to an Eastern country is a great humiliation and is unacceptable.

So, this matter is stuck!
Although President Jefferson agreed to the Tang Dynasty's request, his prestige was somewhat lacking.

It is not enough to overwhelm Congress and force the resolution through!

Therefore, he can only postpone it for one day at a time.

However, the Tang Dynasty is not prepared to continue delaying with the United States, so Huang Weiqi directly brought up the matter.

……

PS: This chapter is a bonus for 1000 monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)