The Qing Dynasty is about to end

Chapter 915 The showdown has begun! Those who offend our Western allies, no matter how far away, will be punished!

On the top floor of the West Dakota State Capitol, Hong Tiangui pushed open the heavy wooden window. The morning breeze, carrying grass seeds and a faint smell of gunpowder, rushed in. He looked down at this "military city" on the west bank of the Missouri River—as far as the eye could see, there were gray-green military camps and earthen warehouses. The crisscrossing wide roads and roadside trenches divided the city into a chessboard pattern, and the concrete gun emplacements of the permanent fortifications looked indestructible in the morning light. At this moment, the gates of the barracks opened, and squads of soldiers from the "Black, Red, and Yellow Legions" were marching out in formation. The black infantrymen's synchronized march kicked up dust, the American cavalrymen's warhorses neighed, and the Chinese artillerymen pushed canvas-covered gun carriages across the dirt roads. The three streams converged on the training grounds outside the city, and the sound of their footsteps made the earth tremble slightly.

Hong Tiangui's gaze swept over the city wall. Further away, the boundless grassland surged with green waves in the April spring breeze, dotted with clusters of Mongolian yurts like scattered seashells. American tribes herded their cattle and sheep, while cavalrymen carrying rifles appeared and disappeared among the waves of grass—it was these cavalrymen patrolling day and night that transformed the entire grassland into a flowing barrier, preventing the American East Coast scouts on the opposite bank from noticing that the main force of the renowned "Black, Red, and Yellow Legion" of North America had been lying in wait here like an undercurrent for two months.

"Commander-in-Chief!" Zhao Zai's footsteps echoed in the spacious office. The eldest son of Zhao Si presented a telegram with both hands. "Urgent telegram from Luo Xinzhong!"

Hong Tiangui didn't turn around, but simply raised his chin towards the window and said, "Nian."

"Our unit ambushed the US Eastern Army at Buffalo Hill, east of Bellevue-Weld, destroying 27 MK.1 tanks and inflicting over 1,000 casualties. We captured two tanks that could be repaired and have already towed them back into the fort. However, enemy armored reinforcements are approaching, forcing our unit to retreat into the fort. The main force of the US Eastern Army is now bypassing the fort area and advancing westward, heading towards the Denver-West Dakota railway, which is about to be cut off! We earnestly request the Commander-in-Chief to send reinforcements immediately!"

“Reply.” Hong Tiangui turned around and took the telegram, his fingertips tracing the words “more than a thousand killed or wounded.” “Order Brigade Commander Luo to hold Belveu-Weldburg, stockpile food and ammunition, and await the corps’ return to reinforce.”

Zhao Zai understood that Hong Tiangui would not return to reinforce immediately, and said anxiously, "Luo Xinzhong is a young master whom His Highness Prince Wu has been cultivating! If he is trapped in this isolated fortress and something happens to him..."

"That's why he had to be surrounded!" Hong Tiangui sneered. "With Wu Wang's precious son trapped in an iron cage, how could he possibly sit back and relax in Tianjing?" He grabbed his pen and scribbled, "Draft another telegram directly to Tianjing: The US Eastern Armored Corps possesses hundreds of armored vehicles, all equipped with Maxim machine guns and 37mm rapid-fire cannons, making them virtually impervious to ordinary artillery fire. The Denver railroad is on the verge of collapse, the northern Montana defenses are wide open, and Zhao Si's defenses are in grave danger. The survival of the American West hangs in the balance; we desperately need the Celestial Empire's swift assistance!"

The ink was barely dry when the door was kicked open again. Major Mary, Brigham Young's daughter, strode in, her blonde hair tied under her military cap, her blue eyes fixed on the telegram in her hand: "Commander! The Nebraska Telegraph Office is sending out a flurry of coded reports to state capitals across the country—signed by Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur!"

Hong Tiangui suddenly looked up. Zhao Zai had already snatched the telegram and read it aloud: "...The First Armored Corps of the United States decisively defeated the rebels at Bellevue, annihilating three thousand enemy soldiers and encircling the remaining enemy! Wherever the steel torrent pointed, the rebels were routed..." Upon reaching the end, he looked up in confusion, "This boast is so loud, yet it was sent right under our noses?"

Hong Tiangui suddenly burst into laughter: "That MacArthur! He's putting on a show for us!" He snatched the telegram and slammed it on the table. "He's handing London a ladder... letting The Times hype up the 'victory' so the whole world knows, forcing the British fleet to come in and reap the rewards!"

Major Mary gasped: "The British fleet in the Pacific..."

“We’ve been waiting impatiently!” Hong Tiangui slammed his fist into the map, the Denver Fortress mark twisting beneath his fist. “They’re waiting for a moment of absolute victory. MacArthur is bluffing, we’re feigning defeat—” He suddenly stared at Zhao Zai, his eyes burning with a scorching light, “Look at your father’s last plan… it’s going to work!”

At the same time, in Bellevue-Weldburg, Luo Xinzhong was squatting beside a breach in the dilapidated earthen city wall. Two captured MK.1 tanks lay wrecked inside the city, their frontal armor plates riddled with bullet holes. Osaka soldiers were using wooden levers to pry open the deformed hatches, the metallic scraping sound making one's teeth ache.

"Brigade Commander! Tracks are connected!" A sergeant, his face covered in grease, crawled out from under the vehicle. Luo Xinzhong nodded, his gaze sweeping over the city wall—the barrel of a 45mm rapid-fire cannon protruded from the firing port of the artillery position dug beneath the wall, behind which was a blast wall made of sandbags; the moat outside the city wall had been converted into a trench, with anti-artillery holes dug inside, as well as alleyways leading directly into the city; outside the trench, barbed wire was strung up; beyond the barbed wire were two rows of anti-tank obstacles.

"Report!" Nanmu Zhengyi jogged forward. "The supplies sent from Denver have been counted: 2800 45mm shells, 36000 75mm mountain gun shells, 18000 150mm howitzer shells, and more than three million machine gun bullets..." His voice suddenly became a little relaxed. "The food... is enough for one hundred and eighty days."

Luo Xinzhong grabbed a handful of soil and kneaded it. Mixed in with unburnt grass seeds were seeds that had drifted in from the grasslands outside the city. An east wind blew through the cracks in the city wall, carrying the faint roar of steam engines—the sound of the American Eastern Army's large army making its way around the east side of Bellevue-Weldburg.

It seems that the US Eastern Army does not want to delay the advance of their armored forces at Bellevue-Weldburg, but they certainly will not sit idly by and let Bellevue-Weldburg remain a logistical bottleneck for them, so the siege will definitely begin soon!
Meanwhile, the Denver headquarters sent so many supplies to the 4th Brigade.
“One hundred and eighty days…” Luo Xinzhong looked north and muttered to himself, “These one hundred and eighty days of ‘prison food’ are probably not going to taste good!” London, 10 Downing Street
Prime Minister Gladstone's pipe glowed intermittently in the dimly lit meeting room, the rising smoke appearing particularly heavy under the gaslight. The front page of the Times, spread open on the table, prominently featured MacArthur's proclamation of victory: "American Armored Corps achieves great victory! Encirclement of the main rebel force at Bellevue!"

Foreign Secretary Sir Grenville tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Gentlemen, the victory of the American Eastern Army has opened the door for us! Now, the entire white world is watching us—if we don't seize this opportunity, Germany and Russia will act first! There are reports that Bismarck has gone to St. Petersburg to discuss with the Tsar sending an expeditionary force to fight against China and aid America!"

First Lord of the Navy, Lord Northbrook, frowned as he slowly unfolded a naval deployment report: "Your Excellency, only four of our 'Majestic'-class battleships have completed sea trials, while the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's 'Jinghai'-class armored cruisers could launch a surprise attack on Singapore from Xiamen within 24 hours! What's worse—" He pointed to Manila Bay, "Manila is already in the hands of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, and their fleet can blockade the South China Sea at any time!"

"Then let the Taiping Army defend Manila!" Colonial Minister Earl Derby sneered. "Our real targets aren't Manila, but Java, Lanfang, Siam, and Hawaii!" He slammed open a Pacific map, his finger emphatically pointing to several key points. "The Far East Fleet of Singapore, in coordination with the Indian Army, will launch a full-scale attack on the Java Heavenly Kingdom, the Lanfang Heavenly Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Siam! And the Pacific Fleet—" His finger slid towards the Nicaragua Canal, "...to transport American troops and launch the Second Battle of Oahu!"

“But we don’t have enough capital ships!” Northbrook gritted his teeth and said, “The Taiping Army’s ‘Jinghai-class’ ships have a speed of up to 24 knots, and our old battleships simply can’t keep up with them!”

“Then let quantity overwhelm quality!” Gladstone suddenly stood up, slamming his pipe heavily on the table. “Let the Australian fleet, mainly composed of old ships, advance into Soseiburg and use them to tie down the main force of the Taiping navy! As long as the main fleet of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom is unable to move for the time being, the Empire can move freely in other parts of the Pacific and get whatever it wants!”

Tianjing, the Prime Minister's Office of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

The ambergris incense smoke rising from the bronze crane incense burner swirled slowly in the council hall, yet it could not conceal the tension permeating the air. Wu Wang Luo Yaoguo's fingers tapped lightly on the Pacific Ocean chart on the sandalwood table. Several arrows were drawn in vermilion ink across the South China Sea and the East China Sea, pointing directly at Manila, Singapore, and Hawaii—this was the hypothetical British attack route envisioned by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's General Staff.

"The London newspapers are hailing MacArthur's 'great victory'." Luo Yaoguo raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the assembled princes. "But this victory report was sent too hastily and too loudly—it seems the British don't need the truth, but rather an excuse for their downfall."

Yi Wang Shi Dakai sneered: "If the British fleet really dares to move? The British Royal Navy's Japanese fleet in Sasebo is nothing but iron coffins!" He pointed to the British Far East Fleet marked on the nautical chart, "The strongest are some old-fashioned battleships with a speed of less than 16 knots, which are of little use."

“But as long as they’re in Zuoshibao, we have to be careful!” Feng Yunshan tapped his teacup lightly, his voice as calm as an ancient well. “This is the strategy of Tian Ji’s horse race!”

He took a sip of tea. “The Singapore Far East Fleet is full of new and fast ships, and India has been training a new army for several years now—their target is clearly Java and Lanfang!”

Northern King Wei Changhui slammed his fist on the table: "Then let's strike first! Deploy the Nanyang Fleet straight to Singapore!"

"And then?" Xiao Chaogui's voice, though already white-haired, was still booming. "The British Pacific Fleet will definitely transport American troops through the Nicaragua Canal to attack Hawaii. If our main force is tied down in Southeast Asia, the North American front will collapse." He looked directly at Luo Yaoguo. "King Wu, how long can the 'Black, Red, and Yellow Army' in the American West hold out?"

Luo Yaoguo smiled faintly: "It should be able to hold out for a long time, right? But since the British are going to get involved, we have to play along. We can't let our little brother, the American West, be besieged by these foreign devils! We can have the Tianjing Telegraph Office send out a global telegram: Wherever the waves of the Pacific Ocean reach, that is the territory of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Those who offend our American West alliance, no matter how far away, will be punished!"

(End of this chapter)