Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

On August 23, the fleet that was attacking the Penghu Islands finally set sail from the second dock.

This time,
The Ximentang fleet sailed along the coastline to Huangpu Wharf in Songjiang Prefecture.

For a long time to come, this will be the docking pier for the First Fleet of Simon's.

Chen Jie established a military port near Huangpu Wharf.

and,

The Ximentang Third Shipyard was built in Songjiang Prefecture to be responsible for the repair and maintenance of warships.

According to Ximentang's development plan, Songjiang Prefecture has always been the center of Ximentang's development.

It is not only a trade and economic center, but also the largest military base.

because,

This is the gateway to the East China Sea of ​​the Great Qian Dynasty, and one of the most important places.

In this attack on the Penghu Islands, Chen Jie deployed a total of one battleship, eight cruisers, sixteen gunboats, twenty-four storm attack ships, twelve transport ships, and eight supply ships!
A magnificent fleet, a total of sixty-nine warships!
The Ximentang First Fleet, except for a few cruisers and gunboats left behind, was almost entirely deployed.

The total number of personnel mobilized was over 26,000.

In addition to the 10,000 elite troops of the Ximentang Navy participating in the battle, 5,000 elite troops were also drawn from the 'War Department', 'Bear Department', and 'Eagle Department' to form the Marine Corps.

in addition,

The Simon Special Forces also transferred 1,000 men, in addition to Jack Bonaparte's 4,000 French mercenaries.

The total strength of Ximentang's forces that went to attack the Penghu Islands this time reached 30,000.

In order to deter the Japanese Kwantung Army.

The 300,000-strong army of Ximen Tang is on high alert in Shandong, Songjiang Prefecture, southern Jiangsu, northern Jiangsu, and eastern Zhejiang.

Chen Jie needed to ensure that his base wouldn't be raided while he was attacking the Penghu Islands.

Therefore,
He ordered key leaders such as Yan Kuangtu, Xiong Chao, Aman, and Zhang Changfeng to enter a state of full military alert.

Meanwhile, Ximen Tang's undercover unit continuously investigated the movements of the Kwantung Army and various regional feudal lords.

in fact,

With Jack Bonaparte's French mercenaries, if Simond only wanted to attack the Penghu Islands, he wouldn't need to deploy his entire First Fleet.

Deploying one-third of the warships would be enough to suppress the Japanese in the Penghu Islands.

Deploying so many warships at once would require an astonishing amount of money.

but,

Chen Jie naturally had his own plans; he needed to conduct a comprehensive review of the Ximen Hall's First Fleet.

He had always placed high hopes on the First Fleet of the Westminster.

This voyage will be a real-world test for the navy.

The entire fleet was divided into two parts.

The preceding fleet is the operations department, consisting of thirty warships, including the battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Chen Jie, Deng Yonghe, and Jack Bonaparte were all leading the squadron on the leading battleship.

The other warships and transport/supply ships were all led by Zhang Wenbo, the chief of staff of the Ximentang Naval Fleet.

The two combined squadrons of the fleet were fifty nautical miles apart.

Before setting off, Chen Jie had already made a complete plan.

First of all,

Have Jack Bonaparte arrange for his agents to infiltrate the Penghu Islands in advance and spread messages on the islands.

More than 100,000 Japanese troops were stationed on the island, and their information channels were not as fast as those of Ximentang.

The Simon Hall currently relies primarily on telegraph machines for communication.
Meanwhile, the Kwantung Army of the Japanese still relied on manpower to transmit messages, and even used carrier pigeons to deliver them.

Therefore,
In terms of the speed of information delivery, Simon & Co. was twenty years ahead.

Although Europe and North America have collaborated to develop a 'telegraph machine,' it is still in the laboratory stage and has not yet been put into production.

Intelligence transmission is one of Simon's greatest strengths.

The personnel infiltrated on the island began to spread the word that the Japanese Kwantung Army had launched a general offensive in the Great Qian Dynasty and had achieved brilliant results.

Meanwhile, another message was spread on the island.

It is said that Jack Bonaparte's French mercenaries have defected to the Japanese Kwantung Army.

After fierce battles with the Daqian Dynasty, the French fleet experienced shortages of military supplies, ammunition, and other necessities.

Therefore, the French fleet wanted to dock at the island to replenish supplies.

Various rumors and false information spread across the Penghu Islands.

The mix of truth and falsehood makes it impossible to distinguish which news is real and which is fake.

and,

According to information from the Kwantung Army headquarters, they hoped to mobilize 50,000 troops from the Penghu Islands to support the Kwantung Army's general offensive in the Daqian Dynasty.

The French fleet needs the support of the Japanese troops stationed on the island of Taiwan, and in the next step, it will launch an attack on Zhejiang Province of the Daqian Dynasty.

There's too much information, and rumors are flying everywhere!
and,

As rumors began to spread, Jack Bonaparte started sending men ashore to make contact with the Japanese garrison.

To enhance persuasiveness,
Chen Jie specially requested a batch of merchant ships transporting supplies to supplement Jack Bonaparte's French fleet.

They claimed that these merchant ships carrying supplies were seized from the Daqian Dynasty and intended to be given to the Japanese army.

Giving gifts is the easiest way to make people overlook the potential dangers.

People all like to take advantage of others.

The Japanese were naturally delighted to see so many merchant ships to be given to the Japanese garrison in the Penghu Islands.

The battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth of the Western Allied Forces' First Fleet has been renamed the Simond First Fleet.

Although the battleship 'Queen Elizabeth' still exists, its name has changed!

Tenno-go!
That's right, Chen Jie directly renamed the battleship 'Queen Elizabeth' to 'King'!

If Chen Jie were to personally lead the Ximen Hall First Fleet into battle, then the 'Tianwang' would naturally be his command ship and his symbol!

but,

This time, when attacking the Penghu Islands, Ximen Tang was using the banner of Jack Bonaparte's French Fleet.

The general leading the team was Jack Bonaparte.

Therefore,
Even though the 'Heavenly King' was going to war, Ximentang's battle flag was not raised.

The flags flown throughout the fleet were the battle flags of the French mercenaries.

The Penghu Islands are not far from the mainland of the Daqian Dynasty in a straight line.

After departing from Huangpu Wharf in Songjiang Prefecture, the fleet sailed on the sea for a day before arriving at the waters of the Penghu Islands.

Keelung City!
It is also known as Chicken Cage City.

The Japanese general stationed in Keelung City on Taiwan Island was named Miyamoto Jiro.

He was a disciple of the Miyamoto family, possessing unparalleled martial arts skills, and had broken through to the Blood-Moving Pill Force realm.

but,

When facing such large-scale military operations, martial arts skills have extremely limited effectiveness.

Faced with the overwhelming firepower of modern weapons, martial arts skills are greatly diminished.

He was originally very happy to arrive at Keelung Port to welcome Jack Bonaparte of the French Allied Forces.

According to previous information, the French Allied Forces had defected to the Japanese Kwantung Army.

Miyamoto Jiro had always had great confidence in the Kwantung Army.

Others might have doubted the French coalition's defection, but Miyamoto Jiro was convinced of it.

Unfortunately, that's the case.

When he arrived at Keelung Port, he was met with guns and cannons from the French Allied forces.

Boom—boom—!
This was a battle with no suspense whatsoever.

You could even say that this wasn't a fierce firefight.

Miyamoto Jiro is too arrogant. He didn't make any preparations at all, and didn't even bring his personal guards.

Upon arriving at Keelung Port, they were quickly captured.

We won without shedding a drop of blood!

Jack Bonaparte's allied forces captured Miyamoto Jiro in less than ten minutes.

Then,

Ximentang's army quickly landed and easily captured Keelung Port. The success of this battle was beyond Chen Jie's expectations.

He had originally planned to have a good fight with the Japanese garrison at Keelung Port.

But who could have imagined that the Japanese would be so arrogant and conceited?

After Simon Hall occupied Keelung Port, he left several hundred men to garrison it. Chen Jie personally led the mercenaries under Jack Bonaparte and Simon Hall's elite troops to directly attack Keelung City!

Keelung City is located in the northeast corner of the Penghu Islands, adjacent to New Taipei City.

This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides and faces the sea on one side, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack.

and,

This is one of the largest trading ports in the Penghu Islands.

Chen Jie originally thought that a fierce battle would take place in Keelung City.

He had even prepared heavy artillery, ready to let the Japanese troops stationed there experience Ximentang's overwhelming firepower.

but,

To Chen Jie's surprise, the entire city of Keelung offered no resistance whatsoever.

Because Miyamoto Jiro was very afraid of death, he surrendered immediately.

He cooperated with all of Ximentang's actions to open the gates of Keelung City.

This saved Ximentang from a massive firepower massacre and conserved a lot of ammunition.

Otherwise, with over three thousand mortars firing from the West Gate, the entire defensive position of Keelung City could easily be razed to the ground.

in fact,

It wasn't that Miyamoto Jiro was afraid of death.

Rather, it was because he could see the situation clearly. Although the French fleet was leading the charge this time, the main force of the Simondal First Fleet was still stationed at sea and had not approached the coastline.

but,

With Simon's assistance, the French fleet mercenaries under Jack Bonaparte became a powerful and well-equipped force.

Almost every warship was equipped with heavy cannons, and all the mercenaries were armed to the teeth, wearing bulletproof vests.

In addition, Simon provided one hundred modified Krupp infantry guns, making their firepower incredibly formidable.

The Japanese army had more than 100,000 troops stationed throughout the Penghu Islands, but in Keelung City, the Japanese garrison numbered less than 3,000.

Including some indigenous troops from the Penghu Islands, their numbers were roughly the same as those of the French fleet.

Perhaps it was due to internal strife, or perhaps it was because Miyamoto Jiro was not well-liked in the Japanese army.

The Japanese garrison in Keelung lacked heavy weapons, and even Japanese field artillery was scarce, numbering less than ten.

If a real battle were to break out, the Japanese garrison would be no match for them.

When Miyamoto Jiro saw the French fleet's weaponry in Keelung Harbor, he immediately backed down.

He knew very well that if the Japanese garrison in Keelung were to engage in a fierce battle with the French fleet, it would likely be completely annihilated.

Resistance only leads to certain death and cannot change the outcome!

Therefore,
He immediately knelt down and surrendered.

Chen Jie also promised Miyamoto Jiro that as long as the other party could get the garrison in Keelung City to lay down their arms and surrender.

Then,

He can spare Miyamoto Jiro's life.

In this way, Miyajiro had no choice but to kneel down and surrender.

Simond led the French fleet mercenaries and captured Keelung City without bloodshed.

The Japanese army was quickly disarmed, and the Taiwanese natives' army was imprisoned together. Ximentang took control of the situation and forcefully occupied Keelung City.

It continued until that afternoon.

Ximentang's army landed at Keelung Port and marched into Keelung City, occupying several islands and auxiliary cities surrounding the city.

hiss--!
When Miyamoto Jiro saw the formidable martial prowess of Nishimondo, he couldn't help but gasp.

At this moment, he felt extremely fortunate that he had chosen to surrender.

With the combined forces of Ximentang and the French allied forces, not only would they be able to take Keelung City, but they could also take over the entire Penghu Islands without breaking a sweat.

Although the Japanese army stationed 100,000 troops in Taiwan, their combat effectiveness was far inferior to that of the Kwantung Army stationed in the northeast of the Great Qian Dynasty.

Most importantly, weapons and equipment were delivered to the Minnan port, along with the weapons and equipment of the Japanese garrison on the entire island of Taiwan.

Last time, the Kwantung Army infiltrated the heart of Hanzhong in the Daqian Dynasty and almost emptied the weapons of the Japanese garrison in the Penghu Islands.

at night.

Simon's army and the French fleet mercenaries were stationed in Keelung.

Meanwhile, Ximentang heavily guarded Keelung Port.

Chen Jie showed no courtesy whatsoever, and led his personal guards to the General's Mansion in Keelung City.

This place was originally the residence of Miyamoto Jiro, but it has now become the territory of Nishimondo.

At that time, the Penghu Islands were underdeveloped and very backward.

The local indigenous people were still in the agricultural era and were almost completely uncivilized.

Although Keelung City is one of the major towns in the Penghu Islands, it is far inferior to the Great Qian Dynasty.

The walls of Keelung City were not even as good as those of a small town in the Great Qian Dynasty, let alone cities like Jinling and Xianning Prefecture.

The city wall was nothing more than a few small mounds of earth.

This is why Miyamoto Jiro had absolutely no confidence in resisting Nishimondo.

Once Ximentang occupies the Penghu Islands, it will carry out large-scale immigration and assimilation.

To drive the development of Taiwan, Ximentang needs to consume a large amount of resources and has a long-term plan.

In Keelung City, there are tens of thousands of local natives living there, as well as some Japanese who have migrated there.

Chen Jie summoned some of the more prestigious tribal chiefs among the indigenous people, and even some leaders of local forces.

He issued a proclamation to all the people, declaring that from this day forward, the area would be occupied by Simon Church and that the French Allied Forces would be responsible for maintaining order.

and,

In order to successfully conquer the entire Penghu Islands, Ximentang issued a notice in Keelung City, offering a large sum of money to recruit guides.

Although the natives of Keelung City on Taiwan Island were skeptical of Chen Jie's words.

but,

After Simon's army entered Keelung City, they maintained strict discipline, including Jack Bonaparte's French fleet mercenaries, who were all under strict control.

If anyone dares to enter the city and do anything detrimental to the people.

Kill without mercy!

Even if French mercenaries make mistakes, there is no leniency shown.

This is the military rule of Ximen Hall, a red line that cannot be crossed.

Perhaps it was because the Ximentang army did not disturb the people or do anything detrimental to them.

Therefore,
After a night, the more respected tribal chiefs among the natives finally began to relax their guard against Ximentang.

Next,
After a meeting of the indigenous people, they selected a guide who could assist Ximentang in his campaign against the Penghu Islands.

The Japanese fought the Dutch a few years ago and captured the entire bay island, landing at Keelung Port.

Over the next two years,

The Japanese established three military bases in Taipei, Keelung, Heping Island, and Tamsui.

Keelung is located at one corner of the three military bases.

The Japanese occupied the entire Taiwan island region with a very clear purpose: they wanted to emulate the Western powers and incorporate the Penghu Islands into their colonies for rule.

After Ximentang's army entered Keelung City.

The triangular military base built by the Japanese was essentially missing a corner.

After a night of rest, Chen Jie decisively ordered his troops to split up and launch an attack.

Soldiers are very fast!
Chen Jie never had the habit of procrastination. Led by local indigenous guides, he ordered his generals to begin marching towards Tamsui and Taipei, where the Japanese were stationed.

Each army had more than five thousand men and carried more than a thousand cannons.

The three armies, with ample artillery ammunition, launched a strong attack on the other two cities of the triangular military base.

The battle is about to break out.

Ximen Tang aims to seize the entire island of Taiwan in the shortest possible time and completely crush the Japanese garrison! (End of Chapter)