The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 778 The Duke of Cambridge
General Jean-Joseph Humbert was quite capable, and he was a true revolutionary who had participated in the War of Independence in Argentina and the War of 1812, the war in which the White House was burned down.

Although this man is a public-spirited and fierce general, he lacks the talent of a commander. He can only lead a maximum of three thousand men; any more than that would only harm himself and others.

Therefore, General Humbert was able to make the most accurate judgments, but he lacked the ability to coordinate the overall situation.

When the more than 3,000 men under his command began to retreat, hoping to rendezvous with the artillery on the hill where the British left flank had originally been positioned, he did not give orders to the officers behind him.

The officers behind them saw through their binoculars that Jean-Joseph Humbert had raised a large banner for assembly, and assumed that they were being summoned to assemble. Thus, more than 8,000 men, who were in reserve, came to join the assembly in a grand procession.

By the time Jean-Joseph Humbert realized what was happening, it was too late. He had no time to scold his subordinates and could only hastily form ranks on the flat ground halfway through the journey, because the Lu Fan army that had been following him had also arrived.

Having captured the French troops and pinpointed their location, Mo Gongze became surprisingly calm.

He first ordered his men to scout the more than 10,000 Irish militiamen who had previously confronted him. After learning that most of them had fled home, he became even less eager to attack.

Although Jean-Joseph Humbert had over 10,000 men at this time, the core French army numbered only about 3,000. The rest were Irish militiamen who were not even fully equipped with flintlock muskets and lacked combat experience. Apart from their hatred of the English government, they were practically useless.

This kind of army can exert a certain level of combat effectiveness if you push them to the brink.

But if you don't force them, and slowly wear them down until their fighting spirit, fueled by the threat of death, is exhausted, you can easily take them down.

The two sides began to stand stalemate, and by 2 p.m., the Irish militia had been lined up in the open field for more than an hour, and all of them were exhausted and on the verge of collapse.

Meanwhile, the Lu Fan cavalry, having defeated the French Third Wing Cavalry Regiment and beheaded over three hundred, arrived. With the cavalry's pursuit capability, the French had even less chance of escaping.

Mo Gongze immediately sent men with white flags to persuade them to surrender, expressing his willingness to grant all French officers and nobles the same treatment and to settle them in Dublin in exchange for British officers and soldiers captured by the French army on the European continent and a small number of Lu soldiers.

Jean-Joseph Humbert, of course, refused. He still had Bartholomew Thieling's three thousand main Irish troops nearby. If Bartholomew Thieling was clever enough to gather more of the fleeing Irish militia and form an army of five or six thousand to come and meet him, he could still retreat across the Shannon River.

Mo Gongze's offer of surrender was merely a means to undermine the fighting spirit of the French officers. He only needed the French officers to know that even if they surrendered, they would not only not die, but would also receive very good treatment.

This rebel group was supported entirely by French officers as its backbone. As long as these officers did not have the will to fight to the death, they were bound to win the battle.

At 3:10 p.m., the battle officially began, and both sides launched a fierce exchange of artillery fire.

However, the French-Irish allied forces, lacking cavalry, dared not push their artillery forward or place it on nearby high ground, resulting in a very poor artillery fire effect.

The artillery of the Lu vassal army could not only quickly adjust the position and angle of its bombardment, but also, from a high vantage point, quickly shook the French-Epallian allied army's line infantry formation.

After half an hour of bombardment, a group of more than 2,000 Irish militiamen could not withstand the pressure and secretly broke away from the main force and retreated to the right.

Mo Gongze did not order an interception, and the two thousand-plus people were released smoothly.

This caused a significant change in the mentality of the lower-ranking officers and soldiers of the Franco-Eritrean coalition, with many considering fleeing.

Jean-Joseph Humbert noticed this change, and with no other option, he ordered his troops to launch a preemptive strike. If the bombardment continued, his morale would collapse, so it was better to attack before many people made a decision.

The Franco-Eritrean allied forces charged forward under artillery fire on the muddy ground, while the Lu army stood in a stepped formation on the hillside, first using skirmishers and then line infantry volleys, without even moving.

After charging three times and being repelled each time, the Franco-Epallian allied forces left behind thousands of corpses in just over forty minutes. By the fourth attempt, even the French soldiers were unwilling to attack anymore.

Mo Gongze's psychological warfare also proved effective. At this point, many French officers were not thinking of solutions, but rather preparing to surrender if they could not continue fighting.

Even General Jean-Joseph Humbert hesitated. Before he arrived, the French fleet had already been intercepted by the English fleet, and even the 74-gun warship HMS Human Rights had exploded and sunk.

It can be said that he has no chance of returning to France; he can only wait for aid on the island of Ireland after winning the war.

But now, a frontal attack cannot defeat the Belgian army (Lu Fan army), while enemy cavalry are lurking on the flanks, waiting for their formation to break down so they can charge in.

In this situation, the Franco-Eritrean coalition, though seemingly numbering over ten thousand, was almost paralyzed in command, with each member harboring ulterior motives.

Seeing that the time was right, Mo Gongze immediately ordered a general offensive.

The Lu army pushed their field artillery down the hillside and fired it directly at the heads of the Franco-Eritrean forces. The Franco-Eritrean forces only launched a small-scale assault to try to repel the artillery, but were driven back and did not advance again.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Lu army quickly opened fire, directly denting the center of the Franco-Irish allied forces. Large numbers of Irish militia could not withstand the pressure and began to collapse.

Liu Rongqing raised his long sword and roared, and the line infantry shouted "Long live!" and began to charge. They swiftly plunged into the French-Irish allied forces, carving a bloody path with their bayonets, leaving the allied forces with only mechanical resistance.

With the time running out, Mo Gongze ordered Lakoch Zogda's 10,000-household cavalry to launch an attack, delivering a final blow to the Franco-Enish coalition forces, which were on the verge of collapse.

On the battlefield, the allied forces finally collapsed. More than 10,000 people cried out and fled in all directions. Many of them were forced into the mud and swamps outside Carrick or into the turbulent Shannon River by the charging Lu Fan army. Those who trampled each other and drowned far outnumbered those who were killed.

General Jean-Joseph Humbert sighed, and the French officers around him surrounded him, their eyes filled with longing.

"This is the Irish people's war, not our war. The Directory wants us to take Ireland, but only gives us four thousand men. This is unreasonable."

Jean-Joseph Humbert knew that these words were just an excuse, merely a fig leaf for these officers to save their own lives. If he still did not agree, then the next group of these people would take him hostage to surrender, or even kill him to surrender.

“Alright, alright, raise the white flag, we surrender, and inform the Irish so they can lay down their arms too.” Of course, Jean-Joseph Humbert, though a brave fighter, was not a pushover and immediately agreed.

Amidst the smoke and fire, the French raised the white flag of surrender, while the Irish around them continued to flee, taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain.

“Liu Rongqing, you stay here and accept their surrender. Zog, you come with me, we’ll go and defeat the Irish under Carrick.”

. . . .

At the foot of Carrick, Irish Colonel Bartholomew Thieling had gathered nearly five thousand men. He halted his attack on the remaining British troops inside the city and quickly moved toward General Jean-Joseph Humbert.

But soon he saw General Humbert's white flag and the Irish corpses scattered on the ground. Colonel Bartholomew Thieling was heartbroken, and tears streamed down his face.

Upon seeing this, the Irish militia he had painstakingly rallied scattered and fled, leaving only the last eight hundred or so Defenders militiamen surrounding Colonel Tilling.

They were the most steadfast independence fighters, and they also knew that even if they surrendered, the English would not let them go. The moment Mo Gongze saw these Irishmen holding flintlock rifles and carrying green flags with gold Irish harps, he immediately knew where to throw them.

“Tell them to surrender. I, as the Prince of Belgium, guarantee that they will not be killed, but will be sent to Seres, to the continent of Seres.”

It would be such a waste to kill these people. Let's send them to Zhanzhou to help Governor Mao Xiangsheng clear out the natives. Not many Han Chinese are willing to go to Zhanzhou, and even fewer are interested in killing those unruly natives.

However, Mo Gongze thought for a moment and said to the people who went to persuade them to surrender: "Tell their leader, Colonel Tilin, that he is wanted by the Kingdom government and must die. I can guarantee that the others will live."

In fact, the English were unaware that Bartholomew Thieling had returned from France and participated in the riots, as Colonel Thieling was not particularly well-known before.

But Mo Gongze wouldn't let him live. Most of these Irishmen went to Zhanzhou and Nanyang to become white slaves, so they didn't need such an influential and passionate leader.

Bartholomew Thilin remained silent for a long time after hearing the envoy's terms. He pushed aside several trusted officers who came to dissuade him, walked to the front of the two armies, raised his flintlock musket, and charged forward alone with a shout.

“He’s a remarkable man, I should grant him his request!” Mo Gongze glanced admiringly at the Irishman in the distance and ordered the sharpshooter guard beside him to step forward.

With two loud bangs, at a distance of 140 to 150 meters, the guards marksman killed Colonel Bartholomew Thieling with just two shots.

According to Catholic doctrine, suicide leads to hell, so Colonel Bartholomew Thilling came seeking death.

1798 October.

Just as Lieutenant General Clark, the Governor-General of British India, agreed to allow the British Indian Army to provide its own dog rations for the suppression of the rebellion in Da Yu, Prince Mo Gongze of Lu was also fighting the most important battle of his life on the banks of the Shannon River in Ireland.

Indeed, the most important battle was fought by the Lu army, disguised as Belgians, when the British forces on both flanks had collapsed. With only 5,000 men, they fought against the Franco-Eritrean allied forces of nearly 30,000 men, defeating them one by one, killing more than 2,000 and capturing more than 5,000.

Thousands more died from trampling and in swamps and rivers. Although the 30,000-strong Franco-Israeli coalition was not completely annihilated, it was essentially wiped out, because it was no use for the militia to escape back; they would definitely be found one by one.

This battle established the Lu Fan Army's position in the eyes of European powers as a first-class European army with more than half of its personnel being the Seres Guard.

Having lost their country and the support of all Hungarians, the Belgian prince and his son, who commanded an army of 25,000, immediately rose from being a defeated fugitive to becoming powerful monarchs in Europe once again.

Most importantly, Mo Gongze demonstrated abilities far exceeding those of his father, Mo Zirong, especially in military matters.

In this most chaotic time, a monarch or prince with considerable military ability is extremely important, and as a result, Mo Gongze quickly attracted a large wave of investment.

In July, Moggallzer recaptured the entire province of Connaught in western Ireland and discovered a secret fleet transporting four thousand Frenchmen near Castlebar, successfully persuading them to surrender.

At the end of July, he led his army south to attack the Irish rebel strongholds in the southern province of Connaught, and quickly captured them.

As Moggallana continued to win victories, the English began a large-scale purge in Ireland, with massacres occurring in many places.

Faced with this situation, Mok Kung Chee hardened his heart and ignored it, instead bringing in Prime Minister William Pitt Jr. to rescue some of the young people who were clearly implicated, as well as honest farmers, fishermen, and shepherds.

Of course, this "rescue" should be put in quotation marks, because the ultimate fate of these people was to become serfs in Southeast Asia and Australia.

But in any case, it's much better than being killed outright or remaining in Ireland.

At the end of September, Mo Gongze led the Lu army that had gone to quell the rebellion back to England from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

In London, the discussions intensified after his victorious return.

"According to etiquette, if we were to marry Mary to Prince Carl, we would need to provide a dowry, and we would also need to give her an equal title."

King George III said slowly, "Although there is no such honorary title as a prince consort in Europe, according to the rules, there should indeed be some preferential treatment."

If a princess marries within the United Kingdom, her husband should be granted a peerage; if he is from a distant branch of the royal family, the word "Royal" should be added to his title.

If a princess marries a foreign monarch, especially a foreign prince, she will also be given a title to show that both parties are of equal status, and even a princess of England will be of a higher rank.

“But Prince Carl is too powerful. It would be risky for us to give Princess Mary a title or peerage,” said the Duke of York and Albany, the second son of George III.

This risk refers to the fact that Princess Mary's excessively high title could potentially give Moggallzer the opportunity to interfere in the succession to the English throne in the future.

Of course, this does not mean that the children of Maurice and Princess Mary have a right of succession, unless all the close relatives of the English royal family die out. However, Princess Mary's high status combined with Maurice's strong abilities certainly gave them the power to interfere and influence.

"Your Majesty, news has just arrived that Her Highness Princess Maria Elizabeth, Grand Duchess of Parma and Queen of Belgium, of the Holy Roman Empire, is seriously ill. Representatives from Vienna and Transylvania have arrived, and Prince Karl may be forced to leave the Kingdom of England immediately."

Prime Minister William Pitt Jr. was quite speechless at the pettiness of the royal family.

With these nobles and capitalists around, and these loyal ministers, how could they possibly allow Prince Carl to interfere in the affairs of the English royal family? They disagree, and no matter how much Prince Carl thinks, it's all in vain.

"For the Kingdom of England, 25,000 top-class European soldiers are a very good supplement to our army, and perhaps even the best."

Therefore, I suggest that the marriage between Princess Mary and Prince Karl be finalized immediately, lest Prince Karl be lured away by someone else while he is in Austria or Hungary.

King George III nodded, and after a moment’s thought, said, “We must elevate Mary’s status, because she represents England, and we must highlight England’s leading role in this marriage.”

After some thought, the King of England made a decision: "On the grounds of the marriage and this military achievement, Prince Carl shall be granted the title of Duke of Cambridge, and Mary shall be granted the title of Duchess of Cambridge."

The Duke of Cambridge is a non-royal title in the English royal family, with little land or power, but it sounds very prestigious and is generally only granted to members of the royal family.

But now the situation is urgent, and Mo Gongze will definitely have to leave soon, so there's no time to worry about anything else.

"Then let's begin the investiture ceremony immediately. The marriage can be arranged first, but the title must be given out first, so that Prince Karl can effectively become part of the kingdom."

This would make it easier for us to subsequently command the Belgian army on the British Isles, as well as the 15,000 men in Prussia.”

George III was most concerned about the military. He continued, "Pete, you handle things with Parliament. Don't let some people use this as an excuse to oppose us. Prince Carl is very important to us."

(End of this chapter)