The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 881 Brother, you can't go back.

In war, every bizarre incident caused by political struggle is invariably punished.

After Arthur Wellesley was deported back to the British Isles, the Governor of Gibraltar and the Scottish nobles who had vied for power with him also fared poorly.

The fact that they released 20,000 trapped Portuguese and French troops and even helped them transport their valuables was so outrageous that even the half-mad King George III of England made a rare public statement.

Both men were quickly recalled to England to face punishment, but even so, Arthur Wellesley was not reinstated. Instead, Sir John Moore took over as commander of the British forces in Portugal.

By this time, George III had been tormented by illness and had essentially lost control of the country.

Furthermore, the last prime minister he supported, the Duke of Portland, suffered a stroke and became immobile, while the Secretary of War, Viscount Castleray, was embroiled in a sex scandal and was almost unable to perform his duties.

At this moment, the entire country was engulfed in fierce internal strife. All the parliamentary politics that we can see in later generations, such as votes of no confidence, impeachments, and partisan battles, could be seen in the English Parliament at this time.

In the midst of fierce struggle, Spencer Percival, the 2nd Earl of Egmont, became the new Prime Minister.

But at this point, everyone could see that King George III, who once held immense power and controlled the entire country, was no longer able to exercise his authority, and the Prince of Wales was a playboy who only knew how to eat, drink, gamble, and whore.

All power in the Kingdom of England has fallen into the hands of the government and Parliament, and whoever is the Prime Minister will become the most powerful person.

As a result, powerful figures in the government and parliament began a frenzied attack on Prime Minister Percival, and from this attack they gained a voice and power.

At the height of the infighting, Prime Minister Percival couldn't even find a qualified Chancellor of the Exchequer. He appointed six Chancellors, but none of them took office, so he ended up having to take on the role himself.

In this chaotic situation, no one cared about seeking justice for Arthur Wellesley, a minor figure who had made a name for himself in India and thus rose to the rank of Major General.

Many even believe that the success of the Portuguese campaign was not due to Arthur Wellesley's greatness, but rather to the significant decline in the French fighting capacity, as evidenced by their inability to even defeat the Spanish.

Influenced by this trend, the English government ordered Sir John Moore, the commander of the English army in Portugal, to lead his troops from Lisbon to Madrid in order to join forces with the Spanish resistance and liberate Spain.

Meanwhile, preparations began for a large-scale amphibious landing operation, attempting to land in Antwerp, Belgium, to support Austria's upcoming military operations on the European continent.

1809 1 Month 11 Day.

Sir John Moore led 32,000 British troops to western and northern Spain, where he was joined by about 80,000 Spanish resistance fighters, bringing the total strength of the two sides to nearly 120,000. In addition, there were a large number of Spanish militia who came spontaneously.

It looks very powerful, right? But the truth is quite the opposite.

Sir John Moore's military leadership was inferior to Arthur Wellesley's; under his command, the British army's discipline and morale plummeted.

The Spanish army was in even worse shape. At this time, the Spanish government collapsed. These troops, which were called the Spanish army, were actually the private armies of various local military governments.

Instead of uniting as one, they are wary of each other, and the local military governments pose an even greater threat to one another than the French. Last year alone, there were several incidents of local military governments fighting each other.

The militia below were even worse; they weren't there to fight, but rather because they thought the British were coming to lavishly provide aid and take advantage of the situation.

This isn't the Spanish resistance fighting against the French invasion; it's the Spanish warlords turning against Dong Lanxi!
This situation left Sir John Moore, who had come to liberate Spain, completely dumbfounded. Although his military skills were mediocre, his intelligence was not low, and he was a man of experience.

He could tell at a glance that the Spanish were unreliable, and he was already planning to run away if things went wrong.

On January 17, Napoleon's 1-strong army, drawn from the German region, arrived and immediately crossed the Pyrenees in the dead of winter, entering Spain.

In the following ten days, the French army crushed the Spanish resistance with overwhelming force, including Francisco Castaños, who had won a great victory over the French at the Battle of Byron, and his Andalusian local army, all of whom suffered heavy losses.

On the other side, French Marshal Jean Soult, facing the British army, was still feigning weakness to lure the British into a decisive battle.

But he never expected that Sir John Moore, the British commander who had planned to flee, would turn around and run away.

The two sides then engaged in a muddy chase through the snow and freezing rain. In the end, the British forces proved superior, launching a final stand at A Coruña before boarding ships and escaping.

In this battle, the British army, numbering over 30,000, suffered only about 2,000 casualties. The only major loss was that their commander, Sir John Moore, was hit by French artillery fire in the final battle, losing both hands and dying from his injuries.

The British army suffered relatively small losses in manpower, but the losses in supplies were devastating.

They lost at least 50,000 rifles, 600,000 rounds of ammunition, more than 500 artillery pieces of various types, and more than 10 tons of gunpowder.

More than 6,000 warhorses were killed on the spot on the coast of A Coruña because they could not be taken with them.

In particular, the loss of artillery amounted to about one-third of the current stockpile of the English army, which directly boosted the French army's strength in one fell swoop.

Schönbrunn Palace, Vienna.

When they heard the news of England's defeat in the Iberian Peninsula, Maurice and Archduke Charles were initially incredulous, but then showed expressions of relief.

This is the English army. A few thousand soldiers can fight well, but when it comes to large-scale battles, England, from top to bottom, exhibits a strangely poor performance.

“Let’s launch an attack. Napoleon Bonaparte can come quickly from Spain, but his army won’t be able to move that fast.”

"I am a senior minister of the Austrian Empire, the leader of the pro-war faction, and Foreign Minister Stachiven," said to Emperor Franz I.

Franz I, on the other hand, turned his attention to his younger brother, Archduke Karl, Austria's best commander.

"The reforms of the Imperial Army have been successful. With Ferdinand's Hungarian army and the Seres Caucasian Legion sent by His Majesty's son-in-law, I believe we can defeat the French when their forces are dispersed, just as we did at the Battle of Hornlinden."

Since the disastrous defeat at the Battle of Austerlitz, the Austrian Empire has been spending all its resources to support Archduke Karl's military reforms, which have already yielded some results.

Historically, the Austrian army has always included a large number of soldiers from other ethnic groups, such as those from Slovenia, Bulgaria, Bohemia, and Hungary.

This resulted in chaotic command and even language barriers, leading to extremely poor coordination on the battlefield and frequent defeats by the French.

However, after Archduke Karl's military reforms, the Austrian army is now mainly composed of Austrians, with other ethnic groups primarily used as auxiliary and transport troops. Although the number of soldiers has decreased, their combat effectiveness has actually increased.

"Ferdinand, how many men can you send?" After his brother Archduke Karl made his statement, Franz I turned to Mo Gongze and asked.

"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Hungary can mobilize 40,000 men, half of whom are lancers and hussars," Mo Gongze counted on his fingers.

"In addition, there are 7,000 men in the Caucasus Legion of the Seris Empire and 13,000 men in the Anxi Legion, bringing the total to more than 60,000."

Franz I smiled. "We also have 60,000 men, all of them Germans. Now that we've mobilized 120,000 elite troops, the French are going to suffer a great loss."

But as he laughed, Franz I's smile began to fade, because he realized that the power that Mogonze could wield was now almost equal to that of Austria.

If things continue to develop this way, the best possible outcome for the Austrian Empire would be for it to become the Austro-Hungarian Empire or the Austro-Xia Empire.

Archduke Karl wasn't so politically astute; seeing Franz I's dejected expression, he assumed he was worried about logistics.

"Your Majesty, although our food and weapons are only enough for six months of fighting, now is indeed the best opportunity. Give the order and let us restore the glory of the Habsburg family and the Holy Roman Empire."

After its defeat in the last war, Austria was in dire straits, with almost all of its surplus going towards war reparations. As a result, although the Austrian army was large in number, it was severely lacking in food, ammunition, and gunpowder, and could only sustain itself for six months of fighting.

In addition, the Austrian army lacked artillery, especially field guns that could be pulled by horses; the entire Austrian Empire had only more than forty of them.

Seeing that Grand Duke Karl had changed the subject, Mo Gongze quickly followed up, "Your Majesty, we are not fully prepared, but the French army is even less prepared. Now it's not a contest of who is stronger, but who has fewer disadvantages."

Li Xingtai, commander of the Great Yu Expeditionary Force, also said: "Your Majesty the Austrian Emperor, please rest assured that the expeditionary force of the Seres Empire can solve its own supply problems, and the supplies shipped from the Seres Empire are already on their way."

Franz I nodded. "Then let's fight! Only by defeating Bonaparte, that cannibal, can Austria be reborn!"

. . . .

‘Poof! ’

Li Chengbiao, who came from Huai'an County, Xuanhua Prefecture, Hebei Province, lay heavily on his bed in his home in Boji City.

The sharp pain in his feet made him feel like his feet didn't even belong to him anymore.

Last year, Yi Seong-pyo escorted more than 600 Han Chinese to the Liao Kingdom in the Caucasus region. Although he received help from a group of travelers, an accident still occurred as expected.

Lee Sung-pyo actually had no experience in managing a group; his experience was being managed within a group, since he was a common soldier in the army.

Now it's his turn to escort so many people. Although he knows a little about managing refugees using military methods, dealing with the hygiene and food issues of hundreds of people along the way is not something he's good at.

Of course, there were no other ordinary people either. If it weren't for Li Chengbiao keeping a close watch on them, and the local governments along the way being very strict in their investigation of refugees, they would have scattered long ago and found a place to settle down anywhere.

So along the way, six or seven hundred people drank raw water, ate wild game, and even relieved themselves haphazardly everywhere. It would be strange if nothing went wrong.

They contracted an illness while passing through Pingliang Prefecture in Gansu. A group of them suffered from severe diarrhea and could not walk. In the end, the Pingliang government, fearing that they would spread the disease to the local residents, provided them with medicinal soup, which saved the group.

Li Chengbiao also took the opportunity to learn a lot about hygiene from the doctors in Pingliang Prefecture, but unfortunately, seventeen people still died of illness this time.

After overcoming numerous hardships to reach the Liaodong region, the total number of these seventeen people exceeded the court's stipulated mortality rate of five percent.

This was a serious crime, and the Liao officials detained Li Chengbiao without saying a word.

Let him continue to lead his few hundred people to settle and cultivate the land in Boji County (Poti, Georgia) on the eastern coast of the Black Sea.

It was said that as long as he reclaimed 20,000 mu of fertile land for Boji County, his crimes would be pardoned and he could go home.

'hiss! '

Lee Sung-pyo groaned as a pair of slightly rough but very warm hands squeezed his feet, which felt as if they were broken.

The pressure was just right, neither too light nor too heavy, and Lee Sung-pyo felt as if he were flying in the heavens, enjoying it immensely.

"I heard you're from a noble family, so why are you so lacking in manners? Why is Old Li, a mere soldier, fawning over you like this?"

Lee Sung-pyo, having gotten the better deal, acted innocent, looking at the woman massaging his feet with a slightly teasing tone.

She was described as a woman, but she was not very old, at most twenty-one or twenty-two, with fair skin and delicate features.

The only downsides were her overly deep-set eyes and greenish pupils, which slightly detracted from her overall beauty, but she was still quite pretty.

Li Chengbiao thought to himself that if this woman with such a appearance were in Huai'an County, she would cost at least three hundred silver dollars.

For a moment, he was stunned, wondering if he should simply take this woman and run away from Boji County in Liao Kingdom, sell her in his hometown for several hundred silver dollars, enough to live a good life in anonymity.

The woman, who had been captured by the Liao army in Asia Minor, couldn't understand what Li Chengbiao was saying. She just stared blankly at him with a malicious smile and assumed that she was to serve him.

Without hesitation, the woman, who was most likely of Greek descent, grabbed Lee Sung-pyo's rough hand and stuffed it into her clothes.

But at this moment, he could no longer restrain himself, and with a gentle push, he was about to take the woman right there and then.

"My lord, the prefect has invited you to a meeting. He says that His Highness the Crown Prince has issued a mobilization order, and our Boji County must also send troops."

Hearing the shouts of the city patrolmen outside, Li Chengbiao cursed under his breath and could only suppress his lust and get up.

The woman lying in bed, ready to accept her fate, couldn't hide her disappointment. She wasn't kidnapped alone; her two younger brothers were also captured and were now working as stable boys at a manor outside the city.

To prevent her brothers from becoming mere 'livestock' that could be measured in silver dollars, she needed to curry favor with a Han official.

"Master, I'm waiting for you," the woman whispered in broken Mandarin.

Lee Sung-pyo turned around and his heart skipped a beat. He suddenly felt that the courtyard had a bit of a homey feel to it. He waved his hand without saying anything, not knowing what he meant.

. . . .

"What? Not only will I reclaim 20,000 mu of fertile land for you, but I'll also have to escort grain to the Xia vassal state across the sea!"

When Li Chengbiao arrived at the government office of the governor of Boji County, he couldn't help but start cursing loudly.

“I, Li Chengbiao, am not an official of your Liaodong government. I am a clerk in Huai’an County who escorts immigrants. When I return, I will be a senior official.”

"Prefect Li, you'd better close this case right now, or don't blame us for disregarding family ties. I'll just run away, you believe me?"

Prefect Li was scolded but not angry at all. He still smiled and faced Li Chengbiao. It seemed that he had been scolded like this many times before.

“I know, I know. When you go back, you’ll be an official. It’s better to be an official in this land of China than in our Liao Kingdom. But you were just unlucky to run into war.”

Prefect Li smiled and persuaded him, even personally brewing a bowl of tea for Li Chengbiao, "This is a military order issued by His Highness the Crown Prince, and those who disobey will be punished according to military law."

"If you do this, consider it a favor to your brother. Once you've taken care of delivering the grain, I'll close your case and let you go back to Hebei."

Li Chengbiao looked at Prefect Li suspiciously. Usually, when it came to closing a case, this old fellow would always make excuses. Why was he so quick to do it today?

"Is the prefect serious? Will he let me return to Hebei after I deliver the grain?"

"I'm absolutely not kidding, I can write a guarantee!" Prefect Li patted his chest and assured him.

Haha, if you go to the western shore of the Black Sea, there's a Xia vassal state that's even more desperate for Han officials than the Liao vassal state, and a Xia king who's even more shameless than the Liao king. If he lets you come back, then the sun has truly risen in the west.

"Okay, then we'll trust you one more time," Lee Sung-pyo agreed through gritted teeth.

Although he felt like he was being deceived when he heard the guarantee, he still agreed to the task in order to go back to his post as an official.

(End of this chapter)