The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 889 This is the true meaning of attacking while the river is halfway across.
Napoleon's perception of the battlefield situation was truly remarkable.

Mo Gongze hid 4,000 Anxi soldiers in Korxin Fort, and then hid the remaining 10,000-plus soldiers in the mountains.

When preparing to have Napoleon attack Corinthians, they would then launch a surprise attack on him.

As a result, even though Napoleon did not detect the presence of Anxi troops in Corinthians, he remained very vigilant.

Instead of bringing his army to attack the city directly, he set up camp near the village of Aspern, where he had fought the last battle, and then sent his cavalry back to Vienna and other parts of Austria.

Mo Gongze was now in a bind. If he allowed the French army to advance like this, not only would Li Xingtai's more than 10,000 men be unable to hide, but they would also likely be surrounded by the French army.

After discussing it with Archduke Karl, the Austrian army continued its retreat along the Danube River toward Vienna.

Since the Austrian army still had more than 60,000 men at this time, the 4,000 Anxi soldiers hidden among them were not very conspicuous, so the French army still did not discover them.

Napoleon became bolder. After some thought, he began to move closer, but he never launched a large-scale attack. The two sides engaged in small-scale skirmishes.

But the Austrian cavalry could not withstand such close combat.

The moment they saw Mo Gongze, their pent-up will to survive almost completely dissipated, and they entered a state of post-coital lethargy, unable to adapt to high-intensity combat.

"Then we'll set up blocking positions at Klosterneuburg. If the French still don't come, we'll really leave." Unable to fool anyone, Mo Gongze could only prepare to leave if the French didn't take his bait.

Klosterneuburg is located near Vienna. When the French army captured Vienna in 1805, Napoleon stayed at the monastery in Klosterneuburg.

This is the gateway to Vienna, and the trenches dug by the Ottoman Turks when they besieged Vienna still exist.

After Klosterneuburg, Vienna becomes a flat plain with little to defend.

Times have changed. Two hundred years ago, Vienna was exceptionally fortified because cannons were still inadequate and unable to breach the city walls.

Things are different now. Vienna's city walls simply cannot withstand repeated bombardment by large-caliber artillery, and the city itself cannot withstand the bombardment of howitzers.

Therefore, to defend Vienna, one could only defend fortresses like Klosterneuburg, which had some geographical advantages, rather than fortresses built purely of walls.

When Mo Gongze made it clear that he was really going to withdraw his troops, the French finally took the bait.

Napoleon realized that if the Austrian army did not pass through Klosterneuburg quickly, it might withdraw from Vienna rapidly, and the French army would lose the opportunity to annihilate the Austrian army.

As a result, the Austrian army only stayed in Klosterneuburg for two days before the main French force arrived.

At this time, the main French force was on the north bank of the Danube, while the Austrian force was on the south bank.

Therefore, the first thing the main French force did upon arrival was to begin constructing a pontoon bridge in the early morning, and they were also very 'lucky' to capture an intact wooden bridge.

But after about 15,000 French troops had crossed the river, something unexpected happened.

First, Li Xingtai personally led four thousand cavalry to defeat the French army guarding the wooden bridge. Then, he used precious nitroglycerin explosives, which had just been developed but not yet mass-produced, to blow up the wooden bridge.

The French army had considered that the Anxi army might be nearby, but they did not expect that the Anxi army had such powerful explosives, and their main transportation route was cut off in an instant.

Upon realizing he had been tricked, Napoleon cursed under his breath but did not hesitate for a moment. He immediately ordered his entire army to cross the river quickly from other locations to provide reinforcements.

This was truly a surprise attack while the enemy was crossing the river. Li Xingtai took full command, and the Austrian army, the Xia army, and the Anxi army dispatched 40,000 elite troops to launch a fierce attack from four directions on the 15,000 French troops who had already crossed the river.

However, Napoleon was also a cunning and shrewd man; the army he sent across the river was not the elite of the French army at all.

Instead, it was Bernardot's original troops that he personally commanded after stripping Bernardot of his command due to extreme dissatisfaction.

This French marshal, who later became King of Sweden, had long been marginalized, and his army was naturally a scrap of the French Empire.

Bernadotte's forces consisted of only four thousand Saxon infantrymen, three thousand Irishmen who had defected to France, and two to three thousand mixed troops of very different composition; the actual French army numbered only about five thousand.

Meanwhile, General Jean Victor Taro, who led this advance team across the river, had clearly received instructions from Napoleon long ago.

Upon discovering that he had been attacked while crossing the river, General Taro immediately dispersed the French army into several square formations of varying sizes, using the soft sand of the riverbank to reduce the damage from the artillery fire, while protecting the pontoon bridge behind them from being cut off.

Fifteen minutes later, scouts from the Liaodong cavalry on the Huai River reported that a large force of French cavalry, numbering at least 20,000, had been spotted 15 kilometers upstream and was rapidly approaching.

"He's got some skills; no wonder he's a monarch who could sweep across Europe." Li Xingtai excitedly stroked his chin, then shouted.

"Baoning, are you sure you can hold Kloster Newcastle for two hours with your four thousand men?"

Bao Ning was a tall, thin man with a scar on the left corner of his mouth that looked like a centipede crawling on his face, making him look particularly terrifying.

Although his name sounds like that of a Manchu, he is not strictly speaking; he was born in the vicinity of Qiqihar in later generations.

Twenty years ago, Li Xingtai's father, Li Xianwen, led 50,000 troops to quell the Hui rebellion in Shaanxi and Gansu, and rescued a large number of Manchus who were surrounded by Hui rebels in Lanzhou.

Among them were two Bao Nings, one big and one small. The older Bao Ning was the Qing Dynasty's Gansu Provincial Commander. He later followed Li Xianwen on his western expedition and served as the Hui Provincial Commander. At the age of 54, he was granted permission by Mo Zibu to return to his hometown. He died of illness in Shuntian Prefecture, Beijing, two years ago.

Xiao Baoning is the man in front of us. He was only sixteen years old when he was rescued. He was quick-witted and intelligent, and he also had decent martial arts skills.

At that time, the Qing Dynasty had already collapsed, and the main contradiction in Shaanxi and Gansu was not the contradiction between the Manchus and the Han, but the contradiction between Confucian culture and the Hui people who believed in mysticism.

In order to bring 8,000 bannermen from Shaanxi and Gansu under his control, Li Xianwen selected 150 bannermen as his personal guards, and Xiao Baoning was one of those selected at that time.

Later, because he was about the same age as Li Xingtai, he became Li Xingtai's close follower, and Bao Ning was even the sparring partner for most of Li Xingtai's horsemanship skills.

Ten years later, Bao Ning followed Li Xingtai on his westward expedition to Hezhong, participating in dozens of battles, large and small, and made great contributions. In particular, during the battle to cross the Pamir Plateau and launch a surprise attack on the Kokand Kingdom, Bao Ning even saved Li Xingtai's life.

Although they were said to be ruler and subject, master and servant, their relationship was actually like that of brothers.

So after Li Xingtai gave the order, he hesitated for a moment. Although the Mo family had a tradition of using their capable relatives to the extreme, it was still too difficult and too cruel to block an enemy five times their size in Kloster New Castle, which consisted of only a small hill.

"After this battle, I'll marry my fourth daughter to your cowardly son, and from then on you'll take my surname, Li."

Li Xingtai's fourth daughter and Bao Ning's eldest son fell in love, but Li Xingtai was unwilling because he planned to marry his smartest daughter to the wealthy Huang family in Zhangzhou, Fujian.

The Huang family started by contracting projects for the Fuxing Company and now owns dozens of large cement plants, two large steel plants, and more than a dozen tea houses in Wuyishan, making them extremely wealthy.

Li Xingtai already knew that he would most likely have to move his fiefdom to the Caucasus region. Whether it was the Huang family's steel mill, cement plant, or the techniques for planting, picking, and processing tea, Liangfan would have a use for it.

Not to mention that the Huang family was willing to pay 1,888,000 silver dollars just for the bride price, all in an effort to climb the social ladder.

"This humble general is extremely grateful to Your Majesty for granting my request!" Bao Ning was overjoyed.

His son, unable to marry the Fourth Princess, had started threatening to become a monk. Li Xingtai's willingness to relent truly solved a major problem for his family.

Of course, Li Xingtai would never have known that the group of Daur people he and his son rescued in Lanzhou would soon be transferred to the south to participate in Sun Shiyi's war against Annam. After the defeat, more than half of them were lost, and the Qing dynasty allowed them to return to their hometown to recuperate.

Half a century later, the descendants of these Daur people were once again conscripted by the Manchu Qing dynasty to participate in the war to suppress the Tongzhi Hui Rebellion. Among them was a famous clansman, the renowned Kulipah exterminator, Duolonga.

. . . .

The 20,000 French cavalrymen on the south bank of the Danube were personally arranged by Napoleon. In order to avoid being discovered by the Austrian army, these 20,000 cavalrymen did not participate in the pursuit and had been gathering at a distance of ten or twenty kilometers away, waiting for this moment.

Moreover, these French cavalry were personally commanded by Marshal Masséna. Of the 20,000 cavalry, there were about 12,000 light cavalry, 3,000 hussars, 3,000 cuirassiers, and a mounted artillery regiment.

Massena observed carefully and found that Klosterneuburg was not far from the Danube River, and the cavalry could easily bypass it.

The only problem is whether the Seres army at Kloster Newcastle will have many cannons.

“Mari, send your light cavalry to test the waters and see if the army on the mountain is the Seres Guard and if they are equipped with a large number of artillery pieces.”

After a brief observation, Marshal Massena ordered General Mari Victor to lead six hundred cavalrymen to probe the area.

Then, the six hundred cavalrymen under Mari Victor were met with fire from hundreds of rifles and explosive shells from four or five cannons.

After suffering more than twenty casualties, the French light cavalry passed through the open space between Klosterneuter and the Danube River.

"Damn it!" Marshal Massena cursed. "The Seres' guards must be on that hill over there. These damn Seres are treating me like an idiot!"

"Is there a problem, Marshal?" a young Guards officer who was interning at Massena couldn't help but ask.

As an experienced marshal, Massena wouldn't make such a basic mistake. It was obvious that the Seres were bluffing. If he were to lead his army through here, he'd be sent to his doom by a barrage of artillery fire. "Remember, in such a crucial place, either the Seres didn't have time to set up defenses, so their firepower would be weaker than this, or they're definitely prepared and we simply can't get through."

Of course, we'll find out if it turns out to be like this in the end by trying it again.

Don't let impatience get to you; even when rescuing friendly forces, prioritize your own safety.

"Order Mari Victor to conduct a close reconnaissance of the troops crossing the river."

The dragoons dismounted and formed infantry ranks. The artillery moved to the front. The cuirassiers quickly replenished their horses' food and water. In thirty minutes, they would don their armor and charge forward in one fell swoop!

The ensuing fighting at Klosternewburg confirmed Marshal Massena's words.

He dispatched a division of over 5,000 dragoons in six waves to attack, but they were driven back in less than an hour.

"It was Seris's Royal Guard. They had many hunters, and Lieutenant Colonel Louis and dozens of officers were shot dead by them," the dragon rider officers, who had retreated in disarray, hurriedly reported.

"Prepare for artillery fire. Let our JH-7s find their positions under the cover of smoke," Massena changed his tune again.

At Klosterneuter, Paulin was also disappointed that the French didn't fall for it.

After easily repelling the first wave of probing attacks, he immediately began directing his soldiers to continue digging trenches, and he even dug several longitudinal trenches.

These trenches are specifically designed to deal with solid shot, because no one stands inside them. Enemy shells will travel in a straight line along the trench and won't bounce around and injure people.

The only problem is that enemy infantry can slip in along these long trenches, but that's exactly what Bao Ning wants; he's not afraid of hand-to-hand combat in the trenches.

Soon, the French artillery began to bombard the area, and the Anxi soldiers huddled in the trenches to take cover.

Marshal Massena was wrong about one thing: Paulinho didn't have many cannons, because the Austrian army was being chased back all the way, and more than half of their artillery was lost.

Due to transportation issues, the Xia army and the Anxi army did not bring many cannons, so only a dozen or so were given to Bao Ning.

If Marshal Massena had disregarded casualties and charged straight in, the death toll would have been at most two or three thousand.

If the French army is elite enough, it can still fight even if it loses 10% to 15% of its strength, and it can pose a considerable threat to the Anxi army that is besieging the French army crossing the river.

A loud explosion rang out, and Chen Daqing tightly closed his mouth and eyes to prevent mud from the trench from splashing into them.

These trenches were dug a couple of days ago and filled with water to create a muddy mess. So even if a shell hits, it won't be very powerful, but it will definitely leave the soldiers with a mouthful of mud.

Chen Daqing felt like a rat in a tunnel, hit by a shell and too scared to show its head, so he could only curl up and wait. The people around him with similar expressions were mostly surnamed Chen.

This is a characteristic of today: the further west you go, the more people with the surnames Liu and Li you'll find, because many people claim to be Xiongnu, Turks, or something similar in order to attach themselves to the Han Chinese.

The Xiongnu people naturally assumed the surname Liu, while the Turks almost universally believed their surname was Li.

In Northeast China and Outer Northeast China, people with the surnames Chen and Wang tend to be more concentrated.

The surname Chen is because Chen Guangyao was the first minister of the Northeast Envoy. Many people of various ethnic groups in the old forests are willing to use the surname Chen for good luck and because it sounds impressive.

The surname Wang is said to be derived from the legend that the Wanyan family of the Jin Dynasty were actually Han Chinese, and Wanyan was the surname Wang among the Han Chinese.

"Daqing, don't go up there to fight with bayonets. Hurry up and cut off your ears. Dad is waiting for our military merits to buy him a steam pump!"

During a lull in the shelling, Chen Daqing's older brother quickly came over to give him some instructions, even though he was only eighteen years old.

At this time in Northeast China, ethnic groups such as the Bargut, Daur, Solon, and Lingbei Reindeer herders basically implemented the military merit system of Han China.

They hardly farmed at all; when they did, they contracted the land to Han Chinese agricultural companies and turned it into estates. Their main sources of income were herding and fishing, and military rewards.

In the Northeast Envoy Office, the three provinces of Lingbei, Heilongjiang, and Jilin were traditionally divided into 170 Zhechong Prefectures, which were specifically responsible for governing these barbarians who could kill bears and fight tigers in the old forests. They were both soldiers and civilians who practiced fighting, and the imperial court had to recruit a large number of people from here every year.

Military merit rewards were fixed, with monthly bonuses given according to the level of military merit. These people would then use the money to buy rice, flour, salt, tea, sugar, and other items in the town.

At that time, the waterways in Northeast China were extremely smooth, allowing passage from Shenyang to Khabarovsk, and then from Khabarovsk to Jinzhou (Dalian). Large quantities of products produced in Han areas were easily transported to various parts of Northeast China by large ocean-going ships.

In the past, stationing so many Zhechongfu (military prefectures) north of Jilin to train fishing and hunting tribes would have been suicidal, but industrial society has completely dispelled this concern.

"Shoot the soldiers forward! Kill the officers first! Everyone, prioritize killing officers!" Chen Daqing didn't remember how long he waited until his company commander started banging on a gong and shouting.

Chen Daqing followed his brother and his clansmen as they leaped out of the trench, the mud on his feet not hindering his agility in the slightest.

Previously, the Qing government forbade the Daur people from using firearms, fearing that they would lose the ferocity they possessed in the old forests.

However, the Great Yu proved that after these people got their hands on firearms, their combat power became even stronger, and the probability of producing sharpshooters was extremely high.

Although it's impossible to use it for queuing and shooting due to the limited number of people, it would be extremely useful in a critical moment.

The French were met with another round of precise volleys, officers fell to the ground one after another, and many companies crumbled after only twenty or thirty meters.

But the French soon changed their tactics, and their scouts finally came up, causing casualties among the Anxi army.

Bao Ning then issued the order for the Shesheng Army (scattered soldiers) to retreat, and the Anxi Army's artillery began to bombard them.

Massena had long been wary of Anxi's artillery, and the line infantry quickly withdrew, while the frigates took advantage of the smoke to hide on the spot.

But before the cannon fire had even stopped, the Anxi army suddenly launched a rapid drumbeat, and hundreds of elite soldiers armed with broadswords and revolvers charged down, inflicting heavy casualties on the French scouts who had not retreated.

Massena was heartbroken and quickly ordered the grenadiers to move forward to provide support, but the Anxi army returned to the mountain.

French artillery bombarded again, and the Anxi army took the opportunity to retreat into the trenches, thus avoiding most of the artillery fire.

This is because barbed wire had not yet been invented, or rather, it was not yet luxurious enough to be used in this way.

As the Dayu army transitioned from muzzle-fired to breech-fired rifles, the use of trenches became increasingly important.

Gunfire erupted in Klosterneuburg, while the fighting on the banks of the Danube was even more intense.

The French troops that crossed the river were not elite to begin with, and they could not withstand the fierce attack of an enemy four times their size. Even though Napoleon kept sending reinforcements across the river, he could not change their fate.

Three hours later, around 10 a.m., Marshal Massena, who had been calm and collected just a few hours earlier, saying not to worry, began to get anxious.

He unleashed over 1,500 cannonballs at the defensive positions of Klosternewburgh, then ordered his cuirassiers to charge up the slope, which was only twenty or thirty degrees, through the blood and flesh of the infantry.

The cuirassiers rode the best horses, and their charging speed was extremely fast. They could cause huge casualties in a short time, even if there were trenches, because the enemy had bombs.

But Bao Ning's four thousand troops remained unshaken. Although the position was compressed, as long as the artillery positions were still there, the French would not be able to pass easily.

The Northeastern soldiers, composed of both Han and non-Han people from Northeast China, moved back and forth in the trenches, rolling around in the mud with the French, while the artillery at the highest point and the top marksmen in the monastery unleashed their fury.

Massena even rushed to the front. Three hours had passed, and he had no other choice but to take Klosternewburg by sheer numbers.

Meanwhile, having ascertained the number of artillery pieces in Bao Ning's Anxi army, small groups of French cavalry continued to infiltrate the rear.

Fortunately, at this moment, the troops besieging the French army on the riverbank finally broke through the French army's formation with cannons, and the battle situation instantly turned one-sided.

The Xia family's left and right guards were the first to break into the French ranks. They launched a bayonet charge, shouting as they scattered one French regiment and battalion after another.

General Jean-Victor Taro could no longer control his army and had no choice but to raise a white flag before leading his trusted guards in an attempt to return via the pontoon bridge.

This white flag was not a sign of surrender, but rather a message to Napoleon that he could not hold out any longer and should not send any more troops.

Upon seeing the white flag raised, the French army's last shred of confidence crumbled immediately. Thousands scrambled for the pontoon bridge, and countless fell into the water, which was quickly swallowed by the icy Danube.

Some who couldn't squeeze onto the pontoon bridge threw down their weapons and jumped into the river in despair.

"That's enough. Send cavalry to help Bao Ning and his men retreat. We'll wipe out about ten thousand of Napoleon's men. That's enough."

Seeing that he had gained prestige from defeating the French army and rescuing Archduke Karl, Mo Gongze was not greedy and immediately chose to disengage from the French army.

(End of this chapter)