Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 305: A Long-Distance Contest
"I'm hoping for a gentlemanly and fair duel. What the hell is this bullshit? I've fought for over a decade, so why can't I understand what these red-haired devils are saying?"

Major General Huang Shan, commander-in-chief of the Malayan Expeditionary Force, held the letter from the British and French forces in his hand and showed it to everyone with shaking hands.

The other officers took it and passed it around one by one, and those who were rude started cursing directly;
"These bastards, are their brains burned out? Pah..."

"Fuck... when we invaded the capital, burned the Emperor's garden, and killed so many of our fellow countrymen, why weren't we called gentlemen?"

"She wants to be a whore and a saint at the same time!"

"No matter what trouble the Red Indian devil keeps causing, we'll just have to deal with him. My Fourth Regiment is willing to lead the charge and take the lead."

"Go, go, go... When did you show off your Fourth Regiment? My First Regiment is still responsible for attacking the city and capturing the stronghold."

"Hey, what do you mean? You're pretending my Third Regiment doesn't exist, huh? I'm making this clear today: any mission assigned by the General Commander will be completed unconditionally, even if it means I'm the last soldier standing."

"Okay, stop arguing."

There was a lot of discussion at once, and the officers were very enthusiastic about asking for battle, and no one wanted to fall behind.

Lieutenant Colonel Zheng Jiayu, commander of the newly formed 10th Royal Infantry Regiment, took the invitation letter and read it, and couldn't help but smile.

This letter was probably written by a Chinese scholar. The choice of words and sentences is quite exquisite, and it also uses words like "a dignified teacher of the king", which makes it sound quite realistic.

If a less experienced general had been in command, he might have fallen into the trap.

Unfortunately, none of the generals of Chu State are easy to deal with. Each of them can be said to be a veteran of hundreds of battles and is an old team brought up by His Majesty the King.

During the Tongzhou militia period
The battles moved to northern Anhui, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, north to Qi and Lu, and west to Hunan and Xiang. The siege of Tianjing alone lasted for a year and a half. Many of the generals present were old members of the team, elite soldiers who had fought in many battles. How could they be fooled by these little tricks?
After all, Lieutenant Colonel Zheng Jiayu was born in the Royal Guard and had served His Majesty the King of Chu for several years. His experience far exceeded that of his colleagues.

After everyone had finished talking, he said:

“Greetings, General Manager;

This was a common tactic used by a few nobles in old Europe to highlight their chivalry.

I think there is no need to pay any more attention to such nonsense proposals.

With such a formidable enemy at our doorstep, it is time for our Malayan Expeditionary Force to demonstrate its prowess. We must not allow our allies to have the upper hand. Victory or defeat will be determined by the number of enemy troops we kill in battle."

Major General Huang Chuan also knew about this, so he looked around at everyone and said with a serious expression;

"The Saigon Expeditionary Force, led by the Fourth Division, fought a brilliant battle of annihilation in Indochina, killing over 10,000 enemies and bloodbathing Saigon, perfectly completing the mission entrusted by His Majesty.

The Singapore Expeditionary Force, mainly composed of the Second Division, successfully launched a surprise attack on Singapore and has made many remarkable achievements since then. It even frightened the British and French forces who had been burned to death many days ago and killed countless enemies.

Our friendly forces fought exceptionally well, and our Malayan Expeditionary Force, composed mainly of the 3rd Expeditionary Division, will never be left behind. Now the real severe test has arrived.

On the other hand, this is also a good opportunity for our Malayan Expeditionary Force to show itself and show off its abilities.

I have a piece of news for you.

The Ministry of Military Affairs plans to expand the entire army to 8 divisions after the war, half of which will be Class A divisions. The Class A divisions will be the main force of the kingdom's army in terms of personnel organization, equipment and training.

Each division has a strength of over 11000 people, approximately between 12000 and . It is a fully horse-drawn division, equipped with cutting-edge weapons first, and the salaries and benefits of officers and soldiers are first-class.

Don’t make a fuss, don’t make a fuss, just be quiet…”

As soon as Major General Huang Shan finished speaking, the officers below could no longer suppress their excitement and began to discuss, each of them showing an eager look, eager to try.

The 3rd Expeditionary Division believes that it is no less capable than any friendly force in terms of training, equipment or morale. Who wouldn't want to fight for such a good thing?
The expansion of the army means a great opportunity for promotion. With a Class A division of more than 10,000 people, the division commander will definitely be too busy to handle it. Should we have more deputy division commanders to help?

As expected, the officers' performance was exceptionally positive, with their positive personalities elevated to a new level.

Major General Huangshan's admiration for His Majesty was so great at this moment that he could only prostrate himself on the ground in homage.

It is really unparalleled that just by throwing out a piece of news, the enthusiasm of the military officers can be greatly boosted.

He knew that the next piece of news would be even more explosive.

After the officers' discussions stopped, Major General Huang Shan continued.
“The Ministry of Military Affairs proposes to submit a report to His Majesty, nominating two to three divisions for honorary titles. That would be a glory for all soldiers.

some of

The Singapore Expeditionary Force had taken the lead, killing more than 3 enemies and damaging more than ten enemy ships in defensive operations, making numerous achievements that were far beyond the reach of friendly forces.

Therefore, the Second Expeditionary Division has already reserved a spot in advance.

I have heard from the grapevine that the honorary title that may be awarded to the 2nd Expeditionary Division is "Singapore Devil Division".

It is said that this originally came from Vice Admiral Calvin Phillips, commander-in-chief of the British and French Allied Forces.

The enemy's fear is the best reward for Expedition II, hence this honorary title.

But nothing has been decided yet and it is still under consideration. Considering future friendly diplomacy, will the word "Singapore" be added to the name?
No matter what

There are 1 to 2 seats for honorary titles left, and my Third Expeditionary Division will reserve one. As long as I have made enough meritorious contributions, I will dare to go before Your Majesty and fight for it.

The rest depends on the performance of my brothers. The more enemies we kill, the more confident I will be. I will not be afraid even if we have a falling out with the Fourth Division.

I've already thought of a name, let's call it the "Malaya Tiger Division", what do you think?"

"Okay, okay... that's exciting."

"Okay... that's a good name. Let's call it the Malayan Tiger Division. We're going all out this time. We have to bring honor to the division commander."

"Yes, kill these red-haired devils."

Major General Huang Shan's words aroused the blood boiling of the officers. They were so excited that they almost broke the roof with their noisy arguments.

Lieutenant Colonel Zheng Jiayu standing below was also excited and full of anticipation.

The 1st to 10th New Infantry Regiments were just temporary troops formed out of emergency when war was approaching, and they would face the bleak prospect of disbanding and returning home after the war.

For a professional soldier, it means a quiet moment in his military career.

This is just like the American Civil War, when a large number of colonels and generals appeared in the ever-expanding army, but after the war they all returned to the countryside and became landowners again.

The situation in Chu was similar. If these newly formed infantry regiments performed well in the war, they might be absorbed into the permanent field divisions and become part of the expanded field divisions.

For example, the newly formed 2nd Regiment and the newly formed 5th Regiment under the Singapore Expeditionary Force have the opportunity to be incorporated into the 2nd Expeditionary Division as a whole regiment. The regimental commander who has made military achievements may even be promoted to deputy division commander, and his military career prospects are bright.

Along with the promotion of military rank, honors and noble titles also come along, which is also a huge improvement in status.

Lieutenant Colonel Zheng Jiayu, commander of the 10th Regiment, and Lieutenant Colonel Fang Shiwei, commander of the nd Regiment, both hail from the Royal Guards. Thanks to the King's grace, they have been appointed to the important position of commander of the new infantry regiments. The opportunity has been given, the stage has been set, and whether the performance is successful or not is entirely up to fate.

Now that the opportunity has arrived, Lieutenant Colonel Zheng Jiayu's enthusiasm is no less than that of his colleagues in the military.

The Royal New Infantry Regiment that performs well may have the entire regiment incorporated into the organization of a Class A division, which will also greatly enhance the personal prestige of Lieutenant Colonel Zheng Jiayu and bring many benefits.

After all, the newly formed 10th Regiment is composed of his subordinates, and as the saying goes, one cannot accomplish anything alone.

Newly formed infantry regiments with average performance may be split up after the war, with some being disbanded or some being incorporated into the expanded Class B division, or they may be converted into a reduced-strength garrison regiment.

In terms of development prospects, the former is of course the best.

This one point alone ties together the interests of all officers and encourages them to strive for more battlefield exploits.

There is competition between the newly formed royal regiments and between these original divisional regiments.

The only criterion for judging is how many achievements have been made on the battlefield?
Major General Huangshan looked at the fiery gazes of his officers, all vying for the difficult combat missions, and felt even more admiration for His Majesty's great ability to select and appoint the right people.

After all, war is all about people.

When everyone in this army is eager to gain merit on the battlefield and fights for it with red eyes, it will be difficult to lose the battle, and the most they will suffer is a certain amount of losses.

The Malayan Expeditionary Force did not reply to Vice Admiral Calvin Phillips, the commander-in-chief of the British and French forces, nor did it accept the invitation to fight. Instead, it only brought a verbal message.
"If you want to fight, just fight. Why all that nonsense?"

This ungentlemanly answer made General Phillips so angry that smoke came out of his nostrils. He could no longer maintain the image of a gentleman. In a rage, he swept away the ink bottle, exquisite porcelain and letter paper on the table and threw them to the ground, smashing them to pieces.

Although he didn't hold much hope in the first place, the extremely rude response from the Chu army completely broke the general's defense.

“These damned Orientals are too much. They have no aristocratic manners and are not worthy of being called gentlemen. They are simply barbaric opponents.

Pass on my order, assemble your troops after breakfast tomorrow morning and prepare for the attack!
I will bury this city and all the armies of the East, and everything will be reduced to ashes in a blazing fire, and no one will be able to stop me?
Gentlemen, it's time to show what you can do.

You have been given the best rifles and plenty of food, and now... it's time to prove your formidable capabilities on the battlefield. I don't want to say this a second time.

Go and prepare, and may God bless you!"

After leaving the dock command center, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Lieutenant General Connor felt like he had eaten a fly, and looked extremely uncomfortable.

When he was competing for the very honorable position of Commander-in-Chief of the Anglo-French Allied Forces, none of the senior officials in the British Indian Governor-General's Office supported him.

For this reason, Lieutenant General Connor did not want to be inferior to others and still maintained the last dignity of a British Empire soldier. He sent his subordinate Major General Cameron Boggs as the army commander to command the coalition army forces to fight.

This decision
It can be said that it was a coincidence that eventually led to Major General Cameron Boggs's death on Singapore Island, becoming the highest-ranking British military commander to die in this war.

It is important to point out here that

Lieutenant General Lefort of the French Saigon Governor-General, who died miserably in the Battle of Saigon, was a different person from the British. He was also the highest-ranking general who died in the Nanyang War, but he was a Frenchman.

Although we are allies, we are British and French, and this must be clearly distinguished.

Since the Napoleonic era in the 19th century, the gap between Britain and France has not only not decreased, but has become more serious, and this remained the case during the reign of Napoleon III.

The honeymoon between Britain and France that began in the mid-19th century created the glory of the Napoleon III era.

The French during this period chose the right side and won victories from the Crimean War to the British and French forces' capture of the capital of northern China.

From one glorious peak to another, even more glorious one, this is the power of Britain and France working together, which is unstoppable and almost invincible in today's world.

But within the Allies
British generals looked down on the French, and the French proudly belittled the British. This was almost a common occurrence in daily life, and there were constant minor frictions.

It's like a couple who quarrel every day and barely live together.

Get high for a while

Vice Admiral Calvin Phillips, commander-in-chief of the Anglo-French Allied Forces, ordered all buildings on the coast to be destroyed by heavy artillery. After landing, the headquarters could not even find a decent building.

They could only build a large tent at the dock, lay out expensive Persian carpets, and add exquisite Victorian palace furniture and fine Chinese porcelain furnishings to provide His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief with a decent meeting place.

After all his officers left, Colonel Sammy Smodish, commander of the French Foreign Legion, slipped in quietly and placed a heavy brocade bag on the table.

Lieutenant General Calvin Phillips glanced at it pretending to be indifferent, but he was actually startled.

why?
Because when Colonel Sammy Smodish placed the bulging treasure bag on the table, there was no heavy sound of metal and stone colliding. What does this mean?
This shows that the treasure bag is not a valuable item like a gold coin. In that era, one ounce of gold was only worth 20 pounds.

Such a small brocade bag can only hold dozens of ounces of gold. How much is it worth?

Apart from gold, the most valuable things now are the banknotes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland, as well as share certificates and deeds. Just one piece of paper is worth thousands of pounds.

A few thousand pounds of spending power is enough for a baron to live a decent life.

Lieutenant General Calvin Phillips had no personal relationship with this French general. This rude and unkempt foreign legion commander was just a backup option. After the accidental deaths of French Lieutenant General Le Fort and Major General Courbet, he temporarily served as the commander-in-chief of the French Army.

"Dear Colonel Smodish, what can I do for you?"

The opponent's background was very ordinary, so Lieutenant General Calvin Phillips didn't need to pretend. He put his hands behind his back, maintaining the dignity of the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, and paced in the tent and spoke.

Colonel Sammy Smodish humbly placed one hand on his chest, bowed slightly, performed a chivalrous etiquette of greeting a superior noble, and then said in a humble tone;
"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, I and my French Expeditionary Force will unconditionally accept your orders and march into battle. All we ask for is more time to get acquainted with the officers, as I still struggle to fully understand them, let alone control them."

"This is a reasonable request, my dear Colonel. You will have plenty of time to integrate the troops, but no more than three days. In this battle against the devilish legion of the Orientals, I need everyone's strength."

"I will follow your orders, Your Excellency the Commander-in-Chief." Colonel Sammy Smodish bowed respectfully again and performed the knight's salute of touching his chest.

Invisibly, the two reached a tacit understanding.

As an experienced mercenary general, Colonel Sami Smodish realized that the Chu army was not easy to deal with, and thus he began to consider retreating.

So I offer you a valuable gift, hoping for your consideration.

Lieutenant General Calvin Phillips, commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, is naturally a veteran. He only gave the other side three days. What should he do after three days?

Even if the French mercenary corps is sent to fill the gap, it must be carried out unconditionally.

During these three days

Let's use the British Indian Corps to explore the way first. How many people will die in the battle is not what Lieutenant General Calvin Phillips needs to consider. He needs to test the defensive strength of the Chu army.

It was easily broken with a slight poke, and the impression that the corrupt Eastern army was strong on the outside but weak on the inside was gone.

It is still a real iron-blooded defense line, fighting to the last soldier, as tough as the Russians in Tsarist Russia.

(End of this chapter)