Persian Empire 1845

Chapter 675 A Fantastic Landing Operation
The outcome of the naval battle was communicated from Saigon to Baghdad, and afterwards, the Iranian Far East was also considering how to help the Shah.

This naval battle also gave them a new idea: to attack French territories in India.

France also possessed a colony of over 500 square kilometers in India, with Pondicherry as its capital. This was also France's only colony in Asia. Conquering it would completely sever France's reach into the Far East and effectively exclude it from Asia.

Even so, 6000 French expeditionary troops were sent to Manila and then sailed to the Far East. Originally, they planned to march north to attack Guangzhou and Takow after a naval victory, but with Cenestadt blocking their way, they couldn't reach the border. Therefore, Colonel François de Negrier, commander of the expeditionary force, decided to take a risk and directly attack Saigon, the capital of Cenestadt, in a decapitation strike. By destroying Iran's command center in the Far East, they hoped to reverse the potential decline caused by the naval defeat and gain significant leverage for France in negotiations.

"Soldiers!" Negrier gave a final pep talk to the troops assembled on the deck. "Ahead lies the heart of those Asians! They've just had a lucky victory at sea and are basking in their joy. They'd never imagine we'd attack their stronghold directly! Let us teach them a lesson they'll never forget with the bayonets and courage of France! For France, forward!"

The defeated naval commander Courbet had no choice but to agree to the decision. After a few days of rest, 6000 soldiers left Manila and officially headed towards Saigon.

In the early hours of June 25th, taking advantage of the dense fog, the French army landed 20 kilometers from Saigon and rapidly advanced into the city. They marched in neat ranks, wearing conspicuous dark blue uniforms and red trousers. Negrier was confident; he believed that the city's defenders would be thrown into panic by the sudden attack. Moreover, his chosen location would prevent his main force from being discovered too early; he estimated the defenders were still asleep.

However, he underestimated Saigon's defenses, and even more so, his opponent. The Immortal Legion, which had already quelled the loyalist movement in southern Vietnam, was resting in Saigon, and when they learned that the French had landed while the defenders were complacent, they quickly prepared to meet the enemy.

As for rest, to defend their territory, they could wake up and get dressed in minutes, unlike those who were slow and inefficient. It's fair to say that France's intelligence work was a complete failure!

The fighting first broke out in the plantations and villages on the outskirts of the city.

Four hundred soldiers of the Undead Legion, under the command of their officers, fiercely resisted the advancing French troops, utilizing ditches, low walls, and pre-constructed makeshift fortifications. Their marksmanship was accurate, their discipline strict, and they operated in groups of three, alternating between firing and reloading, forming a dense and effective network of fire. French soldiers fell to the ground, constantly struck by bullets.

"Don't stop! Charge! Take them out with bayonets!" Negrier shouted orders from the rear. He could tell that the enemy forces holding them off were few in number and were trying to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

Relying on their numbers and formation, the French army, after paying a certain price, finally approached the Immortals' position. A fierce hand-to-hand battle ensued.

"God is great!" the Immortals shouted, bayonets at the ready, facing an enemy force far outnumbering them. Negrier, witnessing the carnage and the fallen French soldiers, was both shocked and enraged. He hadn't expected such fierce resistance; the enemy's fighting spirit far exceeded his expectations. "Pursue! Charge into the city! Slaughter them all!" Blinded by rage, he ordered his entire army to advance, charging straight towards the Saigon city walls.

The main French force was successfully drawn and maneuvered, gradually penetrating deeper into the pre-arranged ambush area east of the city. There lay a dense bamboo forest and muddy swamps, with narrow roads. Just as most of the French column entered the ambush zone, their formation stretched and becoming crowded due to the terrain, the defending commander saw his opportunity. He abruptly lowered his signal flag!
In an instant, deafening shouts of battle and rapid gunfire erupted from the bamboo groves on both sides of the road! The Undead Legion's ambush troops pounced on the chaotic French army ranks!

This was completely unexpected by Negrier! He had assumed that the main force of the defenders was on the front, but he had not expected that such a large and vengeful fresh force was lying in ambush on the flank!
The Undead were masters of close combat. Like tigers among sheep, they charged into the French ranks, hacking and slashing. Swords flashed, sending sprays of blood flying; spears thrust, skewering French soldiers like skewers. The French line formations were rendered useless in this chaotic melee; their ranks were instantly cut into several sections, leaving them in a desperate situation of fighting for themselves.

"Hold on! Form squares!" Negrier shouted hoarsely, but panic spread among the French army.

"Brothers, kill those foreign devils!"

Another group rushed in. Unlike the Undead Legion, these men wore yellow turbans and carried broadswords, spears, muskets, and advanced rifles. They were members of the Yellow Banner Army, which had been used to suppress rebellions in the north. Moreover, their superiors had told them that if they could be driven off, they wouldn't have to hand over the spoils they had looted from the enemy.

The French army was attacked from both sides, command failed, and morale completely collapsed. Soldiers abandoned their armor and weapons, desperately fleeing towards the landing point. Negrier, protected by his personal guards, also joined the fleeing ranks in a sorry state.

In this battle, the French expeditionary force of over 6,000 men suffered more than 2,000 casualties and hundreds were captured, almost completely losing their fighting capacity, and retreated in disarray to their ships. Colonel Negrier's decapitation strike was a complete failure, instead securing a glorious victory for the Saigon garrison.

Colonel Negrier, with fewer than four thousand defeated soldiers, fled back to the landing point like stray dogs, scrambling onto transport ships. He had arrived full of vigor, but returned dejected; the decapitation strike had become a farcical suicide mission. He not only failed to salvage the navy's defeat, but also inflicted an unprecedented and humiliating blow on France's land forces in the Far East.

For the pro-monarchy movement within Cinecittan, this was a devastating blow. They hadn't expected the French to be so incompetent, dragging them down with them. Emperor Tu Duc and his officials were transferred to Nha Trang, closer to Saigon, while thousands of die-hard royalists were exiled to Africa. While weakening them, the government began to treat the local lower classes better, stabilizing the situation in central Iran through tax reforms, conscription, and land redistribution. Furthermore, Cambodia and Luang Prabang sent 4000 troops to assist Iran in quelling the unrest.

It could be said that France's incompetence ironically provided Iran with a good reason to completely control Vietnam. Those pro-war ministers probably regretted their alliance with France.

(End of this chapter)