"I think the reason why the Chinese are able to use barbed wire so well is because they use a lot of it. We feel that ten thousand pounds of barbed wire is a lot, but the Chinese will use thirty thousand pounds first. They are willing to use it, and they dare to use it. Of course, the effect will be good to see. " British military officer Max Thomerson expressed his opinion in the heated discussion.
He thought that such a precise observation would gain the approval of the people in the discussion, or at least cause an intense debate. It was like pouring ice water into a boiling pot of boiling oil. He did not expect that the people were not discussing hot oil, but pure hot water. A big ladle of ice water was poured in, and the boiling pot of boiling water immediately calmed down.
After a while, a major with a lot of freckles on his face said regretfully, "Our country is probably unwilling to transport so much barbed wire from Manchester to the battlefield in Africa. It will cost too much. "
"Don't the Chinese care about spending money?" Max Thomerson retorted his comrade unhappily.
Gordon interrupted, "The Chinese have a steel plant in Madagascar. I heard that they have started building steel plants in East Africa. The distance is much shorter than the distance from England to here. "
The soldiers of the British Empire were also experienced and knowledgeable in this world. When they heard about the problem of industrial production, they could only wring their hands. Europe was the place where the main industrial countries of the world gathered. The United States across the Atlantic was also an industrial country. As for the Chinese Min dynasty, the population and the number of workers in this huge empire exceeded the sum of Europe and the United States. The way the Chinese did things was very different from the European colonists. For the sake of profit, the European colonists only needed the colony to provide raw materials. On the other hand, China dared to build a factory in the colony, and it was a heavy industrial steel plant at that.
Gordon did not want the discussion to turn into a kind of self-pity. Without waiting for anyone to complain, he continued, "If Mahdi still can't enter Khartoum by tomorrow, we will start to retreat."
"We don't want the cannons?" Max Thomerson asked in surprise.
"With the current ammunition reserves and the current intensity of the bombardment, the cannons can only fire for three days at most. Instead of leaving when the time comes, it's better to leave the cannons and shells to Mahdi now. " Gordon had already made up his mind. This time, the troops sent by the British side were artillery and weapons instructors. They were in charge of artillery and weapons training. Along the way, Gordon witnessed the combat power of Mahdi's troops and learned about the strength of many Chinese in Sudan. Unable to break through the barbed wire, trenches, and machine gun positions that looked weak but were actually very powerful, Mahdi's troops would either have to be disbanded or be surrounded and annihilated outside the city of Khartoum. As a soldier of the British Empire, Gordon naturally had his own understanding of the war between industrial countries. The Chinese team was about to reach Khartoum. If he didn't leave now, he might not have the chance to leave again.
The British soldiers agreed with the commander's opinion. The only reason why they weren't willing to leave was because they wanted to observe China's new fighting style. A sturdy fortress that could be easily built in the wilderness was indeed a very important topic for the military.
Outside the city, everyone made decisions based on their own judgment. Mehmed in the city? Aziz, on the other hand, didn't know what to do. He received an order from Sir Mahdi. The messenger floated in the Nile River for a long time in the middle of the night and entered the contact point in Khartoum. He brought a message to Aziz. "Be sure to start an internal strife in the city at night and give the outside a chance to attack."
Mehmed? Aziz's smart and capable face finally showed a worried expression. If he could do it, he would have done it long ago. Khartoum didn't have tall walls like a traditional city, and there weren't as many patrols on the streets. In theory, internal strife was very easy.
However, the Chinese conjured a lot of barbed wire barricades and divided the entire city into many areas. After the factories in the city stopped working and the merchants closed their doors, these people formed patrols to maintain law and order. What was more ruthless was that the Chinese provided a supply system, distributing rations according to the number of people in each family. Coupled with the Chinese's water system, every family wouldn't be in a mess. Khartoum was orderly and orderly. Mehmed Aziz's subordinates fell into a panic. If they launched an internal strife now, the result would be like moths flying into a flame. With a few people attacking an enemy ten times the number of people, and an enemy that was always on guard.
Because of the pain in his heart, Mehmed? Aziz's face was almost contorted. However, he still made a judgment that was in line with the situation. He couldn't follow Sir Mahdi's orders.
Gordon waited in Mahdi's tent with his neck stretched out. When the sky turned dark, when the hands on his watch reached 12 o 'clock at night, 2 o' clock at night, 4 o 'clock in the morning, and finally 6 o' clock in the morning, it was still quiet in the direction of Khartoum. Nothing happened.
After a big yawn, Gordon stood up from his chair. "Sir Mahdi, we must go and meet up with the troops that are delivering the artillery. Now, all the artillery in the position will be left to you. I hope that by the time we receive the equipment, you will have successfully taken down Khartoum and become the master of Sudan! "
Although his words were polite, the expression on Gordon's face was far from being polite. This expression was so obvious that it caused Mahdi's subordinates to show hostile expressions.
However, Gordon didn't care about it at all. Mahdi went out once in the middle of this. That time, he went out for a long time. When Mahdi returned to the tent, he looked radiant. It seemed like he went to sleep for a while. The British troops under Gordon had to be ready to go into battle at any time. This night, most of them were at the artillery position. If there was no battle, they could actually sleep for a while wrapped in blankets. On the contrary, Gordon could only wait in the tent. Although he sat on the chair and took a nap for a while, this kind of rest was completely incomparable to lying down and sleeping. The exhaustion of his body, the displeasure in his heart, and the error in his judgment of Mahdi made Gordon lose all confidence in Mahdi.
"I don't want you to leave," Mahdi said calmly.
"Why?" Gordon asked unhappily. He used to respect Mahdi because Mahdi had the ability to summon more than 200,000 people to surround Khartoum. But now, Gordon no longer respected Mahdi because Mahdi didn't have the ability to command more than 200,000 people to attack Khartoum.
"Because you want to escape, and not as you said, to receive some new equipment," Mahdi said in a sacred tone.
Gordon was shocked when he heard that. His expression changed, and he almost roared, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
Mahdi waved his hand, and a few soldiers of the Mahdi Army suddenly rushed into the tent with weapons in their hands. After these people surrounded Gordon and his adjutant, Mahdi continued, "Mr. Gordon, from now on, these guards will be with you at all times to protect your safety. Don't worry, we will definitely share the glory of conquering Khartoum. Before that, please continue to command the artillery. "
Although he didn't know what went wrong, Gordon still shouted, "Aren't you afraid of punishment from the British Empire for doing this?"
"Punishment? Haha! " Mahdi let out a hearty and sacred laugh. Even though Gordon had a completely negative view of Mahdi, he had to admit that Mahdi's laughter really made people think of justice.
Taking a step closer to Gordon, Mahdi said, "Mr. Gordon, your motherland is actually no different from China. We both hope to use my hands to attack your enemies. If I fail, I will probably die in battle here. Your motherland definitely won't find a chance to punish me. If I win, your motherland won't dare to punish me. China's territory in East Africa isn't just in Sudan. From what I know, China still has territory thousands of miles south from here. If I don't exist, will the vengeful China let Egypt go? "
After saying that, Mahdi took another step forward and walked to a distance where Gordon could reach out his hand. "Mr. Gordon, please fight well. If I am defeated, the Chinese will find you Englishmen among my troops. When you fall into the hands of the China, how do you think China will deal with you? How do you think the China will deal with you British? For yourself, for Britain, please do your best. "
After saying that, Mahdi waved his hand, and the soldiers of Mahdi's army took Gordon away.
Gordon followed the soldiers who were monitoring him in a daze. He felt that his head was muddled. Not sleeping well was one of the reasons, but the bigger reason was that Gordon realized that he had been seen through by Mahdi. Cooperating with Mahdi was an order from the higher-ups. Gordon had always thought that he was far smarter and nobler than a "local" like Mahdi. Therefore, losing to a local like Mahdi was a huge blow to Gordon.
Just as he was walking in a daze, Gordon's eyes suddenly flashed. On the empty path in the camp, there was a local dressed in ordinary clothes. In other words, he was wearing a tattered robe and had a piece of cloth over his shoulder to cover his body and the ground when he slept. He wore a turban and used part of the turban to cover his face under the sun. Under this attire that was no different from an ordinary Arab, there was something that Gordon was very familiar with. It was hard to describe. If two people were very familiar with each other, they would be able to see something written on a figure.
Gordon took a closer look and was even more certain of his judgment. That person could cover the lower half of his face, but not his eyes. That would be too conspicuous. Even though that person tried to avoid eye contact with others, the part of the nose and the eyes were obviously British Officer Max Thomerson. It was Thomerson. Gordon's first reaction was to call for help, but his mind was not muddled. To call for help from the disguised British Officer Max Thomerson. The only outcome would be for British Officer Max Thomerson to fall into the hands of Mahdi's army. Gordon lowered his head and suppressed his emotions to not look at British Officer Max Thomerson.
He lowered his head and suppressed his emotions to not look at British Officer Max Thomerson. Gordon prayed in his heart. "I hope he can escape successfully!" Gordon prayed in his heart.
Mahdi did not only capture Gordon. Last night, when Gordon offered to hand over the cannons to Mahdi and the British went to the border to collect the cannons, Mahdi had already made full preparations. In fact, Mahdi originally wanted to kill a portion of the British and imprison the rest. However, after asking his subordinates, he found out that his subordinates did not have an effective grasp of the cannons. Therefore, Mahdi chose to capture all of them and threatened them with the consequences of defeat in an attempt to make Gordon and the rest listen to him.
When Gordon was captured, the other British soldiers were captured as well. However, there were always changes in such matters. British Officer Max Thomerson? Last night, after putting on his disguise, Thomerson strolled around the 'market' near the camp. The Arabs had a talent for doing business. Even in the vicinity of such a war-torn camp, they spontaneously set up a market. Naturally, there were a lot of things that were looted from the Chinese, and there were also some products produced by the local people. For example, a headscarf, a pack of tobacco, or something that the locals used. As for British Officer Max Thomerson? Thomerson could not understand what he was looking at.
As for British Officer Max Thomerson? What amazed Thomerson was that even though it was a temporary camp, there were still people being bought and sold here. Some women, both young and old, with their faces covered, were also brought to the market to be sold. Apart from selling their entire bodies, there were also some temporary transactions. If it wasn't for the fact that a few rounds had already been done in such a short period of time, British Officer Max Thomerson? Thomerson really wanted to give it a try. Because the price was really cheap.
Since he could not enjoy himself, how about British Officer Max Thomerson, who had a rough understanding of Arabic? Thomerson started conversing with these Arabs. He originally thought that his vocabulary was insufficient, but he did not expect that the vocabulary of these Sudanese Arabs was even more lacking. The result of the conversation was that these women were the family members of the Arabs who had died in the war. After they died in the war, these women were distributed by the tribe leader to the other tribesmen. Some of the tribesmen sold these women in the market.
"Aren't you comrades?" British officer Max asked. Thomerson could not understand this at all. As a proud citizen of the British Empire, he could not imagine what kind of storm it would cause if something like this happened to the British Empire.
"Since they have returned to the embrace of Allah, these women will naturally be dealt with by the tribe leader. Men, the elders decide the fate of the women. This is the rule set by Allah, "the locals who used various methods to sell women said in a logical tone.
British Officer Max Thomerson? Thomerson was speechless. He could only walk back and forth in the market to see what was new. He noticed another ridiculous thing. Although there was barter trade, a large part of the trade was still conducted in the currency of the East African administrative region. The purpose of this group of people was to get rid of the East African administrative region, but they were still using the East African administrative region's currency. British Officer Max Thomerson? Thomerson felt that he had never seen anything more ridiculous than this.
There was no way to trade women. British Officer Max Thomerson? Thomerson took the money and bought some wine. Most of the wine was honey wine. It tasted sweet, and after a while, he felt especially good. British Officer Max Thomerson? When Thomerson woke up, he found himself wrapped in a tattered blanket that he didn't know when he had bought it. He was sleeping on the ground like the others. He was covered in dust and grass. British Officer Max Thomerson? Thomerson staggered towards his gun position. When he was near the gun position, he saw Mahdi's men forcefully take his men away.
British Officer Max Thomerson? Tomalson did not dare to go any further. He instinctively walked out cautiously. Perhaps it was because he had slept outside last night. His dirty and dusty appearance was exactly the same as the locals in the camp. And he wasn't the only one who looked like a drunkard. The honey wine made many locals wake up, but they were still lying on the ground in a mess. Compared to these people, British Officer Max Thomerson was still considered normal. He didn't see his superior, Gordon, and didn't dare to look around. British Officer Max Thomerson?
He did not see his superior, Gordon, nor did he dare to look around. Was it Captain Max? He tried to walk to a safe place, away from the camp. He walked and walked. He didn't know how far he had walked. Suddenly, there was a shout from behind. "Catch him!"
Just like that, he walked and walked. He didn't know how far he had walked, but suddenly, he heard someone yelling, "Catch him!" Thomerson trembled. He didn't care anymore and ran. Tomarson shuddered. He couldn't care less anymore and ran away. It got noisier and noisier as more and more people got involved. As for the British military officer Max? Tomalson found himself on the banks of the Nile. He threw off his coat and plunged deep into the Nile. They headed in the direction where the Chinese ships were patrolling yesterday. At this time, British military officer Max? There was only one conclusion left in Tomalson's mind. The Chinese were civilized people. They could always survive if they fell into their hands. The Arabs behind the scenes could not be trusted. How could those who could sell off their female relatives in the blink of an eye be trusted?
Swim, swim, British officer Max? However, Tomalson could hear that the voices behind him were much softer. He turned his head and saw that there were a few people looking at him from the riverside in the distance. Most of them were running in the other direction for some reason. From this, it seemed that the order to "capture him" was not because of Captain Max Anderson. Tomalson's disguise was seen through.
What about the British military officer Max? Tomalson felt a sense of regret. He wondered if he should go back. Would he be caught if he went back? The scene of his companion being taken away by Mahdi's men was quickly replayed. Tomalson gritted his teeth and continued to swim forward.
Not long after, a Chinese ship appeared in front of British Officer Max Anderson. Tomalson could see it. He did not hide. Instead, he stepped on the water and tried to expose as much of his body as possible. "Help!" British Army Officer Max shouted. Tomalson shouted at the Chinese ship. This was one of the most practical languages that the British Navy had taught their soldiers. After all, there was a high chance of a naval war between China and Britain in the future. It was necessary to learn some life-saving skills.
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