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"Six thousand troops should be enough. However, the Liberation Army has removed all the cannons from the Tiger Gate Fort. " What do they want to do? "Although the British side was full of confidence in the war, they did not understand Weiser's actions.
In the First Great Smoky War, the British sailing battleships, towed by steam boats, entered the Pearl River with great difficulty and defeated the garrison of Guangzhou with their cannons. Whether it was the Iron Chain Blockade or other techniques, they were unable to withstand the British attack. Now, Vézé's approach was completely different from the Qing Army's. According to the intelligence obtained by the British with great difficulty, Vézé simply removed all the cannons from the Tiger Gate Fort and transported them to some unknown place.
Vézé's Liberation Army was clearly ready to engage in a military confrontation with the British. From the blockade of the streets near the consulate in Guangzhou, ordinary people had to rely on road passes to enter and exit Guangzhou, these actions proved that Vézé had no intention of yielding at all. Since peaceful negotiations could not make Vézé yield, the only option left was undoubtedly war. The British were full of confidence in the upcoming war.
However, the British army was not an army led by an arrogant fool. Vézé's decision not to use the geographical advantage for defense surprised the British. According to the intelligence they gathered, Vézé did not have the strength to fight against the British on the Pearl River. There was only one result of dismantling the fort, and that was that the British could more easily enter Guangzhou.
The British civil and military officials could not understand what Vézé was trying to do.
"Since our troops are all here, why don't we start the attack? No matter what Vézé wants to do, we will know their plan once we attack. "The British finally came up with this idea.
"When we take Guangzhou this time, we must get the right to set up military stations along the Pearl River!" Some people also proposed to prevent the interception of intelligence in the future. The British, who were full of confidence in their victory, all agreed with this idea. The winner of the war must obtain privileges, and the purpose of privileges was to make the next war easier to win.
On the 1st of December 1856, the British officially mobilized their troops and launched an attack on Guangzhou. There was no declaration of war this time. A declaration of war was a form of war between two countries. The British believed that Vézé, as a rebel of the Qing Kingdom, did not deserve such treatment.
The huge sailing warship slowly entered the Pearl River along the predetermined route under the tugboat's tow. The cannons on both sides of the warships were temporarily not opened, but it would not be long before the warships entered a state of war. At that time, dozens of cannons would spew terrible flames at their targets.
The British army began the attack earlier than the Navy. The huge warships were the British mobile batteries, and it was undoubtedly the British army 'mission to protect these batteries. Therefore, they advanced along the river bank. After occupying the empty Tiger Gate Fort, the British found that the fort was indeed as the intelligence had said. Not only was there no one guarding it, but even a large number of the original cannons were gone. The empty cannons proved that there used to be a defensive system here.
The battle broke out earlier than the British thought. When the British army advanced along the Pearl River and approached the houses by the river, the small unit in front was suddenly attacked by the enemy's infantry.
Ju Junfeng, the commander of the First Division of the First Army, watched the British infantry abandon a few corpses and begin to retreat. He sighed and put down the binoculars.
The task of the First Division was not to defend along the river, but to evacuate the people along the river. Ju Junfeng himself was not from the navy and did not know much about naval warfare. But as long as he thought about it, he knew that if the British warships wanted to sail along the river, they would be most afraid of the artillery positions along the river. The Liberation Army had once guarded East and West Liangshan, so they had experience with this kind of defense.
From the British point of view, the first task was to destroy the houses along the river and prevent the Liberation Army from setting up artillery positions in the houses. From the point of view of the Viceroy's Office, since everyone wanted to establish a modern nation-state, the government had an obligation to the people. At this time, they could not let the troops hide in the camps or defensive positions, leaving the people outside to fate. The Military Governor Vaize ordered the troops and local cadres to mobilize the people to evacuate the war zone along the river to ensure the safety of life and property.
But this was not a good job! Houses were the people's most important property. The people did not want to obey if they were asked to abandon their houses and temporarily retreat to other gathering places. The Liberation Army did not bully people, and it was impossible for them to forcibly disperse the people, and it was even more impossible for them to immediately demolish the houses and drive people away. So the people also put forward their own views. "We are not fighting the British, why would the British attack us?"
Ju Junfeng originally had limited interest in the concept of a modern nation-state. Although the Recovery Society used exams to force everyone to memorize the content, Ju Junfeng did not necessarily care after listening to it. But in the face of war, he was suddenly enlightened. When the British army attacked Guangzhou, the first thing they considered was their own safety. The Chinese were enemies in the eyes of the British, and the Chinese houses along the river were a threat to the British. They did not care at all about the life and death of China's non-combatants, nor did they care if the Chinese people lost their property. This was the reality.
The troops had already made some preparations for these problems. In addition, according to the system, the political commissar and the members of the Recovery Society took the lead and persuaded them in every possible way. Some of the people felt that the Liberation Army's words made sense, so they reluctantly left their homes. There were also some people who wanted to give it a try. Although they were also prepared to evacuate, they still hoped that their houses would not be attacked by the British.
As soon as the Liberation Army and the British fought, Ju Junfeng confirmed from what he saw and the reports from his subordinates that the British army had taken action to burn the houses along the river and remove any possible firing points.
"Hurry up and inform the people to start moving immediately. If they don't move, our troops will have to leave first! "Ju Junfeng gave the order. The Liberation Army currently only had 12-pound mountain howitzers on hand. This kind of firepower could not compete with the British gunships at all.
Thinking of this, Ju Junfeng felt a little dissatisfied. What was Vézé trying to do by taking all the cannons on the Tiger Gate Fort?
At this time, most of the members of the Commander-in-Chief's Office and the Liberation Army had withdrawn from Guangzhou. Since they could not win, then they should not fight. If they could win, then they should fight. If they could not win, then they should leave. Vézé admired this saying very much.
Chief of the General Staff Hu Chenghe, who was next to Vézé, sighed and said, "It would be even better if we had cannons to defend the Tiger Gate."
Vézé knew what Hu Chenghe was thinking. He asked, "Chief of Staff Hu, you don't believe that we can forge good cannons, do you?"
Having been exposed by Vézé, Hu Chenghe did not hide it anymore. "Commander-in-Chief, the steel factory was built using Western technology. I'm still not confident!"
The Manchu Qing's standard of forging cannons was not good. A large-caliber cannon cost a lot of money, and the effect was not very good. The key was the iron used to forge the cannon. Vézé could not make steel on a large scale for the time being, so the cannons still had to be made of iron. The performance of iron was already a huge improvement over ordinary iron, but this thing needed time to accumulate technology. Foshan already had a large number of ironmaking shops, so Vézé decided to build the steel base in Foshan first. The reverberatory furnace for steel was still under construction, but the production of iron had officially begun. Vézé sent the cannons from the Tiger Gate Fort to Foshan to be smelted again. Firstly, it would save a lot of time, and secondly, it would effectively prevent people from being hot-blooded and insisting on fighting the British outside their borders.
After hearing Hu Chenghe's words, Vézé laughed and said, "Chief of Staff Hu, all technology is based on the laws of nature. These laws of nature are the same in China as in England. Don't talk about whether British technology can be used smoothly in China. These are not the same things. "
Hu Chenghe was not completely convinced by Vézé's criticism. He asked, "Then why are the British manufactured cannons better than ours?"
Vézé answered frankly, "There are two problems with making cannons. The first is the material used for the cannons, and the second is the craftsmanship used to cast the cannons. The British have been doing this for decades, but it has only been a few years since we started the rebellion. How many years has it been since we started? You recruit veterans and recruits, and you ask why the recruits are not as good as the veterans? I can only say that veterans have more experience and experience. It would be strange if the recruits are better than the veterans! "
After hearing this, Hu Chenghe did not immediately answer. He could not help but look a little indignant. After a while, Hu Chenghe finally could not help but say, "Commander, when have we ever met a worthy opponent? You always say that the British are better at fighting than us, but we have more than ten times their number. Even if they are recruits, we can still overwhelm them. "
After being rebutted in such a strong manner, Vézé did not look angry at all. He even said with a bitter smile, "Chief of Staff Hu, it is inevitable that we will win against the British. But the reason we won the war has nothing to do with the quality of our soldiers being better than the British. Besides, the British are not necessarily better at shooting and hand-to-hand combat. Their strength lies in the fact that their understanding of war is superior to ours. Because their technology is more advanced than ours, they have seen it, they have fought in joint naval and land battles, and they have fought in joint infantry and artillery battles. What's wrong with admitting this? "
Hu Chenghe did not completely accept it. He replied, "Commander in Chief, of course I believe what you say. Our Liberation Army was brought up by you, and I am naturally convinced of your ability. But the brothers below him were not convinced. Why should we let the British take Guangzhou and retreat without a fight? And you also said that we should not beat the British too hard and leave them some face. That way we can continue to do business in the future. Since we have already fought, how can we still think about doing business? "
Vézé knew that his comrades in the army had objections to the overall strategy, and Hu Chenghe was only a representative of the army. The people in the administrative department might also consider business and other actions, and they did not think like the army, so they always had some long-term considerations. But the thinking of the army was very simple. Whoever fought with them, they would destroy them. The enemy was the enemy, and there was only a simple zero-sum fight. Vézé did not think of this at the time, so he frankly explained the entire strategy to the upper echelons of the army.
At the time, Vézé felt that the comrades in the army should be able to understand and obey, but he did not expect the attitude of the army to be to wipe out the British and take back Hong Kong. Even if the British had the advantage of the navy, the army would just work hard to build ships and fight a long battle at sea with the British.
Of course, Vézé completely rejected this idea, so there was no one who dared to openly oppose it for the time being. But this did not mean that the comrades in the army had changed their minds. This time, Hu Chenghe's attitude was much more moderate than the most radical at the time. But Hu Chenghe's words were enough to prove that the opposition in the army had not disappeared.
Thinking of this, Vézé asked, "Chief of Staff Hu, just tell me, what is there in the army that is dissatisfied with? If you really trust me, then just tell me, what exactly is it that the military isn't satisfied with? "
Hu Chenghe was slightly stunned. He did not expect Vézé to ask this. Looking at Vézé's serious eyes, Hu Chenghe's resistance dissipated by half. After a moment of silence, Hu Chenghe said, "The army thinks that we have to protect the people, which is too embarrassing. The people don't appreciate our kindness at all, and we have to stick our warm faces to their butts. Rather than wasting all this effort, it would be better to fight the British head-on. We don't have to suffer this vexation anymore! "
Daring to question Vézé's military command, Vézé believed that no one in the army would have the guts to do so. Therefore, if he used military reasons to speak, there must be other problems behind it. Originally, Vézé also thought that the army would not understand when carrying out the work of protecting the people, but he did not expect the army's backlash to be so fierce. Therefore, although Vézé believed half of what Hu Chenghe said, he also had deep doubts at the same time. Did this group of ordinary people in the Liberation Army really resist the idea of the military and the people as one family?
All kinds of thoughts churned in Vézé's mind. Vézé wanted to ask a lot of questions, but he felt that he did not know where to start. This kind of feeling of worry and loss was very rare for Vézé. In the past, he had always been able to come up with a clear strategy, and all the responses had immediate effects. In the face of such a fierce backlash, Vézé's first feeling was "disbelief".
In this extremely uncomfortable feeling, Vézé found that he actually had a sense of powerlessness. This made Vézé a little panic. This was a very new experience.
In this chaotic feeling, Vézé suddenly thought of a saying, "When we encounter a problem, we must first admit that we have encountered a problem, then find the problem and try to solve it."
Thinking of this, Vézé began to calm down. Hu Chenghe's words certainly made Vézé see a problem that he had not seen before, but in a sense, this was also a good thing. Vézé first chased other thoughts out of his mind, and he asked, "Chief of Staff Hu, I understand what you said. I want to ask you a question. Even if the army is really dissatisfied, they will still fight according to orders, right? "
This shocked Hu Chenghe, and he said in surprise, "Commander in Chief, what are you saying? Wherever you point, our brothers will fight there! Who will not listen to your orders, Commander in Chief? "
After listening to Hu Chenghe's statement, Vézé finally felt relieved. Although there was still a little uneasiness in his heart after the intense shock, Vézé smiled and said, "It's a good thing that comrades are willing to speak their minds. I didn't notice this. Chief of Staff Hu, in the future, you have to tell me more about the comrades' thoughts. "
Although he said this to dispel Hu Chenghe's misunderstanding as much as possible, Vézé was thinking about something else. Establishing a branch in the company is definitely the right thing to do! Such ideological questions should have been raised by the political commissars in the first place! "
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