Start: Datang Wanli a lonely city

Chapter 1051 The expedition fleet is dispatched

(There are too many things, so there was only one chapter per day a year ago; sorry, sorry! Why don’t you just save it and read it, since the author is currently lying down)

August 8, the first day of July in the 1th year of Guangxu.

At that time, Nie Shicheng, Yuan Datou and other defeated troops who had escaped from Ashan were still on their way to Pingchao City in great embarrassment.

Due to the poor road and traffic conditions at that time, it would normally take several days to reach Pinghao.

It was also on this day that Daqing and the island country finally officially declared war on each other.

Daqing pointed out in its edict of war: Chaodao has always been a vassal state of Daqing, and Daqing sent troops at the request of the Chaodao court.

On the contrary, Japan "does not abide by treaties, does not abide by public laws, acts arbitrarily, pursues tricks, provokes others, and justice is clear", which made Daqing intolerable.

Therefore, "under Li Zhongtang's strict orders, he sent out various armies to quickly suppress the enemy, gathered a large number of troops, and advanced one after another to save the Korean people from the abyss."

Meiji, the enemy of the island country, responded tit-for-tat in his declaration of war, claiming:

"Chaodao is an independent country that was first inspired by the empire and joined other countries."

Claiming that the reason for the war was that the empire persuaded Chaodao to reform its political affairs...Although Chaodao had promised, Daqing had always secretly tried to obstruct it... He even sent troops to South Korea to attack our ships in the Korean Sea. He was arrogant. Extremely. '

Therefore, the soldiers on both sides did not have full stomachs.

It's just that Chaodao was originally a small and poor country with poor resources, and the number of armies on both sides was so staggering that it was impossible to ensure sufficient food just by looting.

The above advantages are still the disadvantages caused by the gap in military strength between the two sides; the premise is that Ye Zhichao, the commander-in-chief who presided over the Battle of Pingchao City, can grasp and transform these advantages.

The new regent Da Yuanjun of Chaodao, who wanted to play both sides between Daqing and the island country, and did not want to be a single family, also secretly passed the news to them.

But even so, the current total military strength in Pingchao City is only more than 2.5.

The total strength reached an astonishing 3.3 troops.

You can also see the golden waves of rice that are almost ripe, rising and falling in front of you. Suddenly, for the Japanese from the island country, they are filled with an indescribable sense of wealth.

For a time, such a "onboard" shout spread a long distance.

Shanxian's voice finally fell, and the Japanese soldiers around him also shouted, and then it seemed that all the Japanese also shouted.

Of course, the premise is that Daqing can persist for such a long time.

As for the transportation of food and other food, it has the lowest priority.

But they were all like hamsters trying their best to store food for the winter before winter arrived, and they continued to transport their troops, ordnance, etc. to Chaoshima.

Frankly speaking, this led to the dispersion of troops, which was not a very good tactic.

And although throughout August, there was not even any exchange of fire between the two sides.

The corrupt Daqing and Qingren are no longer qualified to occupy them.

They stated that their purpose of this war was to 'save Chaoshima from chaos forever', 'maintain overall peace in the East', and 'promote the glory of the empire at home and abroad'.

On the day when he led his army to set off, Shanxian Youpeng rode on a tall horse.

The amount of material required to mobilize and consume so many troops is staggering.

On the Daqing side, due to the strong military pressure from the Japanese side on Chao Dao, Li Zhongtang also took away almost all his family assets and desperately mobilized troops to the Chao Island.

Throughout August, no conflicts broke out between Daqing and the island country, either at sea or on the ground.

Because the army can be raised on the spot, or to put it more bluntly, it can be plundered from the government warehouses of Chaodao and the homes of the people of Chaodao.

Because of such a reason, warships and armies from France and China arrived in Mumbai to assemble.

Because of the variable of Xuan Ge Camp, in order to complete the battle plan as soon as possible, the number of Japanese troops on Chao Island this time was half that of the previous history.

On both sides of the road, there is a stretch of rice fields stretching to the horizon. After all, the Hanjiang Plain here is one of the few plains and a major grain-producing area in Chaodao.

Under each other's quarrels, a war affecting the structure of the entire Far East region will soon begin.

The First Army of the Island Country led by him included the Second, Third, and Fifth Divisions, plus part of the Sixth Division.

Fortunately, they were stationed in Pingchao City and had the advantages of terrain and fortifications. According to the experience of military leaders, the soldiers under their command hid behind the fortifications and fired their guns, so their fighting courage was pretty good.

On September 9st, the army of Japanese soldiers from the island country officially set off from Seoul and marched towards Pingchao City.

However, such an increase in military strength is not without cost.

Chaodao, a peninsula, has become the focus of the entire planet's attention.

In addition, there is Ping'an Road Observer Min Bingshi, who actively assists the Qing Army in fighting.

The commander of the island nation's army is none other than Shanxian Youpeng, a notorious old devil.

To the left and right around him were Imperial soldiers wearing Western-style military uniforms, carrying rifles and lining up in neat columns. Their faces showed the high morale of winning the first battle.

As the strength and scale of the entire expedition fleet and expeditionary force grew day by day, the attention suddenly became smaller.

However, everyone with a discerning eye can see that this battle that will decide the fate of Chaodao and even the two Guo Jia will not make everyone wait too long...

Only our island nation, the first civilized nation in the Far East, is qualified to occupy this piece of land; the island nation is on board, Your Majesty is on board~"

correct! The above 3.3 Japanese soldiers were divided into four groups to attack Pingchao City this time.

This means that the island country's already poor finances are being consumed at a much faster rate than in history; as long as this war lasts for three to five months, the island country's economy will collapse directly, leading to the failure of the war.

Upon seeing this, Shanxian couldn't help but shout:

"Warriors of the empire, the land of the mountainous Chao Island alone is already so fertile and rich, so Daqing, which occupies a vast continent, will definitely be much better than here.

This is because rice in Asashima can only be grown once a year.

When Shanxian looked towards the rice fields, there were only a few Chaoshima people with frightened expressions on their faces, kneeling respectfully on the field ridges and saluting the army.

It is a pity that the Daqing side first had Li Zhongtang as the main force, and formulated a combat policy of "defending the situation first, and then making progress".

Behind him is Ye Zhichao, Li Zhongtang's most trusted subordinate, who is showing cowardice and cowardice.

Originally, Zuo Baogui and other generals planned to take the initiative to defeat the Japanese attackers while they were on the march and before they had a firm foothold.

However, these actions and plans were constantly blocked by Ye Zhichao; they eventually led to the Japanese army and successfully completed the siege of Pingchao City...

******

On September 9, on the south bank of the Datong River, one of the three major lines of defense in Pingchao City.

A Shengjun camp officer wearing a five-cloud coat and a waist sword, who should be a garrison officer, stood on a stone and shouted:

"Brothers, the Japanese outposts have appeared dozens of miles away.

Marshal Ye said that everyone must repair the camp and fortifications. When the time comes, the little devils will fight, but they can only rely on these to save their lives.

After defeating the little devil, I will definitely ask the court and the Lord of the Central Hall for rewards, including official status and money. "

Ordinarily, there is nothing wrong with what the battalion officer said, and it still makes sense.

It is a pity that the soldiers of the Sheng army who were digging trenches with hoes, shovels and other farm tools in their hands were still powerlessly grinding the foreign workers.

In terms of efficiency, there is no change at all.

There was even a handsome man in his thirties who saw that the battalion officer did not notice him.

In the midst of the sound of "Bah~", after spitting heavily, he cursed in a low voice: "Xiu, I will repair your grandma's legs."

A man next to him heard this and quickly whispered:

"Zhao Youfu, please lower your voice. Zhang Yingguan is some kind of distant relative of Marshal Ye. If he really hears you, he will take you to the camp with arrows and give you a beating with a military stick."

Unexpectedly, when Zhao Youfu heard this, his face became even more angry.

On the contrary, his voice got louder, and he began to curse:

"Damn it! It's been three months since I arrived at this hellish place like Chaodao, but I've only been paid for one month. Occasionally, I want to find a half-opened door on Chaodao to have fun. None of the older ones are rich. They eat and drink only brown rice with pickles every day, and they still don’t feel full every time.

Is he Ye Zhichao? I hold a rabbit in my arms every day, smoke the best duck slices, eat delicious food and drink spicy food; if they really follow my military law, don't blame me for hitting them with black guns in the future. "

Such rebellious words were heard by many soldiers of the Sheng Army in the surrounding area.

It's just that after these people heard it, not only did no one object at all, but they showed an expression of approval as they should.

The reason why such situations occur is due to the limitations of this old-fashioned army.

Most of the soldiers join the army just to serve as soldiers to eat food, take money from others, and work hard for others. They don't have much or even no concept of family, country and nation in their hearts.

Each battalion of the Huai Army is like a private army of each military leader.

If the military leaders can share the joys and sorrows and take the lead bravely in battle, they will be able to display good combat effectiveness. This is almost the case with several battalion leaders under Nie Shicheng.

But it was Ye Zhichao, in such a situation where he was afraid of death and greedy for enjoyment.

It is extremely normal for the Shengjun soldiers under his command to have such a reaction.

Just when these soldiers of the Sheng Army were all lazily unable to work on anything, they worked hard for a long time to dig out a trench that was no more than knee-deep.

Suddenly I heard someone shouting in a voice full of surprise: "Shopkeeper Zhou is here, Shopkeeper Zhou is here~"

Afterwards, in this position, every one of the Sheng Army soldiers, including Zhao Youfu, seemed to be energetic.

To know! This Shopkeeper Zhou, among the more than 20,000 troops that Daqing entered the court, was as generous as Sai Mengchang.

Not only does he have a big business and plenty of money, but the key is his loyalty to others; as long as the brothers find him after encountering difficulties, there is almost no time when he is not busy.

Even if you don't beg him on weekdays, he will help everyone from time to time.

No! When Zhao Youfu followed the sound and looked over, he immediately saw behind him a number of islanders dressed in white, carrying large and small wooden barrels.

Even though they were far apart, the barrel was covered with cloth.

He could still smell some faint meaty aroma coming from it; he suddenly knew that today he could finally rely on Shopkeeper Zhou to have a meal and taste the meat.

Sure enough, after Shopkeeper Zhou came over, he talked and laughed with their Zhang Yingguan first.

Then, he said loudly to everyone: "Brothers, I, Zhou, am just a businessman, and I can't help you with things like fighting the Japanese.

Seeing that the Japanese troops were approaching, all I could do was get some food and drink and occasionally reward everyone.

Let everyone build up some strength and teach these short legs a lesson.

However, in the chaos of war, we really couldn't find anything good to eat in this poor place like Chaodao. We just made some fish soup, some bacon and steamed buns, and everyone made do with it. "

After hearing such a sentence, Zhao Youfu, who felt that there was no oil in his stomach, started drooling.

In the following time, the group ate steamed buns and bacon with fish soup, which was a great pleasure.

After eating half of the meal, Zhao Youfu thought of something and couldn't help but ask. It was a question that had been in his mind and that many Qingjun had been thinking for a long time:

"Shopkeeper Zhou, you don't have any military orders on you. You can go back to Daqing and live a peaceful life, so why do you want to stay in this ghost place with us miserable people?

Also, no matter how big your fortune is, you can't support your brothers in eating and drinking like this. What are you trying to do? "

After hearing such a sentence, Shopkeeper Zhou thought for a while and then said: "What are you trying to do? Of course it's just for fun.

I'm doing a good business in Chaodao, but when the little devil comes and everything is gone, I can't bear this tone.

As for what is silver? Silver is like a bastard, you can earn it after spending it; use it to exchange for some food, let the brothers fight the Japanese after they are full, it is worth it. "

After hearing what Shopkeeper Zhou said, Zhao Youfu and others suddenly realized.

I respect this generous and loyal man even more.

At the same time, he also made up his mind, since shopkeeper Zhou regards them Qiu Ba as human beings, they Qiu Ba are not just freeloaders.

If anything goes wrong during the battle in Pingchao City, as soon as I meet Shopkeeper Zhou, I will help him escape from this ghost place no matter what.

That's right! In the minds of these ordinary soldiers of the Huai Army, any notion of loyalty to the court, the emperor, or Lafayette was regarded as nonsense.

On the contrary, this ridiculous sense of loyalty is much easier to use...

The above shopkeeper Zhou is naturally the guy from Fenghuahui.

According to Hu Biao's order, in addition to delivering news, he and Han Jiang were also asked to find ways to win over as many Huai Army soldiers as possible to pave the way for subsequent plans.

It is only under the premise that there is no way or convenience to enlighten them about the nation and the country.

The helpless Feng Huahui and Han Jiang could only use this method of expressing loyalty and showing some kindness like Liangshan heroes.

In order to do this, they arranged for people to be here half a year ago to secretly store some grain, wine, meat and other supplies.

Facts have proved that the effect is quite good.

In the following time, Fenghuahui walked to many places with wine and meat; along the way, both the officers and ordinary soldiers of the Huai Army greeted him with a smile.

Even some people in Chaodao smiled sincerely at this reasonable Lord Shangguo.

The only regret is that after almost wandering around for a day.

He found that except for Nie Shicheng and Zuo Baogui, the soldiers under their command seemed to have decent morale and a certain degree of combat effectiveness.

The other battalions of the Huai Army really have something to say.

Thinking about it, Han Jiang, who also brought people and a lot of wine and meat to win over people's hearts today, should be in a similar situation to him.

Finally, in the evening, Fenghuahui returned to Pingchao City, in a temporary residence.

At this moment, Han Jiang, whose pseudonym was Wednesday, had already returned here; after seeing him, he hurried over and just whispered in his ear.

Fenghua Hui, who was in a good mood just a second ago, had the smile on his face frozen.

Because what Han Jiang said was: "I just received a telegram from home. One day ago, the Yinfa expedition fleet officially set off from Bombay.

The island country’s combined fleet also set off from the port two hours ago and should be ready to take action~"

Say it! According to the team’s understanding, the distance from Mumbai to the Strait of Malacca, the battlefield set up by Camp Xuange, is approximately 3100 nautical miles.

Due to the large number of merchant ships dragging down the Yinfa expedition fleet, it will take about eleven or two days to arrive.

This means that compared to the Battle of Dadonggou, we can reach the preset battlefield of the Strait of Malacca in three or four days at the latest.

This means that in the minds of everyone in the team, which one gives priority to concentrating the main force of the fleet and destroying the expedition fleet, or the last bit of disillusionment of the island nation's combined fleet.

Because if we deal with the combined fleet of the island countries first, we will not be able to catch up with the expeditionary fleet in Malacca.

Once they arrive in Surabaya City and blow up and destroy everything there, everyone will probably cry.

Not only are these assets the team has put a lot of effort into, but more importantly, these factories, engineers, skilled workers, etc. are the foundation for the rapid rise of flower growers in the future.

Therefore, Hu Biao could only use the worst-case scenario plan, and the Xuan Geying fleet divided three ships to participate in the Sino-Japanese War.

After thinking of this, Hanjiang and Fenghuahui instinctively looked in the direction of the Yellow Sea.

Because at this moment, in their ears, there seemed to be a roar that the modern plane had resounded and echoed on this sea for hundreds of years:

"At full power, hit Yoshino..."

(End of this chapter)