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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 191: Ultimatum

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    "When I first saw him, I felt that he was definitely not an ordinary rebel officer. Although he was dressed similarly to the four rebel soldiers who followed him, his heroic spirit and contempt for everything could not be concealed.  In my more than ten years of military service, I have met governors-general and generals from many countries, but none of them have the unique temperament of this man." Liszt wrote his "  In "Memoirs of a Time in China", he wrote about his impression of the first time he met the King of the West, although at the time he did not know that the man in front of him was the famous King of the West, the leader of the long-haired rebel bandit.

    Outside the low stone wall of the church, five Taiping cavalrymen reined in their horses. Opposite them were dozens of foreign soldiers hiding behind the low stone wall. Dozens of black muskets were pointed at the five cavalrymen, but  There was no trace of panic on the faces of these five cavalrymen.

    The leader, an ugly-looking man, raised the whip in his hand and laughed loudly: "Look at these foreign soldiers. With so many people coming to deal with us, it seems that the foreigners are only as courageous as this." The four cavalrymen behind him laughed together.  , they actually laughed in the face of dozens of elite mercenary soldiers.  

    Behind the gate of the low stone wall, Liszt and Barritt stood side by side. Like other mercenaries, they could not understand Chinese and had no idea what the five rebel cavalry were laughing at, but Liszt felt a strong sense of  He believed that the other soldiers also felt the provocation and disdain. Those impulsive Sikh soldiers stood up one after another, drew out the scimitars from their waists and made loud noises. They saw that their big millstones kept shaking, and their nostrils kept shaking.  With his curly beard, Lister knew that the last thing these Sikh soldiers could tolerate was the enemy's provocation.

    Lister immediately said to Barritt: "Let those Sikhs hold still. Even though there are only five rebel cavalry in front of us, as soon as we fire, thousands of rebels behind them will rush over and tear us apart."  .¡±

    Bartlett nodded and went over to stop the irritable Sikh soldiers.  After those Sikh soldiers said something to Barrit, Barrit quickly returned to Lister.

    At this moment, the big man who led the rebels shouted at the top of his voice: "Let your officers speak out!"

    His loud voice startled Barrit. He rubbed his ears and said to Lister: "Sergeant, those Sikh soldiers said they can silence the enemy with only swords and muskets."

    Liszt snorted contemptuously and said: "These country bumpkins don't even know who their enemies are. No wonder they can only fight behind our red shirts. Barritt, I think we need an interpreter. These few  Although the rebels are provoking us, it can be seen that they want to say something to us. Before the interpreter comes, you'd better ask the Sikhs to restrain themselves and not mess up the matter."

    Bartlett nodded and said, "Okay, sergeant." After saying that, he immediately called a messenger and asked him to return to the church to find an interpreter.  After that, he went over to suppress the Sikh soldiers.

    After a while, a man in his forties came out of the church.  He was wearing a long robe and a mandarin jacket.  Wearing a small round hat on his head and dragging his long braids, he trotted out after the messenger with the corners of his robe lifted, and he had a pair of eyes on the bridge of his nose, like a teacher.

    "The teacher came to Liszt and gave him a little hand. Liszt recognized this person as Li Shanlan, a scholar from the Huimohai Library in London.  He also nodded politely and said: "Sir, I want to know what these rebels are here for. You know that Lieutenant Harold authorized me to find out the purpose of the other party here. I hope you can accurately translate their words. I don't want to be blamed for communication.  The problem caused unnecessary casualties on both sides."

    Li Shanlan took out a square towel and wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Sir, don't worry, I will translate it truthfully." After speaking, he took a few steps forward and said loudly, "Generals riding outside, what are you doing here?  "

    The big man chuckled on his horse and said, "We are soldiers and horses of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Who are you?"

    Li Shanlan replied loudly: "I am a professor from Mohai Library. My surname is Li, and my twin names are Shanlan. Are your troops going to use the passage to pass through?"

    When the big man heard Li Shanlan's name, he got off his horse in surprise, took a few steps forward and laughed: "So you are Li Shanlan. I have been admiring your name for a long time." As he walked, he clasped his fists in salute, letting the foreign soldiers on both sides of the gate see him.  He approached and was very nervous for a moment. The guns were pointed at him, but the man acted as if he hadn't seen him. He walked to the wooden gate and said with a smile: "I am a small leader of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Chang  I heard our King of the West mention your name and say that you are the most knowledgeable scholar in China."

    Li Shanlan wiped the sweat from his forehead again. He didn't expect that the man in front of him was so courageous. In such a tense atmosphere, he could still chat and laugh. Li Shanlan smiled bitterly: "Thank you for your love, I don't dare to be among the most knowledgeable people."  Character."

    Li ?After listening to the two people talking non-stop, ??te asked quickly: "Mr. Li, what did he say?"

    Li Shanlan came back to his senses and translated the conversation just now. Liszt was a little surprised, but since the rebel officer in front of him respected Li Shanlan, things would be much easier to handle. Liszt urged Li Shanlan to ask the rebel officer  purpose of coming.

    Li Shanlan asked again. The rebel officer looked at the rank badge on Liszt's shoulder and arm, smiled faintly and said, "Can a sergeant say he can take care of things?"

    After listening to the translation, Liszt was slightly surprised. This seemingly rude man could actually understand the military rank armbands of the British Empire?  But he still said with restraint: "Our lieutenant has authorized me to be responsible for contacting your army. Please explain your purpose of coming."

    The big man chuckled and said: "It seems that the British missionaries Luo Weilin and Meadows have not returned to the church yet, so I will repeat what our King of the West said. Our Taiping Heavenly Kingdom army can promise not to attack the church, but the premise is  The armed personnel in the church must withdraw to the city, otherwise our army will definitely take action to ensure that the safety of my soldiers is not threatened. It is noon now, and you have half an hour to think about it. When the time is up, if you haven't  If we evacuate, we will launch an attack to clear out the armed men in the church. Sergeant, you don't have much time, so you'd better make a decision quickly."

    After listening to the translation, both Lister and Barritt were speechless. When had the Red Shirts ever suffered such a naked threat of force?  Sergeant Lister, with the dignity of a red-shirted soldier, immediately shouted angrily: "This is impossible. We soldiers of the British Empire will never accept such a humiliating threat!"

    The big man frowned and said strangely: "Are you soldiers of the British Empire? Aren't you mercenaries hired by the Manchu demons in the city with money? As far as I know, mercenaries do not take into account their own national interests.  In fact, there is no need to inform you mercenaries in advance at all. If we, the King of the West, don¡¯t want to damage the church, according to my temper, I will directly eliminate you. Anyway, you do not represent Britain, France, or the United States. You are just a group of people fighting for money.  Even if a robber dies in battle, he will not be recognized by his own country."

    Lister and Barritt looked at each other. They were indeed mercenaries employed by the Shanghai Yamen. Before leaving, Lord Wenhan also confessed that they only fought for money and did not represent the interests of the government. He could not imagine the mind of the rebel officer in front of him.  It is so clear that now they do not have the powerful backing of the British Empire. They can only be regarded as a group of mercenaries who are not recognized by the government.

    Liszt said with a livid face: "Please wait a moment, we will report to the lieutenant immediately."

    The big man smiled brightly and said: "No need, I just passed the ultimatum. There is no need to wait for your lieutenant's reply. Remember, you only have half an hour, which is the hour you said."

    Liszt was very angry. He wanted to teach the arrogant rebel officer in front of him a lesson. He immediately pulled Barritt and whispered: "Go and let those Sikh soldiers teach this bastard a lesson. It's best to fight with bare hands. Let him  You know how powerful we are.¡±

    Barritt made arrangements immediately. Liszt looked at the big man and said coldly: "You are also an officer. My soldiers want to fight you one-on-one. If you have chivalry, accept this challenge, otherwise  You are an arrogant coward!" At this time, the spirit of chivalry still existed in foreign society, and there was also a duel culture among people. In the eyes of the British, this was a very gentlemanly approach, but among the Chinese  It seems that this is a way for a hero to save face without having too many enemies.

    After hearing this, the big man smiled instead of being angry, pointed at Liszt and said: "Who will duel with me? You?"

    At this time, Barritt came over with three strong Sikh soldiers: "These five soldiers all want to fight you because you insulted their fighting spirit! You can choose any one to fight with you one on one.  Hand-to-hand duel!"

    The big man laughed and said: "One-on-one is a waste of time, let these three Indian Asans come together!"

    Li Shanlan didn¡¯t know how to translate the Indian Asan, so she could only say that three people should come together.  These Sikh people are martial in nature and cannot bear to be looked down upon. After hearing this, how can they bear it?  The three of them roared together, opened the wooden gate and rushed out.

    The big man struck quickly and fiercely. He did not use the fancy but useless skills of the Manchu soldiers. Instead, he stepped forward and kicked the first person in the lower abdomen. The person immediately fell to his knees in pain.  Unable to afford it, he grabbed another Sikh soldier's fist, threw him to the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw, and then twisted his arm to break the soldier's arm. The last Sikh soldier was still stunned.  , the big man had already hugged his neck, and his knees were on his stomach. For a moment, he felt an overwhelming pain in his stomach, and he knelt on the ground and vomited loudly.

    ?With only one meeting, three strong Sikh soldiers were put to the ground. Everyone could see that if this big man had a sword in his hand, these three people would have turned into corpses. Liszt could see that his martial arts were not  Fighting techniques used for duels, but concise killing techniques.

    While the foreign soldiers were still stunned, the big man got on his horse and laughed loudly: "Sergeant, you still have fifty minutes left. I hope you can exit the church, otherwise we will definitely attack!"  Under the watch of a group of foreign soldiers, the five cavalrymen left like the wind. Liszt and others looked on dumbfounded and were speechless for a long time.  (To be continued.)
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