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Volume 1: Fierce Battle in Changsha Chapter 586: Large Reconnaissance Team

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    Beitang was the first city occupied by the coalition forces after landing. The coalition forces paid special attention to it. The coalition headquarters paid enough attention to the robbery that occurred in the city. After all, there were a large number of reporters following the army, and neither the British nor the French commanders wanted it.  The glorious image of his own soldiers was recorded by the other side's reporters.

    Most of the thousands of Nanyang and Indian coolies who were mainly used to transport supplies were ruthless gangsters. Due to lax control, they robbed, killed and raped throughout the city. They committed all kinds of evil and committed atrocious crimes against the Qing people.

    In addition, when the British soldiers went out to find drinking water, they also found "strangled children and mutilated women" in some people's water tanks, with their heads on the ground and their feet in the air. It was probably because their families wanted them to avoid the horror of war and committed suicide.  of.  British Consul Parkes estimated that about forty or fifty women died in this way.  Regardless of whether they are willing or not, instead of being bullied by thieves, it is better for them to take poison, hang themselves, or jump into a river and die.  Ellison wrote angrily: "This has simply become a nightmare! In front of it, our poetic dreams of conquest and magical adventure are shattered."

    In addition to their habit of robbery, the coolies were also very strong smokers of opium.  For their health and their contribution, the British and French officers responsible for management always tried their best to prohibit them from smoking.  But the less they are allowed to smoke, the worse the situation becomes.  These coolies are completely controlled by a "magic poison pill" that makes them more difficult to manage once they lose their self-control.  The coalition forces had no other choice and simply let it go

    Regarding the use of Nanyang and Indian coolies by Britain and France, Count Lotour pointed out with regret: "The people in North China are very afraid of these coolies, and it is difficult for us to keep an eye on them. We cannot stop those regrettable scenes. I think it is necessary to bring these people into the army."  , it¡¯s really not worth the loss¡­¡±

    actually.  The coolies were not the only ones who robbed, the entire city of Beitang was looted by the coalition forces.  Some British soldiers behaved badly, but not as badly as the French soldiers, and the Allied Forces Command allowed them to do whatever they wanted.  In fact, everyone was excited to grab it!

    The British Consul in Shanghai, He He, even admitted that if French soldiers and coolies could be called the champions of robbery, then the British army.  The military and police non-commissioned officers responsible for maintaining military discipline are even worse!

    Colonel Armand of the French Army witnessed looters on both sides of the coalition and blamed them: "Our soldiers looted extremely hard. Although the artillery and light infantry basically did not participate, some also looted a little, and some started killing! And the coolies  , even madly robbed and captured the Sikh cavalry. Same! As for the British, they are notorious, but they are our masters. Wherever they pass, they don't even leave a nail head. The soldiers even robbed them of their clothes.  Wearing silk robes and official hats, they are walking around everywhere. Are you going to stop them? They have been away from home for so long, why not let them have a carnival! Besides, they finally found a pawn shop full of all kinds of items."

    Colonel Dupain accused the Sikh Punjabi Regiment of being a barbaric force.  As soon as they arrived, they invaded homes and rushed into shops.  Looting madly.  General Colino also confirmed that "Indian soldiers robbed shops, looted houses and raped women."  Many women escaped from the hands of the Indian soldiers and hid in the French barracks.  As soon as the French gunfire rang out, an Indian soldier was injured and fell to the ground.  On Chinese soil, the British and French allied forces conducted their first fire battle!  The matter was carefully covered up, and the coalition high command maintained restraint and silence.

    In Parkes' view, it was difficult to manage affairs well because of the presence of the French allies (referring to the occupation of Beitang, and generally referring to the principle of joint "expedition" itself).  He believed that as long as the British cooperated with them, it would be impossible to organize things well!  Parkes may have also been led away by feelings of hostility to France.

    Sir Elgin agreed with Parkes' view. In a letter to the country, he impatiently claimed that in view of what he had witnessed about the behavior of the French, a peace agreement must be reached as soon as possible after the capture of the Dagu Fort.  Regarding the French, he wrote: "I believe that they will still commit atrocities that will make us hated in every city and every village we enter. Of course, their behavior also makes it difficult for our troops to maintain strict discipline.  discipline."

    Therefore, the British and French blamed each other for the atrocities committed by the troops, and the British army first exposed the French army's looting.  In fact, neither side of the coalition realizes that this is just the beginning of friction. Two armies of different nationalities operating together have inherent shortcomings. This is also a huge hidden danger beyond the advantages of the coalition.

    The British and French allied forces' stay in Beitang was unbearable. It took several days to land soldiers, horses, artillery and military supplies, and the causeways and roads were built.  Henry Rowe, a British journalist accompanying the army, believed that the busy scene of the creek "can be compared with the Liverpool docks."  General Colino also pointed out that the British army had the best river bank and could easily transport men, horses and supplies to the land.

    French engineer Captain B¨¦ziat also saw it this way. He believed that the landing point left by the British army to the French army was far from the best.  "Obviously, the Allies have the largest and best share. They probably won't be upset when we see our defeat. They accept our help reluctantly and feel thatObtaining this kind of help will not benefit them much at this time, but will only have a more beneficial impact on France's future trade on the China Sea"

    On the other hand, Engineer Captain Bezia pointed out that the inconsistent command of the army and navy caused internal chaos in the French army and brought continuous conflicts to the extremely slow landing.  The 2,000 officers and soldiers who landed first did not have enough food, and the logistics could not keep up. The French soldiers had to loot everywhere in Beitang City. This seemed to be the only legal reason.

    The navy did not send supplies to the troops that had already landed, but only continued to transport other troops to land, making the situation more serious.  He explained that all the landing matters were completely out of order and there were no follow-up arrangements.  Objects were scattered everywhere on the river beach without anyone reminding them.  "Most of the people were running around and at a loss, and no one was responsible for this inexplicable chaos. The consequences are not difficult to predict. The real suffering of the soldiers is lack of food" It can be seen that the French army was  General Montauban was worried about the disadvantages of separate command of the naval forces, and it was not unnecessary.

    The coalition forces were going through a pain. The logistics staff officers did not learn from the Taiping Army's deployment and plan for landing in Guangzhou. In their view, it was very unsafe to transport a large amount of supplies ashore first, but the Chinese people have always believed in the famous saying about the art of war.  "The soldiers and horses have not yet moved the food and grass, so go ahead!"

    Beitang is actually a small town and is currently occupied.  How can it be accommodated, not to mention the unprecedented racial mix.  As Dr. Armand recorded: "The British army has auxiliary Indian Sikh cavalry, and the French army has North African Arab cavalry. There are also coolies and porters who transport or escort luggage and supplies. Such as Indian blacks, African blacks, and Malays  and Nanyang Chinese; there are also other mixed-race people, such as Manila Tagalogs, Spanish and Malay mixed-races, most of whom are used as auxiliary sailors by the Indo-Chinese Navy. They speak different languages, but they are doing the same thing  This is an extremely incredible thing."

    The chaos of the coalition forces may also be explained from another aspect, that is, there are big problems with language communication, but the coalition headquarters still uses the military rank system very well.  Both sides recognized each other's military rank, and lower-ranking soldiers, regardless of race or nationality, had to take orders from higher-ranking officers.  Although it's not perfect, it at least reduces a lot of unnecessary trouble.  It also brought certain benefits to the coordinated operations of the coalition forces.

    More than 4,000 mules and horses were temporarily locked up in the Beitang Fort, which was made of wood and mud and had a small space.  There is a serious fire hazard.  Fortunately, there was a spring rain and the fear was alleviated.  However, the whole city became like a "stinking garbage dump", people walked in mud pits, and the streets and alleys were really difficult to pass.  Furthermore, there was a serious water shortage, and the drinking water stored in the large tank was quickly used up.  So everyone in the coalition army had only one idea: to leave this garbage dump as soon as possible!  Especially in Lotour's memory.  Beitang is a "terrible and intolerable example"!

    "It's a pity that the more I want to escape, the slower I am. Landing is in progress."  The French delayed again.  The French army only had 7 gunboats used to transport soldiers ashore, while the British army had as many as 30.  When most of the British army's luggage and baggage had been transported ashore, the French army had only completed half of it Of course the British army offered to help.  After the naval transport capacity was solved, a new problem arose. The French army lacked mules and horses to transport.

    Although Beitang City was chaotic and crowded, the two commanders of the coalition forces did not delay military operations. On the day of landing, the coalition forces sent a reconnaissance brigade to find out the Qing army positions on the road leading to Dagu Fort (about 15 kilometers away from Beitang Town).  .  Although the Qing army in the Beitang area successfully captured it with the help of internal agents, Senggelinqin still deployed tight positions on the flanks of the Dagu Fort, with dense layers of barriers, trenches, and walls.

    After the investigation, both Montauban and Grant were shocked. They originally thought that once Beitang broke through, the flanks of the Dagukou Fort would be completely exposed. However, the results of the investigation were frustrating. The Qing army set up two flanks behind the Dagukou Fort.  Heavy troops and solid positions, which are extremely inconsistent with the intelligence that should have been sent by the Qing Dynasty.  The two commanders-in-chief of the coalition forces began to realize that the successful landing of the coalition forces in Beitang might be a conspiracy, but now the coalition forces could no longer return to the ship.

    Originally, according to intelligence from the Qing Dynasty, the coalition's intention was to capture the Dagu Fort first after landing in Beitang.  These forts commanded the Baihe River and the main road to Tianjin. From there, if necessary, you could go straight to Beijing.  But now everything must be redeployed. The coalition commander is not optimistic about storming the Qing army positions in the Dagukou Fort. Although the Qing army's individual firepower is very primitive, the large-caliber artillery on the fort can threaten the attacking infantry and cavalry.  .

    The French believed that if they could not suppress the firepower of the fort, it would be a disaster for the attack, but the stubborn British proposed to conduct a reconnaissance test attack first. At least they must know how many artillery on the fort will threaten them.

    After quarrels and compromises, it was decided to send out a reconnaissance team. This joint reconnaissance team was very powerful, consisting of more than a thousand infantrymen from both sides, and was directly under the command of Generals Sutton and Colino.??.  This is no longer a reconnaissance force but a pure light infantry attack force.

    The reconnaissance team began their reconnaissance operations on the seventh day after landing in Beitang. The loose infantry line marched on a 7-meter-wide river causeway that passed through swamps and mud ponds and was paved with stone but was extremely muddy. Soon they met a clearing force.  Encounter with the military sentry cavalry team.  After a contest between long-range rifled muskets and primitive bows and arrows, the Qing cavalry lost more than fifty knights, and the remaining Qing cavalry retreated to a position with a battlement wall to take shelter.

    Then the coalition reconnaissance team approached this position. When General Colino commanded the artillery, a burst of gunfire suddenly sounded. This is a musket mounted on a tripod and controlled by three soldiers. It can eject large particles to 800  meters away.  The sudden blow injured eight British and French scouts each, but fortunately no one was killed.

    When General Colino began to order the artillery to fight back, the roar of artillery from behind the Qing army's position came as promised. The huge bouncing shells hit the soldiers hard, and the huge kinetic energy plowed a bloody path in the crowd.

    General Colino suddenly realized something, and he roared: "Everyone spread out and retreat immediately! The Qing people have already calibrated the artillery range! They have already aimed at us!" (To be continued, please search Piao Tian Literature  , the novel is better and updated faster!
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