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Volume 3: The Wind Rises in the South Chapter 62 Chapter 62: Internal Conflict

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    When Gulson walked out and Duncan was the only one left in the tent, Duncan's face became solemn. As a professional officer who has been in Myanmar for many years and personally participated in the construction of the new army, he is one of the very few who can  The Burmese soldiers at that time had an objective and in-depth understanding of Westerners.  Duncan knew very well that the vast majority of Burmese soldiers were farmers before joining the army, and 99% were illiterate. Like most farmers in the world at that time, they were slow, ignorant, short-sighted, undisciplined, and in most cases  Still timid at the time.  The method of turning them into obedient soldiers and forming a unit was the same as King Frederick the Great treated his Prussian soldiers: using strict discipline to restrain them, and then using sticks and whips to eliminate any signs of it.  , giving officers unlimited power, allowing them to treat soldiers like prisoners, until the soldiers become machines without their own minds and thoughts, relying entirely on conditioned reflexes to fight.  Of course, it is impossible to expect that such an army can fight in the form of skirmishers, be able to attack proactively, and be able to repel enemies who attack resolutely with bayonet charges. But at least it can advance in an orderly line and destroy the enemy's organization with violent volleys of guns.  Duncan decided that was enough.  But what made Duncan better than most other colonial officers was that he also recognized another side of the Burmese soldiers. These people were simple and strong, accustomed to the hard life of farmers, with a little grain and salt, plus three pence a month.  They can be satisfied by paying low military salaries; they are familiar with the local geography and climate conditions; they have an instinctive respect for their noble-born officers and are used to obeying orders without compromise; if they are given the opportunity to learn new knowledge, these seemingly  Very stupid people often surprise their arrogant teachers.  Sometimes Duncan feels that most Burmese soldiers are not as stupid as they appear. The main reason why they pretend to be like this is because thousands of years of experience tell them that acting stupid will avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble. Those novel things may  It will bring them some benefits in a short period of time, but in the final analysis, the noble gentlemen will always take away the extra benefits, and the gentlemen will not like farmers who act too "smart".  Then why should I risk being "smart" for that little benefit?  As for the timidity of the soldiers, it was mainly caused by the incredible greed and stupidity of the nobles. They made a mess of the army's logistics and did not even spare the small piece of land in the soldiers' homes.  If taken individually, Burmese soldiers are at least no more timid than soldiers of any nation in the world. This is what they have proven in the first and second Anglo-Burmese wars. In those two wars, the Burmese army  The soldiers showed an amazing spirit of sacrifice. Many calmly faced their inevitable fate and fought until the last moment of their lives.  If this ambush was not an accident, it would not be good news for the invading British troops, because it marked a change in the way the Burmese army fought. Their officers were no longer stupid and greedy.  The aristocratic gentlemen have begun to learn to proactively use all their advantages to fight against the enemy.  After all, no matter how good the equipment of the British Army is and how excellent the officers are, the long distance determines that the British Army will always be a minority in Myanmar. Their resources are extremely limited, and the loss of every bit of personnel and weapons will last for a long time.  It is irreparable in time.  In the process of fighting, Myanmar's mountains, rivers, lakes, and even every tree and every crop will become allies of the Burmese. In such a war of attrition, the cost of the British's final victory is very staggering. Perhaps  Still unacceptable in London.  "So is this just an accident or a representative beginning?" Duncan murmured to himself. He walked back and forth in the tent a few times, and finally stopped: "I should first learn as much as possible about what happened in Bagan City before.  Everything, understand the situation of Shunjun near Bagan, and then make the right decision!" Just as Duncan was thinking about the next step in the tent, Chen Zaixing was also faced with a difficult decision.  What triggered all this was a letter from Mandalay. The content of this letter was very simple. There were only twelve words on it: "The early state power has arrived in Mandalay. I hope you can return soon!" "The early state power has arrived in Mandalay."  Arrive at Mandalay? Didn't I already write to my mentor to delay his journey to the country? Did he enter Myanmar alone? What was the situation in Mandalay before I left?  Why can't Kong Zhang cope with the arrangement? The letter is so simple. Could it be that Kong Zhang has been controlled?" Chen Zaixing sat at the table, with questions popping up in his mind, but he didn't even have an answer.  .  "Resurrection! Resurrection!" Batu's voice came from outside the house. Chen Zaixing hurriedly hid the letter. At this juncture, he did not want to leak the news and cause any mishaps.  At this time, Batu had already walked into the room and shouted: "Resurrection, the British vanguard is here!" "?Chinese?  "Chen Zaixing frowned and stood up. It seems that trouble also likes to gather in groups. "Exactly, according to the news sent by the monastery that surrendered to us, the British are in the river twelve kilometers away from Bagan.  There were about a thousand people on the shore and began to build camps and trestles.  Their gunboats began to patrol the river. I have ordered our three small gunboats not to leave the port casually to avoid conflict with the British. After all, our sailors are not as good as them.  "Speaking of this, Batu's face showed a gloating smile: "Resurrection, let me tell you another good news. Just yesterday, the British patrol was ambushed. I heard that many people died, including the leader.  The officers are dead!  The ambushers stripped all the bodies of the British who were killed. The ambush point was on the road leading to Bagan City. Many locals in Myanmar saw it!  " "Ambush?  Chen Zaixing, who was a little confused, asked: "Who did it?"  Isn¡¯t it our army?  "    "of course not!  Batu replied decisively: "Most of the troops are in the camp, and a small number of troops are also north of Bagan city. How could they ambush them so far south of Bagan."  "At this point, Batu's expression became a little strange: "According to Burmese peasant legends, the people who ambushed the British were local mobs. They set up an ambush beside the road and ambushed about a company of British troops.  More than two-thirds of the enemies were killed!  " "Is it a mistake?  "Chen Zaixing had an incredible look on his face: "How powerful are those mobs?  " "I don't think it's possible either!  Batu nodded and expressed his agreement with Chen Zaixing's view: "This is a field battle, not hiding behind fortifications. If the British launch a hand-to-hand attack, even the Burmese army, which is three times their size, can be easily defeated. The rest is  Chased.  I have sent a few capable soldiers to the battlefield. When they come back, they will understand what is going on!  "    "Um!  "Chen Zaixing nodded instinctively, as if he was distracted. Batu on the side didn't notice, and kept talking excitedly. After a while, he realized that the other party was in a strange state, and asked in a low voice: "Resurrection,  What¡¯s wrong with you?  "    "fine!  Chen Zaixing was stunned, and hurriedly concealed his smile and said: "I just heard you say that the British army was ambushed. I was thinking about what we should do in the next move, but I got distracted. Zhenwu, forgive me!"  " "Resurrection!  Batu's face became solemn: "Since the British have sent troops, there will be a battle sooner or later. There are only more than two thousand people here. How can we defeat it? We should write a letter back to the country and urge Mr. Zao to enter as soon as possible."  Myanmar, let¡¯s all work together and deal with the British first!  " "Brother Zhenwu said it is true!  Chen Zaixing's face remained as usual, but he was secretly angry: "It was obviously you and me who risked our heads to conquer this piece of property, but now you have to hand it over to that early state power. You don't care, but I have worked hard for half my life."  We have already lost it all here, how can we watch it go to waste?  Seeing that Chen Zaixing did not express any objection, Batu immediately showed a smile on his face: "I originally thought that you would object to my doing this. After all, you have paid the most to enter Myanmar this time -" "No need to say more!"  I'm not ignorant!  "Chen Zaixing interrupted Batu: "The situation is critical right now, state affairs are top priority, and I can still distinguish the priorities!  "    "well!  I feel relieved when you say this to Fu Sheng. Together we can make Dashun as stable as a mountain in Myanmar!  "Batu waved his arms excitedly. "Brother Zhenwu said exactly what he said!  Chen Zaixing responded with a smile, but his heart was cold: "It seems that this person is not the same person as me!"  " A while later, Chen Zaixing sat alone in the room, his face as pale as water. He had never felt so isolated and helpless as he did now: there were British forces in front of him, and behind him, there were early state powers who had official positions and seniority far above him to seize power.  , but Batu next to him is not trustworthy. Chen Zaixing simply feels that there are countless pairs of malicious eyes around him, looking at him. As long as he shows a slight flaw, countless enemies will pounce on him and tear him apart.  It felt terrible to be surrounded by powerful enemies but unable to do anything. He suddenly grabbed an ivory pen holder on the table and threw it to the ground. The exquisite pen holder groaned and cracked into a long strip.  Long cracks ¡°What to do?  what to do?  "Chen Zaixing stared at the ivory pen holder on the ground, as if that was the difficulty in front of him. There are too few trustworthy chess pieces in his hand. Is it possible to just watch the foundation he built with great difficulty be married to others?  Clothes? Chen Zaixing shook his head, ¡°Mandalay, I must go back to Mandalay immediately!  Chen Zaixing said to himself: "Yes, there is no point in staying here. That is your battlefield!"  "Chen Zaixing walked out of the house fiercely. As soon as he took a step, he suddenly felt a pain in his foot. When he lowered his head, he saw that it was theThe ivory pen holder had been trampled on by himself. He snorted coldly and used force under his feet to crush the pen holder.  "What? Are you going back to Mandalay immediately after resurrection?" Batu opened his eyes in surprise.  , "That's right! Mr. Zao is a superior appointed by the imperial court. When we arrive in Mandalay, you and I are both members of the Burmese Protector's Office, so we have to pay a visit. If you want to lead troops here, you won't be able to leave. If even I can't leave,  It doesn¡¯t make sense if you don¡¯t go there, right?¡±
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