Add Bookmark | Recommend this book | Back to the book page | My bookshelf | Mobile Reading

Free Web Novel,Novel online - All in oicq.net -> Historic -> Xinshun Steel Century

Volume Three: The Wind Rises in the Southern Kingdom Chapter 92 Mutiny

Previous page        Return to Catalog        Next page

    British Army Command.  Major Duncan was sitting at the dining table. Today's main course was grilled medium-rare beef ribs and mashed potatoes. The tempting aroma of the food made him feel very happy at this time.  "It's a pity that there is no beer from my hometown, otherwise it would be perfect!" Duncan took a sip of rum and smacked his lips with a little regret.  "Major, major!" A voice interrupted Duncan's good mood during the meal, and a panicked officer ran in.  "What's going on!" Duncan pulled off his napkin in an upset mood and threw it aside. Those veterans who had served under him for many years were not timid even if they faced thousands of barbarians brandishing knives and guns, but if they saw him  This look will make your legs tremble with fear.  "No, the Indian soldiers mutinied!" the officer replied hastily.  "What? Mutiny, what on earth is going on!" Duncan stepped forward angrily and shouted: "Did that bastard deprive these soldiers of their food and pay again? Don't they know that there is a war now? I'm not  Have you ordered the food that Old Tom got to be distributed quickly? " "No, that's not the reason. The food was indeed distributed, but Lieutenant Taylor, who was in charge of logistics, did not notice that the religious beliefs of the Indian soldiers conflicted with eating beef.  "The result -" "Damn it!" Duncan scolded: "Why don't these young men from London even know what his soldiers eat and wear? The result is that the lieutenant changed the food?"  The lieutenant ordered that any soldier must eat the same food or not eat at all! "Idiot, has he forgotten the reason for the riot in 1857? "Bring me my belt!" Duncan stood up suddenly.  Come, take the belt sent by the orderly, tighten the belt, and say loudly: "I hope it's not too late. It's really hard for a civilized person to understand that these barbarians actually care more about the meat they eat than whether they have it or not."  It's much more important!" Just as Duncan picked up his pistol and tightened his belt, he heard a burst of gunfire. He couldn't help but sigh: "It seems we can't make it in time!" The soldiers of the Shun Army behind the trenches and parapets in the Shun Army camp.  They listened to the shouts and gunshots coming from the enemy camp with confusion, and soon the soldiers began to whisper among themselves.  "There are gunshots over there from the barbarians. It sounds like they are not coming towards us. What's going on?" "Reinforcements must be the arrival of the domestic army!" "Yes, the domestic reinforcements have arrived. Let's cooperate inside and outside to kill.  Go out and give the barbarians a good look!¡± The atmosphere among the soldiers of the Shun Army was very lively. For most of them, the days since being surrounded by enemy troops were not easy, although the fierce fighting like the first day never happened again.  However, sporadic shooting, shelling, digging tunnels, and sudden attacks by Hale rockets never stopped.  More than two thousand people stayed in a small area of ??less than three square kilometers in total. Although there was no shortage of food and drinking water, digging trenches, shooting, and staying in the muddy and wet trenches were mentally and physically difficult.  It was a heavy consumption, and the soldiers of the Shun Army were already in a very exhausted state. Naturally everyone became excited when they suddenly received such news.  An officer on inspection came over and saw the soldiers gathered in a group. He scolded, "No matter what the noise, be careful. Don't you know the military law?" A veteran sang a fat promise and said with a smile: "Sir,  Listen, there are gunshots coming from the barbarian side. Everyone is wondering if the army from the country has arrived to relieve the siege, and they are discussing how to fight out. "The officer didn't bother to scold the soldiers at this time, and hurried to the parapet.  After listening carefully for a while, sure enough, with the river wind, the gunfire and shouts from the enemy's position became more and more clear.  He turned his head in confusion: "There were indeed gunshots, but it didn't look like a domestic army. Think about it, if a domestic army came over, they should have brought cannons. Why are there only gunshots now, not even a single cannon?"  There was no sound? Besides, the gunshots were too sporadic. It didn¡¯t look like the two armies were at war, but more like a mutiny.¡± When the soldiers heard this, they thought it was right. The veteran advised carefully: ¡°Sir,  Regardless of whether it was a mutiny or the arrival of reinforcements, the soldiers followed the officers and followed the wind. It was right for us to report it. " "That's right!" The officer patted the veteran on the shoulder: "You old guy, this is it.  His age is not in vain, he has some knowledge!¡± In the Shun Army headquarters, Batu¡¯s face was stern. He had already obtained unusual information about the British army on the opposite side, but as a frontline commander, he knew much more.  Therefore, he was not as optimistic as ordinary soldiers, thinking that this was the arrival of domestic reinforcements. After all, he knew very well how many letters Chen Zaixing wrote to his advisor Wu Hanmin to prevent Zao Guoquan from leading troops into Myanmar in order to fight for power. Here,  Under such circumstances, no matter how great the early state power is,Patience, it is difficult to lead enough troops into Myanmar so quickly, let alone to the front line. After all, Wu Hanmin is the military envoy of Yunnan and Guizhou, and the army's entry into Myanmar is inseparable from his strong cooperation. Is this the British plan?  trick?  "My lord, my lord?" A voice interrupted Batu's thoughts. He raised his head and saw Zhang Qizheng looking at him with worried eyes. Only then did Batu feel that he had lost his composure and hurriedly coughed,  Covering up his embarrassment just now: "Master Zhang, please tell me what you think." "Sir, since the British are in trouble, it is a good opportunity for our army. Even to boost the morale of the soldiers, we should send troops to counterattack."  Batu nodded slightly. The two armies have been at a stalemate for more than twenty days. Although the Shun army has no worries about supplies, they have been squatting in the trenches and being beaten passively. This will do great harm to the morale of the soldiers, not to mention the long-term defense.  lose.  Now that there is a turning point, dispatching a small number of troops to launch a counterattack and finding the enemy's weaknesses is the correct way of warfare.  It's just that both sides have now completed their defense systems with trenches as the main body. In the era of breech-loading guns, the side that took the initiative to attack had to make considerable sacrifices.  Batu was about to ask, but Zhang Qi had already said, "Sir, if I agree, I would like to be the first to board." Batu was stunned when he heard the words, and then saw Zhang Qi's eager eyes, and immediately understood what the other party meant.  I want to repay the great favor of my promotion with my own life.  Batu stood up, bowed his hands and saluted Zhang Qi: "Everyone present can testify that if something happens to Mr. Zhang this time, Mr. Zhang's son will be the son of Batu. If Batu also died in this battle,  If there is anyone here who can go back, please report to the court for me. I can¡¯t bury Sir Zhang¡¯s achievements!¡±  There is no need to thank me. I am a warrior who has already promised my country. In ancient times, generals went to war and were ordered by the king to go out without caring about their homes and go into battle regardless of their own lives. Since you can do it, I can't bury you!"  The position was already in chaos. Groups of Indian soldiers shouted slogans and waved their weapons. Some even shot in the air and retreated to the back of the position, while the pale British officers  He commanded the company and British soldiers who had not yet mutinied, and tried his best to intercept the mutinous soldiers.  At this time, there was a sound of horse hoofbeats. When several hesitant British officers saw the coming person, they shouted in surprise: "Great, Major Duncan is here!" Duncan reined in his horse and jumped off the horse quickly.  He came down and walked forward quickly. An officer with a beautiful Prussian beard quickly came up and shouted: "Major, I beg you to hand over the Scottish battalion in the barracks to me. I only need  Twenty minutes, no, fifteen minutes can restore order to these hateful slaves!" Duncan suddenly stopped, stared at the British officer, and asked: "Lieutenant Taylor, what if these so-called slaves are like that?  If they refuse your request, what will you do?" "Then I will order bayonet and shooting. This will make them wake up and know who is the master and who is the servant!" "That's enough!  "Duncan suddenly interrupted Lieutenant Taylor: "Come here, take off Lieutenant Taylor's sword and gun. I have decided to temporarily suspend his authority." "Lieutenant Taylor was stunned by Duncan's sudden decision.  , he opened his eyes and shouted loudly: "No, Major, you can't do this!  "No, I have the right to do that!" Duncan retorted loudly: "The only thing I did wrong was not to take off your uniform and kick you in the ass before you idiot screwed everything up.  Let's go back to Calcutta. Bayonet and shoot? Do you want to provoke mutiny in the remaining battalions that have not yet caused trouble? Lieutenant Taylor, you are not facing your Indian steward.  Soldiers holding rifles with bayonets." When Duncan said this, he turned to the sergeant behind him and shouted: "Didn't you hear my order? Execute the order-" The sergeants behind Duncan were in a hurry.  Stepping forward, Lieutenant Taylor's well-maintained white face was already red with anger. He angrily pulled out his saber, broke it severely on his knee, took out his pistol and threw it on the ground, shouting: "Mr. Duncan  "You will pay for your rude behavior today!" Duncan replied calmly: "I am ready to pay the price. It is better than being killed by bullets from the Chinese or mutinous soldiers. You can go down now, Taylor."  Lieutenant!" Taylor gave Duncan a sharp look and passed him by.  Duncan didn't bother to look back. For this noble young lieutenant who was as beautiful as a brand new five shilling silver coin, the only feelings he felt in his heart at this time were contempt and hatred.  "Soldiers, soldiers!" Duncan walked up to the mutinous soldiers and shouted: "Quiet, be quiet, I have something to say!"  The pace of the mutinous soldiers slowed down a little, and then someone in the crowd shouted loudly: "What's there to say? In the eyes of you British, we Punjabis are just a bunch of beasts!" "No!"  Duncan loudly replied in Punjabi. He had served in India for many years and could speak some simple local languages: "Punjabi people are warriors, I have experienced it myself!" Duncan's words made the mutinous soldiers quiet down. Duncan was secretly happy, and he shouted loudly  Said: "Soldiers must obey orders. This is a war. As your commander, I now order you to return to your posts immediately and prepare to fight!" A voice suddenly burst out from the crowd: "No, Lieutenant Taylor has openly insulted us.  He must be punished for his beliefs. The Punjabis will never fight for heretics and tyrants!" "This!" Duncan was stunned for a moment and shouted: "Lieutenant Taylor has been punished and his saber has been confiscated.  Duty!" "No, this is not enough. We have to punish him according to the laws of the Sikhs!" A layer of cold sweat immediately broke out on Duncan's forehead. It was naturally impossible for him to accept the request of the mutinous soldier, let alone  This young nobleman had deep connections in Calcutta and even London. Even an ordinary British soldier himself would never be handed over to the mutinous soldiers at this time, otherwise he would not be able to escape the trial of a military court after he returned.  While Duncan was hesitating, the mutinous soldiers could no longer bear it and rushed over.  The mutiny soldiers chanted the slogan "Mudeji" (a famous battlefield of the Sikh War) rhythmically and waved their weapons. Facing the turbulent flow of people, the attitude of the Indian soldiers who did not participate in the mutiny became more and more hesitant.  , suddenly a Punjabi soldier with a black cloth turban ran into the middle of the two armies and shouted loudly: "Lions of the Punjab, have you forgotten the honor of Mudji and Gilijanwala?" The soldiers on the opposite side were slightly stunned.  After a moment of silence, someone suddenly responded loudly: "As long as the water of the sacred Ganges does not flow back, we will never forget it!" The soldiers on both sides burst into cheers. The soldiers rushed towards each other and hugged each other.  Kissing each other's cheeks and lips as if they were brothers separated for a long time.  "It's over, everything is over!" Duncan's rosy cheeks had turned pale at this time. He knew very well that the siege of Shun Army had failed, which also meant that his military career in Myanmar was also over. Waiting  What bothers him is a dishonorable retirement and an embarrassing retirement career.  "Major, we still have four Scottish battalions, we can still take a gamble!" A pale-faced British officer said loudly. He was referring to the four Scottish battalions that had just arrived from Yangon. They had never been there.  Enter into battle and be deployed behind the front line to serve as the dual mission of the reserve team and the battle supervising team.  "No, it's too late. Our enemy won't be so imbecile that he can't even seize such a good opportunity!" As if to confirm Duncan's words, a burst of gunfire rang out from the left end of the position, which was very close to the river bend, China  It was easy for the men to use their gunboats to attack the British positions.  "Order the four Scottish battalions to retreat. The target is the village of Mok, and have the surface squadron retreat there as well. From there we can board the ship and retreat to Yangon!" Duncan calmly ordered: "Also, don't forget  Burn the ammunition in the warehouse. I don't want to leave these intact to the Chinese!" "Mr. Major, where are the other Indian companies?" A British officer said.  Baba asked.  "You're right!" Duncan jumped on the horse: "The Scottish battalion will go ahead for thirty minutes. We will give you a signal when we set off. Then you will take the other Indian battalions that are still controllable. You can move along  The squadron will do its best to cover you during the riverside operation. I'm sorry, but I have to ensure the safety of our compatriots first!" Half an hour later, Duncan rode his horse slowly along the road to the southwest. Beside him was  A large group of Scots Fusiliers in plaid aprons.  Behind him, the midday sun scorched the earth, causing patches of smoke and dust to rise from the ground, blocking people's sight.  Bursts of gunfire and shouts were mixed together, and violent explosions were heard from time to time. It was the British troops behind them who were blowing up excess ammunition and materials to prevent them from falling into the hands of the Chinese.  He never imagined that the incident started by the mutiny he instigated would end in such a ridiculous ending.  At this time, he suddenly remembered something Gillings had said to him in the past: "Duncan, sometimes I feel that this world is dominated by demons. Otherwise, how could so many ridiculous things happen?" Duncan's  A wry smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he murmured to himself in a low voice: "You are right, Mr. Gillings, this world is indeed ruled by a son-of-a-bitch devil.Killed!  ¡± The number of recommendation votes has dropped sharply in the past few days, and Weber is in tears. He is about to get his ass fucked by the next few authors. Please support!
Didn't finish reading? Add this book to your favoritesI'm a member and bookmarked this chapterCopy the address of this book and recommend it to your friends for pointsChapter error? Click here to report