Of course, the French are not to be frightened. They still have nearly 100,000 troops in Nanqi. If they rush over, such a force would be enough to sweep through Asia. In the Napoleonic era, it would have been enough to sweep across Europe. This little threat is
The arrogant French will definitely not surrender. Besides, negotiations must be backed by force in the final analysis, otherwise it will become a comical performance. Without the backing of force, those so-called diplomats who are all-inclusive will not be able to do anything in the international arena.
The stage is just a clown providing entertainment, just like former Prime Minister Lee who just stepped down and Duke Lee's original role in history.
So just after Delcasay rejected Zhang Quan's contract draft, Emperor Yang immediately showed his minions. The three army divisions that had completed their assembly on the north bank of the Bajiang River officially began to attack the French, one by one.
The 55mm heavy artillery shattered the Vietnamese sky that had gradually become silent with its earth-shattering roar, shattering the naive illusions of the French. Under the cover of the sky-blocking artillery fire, 50,000 Chinese soldiers in green camouflage,
Carrying rubber boats one by one, they rushed towards the rapid river ahead.
The French have built a complete defense system on the south bank, ranging from trenches and barbed wire to reinforced concrete bunkers. A total of 30,000 French troops with countless machine guns and artillery are blocking this line of defense, waiting for the arrival of the enemy. I just returned from the coffee in Paris.
The soldiers who walked out of the museum were high-spirited and vowed to use their steel guns to defend the dignity of the French Republic.
Not to mention that there are too many lines of defense, it is still very promising to stop the Chinese for half a year. As long as the war drags on, casualties and material consumption will naturally make the always shrewd emperor clear his mind. It is a pity that he forgot that this place is close to
The sea was too close. Just as the French soldiers were hiding in trenches and bunkers, waiting to massacre the Chinese soldiers with machine guns, a seaplane flew over their heads, and then four terrifying giant ships appeared on the sea.
The four Kunlun ships, which came specifically to provide fire support to the army, used their 280 and 240 cannons to instantly shatter the governor's dream. Amidst the horrified screams of the French soldiers,
Cannonballs weighing hundreds of kilograms pierced the sky, and then hit their heads like falling meteors.
In the earth-shattering explosion, everything on the French position was shattered to pieces. Whether it was the trenches on the soft Vietnamese soil or the reinforced concrete fortresses they thought were strong, they all turned into a pitiful joke in front of the guns of the sea battleships.
In front of this violent and destructive force, he was instantly shattered to pieces. Of course, the soldiers inside were also shattered to pieces.
Those poor French soldiers, even in their nightmares, had never experienced such a horrific scene. They saw that the positions that once gave them confidence were instantly leveled, and their familiar comrades instantly turned into pieces of splattered flesh and blood, and even
Even those who were not killed died in strange ways with bleeding from their orifices. These soldiers who came from the distant and peaceful Europe to this foreign land thousands of miles away collapsed without hesitation. No one wanted to defend anything.
Position, and no one will think about honor anymore.
"Assholes, come back, you cowards. Stick to your posts and stick to your honor!" Outside a reinforced concrete command post, General Joffre, the French brigade commander, brandished his saber and roared at the defeated soldiers.
It's a pity that no one paid attention to him at this time. These poor young men were forced to face the main guns of the battleship for the first time on the battlefield, and it was too difficult for them to maintain their courage. Many soldiers saw the shattered bodies of their comrades. The situation was so tragic that I was so scared that I peed my pants, but I still stayed at my post. This was not about defending my country. The Vietnamese were looking at me with hatred behind the strong enemy in front. The glory and dreams of France were so illusory here.
As more and more soldiers fled their positions, even officers began to join the fleeing ranks. When the first batch of Chinese soldiers in rubber boats crossed the Bajiang River, even those outside the coverage of naval guns upstream The French army began to rout. In this situation, even General Joffre, who was famous for his tenacity, lost the courage to persist. Besides, all his men were almost gone, and he was still holding on. This man who was originally in history Later, the French marshal hurriedly climbed onto his horse and fled upriver for his life!
"Soldiers who have never been on the battlefield cannot do it. The best way to train soldiers is war. Of course, it cannot be done on a too large scale. A small-scale fight every one or two years not only exercises the army but also promotes the economy. It can improve military technology and plunder some things to subsidize the people. It can be said to be a hugely profitable business. So don't listen to those rotten scholars who talk about militarism every day. What is the purpose of raising an army? Isn't it just for fighting?" A hillside on the north bank of the Bajiang River. Above, the commander of the Second Army, Nie Shicheng, held up his telescope and looked at the catastrophic rout of the French army on the south bank, and taught earnestly to the young officers around him.
It is true that many people have criticized the government for being militaristic in recent years. There is almost no year without a war. Although the scale is not large, and each war can make a lot of money, but this style of bullying the weak every day is, after all, It is despised by saints. Those old scholars in the liberal arts academy dare not criticize the emperor, but they are still very courageous in criticizing Li Hongzhang and Xue Fucheng.
The Bajiang defense line, which the French had high hopes for, was broken through in less than one morning. When the news reached Singapore, the smile on Zhang Quan's face became even brighter.
"Your Excellency, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as far as I know, five thousand more soldiers of your country have just been laid to rest on the soil of Vietnam. Are the lives of the French people so worthless that they can allow their own government to be usedlessly in an unjust war of aggression?" Land consumption?" At the dinner of the Governor of Singapore, he raised his glass and said to Delcasay.
"For the sake of dignity and honor, French soldiers are not afraid of sacrifice. They are willing to use their lives to defend the sanctity of the contract. As for justice or not, do you think it is justice for the Vietnamese royal family to break the contract?" Delcasay said expressionlessly.
The Bajiang defense line was subsequently lost, but strictly speaking, this was not a fatal blow to the French. Although behind this line of defense were Nha Trang and Cam Ranh Bay, these two strategic locations were surrounded by mountains and the French army had already Rebuilding the defense line in the mountainous area. The main reason for the fall of Bajiang was that the Chinese navy's naval guns were too powerful. However, these naval guns were useless in the mountainous areas. The battle had to rely on the soldiers to fight with real swords and guns. At this point, the French Still very confident.
"Well, in that case, I can only mourn for those poor boys. Ah, I forgot to tell you that our navy has decided to send fifty more torpedo boats and ten minesweepers to Vietnam. I hope you will The navy and the army have the same spirit of sacrifice." Zhang Quan said with a smile. He was not interested in discussing issues of justice or injustice. Those are all things to deceive children. There is no such thing as justice or evil or interests in this world. That's true.
Delcasay's initial worries have become a reality. Fifty torpedo boats drawn from major coastal defense fortresses in the south are sailing to Kampong Som Bay. These small boats with a displacement of only a few dozen tons have a high speed of close to forty knots.
And it adopts a fully enclosed design, which looks very sci-fi, like barracudas on the sea, equipped with two torpedo launch tubes. If it enters Kompong Son Bay in the dark, for the remaining warships of the French expeditionary fleet hiding inside,
That would undoubtedly be a nightmare.
As for the minesweepers, they are used to deal with Cam Ranh Bay. The French have laid a large number of mines outside the bay. No matter what they want to do against the Far East Fleet in the bay, mine clearing must be done.
Of course Delcasse understood that Zhang Quan was threatening him. If he did not compromise, he would attack their fleet. However, the conditions proposed by the Chinese were indeed too harsh. In fact, the French government was already seriously considering the ransom for the warships. After all,
These battleships are already in the hands of the Chinese, and they can kill them whenever they want. After this battle, the strength of the French navy was greatly damaged. Before those perfect battleships were put into service, the French navy had almost no capital ships. All five of them
All the new Harvey carburized armored battleships were dispatched, leaving the rest of the family with some old-fashioned armored battleships, made of wrought iron or wooden boards clad with iron. If they are put on the battlefield, they will die. Although there are many, they have no meaning.
In this way, there will inevitably be a vacuum period in France's maritime strength. Any attempt to compete for interests in the African colonies is simply a joke in front of countries such as Britain and Germany. If these warships can be retained, at least France's overseas intervention capabilities will not be damaged.
Especially those diesel engine battleships. France had only built four Joan of Arc class and three Quinton class diesel engine cruisers before this. After this battle, their old armored cruisers and protected cruisers have lost their meaning.
, if we lose those five more ships, it means that the French Navy will only have two capable battleships left. This kind of strength is even worse than Spain.
In addition, as Zhang Quan said, those sailors are also an extremely valuable asset. Although they lost the naval battle, they have accumulated enough experience. To some extent, these experiences are even more valuable than battleships. Five hundred million francs is indeed a bit
It’s too much, but it’s not unacceptable.
But these six southern provinces are really unwilling to be handed over. Without Saigon and Cam Ranh Bay, France has actually lost its ability to compete for dominance in Asia. It is now on the same level as the Netherlands and Portugal. This is arrogant France.
The government cannot accept this in any case. Now they can only hope that there will be a victory on the battlefield that will make them qualified to bargain. (To be continued...)