At midnight, at the British beachhead, burning bonfires illuminated the surroundings, and groups of black soldiers wearing British colonial uniforms rested back to back.
The British position was less than five kilometers away from the warships in the Paraná River. Artillery shells fired from the warships could easily cover the attacking troops within the strike range. Therefore, in order to prevent the troops from being hit hard by the British artillery fire, Liu Yongfu, He Yanliang, and Shen Fushan The three of them have only one requirement for the frontline attack force, and that is to be fast, accurate and ruthless!
"The reconnaissance battalion went out to conduct reconnaissance on the perimeter of the British position. After the reconnaissance battalion cleared the British security sentries and obstacles along the way, the 3rd Security Brigade and the 1st Mixed Brigade took turns to launch attacks."
Looking at the Western clock hanging in the center of the tent, Liu Yongfu estimated that in another twenty minutes, the reconnaissance battalion operation would be almost over, so he gave instructions in advance.
"The purpose of the attack is to attract the attention of the British warships and delay the opponent's transfer time. Therefore, our army's attack must grasp a certain scale. It can neither rush forward and increase unnecessary casualties, nor retreat at the slightest contact between the two armies, allowing the enemy to The combat intention of our army has been clearly discovered."
"Deputy Brigadier He has been in battle for a long time, and he is on the front line to command. I think he can grasp the scale of the attack and complete the combat tasks assigned by the general headquarters."
"Although Deputy Brigadier He is disabled, Shen still admires his combat ability. However, Brigadier Liu, sitting in the high position of commander of the mixed brigade, has to consider more than just fighting. "
"What does Mr. Shen mean?"
Hearing something in Shen Fushan's words, Liu Yongfu changed his honorific title from when they worked together in Annan and humbly asked for advice.
"His Royal Highness the King of Han was born in the Taiping Army. His predecessor, Prince Li Shixian, was the leading pillar of the Taiping Army in the southeast. When his subordinates were at their peak, they had more than 100,000 troops. Even though the Prince was unfortunately killed by a treasonous plan by his subordinates, those who were loyal to the Prince were still loyal to him. The remnants of the Taiping Army still escorted His Highness, who was young at the time, to South America. I would like to ask Brigadier Liu, if you were from His Highness's perspective, should you first promote the old members of your direct line who have loyally protected you, or should you give priority to the foreign generals who come to join you in the middle of the road to make meritorious service opportunities? ?”
"Mr. Shen, please don't talk nonsense. Mr. Liu tolerates His Highness and will never give up and take you in. You must not even think about going beyond the limits. Sir, please don't talk nonsense again!"
When Liu Yongfu heard that his former staff compared him with Li Mingyuan in the same position, Liu Yongfu's face changed drastically. He immediately patrolled around and found that no outsiders were prying, so he quickly stopped him and said, "Yongfu is self-aware and led a group of old brothers from the Black Flag Army in the mountains of Annan." It is difficult to deal with the Qing army. How can he be like His Highness the King of Han, who started with a few thousand weak troops, traveled thousands of miles across South America, and established a legacy that will be passed down from generation to generation. The talents of the King of Han are far superior to those of Yongfu. Next time, Mr. Shen cannot do it in front of others. If you say this again, it will be difficult for Mr. Liu to confess even if he has a hundred people!"
"I naturally understand what Brigadier Liu is like. Otherwise, I wouldn't have urged Brigadier Liu to join the National Defense Forces when we were in Annan. Brigadier Liu shouldn't have forgotten what happened back then, right?"
"Yongfu is not doubting Mr. Shen's intentions, but His Highness the King of Han has treated Yongfu with great kindness. Yongfu does not want to arouse His Highness's suspicion and destroy the friendship between the monarch and his ministers because of a trivial matter. Mr. Shen, Mr. Yongfu should understand what he is thinking."
"Haha, Brigadier Liu has indeed not changed at all. He is still as cautious as before."
Shen Fushan smiled slightly and continued, "It is right to be cautious when doing things, but on the battlefield, it is not advisable to be overly cautious and modest."
"Mr. Shen, please tell me directly."
"Okay, then Mr. Shen will speak plainly to Brigadier Liu."
Shen Fushan stopped going around in circles and said directly, "The ministers and generals of the King of Han Dynasty can be divided into three major factions. The first is naturally the old Taiping Army that followed His Highness. Senior generals such as the Wang Dashan brothers, Zhao Yongzeng, Chen Guozhu, and Li Sandou were all from the Taiping Army." , followed by the South American Chinese who were promoted one after another after the army was launched. This faction was mainly represented by Luo Linshan, the commander of the First Division. The last faction was the Nanyang Chinese. After His Royal Highness occupied the two states in southern Brazil, he successively sent people to contact the Chinese in various countries in Nanyang. The forces, brothers Ye Chenglin, Wu Fengdian, Chen Shangfa and Brigadier Liu are also included in this faction."
"Mr. Shen may have forgotten that the wealthy merchants and scholars of Nanyang, Hu Yaji, Chen Jinzhong, Zhang Fanglin and other civil servants, to be honest, can't get along with us."
"Gentlemen are harmonious but different. Although Minister Hu of the Ministry of Commerce, Minister Chen of the Ministry of Finance and others have less contact with us, in terms of aspects, we can be considered to belong to the same family."
Shen Fushan responded roughly and continued, "According to the close relationship with His Highness, no matter whether they are generals from the Nanyang line or General Luo and others from the Chinese labor line in South America, it is impossible for His Highness to trust him more than the old Taiping Army, and South America There are already some generals in the Huagong First Line who have ascended to high positions. General Luo is the last division commander with the rank of lieutenant general besides Zhang Ansong and Li Sandou. But in terms of generals from the Nanyang First Line, brothers Ye Chenglin, Wu Fengdian, and Chen Shangfa are all Stuck on the threshold of colonel, currently, only Brigadier Liu holds the high position of brigade commander of the First Mixed Brigade with the rank of major general."
Shen Fushan deliberately paused for a while, and after carefully observing the other party's reaction, he continued, "There is currently no Nanyang officer who is more influential than Brigade Liu, but when the Argentine War ends, Wu Fengdian, Ye Chenglin and others will rise to power with their military merit, and Brigade Liu will Brigadier Liu is still at his original position. Let us objectively estimate that at that time, His Highness the King of Han would still value Brigadier Liu as much as he does now."
"Mr. Shen wants Mr. Liu to take the initiative in the next war, make more military exploits, and then continue to gain the attention of His Highness the King of Han?"
After hearing the other party's straightforward words, Liu Yongfu reacted immediately.
"This is exactly what I mean. According to my observation, His Highness the King of Han has great faith in Brigadier Liu, and it seems that he intends to portray Brigadier Liu as a representative of a group of Nanyang officers. Not every general can get His Highness the King of Han's favor, so , I will tell Brigadier Liu what I said today."
It is an unavoidable phenomenon for any dynasty or political party that different power factions stick together to keep warm. In South America and Han Dynasty, if you carefully calculate, the large and small power factions can be divided into more than ten. For example, Shen Fushan believes that the Nanyang system is It can be divided into many departments such as the Annan Civil Service Department, the Military General Department, the Malay Peninsula Department, the Singapore Rich Business Department, and the Singapore Literary Department.
Moderate division of forces is conducive to maintaining royal rule and social development, while excessive internal strife will consume the country's strength and affect the stability of the regime. Fortunately, Li Mingyuan is in control and regulates the various forces in South America and Han, focusing on the unified goal of national development. Competition and facing external enemies have made the entire country condense into a powerful fist, expanding the living space of the Chinese in South America under adverse circumstances on all sides.
Liu Yongfu's heart was stirred by Shen Fushan's words. Getting ahead, getting promoted and making a fortune were his long-lasting goals and pursuits.
When they first joined the National Defense Forces, the territory of Han State in South America was no larger than the province of Shuzhou, with a population of more than 300,000. At the same time, as time went by, in 1870, the National Defense Forces occupied southern Argentina, and the territory of Han State expanded to 1.17 million square kilometers, with a population of ten. It increased nearly 20 times during the year, and the number of Chinese reached more than five million. By 1879, the National Defense Forces annihilated 100,000 of the main Argentine troops and occupied Buenos Aires, the federal capital of Argentina. At this point, most of Argentina fell under the control of the National Defense Forces. It only took a few months for the entire Argentina to be annexed to Han.
Objectively speculate on the scene of the end of the Argentine War, forcing the British Expeditionary Force to retreat, defeating the Brazilian and Chilean armies, the Han State's land area expanded to more than three million square kilometers, and the vast and fertile Pampas grassland was under the control of the Han State, with a steady stream Chinese immigrants have enriched the national strength of the Han Dynasty, and a large Eastern country stands on the New World of South America. What kind of high position will you be in at that time?
The fervor in Liu Yongfu's heart could not be concealed and was shown through his eyes. Shen Fushan smiled with satisfaction and said, "The cause we are engaged in is opening up new territories and turning barbarians into summer. It is truly a great cause that has not been seen in China for five thousand years. It is worthy of this exciting era." , Brigadier Liu must not be cautious and modest, and miss the opportunity to leave his name in history!"
"If it hadn't been for Mr. Shen's reminder, Yongfu would have almost made a big mistake that he would regret for the rest of his life. Mr. Shen's reminder will definitely be remembered by Yongfu in his heart."
Compared with the future of officialdom, the image of humility and peace that has been created for a long time can be discarded. After accepting Shen Fushan's suggestion, Liu Yongfu seemed to have changed. He immediately put down his official pretense, summoned a company of guards and rushed to the front line. Inspection.
Shen Fushan's reminder gave Liu Yongfu vital help. As the war continued in various parts of Argentina, the officials of the General Staff ordered by Li Mingyuan were collecting statistics on combat achievements reported by the National Defense Forces, and were preparing to formulate the rankings of officers at all levels based on their merits. Promotion level and knighthood level.
