The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 115 Irish Resistance Army
On September 1725, 9, a difficult battle was underway in the small town of Enniskillen, the county seat of County Fermanagh, Ireland.The city was filled with choking smoke, and corpses lay scattered near the simple retaining walls and wooden fences.More than 17 Irish resistance troops have launched no less than five attacks in one day, but without exception they were repelled by the Scottish militia in the city with volleys of gunfire.

The small town of Enniskillen has a population of only more than [-] people. Except for the municipal officials and tax inspectors who are English, most of them are Irish and immigrants from Scotland.Just like other parts of Ireland, most Irish people were deprived of their land ownership and became tenant farmers of those greedy Scottish farmers. They worked hard every day but could not get a full meal and lived a very miserable life.

This small town did not build a city wall, just some thin rammed earth walls and wooden fences forming a circle. There were no artillery in the city, only more than 200 temporarily mobilized Scottish militiamen.

However, even with such a crude defense facility, the Irish Resistance Army, which had an absolute advantage in strength, was unable to conquer it. Instead, it suffered numerous casualties under the city, with more than a hundred casualties.This made the entire resistance army feel angry and helpless.

"The Qi people's artillery is coming!"

Just when the morale of the resistance army was low, a small support team came from the rear and brought exciting news to everyone.

"Oh, God, the Qi people's artillery is finally here!"

"Haha... With artillery, I think those Scots in Enniskillen will dare to laugh at us again?... As long as the artillery blasts past, they will be scared to the point of peeing in their pants!"

"That's right, those cowards only dare to hide in the city and fire guns! When the artillery blasts open the city wall, I will be the first to rush in. Even if they kneel down and beg and cry, I will knock them all to the ground for mercy. Jerry’s revenge!”

"..."

Simon Coveney, the northern commander of the Irish Resistance Army, stood on a high slope with several officers. He watched with a complex expression as a dozen horses dragged two artillery pieces and a large amount of ammunition, slowly driving into the temporary camp and remained silent. .

"Simon, we cannot defeat the English in a short time with our own strength alone." Deputy Commander Paschal Donoghue patted him on the shoulder and said softly: "Perhaps, even if we establish As an independent Irish nation, under strong external threats, we will still rely on the people of Qi for a long time."

"Yes, our strength is too weak." Simon Coveney said lonely: "We can't even conquer such a small city, and in the end we have to rely on the artillery squad provided by the Qi people to help us. I only hope , in the future, after we have driven away the English, Qi will not take their place and continue to colonize and oppress us, the Irish people."

"Simon, you are completely over-worried!" Paschal Donohue smiled slightly and looked at the Qi gunners over there being surrounded by many resistance soldiers. They were gathered together enthusiastically. He took a deep breath and looked seriously. Said: "Qi is too far away from Europe, and their power will inevitably not cover the entire Ireland. They do not hesitate to spend money and materials to support us, and their intention is just to check and balance England. Even if we drive away the English and establish an It is a country that belongs to us Irish people, and they will not impose cruel colonial oppression on us in Ireland like the English did.”

"They will treat Ireland as an important chess piece, or a puppet traveling through Europe to exert their influence. Since we want to become an important chess piece, they must exert long-term influence on Ireland. Military and economic assistance cannot make us too weak or too powerless. Otherwise, if we are eaten by others on the chessboard, wouldn't they lose a solid enough support point?"

"Paschal, I don't want to be a pawn in their hands. We Irish have suffered a tragic fate for hundreds of years since the English invasion. I hope that in our arduous struggle and struggle, all of us Irish will Everyone can live independently and with dignity, and everyone can control their own future destiny."

"Simon, as you said just now, we Irish are too weak. In order to get rid of the colonial rule of the English and to protect our own interests, we can only rely on a strong country. In the past, we had put our own Destiny rested on the Spanish, the Dutch, the French, and even the Stuart royal family, but they all failed us in the end. Now, we have the support of the Qi people. Although, we also know that they are They are using us to attack the English. But we can only choose to believe in them and rely on them. We do not have the strength to refuse."

"Paschal, I understand what you mean, but my heart is full of unwillingness!" Simon Coveney let out a long sigh.

"I think it is better to be a chess piece of the Qi people than to be a slave of the English people." Paschal Donoghue said, walking down the hillside, "After all, a chess piece needs to be placed on the chessboard , can be of great use, instead of being squeezed and tortured at will like slaves."

Just as the two were talking about the future of Ireland, the Qi artillery team that rushed over did not bother to rest and shouted at the soldiers of the Irish Resistance Army to fire two 55 mm caliber light army guns (equivalent to the same time). The 4-pounder artillery of the ancient times) was pushed closer to the city of Enniskillen.

A Qi State artillery officer observed the small town ahead with a sighting device, and quickly issued orders, instructing several gunners to continuously correct the artillery position and muzzle elevation.A group of Irish resistance soldiers gathered excitedly at the back holding muskets, pointing at the two artillery pieces and the Qi Guo cannon, and talking quietly.

Since the Irish Resistance Army launched an armed uprising in the seaside town of Sligo, when they attacked the surrounding towns and villages controlled by the English, they relied on a few artillery pieces provided by Qi State whenever they encountered a strong fortress. Open the enemy's defenses, then attack the city, kill all English officials and Scottish lackeys, and liberate the suffering Irish compatriots.

A dozen days ago, when attacking Blacklane Fortress, the resistance army encountered more than 320 English regular troops.The opponent lined up a neat array of muskets, and with the sound of drums and trumpets, they slowly moved toward the Irish Resistance Army with sonorous and powerful steps, causing a violent commotion in the formation of the Resistance Army, which had just been formed less than a month ago.

At this time, the Qi State artillery squad resolutely stood at the forefront of the team and continuously fired artillery shells at the advancing British column.One shell after another accurately hit the English military formation, causing the opponent's progress to stagnate and fall into chaos.Obviously, the English did not expect that their resistance army would have army artillery, and were caught off guard.

When the English musket array approached 120 meters despite the fierce artillery fire, the Qi artillery replaced the cannonballs. After several gunshots, the dense rain of bullets immediately enveloped the British army array, like a wheat field blown by a strong wind. , all fell down together.The military adviser of Qi State immediately drew his command knife and ordered the entire army to launch a mass charge.

That battle was the first time the Irish Resistance Army defeated the English regular army on a frontal battlefield, and it was also a hearty battle of annihilation.Except for a few English officers who took advantage of the chaos to escape on horseback, more than [-] British troops were wiped out.

After this battle, the Irish Resistance Army's fear of the British army was wiped away, and the morale of the army was greatly boosted. It also inspired countless Irish people to join the Resistance Army, causing the team to quickly expand to 3000 people.

As their momentum grew, the Resistance Army wanted to take advantage of the time when the English were dealing with the Qi expedition fleet and had no time to take care of Ireland, to expand the depth of their base as much as possible and liberate more Irish people.As a result, the resistance troops divided into three groups, attacking in three directions: east, south, and north, and launched a large-scale attack on the English-controlled areas.

At this time, in addition to having relatively strong control over several large and medium-sized cities such as Dublin, Belfast, Limerick, and Galway, as well as the northeastern coastal areas, the English had strong control over other areas of Ireland, especially the barren northwest and In the southwest region, the basis of governance is still very weak. It mainly relies on the local Irish nobles and large landowners to implement basic local governance, and there are also very few troops stationed.

In just half a month, under the guidance of Qi's military advisers and the assistance of professional artillery, the resistance army continuously attacked cities and captured four counties in succession, shocking the whole of Ireland.After hearing the news, dormant resistance groups in various places also responded in large numbers, attacking local colonial governments, killing English officials, and launching violent resistance to England's colonial rule.

However, despite the good situation of the Irish Resistance Army, there are still hidden worries.

Forced by the threat of force from the resistance forces, some local Irish nobles and landowners temporarily complied and contributed a large amount of money and food. However, privately they were still afraid of England's centuries-old colonial power and secretly threatened the English. Deliver the message.

However, the English did not react for a while to the sudden armed uprising launched by the Irish Resistance Army. They behaved somewhat unprepared and were temporarily unable to respond in time, so that the secret conspiracy of the speculators did not pose a fatal threat.In addition, there are also some trust issues between the Resistance Army and the military advisors stationed by Qi State.The people of Qi hope that the Irish Resistance Army will fight steadily, first consolidate the central and western regions, establish a solid base, and then slowly move forward; while the Resistance Army wants to take advantage of England's lack of time to take care of local affairs in Ireland, quickly sweep across the island, and drive out all the English. , thereby establishing an independent Irish state.

The two sides had a fierce debate about this. Qi's military adviser said that the resistance army did not obtain many weapons in the early stage and could not equip more troops. Blind expansion would inevitably make its own strength too dispersed.If England mobilized a large number of troops to suppress the rebellion, they would easily be defeated one by one.

Moreover, England's colonial rule in Ireland has been deep-rooted for hundreds of years. It has won over and subdued a large number of Irish middle- and upper-class nobles and landowners. It is far stronger than the resistance in terms of financial resources and military strength, and it has completely liberated the entire Ireland. It cannot be accomplished overnight.

However, the Irish Resistance Army believed that if they could not attack the whole of Ireland in one go and take advantage of the failure of the English government to respond in time, then when they mobilized a large number of troops from the mainland to land on the island to quell the rebellion, the Resistance Army would inevitably fall into a bitter fight.Furthermore, the 200 million Irish people on the island were oppressed too much by England, and they were all full of resentment. As long as the resistance army pointed its finger, countless Irish people would rush to follow and launch armed riots in the rear. Cooperate with the Resistance Army to regain lost territory.

You people in Qi want our resistance forces to "slowly attack". They just want to use us to create momentum to attract the military power of the British government, thereby indirectly weakening their investment in maritime military power and making it more conducive to your expeditionary fleet. Continuous attack on the English navy.

Although there were strategic differences and a lack of necessary trust between them, the Irish Resistance Army still relied on the Qi people for combating English colonial rule and specific tactical guidance.In particular, the artillery they stationed in the army is definitely their most powerful weapon for attacking cities and defeating enemies in front of them.

"Boom! Boom!"

With another round of artillery bombardment, another section of the simple protective wall in the small town of Enniskillen collapsed, revealing a gap of more than 20 meters.

Just when Commander Simon Coveney ordered the entire army to charge, the Qi officer raised his hand to stop their action, and instead ordered the two artillery pieces to start loading precious explosive shells, and then bombarded the gap in the wall. One round.

As two huge explosions sounded, a burst of fire suddenly erupted from the gap in the protective wall. Countless figures were lifted up by the explosion, and then fell heavily to the ground. There were painful wails and screams.

"Well, it's almost done. You can rush in." Du Yisheng, Colonel Renyong (Lieutenant) of the Qi Army, turned to the commander Simon Coveney and smiled, tilting his head slightly to signal the resistance army to charge.

"What a bastard. Without us Qi people, these Irish people would be nothing!" Looking at the Irish resistance forces swarming into the small town, artillery sergeant Jiao Xianbao took off his military cap, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and then Fan yourself with your military hat.

"Having said that, in the military, don't make such complaints at will, so as not to affect the cooperative relationship between us." Du Yisheng left the gun position a little distance, sat on a stone, and took something out of his pocket. Take out the pipe and tobacco bag, fill up the tobacco, light the pipe, and smoke happily.

"Sir, those Irish people don't understand what we are saying, so it's okay to scold them a few times." Jiao Xianbao took out a piece of beef jerky from his bag and chewed it carefully.

"Sir, will they massacre all the English and Scots in the city again?" Xu Zhongyan, a first-class artilleryman, looked at the city of Enniskillen in front of him. Several plumes of smoke had appeared. Amidst the dense gunfire, there was a faint sound. Mixed with cries and screams, it was obvious that after the resistance army entered the city, they began to kill and madly retaliate against the English and Scots in the city.

"Why are you worrying so much?" Jiao Xianbao glanced at him, "Hurry up and wipe and clean the barrel of the cannon, and put the ammunition on the ground into boxes. ... A group of barbarians are killing each other, what is there to sympathize with?"

Xu Zhongyan was reprimanded by the squad leader, but Nie Nie did not dare to say anything. He immediately turned around to clean the gun chamber, arrange the gun mount, and carefully put several shells placed on the ground into ammunition boxes.

"Sir, you said that England is so close to Ireland. Why haven't the English completely conquered and assimilated them after hundreds of years?" Jiao Xianbao asked: "Until now, it seems that the English have not conquered Ireland. Treat people as human beings and squeeze them to death!"

"They have different religious beliefs." Du Yisheng said calmly: "The English believe in Protestantism and the Irish believe in Catholicism. These two groups can't get along with each other! Oh, otherwise, our country, Qi, cannot take advantage of them."

"Just because each family believes in a god, they become like life-and-death enemies?" Jiao Xianbao was still puzzled.

"What do you know?" Du Yisheng laughed when he heard this, "They all believe in the same God!"

"Ah? We all believe in the same God, so why are they different?"

"The religious issues of the Yi people are complicated!" Du Yisheng shook his head, "I won't be able to explain it to you for a while."

"Oh." Jiao Xianbao stopped asking this profound question and asked another question, "Sir, how long will we stay in Ireland?"

"How long?" Du Yisheng was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said: "Who knows? One year? Or two years?"

"Hehe... after this war is over, I will be recommended to the Jianye Army School for further study. In two years, we will also be a school lieutenant!"

Du Yisheng just smiled slightly after hearing this.

All officers and soldiers of the Qi State stationed in Ireland have received a promise from their superiors. Once the war is over, all officers will be automatically promoted to the first level and have the opportunity to receive military merit medals personally issued by His Majesty the Emperor. Non-commissioned officers will also be recommended to attend military schools. Ordinary soldiers You can directly transform into a non-commissioned officer. If you choose to retire, your retirement pay will be tripled, and you will be given priority in resettlement when you return to your place.

Oh, if you want to get these, you must first leave Ireland alive!
Du Yisheng shook his head, took out a notebook and charcoal pen from his bag, and started writing today's battle diary.

(End of this chapter)