Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 510: Attack on Washington

On the battlefield, the shelling continued.

Boom! Boom!
Shells were flying everywhere, and water columns tens of meters high continued to rise above the sea. The sea water was evaporated and mist filled the air.

"what!"

"Fire!"

"Keep firing!"

"Hit me hard!"

On the Tang army warships, the gunners shouted at the top of their lungs.

The turret rotated to adjust the shooting angle, and then poured out its firepower.

The recoil force was transmitted through the hull to the sea water, creating ripples on the sea surface.

Rumble!
On the battlefield, the fighting gradually entered a white-hot stage.

The Federal Navy fleet was under pressure almost from the beginning of the battle.

In front of the Tang Dynasty's 10,000-ton steel battleships, the federal army's old sailing ships and steam-assisted powered warships posed no threat at all.

Well, at this time, the main force of the Federal Navy is still the sailing battleship, and at most steam turbine auxiliary power is installed.

Steam ironclad ships are a minority!
In addition, the Federation has only mastered the production technology of small-caliber breech-loading artillery, and large-caliber naval guns have not yet broken through the relevant technical barriers. Therefore, the Federation Navy fleet still mostly uses muzzle-loading guns.

There were only a few breech-loading guns imported from Britain occasionally, but they were too few in number.

Compared with the Tang Dynasty's battleships, their old muzzle-loading smoothbore gun firepower system seems like a product of two different eras.

"Commander, our artillery can't hit the coalition ships!"

A naval gun commander came to the Federal Navy fleet commander David Farragut with a sad face and reported.

David Farragut is the current naval commander of the Union Army and he once presided over the Battle of New Orleans.

When it comes to commanding naval battles, he can be said to be experienced.

But even so, David Farragut still felt a little scalp-tingling.

Because the gap between them and the Allied Fleet was too big.

Take the leading Tang army battleships as an example.

The shells fired by the muzzle-loading smoothbore cannon, which is currently the most commonly used artillery piece in the Federal Navy, can only leave a dent at most when hitting the Tang Army's battleships.

But when the Tang army's naval guns fired, as long as they could hit the vital points, they could almost kill one person with one shot.

Even if it fails to hit the vital point, it can still cause substantial damage to the Federal Navy's warships.

The scene was amazing!

"Oh, God……"

"Don't you care about America anymore?!"

David Farragut couldn't help but mutter to himself with a slight tremor in his voice.

Just at this moment, a deafening roar sounded.

After approaching the federal fleet, the Tang army battleship released a torpedo.

The torpedo lurked beneath the water, leaving a clear white mark on the sea, heading straight towards a federal battleship.

With a loud bang, the torpedo hit the federal battleship below the water surface.

The next moment, the torpedo's detonator was triggered, and a loud bang rang out.

A huge water column appeared on the sea surface, and the warship that was hit was directly blown into two pieces.

Many Federal Navy soldiers were thrown into the sky by the explosion and their bodies were blown to pieces.

The battleship that was hit by the torpedo was not far from David Farragut's ship.

Hearing the explosion so close to him and feeling the mist blowing in his face, David Farragut couldn't help but curse.

"Farke, Farke!"

"These damn Tang people and French people, I really want to kill them all..."

However, in the current situation, all David Farragut could do was to curse.

Apart from this, he could not come up with any substantial solution.

The naval battle lasted all day.

The sea was littered with broken bodies and shipwrecks.

When the sun set, the Federal Navy finally could not hold on any longer and began to retreat.

But, would the Allied Fleet just let him go?
After finally gaining an advantage in the naval battle, naturally, we must seize the opportunity and magnify the advantage.

On the widening sea, the two fleets were chasing each other.

The sound of artillery fire continues!
But unfortunately, the Federal Navy was destined to not escape.

The main force of the coalition fleet was mainly composed of fleets from the Tang Dynasty, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and other countries.

Among them, whether it is the first-class powers such as the Tang Dynasty and France, or the traditional maritime powers such as the Netherlands and Spain, they are far ahead of the Federation in the technical research and development of marine steam turbines.

The performance of the Federation Navy's steam turbines is not as good as that of the Allied Forces, so naturally they cannot outrun the Allied Forces...

……

Manassas!

The front line of the battle between the North and the South.

After the Battle of Fredericksburg, Robert Lee successfully broke out and led his troops to push the front line back to Manassas.

And engaged in a stalemate with the Union Army at Manassas.

Southern Army Camp!

In a military tent, Robert Lee summoned Jackson, Beauregard, Johnston and others under his command to discuss matters together.

In front of them was a military map.

The map details the deployment of troops for both the North and South sides, as well as various transportation lines.

The military tent was filled with smoke.

Robert Lee, with a pipe in his mouth and drinking coffee, listened to Jackson's description of the current situation on the battlefield.

"As of now, the Northern Army has not given up its plan to continue moving south."

"According to reliable information, Grant is already preparing for the Third Battle of Manassas and is expected to launch an offensive against our army within a week..."

As news spread that the Allied Forces were about to arrive in North America and intervene in the North American war, the federal army began to get anxious.

Although Grant had just suffered a defeat, he immediately began to organize a second attack.

After Jackson explained the current situation on the battlefield, he looked at Robert Lee in front of him, as if he was expecting Robert Lee to make a decision.

Robert Lee heard this and just spoke calmly.

"very good!"

"Pass the order down, tell all our troops to prepare to meet the enemy, and do not act rashly..."

"Wait for news from the coalition forces!"

Unlike the tense situation at the same time in history, the Allied Powers now feel confident from top to bottom after learning that they will receive support from the coalition forces.

Therefore, after winning the Battle of Cheshire, Robert Lee did not hastily organize an offensive northward.

Instead, they just sit back and wait for the coalition forces to arrive for reinforcements!

Jackson heard this and nodded to show that he understood.

Then, Robert Lee began to arrange the defense, and everyone nodded.

However, at this moment, a chaotic sound of footsteps was heard outside the military tent.

Soon, a messenger rushed in from outside and spoke in a stuttering voice.

"Win... win, the coalition forces win!"

"The coalition forces have won a great victory in the naval battle and are now pursuing the remnants of the Federation Navy to expand their victory!"

Robert Lee was immediately excited when he heard this.

"Pass the order down, tell all units of our army to prepare for the offensive!"

"When the sun rises tomorrow, we will take the initiative to launch an attack on the Northern Army's positions..."

Robert Lee knew that after the Union forces won the naval battle, they would launch an attack on Washington.

Therefore, he prepared to launch an offensive on the front battlefield to cover the Allied fleet's attack on Washington.

……

At the same time, Washington received the bad news that the Federal Navy had suffered a naval defeat.

"Oh my God, how could this happen!"

Lincoln slumped in a chair, his expression full of disbelief.

Opposite him were Dean Wells and McClelland.

Dean Wells opened his mouth and then spoke.

"Mr. President, I know this is sad news."

"But this bad news is a fait accompli. The only thing our Federation can do now is to accept it..."

McClellan also spoke up.

"Yes, Mr. President!"

Lincoln slumped in his chair, his face showing visible sadness.

But finally he spoke.

"I am now worried that after the coalition forces join forces with the southern rebels, they will attack Washington..."

"Once something like this happens, it will be really troublesome!"

The Federation is indeed stronger than the Confederate States.

However, once the Allied Powers and the Coalition Forces join forces, the outcome will be uncertain!

McClellan saw this and made a suggestion.

"Mr. President, perhaps we can order the troops on the Western Front to be withdrawn and have them return to defend Washington."

"If the Federation gathers the main forces of the army, I believe its strength will still be stronger than that of the coalition and the alliance."

According to the information McClellan knew so far, the coalition forces seemed large in scale, but their actual strength was not that great.

Among them, the Tang army had about 20,000 people, and Japan, Myanmar, and Vietnam together had 15,000 people.

The French army dispatched two divisions, about 30,000 people.

The remaining countries including the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Prussia and others gathered 30,000 people.

The total number of several countries combined is less than 100,000!

Moreover, these less than 100,000 people are all subordinate to each other, making it difficult to carry out unified command.

In McClelland's view, such a large force would hardly play a decisive role in the North American battlefield where the total number of troops participating on both sides reached over one million.

Lincoln heard this and nodded.

"That's fine!"

Lincoln knew that the Union now had no better choice.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but let out a breath.

Suddenly, the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Griffin spoke up.

"Mr. President, since Tang, France and other powers have chosen to stand on the side of the Allied Powers."

"Then can we seek an alliance with Britain?"

"If we can get the support of the United Kingdom, then our Commonwealth may be able to regain the strategic initiative on the battlefield."

The most important thing between countries is two words: interests!
Even though the UK and the Federation were not on good terms before, as long as the benefits are sufficient, everything can be negotiated.

Lincoln's originally dim eyes lit up again when he heard this, and he spoke with hope in his voice.

"Haha, that's fine, that's fine..."

……

The sun rises in the east!

The morning glow spread across the sea, and the sea breeze blew, creating a golden scene.

The salty and humid smell of the sea was mixed with the irreplaceable smell of gunpowder and blood.

On the vast sea, there are a large number of ship wreckages and broken corpses floating.

There are hints of crimson in the azure blue sea.

The allied soldiers stood on the deck of the ship, and everyone couldn't help but cheer. "Victory!"

"Wan Sheng!"

"Long live God!"

"..."

Yang Yuebin stood on the deck of his flagship, the Weiyuan, looking out at the sea, enjoying the cheers from all around him and the sea breeze, his eyes full of pride.

Just now, with the flagship of the Federal Navy being sunk, the remaining warships surrendered one after another, and the naval battle that lasted all night finally ended.

Yang Yuebin commanded the battle all night. Although he was tired, he now felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Looking around, a soldier came forward to report.

"Commander, the specific results of yesterday's naval battle have been compiled."

Upon hearing this, Yang Yuebin just nodded slightly.

"Well, tell me!"

Upon seeing this, the soldier flipped open the document in his hand and spoke.

"Your Excellency, Commander, according to current statistics, in yesterday's battle, our army sank 57 large and small warships of the Federation Navy and captured 21 warships of the Federation Navy."

"In addition, we also destroyed 12431 members of the Federation Navy and captured 5762."

"These include senior generals such as the federal navy commander David Farragut..."

Yang Yuebin listened to the report and then said.

"Pass the order down, the fleet will drop anchor and repair."

"Repair the damaged ships, treat the wounded, restore strength, and head towards Washington at dawn tomorrow..."

After giving these instructions, Yang Yuebin returned to the commander's office and continued to discuss with the senior leaders of the coalition forces about advancing on Washington.

……

Time passes and the day goes by quickly.

After a brief rest, the coalition forces marched towards Washington.

Washington is located on the Potomac River. After arriving at the US coast, the Allied forces went upstream from the mouth of the Potomac River and headed towards Washington.

The first enemy they faced was the federal coastal defense battery built at the mouth of the Potomac River.

Unfortunately, under the bombardment of the Allied fleet, the federal coastal artillery only held out for half a day before it fell.

The coalition forces continued to move north along the river, heading towards downtown Washington.

However, although the coalition forces' attack on the fort was carried out quickly, it still gave Washington time to react.

"Mr. President, the latest news is that after the Allied fleet won the naval battle, it did not go to Richmond to join the Union Army."

"Instead, it's heading towards Washington!"

"At present, the forts at the mouth of the Potomac River have fallen..."

McClelland rushed into Lincoln's office in a panic and spoke anxiously.

When Lincoln heard this, he paused in reviewing the documents and his face twitched visibly.

"Oh my God, this is such bad news..."

Seeing this, McClellan couldn't help but ask further questions.

"Mr. President, the coalition forces will soon reach Washington, what should we do?"

Lincoln took a deep breath and then spoke.

"Secretary McClellan, you must organize your forces now and prepare to fight against the coalition forces."

"In addition, send a message to General Grant at the Manassas front, ordering him to lead his troops back to Washington immediately..."

This is the only way Lincoln can think of to deal with it at the moment.

If General Grant at Manassas could not get back to Washington before the Union Army captured it, it would be all over...

……

Soon, the Allied fleet went upstream and reached the outskirts of Washington.

Allied soldiers began to land under the cover of the fleet's naval guns.

As a company commander of the Marine Brigade, Wang Changshun led his men to land as soon as possible.

After completing the landing, Wang Changshun shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Quick, everyone, find cover immediately, build a beachhead, and prepare for the enemy's counterattack."

"Machine gunner? Where's the machine gunner? Hurry up and set up the machine gun!"

Just as the landing coalition soldiers were preparing for battle, the federal counterattack also came.

A large number of federal soldiers rushed to the beach, ready to drive the Union forces that had completed the landing into the Potomac River.

"The enemy is approaching!"

"Machine gunner, suppress fire!"

Wang Changshun saw a large number of federal soldiers rushing towards him and immediately shouted at the top of his voice.

Dada! Dada! Dada!

Suddenly, dense machine gun fire rang out.

Although it was a landing operation and heavy machine guns could not be transported down for the time being, the Tang army was now equipped with light machine guns.

With the weight of a light machine gun, it can maneuver with the infantry and provide fire cover for the infantry in any situation.

Under the machine gun fire, the charging federal soldiers suffered heavy casualties, and fell to the ground one after another like wheat being cut.

At the same time, the coalition naval guns began to vent their firepower.

The 270mm caliber heavy artillery shells landed among the charging crowd of federal soldiers and exploded with a loud bang. Within a radius of more than meters, all living things were blown to pieces.

In the face of the Allied naval guns and machine guns, the so-called counterattack by the federal soldiers was simply a suicide mission.

They rushed to the beach where the Allied forces landed one after another, but were torn to pieces by cannon fodder and shot into sieves by machine guns.

Although the federal soldiers were brave, they still could not change anything.

After completing the landing, the coalition soldiers began to launch a massive attack on the city of Washington.

The federal army organized resistance several times, but was broken by the coalition forces every time.

During this process, the light machine guns equipped by the Tang army played a huge role.

The coalition forces are heading straight for the Presidential Palace!
The city of Washington was in a state of panic, with citizens, businessmen, and officials fleeing in panic everywhere...

On the streets, vicious crimes such as murder, robbery, and rape occur frequently.

Moreover, it was not the Union soldiers who entered the city who did it, but the ruffians in Washington who did it.

The whole of Washington looks like a building is about to collapse!

Lincoln received the report from the front and fell into complete despair. After hesitating for a moment, he finally made a decision.

withdraw!
Let’s evacuate Washington first!

If I don't leave now, I probably won't be able to leave.

"Today, I have to leave my loyal Washington and head north. I still remember the vibrant scene when the federal army marched south, and everything was flourishing..."

Lincoln made a public speech in which he announced to the citizens that although the federal government had lost its capital, the union had not perished.

They still have to continue to fight the invaders to the end for democracy and freedom.

Encouraged by this, even after Lincoln deserted, there were still militiamen in Washington who continued to resist.

Most of the federal soldiers are militiamen. Although the combat effectiveness of the mortal federal army is not good, when facing foreign enemies, these militiamen have demonstrated an extraordinary fighting will.

……

"Captain, past that block ahead is that damn white American house."

A Tang army soldier trotted up to his company commander, Wang Changshun, and reported with a happy face.

Upon hearing this, Wang Changshun adjusted the helmet on his head and shouted loudly.

"Damn it!"

"Pass the order down, tell the brothers to follow me!"

"The commander has instructed that everyone who breaks into the White House for the first time will be awarded a special merit!"

"Damn it, the time to stand out is now!"

As he spoke, Wang Changshun picked up a light machine gun and led his men to attack forward.

Dada! Dada!

Pull the trigger and the light machine gun starts firing.

Under the cover of light machine guns, the Tang army soldiers strode forward.

"quick!"

"quick!"

"dash forward!"

Wang Changshun rushed to the front holding a light machine gun.

The federal militia was still resisting, and gunshots were heard from time to time.

The sound of bullets whizzing through the air passed by ears from time to time. Although the Tang army had light machine guns to cover their charge, casualties were still inevitable.

Wang Changshun saw a comrade-in-arms he had known for many years fall to the ground after being shot in the chest. His eyes instantly turned red and he started firing at him with his machine gun.

As long as he saw someone, no matter if it was a soldier or a civilian, he would pull the trigger and shoot.

Amid the sound of gunfire, soon the several magazines he carried with him were emptied.

But at the same time, a group of them successfully rushed to the vicinity of the White House.

But they had just rushed out of the street corner when a barrage of bullets swept over them the next moment.

In the blink of an eye, several soldiers were shot and fell to the ground.

The rest of the group retreated to the street corner to avoid enemy machine gun fire.

Outside the White House, federal soldiers set up simple positions for their final resistance.

They even set up several heavy machine guns to block the battlefield.

Amid the sound of gunfire, the Tang army soldiers were pinned down at the corner of the street and could not show their heads.

Wang Changshun covered his arm, which was cut by shrapnel, with his hand, and gestured to the military medical staff to help him with a simple bandage while speaking.

"Damn, this white guy's bullet is really poisonous."

"It almost cost me my life!"

On the side, Deputy Company Commander Ding Kui asked.

"Captain, what should we do?"

"Want to rush?"

Wang Changshun endured the pain and said through gritted teeth.

"What the hell!"

"Don't worry, Xiao Wu, Er Hei, Shuiniu, take your sniper rifles, go to the roof of that building and shoot down Bai Lao's machine gunner for me."

"Then, let's charge again!"

"If we don't destroy the machine gun, we won't be able to advance no matter how many people die!"

Upon hearing this, several snipers nodded to show that they understood, and then climbed up to the roof of a building nearby.

Meanwhile, the enemy's machine guns were still providing suppressive fire.

Bullets hit the surface of the building, bricks and stones flew, and Wang Changshun and others couldn't help but shrink their heads to avoid them.

Seeing this, Wang Changshun couldn't help cursing while commanding his soldiers to prepare for another charge.

"Damn it, it's just that we didn't bring the mortar this time, otherwise, there wouldn't be so much trouble!"

Soon, with a few gunshots, the enemy's machine gun fire stopped.

Wang Changshun was the first to rush out of the street corner with a light machine gun.

Dada! Dada!

Wang Changshun shouted, "Light machine gun fire to suppress the enemy's firepower."

"Brothers, charge!"

"Kill the white guy!"

"The Tang Dynasty is victorious!"

(End of this chapter)