The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 510 We Are the Emperor's Henchmen
Amidst the rumbling of drums and bursts of artillery fire, the infantry of the three battalions of the Imperial Chinese Army's Guards Divine Lightning Regiment were marching in three columns.

The name Shen Dian was taken from the Shen Dian Guard, a military garrison established by the Ming Dynasty in the three states of Gao, Lei and Lian, the hometown of Emperor Mo.

After Dayu recovered Guangdong, this guard regiment began to be established, and its core members were recruited from the three prefectures of Gao, Lei and Lian in western Guangdong, which are later Maoming, Zhanjiang in Guangdong and Qinzhou in Guangxi.

These three places were famous for their harsh conditions and tough folk customs even during the Republican period, and this was even more so at this time.

Here, the Leiqiong dialect of Minnan and the Jiazhuang dialect are mixed together, and the living conditions in the area are poor, and there are many young people who are willing to take up knives and kill others at the slightest disagreement.

As a result, the entire western Guangdong and southern Guangxi were full of bandits.

In peacetime, such people would be the most hated people in schools and cattle and horse factories, but in this chaotic and bloody colonial era, they are the best source of soldiers.

In addition to the three states of Gao, Lei and Lian, the people of the neighboring Nanning and Taiping (Chongzuo) prefectures in Guangxi, Lang Son prefecture in Guangnan, and Hainan Island were also recruited.

As a result, the proportion of Han people in the Guards Shinden Corps barely exceeded half, and there were also a large number of soldiers from the Zhuang, Li, Yao and other ethnic groups.

The Imperial Guards Shinden Regiment consists of three battalions and two companies, two of which are line infantry battalions, one is a hunting battalion, also commonly known as a shooting battalion, and the remaining two companies are the regimental artillery company and the regimental fire support company.

The line infantry battalion consisted of ten companies, including eight flintlock companies, one rifle company, and one grenadier company.

There were also nine flintlock rifle companies. When the shooting companies were temporarily dispatched from the shooting battalion to supplement them, each company had one hundred people, and the entire battalion had a total of one thousand people.

The Archery Battalion has eight companies with a total of 800 people, and its organization and deployment are very flexible.

The regimental artillery battery was equipped with four three-pound field cannons and one six-pound long-barreled cannon.

The regiment's fire support company was equipped with six tiger squat cannons, three mountain-splitting cannons weighing about 60 kilograms that could fire shotgun shells, and an indefinite number of heavy smoothbore rifles.

The entire regiment, including logistics personnel and guards directly under the commander, has a total of about 4,200 people, which is an absolutely high-level configuration.

"Report the Emperor's grace and save the people, drive out the Tartars and expand the territory thousands of miles."

The soldiers of the Divine Lightning Guards sang the Guards' military songs loudly, moved very quickly, were full of energy and high morale.

It is difficult for ordinary people to understand their excited spirit, but only the Shendian Guards soldiers from western Guangdong know the reason.

Because since ancient times, western Guangdong has been a marginal part of the Chinese Empire. Not to mention the emperor who expelled the Tartars, there were not many Jinshi and Juren from them. They were often ignored and even discriminated against.

But now, Emperor Mo suddenly appeared, making western Guangdong the place where the emperor rose to power. They became the emperor's fellow countrymen, and from being discriminated against poor country people, they had the possibility of becoming royal relatives.

This has injected powerful spiritual energy into the people of western Guangdong.

At the same time, in reality, the land in western Guangdong was relatively barren and the residents lived in poverty.

But after Mo Zibu took control of Guangdong, he moved a large number of his fellow villagers to the fertile Bei (Hong) River Plain, and promoted a large number of people into the navy and army, which brought the lives of people in western Guangdong to a higher level.

It can be said that their current good life is all given by the emperor.

With Emperor Mo, they are the emperor's fellow countrymen and the guards with a promising future. Without him, they are the wild dogs of the empire.

This great improvement in both spiritual and material aspects made the people in western Guangdong extremely supportive of Mo Zibu.

Therefore, among the six guard corps, there are Shendian, Yuancong, Longxiang, Yulin Zuoyou, and Changshui Huqi.

The Shendian Guards may not have the most sophisticated combat skills or battlefield experience, but they are definitely the least fearless and the most capable of fighting fierce battles.

Advancing on their flanks in skirmish mode and providing some cover was the Archery Light Infantry Battalion of the Imperial Guards' Left Regiment.

Unlike the Shinden Guards who were recruited in western Guangdong and the Yuancong Guards who were composed of heroes, vassals and the earliest children of those who went to Southeast Asia to settle and settle, the Yulin Left and Right Guards were truly selected from all over the country.

Therefore, in the left and right regiments of the Yulin Army, the Archery Battalion is not a single battalion, but basically all of them are Archery Battalions. The wide range of selection makes the soldiers of the Yulin Guards quite good at fighting.

Behind these two 5,000-man guards was a line infantry regiment of the Beijing Camp Zhenwei Army.

The 3,000 men were all line infantry, consisting mainly of Chaoshan and Hakka gold miners recruited from Jiaxi Prefecture in Jiaqing Province. Not only were they adapted to the humid and hot environment of Southeast Asia, their combat effectiveness was also not to be underestimated.

These eight thousand people are the absolute main force of this expeditionary force to India.

Therefore, although Sir Air Coote, Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army, had excellent vision and command ability, he really did not expect that Emperor Guangzhong would attach so much importance to them.

In a battlefield like India where they could not play a decisive role in the war situation, and when they had not yet completed their own unification, they actually sent more than 5,000 guards infantry to India with a total of only about 13,000 people.

This is the greatest benefit of a time traveler. Based on the future course of history, one can always know in advance who his biggest enemy is and where the most important place is to deal with his biggest enemy.

If Governor Warren Hastings and Commander-in-Chief Al Kut knew that Mo Zibu thought so highly of them, they would not know whether they would feel honored or afraid.

In addition to these 8,000 men, the coalition also had 2,000 Mysore cavalry commanded by Tipu Sultan himself, who provided cover, early warning and protection for the infantry on the vast battlefield, allowing the infantry to reach the battlefield safely.

In the distance, the British Indian Army had already formed its battle formation. The main force of the army was composed of the 1st Bengal European Fusiliers, the 2nd Bengal European Fusiliers and the 3rd Bengal European Fusiliers.

These three regiments are the backbone of the British Indian Army, which will become even larger in history and in the future. They are all drawn from the British mainland. In the future, they will be expanded into the 101st, 104th and 107th Infantry Regiments.

Of the three regiments, the 1st Fusiliers was the standard regiment, with a total of three battalions, each with ten companies, consisting of eight line infantry companies and two flank companies (one light infantry company and one grenadier company).

The entire battalion has 1,000 people, and three battalions make up 3,000 people.

The remaining 2nd and 3rd Fusiliers were actually just a simple line infantry battalion and had not yet been expanded.

However, due to the defeat in Madras some time ago, two battalions of the 1st Fusiliers had lost most of their men after the capture of St. George's Redoubt.

The Mysoreans also executed all the survivors, so that the 1st Fusiliers was reduced to only one battalion.

And because Britain was now at war with the whole world, of these 3,000 white soldiers, only 1,000 were regular troops, and the rest were various white adventurers forcibly recruited by the authorities of Fort William in British India and sailors who escaped from ships.

In addition to the three Fusiliers, Sir Eyre Coote also had a Royal Irish Rifle Regiment with him.

This line regiment originated from the Irish Independent Company formed by the 1st Earl of Granard in the late 17th century.

They had served in North America and experienced the Battle of Lexington. They performed poorly and were severely damaged in the Siege of Boston. After being repatriated to Britain, they were supplemented and arrived in India at the beginning of last year.

This regiment consists of two regular battalions and one Irish conscript battalion, with a total of 2,600 people, and its combat effectiveness is actually quite good.

The poor performance in North America was due to the large number of Irish immigrants in the thirteen colonies who were unwilling to fight a bloody battle with their own people.

This infantry regiment remained stationed in India for a long time in subsequent history and participated in the infamous First Opium War sixty years later.

They were at the forefront in the British army's attacks on Zhongshan, Guangzhou, Xiamen and Ningbo.

In addition, the British army also had a Plassey artillery company transferred from the local area, equipped with seven field guns of various calibers.

and the 2nd Bengal Artillery Battalion, whose officers were all Europeans and equipped with twelve field guns of various calibers.

The main force of the British Indian Army numbered approximately 6,000 men. Even excluding the 2,000 European conscripts, the British Indian Army still had 4,000 European officers and soldiers, a significant excess over the 2,500 men Chen Lian had intel. Therefore, before the battle even began, both sides were destined to deliver a heavy blow to the other.

Sir Al Kurt didn't know that Emperor Mo had sent his most valuable guards, and thought that they were just the second-line troops of the Chinese Empire.

Chen Lian didn't know that Britain had transferred 2,800 regular troops from the Royal Irish Infantry Regiment from its homeland, and his preparations were also insufficient.

In addition to the main force of 6,000 people, the British Indian Army also had an elite native infantry regiment - the Calcutta Garrison Regiment of 3,000 people, and the 1st Bengal Native Infantry Regiment of 2,000 people.

As locals, the British Indian army had already occupied an advantageous terrain, which was a small hill outside the city of Kolkata.

Sir Al Coote deployed the main European Corps of 6,000 men on the hill, and the local Bengali Corps of 6,000 men on both wings, totaling 12,000 men.

If there is any shortcoming of this army, it is that they have no cavalry.

The British Army's only irregular cavalry regiment was deployed in Delhi to guard against the Mughal Empire, which had not yet completely fallen, instead of being transferred back to Kolkata.

At this time, the British had not yet taken over Punjab and lacked a large number of key cavalry regiments composed of these bearded men.

Therefore, when the Chinese Army, under the cover of the Mysore cavalry, crossed a muddy swamp and held the city of Bengal, the British army was unable to take the initiative to launch an attack.

The Kingdom of Mysore was known as the Prussia of South India. Although it was limited by India's combat power DBUFF, its elite cavalry still had a certain assault capability. Sir Al Coote did not dare to move his infantry in front of these cavalry.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the Chinese Imperial Army had completed its battle formation. Chen Lian was not good at naval battles, but he was very good at land battles.

He placed the Zhenwei Army's line infantry regiment and a Shendianwei line infantry battalion in the middle, with a Shendianwei line infantry battalion in reserve.

The rest of the archery battalions (light infantry battalions) were spread out in skirmish formation, with the Mysore cavalry deployed at both ends.

However, from Chen Lian's point of view, he only saw the British army deployed around the hill with flags flying everywhere. The soldiers were all wearing red shirts, black pants, and black pipe hats.

In the middle of the hat, line infantrymen wore hundreds of red feathers, grenadiers wore all white, and light infantrymen wore a huge feather right on top of the hat.

"Fuck you!" Chen Lian grinned and cursed.

"They say the British are a small army with average combat effectiveness, but this army, with its strict formations, tall soldiers, and well-placed artillery, is definitely not a pushover!"

"Damn!" Almost at the same time, the British commander Sir Al Coote also cursed, because from his high vantage point, he could see that the Chinese soldiers in the distance were divided into two types.

One type wears a vermilion lacquered helmet with the word "Yong" on it and a red mandarin duck battle jacket. To the sound of drums, thousands of them move forward and backward as one. Even turning can be centered around one person, with hundreds of people moving as if they were being controlled by fingers.

They sang loudly and the bayonets on their flintlock rifles gleamed. It was obvious that they were very motivated to fight and had been well trained.

The other team wore light-colored tops and white shorts. Their uniforms were similar to those in Europe but slightly different. They wore very nice white felt hats with red necklaces fluttering in the wind (improved Fan Yang hats).

This team has not made much noise since it appeared on the battlefield. One third of the soldiers are on guard, and two thirds are squatting, appearing extremely relaxed.

Sir Al Coote shook his neck uneasily and whispered to Lieutenant General Giles Stibbert beside him:

"I was very uncomfortable with the light-colored uniformed troops (the Zanwei Army), who reminded me of the Tsar's gray cattle.

And those wearing red iron helmets were as sharp as a two-handed broadsword held in their hands.

Giles, you must be prepared for heavy losses; their attack will be very fierce."

At this time, under the leadership of Catherine the Great, the Russian army had gained some reputation, and Europeans generally began to regard Russia as a second-rate power.

Lieutenant General Giles Stibbert coughed involuntarily. Looking at the vibrant army that was even more vibrant than the British army, he felt a little uneasy.

The intelligence must be wrong. This is definitely not some second-rate army of the Chinese Empire. This should be the Imperial Guard of the Chinese Empire.

But Lieutenant General Stibbert couldn't say that. Saying it at this time would have no other effect except disrupting the morale of the army. So after a dry cough, he nodded and went down to take command.

"Let Mo Shanzong go and attack the main force in the middle to test the quality of these people!" Chen Lian took the lead in attacking when he saw the troops arrived.

Just like in the Chen family in Jiading, the Guang generation is the direct line, and the Cheng generation is the distant descendants of Chen Shangchuan’s cousins.

In the Mo family, the Gong generation is the direct line of the Mo family, and the Shan generation is the distant branch of the same clan from Haikang County, Leizhou Peninsula.

After receiving the order, Mo Shanzong immediately led the entire camp to set off.

He was the captain of the left regiment of the Imperial Guards. The 1777 men under his command were all archers (hunters). Half of them were equipped with the Feijiangjun 1775 rifled rifle with Minié bullets, and the other half were equipped with the Kedi rifled rifle.

"This is light infantry. Let Lieutenant Colonel Zeppelin go out." Sir Eli Coote immediately saw the quality of the opponent.

Not only because the Shesheng Army's red lacquered helmets with the word "Yong" were covered with green feathers, but also because they were deployed in a standard hunting soldier formation.

Sir Eli Coote felt a little regretful. If he had a cavalry, even a battalion of 500 cavalrymen, then the enemy would definitely not dare to send light infantry forward so brazenly.

"Tada-tada-tada!" Amid the advancing Shesheng Army (light infantry), the drummers of the military band rapidly beat the drums on their chests, adding a bit of tension to the battlefield.

Four hundred meters, the British army was still advancing, but the Chinese army had already opened fire. The Minié bullet was at its best, pushing the loading and range of rifled guns forward a lot.

A British light infantryman was marching briskly, and when he saw the Chinese army opening fire four hundred meters away, he grinned silently and laughed.

But the next second, he suddenly felt a strong force hitting his mouth. The British soldier's head was pushed upward by this force, and the teeth in his mouth mixed with flesh and blood flew into the air.

At the same time, the thin Minié bullet passed through his mouth and quickly passed through his neck, breaking half of his cervical vertebrae. The British soldier staggered twice and fell down softly.

Almost at the same time, another British light infantryman suddenly touched his chest because he felt as if something had just drilled into it.

With this touch, blood began to gush out.

This is a bullet hole!

The British soldier, who was already having difficulty breathing and his legs were weak, looked around in horror. He thought he was injured by his comrades.

But as he looked around, he saw people being shot everywhere amid the constant sound of "pa pa pa".

With a bang, the rifle in the British soldier's hand fell to the ground. He didn't understand how he got shot at a distance of 400 meters.

Haha, 400 meters is nothing. In history, Zhang Taofang could aim with his naked eyes at 800 meters with a bolt-action rifle.

In just over a minute, twenty or thirty of the attacking British light infantry fell.

Fortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Zeppelin was very experienced. He did not stubbornly let the soldiers go up to die, but blew the whistle in his mouth to notify the soldiers to retreat.

These Chinese people are weird, so let’s not fight them for now.

　Sorry, my child is enrolling in junior high school today, and Tiger cut in line. It's a lot of trouble. I owe him a chapter. I will try to make up for it in the next few days.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)