The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 512: Are Your Irish Potatoes Ripe?

Sir Al Coote looked up at the lazy sun in the sky, and then looked at the local infantry regiment that had been beaten and was running all over the ground.

It seems that the pre-war design has now reached half of its goal, which is to consume a part of the local soldiers who cannot be brought into the two William Bastion for various reasons.

These local soldiers' loyalty to the British was limited. Sir Al Coote was afraid that while he was guarding Fort William, these people would be captured by the Chinese Empire and used as vassal troops, so it was better to consume them.

Now this goal has been achieved. At least one thousand of the more than 6,000 Bengali infantrymen were killed by the violent Chinese Army.

Moreover, the Mysore cavalry also charged forward. It was estimated that in an hour at most, all the Bengal infantry regiments would collapse, and they would lose at least one or two thousand people.

However, the rest of the game was not perfect because the Bangladeshis collapsed too quickly, resulting in it taking at least three hours for darkness to fall.

How can these 6,000 men retreat to Fort William before it gets dark?

Moreover, the Bengalis suffered thousands of casualties, and it is unknown whether the imperial casualties were more than a hundred.

It was indeed consumed, but it didn’t seem like much.

A burst of panic shouts rang out, and at the foot of the hill, the light infantry that had been organized with great difficulty was driven back by the light infantry of the Chinese Empire.

"Sir, move out. We must use frontal action to repel the imperialists, otherwise the Bengalis on both wings will be finished. Once they are finished, we will be trapped on this hill." Someone loudly suggested to Sir Al Kut.

Sir Al Coote weighed the pros and cons for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying, "Send the light infantry up the hill and retreat behind the breastwork. Wait another hour. It's too early to attack now."

Chen Lian kept his eyes on the British troops on the hill. These 6,000 or so Europeans were the core of Britain in India.

If the distance between Southeast Asia and India is more than 2,000 kilometers, the distance between the core area of mainland China and India is 5,000 to 6,000 kilometers, which is like the horizon.

So the journey from the UK to India would take more than half a year, which is truly a long way off.

The extremely long distance, coupled with the fact that ships were completely powered by monsoons and a small amount of ocean currents, made it extremely difficult for the British to supply India.

So for these white people in India, every time one dies, there is one less, and it is very difficult to replenish them.

"Tip, keep your 500 most elite cavalrymen. Don't let them go into battle. Keep them in reserve. When the British on the hill begin to retreat, attack them!"

Chen Lian ordered his men to find Tipu Sultan, who would soon become the real Sultan.

The French had agreed to have Tipu become the new Sultan of the Madras Sultanate in exchange for a piece of land within a radius of 100 kilometers adjacent to the local administration, which would become a French colonial outpost in South India.

Tipu Sultan nodded very obediently and responded loudly, because he had realized that France was too far away and could not completely defeat England, so the power it could deploy in India would always be limited.

The Chinese Empire was located at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, which was perfect for the Kingdom of Mysore.

If they were too far away, they would face insufficient projection power and it would be difficult for the Mysore people to resist England. If they were too close, Tipu Sultan would have to worry that China would annex Mysore.

And now it is like this, neither far nor near, quite perfect.

After letting Tipu Sultan go down to prepare, Chen Lian continued to order his soldiers to besiege the Bengalis who were still holding out on the left wing, while beginning to prepare for an attack from above.

"My Lord, the main force of the British troops on the hill didn't fall for our trick. They retreated behind the breastwork, preferring to be shot at rather than come down to fight. It seems they've seen through our intentions.

"I ask you to attack the mountain immediately. The British are waiting for nightfall, after which they will flee." The speaker was Li Quan, commander of the Imperial Guards' Shinden Regiment.

As one of the four brave generals before the former emperor Mo Zibu, Li Quan is currently the best-performing one. Chen Guangzu and Wang Wuchu are still deputy commanders, while Pei Changwu has died in battle in Beihe.

Seeing Li Quan coming, Chen Lian took a deep breath and immediately agreed to the idea of attacking the hill by force.

Because at this time there were still more than 6,000 British troops on the hill, while Chen Lian only had 7,000 troops that could be mobilized. Even if the 2,000 Mysore cavalry were added, there were only 9,000 people.

It is impossible to surround the British army with only 9,000 troops against 6,000. Once it gets dark, if the British army wants to evacuate, we will not be able to pursue them effectively and will not be able to stop them.

Chen Lian sighed. If only they could hold out for a little longer, then the remaining 13,000 troops would be ready by the early morning of the day after tomorrow.

Then we can surround at least 4,000 of the 6,000 British soldiers. Then we won't have to attack them from above, but can just trap them and slowly consume them.

"Order the entire army to withdraw, spare the Bengal vassal troops, and let the Mysore cavalry drive them off the battlefield.

Li Quan, you will be in charge of the frontal command. Let your Divine Lightning Guards lead the attack in this battle. Don't embarrass His Majesty!"

"I obey your command. The Divine Lightning Guards will definitely take this hill!" Li Quan was overjoyed. He bowed and went down to make arrangements.

"Move all the mortars over here, close in and fire hard. Pull over the field artillery as well. The artillerymen should not be afraid of death; use the noise of the artillery to draw fire from the infantry.

The Archery Army pushed to the front and delivered the most intense damage in a short period of time, trying to stun the British in one round.

The battalion that launched the charge was only allowed to fire after seeing the human face. After firing, they used the cover of black smoke to go straight for hand-to-hand combat.

Your three battalions will take turns launching long-term charges. You are not allowed to retreat until you capture the British right flank." Li Quan shouted orders on the simple map.

From ancient times to the present, even until the Korean War, there has been no other good way to capture such a hill, and it is even more impossible to engage in a volley of gunfire.

The only option was to fire artillery fire followed by an infantry charge, using hand-to-hand combat to drive the enemy back, and this had been the case for hundreds of years.

After assigning tasks to his three battalions of the Divine Lightning Guards, Li Quan looked at Mo Shanzong, the captain of the Yulin Guards Shooting Battalion.

"Captain Mo, my Shesheng Army will also launch a long live charge this time, so your battalion will serve as our Shesheng Battalion."

Mo Shanzong nodded. Although it was disadvantageous to shoot at the enemy from a high position with a rifle, it was much better than charging directly into hand-to-hand combat.

"Commander Ye, your Zhenwu Army must advance ahead of us. You don't need to charge, but you must demonstrate the momentum of a decisive battle."

The commander of this regiment of the Jingying Zhenwu Army was named Ye, from Dapu, Chaozhou. He was a hero who captured Jiaxi Prefecture and the nephew of Chen Lanbo, who historically founded the Lan Fang Company together with Luo Fangbo.

Commander Ye snorted, somewhat reluctantly, as he knew what Li Quan wanted him to do.

To put it simply, it was to attack step by step, making the British think that the Chinese army was ready to fight them in this way. During the battle, Li Quan's Shendian Guards went up, and three battalions and three waves of Wansui charges completely took the city.

What the hell, not only did the Zhenwu Army have to bear the first wave of damage, but they also couldn't even get the biggest credit.

No officer would be willing to fight this kind of battle. Commander Ye knew this even better. If he accepted the mission, he would not be able to convince his soldiers to fight for their lives when he returned.

Li Quan naturally understood that even though he was the emperor's confidant, he could not bully others like this, so after thinking for a moment, he stretched out a finger.

"This time, your Zhenwu Army, including the Yulin Guards, will share in the rewards of this battle with our Shendian Guards. The Zhenwu Army will be given the first chance to pick the spoils. Also, half of the fifty golden pagodas we shared in Madras last time will be given to the Zhenwu Army."

The so-called gold tower is a tower-shaped gold ingot that is very popular in India. Each ingot weighs about twenty taels and was taken out from the British treasury after the capture of Madras.

The Chinese Navy and Army can keep up to 50% of the spoils captured abroad, depending on the difficulty. Therefore, as the main force with the largest number of troops deployed, the Shendianwei is still quite rich.

Commander Ye of the Zhenwu Army, who had just snorted coldly, softened his expression after hearing this. He cupped his hands and said, "General Li, you are too polite. I will go down and prepare right away."

Among the British troops on the hill, the three European regiments of Fort William, the main force of more than 3,000 people, are on the main hill on the left. They are closest to Fort William, with a straight-line distance of only about three kilometers.

The 2,800 men of the Royal Irish Rifles were on a slightly lower hill on the right.

Li Quan's target was also very clear. It was not the main force of 3,000 people on the hill on the left who had already been tried to attack, but the small 3,000 Irish people on the slightly lower hill on the right.

It was not only because this small hill was easier to attack, but also because the British Army's two Plassey artillery batteries were on the main force's side. They were facing eight field guns and attacking this hill that was nearly 200 meters high from above. The casualties would definitely be huge.

Not only Li Quan made this decision, but the commander of the Royal Irish Infantry Regiment on the right, Major General John Seybright, the sixth Baron Seybright, also thought so.

Out of this concern, Baron Sebright asked Commander Sir Al Coote to deploy the Plassey Artillery Battery to him before the Chinese army launched the attack.

But soon, his aide-de-camp reported that Sir Al Coote had rejected Baron Sebright's request. The aide-de-camp said in a low voice with a constipated look on his face:

"The Lord asked me to remind the Baron that you are an English nobleman and should consider the interests of England."

"Fuck!" Baron Sebright cursed, and his face looked even more constipated.

Because Baron Sebright's family originated from Worcestershire, England, and they were pure English old St. George's Cross flags, and 80% of the officers and soldiers in the regiment under his command were Irish.

You know, the Irish have never been considered part of England, and the Irish certainly don't consider themselves English.

Especially the regiment commanded by Baron Sebright, they will be sent from North America to India to make up the numbers, because they were unwilling to do their best when suppressing the Thirteen Colonies in North America.

Therefore, it is better to give up dreaming of expecting the main English regiment on the left to transfer the Plassey Artillery Battery, which is relied upon for safety, to the Irish Infantry Regiment on the right. The situation is almost the same if it is the other way around.

"Order all battalions to fight bravely. If our regiment makes the same mistake as in North America again, there will be no place for us in the entire kingdom."

Baron Sebright made sufficient psychological preparation before he went to the temporary conference room to mobilize officers at all levels.

After all, he is an English nobleman and can only sit on the side of his own people in England.

The Irish officers below nodded one after another. They also understood that if they were unwilling to fight to the death in North America, there would be a little bit of excusability, which was also the reason why they did not receive the most severe punishment.

But if they were still unwilling to fight bravely against the imperialists in the East and India, that would be sheer ignorance of what is good for them.

"Woo~~Boom!"

Just as Baron Sebright was about to make some further arrangements, a 32-pound mortar fired a huge explosive bomb over the Irish regiment's position.

With the violent explosion, a large number of iron nails, broken iron pieces, etc. were scattered everywhere, making these Irish little potatoes scream in pain.

Li Quan snorted coldly. This was just the beginning. It was a pity that the picric acid explosives secretly developed by the empire were not yet fully mature, otherwise this would have been a picric acid bomb.

Following this mortar fire, the archers of the Imperial Guards quickly stepped forward and fired at the mountain while half-kneeling at the foot of the hill in an extremely aggressive fighting style.

The Irish regiment had not been attacked just now and was not quite aware of the power of Minié's bullets.

Therefore, the soldiers below thought that these imperialists were crazy. The Irish light infantry walked out of the obstacles one after another, scrambling to give the Imperial Guards a good beating from a high position. As a result, they might have been the ones who got beaten up.

When the archers of the Imperial Guards temporarily suppressed the situation, the artillerymen shouted in unison, moved the cannons directly to the bottom of the hillside, and fired upwards recklessly.

Even some mortarmen had mixed in with the archers, bombarding the Irish on the hillside from the closest possible distance.

"Hurry, hold on, you must hold on!" Baron Sebright roared anxiously. He even came to the front line in person and commanded the gunners to fire at the Divine Electric Guards Artillery at the foot of the mountain.

Poor Irish Infantry Regiment. After they displeased King George III of England in North America, their allocated artillery battalion was taken away from them, resulting in the entire regiment of 2,800 people having only one regimental artillery company, consisting of only four three-pound field guns.

What’s worse is that at this time, the field artillery must be as far forward as possible, even for the defending side.

Because the range of artillery in later generations is only rarely greater than that of ordinary artillery, while in this era, artillery generally faces the dilemma of insufficient range. Therefore, if it is deployed too far back, by the time you can take effect, the position will be gone.

Soon the artillery battle between the two sides became intense. The Irish regiment hit a field gun of the Yamashita Shendian Guards with a shot. Four gunners were killed on the spot, and even the wheels of the field gun carriage were broken.

But before they could rejoice, two mortars hit the Irish regimental field gun, and the huge stone bullets fired by the mortars hit the muzzle of the three-pound gun heavily.

The broken stone bullets caused fragments of stone to fly everywhere like needles from a rainstorm. The unfortunate captain, the artillery officer, screamed in pain as his eyeballs were knocked out of their sockets by two pieces of fragments as big as pebbles.

But their nightmare was not over yet. It turned out that the field gun was hit directly by a stone bullet and flew into the air.

The result was that before the scattering of gravel had ended, the three-pound gun itself fell from the sky and smashed the four gunners below, breaking their bones and tendons and causing them to wail in pain.

"Let the artillery retreat, let the artillery retreat, the grenadiers go forward, and disperse to avoid the artillery!" Baron Sebright gritted his teeth and gave the order.

He only had four cannons, and one of them had been knocked out. If he didn't retreat, when the enemy's large force charged forward, what would he use his shotgun shells to kill the enemy?

As soon as they saw the Irish pulling their cannons back, the Zhenwu Army immediately followed.

You want to keep your cannons to fight against cannonballs, so I will use my inferior troops to lure your cannons to fight against cannonballs, and then use mortars to knock you down.

The entire hillside was immediately filled with the rumbling of artillery and gunfire. The Zhenwu Army controlled the distance very well. The 3,000 soldiers were divided into teams of 200 people each, constantly attacking the Irish regiment's positions.

He seized the opportunity to fire a volley of shots and even made a gesture of preparing for hand-to-hand combat. In this repeated tug-of-war, Baron Sebright was sweating profusely.

He knew that if he pulled his cannon up to fire the cannonballs, it would soon be knocked out by the opposing mortars.

If he ordered the Irish regiment to swoop down from a high position and engage in hand-to-hand combat, not only would he win, but the field guns at the foot of the mountain would surely be loaded with buckshot waiting for him.

"Send a flag signal, requesting support, requesting artillery support. Have Sir Al Coote at least move the artillery towards us and bombard the flank of the Imperial Army that is attacking us!"

Baron Sebright finally decided to ask for help. Regardless of whether Sir Al Coote accepted the request or not, he could not let the Irish soldiers under him realize that they were in risk of being abandoned.

(End of this chapter)