The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 642 The First Clash in Brussels

In the suburbs of Brussels, in the Grand Duchy of Brabant, the rumbling of artillery broke the tranquility of the early morning.

A group of militiamen, with mud-colored trousers tucked into their long boots, wearing jackets with blue shirts and wide-brimmed musketeer hats on their heads, lined up in fairly neat rows and marched forward in unison to the sound of cannons and drums.

Five or six hundred meters away from them, some militiamen, who were dressed basically the same as them but had white strips of cloth tied around their arms to distinguish them, were also slowly approaching.

The militiamen without white cloth strips were the militiamen of the Grand Duke of Brabant's Guards who were affiliated with Mo Zirong.

On the opposite side, with white cloths tied around their necks, were the Brabant Patriot militia from Brussels, as well as the militia from the city of Ghent and the Diocese of Liège that supported them.

However, Liu Rongqing, the military commander of the Lu vassal state temporarily appointed by Mo Zirong and the commander-in-chief of the Battle of Brussels, knew that these people could not fight when he saw the scene.

Because they were advancing too slowly and were not heading for a fight at all.

Although the fighting on the battlefield was intense, the casualties were actually very limited. Most of the time, it was just a few unlucky guys who were hit by a small amount of artillery or killed by stray bullets.

Sure enough, everything was just as Liu Rongqing had expected. Half an hour ago, they were only 600 meters apart, but now there were still 200 meters between them, and several rounds of volleys had been fired.

As for casualties, both sides dispatched a militia regiment, totaling nearly 3,000 people. Up to now, it is not known whether the total number of casualties is more than 30.

"Brother, this is how the Taixi militia is. They will never use their full strength unless their lives are at stake." The younger brother Liu Guoqing said beside his elder brother, with a calmness that seemed to be used to it.

Brother Liu Rongqing smiled faintly, "Militiamen everywhere are the same. If this happened in China, it would be the same. What are you risking your life for a few silver dollars a month?
However, we need to change the rules for them. Go tell those militia leaders that we will launch a fierce attack in the afternoon battle. All leaders who complete the assigned tasks will receive trade rations of three 800-ton merchant ships. "

At this time in the East-West trade, due to the leakage of technology and the rise of trade protectionism, Chinese products were not as popular in Europe as they had been decades ago.

Especially in the three traditional golden fist products of silk, porcelain and tea, the mid- and low-end products have basically begun to be replaced by European or Near Eastern products.

For example, Greater Syria at that time, which was the sad land of the Crusaders including Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, was rich in silk.

Before the city of Beirut was captured by the Russian commander Count Orlov during the Fourth Russo-Turkish War, it was a key port for silk exports from Greater Syria to Europe.

Historically, even under the cultivation of the French, Lebanese silk has remained a must-have for high-end luxury goods until later generations.

The same is true for porcelain. Many low-end products can be produced in Europe and there is no need to ship them across the sea.

Although tea-making technology has not yet spread abroad, it has begun to be strongly impacted by coffee drinks.

However, because of this, the profits of large ocean ships coming from the East are actually higher.

Since most of the low- and mid-end products can be produced by themselves, all the high-end products such as silk, tea and porcelain are shipped from China to Europe. Mozibu also pays attention to building the concept of brand, which further raises the style.

In addition, at this time, Europe's demand for the three old products of tea, porcelain and silk began to decline.

However, the demand for pig bristles, which can be used to make brushes and are considered strategic products, and rhubarb, which can treat various diseases, has continued to increase and their prices have continued to rise.

This resulted in a decrease in the total trade volume and a decrease in the frequency of large ocean ships arriving, but profits increased rapidly.

In view of this situation, Mozibu has also made certain adjustments, and high-end products cannot be flooded into the market.

Therefore, in Dayu, on the one hand, the quality of low-end products exported overseas was improved, a considerable part of tariffs were reduced, prices were lowered, and the pressure on overseas traders was reduced.

It hopes to take advantage of the brand and price advantages of Chinese products and control at least half of the low-end trade.

On the other hand, a rationing system was implemented for high-end products, with considerable attention paid to how many ships of goods were shipped to Europe each year and how much each commodity's export value was.

Therefore, this ration has become an indicator that everyone covets.

Of course, this is a difficult task for others, but for Prince Lu Mo Zirong, who has worked hard for the emperor in Europe for more than ten years and is a solid nail and bridgehead driven by the Chinese Empire in Europe, it is nothing at all.

The trade volume in his hands, calculated based on the displacement of merchant ships, was as much as 170,000 tons, which was equivalent to allowing more than 200 800-ton merchant ships to trade with China.

It was the second largest trader in Europe after the French government, with a quota higher than that of the British East India Company.

This is real wealth. For an 800-ton medium-sized merchant ship, the net profit is at least 4,000 silver dollars. Basically, the investment can be recovered in one and a half trips, and it is a guaranteed profit in two trips. It is a good business no matter where you go.

"Also, look to the right front, at two o'clock. Those who are staying there must be the real soldiers from France."

After hearing what his brother Liu Rongqing said, Liu Guoqing was a little confused, but when he picked up the telescope and looked in the direction his brother pointed, he immediately understood.

Because on a hill not far from the two points, there were flags flying everywhere, and a group of people clearly showed their identities to both sides of the war.

There were flags of England, Spain, Prussia, the United Provinces, the Holy Roman Empire, Russia, and even Denmark and Sweden.

"It's quite complete. These people are here to evaluate the combat effectiveness of the Chinese Army." Liu Guoqing said with a smile.

The reason why they were able to determine where the Brussels militia elite and the French army were was because that hill was the best location to observe the two directions.

Of course, we have to fight to find out whether they are really French troops.

"Let the cavalry battalion send two companies to give it a try." Liu Rongqing said to the messenger beside him. Whether they are elite soldiers or not, the cavalry will know the result after just one try.

Liu Rongqing had just finished making the arrangements when the battle, which had been fought intermittently for almost an hour, ended.

The Liege militia on the opposite side launched a charge, but the Tilburg militia on Liu Rongqing's side did not engage in the battle at all and retreated directly.

Of course, the other side also knew when to stop. The two sides insulted each other as if they were saying goodbye from a distance of several hundred meters, and then returned to their camps. The battle this morning ended.

Not many people died, but the mercenaries pocketed 20 livres, about one pound and more than three silver dollars, and the militiamen pocketed about one silver dollar as salary, fully illustrating the truth that war is about money.

You can't blame them because this situation is very common in Europe and has a tradition of thousands of years. It is natural to fight a war based on how much money you are paid.

Mercenaries earn two pounds a day, and militiamen earn thirteen pence a day, so the kind of battles they can fight are of this intensity.

So when these militia and mercenary leaders came back, Liu Rongqing not only did not blame them, but also immediately called their leaders to a dinner and announced a new policy.

"Now that the mission has been assigned to you, the amount of money you will earn based on the level of completion is clearly marked. If you want wealth and glory, it depends on whether you are willing to sacrifice your life!"

A mercenary captain could not help swallowing his saliva. He did not have a large sea ship, but he could rent other people's ships. As for sailors, there were plenty of them in the Netherlands. As long as they were paid, they could be hired in large quantities.

If everything goes well, a ship can earn a conservative amount of 3,500 silver dollars, which is 1,060 pounds, or about 26,000 livres, a huge sum of money no matter where it is.

Even though he was only a company commander, he could at least get 400 pounds, which was equivalent to nearly ten years' salary of a London engineer. Excluding food and drink, it would take him nearly 20 years to save up this money.

As for the ox-and-horse workers at that time, they could not save so much money even if they worked themselves to death.

"General, we need an agreement." Someone tried his best to suppress his excitement, and spoke in a low voice to cover up the trembling from the depths of his soul.

"Hmph!" Liu Guoqing snorted coldly, "Once the Seres have spoken, they will never take it back. A few merchant ships are just a matter of a word from Lord Mo. As long as you fight bravely, you will have as much gold, silver and treasure as you want.

Prepare for battle. We must defeat the Brussels militia and force those from France to appear on the battlefield."

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the battle continued.

The so-called patriotic coalition led by the militia of the Diocese of Liege continued to fight at the same pace as in the past few days, slowly starting to fight like an autumn outing.

But as soon as they arrived on the battlefield, they immediately felt something was wrong.

Because Mo Zirong's guard militia suddenly had an overwhelming desire to fight and their morale was very high, they not only took the initiative to fire volleys of gunfire at close range, but also often launched hand-to-hand combat.

Half an hour later, the Antwerp militia first defeated the militia of the Diocese of Liege, then they turned around and attacked part of the Brussels militia, and soon joined forces with the Tilburg militia to defeat these Brussels militia.

As a result, the situation, which could have been evenly matched, was immediately reversed, and the remaining Ghent militia quickly occupied a high ground and made a desperate struggle.

"Warriors, citizens, it's time for us to take action. Let us defeat those corrupt nobles who attempt to enslave the people. Let the bullets of justice kill the slaves of those nobles!"

Liu Rongqing and Liu Guoqing guessed correctly that the volunteers from France were the ones who had not been dispatched at two o'clock.

However, they have no official background, but came to Brussels after being recruited by some retired military officers.

Among these people, some were deeply influenced by French progressive ideas and took the initiative to ask to come and assist the people of Brussels.

The other part, or the vast majority, are cadets trained in various French military academies in recent years. They may have been somewhat influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment, but a greater part of the reason is that they have no hope in life.

They are eager to participate in any battle and use the fighting power acquired through years of hard study to change their own destiny.

These French volunteers also had a strong will to fight, because the Enlightenment brought them the greatest improvement in combat, which was justice.

Just like at this moment, the fighting power of these French soldiers had not been aroused yet, but these words immediately boosted their morale.

"Long live the citizens of Brussels! Long live freedom!" Nineteen-year-old Jean Maximilian Lamarck led the shouting.

He was deeply influenced by the idea of natural human rights. He was one of the few fighters with great revolutionary enthusiasm who brought his own food and took the initiative to help the people of Brussels.

"Long live freedom! Long live freedom!"

The roar resounded across the battlefield. From that moment on, the future of Brussels was unknown, but the storm in France had truly arrived.

Because these military cadets who become unemployed upon graduation have changed their goals from simply seeking power to seeking freedom, the freedom from being exploited by the first and second classes.

However, these Franks also encountered another monster, a monster from the East.

Mo Zirong was one of the three guards of Prince Lu.

The core of the Zuowei was the Kanto samurai from Japan.

The officers of Zhongwei and Youwei were basically retired officers from the Imperial Guard and the Beijing Camp, while the soldiers were composed of Han, Zhuang, Yao, and Li people from Guangxi and Hainan Island.

Emperor Mo came from western Guangdong, so people of all ethnic groups in Guangxi are now desperately trying to get close to the emperor's fellow countrymen, which shows their loyalty.

Hainan Island has a large number of Mo clan chieftains, and now that their fellow tribesman has become the emperor, they are naturally very supportive.

Well, the combat effectiveness of the thousands of Japanese samurai on the left guard cannot be underestimated, and the middle guard and the right guard are actually Guiqiong wolf soldiers led by top officers, and their combat effectiveness is even stronger.

Moreover, after arriving in Europe, the officers and soldiers of the Three Guards were not influenced by French Enlightenment thought at all.

In addition to the language and cultural barriers, in the eyes of the officers and soldiers of the Three Guards, they have now achieved the liberation of human rights by being able to go from being peasants to serving in the army and eating the emperor's food, with military pay so high that even the landlords in their hometowns envy them!
Emperor Guangzhong, who expelled the Tartars, had already liberated them at all levels. Unlike these poor people in the West, they have not yet escaped their semi-slavery status.

"Warriors of Kansai, the time has come to serve the Emperor. Show your bravery and loyalty!"

"My men, we are the emperor's fellow villagers. We would rather die than bring shame to the emperor!" At 3:10 in the afternoon, the Antwerp, Tilburg and Haider militias on Mo Zirong's side surrounded the Ghent militia that was still resisting.

Just when the Ghent militia was about to be unable to resist, the French volunteers arrived. They sang war songs, held flintlock rifles with fixed bayonets, and pulled cannons. They defeated Haider's militia in just one encounter.

These French volunteers basically had military experience, and most of them had military academy backgrounds. In addition, the army in the Netherlands, including the Netherlands, had been in decline for hundreds of years, so how could they withstand the French attack?

Fifteen minutes later, these French were like tigers out of a cage, and once again defeated Mo Zirong's main militia - the Antwerp Militia.

The besieged Ghent Patriot militia suddenly rushed down, forcing Mo Zirong's militia to retreat continuously.

The officers and soldiers of the Three Guards watched all this calmly, without any nervousness at all. Some of them even took the time to drink some sugar water during the intervals.

Forty minutes later, Mo Zirong's militia of the Duke of Brabant's guards had completely collapsed, fleeing everywhere in the mountains and plains, while the French volunteers cheered thunderously.

"They are too young and lack some senior generals who have been trained in war to command them." Liu Rongqing gave his evaluation, and then he waved his hand, and the officers and soldiers of the Three Guards took action.

"Kill them, kill them!" More than 30 French volunteers shouted loudly. They raised their bayonets and stabbed to death any Antwerp people they caught up with.

But as they were chasing, the Antwerp people in front suddenly split into two sides.

Then, in front of the French volunteers, an army with strong oriental characteristics, wearing black flying saucer helmets and blue battle robes, appeared in front of them.

More than a hundred meters away, the thirty or so French volunteers immediately raised the flags they carried, beat the drums in their hands, and called on their comrades nearby to come and gather.

But just as they began to form up, the hunters in the center came forward with rifles and knocked down seven or eight of them with a burst of fire. The remaining volunteers then realized how powerful they were and quickly ran back.

The officers and soldiers of the center guard did not chase after them, but continued to maintain a strict formation and marched forward in unison at a neither slow nor steady pace.

At this time, the French commander and commander of the Brussels elite militia, Jan Andries van der Meer, noticed the situation. He quickly ordered the army to abandon the pursuit and begin to assemble.

After more than twenty minutes, the sounds of gunfire and artillery on the battlefield seemed to have disappeared, and only the sound of drums and footsteps could be heard.

The three guards arrived at a small stream only about five kilometers away from the city of Brussels, and the French volunteers also retreated here.

The war was finally about to break out, because behind the French volunteers was a stream, which was not deep, but could still wet their gunpowder. These people had no way to retreat.

At that time, European artillery was still quite old-fashioned, or it could be said that the whole world was like this. There was no habit of assembling artillery on a large scale.

Instead, each gun is evenly distributed in each company, and the firepower of each location must be properly matched.

The blazing shells streaked across the dark sky like shooting stars with black tails.

Since neither side was a real regular army, the number of artillery pieces was small and the shells were light. They were basically four-pound cannons, and they were basically solid shells, with not many explosive shells.

A cannonball bounced into the French militia's camp, causing a small chaos, but it was quickly quelled.

The soldiers who were hit by the shells endured the severe pain and tried not to scream as much as possible. Even if the soldiers around them were covered in blood, they would still follow the team with pale faces and trembling bodies.

"Boom!" The same cannonball hit the center guard, smashing two soldiers into a bloody mess and leaving another with his left leg completely eroded below the knee.

The wounded soldier just screamed while holding his broken leg before being pulled out of the team by the officer, who then stuffed a wooden stick into his mouth and forced him to bite it tightly.

The rest of the comrades stepped on the blood and flesh and continued forward with expressionless faces.

As the two sides got closer, the hit rate of the artillery shells became higher and higher. Soon, the light infantry of both sides began to be able to hit each other, and more people fell.

But all this cannot stop the two sides from moving forward.

A dense layer of cold sweat broke out on the forehead of Van der Meer, the commander of the French volunteers. The personal guard of Archduke M I was far superior to that of an ordinary army.

Liu Rongqing was also very nervous. The team opposite him was composed of a large number of French military cadets, and it was the strongest army he had ever seen in his life.

One hundred meters.

Ninety meters.

Eighty meters.

The front regiment (guard) of both sides suddenly entered the effective killing range of the other side, and the flintlock rifles on both sides opened fire almost at the same time as if they had agreed.

Screams suddenly rang out in the rising smoke, and a large number of soldiers fell forward, leaving the ground filled with slowly twitching dying wounded.

The first three rounds were very orderly, but after three rounds, the smoke completely obscured the battlefield, and under the influence of various factors, the soldiers' shooting began to become chaotic.

And because the vision is blocked, accurate shooting becomes shooting based on feeling.

So the officers beat the war drums and ordered the soldiers to move forward through the smoke and fire accurate volleys.

In this situation, the difficulty of commanding the army suddenly increased, the front line began to become very disorganized, and the commander was unable to give accurate command. It was time for the commanders of each regiment to start taking action.

On the battlefield, the officers and soldiers of the Left Guard were besieged by two French regiments and an elite Brussels militia regiment, and the situation was extremely critical.

The commander of the guard, Saigo Yoshibei, who was a little vague on key issues, rushed to the front line and personally picked up the flintlock rifle to shoot.

On the other side, a French volunteer regiment was also surrounded. The officers and soldiers of the center and right guards launched wave after wave of attacks against the opposite artillery.

This is a complete minced meat, one-for-one style of play.

No one expected that the war would be so brutal from the moment it started.

At this time, the commanders of both sides still had a reserve army consisting of a cavalry battalion and an infantry battalion that had not been deployed.

Saigo Takamitsu guarded the banner of action, waving his samurai sword, and repelled one Frenchman after another who wanted to come up and cut off the banner of the Left Guard.

Lamarck had noticed this young Seres man a long time ago. He cunningly dragged himself to the back, slowly loaded his rifle, and prepared to snipe this brave guy.

During the bloody battle, Saigo Takamitsu only felt something flash in the distance. He lowered his head in an instant, and with a whoosh, the hot lead bullet flew past his head.

"Despicable villain!" Saigo Takamitsu was furious. With his blood boiling, he was not afraid at all. Instead, he raised his samurai sword and rushed towards Lamarck in a few big strides.

The twenty or so French volunteers who were besieging the city did not expect that Saigo Takamitsu would dare to rush forward, and were caught off guard and approached by him.

The short-statured Saigo Takamitsu rolled on the ground to avoid two bayonets, then swung around and started slashing wildly in the crowd.

Inspired by him, his comrades who had been suppressed for more than ten minutes turned over and ran down to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

The French volunteers were not to be outdone. After the initial shock, they also took the initiative to engage in hand-to-hand combat.

The cruelty of cold weapons was clearly revealed at this moment.

No, this is even more cruel than the era of cold weapons, because both sides have no armor and basically everyone will die if they are hit.

Morale plummeted amidst the flying blood and flesh.

Lamarck had just stabbed a Seres man to death when the next one rushed towards him howling. He finally managed to get rid of Xixiang Fei, who was almost hit by his spear, and ran towards him again.

Lamarck thrust his bayonet forward, Saigo Takamitsu dodged to the side, and the samurai sword slashed along the gun.

In a flash, Lamarck decisively threw away the flintlock because he didn't want to lose a few fingers at this moment.

However, at the moment he threw away the flintlock in his hand, Lamarck almost simultaneously drew out the long dagger from his waist. He also twisted his body and, taking advantage of the moment when Saigo Takamitsu was unable to put away his knife, rushed into Saigo's arms.

The instinct that Saigo Takamitsu developed from learning martial arts since childhood saved him at the last moment. He also chose to throw away the samurai sword, grabbed Lamarck's hand holding the dagger with both hands, and the two began to wrestle on the ground.

They rolled back and forth in the muddy ground by the river, and the dagger soon disappeared, and both of them were fighting each other madly based on instinct.

There was a loud bang, not the sound of cannons, but the noise of human beings.

I don't know how much time passed, but when the two men had beaten their opponents beyond recognition, violent and noisy shouts rang out.

It turned out that before the Left Guard was defeated, the officers and soldiers of the Center Guard and the Right Guard first defeated the French Volunteers who were surrounded on three sides.

And these shouts are the sounds of the French breaking through.

Following the sound, the already exhausted Saigo took the opportunity to break free from Lamarck's pull, but just when he found a dagger, Lamarck had already taken the opportunity to escape.

The fierce conflict in a short period of time consumed a lot of energy from both sides. In the chaos, both sides were minced into a ball, and screams came one after another.

The coaches of both teams held on to their last reserve troops and refused to let go, because whoever used this last trump card first would be in danger.

After forty minutes, both sides were somewhat exhausted from the fierce battle, and the soldiers took the initiative to disengage from the meat-grinding war.

"Success or failure depends on this moment, brothers, charge into Putrajaya and show them what a superior army of the Celestial Empire is!"

At the critical moment, Liu Guoqing replaced his brother, the head coach, and went to the front line in person. He then took the initiative to go to the first row and launched an attack on the French army.

For a moment, the morale of the officers and soldiers of the Three Guards was greatly boosted. Although they had not fully recovered yet, they still moved forward with one heart.

The French army, after all, is mainly composed of relatively young officers, and their ability to withstand pressure and endure hardship is far inferior.

As for the Three Guards, there is no need to say much about the Japanese samurai. The wolf soldiers in Gui and Qiong are also typical examples of those who can endure hard battles.

In the distance, French coach Van der Meer sighed, hesitated for a long time, and gave up the idea of sending out the reserve team.

If these hundreds of cavalrymen were released and they were defeated, they would have to answer for everything today. He immediately and decisively ordered the withdrawal of troops.

Nearing dusk, more than 600 French volunteers who were leaning against the stream were killed, with a death toll of nearly 20%. The morale of the army completely collapsed and they could only wade away. Subsequently, more than 200 people were killed, and the stream turned red.

The three guards of King Lu took the opportunity to approach the city of Brussels and broke the city in an instant.

Mo Zirong was at the farthest point, and seeing his army's victory, his face flushed with excitement. At the same time, representatives from England, Spain, Denmark, Prussia and other countries came to congratulate him.

This means that the European monarchies have basically recognized Mo Zirong's status, and Brother Mo San has taken another big step towards becoming the monarch of an independent grand duchy.

But he never imagined that history would take a big step forward because of his great victory, and the throne in Brussels might not be so easy to sit on.

(End of this chapter)