The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 699 Why did Your Majesty rebel?
Belgium, Mons, Jemappes.

By November 1792, the French army was in high spirits after their victory at the Battle of Valmy.

Under such circumstances, the Girondists, who were in urgent need of consolidating their own authority through victory in foreign wars, approved the French army's military operations to enter Belgium and control the Austrian Netherlands.

Brother Mo San tried to hide here and there, but he still couldn't escape the French government's targeting of him.

Who can blame Belgium for having fertile land, rich coal resources, nearly half of its residents speaking French and identifying with France, and it being the territory of the Holy Roman Empire, and having a narrow territory without much buffer?

But this time, France is destined to suffer a big setback.

Because in fact, during the Battle of Valmy, the most powerful force in the entire anti-French coalition was actually the Lufan Army, which was disguised as the Belgian army.

Because among the 3,000 people in Lu Fan's three guards, 1,500 were simply old guards who retired from the four guards of the Chinese Empire: Yuancong, Longxiang, Shendian, and Shenji.

There are also five hundred people who are Japanese warriors carefully selected in Japan for Mo Zirong by the retired emperor Mo Tianci, who loves his son very much.

Of the remaining one thousand people, seven hundred were China's top European mercenaries who were re-employed after retirement, and the last three hundred were standard Shandong men.

Because according to the clan system of meritorious officials in Dayu, when one reaches the level of a prince or a relative, the title is not just a title, but must come with corresponding benefits.

For example, if Mo Zirong was granted the title of King of Lu, he would have a fief in the original land of Lu. The fief that Mo Zibu gave to Mo Zirong was Qufu, which had 5,000 households.

Of course, this fiefdom was just a term. It meant that after deducting all deductible expenses from the taxes of 5,000 households each year, a portion would be transferred to Mo Zirong, with a total amount of about 4,000 taels of silver. It did not mean that Mo Zirong could actually rule these 5,000 households.

Therefore, Mo Zirong's annual income included the food and money from Qufu, and he used this money to recruit 300 strong men from southwestern Shandong as his personal guards.

This is also the reason why the Dayu Dynasty is so cautious even about internal honorary titles above the Marquis level.

The only reason why Mo Zirong was able to obtain so much fief was because these fiefs were directly confiscated from the Confucius Mansion.

Mo Zibu himself did not want to be accused of stealing the rations of the Holy People, so he generously gave it to Mo Zirong. Anyway, his third brother would probably not come back, so it didn't matter if he took the blame.

To complement the three guards, there were two Xiongnu cavalry regiments of 2,000 men, all of whom were elite soldiers selected and paid high salaries.

In addition, there is a Croatian and Slovenian Line Infantry Regiment of more than 900 people. These were contributed by the nobles from these two places who had made a living by following Mo Zirong, and they can be considered elite soldiers.

As a result of their consistent concern of not wanting to anger the French revolutionary government and make too deep an enemy of them, during the Battle of Valmy, the three guards of the King of Lu were basically just playing a supporting role, and only made a small resistance at the end, causing no more than 30 casualties to the French army.

But now it seems that Wang Wubing's seductive glance was cast at a blind man.

The French revolutionary government did not think that the Lufan Army did not want to conflict with them. Instead, they regarded the Lufan Army as the same as the Brunswick militia, thinking that they were afraid to fight against France.

So, when the First Coalition was disbanded, Charles François Dumouriez, commander-in-chief of the French Northern Revolutionary Army and former Minister of War and Foreign Affairs, directly invaded Belgium.

However, the French army still had its old problems. After a large number of middle-level officers who were low-ranking nobles were completely purged, the command was seriously poor. The soldiers were full of revolutionary enthusiasm but lacked training. There were not even enough artillery and artillery commanders.

Wang Wubing accurately grasped the situation of the French army and blocked them directly outside the city of Jemappes, preventing the large number of French troops from deploying and weakening their military advantage.

Faced with Wang Wubing's battle array on the ridge outside Jemappes, the French commander Charles Dumouriez hesitated for only a few minutes and immediately ordered the French army to attack from above.

This man is an old scoundrel who is very good at speculation. Although he is brave in combat, he spends all his time thinking about how to speculate.

Before this, he did not hold a high position in the French army because there were many people who were better at fighting than him and had better backgrounds than him.

Now he holds a high position in the French army because he has become close to the Girondists and has gained control of a large number of troops for them.

At this time, the Girondists needed to use military merit to stabilize the situation, and Charles Dumouriez had no choice at all.

At the foot of the mountain, as the French army commanded by drums and music sounded, more than four thousand French soldiers lined up in a fairly neat formation, holding their flintlock rifles at an angle, and marched in unison towards the ridge.

Occasionally, a few cannons roared, which did not seem to be bombarding Lu Fan's army, but more like cheering for their own people, because the French artillery had set up the artillery in the wrong position and could not hit the ridge at all.

'Go forward, sons and daughters of the motherland, rise up quickly, a glorious day awaits you!
What we are facing is a tyranny of totalitarianism.

Raise the blood-stained flag!
Raise the blood-stained flag!
You can hear the brutal soldiers howling in the countryside. They will rush into your homes and kill the children and partners you hold in your arms!

To the sound of drums, French revolutionary soldiers in blue uniforms sang the battle song of the Rhine Army, which later became the Marseillaise, and marched forward with passion.

The core of this army was Marshal Nicholas Luckner's Northern Army, and this Rhine Army war song was born when Nicholas Luckner commanded the Northern Army.

When Wang Wubing heard the French army's singing, his cold face twitched twice.

Most Chinese who know the inside story of the French Revolution actually support it, or at least have a very sympathetic and understanding attitude towards it.

But this sympathy and understanding cannot change the hostile relationship between the two sides, nor will it shake Wang Wubing's cold heart.

An expression of emotion appeared on his face, but he waved his hand downwards without any hesitation.

"The artillery opened fire in sequence, bombarding their center. We must establish continuous firepower to inflict sufficient casualties on them.

"Left guard hunters, advance and kill the officers. Left and right Xiongnu cavalry regiments, look at my flags and do not advance without my orders!"

Following Wang Wubing's loud command, the artillery of the Lu Fan army on the ridge opened fire suddenly. Since a blocking strategy had been formulated long ago, the Lu Fan army had a large number of artillery pieces, as many as sixty-five.

There were not only three-pound, four-pound, and six-pound field guns with gun carriages, but also twelve to sixteen-pound city defense guns that had been transported in advance.

After all, flesh and blood cannot be stronger than steel. The French army, singing the passionate Rhine Army war song, launched round after round of collective charges fearlessly.

However, there were only a few roads leading to the ridge, and all the trees had been cut down in advance. Sixty-five cannons fired at more than a thousand people from a high position. It was no exaggeration to say that it was hell for the attackers.

The huge shells left a bright red streak of blood with each hit, and broken limbs flew all over the sky.

There are often several explosive bombs hidden in solid bullets, so when the attacking soldiers are ready to avoid the impact of solid bullets, an explosive bomb will explode in the dense crowd of people who are avoiding them.

Charles Dumouriez had a cold face and gave the order to continue the attack without hesitation. In his eyes, these soldiers were not living beings, but just a string of numbers.

He didn't care how many people died, but he had to take over the Austrian Netherlands (Belgium)
Because only a great victory abroad could ease the crisis of the Girondists and at the same time send him to a higher position.

"Don't stop, don't stop, tell the boys that the army of the decadent nobles is completely vulnerable. They will be terrified by the revolutionary soldiers' fearlessness of life and death.

Charge forward, overthrow the corrupt aristocracy, spread the flames of revolution to the land of the Austrian Netherlands, and let those people who speak French like us gain true liberation. "

"Long live liberty, equality, and nation!"

Charles Dumouriez roared loudly, riding his horse back and forth and shouting in front of each company about to launch an attack, until his voice became hoarse.

His adjutants and attendants also shouted loudly, using revolutionary battle cries to send the passionate revolutionary soldiers to the battlefield.

On the ridge, Lu Fan's army had repelled at least six French charges of thousands of people. Although the troop strength of the two sides was 55,000 to 8,000, the gap between the two sides in terms of training, firepower and terrain was too large.

Seeing that the entire hillside was almost dyed red and at least 3,000 French soldiers were wiped out within two hours, Wang Wubing felt a little respect in his heart.

"These are excellent soldiers. With a little training, they can become invincible lions. However, no one has truly made use of them and cherished them. It's like the Han people under the rule of the Qing Dynasty. They are brave, but it doesn't help."

After sighing, Wang Wubing ordered his adjutant: "Raise the white flag and send someone to tell the French commander that they can't win. End the war. There is no need to let the soldiers continue to die." At this time, the white flag actually mostly meant negotiations and the arrival of envoys. There were not many examples of using the white flag in surrender.

However, after Wang Wubing raised the white flag, the French army on the opposite side did not follow suit. Instead, the drumbeats became more intense. It seemed that the French commander did not want to negotiate at all.

In the afternoon, the French army continued to launch intensive charges. They didn't even eat lunch and fought from ten in the morning to two in the afternoon. It seemed that their courage to fight would never fade.

With this desperate fighting style, the French army began to approach the positions of Lu Fan's army, and the two sides finally exchanged fire.

Although the number of French troops rushing up was small, it was a bad sign. It would not only boost the morale of the French army, but also represent that there was a fluctuation among the soldiers of Lu Fan's army.

Because if there had not been any fluctuations, the French army would not have been able to break through his arrangements and reach the ridge.

Wang Wubing also knew why the fluctuation occurred, because the soldiers in Lu Fan’s army sympathized with the French soldiers.

They did not consider these soldiers, who were composed of ordinary people seeking to protect themselves from oppression, to be their enemies.

However, on this kind of battlefield, any slight restraint may bring immeasurable losses to one's side.

Wang Wubing then began to shout to the more than 5,000 soldiers on the mountain, "There's nothing wrong with the French pursuing fairness and justice, but they shouldn't invade our country.

The French should solve their own problems themselves, instead of causing harm to others when they cannot solve them.

We gave them a chance in Valmy, but they didn't cherish it. Instead, they thought we were easy targets. So today's painful lesson is what they deserve."

These words were very accurate and immediately dispelled the soldiers' sympathy and respect for the French soldiers.

"Warriors of Dayu, tell me, what is the greatest respect you can show to your enemy?"

Liu Guoqing, deputy commander of the Third Guard, who always attached great importance to justice and fairness, also shouted loudly.

"Kill them, kill them without mercy, and make them all disappear from this world!" the soldiers howled.

"Hahaha, that's right!" Liu Guoqing said, "Cutting the roots is the greatest respect for the enemy. Kill them all!"

After unifying their thoughts, the combat effectiveness of the Lufan Army was immediately restored.

When the French launched their eighth attack, Wang Wubing ordered the artillery to stop firing, let all the more than 1,000 charging people come over, and then extended the firing to prevent the subsequent troops from following up.

The more than 1,000 people who were released were just feeling lucky that they were not hit by artillery fire when they heard the sound of conch horns.

The Lu Fan army poured down from top to bottom. They first killed with hunters, then made three consecutive attacks, and then launched a charge. When they were forty meters away, they threw a wave of grenades and finally started hand-to-hand combat.

Most of the French troops had little training, and many were even volunteers from the fields and factories. How could they withstand the charge of such extremely professional elite troops?

Before they could fire their volleys, a large number of officers were killed by the hunting soldiers. After the formation retreated hastily to stabilize its footing, the Lu Fan army's volleys came again.

The French army, which suffered heavy casualties, stabilized its formation again, thinking that when they fired a volley, a barrage of bombs would be thrown at them again.

After their formation was scattered, bayonets came and stabbed them like harpoons. In the chaos, a large number of French soldiers were stabbed to death before they could fight back.

If there is anyone who is lucky enough to break away from contact and stabilize the line again, then another wave of four-piece sets will attack again.

This is the power of elite soldiers. Without many fancy moves, simple routines can cause huge damage.

Therefore, of the one thousand people who were released, six or seven hundred were killed within ten minutes and were basically destroyed.

And after they were destroyed, the extended artillery fire stopped, and the next wave of people were forced up by the opposing commander.

These people were even more miserable. The smoke and roar of the battlefield completely blinded their perception.

When they came out through the smoke, they didn't even know what had happened. Before they could even stand firm, they were beaten and forced to flee in a panic.

Many French soldiers didn't even see the enemy. After being hit by a few bombs, their organization collapsed in confusion.

This was repeated three times, and the violent Lu Fan army killed more than 1,500 French soldiers in an hour and a half.

Only then did Charles Dumouriez realize what kind of existence he had encountered. He knew that he had kicked against a rock, and the French soldiers below also became obedient.

A huge gap often makes people feel desperate and difficult to confront.

Charles Dumouriez had no choice but to order his army to stop the attack, but he did not give up and wanted to retreat to a small border town occupied by the French army to rest before coming back.

Because he felt that as long as there was not such a huge geographical disadvantage, if he could lure the Lu Fan army out to the wide plains outside where the French army could take advantage of their numerical advantage, they would still be able to fight.

But unfortunately, this speculator forgot one thing, that is, King Mo Zirong of Lu’s first European title was the Grand Duke of Transylvania.

As soon as the French army moved back, Wang Wubing on the ridge raised the flag to summon the cavalry. Two thousand Hun cavalry immediately turned out from behind the ridge. The retreating French army was caught off guard and was immediately overwhelmed by the rear army.

Charles Dumouriez wanted to come to the rescue, but the Hun cavalry did not wait for him to come to the rescue. They went to the left wing of the French army, and then broke through the French position diagonally from left to right.

The three guards of King Lu on the ridge also rushed down with a roar.

When Charles Dumouriez saw that the army was in danger of being cut into pieces, he immediately abandoned the rear army and part of the Reims infantry and chose to evacuate with the main force.

Wang Wubing ordered his cavalry to bite hard, and the two sides fought each other on the wide plain. The French army tried to reorganize several times but failed and was in a state of being bled.

In the end, it was only with the help of some French cavalry who sacrificed their lives to block the attack that the large army was able to safely retreat into French territory.

Historically, the Battle of Jemappes ended with a French victory. The Austrian commander was Mo Zirong's brother-in-law, Albert, Duke of Teschen, who was then the Governor-General of the Austrian Netherlands.

Despite having a certain advantage, he chose to give up in order to save his life. He led his army out of the Austrian Netherlands and fled back to Vienna, which led to France basically controlling Belgium and successfully extending the life of the Girondists.

But in this time and space, Charles Dumouriez was badly defeated by Wang Wubing, and nearly 20,000 of the 55,000 French troops were killed, almost completely destroying the confidence that the Battle of Valmy had brought to the army of the First French Republic.

When the news reached Paris, the revolutionary masses were outraged and accused the Girondist government of incompetence.

And this tide of anger was growing stronger and stronger, because under the rule of the Girondins, France's agricultural production decreased by more than 1792% in , and it suffered consecutive droughts, so that the city of Paris suffered a winter panic, and people starved to death or froze to death every day.

In order to calm their anger, the Girondists had no choice but to use their ultimate move and execute Louis XVI.

Before, the Jacobins and others had long demanded the king's execution, and it was the Girondists who had opposed it. But now, they didn't want to and had no way to stop it.

Finally, in December 1792, Louis XVI became a defendant under the name of Louis Capet and was eventually convicted of high treason.

This is indeed a bit of black humor, because this crime is the heinous crime of treason in China.

Uh...it seems that it is not impossible to sentence the king to high treason against the country.

Louis XVI calmly accepted the charges. He said nothing and was supported as if he were a wooden man.

Perhaps this king had already foreseen his own end.

(End of this chapter)