"I think the reason why the Chinese use barbed wire well is because they use it more. We feel that there are a lot of 10,000 pounds of barbed wire on the position, and the Chinese will use 30,000 pounds first. They are willing to use it, dare to use it, and of course the effect is good to look at. "The British officer Max 61 Tomerson expressed his opinion in a lively discussion.

He had expected that such an accurate observation would spark approval in the discussion, or at least a heated debate, like pouring ice water on a boiling pan of hot oil. Unexpectedly, the people who discussed it were not hot oil, but pure hot water. A large scoop of ice water was poured into it, and the boiling pot calmed down in an instant.

After a while, a major with a lot of freckles on his face said regretfully: "China probably refuses to transport so many barbed wire from Manchester to the African battlefield." It costs too much money. ”

"Don't the Chinese care about spending money?" Max 61 Tomerson retorted unhappily to his comrades.

Gordon interjected at this point, "The Chinese have steel mills in Madagascar, and I've heard that they have started building steel mills in East Africa. It's a lot closer than the distance we get here in the UK. ”

The soldiers of the British Empire are also well-informed in this world, and when they hear about the problems of industrial production, everyone can only choke their hearts. Europe is home to the world's major industrial powers, and the United States, across the Atlantic, is also an industrial country, and as for the Republic of China, the population and workers of this huge empire exceeded that of Europe and the United States combined. The Chinese behaved very differently from the European colonizers, who only needed raw materials from the colonies for profit. And China dared to build factories in the colonies, or steel plants for this heavy industry.

Gordon didn't want the discussion to turn into a self-inflicted outrage, and without waiting for anyone to complain, he continued: "If Mahdi still can't get into Khartoum tomorrow, we'll start retreating. ”

"Don't you want artillery?" Max 61 Tomerson asked in surprise.

"With the current ammunition reserves, with the current density of shelling, the artillery will fight for three days at most. Rather than leave the time to go, it is better to leave the artillery and shells to the Mahdi now. "Gordon has already made up his mind, and this time the British side will send troops to be artillery and weapons instructors, responsible for artillery bombardment and weapons use training. Along the way, Gordon saw the combat effectiveness of Mahdi's subordinates, and also knew the strength of many Chinese in Sudan. Unable to break through the seemingly thin but in fact formidable barbed wire, trenches, and machine-gun positions, Mahdi's headquarters were either disbanded or besieged and annihilated under the city of Khartoum. As a soldier of the British Empire, Gordon naturally had his own understanding of the wars of the industrial powers. Chinese troops will soon arrive in Khartoum. If you don't leave at this time, I'm afraid you won't have a chance to leave.

Knowing the commander's opinion, these British soldiers agreed very much. The reason why they are not so willing to leave is that they want to observe more of China's new combat mode, and the strong fortress that can be easily built in the wilderness is indeed a very important topic for the military.

Outside the city, everyone makes decisions at their own discretion. Muhammad 61 Aziz in the city did not know what to do. He received an order from Master Mahdi to enter Khartoum's point of contact in Khartoum after a long time in the middle of the night for a long time, bringing Aziz a message, "Be sure to start civil strife in the city at night, so that there is a chance to attack outside." ”

Muhammad 61 Aziz's shrewd and capable face finally showed a sad expression, and if he could have done it, he would have done it a long time ago. Khartoum does not have the tall walls of traditional cities, and there are not as many patrols on the streets. Theoretically, it's very easy to mess up internally.

But the Chinese set up barricades tied to barbed wire, dividing the city into many areas, and after the factories and businessmen closed in the city, these people formed patrols to maintain law and order. And even more ruthlessly, the Chinese provided a supply system, and each family distributed rations according to the size of the population. Coupled with the Chinese tap water system, every household will not be messed up. Khartoum was in good order, and the few men of Mohammed61 Aziz fell into a panic, and the result of an internal surprise attack was moths to the fire. An enemy who attacks ten times as many as a few men is still an enemy who is always on the alert.

Because of the pain in his heart, Muhammad 61 Aziz's face was almost distorted. But in the end, he made a judgment that was in line with the situation, and he could not follow the orders of Lord Mahdi.

Gordon waited in Mahdi's tent with his neck stretched out until it got dark, until the watch hands reached 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 a.m., and 6 a.m., and the direction of Khartoum was quiet and nothing happened.

With a big yawn, Gordon rose from his chair. "Lord Mahdi, we must go and pick up the troops we are sending artillery. Now all the artillery on the position is left to you, and I hope that by the time we receive the equipment, you have successfully taken Khartoum and become the master of the Sultan! ”

The words were polite, but the expression on Gordon's face was far less polite, and this expression was so vivid that it made Mahdi's subordinates show very hostile expressions.

Gordon, however, didn't care about it at all, and Mahdi went out once, and that time for a long time, and when Mahdi returned to the tent, he looked radiant and seemed to have gone to sleep for a while. Gordon's British troops were to be ready for battle, and most of them were in gun emplacements. If they don't fight, they can sleep with blankets wrapped in blankets for a while. On the contrary, Gordon, who was in the tent, could only wait, although he also sat on the chair and took a nap for a while, but this kind of rest was completely incomparable to lying down and sleeping. The combination of physical exhaustion, unhappiness, and misjudgment of Mahdi made Gordon no longer have confidence in Mahdi.

"I don't want you to leave." Mahdi said with a calm expression.

"Why?" Gordon asked unhappily. He used to have a lot of respect for Mahdi because he had the ability to rally more than 200,000 people in front of him to surround Khartoum. Now Gordon no longer respects Mahdi because he is not capable of commanding these more than 200,000 men to conquer Khartoum.

"Because you're running away, not picking up some new equipment, as you say." Mahdi said in a sacred tone.

Gordon was shocked when he heard this, his face changed, and he almost roared, "What are you talking nonsense? ”

Mahdi waved his hand, and several Mahdi soldiers with weapons suddenly poured into the tent. Only when these people surrounded Gordon and Gordon's lieutenant did Mahdi continue: "Mr. Gordon, from now on, these guards will be with you at all times to protect your safety. Rest assured, the glory of conquering Khartoum will be shared by us. Until then, you have to continue to command the artillery. ”

Although he didn't know what was wrong, Gordon still shouted, "Aren't you afraid of the punishment of our British Empire if you do this?" ”

"Punishment? Ha ha! Mahdi laughed heartily and sacredly, and even though Gordon had a completely negative view of Mahdi at this time, he had to admit that there was really a sense of justice in Mahdi's laughter.

Taking a step closer to Gordon, Mahdi said, "Mr. Gordon, your motherland is actually no different from China, and they both want to use my hand to fight your enemies. If I fail, I will probably die here, and your motherland will definitely not find a chance to punish me. If I win, where will your homeland dare to punish me. The territory of the Chinese in East Africa is by no means Sudan, and in the intelligence I know, China still has a territory of thousands of miles south from here, and if I no longer exist, will the Chinese full of revenge let Egypt go? ”

After saying that, Mahdi took another step forward and walked within reach of Gordon, "Mr. Gordon, please fight well." If I am defeated, the Chinese will surely find you British in my troops. When you fall into the hands of the Chinese, how do you think China will deal with you, how do you think the Chinese will deal with you Britain? For your own sake, for the sake of the UK, please do it yourself. ”

After saying that, Mahdi waved his hand, and the Mahdi soldiers took Gordon away.

Almost apatheutically following the soldier watching him, Gordon felt like his head was a mess. Not sleeping well all night is certainly one of the reasons, but the bigger reason is that Gordon found that he was actually seen through by Mahdi. Collaborating with Mahdi was an order from above, and Gordon himself always considered himself far smarter and nobler than a "local" like Mahdi. So the defeat to a local like Mahdi gave Gordon a powerful blow.

As he walked in this muddy, Gordon's eyes suddenly flashed. In the empty lane inside the camp, there was a local in very ordinary attire. That is, he wore a tattered robe, a piece of the mess on his shoulders that served as a floor and cover for sleep, and a turban, covering his face with part of his turban in the sun. Underneath this attire, which is no different from that of ordinary Arabs, there is something that Gordon is familiar with. It's hard to describe, if two people are very familiar, they can see the writing from a figure.

Gordon looked at it and was even more sure of his judgment. That person can cover the lower part of his face, but he can't cover all his eyes, which is too conspicuous. Although the man tried to avoid eye contact with others, part of the nose and eyes were clearly the British officer Max 61 Tomerson. Gordon's first instinct was to call for help, but he was not confused. Here he asked for help from the British officer Max 61 Tomerson who escaped in disguise, and the only result was probably to let the British officer Max 61 Tomerson fall into the clutches of the Mahdi army together.

Bowing his head, he held back his emotions and did not let himself look at the British officer Max 61 Tomerson. "I hope he can escape!" Gordon prayed in his heart.

Mahdi did not capture Gordon alone, and last night Gordon offered to hand over the artillery to Mahdi, and when the British went to the border to pick up the shells, Mahdi made all preparations. In fact, Mahdi had intended to kill some of the British and imprison others. However, when he questioned his subordinates, he found that his subordinates did not have an effective command of artillery techniques. So Mahdi chose to arrest them all, and tried to make Gordon and the others obedient by threatening the consequences of defeat.

By the time Gordon was arrested, the rest of the British soldiers had been largely captured. But things always change a little bit, and the British officer Max 61 Tomerson took a look at the "bazaar" near the camp last night after putting on his makeup. The Arabs had a talent for business, and even in the vicinity of such war camps, they spontaneously formed bazaars. Naturally, there were a lot of things stolen from the Chinese, and some of the other products produced by the locals themselves. For example, a turban, such as a pack of tobacco, or something that some locals used and was completely incomprehensible to the British officer Max 61 Tomarsson.

To the astonishment of the British officer Max 61 Tomerson, there was a human trade in the area, even though it was a makeshift camp. Some of the women, some older and some young, with their faces covered, were also brought to the market to sell. In addition to selling the whole thing, these women also have some temporary transactions. If it weren't for the fact that there had been a few rounds in a short period of time, the British officer Max 61 Tomerson would have really wanted to try it. Because the price is really cheap.

Since there was no way to be refreshing, Max 61 Tomersson, a British officer who was fluent in Arabic, began to talk to these Arabs, who thought that his vocabulary was insufficient, but he did not expect that the vocabulary of these Arabs in Sudan was even more insufficient. As a result of the conversation, it became clear that these women, both young and old, were family members brought by Arabs who had died in battle. After they were killed in battle, the women were divided among the other tribesmen by the patriarchs, and some of the tribesmen sold the women, both young and old, in the market.

"Aren't you comrades-in-arms?" The British officer, Max61 Tomerson, could not understand such a thing at all, and as a proud citizen of the British Empire, he could not imagine what kind of turmoil the British Empire would cause if such a thing happened.

Since they have returned to the bosom of Allah, the women are naturally at the disposal of the patriarch. Men and elders decide the fate of women, and this is the rule that Allah has settled. The locals, who sell women in various ways, said in a logical tone.

The British officer Max 61 Tomerson was speechless about this, he could only walk back and forth in the bazaar to see what was fresh. He noticed another absurdity, that, while there was bartering, a considerable part of the trade was still being traded in the currency of the East African boroughs. The gang came together to take out the East African administrative region, but they were still using the East African administrative region's currency. The British officer, Max 61 Tomerson, felt that he had never seen anything more ridiculous.

There was no way to buy and sell women, so the British officer Max 61 Tomerson took the money and bought some wine, most of which was mead, and when it was drunk, it was very energetic. When the British officer Max 61 Tomerson woke up, he found himself wrapped in a torn blanket that he had bought at some unknown time, and fell asleep on the ground like the rest of the guys. Covered in dust and grassroots, the British officer Max 61 Tomerson staggered to his gun emplacement, and when he reached the gun position, he saw Mahdi's men forcibly taking his men away.

At this time, the British officer Max 61 Tomerson no longer dared to go inside, and he instinctively went out cautiously. Maybe it was a night out last night, and his dusty and dirty appearance was exactly the same as that of the locals in the camp. And the appearance of a drunk man is not unique to him, the mead makes many locals barely wake up, but still lie on the ground in a mess. Compared to these people, the British officer Max 61 Tomerson is still in the category of normal behavior.

I didn't see my boss Gordon, and I didn't dare to look around, and the British officer Max 61 Tomerson just walked out. He tried to get to safety, that is, away from this camp.

I just walked and walked, and I didn't know how far I went, when suddenly there was a shout of "catch him" from behind. The British officer Max 61 Tomerson trembled all over, he couldn't care so much anymore, and he ran away. The back is getting noisier and noisier, and more and more people are involved. And the British officer Max 61 Tomerson found himself on the banks of the Nile. He threw off his shirt and plunged deep into the Nile. Went in the direction of the Chinese's boat patrol yesterday. At this time, there was only one judgment left in the mind of the British officer Max 61 Tomerson, and the Chinese were civilized people, and they would always survive if they fell into their hands. And those Arabs behind it are not credible, how can those who can sell their relatives and female family members in the blink of an eye be believed?

Swim and swim, but the British officer Max 61 Tomerson heard the voice behind him much quieter. He turned his head to see that there were a few people looking at him by the river in the distance, and many more were running to the other side for some reason. Judging from this indication, the phrase "catch him" is not because the British officer Max 61 Tomersson's makeup was seen through.

At this time, the British officer Max 61 Tomerson felt a kind of regret in his heart, and he asked himself whether to go back again. Will you be arrested when you go back? The scene of his companion Mahdi's men taking him away was soon repeated, causing the British officer Max 61 Tomerson to grit his teeth and swim forward.

Not long after, a Chinese ship appeared in the field of view of the British officer Max 61 Tomerson. He didn't hide, but tread the water hard, exposing as much as he could. "Help!" British officer Max 61 Tomerson shouted at the Chinese ships, one of the most useful languages taught by the British Navy to these soldiers. After all, the chances of a naval war between China and Britain in the future are so great that it is necessary to learn something to save lives.

After shouting several times, the British officer Max 61 Tomerson saw the Chinese ship on the opposite side and reacted, the bow of the ship was full of searchers, and the ship increased its horsepower and quickly approached. Even when he was captured, the British officer Max 61 Tomerson was really unhappy in his heart. But he was also greatly relieved that his life was finally saved!