Guangzhou, Sanshui.

The morning sun rises, the morning mist lifts, and the dew swirls on the leaves of the grass.

What should have been a quiet environment was now subjected to the noise of heavy artillery tests and the hooves of tens of thousands of horses.

Shou Orderly climbed to the top of a hill and took a deep breath of the air mixed with gunsmoke and water mist, the smoke of gunpowder stimulated the lungs, and the smell was so familiar and refreshing.

Set up a telescope on the adjutant's shoulder and sweep the battlefield in order.

4 brigades and 16 infantry battalions spread out in double-layer battalion formations on the front line, and the width of the fiery red front was nearly 2 km.

The flag-bearer stood straight in front of the infantry column with flags of all colors, and the battle flags swayed in the wind, stirring the hearts of all.

The brigade artillery battalion was formed in company columns on both flanks of the infantry front, and a small number of artillery were also deployed between brigades.

The heavy artillery of the corps and divisions was deployed behind the flanks of the two flanks of the infantry line, and at this time it had already been placed in line and was test-firing into the battlefield.

When the 12-pounder field gun was fired with a maximum scale of 40, the initial landing distance of the shell was about 1150 meters. One after another, solid bullets erupted from the muzzles of the guns and landed on the battlefield, declaring the boundaries of their respective territories to the surroundings.

Four brigade cavalry regiments sent forward to drive the Tatar horse corps out of the middle battlefield.

Companies of chasseurs armed with rifled guns lined up in skirmishers in front of the battalions.

2,700 men, the Guards mixed with infantry and artillery were on standby at the foot of the mountain, forming a battalion column.

On the right flank of the Guards was the 1st Marine Regiment, which had no cavalry and only a howitzer company.

The Guards and the Marines together formed the reserve for this battle.

The heavy cavalry brigade was located behind the hillock, and the cavalry column stretched back.

On the far right flank of the front was the galley fleet sailing on the Pearl River.

Under the banner of the hunt, 20 light and medium galleys rowed their rows and headed upstream, their heavy ramming angles breaking through the waves, floating and sinking in the water, glowing with the cold glow of metal.

100 sampans cruised around the front and rear of the fleet, and the battle sailors stood in the bow of the ships, finally wiping down their weapons, furlan swivel guns, rifles, grappling hooks, sailor knives, boarding axes and grenades.

Since it is a decisive battle, it should be fully engaged, and Shou Zhi told Chen Shangchuan, Yang Yandi, and Chen Qice that the whole of China is watching this battle, and the Dongjiang Fleet, Xijiang Fleet, and Ming Army Naval Division must defeat the enemy's inland water division at all costs.

Battleships and cruisers could not be used here, and the navy dispatched 2,500 sailors on board to defend the large battalion behind them, which was also the last force in this battle, and Shou Xian had not yet used their plans at this time.

The 34,000 army troops assembled in Sanshui were all federal troops, including the water divisions on the Pearl River, a total of 40,000 people in this battle.

More than 100 officers of the Ministry of National Defense, the General Staff Headquarters, the Military Command Department, and the Combined Fleet wore ceremonial uniforms and ribbons of all their medals.

The officers were prepared with breakfast and wine to accompany their meals, and they stood on the hill and laughed heartily.

Envoys from Batavia, Bombay, Goa, Manila, etc., representing the United East India Company, the British East India Company, the Spanish Philippines, Portuguese India, the Danish East India Company, and the Royal Government of Sweden; Jesuit, Franciscan, Dominican, Augustinian priests from Macau and other places, held up their binoculars on either side of the hillock.

Some have a smile on their lips, and some have a tense face. Large and small, these people were all international investors in the war, promising them free trade after the war.

The Asian allies or neutral countries sent emissaries: the Lee Dynasty from Seoul, the Satsuma Domain from Kagoshima, the Quang Nam from Hue, the Siam from Ayutthaya, the Laos from Vientiane, the Mataram from Pasar Gede, the Arakans from the Arhats, and the Banten from Banten.

The heavy cavalry was behind the Asian envoys, and the cold eyes of the cavalrymen, the shining cuirasses, and the horses with a shoulder height of more than 148 made everyone shudder in front of this fiery red front.

On the other side of the battle line, Yue Le was forced to accept the battle.

Yue Le routinely deployed the army as the main force of the Sanshui siege army and surveillance, and set up two trench fortress lines and camps on the periphery of Sanshui.

He made the following mistakes:

1. The movement of the army stationed behind the fortress line is restricted, while the army stationed in the field can act quickly;

2. The night is always in favor of the side that controls the wilderness to attack;

3. The coalition forces can choose any point to launch the main attack;

4. If the attack of the coalition forces goes well, it will be able to cut the Tatars in two parts, so that they cannot meet, and force the Tatars to retreat, abandoning the barracks and the battle line.

5. Once breached, the Tatars could not regroup there due to the narrow ground between the two fortress lines.

6. Although Yue Le's forces are large, it is impossible to cover the entire northwest area of the delta, and his two flanks are threatened by the Jiangshang Naval Division on one side, and the other side is completely empty, and none of them are guaranteed.

When the guard led the army to march to the southern flank, Yue Le could only accept the battle, otherwise with the sailors coming in from the mouth of the Jiujiang River in Xinhui, the coalition army would crush his retreat.

Yue Le's deployment was no different from all previous Tatar battles, the only difference was that the Union Army was an opponent they had never seen before.

The Tatars had never encountered such a powerful field force. In fact, it is not impossible to solve it, but it depends on the progress of field city building, and the Tatars do not have this ability, so after the peripheral battle of half a month, Yue Le chose to gather all his forces and enter a decisive battle.

Covered by antlers, the Tatars imitated the Spanish with shields, spears, and arquebuses in a 10-layer phalanx that stretched west from the Pearl River to 50,000 people.

The artillery was placed in front of the formation and on both flanks, and their artillery had no ability to maneuver once it was placed.

The enemy forces were deeper, but the arquebus line was looser, and 1 person occupied equal to 2 flintlock pikemen. So, for the first time, the initial front length of the Union Army was equal to that of the enemy.

Bernard, the emissary of the British East India Company. Gavin bowed slightly to the order, "Your Excellency, I have seen the victory of your army, and allow me to congratulate you and your soldiers in advance. ”

"Thank you, sir, and I congratulate your country on the acquisition of Bombay."

Gaining Bombay, the British Indian Empire grew by leaps and bounds.

The restoration of the Stuart dynasty, the overthrow of the short-lived protectorate, and the accession of Charles II to the throne of England not only allowed the British East India Company to fly its royal flag again, but also had an impact on Asia through his marriage.

Charles II married Catalina, sister of King Alfonso VI of Portugal, and Portugal married Diu and Bombay.

The Portuguese ceded the lands conquered by their predecessors and soldiers to the British, who were granted trade privileges without a fight in the Portuguese colonies of Brazil and India. Portugal paid a huge price in exchange for Britain agreeing to defend Portugal in the event of aggression and protect its remaining colonies.

It is clear that the target of the Anglo-Portuguese Pact was the Netherlands.

He glanced at his old friend in the Caribbean 20 years earlier, the former Dutch West India Company Governor of Curacao, Litmanning, who was now a member of the East India Council in Batavia.

The Confederation looked down on the South China Sea like a behemoth, and the Dutch sent the garrison of Curaçao, who had close ties with the pirates.

Shou Orderly walked up to the gray-haired Litmanning and stretched out his right hand.

"Sir, I said 20 years ago that we would definitely have the opportunity to work together again, and I don't think I broke my promise."

"The young captain has become the head of the great powers of the East, and your deeds have long become legends on the ocean." Littmanning's eyes were full of appreciation, "But I still have a question. ”

"Please."

"Will you go further?"

Apparently unprepared for this question, he was slightly stunned for a moment, "Mr. Litmanning, you are always welcome to my home, and now that the battle is about to begin, please retreat to the battleship with the other envoys." ”

"I am honored," Litmanning greeted the order, "Führer." ”

"Assessor."

A group of sailors escorted the envoys out of the hill, and a galley frigate, too large to fight on the Pearl River, waited for them, and the battlefield ground was flat and they could see it from the battleship.

Only the officers of the command remained on the hillock.

Shou Ling walked over to his cavalry chief, "Walter, are you sure you want to go into battle with the heavy cavalry brigade?" That's a battle that belongs to the colonel, and you're the general. ”

The cavalry admiral Angelis, who had three gold stars on his shoulders, said slowly: "I have trained them for 20 years, and I have single-handedly brought out the strongest cavalry in Asia, and at this moment, I just want to be with the children." ”

"You're not young anymore."

"But my arm can still stab a straight sword at a Tatar."

Order's eyes softened, and he was almost in a pleading tone, "Walter, I can't take ......"

"I insist."

Walter's tone was resolute, and he was speechless for a moment.

"I await your orders."

The chief of cavalry strode down the hill and mounted his horse, and the cuirassiers and carbines cheered, and Walter was their father.

"Führer?"

Filhoff awakens a slightly distracted order.

"Yes."

"It's time to start, the officers are waiting for you."

The artillery stopped firing, and the battlefield suddenly fell silent.

Shou Xiang rode a white war horse, galloped to the infantry line, pulled the reins, and looked at them one by one.

4 brigade commanders, 8 infantry regiment commanders, and 4 cavalry regiment commanders who were on the front line stood in a column.

"Gentlemen, forty centuries of China are watching you. Before you is one of the most powerful field mobile units of the Tatars. Defeat them, and after this war, China south of the Yangtze River will belong to us. We will be engaged in arduous marches, we will have to fight many battles, but our cause will be successful, just as we have done in Canton, we will insert the eagle emblem into Wuhan, into Nanjing, into Hangzhou, and at the end of that march road, that is, in Beijing. ”

Shou Xuan stretched out his right hand and pointed straight to the sky, "We are the conquerors, and the destiny is on our side. ”

Xu Dinghe, the commander of the 1st Mixed Brigade, drew his sword and strode forward, "Führer, please order." ”

"Attack!"