A few days later, a large number of troops of the Great Guang Dynasty gathered on the borders of Yunnan, Guangxi, and Guangzhou, and slowly advanced, with Chen's troops on the southernmost edge of the territory of the Great Guang Dynasty, waiting for them. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 info One by one, the thunderous warships moved, and sailed to the docks along the coast of Guangdong, docked there, and after being loaded with soldiers, they sailed away one after another, heading for the South China Sea.

As the governor of Guangxi in the former Qing Dynasty, Sun Yuting often came into contact with the people of Annan, and now he is a brigade commander in the Daguang Army. At this moment, he and one of his brigades were stationed at the junction of Guangxi and Annam, ready to cross the border at any time and launch a thunderous blow!

At this moment, Sun Yuting stood on the north bank of the Mekong River, climbed high and looked, looking in the direction of Annanguo, and his deputy general Chen Liansheng stood beside him, who was once a general in the Qing army, responsible for encircling and suppressing the White Lotus Sect in Sichuan.

Sun Yuting looked at the lush green forest in front of him, and then looked at the camp not far away, as if he was thinking about something, and after a while, he whispered without looking back: "Immediately send a telegram to Zhang Bao, the commander of the Second Division of the Navy Thunder, we are ready to act at any time, cross the Mekong River, go deep into the hinterland of Annam, and carry out a crusade." ”

"Yes, Brigadier General!"

Chen Liansheng agreed, and then turned away, but Sun Yuting was thinking: "I don't know who made up this telegraph, it's so talented, it greatly facilitates the communication between the army, even if it is thousands of miles away, it can give orders in the blink of an eye." ”

In the South China Sea, to the west of the Paracel Islands, less than 20 nautical miles from Hue, the central region of Annam, Zhang Bao's Second Division was here, and the navy's warships were constantly approaching the coastal coast of Annam, and the warships were full of the army of the Great Guangxi Dynasty, and the navy and land forces together numbered nearly 50,000 people.

At this moment, a communications soldier came running, and as soon as he stood still, he immediately reported: "Report to the division commander, Brigade Commander Sun Yuting sent a telegram from the side of the brigade commander Sun Yuting, informing us that they are ready to launch an attack at any time and enter the territory of Annam." ”

Zhang Bao nodded lightly and asked without looking back, "Well, I know." By the way, is there any news from Shi Mingzhi, the commander of the first division? Where have they been? ”

"Report to the division commander, division commander Shi, they have already arrived in the southern waters of Annan, and the warships are cruising in the northwest waters of the Nansha Islands."

Hearing this, Zhang Bao ordered: "Okay, telegraph to Brigade Commander Sun Yuting and inform them to act immediately." ”

"Yes, Commander!"

As soon as the communication soldiers left, a staff officer next to Zhang Bao asked puzzledly: "Division commander, according to the original plan, didn't our three armies attack at the same time and attack Annan?" Why did you change it now, let Brigadier Sun and them act first? ”

Zhang Bao glanced at the staff officer, and then looked at the direction of Annan, and then said slowly: "Chief of Staff, you should know that the country of Annan, his territory is a narrow strip, the land area of the north and south is much larger, and the territory in the middle is narrow. ”

"Moreover, compared to me and Master Commander Shi, Brigade Commander Sun only has one offensive position. The 1st and 2nd Divisions were different, in the coastal waters, the warships could dock anywhere, land, attack, and have much less time to fight. ”

The chief of staff showed a sudden look and echoed: "Division commander, I understand, although our second and first divisions have much more troops, due to their own advantages, it is easier for them to deploy their troops than Brigade Commander Sun, and the battle is much easier to fight. ”

"Yes, that's why."

Zhang Bao said lightly and didn't say anything more. However, the staff officer was hesitant and said, "Division commander, there is another sentence for my subordinates, I don't know if I should say it or not?" ”

The sea breeze is constantly whistling, the waves are rolling, and the endless green ocean is endless, Zhang Bao seems to be bored, and he passes the time and says: "Let's talk, anyway, there is nothing to do now, and it's not bad to talk about it, so it's time to pass the boring time." ”

It seemed that Zhang Bao's words were a reassurance, and the staff officer was relieved a lot, but he still mustered up the courage to ask: "Division Commander, in the past, whenever there was a major naval battle in Thunder, the main attack task and command, Division Commander Shi was basically responsible, and his subordinates really didn't understand, how could it be your command this time?" How did the task of the main attack fall on the head of the 2nd Division? ”

Hearing this, Zhang Bao glanced at the chief of staff, and the other party was trembling, like a frightened little chicken, realizing his gaffe. Zhang Bao's expression returned to normal, and he said earnestly: "Don't talk nonsense, whether it is the battle against Annan this time, or the big and small naval battles on the southeast coast in the past, Commander Qi is out of public intentions and has no partiality. ”

"In any case, I have to admit that the soldiers under Division Commander Shi have much better military quality and are more suitable for large-scale and regular naval battles. Before the establishment of the Great Guang Dynasty, the soldiers of the first division were the most capable troops among the Qing court water divisions. Since the uprising, equipped with the latest weapons, the combat power has soared significantly, and it is definitely a strong force in the thunder, except for those direct navy brought by the emperor at the beginning, no one is the opponent of the first division. ”

The chief of staff nodded frequently and asked at the right time: "Division commander, in this case, why did the army commander change the method of using troops in the past in this military operation?" You also said that the comprehensive combat strength of the first division is second to none, shouldn't they be the main attack mission? Division Commander Shi is responsible for the overall command? ”

Zhang Bao's face was very calm, and he was not angry because of the chief of staff's abrupt words, but said solemnly: "Chief of staff, this is why I said that Commander Qi has no selfish intentions in employing people. Maybe you don't know, when I used to be a pirate, I followed Zheng Qi's men. At that time, the Red Flag Gang had the support of An Nanguo behind it, and the supporter was none other than Nguyen Phuc Anh. ”

"Back then, when Ruan Phuc Anh rebelled, Zheng Qi once participated, with the help of pirates' warships, attacked Ruan Quang Zhang's navy, and beat it to the point that it lost its armor, and only five of the more than 50 new Western warships were burned, do you know why the commander arranged it this way?"

The chief of staff patted his head: "Division commander, I understand, most of the soldiers in our second division are pirates, and they are Zheng Qi's old subordinates, and they are very familiar with Annanguo. Moreover, there are some people who are originally from Annam, so the command of this military operation belongs to you, and the main attack task naturally falls on the head of the Second Division. ”

"Yes, that's why." Zhang Bao nodded, his tone paused, and then said: "However, don't be too happy first, whether it is the first division or our second division, they are all naval sequences, and the main task this time is to send the army to the road safely, and I and Commander Shi each took a team of thousands of marines to go up, and you still have to stay at sea and return to the military docks in Lanfang Province and Sulu Province respectively." ”

As soon as he heard this, the chief of staff, who was still very excited, was stunned, and then wanted to say something, but Zhang Bao explained: "You should know that once the war breaks out here, the stability of Lan Phuong Province and Sulu Province will be particularly important. If there are not enough troops stationed there, riots are likely to occur. ”

The chief of staff swallowed back the words that reached his mouth, and as soon as his heart moved, he completely understood, and said secretly: "Yes, it has been less than a year since Lan Fang and Sulu were included in the Great Guang Dynasty, and there are not many troops raised locally, and they can't completely control the two places. The 10,000 Kongtong army plus the newly recruited recruits, if it is placed in peacetime, it is nothing, and it can maintain stability. However, when the war is about to start, those forces will be a drop in the bucket, and the navy of the first and second divisions is particularly important. ”

Thinking of this, the chief of staff asked again: "Division commander, will the second division stay here for a while, or will we leave and return to the military dock in Lan Phuong Province as soon as you land safely." ”

Zhang Bao had a feeling of being speechless, but he still said patiently: "My chief of staff, although I said that you should return to Lanfang Province, it does not mean that all the warships will leave. Once the land is successful, it means that this sea area has become the rear of the army, how can there be no navy here to protect it? ”

"Moreover, it is the peak season for trade, and the South China Sea, as the most important navigation route, how can there be no naval patrol of our Great Guangzhou Dynasty? Therefore, the 1st and 2nd Divisions will leave behind a part of their warships to cruise in this sea area to protect the rear of the army from the pain of flanking attacks, and they will also be responsible for maintaining order in the South China Sea. ”

The chief of staff's face was a little not good, a little embarrassed, scratched his head, and said embarrassedly: "Division commander, I understand." ”

As he spoke, Annanguo was already in front of him, and he was getting closer and closer to the beach, Zhang Bao didn't pay attention to his chief of staff, but ordered: "Let the airship troops take off immediately and go to the coast of Annanguo to reconnoiter the situation." Patrol boats and assault boats are ready to make a beachfront landing, seize control of the coast, and remove all obstacles for the army to go ashore! ”

"Yes, Commander, I'm going to deliver your orders!" The chief of staff agreed, then turned away and walked towards the flag commander.

Soon, airships rose from the rear of the 1st Division, and they moved forward quickly, heading straight for the direction of Annanguo. Not only that, the patrol boats and assault boats of the 1st Division, loaded with soldiers, sailed out of the large force and were at the forefront of the warship formation.

There are also large and medium-sized warships, the cannons on which are loaded with shells, and the artillerymen stand aside, holding torches in their hands, ready to light the fuse at any time, and immediately launch an attack as soon as there are enemy troops on the coast of Annam.

All of a sudden, all the warships of the 1st Division were like hundreds of ships competing for the current, and 10,000 arrows were fired at once, slowly approaching the coast of Annam, and the airship troops in the air were moving even faster, hovering over the coastal coast of Annam.