Soldiers don't get tired of deceit.

Whether it was Ergin, the commander of the Anglo-French coalition army, or Li Weiguo, the commander of the Shanghai army, neither of them planned to honestly send only 100,000 troops to the decisive battle.

Ergin and Glo quickly made arrangements, sending 150,000 main forces of the British and French forces to land in Chuansha, of which the first wave landed 30,000 people to establish a beachhead, and then increased the number of troops to 100,000, preparing for a decisive battle with the main force of the Shanghai army, and the subsequent 50,000 troops will continue to be put into the battlefield during the decisive battle, forming a superiority of 150,000 against the 100,000 troops of the Shanghai army.

In addition, Erjin will have less than 20,000 troops left, mainly composed of British troops who were lightly wounded in the Battle of Dinghai, and they will take the opportunity to break into the mouth of the Yangtze River under the escort of the fleet, and land from the flanks and rear flanks in the decisive battle to attack the main force of the Shanghai army.

In the war room of the Shanghai Army Headquarters, in front of the huge war sand table, Li Weiguo and the senior staff officers of the Shanghai Army were also formulating specific battle plans.

This is, the signal corps reported that the British and French fleet had arrived at the mouth of the Yangtze River, and they sent more than a dozen reconnaissance ships to search the waters near Chuansha.

"Ergin looks very careful, and thought we were planting water radium in this area to blow them up!"

"It is estimated that we were scared of being blown up by our water radium in Dinghai, so we sent a reconnaissance ship to clean up!"

Li Weiguo just smiled faintly, it was not that he didn't want to deploy water radium near Chuansha, but the output of water radium was limited, and it took less than a year from development to production, even if the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau worked overtime to produce much.

The reason why Dinghai deployed water radium on a large scale was because Li Weiguo was determined to be the first place for the British and French forces to attack, so he would give priority to supply, and he had a large number of water radium. The rest of the radium was transported to the fortress of Wusongkou and Hangzhou, the former to guard the Yangtze River and the Huangpu River, and to prevent enemy ships from entering Shanghai; The latter was used to guard Hangzhou, as the Hangzhou Canal could also reach Shanghai.

"It is reported that the vanguard of the Anglo-French coalition has landed in Chuansha, with a strength of about 30,000 troops. Beachhead defenses are being repaired! ”

Li Weiguo nodded, looked at the sand table, Wu Yong understood, picked up two small British and French flags, and planted them in the corresponding positions on the shore of Chuansha as a gesture.

If Ergin stood here, he would have been shocked, because the entire sand table was covered with small flags of the Shanghai army on all sides, making these two small flags of the British and French armies look a little lonely and dangerous.

"We took the initiative to get out of the way. Let the enemy in, and then fight a decisive battle, I guess we are the only ones in the history of war who will do this! ”

"If we can completely annihilate 100,000 British and French troops, then this war should be over, and I can't think of a reason why Britain and France will send another 200,000 expeditionary forces!"

"The question is, will Ergin honestly fight us?"

"If I were Ergin, I would never be so honest."

"In the first battle of Dinghai, we used the 29th Brigade to test the equipment and combat effectiveness of the British and French forces; Ergin, in turn, has succeeded in testing our combat effectiveness. So for this decisive battle, Ergin must be ready. I could feel his confidence! ”

Hearing Wu Yong's words, Li Weiguo suddenly thought of a question and said: "Strictly speaking, the Battle of Dinghai is only a defensive battle. The Anglo-French alliance as the attacking side naturally suffered greater losses, and in this case, the battle loss ratio was 1 to 10, which could not fully prove that our army was strong and the Anglo-French army was weak. I think this may be the reason why Ergin still has the confidence to fight us in the field. ”

Chen Jingnan agreed: "The Lord is wise, and he names the essence of the problem in one sentence. I think so too. If the battle of Dinghai was fought in the wild, Ergin would definitely not have the courage to fight a decisive battle with us. ”

Li Weiguo said: "No matter what, this time it will be time for my Shanghai army to become famous in the world." We want to completely destroy the will to fight of the British and French forces in a war, so that the Western powers will no longer dare to underestimate the prestige of our China and want to enslave us. ”

Li Weiguo's morale was always so inspiring, and everyone instantly became enthusiastic when they heard it, and their will to fight was high.

At this time, the signal corps came again to report.

"According to the report, the Anglo-French forces have completed the construction of the beachhead, and a large number of Anglo-French troops have begun to land, and the number of troops is expected to increase to 100,000 in three days."

In addition to transporting 100,000 British and French troops to the shore in small boats, they also had to transport enough food, fresh water, guns, and ammunition for 100,000 people to fight the war, and the landing was completed within three days.

Chen Jingnan suddenly proposed: "There is a cloud in the art of war, and we will attack it halfway, Lord, should we do it in advance?" It is estimated that with the input of six towns, the 30,000 Anglo-French troops in front of you can be wiped out! ”

Undoubtedly, this was a very tempting plan, and many people in the staff showed signs of approval.

Li Weiguo shook his head and said, "Don't be impatient, we can destroy more!" ”

A mere 30,000 British and French troops were not enough to satisfy Li Weiguo's appetite, and he wanted greater results.

The Anglo-French army still has at least 170,000 troops, and at least 100,000 of them should be eliminated, and the remaining 70,000 people can be dealt with even if they go north to attack Beijing.

Li Weiguo continued to ask, "What? Still not have faith? ”

Chen Jingnan smiled awkwardly and replied: "I believe that the final victory must belong to our Shanghai army, but eating 100,000 British and French troops in one go is also a huge test for our army. If we just eat the 30,000 Anglo-French troops who have landed in front of us, our army will hardly have to pay much price. ”

Li Weiguo nodded and said, "I understand what you mean, but I support anything that can reduce risks and losses, but some things are worth it even if they pay a big price." ”

"This war is going to shake the earth, shake the Western powers, and will bring us at least ten years of peace!"

"It's important!"

"Ten years, give me another ten years, and we will be truly strong!"

Chen Jingnan repeated: "In exchange for ten years of our development time with this battle, you are in the next bigger game of chess!" ”

Li Weiguo smiled slightly, noncommittal.

At this time, the signal corps received a telegram again and came in to report.

"Report, it was found that an enemy fleet had sailed into the mouth of the Yangtze River and was heading in the direction of the Wusongkou fortress."

Li Weiguo suddenly said: "This must be a trick played by Ergin, while fighting a decisive battle with our army in Chuansha, the fleet will attack the Wusongkou fortress secretly. They want to enter the Huangpu River and attack our troops from the flank. ”

Wu Yong agreed: "That's right, once Erjin succeeds and cuts off the Huangpu River communication, the main force of our army will be trapped in the north of the Jiangbei and suffer from the enemy." ”

Chen Jingnan smiled: "The question is, can the alliance get in?" Wusongkou Fortress is the west gate of Shanghai, and it has always been a key place for us to defend, and anyone who comes will let them touch their faces. ”

Li Weiguo nodded and said, "Isn't there still a bleaching radium, order the Jiang Defense Battalion to entertain guests!" ”

"Yes!" Wu Yong, Chen Jingnan and others immediately agreed, with a wicked smile on their faces.

Compared to anchor radium. Bleaching is not only defensive, but also aggressive. The anchor radium can only be fixed in the water and wait for the warship to hit before exploding, which is the main reason why the British and French forces can tow or detonate the anchor radium with fishing nets.

However, Bleaching does not need to be fixed in the water, as long as there is a current, Bleaching can come in handy. Especially on the Yangtze River, the drifting radium down the river is even more difficult to prevent.

Brigadier White led a mighty fleet of forty warships, carrying nearly 20,000 British and French soldiers, all the way up the Yangtze River. Go straight to the Wusongkou fortress.

At this moment, there was a loud bang, and a British frigate exploring the way ahead suddenly exploded, and the entire bow was blown to pieces in an instant. A huge cloud of fiery red mushrooms rises.

"What's going on? Has the Pearl been attacked? White saw that the frigate Pearl was headfirst down and about to sink, and hurriedly asked.

"There are no enemy artillery around!"

"It's not going to be the water radium that hit the enemy!"

Listening to the speculation of the British soldiers around him, White also subconsciously thought that the Pearl might have hit the water radium.

"Damn it! Are the reconnaissance ships in front eating? ”

White roared. The British military blamed the sinking of the Pearl on negligence on the reconnaissance ship ahead.

However, within a few minutes, another violent explosion was heard.

"." When White heard the voice, he subconsciously thought that another battleship had touched radium, and immediately scolded.

It's just that White looked forward, and with the exception of the sinking Pearl frigate, the other battleships were fine.

"Sir, it's the Maria in the back that exploded!"

With a look of suspicion, White hurried to the aft deck, and sure enough, he saw a large explosion in the bow of the Maria, which was similar to the bow of the Pearl, and was almost blown to pieces.

The sea poured violently, and the Maria began to sink at a speed that could be seen, and hundreds of British sailors on board ran back and forth howling.

"Impossible, if the Maria hit the enemy's radium, then why didn't anything happen to the George?" White said confusedly.

The George is the battleship that White is on at the moment, and the draft is much deeper than that of the cruiser Maria, and the Maria follows the George in a straight line, and there is no reason why the George did not hit the Water Radium but let the Maria collide.

It's not scientific!

White felt that his brain was a little insufficient.

Just then, there was a shout from ahead.

"Watch out for water radium! On the starboard side! ”

At this moment, the British sailors on the battleship George were terrified, and they were not afraid of shells, because at most the shells blew a hole in the ship, which was easy to repair and not easy to sink. But if it hits a water radium, almost a water radium will sink a battleship, no matter how big it is.

This is the consensus of the British sailors in the past month, since they encountered the water radium planted by the Shanghai army, but all the battleships hit by the water radium have sunk, no exception.

"See! Over there! ”

"Hell, why is the water radium moving on its own!"

"yes, it's different from what we saw before, the previous one had an anchor and stayed in the water and didn't move. This water radium has no anchor at all, it is floating along the river. ”

The sharp-eyed British sailors noticed the difference and quickly reported it to White.

Soon, White rushed over, saw the water radium down the river with his own eyes, and couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

"Boom! Boom! ”

There were two loud bangs in succession, and this time there was a big explosion in front of it, and a reconnaissance frigate was hit by two water radiums at the same time, and the ammunition depot was detonated in the process of violent explosions, and a martyrdom occurred.

I saw a fiery red mushroom cloud rise into the sky, and the smoke rolled into the sky.

The entire battleship was blown to pieces in an instant, and the hundreds of British sailors on it were all engulfed in explosions and flames before they could escape.

"God, are you kidding?"

White gritted his teeth and decisively ordered the ships behind him to pay careful attention to the water radium in the water.

"General. I think it must be the Shanghai army upstream that is releasing this kind of water radium that can float down the river, and they are stopping us from advancing. ”

"I know, do you have any good suggestions?" White asked.

"No, General! However, I suggest that we withdraw first, because our reconnaissance ships do not seem to be able to cope with this water radium, and if the enemy releases this water radium in large quantities throughout the river, our warships will not be able to evade it at all, and there will be heavy losses. ”

"I know that too, but if we go back like this, do you think Ergin will let me go?"

White also wanted to withdraw. Because of the appearance of water radium, all the current British warship designers have not thought of how to deal with water radium, and most of the ammunition depots of British battleships are hoarded in the cabins under the waterline, which used to prevent the ammunition depot from being hit by shells and detonated, but now it is precisely the most afraid of water radium, because the location of the water radium explosion is precisely the bottom of the ship.

It's almost a hard wound, and there's no solution for the time being.

"Retreat! A large amount of water radium flowed down! ”

Hearing the loud shouts of the British soldiers on the reconnaissance ship in front, White suddenly became agitated and glared fiercely at the deputy beside him. scolded him in his heart for being a crow's mouth, and he really hit his words.

Several British reconnaissance ships ahead were making a U-turn, looking like they wanted to retreat, but the drifting radium down the river was too fast. Soon hit them.

"Boom! Boom! ”

A series of violent explosions caused huge columns of water to rise on the surface of the river in an instant, and several British reconnaissance ships exploded after being hit by the drifting radium, and the hull was blown open one by one. The sea poured into it at a speed that could be seen at a rapid rate.

Several battleships sank rapidly, and White in the back suddenly turned green with fright, and no longer considered whether he would be scolded by Ergin for retreating. Saving your life matters.

"U-turn! Fall back! ”

"It's too late to make a U-turn!"

"Reverse! Reverse! ”

Since the British warships were equipped with steam engines, they could be reversed.

I saw the battleship George emit billowing black smoke and quickly reversed and retreated.

"What are you doing in a daze? Reverse! Fast! ”

The battleship George suddenly reversed and went down the river at great speed. Originally, the British battleship behind the George needed to watch the flag of the battleship in front to carry out the order, so there was a situation where the battleship in front suddenly reversed, and the battleship behind was still advancing.

"Don't bump into it! Pull! ”

White was in a hurry to flee for his life, and seeing that the battleship behind him had not yet reacted, he had to let the battleship George avoid it to prevent it from colliding together.

At this time, the British ships behind also got the news, and a large pile of water radium floated down in the upper reaches of the front, and there was no way to avoid it. They all saw the flagship of the George retreating, so one by one the captains immediately ordered a retreat. Some made a U-turn, some reversed, and for a while, the originally neat formation of the battle line suddenly became a mess.

"Damn you hit my boat!"

"Oh no, my boat leaked a big hole!"

"Hurry up and reverse, the water radium is coming!"

", get out of the way!"

The captains of the British ships began to roar, and the crews were also shouting, and one by one they were eager to fly away with their wings.

A large area of water radium went down the river, densely packed, and there were hundreds of them.

They were the Grim Reaper in the hearts of the British sailors at the moment, and they stood up in fright at the sight of their hair.

Chaos, there was such a time in the history of the British Royal Navy, it was when the Dutch Navy attacked London, which happened on the Thames River, resulting in the destruction of hundreds of warships.

Now, more than a century later, the second great chaos has been repeated, and the British warships that retreated in a panic were either sunk by their own people, or they were slow to retreat and were hit by water radium and exploded.

White was dumbfounded, he didn't expect that one of his nervous orders would cause chaos in the fleet, and more than a dozen battleships collided with each other, and some of them had no time to repair and began to sink.

Bang!

A violent shock reached White's feet, and he didn't stand firmly, and suddenly fell into a dog's, and two front teeth flew out.

"What's going on?"

"General, no, we've hit the rocks!"

"Fack!"

Walter scolded, and his eyes suddenly darkened. (To be continued......)