Chapter 824: The French Axis Man
"Let's do it!" Shiori Mochizuki gently patted Mu Chunxiang's shoulder.
The teacher and student got up together, came to the outside of the tent, looked at the bright moon in the sky, and let the moon shine all over their bodies.
They knew that at this time, there must be many pairs of eyes looking at them like goddesses, and in this camp, they were the masters of this place.
After more than ten days of fierce fighting, the rebellious army in Hanoi City was finally wiped out by Zhang Xun's "Jingwu Battalion", Dang Minxuan and his henchmen Tian Fuzhi, Lin Shoutang, Xie Zhou and others were captured alive, and all the rebellious soldiers surrendered, and the Hanoi rebellion was pacified.
Lin Yiqing learned about the ins and outs of the Hanoi Rebellion and the details of the peace of affairs from Zhang Xun's report, and he was also very surprised to learn that Liu Renyi, commander of the Black Flag Army, Zhao Wo, commander of the Gui Army, and his cronies Dang Minxuan were all captured, and nearly 20,000 of the more than 30,000 people of the rebellious army were killed.
Moreover, the Hanoi rebellion was put down in a shorter time than he expected.
In this way, he would have the upper hand in the upcoming negotiations with the French, and would not give the Western powers an excuse to interfere in the affairs of Vietnam, and also gave an explanation to the Vietnamese court.
Now Hanoi is equivalent to returning to Vietnam.
However, Lin Yiqing knew that after the sacking of this war, Hanoi "burned the whole city, ten rooms and nine emptiness", and there were not many people left, but this situation just gave him a new opportunity to settle the growing number of Satsuma people in the Ryukyus.
At this time, the French should have known the news that the Hanoi Rebellion had been put down, right?
According to Lin Yiqing's judgment, it was time for Lu Mei, the governor of the French colony of Jiaozhi, to come out and negotiate with him, but there was no movement from the French, and the new commander of the Tokyo Expeditionary Force, Lieutenant General Miller, was also a turtle with a shrunken head and did not come to contact him.
Maybe something happened in Paris? Or is there something wrong with Beijing?
This time, the Empress Dowager Renxi gave herself the power to make decisions on the spot, and said that she would fully support herself. But he is now far away from the center of the empire, and once something big happens in Beijing, his side will not be able to get the news in time, and it will be difficult to deal with it in time. This is also the reason why he left Yoko Shimazu in Beijing.
Maybe there is something, Yoko Shimazu has already dealt with it without asking for instructions. Lin Yiqing thought. Secretly relieved.
Now he is unconscious, and some are used to relying on this female Zhuge god's brain.
In any case, Lin Yiqing knew that he still arranged the devastated city of Hanoi before the French came to formally negotiate with him, so that the French could not find fault with it when the time came. After thinking for a while, he wrote a letter to Zhang Xun, Qu Feipeng, and Huang Guilan, respectively, and issued instructions on the aftermath of Hanoi. After the letter was written, Lin Yiqing arranged for several ninjas to pass the letter.
After the ninjas are gone. Lin Yiqing was about to rest for a while, but he didn't want a ninja to send an urgent telegram.
"My lord, the French and the heavenly soldiers of the Great Cadres to quell the rebellion have fought in Hanoi City."
"What?" Lin Yiqing was taken aback.
Tokyo Expeditionary Force Station, Command Post.
"Alright, let's stop arguing, get people together!" French Army Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny abruptly interrupted the conversation and spun out from behind the horns of the wooden house.
Major Chewarier swallowed only half of his words. His legs are slender and his torso is thin. He was unevenly looked and wore a black military uniform. Night fell quickly. His prematurely wrinkled face, blackened by the intense sunlight, could be seen twitching unsatisfactorily in the twilight. The Major was silent for a moment, expressing his disagreement with the lieutenant colonel, and then threw off his stride, and walked along the path that loomed into the field toward the door of the wooden house, which was tightly hidden. But there was no need to close it anymore, and Chewarier pushed the door aside. The door hung waddly diagonally on a hinge.
"Get up! Go out and assemble! β
Lieutenant Colonel Dusonny paused to listen. The whispers in the room were immediately inaudible, and there was silence inside, and this command stunned everyone. This was originally an ordinary password in the army, but now it contains too many meanings for everyone...... However, immediately after that, everyone inside acted lightly in unison. The voices can be heard. After a while, someone was the first to step out of the black doorway and walk out into the open space.
"Get out of here! Don't pull anything down, we're not coming back! From the wooden walls of the room came Major Chewarier's concerned and stern voice, which sounded a little hoarse.
The Major was angry, and it seemed that he did not agree with the Lieutenant Colonel at all, although on the surface there was almost no expression of it. But Chewarier himself can be as angry as he is, it's his personal business. But as long as this is under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny, the decision is his, and he has made a decision, a final, irrevocable decision: it must and immediately proceed from here. Because there can be no more procrastination! He had been waiting for nearly six days and nights. It was very close to the destination, only about 30 kilometers, but just now I measured the map and knew that it was 60 kilometers; Naturally, they had so much to do that they couldn't afford to waste the time that was now precious to them.
The lieutenant colonel resolutely picked up his rifle placed on the far edge against the wall, took three steps into the clearing, and stood in front of the soldiers who were rapidly forming a formation. The soldiers were busy with weapons and military caps. Despite Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny's best efforts to lighten the load, he brought too much with him. The French soldiers were covered in backpacks, guns, bayonets, ammunition boxes, and bullet belts under their uniforms, all of them looking bloated and ugly. In addition to this, they also had to bring camp guns, mountain guns, machine guns, and Gatling guns, which were a big burden. But all these things are needed, even essential.
After learning that the "army that had come to quell the rebellion" of Qianguo had completely defeated the "Black Flag Army bandits" in Hanoi City, the new commander of the Tokyo Expeditionary Force, Lieutenant General Miller, believed that the French army should be dispatched to occupy the concession area of Hanoi City to show the existence of French military power. Therefore, according to the orders of General Miller, Dusenny was to lead an army to Hanoi to take over the defense of the French concession from the Qianguo.
The army consisted of a naval landing battalion (300 men, 2 mobile guns), two Zuaf infantry companies (300 men), a mountain artillery company (90 men, 6 mountain guns), four companies of Vietnamese mercenaries (600 men), and a small number of cavalry, engineers and medical personnel totaling more than 1,500 people.
Before the departure of the troops. General Miller repeatedly told Dusenny that this was a peaceful station, not a military operation. In the event of bandits and robbers, the French army could of course solve it on their own. However, if we encounter the Qianguo army, we must first ask him for instructions and then act according to his orders, and we are absolutely not allowed to launch an attack without authorization.
But what Miller never expected was this. The commander he chose for this "peaceful entry" would be doomed to make the operation "unpeaceful."
What kind of person is Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny?
Ansel, a reporter for the War Department, once said to General Bo Slip about Lieutenant Colonel Dusony: "Tall and thin, bloody-faced and irritable, unarmed with no means of diplomacy, but capable of destroying everything, even himself." It can be summed up in two words as "ruthlessness", and if such a person is allowed to "enter peacefully", where will there be any "peace" at all? This lieutenant colonel can even destroy himself, what else dare not destroy? General Miller can be said to be cautious and negligent this time, and it can be said that he has played a bad game at this critical juncture.
Right now. Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny is inspecting the departing troops he leads.
At the head of the line on the right side of the path is Sergeant Ruyt. He came from the regular army, he was sturdy, he was a big man who didn't like to talk, and he was a really hard-working infantryman. His position as deputy platoon commander was specially transferred from the guard battalion to carry out this task. His unhurried, meticulous movements gave a sense of firmness, strength and reliability, and the soldier Harrell standing next to him had been transferred from the guard. Although he hadn't given any orders yet, his swarthy eyes were already furrowed, and he looked at the commander intently. He held the gun in one hand as required by the request of "gun down". Holding a shovel in one hand. Next was Soldier Denick, who was moving his harness and carrying a heavy bag of explosives. Outwardly, the Demoman is young, clever, and sturdy.
Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny didn't know what the man's level of blasting was, but his strapping technique was certainly not very good, which was initially felt. This man in his forties. Look at his flustered and clumsy appearance, before he was in the ranks, he loosened the things that were tied together. He had just remembered to bend down to clean up when he dropped his gun on the ground again.
"Can't you tie it up? Well? Major Chewarier took a disgruntled step closer to him, "Bring it." β
Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny felt bad. "Are you new here?" β
"Me? Yes, sir...... I used to serve in Algeria. β
"Before!" The lieutenant colonel thought angrily. What the hell! It seems that the Governor's Palace has added some treasures to the Tokyo Expeditionary Force! - Look, bad luck will happen in the future! But it was understandable that he should have personally questioned all the people and talked to each one separately to see how they were doing. But he himself did not have time.
The soldiers stood in the ranks, their faces gloomy under their hats, showing a look of patient waiting. It is true that the Lieutenant Colonel did not know enough about them, who seemed to be about to share the honour or die with him, but he had no choice. Naturally, it would be better to carry out such a task with those he knew well with and who had been tested in battle. But where to find these people he knew and had been tested? Now he could not even remember all the villages, temples, woods, and hillsβthe places where the people rested forever, where they were buried together or alone in their graves, and some of them could not be found at all. After these months of war, there are not many people who have survived.
"Alright...... Stand up! Attention! Proofreading ...... report"
"Take a break." After the lieutenant colonel finished speaking, he asked, "Do you all know where we are going?" β
"Yes." Ruyt's voice was low, and the rest of the people silently agreed.
"We're going to go to the Qianguo people to hang out. Why and what to do - everyone knows. Right now...... Is there a sick number? Not a single one? That means everyone is healthy? Are there any sick ones? β
The queue remained alertly motionless, and the gray, weary faces under the hats looked solemnly and obediently at their commanders, whose fate was now in his hands. Everyone fell silent and stood silently, probably not very clear about the task they were about to perform, and had to rely entirely on him as the commander and the tall major who had been watching over them for more than a day.
Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny reached into the opening of his pants. He pulled out a small heavy pocket watch from his pocket. It was a gift from a noble lady he had met at a ball, which he had brought from Paris. The small pocket watch made a cheerful ticking sound in the palm of his hand.
"Now that we are going to the Qianguo people to receive the land that originally belonged to the great French Empire, who of you thinks that he is not up to the task?"
He glanced at the group with a waiting gaze: there was not a single noise in the procession, so still that he could hear the rustle of the dust on the roof of the house. But still no one answered his question, which was far from trivial at this moment.
"That's it! After His Royal Highness Major Chevariet, the front team will set off with me! β
There is no one here to see them off. All the preparations have already been made. An hour earlier, they had already agreed at the command post that the troops should remain silent and not alarm the Qianguo, while they would try to sneak over as soon as night fell. In fact, even if you need support, what can you support? They are short of ammunition, and their superiors will certainly ask them to economize in order to cope with more critical situations.
At night, in front of them was a large expanse of very empty and barren river flats; A shrub winds from it. Captain Regas hesitated when he saw this.
"It's like we're on an empty plate. Lieutenant Colonel. What are we going to do? He asked.
"Let's go now." Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny said coldly.
"Oh well. That's fine, maybe the situation will get better, surprise and attack unprepared. β
The soldiers marched up the hill in orderly steps. Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny looked back and was satisfied for the first time - his troops had followed obediently, not a single one was left behind, not a single one was delayed; He stopped. The rest stopped almost at the same time. You should wait, and maybe take a break. They should lie down - they can already be found from the top of the mountain. On the slopes around the river flats, there may be infantry battalions of Qianguo people in ambush.
Quietly, just a faint noise from far behind the woods on the right, or something in that place was faintly reflecting in the dim sky where the black clouds were falling. The riverbank stretched diagonally into the darkness, the bushes were painted with a dull color, the reeds by the creek showed a little black shadow, and a handful of weeds broke through the soil. There is at least half a kilometer to the creek. It was necessary to wade through the water, there was still a considerable way to go, and it was difficult to estimate the situation after that, Dusenny just wanted to get to the safety of the woods as soon as possible, which was on the side of the riverbank. It is completely invisible from here.
"Keep going!" The lieutenant colonel gave the order in a low voice.
He heard the rustle of weeds in the wind and the clutter of sound behind him. They walked about half a kilometer, and behind them, the small hill with pine forests was embedded in the hazy night sky, and only a faint gray shadow was revealed, and the dark sky and the dark ground were almost connected in the vast twilight. Fortunately, on such a night, the soldiers, along with their figures, could not be seen even from close range. This is, of course, the situation in the dark. Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny knew that as soon as the Qianguo's rockets flew into the sky, all the traces they left on the ground, along with themselves, would be exposed.
At present, it is still pitch black and silent. They should have passed through the river as soon as possible, but the front had not yet passed, and the most dangerous part of the road by the creek was still ahead. However, everyone was a little tired again, and the group began to distance themselves significantly, and Lieutenant Colonel Dusenny suddenly realized that Ruyt, who had been following closely, could not hear his breathing. The lieutenant colonel looked back, waited for a moment, and gasped for breath, even though he knew that even a little delay here would not be tolerated
Obviously, they were too tired to be careful.
"Tell everyone to speed up!" Dusenny said with some annoyance.
"Yes! Sir! β
Dusonny's eyes were fixed on the front, and the night had become very thick. The shadowy bushes seemed to be right in front of them, and behind them were small trees one after another. According to the map, he remembered that this place was located in the middle of the road, and along the hill by the river, there was a village destroyed by artillery fire, and the Qianguo people were stationed there. However, a trench at the forefront of the Qianguo people was closer, only about a hundred meters from the other side of the river; On the other side of the river, the French troops had to turn a bend next to the riverbed and try to pass through the bushes between this trench and the next one - the other trench - in order to approach the concession area, the latter of which was located in the protruding part of the hill, which had a pointed nose like a large spoon upside down.
The troops continued to advance, and this was already the river flat. Dusenny followed the bush a few more steps, so that the group, which had still stretched the distance, could get under the safety of the bush. On the other side of the village, they were covered by bushes, but the unsheltered hill still threatened their safety, but it was too far away to easily spot them.
Dusenny listened intently with bated breath. Nearby, there was silence, the French army hid in the pine forest of the hill and made no sound, and the Qianguo people were in front, but there was no movement. (To be continued.) )
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