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By mid-February 1843, the Lunar New Year had passed, but all parts of Guangdong were still immersed in joy. For most people, this is their happiest New Year. Although a large number of people have immigrated to Nanyang, the remaining people have also been allocated a few acres of land, and the agricultural tax in Xinhua is very low, so that the common people have a head start. Just after the New Year, many people are already busy in the fields. This is no better than working for the landlords, most of the harvest for the landlords belongs to the landlords, and the peasants can only keep a small share, and even supporting their families is a problem. But now it's different, as long as they pay the agricultural tax, the rest is their own.

The ongoing war around Guangdong does not have much impact on the common people. The battle has been fought for more than a month, but the Qing army has been blocked from Guangdong. At the beginning, the people were still a little worried, but now, they have completely relaxed. They can see that Xinhua is much stronger than the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and with Xinhua as a backer, they will be able to live a good life in the future.

In Guangzhou, where Long Yufei, the king of the Xinhua Kingdom, lived, Lieutenant General Niu Meng, chief of the General Staff, arrived here early in the morning with Major General Sun Hao, director of operations, and Brigadier General Liu Zhongming, deputy director of operations. There is an urgent military situation that needs to be reported to Long Yufei.

"Your Majesty, as of yesterday, all 20 newly formed infantry brigades have been trained. This morning, we have been driving to the designated area one after another. It is expected that in 10 days, we will be able to reach our destination. Then began to fight back. Lieutenant General Niu Meng said excitedly. For more than a month before, the Xinhua army had been on the defensive, allowing the Qing army to attack. Although it repelled the attacks of the Qing army many times. A lot of results have also been achieved. However, only defending and not attacking always makes people feel very aggrieved. Now that the training of recruits is over, the gap in the strength of the Xinhua Army has been solved, and it is time for the Xinhua Army to counterattack.

"Ha Luha, okay. Are all the counter-attack plans ready? Long Yufei asked. He was also very excited. I've been waiting for this day for a long time. This battle is too important for Xinhuaguo, and only by winning this war can Xinhua gain a foothold on the land of China. And get rapid development. If all the strategic objectives are achieved, the entire south of the Yangtze River will be brought under the rule of the Xinhua State. At that time, the strength of Xinhuaguo will be further expanded. After Xinhua digests these areas, the future of Xinhua will be unstoppable.

"Your Majesty. The battle plan has already been prepared. Thereinto. The 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th Brigades, as well as the 1st Heavy Artillery Brigade, were to join the Northern Guangdong Battlefield and first launch a counterattack against the Qing forces in the Hunan direction. The 25th, 26th, and 27th Brigades will join the Northeast Guangdong Battlefield to counterattack the Qing army in the direction of Fujian. 28th, 29th and 30th Brigades. It will join the battlefield in western Guangdong and counterattack the Qing army in the direction of Guangxi. Ten remaining brigades. They will board the ship and accompany the 4th and 6th Brigades and the 2nd Heavy Artillery Brigade mobilized from Nanyang, under the protection of the 1st and 4th Fleets of the Navy, to the mouth of the Yangtze River, and go upstream to attack important cities along the Yangtze River, so as to cut off the connection between the Manchu Qing and the provinces south of the Yangtze River. Major General Sun Hao, Minister of Operations, said. The 1st Fleet of the Xinhua Navy and the 2nd Brigade of the Marine Corps have taken Taiwan. At present, the 4th and 6th Brigades of the Xinhua Army have been assembled in Taiwan. There are also large quantities of war materiel being shipped to Taiwan. Once a counterattack breaks out, Taiwan will become an important material transit center for the Xinhua Army.

"Well, once this counterattack begins, the ministries must be prepared to make sure nothing goes wrong. You can only succeed, you can't fail! Long Yufei admonished. This battle is directly related to the future of Xinhuaguo, and he doesn't want anything to happen. Of course, from the current point of view, there should not be much surprise. Unless the British went to war against Xinhua now, nothing would interrupt the Xinhua army's attack on the Manchus. And would the British dare to go to war against Xinhua at this time? Although Long Yufei was not sure, he knew that there were three fleets in Nanyang, including the 5th Fleet composed of 'Xia-class' cruisers, and ten infantry brigades, which was enough to protect the interests of Xinhua in Nanyang. Unless Britain exerts all its strength to attack, Xinhua will be as stable as Mount Tai.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" All the generals replied. They are also full of confidence in this battle. Through the early battles, the combat effectiveness of the Qing army has been figured out. Although the Qing army still had a great advantage in terms of strength. But from the point of view of combat effectiveness, the Qing army was already at an absolute disadvantage.

"General Liu, this attack on the Yangtze River valley is up to you. Your task is very heavy, and only by cutting off the north and south of the Yangtze River will we have enough time to bring the provinces south of the Yangtze River under our rule. Therefore, after attacking the Yangtze River, you have to organize the Yangtze River defense line on the one hand, and on the other hand, you have to send troops to attack south of the Yangtze River. Cooperate with the troops from the south and north to annihilate the Qing army's army south of the Yangtze River. Long Yufei said. This time, Brigadier General Liu Zhongming's plan to open up a second battlefield is a bit of a big step for Xinhuaguo. Swallowing so many southern provinces at once will further disperse the strength of the Xinhua Army. It may not be difficult to occupy these provinces, but it is the most difficult to govern these provinces well and make them become the help of the new country, rather than a quagmire. Therefore, Long Yufei planned that after taking the provinces south of the Yangtze River, he would use a period of time to consolidate the results of the battle, and after digesting these provinces, Xinhua would march north of the Yangtze River. At that time, no matter how well prepared the Qing army is, it will not be able to resist the Xinhua army that is overwhelming by Mount Tai.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the minister will definitely win." Brigadier General Liu Zhongming assured. He was able to be promoted from colonel to brigadier general in a short period of time, and became the commander of such a large-scale operation, all because of Long Yufei's appreciation. And he himself can only repay with his liver and brains.

"Very well, you guys just go ahead. I am here waiting for you to triumph, and then I will celebrate your achievements. Long Yufei said.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The ministers will return triumphantly! And they all answered.

After that, Major General Sun Hao rushed to the battlefield in northern Guangdong to command the operation, and the battlefield in northern Guangdong will become the first battle to start this large-scale counterattack. Brigadier General Liu Zhongming went to Taiwan by boat. Wait for the arrival of the next ten newly formed infantry brigades. When the time comes, the huge fleet will go directly to the mouth of the Yangtze River.

On February 25, Major General Sun Hao arrived in Shaoguan. By this time, the four newly formed infantry brigades, as well as the 1st Heavy Artillery Brigade, had already arrived at the front line. In this counterattack in northern Guangdong, the Xinhua Army assembled eight infantry brigades and one heavy artillery brigade, with a total strength of more than 50,000 people. Although, this point of strength is only less than half of the Qing army on the opposite side. However, the officers and men were full of fighting spirit and had great confidence in the next battle.

Major General Sun Hao held an operational meeting that night, and there were still three days before the time to launch a counterattack. The generals who attended the meeting included Major General Zhao Shiwu, commander of the 1st Heavy Artillery Brigade, Brigadier General Zhang Wei, commander of the 1st Brigade, Brigadier General Zhao Mingfu, commander of the 5th Brigade, Brigadier General Li Zhiyong, commander of the 8th Brigade, Brigadier General Zheng Weiming, commander of the 9th Brigade, Colonel Zhou Shuquan, commander of the 21st Brigade, Colonel Chen Wenjie, commander of the 22nd Brigade, Colonel Chen Kai, commander of the 23rd Brigade, and Colonel Li Lei, commander of the 24th Brigade.

"Ladies and gentlemen, after more than a month of preparation, our preparations for a counterattack are finally complete. Newly formed infantry brigades are also in place. I know that being a shrunken turtle for more than a month has made everyone hold their breath in their hearts. Next, it's time for us to vent our anger, and let those Qing soldiers know how powerful we are. Major General Sun Hao said.

The generals were all smiling, and everyone was looking forward to the early start of the counterattack. Well, now, it's finally here.

Three days later, on February 28. The counterattack is exactly the beginning. At 7:35 a.m., the artillery battalions of the 1st and 1st Brigades, the 8th Brigade, the 9th Brigade, the 21st Brigade, the 22nd Brigade and the 23rd Brigade of the heavy artillery were to carry out heavy artillery shelling of the positions of the Qing troops. After that, the 1st and 8th Brigades will be the vanguard to launch a counterattack against the Qing army. The subsequent 4 infantry brigades waited until they broke through the Qing army's defense line before expanding their results and marching to Chenzhou. The 5th Brigade and the 24th Brigade were still on the defensive against the Qing troops on the Jiangxi side. After we annihilated the Qing army on the Hunan side, we will encircle and annihilate the Qing army on the Jiangxi side. This is the general plan for the operation, do you have any objections? Major General Sun Hao asked.

"No objections!" The generals replied.

"Alright, adjourn now. After everyone goes back, prepare for battle, and take advantage of the last few days to nourish their mental and physical strength. In three days, we have a big battle to fight. Major General Sun Hao said. There is still a lot of preparation to be done for this counterattack. In particular, the supply of ammunition is difficult to travel through in the mountainous areas of northern Guangdong, and it is very difficult to replenish war materials. Before the battle begins, you have to be well prepared.

"Yes, General!" Everyone replied, and after saluting, they left the headquarters of the Xinhua Army.

The Xinhua army had already begun to mobilize troops in a big way to start a counterattack, and the Qing army had no idea about it. Although the Qing army was still attacking every day, their attack was more like a perfunctory attack. Even when the Qing army attacked, as soon as the artillery fire of the Xinhua army rang out, they immediately retreated. Obviously, the huge casualties before have already scared these soldiers, and everyone is not working hard, for the sake of their own lives. (To be continued......)