India was as important to the British Empire as a sibling, even Australia and the South Seas combined. During this period, Australia and the South Seas were like chicken ribs and belonged to the wilderness, and India was a cash cow for the British Empire. The Governor of India was shocked to learn that Burma had been captured by the Northern Expeditionary Army, and immediately reported it to the commander of the Native and Allied forces, McMahon. The 50,000 British soldiers who happened to be requisitioned from the mainland and prepared to fight in the Great Qing Kingdom arrived in India.

The panicked Governor took 50,000 British soldiers and increased India's defenses. At present the British army in the Indian colonies is about 20,000 men, and the Indian army is about 50,000. The Governor of India, who did not know the truth, asked the Governor of Burma and the Commander of the British colonies living in Burma when he saw the fleeing Governor-General of Burma, and they also said that they did not know how many troops the Northern Expeditionary Army had entered Burma. After a preliminary analysis, it was believed that the Northern Expeditionary Army had at least 50,000 troops entering Burma.

Therefore, the Viceroy of India decided to intercept the 50,000 soldiers transferred from the British mainland to the Great Qing State and put them into the defense of India's homeland. The Governor was like a frightened bird, and he quickly dispatched his troops to the Indo-Burmese border, as if he were facing a great enemy. And rumors spread throughout India that the Northern Expeditionary Army was about to launch an attack on India, which caused the people to panic, as if the end was coming. It can be said that the Northern Expeditionary Army suddenly entered Burma and occupied the entire territory of Burma in such a short period of time, and Deng Zixuan did not expect such a speed. He thought that in Lower Burma, the British would resist for at least a while, but the result was a big surprise.

On this day, a troop outside Mandalay came in a row, and dozens of horses quickly entered the city and stopped in front of the headquarters. I saw Nie Shicheng jumping off his horse with agility and striding into the headquarters. “haha！ Commander-in-Chief Nie did a good job, and the letter from the headquarters didn't say anything, and it seems that the headquarters acquiesced to your heartbeat. Shang Hu smiled. Commander-in-Chief Nie, don't mind your punishment, it's for outsiders to see? Seinfeld laughed.

"Commander, Chief of Staff! Humble duty understands. I would like to know what the specific task is to transfer us to the India-Myanmar border? Nie Shicheng put down a hanging heart. Shang Hu said: "The 6th Brigade of your column is currently in Palan, according to the report of the 6th Brigade, the British army began to increase its strength on a large scale on the border, and put your column on the border to garrison and launch harassment operations. ”

Seinfeld said: "The headquarters asked us to stir up trouble in India, and the purpose was to cooperate with the domestic battlefield. We are to make the British sit on their backs and be uneasy, and then achieve our strategic objectives. Sending troops to Burma, the headquarters clearly pointed out that only weapons and ammunition will be provided, and we can only plan other military supplies by ourselves. "My subordinates understand," Nie Shicheng was full of confidence.

Shang Hu said: "In order for your department to effectively plan harassment operations, the headquarters has specially set up a capable staff team for you to assist you in formulating operations, and conduct harassment operations in India step by step. "Please rest assured, commander, chief of staff, and resolutely complete the task." Nie Shicheng received the order and left in a hurry

Looking at Nie Shicheng's departing back, Shang Hu said meaningfully: "Chief of Staff! Your analysis is correct, the intention of the headquarters has been very clear, this Shijie's law of the jungle is the law of the jungle, and the winner does not need to be blamed. Seinfeld smiled and said, "If Li Tong knows these words, I'm afraid he won't approve of them, and as a traditional scholar, he can't accept this point of view." However, it takes time to educate, and in troubled times, we must use heavy canons. Shang Hu smiled knowingly.

In the headquarters of the Guangzhou Military Government, Deng Zixuan listened to Pei Gejin's introduction and said for a long time: "It is inevitable that any country cannot do without the bloody side on the road to rise. The situation in Myanmar should not spread as much as possible so as not to have a negative impact. Pei Gejin nodded and said, "How do you answer Li Tong's letter?" "Tell him to care about his own affairs and not to worry about the affairs of the army."

Pei Gejin asked: "The situation in Myanmar has become clear, where will the coalition forces be clearly reflected in the next harassment war against India?" Deng Zixuan said: "India is facing a crisis, and the British have the greatest losses. I estimate that it is impossible to reinforce India by drawing troops from the domestic battlefield, and that British troops will be transferred to India to strengthen the defense. In other words, the Burma Revolution then caused a crisis in India, and Britain was no longer able to add a single soldier to the hinterland of the Central Plains. ”

Deng Zixuan continued: "The strengthening of India's defense will limit India's support to the Central Plains battlefield, which will cause a shortage of military supplies and materials for the coalition forces to a certain extent, and at the same time limit the continued conscription of the coalition forces to the hinterland of the Central Plains. It is important to know that maintaining a huge amount of military expenditure is astronomical, and although ocean transportation can be postponed for a while, it is not a long-term solution. If Western countries set up munitions bases in Japan, they would not be able to do so in the short term, and if they set up munitions bases in areas controlled by the Qing court, they would face a situation of both men and money, so the initial effect of our Burma strategy was reflected. ”

"We must play the big game of strategy and encroach on the coalition army step by step. We must defeat our opponents militarily in order to have a bright future, and this is our only option. Deng Zixuan's eyes were deep and eloquent. Commander-in-Chief, what's next for us? Pei Ge asked. Deng Zixuan said: "In the Indian crisis, I judge that the coalition blockade fleet in the South Seas will at least transfer half of its ships to India to strengthen its maritime defense, so that the pressure on our coastal defense in the South China Sea will be greatly eased." ”

Deng Zixuan said decisively: "It seems that the third phase of the offshore strategy can be launched." The newly formed 3rd and 4th Torpedo Boat Brigades were ordered to take over the defense from the Beibu Gulf to the southern part of the Taiwan Strait, and the 1st and 2nd Torpedo Boat Brigades entered the Taiwan Strait to launch a hunting and killing war, and before the typhoon season arrived, they completed the offshore attack and completely opened up the offshore transportation line from Shanghai to Guangzhou. ”

At the headquarters of the coalition forces in Beijing, McMahon received a report from the Governor General of India: Burma was quickly captured by the Northern Expeditionary Army, and the Burmese Gongbang Dynasty had fallen. When McMahon and the generals heard the news of the thunderstorm, they were all shocked and fell into a state of stupefaction. After a long silence, the chief of staff of the coalition army said: "I didn't expect the Northern Expeditionary Army to lead but not to start, it turned out to be a hoax again, which greatly surprised us, and it actually started in Burma, which disrupted our overall defense and offensive jihua." ”

McMahon said weakly: "Gentlemen, the Northern Expeditionary Army has taken us by surprise again. The operation of the original Jihua to open up the second battlefield on the southeast coast Jihua was miscarried again. He ordered all of Taiwan's 100,000 Japanese troops to be transferred to the Central Plains Battlefield, ordered Beckenham, commander of the Nanyang Blockade Fleet, to lead the 2nd Squadron to rush to India's aid, and ordered the 1st Squadron of the Nanyang to undertake the task of escorting ships in the South China Sea. ”

McMahon continued: "Gentlemen, India is an important supply base for our coalition forces, so there can be no room for error. I regret to inform you that the native army of Great Britain can no longer recruit troops from the Central Plains, and they must be transferred to India to strengthen their defenses. The Governor General of India was notified to requisition the 1st and 2nd Australian Light Cavalry Divisions into India to strengthen its defenses and prevent the Northern Expeditionary Army from attacking and fighting deep into the territory. ”

In Bauhinia City, the Empress Dowager Cixi listened to Li Hongzhang's report: "The rebels are simply devils, and they have the ability to use troops in Burma, but they are heavenly soldiers and generals." Without hundreds of thousands of troops, how to take Burma and drive out the British? Li Hongzhang said: "Queen Mother, the Northern Expeditionary Army is elusive, they may not attack India when they capture Burma, but threaten India, weaken the pressure on the frontal battlefield, this move chokes the death hole of the coalition army, and the means are used to the extreme." ”

Yi said: "The Northern Expeditionary Army entered Burma, and Jihua, who was trying to open a second battlefield on the southeast coast, was forced to abort, and our hopes were once again dashed. In the next step, the Northern Expeditionary Army may launch an offensive on all fronts. Li Hongzhang said: "It is impossible to launch an offensive on the whole front, the Western Northern Expeditionary Army is still contained by the Russian army, and the Northern Expeditionary Army on the front line of Xiangfan and Nanjing is facing heavy defense by the coalition forces. His Majesty judged that it was impossible for the Northern Expeditionary Army to launch a large-scale offensive for the time being. ”

"Lord Li's analysis has made the slave family feel a lot more relieved, the rebel army is getting bigger and bigger, and now we can guarantee the safety of half of the rivers and mountains. Without the support of foreigners, the Qing Dynasty would have been ruined long ago. Therefore, we must not slack off on what foreigners want. "The Queen Mother's decree is to keep in mind that you will never slack off!" Li Hongzhang and Yi Zhang. Yi asked, "Lord Li, it is impossible for the rebels not to act. Li Hongzhang felt that Yi did not agree with his analysis: "The next step is that the rebels will definitely launch an offensive at sea, and it is imperative to break the coastal blockade." ”

Empress Dowager Cixi said: "There are foreigners blocking the battle at sea, so we don't need to worry about it. Lord Li, the draft will be held in two months, you go back and prepare for Ling Yan to enter the palace. "It's the Queen Mother Bixia, and her subordinates will order and retire." After Li Hongzhang left, Cixi sighed and said: "Lord Wang, Li Hongzhang is a Hanchen, so I have to guard against it!" Now we are walking on thin ice, and we have to sleep with one eye open. ”

What the Queen Mother said is extremely true, at present, Li Hongzhang's descendants have been transferred to Shandong one after another, and the defense areas have been taken over by the new army one after another. Through our covert mediation, about two-thirds of the generals of the Forces nouvelles are in our hands. The next step is to divide and disintegrate in his descendants' forces and gradually weaken his military power. After the Battle of Xiangfan, his descendants were heavily damaged and collapsed, please rest assured that the Empress Dowager is laying out. ”

Li Hongzhang came out of the palace and realized that Cixi and Yiyue did not trust him, and he was afraid that he had secretly done it, and he was very depressed in his heart. Li Hongzhang returned to the official residence and immediately brought Liu Mingchuan over, and when he saw Liu Mingchuan, he said: "My lord, the suggestion made by my subordinates last time, could it be that my lord has an idea?" "The current situation is confusing, and now Cixi and Yi have joined forces to weaken my military power. The new army at the front did not have an order from the military aircraft department, and I was unable to mobilize a single soldier. I want to know about your covert visit? ”

Liu Ming said: "At present, all the troops under our complete control are stationed in Shandong. I sent someone to secretly investigate, and the chief officials did not have a big problem. But there was a young officer who was very active, and this person was Yuan Shikai. Li Hongzhang stood up and said: "Yuan Shikai was recommended to me by Yi, and it turned out that there was a hidden murderous purpose. "My lord, just get rid of this person?" "No, Yuan Shikai is a young talent and famous. Obviously, he was sent by Yi, so he must not be alarmed. You send people to spy on and control. ”