Chapter 466: Resisting Britain and Aiding Burma
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Yangon, the most important city in southern Burma, was originally called Daguang before the establishment of the Gongbang Dynasty. In May 1755, the Burmese leader Yong Zhiya basically unified Myanmar and established the Gongbang Dynasty. It was only after the name was given by King Yong Jiya that it was renamed "Yangon", which is a combination of the two words "yan" and "koun", which mean "enemy" and "go out" respectively. The Burmese word means "the end of the war". Since then, Daguang has been renamed Yangon. Due to its geographical proximity to the mouth of the Yangon River, Yangon was extremely advantageous for the development of the shipping industry, so it soon became the largest commercial port in Myanmar.
"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "Several warships of the British Navy, sailing down the Lane River to Rangoon, are launching a heavy artillery bombardment of the city. Smoke rose from the city of Yangon, and the Burmese troops stationed in Rangoon suffered heavy casualties in British shelling. Twenty years later, Burma has not only not recovered, but is even weaker than before, and under such circumstances, the Burmese army, which is basically the same equipment as it was twenty years ago, cannot stop the British attack.
The British marines, numbering about 1,000 men, began to land in Rangoon with the help of warships. Although the Burmese army garrisoned tens of thousands of people in Yangon, these Burmese troops were equipped with backward cold weapons, and they were completely powerless to resist in the face of British muskets and artillery. After a fierce battle, Yangon and the Shwedagon Temple were occupied by British troops on the 22nd and 24th, respectively. The Burmese army withdrew north. It's just that because the British army does not have many troops, it cannot be pursued. They could only hold on to Rangoon with the assistance of the navy and wait for reinforcements to arrive.
At the same time, the British troops deployed in the west had also launched an attack, especially an elite British army of 60,000 men, which broke through the Burmese defenses from the coastal plains in the south. Invaded Burma and then marched to Mandalay.
In the face of the British attack, Burma was simply unprepared. Caught off guard, almost the entire line was broken through by the British. Coupled with the lack of telegraph technology in Burma, Mandalay did not learn of this until five days after the British attack. And this. It's too late. The British army has already invaded Burma. It was almost impossible for the Burmese army, which had suffered heavy losses, to withstand the British attack again.
The capital of the Gongbang dynasty was located in Mandalay in central Myanmar and was the capital of Myanmar since 1755, when the first king of the Gongbang dynasty, Yong Zhiga, was founded here. Mandalay is located in the central hinterland of Myanmar, making it easy to defend. However, under the large-scale attack of the British army, which had been prepared for a long time, I am afraid that it will not be long before the British army will be able to attack the city of Mandalay.
A big offensive by the British army. The Burmese king Meng Hang and the senior officials of the government and the military panicked. Especially when the news of the front line came. After the Burmese army was defeated and suffered heavy losses, they didn't know what to do. You must know that in the early days of the Gongbang Dynasty, Burma was a military power on the Indochina Peninsula, attacking everywhere, conquering the eastern part of India, and even fighting the Manchu Qing Dynasty. But less than 100 years have passed, and Myanmar has completely declined. The people were poor, the country was weakened, and they had become the target of wanton oppression by the British.
In Mandalay, in the royal palace of Burma, King Mon Hang of Burma convened the high-ranking officials of the Kingdom of Burma to discuss countermeasures, these people, in addition to King Meng Keng, also included Meng Keng's younger brother Min Dong, Commander-in-Chief of the Burmese Army Usa, Chief Minister of the Burmese Government Uzana and so on.
"Your Majesty, the British have called, and we have suffered heavy losses. They're going to hit Mandalay in the near future, so what are we going to do? Mindong asked. Min Dong is Meng Keng's younger brother, but he has always been very dissatisfied with this brother inheriting the throne, and he has always been looking for an opportunity to overthrow Meng Keng. This time, the British attacked Burma in a big way, and it may be an opportunity for him.
Meng Keng rubbed his eyebrows, and then asked, "Usa, why do you say we shouldn't put it now?" "Meng Keng was originally a person who was not very capable, and he was able to become the king of Myanmar entirely because of his father's love for Meng Ji.
"Your Majesty, I have ordered the army to begin to assemble, and we will find a way to resist the attack of the British." Commander-in-Chief of the Burmese Army, Usa, said. However, although Usa was very resolute, he was not very confident that he would be able to withstand the British attack.
"Ursa, you tell you the truth, can we defeat the British?" Min Dong was not satisfied with this answer and asked directly.
"Your Royal Highness King Min Tong, we will do our best. There were 20 million people in Burma, and if they were united, they would be able to defeat the British. Usa said. Although the population of Myanmar is as high as 20 million, there are many ethnic groups, and although the Burmese occupy a dominant position, there are also many contradictions with other ethnic groups. It was almost impossible to unite all the Burmese against the British.
"Humph! In my opinion, we will not be able to resist the attack of the British. It is better to surrender to the British, and in this case, we will be able to keep our glory and wealth. If we insist on fighting the British, we will not get anything in the end, and we will give up our lives. Min Dong Jian yƬ said. Obviously, he is not optimistic about the prospects of this war.
"Shut up, Mindong, the British are our enemies, how can we surrender to them? Even if we die in battle, we will fight the British to the end! King Meng Keng reprimanded.
"Humph! Stubborn guys, you're going to die on the battlefield! Min Dong said secretly in his heart. If Meng Keng dies in battle, maybe he will have a chance to succeed to the throne and become the new king of Burma.
"Your Majesty, perhaps we can ask the Chinese Empire for help. The British were too strong, and this time they were prepared again, and we were caught off guard. If we continue like this, we will not be able to hold out for long, and we urgently need to find foreign help. The relationship between the Chinese Empire and the British was not good, and if Burma were to be occupied by the British, it would pose a threat to the southwestern part of the Chinese Empire, and I think the Chinese Empire would certainly not want to see this. Maybe they'll support us. In this case, we may have a chance to live. Uzana said.
The Burmese king Meng Keng nodded again and again, he also knew that now relying on the ability of Burma alone, it may be difficult to resist the attack of the British, and asking China for help may be the only chance to keep Burma.
Min Dong frowned, if Burma had the help of the Chinese Empire, maybe it would really be able to withstand the attack of the British, in this case, it would not be so easy for him to seize the throne.
Empire of China, Guangzhou, inside the General Staff. Although it was already night, the lights in the General Staff were still bright at this moment, especially in the War Department, which was crowded with the bigwigs of the General Staff and the important ministers of the Cabinet. Emperor Long Yufei also rushed here. Originally, the General Staff was planning a plan to attack Thailand, and according to the original plan, the Chinese* army would launch an attack on Thailand next month. However, the news from Myanmar disrupted the deployment of the Chinese* army. The British have taken the lead in attacking Burma, and they are still overwhelmed, and in this case, I am afraid that it will not be long before Burma will be occupied by the British. Once the British occupied Burma, it would completely change the situation in Nanyang, which the Chinese Empire did not want to see.
"Your Majesty, the British have achieved absolute superiority in Burma, and Burma is no match for the British at all. According to our most optimistic estimates, the Burmese will be able to hold out for a maximum of two months. General Niu Meng of the General Staff said.
"So fast? Myanmar has a population of 20 million! Long Yufei was taken aback.
"Your Majesty, although Myanmar has a large population, the contradictions and conflicts between various ethnic groups are very fierce, and the only thing the Myanmar government can rely on is the Burmese people. For the surprise attack of the British, Burma was not prepared at all. Their army suffered heavy losses, coupled with its inferior equipment, and was simply unable to stop the British attack. Lieutenant General Sun Hao, Minister of Operations, said.
"Your Majesty, we cannot sit idly by and watch Burma fall under the occupation of the British. Once Burma fell into the hands of the British, it would be even more troublesome for us to attack India. In addition, the British could also send troops directly from Burma to threaten the empire itself. General Niu Meng, Chief of the General Staff, continued.
Long Yufei nodded, originally, he had already regarded Myanmar as the next target after Thailand, but now, the British had made a move in advance, which was completely an act of grabbing meat to eat on his plate! Long Yufei absolutely cannot allow such a thing to happen. Given the importance of Burma, the British must not be allowed to occupy Burma. Therefore, the Chinese Empire had to do something.
"Chief of the General Staff, immediately draw up a plan to aid Burma, we want to prevent the British from occupying Burma." Long Yufei said.
"Yes, Your Majesty. However, does our assistance to Myanmar closely include weapons and equipment, or does it also include the army? Admiral Niu Meng asked.
"The army, of course! The Burmese were weak and no match for the British, and even if they were to hand over weapons and equipment, they would not be able to make a difference. It's better to send troops directly into Burma to fight! Only in this way will the British be able to stop them! Long Yufei said. He was not optimistic about the Burmese at all, and he believed that the British could not be defeated at all, except that the Chinese Empire directly sent troops into Burma to fight. (To be continued......)