novelnext Chapter 120: Are there still survivors?
Chapter 120: Are there still survivors?
Given the current situation, the Holy Dragon Empire must not go to war with the British Dog Clan again, otherwise it would be courting its own demise.
After the Battle of Dinghai, Jiang Yueming realized that the real crisis on the border was not with foreign tribes, but with internal forces!
"It seems Yuqian had foresight back then," Jiang Yueming said as he traveled, recalling the valiant woman in armor.
Previously, Zhang Yuqian tried her best to stop the infighting among the three families in order to maintain peace in the Imperial State, but unfortunately, she failed in the end. The three families still want to continue to fight for control of the Imperial State.
They didn't care about the situation at the border. Even if the Holy Dragon Empire was completely annexed, it wouldn't concern them. On the contrary, it would give them a reason to seize control of the Holy Dragon Empire.
Jiang Yueming's visit to Bo Mai was also in the hope of negotiating a ceasefire, as the Holy Dragon Empire truly could not afford to have any more conflict with the Yingquan Clan.
The devastated city of Dinghai before us is a living example; to fight it would be certain defeat!
It would be better to agree to the British dog tribe's demands through peace talks, use delaying tactics to appease them, and avoid further escalation of the war.
Otherwise, if the true strength and weaknesses of the Holy Dragon Empire were fully discovered, things would be extremely bad.
The Yingquan Clan wasn't the only alien race outside the Great Wall coveting the Holy Dragon Empire; other alien races were also closely watching the war situation in the Holy Dragon Empire, preparing to take a share of the spoils from the Yingquan Clan.
The Celestial Empire was already struggling to cope with just one tiger; if a toad were added to the mix, the entire Holy Dragon Empire would surely suffer a tremendous disaster.
……
North of Dinghai City.
Bermall was leading hundreds of British naval and land troops on a tour of the battlefield. The British soldiers all had the air of victors on their faces, silently following behind their commander, secretly overjoyed.
Because this battle was as easy and simple as cutting melons and vegetables when defeating the defenders of Dinghai City, and these ignorant Chinese defenders were still fighting them with cold weapons, the result was predictable.
At the same time, these soldiers of the Celestial Empire were all afraid of death. Upon hearing the cannons and gunfire, they almost all dropped their weapons and fled back, thus exposing their fatal backs completely to the enemy.
So naturally, they pulled the triggers of their flintlock rifles one by one to send them on their way, or as the Celestial Empire would say, to meet the King of Hell!
So apart from the army general being killed by a teenager, they suffered no losses at all in this operation.
On the contrary, the piles of corpses of the Dinghai garrison soldiers at my feet, each one more tragic than the last, must have felt more painful being pierced by bullets than being cut by blades.
What's the difference between these Chinese armies and the indigenous people in the Americas?
They might as well obediently be conquered by the British Empire and become another free trade zone in their Far East battlefield.
Bo Mai and Mr. Guo walked along the streets in the north of the city, their eyes scanning the bloody corpses on both sides, a hint of smugness on their faces.
They won another great victory. With Dinghai City as their naval supply base, they could soon head north to threaten Yanjing City and force the Celestial Emperor to agree to their trade treaty.
This way, they could go back and report to Prime Minister Palmerston. More importantly, this was the first city they had ever captured in this vast country, and based on this honor, everyone involved in the battle could be promoted.
Moreover, this battle clearly shows that the soldiers of the Celestial Empire were no match for them, and from then on, the British Navy could freely enter and trade on any sea territories of this vast country.
This is the issue that domestic politicians are most concerned about; trade profits in the Far East are what Congress is most concerned about.
Today, the gates of this ancient and vast nation have been completely opened, and Bermall is confident that in the future this gap will develop into a huge hole, at which point the trade of the British Empire will be even more prosperous, and his name will be forever etched in history!
"Well! What kind of person!"
As the British troops were patrolling the battlefield, a soldier in a bright red army uniform suddenly saw a figure flash past him and immediately picked up his flintlock pistol and aimed it at the suspicious figure in the distance.
His actions alerted all the soldiers, who raised their flintlock muskets, pointed them in the same direction, and placed their index fingers on the triggers, ready to fire at any moment.
"Don't shoot! Drop the gun!"
Upon noticing the soldiers' vigilance, Bo Mai immediately looked up and recognized the figure in the distance with just a glance, then gave the order.
An old man in an official robe walked slowly towards a lake in the distance. His cheeks were blackened by the smoke of war, and his eyes were filled with helplessness and despair.
Even though he was stained with the marks of war, Bermay could still recognize him at first glance.
Yao Huaixiang was appointed magistrate of Dinghai County.
The city was engulfed in flames, with the crackling of fire filling the air, and cold corpses lying on the ground.
Through the thick smoke, Bo Mai silently watched Yao Huaixiang's every move, his brows suddenly furrowing slightly.
During his previous conversation with Lord Yao, he was truly impressed by Lord Yao's loyalty and integrity, and his unwavering resistance was also worthy of respect.
Although such resistance was meaningless in their British Empire, it was still a loyal act of defending their country.
Mr. Guo, standing to the side, also silently watched Lord Yao's figure, his expression gradually becoming serious.
With the two core officers so silent, none of the soldiers behind them dared to speak.
Yao Huaixiang walked to a lake, looked down at his disheveled reflection, and sighed silently, "I am now incapable of defending this land, and I am truly ashamed before the king and the people."
In fact, he had already foreseen this crushing defeat the moment he boarded the British ship, and he knew that he absolutely could not defend Dinghai City.
Some things can be given up, but some things must be defended with one's life.
The city of Dinghai was ultimately destroyed by Yao Huaixiang, a fact that no one can change.
"Since that's the case, then I will be buried with my country!"
Having said that, Yao Huaixiang's eyes hardened, and he lifted his robes, stepped onto the Brahma Palace Pool, and then leaped into the water.
With a splash, several bubbles rose rapidly, creating small ripples in the pool before calming down and spreading outwards in concentric circles.
According to historical records, on the afternoon of July 6, 1840, Yao Huaixiang, the magistrate of Dinghai County, drowned himself in the Brahma Palace Pond!
He became the first official in the Celestial Empire to die for his country in the fight against the Opium War!
The initial battle of Dinghai then ended. Of the 1540 soldiers who participated in the battle, only 13 were killed and 13 were wounded.
There were virtually no casualties on the British side!
As Bo Mai gazed at Yao Huaixiang's martyrdom, his expression turned solemn, and he raised his hand to salute in the direction of the Brahma Pool.
The soldiers behind him also stood at attention with their backs straight, their expressions extremely serious and solemn, completely lacking the arrogance of the previous victors.
Jiang Yueming, who had just arrived in the north of the city, witnessed Yao Huaixiang's sacrifice for the country by drowning himself. A deep sorrow welled up in her heart, and she seemed to want to say something but could not utter a word.
Previously, he had only seen such rigid descriptions in textbooks and did not feel that they were particularly sad or real. Now that he was experiencing it firsthand, he realized how much pain and sorrow were contained in the records in the textbooks.
A feeling of helplessness overwhelmed him, and his expression suddenly turned cold and stern.
If it weren't for the greater good, he would have loved to kill all the hundreds of men in front of him right now, to make them pay for the sacrifices of the Dinghai civilians in this battle!
"Who are you, and how do you know someone alive?"