Starting from the prison, an infinite simulation

Chapter 143 The Taiping War

Taiping City.

Inside a simple hall, generals in armor gathered around a sand table, their faces solemn as they awaited the orders from the general standing in the center.

Just last night, a man in black came to Taiping City and told them that the next target of the Yingquan Clan's attack would be Taiping City!

At first, they were unwilling to believe it, but after scouts from inside the city went out to investigate, it was indeed as the man in black had said: a large number of British warships were sailing towards Taiping City.

They had heard about the crushing defeat at Dinghai, but they didn't expect the British to target them so quickly. Fortunately, the defenses of their Taiping City were much better than those of Dinghai City.

The British are coming at the right time; they've just had a chance to avenge the fall of Dinghai City!

"Gentlemen, you probably already know why I've urgently summoned you all here."

General Guan Tianpei looked around at the other generals with a cold and solemn expression, and said in an extremely dignified voice.

"We are willing to die on the battlefield to protect this peaceful land!"

"We are willing to die on the battlefield to protect this peaceful land!"

"..."

As soon as Guan Tianpei finished speaking, a series of heroic words of determination to die for their country resounded throughout the hall.

They knew that going to the battlefield was a perilous journey, but their land could not be surrendered! Their homeland could not be destroyed!

The fall of Dinghai had already damaged the prestige of the Celestial Empire. If Taiping City were to fall as well, wouldn't the Celestial Empire be ridiculed by the barbarians beyond the Great Wall?

Most importantly, as soldiers, protecting their country is their duty, and they have no way out!

Today, it's a fight to the death between them and the British!

"Very well, if it comes to the end, I, Guan, will not live on! I am willing to perish with the city! And to meet you all again in the Yellow Springs!"

Guan Tianpei was very satisfied with the performance of the generals in front of him. He pointed to the sand table and began to deploy the strategy, saying, "The first line of defense is the Shajiao and Dajiao forts, but considering that their firepower is too weak, we will change them to signal forts to be responsible for sending signals."

"Send a signal immediately upon spotting an enemy ship."

"Yes," the generals in charge of the two gun emplacements replied in unison.

"Hmm," Guan Tianpei nodded, moving his finger to a river: "This second line of defense is the Shanghengdang Island line, with four forts: Weiyuan, Jingyuan, Zhenyuan, and Hengdang, each equipped with 40 cannons, to defend the eastern waterway of Hengdang."

"As for the western waterway, 40 fortified batteries and 20 reinforced batteries were set up at Yong'an. Once enemy ships entered the attack range, they were to be opened fire directly to inflict heavy losses on the British."

Guan Tianpei looked at the simulated river on the sand table, thought for a moment, and then said, "At the same time, stretch two iron chains between Hengdang and Weiyuan Battery to slow down the enemy ships' speed and give our army more time to bombard them."

"Your subordinates obey!" The soldiers responsible for defending this area straightened up to receive the order.

"As for the last Dahushan Island, we will make it the third line of defense. We will build 32 gun emplacements on the southeast side of the island so that we will still have room to fight back in case of unforeseen circumstances."

"yes!"

After Guan Tianpei had fully arranged the battle plan, all the generals withdrew, leaving him alone in the main hall.

According to his plan, the Taiping City area had a total force of over 11000 men and several hundred artillery positions. However, according to the intelligence revealed by the man in black, the total strength of the British forces was less than 2000.

There was still a great chance of victory for Taiping City in this battle, but for some reason his right eyelid kept twitching.

"Enough! Magistrate Yao sacrificed his life for the country, how can I, Guan, fall behind? Even if it really comes to that, I will show the British barbarians that the people of the Celestial Empire cannot be conquered!"

……

On the East China Sea, three massive warships slowly sailed toward the waters near Taiping City. The coastal garrison, sensing the approach of the enemy, quickly braced themselves for battle.

"Quickly! On your positions! Adjust the cannons to aim at the British ships!"

Upon hearing the command, the defenders inside the fortifications immediately sprang into action, their ranks as orderly and dense as ants carrying food.

At 8:00 a.m., the British launched an attack, dispatching three warships with a total of 52 cannons to bombard the defenders of Shajiao Fort.

boom!boom!

The defenders of Shajiao Fort did not hesitate to return fire, but due to the inferior equipment of both sides, the defenders were forced to take the hits and the fort was almost blown to pieces.

Then, a series of cannon shots suddenly came from behind the Shajiao Fort, and shells rained down on the center of the fort, instantly blowing the soldiers stationed there to pieces.

It turns out that the three warships in front were only there to draw attention; their real purpose was to cover the British landing.

Four ships carrying a total of 1461 civilian soldiers landed from the side at the moment of the artillery battle between the two sides, found a high point, installed three field guns, and launched an attack on the Shajiao Fort directly.

Under the relentless bombardment from both sides, the Shajiao Fort quickly fell, and Deputy General Chen Liansheng was killed in action.

Meanwhile, the Great Horn Battery was also under attack, with the British dispatching four warships and a total of 106 cannons to attack it.

Because the large bastion had few and poor-quality cannons, it was overwhelmed and eventually breached.

After capturing two forts, the British army pressed on to wipe out the defending navy anchored in Yanson Bay. The Chinese warships were simply no match for the British ships in terms of quality and firepower.

Fifteen minutes later, the British destroyed 11 ships and captured 82 cannons of various sizes.

Black smoke rose into the sky from the azure coastline, and the thick smell of burning almost covered the entire sea area. The cries and screams of the soldiers of the Celestial Empire rang out intermittently amidst the sound of artillery fire.

In this battle, the Taiping defenders suffered complete destruction of two forts, 277 dead, 5 wounded to death, and 462 injured, for a total of 744 casualties. The British suffered 38 wounded but no deaths.

Such a stark contrast—one wonders what Jiang Yueming would think if he saw it; the scenes from his previous life's textbooks played out before his eyes.

For hundreds of years, it was these brave warriors who tenaciously resisted on the land of the Celestial Empire, teaching the British an age-old truth.

The Celestial Empire is inviolable! The people of the Celestial Empire are not as easily conquered as they were when they fought against the natives in the Americas!

Tragically, despite the desperate resistance of the Taiping defenders, the Taiping army suffered repeated defeats due to the inferior weaponry of both sides, while the British warships advanced triumphantly and were invincible.

After the British troops breached the first line of defense, they continued into the Pearl River, quickly occupied Hengdang Island, and set up three field guns on the high ground in preparation for the next day's battle.

The next morning, the British began shelling Hengdang Island. The defending general abandoned his soldiers and fled, and Hengdang Island eventually fell.

At 11:00 AM, the British dispatched three warships, carrying a total of 74 cannons, and four small boats, which anchored at 360 meters and 540 meters from the Weiyuan Forts, and opened fire on the three forts of Weiyuan, Jingyuan, and Zhenyuan.

Because the angles of the Weiyuan and Jingyuan could not be adjusted, they could not effectively attack the British ships. Only the Weiyuan could retaliate, but the Weiyuan's fortifications were insufficient to withstand the fierce firepower of the British ships.

At 1:20 p.m., the British army had basically destroyed the three forts. At 1:20 p.m., 300 British soldiers landed and began to clear out the remaining defenders. By around 2 p.m., all the forts in the area had fallen and all the defenders' resistance had been wiped out.

During the British attack on Jingyuan Fortress, General Guan Tianpei fought bravely with a sword, sustaining more than ten wounds to his left arm. Despite this, he remained standing at the front lines, personally firing the cannons. Later, he was hit by bullets, leaving him covered in wounds, yet he still shouted "Kill the enemy!"

In the end, Guan Tianpei and more than 20 soldiers all died at Jingyuan Fort.

Meanwhile, fierce fighting broke out in the Hengdang West Channel. At 1 p.m., both Yong'an and Gonggu forts were destroyed. British troops landed on the entire island at 1:30 p.m., and the entire island was completely occupied by the British.

In this battle, the defending troops suffered more than 250 deaths, more than 100 injuries, and 1000 prisoners.

At 4 p.m., after the British troops landed and consolidated their positions at the fort, they continued their attack on the military camp on Dahushan Island behind the mountain, dispersed the defenders, and burned the camp to the ground.

By 5 p.m., when the battle was over, only five British soldiers had been wounded.

Following the Battle of Dinghai, the British army achieved another major victory, further deepening the border crisis of the Holy Dragon Empire.