Australian Storm 1876

   Chapter 712

  Taiyuan, Yue King Palace.

"We must preemptively, smash the current French expeditionary force with a thunderous and determined action, and break into Hanoi in one fell swoop, otherwise we will be seriously detrimental to continue the confrontation. The division and veterans are tired, even if the tiger also has a nap, let alone our weak side. "

  Major General Li Shuanzhu has a majestic beard on the corners of his lips. He looks more mature, a bit older than his 33-year-old.

  This middle-aged general who fought all the way with the rise of the Ocean Kingdom, has experienced countless blood battles during his ten-year military career and accumulated extremely rich practical experience.

   Holding a slender command stick in his hand, he pointed to the large Vietnam combat map and continued;

  "Your Majesty the King;

I remind your Majesty to pay attention to the terrain of Hanoi. The French-occupied Hanoi dug out a piece of the southeastern part of Beiqi. From here, you can attack Taiyuan Province smoothly from here to the north, Shanxi province to the northwest, and Shanxi province to the southwest. Going straight to Quang Ninh Province, the entire hinterland of Vietnam is exposed in front of Hanoi's defense line.

  We have to defend everywhere with our limited military strength, but in fact we can’t defend everywhere, and the strategic situation is extremely unfavorable.

until now

  The French Expeditionary Force has assembled 16,400 heavy troops in Hanoi, and there are as many as 33,000 Vietnamese servants. This poses a substantial threat to the safety of Vietnam, leaving us less and less time.

  We must understand that, as the world's strong army, the foreign corps in the French Expeditionary Forces are all first-class and strong, and their strength far exceeds ours.

  Singapore’s mediation by the powers of various countries ended in failure, which means that the pace of war is getting closer and closer. We should not have unrealistic illusions about peace, but prepare to fight a nation-building war.

  At this moment, you must have the determination to break the boat before you can put it to death and live. "

In this closed-door military meeting of the highest level, the king of the Yue Kingdom, Gu Zhiwen, sat in the middle. His face was much thinner and darker than last year. It seems that the pressure during this period is very heavy, which makes him sleep and eat. disturbed.

In addition to the members of the Military Observer Group led by Major General Li Zhuzhu, there were also Lieutenant General Fan Tongzhang, Chief of Staff of the Vietnamese Army, Major General Gu Zhilin, Commander of the First Division, Major General Chen Qiang, Commander of the Second Division, Major General Zheng Huichang, Commander of the Third Division, and Xu Shaozu, the Black Flag Army general. Li Ping, the admiral of Guangxi, and Duan Qirui, the commander-in-chief of Guangdong, etc., can be described as crowded with friends.

  After listening to Major General Li Shuanzhu's analysis, the scene fell into a deadly silence. Everyone's eyes were involuntarily turned to King Gu Zhiwen. Only he could make a major decision about whether to fight or not.

As can be seen

  King Gu Zhiwen was under heavy pressure, and his spirit seemed a little weak. In the face of the crisis of survival, not everyone has the courage to fight to the death.

   hesitate for a moment

  Gu Zhiwen asked dryly; "General Li, can Dayang Kingdom provide strong military assistance?"

"Your Majesty, all the assistance you can get is here. Please understand that this is the war of Vietnam, not the war of the Ocean Kingdom. The Ocean Kingdom has supported everything that can be done. Now let's see that the Vietnamese people win with one heart. Win."

Major General Li Shuanzhu’s answer obviously did not satisfy Gu Zhiwen. He turned his eager gaze to Guangxi Admiral Li Ping, and saw that the other party silently shook his head. He looked at Guangdong General Duan Qirui again. Duan Qirui looked at him with disdain. Out of the window.

  For this indecisive country lord, he is also speechless.

  What a mess!

  Don’t you know that we are officials of the Qing Dynasty now, just help out secretly.

If the court knows that we dare to interfere with this matter, I am afraid that the Emperor Tongzhi will be scared to swindle the corpse. Gu Zhixue who is in the capital will immediately be sent to prison. Gu Yanchuan, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi, should not do it. To be participated.

  Don't doubt the strong reaction of the Manchu Qing court, they are already scared, and they can definitely get this cruel hand.

   Treating the French as fools, I'm afraid they will die ugly.

  People are more dead than people, and they have to be thrown away!

Compared with His Majesty Li Fushou, the king of the Ocean Kingdom, the wise king of the Kingdom of Vietnam, Gu Zhiwen's performance was really scumbed every minute. If it weren't for the great help of the Ocean Kingdom, he was giving guns, equipment, and training. The army, the Yue country who is a shit, wash and sleep early.

  Gu Zhiwen himself was not embarrassed to beg for help. He took it back with disappointment, and said with great concern; "General Li, the French are not easy to provoke. How can you end up fighting and provocation?"

   "If you don't fight, then you will die. Forgive me for not accompany you again..." Major General Li Shuanzhu's tone was not polite.

  If according to his vision

  This war should have been fought long ago, instead of waiting for the French expeditionary force to increase troops again and again, this king Gu Zhiwen has been indecisive, Major General Li Shuanzhu’s patience is almost worn out, and he wants to quit.

  "General Li...no, at this time of crisis, why should General Li abandon me!"

"Your Majesty, the right to decide whether to fight is in your hands. If you don't have the determination to fight to the death, the more the country will perish. We are active soldiers in the Ocean Kingdom. That is, we are ordered to help you and so on. We will do our best. However, if your majesty pushes the left and the right, it seems that I am waiting to instigate the monarch to fight for our own benefit, trap the king in a state of injustice, and push the country of Yue to the edge of peril. Isn't this ridiculous?"

   "Ah, General Li is too worried, this king has no intention of this."

  "There is no need to discuss this issue. Let's say goodbye. If your Majesty makes a decision, you can let us know."

  Li Shuanzhu finished speaking and put down the baton in his hand, took up his military cap and put it on his head, leading Lieutenant Colonel Bian Chunsong and the others to leave in strides, leaving only the dumbfounded King Gu Zhiwen and the others.

  Guangxi Admiral Li Ping gave Duan Qirui a wink, and the two of them also stood up one after another, and then left with their hands.

  What are you still doing here?

   His Majesty the King has a serious dependency disorder. He was originally a middle-aged person, and he was not enough to convince the public, making them quite unhappy about the future of the country.

  Based on the current situation facing Vietnam, it can be said that it is in danger.

  The majesty hesitated over and over again and again. He missed a good opportunity to take the initiative to attack. The French expeditionary force was able to gather. At this moment, he was facing the edge of the cliff, and one step back would be a dead end.

  After all, I still fear foreigners in my heart.

  In the opinion of Duan Qirui, Guangdong General Soldier;

  In any case, all starting points must be based on the safety of the kingdom. Even if the French expeditionary force becomes stronger, it will fight first. Naturally, there will be no complaints when it is defeated.

If you win, you can push the border line south to a place in Ha Tinh Province or Quang Binh Province, which has a narrow geographical location, where the width is only forty to fifty kilometers. A strong line of defense can be established from this, and the foundation for ensuring the long-term stability of the kingdom can be established. .

  Even if the French occupied the Kingdom of Laos, they could not use their geographic location to attack Vietnam from the flanks.

This is because tropical rain forests are everywhere in the Kingdom of Laos, with rivers crisscrossing. In addition to several large rivers such as the Mekong and Red Rivers, there are also countless small rivers and creeks that mostly flow from north to south, cutting the tropical rain forest into irregular strips. There is no road connectivity.

  If the French army wants to attack from the flanks, it must overcome the above-mentioned harsh tropical geographical environment and pass through swamps, streams and tropical jungles to get out, and it can only succeed, not fail.

  Because of failure, there is no escape, no food, no drink, and the only way to be driven into the tropical jungle again is a dead end.

  As for saying that the French will be furious after winning, it doesn't matter what the country is.

  After the kingdom’s imminent survival crisis is lifted, the Yue country can replenish its energy and use its advantageous geographical location to wait for the enemy to attack.

  Since you can win once, you can win the second time.

  The biggest crisis of the Yue country now is that there is no port. All military supplies need to be transported from the Guangzhou government all the way. This is the biggest existing drawback of the kingdom.

  If you can win the battle of Hanoi and extend the border to the narrow geographic location of Ha Tinh Province or Quang Binh Province, Haiphong Port can be well protected in the rear.

  Then, the continuous supply of materials from Haiphong Port can reach Hanoi very close. Military supplies arriving from the Ocean Kingdom and immigrants arriving from the mainland can enter through the port. Both social and military significance are extremely important.

  Gu Zhiwen fully understands all this, but he just can't make up his mind.

  He was a little dumbfounded when everyone had finished walking.

  Lt. Gen. Fan Tongzhang, Chief of Staff of the Army, was born in Lianghuai Jinshi. He was also a protégé of Gu Yanchuan, a famous sect in Gusu City.

  He took a deep breath with a solemn expression, and bowed his hands in a salute; "Your Majesty, Dang Duan keeps suffering from the chaos!"

  "Your Majesty, please make a decision." The generals Qi Qi Shili said.

  The king Gu Zhiwen sitting in the middle looked at the generals in confusion, but this decision was as heavy as Mount Tai, so he couldn't speak.

  In the past few years in Beiqi

  Gu Zhiwen, the head of the prefecture of Gu, has invested almost all of his property and possessions, and he is also burdened with a huge debt of millions of taels of silver. It is hard to pull the scene of Vietnam, and once the war is defeated, it will all be in vain.

  Faced with a giant like France, Gu Zhiwen was truly scared. In his heart, he felt that the chance of victory in the war was too slim.

  Think about it, even the troops of the Manchu and Qing imperial courts can’t beat it. How much pressure is there to fight against a small ant-like country like Yue State?

  This determination is hard to make!

  He was originally a scholarly master who traveled in the mountains and forests. After traveling in Australia, he developed ambitions that he shouldn't have. Then due to chance, he stepped on the difficult road of independent nationhood.

  So, his head is so messed up that he can't make any decisions at all.

   "Your Majesty, why don't you call and ask the King of Ocean Kingdom?"

   "Ah... yes yes, send a telegram soon."

  (End of this chapter)