Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 719 Situation in Indo-China Peninsula

  I don’t know, I was taken aback.

The Old Kingdom of Vietnam is a long and narrow South Asian country with a length of more than 1,600 kilometers from north to south. The coastline along the South China Sea is 3,260 kilometers long. ~50 kilometers.

  After this war

  The original territory of Vietnam has been greatly expanded, and the area has increased by half, totaling about 177,000 square kilometers.

  Calculated from the border between the Qing and Vietnam, heading south to Lishui County, Quang Binh Province, the distance between the two places is as long as 880 kilometers, all of which belong to the territory of Vietnam, which greatly increases the security depth of the royal capital of Hanoi.

  However, nearly 330 kilometers at the southern end of Yue State belong to a long and narrow belt, the widest is no more than 85 kilometers, and the narrowest point is only 48.7 kilometers, which is within the territory of Lishui County.

In addition, the rivers and lakes in Lishui County are vertical and horizontal, and there are only a limited number of two mud roads that can pass through the area. Therefore, a strong defense position is set up here to make it an insurmountable fortress on the border between the two countries. It is the most cost-effective defense plan. .

  The entire Old Kingdom of Vietnam has a geographical area of ​​330,000 square kilometers. The Kingdom of Vietnam occupies half of the Beiqi and Zhongqi regions, with a total area of ​​about 177,000 square kilometers. The entire old Kingdom of Vietnam is divided into two, which initially realized the strategic attempt of divide and rule.

As the first line of defense, Lishui County itself is adjacent to the bay. The temporarily constructed dock is docked with cargo ships from the Ocean Kingdom, and a steady stream of cement, steel bars, and various construction tools are transported ashore. German engineers in the Ocean Kingdom Intensive construction under the command of, so that the defensive position quickly took shape.

At this time, opposite Lishui County, in Yongning County and Xianghua County under the French colony of Guangzhi Province, only one regiment of the French Expeditionary Force was stationed, with a total force of more than 1,400, facing the fully armed Second Division of the New Army and its auxiliary troops. Ten thousand troops are strictly guarded against death, and there is no way at all. They can only watch the formation of the reinforced concrete defensive fortress.

In Hengshan, more than 70 kilometers behind (north) of Lishui County, more than 20,000 laborers are building a second permanent defensive line. Relying on the barriers of steep mountains, this defensive line will focus on the construction of castle fortresses, artillery and The heavy machine guns have established their positions forever and become an insurmountable line of defense.

Hengshan is located at the junction of the two provinces of Quang Binh and Quang Tri. The steep mountain range extends to the bay. It is not only a natural boundary between the two provinces, but also a high mountain barrier spanning about 170 kilometers, extending to the west. In the endless primitive tropical jungles of the Kingdom of Cambodia.

  This is the junction of the two countries selected by General Li Shuanzhu, and he cannot continue to advance south.

  According to the current weak national power of Vietnam, it is impossible to fully occupy the old Kingdom of Vietnam.

There are 5 provinces in the narrow strip of Zhongqi area, including Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Hue. The total length is over 670 kilometers, the narrowest point is only 48.7 kilometers, and the widest point. In Hue Province, it is about a hundred kilometers away.

Vietnam occupies the three northern provinces of Zhongqi. From north to south, they are Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh. Lishui County is the southernmost part of Quang Binh Province. It is also the narrowest place in the country. The reason for the vertical and horizontal waters is very conducive to defense.

   Therefore, the first line of defense is set here.

  If you continue to the south, the narrow terrain will quickly widen, and after crossing the Hue province to the south, you will enter the wide and flat Mekong Plain, and the defense pressure will rise sharply.

Although Vietnam occupied half of its territory, its population only increased by less than one million. The total population under its command increased from more than 2.3 million to about 3.2 million, accounting for a little less than 1/3 of the entire old Kingdom of Vietnam.

  This is because the essence of the old Kingdom of Vietnam has always been the Mekong River Plain in Nanqi, which has a large population, fertile land, and a long farming history and traditional culture.

  Saigon, Hue, Da Nang and other areas are traditionally densely populated areas, and they are also the center of French colonial rule in the Indochina Peninsula. The French regard them as prohibitions and will never allow anyone to get involved.

  Whoever dares to do this, then he will never die.

   Therefore, General Li Shuanzhu wisely ordered the army to stop in Lishui County, instead of rushing to the South Qi with a vigorous victory. It really angered the French people, and the country of Vietnam would undoubtedly die.

  The first batch of French reinforcements from the Suez Canal area, a large force of 3,600 people arrived in Hue on April 19, 1896, and a boat of about 1,100 people arrived in Saigon, which was warmly welcomed by the local French people.

At this moment

  Diplomatic mediation led by the United Kingdom and the Kingdom of the Oceans is already underway. Germany, Tsarist Russia, and the United States are all involved, and formal consultations are held in Saigon.

  To be honest, now is really not a good time for international diplomatic mediation.

  Because at this time, the relationship between Britain and the German Empire deteriorated sharply due to the Jansen Expedition, which all originated from a telegram from Kaiser Wilhelm II.

  At the end of 1895, Dr. Jason, a senior staff member of the South African Mining Company in the British colony, led 500 police officers and several machine guns from the South African company in an attempt to expedition to Transvaal and overthrow the Paul Kruger regime in Transvaal.

On January 2, 1896, Janssen’s armed forces were surrounded by South African police forces in Coogsdorp. Except for 134 people were killed, the rest, including Janssen, were all captured. This was what caused a stir in 1896. The Jensen expedition is the current focus of the international community.

  Kaiser Wilhelm II heard the news of the victory of the Transvaal Republic and was very happy for the British, and immediately sent a congratulatory message to King Kruger;

  "You and your people, without the help of any friendly force, alone repelled the invading militants who harmed the peace. I express my sincere congratulations. You have maintained the peace of the country and defended the independence of the country."

  Before this telegram reached Transvaal, the British intercepted it through a submarine cable under their control.

  They believe that the so-called "friendly forces" in the William II telegram are undoubtedly demonstrating to Britain and showing goodwill to Transvaal. This made the world hegemony, the British Empire, feel deeply offended and insulted, and was extremely angry.

  The Times published an article, “England will never regress in the face of threats, and will never be succumbed to insults!”

  The people in the United Kingdom immediately developed a fierce "exclusive sentiment". German shops in London were smashed to display windows. German sailors were frequently attacked in British ports, and even speaking German on the street would be attacked.

Since then, Britain has changed its attitude of compromising with Germany, and has taken repressive measures around the world. Kaiser Wilhelm II is not a good temper. The booming German economy has given him sufficient confidence to fight against Britain. Give in.

  The contradiction between Britain and Germany gradually intensified, and eventually fell into a shipbuilding race and wooed allies to become imaginary enemies, which led to the further deterioration of the situation in Europe. This is something later.

  In a luxurious French manor in Saigon

  Ocean Kingdom was involved in diplomatic mediation by Earl Zhu Wei, Minister of the Colony Department. This is a property of the Normandy Commercial Bank of Indochina Peninsula. The person in charge, Geng Xiangtian, is also his old subordinate, so Earl Zhu Wei was arranged to live in the manor with the best conditions.

In the French courtyard in the garden, Earl Zhu Wei was having afternoon tea with Sir McKenan, the foreign commissioner of the British Straits Settlements Governor’s Office. When talking about the ongoing international diplomatic mediation, Sir McKinan said bluntly; "Noble Your Excellency, the Government of the Straits does not hold any position on this. To be honest, things in South Africa are enough for us. There are also nasty Germans who jumped out and mixed, which seriously affected the balanced policy of the European continent. Who at this time Let the French die?"

  "I can understand England’s anger. The problem is that the war in the Indochina Peninsula must be resolved. Vietnam has more than 6,300 French prisoners. They want to change a lot of money."

  "I suggest that you don’t rush to the peace talks until you get the formal commitment from France. You will wait for a while. Anyway, it’s the French who are anxious."

   "Thank you for your righteous words, Sir McKenan, um... I think Vietnam should express something to you personally."

"Well, my impression of Vietnam is not bad. I have a good impression of any country that can cause trouble to France. The Government of the Straits is willing to develop bilateral relations with Vietnam, strengthen economic and trade exchanges, and let the French go to hell. , And the **** German."

   "Ha ha ha... well, I feel the same way."

  Earl Zhu Wei has been in charge of the Normandy Import and Export Company for 20 years and is familiar with the intrigue between European and American countries.

  The most important daily work of the British is to ridicule the French, mock the French, ridicule the French, and enjoy it over the years, and now add the Germans, and the French are the same.

  Earl Zhu Wei has no intention of commenting on these old sesame seeds and rotten grains. What he cares about is the position of each country against Vietnam. This is the most important thing.

  It can be seen from the rank and attitude of the British diplomatic representatives that they are happy to see the difficulties encountered by the French colonies in the Indochina Peninsula, which is obviously a big plus.

   Tsarist Russia and the French are allies, but considering that Tsarist Russia has always ignored the feelings of others, he treats allies in the same way. Moreover, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Oceans is attending the wedding of Nicholas II in St. Petersburg, so it is difficult to expect Tsarist Russia to publicly support the French position on the Indochina Peninsula, because this would offend the Oceanic Kingdom.

  After the Sino-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 last year, Russia, France and Germany intervened and forced Fuso to spit out the interests of the three provinces in Northeast China. The French strongly supported their ally, Tsarist Russia, on this issue, but they did not get Tsarist Russia’s return on the Taiwan issue.

  Finally, the Kingdom of Oceans, France, and Germany intervened and forced Fuso to spit out Taiwan.

  Thinking of this, the senior figures in the military and political circles of Fusang State shed blood in their hearts. None of these powerful countries can afford to provoke them. What about Fusang State who was injured for Mao?

  Back to the topic

  Earl Zhu Wei, through recent contacts, has roughly a bottom in his heart.

  Britain, Russia, Germany and other countries hold a neutral stance, a bit like standing aside watching the French jokes. The Indochina Peninsula was originally not included in the treaty of the Franco-Russian Alliance, and Tsarist Russia was not obliged to stand for the French.

  It is the Americans who jumped very happily. They clearly stand on the side of the French, accusing the Oceanic Kingdom of seeking hegemony in the Western Pacific and supporting the regional rebel forces (referring to the Vietnamese country) to subvert the current international order. They really put a big hat on them.

  To be honest, these jumping Citizens made Earl Zhu Wei feel sick, and his impression of them was even worse.

  There is a great potential for a new **** stick!

  (End of this chapter)