Chapter 349: Disobeying the Imperial Order

Chapter 349: Disobeying the Imperial Order

Chapter 349: Disobeying the Imperial Order

Are tanks invincible? No, there are ways to counter tanks.

But now they are invincible. The first time tanks appeared on the battlefield, the opponents were caught off guard and had no equipment to restrain tanks.

The French soldiers braved the artillery fire and were not afraid of sacrifice. They continuously fired at the Huai Army tanks with Gatling machine guns.

The steel plates were hit with sparks and clanging sounds like raindrops, but it was useless and could not penetrate the armor.

Behind each tank were eight infantrymen with guns in hand, crouching forward and hiding behind the tall steel monsters, safe and sound.

The only artillery positions that could destroy tanks and armor have been wiped out. Even if they are still there, it is difficult for artillery to aim at moving tanks. They have to shoot blindly, and even if they hit a few, it will not affect the overall situation.

There is no bulletproof glass now, but the observation holes of tanks are very small. Even a sharpshooter will not be able to shoot through the observation holes of a moving and irregularly shaking tank.

Moreover, when attacked by machine guns, the machine guns on the tanks immediately returned fire, and the French machine gun crew, which had a large target, was quickly destroyed.

The tank was huge and looked slow from a distance, but it actually moved very fast. It soon arrived at the first trench. The machine gunner hid in the safe tank and kept firing at the soldiers in the trench, becoming a fixed firepower point.

By the time the infantry behind the tanks took action, there were not many French soldiers left in the trenches able to fight.

The infantrymen following the tank charge raised their shotguns and fired large volleys of bullets without even aiming. When they saw a moving figure, they fired a "bang" that released a large amount of iron sand and bullets, turning the enemy into a sieve in seconds.

The Colt M1887 lever-action shotgun appeared ahead of schedule under the urging of Shao Quanzhong. It had an effective range of only fifty meters, but was invincible in trench warfare and was known as the legendary "trench sweeper."

When Shao Quanzhong designed the gun, he installed a bayonet, but after actual training, the soldiers refused to use the bayonet.

A more stable soldier can fire a shot, push the lever to load the bullet, and then fire six shots in a row to kill the enemy at close range without the need for a bayonet fight.

They play in a fancy way. After firing a shot, they swing the gun backwards and load it automatically. It is so cool. They are all Terminator governors.

Historically, more than 60,000 of these guns were sold in the western United States. Due to the demand in the Paris street fighting and trench warfare with the French, Shao Quanzhong ordered 60,000 guns at one time, which was considered a great success in a different time and space.

Paladin's heart bled as he watched the first line of defense built by the elite soldiers being easily broken by the Huai Army. These were the last ten thousand professional soldiers of France.

Fortunately, they finally stopped the enemy's steel monster, right? He now saw that this monster was a steam tractor modified with steel plates. I have seen steam tractors, and there are many steam tractors used for farming in France. The Qing people actually used this thing to fight a war. How can they be justified?

Then, watching the soldiers clear the French soldiers in the trenches, the tanks drove directly to the trenches. Although they were at a high angle, they drove past them, and drove past them...

Look carefully, this thing doesn't use wheels, it uses tracks!

Damn, I don't even know about caterpillar tracks? This was invented by our Frenchman Herdelmann in 1713. At that time, it was placed on a loaded carriage to prevent the wheels from being crushed. Why were the Qing people able to install it on tractors? Are our French scientists always picking up girls?

Ahem, it is true that French scientists date girls. In fact, scientists from every country date girls, except Cai Lun who invented paper...

The fact that the Qing Dynasty was able to make this thing cannot be blamed on the French scientists; it was pure accident.

Steam tractors pulled the artillery forward, and extended fire quickly began.

The tanks, with the infantry, followed the barrage of bullets and rushed resolutely towards the next trench.

The tactics of World War I were used against the French army in 1870, including slow advance of barrage of bullets, coordination between infantry and tanks, and trench clearing. Commander Paladin said, "What a mistake!"

In fact, these tactics were not outdated even during World War II... they were seventy years more advanced.

The result was that the trenches dug by the French army were not intended to stop tracked tanks. The tactic of engineers filling the trenches during the training of the 1st Tank Division was not used at all, and the prepared medical stretchers were not used either. The Huai Army continued to break through the front line with almost zero casualties.

In less than half an hour, three trenches were breached, and the heavy artillery was still firing. Suddenly, the observer on the hot air balloon sent a message that the enemy had collapsed and stopped firing. This battle was simply impossible to fight, the gap was too big.

The French army dug five trenches in a short period of time. They thought they were foolproof against the Prussians, but they couldn't even last half an hour against the Huai Army.

For the sake of France, we were mentally prepared and fought desperately under the enemy's artillery fire.

But now, there is indeed artillery fire that is many times stronger than expected. We can endure it, but who can we fight to the death against the steel monster?

The Huai Army's tanks had been under development for several years, but were not used in the Western Expedition. They had been hidden in the Fengyang base since then and had been trained and improved for a long time. Unlike the British in history, when they were developed and immediately brought to the battlefield, they would break down after running for a while.

The Huai Army's tanks had to run at least 50 kilometers before they needed maintenance. The charge had not even gone more than five miles and the enemy had already collapsed.

Paladin estimated that the enemy had 60,000 soldiers, based on the size of the enemy's camp from a high altitude. In fact, because the Huai Army had too much equipment, the camp was much larger than that of ordinary infantry, and the number of soldiers was only 50,000. In addition, the Huai Army also brought 6,000 Cossacks from Cyprus, but they were not part of the Huai Army and did not participate in the battle.

The result of 50,000 pure mechanized troops facing 250,000 ordinary infantry, artillery, and cavalry is that 50,000 people are chasing 250,000 people. Well, there are no longer 250,000 people.

The city of Tours was not as strong as Paris. It could not withstand heavy artillery bombardment and was undefensible. The French army that went out of the city for a field battle did not enter the city at all. They turned around and fled. Then, from a distance, they saw the flag of the Bavarian Corps flying in the direction of Orleans in the north.

The Loire Army turned eastward, preparing to run to the east to continue fighting. If it failed, it could retreat into neutral Switzerland to save its life. Then, the Bourbon flag with a white background and irises was raised in the east.

They had already run to the east. If they ran west, they would have to face attacks from steel behemoths and unknown high-explosive shrapnel. They would definitely not be able to defeat the Prussians in the north, and the Bourbon Restoration Army on the opposite side...

Commander Paladin was an experienced military man. He could tell at a glance that the soldiers on the opposite side, who were fully equipped with American weapons, were well-trained, and the trenches, formations, and artillery arrangements were all very sophisticated. Even if they could not fight, it would be difficult to break through in the short term. As he looked from the north and south, the Prussians and the Huai Army were encircling him.

What to do? If you can't win, you can't wait to die. Just surrender.

Finally, Palladin led 230,000 soldiers of the Loire Legion to surrender to Alfonso XII.

The Qing Dynasty and Prussia were foreign races, and surrendering was treason. After all, the Bourbon dynasty was France's own people, right? Surrendering in a civil war is not shabby. I am much better than His Majesty Napoleon III and Marshal Bazaine.

France was one of the world's top powers, with a dense railway and telegraph network, and the nearby city of Tours provided specialized commercial telegraph services.

The news that the Huai Army's 50,000-man army defeated the Loire Army's 250,000-man army and ended the battle in half a day spread throughout the world in 20 minutes.

Bismarck sent a congratulatory message, President Johnson sent a congratulatory message, British Prime Minister Gladstone sent a congratulatory message, Alexander II sent a congratulatory message, mother-in-law Isabel II sent a congratulatory message, and the Qing Dynasty’s Military Affairs Council - no movement.

It's seven o'clock in the evening in the Forbidden City now. Maybe everyone has gone off work?
It was time to get off work, but they were urgently called back by Prince Chun Yihuan who was on duty. They were all staring at each other.

Wen Xiang cursed, "The French are such cowards, how did Senggelinqin lose back then?"

"Well, there are still British people——"

Baojun muttered softly.

There is no point in saying this anymore. The question everyone is asking now is, what should we do?
"The old Buddha has ordered it."

Li Lianying ran into the Military Affairs Office out of breath and said, "Please ask Master Qiao to return to the Military Affairs Office to continue to lead the team. Grant Zhang Zhidong the double-eyed peacock feather."

Well, everyone has to thank Zhang Zhidong. Otherwise, except for the newcomer Li Hongzhang, no one would be able to escape Shao Quanzhong's revenge after his return.

An hour later, Hailing called back, saying that Grand Tutor Qiao was in poor health and was recuperating in Rishe Garden, so he was sorry that he could not obey the imperial edict.

(End of this chapter)