Time Travel to 1859: The Iron-Blooded Soldier King

Just as Liu Ye led his troops back to Beijing, the war had already broken out again in the capital area!

Dozens of ships of the Anglo-French fleet, carrying 30,000 troops, arrived at Tianjin at lightning speed, showing off their might on the Bohai Sea. Commander-in-Chief Saxton had already threatened to raze Beijing to the ground and even burn down the Forbidden City to relieve his hatred!

Senggelinqin in Tianjin was already worried. Something terrible was happening. There were more than 30 warships alone, plus some gunboats. Their combat power was astonishing. Could the small Tianjin garrison withstand it?

Now Senggelinqin didn’t dare to stay in Tianjin, and led his army directly to Dagukou to garrison!

He Zhengqing, standing beside him, also frowned, filled with worry. The military preparations at Dagukou were much better than before, but that was all. The British and French forces on the other side were many times stronger! Could they hold their own? He had no idea.

Senggelinqin looked at He Zhengqing and asked, "Zhengqing, how are you? Can you hold on?"

He Zhengqing gritted his teeth and shouted, "Don't worry, Your Highness. As long as Zhengqing is here, the fort will be here. If Zhengqing is gone, it will no longer be something Zhengqing can control. Zhengqing and the Dagukou Fort will live and die together!"

"it is good!"

Senggelinqin shouted, "Good boy, you have guts! A soldier should have this kind of indomitable spirit and this kind of loyalty and courage!"

He Zhengqing's deep voice rang out again: "Your Highness, if I cannot die for my country, please tell my brother Liu Ye that he will take care of my brother's revenge! Also, we have too few troops in Beitang. If the foreign army chooses to land in Beitang and attack us by land and sea, we will be in great trouble..."

Senggelinqin shook his head and replied, "Don't worry, my main cavalry is behind you. In Beitang, we have General Ke's two thousand elite soldiers, which are enough to stop the foreigners at sea. The most important thing now is Dagukou. We must not let the foreign warships in!"

He Zhengqing nodded.

While the two men were discussing, the British and French fleets had already begun to deploy their offensive formations. Dozens of warships were arranged in an arc and began to launch a fierce attack on the Dagukou Fort!

Dozens of warships together have more than 200 cannons, and they are all the most advanced Armstrong naval guns of the era. They are extremely powerful. The Qing army has never seen such powerful firepower!

Shell after shell was fired at the artillery platform, causing smoke to rise everywhere!

He Zhengqing shouted, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. I will personally supervise the battle!"

He Zhengqing turned around and walked down, and began to command the northern and southern artillery batteries to fight together. Today, there are more than 40 artillery batteries built in Dagukou, forming a battery group with more than 80 artillery pieces. It is the most solid fortress in the entire Qing Dynasty.

Under the command of He Zhengqing, the entire artillery fort opened fire and launched a fierce counterattack against the Anglo-French fleet, and Dagukou fell into a sea of ​​fire!

He Zhengqing personally operated an Armstrong cannon captured from the British and French forces. This was the most powerful cannon in the entire Dagu Fort. He Zhengqing's cannon-operating skills were unmatched among the Qing army. It was truly amazing. The shells hit the British warships continuously.

However, the warships of the British and French coalition forces were all cruisers equipped with iron frames, which were extremely strong. It was not easy for ordinary shells to damage the British and French warships.

However, it was not easy for the British fleet to quickly capture Dagukou. All the artillery batteries had been carefully reinforced. Although the Allied forces' artillery fire was fierce, it was not easy to destroy all the artillery batteries!

The two sides fought from about ten o'clock in the morning until dusk, but there was no winner. Although some artillery batteries were destroyed and the artillery lost its combat effectiveness, there were still dozens of artillery pieces on the Dagukou Fort that could participate in the battle, and no serious damage was done. As for the British and French fleets, relying on their super maneuverability and heavy armor, the artillery of Dagukou did not achieve the same results as last time!

The battle gradually subsided, but He Zhengqing still dared not neglect his duties, conducting a frantic inspection from the fort. In just one day of fighting, Dagukou had lost seven forts and more than a dozen artillery pieces, and the Qing army had suffered casualties exceeding hundreds! The groans of wounded soldiers filled the air!

At this time, He Zhengqing missed his brother Liu Ye very much. If he were there, and the fifty new soldiers he had transferred were there, the Anglo-French forces would never be so arrogant. Those fifty new soldiers were all experts in operating artillery, unlike the current Qing army. Although they had courage, their skills were far inferior!

Senggelinqin was extremely nervous. Tianjin was only 300 miles away from Beijing, and he absolutely could not afford to lose it. If Tianjin was lost, the entire government would be shaken, and the capital would be in danger! However, now that the British and French forces were at the gates of the city, their momentum was astonishing. He had no idea how to deal with it, and he didn't know if Liu Ye could get back from Heilongjiang in time. It was really frustrating.

As for the British and French fleets on the sea, they are now also making intensive preparations.

On the British flagship Victoria, Commander-in-Chief Saxton frowned. Although the artillery fire was fierce today, it did not achieve the expected effect. Among the dozens of artillery batteries in Dagukou, only a few were destroyed, which did not shake the foundation at all. The Qing army still had a strong combat capability. It would be impossible to completely destroy the Dagukou artillery batteries without several days!

However, almost all of the coalition's supplies now need to be transported over long distances from Hong Kong or even Malaysia, which is very inconvenient. Over time, the morale of the British and French coalition forces will be difficult to maintain.

Saxton looked at Meng Daban beside him and asked, "General Meng Daban, in your opinion, how should we deploy the next attack?"

Meng Daban said in a deep voice, "General Saxton, I think if we only focus all our efforts on attacking Dagukou, the situation will be very unfavorable to us. It would be better for us to bypass Tianjin and attack elsewhere, such as Yantai or Jinzhou. Then we can land in other places and march all the way to Beijing with our powerful army. No one will be able to stop us! We can reach the city of Beijing within ten days!"

Saxton shook his head and replied, "General Meng Daban, although the method you proposed is very safe, whether the army lands in Yantai or Jinzhou, it is over a thousand miles away from Beijing. We will face many battles along the way. Our supplies are not a problem, but how will we get our ammunition?"

Meng Daban was stunned and silent. Food could be looted on the spot, but ammunition could not be produced. There was no place in the entire Qing Dynasty where it could be produced!

Meng Daban asked, "What are your plans? Will you continue to attack Dagukou?"