Chapter 334 The Last Struggle of Lieutenant Colonel Lampard!

"How elite they are depends on their performance on the battlefield." Macartney curled his lips secretly, saying in his heart that Macartney, an excellent diplomat who often wandered between European countries, did not have much good impression on the army of the British Empire.

This is simply a miscellaneous army composed of hooligans, jobless vagrunts and criminals. Of course, compared with the armies of other European countries, the British army has always been laughed at by the military powers on the European continent. This makes Macartney very uncomfortable, but there is nothing to do. What can I do.

Because there is a gap between British army soldiers and the armies of those continental European countries. It refers not only to their combat effectiveness, but also to the treatment between them. Few officers and soldiers enjoy adequate medical security and allowances. The allowance for soldiers per day is eight D (one abandoned British currency unit, equivalent to three pence per D, one hundred pence equals per pound), of which six Ds are used for food and accommodation, and the rest of the money has to buy military uniforms and other necessary equipment by themselves in addition to supporting the family. The food of British soldiers in the 18th century was mainly boiled beef and bread, and the army only served two meals a day.

A cavalry colonel ( regimental commander) said that the salary was 23 shillings (the British currency unit had been abandoned, between British pounds and penny), the lieutenant said that the salary was 14 shillings, and the private soldiers were one shilling and three D. The infantry colonel ( regiment commander) said that the salary was thirteen shillings and eleven D, the lieutenant was nine shillings, and the rank was one shilling.

At that time, prices in Britain were not cheap. A soldier wrote on a bill in 1988: a bottle of cheap wine one point five D, a pair of leather shoes six shillings, and a young lady's overnight fee of five pounds and five shillings. Samuel, a British writer of the same period. Johnson wrote: "I think the life of British soldiers is much more difficult than that of people of the same class in society, such as labor."

In this case, most of the soldiers who are willing to join the army are unemployed and the poor. In most cases, recruiters have conditional requirements for recruits. But the conditions are sometimes useless. At ordinary times, the British army is dissatisfied, and it is more difficult in wartime. In desperation, the recruiters had to relax the conditions, and some old, weak, sick and disabled people also put on military uniforms.

In order to have enough troops, the British even came up with a wonderful idea. That is, the political axe also let the criminals join the army. Criminals can atone for their sins by joining the army and obtain "freedom" from it.

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Nearly one-third of the British Army in the East are criminals, about one-third are old, weak, sick and disabled, and the remaining one-third are unemployed people who are too poor to afford to eat.

If it weren't for the strict military discipline, it would now be in the East, surrounded by strong enemies, and able to get a lot of benefits from those colonized people. Macartney believes that these British soldiers who have served in India for nearly three years and have no way to get enough troops from the country to supplement the rotation may be early. The soles of my feet are oily.

Now, the elites of the British Imperial Army, who are recognized by Europe, have boarded the Fisherman's Wharf and have begun to line up, while the Indians still look very messy. The officers remind these damn guys to distinguish the line they should stand and keep quiet with the whips and curses in their hands.

Major General Ford also slandered the army in his heart, but now it is time to rely on them. After all, the victory of the war can not only rely on naval warships.

However, Major General Ford also believes that compared with the army of this country that is more like peasants and beggars, the British Imperial Army, which is well-trained, brave and has advanced weapons, can easily win even in the face of several times the enemy.

Think about it, the "fire" used by those Qing [***] people are still the kind of goods that were despised by European countries many years ago. They use cold weapons more to fight with physical advantages and the number of people. It is a tactic that has lagged behind the West for at least a hundred years and has been eliminated by the West. Now is the time for those stubborn and old-fashioned Qing people to know what modern warfare is.

Time passed quickly in minutes and seconds. The other party's Dajiao Mountain Fort has stopped shooting, and it seems that there is not much interest in destroying the two British three-masts that have completely lost power and stranded.

In the other direction, the heavy artillery of the Shajiao Fort still maintained a sense of light rhythm and continued to shell the British warships that were still resisting in vain. However, only three of the original five ships now still have the ability to resist. Originally, the luckiest Leeds chose to stay with the friendly ships. Against the other party's shelling, as a result, it became the most unfortunate of them. The first ammunition depot was ignited by the other party's shells, and a terrible crack was blown open on the side. The Leeds only struggled reluctantly twice and went deep into the river, leaving only a few towering masts exposed on the water, tied to it and burned out. The British flag with several holes confirms its existence.

The starboard ship of another warship had several huge cracks above the water line, and almost all the gunners inside had turned into corpses. Lieutenant Terry was leaning on a naval gun that had been overturned by the explosion just now. His face was as pale as a white canvas. His right leg was broken up to his thigh, which was swept by an 18-pound chain ball, and the part that originally belonged to his body was torn apart, and then he didn't know. Where has the road gone?

The blood seems to have dried up. From the initial splash to the current trickle, Lieutenant Terry felt that his body was cold. It was a kind of bone-peercing cold. Even if the deck next to him was still burning slowly, he could not feel any warmth.

"God, please forgive my past sins..." Lieutenant Terry's mouth was no longer a slogan that inspired the soldiers, only the dying lament. The scream came again. Lieutenant Terry tried to turn his eyes forward. He saw the dark light again, like a demon hovering in the sky at midnight. It roared strangely and rushed at him. Lieutenant Terry closed his eyes in despair. This time, the 24-pound hammer bullet was extremely accurate. His weak body stirred him into a mass of scattered pieces of flesh and bones, scattered throughout the naval gun deck... Lieutenant Colonel Lampard closed his eyes, and the corners of his eyes were crystal tears. His cold face was full of despair. In just a quarter of an hour, the powerful British Imperial Navy warship In front of these damned and horrible shore cannons, it turned into a pile of messy boards and fragments.

The head of his first mate fell at his feet, and his eyes were still wide open without anger, and there was still the fear of his dying. It was an explosive shell that hit the mate who was inspiring morale on the deck. His body was incomplete. After the head was thrown high in the air, it fell directly at Lampard's feet, as if it was omen of something.

Lampard's abdomen was also cut with a deep wound by shrapnel, and the tightly wrapped gauze had been soaked in strange dark red by blood.

In the distance, the main force of the fleet sent armed merchant ships and transport ships to land, all of which were taken into Lampard's eyes, with a gratifying smile on the corners of his mouth.

He will not blame Major General Ford for not sending warships to reinforce himself, because he knows very well that in front of such a heinously strong and powerful fort, no matter how many warships bombard them, it is only a futile performance.

"Soldiers, continue to fight hard. We will fight until the last moment of our lives. Please don't forget that you are the excellent Royal Navy of the British Empire. For the sake of His Majesty the King, open fire on the enemy!" Lampard opened his mouth again and continued to inspire the courage of the soldiers with his hoarse voice. Only in this way did he feel that the fear in his heart would not take the upper hand of reason.

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"How long has it been?" In a beautiful military uniform, Major General Ford's fingers, which looked straight and heroic, tapped gently on the side of the ship, revealing his inner anxiety and uneasiness.

Watching the excellent naval soldiers and the warships of the British Empire struggling to do anything in the raging of each other's artillery fire made Major General Ford feel like a knife, but he had to do so, because he could not let more excellent soldiers die.

He could only wait patiently for the army soldiers to attack, occupy the other side's forts, and then bomb the forts of the Qing people with the cannons of the Qing Dynasty. Only at that time can he be able to let his fleet safely pass through this damn narrow waterway to complete and achieve the goal of this battle. : Attack and occupy Guangzhou.

However, in the face of such fierce resistance, Major General Ford's heart began to sink. This is the garrison of Mr. Liang. Then, what he is facing is his soldiers. Although Major General Ford was psychologically prepared to deal with this difficult role, he did not expect that he would pay such a big price. .

"It's been twenty minutes, Your Excellency." The soldiers next to him immediately reported the time.

"I hope they can be faster. I don't want to see only five British Royal Navy warships sinking in the waterway in the end." Major General Ford's expression looked so gloomy, and there was uncontrollable anxiety in his tone.

At this time, Major General Ford subconsciously turned his eyes to the front of the warship. He saw Liang Sanhuai, who had a good personal relationship with him and had a good impression of him.

Remembering the judgment of Liang Sanhuai repeated by Ambassador Macartney, Major General Ford couldn't help but subconsciously have an idea: "If the army's progress is not going well, maybe it is a wise choice to choose to withdraw from the Pearl River waterway..."

(to be continued)