"Ding! Obtained victory in the Ponytail Sea Battle! Reward: 10,000 points!"
When Wang Guangxu and Fang Huai received the telegram, the system's voice sounded. This was a small victory, so the points awarded were not much. Wang Guangxu rarely drew lottery, but chose to exchange for items.
However, he could not be happy.
Winning this naval battle was a matter of course. He knew the French plan in advance and had made sufficient preparations. If he still lost, he would be too incompetent. However, the loss of this victory was a little too great.
"There are too few resources that can be mobilized! He had to speed up his development! It was time to get rid of some parasites!“
He thought with a gloomy expression.
"Isn't it a great victory? Why is the devil still frowning, Your Majesty?!"“
Li Hongzhang and Zuo Zongtang were confused.
" 345 naval officers sacrificed! These people's combat attainments were not inferior to the French army, and their willpower crushed the French army. It was because of their outdated equipment that they lost their lives.
Wang Guangxu held the name list of the fallen soldiers, his hands trembling slightly. He understood that sacrifices were inevitable in war, but when asking a group of people to sacrifice their lives for the dignity of the country and the people, they must not let the corruption of the country prevent them from getting good weapons to fight against the enemy.
Falling behind was fine! Death was fine too! We can't increase the number of casualties because of the depravity of some people.
"Prepare the decree."
Fang Huai suddenly put down the telegram in his hand and said,
"Scum!"
Little Shunzi hurriedly replied. He could feel the killing intent of this Emperor.
"Gao Yuanzheng has been promoted to colonel and a noble. As for the rest of the soldiers who died, they were given the title of Baron, and the burial fee was doubled, which was 400 taels. The elderly and children were provided for by the imperial court.”
"Order the Ministry of Works to build an ancestral hall for the martyrs and place their memorial tablets. Set up a marble tablet in front of the Forbidden City and engrave the names of all the martyrs. In the future, all the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the country will be treated equally!”
After Wang Guangxu finished speaking, he walked away with a stern face, leaving behind the two old men who were sad and happy...
As the war was still ongoing, the news was not made public, but many of the higher-ups had heard about it.
This move was strongly opposed by the Manchu nobles. At the very least, they wanted to engrave the Eight Banners Army that had entered the pass before. They even alarmed Empress Dowager Ci 'an, and finally yielded under Wang Guangxu's arbitrary decision.
However, many cracks had already been buried, and they would erupt one day!
Keelung Harbor was located in Jilong Bay, north of Taiwan Island.
The port is adjacent to the southern part of Taibei and faces Fujian across the Taiwan Strait. To the east and northeast were the Ryukyu Islands that were occupied by Japan.
This made it a major shipping route in the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the western Pacific Ocean. It was the shipping hub for the north and south of China, and its geographical location was very important.
Keelung Harbor was surrounded by mountains to the east, west, and south of the Taiwan Strait Port Area, and it faced the sea on one side.
It formed a 3-4 km deep and narrow entrance that was only 300 meters long. There were many islands outside the harbor and an excellent sea route. It could be said to be an excellent military harbor.
Dawulun Mountain was the highest mountain in the area, with an altitude of 230 meters. Its geographical location was very important, and it allowed one to see the entire situation.
Liu Mingchuan was ordered to lead 20,000 people to guard the entire Taiwan. Because time was too short, there was no time to build fixed cannons. He decided to dismantle the bronze cannons on the original battery at Dawulun Mountain and replace them with the 190mm Krupp breechbore guns of the Second Division. With its effective range of 6 kilometers, it could control the entire Jilong Bay.
Of course, the further away he was, the lower his accuracy.
As for the entrance to Keelung Bay, it was relatively narrow. The two warships, Yuan Wu and Yuan Kai, were deployed from the attached navy to guard it.
At this moment, there were a few warships anchored in the bay at the foot of the mountain. These warships were the Fujian Navy's "Yuanwu" and "Yuankai" warships. They came to help after installing the new cannons.
Taiwan was isolated overseas. Once the port was controlled, there would be an endless stream of French troops to land, but it would be difficult to obtain the support of the mainland.
The Aegis 'fleet was also very powerful. Once they controlled the port, they could suppress it with firepower and allow the army to build a base. Keelung was the most important port in Taiwan.
The French were determined to win.
"Reporting, Master! The French are here!“
The observer suddenly ran to Liu Mingchuan, who had just finished setting up the turret and was about to take a break.
"Motherf * cker! Can't you let me stop for a while!“
"Inform all the troops to get into position! He wanted to take the time to rest! Wait for my order!“
Although Liu Mingchuan was unhappy, he did not dare to delay and immediately gave the order.
Before he could give the order, everyone had already entered their posts. Bullets were loaded and shells were ready.
After training for so long, the elites of the Huai army had long since grown into true iron blood warriors. After the long baptism of the military academy, they gradually distinguished themselves from the Huai army. Whether it was their manners or loyalty, they were enough to make Wang Guangxu feel at ease.
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