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The large-scale northward movement of the Xinhua Army attracted the attention of the British, who had been paying close attention to the situation. The British Governor of the Straits Settlements, Bonham, got the news on the third day of the departure of the Xinhua Army. Upon hearing the news, Governor Bonham looked at the map hanging on the wall and was silent for a long time.

Britain had just won the war against the Manchus and had reaped huge benefits. Through this battle, the British also saw clearly the reality of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. A weakened power is undoubtedly a piece of fat for the British. The whole of Britain is clamoring to expand British interests in China! However, if Xinhua defeated the Manchus, with the strength of Xinhua Kingdom, Britain would certainly not be able to get the slightest advantage in China. This will have serious implications for the interests of the United Kingdom. More importantly, once the Xinhua State defeated the Qing State, it would inevitably grow further. The current Xinhua Kingdom has already made Britain feel very helpless. If Xinhua unifies China, it may have the strength to challenge Britain. Britain would never let that happen.

After thinking about it all night, Governor Bonham began to draft a report to the British Cabinet. In the report, he pointed out that if Britain wanted to protect its interests in the Far East, it had to find a way to contain the new Chinese state. At the same time, Britain helped the Qing in terms of weapons and military training, so that the Qing could resist the attack in Xinhua, and use this to deplete the strength of Xinhua. In addition, Governor Bonham also asked the British Admiralty to start construction of new warships. It should be deployed to the Far East to further deter the new country. When Britain had amassed enough strength, it should start a war against Xinhua. We can't continue to watch Xinhua become stronger. When the time comes, it will definitely become a big problem for Britain. If Britain wants to protect its interests in the world, it must constantly suppress the emerging powers. And the Xinhua Kingdom, which dominates the South Seas, has become the next target of the British.

In fact, even when Xinhua waged war against the Manchus, it was always on guard against the British. Of the five fleets of the Xinhua Navy, only two were involved in the war against the Manchus. With the weak sailors of the Manchu Qing Dynasty. The two fleets of the Xinhua Navy are enough to deal with them. 2nd Fleet, 3rd Fleet and the most powerful 5th Fleet. remained in the South Seas, wary of the British. In addition, work on the design of newer 'Shang-class' cruisers began to accelerate. Strive to complete the construction of 12 'Shang-class' cruisers within three years. When the time comes. Xinhua's naval strength will be further enhanced. The 'Shark-class' cruisers, which have been in service for almost ten years, will also be retired one after another. In their place were more advanced steam warships. The Xinhua Navy will further guarantee superiority over the British Navy!

It is 1,200 kilometers from Manila to the mouth of the Pearl River, and at the speed of a transport ship, it takes three to four days to travel. There are more than 40 transport ships and merchant ships of the 1st Marine Brigade and the 5th Brigade of the Army, plus more than 60 transport ships equipped with weapons, ammunition and supplies. 12 'Shark-class' cruisers of the 4th Fleet of the Xinhua Navy. Secure these transports in the center. Along the way, from time to time, warships of the Far East Fleet of the British Navy cruised around the Xinhua Navy. But. These British warships were far away, and it was obvious that they were only monitoring the navy of Xinhua, and they did not dare to excessively stimulate Xinhuaguo to avoid friction between the two countries. If the gun goes wrong, both sides don't want to see it!

On the cruiser No. 41, the flagship of the 4th Fleet of the Xinhua Navy, Vice Admiral Niu Meng, chief of the General Staff, was discussing the battle situation with Brigadier General Ye Feng, commander of the 4th Fleet, Brigadier General Zhang Shun, commander of the 1st Marine Brigade, and Brigadier General Hu Tao, commander of the 5th Brigade of the Army.

"According to the plan put forward by the War Department, we will probably be able to reach the mouth of the Pearl River on the 6th. The 1st Fleet was two days behind us. At that time, the 4th Fleet first blocked the mouth of the Pearl River, and when the 1st Fleet arrived, it began to attack westward along the Pearl River, uprooting the defensive batteries of the Qing army on both sides of the Pearl River. After that, the 1st Brigade of the Marine Corps began to land in Shunde, and the subsequent 1st, 2nd and 5th Brigades were to advance to Guangzhou after the landing! Our enemies, mainly the 8,000 soldiers of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the Green Battalion and the Sailors, were so badly equipped that even the British could easily defeat them! It's going to be easy for us to beat them. I just hope that there will be no problems due to paralysis and carelessness at that time! Chief of the General Staff Niu Meng said. This was the first battle of the Xinhua Army against the Manchus, and there could be no problems, otherwise, they would not be able to explain it.

"Yes, Chief of Staff!" Everyone replied. For the Qing army, the generals of the Xinhua Army basically did not pay attention to it. As long as the performance is normal, the Qing army will be vulnerable. What matters is how the Xinhua Army can win the hearts and minds of the people is crucial.

"Also, I warn you to keep your troops in check. Now we are fighting at home, don't bring those bad habits in Nanyang to our country. Anyone who violates military discipline will be severely punished! Don't pay attention to my warning, before leaving, Your Majesty specially explained! Niu Meng warned. When the Xinhua Army was fighting with the natives in Nanyang and Vietnam, the military discipline was not good, and there were often incidents of not treating the natives and Vietnamese as human beings. Robbery and rape are also very common. However, that was when it was to outsiders. When dealing with its own compatriots, the Xinhua Army absolutely does not allow such a thing to happen. There was a case where an officer of the Xinhua Army raped a woman while drunk, and as a result, the military court directly sentenced him to death. Although the officer was already a battalion commander at that time, and he had also made meritorious contributions on the battlefield. However, military law is ruthless, and no one is immune from punishment.

"Yes, Chief of Staff!" Everyone felt the seriousness of Lieutenant General Niu Meng, chief of the General Staff, and nodded one after another. They knew that if someone really violated military discipline, it would definitely be a dead end. Although the Xinhua Army treats natives and foreigners, it can be a little more casual. But when it comes to dealing with one's own compatriots, the requirements are really very strict.

"Chief of Staff, do you want to drive the British away? It's so annoying to be dangling in front of us all the time! Brigadier Ye Feng, commander of the 4th Fleet of the Xinhua Navy, said.

"Go ahead! We are two days away from the mouth of the Pearl River, and we have to speed up. Lieutenant General Niu Meng nodded.

The 44-class cruiser 'Shark-class' left the formation and approached the British Navy warship. At the same time, the flag-bearers communicated with the British warships in the language of the flag, demanding that they leave. Otherwise, it will be seen as a provocation against the Xinhua Army.

The British Navy warship was a fifth-class warship of the Far East Fleet. After seeing a 'Shark-class' cruiser rushing towards them, the captain ordered the warship to turn around, although he was very dissatisfied. The naval battle in the Java Sea a few years ago has proved that the warships of Western countries, even second-class battleships, are no match for the 'Shark-class' cruisers of the Xinhua Navy, let alone fifth-class battleships.

The development of new warships for the British Navy is also going very smoothly. At present, according to the style of Xinhuaguo's 'Shark-class' cruiser, a warship with similar performance has been developed. At the same time, great progress has also been made in naval artillery, and the firing range of heavy naval guns has been increased to 5,000 to 6,000 meters, which is no worse than the 75-mm naval guns and 105-mm naval guns of the Xinhua Navy. At present, the British Navy is stepping up the construction of new warships on the one hand, and replacing the guns of old warships on the other hand, so that these warships will not be completely incapable of counterattacking when facing the Xinhua Army. Of course, this is a systematic project, and it is estimated that the British Navy deployed in the Far East will have to wait a long time before it can be replaced with new warships. Therefore, before this, in the face of the strength of Xinhua, the British Navy could only choose to swallow its anger.

After driving away the British battleships, the Xinhua fleet continued to sail north. Along the way, I encountered a lot of merchant ships. After these merchant ships discovered the murderous Xinhua fleet, they all bypassed it from a distance. For these merchant ships that have been traveling between the South Seas and China for many years, they can understand the strength of Xinhua even more. The army of the new country, this time it was obvious that it was going to trouble the Manchus. Many merchants began to worry that if war broke out, their business would be greatly affected. Some foreign merchant ships are also far away. The Xinhua Kingdom has shown through a series of wars that they are the hegemon in the South Seas and the Far East. Even if you are a foreigner, you have to be a man with your tail between your legs.

On the morning of October 6, the Xinhua fleet arrived at the mouth of the Pearl River. For a time, the merchant ships and fishing boats, after discovering the huge fleet, immediately scattered and fled, for fear of being endangered. In particular, several small warships of the Guangdong Navy Division immediately turned around and ran away after seeing the warships of the Xinhua Kingdom from a distance. Of course, they can claim that they rushed back to report the news.

In the previous war with the foreigners, the Guangdong Navy Division had suffered heavy losses. But now, the Xinhua naval fleet that appeared at the mouth of the Pearl River is obviously larger than the British fleet! Many officers and soldiers of the Navy Division are worried, they are just soldiers to get food, but they don't want to lose their lives!

Lieutenant General Niu Meng, chief of the general staff of the Xinhua Army, ordered the blockade of the Pearl River Estuary, and from now on, the Pearl River Estuary to Guangzhou is in a war zone, and the Xinhua Army will not be responsible for any warship that enters this area if it is sunk or damaged.

The arrogant and rude behavior of the Xinhua Army aroused the dissatisfaction of many foreign businessmen. They protested to the Xinhua Navy one after another. However, in the face of the artillery of the Xinhua Navy, they could only swallow their anger in the end. (To be continued......)