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Surely these savage Chinamen are not going to resist the gallant British forces of Freedom and Progress? Please don't say you got your behind booted by bands of bothersome Chinese bandits!
Waiting with bated breath for the next update...
Waiting with bated breath for the next update...
Quite a task to take all of China. I imagine the partisans will begin to be a bother if things are not wrapped up soon. Everybody Wang Fan tonight!!
Pax Britannia said:
Thanks Pax. I will keep the tension up for a while longer.
Stuyvesant said:
I never thought I'd say it, but the Manchu are putting up a very tough fight. Technological difference is big, but so is manpower- China just has so many irregulars.
Thanks Dan! You shall wait no longer!Dan Cook said:
coz1 said:
Yes, an enormous task. Especially as I was still playing on 1.02 at this stage, when partisans were totally insane. They had masses! In some heavily populated provinces, there would be about 3-4 partisans appearring at full strength every month.
Sir Humphrey said:
Thanks Sir Humphrey! rest assured Imperial Bureacrats will be ready to assume control once victory is achieved. IF victory is achieved.
andytimtim2004 said:
Thanks andytimtim. Your next update is...
NOW!
When the Shaw hits the fan
Progress as of November 23rd
The Winter of 1871-2 was the toughest for the British forces seeking to liberate China from the Manchu. The early occupation of southern China had meant that a large area had to be occupied. However, there were simply too few troops to garrison every province. Although only a tiny proportion of the population opposed British, as China’s population was so large this was nonetheless a vast amount of people. Partisan movements sprang up behind British lines, normally organized by corrupt warlords. These partisans could be defeated, but then they would normally retreat to the front line and regroup- it was simply impossible to defeat them all.
Partisans were bad, but the situation facing the British army in Chengdu was worse. General Shaw had foolishly attacked the large Chinese army at Chengdu, disbelieving intelligence estimates of 440,000 Chinese, commanded by General Fan.
Shaw before his folly
A new phrase entered the English language after Shaw’s attack- “When the Shaw hit the Fan”, meaning a very tricky situation. Shaw was vastly outnumbered, and annihilation of forces looked almost certain. These troops could not be spared, however- their loss would mean the failure of the invasion.
One man was undaunted however- Chinese Gordon. Gordon immediately developed a daring strategy for defeating the Manchu forces at Chengdu. Gordon would personally command a force of 5 divisions of Hussars to encircle the Chinese, before attacking them from the rear.
Gordon’s plan for victory
The plan was risky, and would require significant time to achieve. In the meantime, Shaw’s forces would have to be reinforced. All nearby troops were pulled away from sieges and anti-partisan activity, to be sent into the meat grinder of Chengdu. And a meat grinder it was. Fighting went on for months, while Gordon attempted to encircle the enemy. Starvation and disease were rife, both amongst the British and Qing forces. Shaw estimated that he lost 11% of his men from disease and starvation per month, quite apart from casualties fighting the enemy, whose numbers appeared endless.
A low point in fighting at Chengdu
However, reinforcements of infantry, cavalry and artillery did arrive in time to prevent Shaw from total destruction. Gordon appeared to be making good progress. However, after entering Tianjun province, Gordon’s forces were ambushed by 90,000 Chinese. Victory looked doubtful. If Gordon could not succeed in cutting off Chinese reinforcements, then all of the British forces in Chengdu were doomed…
Gordon faces his toughest battle, as the Chengdu garrison is threatened with total annihilation
Progress as of November 23rd
The Winter of 1871-2 was the toughest for the British forces seeking to liberate China from the Manchu. The early occupation of southern China had meant that a large area had to be occupied. However, there were simply too few troops to garrison every province. Although only a tiny proportion of the population opposed British, as China’s population was so large this was nonetheless a vast amount of people. Partisan movements sprang up behind British lines, normally organized by corrupt warlords. These partisans could be defeated, but then they would normally retreat to the front line and regroup- it was simply impossible to defeat them all.
Partisans were bad, but the situation facing the British army in Chengdu was worse. General Shaw had foolishly attacked the large Chinese army at Chengdu, disbelieving intelligence estimates of 440,000 Chinese, commanded by General Fan.
Shaw before his folly
A new phrase entered the English language after Shaw’s attack- “When the Shaw hit the Fan”, meaning a very tricky situation. Shaw was vastly outnumbered, and annihilation of forces looked almost certain. These troops could not be spared, however- their loss would mean the failure of the invasion.
One man was undaunted however- Chinese Gordon. Gordon immediately developed a daring strategy for defeating the Manchu forces at Chengdu. Gordon would personally command a force of 5 divisions of Hussars to encircle the Chinese, before attacking them from the rear.
Gordon’s plan for victory
The plan was risky, and would require significant time to achieve. In the meantime, Shaw’s forces would have to be reinforced. All nearby troops were pulled away from sieges and anti-partisan activity, to be sent into the meat grinder of Chengdu. And a meat grinder it was. Fighting went on for months, while Gordon attempted to encircle the enemy. Starvation and disease were rife, both amongst the British and Qing forces. Shaw estimated that he lost 11% of his men from disease and starvation per month, quite apart from casualties fighting the enemy, whose numbers appeared endless.
A low point in fighting at Chengdu
However, reinforcements of infantry, cavalry and artillery did arrive in time to prevent Shaw from total destruction. Gordon appeared to be making good progress. However, after entering Tianjun province, Gordon’s forces were ambushed by 90,000 Chinese. Victory looked doubtful. If Gordon could not succeed in cutting off Chinese reinforcements, then all of the British forces in Chengdu were doomed…
Gordon faces his toughest battle, as the Chengdu garrison is threatened with total annihilation
Gulp...Everybody Wang Fan tonight?...
Isn't always the case that when time is money, they always throw something at you that stalls the action. It's like getting a speeding ticket. Don't they know you are in a hurry?
Isn't always the case that when time is money, they always throw something at you that stalls the action. It's like getting a speeding ticket. Don't they know you are in a hurry?
Aaargh! The excitement! The uncertainty! Not good for my inner peace, not knowing what is happening! :wacko:
Nice going keeping up the suspense.
Nice going keeping up the suspense.
I hope the British will be triumphant in this invasion sorry I mean liberation of China
Brilliant description and use of pics!
Nail biting stuff, will Britannia and her magnificant armies pull this off, and very impressive as well.
On the Empire Forum I did a Scottish AAR, which broke free from english rule in 1836, and fought the 10 year colonial war with Britain to gain her independace. but thats an other story.
Nail biting stuff, will Britannia and her magnificant armies pull this off, and very impressive as well.
Dear all,
I'm sorry I haven't been able to update but the forums were down! Paradox forums seem to go down about once a month and stay down over the weekend. Rather appalling really.
Anyway, in reply.
Thanks- I kept the tension and suspense up for a while, but it will be dispensed soon enough. This is supposed to be a dry, academic tome. But I'll add suspense wherever possible.
Ah, but the noble Scots don't want independence, nor the Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and so on. However, the growth of English nationalism is a worry- Songs like "There will always be an England" are totally against the spirit of the United Kingdom. Any English Nationalist demonstrations will of course be dispersed with all necessary force.
Thank you Brit, I tried to keep the narrative flowing, whilst bringing up the most salient points. The Battle of Chengdu was of course, the greatest battle in he sourse of the war.
Well, your worries will soon be answered- will China be liberated from centuries of corruption, despotism and decadence or will the forces of tyranny defeat the brave British forces of freedom? (Answer in next post).
Well I hope the next offering saves your inner peace. I'd advise a nice cup of tea and a read of the next chapter of the Official History.
Well, Gordon is quite an affable chap, and won't let some nasty irregulars hold him up for long.
I'm sorry I haven't been able to update but the forums were down! Paradox forums seem to go down about once a month and stay down over the weekend. Rather appalling really.
Anyway, in reply.
Sir Humphrey said:
Thanks- I kept the tension and suspense up for a while, but it will be dispensed soon enough. This is supposed to be a dry, academic tome. But I'll add suspense wherever possible.
andytimtim2004 said:
Ah, but the noble Scots don't want independence, nor the Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and so on. However, the growth of English nationalism is a worry- Songs like "There will always be an England" are totally against the spirit of the United Kingdom. Any English Nationalist demonstrations will of course be dispersed with all necessary force.
The great brit said:
Thank you Brit, I tried to keep the narrative flowing, whilst bringing up the most salient points. The Battle of Chengdu was of course, the greatest battle in he sourse of the war.
Pax Britannia said:
Well, your worries will soon be answered- will China be liberated from centuries of corruption, despotism and decadence or will the forces of tyranny defeat the brave British forces of freedom? (Answer in next post).
Stuyvesant said:
Well I hope the next offering saves your inner peace. I'd advise a nice cup of tea and a read of the next chapter of the Official History.
coz1 said:
Well, Gordon is quite an affable chap, and won't let some nasty irregulars hold him up for long.
War in China-The Conclusion
The slaughter in Chengdu was appalling. Lieutenant Horace Timmins was appalled by the intensity of the fighting underway.
We advanced against a hailstorm of roundshot, shells, arrows, grape and musketry. The slaughter was terrible. Yet our fellows pressed nobly on with the charge, and with the bayonet alone rushed over the entrenchments and captured the guns in front of us. The Qing yielded not an inch, fighting with swords and pikes when their ammunition ran out, but fought and died to a man.
35 year old Captain Percy Innes of Yorkshire, commanding the 4th Bengali fusiliers, witnessed a disaster, as a lucky Chinese artillery shot ignited a gunpowder magazine.
The ground heaved and the men in the vicinity were blown away amongst the tents, the air being filled with fire, and a dense smoke arising, which, as it cleared away, exposed to view a horrible and appalling scene. Numbers of our men having fallen frightfully burnt and mutilated, and in some instances their ammunition pouches ignited, causing terrible wounds, agony and loss of life.
Despite a setback due to ambush, Gordon showed considerable skill in recovering, and routed the enemy. He then succeeded in blasting through the enemy lines, capturing Tianjun before riding to Yushu and cutting off the last supply route to the Chinese at Chengdu.
The Battle at Chengdu
The battle, now entering its fourth month, was in a decisive stage. Gordon’s success in cutting off supplies to the Chinese and the arrival of new reinforcements under Young tipped the balance. Despite enormous casualties on the British side, casualties on the Chinese side were higher- without supplies, the Qing forces were losing hope fast. Encircled and attacked from different directions, lacking artillery and unable to match the firepower of the Bengali regulars, the battle slowly turned in favour of the British.
By April 10th, General Fan surrendered, and the survivors of over 70 Chinese divisions went into captivity. Nevertheless, the losses from Chengdu had been enormous. Over almost 5 months of slaughter, many units took between 70-90% casualties, a figure almost unheard of. 31 British divisions, mostly Bengalis took part- but over 200,000 were listed as dead or wounded at the end of the battle. Calcutta and the Andaman Islands were badly hit, and the population took decades to recover. In the end, superior British training and Bengali morale had given the British victory. Many officers and men were awarded the Victoria Cross, owing to the extreme valour shown by British forces.
Victory at Chengdu-The survivors get VC’s all round. The remnants of almost destroyed divisions must be reinforced, before fighting again
Fortunately, owing to the eagerness of Bengalis of all faiths to volunteer for service under Queen Victoria, the losses were soon made good, although several weeks of training was necessary before the victors of Chengdu were able to move forward again.
There still remained what to do about the hundreds of thousands of partisans which were springing up each week throughout China- within a month, it seemed as if a new Chengdu would have to be fought again. However, Wolseley developed a sound but simple plan- ignore them and push on. The people taking up arms against Britain were normally drawn from the lowest orders of society, such as capitalist and aristocratic criminal organizations, and generally incapable of anything apart from pillaging the countryside and attacking supply lines. The capture of fortified cities was beyond them- only 2 or 3 cities fell to partisans during the course of the war. Thus, rather than waste time attacking these disorganised forces, British troops would push on until all China was occupied and Cixi dethroned.
And push on they did. From Chengdu, Gordon pushed North, into Turkestan and Mongolia. Wolseley and his subordinates slowly occupied Manchuria and Northern China. Progress was slow but steady, and every inch had to be fought. By June 28th however, cavalry under the command of Colonel Bell had reached the key province of Ude in outer Mongolia.
With troops entering Ude, the end is in sight.
Although enormous, this province was the keystone of the north. It’s capture in early July was the beginning of the end of the campaign. All that remained was the defeat of the last groups of Qing soldiers remaining and the storming of their final strongholds. Although resistance did not let up, British troops were able to move forward slowly without too much trouble. By August, Tannu Tuva, the last Chinese pocket in the north was under attack from Gordon’s forces, 10 cavalry divisions against 17 divisions of irregulars.
Gordon moves in for the kill
Other troops were used to attack other Chinese pockets. In September, the last Chinese pockets in the east, Datong and Mukden, were under attack by British forces Wolseley defeated the last of the Qing irregulars attacking British Turkestan in October.
Nearly there, on Sept 1st of 1871.
Somehow, in November the Qing forces under Xing were able to gain control of Beijing and Tangshan. It would be several weeks before Xing’s forces, 120,000 strong would be eliminated and the cities recaptured. However it was done.
By December 20th, Cixi was captured and the last Manchu held city surrendered. Gordon sent a telegram to Queen Victoria at the earliest possible opportunity. The telegram had but one word.
VICTORY
The slaughter in Chengdu was appalling. Lieutenant Horace Timmins was appalled by the intensity of the fighting underway.
We advanced against a hailstorm of roundshot, shells, arrows, grape and musketry. The slaughter was terrible. Yet our fellows pressed nobly on with the charge, and with the bayonet alone rushed over the entrenchments and captured the guns in front of us. The Qing yielded not an inch, fighting with swords and pikes when their ammunition ran out, but fought and died to a man.
35 year old Captain Percy Innes of Yorkshire, commanding the 4th Bengali fusiliers, witnessed a disaster, as a lucky Chinese artillery shot ignited a gunpowder magazine.
The ground heaved and the men in the vicinity were blown away amongst the tents, the air being filled with fire, and a dense smoke arising, which, as it cleared away, exposed to view a horrible and appalling scene. Numbers of our men having fallen frightfully burnt and mutilated, and in some instances their ammunition pouches ignited, causing terrible wounds, agony and loss of life.
Despite a setback due to ambush, Gordon showed considerable skill in recovering, and routed the enemy. He then succeeded in blasting through the enemy lines, capturing Tianjun before riding to Yushu and cutting off the last supply route to the Chinese at Chengdu.
The Battle at Chengdu
The battle, now entering its fourth month, was in a decisive stage. Gordon’s success in cutting off supplies to the Chinese and the arrival of new reinforcements under Young tipped the balance. Despite enormous casualties on the British side, casualties on the Chinese side were higher- without supplies, the Qing forces were losing hope fast. Encircled and attacked from different directions, lacking artillery and unable to match the firepower of the Bengali regulars, the battle slowly turned in favour of the British.
By April 10th, General Fan surrendered, and the survivors of over 70 Chinese divisions went into captivity. Nevertheless, the losses from Chengdu had been enormous. Over almost 5 months of slaughter, many units took between 70-90% casualties, a figure almost unheard of. 31 British divisions, mostly Bengalis took part- but over 200,000 were listed as dead or wounded at the end of the battle. Calcutta and the Andaman Islands were badly hit, and the population took decades to recover. In the end, superior British training and Bengali morale had given the British victory. Many officers and men were awarded the Victoria Cross, owing to the extreme valour shown by British forces.
Victory at Chengdu-The survivors get VC’s all round. The remnants of almost destroyed divisions must be reinforced, before fighting again
Fortunately, owing to the eagerness of Bengalis of all faiths to volunteer for service under Queen Victoria, the losses were soon made good, although several weeks of training was necessary before the victors of Chengdu were able to move forward again.
There still remained what to do about the hundreds of thousands of partisans which were springing up each week throughout China- within a month, it seemed as if a new Chengdu would have to be fought again. However, Wolseley developed a sound but simple plan- ignore them and push on. The people taking up arms against Britain were normally drawn from the lowest orders of society, such as capitalist and aristocratic criminal organizations, and generally incapable of anything apart from pillaging the countryside and attacking supply lines. The capture of fortified cities was beyond them- only 2 or 3 cities fell to partisans during the course of the war. Thus, rather than waste time attacking these disorganised forces, British troops would push on until all China was occupied and Cixi dethroned.
And push on they did. From Chengdu, Gordon pushed North, into Turkestan and Mongolia. Wolseley and his subordinates slowly occupied Manchuria and Northern China. Progress was slow but steady, and every inch had to be fought. By June 28th however, cavalry under the command of Colonel Bell had reached the key province of Ude in outer Mongolia.
With troops entering Ude, the end is in sight.
Although enormous, this province was the keystone of the north. It’s capture in early July was the beginning of the end of the campaign. All that remained was the defeat of the last groups of Qing soldiers remaining and the storming of their final strongholds. Although resistance did not let up, British troops were able to move forward slowly without too much trouble. By August, Tannu Tuva, the last Chinese pocket in the north was under attack from Gordon’s forces, 10 cavalry divisions against 17 divisions of irregulars.
Gordon moves in for the kill
Other troops were used to attack other Chinese pockets. In September, the last Chinese pockets in the east, Datong and Mukden, were under attack by British forces Wolseley defeated the last of the Qing irregulars attacking British Turkestan in October.
Nearly there, on Sept 1st of 1871.
Somehow, in November the Qing forces under Xing were able to gain control of Beijing and Tangshan. It would be several weeks before Xing’s forces, 120,000 strong would be eliminated and the cities recaptured. However it was done.
By December 20th, Cixi was captured and the last Manchu held city surrendered. Gordon sent a telegram to Queen Victoria at the earliest possible opportunity. The telegram had but one word.
VICTORY
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wow those were some big rebellions but its good to see you won and while you're in china might as well stop in Korea
Gordon's army must be really experienced now
Gordon's army must be really experienced now
And so the bloodbath begins ... BWA HA HA!
(BTW, love those embellished screenies.)
(BTW, love those embellished screenies.)
Tally Bloody Ho! Forward to Victory! Stick that in your pipe! Good show and Rule Britannia!