Iron Dynasty

“Governor Nicholas, the British Empire has been dominating the seas for years, and the Redcoats have rarely met their match. Yet, Wales in Australia was taken in a single day, and Newland took the enemy only an hour. This blind confidence of the British should be put away. We have met a true enemy.”

Butler’s eyes were filled with deep worry.

He then said, “The soldiers who escaped from Newland said that the Chinese Empire has a firearm that can fire continuously. Their artillery is incredibly powerful, and our artillery is no match for it. Moreover, their rifles don’t need to be loaded from the front, and they also have a thing that explodes when you throw it. Have you heard of these things, Governor?”

Nicholas suddenly burst out laughing. “A firearm that loads from the butt, hahahaha, that’s absolutely ridiculous…”

As he was laughing, he suddenly saw Butler’s serious gaze and immediately stopped laughing. He said, “Alright, these weapons are indeed quite inventive, but is it even possible? Perhaps that soldier was driven mad by fear, or he is just looking for an excuse for his failure.”

“If it were just the soldiers from Newland saying this, it might be true. But the soldiers who were defeated in Australia also said the same thing, so this is no coincidence. From now on, we must take every countermeasure. We must dig trenches on the beach and establish defenses. If we lose India, the biggest loser will be the East India Company, won’t it?” Butler’s smile was somewhat mocking.

Nicholas’s expression changed. It was only then that he remembered what the soldiers from Australia had said. After thinking for a moment, his expression became serious.

“Does the Chinese Empire really have such weapons?” Nicholas asked again.

“It is basically certain. I have already sent people to deliver the collected intelligence back to London. It’s a shame that we did not obtain any physical samples this time. However, in the letter, I have already asked the parliament to seriously consider a recommendation to research weapons in this area,” Butler said coldly.

Nicholas nodded solemnly. “If that’s the case, we must capture Malacca this time to cut off the Chinese Empire’s navy’s shipping lanes. Fortunately, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, and France have all responded to us. No matter what, this battle is crucial. Even if we cannot retake Malacca, we must still consume some of the Chinese Empire’s strength and slow down their westward advance.”

Butler nodded with satisfaction. He said, “That is what a governor should do. Now we need to coordinate well with the other two governors, mobilize the British soldiers in India, and wait for reinforcements to arrive. At the same time, we need to train the Indians to fight for us. The number of these beasts is not small. Killing some of them will not harm us and can also consume the enemy’s strength.”

“This will cost us a lot of money,” Nicholas said with a pained expression. However, he knew that if he did not do this, they would no longer have an opportunity to make money in India.

So, after a moment of hesitation, he said, “In Calcutta, we have eight thousand Indian soldiers that we have trained. With the number of firearms that have been sent from our homeland during this period, we can train another nine thousand people. From all three administrative districts, we estimate that we can gather fifty thousand Indian soldiers. Coupled with the twenty thousand British soldiers stationed here, seventy thousand men is a huge number.” Nicholas suddenly regained some confidence.

After a pause, he continued, “And there are other reinforcements. Together, they will not be less than thirty thousand people.”

Butler looked at Nicholas’s expression and sneered. He said, “In front of the Chinese Empire’s weapons, no matter how many people we have, they are just going to die. We only have one path now, and that is to defend. India’s land is fertile, so food is not an issue. Even if the shipping lanes are cut off, we can still be self-sufficient. So we should start building a defensive base,” Butler emphasized.

Nicholas spread his hands. He said, “I will authorize you to handle this issue. After all, you are a future military star of the Empire. I trust your talent, Lieutenant Butler.”

Butler’s purpose for coming here was to ask for this authority. He said, “I will build a defensive system that will give the Chinese Empire a headache. Just you wait. To conquer India, they’ll have to lose at least two teeth.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than a soldier entered the Governor’s Office and reported, “Governor, the fleets of France, Spain, and Portugal have arrived.”

Nicholas was overjoyed. He said, “Butler, this time we are not fighting alone.”

As he spoke, he pulled Butler out of the Governor’s Office. Passing through the castle gate, he arrived at the pier. Sure enough, not far away, more than a hundred warships were slowly approaching Calcutta’s harbor.

Nicholas counted the flags on the warships. He said, “This one is Dutch, this one is Spanish, this one is Portuguese, and the one on the far right is French. Hahaha, they are all here.”

Butler’s expression also softened a little.

Spain had lost its colony in the Philippines, which made them unwilling to accept it. And the Portuguese once had an administrative district in the southeastern corner of Guangzhou, but after the Merchant Parliament was defeated, the Great Yu Empire’s army that went south took the opportunity to drive them away, which made Portugal very angry.

As for France, there was no need to say. Now that Malacca was blockaded, the French soldiers in Indochina were isolated and helpless. Under immense domestic pressure, they decided to formally declare war on the Chinese Empire. The Dutch now had no other choice but to go along with them to the end.

Either they defeat the Chinese Empire and regain their former colonies, or they suffer an attack from them in Europe.

The hundred warships got closer and closer and soon sailed into the harbor. At this time, soldiers from various countries began to disembark from the ships.

Butler’s gaze swept over these soldiers one by one. A small portion of the Spanish and Portuguese soldiers were equipped with front-loading rifled guns, while most were still using flintlock guns.

The Dutch and French soldiers, on the other hand, were all equipped with firearms that were imitations of the Chinese Empire’s Conqueror rifles. The Dutch’s weapons were bought from the Chinese Empire.

However, the French’s were manufactured by themselves. Seeing this, Butler gained some understanding of France’s military development.

“A hundred warships, each carrying three hundred soldiers. That’s thirty thousand men. This time, let’s see if the Chinese Empire still dares to be so arrogant.” Nicholas’s confidence greatly increased.

Butler finally showed a smile. He walked over and exchanged greetings with the military officers from other countries, and at the same time, discussed the upcoming war.

For Europe, they had never before gathered so many troops outside of their homeland to fight a common enemy.

He was happy, but at the same time, he was also worried, because if they failed in India, they would not be able to gather such a large force again for a long time. From then on, India would belong to the Chinese Empire, and the shipping lanes would also belong to the Chinese Empire.