Chapter 87: Battle
"Master Zhentai, the bandits have set up camp with their backs to the sea and are in desperate situation." Chang Qingyun said, "The reason he dares to do this is only relying on the cover of his navy. Our army will take advantage of the darkness of night tonight to send out mines to practice bravery. From Xiaoying's battlefield, release the Hunjiang Dragon, and you can destroy its battleship..."
He Rubin did recruit and organize a 300-person mine team before the war, and also created 500 Hunjiang dragons. Because they were only used when preparing to siege Bopu, most of the mines and the sampans prepared to launch the mines were not transported to Baisha Water Village. They only took a hundred with the army.
"How can we use it without a sampan?" a staff member questioned.
Chang Qingyun said confidently: "It doesn't matter. Just send people to put down the mines at Xiaoyingchang and release them along the current - the students will see Xiaoyingchang bursting into the sea, so there will be no problem in releasing the mines..."
Tang Yunwen finally couldn't help but said: "Mr. Chang, the currents in the Qiongzhou Strait have been flowing from west to east in the past few months."
Every summer, the southwest monsoon blows in the Qiongzhou Strait, and the sea currents follow the direction of the wind. It is impossible for the mines deployed at Xiaoyingchang, east of Kunthief Camp, to drift across, but it is possible for them to drift to Qiongshan County.
"Oh," Chang Qingyun was slightly embarrassed, then immediately added, "It doesn't matter if the direction of the water flow is not right. Tuan Yong is mostly from the Dan family and is proficient in water. He goes into the water at night and pushes the mines next to the Kun thieves' warship."
He Rubin was not interested in this suggestion. The enemy's gunboats were nothing more than covering the flanks and rear of the Kun bandit camp. As long as the enemy camp can be defeated tomorrow, those gunboats floating on the sea are of little use. With so many cannons on the large plywood ships of the Dutch, they could only watch helplessly as the Ming army surrounded their fortress on Penghu Island, unable to do anything. As long as his men and horses don't get dizzy and run to the beach.
He paid attention to his generals and asked the soldiers to have a good rest today and prepare to fight tomorrow. He also ordered each battalion to keep watch to prevent the enemy from stealing the camp. When he came down from the tower, he saw that the enemy camp was already brightly lit, and the sounds of drums and trumpets echoed one after another. It could be seen that the defense was very tight and the discipline in the camp was also very good. He couldn't help but have great doubts about whether the enemy was a "rabble".
At dawn the next day, the wake-up call was blown loudly in Fubo Army's camp, and He Ming got up very early to prepare for battle. After breakfast, the last reinforcements came from Lingao: the "sniper team" composed of veterans. Among them are all veterans who are good at shooting, including firearms enthusiasts from the North American branch, as well as former shooting athletes who have been in the shooting training team. Although they cannot directly go into battle and charge, they have the ability to shoot accurately that is unparalleled in this time and space.
The dozen or so men used a variety of weapons, but almost all of them were bolt-action rifles brought by the North American Division. Mosin-Nagant, which is cheap and plentiful in North America, occupies half of the country. Qian Shuiting is unique in carrying a Swiss-made 31 straight bolt rifle. This is a bolt-action rifle with high accuracy. Zhou Weisen carries It's a Thunderton 7oo rifle, and all sniper rifles are equipped with 6x scopes. Along with the sniper team came photographers from the Propaganda Department. Prepare to shoot a documentary to promote Fu Bojun's illustrious martial arts.
Without exception, all the captains of the special investigation team have digital DVDs, but they are all household-grade machines. This time, Ding Ding and others brought a semi-professional digital camera. Comes with a professional-grade telephoto lens.
He Mingguan dispersed the sniper teams to various towers, and some of them were placed in the artillery fortifications on the earth embankment - the power of a sniper would not be less than a cannon. In addition, each veteran is assigned three students to serve as observers and guards. Unless otherwise ordered, they are free to choose the target of their fire - generals and officers being the first targets.
Although Ding Ding repeatedly requested to go to the front line to shoot, He Ming still did not send him to the earth embankment, but arranged for him to build a shooting track on the podium where he was.
"I'm not afraid of danger. When shooting a documentary like this, I have to be on the front line."
"You're in the way in front of me." He Ming said bluntly, "Also, for a while, just shoot and don't talk."
"When the battlefield is being cleaned, I will go to the front line..."
"I will arrange for you to go there then."
After assigning snipers and photographers, He Ming summoned all battalion-level officers for a pre-war meeting. The meeting was informed that the Ming army had occupied Xiaoyingchang last night. Of course, this has no impact on the upcoming battle.
When the meeting was about to end, he looked at the veteran officers who had gathered in the headquarters: many of them had dark eyes, obviously they had not slept well. It is a natural thing for someone who is entering the battlefield for the first time.
"Comrades, the battle is about to begin." He said to everyone briefly. "For this day, you have been training hard for two years with the new recruits on the playground. Now is the time to reflect the results of your training." He glanced at everyone and said, "The dissolution will be carried out as planned."
All officers saluted together.
He Ming stood at attention and returned the salute, and finally said: "Go and fight, comrades."
Above the fort, two infantry battalions had been brought behind the breastworks, and each company had its designated fighting position. The order given to the company commander is very simple:
"Fight here to the end"
Each person received 2oo ammunition. A few days ago, the rear sent another 500 backup mini guns, just in case the battle was too fierce and the guns were too damaged and no guns were available. The soldiers were seizing the last moment to clean their guns and check their ammunition. The officers went back and forth inspecting the fortifications and the soldiers' equipment.
Wei Aiwen patrolled the embankment with the guards, talking to the soldiers from time to time, and calming the soldiers' emotions with a calm and calm attitude. In fact, he himself was very nervous. But he tried to appear calm and collected.
The flags of two battalions were erected on the two horn forts respectively. Commander You Huohu of the 3rd Infantry Battalion and Commander of the 5th Infantry Battalion paid three thoughts. They commanded troops directly from two key bulges. Both men were dressed in brand new military uniforms, bearing all the trappings of honor they had ever received. You Laohu sat on the chair, holding President Wen's sword in both hands. Fu Sansi was smoking a cigarette thoughtfully, with an open bayonet in his hand.
All the artillery, whether it was the artillery battery or the reserve artillery, yesterday, every last one was pulled to the embankment and placed in the artillery fort. Ten Navy-sponsored "typewriters" were also placed at key locations. Several of them were loaded onto carts and used for mobile defense. Sailors in blue uniforms stood in their positions, with a navy blue and white flag flying.
The flag of the field army fluttered in the center of the camp. He Ming and his staff had already climbed onto the high platform in the center of the camp. Wired telephones, walkie-talkies and telegraphs connected him to all the troops.
The 6th Infantry Battalion, which is the reserve force of the entire army, formed a square formation below the high platform.
"Everyone sit down," Zhu Quanxing ordered loudly, and then he himself sat on the ground, waiting for the order to enter the battle.
Company after company, military flag after military flag, 1800 infantrymen, wearing gray uniforms, holding rifles with bayonets in their hands. Behind them are 2,000 militiamen, all armed with spears, ready to engage in the final fight.
It was quiet all around, and the entire field army camp was now completely quiet. There were no drums or trumpets, and there was no noise. Except for the occasional messengers and orders hurried by, there was only the sound of the fluttering of military flags.
Yang Zeng stood on the earth embankment, holding a command knife in his hand. Although the weather was not good, he could still clearly see the officers and soldiers forming formations pouring out of various camps in the distance. After the people and horses gathered. Taking the sound of a trumpet as a signal, the whole army moved towards the seaside. Whether from the perspective of the elders or the indigenous officers, the array of the Ming army was hard to say neat, but its momentum was astonishing. The darkness is pressing this way.
The Ming army advanced for several miles. With a long trumpet sound, the marching team stopped three miles away from Dazhai. The archers and firearmsmen walked to the front row, one row of people half-kneeling, and the other row of people standing, ready to fire arrows and blunderbuss at any time. Behind them are rows of spearmen, with card swordsmen on both wings, ready to fight at any time.
They are just like black clouds. Yang Zeng couldn't help but tighten his command knife. There will be a fierce battle today.
The civil and military officials under He Rubin who were standing at the head of Chengmai County also had this premonition. The earthen embankment of the Kun thief's camp was already covered with soldiers, but no noise was heard. The other party was extremely quiet. It seemed that they were ready to attack the attacking officers and soldiers head-on. This feeling makes many people unhappy.
Qian Taichong was crowded among the staff, stretching his neck to look at the Kun bandit camp in the distance. He was surprised that a group of sea robbers could actually build such a large and well-organized military camp. He had never seen such a way of building a camp - piled earth into a embankment no more than one person high, with many large spikes protruding from all sides. When the horns come out, how can such a camp be defended? They are overseas barbarians after all, he thought, while he was thinking about the "Six Chapters of the Aftermath" that he was going to submit to Mr. Zhao after the war. This article was written by him every night in the past few days. He sorted out the various methods of pacifying the people and dealing with the aftermath of the war that he read in books and heard from others, and then based on what he had learned from Gou Chengxuan selected and sorted out what he heard about Lingao's situation, and finally compiled it into this long article. It is divided into six chapters in total, namely: "approving the people", "relief", "opening up wasteland", "recruiting business", "catching the murderer" and "comforting the loyal". Qian Taichong read his article again and again, sometimes praising the sentences that he felt were exquisitely written.
In the camp at the south gate, General Song Ming and Song Qian were ready to attack. Tong Yizhen gave him a hundred cavalry. He knew that his cavalry would take the lead in a while and test the enemy's camp. This is an extremely dangerous mission, because I heard that the enemy's firearms are very powerful - Mr. He Qian's tragic defeat yesterday proved that the rumors were true. This temptation will most likely go nowhere.
The hundred cavalry have already formed a formation outside the trench. Each cavalryman is equipped with a bow and arrow, preparing to approach the camp wall and release arrows to harass the enemy, test the enemy's defense strength, and find out the weakness of the camp. If the enemy's cavalry responded to the challenge, they would immediately fall back.
Three cannon blasts were heard, and he saw the red flag hanging over the city. He immediately raised his spear and shouted: "Kill!" The first one rode out and rushed out. Behind them are a hundred riders. The flag bearer and a dozen personal soldiers followed him closely.
Immediately, the horse's hooves moved on the ground, and the shouts of "kill" shook the sky. The men and horses of each camp setting up camp shouted and beat drums to cheer up. The momentum is astonishing. There was a slight commotion on the embankment.
"Steady, steady," the officers on the embankment pulled out their command swords and roared. He Ming ordered: "Don't fire artillery. If you get closer, use rifles."
Song Ming's cavalry rushed to the earth embankment in an instant. The enemy did not send cavalry or infantry to fight, and they did not even fire firearms - if it were the Ming army, the enemy would have firearms when they were about a hundred feet away from the wall. Hands are messing around with firearms. He was secretly wondering, because yesterday he heard from Mr. He Qian that the enemy's firearms had a very long range, so he didn't dare to rush too close. He planned to get close to the embankment and quickly fire a round of arrows before retreating.
He had just galloped over two convex corners, and when he turned over to pick up his bow, gunshots rang in his ears.
The bullets fired from each side of the two convex corners swept through the entire cavalry from the left and right wings at the same time. More than 20 cavalrymen fell down in an instant. Seven or eight of Song Ming's soldiers fell from their horses, and countless holes were pierced in the flag. He did not dare to hesitate, added a whip to the horse's butt, and rushed out immediately.
He Rubin could clearly see that the enemy's camp was very tightly defended. If the troops wanted to attack, they had to break in between the two convex corners. No matter which side of the convex corner they attacked, they would be flanked by fire from the adjacent convex corners. If you attack the front of the convex angle alone, the front is too narrow to deploy your troops.
It turns out that the convex-corner fort is so useful. He Rubin knew that the Dutch built the fort in this way, and he had also heard people talk about the benefits of this kind of fort. But there is always some doubt in my heart. Seeing is believing now. When the opponent is an army equipped with superior firearms, the advantages of this kind of fortress are really obvious.
The thief's cannon hasn't fired yet, but a single volley of cannons shows such power. He Rubin was secretly worried. However, he did not show any worry, and still maintained the air of a cold and serious general who was not afraid of danger. He called Tong Yizhen:
"General Tong, the time has come for you to serve the imperial court. You lead the entire army to attack the south gate of Kunthief."
Tong Yizhen received the general's order and came down from the tower to his camp. Song Ming's men and horses had just returned, losing almost thirty of their horses, and many of the remaining men were injured.
When Song Ming saw him coming, he quickly came over and crossed his arms to salute.
"No need to be polite, you can take the brothers to rest for a while, and you will continue to contribute to the court later."
Tong Yizhen knew that Song Ming was a brave general who was extremely unafraid of death. He was always the first to charge and often acted recklessly regardless of danger. He was known as the "dead general". Seeing that he was able to escape with his life after being shot from both sides in such a dangerous manner, one can't help but wonder that this man's life was so severe.
"It's my lord," Song Ming said, "The Kun thief's firearms are extremely powerful..."
"I know," Tong Yizhen didn't say much. He was wearing iron armor and an iron helmet, and he immediately got on his horse. He shouted: "Here comes the gun."
A soldier immediately handed him a spear. He looked at the camp in the distance, raised the spear and roared, jumped on his horse, and rushed out to the south gate of the camp. The Chaozhou soldiers under his command surged forward, while Lei Lian's general Zhao Qiansi and two thousand troops also rushed out from the east of the county seat, and the two groups attacked the Kunthief camp.
For a time, the drums shook the ground, and the shouts of killing continued. Flags, big and small, are all over the mountains and fields, fluttering in the wind under the dark clouds. In the blink of an eye, they had already covered a distance of several hundred meters.
He Ming picked up the phone: "Artillery shooting"
Zhang Bolin has been waiting for this order for a long time. As soon as he heard this order, he immediately ordered: "Fire"
All the artillery had already been calibrated for firing range and loaded with ammunition. With an order, the gunners stood up at the same time, grasped the match rope tightly, and pulled hard to the side.
More than a dozen cannons that were facing the enemy's attack direction emitted long plumes of white smoke. Red cannonballs roared towards the dense crowd. The 12-pound solid bullet flew towards the enemy 1,000 meters away at an initial velocity of 457 meters per second. Groups of black shadows smashed into the crowd with a whistling sound, and blood and flesh flew everywhere. The shells that landed on the ground bounced off the ground, jumped and rolled backwards, plowing bloody ditches in the formation.
The Ming army was not blocked by artillery fire. The soldiers surged forward like a tide. The generals galloped back and forth in the ranks, shouting and urging the soldiers to attack forward. The second round of shells flew over again, and rows of soldiers were decapitated by the jumping shells, torn their bodies apart, and tore off their arms, legs, and feet. Blood was flying everywhere, with broken corpses and screaming wounded everywhere. Sometimes the cannonball seems to be so slow that you can step on it with one foot, but it still mercilessly tears the legs off the person's body.
The recoil force after being fired by the 12-pound cannon was so great that the cannon retreated six to seven meters. In order to save the artillery's physical strength and prevent it from being unable to maintain its range after hitting the back, three artillery pushing teams composed of substitute animals and soldiers were prepared for each gun to help push the artillery in turn and reset it. As soon as the artillery stopped, these people immediately caught up. The shoulder pushes and the arm pulls to reset the cannon.
The first gunner holding the gun brush immediately inserted the end of the gun brush with the spiral metal rod for cleaning the barrel into the gun barrel and stirred it vigorously a few times, hooking out several pieces of charred and tattered cotton cloth. The cotton cloth for packaging the propellant had been packed in advance. Soaked in smoke and nitric acid, it should be burned together with the gunpowder when firing, but there will always be some residue after each shot. After clearing the barrel, the first gunner turned the gun brush upside down, dipped it in a bucket, inserted it into the barrel, and began to pump it repeatedly to clean the barrel.
"Cleaning completed"
"Loading a solid bullet, the target distance is 94o meters" a! ~!
