Compared with the common shovels and hoes, the Type 32 is shorter and more compact. Although it is obviously not as powerful as ordinary shovels and hoes, the Type 32 clearly has a smaller target when wielded and is more suitable for the needs of the battlefield. The engineers of the Fubo Army have been trained to use the 32-year-old engineer shovel very smoothly. In addition to using it to dig here and there, they can also use it to chop off the enemy's head with ease.
Originally, the engineer shovel was intended to be equipped to every infantryman, but cost considerations meant that it was ultimately only equipped to the engineer company.
It was precisely based on his trust in the professional abilities and combat capabilities of the Fubo Army engineers that Yang Zeng made the decision to rely on the transportation trenches for advancement. Yang Zeng felt that he had learned and put it into practice. Before the expedition, army battalion and company-level commanders of all sizes participated in the training organized by the Training Directorate. One of the lessons was how to deal with fixed fortifications. The method of advancing with traffic trenches was from there. I learned it from this class.
After seeing that the troops were almost assembled, Yang Zeng temporarily left the command post on Zhushan Mountain and came to the front of the 8th Battalion assembled on the west side of Bangshan Mountain. He summoned the company-level officers of the entire battalion and began combat deployment: "Comrades, now It’s three o’clock in the afternoon, and the mission of our 8th Battalion is to capture Bangshan before dark. It is expected to get dark starting at six o’clock in the afternoon, and it will be completely dark at 6:30, so we have three and a half hours to capture Bangshan.”
"The battalion belongs to the artillery team, which uses artillery shells to blast open several openings in the enemy's Luzhai to open an attack channel for the troops."
"Engineer company, you have two hours to dig an attack tunnel and advance to 30 meters away from the enemy's trench."
"The light infantry company covers the soil work of the engineers. If the Ming army dares to show up, I will blow his head off."
"The grenadier company is the commando team. I will equip you with all the grenades of the entire battalion. There are 1,000 grenades in total, which is enough for them to drink a pot. You follow the engineers closely. The engineers will wait for the signal after completing their operations. The attack signal is three Fire red rockets. Within 5 minutes after the signal is given, throw all the grenades into the trenches of the Ming army, and then launch a hand-to-hand charge. After occupying the first trench, shoot a green rocket as a signal."
After the signal was sent, the grenadier company immediately broke into the depth, and each company followed up and broke in from the breach to clear out the remaining enemy forces. The Sixth Company covered and assisted the Mountain Grain detachment in accompanying the attack.
"...the eighth infantry company is in reserve for the battalion."
After the arrangements were made, Yang Zeng glanced at the company and platoon leaders in the headquarters and said in a deep voice: "We always fight with tigers and sheep. No matter how weak the enemy is, we must use our greatest strength. We strive to conquer the mountain in one assault. Come down here, don't worry about losses. Use the most courageous fighting spirit of our Fubo army to teach the Ming army how to fight, and beat the crap out of them!"
Yang Zeng stared at the troops getting ready in front of the southern slope of Bangshan Mountain. In addition to the heavily armed troops, there were more than 300 civilian men who were recruited after the raid on Cheung Chau Island yesterday afternoon. These civilian men were not equipped with weapons and were all carrying poles, ready to carry some supplies up the mountain: mainly three men from the artillery team directly under the battalion. 12 pounder mountain howitzer shells and some Hale rockets.
The civilians were not told what these boxes contained. These standard wooden boxes of the Fubo Army contained ammunition for 12-pound cannons, grenades, and the engineers' big killer - compressed black powder. These civilians have to carry these dangerous explosives up the mountain. After reaching the top of the mountain, they have to help the engineers, help dig transportation trenches, and are mainly responsible for transporting earthwork.
The civilians were a little nervous. Since ancient times, sieges often forced prisoners and civilians to "land first", consuming the defenders' arrows and cannon stones, and filling the trenches with corpses. Therefore, when recruiting civilian husbands, no one was willing to come. In the end, more than 300 people were "recruited" with half force and half inducement.
In order to stabilize their emotions, Yang Zeng took care of giving the civilians the same food as the soldiers - if they are full and drunk, their morale will naturally be high. During the meal, they promised that after finishing their work today, each person would receive a bag of rice to take home. If they were injured or killed in battle, they would be given compensation as appropriate. And started half of it.
At this moment, the civilian husbands no longer have the worries they felt when they were drafted. As long as they are not going to "climb first" and die, it doesn't matter what kind of work they do. The Kuhaha people have plenty of strength.
Yang Zeng's plan was to advance the soil work to about thirty meters away from the Ming army's position, then use the gap where our army threw grenades at the opponent to cause confusion and produce a lot of smoke, and use a hand-to-hand charge to defeat the Ming army's first trench troops. Then one unit suppressed the firepower in the second trench of the Ming army, and the other detoured to a closer location for an assault.
However, before this plan can be carried out, we must first climb the mountain. Although the southern slope of Bangshan is relatively gentle, we still have to climb a steep slope to reach the gentler ridgeline. The Ming army's position thoughtfully left a large open space south of the top of Bangshan Mountain as a place for its own firepower to pour out, preparing to turn this place into a bloody slaughterhouse.
"Start taking action!" Yang Zeng gave the order, and the entire battalion immediately moved into action. The light infantry was at the forefront, responsible for playing the vanguard and using firepower to suppress the small Ming army units that tried to prevent or harass the 8th Battalion from climbing. The engineer company followed. After reaching the designated position, they will start digging communication trenches non-stop; then other companies as the reserve team and civilians carrying standard wooden boxes; and finally the grenadier company, 1st company and 2nd company as the assault team. , they took their time, conserving their strength and preparing to be the first to rush in front of the enemy.
The mountain climbing went smoothly. We did not encounter any large Ming troops coming to snipe. There were only a few who tried to harass them with cold shots and arrows. However, they were quickly discovered by the light infantry and eliminated them one by one with bullets, leaving no one alive. Regardless of dissuasion, Yang Zeng gave up his command post in Mount Zhushan and accompanied the troops on the mountain climbing. Even though he was already the battalion commander, Yang Zeng was still used to leading the way. Yang Zeng knew that if the chief officer followed his troops and acted together, the morale of his subordinates could be greatly improved.
Yang Zeng was not afraid of the possible fierce resistance of the Ming army - he was considered an old man of the Fubo army and had fought several dangerous battles, but every time there was no danger. Although I had the experience of being injured several times in battles when I was a company platoon leader, generally speaking, there was never a time when I was so critical that I had to prepare myself for death.
If there was anything he was worried about, it was his newlywed wife who had just been married for less than a year. His wife was introduced to her by the "organization" at a blind date for military officers organized by the Political Department.
It is said to be an "introduction", but in reality it is almost the same as a designation. The girl is a junior teacher in Fangcaodi, and both are "public servants" under the Senate system. As for their background, Yang Zeng is a bankrupt farmer, and his wife is from a refugee family who fled from Jiangxi. They are both impoverished. It's a perfect match.
Yang Zeng did not like the "female cadres" under the Senate system very much, especially those from Fangcaodi - he felt that they were too noisy, too good at spending money, often laughed in the street, and did not look like women at all. The key is that, in his opinion, these girls are "too pretty" and "too lively". As an officer himself, he lived in the barracks all year round, and from time to time he had to take the troops to training, camping and exercises - Yang Zeng had seen a lot of marriage problems among officers and soldiers, so he had to be wary.
At blind dates, he looked specifically for women who looked ordinary, dressed in tacky clothes, and spoke awkwardly. Finally, he fell in love with this humble junior female teacher.
Yang Zeng and his wife are both "single households" with no family or dependents and no relatives in the local area. Naturally, there is no need to make a fuss - this is also related to the "frugal handling of affairs" advocated by the chiefs. As a public official, it is natural to set an example. So I just invited my close friends and colleagues from the army and school to have a meal, and after receiving the certificate, we were considered married.
After the marriage, the cadre office gave him a settling-in allowance, which he used as a down payment to buy a house. Although the army provided single dormitories for married officers, this was always in the barracks and he had to find a home by himself outside.
His wife was pregnant when he went to war, and his salary as a teacher was enough to support the family. Plus Yang Zeng's salary was not needed during the war. Whether it is paying the mortgage or living expenses, it is very comfortable.
According to the regulations of the Political Department, Yang Zeng left a suicide note and made family arrangements as usual before departure. Yang Zeng didn't take it seriously. He just told his wife not to worry about his own sacrifice, but mainly to take good care of the child in her belly, "raise the child to adulthood, and inherit the incense of the Yang family." If there is an "honest person suitable for his duty" in the future, You might as well "get married again". When writing this, Yang Zeng felt a little bit tired of eating flies, but the Senate hated widows observing the festival most. This suicide note was to be handed over to the Political Department - he did not dare to mention the word "conducting the festival".
However, he is not too worried that he will die. If he is unlucky enough to die, his wife and children are "martyrs", so naturally there will be a Senate to take care of them. Apart from the fact that his wife would probably remarry in the future, which made him a little unwilling, there was nothing else to worry about.
However, it is best to live well. He, Yang Zeng, is still waiting to become a founding hero and be granted the title of wife and son.
20 minutes later, the 8th Battalion reached the predetermined height. If it advanced further, it would be exposed to the sight of the Ming army guarding the mountain, so the 8th Battalion lay prone on the spot and made some repairs. At this time, the union soldiers had used compressed black kilns to blast several gaps on the hillside as the starting point for digging transportation trenches. After resting for ten minutes, the civilian workers began to transport earthworks. The engineers knelt down and dug a tunnel that could accommodate two people walking side by side and one person high on the hillside that had been loosened by explosives. Except for part of the excavated soil, which was used to build the parapets on both sides of the trench, the rest was carried away by the civilian workers.
As the engineers advanced, the light infantry followed closely along the trenches. Some of them were outside the trenches, using the cover of grass to slowly approach. The black muzzles were pointed at the front. They held their breath and focused their eyes on whether there was an enemy coming up. OK. Let them send a round of ammunition to the enemy.
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Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 311
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The public account Lingao Qiming——
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The braggart’s message board;
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a word, senat popusque agn
