Zhu Si thought about it and realized that even if the whole squadron pressed forward, he might not be able to please the situation. He has been a soldier for many years and knows that fighting with too many people is not necessarily a good thing - chaos and trampling on each other can lead to heavy casualties. Anyway, the plan proposed by Li Dong is not bad. Agree immediately.
Both parties agree on the contact signal. The integrated squadron was still divided into left and right detachments according to the organization when taking the ship. Zhu Si led the left detachment to attack frontally, and Li Dong led the right detachment to make a flanking attack.
Li Dong summoned all the personnel of the right detachment and briefly explained the battle plan.
"Because we have to take a detour through the ponds and paddy fields, those who can't swim or can't go into the water should tell us now to stay and exchange with the people from the left detachment."
At present, there were more than a dozen people either injured or unable to swim, and the people in the left detachment were exchanged.
Li Dong ordered all members of the detachment, except the Nanyang rifle shooters, the other firearmsmen to leave their firearms behind and only bring spears and machetes. All the backpacks and other equipment he carried were left in place, and all the grenades in the detachment were collected and handed over to a few soldiers who had the best bomb-throwing performance and the most courage. Each bombardier is also assigned a dedicated ammunition hand.
The bombardier carried the grenade in his pockets and hung it around his neck for easy movement.
"Everyone, take off your military boots! Roll up your trouser legs." Li Dong ordered, "Is there anyone with thin skin and tender flesh who is not used to walking barefoot?"
This question amused the soldiers: "They all live in poverty", "I haven't worn shoes since I was a child", "The cocoon is thicker than the sole of the shoe".
"Everyone has been in the fields, these paddy fields are nothing. Let's go over and give the bandits a taste of grenades. Then let them see how powerful the machete is!"
After Li Dong finished speaking, he led his troops into the woods and took a detour to the west to avoid the eyes and ears of the bandits on the hills. Here Zhu Si asked the soldiers to set up the various firearms left by Li Dong - no matter whether they could shoot accurately or not, it was always right to focus the fire first.
"Raise the muzzles of these broken cannons! Aim them all at the entrance of the village and the hills on both sides." Zhu Si ordered in a low voice.
The distance from the position to the entrance of the village was about five hundred meters, far beyond the effective range of these miscellaneous firearms. Raising the muzzle can increase the range, but the distribution of ammunition fired is basically the same as the spray, and it is difficult to expect to hit a specific target.
However, although these projectiles have no accuracy at all, they still maintain sufficient lethality. If the enemy's formation density is high, this kind of coverage shooting can cause considerable casualties.
Suddenly, a red rocket shot up into the dusk sky - this was a signal that Milongtao's troops were in place. Zhu Si ordered:
"shooting!"
Three 12-pound mountain howitzers roared one after another. The soldiers could see with the naked eye black iron balls flying out of the white smoke accompanied by red fire, and hitting the streets at the entrance of the village with smoke traces. , fragments of soil, tree trunks and various debris were flying, the barricades blocking the road were instantly penetrated, and shadowy figures could be seen shaking.
Miscellaneous firearms crackled, and this time the soldiers could not see clearly the effect of the projectiles. White gunpowder smoke enveloped the entire forest. Zhu Si stood on the hill, nervously staring at the village entrance with his binoculars.
The village entrance and the hills on both sides were completely shrouded in thick smoke at this moment, and the light of fire could still be seen faintly. Zhu Si looked at Li Dong's circuitous direction and felt a little anxious.
Although he had three mountain grenades, he carried very little ammunition, only 24 rounds of artillery shells and propellant. As an emergency, at least one-third of the ammunition must be left, and very little ammunition can be used for fire preparation. Zhu Si ordered the artillery to fire three rounds first, and then began to charge after the fire.
If artillery shells and firearms fail to completely suppress the bandits, then after rushing into the village, they will inevitably start hand-to-hand combat with the enemy - this has been a touchstone of soldier organization and morale since ancient times. However, Zhu Si was not sure about this matter.
"Where did this kid Li Dong go back to?" He cursed secretly and anxiously searched for the signal from the right detachment with his binoculars.
In order to avoid being seen by the bandit sentries, Li Dong led the right detachment to quickly jump forward for more than 100 meters to the west and enter a hilly area, and then detoured towards the flank of Liwei. He chose the route very carefully. He did not take country roads or field ridges, but directly crossed the paddy fields, "leapfrog" from one hill to another, or used the mulberry hedge next to the fish pond as a cover. Keep approaching the village.
The rapid detour of the right detachment did not seem to arouse the enemy's idea. The soldiers passed through the muddy paddy fields barefoot and lightly armed. When they encountered the river, they swam directly and unexpectedly detoured back to the west of Liwei.
The hills to the west of Liwei are more "dangerous" than expected. There are "cliffs" seven or eight meters high - in fact, they are only more than 60 degrees. You can climb up by grabbing the grass and trees with bare hands. Looking up at the hills, in addition to various fruit trees, there are also mulberry trees, which are lush and very dense.
"Luo Mao!" he called softly.
"arrive!"
"Take a few people with you and go up and take a look first. If there are sentries, you can catch them alive!"
"Okay!" Luo Mao nodded, casually handed the rifle to another soldier, and climbed up the cliff with several people hand and foot.
After a moment, Luo Mao's head was seen emerging from above, indicating that it was safe above. Then he dropped the rope again. The soldiers from the right team grabbed the rope and quickly climbed up.
Li Dong was the first to go up. Luo Mao reported in a low voice that the bandits only had two sentries here. He killed one and left the other alive.
The prisoner was brought over immediately. Li Dong took a look and saw that the man was tall but skinny, with disheveled hair and tattered clothes. His hands were tied behind his back. He didn't have the spirit of a green forest hero at all. Instead, he looked fearful. He was so timid that he didn't dare to look up at anyone. Li Dong encountered many bandits along the way. Although their appearances were different, their shabby and shabby images seemed to be carved from the same mold. While he was disdainful, he also felt pity for this bandit. It deserves...
"How many people are there in the village?"
"Two hundred...more than two hundred..."
"Why are you hiding here?"
"I don't dare to leave during the day for fear that I won't be able to escape. I hide here and wait until dark."
"Are you Han and Yao?"
"Han people! Han people!" The prisoner was afraid that he would have any relationship with the Yao people. "There are only a few Yao people in the team, and they are all medicine crossbowmen..."
Li Dong has many questions to ask, but the first task now is to deal with Liwei's enemies. He continued to ask:
"Where will everyone gather?"
"Most of the brothers are at the ancestral hall in the village. The younger one was sent here to watch the wind..." Seeing Luo Maoxue's bright machete, he quickly added, "I just said that... Kun... the army has arrived. I see many brothers have rushed to the entrance of the village."
"Is there any other way out from here besides the village entrance on that side?"
"Climb the hill to the north and there is a path..."
"Are they all guarded?"
"Yes, yes, there are brothers guarding everywhere. The younger ones don't dare to lie."
"how many people?"
"There are fifty people on each of the north and south roads, all led by leaders. The head of the house takes the remaining brothers to rest in Shenming Pavilion."
Li Dong wanted to ask again, but suddenly red rockets shot up in the sky - this was the signal to start action specified by Mi Longtao. Not a moment later, rumbling cannon fire rang out from the south of the village: Zhu Si took action as planned!
He didn't care to examine other details and ordered: "Take him down!"
"Sir, please—" Before the word "fate" could be spoken, Luo Mao stuffed a hemp core into his mouth and dragged it down.
"Send someone to keep an eye on him, don't let him die!" After saying that, he waved his hand and said, "Let's all go!"
The right detachment quietly passed through the orchards on the hills and saw the mountains begin to go down. Li Dong signaled to stop, and he personally led a few people to move forward quietly. But below the hillside were the street houses of Liwei Village. Just below the hillside, next to the road, the bandits converted a pigsty into a fort with two wooden cannons inside. Directly facing the village entrance, more than a dozen bandits were either carrying knives, guns or They were holding bows and arrows and firearms, hiding behind the artillery fort. They were all focused on arranging a path from the south. They didn't expect that anyone would come around from behind the mountain.
"Listen," Li Dong summoned the squad leaders and squad leaders, "Now that Captain Zhu is attacking over there, the enemy's attention has been attracted. We just caught them off guard."
The two squads of the right detachment each formed two columns with a front width of three people. Each squad was headed by the sergeant and veteran with the most practical combat experience. The riflemen and bombardiers were at the front, launching an attack in the form of a skirmisher line.
"After engaging the enemy, the rifleman fires two volleys first, then the bombardier throws a wave of grenades, and then everyone attacks in column. The action must be fierce, without any hesitation!"
After laying out the battle plan, he took out the command knife from his waist and whispered: "Everyone is here, listen to my command! Move forward!"
The riflemen of the two squads first passed through the orchard and appeared on the slope. Then the first three rows of soldiers of the two columns leveled their spears and marched through the woods in unison. At this time, Li Dong no longer cared to see if there were any bandits at the foot of the mountain. Spotting them, he walked a few steps to the right of the team and then looked back, fearing that someone would become timid and run away. The Kuomintang troops suddenly appeared without saying a word, startling the bandits. Some wanted to turn their guns around, while others ran to the forts waving their weapons in preparation for resistance. The right team went downhill faster and faster, almost trotting towards the defeated army. The team was a little stretched, and Li Dong had to shout "1/2/1" loudly to ask the rifleman to slow down a little and wait for the people behind to come up. . As the distance got closer, he found that there were many more bandits in the fort than before, at least fifty people, but the charge could not be stopped. Li Dong's heartbeat was getting faster and faster, and he shouted: "Shoot!!" He commanded the team to speed up and rush down the mountain.
Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 366
