"I don't think it's that simple. I've seen people like this. The more they fight, the better they are at fighting. But they are getting worse and worse, and they will soon suffer casualties in the battle." Li Dong has been in battle for a long time and has seen a lot, " The more afraid you are, the easier it is to make mistakes, and if you make a mistake, you will lose your fortune.”
"If he's really going to be injured, we'll conclude that he's not fit for service and call him out of the army."
"That's fine. Let's do it. I hope he has this luck."
It was dawn the next morning, and Li Dong was sleeping in a daze when he was suddenly awakened by a high-pitched and rapid bugle. He was shocked. This was a signal of "enemy attack"!
He quickly lifted off the military blanket and climbed up, picked up the edge of his armed belt and tied it around his waist. He ran towards the parapet. The entire squadron was in chaos in the camp. The soldiers in disheveled clothes hurriedly put hats on their heads and ran to the designated positions of each squad, dragging their rifles.
Li Dong climbed up to the observation tower that was piled up with the soil dug from the trench last night, and Luo Mao was already on it. When he saw him coming, he immediately signaled him the direction of the enemy's situation.
"About three hundred people. Not officers and soldiers."
Li Dong picked up the telescope. The mountains around the stone stream blocked the rising sun. As the sun rose, the dawn light crossed the top of the mountain and dispersed the morning fog in the valley, exposing the enemy soldiers who were sneaking closer at night. Countless people gathered in front of the mountain pass, more than three hundred people at a glance, and the following people were still pouring into this small plain, as if there was an endless stream. If you look closely, you can see that most of these people have no armor and are wearing mixed colors. The weapons and clothing were in confusion - they were indeed not officers and soldiers.
"Look at the dust behind, there will be troops following."
"Go to the town and report to Company Commander Wu!"
"Wuzhou Squadron, gather around me! Hurry!"
"Rifle team out!"
Passwords were shouted one after another, and disheveled officers rushed around, gathering the equally sleepy National Army soldiers into a team.
Could it be that yesterday's stubborn local hero from Yangjiazhuang came? From the prisoners' confessions, they were indeed able to send out this large army. But they suffered two defeats in a row yesterday, losing nearly 200 troops. It was too late to retreat and rest, so how could they continue to attack Shijian?
He observed the terrain and found that their situation was very unfavorable. The Wuzhou Squadron was hanging alone at Tangzijiao in the north. The right wing was mountainous, and the left wing was the 1st Squadron of the Guangning Brigade of the National Army. They were backed by half of the guard posts on the Suijiang River. The area around the Shijian embankment was fortified. The middle road is the junction of the two squadrons.
Li Dong knew very well that the Guangning No. 1 Squadron was a newly formed squadron with a small number of veterans and a large number of recruits. Since there were more recruits than the Wuzhou squadron, its combat effectiveness was not reliable at all.
The 8th Battalion of Fubo Army was concentrated in Shijian Town behind them, and the logistics column and civilian personnel were concentrated at Tougang at the turn of Suijiang River.
"Let us take the lead in the front, what did Battalion Commander Yang think..." Luo Mao whispered.
"Stop talking! Pay attention."
Li Dong interrupted his subordinates' complaints. He knew very well: Yang Zeng's deployment was a common practice in defensive warfare: weaker troops were deployed on the front line to absorb the enemy's offensive momentum; waiting until the enemy's attack was delayed by the front-line troops , when they lost their momentum, the elite troops on the second line launched a counterattack.
It sounds like a very clever tactic, but the troops absorbing "kinetic energy" on the front line are not so easy. They often suffer heavy casualties, and sometimes even the entire army is annihilated.
Speaking of which, our Nationalist Army is still "cannon fodder". Li Dong felt uncomfortable. He quickly expelled this "not absolute loyalty" from his mind and ordered loudly: "Commander! You go and contact the squadron leader of the 1st Squadron and ask him to keep an eye on the joint to avoid being attacked by the enemy." Central breakthrough!”
After saying that, he put down the telescope, and suddenly he saw Ai Buyi huddled under the observation tower, looking outside nervously. He shouted: "You! What's going on! Why don't you go to your own class?"
"Report... report..." Ai Buyi's speech was unclear, "I can't find the squad leader..."
Li Dong looked around and saw that Ai Buyi's squad was deployed on the right wing near the mountain. He pointed in the direction: "It's over there, go quickly!"
Ai Buyi sighed, picked up his rifle and was about to run away. Li Dong suddenly thought that his messenger had just walked away, and if he needed anything, he would still have someone around to dispatch him. This Ai Buyi is of little use to the class. He stopped him again: "You! Don't go back, stay with me!"
Li Dong came to a place near the junction of the left wing and used the enemy to break through from the center. He saw Ai Buyi not far away, shaking his rifle and looking distracted. He shouted: "When I check it later, nothing else is allowed to be left in the barrel!"
After speaking, he turned his attention to the armed forces gathering a mile away - there were now more than 500 people. These enemies who suddenly appeared only held some simple swords and guns in their hands. No firearms were seen, and their formation was not neat. I wonder if they were afraid of the "Kunren" who fired blunderbuss. They stood sparsely; the whole seemed to be composed of many small groups. However, the coordination between stocks is not strong. Some people wait impatiently and rush forward for a while, but then go back when others fail to follow.
Luo Mao suddenly appeared at this time: "Squadron Captain! I think these people look like Yao people!"
"how do you know?"
"One of the new recruits told me that he is a warrior and has fought against the Yao people!"
"The clothes don't look like..."
"There are also Han people inside, probably bandits. He said that when the Yao people rebel, they sometimes act together with Han bandits."
"No matter who he is, those who come to attack us are all enemies." Li Dong pulled out his command knife and shouted loudly, "Every squad, hold on! No shooting without orders!"
This group of enemies is definitely not something that the two squadrons of more than 200 people can deal with. If Battalion Commander Yang wants them to "stand still and wait for help," they can only hold on here. Waiting for the Fubo Army behind to launch a counterattack.
"I'm afraid there will be a fierce battle today." He said to Luo Mao.
"At worst, I'll risk my life here." Luo Mao smiled, obviously not thinking that he would die. However, Ai Buyi beside him didn't think so, and was trembling all over.
Li Dong had no intention of scolding Ai Buyi. As a commander, his only hope was that the Fubo Army's counterattack would come faster, otherwise his brothers would inevitably suffer "heavy casualties." He looked nervously at the enemies coming more than a mile away.
Fortunately, the enemy had not yet made up their mind to launch an attack. Just when the two sides were in a confrontation and the situation was about to break out, something unexpected happened - the 1st Squadron of the Guangning Brigade on their left wing saw that there were many enemies, and unexpectedly withdrew from Shijiandi on their own initiative and headed towards the enemy. Banbiangang retreated, trying to rely on the fence wall of Shijian to fight in order to obtain fire support from the Fubo Army in the town. As a result, the entire left wing of the Wuzhou Squadron was exposed to the enemy.
"Who the hell told them to retreat!" Li Dong almost lost his temper after seeing this, "Ai Buyi! Go after their squadron leader and tell them to come back!"
Ai Buyi chased after him. Li Dong shouted: "Everyone is here! Hold still! Get ready to shoot!"
"Let's retreat too!" Luo Mao was a little worried, "Retreat to the half post and connect with the 1st Squadron."
"With the withdrawal of 1st Squadron, we will become the 'Palace Army'," Li Dong said with a bitter smile, "Now that I retreat, do you believe that the whole squadron will just run away?"
The 1st Squadron was able to retreat in an orderly manner because it had friendly troops behind it and was not afraid of enemy pursuit. There was nothing behind them. Soldiers have no psychological sense of security. As long as the enemy charges, the whole squadron will collapse.
"This is a very dangerous situation." Luo Mao put the bayonet on his rifle, "I'll take a squad to the left wing."
"Okay, go ahead. Don't risk your life..."
Li Dong walked along the parapet, loudly encouraging the soldiers to "hold the position." But facing the huge pressure of being outnumbered and outnumbered, people still can't help but want to escape. The entire front was shaken. The Yao people also saw the wavering of the defense line, and they did not miss this opportunity. A burst of gongs and drums sounded in the enemy's formation, and they immediately launched a full-line charge.
The rumble of footsteps resounded throughout the valley, but the rifle team stood still because they had not heard Li Dong's order. In Li Dong's eyes, even by the standards of the National Army, the enemy's formation was too sloppy. The already sparse formation was dragged further apart when they charged, and they actually launched their attack when they were still one mile away from the parapet. He started charging and slowed down halfway through.
"Steady... steady...!" The sergeants kept repeating Li Dong's order. At this time, the first row of feather arrows was shot from the enemy group.
"Close to the parapet! Lower your head!"
The National Army did not have helmets, so they could only lower their heads tightly and lean against the parapet. This covering tactic was very effective, and no one was hit by the swishing arrows.
Ma Lai's head was almost drilled into the earth wall. He clutched the rifle tightly in his hand. The sound of the arrow cutting through the air was terrifying, and the sound when it hit the ground made him even more devastated. Especially when four or five feather arrows were nailed to a place less than two feet away from him almost at the same time, he was almost scared to death.
Fortunately, during the eight weeks of training, he had become accustomed to worshiping discipline as a god and did not dare to move an inch. Just a moment later, a second round of feather arrows fell one after another.
Li Dong huddled behind the parapet and observed the enemy's advance. They were not impatient at all. The large group of people spread out and slowly approached the parapet. The archers behind them took turns shooting arrows one after another. It seems that the conductor is quite organized.
One hundred meters, eighty meters. When the enemy entered the range of fifty meters and the brothers of the 5th Squadron could see the enemy's appearance clearly, they finally waited for the captain's order: "The ruler is 50 meters! Prepare and aim!"
In response to the commands of the non-commissioned officers, the rifle team impatiently aimed their loaded rifles at the enemy, while the shorter second row extended their muzzles from the space in the front row to prevent them from being deafened by the sound of gunfire. ――It can be hit with Nanyang-style accuracy at this distance. Li Dong glanced at Ai Buyi, pulled out his machete and struck it hard: "Fire!"
Next update: Volume 7 - Guangzhou Governance Chapter 388
