War is always full of variables, and plans never change much. The old earl originally wanted to reserve some ammunition for his artillery and throw it on Prince Carl, but the cowardly White's defeat completely disrupted all his plans. .
An army relies on morale to fight a war. Why did the two groups of charging skirmishers at the beginning almost annihilate the entire army without a massive rout? The reason is that the Austrian army was so powerful at that time that no one thought they would lose even if they were fighting against a large number of people.
In order to protect this precious morale, the old earl did not hesitate to use up one-third of the ammunition base, and locked up all the soldiers of Viscount Alan's defeated first regiment in the rear. All these measures were to improve the army's strength. morale.
But now, all the hard work has been messed up by White, the bastard. Those soldiers who escaped will use the fastest speed to spread the seeds of terror in their own legion. The soldiers who were originally as high as balloons are afraid of these. The losers' personal statements are like steel nails that pierce countless people's hopes for victory.
There is only one way now, and that is to bully these Chinese who do not have artillery, and let the artillery regiment fire a few more salvos, and let the firelight and sky-high explosions re-boost the already shaken morale.
But the old earl also had deep worries in his heart, that was the deep trenches in front of him. In this era, trench warfare was very rare. In people's minds, digging trenches was just a last resort for some towns and military fortresses to prevent enemy sneak attacks. No one had ever thought of using this kind of thing in field battles.
However, just a few simple and outrageous earth trenches created a miracle in the recent shelling. Nearly a thousand shells were tilted on the position, and the actual casualties caused were in single digits.
Of course, the old count would not know the specific number of casualties in the special mixed camp. Even if he was worried now, he had no other choice. If even these two battalions cannot eat, then the one-hour task of blocking the Second Army will become a dream.
"The artillery position moved one thousand meters forward and fired at close range. I don't believe it. Are the enemies all iron men? Brave Austrian soldiers, the enemies in front of you are just a group of weak Chinese. They can't even connect their own capital." They couldn't even protect them. They didn't dare to take revenge when the British and French allied forces burned down their emperor's summer palace..."
"That's a group of cowards, a group of cowards who only know how to hide in the dark and shoot cold shots... They don't even dare to fight us openly, they only know how to hide in the pits with local rats..."
"Warriors of the empire! Are we afraid of these cowards? God is watching us in heaven, and the king is waiting for news of victory. Even if you don't fight for God and the king, you must fight for your own dignity..."
Brigadier Pengka galloped his horse in front of the position. He kept boosting the morale of the soldiers. With his roar, roars like mountains and tsunami came from the Austrian army formation.
The Austrian army's preparations also alarmed Xiao Letian. When he found that the enemy kept boosting morale but was slow to launch an attack, he had already guessed the enemy's plan.
"Let the brothers be prepared. The wounded should retreat to the third trench. The remaining soldiers should be divided into half into the second trench to avoid carefully... It seems that the Austrian army is going to be serious this time. This is the calm before the storm. , the enemy is preparing for an artillery attack!"
"These damn Austrian troops have lost more than 2,000 lives in a row. They are already desperate and are looking for us to fight! But I will not give you a chance. Shiqiao Highlands is destined to become your nation's A sad place…”
As Xiao Letian's order was issued, the three trenches were crowded with people. People began to evacuate evenly into the three bunkers through the three-dimensional traffic trenches. The lightly and seriously injured were hidden in the back, and the brothers who could fight were hidden in the first two trenches.
Everyone was already experienced at this time. They all held their rifles and leaned against the earth wall on the south side of the trench. Everyone blocked their ears and opened their mouths, waiting for the enemy's shelling.
Boom boom boom... The Austrian artillery fire came as promised. More than seventy cannons and howitzers moved forward a thousand times, pulling the match rope under the direct sight of the artillery crew.
The explosions from the muzzles were connected together, and thick smoke filled the battlefield. Dozens of explosion points in the trench areas on the highlands exploded almost simultaneously, and tons of soil was lifted up and thrown into the air, like a heavy rain. Falling down the same way.
Tian Da Pao Bao, whose ears were injured in the trench, shouted at the top of his voice, "We are all stable. No one has to be afraid. My adults said they would keep us safe, so they can keep us safe... Wasn't that shelling just bad? We How many people died in total? So, the enemies are all paper tigers..."
Maybe people with hearing loss subconsciously raise their voices. Tian Da Paoqian couldn't feel how loud his voice was, but Steven beside him had been tortured by the squad leader and couldn't speak. This loud voice was actually louder than The sound of bomb explosions is even more torturous.
"You, you, you... brat, what are you muttering about? Be louder, haven't you eaten? Well... it seems it's almost lunch time... Damn, even if it's lunch time, it's still war time , you have to endure it for me..."
Steven couldn't stand listening anymore. He leaned into Tian Da Paoba's ear and yelled, "Squad leader... He didn't say he wanted to eat... He said if you keep shouting... our military intelligence... will all be destroyed by Austria." Jun listened...you were too loud..."
This voice was powerful enough. He shouted it close to his ears, which shocked Tian Da Pao Zhan's brain and buzzed, "Why are you so loud, brat? I'm not deaf... Am I loud? Why don't I feel... "
At this time, all the brothers in the trench couldn't hold back and burst out laughing. It was a good shelling and no one took it seriously. If the Austrian army on the opposite side knew this, their noses would probably be crooked with anger.
Being able to laugh at war has always been a privilege of veterans. Although this is the first time for the special mixed battalion to face the battlefield, they have already experienced the bloodiest hand-to-hand combat, the most brutal artillery battle, and the most grueling trench battle. What's even more gratifying is that in these three completely different battles, they are all winners.
Veterans are shaped by victory after victory. New recruits are always timid when they see artillery bombing for the first time, but after they experience it once and find that it is nothing more than that, their courage will be doubled. Increase.
Above the heads of the special forces battalion soldiers, dark artillery shells whizzed past, and the mud thrown up by the explosion almost buried them alive. However, the strange thing is that there were not many casualties in such a fierce shelling. There was only one artillery shell at the beginning. Five brothers were killed, but not even one was injured.
This is really a miracle. Even the Hamburg recruits subconsciously looked towards the highland headquarters. "Could this Chinese Prime Minister really know magic? Is he even afraid of artillery shells?"
People are not allowed to think too much on the battlefield. After four rounds of volleys, earth-shattering roars sounded again from the south side of the trench, and the rhythmic running even shook the earth.
Xiao Letian yelled in the headquarters, "What are you doing standing there in a daze? Rush into the first trench and prepare to fight!"
The soldiers of the special-purpose battalion shook their heads, threw away the dirt above their heads, turned and rushed into the traffic trench. When they arrived at the first trench, there was the sound of bolts being pulled, and densely packed Mauser rifles once again stretched out of the trench.
When countless heads emerged from the trenches, the scene in front of them made everyone gasp, "Oh my God, the Austrians are crazy!"
Yes, this wave of skirmishers charging the Austrians was really crazy. They actually used 3,000 people at one time, and the entire charging position was densely packed with human heads.
What is the concept of three thousand people? It is the total strength of two reinforced regiments. With so many people gathered together, it looks like an irregular black carpet falling on the ground from a distance.
In this wave of rushing people, the people behind could not see the battle situation in front at all, and the people in the battle formation could not see the enemy situation on both sides. People were crowded together like flies with their heads covered, and they could only be dragged towards Charge forward.
"Long live the empire! Long live the king! One battle will determine the outcome!"
"Mount your bayonet and fight hand-to-hand... don't be afraid, God bless the brave..."
"Kill these cowardly Chinese and take back our dignity!"
There were officers' shouts of war everywhere in the black crowd. In the end, the three thousand warriors could only yell madly: "Long live! Long live! Long live!" The entire stormtroopers had fallen into a state of hysteria.
Cack-clack...clack-clack... Countless recruits in the trenches were chattering with their teeth. They were really scared this time. If it weren't for the lieutenants suppressing them, these recruits from Hamburg would probably collapse.
"I have straightened up my back, isn't it just three thousand people? Not many, not much at all... When the Prime Minister led us to fight in Naha, the three thousand ashigaru were even bigger than this formation. …”
"Strictly observe discipline! You all have memorized it clearly. The only thing that can save us now is discipline. Prepare grenades, pull the bolt, and shoot freely within a hundred meters..."
The ground was trembling, the enemy was roaring, and murderous intent was coming. When the enemy rushed a hundred meters away from the trench, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in the trench, "Everyone, listen to the order...fire!"
That was Xiao Letian's voice. At the most critical moment, the Dongfang Prime Minister left the headquarters and rushed to the front line with King Yi and Lord Long.
"Fire... shoot... kill them..." Amidst the chaotic roar, the Mausers in the entire trench began to fire intensively, and the bullets rushed towards the enemy.
The leading Austrian army was shot by bullets and fell to the ground, while the Austrian army behind them continued to move forward as if they hadn't seen it. Their military boots trampled on the muddy ground, trampling on the bodies of the dead and wounded, and they continued to move forward indomitably. .
"Accelerate, accelerate... charge up, charge up..." Countless officers shouted slogans and surged up, completely ignoring their comrades who were shot down around them.
"Asshole! How could this happen? These artillerymen should all be killed!" The old count understood as soon as he saw the intensive firepower in the trenches. The shelling just now didn't have an effect. How come it didn't work after getting closer for a thousand meters? effect.
"God, are you punishing us? Why did you find us a group of unkillable enemies? Are they evil spirits from hell?"
But now it's too late. The three thousand charging people can no longer retreat. Everyone here is being coerced by the people around them, and they themselves are also coercing others. They are charging in one direction and have formed a wave. There is a huge amount of potential energy, and everyone is trapped in it and unable to extricate themselves.
...
