Knowledge is always respected. I am afraid that the final outcome of a warrior who only knows how to fight bravely is nothing more than hiding the bird and hiding the bow. Maybe General Sirapizzo used these Chinese as mercenaries at the beginning. As long as the war It doesn't matter if they all die if they win.
But today, when Tietutuo and the others showed their very high military literacy, he felt that he had found a treasure. These people were not only cannons on the battlefield, but if they were left behind, they would definitely become a strong army in Chile in the future, and they could even Let them help prepare a military academy.
Continuously adding military talents to the army is the way to go!
Thinking of this, Sirapizzo straightened up and took over the wooden warship models. He decided not to hide anything and officially regarded these Chinese as friendly forces.
"The naval operations in this war were actually mainly concentrated between our two countries, Chile and Peru. Bolivia has never established a large-scale navy from beginning to end. Apart from a few small gunboats for offshore defense, there are no decent warships at all. !”
Sirapizzo said proudly, "In South America, only our navy and Peru's are the most powerful now, and they have all achieved iron armor... Don't you believe it? In fact, there is no doubt that although countries such as Britain and France are a hundred times more powerful than us, they are... Because their family has a big business and a large navy, the overall change of equipment is not as efficient as ours..."
"The reason is very simple. The British Navy has tens of thousands of ships, and the amount of funds consumed to completely replace them is astronomical. And we are an emerging country after all, and the navy we have just built can naturally go into battle lightly..."
"Peru has a total of twelve ironclads. Among them, the flagship 'Juasca' has a displacement of 100 tons, a thickness of 25 mm, and a total of fourteen guns on the left and right sides... The displacement of the remaining warships ranges from 800 tons to 1,500 tons... …”
Sirapizzo introduced the battleship model to everyone in detail while placing it on the sand table.
"And our Chilean naval strength is far more than twice that of the enemy! Our flagship 'Esmeralda' has a displacement of 2,800 tons, an armor thickness of more than 35 millimeters, and a total of sixteen cannons on the left and right sides... The remaining warships are twenty-one The ship has a displacement tonnage between 800 and 1,900 tons, and its total tonnage is definitely more than double that of the enemy..."
"You don't have to worry about things on the sea. We are already at an absolute advantage. When we carry out the main attack on land, the navy will cruise in the outer sea to support us. It will not only attract the firepower of the forts, but also deter the Peruvian navy from acting rashly. …”
"Don't worry too much. We have exchanged fire with the Peruvian Navy several times before. These cowards know how powerful our navy is, so they have been running away from the battle. They are just a bunch of mangy dogs without bones. There is no need to worry..."
Tietoutuo looked at the comparison of enemy and enemy forces on the sand table and murmured to himself, "Is there really no threat? Are you sure? Are you really sure?"
"General Iron, of course I am sure, otherwise how do you think your more than 10,000 reinforcements landed safely? Without the overwhelming superiority of our Chilean Navy, Peru would have allowed twenty ships to easily enter Chilean territory? So You don’t have to worry…”
"Well, now that this hidden danger has been eliminated, let's continue to deduce the battle situation on land... Thirty thousand against forty thousand, our own strength is not advantageous, plus the enemy has seven strong fortresses, which increases It makes our attack more difficult!"
"So I decided that the overall idea of this battle is... to gather reinforcements around the point! Eat the Bolivian reinforcements first, and let this desert become a pool of blood! Destroy the morale of the defenders..."
"First, ask the Chilean navy to enter the Iquique waters in advance and use heavy artillery to bomb the docks to create an atmosphere of terror... Then the Chilean regular army uses artillery to bomb the city from a distance, causing psychological pressure on the enemy!"
"Our brown-coated army has frightened the enemy in previous battles, so this time they will use the same trick as before, leaving five thousand people outside the city waving flags and shouting, with drums and trumpets blasting to create the illusion that the main force is on the side! "
"The main force of Bolivia's army totals more than 20,000 people. If so many people want to cross the desert, they must move along a fixed oasis route... Right here, just outside the largest oasis, the Osaka Oasis, we will set up an ambush. Let's eat it." This piece of fat!"
An ambush in the desert? Such a bold tactic shocked Sirapizzo, but he did not refute it on the spot but began a careful deduction with the Chinese.
After a sleepless night, everyone ate dinner next to the sand table. Pots and pots of black coffee were brewed, and cigars were consumed one after another. If you look carefully from a distance, you will find this huge The tent was like a monster in the night, spewing smoke from every crack.
Three days later, the Chilean Navy flagship Esmedale led all the main warships to sail north from the Port of Valparaiso. Two days later, the fleet arrived off the coast of Iquique. The Peruvian garrison fleet in Iquique only opened a symbolic five-day battle. Liupao turned around and fled amidst the laughter of the Chilean Navy.
The emergence of the Chilean Navy heralds the coming decisive battle. The Peruvian side cannot count on the navy and can only send people to urge Bolivian reinforcements to arrive quickly and conduct a decisive battle on land under the city of Iquique. I can’t say that it will win, but there must be a tug of war. war.
After all, Chile is one against two. When the war enters a protracted battle for national strength, the advantage of two against one will slowly be reflected.
After the Esmedale cruised in the open sea for two days, the Chilean army was finally ready for battle. When the flagship Esmedale fired the first shell at five in the morning, the Battle of Iquique officially began.
Boom, boom, boom... The main guns of the battleships spit out fire and conducted intensive bombing on the coastal defense forts. The city suddenly became noisy, and the citizens who were taking refuge began to flee frantically to the north. However, the Chilean army did not set up defenses in the north and allowed the civilians to leave.
Soon the coastal defense fort launched a counterattack. For a moment, the cannons at the pier were rumbling and the flames were shooting into the sky. The decisive battle finally began.
After the bombardment on the sea continued for an hour, the Chilean troops from the south and east began to pour out. They pushed the field artillery in a neat square formation on the field and began to slowly advance forward. The fortress of Iquique was suddenly in panic. , European-looking officers and Indian native soldiers took up their weapons and lay on the wooden walls to prepare.
The artillery on the fortress also began to load ammunition. As soon as the enemy entered the firing range, they heard a roar in Spanish, followed by the roar of the artillery.
This round of shelling had no effect at all. Only four or five lucky shells fell into the crowd, causing dozens of casualties. However, this round of shelling obviously angered the Chilean army commander. After the smoke ended, the rear of the Chilean army suddenly Set up an endless pennant.
"It's the flag of the Brown Army... Why are there so many? It seems that the intelligence is true. The Brown Army has received reinforcements from China, and they are coming!" There was a horrified shout inside the fortress.
