Chapter 1433 The power of landmines

When the Houjin Cavalry was less than twenty feet away from the Haihan camp, a galloping war horse stepped on a piece of loose soil on the ground. As soon as the horse's hoof left the ground, there was a loud bang under the horse's belly.

It exploded, and the war horse and the cavalry on its back were knocked over by the blast of air and fell to the ground. The hoof of the horse was broken at the same time as the explosion sounded.

Before the cavalry could react, explosions rang out one after another in the ground beneath them. The neighing of war horses and the screams of cavalry came one after another. In an instant, the charging team became a mess, and it was difficult to stop the charging troops.

The final journey is completed.

Weapons such as landmines were not invented by Haihan. In fact, when the Song and Jin Dynasties were at war five hundred years ago, the Song Army used "gunpowder cannons" buried in the ground to attack the Jin Army. In the Ming Dynasty,

There have even been real landmines using mechanical ignition devices. The Ming Dynasty's military book "Wu Bei Zhi" records the shape, characteristics and structural diagrams of more than ten kinds of landmines, which can be fired by stepping, tripping, pulling, point firing and so on.

Ignition device.

The "Fire Dragon Sutra" written by Jiao Yu in 1413 recorded: "The bombs are made of pig iron, on an empty stomach, put in a solid pestle, put into a small bamboo tube, pass a fire wire inside, and use a long wire to penetrate the fire trough on the outside. Select the route that the invaders must take, and continue for dozens of times.

Bury it in a pit, connect the medicine trough to the steel wheel, and cover it with soil to prevent thieves from knowing it. When you start the engine, it will vibrate, and the iron will fly, and the flames will shoot into the sky." In 1580, when Qi Jiguang was stationed in Jizhou, he also made a "

Mines based on the "steel wheel fire" principle have been actually used on the battlefield.

However, the reliability and lethality of these relatively primitive landmine weapons are relatively limited. Naturally, they cannot compare with the landmines made by Haihan Ordnance Industry using the advanced technology of later generations. They use disc springs, black powder, impact thunder caps and other components.

The mature structure of the Haihan mine is far more powerful than the original version that was explored by predecessors. The amount of gunpowder was specially increased to deal with cavalry, so that it can kill the war horses together when it explodes.

Although this new weapon has been mass-produced in Sanya's arsenal, because the production capacity and cost issues have not been well solved for the time being, it has not been installed in large quantities in front-line troops. It is still in the small-scale trial stage.

Liaodong, as the Haihan Army's first battlefield this year, has naturally become a practical testing ground for this weapon.

When the naval fleet moved north from Zhejiang this time, it brought about 200 Type A mines to the frontline troops, as well as ten specially trained mine engineers. Considering the enemy's combat habits, Qian Tiandun ordered the

The engineers took out two-thirds of the mines from the box and buried them outside the camp. This was not because Qian Tiandun was lavish, but because he considered that the war situation between the two sides would only allow the mines to be used in the early stage, and the sea mines in the later stage.

The Han army will definitely suppress their opponents at the front line of the isthmus fortress and will not give them the opportunity to use cavalry to counterattack, so there is no need to wait any longer at this time.

The engineers used these more than 100 mines to lay out a minefield about 100 meters wide and five meters deep in the wilderness. Although the layout was a bit scattered, the final combat effect was quite good. Houjin Cavalry did not expect it at all.

The opponent would set up such an ambush. Dozens of landmines would explode in succession within a few seconds. The scene of people being turned upside down would even make some of the Queen's Golden Cavalry think they were being bombarded.

Before they could recover from the chaos, a dense rain of bullets was fired from behind the simple fortifications on the opposite side. In the panic, several war horses stepped on the laid mines, which exploded irregularly in the east and west.

Making the scene even more chaotic.

The number of cavalrymen directly killed and injured by the mine array may not be more than a hundred, but the chaos caused is difficult to control. It is impossible to form a formation to charge again. The rifles on the opposite side are constantly harvesting the cavalry and cavalry who are still able to move.

War horses. The fighting distance is only a few dozen meters. The cavalry can't avoid it, but it's hard to rush forward with bullets. If they don't want to be a living target or be blown to pieces by the landmines in the soil, they can only hurry up.

Turn around and leave the battlefield.

Probably because yesterday's defeat left too many shadows on the Houjin Army, although the defense line at the attack target looks more fragile today, it is difficult to have the courage to continue the battle after being randomly bombarded by landmines.

.No one knew when and how the Haihan army on the opposite side would kill them. Such fear made many cavalrymen turn their horses and start leaving the battlefield without waiting for the signal to retreat from the rear.

Sun Zhen led his troops back to the Central Route Army camp from the Binhai Highlands overnight last night. This morning he fought against the Jin army for the second time in the camp. The mines Qian Tiandun ordered the engineers to lay outside the camp were a big deal to him.

It is also a novel thing. When we returned to the camp last night, there were cavalry waiting outside. After stopping them, they led the way back to the camp through a large circle from the southern entrance.

Although Sun Zhen already knew about Qian Tiandun's arrangement at the time, he did not think too much about the weapon buried in the soil. After witnessing the power of the mine explosion with his own eyes, he confirmed that the effect of this thing was indeed beyond

In my own imagination, the menacing Hou Jin Cavalry had already been blown away without even touching the edge of the Haihan camp. And when I directed the soldiers from the camp to shoot at the Hou Jin Cavalry, there were even many people on the other side.

There was no telling where the bullets came from, and it looked like he had been knocked unconscious by a series of explosions.

The special operations battalion repelled this round of offensive by the Hou Jin Army without much effort. At least nearly two hundred cavalrymen and horses fell in the mud outside the camp. In the past, it was natural for Sun Zhen to encounter such a situation.

He would think about how to clean the battlefield and collect the loot, but at this time he was thinking about how to clean up the area where mines were buried to ensure safety.

There is no need for him to worry about this kind of thing. The engineers have already marked the ground when they laid the mines. Then they will circle the mine area and march around. As for the clearing, it will probably not be cleared for a while and a half, at least.

Wait until both the people and the horses in the minefield are stubborn, otherwise, if one of the horses is not dead when collecting the corpses, it will be fun to explode another mine after struggling.

"This thing is easy to use, but it's a bit wasteful!" Qian Tiandun, who was also paying attention to this battle, sighed.

According to incomplete statistics, less than a hundred landmines were triggered and exploded by the Houjin Cavalry in the battle just now. This means that there are still dozens of landmines still lying quietly in the soil at this time. Although they were already buried when they were laid,

After marking, it is not difficult to determine the location of these mines when clearing the site, but no one can guarantee whether there is a triggered mine under the bodies of the fallen horses and Houjin soldiers. It is safe.

For the sake of safety, Qian Tiandun would definitely not let his precious mine engineers take the risk to clear this minefield, so even if the mines did not explode, they would probably be able to leave them here temporarily and wait for a while to slowly clean them up.

Of course, as for how to clean up, this is not a problem for Qian Tiandun. When the time comes, the captured prisoners of war will be sent to the minefield to clean up the remains. Even if many people are killed, it will not be distressing. Considering that there are still many people in the Jin army

There are many Han Chinese, Koreans and people from some small tribes in the Northeast who have been coerced. Those who are sent to carry out such a death mission must definitely choose those Jurchens with pure blood.

This battle was won very easily because of the use of new weapons that Hou Jin was completely unaware of. However, if the high cost of these small-batch hand-made landmines is taken into account, the cost of this battle may be higher than that of directly using guns and artillery.

It is much higher. Moreover, even if these mines do not explode during the battle, it is difficult to recover them for secondary use, and they will leave a hidden minefield hazard in one's own control area that is difficult to deal with in the short term. Therefore, the disadvantages are still

Quite a lot.

For a senior general or theater commander, these issues are all factors that must be considered when formulating tactics. Qian Tiandun was a professional soldier in another time and space, so he naturally understands the significance of areas densely covered with mines in peacetime.

What kind of trouble will it cause, so he believes that even if this special weapon can be manufactured in batches and large-scale, the military must still maintain a cautious attitude towards its use on the battlefield. If it is not considered more carefully, this thing may also

Become a double-edged sword.

Different from what some people imagined before the war, this battle was over even before the Houjin infantry entered the battle area. The battle lasted much shorter than yesterday's battle near the coastal highlands. Mines

Although the scene of bombing the cavalry was thrilling, the actual number of enemy troops killed and injured was actually not as good as yesterday's battle. It's just that today's battle was fought without any suspense. The Hou Jin Army didn't even get the slightest chance to struggle. This battle can be said to be

His confidence was extinguished a lot.

After the remaining cavalry turned around and fled back, the rear Jin army seemed to realize that nothing could be done, so the front team changed to the rear team and slowly disappeared from the sight of the special operations battalion. However, Qian Tiandun was not worried about it.

After losing their traces, Harugong's cavalry battalion had multiple teams operating on the nearby plains, specifically performing surveillance and tracking tasks. The Houjin Army of thousands of people would definitely not be able to disappear out of thin air, and there would soon be

News of its movements came back.

After the Jin Army was defeated in a battle, Qian Tiandun expected that the opponent would not appear near the special operations camp again in a short period of time, so he ordered someone to send a telegram to the West Route Army and East Route Army to report the battle situation. Not long after, Wang Tom sent a message

He called back and expressed his dissatisfaction with the idle state of the East Route Army. After the East Route Army, which he led with the Marine Corps as the main force, landed in Dalian Bay, it only encountered an unlucky Houjin patrol. In addition to these two

There was nothing gained. And the Eastern Route Army had to wait for the Chinese and Western forces to move simultaneously, and could not rashly march to the defense line of Houjin Fortress in the north, so Wang Tom could only send a telegram to complain in boredom at the beach.

Naturally, Qian Tiandun would not take Wang Tom's complaints seriously. He knew very well the navy commander's behavior, which was that he was eager to snatch all the meat from the Army's mouth and eat it himself. From a certain point of view, Qian Tiandun

Dun and Wang Tom are both the same kind of soldiers. They pursue victory and are eager to prove their value in life with their achievements on the battlefield. They simply and fanatically hope that they can reach the top of this profession and become an unprecedented and unparalleled first-class general.

.They will cooperate during the execution of combat missions, but will never give up their own stage to the other party to perform.

Qian Tiandun just laughed at Wang Tom's complaints. If the Marine Corps did not gain anything in this operation, then from the standpoint of an army general, Qian Tiandun would actually be happy to see it succeed. After all, now

The generals in the military are openly or semi-openly training the special forces under their command. The competition for military expenditures on this type of organization is also becoming increasingly fierce. Of course, Qian Tiandun does not want too many competitors to compete with him for the Ministry of National Defense.

share of the military budget, not to mention the navy, a natural competitor.

The Haihan Army would always count the results after the battle, but today's battlefield was indeed a bit troublesome. Facing a large number of broken bodies, Chen Yixin, who was responsible for commanding the cleanup of the battlefield, didn't look good at all. He just asked the engineers to stand on the ground.

Make good marks, circle the minefield first, and erect warning signs around the perimeter to prevent your own people from accidentally entering.

"Chief, how do we count the number of enemies killed?"

After Liu Shang lingered in Fort Lushun for several days, he finally got his wish and was temporarily seconded to the army by Chen Yixin to serve as a writing clerk. This time he also went out with the main force of the special operations battalion. Although he was a little nervous at first, thinking about the fact that he was in Haihan

In the camp of the ace troops, there was probably no safer place in Liaodong than here, and he slowly relaxed. He was also watching today's short battle in the camp, although he didn't quite understand it.

What kind of sharp weapons could Haihan deploy outside the camp to cause such an astonishing killing effect? ​​However, Liu Shang still dutifully followed Chen Yixin to the battle zone, preparing to record the statistics of the results.

But he didn't expect that the special operations battalion would designate this fighting area as a restricted area, and no one was allowed to enter it. Of course, after seeing the death of these Houjin Cavalry with his own eyes, he didn't want to go close to check at all.

idea. According to the information Chen Yixin told him, the landmines buried in the soil were enough to blow him up to the height of the second floor, and he would most likely die before landing. Although Liu Shang is not timid, he is also

Don't want to make such a dangerous attempt.

Chen Yixin responded: "Just remember the approximate number. Some people were blown into several pieces. It's hard to count, so just count the horses. One horse corresponds to one cavalry, but there must be more people killed than horses."

"

Liu Shang nodded yes. During the battle, after some enemy cavalry were shot and fell off their horses, the horses ran away, but people couldn't run away, so Chen Yixin's words made sense. With special warfare

Regarding the battalion's performance, it does not matter whether the number of enemy troops annihilated is recorded more or less. After all, Haihan does not record merit based on the number of heads, but the main consideration is achieving combat objectives.
Chapter completed!