Chapter 1801 Insurmountable

The sky was getting dark, and the positions of the two armies facing each other in the air finally returned to calm. Sun Bing led his men to light several bonfires in the outer area about a hundred meters away from the dock, and deployed sentries on the roofs of several warehouses to protect them from the weather.

After dark, enemy troops quietly invaded the camp. Although the Qing army has so far shown no sign of going out of the city to confront the Haihan army, Sun Bing still does not dare to be careless. After all, the Qing army has been operating here for a long time and has no influence on the environment.

Their familiarity is far better than that of the Haihan Army who have just arrived, and it is unlikely that they will use unconventional tactics such as night attacks to try to open up the situation.

According to normal combat deployment, if the requirements are safe, the troops on the dock should retreat to Waihua Island at night to ensure safety. However, Wang Tom believed that garrisoning the dock would give the Qing army in Jiulian City a greater sense of oppression, so the Qing army did not attack.

He resolutely refused to withdraw. However, considering the limited strength of the Marines stationed at the dock, Wang Tom still provided defense support for them as much as possible, and also sent the two Marine reserve companies remaining on the warship to the shore.

In addition, the barbed wire unloaded from the warships was also quickly deployed around the dock. Regardless of whether the enemy was infantry or cavalry, the blocking effect of high and low crisscrossing barbed wire on the battlefield has never disappointed. In

During the offensive and defensive confrontation in Jinzhou, Haihan used dense barbed wire with a depth of tens of meters and horse resistance to successfully block several cavalry attacks by the Jin army.

Although the Qing army is unlikely to use a large number of cavalry in a night attack, the Haihan army still prepared for the worst in advance. Even if the opponent launches a cavalry charge at night, they must ensure that the dock position can defend this unconventional offensive -

—At the very least, we must hold on until the fleet's long-range firepower can be output.

At around two o'clock in the middle of the night, Wang Tom was woken up from his sleep by his guard, saying that the sentry had discovered enemy activity in the direction of Jiulian City. Wang Tom's sleepiness faded away completely, and he immediately got up, dressed and left the cabin. Before leaving,

He did not forget to ask the guard to bring his personal telescope. Tom Wang brought several personal telescopes to this time and space, including a special model with low-light night vision function.

The telescopes used by the sentries responsible for the lookout were all ordinary models installed in the army. Of course, they did not have such special functions. However, through the moonlight that filtered through the gaps in the clouds, we could see that the edges of the mountains and forests on the left and right of Jiulian City were full of human figures.

It seems that Qing troops are gathering, but there is no movement near the gate of Jiulian City. The sentry did not dare to be careless. After discovering the situation, he immediately notified the officers on the deck, and then went to wake up Tom Wang who was resting.

After Wang Tom arrived on the deck, he listened to reports from his subordinates and used binoculars to confirm the situation in the distance. Sure enough, as the sentry discovered, there were indeed many figures moving in the mountains and forests in the distance, but there was no sign of an attack yet. Like

On such a night with poor visibility, it was not easy for the troops to complete the assembly quietly and in the dark in the wild mountains and forests. Wang Tom estimated that with the military quality of the Qing army, the time required to complete this link would definitely be short.

This was naturally good news for the Haihan Army. Wang Tom immediately ordered that all marines enter the first level of alert, and the artillery on each warship must also be in position quickly to prepare for battle.

However, the Qing army's operational efficiency was even worse than Wang Tom expected. After waiting for almost an hour, Wang Tom began to wonder if his opponent was playing tricks when he finally saw the Qing army's vanguard slowly emerging from the forest.

come out.

Perhaps in order to control the noise as much as possible, the Qing army did not use cavalry. The people who slowly appeared in the telescope lens were infantrymen holding swords and bows. If their whereabouts had not been discovered before, it would be difficult to see them with the naked eye.

In the distance, we can distinguish the Qing troops advancing slowly, using various bushes as cover.

Wang Tom suddenly discovered the reason why the Qing army delayed so long before launching the attack: "It turns out they were waiting for these bonfires to go out!"

Several bonfires lit outside the dock position after nightfall have basically been burned out by this time, and the Haihan Army currently does not have much combustibles to replenish, unless the dock is demolished overnight. The Qing Army should be

They were waiting for the visibility outside the dock position to decrease, and then took advantage of the situation to sneak over and carry out a sneak attack. However, they did not expect that their whereabouts had been exposed early. If they approached at this time, the effect of the night attack would be greatly reduced.

The Marines at the dock position were already in position behind the bunker, leaning their loaded rifles against the bunker, waiting for the commander's orders. For the Marines, night combat is actually part of their training.

It's just that he rarely encounters actual combat, and his combat experience cannot be said to be rich.

Sun Bing almost never put down the telescope in his hand. Although the temperature had dropped to a bit cooler after nightfall, the hair on his forehead was already soaked with sweat. In such a night battle, he actually

It was his first time as a commander, so he couldn't help but feel a little nervous. This illusion that he knew that a large group of enemies was slowly approaching his position not far away, but saw nothing in his field of vision, made his nerves tense all the time.

Hold on, lest you miss the opportunity to order the fire to kill the enemy.

If the battle takes place during the day, the Haihan Army can naturally rely on the range advantage of its weapons and equipment to keep the enemy at bay for a hundred meters. Even if the enemy forces attack with several times their own force, it will only cost the Marines garrisoned at the dock more money.

It’s just some ammunition. But in fact, with the visibility tonight, it is difficult to see people or objects thirty meters away with the naked eye. It is not so easy to use the advantage of weapons to increase the combat distance like fighting in the daytime.

Already.

Based on the visual distance of the current environment, when the enemy can be clearly seen, the opponent has almost entered the edge of the defense line of the dock position. Although there are several layers of barbed wire fences arranged around the perimeter, Sun Bing knows that the Qing army has also been trying to use

There are some methods to overcome the usual defenses like Haihan, such as laying wooden boards or quilts directly on the barbed wire and quickly passing through, or having the soldiers carrying long-armed iron shears on their backs to cut through the barbed wire.

It is easier for infantry to pass through barbed wire obstacles than it is for cavalry to charge. If the enemy is fully prepared, the barbed wire fortifications deployed in advance can only last a few minutes at most. If the Marines stationed at the dock do not have

It can cause enough damage to the enemy during this period. Once the opponent breaks through the barbed wire, it will basically be a face-to-face bloody battle.

About two more incense sticks passed in this unsettling silence. Suddenly, some strange noises came from the dark night outside the position, which sounded like the sound of some metal objects gently colliding with each other. Sun Bing came from

I saw flashing reflections in the telescope. Soon these reflections became closer and closer, and became clearer, outlining human figures one by one.

Suddenly, more than a dozen enemy soldiers wearing heavy armor appeared in the defender's field of vision. They ran quickly, holding long-handled axes or large machetes in their hands, and the armor on their bodies followed them as they ran.

There was a rustling noise, and it turned out that this was the noise I heard earlier.

These silent enemy soldiers rushed to a place about twenty meters in front of the dock position, raised their weapons, and slashed at the barbed wire blocking the way. In the darkness behind them, there were countless Qing soldiers.

The soldiers of the army rushed out and rushed towards the dock position. It seemed that the Qing army's night attack tactics relied on these Bajala warriors, who were as strong as cattle and wearing heavy armor, to break through the outer defenses and then swarm them.

Enter, looking for opportunities to fight in close combat with the Haihan Army.

It has to be said that the tactics of the Qing army are indeed targeted to a certain extent, and they also know very well how to use their strengths and avoid weaknesses when the Hai and Han armies are fighting. They try to use the cover of night to shorten the fighting distance as quickly as possible to seek a chance of victory. Once the two sides are in close contact,

In a melee, the effectiveness of the Haihan Army's advanced weapons will be greatly reduced, and the Qing Army's strength advantage will be immediately highlighted. This is their only chance to cause significant damage to the Haihan Army.

However, the Marines guarding the dock position certainly would not sit idly by and ignore the Qing army's offensive. Following Sun Bing's order, gunfire broke out, and all the heavily armored Bajala at the front were wounded.

Several shots were fired. Even though the armor they wore was very thick, it was difficult to completely resist the firing of Haihan rifle at the current fighting distance, and they fell to the ground one after another.

But at this time, the outer layer of several barbed wire fences had been broken open by the heavy weapons of the Bajala soldiers. The Qing troops who came up quickly rushed towards these gaps, and some of the Qing troops who rushed in front even screamed.

He pounced directly on the barbed wire fence and pressed it down with his body. In the darkness in the distance, there was the sound of bowstrings. It seemed that the Qing army's archers were shooting towards the dock.

The defenders also had a combat plan to deal with the current situation. Several grenades flew out from behind the defense line and landed in the gaps where the enemy troops were densest. After several rumbling explosions, there were screams of misery, and there was chaos.

It is unknown how many Qing troops were injured by grenades.

The six field artillery deployed on the defense line had long been replaced with grape bombs according to Sun Bing's instructions. At this time, they had already aimed at the enemy troops who were breaking through the barbed wire defense line, and then opened fire and bombarded them. The power of this close range artillery bombardment was even greater than that of hand grenades.

It was much bigger, and several people on the spot were beaten to a pulp by this wave of grape bombs.

After the concentrated firepower of the guns and artillery, several places that were already in danger of being breached were suddenly blocked by wounded soldiers and corpses of the Qing army. However, these casualties did not stop the Qing army's offensive, and Qing troops continued to attack

Surge out of the darkness and rush towards the dock position, hoping to quickly break through the final distance of less than ten feet and enter the dock position.

At this time, many warships parked at Jiang'an Pier finally fired their cannons. Due to the problem of shooting angle, the targets of these naval cannons were not the Qing troops that were breaking into the Haihan defense line, but the targets behind them that had not yet appeared in the darkness.

of troops.

In the dark night, these warships parked on the riverside instantly turned into fixed forts. Dozens of artillery fired one after another. No matter how desperate the Qing army was, they were shocked to see such a scene. As for the darkness,

How many Qing troops were hit by artillery shells, the two warring parties were completely unable to confirm at the moment, but the number of Qing troops who subsequently rushed into the battlefield was obviously much reduced.

Sun Bing had calmed down at this time. After the fight started, he seemed to be back in a familiar environment. The sound of gunfire, the smell of gunpowder smoke, and the shouts of killing made his mind become clearer. Sun Bing issued several orders in succession.

He ordered the Marines to concentrate their firepower on the Qing army's key attack areas on the left and right sides of the dock, and at the same time put reserve troops in place, ready to reinforce weak areas at any time.

The Marine Corps' positions were built in a hurry. Naturally, there were no facilities such as bastions, tunnels, and three-dimensional firepower nets. They basically used various building materials that were dismantled on the spot to build parapets and bunkers, and then the various buildings on the pier were built.

Holes were drilled in the walls to serve as shooting holes. As for the firepower points originally set up on the roofs of various houses, they were quickly withdrawn to reduce casualties after being fired by targeted bows and arrows from the Qing army.

When Sun Bing realized that the situation was under control, he made adjustments again, consciously reducing the intensity of the firepower output, allowing the Qing army to have the opportunity to advance the line of fire a certain distance further and wait for the opponent's troops to rush in nearby.

After reaching a certain scale, Sun Bing ordered full firepower to kill the enemy. After repeating this two or three times, the Qing commander probably realized that this line of defense was already an insurmountable chasm for them, and any further attack would only increase casualties.

, and finally chose to withdraw the troops.

Due to poor visibility, Sun Bing did not order to pursue the retreating enemy troops, but ordered the soldiers to immediately check the status of their ordnance and ammunition to prepare for the next wave of battles. He could not confirm the Qing offensive now.

Is this the end, or is there still another round of offensive ready to go in the darkness in the distance, so we can only prepare to continue fighting.

However, the Qing army seemed to have given up the plan of continuing to attack in the dark. News soon came that the Qing army had retreated the same way. Wang Tom sent an order to Sun Bing, asking him to arrange for the companies on the firing line to take a rotation and rest first, and to count their own battle losses.

We will talk about other things after dawn.

In this wave of dark attacks, 11 Marines were killed and more than 30 were injured. Of the teams of sentries deployed outside the position last night, only one team successfully withdrew, and the other teams were all missing.

The ability to retreat in time resulted in heavy casualties. The Qing army's bows and arrows during the attack also caused a certain number of casualties to the Marines. However, at the several exchange points where the Qing army faced off head-on, there were no casualties.

These battle losses also reflect that there are still certain loopholes in the formation of the Marine Corps. However, this responsibility is not caused by Sun Bing alone. Wang Tom insisted on deploying the Marine Corps on the dock overnight, in fact, he was using it to lure the enemy.

Based on his calculations, risks are unavoidable in battles. Fortunately, compared to the enemy's battle losses, the situation on Haihan's side is quite reasonable.
Chapter completed!