Chapter 391 The Allies Arrive

Since the first use of shotgun shells in the Battle of Lijiazhuang in May last year, the huge lethality of this new type of artillery shell at close range has made it widely welcomed by the Army. Since the Executive Committee has always been strict in its review of military expenditures, the Military Commission also insisted on

Following the elite force route, the Haihan Militia will often be at a significant disadvantage in terms of military strength during combat. Therefore, they must rely more on weapon performance, tactical formulation, and execution advantages to achieve victory. In addition to new breech-loading rifles

, which can be fired using existing artillery of the Army, is also a weapon that the Army relies heavily on.

"The Second Battalion and the First Company retreated to rest, and the Second Battalion and the Second Company entered the combat position!"

Following the order from the messenger, the combat companies that had been on the position all morning began to retreat in an orderly manner, and other companies took over their positions. The troops who retreated first had to check their firearms, clean the barrels, and count and replenish ammunition.

Then eat immediately to replenish energy and seize the time to rest.

The personnel on the artillery position have always been in short supply, and there is no way to replace them. At this time, they took advantage of the break in the fighting to stop and rest for a while. However, their treatment is much better than that of ordinary infantry, and the hot meals have been packed.

Civilians carried them on poles directly to the artillery positions for them to eat. In order to ensure that the nearly 3,000 combatants in the frontline troops could eat hot food on time, Heitu Port began to stockpile coal in Yongan Port as early as the end of last year, and then

After the war broke out, two cargo ships were arranged to transport coal from Yongan Port to the war zone for use.

Although this logistics supply method seems troublesome and expensive, it has a very practical effect on ensuring the combat effectiveness of combat troops. With so many thousands of people eating, the amount of fuel they need to consume every day is not a small amount. Without stable logistics,

Guarantee, that would cause big trouble. Besides, the South Vietnamese army had already cut down all the trees within ten miles outside the city, so it was impossible to find fuel locally.

More than a hundred artillery trainees who accompanied the team on this expedition took advantage of the truce to start cleaning and scrubbing the gun barrels and counting and replenishing ammunition. Although they were doing rough work, these trainees were not treated as ordinary migrant workers.

Each of them was selected from the newly recruited soldiers at the end of last year. They were flexible and courageous. Their professional skills training was also taken over by Portuguese military consultants hired from Macau last year. Due to the number of instructors

With the increase in the number of troops, the training speed of artillery has also doubled compared with before. This time for the expedition to South Vietnam, the Military Commission also included them in the list. On the one hand, they can see the real battlefield, and on the other hand, they can also be used when necessary.

When the time comes, they will be added to the regular army. Although the sighting skills of these students may not be too strong, it is no longer a problem to use them as loaders.

In the afternoon of the same day, the South Vietnamese Army launched two more offensives, but under the long-range firepower of the Hai Han Militia, they could only return in vain, only causing hundreds of casualties. Before nightfall, the South Vietnamese Army finally gave up the fight.

This position along the river for two days was completely covered by the Haihan Militia's firing range, and there was no shelter for the troops stationed on this position to block the enemy's shooting field of view. It was simply like

It's the meat on the chopping board that generally has no resistance.

However, although the offensive of the Haihan Militia was relatively smooth, not everything was under control, and uncontrollable factors still existed objectively. At the combat meeting at the frontline headquarters that night, the atmosphere became very solemn.

"There may be massive rainfall in two days? Is this thing 50% reliable?" Qiao Zhiya frowned at the latest report in his hand and asked in a questioning tone.

"If we talk about scientific evidence, I'm afraid no one can provide it now. After all, there are no meteorological satellites in the sky. This is just an inference based on comprehensive information from all aspects and can only provide a reference." Qian Tiandun seemed unhurried.

Wait, it seems that he has already understood the contents of the report.

This weather forecast comes from the logistics department, and its information sources are also diverse. There are speculations made by meteorological enthusiasts in the military based on changes in clouds and air pressure, and reference information provided by Annan soldiers who are familiar with the weather in Indochina based on their physical senses.

There are even confessions from captured prisoners - in previous years, there would always be heavy rains that lasted for several days in the area near Hue Province in early March. These inferences that lack data support are naturally not very scientific, but no one can

Denying the possibility of such weather changes is an objective reality.

For the Haihan militia, which installs firearms on a large scale, rainy weather is undoubtedly the most objective factor that restricts combat effectiveness. Although the muskets used by the militia now use breech loading and flash cap firing, rainy weather will still have a huge impact.

It may cause the gunpowder to become damp and unable to fire. Not to mention the artillery filled with gunpowder packages. If the rain is too heavy and the barrel is filled with water, it will be impossible to fire. And if you want to start a hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, then the Haihan people will

The number of people in the regiment is really not enough.

"It's better to believe in something than something that doesn't exist. We won't fight an unprepared battle. No matter whether it rains or not, being fully prepared is the foundation for our invincibility." Yan Chujie quickly gave this answer.

The matter is finalized: "The staff department also has a combat plan to deal with weather changes before departure. Just adjust the tactics according to the plan. The relevant materials will be arranged for shipment overnight and will be transported to the frontline positions early tomorrow morning. It is necessary to ensure the safety of the frontline troops.

Combat effectiveness is not affected by weather!"

Although the rainy season in Indochina is from May to November and has not yet entered the real rainy season, when formulating the operational plan, the staff still took the uncertain factor of weather changes into consideration and formulated a plan.

Corresponding combat plan. Although the guns and artillery currently installed do not have the performance to be used in the rain, relevant departments can still achieve it through some simple technical means to ensure the use environment of the weapons.

To put it bluntly, this so-called technical method is actually nothing mysterious. It is nothing more than building a rainproof canopy on the position to block the rain falling from the sky as much as possible. The logistics department prepared a large number of tarpaulin canopies in the combat supplies when setting off.

and cloaks, just for emergencies when the weather changes. About ten days after the war started, these things finally came in handy.

The next morning, the South Vietnamese troops observing the enemy's situation on the tower suddenly discovered that the Haihan people had no intention of continuing the offensive today. Instead, they started construction on their own positions, digging trenches and burying piles. I don't know what happened.

What reason.

The confused South Vietnamese army couldn't understand, but everyone in the Haihan Militia already knew why they were doing these things. Qiao Zhiya, who was an engineering major when he joined the army, personally guided the civilians and engineers to dig drainage ditches on the position to ensure that several

The main fire output point will not be flooded by water on the ground on rainy days. Needless to say, the wooden piles buried on the ground are used to build canopies.

Soon, pieces of tarpaulin awnings were erected above the fire output point. At this time, the South Vietnamese army, who had been in the fog on the tower, finally figured out that the Haihan people were building rainproof facilities. They also realized that

The South Vietnamese Army, which showed signs of changing weather conditions, chose to lie dormant on this day, and quietly watched the Haihan people continuously expand the coverage of the canopy on the position. The South Vietnamese Army did not have so many firearms, and the impact of rainy days on combat effectiveness was definitely

It would be smaller than the opponent. Rather than launching an attack now, it would be better to wait until it rains. Maybe the firearms that the Haihan people are famous for will lose their effect, and they can easily take it by then.

By the time the sun set, a canopy of oilcloth awnings had appeared on the outside of the Haihan position, covering all fire output points. As for the camp surrounding it, there were not many changes, because the military

All marching tents are originally made of waterproof tarpaulin, and it is enough to dig a deep drainage ditch outside the tent.

At noon on March 10, the sky suddenly became gloomy. Thick dark clouds shrouded the sky over Hue City, and the wind gradually became stronger. Seeing that heavy rain was approaching, the Hai Han position was busy preparing to prepare for the coming weather.

Final preparations for change.

"Take another rope to reinforce one here!" Qiao Zhiya pointed to an awning and ordered the foreman behind him. As the person in charge of the construction of rainproof facilities, Qiao Zhiya was still checking for leaks and filling gaps in the site, striving to ensure that nothing went wrong.

In addition to the wooden stake supports for the canopy on the position, the tarpaulin is also tied to large iron nails driven into the ground with ropes to prevent the tarpaulin from being easily blown away by strong winds. Various combat supplies, especially guns and ammunition

, all were wrapped in oilcloth and stored under an awning to prevent them from getting wet and affected by moisture.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, after a burst of thunder that echoed across the sky, raindrops as big as soybeans finally fell from the sky and crackled on the awning. Almost all the officers looked up to the sky, as if they wanted to see through the rain above their heads with their naked eyes.

How much is the serving size?

However, even after everyone's necks were sore, the rain did not decrease at all. On the contrary, it continued to increase. If the drainage ditch on the position had not been widened and deepened in advance, the country would have been completely wiped out by now.

.But even so, this kind of heavy rain has made the two warring parties lose the possibility of starting a war at this time. The only thing Haihan is thankful for is that this heavy rain did not come with strong winds at the same time, otherwise the positions would be reinforced with ropes.

It is difficult to say whether the awning can withstand the test.

Until dark, because the rain did not decrease, the South Vietnamese army did not choose to attack, so it was delayed for another day.

By noon on the 11th, the rain finally slowed down, and the South Vietnamese army seized this opportunity and launched another attack on the Hai Han position. But what made the South Vietnamese army feel desperate was that the weapons used by the Hai Han militia did not

The sudden heavy rain was not greatly affected. The artillery and artillery fire was still successful as expected, beating the South Vietnamese army who launched the attack in the rain to howling ghosts. The militia retreated almost at the same time as they opened fire. They only launched

The attack was terminated after just one round. Since the surrounding terrain had become very muddy, the militia were in no hurry to continue advancing on the front, so the day's fighting came to an end.

Fortunately, the heavy rain came to an end after this night, and the officers of the militia finally did not have to worry that the rain would continue to delay the progress of the war. On the morning of the 12th, the infantry of the militia launched a new round of attacks on the mud, pushing

The battle line continued to advance along the banks of the Xiong River towards the city wall of Hue. The South Vietnamese army of about 2,000 men who tried to stop the militia had to give way under the collective fire of muskets.

However, the command of the South Vietnamese Army did not think of anything. Taking advantage of the two-day truce, several cannons were transported from the city walls in other non-combatant directions and set up on the northeast corner fort that had been destroyed by concentrated fire.

to counterattack the militia infantry outside the city. It must be said that this move was a little beyond the expectations of the militia commanders. After several artillery shells flew into the militia's infantry array and knocked over several soldiers,

The officer quickly ordered the infantry team to retreat to a safe distance, and then mobilized artillery to respond.

Due to the muddy ground, it took a lot of effort for the heavy artillery to be pushed to the front line. Although the distance was only a few hundred meters, it took a full two hours for more than a dozen artillery pieces to be in place, and then to the northeast corner.

The fort carried out a concentrated attack. The artillery on the city wall suffered from a disadvantage in terms of range, so it could not fight with the Haihan artillery outside the city, so it could only be passively beaten in a depressed manner.

It is worth mentioning that the 48-pound siege mortar that had just arrived at the front line before the heavy rain finally made its debut in this battle, and soon directly destroyed an artillery on the city wall turret with a precise hit.

and seven gunners. Before dark, intensive artillery strikes had completely silenced the northeast corner fort again, but the offensive that Haihan tried to launch did not make actual progress because of this.

But just one day later, the situation took a new turn. The North Vietnamese Army, which was pursuing all the way from the north, skipped Quang Tri City without fighting. It had already marched to a place less than 20 miles west of Hue City and sent its vanguard.

The troops made contact with the Hai Han militia group attacking the northeast corner of Hue City.

The total strength of the North Vietnamese army that crossed Dong Hoi and pursued southward this time exceeded 40,000. Although it was inevitable that there were a considerable number of peasant soldiers with low combat effectiveness, there were also 4,000 soldiers. The guard was completely modeled on the Haihan combat system.

**** Elite. About 10,000 of this army stayed in the north to surround Quang Tri City. The rest of the troops, led by North Vietnamese general Zheng Bai, went all the way south and rushed outside Hue City.

Zheng Bai led his army south in such a hurry and even skipped the siege of Guangzhi City without attacking it. On the one hand, it was because the victory of attacking Hue City was not to be missed. On the other hand, he was a little afraid that the Han people were trying to attack Hue City.

Then they looted everything, just like they did in Hoi An.

This kind of thing is not impossible. With the way the Haihan people do things, they would probably be happy to put all the wealth in Hue on ships and transport it back to Qiongzhou Island. And now the North Vietnamese court has regarded South Vietnam as its own.

Naturally, we don’t want the Haihan people to live alone in Hue City—every tael of silver in this city will become the property of the North Vietnamese court from now on!

Zheng Bai sent people to contact the Hai Han militia, firstly to inform the allies that our army has arrived, please stop messing around, and secondly, he also wanted to ask for some supplies from Hai Han. The North Vietnamese army was eager to come and participate in the battle to attack Hue City.

, the army moved south too fast, and it took only two days to reach the 120-mile distance, so that all the logistical supplies were left far behind. The army rations they carry now are only enough for three days.

, and the ammunition reserve is also quite limited, which may not be enough if you want to fight a high-intensity battle.

In response to the allies' request, the frontline headquarters still generously agreed to help and was willing to temporarily provide part of the military rations and combat supplies. Of course, this kind of front-line assistance is not free, and every grain of rice and every bullet is worth it.

After the war, it will be included in the military expenditure settlement of both sides. In addition, the transportation capacity of materials must be solved by the North Vietnamese side. The Haihan Militia will not use limited manpower to wipe the North Vietnamese army's butt.

However, due to the unexpected arrival of the North Vietnamese Army, the lone combat plan previously formulated by the headquarters also needed to be slightly adjusted. Although it is not difficult to capture Hue City alone, since the allies' troops have already arrived nearby, and have shown that

With a strong willingness to participate in the war, Hai Han does not want to make his appearance too ugly. As for how to gain benefits after the city is broken, it seems that it can only be taken one step at a time. But even if the North Vietnamese army participates in the siege, the command

The Ministry is also convinced that they cannot break through the city defenses before the Haihan militia. Some things can be done quickly. Whoever takes the lead in the city will gain more benefits.

On March 15, the military chiefs of North Vietnam and Hai Han met in a small village fifteen miles north of Hue City. This area had long been cleared by the Hai Han militia, so neither side carried too many weapons.

As for the armed entourage, Yan Chujie only brought Qian Tiandun and a guard beside him.

After the two sides met, they briefly exchanged greetings and informed each other of their experiences and results since the war began. The Hai Han militia successfully advanced the front line outside Hue City to a place less than 300 meters away from the city wall, and during the period

In more than 20 days of fighting, the South Vietnamese army killed more than 4,000 people.

The achievements of the North Vietnamese army are also worth flaunting. In the battle across the river in Dong Hoi, they defeated the 8,000 South Vietnamese troops who stayed in the local area, and pursued the defeated troops all the way to Quang Tri City, and finally escaped into Guang Tri City.

The defeated troops probably numbered less than a thousand, and the rest were either killed in battle or became prisoners of the North Vietnamese Army. Although Quang Tri City has not yet been captured, the number of defenders in the city is less than 3,000, and there is no practical reason for this.

The threat was already strong. Zheng Bai planned to take Hue and then send some of his troops back to attack Quang Zhi. It should be a sure thing.
Chapter completed!