1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 393 Attack and Defense in the City

As the attack order was issued, dozens of prepared wooden rafts were thrown into the moat by the engineering troops, quickly reconnecting the simple pontoon bridge that had just been broken by the collapse of the city wall, and by the way, the bridge deck was widened a lot.A dozen or so people who knew water skills jumped down one after another to help stabilize the raft. Fortunately, the flow of the inland river is extremely slow, and it can be maintained by manpower.Another engineer rushed to the bridge deck and quickly connected and fixed the wooden rafts together with double-headed nails.

The soldiers of the Heitu Port Special Operations Battalion had already set foot on the bridge deck before the pontoon bridge was erected. More than a dozen specially selected strong men opened the way ahead with super-large shields over two meters high and 1.3 meters wide. This kind of wooden shield with a thickness of more than one inch is covered with a layer of iron sheet, and the overall weight is more than 60 kilograms. It is strong enough to resist arrow shooting at close range. It is impossible to shoot through this shield.This kind of shield is an insurmountable high wall when erected, covering the people behind it tightly, and it can also be used as a parapet to cover the infantry's array shooting when it is turned horizontally. The frontal protection ability is very strong.

In such occasions where a desperate charge is required, Gao Qiaonan has always rushed to the front regardless of his life, but this time under Qian Tiandun's strict order, he can only shrink behind the big shield and cooperate with other soldiers fight.Before the battle, Qian Tiandun explained the purpose of the battle to his subordinate officers very clearly. This battle of breaking the city is a rare opportunity to practice siege tactics. Acting in the name of killing the enemy without authorization.Qian Tiandun also specifically named Gao Qiaonan, who likes to be aggressive, and asked him to "be more honest" to carry out the mission and lead his company to control the target area he was in charge of.

Under the cover of the large shield, the advance team quickly rushed across the pontoon bridge and stepped onto the ruins of the city wall.Although the earth-shattering explosion wiped out the defenders on this section of the city wall, other troops quickly came to make up for it after the wall collapsed. Arrows, lead bullets, and even javelins were thrown at The advance team that had just rushed to the gap in the city wall.Although the shielding effect of the large shield was quite good, there were still several militiamen who were injured and fell to the ground with a muffled grunt.

"Line up!"

The advance team that was blocked did not panic, Gao Qiaonan immediately commanded the remaining people to quickly line up four rows behind the shield wall.

"Leave the shield!"

Gao Qiaonan gave an order, and the strong man carrying the shield in the front row immediately put down the shield from vertical to horizontal, revealing the platoon of guns behind.The advance team, who had already mastered the volleyball formation, immediately fired forwards and retreated, and the people in the back row filled up their positions and fired. In this way, in just over ten seconds, the four rows of militiamen completed a round of rapid fire.As soon as the gunfire stopped, the large shields in the front row stood up again, allowing the militiamen to have a break to reload their bullets.

This tactic is very simple, and the main test is whether the advance team can bring out their daily training level on the battlefield.If it is a recruit, it is likely that when faced with such a scene, it will be flustered and unable to keep up with the rhythm required by the formation of guns, which may cause confusion in the formation.However, the group of people selected by Qian Tiandun were already veterans of Black Earth Port. They had participated in all the military operations in the North Vietnam area in the past year, and their combat experience was quite rich among militia troops.

After three consecutive rounds of shooting, hundreds of South Vietnamese defenders who rushed to the gap for reinforcements were knocked down by dense volleys of guns, and the rest of the lucky ones quickly withdrew from the range of the team.Compared with the long-range weapons used by the Haihan militia, the defenders now really feel that what they hold in their hands is a fire stick, and they can't even pass it in place if they want to use it to tickle their opponents.

After occupying this gap in the city wall, the advance team did not advance rashly, but climbed up the walls on both sides from the collapsed place, and set up a defense line against the defenders who were coming from the city wall.The follow-up militia troops quickly entered the gap, using local materials to build defensive positions with the collapsed city walls.

It has to be said that the chaos caused by the blasting of the city wall earlier brought a lot of convenience to the siege of the militia. The defense forces in the city actually noticed this main attack direction, and originally deployed several defenders near the battle area. But almost all of these troops fell out of control after the wall collapsed.Not only were the soldiers chaotic like headless chickens, but even many officers lost their self-control. They failed to organize a team to defend the fallen city wall in the first place, leaving time for the Haihan militia to make a breakthrough.

If the defenders in the city launched a counterattack in time, then relying on the vanguard of more than a hundred people and the simple pontoon bridge built by a few wooden platoons would not be enough to support the militia to form a large-scale breakthrough here.However, every step is slow, and every step is slow. Taking advantage of the chaos of the defenders in the city, the Haihan militia quickly established a small position in the northeast corner, and began to build a more stable and wider pontoon bridge on the nearby inner moat.

By the time the defenders in the city organized a team of thousands of people to launch a counterattack, an entire hour had passed since the city wall collapsed.Although the defenders had launched several attacks from the walls on both sides and inside the city before this, they were all repulsed by the sharp guns of the Haihan militia without exception.Especially for the defenders who launched a counterattack from the city wall, due to the narrow terrain, rushing to the Haihan militia's gun formation was almost equivalent to death. After several offensives, the corpses had already blocked the passage on the city wall.

As of [-]:[-] p.m., thousands of fighters from the vanguard of the militia had entered the city, but they had not yet launched an offensive deep into the city. They were still gathering at the opening of the city wall to organize defenses, waiting for a new wave of counterattacks from the defenders.A new pontoon bridge has been erected on the moat outside the city. Thigh-thick wooden piles are nailed deep into the bottom of the river, and wooden boards are fixed on top to build the bridge deck.

"The engineering troops are really well trained!" Qian Tiandun rarely praised the troops belonging to the base camp.

"This is a team trained by Mr. Tao himself, and the quality must be guaranteed." Yan Chujie replied with a smile.

In terms of the capabilities of the combat troops alone, the Heitugang Special Operations Battalion led by Qian Tiandun is undoubtedly the best, especially in today's tough battles, the Special Operations Battalion, which is accustomed to hand-to-hand combat with opponents, is used to fighting at a shorter distance. It is more suitable for the base camp troops controlled at the edge of the range, so they were selected as the advance team for the siege.As the founder of the Black Earth Port Army, Qian Tiandun is also very proud of his own team, and rarely praises other teams in public, but the performance of the engineering army today is indeed remarkable, and it can be regarded as an important achievement during the siege. Great work.Although the siege troops have only occupied a corner of Hue City, with the defensive capabilities of the Haihan militia, it may be difficult for the defenders to pull out this nail that has been driven into the city.

From the afternoon of the same day to before dark, the South Vietnamese defenders dispatched about 4000 people to besiege the Haihan militia that had entered the city, but they did not achieve the results they expected.The defenders even unloaded a few cannons from the city wall and pushed them nearby, wanting to have a close-range artillery battle with the militia, but after only firing two rounds, they were caught fire by the militia's artillery because of the exposed position. It was sent to the sky by a wave of shells, and several barrels of gunpowder that were detonated next to it also took the lives of more than 30 defenders.

After nightfall, the defenders also organized two groups of death squads to attack, but the troops who entered the city demolished the surrounding houses and lit many fires outside the position, making it impossible for the invading enemy to hide their whereabouts, leaving behind nearly a hundred people in vain. corpse.

The fighting intensity became very intense the next day, and from daybreak, the defenders launched an attack at any cost.Nearly [-] defenders attacked the position in the northeast corner of Hue City like a tide. Even if the Haihan militia once again sacrificed the shotgun, they failed to completely repel the continuous offensive of the defenders.At the most dangerous time, the defenders even rushed to the positions of the militia, and started a small-scale hand-to-hand battle with the militia soldiers who had finished shooting and had no time to reload.However, the strong militiamen do not suffer in close combat. After all, what they have learned is the standard bayonet fighting technique summed up by later generations through actual combat, and their advantages in fighting are very obvious.

At the critical juncture, the sniper team led by Old Morgan rushed to the reinforcements in time, shot and killed more than a dozen South Vietnamese officers from the sniper positions on the city wall, causing the command of the attacking troops to fall into chaos, and only then saved the battle.

This day's battle continued until the sky was getting dark, and even the fighters of the Black Earth Port Special Operations Battalion, which is known for its powerful combat effectiveness, were mostly exhausted and fell to the ground at this time.If there were no replacement troops outside the city, the headquarters probably could only order a retreat.

After nightfall, when the soldiers were resting in their shifts, the high-level command staff had to seize the time to hold a meeting to summarize today's battle situation and discuss the next tactics.

"In today's battle, a total of 27 people were killed, and 170 of them were seriously injured and needed to be taken off the line of fire for treatment. In addition, 57 rifles had problems and needed to be replaced. The three artillery pieces had reached the design life and could no longer be used." Yan Chujie First, he reported today's battle damage to the officers present.

"The casualties are still within an acceptable range. What I am more concerned about now is whether our ammunition supplies can keep up?" Qian Tiandun's face was expressionless. For him, the results of the battle were far more important than these numbers. Achieving the established combat objectives is the only thing he cares about.

"There is no problem with the logistical supplies." Tom Wang replied, "I've been watching this matter personally. You can fight with confidence. If the ammunition can't keep up, I'll take the blame!"

After breaking through the city of Hue, Wang Tom, a naval general, basically had no combat missions.Of course, he hoped to continue to fight side by side with the siege troops, but the headquarters entrusted him with the task of logistics and transportation—the current combat supplies are all transported from the sea to the front line through the Xiangjiang River, which happened to be his field of expertise. Whether he likes it or not, he can only shoulder this responsibility.

"Let's talk about the opponent's situation. According to our rough statistics, as of the end of today's battle, we should have killed or wounded more than 4000 enemy troops after breaking the city. Although this number is still far from our estimated [-] defenders." The distance is huge, but judging from the offensive launched by the enemy today, I think they have a little intention of making a last-ditch effort." Qian Tiandun took the initiative to bring the topic to today's results.

"It would be great if it was the last fight, but if it wasn't, it would be very difficult for our troops to hold on with today's combat intensity. I estimate that our troops will not be able to hold on for at most two days." Yan Chujie commented on the battle situation. His views were not as optimistic as Qian Tiandun's, but rather worried.

Although the Haihan militia's combat effectiveness is quite strong, its shortcomings are also very obvious. The combat method is quite dependent on weapons, and its troops are too small.In a high-intensity combat environment, weapons wear out very quickly, and the shortage of troops will greatly test the mental and physical strength of the combatants.Although the combat level of the South Vietnamese defenders could not be compared with that of the militia, they won the battle at home. They were familiar with the environment and had an advantage in strength. Moreover, when there was no way to retreat, the combat power they broke out was also very amazing.If the war of attrition of this intensity continues, it is really a question of whether the Haihan militia can survive to the final victory.

"Should we transfer the North Vietnamese guards to fight together?" Qiao Zhiya suggested.

"This is not appropriate. Unless it is absolutely necessary, it is best not to use the North Vietnamese army. This will have a negative impact on our plan to control Hue City after the war." Yan Chujie rejected Qiao Zhiya's proposal, but did not say too much Straightforward.

North Vietnam still has more than 4000 new troops that have been sinicized in Haihan. If necessary, Haihan can indeed ask North Vietnam to send this army into the city to assist in the battle.However, when the Military Commission formulated the combat plan, it did not intend to allow the North Vietnamese army to have a chance to get a share of the pie when the city was broken.Moreover, the North Vietnamese army needed to tie up pockets on the west side of Hue City to prevent the South Vietnamese forces in the city from fleeing westward. If there were no new troops in charge, the combat effectiveness of the remaining tens of thousands of troops would be really worrying.However, the militia wants to rely entirely on its own strength to eat alone. Judging from the current trend of the battle, it seems to be a bit powerless.

When several senior military officers were discussing the next battle plan, someone came in and reported that the envoy sent by North Vietnam had been captured.After the militia escorted the messenger to the tent of the headquarters, most of the officers present knew him.

This envoy is none other than Ruan Jinggui who was sent to Shengli Port on behalf of the South Vietnamese court last year to hold peace talks with the Haihan side.Although he was already at war, Ruan Jinggui didn't show any panic. After saluting several officers he knew one by one, he sat down on the stool brought by the militiamen.

Yan Chujie asked slightly mockingly: "Mr. Ruan came to my camp to discuss peace at this time, isn't it a bit too late? If I remember correctly, we have already made our words very clear about five months ago, and you The small imperial court also made their attitude very clear, which is why there is today's war. To be honest, I think it is too late to negotiate peace at this time."

Ruan Jinggui responded unhurriedly: "General Yan is right. Although I have tried my best to avoid this war from happening, but I am weak and have no power to influence the government. I can only watch from the sidelines. Now even the emperor of this dynasty It probably won't work to implore your side to withdraw your troops in person, right?"

"It really won't work." Yan Chujie didn't leave any room for the other party to turn around: "The small court of Hue is immortal, even if we approve it, the court in the north will not approve it. This battle must be won or lost. , Judging from the current battle situation, I think your little court has no chance of turning the tables. I know you are a smart person. At this time, stop working hard for things that have no hope. Think about how you can survive in this battle. Survive the war!"

"Thank you, General Yan, for your compliment. In fact, I think I'm a smart person." Ruan Jinggui actually smiled and said, "My opinion is the same as General Yan's. At this point in the battle, the Hue court probably has no chance to stand up."

Yan Chujie is also a lively person. Hearing Ruan Jinggui's tone, he immediately reacted: "So Mr. Ruan didn't come here today to discuss peace?"

"Yes, and no." Ruan Jinggui paused for a moment, and then continued to explain: "When your army approached the city, there were two factions in the imperial court who were arguing endlessly. The day before yesterday, your army broke into the city. The debate on the war has turned into three parties, the main surrender and the main fugitive. As for the specific opinions of the parties, I don’t need to explain further, General Yan can also think about it.”

"Of course you are not from the main combat faction, so which of the remaining two factions do you belong to?" Yan Chujie asked.

"It depends on the purpose of your army." Ruan Jinggui replied: "If your army just wants to conquer Hue City, then someone is willing to buy a way to the south with 5 taels of gold and 40 taels of silver. "

Yan Chujie shook his head resolutely and said: "It's impossible. The small court of Nanyue is doomed. Even if it is released today, it will continue to be suppressed tomorrow. Besides, after the capture of Hue City, the gold and silver are more or less in the city. It’s all taken by us, so what’s the deal?”

After being rejected by Yan Chujie, Ruan Jinggui's face remained unchanged, and he continued: "Although your army is powerful, it came across the sea after all, and its strength is limited, but there are tens of thousands of defenders in Hue City, and they have already begun to divide the city yesterday. Construction of fortifications in section divisions. Even if the battle is unfavorable, the imperial city can still be defended. I don’t know if your army has enough ability to survive and attack these fortresses one by one. Does General Yan have this confidence?”

Yan Chujie didn't answer his question, but asked instead: "Then what do you want to say?"

Ruan Jinggui replied in a deep voice: "If General Yan can make a promise to treat our Ruan family well after the war, then there will be someone in the city who can help your army!"

(End of this chapter)