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Chapter 1159 Trench Warfare 3
Explosions rang out in the trenches, not only from grenades thrown by the warriors, but also from gunpowder cans thrown by the Guards. Neither side wanted to retreat, and every corner and every hiding hole was a fight to the death.

However, as the second wave of warriors entered the trenches, the advantage in weapons gradually made up for the lack of numbers. Grenades, revolvers and 35-type double-barreled rifles fully utilized the firepower advantage at medium and short distances.

Whenever they came to a corner, the warriors would take out their revolvers, reach out to fire a few rounds at the other side of the corner before looking out. When they came across a soldier's cave, the warriors, who had been attacked repeatedly, had learned their lesson and would not ask if there was anyone inside, but would just throw two grenades in first.

Now the Ottoman soldiers could not launch surprise attacks. Even if they had time to fire a shot, they would be suppressed by the pistols that could fire continuously and the iron balls that could explode. They would either be shot or blown up, or have to retreat.

After advancing about a hundred meters, the trench in front of them suddenly became wider. Just as Zhao En took out the sketch to check where they had reached, he faintly felt the ground shaking.

"Cavalry, cavalry, find cover, find cover quickly!" Zhao En suddenly shouted loudly before he could see what it was. The rhythm was too familiar, it was the rhythm of horse hooves stepping on the ground, and there were quite a few of them.

It was indeed cavalry. Seeing the Guards Corps retreating step by step, the Sipahi cavalry, which had been intended to be a killer, had to launch a charge in advance, trying to use the powerful pressure to temporarily curb the offensive momentum of the Ming army and buy time for redeployment.

This method might indeed work if encountered against the army. The Type 24 breech-loading needle rifle has a long range and great power, but it is not suitable for close combat. The reloading speed after firing is far slower than the running speed of a warhorse. Once forced to get close, it can only engage in close combat.

But the Ottoman Guards Corps met its natural enemy today. The Type 35 double-barreled rifles equipped by the Warrior Battalion could fire twice in a row.

Aim and shoot with the rifled bullet from the lower barrel from a few dozen meters away. It doesn't matter if you miss the vital points. When the opponent rushes to 30 or 40 meters, use the shotgun from the upper barrel to attack. There is no need to aim, and there is no way to dodge. Both the man and the horse are covered in the barrage of bullets.

"Whoosh... whoosh... whoosh... snap, snap, snap..." Just after 9 o'clock, three large rockets rose from the edge of the Ottoman defenders' position.

"Your Majesty, the Warrior Battalion succeeded!"

As the chief of staff of the army governor, Ding Shun did not immediately believe the signal flare, but checked with the lookout on the hot air balloon before reporting the good news to the emperor. After more than two hours of work, being able to open a gap in the enemy's defense system was already beyond expectations.

The rapid progress of the Warrior Battalion also surprised Hong Tao. He thought that the Guards Corps was the elite of the Ottoman Sultan, equipped with a large number of muskets and artillery, familiar with hot weapon combat, and experienced, and could cause more trouble to the Warrior Battalion. He did not expect that the advantage in weapons would be so obvious that it could not be compensated by mental strength and willpower.

"Send a signal to the navy to implement the second plan. Immediately deploy two thousand army troops and try to expand the results before dark!" In this case, the combat strategy cannot be too conservative. The goal must be set higher and the courage must be greater.

After receiving the order, the fleet anchored on the river took the lead in making changes. Several armed cargo ships, escorted by two warships, raised their sails and slowly moved upstream. At about the same time, the army emerged from the trenches and began to charge, aiming at the right front of the battlefield.

At this time, the sun rose higher and higher, and the smoke was blown away by the sea breeze, exposing the army completely in broad daylight. So the artillery battle began again, with the Ottoman defenders firing artillery at the charging Ming army, and the Ming army fired back with naval guns, specifically targeting the gun positions of the Ottoman defenders.

For a while, the sound of artillery roared in the south of Faao City, and dust and smoke rose. The battle entered a white-hot stage again. However, this time it only sounded lively, and there were fewer people who could actually threaten the army's charging team. Starting from the river to the west, more than 100 meters of trenches had been captured by the Warrior Battalion, and the adjacent trenches had become a neutral zone that the two sides were constantly fighting for and could not be used. It was difficult to cause great damage to the army that was charging quickly along the river with sparse solid bullets.

Moreover, as the artillery battle lasted longer, the number of artillery pieces of the Ottoman defenders became fewer and fewer. Some were destroyed by naval guns, and some were unable to continue firing due to overheating. They could only watch the Ming army reinforcements pass through the battlefield and enter the trench area smoothly.

The battle in the south of the city was also seen by Tabar Pasha and a group of Ottoman officers standing on the minaret. Since the Sipahi cavalry suffered a disastrous defeat in the trench charge, no one said that the Ming army had succeeded by luck.

There was never much luck on the battlefield, and trench warfare was a test of the quality of the army. If they could get in by chance, they could not get away with repelling the cavalry. Faced with this unexpected result, no one could come up with a solution.

"Mustafa, if you were in charge, would you be able to defend the trenches and inflict heavy casualties on the enemy?" Tabar Pasha was neither angry nor panicked. He asked the leader of the Sipahi cavalry in a calm tone.

"Respected Grand Vizier, unfortunately, my cavalry and I are completely powerless against these demons from hell. If necessary, we can make another attempt from the southwest. Although the hope is slim, we cannot do nothing."

Mustafa gave the answer without thinking. He had been watching every detail of the battle since early morning, and there were also details sent by messengers from the front line.

Even with rich combat experience, the Ming army's combat methods and weapons were beyond the knowledge of all the officers present. How could they crack it if they had never seen it before?

"Look over there, please. Can anyone tell me what they are going to do?"

Tabal Pasha turned and walked to the north side of the minaret, where he could clearly see the Shatt al-Arab without a telescope. At this time, several large sailboats were sailing upstream and just passed the river near the pier, with no intention of stopping.

"Allow me to be frank. If these ships are full of Ming troops, they will land somewhere west of the city in no time and cut off our retreat to Basra!" Someone shouted loudly at this time. Unlike all the Ottoman officers present, he was wearing white clothes with a red cloth belt around his waist.

"General Ali is right. The Ming emperor is good at fighting and greedy. He drew our attention to the battlefield, then loaded soldiers on sailboats and sneaked upstream to land, intending to wipe out the defenders of Fao City.

Generals, we lost this battle, and the responsibility lies with me. After the battle, I will explain to the Sultan everything that happened here. But we cannot let tens of thousands of elite troops of the empire be annihilated here. There is only one way, retreat to Basra immediately.

Please listen to me. If we all withdraw at once, we will be discovered by the Ming army and they will immediately launch an all-out attack. Then no one will be able to escape. So we have to withdraw quietly in batches and leave the last batch to the Ming army.

If you have no objection and are not willing to volunteer to be the last one to leave, then do not disturb General Dervish. Now follow me and pray for the general, may his soul ascend to heaven and enjoy eternal peace! "

(End of this chapter)