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Chapter 1372 Battle of Enbird Port

"Elber, how many attacks are there now?"

At this moment, Marshal Bernhard was on horseback, carefully observing the battlefield of Enniu City a few kilometers away through binoculars. After a while, he lowered his arm and asked his adjutant beside him in a low voice.

Compared to the various colored military uniforms around him, his attire was noticeably more rustic: a gray knee-length overcoat, a gray vest, gray breeches, gray stockings, and a gray wide-brimmed hat.

This is the unique color of the United Provinces Republic's army. In order to reduce costs, the wool fabric used to make the uniforms omits the dyeing process, and the bleaching process is not very good, so they all look light gray.

In reality, a high-ranking officer could have dressed quite respectably, such as in a red coat and Orange trousers. But Bernhard didn't want to be special, so he simply tucked two red feathers into his hat brim and wore an orange sash across his shoulder to indicate his status.

"This is the second time today, and the ninth time in three days. I must remind you that at least 70% of the more than 3000 native warriors who came with us have been killed or wounded. By the afternoon, we will have to rely on our soldiers to lead the charge."

Elber was about the same age as Bernhard, only slightly shorter, and had black hair and eyes. The situation on the battlefield was not very optimistic. Enbird City, whose walls did not appear to be high or sturdy, was like a hard iron bean, making it difficult to even begin to attack.

Fortunately, along the way, more than a dozen tribes, upon hearing that they were going to fight the Xhosa, immediately turned from enemies to friends and sent their own warriors to follow them, gathering a total of about 3000 men. Otherwise, the casualties of the past few days would have been borne entirely by the European soldiers.

"Continue the attack at the pace, don't stop. Inform General Maurier to send the King's Infantry Regiment to attack after dark, but don't make it too large, just maintain pressure."

Upon hearing this result, Bernhard did not show any disappointment. He not only demanded that the attack continue, but also deployed the most elite French infantry regiments for a night attack.

"Marshal, without a clear target, the infantry regiment's muskets are no better than spears..." Elber thought he had misheard and quickly reminded the infantry regiment that muskets were their primary weapon and that they were almost powerless in the dark.

“Elber, you need to understand that once we get here, there is no turning back. If we can’t take Enbird City, everyone will die of thirst and starvation on this damned land.”

This is the time for the elite troops to play their part. Not only will the King's Infantry Regiment be deployed, but tomorrow the Swiss Mercenary Regiment and the Swedish Color Brigade will also take turns attacking.

The Ming army's weapons are too advanced and varied; we can only rely on brute force to wear them down. From now on, we can pray that their arsenal doesn't become too large!

Bernhard wasn't just making a slip of the tongue or forgetting; it was a desperate measure. Given any other option, no commander would willingly use their most elite soldiers as cannon fodder.

Unfortunately, after observing carefully for more than two days, they couldn't find even a single loophole. The number of Ming army troops defending Enbird City was obviously not very large, and there were quite a few dark-skinned native soldiers mixed in, which was consistent with the previous prediction.

However, after all the calculations, one parameter was still underestimated: weaponry! The Ming army's weaponry was unique, which was no secret in Europe. The sheer variety of Ming-made weapons that various armies acquired from Asia through various means was dazzling. Most of these were high-quality products, far surpassing the current equipment of European armies. If a sufficient number of these weapons could be equipped in the Ming army, it would undoubtedly give them the upper hand in battles of equal scale.

However, based on intelligence provided by various parties, it is inferred that the Ming army has not replaced its weapons for more than ten years, presumably due to the high manufacturing costs.

This view is also shared by weapons manufacturers across Europe, who agree that these well-made weapons are too expensive to be mass-produced and deployed to the military.

However, seeing is believing. When Bernhard actually faced the Ming army in battle, he suddenly realized that his previous knowledge of military equipment seemed somewhat outdated. Equipment he had never known before appeared before him like magic, causing great damage to the attacking troops.

Some things can be bridged with intellect, but others are completely useless to think about. That's the situation right now. It's understandable that the Ming army's muskets and cannons have a faster rate of fire, but what are those little iron balls that explode as soon as they're thrown?
The trenches were finally dug to the vicinity of the city wall, but small shells were constantly being fired from behind the city wall, almost all of which landed in the trenches, leaving the workers covered in blood. The trenches were permanently stuck a few dozen meters away from the city wall, unable to advance even half a step further.

There is another type of thing that can explode on its own, which is even more mysterious. One day, soldiers can walk through a certain area without any problems, but the next day when they walk through it, the ground will suddenly explode. No one or anything can be seen, and it is unknown when or where it will explode, making it impossible to guard against.

At this point, launching a full-scale attack would be suicide; no number of soldiers would be enough to fill the gaps. Fortunately, the defenders inside the city seemed to be quite generous with ammunition, or perhaps they lacked combat experience, firing with all their might whenever they encountered an attack.

This gave Bernhard a glimmer of hope. If he could use the casualties of some of his troops to deplete the city's ammunition reserves, he might be able to find an opportunity to buy some time.

More than 23000 Allied soldiers have successfully traversed the valley to reach this point, although the mortality rate is as high as 45%, it is still more than the expected number of survivors. A second wave of over 10,000 mercenaries should arrive in about 10 days, so overall there is still hope.

"Notify the Eastern Fleet to cease pursuit, form ranks, and sail westward against the wind. Let the enemy in!"

About 5 kilometers south of Enbird City lies Enbird Port, where a fierce battle is also raging at sea. The 15 Han-class and Qin-class warships of the Enbird Port garrison are fighting and retreating against more than 130 sailing warships of the European coalition.

As a veteran of the Ming Dynasty navy, Yan Busi fully utilized the warship's speed, turning ability, and range advantages to avoid close combat with the enemy, engaging them only briefly before retreating. Whoever pursued too far would be turned around and devoured; if not, the warship would circle halfway and look for an opportunity to charge and continue its attack.

Despite this tactic being almost ruthless, the Allied commander Tropp remained relatively calm. Having spent several years in various Asian ports, he knew more about the Ming navy than any European naval commander and understood that pursuit was not the way to go at this time.

But that's all there is to it. They can't suffer big losses, but they also can't gain any advantages. They can only do their best to maintain the overall formation of the fleet and reduce vulnerabilities, treating minimizing losses as a gain.

(End of this chapter)