The sun never sets in America

Chapter 31 In the Battle City

"These Liujiabao pagans have really become a coward..." Baron Roman said with a telescope, looking at the new Los Angeles city defense opposite, which was lined with trenches, thickened walls, and built a large number of shooting holes. It was uncomfortable not to come out, "Order the rear artillery to fire five rounds rapidly..." Baron Roman ordered his deputy Thomson.

"Yes, General..." Thomson saluted Baron Roman after hearing this, and then sent someone to notify the artillery group in the rear.

"Five rounds of rapid fire..." After receiving the order, the artillery officer Shandeka in the rear immediately shouted to the artilleryman beside him.

"Ready to load..." After the artillery was in place, Sandekar immediately gave the order to load the artillery shells.

swoosh...

One shell after another was stuffed into the barrel, and all the artillerymen were waiting for the final order.

"emission……"

Boom...boom...

As soon as Shandeka finished speaking, countless cannonballs were shot out beside him. In an instant, the entire front of the Los Angeles city wall was shrouded in smoke, and a deafening sound could be heard throughout the entire city of Los Angeles, both inside and outside.

Li Zhaowu, who was commanding the position outside the city, hid in the command cave, just sitting quietly on a chair, looking at the sand and stones falling from time to time outside, and listening to the roaring sound of the artillery, and then the sound of the artillery He drank tea as he was doing... The tea was just ordinary tea leaves, mostly brick tea produced in China and Fujian. It was mainly sold to foreign merchants who purchased from outside. The taste was average, but it was better than coffee, which is the same as traditional Chinese medicine. Moreover, Li Zhaowu did not come from a wealthy family. For him, it was quite good to be able to drink tea at this time.

"This Baron Roman is really careful. He will attack as soon as possible, and there will be a test bombardment first..." Listening to the gradually stopping sound of artillery outside, Li Zhaowu rubbed the tea cup in his hand and smiled at the infantry captain opposite him. Jiang Rulan said, "I don't know how to feel sorry for the cannonball!" Li Zhaowu continued to sneer at Jiang Rulan.

"Battalion Commander, they have transferred a large number of artillery shells from all over California this time. There should be no shortage of artillery shells..." Jiang Rulan replied to Li Zhaowu, "And it is said that the ammunition stored in some Mexican towns is about to be removed." Jiang Rulan said What is Liu Jiabao's recent intelligence is that in order to capture the city of Los Angeles as soon as possible, Governor Huaco Covia has repeatedly asked white Mexican towns everywhere to send ammunition to the front line of Los Angeles. Such a rough and arrogant decision has triggered many Mexicans. Despite the dissatisfaction of the local white people, in the end, under the threat of Liu Jiabao and the persuasion of Governor Hua Ke Covia, most of the ammunition was sent to the front line. This resulted in a sufficient supply of ammunition on the front line, even an excess of it. However, There is a shortage of ammunition in the rear. This consequence also means that once the front line is defeated, the white Mexicans in the rear have no ability to resist. The only ability currently is to frighten the surrounding Indian tribes.

"Hmph, if he explodes like that every day, no amount of artillery shells will be enough for him to cause trouble!!" After hearing this, Li Zhaowu replied disdainfully, "Just watch, this old boy will send infantry here soon." Li Zhaowu then said to him Jiang Rulan said firmly.

"Battal Commander, how do you know?" Jiang Rulan asked Li Zhaowu doubtfully. In his opinion, Baron Roman should continue the bombardment. Where is this? Anyway, there are so many shells, maybe a gap will be blown. ?
"You don't understand him, and you don't understand what this war is for." Li Zhaowu shook his head at Jiang Rulan and replied, "He doesn't have that much time!!" Li Zhaowu seemed determined, but also seemed to be mumbling to himself. He said something that Jiang Rulan couldn't understand.

Just when Jiang Rulan wanted to continue asking, the messenger ran in, and the first words he said were: "Batalion Commander, the Mexican white ghosts on the opposite side have attacked." Jiang Rulan changed her face and glanced at the old god. Li Zhaowu, who was here, was both shocked and confused. He was shocked because Li Zhaowu could see Baron Roman's arrangement so clearly, and confused because how did Li Zhaowu guess that Baron Roman was going to attack? And didn't Baron Roman know? Does the attack actually have no effect at this time? ?
Jiang Rulan was puzzled! !

"How many people are here?" Li Zhaowu asked the messenger with great interest.

"About 200 people formed two small phalanxes." The messenger immediately answered Li Zhaowu about the situation during the Mexican army's attack.

"Haha..." After hearing this, Li Zhaowu burst out laughing, "This Baron Roman is really a smart man. He knows that fighting like this will outweigh the gains and losses, but he has to show off to the Governor, so he can only take so little. The army came to test the waters... so that the mouth of the escaped governor could be silenced." Li Zhaowu looked at Jiang Rulan, who looked confused, and explained the reason with a smile.

Only then did Jiang Rulan understand that the reason why Baron Roman sent so many troops to attack was just for show, to show off to Governor Huaco Covia, who was supervising the battle in the rear.

"Since you're here, let's stay and let our opponent sober up!" Li Zhaowu teased with a smile, "Send the order and destroy these two small groups of white devils who overestimate their capabilities." Li Zhaowu changed at this time. He ordered the messenger with a serious expression.

"Yes, battalion commander!!" The ordering soldier first responded with clasped fists at Li Zhaowu, and then quickly left the command cave.

Opposite the position, two phalanxes of guns were advancing towards the city of Los Angeles from different directions. They moved forward cautiously, and every step they took revealed a sense of caution.

Boom...boom...

Just as the team was walking in the middle, a burst of artillery fire rang out. There was dense artillery fire everywhere around the entire military formation. A group of soldiers with muskets died on the spot. The two military formations were separated with great effort. If not for it, the casualties would have been even greater. serious.

"Steady, steady..." The officers in the two teams kept shouting at the top of their lungs and barely managed to control it. The military formations, which showed signs of collapse in the artillery fire, took advantage of the delay of the artillery fire and the artillery fire during this period. It has the disadvantage of not being so precise and quickly reorganizing the team.

"Artillery, immediately suppress the firepower on the opposite side." Baron Roman, who had been observing the battlefield situation, frowned at the two military formations that had suffered a lot of casualties, and then issued an order for artillery counterattack, "The two military formations in front are Who are the commanders? I will reward them after the war is over." Baron Roman then looked at the two teams that had stabilized the military formation and continued to advance in an orderly manner, and said to all the officers around him with great satisfaction. It seems to be praising the two commanders at the front, but it is actually reminding everyone present to learn from them, not to panic when encountering chaos, but to stabilize quickly... Having said that, there are a few people present who can He did it, so Baron Roman’s words fell on deaf ears after all...

Boom...boom...

The artillery fire of the rear coalition forces showed its power at this moment. The Liujiabao artillery that once counterattacked the city and the rear of the position was suppressed and breathless. It must be said that the Mexicans are still very rich... At the very least, under the crazy pressure of Governor Hua Ke Covia, apart from anything else, the weapons and ammunition are much more abundant than those in Liujiabao.

With the support of artillery fire, the two teams quickly arrived in front of the Los Angeles perimeter... What followed was a sudden burst of gunfire.

bang... bang...

One after another, the infantrymen stood up from the outer trenches, exposed their upper bodies, and relied on the cover of the trenches to shoot in an orderly manner... As soon as they finished shooting, they hid back in the trenches, leaving no chance for the Mexican militiamen on the opposite side to counterattack. Opportunity... followed closely by the second wave of shooting.

Stand up from the trench, fire volley, then squat back in the trench, and then the second row stands up again, volley fire, everything is like a constantly rising and falling wave, with the help of the cover of the trench, casualties are minimized...

It was not so easy for the Mexican military formation with no cover on the opposite side. Liujiabao's bullets often hit them easily, but they were helpless against the Liujiabao musketeers in the trenches.

bang... bang...

This distance is a distance that neither side dares to shell. If you are not careful, you can easily injure your own people, and volley fire becomes the only option for both warring parties.

The two Mexican military formations were in different positions, which was originally a good way to disperse the battlefield and eliminate danger. However, at this time, it became a disadvantage. There were not many people in the first place, and they were divided into two platoons. Formation, destruction will become a matter of time.Bang...bang...

As the last rows of guns were fired from the trenches, when the two military formations on the opposite side completely collapsed, the Mexican soldiers who fled backward became the target of the muskets, and eventually died on the periphery of the Los Angeles trenches... The entire periphery, lying Close to the bodies of two hundred white Mexican militiamen, the air in the entire position was filled with the smell of blood.

Baron Roman remained silent from behind, with no expression on his face, no joy or anger, and a calm feeling in his eyes, as if he had long been aware of the consequences of this tentative attack, that is fail.

But what surprised him in his heart was that the tactics of these Liujiabao pagans were so well coordinated. If the initial bombardment was still expected, then the subsequent gunfire exchange was actually also expected by him. Among them, because this tactic could only be used in that position... But what he never expected was the thorough execution of the tactics and the proficiency of the Liujiabao pagan soldiers.

This was something Baron Roman had never expected. He knew that Liujiabao's army was very strong, and the bombs should not be so strong. It was as if they were students and the other party was a teacher.

"Don't act rashly for the time being. I'll come as soon as I go." Baron Roman already understood in his heart that the strength of Liujiabao's army has basically reached the second-rate level in Europe. In some aspects, it is even close to the first-rate level. It is no longer a simple attack. It was solved, so after giving the instructions, he immediately walked towards Governor Huaco Covia's military tent...

The other coalition officers around them looked at each other a few times, and they could all see the worry and eagerness in each other's hearts.

They had seen the battle just now and kept it in mind. It could not be easily solved by the so-called quick battle. If they really wanted to do this, they would have to pay a serious price... And which army would pay this price? ?

This is a question that everyone wants to avoid.

"Where is the Governor?" Baron Roman asked as he stood outside the door of the military tent and looked at the guards on guard.

"The Governor is inside..." the guard answered honestly to Baron Roman.

Baron Roman walked directly into the military tent without even looking at the guards.

As soon as Governor Huaco Covia saw Baron Roman coming in the military tent, he immediately asked: "How is the front line? How long will it take to recapture it?" Baron Roman was embarrassed as soon as he opened his mouth.

"What, failed?" Governor Hua Ke Covia's expression changed, and he asked Baron Roman stiffly.

"Sir Governor, the pagans on the opposite side are really well-defended. It will be difficult to capture them in a short while..." Baron Roman used all his strength and kept describing to Governor Huaco. Covia the cruelty of the battlefield and the war. of difficulty.

"It will take a while, which means we have to fight a long war, right?" Governor Huaco Covia looked ugly and asked Baron Roman again in a questioning tone.

"Yes, Mr. Governor, we can only do this, otherwise the casualties will be huge." Baron Roman was surprisingly tough this time. Before contact, he had a slight chance, thinking that Los Angeles could be taken back by force. Yes, but after what he experienced just now, he changed. Baron Roman realized that if he really wanted to attack by force, half of the casualties would be possible. It was not that he was afraid of dying, but that he believed that since there was a better Why do you need to pay such a heavy price to solve the other party's problem?

"Baron Roman, let me emphasize again that taking back Los Angeles is not only an act of war, but also a political act. It is not only related to the security of the entire California, but also the prestige of the entire Mexican Republic in the Americas..." Huaco Covia The Governor said to Baron Roman very coldly, "There are tens of thousands of Mexican citizens in Los Angeles. The longer the delay is, the worse it will be for us. You should understand what I mean. A quick victory is the only one for you and me." The choice..." Governor Hua Ke Covia played the emotional card towards Baron Roman.

"But a lot of people will die, and we are a coalition with troops from all over California. The casualties are too high, and they will have objections." Baron Roman replied to Governor Huaco Covia with an ugly face. In Baron Roman's opinion, , if the casualties of the coalition forces are too great, or if a certain unit suffers too many casualties, it will easily lead to inactivity or even the disintegration of the coalition forces. This is a more serious matter than fighting the infidels...

"I will personally supervise the battle, but anyone who retreats without permission will be dismissed and shot!!" Governor Huaco Covia said forcefully to Baron Roman with a ferocious look on his face, "If Los Angeles cannot be recaptured within three days, I will withdraw you. Job..." Huaco Covia looked at Baron Roman with a serious expression and continued to threaten. The reason why he was so eager was because the big shot who protected him in the Republic of Mexico asked someone to tell him today that if within five days, If he cannot solve the problem of Los Angeles, then it will be difficult for him to suppress the loss of Los Angeles... Once he cannot suppress it, the consequences can be imagined. Not only will he lose his position as governor, he will even have to go to court. At that time, whether he lives or dies is not up to him.

"Your Majesty the Governor..."

"Stop talking and execute my order immediately!!"

Governor Huaco Covia interrupted what Baron Roman wanted to say without hesitation.

"Yes, Lord Governor!!" Baron Roman glanced at Governor Huaco Covia for the last time, and then left the military tent without looking back. After coming back, he seemed to have aged ten years, and his whole person had a stale air. It feels like he is completely different from the way he used to be when he spoke impassionedly and wanted to exterminate the Indian tribes at the Los Angeles Council. He looks like he is not the same person at all.

"The fifth and sixth infantry regiments are attacking from the west and the east..." After a long pause, Baron Roman slowly gave instructions to the two commanders of the fifth militia regiment and the sixth militia regiment. The order to attack, "The artillery will cover you..." Now that it has reached this point, Baron Roman no longer cares about the consequences of killing too many people.

"Yes, General..."

Lyman, the leader of the fifth regiment, and Sukovya, the leader of the sixth regiment, looked at each other, and they could see the confusion on both sides. In their opinion, it was unwise to attack at this time, even if it was a night battle. It was more cost-effective than attacking now, but when facing a commander with such prestige as Baron Roman, even if he had some objections, he could only agree.

Boom...boom...

A series of artillery fire hit the outer positions of the city of Los Angeles and the newly repaired city wall. As soon as the smoke dissipated, new artillery shells came over... Since the attack had reached this level, Baron Roman had no pity for the artillery shells. , directly fired out the cannonballs as if they were free, hoping to use a huge amount of cannonballs to break Liu Jiabao's carefully constructed defense line, which is what Baron Roman has privately scolded many times... turtle shells! !
"Quick, speed up, don't give the opponent a chance to breathe..." On the western battlefield where the fifth regiment is located, Captain Lehmann looked at the positions and city walls shrouded in artillery fire in front of him. He was overjoyed and thought that now was the best time to attack. Opportunities constantly urge the troops to move forward.

tread... tread...

Carrying muskets and lining up in a dense formation, the fifth regiment has just joined the battlefield. The loud sound of military boots under their feet is like a prelude to this war...

"Follow up, keep up..." Captain Sukovia on the eastern battlefield was doing the same thing as Captain Lyman. He kept waving the riding crop in his hand, and the riding whip always pointed to one location, which was the city of Los Angeles.

With the addition of the Sixth Regiment, looking down from a high altitude, the entire city of Los Angeles looks like two ant colonies on its east and west sides, and the city of Los Angeles shrouded in artillery fire in the middle is like a huge and delicious cake, attracting everyone. Thousands of ants rushed forward without hesitation... And on the periphery and city walls of Los Angeles, there were warriors guarding their positions everywhere.

On the battlefield, there were continuous artillery fire, corpses lying on the periphery of the position, and the continuously advancing Mexican army. On the battlefield, whether they were Mexicans, or the Chinese and Indians in Liujiabao, everyone's face revealed There are expressions of nervousness, excitement, and even fear. These emotions are intertwined to form a real battlefield, the most real and cruel war.

(End of this chapter)