The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 146 Cavalry Advance
After the Nanyang Army's artillery launched a volley of artillery fire, intensive artillery shells bombarded the bridgehead position, destroying the shrine next to the bridge here, and the wooden fence of the bridge position where the indigenous soldiers gathered was in tatters and crumbling.

Every time a cannonball hit the gathering of indigenous soldiers, there was no doubt that a bloody alley was opened.

Blood flew everywhere and screams continued.

Not much effort
On the position where more than a thousand people gathered, the casualties exceeded more than a hundred. This made many indigenous soldiers panic and wanted to run away, but were immediately chopped down by the white war team with swords.

The five minutes of shelling passed quickly. The Dutch bridgehead in front of them had been bombarded by artillery fire and was in tatters. The wooden fence collapsed in pieces.

Amidst the sonorous and powerful military music, more than 400 soldiers from an infantry battalion of the Nanyang Army marched forward in neat lines and launched the first wave of offensive.

See this scene
Major General Kane Van Kerwijk, the white commander of the colonial army, had a look of expectation in his eyes. The geographical advantage of Chaya Town is that it is a small defensive point in the suburbs surrounding Bellick City, and he can fight the enemy across the river.

Fighting for this ancient stone bridge is the top priority.

The reason why the Dutch army failed to perform at all in the previous shelling was because it did not have many field artillery pieces, only 27, which had to be used in key places.

More field artillery pieces in the hands of the Dutch army were all captured by the enemy during the Battle of the Gulf Road, at least more than a hundred pieces of artillery.

At this time, the Dutch troops also raised their guns and took aim. Both sides fired volleys almost in succession. The sound of gunfire was intensive and continuous, and large clouds of gunpowder smoke rose again.

With just one salvo, the Dutch defensive soldiers fell down like wheat.

Such close-range volley shooting brought bloody memories to the French Guards Cavalry Regiment. Countless cavalry fell on the way to the charge, and the corpses of men and horses piled up more than half a person high.

At this moment

French commander Montcalm did not wait until the soldiers got close before letting the soldiers fire. The soldiers opened fire at 120 yards. The French shooting did not cause enough damage to the British army.

The musket bullet traveled a long distance of more than 200 yards and hit the soldier. The kinetic energy of the bullet had almost disappeared, and the bullet did not penetrate deeply into the flesh.

The weapons used by the British and French armies in the above two wars were the same as they are now.

There must be some exaggeration in this.

"Pa pa pa pa pa pa pa……"

Regardless of the legal Republic Type 1815 or the Dutch-made M300 smoothbore rifle, their effective range is about 350 to yards, which is actually far less than that.

Looking back at the other party
Seven or eight people fell in the Nanyang Army's tight formation. They were the unlucky ones who were hit by bullets flying in the sky during the opponent's volley.

The Nanyang officer leading the team drew out his shining command knife and ordered "all to stop advancing", "lower the guns to the shoulders", "load the ammunition" and "raise the guns level". In the frightened look on the faces of the defending Dutch soldiers, he ordered them fiercely. swung the command sword.

More than 400 rounds of hot bullets were fired towards the face like deadly locusts, hitting the wooden fence with a "crackling" sound, "Puff, puff, puff..." and gouging dazzling bloody holes in the bodies of the defending soldiers. Screams followed.

commanded; "Launch..."

When Major General Kane Van Kerwijk saw the Nanyang Army soldiers firing a volley two hundred yards away, causing more than 40 casualties among Party B's officers and soldiers, the shock in his heart had already changed his expression drastically.

The British army suffered huge casualties from two rounds of volleys and continued to approach the French army in a strict formation to more than 60 yards. After the British army approached, they poured out dense and deadly firepower, knocking down almost the entire French army. The war ended in less than an hour, and the British army achieved a complete victory.

Major General Kane Van Kerwijk had only 41 field artillery pieces available, which were deployed in two directions on the outskirts of the city. 27 field artillery pieces were deployed in Chaya Town.

If it is used for artillery bombardment, how can 27 artillery withstand the concentrated fire bombardment of 68 artillery?

The scorching rain of bullets rushed towards them like locusts, and large clouds of blood mist erupted in the Dutch camp. Then forty or fifty people fell down like wheat, screaming in agony.

Under the command of the commander, the officers and soldiers of the Nanyang Army approaching the bridge continued to load bullets in a rigorous and orderly manner, and raised their guns to aim...

Until I saw it with my own eyes, it was already too late.

On the other hand, the Minie rifle in the hands of the Nanyang Army soldiers could not only penetrate a two-finger-thick wooden board at a distance of more than 200 yards, but also kill the Dutch soldiers behind the board.

Fortunately, many soldiers were not fatal, and most of them were injured.

The Dutch artillery position in Chaya Town is about 1.2 kilometers away from the west end of the ancient bridge. The impact point of the artillery shells enveloped the fan-shaped area at the west end of the ancient bridge.

It is about 230 to 240 yards away from the Dutch wooden fence defensive position west of the bridge.

Major General Kane van Kolwyk had to avoid the sharp edge of the Eastern Army and chose to use the cannon fodder of the indigenous servant army to carry out the bridgehead strategy, which was also a relatively advantageous method.

The mule and horse transport teams and patrols were attacked repeatedly, but he still stubbornly refused to believe that the infantry weapons in the hands of the Nanyang Army were so powerful.

Bellik was the partial division of the two-pronged advance. After easily capturing Saladik, after hearing the bad news that the North Route Corps was completely annihilated, he hurriedly retreated to Bellik and consolidated his defense like a hedgehog.

In the Seven Years' War between England and France, the Battle of the Plains of Abraham determined the fate of Quebec, but the process was quick and simple.

As a senior infantry commander in the colonial army, Major General Kane van Kerwijk knew that a flintlock rifle that could kill the enemy without any hindrance at 250 yards was a nightmare for his troops. .

After careful consideration

It can only be said that at this distance, the bullets fired by the musket are still lethal, and the shooting accuracy can only be blessed by God.

Accompanied by a burst of crackling and crisp volleys of gunfire, thick gray-black gunpowder smoke rose above the soldiers' queue, and a large cloud filled the air.

A rough count showed that at least forty or fifty people fell at the front.

While Major General Kane van Kerwijk was thinking solemnly, the attacking group of more than 400 Nanyang officers and soldiers had already approached a position more than 100 meters east of the bridge.

After the Nanyang Army breaks through, the Dutch army will concentrate all its efforts on artillery bombardment, striving to cause a large number of casualties to the Eastern troops and play a key role.

There is a general consensus in the European military circles that the range of a line infantry salvo should be within 100 yards to ensure sufficient accuracy and results, and to cause enough damage to the enemy.

Such an astonishing salvo effect made Major General Kane van Kerwijk couldn't help but twitch his eyelids, and his face quickly became very ugly.

In the famous Battle of Waterloo, the British commander, the Duke of Wellington, faced the furious charge of the French Guards Cavalry Regiment. He did not order concentrated fire until the enemy was within 30 yards of him.

The sharp weapons in the hands of the Nanyang Army infantry shocked him as much as hearing the news of the fiasco on the Gulf Highway.

He is a battle-hardened professional soldier who has experienced dozens of battles in his life. During the time of Governor Pos, Korvik was a major in the army that conquered Sumatra.

And it has the ability to penetrate two, that is, while hitting the previous soldier, the bullet's potential energy is not exhausted, penetrates his body, and hits another soldier behind him.

This comparison clearly shows the superiority and inferiority.

After artillery fire and two rounds of volley fire, the casualties of the more than a thousand Dutch native soldiers who stood on the defensive position west of the bridge reached 230 or 40 people, which caused a great commotion.

However, under the pressure of the white war team, they had to fight bravely.

See here
Feng Guohui's heart was already stable. He sat on the tall white horse with a smile on his lips and said to Major General Wu Siwen, the Surabaya division commander beside him;

"Brother Siwen, your fifth battalion is doing well. It seems that they have put in a lot of effort."

In front of all the officers and soldiers of the Nanyang Army, the officers and soldiers of the Fifth Battalion of the Surabaya Second Regiment, who were responsible for the first attack, lined up neatly to launch volley attacks one after another while fighting at the bridgehead.

Whenever a soldier in the first row was knocked down, the soldiers in the next row would silently step forward to make up the ground.

Always maintaining a complete first row, under the orders of the commander, they constantly reloaded and raised their guns to fire, and there were very few unexpected situations such as panic or explosions.

Faced with the horror of life and death, he behaves like a robot without emotion.

Such an army is the most terrifying army and the most combat-effective army.

Major General Wu Siwen sat on the horse and bowed slightly, and said in a humble tone;

"This is a good lesson taught by the commander-in-chief. The main divisions of our Nanyang Army are all front-line troops that have experienced bloody battles. They take the lofty military mission and sense of honor as their own responsibilities and are unswervingly loyal to the commander-in-chief.

Wherever the commander-in-chief points his target, we soldiers will be willing to die even if we go through fire and water.

The Surabaya Division is an army founded by a general. I have been teaching all the officers and soldiers in the division to never forget the kindness of the general, to be loyal, to drive out the Tartars, and to revive China. It seems that the brothers have listened. "

"That's well said! Brother Siwen, our Nanyang Army is thousands of miles away from China. The overseas Chinese must work together to conquer a large territory, pass it on to future generations, educate the barbarians, and bring kindness to all directions. This is Our historical responsibility is also our sacred mission as Chinese people.”

"Siwen remembers the commander's instructions and never forgets them."

"Well... you see, the enemy's bridgehead has collapsed, hahaha..." Feng Guohui burst into laughter as he spoke. on the bridgehead
The position that was hit by more than 400 attacking soldiers of the Nanyang Army was now covered with corpses. At first glance, there were about 300 or 400 casualties, and there were wailing sounds everywhere.

The remaining indigenous soldiers on the position, shrouded in huge fear, swarmed away from the soldiers supervising the battle team and fled backwards, discarding their helmets and armor.

In the Dutch camp at the rear, a white cavalry team of more than a hundred people suddenly rushed out. They hacked and hacked at these indigenous soldiers, frightening the fleeing indigenous soldiers and ran to the two wings.

Dozens more bodies were left on the field in the middle.

Almost at the same time as these indigenous soldiers fled, another pair of more than a thousand indigenous soldiers, forced by white officers, lined up to enter the Qiaoxi position.

What is different from before is that

These indigenous soldiers are equipped with the Republic of China Type 9 flintlock rifles, which can be regarded as the absolute elite among the indigenous soldiers.

The total number of indigenous servants under the command of the Dutch Governor-General will never exceed 6000, equipped with advanced fusiliers.

Half of them were lost in the Battle of the Gulf Highway. Another regimental-level musketeer appeared in front of them, which aroused Feng Guohui's great interest.

He turned around and ordered; "Master Wu..."

"I have a humble duty, please give me instructions, Commander-in-Chief."

"Since the ghost guy has brought out his elite troops, send your fourth battalion up and compete with them."

"Yes, Commander." After Major General Wu Siwen saluted solemnly, he immediately ordered the Second Regiment and the Fourth Battalion to go into battle.

The Surabaya Division only has more than 1500 officers and soldiers from the second regiment in the army this time. The remaining three regiments stayed in Surabaya, and the first regiment was incorporated into the partial division troops commanded by Hu Huhu.

As soon as this new Dutch force entered the position, it was bombarded by 24 artillery pieces. This time it lasted for ten minutes.

Like a blow to the head, this cutting-edge force of more than a thousand people suffered 1,780 casualties, making this bloody battlefield even more tragic.

Not to mention, the shelling had just ended, and the fourth and fifth battalions of the second regiment had all formed up on the east bank of the river, forming a semicircle. The muzzles of more than 800 black guns were firing directly at the Dutch positions west of the bridge.

Before the other party could take a breath, the sound of intensive volleys of gunfire rang out again, like exploding beans.

The Dutch army also resisted stubbornly, raising their rifles and shooting at the Nanyang Army soldiers across the river. The battle between the two sides was much more intense and bloody than before.

Amidst the resounding volleys of gunfire, the indigenous soldiers on the west bank of the river fell in rows, and the Nanyang Army soldiers on the east bank of the river also fell intermittently.

Life quickly disappeared in the rifle fire, and the strong smell of gunpowder smoke mixed with the smell of blood spread, covering the battlefield, making the sky seem much gloomier.

The fierce battle between the two sides ended when the Dutch army could not bear the huge casualties.

After more than half an hour of shooting, this elite Dutch indigenous musketeer regiment of more than a thousand people lost more than half, and only about 440 people were able to withdraw in one piece.

At this time, corpses were everywhere on the Dutch Army's west position on the bridge, and the flowing blood had dyed the ground red, forming streams of bright red blood flowing into the river, rendering the river water into a large area of ​​red.

Fighting so far
The Dutch army's indigenous cannon fodder suffered about 1100 casualties, and the Nanyang army suffered 63 casualties, occupying an undoubted advantage.

However, the commander of the colonial army, Major General Kane Van Kerwijk, had 1.5 officers and soldiers. This damage was less than one-tenth and he could fully withstand it.

When the battle ended at about 10:20 a.m., the Dutch army sent cavalry under the general's flag and asked to clear the battlefield. They also took the opportunity to take a breather, and the Nanyang army agreed in a gentlemanly manner.

More than an hour later, the fighting broke out again.

Focusing on the battle for the position on the west side of the bridge, both sides deployed troops and generals in turn. The fierce battle continued until about 6 p.m., and the casualties on the Dutch side had reached more than 2,700.

After they cleared the battlefield again, a cavalry team of more than 330 riders from the Nanyang Army suddenly rushed from behind the cracked battle formation. In just three or four minutes, they rushed across the ancient bridge and turned diagonally to one side. The army of indigenous servants armed with swords and spears rushed away.

The persimmons must be picked at the weak. Colonel Chen Yong, the commander of the cavalry regiment of the Nanyang Army, fully applied this sentence to actual combat.

This sudden change caught the Dutch army by surprise.

Major General Kane Van Kerwijk hurriedly dispatched more than 130 white cavalry to outflank and pursue them, and also mobilized a white militia of more than a thousand people to respond.

But the Nanyang Army cavalry was so fast, how could they catch up?

After the cavalry rushed across the bridge, the officers and soldiers of the two musketeer battalions who had been resting on the spot immediately stood up and ran forward quickly, following behind them and rushing onto the ancient bridge.

The artillerymen immediately mounted the field artillery on their horses and drove the horses to quickly move the artillery forward. The goal was to line up along the east bank of the river and cover the crossing with powerful artillery firepower.

From this, the melee began.

Since the main force of the Dutch army was positioned a bit far back, after the Nanyang Army cavalry rushed across the bridgehead, it was still more than 800 meters away from the bridgehead.

So when the Dutch army began to press forward, more than 800 Nanyang Army soldiers had already rushed across the ancient bridge and occupied the original position west of the bridge.

Behind it, the black Nanyang army was swarming, and the fastest ones were already approaching the ancient bridge.

At this time, the cavalry regiment led by Colonel Chen Yong had slashed into the ranks of the indigenous servants like sharp blades, and easily tore them into several pieces.

In modern line infantry tactics, the battle formations are generally thin, and the indigenous soldiers waiting to fight in the rear are only arranged in six horizontal lines, and can be broken through as easily as paper.

After the whizzing cavalry cut down more than a hundred indigenous soldiers, they passed through the battle formation and then covered up the Dutch artillery position in the rear, advancing very resolutely.

Hundreds of white militiamen who were hastily transferred to one side of the artillery position had no time to line up and reload when they saw the oncoming cavalry waving the shining sabers in their hands, and the big monkeys covered them up.

Faced with life and death, these untrained white militiamen collapsed as expected. They dodged with loud exclamations, completely lacking the courage to face the cavalry charge.

At this moment, the dignity, pride or glory of the white colonists didn't matter. What mattered was running away.

The cavalry led by Colonel Chen Yong did not stop at all. They rushed directly into the artillery position through the gap where the white militia fled, and then started killing with their sabers brandished.

The mission of the cavalry is to deal with the Dutch artillery positions. This is the only enemy that poses a major threat to the Nanyang Army that is attacking with all its strength, and they must be slaughtered.

On the current bridgehead position, densely packed Nanyang officers and soldiers were crowded together. The shot was a bloody alley, with at least a dozen casualties.

A salvo of 27 artillery pieces can cause heavy casualties to the Nanyang Army.

More than three hundred cavalry roared in, and in a blink of an eye they cut down the Dutch artillerymen until they howled like ghosts. They didn't even fire a single shot, and they saw God under the wave of their sabers.

Colonel Chen Yong successfully completed the task. He wiped the blood spattered on his face with his hand, raised his saber high and waved it excitedly and shouted: "Brothers, long live the cavalry!"

"Long live the cavalry, long live the Nanyang Army!"

"Brothers, follow me and fight out!" Colonel Chen Yong turned the horse's head, gave the horse's belly a hard bite, and led his cavalry to attack the white cavalry of more than a hundred people.

The two sides walked toward each other and soon collided with each other. The cavalrymen fell to the ground as their sabers were swung, and were soon trampled hard by the hooves of the horses that followed. Their bones were broken and their seven orifices bled to death.

Falling off the horse is the most taboo thing in cavalry battles, as it will basically result in a narrow escape from death.

Before the score could be counted, the cavalry and horse teams from both sides had separated, leaving more than 130 corpses and many ownerless horses on the spot.

In just one round of cavalry charge, the opponent lost most of its 130 cavalry, leaving only about 50 cavalry, and almost all of them were injured.

Colonel Chen Yong's cavalry had an absolute numerical advantage, but in the cavalry confrontation just now, they still lost nearly 60 cavalry and did not gain a significant advantage.

After all, the Nanyang Army has only had cavalry for a short period of time. Many of the recruited cavalry have not yet undergone complete training. In just over a year, it is difficult to train skilled archers and horses.

This shortcoming was fully exposed in the cavalry battle.

However, the fierce fighting spirit of the Nanyang Army cavalry deeply impressed the white cavalry on the opposite side.

They paused only briefly and then, led by the white cavalry commander, fled without looking back.

"Okay, don't chase the poor enemy. Our target is the soft persimmon, not the hard bone." Colonel Chen Yong raised his sword to signal to stop advancing, and then turned the direction of the sword towards the indigenous servant soldiers with backward equipment.

A sinister smile flashed at the corner of his mouth, and he said to the left and right, "Let's go and give these indigenous people a hard slap in the butt. Let's see how long they can hold on when they are attacked from both sides."

"Yes, sir." The cavalrymen shouted happily, turned their horses' heads and charged in again.

(End of this chapter)