The arrogance started from Chinatown

Chapter 416 A terrifying opponent
"Have the 9th Infantry ready to charge!"

Philip Sheridan climbed onto the roof and looked into the darkness with a telescope.

He was waiting for the outcome of the cavalry charge.

As long as they can destroy the enemy's artillery positions, they will eliminate the advantage of the Chinese.

Even if it only disrupted the enemy's deployment and caused chaos, he would then order his soldiers to launch a final charge.

Even if we use all the troops we have, we must not lose this battle.

Along with the sound of horse hooves and the shaking of the earth, fierce gunfire broke out in the distance.

With the help of the artillery and the flames from the muzzle, he saw a torrent of metal appearing in front of him.

The soldiers of the Sixth Cavalry Regiment crashed into the metal torrent with their bodies and were swallowed up.

Philip Sheridan watched helplessly as the charging figures tumbled out and fell to the ground, and then the front fell into darkness again.

Another round of artillery fire illuminated the darkness a little, and a long wall stood there in the darkness.

"It's over..." Philip Sheridan closed his eyes to shield his wet eyes, his face full of bitterness.

"They have thirty guns... but not six-pounders!" The staff officer next to him seemed to have lost all his strength...

Just now, with the help of the muzzle flame, they saw that the enemy's gun was not a howitzer... It was much smaller than a howitzer... However, its range was twice that of a howitzer, and the power of its shells was close to that of a six-pounder...

They had a feeling that they were the Indians in the West charging at the musket positions with old muskets and bows and arrows.

"Leave one company each from the 9th and 17th Infantry Regiments to snipe the enemy's pursuit in the rear half of Annapolis... They have to hold out for at least six hours! The others withdraw from Annapolis... retreat across the long bridge!" Philip Sheridan opened his eyes and gave the order quickly.

This battle is over, but there is another one.

He wanted to retreat behind the long bridge and then blow up the bridge.

Along with another round of artillery bombardment, continuous explosions were heard again in Annapolis. A large number of houses collapsed, and some soldiers ran in panic on the streets, looking for a place to hide.

"The artillery fire is getting closer and closer, and they are moving forward!" said Philip Sheridan's adjutant.

The other party's purpose is already very clear, to plow the entire Annapolis like plowing a field.

And it was obvious that the enemy had plenty of artillery shells.

Just as Philip Sheridan was about to speak, a huge explosion suddenly occurred in Annapolis in front of everyone's right.

boom!
Huge flames shot up into the sky, and the shock wave almost blew Philip Sheridan off the roof.

"It's our ammunition..." a staff officer said in panic.

"Notify everyone to evacuate!" Philip Sheridan gritted his teeth and gave the order.

At the same time he noticed that the gunfire from the direction of the port had stopped.

"Send a company to check the situation on the rear road! Make sure our retreat route is open!"

boom!
The last gunboat in the port also exploded!

……

Chen Zhengwei stepped on a corpse in commander's uniform and cursed, Damn, is he a sitting duck?
He was the target of several rounds of concentrated fire that night. The first reaction of the sailors on the ships after being attacked was to shoot at him.

If he didn't have the skill of danger detection, which could allow him to detect danger 7 seconds in advance, even God would be beaten into a sieve here.

On the deck near him, in addition to corpses and blood, there was an anchor and a large hole that someone could jump into.

This was the secret of how he was able to quickly capture the gunboat.

Those naval soldiers were defending under the cabin relying on the terrain... they could just dig a hole in another location.

He could smash a hole in this five-centimeter-thick wooden deck with just a heavy object.

A moment later, the cabin door was opened, and several blood-covered thugs walked out.

"Brother Wei, the fire is on, three minutes at most!"

"Let's go!" Chen Zhengwei glanced at the few people, turned around, walked to the side of the boat, and jumped down holding the rope with one hand.

There were ten people who went down just now, but only six came up.

If the fighting were to take place in such a small space as the cabin, there would inevitably be casualties.

Of the 150 people he brought, only 132 are left now, and more than 30 of them are injured. The casualties are much less than expected... The main reason is that Chen Zhengwei himself has taken on too many things that he shouldn't have taken on.

Not long after the group walked onto the beach, the gunboat behind them suddenly exploded, a heat wave hit from behind, and a huge flame illuminated everything around them.

Chen Zhengwei suddenly took a step to the side, and a piece of wood passed through his previous position with a sound of breaking through the air and pierced into the beach.

"Brother Wei, may Mazu bless you!" A thug laughed after seeing this scene.

"Of course, I am a role model for Chinese people! Of course she will bless me!" Chen Zhengwei said with a smile.

In the darkness, several henchmen came out: "Brother Wei, we've got it done in front!"

A company of infantry sent by the army to support the navy was ambushed by people arranged by Chen Zhengwei.

An entire company was wiped out.

"Grab your stuff, we still have a battle to fight! They are about to retreat, stop them in Annapolis!" Chen Zhengwei gave orders as he walked.

The thugs were picking up packages next to the rocks. These were the ammunition they had brought.

When they went up to rob the ship, they left most of the ammunition on the shore and boarded the ship lightly.

When Chen Zhengwei led a group of people to attack the army's retreat, they happened to meet the company that was withdrawing from Annapolis and was responsible for clearing the retreat route.

"There are people in front, an infantry company, go over and kill them!" With the help of the burning flames of Annapolis, Chen Zhengwei saw the other party from two hundred meters away.

The other party was searching carefully along the road.

Chen Zhengwei and his group were not noticed by the other side until they were more than 50 meters away.

However, the other side only fired one shot each, while almost each of Chen Zhengwei's men fired a whole magazine.

Due to the huge gap in firepower, this company was easily annihilated.

"Leave fifty people here... and those who are seriously injured should stay here too! Spread out a little, don't get killed by their artillery!" Chen Zhengwei ordered.

The howitzer is too heavy, difficult to move and difficult to operate. The enemy now has no chance to use artillery to clear the ground.

But maybe we can still fire a few shots.

"Twenty more men, go to the long bridge! If there are any stragglers running over there, kill them!"

"Everyone else, follow me!" Chen Zhengwei mainly guarded two roads, the roads behind and on the side of Annapolis, and then arranged some people to the long bridge.

We can keep all the army here.

……

"Commander, there are enemies behind us... The company sent to clear the road has been annihilated!"

"How many of them are there? A hundred... maybe more..."

"Use the artillery we have available to attack the rear..."

Then he asked his adjutant.

"How many more of us are there?"

"Maybe there are still a thousand people... or nine hundred people..." the adjutant said uncertainly.

The current situation is too chaotic, and he doesn't know how many people in his own troops can move.

In Annapolis, they originally had two and a half infantry regiments and half a cavalry regiment, nearly 2,600 people.

However, they initially deployed a large number of personnel on the front line of defense and suffered heavy losses in the first round of artillery attacks. The cavalry regiment then charged and was completely wiped out.

The two companies sent to support the navy and clear the way were also swallowed up by the enemy.

They now have at most a thousand people available.

"According to the original plan, abandon everything and leave two companies in the rear half of Annapolis to intercept the enemy's pursuit. After the artillery attack, half of the soldiers break out from the rear... The rest break out from the side... and meet at the long bridge!"

"Once we have blown up the long bridge, we can reorganize our defense line!" Philip Sheridan ordered.

However, he already had a very bad premonition in his heart.

There may also be enemy interceptions on the side.

From the beginning till now, he has been completely caught up in the enemy's rhythm, and every step he takes has been completely blocked by the enemy...

The enemy he faced this time... was extremely terrifying, and it gave him a chilling feeling.

It's not just because of the enemy's artillery and weapons.

The enemy arrived outside Annapolis at noon and launched the attack at night. It took only half a day to make targeted arrangements for all their preparations.

Whether it is the gunboats in the port, the artillery in the town, or the arrangements outside the town.

The other party didn't make any mistakes, and from the beginning to the end... I had no chance!

So what's next?

I'm afraid the other party won't leave any chance for himself!
Even running away is impossible.

He finally understood how Nelson and Sherman lost!
Previously, from the battle reports and the words of the soldiers who escaped, he only knew that the enemy's firearms were powerful and that they were talented in military affairs.

But only by fighting the opponent face to face can you understand how terrifying the opponent is!
The kind of tactical command that's like an eye is always watching you from above, making targeted plans based on all your preparations and not giving you any chances.

That feeling is simply suffocating!
But he was the commander, even if he had thought of the worst outcome in his heart... he couldn't show it at all.

He just watched expressionlessly as the combat staff quickly rolled up the combat map.

As his orders were passed on, the Annapolis artillery reluctantly moved three intact 12-pounders and opened fire toward the rear of the town.

After only two rounds of firing, the three artillery pieces were destroyed by mortar shells falling from the sky, and the artillerymen operating the artillery pieces were turned into broken corpses.

"Break out!" Sheridan squeezed out the sound from his throat.

Then he broke out from the side with the troops, but just after leaving Annapolis, he suffered a head-on attack.

The sudden burst of gunfire in the darkness tore apart all the infantry in front.

"The enemy has also set an ambush here..." Philip Sheridan's adjutant looked desperate.

Then he looked around for a moment, gritted his teeth, and pulled Philip Sheridan into the bushes, along with half a company of soldiers.

The enemy only has 1,100 people, and it is impossible to set up ambushes everywhere.

With those soldiers attracting the other side's attention, they can definitely get away!

"There's no need to run... Changqiao... Changqiao... He won't give us a chance to escape! He wants to annihilate us all!" Philip Sheridan said dejectedly.

Sure enough, just as he thought, all the roads leaving Annapolis from the side and rear were blocked...the other side would not leave them any chance.

"Commander, as long as we cross the long bridge and blow it up, we can reorganize our defense line! Let's go back to Washington to recruit militiamen. We still have a chance!" the adjutant gritted his teeth.

Philip Sheridan remained silent.

How could they have the chance to recruit the militia? And even if they did, what would happen?
Philip Sheridan had completely lost his spirit at this point, and all his confidence had been shattered in this battle.

He had no strength left and just let his adjutant drag him through the half-man-high grass and sparse woods. When it was almost dawn, they had arrived near the long bridge.

"I said they couldn't seal off Annapolis. There's a long bridge ahead!" said the adjutant with a look of joy on his face.

Da da da!
Blood splattered all over the adjutant's body, the expression on his face froze, and then he fell to the ground.

Sheridan was also dragged to the ground by him.

Then, intensive gunfire was heard all around.

There was a sound like the clicking of a typewriter, the sound of bullets hitting the human body, and the sound of a body falling to the ground behind me.

Philip Sheridan had a dead look on his face. He got up from the ground and looked around with lifeless eyes, waiting for death to come.

"Wait a minute, this guy's clothes... look like he's an official! Catch him and send him to Brother Wei."

……

Chen Zhengwei is having breakfast in Annapolis.

The battle of Annapolis ended while Philip Sheridan was still being dragged away by his adjutant.

The road out of Annapolis was blocked and shells kept falling overhead.

Even the commander was missing.

The remaining army remnants surrendered immediately.

"Brother Wei, the people ambushing at Changqiao seem to have captured their commander! He's been brought here!"

(End of this chapter)