Chapter 543 Breaking the Array
In order to prevent swordsmen and generals who crossed the border, Gaotai Village has a guard team and built a circle of walls. Now, these no longer exist.
Under the continuous bombardment of artillery fire, all the village walls collapsed and turned into ruins. The Feng Army Brigade currently houses only one cavalry battalion, two infantry battalions, and the guard company. The third battalion and the first company of the company were seriously short of units. Even if other scattered troops gathered, the total strength did not exceed 500 people.
The ammunition problem is another difficulty. The Beiyang Army has never had the tradition of cherishing ammunition, and its shooting technology is generally inferior, and it relies entirely on a large amount of ammunition consumption to create damage. The Hu army's ammunition and cannons were all taken away, and the soldiers' carrying ammunition was limited. In the breakthrough battle, in order to create a rain of bullets, there are too many bullets on their bodies, and the remaining bullets are even worse. When the enemy rushed up, they could only fight with white soldiers.
Beside Feng Huanzhang, he was a sworn brother and sister, known as the Thirteenth Grandmaster. In addition, Father John Zhao, who has been following him, has good medical skills and is very capable of treating the wounded. However, a good wife is not good at cooking without rice. Now she lacks medical treatment and medicine. No matter how good her medical skills are, it is difficult to play a role.
The cavalry named Shunzi has already died. The biggest regret is not that they cannot go home to respect their mothers, but that they have failed to cut off the White Wolf's head and serve the chief officer. There are many soldiers who died with him, and Feng Huanzhang is too lazy to remember their names. Most of the remaining soldiers were injured, and the minor injured insisted on taking the lead and seized the time to build simple fortifications. The seriously injured could only lie on the ground and make painful whispers.
"Poor child, may God be with you, a kind and omnipotent God, will bless you from illness..."
The priest's prayer and the so-called holy water were only polite but not real for the soldiers, and the meaning was limited. Feng Huanzhang and his subordinates took off their military caps and looked at the five-color badges on it, not knowing what to think.
"Ma Fengtong's army is probably wiped out. When I observed it just now, I found that the enemy's troops were more powerful. The patrol battalion armed forces turned against each other, and the White Wolf's troops might not decrease but increase. It is probably difficult for us to fight out. We originally wanted to take everyone to a fortune, but unexpectedly, we took you to a dead end. I, Feng, I'm sorry brother..."
Jiang Hong said: "Brother, you can't blame you. Hu Yunyi's rebellion is something that no one can imagine. Even if we are in charge, after he rebelled, we will still be very passive. Now that the last moment is yet to come, there is a company in our cavalry battalion that can move. You take them out and go back to Chang'an. I'll fight with them here!"
"That's right, brother, you will lead the cavalry to break through, we will cover you. Although there are more white wolf soldiers, they are not airtight. If you want to fight out, there will always be a way."
So what can I do if I fight out? Feng Huanzhang knew that what he had ruined was the mobile forces of almost the entire Shaanxi. After this defeat, even Yan Wenxiang had no soldiers to send. The situation changed more dangerously than when he was besieged in Chang'an. Maybe the whole province would fall into the hands of swordsmen and brother-in-law. He had made such a big mistake, most of the time he had to go to the military court.
Compared to life, I care more about official positions and reputations. Death in the battlefield can ensure your reputation and official positions, and my family will receive a considerable pension. If you break through, you will end up shooting. They will also die, so why can't you die with dignity?
He could not explain these thoughts about his sworn brothers and sisters, and only shook his head and said, "I, Feng Huanzhang, are the only ones who abandoned my friends? Everyone is born in the same place and dies in the same place. I, Feng, will never leave my brothers and live by myself."
Zhao John said: "Bet Commander Feng, I admire your noble character. But you have to think clearly that if you don't leave, your life will be in danger."
Feng Huanzhang said: "From the day I joined the army, I have been prepared for sacrifice. My life is in danger. I have never considered it. Father, I will let the cavalry cover you to break through..."
"No need, I am a clergy and will not be afraid of death. Death is just about returning to God and serving me, so you don't have to worry about me. Let me give you a prayer for all of you, may God bless us and survive this disaster."
He took out a bottle of holy water and began to brush everyone's faces. The Thirteenth Taibao mostly disdained this kind of ceremony, but he could not disobey this kind of good intention. The White Wolf Army, for some reason, did not launch an attack for a long time, allowing them to complete the ceremony. If it were not for confirming the existence of the White Wolf Army, Feng Huanzhang almost believed that the White Wolf Army had withdrawn from the battlefield and moved to another place.
The cannon sounded again, but no cannonballs fell on his head. Everyone was stunned. I wonder why the White Wolf Army's artillery deteriorated to this point, but I felt that the earth under my feet seemed to have moved. My heart trembled inexplicably, and then there was a shocking roar, shaking everyone.
Just as the spring thunder sounded, shaking the earth, the sound of the cannon was deafening and continuous. Feng Huanzhang was in the army for a long time, so he could naturally hear that this was definitely not the sound of the White Wolf Army's cannon. Even if all the cannons under his command were fired, this effect would not be possible. Is there... reinforcements?
He rushed to the ruins of the village wall, climbed onto the broken wall with his hands and feet, raised his telescope and observed in the distance. However, he heard the rumbling cannons for a long time, and the besieged troops with white wolves on all sides were also in chaos. Some cavalry ran back and forth, occasionally looking up, looking into the village, looking at Feng Huanzhang, and then turned to other places, ignoring his existence.
The sound of cannons stopped, and the buzzing sound was still echoing in Feng Huanzhang's ears, as if there were many flies flying around in his ears. In the buzzing sound, another sound mixed in. The sound was both noisy and messy, as if it was at the vegetable market, noisy and disorderly. As the buzzing sound gradually became smaller, the noisy sound gradually became clear. Although the sound was very messy and anxious, the content could be heard clearly.
"Lu Army!"
"The Lu army is coming!"
As the sound became clear, the five-colored flag of Gonghezhengfu was found in the telescope. In a trance, Feng Huanzhang seemed to have returned to Fusang. When he first arrived in Fusang, he had seen the sea. The tide of the sea was not visible at first, and then the tide of anger surged. In a blink of an eye, huge waves slammed on the beach, as if they were about to sweep everything. Today's Lu army was as overwhelming as the sea he saw in Fusang, covering the sky and unstoppable!
The troops were queuing very wide, and the extremely sharp momentum was as terrifying as a storm. The sound of artillery that was shocking just now was mostly the movement of the artillery battle between the Lu army and the White Wolf Army. At this time, the sound of artillery became smaller and the drums gradually became clear. The marching drum beats the crisp drums, and the infantry trotted forward with the rhythm. The White Wolf Army raised its rifle and fired at the attacker. Soon, casualties occurred on the attacking side.
One after another, soldiers were shot and fell to the ground. The flag-holder's body shook several times. The flag seemed to be about to escape, but soon, someone rushed up to take over the flag. When the flag-holder changed to the third person, the Lu army fought back.
The gunshots were like rapid rain. Feng Huanzhang had never thought before that that gunshots could be so urgent and so dense, as if the torrential rain in summer hit the eaves, making a crackling sound, and continuous. Did the Lu army use a series of guns?
He thought he had some advanced weapons, but then he found that it was not the case. Instead, the Lu army in the front row shot down and then loaded. Then the Lu army in the second row jumped over the front row and shot and rolled forward. The troops cooperated very well, and the loading speed was much faster than his own troops. It sounded like there was no gap.
The waves collapsed the embankment and flooded the world. The rushing waves washed away the White Wolf Army's positions. The wolves that had just been swallowed up had splashed a few waves in front of the huge waves and then retreated. The White Wolf Army either retreated or fought back and then fell under the rain of bullets.
The White Wolf Army's cavalry rushed up, but the sound of cannons also sounded in the Lu army's formation, and the cannons actually came up again.
"Shockball, double shotball!" Accompanied by the order of Zou Hua, a young officer of the Artillery Corps, the God of War immediately used his magical powers and turned the opposite Ma Jianer into minced flesh and wronged souls.
The artillery expropriated from Henan was the Fusang cannon used by Yuan Weiting's plan to compile three model divisions. Because the White Wolf Army pursued maneuver power, these cannons were useless to him and were abandoned. Subsequently, these cannons became owned by the Henan Provincial Army and were used to protect the Yuan family's ancestral tomb.
When Zhao Guanhou led his troops to Shaanxi, and Yuan Weiting could not provide sufficient military pay and military supplies, these artillery naturally responded to their requests and all became part of the Zhao army. Zhao Guanhou's troops still used the flying cavalry artillery team, dragging artillery vehicles with a large number of livestock, and the speed was not too slow. Zou Hua was born in Baoding Military Academy and just entered the Lu army, he became an artillery regiment cadre. Although the general admired his talent very much, the people below may not be willing to submit to him. In the army, military merit was the hardest stepping stone. He was about to take this opportunity to make military achievements, so he showed great courage, and the shells poured out without caring about the cost.
The generals had never seen the power of shrapnel. In the artillery battle just now, the gap in artillery techniques of solid bullets against shrapnel was even more different. The artillery fire was intertwined, and shrapnel flew everywhere, and the artillery of the White Wolf Army collapsed first. Zou Hua didn't even care about the captured cannons, so he urged his subordinates to give the White Wolf Army a gift of death with twelve pounds of field grenades.
However, in comparison, the combat enthusiasm of the Shang team is still far above the gun bell. After its establishment, the second mixed brigade, which has always been in the training and defense and alert task, was like a sharp and extremely sharp knife, waiting to find an opportunity to show its edge. Now, the opportunity has finally come.
Shang Quan himself went to the front line and commanded the sword. Before the war, he issued an order. Anyone retreated and engaged in military law. The reputation of the Second Mixed Brigade was in this battle. If he performed poorly, he would report to the Army Department to apply for the abolition of the brigade's establishment.
With the death order, no one dared to hesitate. All the soldiers swept towards the Bailang Army like a strong wind. The opponents were the staff and chief military advisers around Bai Lang, Shen Hongbin, Niu Tianxiang, and Qin Jiaohong, two large poles and subordinates, who were under his command.
Although Chen Hongbin had never fought with the Lu army, he also knew his past achievements and did not think that his troops could tie the Lu army. All he wanted was to gain time, give Bai Lang's troops time to adjust their formation, fight with the Lu army, and then withdraw from the battlefield. In just half an hour or twenty minutes, he could complete the task himself.
Niu and Qin found out about the mission, they were quite relaxed. Niu Tianxiang wore two jackets and another red gold pocket watch. This was taken from a businessman, which was his beloved object. As soon as he pressed the spring, the cover popped up and looked at the time. "I'll go ahead to command and play with these turtle grandchildren from Shandong. Isn't it just twenty minutes, a little bit!"
His pole was always able to fight, and he added more than 100 soldiers who were dismissed from the south to the army, which was more than twenty minutes long. However, five minutes later, Qin Jiaohong had to rush forward with his troops to support, and then he fell into it.
The Lu army was crazy.
This was Chen Hongbin's first impression. He had never seen such a crazy army. Although the Bai Lang army's volleyball level was not high and the guns were uneven, these old poles had good marks and loading speeds. With good guns, it was common for them to fight with officers and soldiers in the past. The Lu army ignored the rain of bullets and rushed forward with the bullets. After approaching, the guns were fired in a volleyball. The third and fourth volleyballs shot over, and then they picked up the bayonets to launch hand-to-hand combat.
Niu Tianxiang and Qin Jiaohong were both swept by the bayonets of the Lu Army, and then crushed them. Before Chen Hongbin could draw reinforcements, the passage between himself and his team was cut off. The cavalry of the mixed brigade shouted and rushed up with a sabre. Chen Hongbin was less than eight minutes from issuing the order to the time he fell into the battle.
Bai Lang's army had no time to organize the team. If the Lu army did not give them this time, once their troops retreated, the Lu army would immediately pounce on them. This desperate fighting style made Bai Lang almost realize that there was a deep hatred between him and the Lu army.
The Zhensong Army troops collapsed faster than the Bailang Army. This was not the difference in combat effectiveness, but the Zhensong Army made a fortune in the previous looting, and the troops were more slick and more cherished. They fired a few rounds of guns from afar, and when the Lu army pressed over like a roller, they roared backwards. Not only did they escape by themselves, but even the Bailang Army's formation was in chaos.
The fleeing troops shouted, "Lu Army, it's Lu Army here!" Someone shouted, "Foreigners, there are foreigners in their team, run away quickly, foreigners are avenging the missionaries!"
Since the Eight-Nation Alliance, the domestic armies have developed a deeper fear of foreigners. Especially when hundreds of foreign soldiers appeared in the Lu army, this sentiment became even more serious. The patrol battalion that had just surrendered has begun a new round of counter-revolution, dragging guns and escaping, raising hands to surrender, and even attacking friendly forces has been repeatedly banned.
The general Song Laonian around Bai Lang said anxiously: "Governor, withdraw quickly!"
"Hongbin, where is Hongbin?"
"Don't worry about him, I don't care about it now. Zhan Bi, you and I will cover the Governor and let the brothers retreat quickly!"
Chapter completed!