Chapter 1818 Building a Base

For this base project, the amount of labor currently invested is finally enough. According to the suggestions of the technical staff, Qian Tiandun assigned more manpower to the northern line of the base to direct the construction of defense fortifications. Since the Qing army is self-defense

North to south, so whether this base can be nailed to the north bank of the Datong River like a nail depends largely on whether the northern line can block the Qing army's frontal offensive.

With the experience of the Jinzhou Isthmus Defense Line, it is natural for Haihan to use the terrain to build a defensive position that is only one-third of the length of the Jinzhou Defense Line. The only problem is that the construction period is too short, and some projects are relatively large.

It will definitely be difficult to complete the project before the Qing army arrives, and more temporary defenses will have to be built and used to make up for the weaknesses in the defense line.

If calculated according to the current advancement speed of the Qing army, the Qing army's vanguard battalion will be able to reach the Datong River line in at most ten days. The independent regiment certainly cannot rely entirely on unfinished fortifications to deploy its positions. Qian Tiandun and his

Officers also need to prepare more detailed combat plans to deal with the Qing infantry and cavalry tactics that may appear at that time.

Qian Tiandun certainly had full confidence in the combat effectiveness of his own unit. Although there was a huge disparity in strength compared with the enemy's forces, it is no exaggeration to say that Haihan was also preparing for this war with the whole country's efforts.

In addition to the establishment of the independent regiment itself, the Ministry of National Defense has also dispatched additional artillery-based troops from other places to North Korea. If the trip goes well, the number of artillery deployed on the defense line will reach more than a hundred, and its power may be

It will far exceed the enemy's expectations.

Qian Tiandun's operational thinking is very clear, which is to make up for the lack of fortifications by firepower. Since the defense methods that require a longer construction period cannot be completed in time, he can only rely on the Haihan Army's advantages in weapons, equipment and tactics.

The organization defended.

Judging from the previous battles on the banks of the Yalu River, the Qing army was actually equipped with a lot of artillery. However, due to limitations in military technology, they were basically relatively primitive cast iron cannons. In terms of performance, they were still inferior to the artillery equipped in the Haihan army.

There is a relatively obvious gap. In the previous artillery battle, the caliber of the artillery equipped by the Marine Corps was too small, and the range of the naval gun was too short, so the Haihan Army failed to gain much advantage in the battle, and was even slightly passive.

But this time, the army's artillery unit was used to fight the Qing army in another place, so the Qing army would no longer be able to take advantage.

In order to make the artillery positions more scientifically deployed, Qian Tiandun sent several experienced artillerymen from the independent regiment to the construction site to negotiate with the engineers to determine the location and construction method of the artillery positions.

Currently, the independent regiment has more than 3,000 troops stationed here. After the Marine Corps and artillery reinforcements from various places arrive, it will be able to gather more than 5,000 troops, plus fortifications and powerful firepower.

If successful, it can indeed cope with several times the enemy's attack. Moreover, the navy will continue to cause trouble behind the enemy's main force. The Qing army will probably suffer a lot if they want to capture this base.

The construction of infrastructure such as barracks and warehouses in the base has been temporarily stopped, and all the labor force has been put on the defense line construction site in the north to build fortifications and artillery positions. The accommodation problem of the troops can only be solved by tents.

Well, fortunately, the Independent Regiment itself is a field force and is good at fighting in various difficult environments. The soldiers do not think there is anything wrong with the treatment of having meals and sleeping in the open.

The port terminal facilities have also been greatly simplified due to the construction period requirements. In the design plan, the large terminal that is several miles long and has more than fifty berths has been reduced to two east and west terminals, each with five berths and one berth in each terminal.

It is used to dock the main battleships of the Majesty class. Although the consequence of this is that the entire fleet cannot be replenished and maintained in a short period of time, considering the advantages of the Haihan Navy's arms, the intensity of surface combat that will be carried out in the Datong River will be very high.

It may be extremely limited. As long as the allocation arrangements are strengthened, the scale of such a terminal is barely enough in wartime.

Of course, when the Qing army reaches the Datong River and the northern defense line begins to engage the enemy, many of the workers who have withdrawn will be transferred to the dock site to continue to seize time to build unfinished projects.

On June 20, an artillery company from Zhifu Island in Shandong and a sniper company led by Morgan arrived at the Datong River base, which immediately greatly enhanced the base's military strength.

Almost at the same time that the reinforcements arrived at the Datongjiang base, the main force of the Qing army arrived at the next stop, Dingzhou City. The North Koreans assembled four thousand soldiers and horses here, hoping to delay the Qing army's march south as much as possible. But the North Korean defenders were actually in charge of the final

We didn’t have much hope for the outcome of the war, because according to the news from the south, the Haihan people refused to send troops at this time, and even refused to agree to send military advisers to the front line. This means that the North Korean defenders must face it alone.

As for the Qing army's offensive, if nothing unexpected happens, this is actually a fatal situation.

At this time, the combined fleet composed of four countries was ruthlessly plundering places in the Liaodong Peninsula. In the Dayang River Basin, a hundred miles west of the mouth of the Yalu River, the coalition forces defeated Xiaodianzi, Huangtukan, Gushan, and Bodhisattva in two days.

Miao, Gujiatun and many other towns, eliminated more than 400 local regiment-trained armed men, and captured more than 2,000 Han refugees, giving them some money and food, and the harvest was quite fruitful.

According to the internal agreement of the coalition forces, Haihan has exclusive access to all the captured Han people, and other harvests are equally divided among the other three companies participating in the operation. Although this equal sharing method seems to give participants the opportunity to be lazy, but

In fact, such a situation will not happen. These three companies are eager to earn more performance in front of Wang Tom, so that they will have more opportunities to fight side by side with the Haihan Army in subsequent actions. Especially the roles they played on the Yalu River earlier

The Fujian Navy, which had been on sentry duty for most of the month, was not willing to miss the opportunity to perform like this. Every time he went to a town, Xu Yuzhuo took the initiative to sign up to be a vanguard.

The reason why the Allies are so active in fighting for the opportunity to fight with Haihan is that on the one hand they hope to further close the relationship with Haihan's military in this way, and on the other hand they also want to take the opportunity to learn more about advanced tactics.

By the way, we will observe whether the Haihan Army is equipped with any powerful new equipment. Although operating with the Haihan Army will inevitably require some tough battles, the corresponding training effect is also the best. For people like Xu from Fujian who want to train

For local warlords who have strengthened their military, it is not a problem to pay some sacrifices of personnel and spend some military materials.

At this time, the order of strengthening the walls and clearing the country issued by Huang Taiji had just arrived at the banks of the Yalu River. By the time it reached the Yangtze River Basin, it had already been completely cold. Haihan had also long expected the measures the enemy might take. In recent days,

Begin to concentrate troops to clean up the coastal areas from east to west, and loot these places before the Qing government does.

Under the command of Wang Tom, the efficiency of the coalition forces' operations on the Liaodong coast far exceeded that of the Qing army in Korea. During the same period, they obtained almost twice as many people, money and food as the Qing army, but only used approximately the same amount of troops.

One-thirtieth of the strength of the Qing army. Of course, the resistance the Qing army encountered in North Korea was far greater than the obstacles faced by the coalition forces during the Liaodong operation. But in any case, during this period

In the chaotic situation where each of them was fighting alone, the coalition forces led by Haihan undoubtedly fought more proactively and indeed took greater advantage.

At this time, God seemed to have begun to help. Thunderstorms appeared on the west coast of Korea. Flash floods turned the outside of Dingzhou into a swamp. The Qing army could only push back the time to attack the city. And the large areas to the east and south of Dingzhou

The Ningjiang River Basin was also completely flooded, making it impossible for the Qing army to bypass Dingzhou to attack the next target.

The shortcomings of the Qing army in terms of mobility were once again exposed. If the Haihan army faced this situation, of course they could flexibly choose to bypass this area by sea, but the Qing army, which had almost no sea ships, could only

Stopping and waiting for the weather to improve was undoubtedly a very helpless thing for the Qing generals.

The Datong River base in the south was inevitably affected by thunderstorms, but fortunately, most of the current projects can be constructed in the rain. Although it will be a little slower, it will not stagnate like the Qing army.

.

The news that the Qing army stopped in Dingzhou was quickly sent back to the Datongjiang base, which made Qian Tiandun even more convinced. The obstacles caused to the Qing army by God's unfavorable intentions are very likely to become a problem for them in the future.

One of the reasons why Datong River suffered heavy damage.

"Sir Jin, your country can take advantage of this period to dispatch troops as soon as possible, deploy heavy troops in Anzhou, and rely on the Daning River to block the Qing army."

When Qian Tiandun saw Kim Sang-hyun again, he gave him an idea. In fact, this was not a clever advice. As long as the Koreans were not stupid, they should have noticed this fighter opportunity. But after being overwhelmed by the Qing army,

After conquering several places at a rapid pace, the Korean army's fighting will will inevitably be affected. Even if they gather heavy troops to Anzhou City on the east bank of the Daning River, they may not be able to stop the Qing army.

"What General Qian said is absolutely true, but I don't know if your navy can coordinate operations at sea. It would be best to blockade the lower reaches of the Daning River. This will increase our military's confidence in holding Anju City." Kim Sang-heon.

However, he never forgot to persuade Qian Tiandun to send troops to join the war.

Qian Tiandun said sternly: "Our navy is performing other combat missions in Liaodong, and I'm afraid it won't be able to come to help in the battle for the time being."

Kim Sang-hyun still continued to persuade unwillingly: "Since your navy cannot escape, then you can let the fleets from other countries come!"

Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "Master Jin, those fleets have not benefited your country. Do you think they will take the initiative to fight for your country?"

"This..." How could Jin Sangxian not know this, but he also knew that the fleets of the other three countries all followed Haihan's lead. They all arrived at Ganghwa Island together at the beginning, and the Fujian Navy also participated in the battle on the Yalu River.

As long as Haihan speaks, the other three fleets should also obey and participate in the battle against the Qing Dynasty. But as for what kind of benefits his country can give them, Kim Sang-heon will definitely not take the initiative to ask. According to Haihan,

If you ask about your temperament, you will definitely get a lion's mouth.

Qian Tiandun waited for a long time, and when he saw that Jin Sangxian did not ask what conditions the other three kingdoms fleets required before they were willing to go to war, he thought that this old fox was really smart and could be so calm. He coughed and said proactively: "

In fact, the requirements of their three parties are not high, as long as your country opens trade rights to them. Regarding this matter, your ambassador, Mr. Li, had already discussed this matter with them when he was in Sanya.

A formal official agreement, I believe Master Jin must have read the memorial sent back to China by Master Li."

Jin Sangxian responded: "I have indeed read the memorial, and there should be no serious problems with the trade. But can we deal with the Qing army first, and then slowly discuss the details of the trade?"

Qian Tiandun nodded and said: "Master Jin, is this the official attitude of your country? I will convey it to you, but I can't guarantee whether they can accept it."

Jin Sangxian knew that Qian Tiandun was deliberately pushing the envelope, but he did not dare to show any dissatisfaction. At the moment, he had to thank Qian Tiandun for his help and secretly prayed that an armed fleet would arrive in Anzhou in time to help in the battle. And Qian

What Tian Dun is thinking about is that if you go around and around me now and refuse to give me a good word, negotiating terms later will only cost you more. If you don’t believe me, just wait and see.

After five days and four nights of thunderstorms, the Qing army had to wait for two more days until the water outside Dingzhou City was slightly drained before continuing the offensive. The four thousand soldiers and horses in Dingzhou City only resisted

On two days, the city was declared broken under a fierce attack by the Qing army. Finally, nearly half of the troops withdrew from the Dingzhou battlefield and fled to Anzhou.

Half a day after the Dingzhou city was destroyed, the news reached the Datong River base. After learning the bad news, Kim Sang-hyun had to ask Qian Tiandun again to send a fleet to assist in the defense of Anzhou.

Qian Tiandun agreed to his request this time, but he also put forward new conditions. Since this action was taken by other fleets, another military expenditure had to be paid. Of course, the money was not in vain, Qian Tiandun

Dun promised to hold off the Qing army on the Anzhou front for at least ten days in order to gain more buffer time for subsequent resistance.

"Ten days..." Jin Sangxian secretly complained after hearing Qian Tiandun's conditions. This was not to repel the Qing army, but just to delay the Qing army before attacking Anzhou. Just like this, he had to pay another sum.

It really made him feel that this transaction was a bit of a loss.

"Then I wonder how much military expenditure is needed this time?" Kim Sang-hyun thought about it and finally asked through gritted teeth.

"One thousand taels of gold." Qian Tiandun raised a finger and added without waiting for Jin Shangxian to say: "If the Qing army is delayed for more than twenty days, more expenses will be required."

Kim Sang-hyun wanted to scream bitterly, but he knew that this kind of behavior was useless in front of the philistine Han people. But if he didn't pay for Qian Tiandun to arrange the dispatch of troops, I'm afraid Anju would not be able to hold on longer than before.

How good are those cities?
Chapter completed!