Chapter 284 Everyone has their own tricks
Considering the limitations of personnel and material supply, it is impossible for the coalition positions to build large-scale fortifications on the mountains like those in the north. Although the South Vietnamese Army had an advantage in terms of strength, they were wary of counterattacks from the north and were unwilling to continue fighting in the dense forests of the mountains near the sea. They still only sent small groups of troops to fight in the mountains with the coalition forces. Trying to seize the commanding heights of two mountains.
In the past few days when the special operations company went south, the frequency of contact battles on the two mountaintops became increasingly high, and the "advanced" weapons used by the coalition forces did not have much advantage in this kind of jungle combat. Casualties have begun to appear continuously.
Weapons such as flintlock guns are indeed extremely lethal on the frontal battlefield, but in a jungle combat environment, the combat effectiveness gap between them and cold weapons is greatly narrowed, and it is even far inferior to reloading in short distances. Rapid crossbow weapons. In addition, the environment in the mountains and forests made it inconvenient for the musketeers to form formations to fight, and the use of tactics was also greatly restricted, which greatly reduced the coalition's combat advantage.
In recent battles, the battle damage ratio between the two sides has been brought close to the level of one to five. Although it seems that this battle damage ratio still favors the coalition, the headquarters does not think so. The military and police department’s investment in each Hai Han militiaman is far beyond that of the South Vietnamese Army. Five South Vietnamese soldiers tied together are less valuable than the flintlock rifles in the hands of Hai Han militiamen, let alone the investment required to train a qualified militiaman. The value of other human, material and financial resources. And compared with the previous battles where there were almost no battle losses, the current battle loss ratio is really nothing to be thankful for.
Fortunately, there is still a group of time-travelers with black technology in the coalition forces. At this time, several members of the North American gang finally waited for the opportunity to freely display their combat effectiveness. These guys who use automatic weapons are simply killers for the South Vietnamese army. Whether they are individual soldiers or in groups, as long as they encounter these people, they will basically be completely wiped out without the ability to fight back. Most of them will be wiped out. Even until death, I didn't know where my opponent was hiding and what weapon he was using.
It was the brave fighting of these people from the North American Gang that kept the commanding heights on the top of the mountain from being taken away by South Vietnam. However, this situation certainly cannot be maintained for a long time. Although the North American gang can fight, they are still human after all and need time to rest and recuperate.
At this juncture, the special operations company that had won a great victory in the south finally returned. After Qian Tiandun heard about the recent battle, he immediately asked Yan Chujie to fight and let the special operations team take over the battlefield on the top of the mountain. Compared with ordinary Haihan militiamen, Qian Tiandun has full confidence in his subordinates. Since the formation of this company, its training content and combat direction have been mountainous and jungle. Its ability to fight in the forest and wild fields is definitely greatly superior. Militiamen sent from the base camp.
Starting from the next day, the special operations company took over the battle zones on the two mountaintops. Qian Tiandun did not disappoint the headquarters. On the first day, he wiped out two South Vietnamese teams with a total of more than 40 people. Only two of his own were slightly injured. This result was enough to make the colleagues in the military and police departments affiliated with the base camp feel jealous. .
The special operations company's raiding campaign also began to see results a few days later. Since supplies and transportation in the south were heavily damaged and the supplies could not keep up for several days, the South Vietnamese Army had no choice but to reduce the supply of individual soldiers. Quantitative measures are taken to alleviate supply difficulties. As a result, the South Vietnamese Army could no longer maintain the frequency of daily attacks, and the two sides entered a subtle confrontation.
The coalition forces were concerned about possible casualties and were unwilling to take the initiative to leave their defensive positions to attack. The South Vietnamese army was also unwilling to attack the coalition positions with troops whose combat effectiveness was seriously reduced due to insufficient supplies. The headquarters is not in a hurry at all. As long as the current situation is maintained, the opponent will definitely be more anxious than themselves - tens of thousands of people in South Vietnam are constantly consuming supplies every day, and the requirements are at least ten times that of the coalition positions. This is true regardless of whether we fight or not. Every day it drags on, the supply pressure on the South Vietnamese Army will increase by one point. If the situation persists after ten or eight days, then just send another fleet south to cause trouble for the opponent.
Faced with this confrontation, the only person who is still dissatisfied may be Zheng Bai. Zheng Bai, as a middle-level and high-level leader of the North Vietnamese Army, knew very well why the Hai Han people would provide such large-scale military assistance to their own side. This was only obtained after Thang Long Palace agreed to various harsh conditions of the Hai Han people. From the moment these Haihan soldiers arrived at Yong'an Port, all the food, accommodation and material consumption were borne by North Vietnam. After entering the current coalition position, it is considered to be in combat status according to the contract between the two parties. The military expenditure of these thousands of people every day is much higher than that of the North Vietnamese Army's own army, not to mention that the ammunition consumed is all calculated at sky-high prices. .
Zheng Bai initially had doubts about the combat effectiveness of the Haihan Army and was worried that they would not be able to hold the planned seaside positions. However, after fighting a few battles, Zheng Bai's worries slowly changed direction - the Haihan Army obviously They have great advantages, but they just don't take the initiative to launch an attack. Are they deliberately creating a confrontation situation in order to ask for more conditions from Shenglong Mansion?
Regardless of whether the Haihan Army fights or not, as long as the current confrontation situation is maintained, military expenditures will be calculated according to the standards of the combat period. This is undoubtedly a loss-making deal for North Vietnam - Thang Long Palace spent a great deal of money to invite Mercenaries are not here just to look good.
Zheng Bai initially tried to exert some pressure on the Haihan Army through Feng Annan, the liaison officer, but Feng Annan was obviously not too convinced. He blocked Zheng Bai by saying, "All combat plans are based on the orders of the coalition frontline headquarters." Went back.
Zheng Bai was definitely not convinced by such an excuse - the Coalition Forces Command is also the title of the Coalition Forces after all. Why is it that your Haihan family is the one making the decision, while my army of tens of thousands of people has no right to speak. But it is certainly impossible to say that Zheng Bai had a conflict or even turned against the Haihan people because of this. The North Vietnamese defense line now relies on the assistance of the Haihan army. If the coalition positions were not built behind the enemy lines, the mountain defense line would not be able to do so at this time. It should have been captured by the South Vietnamese Army. And our subsequent plan to counterattack the South Vietnamese rebels will definitely depend on the movements of the Haihan Army and coordinate our actions.
When the first plan failed, Zheng Bai came up with another plan. He sent his cronies to the team transporting supplies and went to the coalition positions to send a message to his second son Zheng Ting, trying to get him to urge General Haihan to fight.
The North Vietnamese Confederate Army under the command of Zheng Ting undertook more than 80% of the combat missions in the coalition positions after the war began, and its performance was remarkable. From the initial nervousness and confusion, the troops under his command were fired indiscriminately before the enemy entered the range. Now I am gradually getting used to the rhythm of gunfire combat, and I am finally able to deal with the enemy's charge calmly.
The command headquarters was also quite satisfied with Zheng Ting's performance in combat command and began to let him attend the command's daily combat seminars as a representative of the North Vietnamese military. Of course, the command headquarters still had reservations about the North Vietnamese officers headed by Zheng Ting regarding the details of the special operations company's raids behind enemy lines in South Vietnam. After all, this involves the safety of more than 200 people, including many time-travelers and key protection targets such as the "Exploration". If the information is leaked, it may bring danger to the troops carrying out the attack.
However, the attitude shown by Zheng Ting surprised the envoy sent by Zheng Bai. He did not agree with Zheng Bai's proposal to urge the Haihan Army to take the initiative to attack. On the contrary, Zheng Ting believed that the main force of the North Vietnamese Army was now The mission is to cooperate with the Haihan Army's combat plan, and the coalition command will direct the subsequent battle.
In the past few days, Zheng Ting had gradually learned about the combat goals of the Haihan Army from the seminars. He knew that they were not aiming to kill the South Vietnamese Army in numbers, but that they planned to eliminate the mysterious musket in the South Vietnamese Army in an organized manner. force. Zheng Ting quite agreed with the combat goal established by the command. After many battles, Zheng Ting had fully realized the advantages of the musketeers in fighting traditional troops, and also understood why the North Vietnamese army would attack the opponent. Under the attack of a musketry unit, they were defeated one after another and retreated hundreds of miles. If the South Vietnamese musketeers were not eliminated, they would always be a poisonous thorn that threatened North Vietnam's security.
Of course, more importantly, since the war began, all the decisions made by the command have been proved correct afterwards. This has also caused the North Vietnamese Army, including senior officers like Zheng Ting, to feel that the command is "absolutely wise" and "absolutely wise". correct" impression. For opinions that are inconsistent with the orders of the headquarters, Zheng Ting will subconsciously think that the arrangements of the headquarters must be more correct. If he wants to win the battle, he must follow the opinions of the headquarters. Since the current command of the headquarters is to hold on to the position, then everyone should follow it. Why risk death and injury to attack the South Vietnamese Army's camp?
Zheng Bai felt a little helpless after receiving the reply. He could vaguely sense that the army trained by the Haihan people seemed to have a different view on war than his own. This difference does not exist at the tactical level, but rather the stance taken by the commander - for example, Zheng Ting agrees more with Haihan's approach, turning immobility into initiative, and trading time for strategic advantage. As for how much materials, money and food are spent, that should not be a matter for soldiers to consider. Soldiers only need to know how to win the war.
On February 5th, after many days of calm, the South Vietnamese army finally lost their composure. They opened the camp early in the morning and began to form troops outside the camp. The observation post located on the top of the mountain also promptly transmitted the news back to the headquarters, allowing the defenders on the position to prepare for battle in advance.
This time the South Vietnamese Army did not disappoint the coalition forces again. The "long-awaited" musketry unit by the coalition forces finally appeared in the South Vietnamese Army's combat formation. When the news came back to the headquarters via the radio, there was even a burst of cheers. Counting from the time of departure, it has been more than half a month now. Even if the battle situation has been dominant, the soldiers have been very tired from many days of continuous field battles. Many of them are already looking forward to an early end. This battle has left this ghost place of Annan. The headquarters issued an order to withdraw the North Vietnamese Army from the front line, and mobilized the musketeers and artillery of the Haihan Militia as the main force. Yan Chujie's combat purpose is very clear, which is to use the advantage in firepower to cause enough damage to the opponent's musketry troops in one go - the firepower advantage possessed by the Haihan Army will be exposed in just one battle. After this battle, don't expect the South Vietnamese Army to be fooled again and use their precious musketeers to fight.
"After this battle, the South Vietnamese Army should probably retreat." Yan Chujie put down the telescope and said with unfinished meaning.
"Since it may be the last battle, we have to find a way to inflict pain on them." Harugong continued: "I have already contacted Feng Anan and asked him to notify the North Vietnamese army on the mountain position and choose an opportunity to attack. ”
"The North Vietnamese infantry behind the position is also in place." Mu Xiabai added. The North Vietnamese infantry he was talking about were the more than 1,000 spearmen that the headquarters asked Zheng Bai for before the war started. These soldiers were not of much use in the previous battles. Most of the time they were used to build fortifications. , the role of civilian husband transporting supplies. At this time, the command headquarters believed that there might be a rout after this battle, and then low-tech tasks such as chasing the enemy could be handed over to the CCP Army.
What was slightly unexpected by the command was that compared to the previous battles, the South Vietnamese army had a lot more "new toys" in the formation this time - there were widened and thickened shield vehicles, trebuchets, and several The artillery was hauled out on an oxcart. It seems that during these days of truce, the South Vietnamese army has not been idle, and has also made a lot of preparations on how to conquer the coalition positions.
"This is a posture to attack the city!" Yan Chujie was also a little surprised by the formation of the South Vietnamese Army. But he didn't feel any nervousness. After all, no matter what tricks his opponent could come up with, he was just struggling to death in the face of absolute strength.
With the sound of gongs and drums, the South Vietnamese army began to attack the coalition positions. The leader of the battle is undoubtedly the shield car. This time the shield car is much bulkier than the previous models. The logs used to make the shield wall are thicker than before, and various reinforcement structures are added behind the shield wall. , of course, its weight has also increased a lot, so the traveling speed is slower than before.
However, the power of the trebuchet surprised the coalition forces. The first stone bomb fired by the opponent hit only seven or eight meters in front of the obstacle area, only about ten or twenty meters away from the defensive wall made of wooden planks. Looking at the pile of rocks that weighed at least ten kilograms and sunk into the ground, the commanders looked a little solemn - if this thing hit someone, it would definitely be destroyed on the spot, although the effective area that can kill is very small, almost It is a point-to-point attack, but the psychological deterrent it can cause to people is huge. After all, rocks will fall from the sky at any time and smash their heads, which is not a fun thing.
"Hurry up and calculate the range of the trebuchet, and let the artillery take a preview!" Yan Chujie gave the order.
Although the wooden ceiling on the defensive position could withstand enemy arrows, it could never withstand stone bullets falling from the sky. According to what has been observed so far, there are at least a dozen catapults in the opponent's camp, and their long-range strike capabilities cannot be ignored.
Soon the staff reported further news: "The South Vietnamese army used grenade-belt trebuchets. We believe its range may reach 350 to 400 meters...which means they can attack beyond the effective range of their rifles." Us.”
"The South Vietnamese Army has been busy building catapults for the past few days since the war ceased." Yan Chujie nodded and said, "There is no other way. It seems that we must strike first."
No one responded. The purpose of the South Vietnamese army's use of trebuchets was very clear, which was to first destroy the defensive walls on the coalition positions, force the coalition forces to abandon their fortifications and engage in face-to-face fighting, and then use their superiority in strength to overwhelm the coalition camp. If the coalition uses artillery to attack the opponent first, it can certainly quickly knock out the opponent's long-range firepower, but on the other hand, it will definitely expose its own firepower advantage. It will be difficult for the opponent to send out musketeers to fight.
"How about letting the Xie Congjun serve as cannon fodder first, and then wait for the opponent's musketry troops to come out and then replace our people with them?" Wang Tom unscrupulously proposed a combat plan. Of course, before proposing this plan, he had already made sure that no North Vietnamese soldiers were present within a ten-meter radius.
"If we change it now, the intention is too obvious." Yan Chujie shook his head and said: "These people in North Vietnam are not fools. Even if they are used as cannon fodder this time, I'm afraid they won't be able to command them next time. Use artillery to knock them out first. The South Vietnamese Army’s catapult!”
Yan Chujie is the supreme commander of the coalition forces, and his orders are the final decision. Now that the military order has been issued, even if some people still have objections, they can only follow it.
In the second round of attacks by South Vietnamese catapults, rocks had already hit the defensive wall. Although no one was hurt, it directly broke up a multi-functional flatbed truck that served as a defensive wall, causing a small exclamation. . At this time, the defensive walls in front of several gun emplacements on the coalition positions had been moved away, revealing the 12-pound army guns behind them.
Within a range of one mile, the accuracy of artillery is much better than that of trebuchets. Therefore, the first round of concentrated fire from ten 12-pound guns hit one trebuchet, and then killed more than ten South Vietnamese soldiers.
The sudden firing on the coalition position did shock the South Vietnamese Army. In the previous days of offensive, the coalition had only used four 6-pound guns as auxiliary firepower. The South Vietnamese Army also believed that this was the heavy firepower possessed by the coalition. level, so we formulated a strategy of using catapults for long-range attacks - the four small cannons seemed unable to threaten the catapults at this safe distance, both in terms of range and accuracy, and we could attack our opponents with confidence and boldness. That hateful defensive wall. But now they discovered that their so-called clever plan seemed to be a joke. It was only then that their opponents began to show their fangs that had been hidden.
(End of chapter)