Chapter 285: Drive
"The rebels have never used this kind of trebuchet on the battlefield before." Zheng Ting said to the several Haihan officers in front of him with certainty: "They used to mainly use bows and arrows, supplemented by a small amount of artillery as a means of long-range attack. This is also the first time I have seen a trebuchet like this.”
Yan Chujie and others nodded slightly, which also proved their view from the side - these trebuchets were probably also technology provided by South Vietnam's military advisers, and their purpose was to supplement the long-range attack methods for attacking the coalition's defense lines. There were not many artillery pieces in the South Vietnamese army. They rushed to build these trebuchets after many days of truce, probably hoping that they could be used together with the artillery to destroy the coalition's defensive wall in the shortest possible time. But the other party didn't expect that there were not just four cannons behind the defensive wall of the coalition position, but more than forty cannons!
Some of these artillery pieces are monkey-type artillery pieces exported to North Vietnam, including the four small cannons used a few days ago. In addition, the expeditionary force also brought a number of original genuine Haihan cannons. If necessary, the cannons can even be disassembled from the "Discovery" and used. It is even difficult to deploy so many artillery pieces on a defense line only two hundred meters wide, so the artillery pieces deployed on the defense line only account for half of the total.
If the South Vietnamese army launches an attack with only limited artillery, the coalition forces will play it out to the end, exposing only a few cannons to PK with the opponent, and slowly knock out the opponent's artillery by virtue of their range and accuracy advantages. But since the South Vietnamese army came up with the idea of using trebuchets to supplement the lack of long-range firepower, and it has threatened the safety of the militia soldiers, the coalition forces can no longer hide it, and simply show their fangs and take advantage of the fact that the South Vietnamese army has not returned. When it's overdone, give it a shot.
The South Vietnamese army did not expect to fight for so many days. There were so many useless weapons hidden in the opponent's position. After a burst of cannons, the trebuchets in the South Vietnamese formation were hit by artillery shells one after another. middle. As for the limited number of artillery pieces, under the concentrated fire of the coalition artillery, they were called out one by one before they even had time to mount a resistance.
Faced with this situation, the South Vietnamese commander was not stupid enough to continue the attack. Instead, he immediately ordered the rear team to become the front team and all troops to retreat. The musketeer unit in the South Vietnamese Army retracted before it even showed its front.
"General Yan, I humbly ask for orders to pursue you!" Zheng Tingjian saw that just a moment after the battle started, the South Vietnamese army could no longer withstand the artillery fire. Judging from this posture, they were planning to withdraw. It would be a pity not to grasp such a great battle situation. , quickly asked Yan Chujie for help.
Naturally, Yan Chujie would not object to this suggestion. Now that the opponent's tricks have exposed his firepower in advance, it is no longer easy to annihilate the opponent's musketry troops with the momentum of this battle. However, the coalition forces have been preparing for this for so long, at least Just charge some interest. The headquarters did not forget to notify the mountainous positions in the north to cooperate with the coalition positions to launch a counterattack against the South Vietnamese Army.
So after a lapse of two months, the North Vietnamese Army finally had the opportunity to launch an active counterattack on the battlefield. The garrison troops in the two positions launched attacks from the east and north directions towards the retreating South Vietnamese Army. For the South Vietnamese Army, the situation in the north is slightly better. After all, the North Vietnamese Army stationed in the mountainous positions has reached the end of its strength, and now it is not too strong to launch a counterattack. On the other hand, the army chasing from the east gave the South Vietnamese army a headache. They were almost all musketeers, falling behind not far away. As soon as the South Vietnamese troops at the rear stopped, they also stopped, and then there was a burst of gunfire. The beating caused the troops in the rear to fall on their backs. If they plan to rush over and fight head-on, there will be spearmen lined up in a neat square formation next to them. If the skirmishers want to charge into the formation, it will be a desperate move.
The only thing that the South Vietnamese Army was thankful for was that their main camp was not far from the battle site, and the large troops could retreat back to the camp in one go. As for the heavy equipment such as shield vehicles and trebuchets, no one cared about them when they were escaping, and they were all abandoned on the battlefield.
The North Vietnamese Army, which only had infantry, was not dazzled by the temporary advantage and went directly to attack the South Vietnamese Army's camp. The counterattack troops from both directions stopped about four to five hundred meters away from the enemy's camp. Come down.
With state-of-the-art communication tools, although the two armies were separated by a South Vietnamese camp, their actions were very synchronized. After driving the South Vietnamese troops back to the camp, they began to station and rest in place, seemingly preparing for the next attack. Be prepared.
However, after the South Vietnamese army was nervous for half an hour, the coalition forces did not launch an attack. Instead, many civilians came and began to dig trenches in front of the formation, as if they were preparing to build fortifications and set up camp. Especially the coalition forces on the east side quickly dismantled the defensive wall at the rear and transported it to the front to re-build it, allowing the South Vietnamese Army to see how to build a stable defensive wall in the shortest possible time.
Just an hour later, even the artillery was transported to the newly opened front line, and began to enter the newly dug gun positions one by one, and the muzzles of the guns were aimed at the South Vietnamese battalion. The terrain here is much more open than the earlier coalition positions. Those artillery pieces that were not used before can now be spread out to scare the South Vietnamese army.
The North Vietnamese Army in the north did not have such sharp methods, but with the strength of their numbers, they quickly stabilized their position. The civilians in the rear began to continuously transport wood, and they rushed to the position to control the deer camp and resist the horses, and dug. Trench in front of the battle.
If they really want to fight against the South Vietnamese Army, the main force of the North Vietnamese Army probably has little chance of winning. After struggling to support themselves in a defensive state for nearly two months, most of them have reached their limit. However, the coalition command did not intend to let the main force of the North Vietnamese Army participate in the battle. Their task was to set up a good posture and exert sufficient pressure on the South Vietnamese Army from the north.
The South Vietnamese army did want to attack the enemies in the north, but facing the fangs of the mysterious troops on the other side, no one dared to act rashly at this juncture and even mention sending troops to attack - the army in the east could only There are two to three thousand people, and there are so many guns and artillery. Who knows what powerful things may be hidden behind the military formation in the north. There is no guarantee that as soon as one's own troops go out, they will fall into the pit dug by the other party.
The generals of South Vietnam already understood that North Vietnam had laid a huge trap waiting for them to fall into this time. However, no one could tell clearly when the trap started. If North Vietnam had already been planning this situation when they retreated from the front line of Zhengjiang and Hengshan, then the sacrifices made would be too great. During this period, more than 10,000 North Vietnamese troops were killed and captured. The North Vietnamese command There is no way the officer would be stupid enough to use such a big bait for fishing. What's more, when the mountain defense line was on the verge of collapse several times, North Vietnam did not use this powerful force to save the war.
But if the arrangements were only started recently, then North Vietnam's actions would be too quick. From projecting troops on the sea, quickly building defensive positions, to harassing operations in one's own rear areas, and a large number of new troops equipped with guns and artillery, just pick any one of these things and it will take at least several months to prepare. However, North Vietnam's performance seemed to be well prepared for a war of annihilation from sea to land. If this was not a long-planned trap, it would be difficult to explain these unreasonable phenomena.
Even if they have a bright mind, it is difficult to imagine that North Vietnam, which is in trouble, can actually recruit a strong foreign aid, and this foreign aid has indeed spent a lot of time and investment in preparation for this battle. However, regardless of the preparations or the actual combat process, the combat capabilities of this expeditionary force are indeed far from comparable to the other two armies on the battlefield.
The combination of these contradictory phenomena made it difficult for the commanders of the South Vietnamese Army to judge what kind of war situation the North Vietnamese had set up. Although there is also a musketry unit in our own camp, the number of artillery pieces is far less than that of the opponent. If they are drawn out to fight hard, it will only increase casualties.
The opinions of the Western "military advisors" in the South Vietnamese camp were more direct. At this time, we should no longer be obsessed with fighting, and we should immediately arrange for the army to retreat south. These South Vietnamese generals may not yet realize what it means to have a large number of artillery in the opponent's hands, but the "military advisers" have already felt the signs of failure. However, this opinion was not adopted by the South Vietnamese generals. They believed that at least they needed to see what North Vietnam would do next. If they just withdrew without saying a word, wouldn't the two months of fighting be in vain? If troops are withdrawn before battle, who will bear the responsibility of avoiding war? Who dares to carry it?
Seeing that the South Vietnamese army did not retreat in a hurry, but huddled in the camp, the coalition command immediately felt relieved. The officers were originally worried that they would scare away their opponents after revealing their strength, but it seemed that the South Vietnamese army did not realize the dangerous situation they were in. I am afraid there was still a certain amount of luck, thinking that they could fight the coalition forces. In this case, the headquarters will not miss the second opportunity to attack the opponent. If it can be grasped properly this time, the final result may be better than the previous positional war plan.
In the current battlefield situation, the coalition forces blocked the direction of the South Vietnamese army from leaving the camp from the northwest and southeast. Now around the South Vietnamese Army, the gap left by the coalition forces in the northeast leads directly to the seaside, which is equivalent to a dead end. To the west are mountains stretching for more than ten miles, which are basically virgin forests. The only way to survive was the retreat road to the south. Although it was still under the control of the South Vietnamese Army, it was already within the artillery range of the coalition forces. Of course, if the South Vietnamese army really dared to fight and rushed north directly, it would be possible to overwhelm the North Vietnamese army's defense line and cross the mountainous positions into the hinterland of North Vietnam. But even if they rush over, the supply of these tens of thousands of people will still be a huge problem. The coalition forces behind them can cut off their long supply lines at any time. What's more, thirty miles north of the mountain defense line, there is another defensive site under construction, Yong'an Port. As an insurance measure set up by the headquarters, the terrain there is also easy to defend and difficult to attack. Even if the South Vietnamese army breaks through the mountain defense line, it will be dragged tightly near Yong'an Port and unable to continue to advance north.
Since South Vietnam chose to defend, the coalition forces took their time to build positions and deploy defensive measures to prevent the South Vietnamese army from suddenly launching a counterattack. The command very kindly ordered that all the coalition forces should be given an extra meal at noon to reward them for their heroic battles before this. After a leisurely lunch, the command headquarters issued the order to attack the South Vietnamese camp.
At this time, the command headquarters no longer planned to hide it, and directly pushed all the artillery to the front line. About forty artillery pieces were displayed on the front line together, and they already had a great intimidating effect even without firing. It was not until this time that the South Vietnamese finally realized that they had missed the best opportunity to retreat.
Because there were too many guns and not enough gunners, the command headquarters had to call on all the half-baked trainee gunners on the Discovery. Of course, at a distance of four to five hundred meters, the target is a military camp that stretches for several miles. Even if you shoot with your eyes closed, you won't miss too far, which is enough for a trainee gunner.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Yan Chujie announced the start of this round of offensive with the first artillery shell at the artillery position. Dozens of artillery roared one after another, and the thunderous roar could be heard even ten miles away. Under such power, not to mention the South Vietnamese troops who were huddled in the camp, even most of the soldiers in the coalition changed their faces and were trembling with fear. Even the militiamen from Black Earth Port were no exception. Only the militiamen stationed in Victory Port for training for a long time performed relatively normally, because during every artillery drill, the general militiamen also participated in the observation in batches to avoid being panicked by the sound of artillery on the battlefield. Judging from the current performance, the training arranged by the Military and Police Department is undoubtedly effective.
Zheng Bai also heard the intensive sound of artillery coming from the southeast from the position a few miles away. Although he had known the headquarters' combat plan in advance through Feng Annan, the sound of artillery in the air still made him feel a little inexplicable. The fear - the South Vietnamese rebels must not be able to withstand such intensive artillery fire, and I am afraid that I will not be able to withstand it either.
The life of the South Vietnamese Army was indeed not easy. The first round of artillery fire smashed a section of the wall facing the coalition position to pieces. The artillery shells flew into the camp, often bringing up blood and flesh along the way. This kind of power was simply beyond human power, so the South Vietnamese army had little intention of resisting. Soon the South Vietnamese army stationed in this area retreated westward, hoping to be as far away from the coalition's artillery fire as possible.
After firing ten rounds, the artillery fire stopped. The gunners at each gun position recalibrated the shooting angle according to the latest instructions from the command headquarters. The lookout post could easily observe the shooting effect from a high place and saw South Vietnam. The camp has begun to retreat, so it is natural that the next step is to extend the shooting into its depth.
The South Vietnamese camp got a moment of peace, but no one relaxed. Many people's legs and feet were still trembling, and their minds were filled with the scene of their companions being torn apart by shells. Although the number of casualties caused by these hundreds of rounds of artillery shells was not particularly large, the effect was astonishingly good. The large camp area in the southeast quickly fell into a state of chaos after the first round of artillery fire. Under the unilateral long-range fire strike, the generals of the South Vietnamese Army had no other better way to respond except to issue military orders such as "hold the position" that had no practical effect.
Soon a new round of extended firing sent the artillery shells to areas that the first round of firing did not reach, quickly causing a new round of killings and chaos in the camp. The South Vietnamese army's response was to continue to retreat and avoid the range of the artillery shells as much as possible.
If faced with invisible lead bullets, South Vietnamese soldiers would still have the courage to charge, but faced with such shells that can tear the body, no one can muster the courage to charge again. Almost everyone was praying not to be hit by the flying shells, and no one thought about how to fight back.
Of course, the officers are still unwilling to be beaten, but the problem is that it is basically impossible to organize a decent counterattack amid such dense artillery fire. The soldiers are busy rushing to the west to avoid the artillery shells. All the structures have been disrupted. The officers Even if you want to organize your own subordinates, you can't find anyone.
This went back and forth, and after three rounds of shooting, the artillery fire stopped. Zheng Bai hurriedly asked Feng Anan why the headquarters had stopped attacking. Feng Anan's explanation made Zheng Bai laughable - the number of shells was limited and they had to be calculated.
Feng Annan was not joking with Zheng Bai, it was the truth. Among the supplies carried on this expedition, the cannonballs alone weighed more than 20 tons. It sounds like a lot, but the artillery brought this time was also a lot. When spread out on each cannon, there were actually only a few dozen rounds. That’s all. The army's artillery was equipped with a little more shells. The "Discovery" went south for two or three days and only had less than half of the shells left. If the attack is launched at an average frequency of ten shells per hour, then all the shells can be basically fired in one day, and this is obviously not a situation the command is happy to see.
The combat effect the headquarters hopes to achieve is to use artillery strikes to destroy the opponent's will to resist, rather than using artillery shells to kill every enemy soldier one by one. After all, artillery is only a long-range firepower unit, and the final combat mission must still be completed by the infantry.
That afternoon, the coalition forces were not in a hurry to attack, but continued to deploy troops and generals, move the entire position forward, and at the same time improve the peripheral defenses. The South Vietnamese army also took advantage of this gap to quickly treat the wounded and repair damaged defenses. However, before nightfall, the coalition forces took advantage of the setting sun to launch several more rounds at the South Vietnamese camp, knocking down a large area of the wall that had just begun to be repaired, and the engineers and civilian workers who were under construction were also unlucky. At this time, no one in the South Vietnamese camp repaired the incomplete wall. Only a small number of skirmishers were deployed to guard near the gap to guard against a sneak attack by the coalition forces.
"Watch the other side carefully! Their only chance is to launch a night attack tonight!" Mu Xiabai asked the secret sentry soldiers who were responsible for early warning on the outside. At the same time, he sent the first and second companies of the most powerful militia group to Transferred to the position to be responsible for night duty garrison.
That night, the South Vietnamese army, who was so anxious that they were about to jump over the wall, lived up to expectations and launched a sneak attack, but what greeted them was a dense row of lead bullets from the opposite position.
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(End of chapter)