Chapter 338 The Uninvited Guest on Dawanshan Island
For the Haihan militia who had witnessed big scenes on the Annan battlefield, the battle in Lijiazhuang was actually relatively easy. After all, the opponent was just a ragtag group of people. No matter the weapons, equipment, command system or training level, they were far from capable. Compared with the Haihan Militia, the entire combat process was almost a crushing battle.
However, for the Li's militiamen who set foot on the battlefield for the first time, facing the bloody war for the first time made many people uncomfortable. Especially this round of intensive artillery shell fire knocked down the bandits rushing into the formation in rows. The scene made many people fight, and there were even some guys who became incontinent at this time.
From tearing down the breastworks and opening fire, to the bandits being defeated and starting to flee, the entire battle actually lasted a very short time. Not a single bandit rushed within fifty meters of the defense line, and they basically fell outside this distance. The number of corpses of bandits who fell on the battlefield this time far exceeded the sum of the two results of the previous day.
"Should we let our people go out to pursue for a while?" Chen Yixin asked with some reluctance as he saw his opponent collapse and run away so quickly.
Tom Wang put down the telescope in his hand, shook his head and said: "It's not necessary. These people will probably never come back to this place again... Inform the people in Lijiazhuang and prepare to clean up the battlefield."
It was the first time in their lives that the people of Lijiazhuang saw so many dead people. In today's battle alone, various gangs dropped nearly 500 corpses outside Lijiazhuang, and there were no less than this number of injured people. They were lying everywhere in the wilderness. In the past, it was only heard how powerful the Haihan people were. After this battle, the local people obviously had a more intuitive and clear understanding of such rumors.
The weather was getting hotter at this time. In order to prevent the corpses from rotting and causing an epidemic, Xiao Liang had already made a request to the Li family before the war, asking them to clean the battlefield as soon as possible and dispose of the enemy's corpses. After the battle, the peasants pushed several flatbed carts outside the village, lifted the bodies on the ground one by one into the carts, and then transported them to the corpse pits dug east of the village for burial.
"As you have just seen, to deal with such a large-scale charge, shotguns with a large killing area are an excellent choice. However, this tactic also has certain limitations, that is, the range of shotguns is relatively short, and it must be Only by placing the target close can you effectively kill it. At this time, you need to consider the frequency of shooting in advance to prevent the opponent from taking advantage of the shooting gap to launch a close-range charge..." Wang Tom seized the time and gave the military academy trainees tactics while the iron was hot. explain.
Some students raised their hands and asked: "Then why not try to increase the range?"
Wang Tom explained: “Increasing the range requires increasing the amount of propellant. In this case, the barrel may not be able to withstand the explosive force during launch. If the barrel is thickened for this reason, it is equivalent to re- Designing a new cannon... Zheng Ting, do you have any questions?”
Zheng Ting asked: "I have never seen this kind of artillery shell before. May I ask, Captain, whether this kind of artillery shell will be sold to others in the future?"
Wang Tom shook his head and smiled: "I don't know about this. The organization that decides on arms exports now is the Haihan Ordnance Industry, not our military. If you Annan are interested in this new type of artillery shell, wait until you return to Victory Port You can go to the relevant units and ask.”
The military-industrial complex "Haihan Military Industry" was officially established during the annual meeting of Chuan Dynasty, more than a month ago. However, because this organization involves too many aspects, most of the time after its establishment was still sorting out internal relationships, and there was no rush to carry out external business. Therefore, although he has theoretically taken over the research and development, production and external sales tasks of military products, in fact not many people outside the group are aware of this change, so Zheng Ting still subconsciously inquires about information from high-ranking military officials like Wang Tom.
The work of cleaning up the battlefield continued until it got dark in the afternoon. According to the counting results, a total of 673 bandits were killed and 322 captured during the two-day defense battle of Lijiazhuang. Although the results were not as good as those on the Annan battlefield, they were still quite good. At least Li Jifeng's family was They were all very satisfied and believed that the result was worthy of the money they spent on hiring the Haihan Militia.
However, most of the captured bandits were injured, and the existing medical conditions were unlikely to be able to treat so many people. Even according to optimistic estimates, at least some of the captives were injured. About half of them would eventually die of serious injuries, so the actual amount of hard labor gained through this battle was actually not that much, and was far lower than estimated before the war. Of course, this result was also caused by the limited troops invested by the Haihan Militia and their inability to promptly encircle and pursue the fleeing bandit forces.
News came before dark. After identification by several prisoners, Liao Dabi, the bandit leader who organized the bandits to siege Lijiazhuang, was found among the corpses. The officers were keenly aware of the political significance of the news and immediately ordered the body to be collected. However, they could not just throw it into a pit and bury it. As a famous bandit leader who had been wanted by the government for many years, Liao Dabi was killed in Lijiazhuang. This is definitely something that can be hyped up, and the body will be reported to the official later. The Li family may not be concerned about the silver reward, but if the Li family village and the Li family militia can receive public awards from the government for this, then a lot of resistance will be reduced when deploying armed forces locally in the future.
As for the other trophies, they were mediocre. Even the Li family's vigilante group couldn't see the scrap metal weapons, so they had to be reforged in the furnace. The total property found on the bandits' bodies only amounted to a few hundred taels of silver. Not even a fraction of the military expenditure for the Haihan Militia's operations was enough.
After counting the results, the next step is to calculate the military expenses for this battle. According to the prior agreement, Lijiazhuang will be responsible for repaying all expenses for the dispatch of the Haihan Militia, and payment will be made in cash or a bank check from "Haihan Bank" within ten days after the war. Taking into account the long-standing friendly cooperative relationship between the two parties, the military expenditure standard listed by the military for Lijiazhuang is also a friendly price with a discount, which is less than the cost of sending troops to Annan. However, despite this, the Li family and his son were still shocked by the list issued by the military.
The basic expenses of the militia are divided into two parts. The first is the salary of troops stationed abroad, which is one yuan per person per day. The second is combat expenses, which is one yuan and five cents per person per day. The salary of company and platoon-level officers is doubled on this basis. This time the militia has formed a combat establishment of more than three companies, with a total of more than 400 people. The daily military expenditure for this alone has exceeded a thousand yuan. This day's expenditure is enough to support the Li's militia for at least two to three months. Daily expenses. This expenditure does not start to be calculated when the militiamen arrive at Lijiazhuang, but based on the time they leave Victory Port.
Ammunition expenses are also calculated separately. This data is compiled by the Haihan military itself. The Li family cannot even review it, so they can only write down as much as they like. Just for the shotgun shells fired in the battle on the second day, the military quoted a price as high as 20 yuan per shot. For the Li family, that meant that more than twenty cannons destroyed more than a thousand taels of silver in a short period of time.
Then there is another big expense, freight. The military shamelessly calculated that the fourth company that rushed to Panyu in the early stage was also calculated as starting from Victory Port. So the three companies plus the round trip expenses of the corresponding ships were calculated as fighting. The cost is almost the same. As for the platoon that Xiao Liang brought over from Guangzhou, the military was "magnanimous" and ignored the team's travel expenses as a discount - anyway, this platoon had to go back and forth with the Li family for food and accommodation, so it didn't matter. Actual expenses.
The only thing that made the Li family and his son feel fortunate during the military expenditure calculation process was that the Haihan Militia had no casualties during this battle. Otherwise, according to their pension standards, it would be 50 yuan for minor injuries and 200 yuan for serious injuries. It would be really painful to have to pay 800 yuan for death.
According to the final calculation, the Li family had to pay nearly 13,000 yuan for this operation, which actually lasted only one and a half days. In order to show the sincerity of his auxiliary partners, Wang Tom followed the wishes of the executive committee and partially reduced the fee, directly erasing the fraction and calculating it to a whole number. Li Jifeng did not bargain with Tom Wang on the specific amount, and readily accepted the payment and took the money.
However, despite the physical pain, Li Jifeng was also thinking that if he paid the army to send out to guard Lijiazhuang, about three to four thousand taels of silver would be enough, but the effect of this operation would definitely not be comparable to that of the Haihan militia. But then I thought about it, although the price charged by the officers and soldiers was low, they were not as easy to spend as the Haihan people. They would not be sloppy in saying how much it was. If the time comes, it would be easier to invite gods than to give them away, and a lot of money might have to be spent. After thinking about this, Li Jifeng felt that the high price demanded by the Haihan people seemed to be worth it. At least he kept his word and solved the matter satisfactorily without leaving any sequelae.
The Haihan militia stationed in Lijiazhuang for another two days, then evacuated by boat to Dawanshan Island at the mouth of the Pearl River. Xiao Liang and a platoon he led will continue to stay in Lijiazhuang, waiting for the Li family and his son to return to Guangzhou City with them after they have dealt with the matters at the village.
After a week of construction, Wanshan Port has begun to take shape. A number of passenger and cargo trestles have been built in the harbor. A military camp that can accommodate 400 people has also been built on the gentle slope of the shore. A reservoir with an area of about 100 square meters has been built in the mountain depression not far away. Warehouses for storing armaments and shore defenses located in the north and south of the port are currently being built. The rapid construction speed is not only due to the thorough prior on-site survey and project planning, but also to the large number of prefabricated parts used in the construction process. As the frequency of external colonization operations is gradually accelerating, relevant departments have also made more detailed adjustments to the construction plans of the colonization sites. For example, a large number of houses in the colonization sites adopt standardized designs. The advantage of this is that some prefabricated parts can be produced in Victory Port first. After being transported to the local area, only the foundations need to be cleared, and the structure can be quickly assembled to build a habitable house in a short time.
Although this kind of residence is relatively simple except for the load-bearing structure, and the walls and roof are even just bamboo strips, its practicality is still much better than the traditional Qiongzhou boat-shaped house. In the past, it took at least ten laborers to build a boat-shaped house that could accommodate five or six people for two to three days. However, after using the new standards, the construction efficiency has been increased by at least twice than before. As for the military and political officials who have the status of time travellers, their residences are basically prefabricated houses that were dismantled from Fort Victory. However, with the gradual increase in overseas bases, the stock of prefab houses is no longer very large. The Ministry of Construction has begun to research prefab houses based on the production capacity of this time and space. It is expected that in the near future, metal structures plus bamboo boards will be New mobile homes will appear in overseas colonization sites.
A group of bandits with intact hands and feet captured in the battle at Lijiazhuang were also escorted to Dawanshan Island for hard labor. The first task they were about to undertake was very arduous - building a road leading from Wanshan Port to Dawan, the highest peak on the island. roads to the top of the mountain to provide better living conditions for the outposts stationed on the top of the mountain. There is basically no possibility of escape on this island, so there is no need to build a special prison residence. If anyone wants to escape supervision and try to survive on a desert island here, the result will probably be someone starving to death on the island. In a dense forest.
"We need a playground, otherwise the troops stationed on the island will not be able to conduct daily training here." Chen Yixin made a serious plea to Liu Shanxia, who was in charge of the construction work: "There is no need to rush to build commercial facilities, but the training of the troops cannot Stop!”
Liu Shanxia shook his head and said: "Xiao Chen, you have traveled around the island. There are slopes everywhere on this island, and there is no place suitable for building a playground near the port. If you insist on leveling out such a large piece of land, then The amount of labor required is overrun. What to build first and what to build later are all planned in advance. Now you want me to dispatch hundreds of people to build a playground on the ground for you, but I don’t have the ability.”
Chen Yixin thought for a while and said: "In that case, Brother Liu, you can help us with the planning and site selection, and the construction will be left to our military."
While the two were bargaining, Chen Yixin's orderly came over and reported to him: "Captain Wang, please report to the combat headquarters immediately!"
"This matter is settled!" Chen Yixin picked up the military cap and put it on his head. As he said this, he quickly walked out of the straw shed office of the Port Construction Command.
When Chen Yixin arrived, he saw that all the time-traveling officers on the island had arrived. It seemed that there was an emergency.
"Is everyone here? Then let me report the situation first." Wang Tom got to the point concisely: "This morning, the mountaintop post has discovered an unidentified ship moving back and forth in the northern waters of the island three times in a row. According to the observation results, The possibility of Ming warships can be basically ruled out.”
"Could it be fishermen? The nearby waters have always been a famous fishing ground, and the Ministry of Agriculture also plans to develop the fishing industry in Wanshan Port." Someone expressed his opinion.
"It's unlikely for fishermen. The boats observed at the outpost are not fishing boats." Wang Tom responded.
"So someone has discovered our existence?" Chen Yixin was not surprised: "Since we have been wandering around the island, is it possible that they are observing our movements?"
"The possibility you mentioned cannot be ruled out. So I plan to summon the sailors and go to sea to meet the other side for a while." Wang Tom looked around at the officers present and said: "In the meantime, Lieutenant Chen Yixin is temporarily in charge of the island's defense!"< br>
None of the officers raised any objection to Wang Tom's decision to lead the team to sea. Among this group of officers, no one can compare with Wang Tom, who is almost a professional navigator, in terms of maritime skills. Moreover, the three "Exploration-class" warships are now resting and on standby in Wanshan Port. Except for the ship-based artillery of the latter two ships, which have not yet been fully assembled, the other facilities have reached wartime standards and they have to go out for patrols. There is definitely no problem.
Soon the assembly signal was blown on the port pier, and the sailors quickly came to the pier from the barracks to assemble, and then boarded the ship under the command of the officer to prepare for departure. To ensure nothing went wrong, Wang Tom ordered three ships to be dispatched together.
The fleet filed out of the harbor on the west side of the island, and then headed north through the Nanpingmen Waterway between the large and small Wanshan Islands. According to observations from the hilltop post, the unidentified vessel should currently be operating in the waters between Baili Island and Dawanshan Island.
An hour after the fleet set off, through telescope observation, the target was indeed found in the waters northeast of Dawanshan Island and near the southern end of Baili Island. This is a single-masted ship. Wang Tom estimates that its displacement is about sixty or seventy tons, and it is sailing towards the west. However, when the other party also discovered the existence of the Haihan fleet, they immediately turned their sails and tried to turn back to the east.
"I feel guilty and want to run away!" Wang Tom put down his binoculars and issued a pursuit order.
In this kind of pursuit battle at sea, the speed advantage of the "Exploration-class" warship is fully revealed. The new soft sail that can fully utilize the wind power and the optimized streamlined deep V hull allow its speed to exceed that of its opponent by a full amount. Double.
After chasing for more than ten nautical miles to the east, the distance between the two sides shortened from the initial few miles to two to three hundred meters. Even with the naked eye, the panicked crew on the deck of the ship could be seen clearly.
"Fire the cannon from the bow of the ship. First aim at the front of the opponent's ship and fire three rounds rapidly." Wang Tom decisively issued the combat order.
With the sound of a cannon, a cannonball flew past the front ship in a trajectory that was almost parallel to that of the front ship. It fell into the water about thirty or forty meters in front of the bow, causing a splash of waves. When firing the second shot, the gunner obviously corrected the firing angle, and the impact point was probably less than 20 meters from the bow of the ship. Something went wrong during the third round. Under the turbulence of the waves, the trajectory of the shell changed after it came out of the barrel. It almost missed the side of the ship in front of it and then fell into the sea. If it were just a little higher, the shell would probably tear off a large piece of the side of the ship.
(End of chapter)