Chapter 802 Attacking Tamsui
Veterans who have been in special operations camps for more than three years almost all know what intensive special training arrangements mean. Even if the big shots above don't announce any combat plans, veterans can clearly tell the difference between daily training and combat preparation training. Of course, they are also very aware of the rules in the military. Before the superiors have come up with specific combat arrangements, they cannot inquire about these military secrets at will, let alone discuss related matters in front of their subordinates.
Of course, there is no airtight wall in the world, and veterans will still spread news privately among themselves. Chen Yixin took the reconnaissance platoon to Taipei to perform secret operations a few days ago. Many people already know about this. The chief personally led the team to the front line for reconnaissance, so one can imagine the importance attached to it. The subsequent series of preparation trainings had already verified the veterans' speculation that the next step would be to attack Tamsui.
For the special operations battalion that has been idle for a long time, this is of course a rare opportunity to make meritorious deeds. However, the veterans all know that if they want to gain meritorious service in the next combat mission, the most effective way is not to rely on Instead of going into camp, he took his subordinates to train well so that they could be fully prepared and perform on the battlefield. The officers promoted by Qian Tiandun were all rewarded for their solid military exploits and outstanding battlefield performance. It was basically impossible to get ahead in the special operations camp by relying on crooked ways.
When the decision to attack Tamsui was issued from the Executive Committee, Haihan, the most efficient war machine of this era, started to move again. All relevant departments immediately adjusted the resource arrangements at hand to give priority to military purposes.
On February 2, the Haihan Fleet stationed on Hong Kong Island dispatched four warships, two supply ships, and two troop carriers in the name of an exercise, and two companies of the army were involved in coordinated operations. However, after this fleet went to sea, it sailed all the way east. Their goal was not to conduct military exercises in the waters of the Pearl River Estuary, but to go to Penghu and Kaohsiung to replace the local special operations battalions in order to free up elite troops to participate in the future. military operations.
Following this armed fleet to the local area was another cargo fleet affiliated with the Ministry of Shipping. The cargo on board was a batch of combat materials originally stored at the Hong Kong Island Naval Base, which also included 500 kilograms of New explosives and four 48-pound large-caliber siege guns. These are the materials and equipment required in Qian Tiandun's battle plan. If things go wrong when attacking the Tamsui stronghold, these unconventional means may have to be used.
Beginning on February 10, the Penghu garrison carried out a relatively intensive defense change. Troops from Guangdong took over the garrison mission of the special operations battalion in Kaohsiung, and the local defense of Penghu was gradually handed over to the Guangdong friendly forces and the second batch of Penghu local recruits. new recruits.
Sun Zhen's group had already been assigned to various companies in the special operations battalion because they had joined the army more than a month early, so they did not need to stay in Penghu like the subsequent batches of recruits. As a member of the main combat force, Sun Zhen will also have the honor to participate in this combat mission.
On February 14, Penghu once again sent a reconnaissance ship to Tamsui to conduct a second reconnaissance of the local area. This time, the person leading the team was replaced by Takahashi Minami, who needed to make final revisions to the combat plan through this on-site inspection.
On February 20, the special operations battalion submitted a revised combat plan to the Military Commission. However, this combat plan did not include Jilong Port as an attack target. The reason was that Qian Tiandun believed that there was little chance of using blitzkrieg to capture the Tamsui stronghold, and it would be difficult for the special operations battalion to attack two places at the same time due to insufficient troops. Continue. Therefore, Qian Tiandun only took the attack on Santo Domingo City in Tamsui as the main target of this operation, and whether to attack Jilong Port next would have to wait for the results of Tamsui's victory before making a decision.
On February 25, the Penghu base received an approval from the base camp, agreeing to implement the combat plan and giving the special operations battalion the power to decide on its own whether it needs to take advantage of the victory to pursue and dispose of local prisoners and other trophies after conquering the local area.
On the evening of the next day, Qian Tiandun summoned Xu Jiaqi, the Fujian military representative in Penghu, and informed him of the Haihan Executive Committee's decision to go to war. Although Xu Jiaqi was greatly shocked by this, it was not a big deal to watch the excitement. Instead of raising any questions, he asked Qian Tiandun if he would allow the Fujian military to send military observers to participate in this operation. However, this request was eventually declined by Qian Tiandun. As the ace unit of the militia, the weapons, equipment and tactics used by the special operations battalion are somewhat different from other units of the militia. This is also one of the military secrets that the special operations battalion needs to keep. one.
On the 26th, a pre-war mobilization meeting was held at the Penghu base, and Qian Tiandun personally delivered a mobilization speech. He did not try to find a high-sounding reason for this war, but simply and crudely attributed it to the "will of the Executive Committee", and this was enough for the soldiers who were full of fighting spirit.
In the early morning of the 27th, the troops preparing for the expedition assembled at the military dock in Magong Port. Nearly forty participating sailing ships will deliver more than 1,200 special operations battalion soldiers, some heavy weapons and equipment, and supplies to complete at least five to seven days of combat missions to the target area at one time. The heavy equipment and supplies have been loaded onto the ship one after another the day before. After the personnel are boarded today, the troops will immediately set off for the battlefield.
Although during the recruit training, I was fortunate to follow the veterans on a reconnaissance mission to Zhuoshui River in central Taiwan. During this period, I also saw how the veterans used their weapons to defeat the local indigenous people who tried to use force. But speaking of it, this is still Sun Zhen This is the first time to participate in a real combat mission. After all, the recruits did not directly participate in the combat in the last mission, they were just bystanders. Sun Zhen was so excited the night before that he could barely sleep, and he was still in a state of excitement until now.
It was late winter and early spring, and it was a bit cold on the beach in the early morning, but there was a fire burning in Sun Zhen's heart. Yesterday, before lights out, the class held a small mobilization meeting. The squad leader made it clear to everyone that after the attack on Tamsui this time, they would soon continue to attack another Spanish port stronghold in Taipei. As long as these two places can be successfully defeated, the possibility of winning collective military honors is very high. Newly enlisted soldiers like Sun Zhen can only truly gain recognition from their fellow veterans after passing the test on the battlefield.
The commander of this operation, Gao Qiaonan, gave the order. Each squad leader began to count the number of people, check the equipment, and then reported the situation step by step. Finally, the company commanders summarized the situation to Gao Qiaonan.
"Report to the commander, the troops have been assembled, please give instructions!" Gao Qiaonan saluted Qian Tiandun and asked for instructions.
Qian Tiandun raised his hand to return the salute, then took the military flag from the guard next to him and handed it to Gao Qiaonan: "I wish the soldiers immediate success!" "Thank you, chief!" Gao Qiaonan took the military flag with a solemn expression, and then walked towards the dock. The assembled troops waved and displayed, and the dock suddenly burst into cheers.
Sun Zhen couldn't control his excitement. He raised the rifle above his head and shouted loudly with the people around him. For people in the special operations battalion, setting foot on the battlefield does not mean a dangerous journey that may lead to death, but it means a great opportunity to make achievements. They are not opposed to fighting, but are eager to have more opportunities to perform.
When the Haihan Militia went out on an expedition, there were no complicated rituals to worship heaven and earth. It was always just a simple handover of military flags, and this expedition to Tamsui was no exception. After completing the simple expedition ceremony, the troops began to board the ship one after another.
Takahashi Nan stood on the bow of the boat, taking advantage of the cool sea breeze to calm his emotions. Although he tried his best to stay calm in front of Qian Tiandun, his heart was already boiling with passion. Being able to lead the troops alone this time not only showed Qian Tiandun's trust in him, but also symbolized that his status in the army had reached a certain height. Although he had no second thoughts about Qian Tiandun, it was still a rare honor for a soldier to be given such command. Takahashi Minami has been working on this for more than five years. Fortunately, this result did not disappoint him. Being able to become the first naturalized officer with independent command authority at the battalion level is an unparalleled achievement that many people cannot compete for. Go to glory.
Of course, with greater power comes greater responsibility. Gao Qiaonan has already understood this during his promotion to the military. Whether a war is successful or not, victory will be the honor of the commander, but if it fails, the blame will often have to be shouldered by the commander. Although the unit led by Qian Tiandun has never been defeated in previous battles and has always been able to crush its opponents on the battlefield with a clear advantage, Gao Qiaonan still dare not be careless. If the glorious history of war ends in one's own hands, then there will really be no redemption.
After Gao Qiaonan went to Tamsui for reconnaissance a few days ago, he came to the same conclusion as Chen Yixin's previous point of view. Due to the obvious geographical advantages of the local stronghold, it was difficult for the attackers to launch artillery attacks directly from the Tamsui River. Instead, they landed on nearby river banks. of troops will be within the castle's artillery range. As a result, the special operations battalion's plan to simply rely on its equipment advantages to directly bombard the city with gunboats will be impossible to realize, and it must actually carry out siege warfare.
The combat environments that the Special Operations Battalion is good at are mountains and jungles. Now there is an additional amphibious landing. However, due to the limitations of equipment and tactics, siege warfare on normal battlefields is not what the Special Operations Battalion is good at. He has participated in Annan before. In the siege battle, it was not the special operations battalion that was actually responsible for the frontal battlefield attack. This attack on the Spanish stronghold in Tamsui can be regarded as the first time that the special operations battalion has undertaken the task of siege operations alone. Of course, calling it a city siege may be a bit exaggerated. After all, the term Santo Domingo City is just a naming convention of the Spanish. From Gaoqiao Nan's perspective, it is just an armed castle with an earth and stone structure, which is far from enough to be called a city. It is a city.
It is not difficult to capture this stronghold. What is difficult is to capture it quickly and steadily, and to avoid large casualties as much as possible. After conducting on-site reconnaissance, Takahashi Minami had to admit that the difficulty of this task was not as low as he originally expected. If you want to be fast, it seems that you can only attack head-on, which will inevitably make it difficult to control the number of casualties. If you want stability, you need to use siege tactics, but no one can predict the time it will take. If there is enough food in the city, it may take a month or two or even longer, and this is obviously not the result that the leaders want to see.
Therefore, for Takahashi Nan, this independent command operation is both an opportunity and a test. And whether he can successfully pass the test, he is actually not completely sure now.
The landing time set by Takahashi Minami in the battle plan was early morning, so the fleet did not move at full speed to complete the more than 100 nautical miles, but slowed down to about six knots, so that it would be able to land just one day after departure. Arrive at the mouth of Tamsui River in the early morning.
The journey was uneventful, and the fleet arrived at the mouth of the Tamsui River at around 3 a.m. on the 28th. Gao Qiaonan ordered six "exploration-class" warships to be left here to block the mouth of the Tamsui River and prevent the enemy from escaping. Other boats entered the river mouth and sailed upstream to the upper reaches of the Tamsui River.
Takahashi Nan's battle plan was to block both ends first, cutting off the possibility of people inside the city escaping or outside reinforcements being sent, and then the Army's siege operations. For this reason, he specially found another suitable landing site about three or four miles upstream of the pier built by the Spanish, which was roughly where the Tamsui MRT Station was located in another time and space.
While it was still dark, the fleet quickly passed the river south of Santo Domingo City. No one in the sleepy castle noticed that such a huge fleet sailed into the Tamsui River. After arriving at the destination, a small group of soldiers rowed a small boat to the shore first, then lit torches on the shore, made docking marks, and guided the fleet to the shore.
Not all ships will dock here. Two troop carriers carrying a company and combat supplies continued to sail upstream under the escort of an "Exploration Class" warship. The destination of this team is the upper reaches of the Jilong River, a tributary of the Danshui River. Its purpose is to block the only land passage between Jilong and Danshui. Whether the Spaniards from the Tamsui stronghold fled or the chicken cage sent reinforcements, the Haihan militia stationed here will use their dangerous geographical advantages to repel them.
Returning to the landing point downstream, the personnel landed very quickly, but the entire landing process was inevitably slowed down by the unloading of equipment and supplies. In particular, to unload the heavy 48-pound cannon from the ship to the shore, dozens of people must work together to complete it. Not only does the river bank here not have any lifting equipment, the soil on the river bank is also very soft due to years of erosion and sedimentation. This also greatly increases the difficulty of unloading and subsequent transportation of baggage.
The landing time for the combatants was only ten minutes, but it took more than two hours to hoist the various supplies on the ship ashore, and by this time the sky was gradually getting brighter. Takahashi Minami felt anxious, but he could not accuse his subordinates of failing to live up to expectations. After all, this was an obstacle caused by the objective environment and not the fault of the soldiers.
(End of chapter)