Chapter 1033: Longxi after a fierce battle
The situation has developed to the current stage. Both Haihan and the local indigenous tribes have suffered many casualties. The feud is too deep and there is basically no possibility of reconciliation. No matter whether the natives stop now, it is too late. Since the Haihan Ministry of National Defense has made up its mind to clean up this area, it means that the result is destined. The only variable is whether the implementation process goes smoothly.
To achieve complete control over the Miaoli area, conquest and killing are naturally unavoidable, but after several years of conquests in the north and south, the travelers no longer have much compassion for the uncivilized natives. What Morgan, Wang Tom and others are more concerned about is how much effort it will take to clear this area and eliminate all hidden dangers that threaten Haihan's development of this area. As for the casualties of the natives, and even the casualties of his own subordinates, in the end they were just a series of cold numbers in the post-war report submitted by the military to the Executive Committee.
It didn't rain on the day Morgan led the team back to the coastal camp. Although the sky was still hazy and not clearing up, it had been raining for ten days before, causing water everywhere in the oil field camp. God finally stopped. Take a breather. However, it is difficult to say whether it is a good thing or a bad thing that the rain has stopped.
At present, more than half of the materials needed for the oil field camp have been transported to the mountains, but more than half of the subsequent construction of supporting facilities will have to wait until the end of the rainy season, so the transportation pressure is not as great as in the early days. If the rainy season can last until late May, we will definitely be able to complete the scheduled transportation volume.
As for after the rainy season, Houlong River may lose the navigation conditions in the mountainous reaches due to reduced water flow. Liu Shanxia has already thought of two countermeasures. One is to build a road along the bank of Houlong River, about four or five miles long. It can lead to the river valley where the oil field is located; another method is to build a dam to store water at the outlet of the mountainous river to increase the water depth upstream, thereby gaining the ability to navigate on a ladder, and by the way, a small hydropower station can be built. However, the amount of work and corresponding expenses required for this latter method are definitely greater than that of road construction. Although there are many benefits, if you want to implement it at this stage, you must face many difficulties that are difficult to overcome. In the case of Haihan in Miaoli It may be difficult to realize it with the manpower and material resources we have.
Of course, if the coast of Houlong River can be cleaned up to ensure that there will no longer be harassed by the natives, in fact, it will not be a big problem to transport these few miles through the land channel. Then it will be nothing more than transporting more pack horses. , animal-drawn carts were used to complete the transportation of this section. In comparison, it is definitely much easier than building a dam and transferring it.
The empty fleet's speed down the river was at least twice as fast as when it entered the mountains. The ten-mile journey from the oil field camp to the second stronghold took just over an hour. However, Morgan did not plan to stop here during this trip, so when passing by the section of the river outside Stronghold No. 2, Morgan just walked to the bow of the boat and saluted the sentry on duty on the river bank.
In addition to a platoon of Army troops currently stationed at Stronghold No. 2, there are also more than a dozen logistics personnel assigned here, including cooks, blacksmiths, carpenters, plasterers, etc. After Haihan cleans up the nearby area, he will Immigrants gradually moved in and agricultural development was carried out in the surrounding valley and plain areas.
From a safety perspective, Morgan actually didn't want the rain to stop, because the rain would affect people's vision and make it more difficult for them to aim at targets on the river. Moreover, the slippery and muddy riverbank will create more obstacles for the natives to sneak attack. If they try to approach the barge in the middle of the river before launching an attack, they will easily get stuck in the mud and be unable to extricate themselves, becoming a living target for the escorting soldiers. .
According to statistics these days, the natives launched a total of thirteen attacks along the Houlong River, nine of which were concentrated in the area between the two river bend strongholds, which was also the gap in the riverside defense system. location. Almost all of Haihan's casualties in the battle with the native armed forces came from this area. Of these nine attacks, seven were launched during periods of cessation of rain. The probability is sufficient to show that rainfall has a significant impact on the actions of the natives.
The last report of an attack by the natives was three days ago. Judging from the frequency of their dispatches in the past, Morgan believed that the possibility of being attacked during the voyage today was very high, so after the fleet passed the second stronghold, Morgan Someone was ordered to fly a signal flag to notify all personnel in the five fleets to enter a state of combat readiness.
Morgan also gave all three telescopes he brought to his subordinates, asking them to take turns on duty to observe whether there were any human activities on the shore. Due to the limited size of the garrison at the two strongholds and the relatively frequent activities of native armed forces in this area, Morgan also specifically ordered the patrol scope of the garrison at the stronghold to be consciously reduced during this period to avoid unnecessary casualties.
About six or seven miles after leaving Stronghold No. 2, the natives of Maolishe appeared on the west bank of Houlong River almost without any suspense. Morgan stood up immediately after being reminded by the sentry. Even without a telescope, he could already see the figures moving continuously in the bushes in the distance.
"Load the rifle and prepare to fight!" Morgan gave the order immediately without taking any chances. He knew very well that these natives did not appear on the nearby river bank to watch the fleet. Since they were already here, they would definitely take action.
Morgan did not intend to passively resist. This time he specially brought many students with him. One of his purposes was to use his own weapons and tactical advantages to eliminate some of the enemies from a long distance before the other party took action. This should It can also have a certain deterrent effect. If doing so could deter the natives from taking action, Morgan actually did not intend to go on a killing spree during this voyage to the coastal camp.
However, when it comes to shooting at an enemy a hundred meters away on a ship that is slightly bumpy and in motion, even the experienced Morgan dare not say that he is completely accurate. Therefore, although Morgan had discovered traces of the enemy, he did not rush to launch the attack. He just put the rifle in the shooting position on the side of the ship and waited patiently for a better opportunity.
"Chief, the water in the river bank ahead is slower. They have attacked the fleet several times in the past, and this is where they started."
The boatman who was driving the boat had been on Houlong River many times, and they were the ones with the most experience in facing enemies. They immediately took the initiative to remind Morgan. The river in front suddenly widened, and the water flow slowed down. However, the boat was still only ten or twenty meters away from the river bank, which was just within the range of the natives' weapons. Most of the Haihan soldiers who were casualties in previous battles were injured by the bows, arrows and spears fired by the natives in this area.
After being reminded by the boatman, Morgan concentrated his men on the left side of the ship in order to maintain the strongest firepower output. The team he led was equipped with four seven-shot rifles and seven Trinity sniper rifles, while the other convoy escorts that followed used standard flintlock rifles as their main weapons. Morgan ordered people to hang a signal flag symbolizing battle on the bow of the ship. After the armed personnel on several other fleets saw this flag, they could choose the timing and method of firing in the following battles without having to ask for help. Morgan asked for instructions. As a horn sounded in the woods on the river bank, a noisy human voice soon came. Many people were chanting and shouting with unknown syllables. Morgan had interrogated native prisoners before and knew that these were the voices of native warriors before the war. Cheer yourself up and ask for divine protection. However, under the muzzle of Haihan's rifle, I am afraid that the gods they believe in will not have much effect.
Soon a person ran out of the forest. Morgan could see that this young man was shirtless, with a deerskin around his waist, a pair of straw sandals on his feet, and a bamboo spear about two meters tall, striding towards the river bank. Come.
The bamboo spears and arrows used by the natives are all made from local mottled bamboo. A fine tip is cut off and then baked on firewood. After it is dried and hardened, the hardness of the tip is almost the same as that of copper and iron. . Although this type of bamboo weapon is very primitive, its lethality is not weak, and some natives will also smear snake venom on the tips of arrows and spears, making it difficult to treat people once they are injured. Therefore, although the Haihan side has the advantage in weapons, if the combat distance cannot be controlled well and the natives are placed closer, the risks they face will increase exponentially.
Of course, the one who rushed out to attack the fleet would not be just such a native warrior. Morgan knew that this was a common tactic used by the natives. A selected tribal warrior would lead the charge at the front, and the others would follow. Sure enough, in the blink of an eye, dozens of native warriors suddenly emerged from the forest, following the man before and rushed towards the river bank.
These natives knew that the ship was escorted by armed personnel and that the weapons were more advanced than the ones in their hands, but they still used this very primitive method to launch attacks without fear of death again and again. Morgan really admired the ruthlessness of these people. But even so, he had no intention of being merciful. Morgan put his index finger on the trigger and slowly aimed his crosshair at the native warrior who was rushing over.
Morgan knew that before he fired, the subordinates next to him would not shoot in advance to steal his spotlight, so he had to hit the target with this shot, otherwise his face as an instructor would be somewhat damaged.
As the leading native warrior ran closer and closer, Morgan could already clearly see the totem pattern painted with chalk on his face, the few pheasant feathers inserted on both sides of his headband, and the appearance of his body due to his vigorous running. A somewhat ferocious expression.
This native warrior started to adjust his pace when he was still seven or eight meters away from the river bank. He raised the bamboo spear with his right arm, and it seemed that he was preparing to use the momentum of running to launch a shot. Just as he leaned back and prepared to throw the bamboo spear forward, Morgan pulled the trigger, and a stream of green smoke came out of the muzzle with the sound of the gun. Almost at the same time, the native warrior A blood flower bloomed on his chest, and the arm that had been swung halfway suddenly lost its strength. Before he could take action, the bamboo spear turned and stabbed the ground. Although he tried hard to stabilize his body with the bamboo spear, he was hit by the spear. The injury caused him to lose the strength to control his body. After kneeling on his knees, his body also fell to the ground. It seemed impossible to get up again.
This shot was extremely accurate, and the timing of the shot was just right. If it had been a moment later, the bamboo spear in the native warrior's hand would have flown out. The fall of the leading soldier also stagnated the large team that followed. However, these natives did not stop there. No one even took a second look at the fallen man and continued to rush towards the river bank. .
After Morgan's gun fired, everyone around him also opened fire one after another. Since the soldiers around him fought differently from ordinary armies, and the guns they used were not uniform, Morgan would not ask them to fire volleys, but would let them find targets and control the rhythm of shooting.
As gunshots rang out one after another, the natives on the shore began to be shot one after another. However, a large number of natives successfully rushed to the riverside and fired their weapons at the barge where Morgan was.
A bamboo spear was suddenly stuck on the side of the ship less than one meter away from Morgan's position. If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to believe that this kind of bamboo spear was so powerful that it could fly over twenty meters. After a distance, insert it into the wooden planks of the ship's side. Although its power is not enough to shoot through the side of the ship, looking at the still shaking tail of the spear, it is not difficult to imagine how powerful this bamboo spear is. If this blow was not on the side of the ship but on a person, I'm afraid that a transparent hole will be poked out immediately.
Most of these native warriors were equipped with bows and spears at the same time. After throwing out the bamboo spears, they immediately took off the bows and arrows for a second round of attacks. Although the ship was firing continuously, the psychological quality of these native warriors was obviously very good. They still fired their bows and arrows at their own pace, aiming and shooting. And they seemed not to care about the following fleets at all, and just chased the barge where Morgan was and launched an attack.
This was probably because the protective measures on the ship Morgan was on were too eye-catching. The tighter the protection, the more the natives felt that it was necessary to attack the ship with fire. There are still half-grown children in the forest carrying bundles of bamboo spears and bows and arrows to transport to the front line. It seems that the natives have not rested during the few days of the truce, but have been preparing for war.
Since the flow of this section of the river was relatively slow, the natives chased and attacked the fleet on the shore, but were not dragged down too far. Coupled with their large numbers, bamboo arrows and bamboo spears flew towards the barge where Morgan was sitting like rain, and their density was even better than the attacks from the ship.
Although the rifles used by these people on the ship were superior in many aspects such as range, accuracy, and lethality, they inevitably had a slow firing rate due to complex loading. Except for the four seven-shot rifles that can be easily fired continuously, the rifles used by others have to be loaded once every shot is fired, although the flintlock gun using fixed ammunition is already much faster than the previous matchlock gun. Although there are many weapons, its shooting speed is still not as fast as that of primitive bows and arrows.
(End of chapter)