Chapter 1246 Catching a Turtle in a Urn
The handling method mentioned by Roger was undoubtedly quite simple and crude, but Tan Juren thought about it and realized that there seemed to be no better solution to deal with the large number of prisoners that would inevitably appear after the war, so he had to make do with it. Tan Juren does not have the kind of benevolence like a saint who would consider trivial matters such as the treatment and human rights of prisoners of war. As long as the value of these people's labor can be fully utilized, he will not mind Roger taking some harsh measures. Means to suppress enemy prisoners of war.
As for the way to deal with British prisoners of war, Tan Juren indeed had no relevant experience, so naturally he didn't know that Haihan had already had corresponding routines in this regard. In the initial battles with the Portuguese, Dutch and Spanish, after the war, the captives were returned to their opponents through ransom exchange. This kind of extortion was not a waste of money, and there was nothing to be polite about.
Of course, it is still a little early to discuss these details. After all, the war is not over yet. Even if the Haihan Army is more certain of winning, it must first defeat the opponent before arresting them. Tan Juren took the idea from Roger and went back to organize manpower and supplies. For the thousands of people who had come out of thin air to eat, drink and have sex, arrangements had to be made in advance.
Mu Xiabai cut off the Johor Army's retreat in the north of the island, and it was almost certain that they would annihilate all the enemy forces. Roger's mood was much more relaxed than the day before, and he even made a special trip to inspect the villages on both sides to cheer up his soldiers. . Although the Haihan Army also suffered a few casualties in yesterday's battle, it did not affect the morale of the troops as the battle situation was clearly dominant. In addition, Roger claimed that he would start a decisive battle with the enemy today. This short, flat and fast battle The rhythm of the battle kept the soldiers excited.
Roger was not the only one who had the idea of a decisive battle today. The two coalition generals, Hogg and Bapen, actually had similar plans. They came across the sea with the idea of carrying out a sneak attack. They had no intention of fighting a protracted battle with Haihan. The longer the battle dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be to the coalition forces who needed long-distance supplies, so they had to fight quickly. OK. If they still cannot gain an advantage on the battlefield today, then they will have to consider whether to continue fighting to the death with the Haihan Army on this battlefield.
The eight artillery pieces that took a lot of trouble to be transported are now placed in the camp. The gun mounts were installed overnight last night, and all the ammunition was in place, just waiting to be pushed into position and put into use. Yesterday's offensive by the coalition forces has proven that it is difficult for infantry alone to break through the Haihan defense line, and that the firepower output cannot effectively kill the Haihan soldiers behind the bunker. The task of attacking the enemy must be completed by artillery with stronger firepower. Although these cannons arrived a little late, it is better late than never. As long as they can play a role on the battlefield, the trouble of transporting them from Johor is not in vain.
Hogg will personally direct the artillery operations today. Whether they can make a turnaround depends largely on how well the artillery performs. However, Hogg is also convinced that as long as they can function properly, it is only a matter of time for the eight artillery pieces to destroy the unsightly buildings between the two villages. The only thing that needs to be worried about is the Haihan people's response methods - the opponent's way is invisible. Could it be that there are several artillery pieces hidden in the defense line?
Hogg immediately denied this possibility. If the Haihan people really had artillery deployed on this line of defense, it should have been used in yesterday's battle. How could they hide such a huge weapon? Of course, there is another possibility, that is, the Haihan people responded in a hurry and did not have time to deploy the artillery to the front yesterday, but with the buffer time last night, this is not necessarily the case.
It is not difficult to confirm from the telescope that the Haihan Army repaired the defenses outside the defense line overnight after the truce yesterday, and densely buried many sharp wooden stakes on the outer layer of the barbed wire fence. These wooden piles were at an oblique angle to the ground, with the pointed end facing the direction of the coalition forces. They were buried in staggered rows, making them more difficult to destroy than the Jumalu Village that could be lifted away. The coalition forces also had to spend time clearing these newly erected roadblocks before advancing to the barbed wire area. The Haihan people have time to set up new defenses, so it stands to reason that getting a few cannons to the front won't be a big problem.
Hogg didn't know much about Haihan's artillery combat capabilities, but it probably wasn't too bad. After all, several Western competitors had been defeated by the Haihan army. There is no turning back now. Hogg only hopes that his own artillery can take advantage of the next battle. No matter how the opponent deploys, as long as his defense line can be destroyed as soon as possible.
Ba Pong's task today is to supervise the battle in front of the formation. However, considering the tragic situation where the deputy general was shot dead by the opponent's musketeers in front of the formation yesterday, Ba Pong's position of supervising the battle will no longer be so forward to avoid the risk of being hit by stray bullets as much as possible. . But Bapong and Hogg knew very well that if they wanted to win the battle today, the price they had to pay would definitely be greater than yesterday.
The prelude to the battle was still opened by the coalition forces. The infantry escorted the artillery into the combat position. Then the artillery estimated the distance and determined the gun position. Everything was carried out in an orderly manner according to the combat process. Although most of Hogg's gunners are mercenaries, the main gunners of each gun are genuine British people. Many of them have also served in the British army, and their professional military quality is not bad. Most of Hogg's confidence in this battle comes from them.
It's a pity that the opponent has no intention of leaving them with the opportunity to pre-emptively strike. Just when the coalition gunners were still calculating the shooting distance and angle, bunkers in several places on the opposite Haihan defense line were suddenly opened and appeared in the gap. Behind them are pitch-black artillery pieces. Hogg's heart suddenly sank when he noticed this change. The Haihan people deliberately waited until their own artillery entered the combat position before showing their fangs. This was obviously a planned method. The coalition wanted to use artillery to break through the opponent's defense line. This combat plan may be countered by the opponent soon.
"Fire." Roger gave the order in a calm tone.
In this area outside the defense line, the Haihan Army had already carried out calibration shots before the opponent invaded. In particular, the area that might be selected by the opponent as an artillery position was set as a preview target. Roger was not going to leave time for the opponent to demonstrate their artillery shooting skills. Now that the target was in place, the next task was to destroy them mercilessly.
The sound of artillery boomed at various artillery positions on the Haihan defense line. Although the number of artillery deployed by the Haihan army in advance was not much different from that of its opponents, the effect of launching an offensive first was obvious because of the preemptive firing exercises. , several artillery shells almost hit the position where the coalition artillery was deployed with fire coverage, and there were several screams mixed with the flying dust.
After three rounds of rapid fire, each artillery position stopped and slightly adjusted the artillery firing angle based on the observed impact point position, and then continued three rounds of shelling. During this period, the coalition's artillery positions only fired two intermittently as a counterattack, and then completely stopped firing. But Haihan didn't stop there. He fired three rapid rounds in each round and fired five rounds at the coalition's artillery position before stopping.
Hogg had been forced to retreat a hundred meters. If he had insisted on commanding from the artillery position, he might have turned into a pile of burnt minced meat by now. After being plowed by dozens of artillery shells, there were no more survivors visible on the artillery position that had just been deployed. The smell of gunpowder smoke and blood mixed together, making it impossible to breathe normally. Although he was shocked, Hogg also understood that the reason why his opponent clearly had a powerful weapon but had not used it was because he was waiting for him to reveal the treasure at the bottom of the box, and then use his firepower advantage to destroy it in one fell swoop. This defeated not only the coalition's artillery units, but also the last hope of victory. Without artillery, if the coalition forces want to continue their offensive, they have to rely entirely on people to fight upwards. At this time, the opponent has already revealed its artillery. If they want to attack the opponent's position from the front in yesterday's combat method, they will have to withstand the firepower. The intensity is even greater.
If you continue to fight, you may pay an extremely heavy price, but Hogg is really unwilling to give up. He turned to look at Ba Peng next to him, only to see that Ba Peng also had a livid face and said nothing. It goes without saying that the other party has similar thoughts to my own, and it is difficult to make a decision about the current situation.
"General Pabon, we... may have failed!" Although he didn't want to admit the result, Hogg, as a senior officer responsible for the war, still had to tell the truth.
Ba Pong's answer seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth: "Withdraw your troops, it's still too late!"
Hogg understood what Papen meant by "having enough time". Now it seemed that breaking through the opponent's defense line had become a delusion, and any further offensive would probably only increase casualties. If we continue to drag on this battlefield, our disadvantages will be amplified little by little. When the situation changes from active to passive, it will be very difficult to leave the island safely. Choosing to withdraw at this time can also stop the loss in time, which is a relatively rational decision. Of course, how they want to explain this defeat after returning to Johor will have to wait until the time comes.
Since the Haihan people had deployed their artillery in advance, and I didn’t know if they had secretly arranged any other means that day, Hogg knew that he really couldn’t fight anymore. Since Ba Peng also had the same view, he would not hesitate to take advantage of the sea. The Han army should evacuate this place as soon as possible before they take the initiative to attack.
"The enemy is about to escape!" Roger had been paying attention to his opponent's movements. Seeing that his main force was gradually leaving the range of the artillery, he roughly guessed the opponent's intentions. It seemed that the opponent's commander was still clear-headed and had no intention of attacking again and fighting to the death. However, this Star Island is not a place where you can come and leave whenever you want. If you want to evacuate safely, you must first ask yourself whether you agree.
"Send a signal to the second and third companies to prepare for action!" Roger immediately issued an order for the troops deployed in advance to ambush in the wild to join the operation.
Roger's next order was to give the remaining local troops to assemble immediately and prepare to attack and suppress the retreating enemy troops.
For the coalition forces going to Star Island, this trip was really hard. They crossed the sea from Johor the day before, marched for dozens of miles on land, only took a short rest, and then immediately went into battle. After sleeping in the wild for a night, they were at a clear disadvantage as soon as the battle started the next day, and then they had to retreat. Next, there was another dozens of miles of forced march waiting for them. Such a combat schedule would be very difficult for even an elite army, let alone a coalition force with limited training.
It rained continuously all night, and the coalition forces had just evacuated a few miles from the battlefield when they ran into the ambush of the Haihan Army. After a burst of gunfire in the forest, most of the coalition soldiers walking at the front had already fallen. . In a hurry, he couldn't see clearly how many Haihan troops were ambushing in the forest. He only felt that gunshots were ringing from all directions, so he could only turn around and run back.
Ba Peng was also surprised and confused after receiving the report. It was obvious that the Haihan Army had already set up an ambush in the forest. So the question became, how many troops the other side had stationed on the island, and how many troops they still had to divide their forces to set up an ambush. And it is obvious that the other side has calculated that the coalition forces will choose to retreat, so they set up an ambush on the retreat route in advance. Doesn't this mean that one's own combat intentions are completely under the control of the other side?
Uncertain of the size and deployment of the opponent's ambush, Ba Peng did not dare to arrange for his troops to charge forward forcefully. At the moment, he could only inform Hogg and bypass the forest area where the opponent had set up an ambush. Hogg, who was responsible for leading the team to the rear, suddenly discovered that the Haihan Army originally stationed in the village was already slowly following him in the direction of his evacuation. It seemed that he did not intend to let him leave just like that.
"Tell General Babon to speed up the march. We don't have time to stop and hesitate!" Hogg judged that the situation was not good and immediately issued an order to his messenger.
But the ambush of the Haihan Army in the forest was not just such a move. No matter how Ba Peng took a detour, gunshots would always be heard from time to time in the forest. People kept falling after being hit by cold shots, but they had no time to fight back. Seeing that there was no other way, Ba Peng ordered a group of soldiers to attack a bush where guns were being fired constantly. Unexpectedly, there were still a few feet away, and dozens of gun muzzles were suddenly stretched out from there, and a series of shots were fired. The coalition soldiers couldn't even lift their heads, and the lucky ones who weren't shot didn't even care about their companions, so they quickly turned around and ran for their lives.
Now Ba Peng didn't dare to easily allocate manpower to deal with those sporadic cold guns. Who knew if there was a large group of Haihan ambushes hiding behind the bushes where the cold guns were being fired. The current response is to be cautious and just fire back at the cold guns. In short, try not to be too lazy to fight. But in this way, the overall marching speed was greatly slowed down, and the pursuers behind them were getting closer and closer. The current situation has become very obvious. The Haihan people had no intention of letting them go back from the beginning. They continued to flee north. There might be more traps and ambushes waiting for them on the road.
(End of chapter)