Chapter 1433 The Power of Mines
When the Houjin Cavalry was less than twenty feet away from the Haihan camp, a galloping war horse stepped on a piece of loose soil on the ground. As soon as the horse's hooves left the ground, there was a loud bang under the horse's belly. It exploded, and the war horse and the cavalry on its back were knocked over by the blast of air and fell to the ground. The horse's hoof was broken at the same time as the explosion sounded.
Before the cavalry could react, explosions rang out one after another in the ground beneath them. The neighing of war horses and the screams of cavalry came one after another. In an instant, the charging team became a mess, and it was difficult to stop the charging troops. Finally this journey is completed.
Weapons such as landmines were not invented by Haihan. In fact, when the Song and Jin Dynasties were at war five hundred years ago, the Song Army used "gunpowder cannons" buried in the ground to attack the Jin Army. By the Ming Dynasty, real mines with mechanical ignition devices had appeared. The Ming Dynasty's military book "Military Bei Zhi" records the shape, characteristics and structural diagrams of more than ten kinds of landmines, which can use a variety of firing devices such as stepping, tripping, pulling and point firing.
The "Fire Dragon Sutra" written by Jiao Yu in 1413 recorded: "The bombs are made of pig iron on an empty stomach, filled with medicine and pestle, put into a small bamboo tube, pass a fire wire inside, and use a long wire to penetrate the fire trough on the outside. Select the route that the invaders must take, and continue for dozens of times. Buried in a pit, the medicine tank was connected to a steel wheel, covered with soil, so that thieves would not know it. When the engine was turned on, the iron would fly, and the flames would shoot into the sky. "In 1580, when Qi Jiguang was stationed in Jizhou, he also made a kind of medicine." The mine is based on the principle of "steel wheel fire" and has been actually used on the battlefield.
However, the reliability and lethality of these relatively primitive landmine weapons are relatively limited, and naturally they cannot compare with the landmines made by Haihan Ordnance Industry using the advanced technology of later generations. The Haihan mine, which uses disc springs, black powder, percussion caps and other components as well as a mature structure, is far more powerful than the original version that was explored by predecessors. The amount of gunpowder was also specially increased to deal with cavalry, so as to ensure that it explodes Sometimes he can even kill the war horses.
Although this new type of weapon has been mass-produced in the arsenal in Sanya, because the production capacity and cost issues have not been well solved for the time being, it has not been installed in large quantities in front-line troops. It is still in the trial stage on a small scale. As the Haihan Army's first battlefield this year, Liaodong has naturally become a practical testing ground for this weapon.
When the naval fleet moved north from Zhejiang this time, it brought about 200 Type A mines and ten specially trained mine engineers to the frontline troops. Taking into account the enemy's combat habits, Qian Tiandun ordered the engineers to unpack two-thirds of the mines and bury them outside the camp. This is not because Qian Tiandun is lavish, but because he considers that the fighting situation between the two sides will only allow the mines to be used in the early stage. In the later stage, the Haihan Army will definitely suppress the opponent on the front line of the Isthmus Fortress and will not let them use it again. There is no need to wait any longer for the opportunity for the cavalry to counterattack.
The engineers used these more than 100 mines to lay out a minefield about 100 meters wide and five meters deep in the wilderness. Although the layout was a bit scattered, the final combat effect was quite good. The Houjin Cavalry did not expect that their opponents would set up such an ambush. Dozens of landmines exploded almost in a matter of seconds. The scene of people turning on their backs even made some Houjin Cavalry think that they were being bombarded.
Before they could recover from the chaos, a dense rain of bullets came from behind the simple fortifications on the opposite side. In the panic, several war horses stepped on the laid mines, which exploded irregularly in the east and west. Making the scene even more chaotic.
The number of cavalrymen directly killed and injured by the mine formation may not be more than a hundred, but the chaos caused is difficult to control. It is impossible to form a formation to charge again. The rifles on the opposite side are constantly harvesting the cavalry and cavalry who are still active. war horse. The distance between this engagement was only a few dozen meters. The cavalry had no choice but to rush forward with bullets in their arms. If they didn't want to be a living target or be blown to pieces by the mines in the soil, they had no choice but to turn around and leave. battlefield.
Probably because yesterday's defeat left too many shadows on the Houjin Army, although the defense line at the attack target looks more fragile today, it is difficult to have the courage to continue the battle after being randomly bombarded by landmines. . No one knew when and how the Haihan army on the opposite side would kill them. Such fear made many cavalrymen turn their horses and start leaving the battlefield without waiting for the signal to retreat from the rear.
Sun Zhen led his troops back to the Central Route Army camp from the Binhai Highlands overnight last night, and this morning he fought against the Jin Army for the second time in the camp. The landmines Qian Tiandun ordered the engineers to plant outside the camp were also a novel thing for him. When we returned to the camp last night, there were cavalry waiting outside. After stopping them, they led the way back to the camp in a large circle from the southern entrance.
Although Sun Zhen already knew Qian Tiandun's arrangement at that time, he did not think too much about the weapon buried in the soil. After witnessing the power of the mine explosion with his own eyes, he confirmed that the effect of this thing was indeed beyond his imagination. The menacing Houjin Cavalry did not even touch the edge of the Haihan camp before they were blown away. When he directed the soldiers from the camp to shoot at the Golden Cavalry, many people on the other side didn't even know where the bullets were coming from. It seemed that they had been knocked unconscious by the serial explosions.
The special operations battalion repelled this round of offensive by the Hou Jin Army without much effort. At least nearly two hundred cavalry companies fell in the mud outside the camp. In the past, when Sun Zhen encountered such a situation, he would naturally think about how to clean the battlefield and collect the loot, but at this time, he was thinking about how to clean up the area where landmines were buried to ensure safety.
He didn't need to worry about this kind of thing. The engineers had already marked the ground when they laid the mines. Then they would circle the mine area and march in a detour. As for the cleanup, it probably won't be done for a while and a half, at least until the people and horses in the minefield are hardened. Otherwise, if one of the horses fails to breathe when collecting the corpses, it will be fun to explode another mine after struggling. .
"This thing is easy to use, but it's a bit wasteful!" Qian Tiandun, who was also paying attention to this battle, sighed.
According to incomplete statistics, less than a hundred landmines were triggered and exploded by the Houjin Cavalry in the battle just now, which means that there are still dozens of landmines still lying quietly in the soil at this time. Although they had been marked when they were laid, and it was not difficult to determine the location of these mines when clearing the site, no one could guarantee whether there was an already buried mine underneath the bodies of the fallen war horses and Hou Jin soldiers. A triggered mine. For safety reasons, Qian Tiandun will definitely not let his precious mine engineers take risks to clear this minefield, so even if the mines do not explode, they can probably only be left here temporarily and be cleaned up slowly after a while. . Of course, as for how to clean up, this is not a problem for Qian Tiandun. When the time comes, the captured prisoners of war will be sent to the minefield to clean up the remains. Even if many people are killed, it will not be distressing. Considering that there are many coerced Han Chinese, Koreans, and people from some small tribes in the Northeast among the post-Jin army, those who are sent to carry out such a death mission must definitely choose those Jurchens with pure blood.
This battle was won very easily because of the use of new weapons that Hou Jin was completely unaware of. But if you take into account the high cost of these small-scale, hand-made mines, the cost of this battle may be much higher than directly using guns. Moreover, even if these mines do not explode during the battle, it is difficult to recover them for secondary use, and they will leave a hidden minefield hazard in one's own control area that is difficult to deal with in the short term, so there are still many disadvantages.
These issues are factors that a senior general or theater commander must consider when formulating tactics. Qian Tiandun had been a professional soldier in another time and space, and naturally understood what kind of trouble an area densely covered with mines would mean in peacetime. Therefore, he believed that even if this special weapon could be manufactured in batches and on a large scale, the military would It should still be used with caution on the battlefield. If you don't think carefully, this thing may become a double-edged sword.
Different from what some people imagined before the war, this battle was over even before the Houjin infantry entered the battle area. The battle lasted much shorter than yesterday's battle near the coastal highlands. Although the scene of landmines exploding cavalry was thrilling, the actual number of enemy troops killed and wounded was actually not as good as yesterday's battle. It's just that today's battle was fought without any suspense. The Hou Jin Army didn't even get the slightest chance to struggle. This battle can be said to have extinguished a lot of their confidence.
After the remaining cavalry turned around and fled back, the rear Jin army seemed to realize that nothing could be done, so the front team changed to the rear team, and slowly disappeared from the sight of the special operations battalion. However, Qian Tiandun was not worried about losing their traces. Harugong's cavalry battalion had multiple teams operating on the nearby plains, specifically performing surveillance and tracking tasks. The Houjin Army of thousands of people would certainly not be able to do anything. Disappeared out of thin air, and soon news of its movements would come back.
After the Jin army was defeated in a battle, Qian Tiandun expected that the opponent would not appear near the special operations camp again in a short period of time, so he ordered someone to send a telegram to the West Route Army and the East Route Army to report the battle situation. Not long after, Wang Tom sent a call back, expressing his dissatisfaction with the idle state of the Eastern Route Army. After the Eastern Route Army, which he led with the Marine Corps as the main force, landed in Dalian Bay, they only encountered an unlucky Houjin patrol. Other than that, I gained nothing in the past two days. The Eastern Route Army had to wait for the Chinese and Western forces to move simultaneously and could not rashly march to the defense line of Houjin Fortress in the north, so Wang Tom could only send a telegram to complain out of boredom at the beach.
Naturally, Qian Tiandun would not take Wang Tom's complaints seriously. He knew very well the navy commander's style, and he was eager to snatch all the meat from the Army's mouth and eat it himself. From a certain point of view, Qian Tiandun and Wang Tom are both the same kind of soldiers. They pursue victory, are eager to use their achievements on the battlefield to prove the value of their lives, and simply and fanatically hope that they can reach the top of this profession. Become an unprecedented and unprecedented general. They will cooperate during the execution of combat missions, but they will never give up their own stage to the other party to perform.
Qian Tiandun just laughed at Wang Tom's complaints. If the Marine Corps did not gain anything in this operation, then from the perspective of an army general, Qian Tiandun would actually be happy to see the results. After all, the generals in the army are now openly or semi-openly training the special forces under their command. The competition for military expenditures on this kind of establishment is also becoming increasingly fierce. Of course, Qian Tiandun does not want too many competitors to compete with him. share of the Ministry of National Defense’s military budget, not to mention the Navy, a natural competitor.
The Haihan Army will count the results after the battle, but today's battlefield is indeed a bit troublesome. Facing a large number of broken bodies and limbs, Chen Yixin, who was responsible for commanding the cleanup of the battlefield, didn't look very good. He just asked the engineers to mark the ground, circle the minefield first, and put up warning signs on the periphery to prevent himself. People accidentally entered by mistake.
"Chief, how do we count the number of enemies killed?"
After Liu Shang lingered in Lushun Fort for several days, he finally got his wish and was temporarily seconded to the army by Chen Yixin to serve as a clerk. This time he also went out with the main force of the special operations battalion. Although I was a little nervous at first, I slowly relaxed after thinking that I was in the camp of Haihan's ace troops. There was probably no safer place in Liaodong. He was also watching the brief battle today in the camp. Although he didn't quite understand what kind of sharp weapons Haihan had deployed outside the camp to cause such an astonishing killing effect, Liu Shang still dutifully followed Chen Yixin to the battle zone. , prepare to record the statistics of the results.
But he didn't expect that the special operations battalion would designate this fighting area as a restricted area, and no one was allowed to enter it. Of course, after seeing the death of these golden cavalry with his own eyes, he had no intention of going closer to check. According to the information Chen Yixin told him, the landmines buried in the soil were enough to blow him up to the height of the second floor, and he would most likely die before landing. Although Liu Shang was not timid, he did not want to make such a dangerous attempt.
Chen Yixin responded: "Just remember the approximate number. Some people were blown into several pieces. It's hard to count, so just count the horses. One horse corresponds to one cavalry, but there must be more people killed than horses." ”
Liu Shang nodded in agreement. During the battle, after some enemy cavalry were shot and fell off their horses, the horses ran away, but people couldn't run away, so Chen Yixin's words made sense. Based on the record of the special operations battalion, it does not matter whether the number of enemy troops annihilated is more or less. After all, Haihan does not record merit based on the number of heads, but the main consideration is to achieve the combat goal.
(End of chapter)