Chapter 1479 The Real War
Qian Tiandun is not in Jijiabao at this time, but the headquarters here also has a radio station, and Gao Qiaonan can contact him at any time. After asking Qian Tiandun for instructions, Gao Qiaonan returned to the field hospital, where he also just came out from the tour. The faces of the businessmen were all solemn. It was obvious that the scene they had just seen in the field hospital had a great impact on them.
Almost all of the wounded in the Haihan Army came from the combat troops, and the injuries were generally caused by trauma caused by swords and arrows, and there were also fractures such as falling from horses or being hit with blunt objects. There are currently about thirty injured people in field hospitals. Some of them are only slightly injured and can return to the army to continue fighting after a few days of rest. Others are seriously injured who are not suitable for long-distance movement and can only recuperate on the spot, such as Some wounded soldiers who had to have part of their limbs amputated due to trauma could only stay here temporarily until their wounds healed before they could leave the front line in carriages or ships.
Whether they can be transferred to a stable rear area to treat their injuries mainly depends on the judgment of military doctors. Morgan, who is in charge of medical and health affairs in the military, usually comes to Jijiabao for inspection every three days or so to understand the injuries here. Occasionally, he will be notified to come and participate in some more important surgical operations. With Morgan in charge here, the treatment of Haihan's wounded soldiers is somewhat guaranteed. However, for visitors who have never really witnessed the cruelty of war, some scenes in the field hospital are already difficult to look at.
Takahashi Minami asked: "You all don't look very good, but you happened to see surgery in the hospital?"
Liu Shang stepped forward and responded: "General, what you expected was true. When I was waiting inside to visit just now, two wounded soldiers arrived. They were both injured by bows and arrows. One was shot through the shoulder and the other was hit by an arrow in the abdomen. Then The military doctor started first aid in front of us, and the scene was really bloody. The bosses are usually very self-satisfied. They have never seen such a scene, so they can't help but feel a little uncomfortable."
Removing arrows from Takahashi Nanxin Road is a relatively simple surgical operation. These southern businessmen have never seen it on the market. They only saw a small operation, and each of them turned pale with fright. This is just a sporadic conflict. When a real large-scale battle breaks out, there will be more than just these injuries from the front line. But that's fine, just scare them first so as not to lead them to the battlefield and disobey orders.
"Everyone, rest for a while, and then we'll hit the road. I'll take you around to the north today. If you're lucky, you might encounter a small group of enemy cavalry." After Takahashi Nan finished speaking, he raised his hand to salute everyone, and then called The troops went.
"Master Liu...this...General Takahashi really intends to take me to the Jin people's territory in the north?" After the initial contact with the environment on the edge of the battlefield, some people were already retreating in their hearts, but they did not dare to directly confront him. Gao Qiaonan raised this question and turned to Liu Shang for help.
Liu Shangxin said that we have come this far, the military has also arranged the itinerary, the escort troops are in place, and all the documents you should sign have also been signed. If you want to back down now, wouldn't it be a slap in the face of the military and Sha Xi. Anyone who wants to shrink their eggs at this critical moment, let alone investing in Liaodong, may have a big impact on the industry in Zhejiang, and don't even think about doing business with Haihan in the future.
Liu Shang quickly spoke to persuade: "Everyone, what you just saw are soldiers fighting in blood on the battlefield. Their mission is to kill the enemy. But you are the distinguished guests we invited. As long as you obey the military arrangements, your Your personal safety is definitely guaranteed, there is no need to worry.”
He Li had long been determined to go to the battlefield. Although he felt a little uncomfortable when he saw the military doctor performing surgery just now, he was not very afraid. He immediately helped Liu Shang and persuaded him: "Master Liu is right. , if we don’t go and see for ourselves, how can we be sure that Liaodong will remain stable in the future, and how can we invest money here with confidence?”
The mention of the word money has a great stimulating effect on the businessmen. Even the person who just raised the question to Liu Shang gritted his teeth and agreed immediately when he thought of the money-making opportunities in the future.
Gao Qiaonan quickly gathered the troops, then asked the merchants to get back on the carriage, and the Haihan Army escorted them out of the north gate of Jijiabao.
The area north of the Jinzhou Isthmus is also a large terrain dominated by plains. It is not until more than ten miles away that some mountains begin to appear. The straight-line distance between where Jinzhou City is located and the isthmus defense line is less than twenty miles. In the war, this distance was considered quite close, and the cavalry could reach it in less than an hour.
After Haihan took the initiative to advance the front to the north, he once threatened the security of Jinzhou City. However, considering that the actual significance of attacking Jinzhou City was not great at present, and the isthmus defense line reconstruction project was still in progress, the military did not rush forward. , but tried their best to suppress the enemy forces on the front line of Jinzhou City. Of course, this kind of suppression is only relative and cannot completely prevent the activities of the Jinzhou Army. Therefore, the area between Jinzhou City and the Jinzhou Isthmus Defense Line has become the main battlefield for sporadic confrontations between the two armies.
At present, Haihan deployed more than 3,000 troops on the Isthmus defense line and north of it. Later, the number of troops stationed by the Jin Army in and around Jinzhou City was as high as 10,000. The closest garrison point between the two armies is only a few miles away. Battles involving more than a hundred people occur almost every day or two. The garrison here has become accustomed to it.
However, the mission they have to perform today is quite special. Under the personal command of Takahashi Nan, they are to escort a team of southern businessmen to inspect the battlefield here. This kind of errand is a novel first time for most of them.
He Li and others were sitting in the carriage, and they could have an unobstructed view of the outside scene through the windows. Accompanying the convoy is a guard platoon specially transferred by Qian Tiandun. There is also an infantry unit with reinforced company formation on the periphery to serve as the main escort. There are dozens of scattered Haihan cavalry farther away to guard the convoy. In addition, in places beyond their sight, the Haihan military even made subtle adjustments to the deployment of troops in the entire area so that the team could keep enough combat troops around it at any time during the march. If there is an enemy attack on the way, the combat troops can snipe in time to cover the convoy and retreat to a safe area.
This kind of arrangement is not imprudent. Even if Qian Tiandun, Morgan and other generals come to the front line in person, they are almost at this level of protection. Although the previous methods of scaring the businessmen had their due effect, the military generals would not ignore the original security measures. After all, they needed to use these businessmen to prove to the onlookers in the wealthy land of the south that Haihan was here. Liaodong's control zone is impregnable and worth investing in. Only after capital injection can local economic development and population growth be driven faster, thereby reducing the military's defense pressure in Liaodong.
Because the distance between the two sides was too close, and the control of some areas was even intertwined, Haihan's troop mobilization could not be completely hidden from the eyes of his opponents. Soon, the Houjin cavalry cruising outside discovered this heavily protected unit. fleet. The other party's first reaction was naturally to think that this should be a sign that the big shot Haihan was inspecting the battlefield. Of course, it is also possible that Haihan was playing tricks and setting up a trap to lure Hou Jin to attack. This news was quickly passed to a stronghold of the Hou Jin Army outside Jinzhou City. The two Niu Lu'erzhen stationed here believed that no matter whether it was true or false, this opportunity should not be missed, so they sent people into the city to inform Ah Ji Ge immediately ordered his troops and horses to attack, intending to intercept the convoy on the plain.
He Li and others did not know that they had been targeted by the enemy not long after they left Jijiabao. They were still listening with interest to Liu Shang's introduction to this area in the carriage. Liu Shang was already eloquent, and the military provided him with a lot of detailed information specifically for this job. Therefore, when explaining the historical ownership of this area and the status of the war between the two armies, he completely displayed military power. The expert's attitude is so eloquent that it can intimidate a layman.
Even people like He Li, who have seen a lot of things in the world, can't help but secretly mutter in their hearts, how come Mr. Liu, who claims to be a civil servant, is so familiar with the conditions on the battlefield? Could it be that his claimed identity is false and is not true in the true sense? Civilian official, but an official position such as military Chinese clerk?
Liu Shangke didn't know that these businessmen would doubt his identity. He just wanted to do his best to complete his work and make these businessmen aware of the complexity of the environment here. If he had the power to choose civil and military positions on his own, he would still choose the civil service route without hesitation. After all, he had not practiced much in the past thirty years. Although he has the courage to kill, when it comes to killing people, Their abilities were far inferior to those of the professional soldiers they came into contact with on the front lines. Even if they entered the army, it would be difficult to stand out.
Just when he was about to talk about a small-scale battle that broke out nearby a few days ago, he suddenly heard a few short trumpets in the distance, and his expression changed, because the trumpets were clearly from the cavalry. Signals given when an enemy attack is detected.
Sure enough, within a few moments, the convoy received an order from Takahashi Minami in front, requiring them to stop advancing immediately and stay on alert to prepare for battle.
As soon as the carriage suddenly stopped, the people in the carriage naturally noticed it. Looking out the window, the accompanying escort troops had begun to nervously form a fighting formation, and they suddenly realized what was happening outside.
"Master Liu, is it an enemy attack?" The anxious person immediately asked Liu Shang.
Liu Shang nodded and said: "There should be enemy troops appearing in the nearby area, and there are a considerable number of cavalry, so we will stop and be on guard first. Please be patient and look out the window. Maybe we will be there later." It’s an honor to see the scene of our army fighting.”
Infantry accounted for more than 90% of the armed forces guarding the convoy. Therefore, Takahashi Minami did not arrange for the convoy to retreat immediately, because this could easily cause the convoy to become disconnected from the accompanying troops, leaving an opportunity for the enemy to take advantage of. Gao Qiaonan's response plan was to establish a temporary defense line in place and directly confront the incoming enemy.
The reason why he dared to take such a risk was because the previous warning sound had already conveyed information about the enemy's strength, which was only two to three hundred cavalry on the left and right. Takahashi Minami believed that with the troops at hand, he could defeat this intruding enemy force. All he had to do was deploy a good formation and wait for the opponent to hit him.
But the businessmen on the carriage didn't know Takahashi Nan's plan. For them, the best response to an enemy attack was naturally to retreat. Run as far away from the battlefield as possible. It seemed practical to stop and wait for the enemy to attack. It's a bit unwise. Considering that Guan Ning's army was so powerful back then, it was still no match for the Jin Army in field operations. Isn't General Haihan's response a bit too much?
Not long after, dust was seen splashing in the distance, and at this time there was not even a bit of wind in the air. It was obvious that the origin of the dust should be the incoming enemy army. And such a huge momentum is obviously not a scene that the infantry unit can create. Everyone on the carriage suddenly felt their hearts trembling. According to the legend, the Houjin Iron Cavalry was about to appear. If the Haihan Army could not stop them, they would all be killed on the spot. Some people have even begun to regret in their hearts that they should not have taken such a big risk to participate in this trip. If they died here, they would not be able to enjoy it no matter how much money they had.
Takahashi Minami, who was in charge of commanding this team, had already dismounted, asked his entourage to get his exclusive rifle, and started aiming in the direction of the dust in the standard shooting posture of kneeling on one leg.
The sound of horse hooves began to be heard in the distance, and soon even the ground beneath his feet was shaking slightly, but Takahashi Minami's body and hands were still very stable, and did not seem to be affected at all. When Jin Bing appeared in Gao Qiaonan's sight after the first cavalry, he pulled the trigger without hesitation.
When Takahashi Nan fired, the Houjin Cavalry had already charged to a place less than a mile away from the carriage of He Li and others, but this distance was only the edge of the Haihan infantry's firepower range, and the real attack began a few seconds later. .
When the sound of rifle shooting continued like the explosion of firecrackers, the heart rate of everyone on the carriage increased a lot in an instant. With pale faces, they looked at the Haihan Army, which was lining up not far away and rushing towards them a hundred feet away. When the enemy cavalry fired, they couldn't help but worry about whether this tactic could stop the enemy troops that were rushing towards them. Some people have even begun to think about whether they should do something to save their lives if they are captured later.
But they soon discovered that their worries were indeed a bit overblown. After the menacing Houjin cavalry rushed into the distance of a hundred feet, they were like waves breaking on the rocks. They only saw people turning on their backs, but no one rode forward. In front of the Haihan military formation. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, it would be hard for them to imagine how more than two hundred people could stop a charging cavalry.
(End of chapter)