Chapter 1656 Attacking Manila (6)
Ran Tianlu always thought that he knew everything about the situation inside the store, but he never expected that there would be such a secret crossing of Chencang right under his nose. Of course, these new rifles cannot be obtained by just anyone. Judging from the brand-new oil paper packaging on the outside, they are obviously original and genuine products produced by Sanya Arsenal. Apart from Haihan Ordnance, only the General Equipment Division of the Ministry of National Defense has access to these. thing. The answer to why Fang Peng was able to disguise these weapons as porcelain and transport them into the store without telling himself is self-evident. Besides the Military Intelligence Agency, who else could have such a secret method?
And seeing that Fang Peng started distributing weapons to his men, it was obvious that he did not intend to sit back and wait for death in the merchant house, but was about to fight a big fight with the Spaniards. The corner of Ran Tianlu's mouth couldn't help but twitch. When he and Fang Peng discussed attacking the Spaniards, they didn't talk about creating such a large battle. If they really got into a fight with the Spanish troops stationed in the surrounding area, even a few more lives might not be enough, let alone escaping.
"Master Peng, do you want to stop thinking about it?" Ran Tianlu advised tremblingly: "The Haihan army is close at hand. If we fight to the death with the Spaniards and are unable to escape at this time, our great achievements will be in vain!"< br>
Fang Peng responded: "Don't panic, shopkeeper. These brothers like me are all trained professionals and have the weapons to deal with ordinary Spanish soldiers. It's no problem to fight one against ten. What's more, we still have this store as a bunker." If the Spanish soldiers don’t come, forget it. If they dare to come, let them know how powerful I am!”
Seeing that Fang Peng was still stubborn, Ran Tianlu gritted his teeth and said, "Master Peng, did you have the permission of the Ministry of National Defense to make this decision?"
Fang Peng turned his head and looked at Ran Tianlu. His eyes immediately changed: "It turns out that shopkeeper Ran is also one of our own!"
Ran Tianlu cupped his hands and said, "I'm Ran Tianlu, special commissioner of the South China Sea Department of the Ministry of Security. Mr. Peng is so polite!"
Fang Peng also reported his identity in the same manner: "Military Intelligence Department of the Ministry of National Defense, Fang Peng."
After working together this night, both of them knew that the secret identity reported by the other party could not be fake, and it did not matter whether the name was true or false. Everyone is engaged in intelligence work, so they naturally know the necessity of using false identities. Even if the other party is one of our own, they are not in the same department after all. Some information should be slightly reserved and should not be revealed casually.
However, both sides already knew that the Chaosheng Inn in Ganqing was indeed not a simple organization. It actually ambushed two groups of people from the Ministry of Security and the Military Intelligence Department at the same time. Although Fang Peng had not noticed Ran Tianlu's true identity before, Ran Tianlu was also negligent and even let the Military Intelligence Department send a batch of weapons in without anyone noticing.
Ran Tianlu also admired the boldness of the Military Intelligence Agency. If these weapons were unfortunately seized by the Spaniards after arriving in Hong Kong, the loss would be too great. Not only would the goods be gone, but Chaosheng Commercial Warehouse and even the store would most likely be destroyed. All other institutions that have dealings with it are involved. The Military Intelligence Office shipped these weapons in advance, obviously not for Fang Peng and his group to use them for decoration. The Military Intelligence Office had probably planned long ago to make some noise during the Haihan Army's siege to disrupt the Spanish deployment. , otherwise why would they choose such a not-so-ideal time to start an incident?
But why the Military Intelligence Agency took such a big risk and took the initiative to cause trouble and expose its whereabouts before the Haihan Army launched a general offensive is something Ran Tianlu has not understood so far. According to his plan, either he should wait for the Haihan Army to attack and kill the group of Spanish soldiers in the merchant house, or he should immediately flee south after knocking them down. Somehow, he listened to Fang Peng's instigation and took this group. After the Spanish soldiers were knocked down, they still stayed in the merchant house and waited for further trouble to come. When Ran Tianlu thought of this episode, he couldn't help but regret that he had made a hasty decision without considering the causes and consequences clearly. Now it was too late even if he wanted to escape.
"Give me a gun too!" At this point, Ran Tianlu knew that it would be useless to blame Fang Peng for being arbitrary. This was not the time to argue about right and wrong. The battle with the Spaniards was about to come. These people in the merchant house People must work together to gain a chance of survival.
Hearing these words, Fang Peng looked at Ran Tianlu with obvious admiration, and then handed over a rifle in his hand: "This is a new rifle that can only be equipped by the elite troops of the army. Can shopkeeper Ran use it?" ?”
Ran Tianlu took it and snorted: "This rifle is not a rare thing. I have touched a real one in Sanya before coming to Manila! I may have fired more live ammunition during my training than you. ! ”
After saying that, he skillfully turned on the loading switch on the gun handle, pulled out the purge rod, and inserted the bullets one by one. This weird loading method is absolutely incomprehensible to people who have never used this kind of rifle. Fang Peng took a look and knew that what he said was true, so he immediately asked: "Has shopkeeper Ran ever killed anyone on the battlefield?"
"Never before." Ran Tianlu loaded the bullets, put the rifle on his arm, and said without fear: "But in order to save his life, he has to do his best!"
Ran Tianlu said it lightly, but he actually knew that this rifle was not a popular product, but a top-notch individual weapon that represented the highest level of Haihan military industry. Only a very small number of elite ace troops in the military are qualified to equip them. Many people have not even had the opportunity to touch such rifles after staying in the military for several years. However, he could also think from this that since the Ministry of National Defense secretly brought this kind of good cargo, it must have a big purpose, and Fang Peng's actions were really not a joke.
Although Fang Peng did not disclose any more information, Ran Tianlu inexplicably gained some confidence after seeing these rifles. He could feel that Fang Peng was relying on someone to do this. Only in this way could it make sense why he wanted to cause trouble on purpose.
After a while, someone came to notify Fang Peng, saying that the Spaniards had begun to form a formation at the north intersection, and it seemed that they were about to attack the merchant house. Fang Peng quickly named a few people and rushed to the north entrance to prepare for the battle. Ran Tianlu also wanted to follow, but Fang Peng refused him: "The shopkeeper will stay here to prevent the Spaniards from playing tricks and attacking from the north and the south."
Fang Peng had more than 20 people under his command, and he took away more than half of them. The remaining people had to be deployed in the east, west, and south directions, leaving only five people under Ran Tianlu's command. Ran Tianlu also knew that what Fang Peng said was reasonable and could only obey the arrangement, but he had never felt like he did now that the Chaosheng Store was so big that Fang Peng's manpower was extremely stretched for defense. Although there are still some employees in the store, these people are really just ordinary people without military training. Most of them are trembling at this time. Only a few people can cooperate with Fang Peng's arrangements and go to assist everywhere with swords and guns. Defend and monitor the movements outside the store.
Not long after, gunshots were heard from the north of the merchant house. Ran Tianlu's heart tightened and he stood up immediately. When he became nervous, everyone around him also grabbed their weapons. Only Fang Peng's subordinates looked calm. Ran Tianlu knew he had lost his composure and quickly signaled to everyone not to panic, but he was secretly worried about whether Fang Peng could hold up the northern defense line with this small number of manpower. For the next few minutes, gunfire rang out from the north. Although this advanced rifle claims to have a seven-shot burst, in fact, every time it fires, it has to be manually unloaded and thrown out of the cartridge case, and then reloaded, with an interval of four to five seconds. However, the more than ten guns commanded by Fang Peng obviously had a good grasp of the rhythm. The intervals between gunfire were very short and very even, which was obviously a sign of good training. Ran Tianlu felt a little relieved when he heard the undisturbed gunfire. With the performance of this rifle, as long as the shooting field of view is unobstructed, a dozen guns are enough to stop enemy infantry ten times your own.
However, while fighting, Ran Tianlu heard gunshots that seemed to be not just in the north of the store, but also sporadic gunshots in the east. He stood up again and sent someone to see if there was an enemy attack from the east. However, the news reported back made him a little confused. The gunshots in the east were not fired by people in the merchant house, but by the Spaniards outside who did not know who they were shooting at.
"Have our Haihan army arrived so quickly?" Ran Tianlu was overjoyed upon hearing this and felt that his personal safety was at hand. Even though he had acted very calmly in front of Fang Peng before, in fact he still felt uneasy. After all, he had never been on the battlefield in person. The feeling in this combat environment was different from slowly shooting targets on the shooting range. Moreover, the number of people guarding the store is so low, even if he has a rifle in his hand, it is difficult for him to feel safe.
Soon new news came back. Not only from these two directions, sporadic gunshots were heard from more and more directions outside the business store, but the Haihan army that Ran Tianlu had been waiting for did not appear. It seems that all those fighting in this city are scattered armed forces scattered everywhere.
When Ran Tianlu was puzzled, he saw a signal bomb suddenly soaring into the sky from the north gate of the store, exploding a red firework about ten feet high in the air. At this time, Fang Peng's subordinates explained: "This is an attack signal to the army in the south, and it is also a call to the companions in this city to move closer here."
"It turns out there are people from your Military Intelligence Department outside!" Ran Tianlu suddenly realized, and seemed to understand why Fang Peng looked so confident.
The Military Intelligence Department had planted countless hidden stakes like Fang Peng in this urban area in advance, waiting for this opportunity to launch in one fell swoop to disrupt the Spanish army's rhythm. When the Haihan army attacked later, the Spaniards were still busy clearing out the armed men in the city, and it would be difficult to organize a decent resistance. As for the street fighting plan that Francis had originally prepared, he probably had to give up in advance.
Not long after, Chaosheng Commercial Inn actually received three groups of people from outside, all of whom were said to be from the Military Intelligence Department. The way to identify them is also very simple. They are all Han men holding Haihan standard rifles. Ran Tianlu couldn't help but feel jealous. He knew that the Ministry of Security deployed more than one spy in Manila, but for security reasons, almost all of them acted in a single line. It was absolutely impossible for them to organize themselves like the people from the Military Intelligence Department and fight with their opponents fully armed. .
Of course, Ran Tianlu also understands that the Ministry of Security intentionally separates the functions of intelligence and operations. Tasks that require the use of force are carried out by specialized field teams. This is also to avoid the Ministry of Security having too much authority, which will lead to a situation in the future. status. The Ministry of National Defense itself has combat functions, and the personnel of the Military Intelligence Department are all professional soldiers. From a certain perspective, they can even be called special forces, so organizing such a battle is also their duty.
The number of Haihan armed personnel stationed in Chaosheng Commercial Inn soon expanded to more than fifty people. At this time, Ran Tianlu no longer needed to take charge alone, and someone else took his place. Ran Tianlu also changed his role and, together with ordinary employees in the store, began to carry goods as a bunker and treat people injured in the battle.
Fang Peng also moved the artillery that the Spaniards brought last night to the north, opened the door of the merchant house, and fired two cannons at the Spaniards who were gathering in the distance to break up their unformed offensive. He immediately closed the heavy door again. It's just that this kind of attack is okay once or twice, but if it happens a few more times, the Spaniards will aim at the door in advance. If they open the door again, they will be courting death.
While Fang Peng retreated from the front line to drink water, Ran Tianlu hurried forward to inquire about the battle situation. Fang Peng smiled bitterly and said: "If the army arrives within a stick of incense, you and I can both save our lives. If it takes longer, it will be hard to say."
Ran Tianlu said anxiously: "Is it possible that the ammunition was insufficiently prepared? Why didn't your Military Intelligence Department bring in more in the first place!"
Fang Peng shook his head and said: "There is enough ammunition, even for a day of fighting. However, the Spaniards have begun to set up artillery outside. Although the wall of the merchant house is made of bricks and stones, it cannot hold up for a few times. Once there is no cover, That would be more troublesome. Although our rifle is powerful, it is still not as powerful as the artillery.”
This is limited by objective conditions. Although the Military Intelligence Office can manage to transport rifles in, it is difficult to transport big things like artillery into the city without making a sound. Although people like Fang Peng are not bad at combat, what they hold in their hands are only individual weapons, and they can only be trapped in the store with almost no room to move. As the Spanish army slowly closed in and surrounded them outside, they could use artillery to open the way and remove the cover on the outside of the merchant house. At that time, no matter how brave Fang Peng and others are, they will not be able to fight against the shells with their flesh and blood.
Ran Tianlu sighed and said: "That's all, if this is what life is like, no matter how hard you struggle, it will be in vain. Let's go shoulder to shoulder. Killing a few more thieves will be considered a profit!"
As he spoke, he heard the sound of a cannon, but it did not come from the fighting place in the north, but from the south. Before Ran Tianlu could react, Fang Peng had an expression of joy on his face: "This is our cannon! The army has arrived!"
(End of chapter)