Chapter 1662 Attacking Manila (12)
"Who can tell me what happened!" Francis rushed out of the bedroom in disheveled clothes and shouted at the guards who were also stunned: "Why are you staying here? Go and find out the news!"
Francis did not hear the huge explosion in his sleep, but the vibration from the ground woke him up from his deep sleep, and then he heard the screams of many people outside. He knew that something big must have happened, so he quickly got up, put on a nightgown and rushed outside to see what was going on.
However, his residence was far away from the south gate and was not really hurt by the power of the explosion. So after waiting for a while, the guards heard from outside that there was a big explosion in the south of the city. They only knew that a section of the city wall had collapsed. The specific situation Still no one can tell clearly. After hearing this, Francis dared to wait here for the news. He quickly ordered someone to go to the Governor's Palace to report the news. He quickly rushed to the south of the city with his guards, hoping to control the situation in time.
After arriving on the street, Francis found that most people were flocking to the north of the city, which made his heart sink again. In his original expectation, the Haihan Army would launch an infantry siege after polishing off the fighting will of the defenders. However, he did not expect that the opponent would not follow common sense and suddenly changed the rhythm of the attack, so early in the morning. When the time comes, such a move comes. He could only hope that the news of "city wall collapse" was a misinformation, otherwise it would be very difficult for the Haihan Army to invade the city and organize a decent resistance.
A few hundred meters away from the south city gate, Francis had already heard sporadic gunshots coming from the front. It was basically self-evident what this signal symbolized. Francis stopped, ordered his temporarily organized group of soldiers to form a fighting formation, and then moved forward.
A moment later, they ran into the forward troops of the special operations battalion. At first, the two sides did not see each other's presence clearly in the morning light, but the Haihan Army was the first to react. Before the officer issued a combat order, someone took the lead in firing at the Spanish army that was forming a formation.
There is no doubt that the seven-shot musket of the special operations battalion is accurate within two hundred meters. It basically hits wherever it is aimed. In addition, the firing frequency is very fast. Before the Spanish army can recover, several people have been shot and fell. The ground is gone.
The soldiers in the front row subconsciously raised their shields to resist. However, the shield's protective ability was not enough to block the rifle bullets fired from the opposite side. Instead, it blocked the shooting sight of its own musketeers. After a round of random gunfire, the Haihan Army suffered no damage, but the Spanish soldiers who had just arrived here and had not yet entered the state were already showing signs of collapse.
"Retreat! Retreat!" Of course Francis was aware of this unfavorable situation. He didn't want to leave the only undisorganized unit he could command here. He immediately ordered a retreat and found another suitable one. environment to build a line of defense. Of course, if the Haihan army on the opposite side dared to continue to advance, he would not mind immediately setting up a pocket to eat his opponent.
However, the Haihan Army on the opposite side was obviously not so gullible. When they saw them retreating, they did not rush to pursue them. Instead, they calmly began to shrink their formation, probably to prevent the defenders from counterattacking. Seeing that there was no chance to take advantage, Francis could only command his troops to retreat first, and then build barricades to build the city's defense line. At the same time, he ordered the armed forces in the city to be concentrated in this area to see if there was still a chance to drive the Haihan Army out of the city.
If Francis had seen the actual situation of the South City Gate at this time, he might no longer have such unrealistic thoughts. The city wall that was destroyed by the blast was about twenty meters in span. The entire city gate had been reduced to ruins. The outline of what once existed could not be seen. The location of the city gate could only be inferred from the walls on both sides that had not yet collapsed. At this time, more and more Haihan soldiers were climbing over the ruins from outside the city, entering Manila and starting to assemble.
The city fortifications, which the Manila authorities had high hopes for, collapsed without even a decent defense. The casualties paid by the Haihan Army in the process were also very small, almost negligible compared with the defenders.
At this time, Yan Chujie and Qian Tiandun also came to the city gate under escort to check the results of the blasting operation. In fact, if you remove this layer of gravel and loose soil on the surface, you can see the scene below - the part of the city wall that was actually overturned is only about half of the entire thickness, but this level of blasting power is enough to destroy the defenders. All deployments on this line of defense have failed.
"There is still a gap between the results of our calculations!" Qian Tiandun couldn't help but sigh after seeing the scene: "I was still in a hurry, and I didn't even have time to understand the structure of the city wall and foundation first."
"The positions of these blasting holes that were hurriedly drilled in the past two nights are not very accurate. You can see that the blasting effect is obviously better on the left side, but much worse on the right side." Yan Chujie also added the conclusion he reached after his own observation.
"But generally speaking, we are pretty lucky. At least this section of the city wall has lost its defensive function." Qian Tiandun said with a smile on his lips: "What a fluke!"
Although the effect of the blasting did not completely reach the ideal state, the purpose was achieved. The Haihan Army broke through this line of defense almost without a single blow. This was obviously much more cost-effective than throwing infantry into the battlefield to carry out a strong attack. For the Haihan Army, which was very concerned about battle losses, this unconventional siege tactic was indeed very cost-effective.
Of course, in addition to receiving due military honors after the war, the engineering troops who performed this mission may also need to strengthen their training. Although it was a lucky pass this time, the Ministry of National Defense will not rely on this tactic to rely on uncertain luck. Afterwards, the engineering troops will inevitably come here to clean up the ruins, re-evaluate the blasting results, and find out what failed to achieve. The reasons for the expected results are to correct some imperfections in the blasting operation.
For the frontline headquarters, breaking through the city wall defenses actually meant that the war was coming to an end. Therefore, Yan Chujie and Qian Tiandun were in a relaxed mood at this time and were not in a hurry to enter the city immediately to supervise the battle. They are all generals with extremely high status now, and they will basically no longer risk their lives to participate in battles on the front line like they did when they first started their careers a few years ago. A few years ago, Qian Tiandun liked to lead the troops himself, but since he got married, this habit has been slowly changed by his family members. Nowadays, the field command tasks of the special operations battalion are basically handed over to Gao Qiaonan. Qian Tiandun only needs to sit in the rear and dispatch troops and generals. However, strategically, they despise their opponents, but tactically, they still cannot underestimate the defenders. According to the intelligence obtained beforehand, the built environment in the city is complex enough for the defenders to organize themselves for street fighting. At this time, although the Haihan Army broke through the southern defense line of the city, the city wall did not completely collapse, but a large earth bag about six or seven meters high was formed in the gap. Although the soldiers were able to enter on foot, the heavy equipment would not be able to enter for a while. It will be difficult to transport it into the city. Therefore, compared with the previous street battles outside the city, the battle after breaking into the city may not be as smooth as before due to the lack of artillery support.
Yan Chujie has ordered all the grenades in stock to be used by the special operations battalion that is the first to break into the city. However, the number is already very limited and may not be able to support the troops to complete the sweep of the city. Therefore, Qian Tiandun's mission for Gao Qiaonan was not only to clean up the enemies near the south of the city, but also to try to move closer to the east of the city, trying to capture the east gate, and then join forces with the Nanhai Special Warfare Brigade outside the city. And some heavy equipment such as artillery can also be sent into the city through the east gate.
But for the defenders, the current situation was very clear. Although the defense line in the south of the city was broken, the situation was still controllable. If the Haihan army broke into the city from another direction, it would be really cool. Therefore, Francis not only sent additional troops to the south of the city, but also quickly mobilized troops to strengthen the defense at the east and west gates. In particular, the lack of protection of the East City Gate has become the focus of Francis's attention.
Gao Qiaonan sent a company of troops to march east of the city, but soon encountered an interception by the defenders on the way. Almost all the buildings in this block are two to three-story buildings. The defenders have already deployed their positions in advance. The doors and windows facing the street have become bunkers for attacks. There are many hidden firepower points that the attackers need to clear, and the advancement speed suddenly increases. Slowed down.
Company commander Shiro Amakusa was also a little helpless about this situation. Although his troops were also assigned some grenades, after all, these grenades were not as good as artillery shells, and their lethality was relatively limited. Moreover, they were not very good at building a three-dimensional fire network. Crack effect. He could only arrange more manpower to clear out Spanish armed personnel from house to house, but this would inevitably greatly slow down the advancement. Moreover, the defenders hiding in civilian houses also had the opportunity to launch sneak attacks on the Haihan Army at close range. This was not an ideal environment for the Haihan Army, which was more particular about engagement distance in combat.
After an hour of fighting, Amakusa Shiro's company only advanced one street to the east, but it had already paid the price of several lives. After this situation was reported to the headquarters, it finally attracted the attention of the generals.
"It turns out that the city is the real tough one! It seems that there were still some omissions in our previous analysis." Qian Tiandun was also a little unhappy after reading the battle report. This was obviously due to the fact that the Military Intelligence Department did not analyze the intelligence obtained in place, otherwise The special operations battalion will not be so passive in responding to the challenge.
"Add more troops. There is no other way to solve the problem at the moment. If your people are not enough, then I will send Wang Tom's people to the city to provide support." Yan Chujie knew that Qian Tiandun was concerned about the lives of his men, but now the Haihan Army Having already entered the city, if they struggle with the enemy for too long, the big shots in the city will probably have enough time to escape calmly. Therefore, no matter how much resistance the special operations battalion encountered in the city, for the sake of the overall situation, he still had to push the special operations battalion's combat progress.
"There is no need for the navy to get involved in this matter!" Qian Tiandun immediately declined the proposal. He did not want the navy to take away a piece of meat in his bowl. With the current establishment of the special operations battalion, there are definitely enough troops. It just depends on whether he, the commander, is willing to send them to the battlefield.
Although the name of the special operations battalion is a battalion, its actual establishment has already exceeded the battalion level, and is even better than the reinforced battalion. It is actually the establishment of a strengthened regiment. Take the company led by Amakusa Shiro who was sent to the east of the city as an example. A normal reinforced company has about two hundred people, but the company he led has more than four hundred people, which is close to the number of an ordinary army battalion. The troops are strong. But fighting in an unfamiliar environment like Manila, Amakusa Shiro did not dare to spread the combat formation too widely, and he also had to ensure the safety of the back road. Naturally, this small number of troops was a bit stretched.
Qian Tiandun's new order was quickly passed to Takahashi Nan. As soon as he heard his superiors' request for additional troops, he understood that he was dissatisfied with the current advancement speed, so he immediately transferred another company to reinforce Amakusa Shiro.
Francis also noticed the mobilization of the Haihan Army in the city, but he was not in a hurry to add reinforcements to the east of the city. Instead, he tried to take advantage of the opportunity when the Haihan Army transferred the troops entering the city to the east of the city to launch an attack on the gap in the wall in the south of the city. Counterattack.
However, the special operations battalion had already built a line of defense in the city along the city wall to protect the only channel that allowed the Haihan army to enter and exit the city. The special operations battalion also dispatched a lot of infantry on the uncollapsed city wall to build a firepower point from a high position. The Spanish army was discovered by the Haihan soldiers at the height before the Spanish army approached this area. So before the Spanish army could get closer, they were first hit by fire. The disadvantage of weapon range made it difficult for them to launch an effective counterattack. After leaving behind more than a dozen corpses, they had no choice but to withdraw to the northern city.
Takahashi Nan did not immediately launch a pursuit. He now wanted to ensure that control of this passage would not be recaptured by the Spaniards until Haihan captured the East Gate. As long as the east gate is captured and the artillery can enter the city, all the tricks the Spaniards can use will be in vain.
At this time, Francis really felt helpless. He was very clear about the Haihan people's combat intentions, but he could not stop them from carrying out the plan. The troops he can command are actually not weak at all. At least he has defeated all opponents in the South China Sea except Haihan. However, when he actually confronts the first army in the South China Sea, he will find that this first The strength gap between them and the second team is really an insurmountable gap, and there is not even a chance to change the trend of the battle.
Aragones' orders were still coming one after another, and the content was nothing more than asking him to defend the city of Manila, drive the Haihan people out of the city, or kill them inside the city. Unfortunately, in Francis' opinion, even one of these requirements cannot be realized. The Haihan Army's offensive was so strong that it was a very difficult task to hold them back for even a moment.
(End of chapter)