Chapter 1800 Force you to take action
As the commander of the first company of the Marine Corps, Sun Bing assumed the role of front-line commander during this landing operation. The other two companies and an artillery platoon equipped with six field guns that came ashore at the same time were all conducted by him during the mission. command.
In fact, in Sun Bing's view, the fortress in the distance connected by city walls and various fortifications is not scary. The city defense facilities look far inferior to the Manila city that was attacked in the South China Sea a few months ago. A siege artillery with a caliber of 100,000 square meters should be able to blast a breakthrough in the front in less than half a day. Of course, since his boss emphasized that tens of thousands of Qing troops may have gathered in this area, and a considerable proportion of them would be cavalry troops, he did not dare to be careless at the moment.
The equipment of the Marine Corps is considered to be first-rate among the Haihan Army, but there are also obvious shortcomings, such as troop strength and land mobility, which greatly limit the combat effectiveness of the Marine Corps. Although the Marine Corps replenished some military horses from Sanya after the Battle of Manila, this force is affiliated with the Navy after all. The number of real first-class war horses is limited. They must be given priority to a few main army units. What the Marine Corps can get They are nothing more than a group of pack horses, not suitable for charging and fighting.
Since the Marine Corps generally undertakes amphibious combat missions in offshore waters, it rarely participates in tough battles to siege cities and strongholds. It has no advantage at all in terms of heavy firepower. It only has two types of light field combat units, 85mm and 95mm. Cannons are not suitable for fighting tough battles. Therefore, after the Marines landed here, they did not rush in. Instead, they stayed on the riverside to build temporary positions using warehouses and other buildings as bunkers.
Whether the navy's participation in this war was ultimately to aid North Korea or for some other political purpose, Sun Bing didn't care so much. He was more concerned about whether he could kill more Qing troops in the process. As one of the few officers in the Haihan Army who was born in Liaodong, the accumulation of hatred between the country and the family made him have an irresolvable hatred for the Qing Dynasty, which originated from the Jurchens in Jianzhou. All military operations carried out by the Navy in the Liaodong region, he always Each time, he was one of the first officers to call for battle.
While commanding the erection of temporary positions, Sun Bing had been observing Jiulian City in the distance. He very much hoped that the Qing army could take the initiative to break out of the castle, so that the Marines could fight under the cover of artillery fire on the river. Inflict as many casualties on the enemy as possible on the dock defense line. Judging from his previous experience in fighting against the post-Jin army in Jinzhou, Sun Bing believes that his own defense line will definitely be able to withstand the impact of one or two thousand cavalry. Coupled with the fire support behind him, he can withstand the enemy's strength. At least it can be doubled.
But at the moment, the Qing army did not make such an impulsive move. There was silence on the Jiulian City side. If it were not for the fact that he could see the Qing army's flags moving in the wind on top of the city, Sun Bing would have almost thought it was an empty city.
"You can really bear it!" Sun Bing couldn't help feeling a little emotional when he saw that the Qing army still had no response to the provocation of his troops approaching the city. This kind of swallowing attitude was rarely encountered in the past when fighting against the Hou Jin army. , I didn’t expect that when Hou Jin changed his country’s name and was about to use North Korea to sacrifice the flag, he could still be so forbearing. Was this because he was afraid of being beaten by the Haihan Army, or was he secretly planning something else?
Like his boss Wang Tom, Sun Bing is not worried that the Qing army can launch an attack on the combined fleet from the river. Moreover, the Fujian Navy has already deployed river warnings several miles upstream, so there is no need to worry about what else the Qing army can do upstream. Forget it, the Marines only need to concentrate on dealing with the Qing army here in Jiuliancheng.
However, no one, including Wang Tom, expected that the Qing army would respond to Haihan's provocation by passively avoiding war. Sun Bing was also very distressed now, how to remove the Qing army from the castle without moving his own position. Zhongyin came out to fight. He had already asked Tom Wang for instructions, but the answer he received from Tom Wang was only one word - wait!
Sun Bing actually didn't quite understand what his boss was waiting for, whether it was a suitable time to attack, or whether he was waiting for the enemy to lose control and go out to fight on his own to reveal his strength. However, since he received this concise order, he still followed it honestly. Instruct all companies to be on guard and not to act rashly.
The Qing army in Jiulian City stood still, and the Haihan army on the riverside also did not move. The tacit understanding between the two sides made this quiet confrontation on the Yalu River very strange. Both sides seem to be testing the patience of the other, with no one willing to take the lead.
Jin Shangjiu on the ship was anxious and couldn't help asking Wang Tom: "General, the Qing army is not fighting behind closed doors. Could it be that they are secretly mobilizing troops to deal with our landing troops?"
Wang Tom responded calmly: "Mobilize troops? It doesn't take a day or two for them to mobilize troops. Isn't it because your country is asking for help from our country because you have discovered signs that the Qing army is moving troops to the border? If you want to mobilize troops, just Let them adjust it slowly, we can wait.”
"Wait?" Jin Shangjiu was a little confused about this strategy: "What if the Qing army bypasses here and invades our country?"
Wang Tom turned his head and looked at Jin Shangjiu, and said meaningfully: "There are several places on the Yalu River where the Qing army can cross the river in large numbers. I believe your country must have known it for a long time. Mr. Jin might as well tell the truth, is there any more?" Where else have docks been built like here? ”
Jin Shangjiu responded quickly: "I have been performing my duties in Zhejiang last year, and I don't know much about the northern border. But if the border garrison discovers hidden dangers, they must have reported it to the capital."
Wang Tom sneered: "This place is across the river from Waihua Island. When the weather is good, you should be able to see Jiulian City from Waihua Island. The Qing army built such a large dock on the riverside, and it must be It’s not just a matter of a day or two. Could it be that all your border guards are blind? Otherwise, why didn’t your military provide us with information about Jiulian City when we stayed at Ganghwa Island?”
Regarding the lack of intelligence in Jiuliancheng, Wang Tom believed that this was a deliberate concealment by the North Koreans. Although it was unclear what the other party's purpose was, Wang Tom was extremely dissatisfied with this. Originally, it was useless to complain to the civil servant Kim Sang-jiu about this matter, but at present, there was no North Korean official with a higher rank than him who could make Wang Tom quarrel with him, so he could only be used as a punching bag again.
Jin Shangjiu really didn't know anything about Jiulian City. He didn't know until he came here that the Qing army had quietly built a large dock here. He never thought about whether this place was within the monitoring range of the Korean frontier army, let alone I can't think of any reason why our own army should conceal this kind of information from the Haihan people. In response to Wang Tom's question, Jin Shangjiu opened his mouth, but was unable to respond immediately.
Jin Shangjiu subconsciously raised his hand to wipe the sweat on his forehead, and while thinking about it, he responded: "Perhaps... it is due to the lack of information in the army and the intelligence has not yet been transmitted to the capital... It has been several months since the general set off from Ganghwa Island. Day, it’s hard to say if you just missed it.”
Tom Wang shook his head and said: "Even if it is the situation you mentioned, it cannot absolve your army of responsibility. When I return to the south, I will definitely report this matter to your king and hold the relevant people accountable. Neglect of duty!" Jin Shangjiu didn't dare to refute, so he could only agree. He hoped that Tom Wang would not let go of the crisis at the border. He only has a partial knowledge of the military field and does not dare to argue with Tom Wang on such a professional issue. What's more, this matter does seem to be a major omission in the intelligence work of the country's military. No wonder Tom Wang is angry about it. .
In fact, Wang Tom also knew that he could not get any effective response from Jin Sangjiu. He could only handle the current situation by himself and could not expect any help from the North Koreans. But having such an attack can be regarded as a little relief from the depression in my heart.
Wang Tom did not expect that the Qing army would be so passive in avoiding the war, but as he said at the meeting last night, Haihan could slowly wear out the current confrontation on the Yalu River, while the Qing army was already in a state of assembly. But it may not be affordable. If the Haihan Army stays here for one more day, the Qing Army may have to bear the daily expenses of tens of thousands more people a day. Therefore, after Wang Tom asked the Marines to go ashore, he did not issue an attack order. He only asked them to build fortifications on the river bank and wait for the other side to lose their composure and take action first.
This silent confrontation began in the morning and continued into the afternoon. Both sides still had no intention of taking action. The Qing army only sent a small number of rangers, which had been cruising far away, but had no intention of getting closer. The Marine Corps is in full contraction, and all personnel are in position within the deployed defense lines to prepare for war.
Seeing dusk approaching, Jin Shangjiu, who had been lying on the side of the ship watching all day, almost fell asleep. He thought he would experience a fierce battle when he arrived at the border, but he never expected that the two sides who were supposed to fight as soon as they met actually turned out to be It was so restrained that it was not even as exciting as the several small-scale conflicts between the Qing cavalry and the allied warships when going upstream. However, if you think about it from another perspective, only one fleet was able to suppress the Qing army that intended to invade North Korea southward. The power of the Haihan army was fully revealed from this.
Except for a few warships on duty upstream, the other warships in the fleet basically docked at the Jiang'an pier near Jiuliancheng, while the troop transports and cargo ships docked at Waihua Island, keeping a distance from the battlefield. A relatively safe distance. If the war on land goes unfavorably, the Marines can first withdraw to the nearest warship, then cross the river to Waihua Island and transfer to the troop carrier.
Wang Tom was actually bored with waiting. He knew that the Qing army would take the initiative sooner or later, but he could not confirm how long they would have to wait. Perhaps the Qing army wanted to wait until the army was assembled, then drive away the coalition fleet on the Yalu River in one go, and then cross the river directly to the south.
"Send the order, let the Marines fire a few rounds at Jiuliancheng, and then call it a day!" Seeing that it was getting dark, Wang Tom thought that he could not relax the enemy's nerves, so he ordered the artillery demonstration. .
The distance between the dock position and Jiulian City is almost the limit range of field artillery. Of course, such shelling cannot pose any substantial threat to the city defense. It is purely to make the Qing army nervous and express its attitude.
When Sun Bing received this order, he immediately understood Wang Tom's intention and immediately issued the bombardment order to the artillery and launched three rounds of bombardment on Jiulian City. The six small-caliber field guns quickly completed the firing angle adjustment and then fired at Jiulian City.
In the first round of bombardment, only one shell hit the city wall, but this movement obviously made the defenders in the city nervous. From the lookout point on the mast of the warship, you can see the longing figures on the top of the city, who must be dispatching The troops prepared to face the Haihan Army's offensive.
After adjustments, the effect of the second round of shelling was improved. Half of the six shells hit the city wall, but they only hit the city wall. However, the reaction of the defenders in the city was quite large. Several city defense cannons on the top of the city fired one after another, and they actually launched a counterattack from a distance. It's just that the artillery equipped by the Qing army were all primitive cast-iron cannons. Although their caliber was much larger than that of the Haihan army's field artillery, their range was far inferior. After the shells were exhausted, they landed and bounced several times, and finally stopped at a distance from the dock. There is still nearly a hundred meters to go.
In the third round of shelling by the Marine Corps, a shell finally flew to the top of the city and hit the crenellations of the city wall, causing a burst of exclamations from the defenders. However, because it was too far away, it was not clear whether the shell had achieved anything. . But the Qing army's counterattack also followed, and there was a boom of artillery, and at least more than ten artillery fired at the top of the city. This round of counterattack involved more artillery than before. It seems that the Qing army also wanted to use this to show their strength - although I can't hit as far as you, I have more artillery than you.
After the three rounds of bombardment, Sun Bing did not receive any new instructions, so he could only stop here. Sun Bing spat on the ground angrily and said to the artillerymen: "Brothers, it's getting late today, so let's let them go for the time being and wait until tomorrow to cause trouble for them!"
The Qing army was still unwilling to give up, and later fired a cannon in the direction of the dock, which was considered a close match with the Haihan army. However, the Haihan Army was not too nervous. Firstly, they knew that the opponent's artillery had a limited range and would not hit their own positions. Secondly, the Qing army chose to stay behind closed doors. Obviously they did not dare to engage in a head-on battle with their own side. The Haihan Army The morale has already gained the upper hand.
The sleepy Jin Shangjiu finally woke up after watching this artillery battle, and then he hurriedly flattered Wang Tom, saying that the Haihan army's firepower was so fierce that the Qing army did not dare to go out of the city to fight, and it was pacified. Liaodong is just around the corner. Wang Tom thought that the first half was fine, barely considered a fact, but the pacification of Liaodong was too exaggerated. Only by concentrating all the forces of Han Dynasty in Liaodong to fight the war could we achieve what Jin Shangjiu said was "just around the corner".
Of course, having said that, even with such conditions, Haihan currently does not plan to pacify Liaodong in a short time. After all, the military threat posed by the Qing Dynasty to North Korea and the Ming Dynasty is also one of the conditions that Haihan can take advantage of. First, Wang Tom also hopes to gain more political benefits for Haihan in the operation to aid Korea.
(End of chapter)