Chapter 1818 Building a Base
For this base project, the amount of labor currently invested is finally enough. Following the advice of the technical staff, Qian Tiandun assigned more manpower to the northern line of the base to direct the construction of defenses. Since the Qing army moved from the north to the south, whether this base can be nailed to the north bank of the Datong River like a nail depends largely on whether the northern line can block the Qing army's frontal offensive.
With the experience of the Jinzhou Isthmus Defense Line, it is natural for Haihan to use the terrain to build a defensive position that is only one-third the length of the Jinzhou Defense Line. The only problem is that the construction period is too short, and some projects are relatively large. It will definitely be difficult to complete the project before the Qing army arrives, and more temporary defenses will have to be built and used to make up for the weaknesses in the defense line.
If calculated based on the current advancement speed of the Qing army, the Qing army's vanguard battalion will be able to reach the Datong River line in at most ten days. The independent regiment certainly cannot rely entirely on unfinished fortifications to deploy its positions. Qian Tiandun and his officers also need to prepare a more detailed combat plan to deal with the Qing infantry and cavalry tactics that may appear at that time.
Qian Tiandun certainly had full confidence in the combat effectiveness of his own unit. Although there was a huge disparity in strength compared with the enemy's forces, it was no exaggeration to say that Haihan was also preparing for this war with the strength of the whole country. In addition to the establishment of the independent regiment itself, the Ministry of National Defense has also dispatched additional artillery-based troops from other places to North Korea. If the trip goes well, the number of artillery deployed on the defense line will reach more than a hundred, and its power may be It will far exceed the enemy's expectations.
Qian Tiandun's operational thinking is very clear, that is, the fortifications are insufficient and firepower must be used to make up for them. Since the defense methods that require a long construction period cannot be completed in time, we can only rely on the Haihan Army's advantages in weapons, equipment and tactics to organize defense.
Judging from the previous battles on the banks of the Yalu River, the Qing army was actually equipped with a lot of artillery. However, due to limitations in military technology, they were basically relatively primitive cast iron cannons. In terms of performance, they were still inferior to the artillery equipped in the Haihan army. There is a relatively obvious gap. In the previous artillery battle, the caliber of the artillery equipped by the Marine Corps was too small, and the range of the naval gun was too short, so the Haihan Army failed to gain much advantage in the battle, and was even slightly passive. But this time it was changed to another place. If the army's artillery unit came to fight the Qing army, it would no longer allow the Qing army to take advantage.
In order to make the artillery positions more scientific, Qian Tiandun sent several experienced artillerymen from the independent regiment to the construction site to negotiate with the engineers to determine the location and construction method of the artillery positions.
Currently, the Independent Regiment has more than 3,000 troops stationed here. After the Marine Corps and artillery reinforcements from various places arrive, it will be able to gather more than 5,000 troops. Coupled with the addition of fortifications and powerful firepower, It can indeed handle several times the enemy's attack. Moreover, the navy will continue to cause trouble behind the enemy's main force. The Qing army will probably suffer a lot if they want to capture this base.
The construction of infrastructure such as barracks and warehouses in the base has been temporarily stopped, and all the labor force has been put into the defense line construction site in the north, and all efforts are made to build fortifications and artillery positions. The accommodation problem of the troops can only be solved by relying on tents. Fortunately, the independent regiment itself is a field force and is good at fighting in various difficult environments. The soldiers do not think there is anything wrong with the treatment of having meals and sleeping in the open.
The port terminal facilities have also been greatly simplified due to the construction period requirements. In the design plan, the large terminal that is several miles long and has more than fifty berths has been reduced to two east and west terminals, each with five berths, including one berth each. Used to dock the main battleships of the Majestic class. Although the consequence of this is that the entire fleet cannot be replenished and maintained in a short period of time, considering the Haihan Navy's military advantages, the intensity of surface operations that will be carried out in the Datong River is likely to be extremely limited. As long as the deployment arrangements are strengthened, The size of such a dock was barely enough during wartime.
Of course, when the Qing army reaches the Datong River and the northern defense line begins to engage the enemy, many of the workers who have withdrawn will be transferred to the dock site to continue to seize time to build unfinished projects.
On June 20, an artillery company from Zhifu Island in Shandong and a sniper company led by Morgan arrived at the Datong River base, which immediately greatly enhanced the base's military strength.
Almost at the same time that the reinforcements arrived at the Datongjiang base, the main force of the Qing army arrived at the next stop, Dingzhou City. North Korea assembled four thousand soldiers and horses here, hoping to delay the Qing army's march south as much as possible. However, the North Korean defenders did not actually have high hopes for the final outcome, because according to news from the south, the Haihan people refused to send troops at this time, and did not even agree to send military advisers to the front line. This means that the North Korean defenders must face the Qing offensive alone. If nothing unexpected happens, this is actually a fatal situation.
At this time, the combined fleet composed of four countries was ruthlessly plundering places in the Liaodong Peninsula. In the Dayang River Basin, a hundred miles west of the mouth of the Yalu River, the coalition forces broke through Xiaodianzi, Huangtukan, Gushan, Bodhisattva Temple, Gujiatun and other towns within two days, annihilating more than 400 local regiment training and armed personnel, and captured There were more than 2,000 Han refugees, and with some money and food, the harvest was quite substantial.
According to the internal agreement of the coalition forces, Haihan had exclusive possession of all the captured Han population, while other harvests were divided equally among the other three families participating in the operation. Although this equal sharing method seems to give participants the opportunity to be lazy in paddling, in fact, such a situation will not happen. These three companies are eager to earn more in front of Wang Tom. Fortunately, there will be more in the follow-up actions. More opportunities to fight alongside the Haihan Army. In particular, the Fujian Navy, which had played the role of sentinel on the Yalu River for more than half a month, was unwilling to miss the opportunity to perform like this. Every time he went to a town, Xu Yuzhuo took the initiative to sign up to be a vanguard.
The reason why the Allies are so active in fighting for the opportunity to fight with Haihan is that on the one hand they hope to further close the relationship with Haihan's military in this way, and on the other hand they also want to take the opportunity to learn more about advanced tactics. By the way, let's observe whether the Haihan Army is equipped with any powerful new equipment. Although operating with the Haihan Army will inevitably involve some tough battles, the corresponding training effect is also the best. For local warlords like the Xu family in Fujian who want to train a strong army, they have to pay the price of some personnel sacrifices and spend a lot of money. Selling some supplies and military expenditures is not a problem.
At this time, the order issued by Huang Taiji to strengthen the walls and clear the country had just arrived at the banks of the Yalu River. By the time it was sent to the Dayang River Basin, the area had already been completely cold. Haihan had long expected the measures the enemy might take. In recent days, it began to concentrate its forces to clean up the coastal areas from east to west, and looted these places before the Qing government did.
Under the command of Wang Tom, the efficiency of the coalition forces on the Liaodong coast far exceeded the performance of the Qing army in Korea. During the same period, they obtained almost twice as many people, money and food as the Qing army, but only used approximately the same amount of troops. One-thirtieth of the Qing army's strength. Of course, the resistance the Qing army encountered in North Korea was far greater than the obstacles faced by the coalition forces during the Liaodong operation. But in any case, during this period of chaos when each was fighting alone, the coalition forces led by Haihan undoubtedly fought more proactively and indeed took greater advantage.
At this time, God seemed to start to help. Thunderstorms appeared on the west coast of North Korea, and flash floods turned the outside of Dingzhou into a swamp. The Qing army's siege time could only be pushed back again and again. The Daning River basin east and south of Dingzhou was also completely flooded, making it impossible for the Qing army to bypass Dingzhou to attack the next target.
The shortcomings of the Qing army in terms of mobility were once again exposed. If the Haihan army faced this situation, of course they could flexibly choose to bypass this area by sea, but the Qing army, which had almost no sea ships, could only Stopping and waiting for the weather to improve was undoubtedly something that made the Qing generals extremely helpless.
The Datong River base in the south was inevitably affected by thunderstorms, but fortunately, most of the current projects can be constructed in the rain. Although it will be a little slower, it will not stagnate like the Qing army. .
The news that the Qing army was stationed in Dingzhou was quickly sent back to the Datongjiang base, which made Qian Tiandun even more convinced. The obstacles caused to the Qing army by God's unfavorable intentions are likely to become a problem for them in the future. One of the reasons why Datong River suffered heavy damage. "Lord Jin, your country can take advantage of this period to dispatch troops as soon as possible, deploy heavy troops in Anzhou, and rely on the Daning River to block the Qing army."
When Qian Tiandun saw Jin Sangxian again, he gave him an idea. In fact, this is not a clever advice. As long as the North Koreans are not stupid, they should have noticed this fighter plane. However, after the Qing army conquered several places at an overwhelming speed, the Korean army's fighting will will inevitably be affected. Even if a large number of troops are gathered in Anzhou City on the east bank of the Daning River, they may not be able to stop the Qing army.
"What General Qian said is absolutely true, but I don't know if your navy can coordinate operations at sea. It would be best to blockade the lower reaches of the Daning River. This will increase our military's confidence in holding Anju City." Kim Sang-hyun However, he never forgot to persuade Qian Tiandun to send troops to join the war.
Qian Tiandun said seriously: "Our navy is performing other combat missions in Liaodong, and I'm afraid it won't be able to come to help for the time being."
Kim Sang-hyun still continued to persuade unwillingly: "Since your navy cannot escape, then you can let the fleets from other countries come!"
Qian Tiandun smiled and said: "Master Jin, those fleets have not benefited your country. Do you think they will take the initiative to fight for your country?"
"This..." How could Jin Sangxian not know this, but he also knew that the fleets of the other three countries were all led by Haihan. They all arrived at Ganghwa Island together at the beginning, and the Fujian Navy also participated in the battle on the Yalu River. . As long as Haihan speaks, the other three fleets should also obey and participate in the battle against the Qing Dynasty. But as for what kind of benefits the country can give them, Kim Sang-hyun will definitely not take the initiative to ask about this. According to the temperament of the Haihan people, he will definitely ask a question.
Qian Tiandun waited for a long time, and when he saw that Jin Sangxian didn't ask what conditions the other three kingdoms fleets required before they were willing to fight, he thought that this old fox was really smart, and he was still so calm. He coughed and said proactively: " In fact, the requirements of the three parties are not high, as long as your country opens trade rights to them. Your ambassador, Mr. Li, had already discussed this matter with them when he was in Sanya. A formal official agreement. I believe Mr. Jin must have read the memorial sent back to China by Mr. Li. ”
Jin Sangxian responded: "I have indeed read the memorial, and there should be no serious problems with the trade. But can we deal with the Qing army first, and then slowly discuss the details of the trade?"
Qian Tiandun nodded and said: "Master Jin, is this the official attitude of your country? I will convey it to you, but I can't guarantee whether they can accept it."
Jin Sangxian knew that Qian Tiandun was deliberately pushing the envelope, but he did not dare to show any dissatisfaction. At the moment, he had to thank Qian Tiandun for his help and secretly prayed that an armed fleet would arrive in Anzhou in time to help in the battle. But what Qian Tiandun is thinking about is that you are going around with me now and refuse to give me a good word. If you negotiate the terms later, you will only pay a higher price. If you don't believe me, just wait and see.
After five days and four nights of thunderstorms, the Qing army had to wait for two more days until the water outside Dingzhou City was slightly drained before continuing the offensive. The 4,000 soldiers and horses in Dingzhou City only resisted for two days, and then the Qing army declared that the city was broken. In the end, nearly half of the soldiers and horses withdrew from the Dingzhou battlefield and fled to Anzhou.
Half a day after the destruction of Dingzhou city, the news reached the Datong River base. After learning the bad news, Kim Sang-hyun had to ask Qian Tiandun again to send a fleet to assist in the defense of Anzhou.
Qian Tiandun agreed to his request this time, but he also put forward new conditions. Since this action was taken by other fleets, another military expenditure had to be paid. Of course, the money was not in vain. Qian Tiandun promised to hold off the Qing army on the Anzhou front for at least ten days in order to gain more buffer time for subsequent resistance.
"Ten days..." Jin Sangxian secretly complained after hearing Qian Tiandun's conditions. This was not to repel the Qing army, but just to delay the Qing army before attacking Anzhou. Just like this, he had to pay another sum. It really made him feel that this transaction was a bit of a loss.
"Then I wonder how much military expenditure is needed this time?" Jin Shangxian thought about it, and finally asked through gritted teeth.
"One thousand taels of gold." Qian Tiandun raised a finger and added without waiting for Jin Shangxian to speak: "If the Qing army is delayed for more than twenty days, more expenses will be required."
Jin Sangxian wanted to scream bitterly, but he knew that such an expression would be of no use in front of the philistine Han people. But if Qian Tiandun doesn't pay to arrange the dispatch of troops, I'm afraid Anzhou won't be able to hold on much longer than the previous cities.
(End of chapter)