Chapter 2036
After receiving the report, Azig immediately called Bayano and went to the scene in person to inspect the temporary base built by the Haihan Army in the mountains and forests.
As reported by subordinates, the traces of life and materials left by the Haihan Army here have shown that they have been lurking here for far more than a day or two.
Azig carefully inspected the camping stove in the temporary base with a gloomy face. He even reached into the stove and took out a handful of stove ashes to check. This kind of structure of a smokeless stove in the wild is not unfamiliar to Azig. The Qing army would also adopt this kind of strategy to cover up the whereabouts of the troops when they were marching and fighting.
These camping stoves are all located on slopes and are dug neatly. There are at least four flues on the outside of each stove, and there are large tree canopies nearby to shield them. They can basically be light-free and smoke-free when used. , it is difficult to find at a distance, and the Qing army has not deployed sentries here, and the patrol team will not go deep into the mountains and forests. If this incident had not happened, it is estimated that Haihan may not be found in a few months. The army is lurking here.
Judging from the construction level and the ash in the stove and the sintering condition of the stove wall, these camping stoves have obviously been used for a long time. Moreover, the Haihan Army was too hasty when they withdrew, and the large iron pot on the stove and other kitchen utensils were discarded because they were too heavy - these items are definitely not necessary for a quick raid mission, and can only be used to lurk here for a long time. Only then will it come in handy.
Rice, pickled meats, and vegetables are all available in the camp. It is obvious that the Haihan Army stationed here enjoys quite good food. No matter what details you look at, it shows that the former residents here did not just come and visit.
Azig asked solemnly: "Since the enemy fled in such a hurry, have you found the weapons and ammunition they used?"
It is impossible to leave weapons like rifles to the Qing army. There is still some ammunition that cannot be taken away when they retreat, but the box containing gunpowder has been soaked by the melted snow and frozen into large ice bricks. It must have been It's no longer useful. If they were not worried about exposing their whereabouts prematurely and attracting pursuit by the Qing army, the few people who evacuated from the base actually planned to use the gunpowder to burn all the supplies that could not be taken away.
The Haihan Army left a lot of supplies here, but there were not many things that could really be used by the Qing Army for secondary use. In particular, none of the weapons and equipment Azig wanted could be found.
Of course, the focus of searching this temporary base is not to pick up rags, but to find out why the Haihan Army sent such a force to lurk in this place. According to the Haihan Army's past harassment tactics, they always went ashore to start fighting, and immediately retreated after the fighting. They rarely even spent the night on the shore, let alone built a temporary base near the shore.
Looking at the scale of this place, there are living areas, cooking areas, warehouses, outposts, and fortifications. They even built a toilet, and used branches and snow to camouflage the outside of these temporary buildings. Just this The amount of construction cannot be accomplished in one day. If it hadn't been for the battle with Bayano's troops yesterday, this Haihan army might have been able to hide here all winter.
In Azig's view, even with the strength of the Haihan Army, it is not easy to risk entering the Qing-controlled area and build such a temporary base in the wild environment in winter. The Haihan people have never done anything without doing anything. Meaningful thing, then what is their purpose of sending a team of elite soldiers here to lurk for a long time at all costs?
Azig actually had concerns in his mind, but he did not express it directly. Instead, he posed the question to Bayano and asked him what he thought about it.
Bayano does not lack combat experience. He has actually noticed the details that Azig observed, and the answer to this question is not that difficult to guess.
"I think... the Haihan people are here for the Musketeers!" Bayano's face was very ugly. He had realized that the battle that happened yesterday was not an accidental encounter. The opponent's purpose was very clear, which was to target this special force under his command. Come.
If not, there is no need for the Haihan army to suddenly expose its whereabouts. It can continue to lurk in this place with sufficient supplies and shelter from wind and snow. And they have been waiting here quietly for several days, probably waiting for an opportunity to take action.
Bayano clearly remembered that in the past month, the Musketeers had never been far away from the Qing army camp, and yesterday was the only time they went out for training in a month. A little further away from the camp, they encountered A surprise attack by the Haihan Army. He had always thought yesterday that this was an accidental incident, and that the Musketeers' destruction was just a matter of bad luck when they bumped into the Haihan Army that landed nearby. But after seeing this place today, he understood that the other party was well prepared.
As for how the other party could grasp the whereabouts of the Musketeers, Baiano was not surprised. If he were performing the same task and had such a long time to slowly reconnaissance, it would be difficult to grasp the movement patterns of the Musketeers. Not difficult. Maybe you can find traces of Haihan activities near the shooting range where the Musketeers train daily.
After listening to the translation, Azig nodded and agreed with Bayano's judgment: "Whether they came for the Musketeers or not, we will find more evidence soon."
Azig had actually thought of this, so he had already sent another team to search the mountains and forests near the shooting range. If the Haihan Army came for the Musketeers, then they must have put the daily training of the Musketeers under their control before taking action. They are very aware of the size and actual combat capabilities of this unit, otherwise it cannot be explained. Where did they have the courage to show up and launch an attack when they encountered a Qing army in the wild? What the other party did was not so much a reckless attack due to an accidental encounter, but more like a decisive surprise attack after seizing the opportunity after observing the Musketeers for a long time.
Bayano and Azig have long known that once Haihan discovers that there is such a musketeer team with advanced equipment and tactics in the Qing army, he will definitely regard it as a thorn in his side and want to get rid of it quickly. Therefore, this unit has always been very low-key from its formation to training, trying to avoid attracting outside attention. The only combat operation this musketeer team has participated in since its formation was the ambush of a Haihan cavalry patrol at the end of last year. Although that ambush operation was a complete victory, it did not completely wipe out the opponents. Several Haihan cavalry still managed to escape. Looking back now, it was probably that operation that exposed the existence of the Musketeers and made the Haihan people suspicious of the attack on the patrol.
Azig and Bayano knew nothing about how the Haihan people pursued this matter. If it hadn't happened yesterday, they would probably have thought that Haihan's side didn't take the patrol's affairs too seriously, because after all, the Haihan army had not taken any countermeasures since then, and the cavalry patrol had not taken any countermeasures. The patrol route was simply moved away from the Qing defense line, and it seemed like it was just being handled as an ordinary small-scale conflict.
But since the other party was deliberately targeting this musketeer team, a lot of investigation and preparation work must have been carried out before the risky infiltration operation was carried out. Then the question arises. If the Haihan Army wants to send appropriate troops to sneak into this area to take countermeasures, how do they confirm the establishment, training status and garrison location of this musketeer team in advance? Regarding the composition and composition of the musketeer team, How much is known about the source of the weapons and whether further countermeasures will be taken are questions that Azig must find out as soon as possible.
Another team sent to search near the shooting range soon made a discovery. They found several well-camouflaged hidden observation points in the mountains and forests less than a hundred feet away from the shooting range. In order to better shield against the wind and snow, these observation points are built as shelters with off-white triangular tents. The outside is covered with branches and other objects, so that the original outline cannot be seen from ten feet away. The search team even found a small amount of dry food left by the Haihan army in one of the tents, as well as cigarettes used to refresh themselves - these things had flowed into the Qing Dynasty through some inland trade channels in the past two years, and the Qing army was contaminated with There are a lot of people doing this. The word "military supply" printed on the cigarette package fully proves that these are materials from the Haihan Army.
At this point in the search, it has been basically determined that yesterday's battle was not an accident, but a combat operation that the Haihan Army spent a long time carefully planning and preparing for. If Azig had been slower to respond to the decision to send troops, or if Bayano and others were not lucky enough to escape, then this Haihan army would have even been able to escape calmly after completing their mission.
Of course, Bayano's decision to take the troops to a place far away from the camp undoubtedly gave his opponents a chance to take action. If he had insisted on letting the troops train at a shooting range not far from the camp, maybe he would Let the opponent have no chance to take advantage of it. But things have already happened, and it is impossible for Azig to put all the responsibility on Bayano. What's more, if Bayano is convicted and punished, who will continue to train the musketeers for the Qing army?
The debate about whether it is worth investing a lot of resources in training musketeers and whether it can pose a sufficient threat to the Haihan Army can be put to rest from now on. Haihan Army spent so much effort to deal with this musketeer team, which shows that the opponent has felt a great threat. This fact in itself is enough to prove the value of the musketeer team.
Judging from the results of the battle, it was not too miserable for the Qing army. After cleaning the battlefield, the Qing army found twenty-seven corpses of the Haihan army. This number did not include those who were eventually taken away by the Haihan army. of those dead and wounded soldiers. This record is the battle in which the Qing army caused the greatest casualties to the Haihan army since the end of the Korean War last year. Considering that the opponent we fought yesterday must be the ace unit of the Haihan Army, as well as the fire cover from the sea, it was our best effort to achieve such a harvest in the end.
What makes Azig regretful is that he was not able to capture anyone alive in the end. Besides being able to cut off the heads to ask for credit and boost morale, these dead people actually did not have much practical effect. If there are any survivors, the Qing army may be able to figure out how the Haihan people noticed the existence of the Musketeers, how they made the decision for yesterday's attack, whether there will be next steps, etc.
As for the Qing army's own personnel losses, they were indeed much greater than their opponents. After the musketeers were raided by the Haihan army, there were only a dozen lucky ones left. In the subsequent pursuit battle, the Qing army lost nearly 300 lives, two-thirds of which occurred on the beach. Although the environment without shelters and bunkers completely exposed the opponent, it also left the enemy exposed. The Qing army became a living target for guns and artillery. Moreover, the shelling from the sea in the final stage was so fierce that a shell flying into the Qing army would often kill seven or eight people in an instant.
The casualties involved in the pursuit also included two Niulu Erzhen and more than ten Baya La soldiers. In addition, many Qing soldiers who were originally eligible to receive Azig rewards failed to leave the battlefield alive in the end. However, in the eyes of Azig, who has been dealing with Haihan for several years, this level of casualties is actually still acceptable.
Although it was unlikely that the Haihan Army would return, Azig still carefully deployed about seven or eight sentries on the nearby coast to prevent his opponents from invading again without noticing.
"The Haihan people are so afraid of our musketry team, and the enemy is afraid, that means our approach is right! So we must try to retrain a stronger musketry team as soon as possible!" On the way back to the camp, Ah Zig once again made a serious request to Bayano: "We need more help! If your country wants to maintain an alliance with our country and want to work with us to deal with the Haihan people, then ship us more as soon as possible. Weapons!”
Bayano could only smile bitterly: "I will mention these requirements in the report sent to the Philippines, but the journey is long and this may not be something that can be done in the short term."
Azig said impatiently: "Although it is cooperation in name, our country uses real money to buy your weapons. Do you understand? I don't want to know what kind of difficulties you have, but a fight will break out here at any time. Many The brave warriors fell to the guns of the Haihan army like that. If you could do business more happily, they would have had the opportunity to blow the heads of the Haihan people with better weapons! As long as you provide our country with enough weapons, we will do it! You can beat the Haihan people so hard that they don’t have time to look back and pay attention to what happened in the South China Sea! Write what I said into your report and send it back as soon as possible!”
Bayano knew that what the Qing prince said was actually right, but he did not dare to tell the other party the fact that the Philippine authorities were unable to provide a large amount of weapons, which would probably directly collapse the current fragile cooperative relationship. He could only hope that the middleman could work more efficiently and send his report to the Philippine Islands as soon as possible so that the colonial authorities could understand what was happening in Liaodong in a timely manner.
(End of chapter)