Chapter 2037
Because the appearance of the Spanish sailing ship is too obvious, if it is discovered by the Haihan Navy during the long voyage between the South China Sea and Liaodong, it will definitely be pursued mercilessly. The destinations where the colonial authorities provided military assistance to foreign countries happened to be in sea areas where Haihan naval activities were frequent. Therefore, in order to reduce the risk of being discovered by Haihan as much as possible, arms and personnel from the Philippines to these destinations were provided through intermediaries. Chinese sailing ship to carry out secret transportation.
But the problem is that this middleman is not a simple role. These underground forces who call themselves maritime merchants are willing to take risks to bridge the gap between all parties. Of course, they also have their own interests. For example, they also wanted a share of the benefits from the military assistance provided by the colonial authorities.
This kind of sharing of benefits is not just about earning the price difference from the arms trade, but means that while the Spanish provide military assistance to other forces, they must also provide them with equivalent weapons, equipment and personnel training support. In other words, these maritime merchants who acted as middlemen were also recipients of military assistance from the colonial authorities.
In fact, Bayano has never quite understood why the Governor trusted these unidentified middlemen so much that he agreed to so many conditions. Although these maritime merchants have good hands and eyes, they have never revealed their true identity to Bayano, which makes it difficult for Bayano to establish enough mutual trust with them.
But this is also the only channel for Bayano to get in touch with the Philippine colonial authorities. No matter how much he distrusts these intermediaries, he can only hand over the secret letters he wrote to them and send them to the distant port of Cebu. And within a few months of the news going back and forth between the two places, he basically had nothing to do but wait in Liaodong.
The requests made by Azig are indeed reasonable, but it is not easy to realize them. What Bayano can do to help the Qing army now is probably to slightly exaggerate the effects of some military assistance. In this way It might allow the colonial authorities to increase their efforts in supplying weapons and equipment.
The other party in this confrontation did not feel that they had won a big victory. In fact, this is the military operation with the largest number of casualties among the Haihan Army since the end of the Korean War last year. Moreover, the Marines who performed this mission were one of the elites in the military and were regarded as the ace amphibious force by the Ministry of Defense. However, it was still inevitable that there would be a relatively large number of casualties under the pursuit and suppression by the Qing army.
This was not because Wang Tom underestimated the enemy when dispatching his troops, nor was it because Sun Bing was too reckless when he decided to launch an attack. This operation needs to go deep behind enemy lines. In order to maintain concealment and not send too many troops, there is a relatively high risk, but compared to the expected results, it is worth it. Even if Sun Bing was asked to make a choice again, he would definitely choose to take action and would not let go of such a rare opportunity. However, he did not expect that the retreat process would be so tragic that he could hardly escape. .
According to the pre-planned retreat route, the fleet did not head eastward back to the Korean Peninsula after leaving the shore, but quickly turned southwest and sailed towards Jinzhou.
When formulating the evacuation plan, Sun Bing, as the commander of the operation, certainly considered the need to treat the wounded nearby. However, it would undoubtedly take too long to cross the entire Yellow Sea and return to the Datong River base. The medical conditions on the ship were limited, which was not conducive to the treatment of the wounded. treatment. Therefore, after retreating, it is the most sensible thing to go directly to Dalian Bay in Jinzhou under the control of Haihan.
At that time, Sun Bing did not expect that his side's casualties would be so serious. The deck of the troop transport was almost full of wounded soldiers, and the few military doctors and medical soldiers on board were all very busy, trying their best to deal with the casualties. Injured soldiers were treated.
The two injuries on Sun Bing's body have received basic treatment. The arrows were pulled out, the wounds were disinfected, and then bandaged with gauze and trauma medicine. Although the injuries on his arms and legs were not minor, fortunately they did not damage the tendons or major blood vessels. He was just unable to move temporarily and needed to rest for a while to recover.
It's not like he hasn't been injured in combat since he joined the army, but the situation this time was undoubtedly more dangerous. If the injury on his arm had been more skewed, he might have been stabbed to the core on the spot. But no matter what, he finally left the beach alive, which made Sun Bing feel very lucky. Just thinking about the casualties this time, he couldn't feel relaxed.
After the ship sailed away from the coast, Sun Bing immediately ordered each squadron to count the number of people and compile a list of missing and casualties. Although this combat operation has achieved its goal, the price paid is actually relatively high. Sun Bing also roughly knows this. How to explain to Wang Tom after returning will also be a headache.
The shortest voyage from the retreat point to the dock in Dalian Bay was only more than twenty nautical miles, which was quite a short distance. The fleet arrived at its destination before dark.
After receiving the news, the officials who rushed to the dock to greet the troops were Wei Lin from the Military Intelligence Bureau and Liu Shang, who manages local civil affairs propaganda affairs. The local administrative officer Sha Xi is currently handling official business in Lushun and will definitely not be able to come for a while. . The military chief, Chen Yixin, went to inspect the isthmus defense line in the north, and it is estimated that he will not return until nightfall at the earliest.
Most of the people who got off the two troop carriers were injured, and many of them were even carried off on stretchers. This scene also made Wei Lin and Liu Shang a little dumbfounded. They had long been accustomed to the scene of the Haihan Army returning in triumph, and it was rare to see such a tragic scene. For a moment, they couldn't help but think that this army was withdrawn from the front line after being defeated.
When they saw Commander Sun Bing being carried off on a stretcher, Liu Shang and Wei Lin were both shocked. The Marine Corps had been stationed in Jinzhou for a short period of time. Sun Bing was already considered a senior officer in this special force, so naturally many people recognized him.
The two people hurried forward to inquire about the situation. Sun Bing immediately struggled to sit up from the stretcher, signaled the soldier carrying the stretcher to put him down, and explained to Liu Wei and Liu Wei: "There was an arrow in both his left hand and left leg. He is on crutches." There is nothing I can do, so I can only lie on a stretcher.”
Liu Shang said with a worried look on his face: "With so many people injured, could it be that this operation did not go smoothly?"
Sun Bing did not deliberately hide it, nodded and said: "We encountered some troubles during the retreat. We were driven back seven or eight miles by thousands of Tatars. Fortunately, there were ships at sea to meet us. Otherwise, these brothers would have to explain where they are. .”
Liu Shang did not know about Sun Bing's secret mission, but Wei Lin next to him knew the inside story very well. After the patrol was attacked earlier, he was the one who followed up the follow-up investigation. The Marine Corps has been lurking in the Qing-controlled area in the north for a long time. This time it suddenly withdrew from the north in disgrace. It was obvious that its whereabouts had been exposed and it could no longer lurk there. However, in front of an outsider like Liu Shang, Wei Lin couldn't ask how the mission was completed. He could only offer some words of comfort and let Sun Bing recuperate in Jinzhou.
Sun Bing lay back on the stretcher, remembered something again, and said to Wei Lin: "We have captured a few Tatar prisoners. Go and take them in quickly. If you delay for a long time, something will happen."
Wei Lin knew as soon as he heard that the prisoner's condition was not ideal, and immediately took people to hand over the situation. Usually, prisoners captured by combat troops are handed over to the Military Intelligence Agency for subsequent interrogation. Looking at the miserable situation of the Marine Corps when they returned this time, it is obvious that it took a lot of trouble to capture them alive and bring them back alive. Sun Bing and other injured people were sent to a nearby field hospital as soon as possible after disembarking from the ship, where their injuries will be further treated. Statistics on casualties also became more accurate later.
There are a total of twenty-seven people missing in the battle. These people were unable to board the ship. There is no doubt that they are in serious danger. They should be included in the list of those who died in the official battle report later. In addition, five people on board were seriously injured and died before returning to Jinzhou, so the number of casualties so far should be 32. The number of wounded was relatively large. Two-thirds of the survivors were injured to varying degrees. Among them, the condition of more than ten people was not optimistic. Even if they could be successfully treated, most of them would have to retire due to injuries.
However, the field hospital in Jinzhou has Haihan's strongest medical force in the northern region. When Dr. Morgan was stationed here, he specially trained a group of surgeons for the field hospital. Most of the medical staff who were transferred to North Korea last year have returned here before the end of the year, so there is no doubt about the level of treatment the wounded can receive locally.
When Liu Shang went to arrange logistics for the Marine Corps, Wei Lin followed Sun Bing to the field hospital. Those prisoners had already been taken back to the Military Intelligence Station for interrogation by his subordinates. He still had to learn more about the details from Sun Bing.
"Fortunately, we have lived up to our fate. The Tatar musketeers have been wiped out by us." Sun Bing said calmly: "But a few escaped alive, including their commander."
Wei Lin immediately thought of why the Marines retreated to Jinzhou in such a mess: "So you defeated the Musketeers first, and then were chased all the way to the seaside by the enemy's forces?"
Sun Bing nodded and said: "There is nothing we can do about it. The place where we start is about ten miles away from the Tatar camp in Jinshitan. To reach the retreat point, we have to climb over a large mountainous area, but the Tatars came to intercept us instead. Get closer. I didn’t expect that they would mobilize thousands of people... If we can buy an extra hour or two, maybe we can get back unscathed."
Sun Bing spoke calmly at this time, but Weilin could easily imagine the critical situation of the Marines being pursued by the Qing army on the front line. With just over a hundred Marines, under such a disparity in strength, they were able to escape pursuit and retreat to the sea, which was considered a very good performance. Just looking at the bandages on Sun Bing's hands and feet, one can tell that this battle will not be easy. After all, in the past battles with the Qing army, there were rarely times when the opponent had the upper hand.
However, it was definitely a surprise to be able to eliminate the musketry team of the Qing army. The original purpose of sending the Marine Corps was just to find out the situation of the musketeer team, but Sun Bing simply did it in one step and seized the opportunity to eliminate it. Target, this indeed saved the Haihan military a lot of trouble, and it also eliminated a hidden danger that made the Liaodong garrison anxious.
Wei Lin asked: "Brother Sun, can you find out how the opponent obtained this weapon and where the instructor came from?"
Sun Bing said: "The instructor looks like a Westerner, and he doesn't understand the Tatar language. He always needs a translator to communicate with others. He should have just arrived in Liaodong not long ago. As for how they obtained their weapons, that probably needs to be investigated by your Military Intelligence Bureau. Understood. I’ve got all the witnesses and evidence for you. If you still can’t find out the details of the other party, then you can write a report to Sanya yourself!”
Wei Lin said with a smile: "I didn't think that if Brother Sun had detailed information, we would write a report together later and ask for credit for Brother Sun!"
Sun Bing sighed and said: "I don't care, but it's a pity that many brothers have lost their lives in this battle. If we had planned more carefully in advance, maybe we could have avoided so many deaths."
Wei Lin put away his smile and persuaded: "If the earthen pot is not broken outside the well, the general will inevitably die in battle. He will sacrifice his life for the country and be buried in horse leather. This is the fate of our generation. In the future, these brothers will be able to enter the Hall of Heroes and be worshiped by the people of the country for a long time. It’s not in vain for them to fight to the death in Liaodong! My condolences, Brother Sun, I will definitely need you to coordinate the arrangements for the aftermath.”
Sun Bing nodded and said: "This is Sun's responsibility, no need to say more. By the way, when can I see General Chen?"
Wei Lin said: "General Chen is going to inspect the isthmus defense line today. When you arrive at the port, I have sent people to the front line to inform the general. He should be back tonight. He may be on the way by this time."
As Wei Lin expected, Chen Yixin rushed back in a horse-drawn carriage after receiving the news. Chen Yixin naturally knew about the secret operations of the Marine Corps in the enemy-occupied areas in the north, and had always maintained contact with Wang Tom via telegram.
Before this, Chen Yixin was not very optimistic about the prospects of the operation, because this kind of reconnaissance operation behind enemy lines was extremely risky. It would be good to be able to confirm the existence of the Musketeers. It would be too risky to force the operation under the eyes of the enemy. , and the chances of success are also limited.
Therefore, Chen Yixin once suggested that Wang Tom should either directly send troops to fight a traditional amphibious battle after confirming the whereabouts of the Qing army's musketeers, using large troops to eat the opponent hard, or else he should not expose his whereabouts at all and continue to lurk in the local area to observe and wait for the opponent The next time they are dispatched to perform a combat mission, they will send back key information and let the Jinzhou garrison come forward to eliminate this musketeer team.
But in the end, the actual situation did not seem to develop as Chen Yixin expected. The Marine Corps did use force, but it was a small group of people lurking in the local area who took the initiative. The news he received at the isthmus defense line did not provide detailed information on the battle situation. The messenger only said that the situation of the Marines retreating to Jinzhou did not seem to be very good. This made Chen Yixin quite worried, and he immediately changed his original itinerary and rushed back.
(End of chapter)