Chapter 2980
Sure enough, as Zheng Agui expected, the destination of this batch of troop transports carrying soldiers from the Bangui Battalion was Fort San Pedro on the other side of the strait. Their landing place was less than a hundred feet away from the ruins of the castle.
At this time, there were passengers on the coast waiting to board these troop transport ships to leave the front line. Zheng Agui glanced at them, and they saw wounded soldiers wearing bandages, crutches, or being carried on stretchers.
Behind these wounded soldiers, there were some stretchers on the ground. The people lying on them had their faces covered with white cloth. They were obviously those who died in the battle yesterday.
Zheng Agui stood on tiptoe and glanced through the gaps in the crowd. It seemed that there were quite a lot of people killed. The stretchers were densely packed in a large area, and there were at least dozens of people. Including the wounded who had to be evacuated from the fire line, there were at least two hundred people on and off.
Yesterday's fierce battle had already made Zheng Agui expect that there would be certain casualties, but he never expected that there would be so many casualties.
It’s no wonder that the command headquarters wanted to use ruthless tactics before dark, blowing Fort San Pedro into rubble at any cost.
After landing, the soldiers did not need to be greeted by the officers, and they all made way for the wounded soldiers in a tacit understanding. Some people silently took out the cigarettes on their bodies and handed them to the wounded soldiers passing by them.
Although the casualties were not small, the results obtained in yesterday's attack were actually not bad. Zheng Agui and others immediately arrived at Fort San Pedro. The collapsed city gate here was still being cleaned, but there was already a passage that could allow carriages to enter and exit.
The corpses of the defenders were all pulled out from the castle in one cart after another, piled on top of the carts.
The reason for cleaning up Fort San Pedro, which was blown into ruins, is to count the results of the battle and confirm the role of yesterday's blasting operation.
Second, if Haihan wants to achieve long-term occupation of the local area, he cannot just sit back and watch these corpses rot and stink under his nose. He must dispose of them as soon as possible.
Third, the Haihan Army needs a frontline command post, and Fort San Pedro also has two relatively well-preserved sections of city wall, which can be used as a bunker for the command post.
The Bangui Battalion soon received the task. Under the cover of artillery fire, they would clear multiple fortresses in nearby areas. The Manila Battalion, which was engaged in a bitter battle in this area yesterday, will temporarily withdraw from the firing line and get a day of precious rest time.
"There is good news and bad news, which one do you want to hear first?" Zheng Agui tried to make his tone lighter, which might slightly reduce the pressure on his soldiers.
No one answered, but Qin Bo finally muttered: "Let me tell you the good news first!"
Everyone can see that the Haihan Army's offensive in Cebu is not going very smoothly, and they can't help but feel nervous.
The fighting here was much more intense than the previous places where they had participated in the battle. As the elite Manila Battalion, it had suffered so many casualties. Naturally, the performance of the Bangui Battalion when it was sent to the firing line might not be as good. Where to go.
Zheng Agui said: "The good news is that the ruins in front of us are the strongest local fortress. The targets we have to deal with next will definitely be easier than this Fort San Pedro."
Qin Bo asked: "Then what's the bad news?" "The bad news is..." Zheng Agui paused for a moment before continuing: "It is said that there are at least a dozen fortresses in the nearby area. We must all Cleaning it up is indeed not an easy task! ”
This is not only not an easy task, it is simply a difficult task for them.
These new recruits have not been in the army for long and have not had time to receive training in critical battles. As for the tactics of coordinated infantry and artillery attacks, they are completely unfamiliar. To attack a local fortress that is easy to defend but difficult to attack is no longer as simple as clearing Masbate Town.
However, the military orders are overwhelming, and the headquarters has assigned the combat mission to Bangui Camp. Naturally, it is absolutely impossible to shirk it. Even if you know it is very dangerous, you can only bite the bullet at this time.
As the sky grew brighter, the Haihan Army took the initiative to launch a new round of offensive.
The Bangui Camp's first target was a residential fortress only twenty or thirty feet away from Fort San Pedro. This mouth-shaped fortress is built around a three-story building. The entrance and doors and windows on the ground floor have been blocked with a large amount of bricks and stones. It is obvious that the defenders are determined to fight to the end.
However, this kind of fortress converted from a private house is just an ordinary masonry structure, and its stability is far less than that of Fort San Pedro. If large-caliber artillery is used to continuously bombard it, the outer wall of the building will definitely not be able to withstand it.
After Fort San Pedro was captured by the Haihan Army yesterday evening, the defenders of the fortress did not attempt to counterattack or rescue. Instead, they entered a state of silence. There was no movement until this morning.
Of course, such a reaction is not difficult to understand. The entrances and exits of this kind of fortress have been blocked. Even if there are enough water and food for the defenders to hold on for a long time, the fastest consumption is definitely the limited ammunition. If they take the initiative to open fire, it will serve the purpose of the Haihan Army. Remaining silent and waiting for the Haihan army to attack before opening fire is the most reasonable way to respond.
The Haihan Army's offensive was launched by the artillery unit, but it took some time to wait for the artillery to be in position. However, this also gave the Bangui Battalion more preparation time, and officers at all levels were able to digest the newly deployed combat plan again.
The four large-caliber heavy artillery pieces that arrived at the firing line just this morning are now set up in a temporary position outside Fort San Pedro. Although the defenders' weapons seemed to have a range that could reach Haihan's artillery position, the artillery positions built overnight by the engineering troops had very thick bunkers, and the Spanish's small artillery could not penetrate these defenses.
These cannons, which are nearly half a foot in diameter, are very heavy and are designed specifically for siege warfare. However, in the attack on Fort San Pedro yesterday, their role was very mediocre. In the end, the castle could only be breached by engineering blasts.
But against today's targets, the value of these artillery is fully demonstrated. Four cannons aimed at the entrance of the fortress and fired a volley. After the dust and smoke cleared, a large gap had collapsed between the blocked entrance and the second floor, as if a gap had been opened in the wall on this side. Come to a hole.
The second round of volleys doubled the size of the hole, which was enough for people to enter and exit. However, this obviously did not meet the conditions for launching a charge. The artillery unit stopped after two more rounds of concentrated fire.
The wall that had been shelled was already in ruins, and the superstructure collapsed into rubble, forming a slope leading to the interior. The entire fortress also changed from a square shape to a gate shape.
The charge horn sounded at this moment, and the Haihan army rushed out of the bunker and rushed towards the gap that was forcibly opened by artillery fire.
(End of chapter)