Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 235 Green Devil

  Captain Bergkamp is confident that he will lead his more than 70 soldiers to block the enemy's reinforcements for at least two and a half hours. What's more, the downpour may come down at any time, which is not conducive to the offensive side.

Everything did not proceed according to Bergkamp’s superior plan. After reinforcements from Moresby arrived, they immediately launched a small-scale offensive. After a dozen corpses were left to retreat, it was a 95mm violent attack. The mountain ridge covered by artillery fire was hit with smoke and dust, and rubble was flying.

  After three minutes of rapid firing, the ridge terrain was occupied by just one charge. The Dutch defenders left more than 40 corpses and fled in embarrassment. The mercenaries were already terrified by the fierce fire from the enemy.

  A word, too cruel!

  Don't say two and a half hours, it didn't last for 20 minutes.

  In this age of queuing to be shot, the honorable European soldiers are not used to digging trenches, building anti-cannon shelters, and hiding in them like voles. That is a great insult.

   "Go ahead and occupy the village ahead. I hope that there will be at least a shelter from the wind and rain so that the soldiers can at least sleep peacefully." Commander Fritz gave an order.

  The soldiers in the front chased quickly along the skirmish line, and the flood spread past. The tractor team behind was like a torrent of steel, loaded with soldiers and equipment and rushed into Sandaoliang Village.

  At this moment, the Dutch soldiers have all escaped into the jungle, running faster than rabbits.

  Welcoming the reinforcements from Moresby was a miserable villager. There were only more than 180 people left who could stand, and many of them were still suffering from injuries of varying severity.

  The commander of Fritz has been in the flames of war for a long time, and is indifferent to this tragic scene. In the Franco-Prussian War, there were thousands of soldiers killed and injured, and countless civilians. He had already trained with a heart of iron and stone, and ordered;

"These villagers can move back to the rear and leave a few guides willing to help. Don't get in the way here. The heavy rain is coming soon. Tell the soldiers to enter the house to avoid the rain." Chief Fritz considered first. Is his own soldier.

  "Yes, execute it immediately." Eighth Battalion Commander Hu Zhengzhong stood up and saluted and accepted the order, and ran to execute it.

  More than 460 officers and men from the Eighth Battalion arrived in Sandaoliang Village, accompanied by 500 capable militias, plus regiment officers, guard platoons, and artillery companies with a total size of about 1,100.

The    Seventh Battalion and the remaining 300 militia stayed in Erdaoliang Village and mobilized more than 400 militia members from more than ten villages and towns nearby, forming a certain depth of defense in the rear square to prevent the enemy from breaking through quickly.

The   Ninth Battalion, under the leadership of the deputy commander Mo Rufeng, stood firm at Moresby Town and guarded the rear.

  After entering Sandaoliang Village, the officers and men rushed to carry weapons and luggage before the heavy rain fell, and then entered the residential houses to rest, boil some hot water to eat something, and recharge their energy to prepare for battle.

The militia sent a team to remove the corpses, collect the weapons and equipment left by the Dutch soldiers, and arrange for some villagers to evacuate with the tractor team that emptied back, leaving only more than 30 young people who volunteered to fight the invaders. Qi Feng left the Dutch soldiers behind. The weapons were handed over to them for use.

  One more power to fight, one more chance of winning.

After a busy schedule, the returning tractor team just left the entrance of Sandaoliang Village, and the pouring rain fell. In a blink of an eye, the sky and the ground were all white, and the tractor team was suddenly showered like chickens, and could only slow down on the mountain path. Hard to move forward.

The heavy rain envelops the stilted building that is burning, large swaths of white mist and water rise, and there is a blast of bamboo and wood. The fire is quickly extinguished, leaving only the broken walls that have been burnt black. , Standing alone in the rain, this is evidence that accuses the enemy of brutality.

  The rain washed away the large bloodstains all over the fields and roads, mixed with muddy water and rushed into the stream. Because of the heavy rain in the mountains, the original turbulent stream water became stronger and louder, making a loud noise.

  Head Fritz stood in the wooden stilted building, frowning and observing the surrounding terrain. The location of Sandaoliang Village made him feel very bad.

  The whole village is built along the stream, showing a loose long strip shape, located between the stream and the forest.

  This means that when the Dutch army came out of the forest, the Eighth Battalion had only a back-to-back fight, and the only way out was a wooden bridge built in the village. This was too dangerous.

   "Who built this village and why was it built here?"

"Reporting group, we once asked the villagers about this, because the south bank of the stream was originally a half-sloping land, which was not suitable for farming crops, so after leveling, the village was built. The north bank of the stream is full of fertile alluvial plains. They are reluctant to occupy the cultivated land, so …" the regiment staff officer replied.

"So the **** thing was built here, it's...stupid, idiot, bastard." Head Fritz finally couldn't help but yelled out, and crouched around the stilt building twice, with a raging flame in his heart. It’s still hard to calm down; “This is simply the best place to rest for the attacking enemy, so that they don’t have to suffer from the sun and rain, and take a good rest, putting us in a dangerous place. There was something wrong with the wooden bridge, and my Baying had all made dumplings."

"Report to the group, this stream next to the village has soared after the rain. Normally, the water pressure can recede in half a day, and it can return to normal after a day and a half. At that time, you can wade across the river. Waist-deep position."

  "Don’t think about it being so perfect, this ghostly weather may have to rain every day, who knows when it will stop?"

   "What the group said is that it is a humble job that has not considered well."

"I really want to burn this **** village. Less than 800 meters south of this village is the forest. The Dutch can capture this place with just one charge. It takes less than 5 minutes." Commander Fritz turned into a resentful woman at this moment. , Must confide the full of unhappiness, can't help but complain;

"God, save us. After we are driven across the stream, these **** Dutch people can naturally occupy the village, drinking fragrant coffee in the dry and cool stilt house, watching us in the wilderness on the other side of the stream. They were tortured crazy by the endless rainstorms, and they only had to send a platoon to guard the small wooden bridge. As fools know, there is no clean drinking water, no dry beds, and the soldiers can’t stay in the mud for a few days. It will collapse, abdominal pain, diarrhea, pendulums, and malaria will all come to the door, and the troops will be overwhelmed by the epidemic in the tropical jungle."

   vented endlessly, and Captain Fritz stared at the white rain curtain more and more uneasy, as if the enemy would rush in the next moment. There is no sense of security in this terrain. What must be done?

  He thought about it seriously;

  It is foolish to dig trenches in this tropical rainforest area. The trenches will soon become mud puddles. Soldiers will fall down after soaking in them for a long time.

  The muddy water in tropical areas is full of various bacteria, eggs, germs and locusts, which will quickly make the skin inflamed and inflamed. Unknown insects will ulcerate and cause sores after biting. It makes people shudder to think about it.

  It is impossible to build a strong fortress. One time does not allow, and the second is full of mud and water, and it is impossible to build a wall.

  Only if there is a dry place under the stilted building, a breast wall can be built as a fulcrum for a stable defense.

The bamboo wall above the stilt building is as soft as paper in front of the bullets. It can only provide a little psychological comfort. In fact, it has no effect at all. Fighting inside is tantamount to death.

  Head Fritz remembered the timber yard he saw when he entered the village, and asked quickly; "Is there a timber yard in the village?"

"Yes, Lord Tuanzuo, this is the log that Sandaoliang Village fell from the mountain to build a stilt building. Now there are more than 200 logs left. They repelled the enemy's three attacks on the basis of the timber yard. Of course, they themselves A heavy price was paid."

   "Great, this is the only good news I heard when I came to this village."

Commander Fritz immediately became excited. He saw the surprised gazes of the regiment officers and realized that everyone might be wrong, but now he has no time to explain; "No, no, I'm not talking about this, I mean those Logs cut down from the mountains, when the rain is a little bit less, immediately organize everyone to transform these stilted houses, build a parapet with logs under the stilted buildings, and then dig at least one foot of mud to cover. Remember not to let mud and water infiltrate. I To turn every stilted building into a strong fortress, demolish the house if there is not enough wood, all the houses that affect the shooting horizon, and all the bamboo fences. We need to go out 300 meters to establish a few strong fulcrums in the stream. The north bank of the country must also establish a firm fulcrum to form a solid defense system..."

  He got more excited as he talked, slapped the table fiercely and shouted; "It's great, let's just do it."

  There are only more than 50 Dutch soldiers who retreated into the rainforest. Shortly after they fled into the jungle, the pouring rain came unexpectedly.

  Big raindrops smashed on big trees, bushes, vine branches and leaves became shattered, dense tropical jungle seemed to linger in dreamlike rain and fog, obstructing sight and sound, becoming extremely dangerous.

  There is no road at all in the vast jungle, and it is impossible to discern the direction in the rain and fog. If you turn your face, you will lose the trace of your companion, and you will disperse as you walk...

When Captain Bergkamp led him exhausted and arrived at the engineer camp, there were only seven or eight soldiers around him.

  Military Tent

  There was hot coffee brewing in a marching hanging pot in the middle. Captain Bergkamp was drenched and covered in a thin blanket. His face looked pale and nervous; "It's terrible, it's terrible."

   "Mr. Captain, what happened? Why are there so few people left under your hand? Where are the other soldiers?"

  "They were swallowed by the devil, this is the boundless green devil."

   "The Green Devil?"

   "Yes, sir, they are everywhere. If you neglect them, they will not find you even the bones of your belt. It's terrible."

  Lieutenant Colonel Schmeichel looked at the captain with a gloomy face, knowing that he had been scared by the tropical jungle, and if this person could not overcome the fear, he would be a waste.

  Now the rain is getting heavier and heavier, and the construction of the engineers can only be forced to stop. Everything will wait until the rain stops.

  From the joy of landing in the morning to now being trapped in the steamer-like jungle, Lieutenant Colonel Schmeichel is in a bad mood.

  This green-eyed recklessness looks like a green **** from the forest. It really can't get out if he walks in. From the early morning to now, the engineering battalion has lost 6 officers and soldiers. Now that the pouring rain is hitting, the hope of returning is even slimmer.

  (End of this chapter)