Lord of Ming Dynasty

The generals on both sides are veterans who have fought for decades, and they all know that charging from the front will kill many people, so they are all looking for a place where they can surprise the enemy and look for weak points in the enemy's defense.

Merlin Fish can see at least [-] scouts from both sides here. The scouts are fighting on the opponent's territory, besieging the opponent, or being besieged by the opponent. The battle here is nothing compared to the cannons, trenches, The casualties caused by the fortifications, platooning of guns, and crowd charge are relatively small, and it may be even more tragic here.

Mei Linyu's deputy, Lu Bao, pointed to a place where there were more than 30 people sent by the Japanese generals. They were discovered by the enemy, and they hurriedly withdrew before they had walked five miles away. However, the enemy's defense troops here Come out of the camp to intercept, look at the enemy's weapons, they seem to be using similar lances to ours, but the rate of fire is a bit slow, and they also have an iron frame. It seems that the Russian army's arquebus guns are still not as good as we handed over to them. The Qing army's singles and a small number of continuous guns came quickly. The 30 Japanese had killed more than 20 enemies and successfully reached the river.

Merlin Yu looked at it and said: "Well, but the Russians are not vegetarians, at least they are more organized in terms of military strength and arrangement. The emperor said that in this regard, Westerners who have been ten or even decades earlier than us know how to use it better. Although these firearms are not as good as ours in terms of weapon performance, they are much stronger than those Japanese in terms of fighting will and tactical skills, so it is impossible for these more than 30 people to come back alive."

Sure enough, when more than 30 Japanese scouts had just crossed the river, five or six people were killed, and the rest rushed out to buy time for the Japanese crossing the river. The Japanese are more determined than the Han in terms of death. The Russians surrounded them from four or five hills, and there were even ten cavalrymen on horses running like flying on the steep mountains, stopping from time to time to shoot twice.

Soon all the Japanese who fought back were knocked down, and the rest of the Japanese crossed the river, but it was not safe to cross the river. The Japanese did not deploy garrison personnel in this place, and a dozen Russian cavalry jumped into the river. In the river, they chased and hit three or five Japanese, and then suddenly a few Russians came out of nowhere and blocked the Japanese scouts. There were five people, and then the two sides discarded the muskets without bullets and started fighting each other. When fencing and fighting close to each other, the Russians were much better than the short Japanese. Soon the five Japanese were either caught or killed. kill.

Satisfied, the Russians retreated to the other side of the river.

The Russians are really cunning. They ambushed people here in advance, just to intercept people passing here.

Chapter 977 The Probe of a Frontal Decisive Battle

After watching the sporadic battles in which the defenses of both sides penetrated throughout the afternoon, Merlin and the others continued to climb up the mountain the next day to observe the battles between the two sides, which continued for several days.

On this day, there was a cold rain, just when Merlin Yu and the others thought that there would be no battles today, or that they no longer wanted to watch such sporadic and exhausting small battles, a Qing army envoy appeared at their camp, Tell them that today the Japanese are going to try to break through on the frontal battlefield and occupy a bridgehead on the other side.

Under the gloomy sky, the Japanese prepared for an hour of artillery fire, blowing up the enemy's defensive position five miles across the bank, and the soldiers of the Russian Expeditionary Force on the other side remained motionless on the position, only a few Individuals were blown up by cannons, and other places were more destroyed enemy fortifications, as well as some obstacles on the way forward.

There was only one Nanyang native army of about 1 people, starting from the entire frontal position five miles wide, and ran towards the opposite side. The enemy's cannon fodder immediately came, and their limbs flew all over the place, and there were countless deserters. Calmly killed the deserters who fled within 100 meters of the position, driving them to move on.

The natives of Nanyang frantically searched for shelter between the positions of the two sides. More people faced the enemy's shells and marched towards the river bank with difficulty. A small number of two to 3000 people reached the river bank, and then began to use local materials to build floating bridges. Or a rope, or a piece of wood, the people who came from behind continued to do the same thing under fire. In the sight of Merlin Yu and Lu Bao, the number of people was decreasing rapidly, but the second wave and the third wave of native soldiers set off Yes, they set off carrying the materials, and soon after two hours of attack, they connected the pontoon bridge to the opposite bank.

Then, the enemy's artillery fire stopped. Without the artillery over there, they could fire continuously for two hours. Even in the eyes of Merlin Yu and Lu Bao, it is impossible for the artillery shells to be consumed like this with the boldness of the Huaxia Army. In fact, the artillery fire was not as intensive as the artillery preparations of the Huaxia Army, which also provided conditions for the Japanese to force their way across. If the Huaxia Army had prepared artillery fire, in this case, it would be considered good if 1000 of the [-] Nanyang indigenous soldiers could reach the river bank.

Because the time for both sides to come here is too short, and both sides have cannons, and the confrontation front is too long, neither side has time to push the trenches to the river bank, so every attack has to be fought against by the enemy's artillery fire. The troops behind the two sides recruited civilians to dig the trenches deeper, and dug the trenches toward the river until they were close to the river.

After the bridge was built, [-] Goguryeo soldiers and [-] Japanese soldiers crossed the bridge, rushed towards the enemy trenches and fortifications, ran in the channel opened by the artillery fire, and got closer and closer to the enemy's position. The enemy did not respond. In Lidi, the enemy's artillery fire started again, but this time it was the attacking Goguryeo team on the other side of the river bank and the enemy's side.

"The Japanese are very cunning. They don't want to attack. They want to advance to the river bank." Lu Bao said holding up his binoculars.

Merlin Yu turned the binoculars to the Japanese side. On the river bank side, he saw that the Japanese had dispatched a dense crowd of people. According to the situation, they were ordinary people, as well as some Nanyang natives, and even some Japanese soldiers, as well as the supervised Qing cavalry. Digging began here, large pits were dug out, and then shallow trenches were dug out, and then quickly connected together.

The trenches extend to both sides, extending to the hilly area, connecting with the trenches there. Although it is very shallow, I believe it will not take long to dig deeper.

Some people are even lifting the soil, trying to raise and level the river bank, and widen the pontoon bridge, while the Russian cannons are violently bombarding the [-] Goguryeo soldiers and horses who attacked, and the [-] Japanese supervisory soldiers and horses, The Japanese didn't even provide firepower anymore, leaving the soldiers and horses crossing the river to fend for themselves.

The Russians were deceived. Their artillery took care of that side but not this side. The Japanese just could expand their defense. It seems that the Japanese fought every step of the way and did not hesitate to sacrifice.

It was half an hour after the Russians discovered the Japanese attempt, but in the face of an attack of nearly [-] people, they still took care of the main artillery to support that side, while only sporadic artillery bombarded here. At the labor site, the panic and escape caused by the artillery fire were quickly suppressed by the Mongolian cavalry and Japanese soldiers and horses. Risking casualties, the Japanese continued to do their excavation work.

Soon there were more pontoon bridges, instead of the original dozen, there were hundreds of them. Nearly [-] soldiers and horses were building bridges, and there were even more bridges.

The Russians over there were having a hard time coping, and here they were working in full swing. During this period, the Russians bombarded this place several times on a large scale, blowing up dozens of pontoon bridges, and laying tens of thousands of corpses all over the field, but it still changed. Without the determination of the Japanese, many soldiers and horses gathered from the rear fortifications, and then crossed the river bank through the remaining pontoon bridges, and then joined the assault team. The trenches and fortifications were only used to protect the pontoon bridge at first, and they were no more than ten meters away from the river bank, which was equivalent to building a dam to block the river.

Later, tens of thousands of people came up, and they were still ordinary people. They advanced 100 meters, dug trenches at 100 meters, built fortifications, and transferred supplies. In the big battle, short-lived and sporadic artillery support was provided to the soldiers and horses who kept jumping out from behind to join the attack.

Regardless of casualties and supply loss, the Japanese casualties until noon, based on Merlin Yu and Lu Bao's years of war experience, estimated at least 10 people, but there were still a steady stream of people driving up, giving people a feeling that they could not kill them all. Endless despair.

The crossing of the river was six miles wide, and the Japanese had advanced one mile in depth by the afternoon, and fully occupied the river bank six miles wide. With a shortage of supplies, more than 1 Japanese soldiers entered the fortifications to garrison, and the rest only had to cross the river, and all non-Japanese soldiers and horses would attack. There are not many left, and behind them are the native soldiers and horses of Southeast Asia.

In the evening, Japan had rushed into the coverage of the Russian artillery fire. At a distance of 30 kilometers from the forward position of the Russian Expeditionary Force, about [-] Japanese and nearly [-] Nanyang civilians and Indigenous people in Southeast Asia are working to consolidate their positions.

At this time, the Japanese no longer need to send troops to attack, they have successfully gained a foothold on the other side, the price is that Mei Linyu and Lu Bao heard from the envoys of the Qing Dynasty that 21 Nanyang native soldiers died and [-] Japanese soldiers died , [-] Southeast Asian soldiers died, [-] civilians died, and [-] people were injured.

On the Russian side, it is estimated that there were thousands of casualties, because the Nanyang native soldiers once captured the enemy's first trench and destroyed countless fortifications on the enemy's first line of defense, but the Russians sent serf soldiers and regular soldiers and horses to carry out many times Back charge, and finally took it back before evening.

"This battle has almost consumed one-third of the population and soldiers of the Japanese servants in this area, the Nanyang natives, the Korean natives, and other forces and kingdoms that the Qing Dynasty threw to them, as well as the unwanted forces and kingdoms that we threw to them. Power." Merlin sat down to drink water, and they had already returned to their camp.

Lu Bao held a piece of paper, "Facing the Swedes and Poles, the Japanese also launched the same bridgehead battle. They not only captured the first line of defense defended by the Swedes and Poles, but also killed the enemy One of the generals in the army also died a lot. The Japanese consumed a lot of cannon fodder they could use. The next battle will depend on whether they can withstand the fierce counterattacks of the Russians and Swedes tonight and in the future. "

Chapter 978 The Attack is Fierce

"Yeah, the Japanese can't be underestimated. I just thought, if we encounter such a battle, how should we fight? We can't let the enemy be dragged into such a war of attrition. Our emperor said that such a battle is the most stupid , but also the most helpless. Before we have more advanced weapons, we have to face it, but we must also minimize the casualties of our regular soldiers. Now we don’t have the previous advantages. There are too many cannon fodder for us Use, our current soldiers, every death shakes the foundation of our empire, and behind them are countless families."

When the two were talking, the cannons rang again. The Russians who had lost their position during the day and were forced to cross the river by the Japanese were unwilling, and launched a large-scale attack. This time they were the main attack, and the Japanese defended.

The two climbed up to the heights of the camp and looked into the distance, and the messengers who kept sending information back and forth sent back the news ahead.

The Russians used a lot of cannons to violently bombard the positions that the Japanese had hastily built. The soldiers and horses organized by the Russians in the rear did not wait for the artillery fire to hit a heat, and began to attack from all directions. Many Russian adventurers who rushed quickly , horse bandits, and even the captives of the Qing Dynasty who had previously fought with them in the Ural Mountains, as well as Japanese soldiers, Southeast Asian servants, and Han people in settlements, were all driven to the front line, facing Russian artillery fire , while bearing sporadic counterattack fire from the Japanese.

The artillery fire of this era is not enough to attack the enemy's artillery positions from far away, so it can only stay behind. Some cannons in the front can only hit the nearby enemies to support the comrades in the trenches, so those who fire are all It is a heavy artillery. Those heavy artillery originally installed on sailing warships can hit ten miles. Maybe on the sea, their direct fire distance is very short, but on land, the muzzle is raised, and they can hit ten miles. The bullets are solid bullets, which can also kill many people.

Both sides are fighting regardless of casualties.

As a spectator, it is actually a cooperative relationship with the Qing Dynasty, and the hostility has not been completely eliminated. It is not an ally. The Huaxia Army is stationed [-] miles away from the battlefield, and the violent explosion on the battlefield can also be seen. The fire of the cannon fire, the loud sound like a fighter jet flying by, and the dense gunfire.

The messenger ran back, and the Russians threw in a lot of cannon fodder, as well as adventurers and horse bandits. Attacking at weak points, the Japanese continued to dispatch troops to plug the gap. The forces of both sides were changing from a circle to a straight line. This time, the manpower, material resources and troops invested reached nearly a million troops.

People from Goguryeo settlements continued to transport supplies forward, but many of them did not return. The messenger reported that they were thrown into a [-]-kilometer-long defense line to build fortifications, and some people even threw a wooden stick or a kitchen knife. They were sent to the battlefield with bare hands. It seems that the anger of the Russians is not a little bit, and the people who command the battle are very smart. They are more familiar with this generation, and even Russian adventurers who have been active in this generation all year round. Military service, with cannon fodder The troops launched an offensive to contain the Japanese on the frontal front, and then the main force of the army attacked the main Japanese on the frontal front.

Another group of Japanese soldiers drove up, mixed with Southeast Asian servants.

Soon the messenger came back again, "The Russians fought across the river, but an hour later the Japanese took back their positions and advanced to the front of the Russian positions. Many Russian positions were breached, and then the Russians counterattacked." , regained the position again, the Japanese were beaten back to the fortifications they had built on the other side of the river, two hours later, the Russians attacked from both wings, the Japanese killed and wounded [-] soldiers and horses, were driven across the river, and then relied on this The fortifications and artillery fire on the side held the position. Before the Russians destroyed the pontoon bridge, they launched a counterattack. In an hour, they regained the river bank and held it.

This time the Japanese lost at least 30 cannon fodder and [-] Japanese soldiers.Now Japan has handed over the position to the Qing people, and then sent a large number of cannon fodder soldiers and Japanese soldiers to the two sides of the river, and then prepared [-] Goguryeo soldiers to attack the other side of the river, followed by [-] Japanese soldiers. The first line of defense of the Russians. "

Hearing the battle report, Merlin Yu's face became even more gloomy, and he said without listening, "It's too miserable, the sacrifice is too great, even with our population of 5000 million, there is no way to break through the enemy's defense line within a certain period of time, and there will be no fewer deaths. .”

Lu Baodao: "I'm going to the front line to see." Merlin Yu shook his head, "Don't look at it, it's useless, tactical methods, and can't solve it. After such a big battle, even if we have tens of thousands of deaths, casualties Hundreds of thousands of people. The front line is long and there are many points to defend. There is no good solution at present except to fight for consumption. Our weapons are not capable of reducing the casualties to the enemy's weapons to an acceptable range, let alone our The territory is too vast, and there are more than a hundred miles to defend. You can find a battlefield with a width of nearly three or four hundred miles. You must advance to a place where you can kill and injure the enemy in large numbers according to the terrain and weapon generation. defeat the enemy, or consume the enemy."

The messenger came again, "Report, the Russians have made breakthroughs in many forested areas. Now the Japanese's strength is obviously insufficient. The frontal battlefield is better. The side battlefields are not defended well, and a large number of them fled. There is a team of Russian vanguards. The cavalry has reached us."

"How about we retreat a dozen miles back? Lu Bao asked worriedly.

Merlin looked at the hourglass hanging in the tent, "No, it only took one night. The Japanese are not so miserable. I think the Japanese also realized that they can't defend such a wide front, so they focused on defeating the enemy. Putting it on the frontal battlefield, I think the Russians must not dare to let the Japanese hit their base camp. If they take down their base camp, the Russians can only retreat back, no matter how far they advance on the side, A large number of people and logistical supplies are needed here, if the Japanese go straight to Huanglong and their supplies are burned or captured by the Japanese, their army and the Swedes should retreat, or they won’t be able to survive the winter.”

Lu Bao nodded, "The battle between the two sides has just begun, and it is impossible to tell the winner. Even if there are many soldiers and horses in those places, it is only to deliver food to the Japanese and cut off the rear. Search, there are not many who can escape, and the outcome of the battle depends on the frontal battlefield."

When the sky was twilight, as the news of the messengers continued to arrive, the two discovered that the Japanese had basically grasped the situation. Although the main force was not as strong as the Russians, they had an almost endless army of servants to die, so they successfully contained the situation. The attack of the Russians was stopped. Although the Russians had gained a firm foothold on the river bank in many places, they almost pushed the Russians to the exit of the narrow plain. They had to pass two mountains and a huge virgin forest before they could A plain is reached here, and that plain is large, and behind this plain are hills, woods, and a wider wilderness.

If the Japanese win, the Russians will have to retreat hundreds of miles. Otherwise, without the support of cities and settlements, the Russians will not be able to hold on, or they will not be able to gather.

The confrontation between the two sides was very fierce and fierce. The Russians won the battle where the two sides were not plains, and the Japanese won the battle in the plains and hilly areas. If we talk about the final judgment, then this time the Japanese won It is more powerful than the Russians' offense and has won a little advantage.

Chapter 979 No one feels good

The Japanese were forced to defend and suffered heavy losses this time. They have used the nearest civilians, servants, and servants to close the loopholes. They attacked fiercely, and the Russians attacked ferociously. Both sides are endless. situation.

The Japanese paid a heavy price for taking down the enemy's forward positions, but it did not make the Russians lose their ability to fight again.

Before their attack arrived, the Russians withdrew all their heavy artillery and supplies to the rear of the mountains, and retreated more than 20 miles, leaving behind nearly a million Siberian Russian nationals, local indigenous serfs, and military personnel. While retreating everywhere on the [-]-kilometer defense line, they blocked the Japanese and used the terrain to kill and injure the Japanese. Before the arrival of the Japanese and the Qing Dynasty, the Russians had been operating here for more than ten years. They were more familiar with this place, so the Japanese People had to send more civilians and militiamen, young and strong, into the mountains, rivers, and ravines to search and suppress these people.

This greatly restrained most of the manpower and troops of the Japanese, transporting materials, and building defense lines, so they could only stop attacking, stop on the original Russian defense line, count casualties, and regroup their forces.