Chapter 818 Firefight

Slogans can be shouted loudly, but to what extent they are truly achieved is a very real question. Neither Gesman, Fernandez nor Alcarazo actually have the determination to fight and die in the Far East for the glory of the kingdom.

But out of duty, you can't just run away without firing a shot. If the Haihan people are not as powerful as Gesman described, wouldn't it be a very stupid behavior to give up prematurely? Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for war.

If we continue, if we can defeat the uninvited guests outside the city, then everyone can make a great contribution with this achievement.

When a powerful enemy approached the city, Alcarazo did not dare to relax. He checked the combat readiness status with red eyes all night. The results were mixed. Fortunately, most of the city's defense artillery in El Salvador was still in good condition and could perform normal combat missions; but what worried him was the inventory.

The amount of ammunition is not enough to support long-term high-intensity combat, and the average reserve of each artillery is less than twenty rounds. If the battle is fierce, this combat material may be consumed in half a day.

With the lessons learned from the city of Santo Domingo, this time the defenders did not choose to retreat into the city from the beginning. Instead, they deployed a line of defense outside the city overnight to deal with the enemy troops who were very likely to forcefully land here.

Alcarazo deployed 300 musketeers, 300 spearmen, and ten artillery pieces on this line of defense. He believed that even if this line of defense ultimately failed to prevent the enemy from landing, it would at least have the opportunity to cause a comparison to the enemy.

Big damage.

The maritime combat force under the command of Fernandez is actually easier. Due to the obvious gap in the strength of the two sides, the Spanish side's only three armed sailing ships cannot fight head-on with the opponent on the frontal battlefield. The tasks he needs to undertake

It is to harass the Haihan army from the sea while launching the landing operation. Although the effect of this harassment is mostly very limited, if it can delay the progress of the opponent's landing operation, it can also reduce the defensive pressure of the land defenders to some extent.

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Gesman, who knew that his military literacy was limited, took the initiative to apply for a logistics command and coordination job. For him, as long as he could stay away from the battlefield, the specific work was not the focus. Anyway, he did not need to do it himself, as long as he

Just use your words and let others do the errands.

On the morning of March 5th, the good weather that had been stable for more than half a month suddenly changed. A sudden storm came to northern Taiwan. The waves on the sea reached more than three meters, making it impossible to conduct near-shore landing operations in real time. Gaoqiao Nan

They had to order to delay the attack and wait until the weather improved before making plans. The Spanish defenders on Sheliao Island also got a precious respite. However, unfortunately, due to the weather, they were also unable to send ships out to sea to go south.

Call the police in Manila.

At noon on March 7th, God finally used his magical power, and the weather gradually turned sunny. Before the defenders on Sheliao Island had time to sigh, they discovered that an organized sea had appeared on the coast of Jilong Port, which was only separated by a narrow waterway.

The Han Army blocked their only retreat to Taiwan Island.

This force followed Gesman's escape team all the way from the land to the offshore area of ​​Jilong Port. However, due to weather conditions in the past two days, they did not rush to block the coast. Instead, they waited patiently until the weather improved today before disappearing quietly.

Blockades were quietly deployed along the coastline.

The speed of the Haihan Navy did not lag behind the army at all. Fernandez, who was commanding three armed sailing ships at sea, suddenly discovered that three Haihan warships had been deployed to the sea about two nautical miles north of Sheliao Island. If Fernandez's three

If a sailing ship wants to harass Haihan when he launches a landing, he must be prepared for these three ships that may attack from behind at any time. Fernandez does not have the courage to face the front and rear attacks of Haihan warships, so he can only command his own three ships.

The ship remained in a relatively safe position and would not be directly blocked by the Haihan warship.

Haihan's main fleet slowly sailed out of the temporary docking point at nine in the morning. During the storm for more than two days, several ships were damaged to varying degrees, but fortunately, it had little impact on combat capabilities. Completed

Basic combat tasks are still unimpeded. Coupled with the absolute advantage in numbers, Takahashi Minami believes that there is no need to be afraid of the opponent's three armed sailing ships, and only needs to be prepared for the corresponding battle. As for the command of the navy, he also

There is not too much interference, it is only required that the navy can ensure that there will be no interference from the sea during the landing of the special operations battalion.

Since the Spanish sailing ships were unable to put enough pressure on the Haihan fleet at sea, they sailed unimpeded as they approached Sheliao Island, and soon arrived at the planned landing area on the western coastline of Sheliao Island. Since the east side of Sheliao Island

It is the Pacific Ocean. The coastline has been washed by rough waves for a long time. The terrain is relatively steep and is not suitable for landing operations. There is only a relatively flat area on the entire island towards the west of Jilong Harbor that is suitable for ships to dock.

The only pier is also built at this location.

Takahashi Minami stood on the deck, using binoculars to carefully observe the island's defenders' fortifications. The Spanish deployed the defense line outside the castle in an arc in a very targeted manner, forming a semi-encirclement of the only landing site.

situation, and there were obviously many artillery positions on the defense line, and we were ready to use artillery fire to drive the Han army into the sea.

However, this is not impeccable in the eyes of Minami Takahashi. Due to the limitations of the Spaniards' weapon performance, their defense line is only about a hundred meters away from the coastline. Even so, the muskets in their hands can probably only shoot casually and hit the face.

, the real lethality that can be exerted is extremely limited, and they still have to rely on those artillery guns to serve as the main force. What they don't know is that the range of Haihan's naval guns is far beyond that of their European counterparts, basically more than two hundred meters.

Even some artillery can reach 300 meters. As long as they bombard the coast, it is enough to cover this line of defense within the range. Of course, if you bombard land targets from the sea, the hit rate will definitely be quite low.

, it is unrealistic to use this method to eliminate the defenders on this line of defense, as long as it can gain the opportunity for the army to land, it is enough.

The Haihan fleet slowly drew an arc on the sea, adjusted its formation, and then aimed its sides at the shore. Although the Haihan fleet was still at least two hundred meters away from the Spanish defense line on the shore,

The purpose of this posture was very obvious. The Spanish army was not without capable people. They understood what the Haihan people were planning to do at the first sight, and immediately ordered the infantry on the defense line to move into hidden positions.

This line of defense was just a temporary fortification erected overnight last night. Except for a few gun emplacements, the other areas only had sections of breastworks made of earth-covered stones to protect the infantry from completing their assembly behind it. This defensive method blocked a rifle.

Bullets may be effective, but they are really ineffective against shelling.

"Fire! Fire!" The Spanish officer who reacted quickly immediately gave the order to the gunner next to him. At this time, he did not bother to ask Mr. Alcarazo who was sitting at the rear for instructions. If he did not fire, he might not even have the chance to counterattack later.

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Both sides had one sea and one land, one for attack and one for defense. They fired almost at the same time. The artillery shells drew arcs in the air and hit their respective targets. The Haihan side had an absolute advantage in the number of artillery, but it had to hit the shore.

A defense line with a narrow depth depends more or less on luck. Although the Spaniards only deployed ten artillery pieces on this line of defense, the hit rate advantage of shore guns over naval guns is very huge, not to mention the effectiveness of this row of Haihan battleships.

It's really not small, so it's not too difficult to aim. At a distance of about two hundred meters, you can basically guarantee that you won't miss the target if you aim at it.

In the first round of bombardment, the Spanish side with fewer artillery guns actually achieved a higher hit rate. However, at this time, the Spanish discovered that their disadvantage in weapons was not just the number. The small-caliber six-pounder cannon at this distance

Unexpectedly, it was unable to directly penetrate the side of the Haihan warship. After hitting the ship's plate, it only made a dent and was bounced into the water, which failed to achieve the damage effect at all.

This is why Haihan's military regulations set high standards. The ship plating is thick enough. If it were replaced with a civilian ship of the same tonnage, the side ship plating would not be able to block the artillery shells flying from this distance. If the Spaniards wanted to reach the target,

The damage effect can be achieved either by further shortening the bombardment distance, or by increasing the charge or switching to a larger-caliber artillery.

It was impossible to shorten the distance or change guns before the battle, so the Spaniards chose to increase the amount of ammunition to increase the muzzle velocity of the guns. However, because their number of guns was too small, the firing frequency was definitely not as high as the discharge rate.

The Haihan warships entered the firing position one after another in a wheel formation. After the shelling on the Spanish position stopped, the second expedition-class warship just entered the firing position. More than ten cannons on the side poured shells onto the shore one after another, and this

This time, a shell was very lucky to hit the defensive wall in front of a gun position on the shore. Although it did not directly hit the gun position, the gravel splashed from the defensive wall instantly injured the three gunners on the gun position, resulting in

This artillery position temporarily lost its combat capability.

After increasing the charge, the Spanish's second round of bombardment improved significantly. The "Tian Du" battleship in the Haihan Fleet was hit by two consecutive rounds, one hitting the side. Although the ship's plate was not

It was penetrated, but obvious cracks had appeared. The other shot hit the collision angle near the bow. Fortunately, this part was covered with copper and only made a dent. But in this case

Despite the rounds of shelling, the Spaniards still did not cause any casualties to Haihan, and it was just a waste of joy.

Takahashi Minami felt a little regretful at this time. He originally had to wait another ten days or so before he could take the Majestic-class battleship that had completed its overhaul and maintenance and go on an expedition together. With the thickness of the Majesty-class's sides and the number of artillery pieces, he could just park it on the shore.

While engaging in a close-range bombardment with these Spaniards, there was no need to worry about the tickling shelling of the enemy's small-caliber artillery. It was much easier to deal with the fortifications on the shore.

Although the Spanish artillery attack seemed to have some advantages at the beginning of the battle, as the battle progressed, the numerical advantage of Haihan naval guns gradually suppressed the artillery fire on the shore. Although the hit rate was not high, the eight Haihan naval guns

After the warship passed the firing position and completed a full round of shelling on the shore, three of the ten cannons on the shore still misfired. Two of the cannons had their gunners injured, and it took time for the backup gunners to be replenished. The other one

Unfortunately, the artillery was hit directly by a shell, and the artillery and the two gunners on the gun position were scrapped together.

Although the Haihan Army had gained a certain advantage, after completing a round of bombardment, the fleet had to make a large circle on the sea and then circle back for the next round of bombardment, and the time spent in the middle was left to the Spaniards.

Enough breathing space. Before the defense line on the shore was defeated, it was impossible for Takahashi Minami to order the army to forcefully land. In that case, the army, which lacked cover, would be completely exposed to the Spanish guns. This kind of disadvantage would

Takahashi Minami doesn't know how to buy or sell.

Now the competition between the two sides is fighting will. Whoever cannot hold on first will have to retreat. Haihan's fighting will is very firm. This expedition to Jilong Port is well planned, with sufficient supplies and complete personnel. Except for the first time they arrive here,

Except for the failure to launch an attack immediately due to weather conditions during the two days, everything else went smoothly. Until now, the Haihan side has not suffered a large number of casualties, and there is no need to worry about the Spaniards being able to launch a decent counterattack.

Just be patient and slowly continue to use naval guns to hit the Spanish defense line on the shore.

The Spanish defense line was set up too close to the coastline, and the number and power of the artillery could not take advantage. This caused the defenders to fall into great passivity. The hundreds of infantry deployed on the defense line had no other purpose than to carry ammunition.

For other uses, small casualties would occasionally occur due to the indiscriminate bombardment of Haihan naval guns. This was actually not the worst thing. What really made the Spanish officers on the line uneasy was the ammunition they had prepared in advance.

The base number is not large, and after only a few rounds, there will be very few left. If the Haihan people continue to launch artillery bombardments with their current tactics, then the artillery on the defense line will probably not wait until they are all destroyed by the enemy's artillery shells, and they will attack first.

Light ammunition has lost its combat capability.

The only thing the officers could be thankful for was that the enemy at sea did not know that their situation was so bad, otherwise they would have saved some ammunition and sent infantry to land in advance.

The officers could only send people to send this bad news back to the city, and all Alcarazor could do was to send people to send more ammunition from the city - don't think about defending the city now, try to stop it first

Let’s talk about the landing of the Haihan Army.
Chapter completed!