Yu Liangtai was not sure whether he would join Guo Dajing's subordinates, but he also believed in Guo Dajing's generosity and righteousness.
He nodded, his eyes turned to the battlefield, and an expression of envy flashed across his face. In the final analysis, personal ability and the combat power of the army determine the status of a general and the impression he has in the eyes of Mao Shuai.
Along the way, Guo Dajing has surpassed senior officers like them from young soldiers because of his solid achievements and solid contributions.
Even if you are dissatisfied, there is nothing you can do about it, let alone say it out loud. If you are capable, you can surpass him. If you are capable, you can fight better than him. If you are capable, you can raise money, food and supplies, and you are more visionary than him.
Not only can't he show any malice such as jealousy, but he even has to rely on Guo Dajing, which is embarrassing.
It was not reinforcements sent by Mao Wenlong, but two hundred musketeers and a dozen simple projectiles sent by Guo Dajing.
The blocking position seems to be divided into three parts: the remaining mountains of Xiaoheishan, the main road, and the hills on the flanks, but most of the hills that Jianlu intends to attack will be the main ones.
Although the blocking position on the main road is important, with the condescending fire support from Xiaoheishan, Jianlu will be attacked from two sides. Attacking Xiaoheishan from above will be even more difficult, as the terrain is too unfavorable for Jianlu.
Therefore, hilly areas will be the easiest to break through, which is where the weak point of the entire defense lies.
Of course, if you can attack Xiaoheishan with all your strength regardless of the cost, it will be difficult to hold on to the position on the road.
However, judging from the current state of Jianlu, Guo Dajing believed that it was unlikely to attack Xiaoheishan from behind.
The blocking troops are most deployed in the middle, so whether the Jianlu attack mainly on Xiaoheishan or the hills, they can provide support from left and right as quickly as possible.
The reinforcements were also sent by Guo Dajing, who was stationed in the middle. Although Jianlu's attack had been repelled, Jianlu's intentions were basically exposed.
In comparison, the blocking fortifications on the main road are more stringent, while the hilly areas are limited to the terrain, and the construction is relatively simple. At the same time, the use of weapons is also restricted in the hills.
"Vice Marshal Chen asked me to tell General Guo that please don't worry about the defense on the mountain and just concentrate on commanding the battle." A messenger ran down from the mountain and relayed Chen Jisheng's words.
Guo Dajing nodded and said: "Please return to Deputy Marshal Chen. Guo is confident in our army's defense and will definitely rebuild the captives and prevent them from crossing the defense line."
Chen Jisheng was based in Xiaoheishan and commanded mainly Shang Kexi's troops, including crossbowmen, spearmen and sword and shield men. Guo Dajing also equipped some musketeers, ten Franco machine guns, as well as ejector and sufficient ammunition.
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With the experience of relying on mountains to block the rebels in the war to aid Korea, and with more sophisticated weapons and equipment, Guo Dajing was indeed very confident in holding Xiaoheishan.
Obviously, Chen Jisheng was more worried about the middle road and hills commanded by Guo Dajing, so he sent someone to notify him to concentrate on his command.
As soon as the messenger left, news came from the lookout post at a high place that a large group of prisoners had arrived and were preparing to organize. It seemed that there would be a three-pronged attack.
After Guo Dajing pondered for a while, he understood Jianlu's intention, and said with a sneer: "Jianlu doesn't know the exact strength of our army, and he obviously underestimated it."
Liu Xingzhi also understood and said: "Jianlu attacked in three directions because he believed that our army was not strong enough and wanted to make our army use one force at the expense of another."
The blocking troops can indeed support each other, if the enemy only attacks one place.
"A three-pronged attack must have its own main and secondary attacks. I am afraid that the flanks are still the focus of Jianlu's attack." Guo Dajing said thoughtfully: "Organize mobile troops and be ready for reinforcements at any time."
Liu Xingzhi took the order and went down to mobilize the organization.
At this time, Sakhalian had already arrived in front of the battle, listened to Sorno's report, and observed the enemy's blocking arrangement, and was quite surprised.
"The enemy abandoned their position before to gather their troops here and rely on more favorable terrain to intercept our army."
Sorno said his judgment, "The general believes that there are more enemies than estimated, maybe four or five thousand, or five or six thousand."
This is already the maximum amount given by Sorno. Sahalian is not sure, but it is also consistent with his analysis and judgment.
It was said to be two to three thousand before, but now it has doubled. This is already a slap in the face and makes Saha Lian feel frustrated.
If he had known that the enemy numbered five to six thousand, would he have retreated like this? Sahalian felt that there should be a better way, although he did not think of it.
"The enemy is very despicable and cunning." Saharian gritted his teeth secretly and said, "They hide their strength, which not only delays time, but also makes our army underestimate the enemy."
Solnolian claimed that it was true and suggested: "If this is the case, our army will only make a detour from the flanks. If we want to break through, I am afraid it will be difficult."
Sahalian slightly chinned his head and said: "We will attack in three directions. Among them, the attack on the mountain and the middle road will be a feint attack. The main attack will be on the hilly areas on the flanks."
"Lord Baile is wise." Sorno complimented, and then continued: "The general will prepare another team of troops. No matter where progress is made, they can quickly invest to expand the results and form a breakthrough."
Sahanyan glanced at Sorno with admiration, feeling that this confidant was much smarter and more mature, and accepted his suggestion.
The two armies met on a narrow road, and there was not much room for stratagem. It was just a head-on confrontation, and the fight would be over.
Sakhalian and Sorno discussed for a while, and decided not to engage in any fueling tactics, but to immediately invest sufficient troops to complete the breakthrough.
In their imagination, once they break through the enemy's formation, the enemy will definitely be in panic and flee. And in the pursuit, their own army will surely gain a lot, which can be regarded as revenge for the Lushun Fort.
Moreover, there was not much food left, and Jianlu could not afford to waste time. Defeating the enemy as quickly as possible was the best result.
If you want to preserve your strength, you must also look at the specific situation. If you don't fight hard now, you are afraid of casualties and being intercepted by the enemy, which will only lead to paying a heavier price.
Two Niulu attacked the mountain, two Niulu attacked the main road, three Niulu attacked the flanks, and there were three Niulu's reserves.
Sakhalian and Sorno really spent their money and invested 3,000 troops at once. They did not use so many troops when they attacked Fort Arthur.
As the saying goes, one drum is strong, two drums are weak, and three drums are exhausted.
Jianlu seemed to be launching an inevitable attack, but that was all. As long as the defenders withstood it, Jianlu was almost powerless, or had no confidence to attack again.
For Guo Dajing, this was not the most intense battle expected.
In terms of strength comparison, terrain, and firepower, our own army has the advantage, and there is no reason why it should be broken through by just 3,000 people.
Moreover, the 3,000 men attacked in separate ways, with the most flanks being only a thousand men. As for the reserve team, it should also be a refueling tactic.
The battle started again, with the sound of gunfire and shouts passing through the flames and smoke of explosions and the white smoke of shooting flames, playing the cruel melody of the battlefield.
It can be said that Guo Dajing's previous judgment was correct. He strengthened the troops and firepower on the flanks in advance and faced the Jianlu, who had the largest number of attackers.
At the same time, Guo Dajing sent Liu Xingzhi to the flank to command and changed his tactics.
Before Jianlu's archers could get close to shooting distance, the heavy muskets on the defender's position had already opened fire. Relying on the advantage of their range, the heavy muskets preemptively disrupted Jianlu's offensive rhythm.
The Jianlu archers in light armor were obviously caught off guard by this sudden attack. They fell into a moment of chaos amid the hail of bullets and constant casualties.
Sorno personally directed the attack on the flanks and quickly made adjustments. The heavy armored troops immediately rushed forward and launched the attack in advance.
Heavy armor could not withstand heavy musket fire within the effective range, so Jianlu added a shield to add a layer of protection.
Guo Dajing had already thought carefully about what kind of situation Jianlu encountered during the blockade and how to deal with it. Whether it was a chariot or a heavy armored shield, he had corresponding tactics.
As soon as Jianlu approached about 100 meters away, the ten Fran cannons roared. This time, all the shells fired were solid shells wrapped in oilcloth. They hit farther and were more powerful.
Cannonballs as big as lead balls flew over a distance of less than a hundred meters and crashed into the ranks of the captives. The shields were either torn to pieces, or the shields and people were smashed to the ground, and people were immediately turned upside down.
Just like at the foot of Port Arthur Fort, the enemy hid their firepower!
Sorno frowned and had an ominous premonition in his heart.
Just after the artillery was fired, the roar of heavy muskets started again. The somewhat confused Jianlu paid the price of casualties again due to negligence in protection.
Boom, boom, boom...
The artillerymen quickly replaced their muskets, and before the white smoke of the muskets dissipated, there was another round of fierce bombardment.
Yasiha's voice of killing was paused, and his companion beside him was knocked away by the cannonball like a scarecrow, blood spurted out in the air, and two people were knocked down before falling heavily to the ground.
Without looking back, Yasiha knew that this companion was either dead or disabled, or at least seriously injured.
White smoke rose again from the enemy position in front. He saw the flickering flames, but could not see the lasing lead bullets.
Suddenly there was a strong impact on the shield, like being struck by a hammer. Yasiha was stunned. The shield hit him hard through his arm, knocking him directly to the ground.
The pain spread all over the body, especially the arm, as if it was no longer his own. After a while, Yasiha moved his arm and found that it was not serious, so he managed to get up.
A corpse fell heavily next to Yasiha, and blood spattered on Yasiha's face, still warm.
Yasiha only glanced at it, then turned her face and climbed up vigorously.
The head of the corpse was beaten into a rotten watermelon, and the death was horrible.
It can only be said that Yasiha feels lucky that the shield blocked the call of death.
You must know that Jianlu are all cavalry. In order to reduce the load, they are mostly equipped with small arm shields, unlike infantry who use larger shields.
Therefore, even if a shield is added to provide an extra layer of protection, it cannot cover the body. It can only be done with the waist down to minimize the area affected by bullets.
However, the power of heavy muskets is not so easy to resist. Imagine that even plate armor has been eliminated by heavy muskets. The role of a shield designed to withstand arrows is really limited.
If it is the kind of thick shield used by infantry, it should be able to provide good protection, but it is also destined that the infantry's movement speed will be extremely slow.
The carts that Jianlu relied on most for attacking fortifications can also be regarded as large shields on wheels. Not only were they exhausted, but they were also difficult to advance in the hilly areas with trees and weeds.
In short, when the Jianlu troops charged forward, the cannonballs and lead bullets fired by the defenders still caused constant damage to them.
If there were no obstacles in front of the formation, even if faced with rows of muskets, the interval between shots would be enough for the soldiers to rush forward and engage in hand-to-hand combat.
Unfortunately, Jianlu faced a well-designed position. He basically anticipated various situations and had corresponding tactics.
Sixty meters, fifty meters, forty meters...the projectiles on the defender's position began to fire. Small bombs, each weighing about two kilograms, one projectile could throw four or five.
Dozens of dark, smoking bombs flew across the sky, dimming the sunlight, and crashed into the Jianlu troops.
After purification, granulation, and optimal proportion of black powder, relying on multiple loadings and preloaded fragments, the power of each bomb is close to the power of the 200gtnt hand grenade of later generations.
There are more than 600 bombs in total, which are the latest products of Guanglu Island. Guo Dajing brought them all and did not even leave them for Fort Lushun.
The bomb bounced and rolled as it hit the ground. The rough clay shell tightly restrained the black powder, until it could no longer be restrained. It exploded and fell into pieces, with the fragments shooting out in all directions with the temperature of death.
Explosions came one after another, loud noises roared, and black smoke columns rose into the sky. Mud, snow, and weeds were thrown into the air. The captives flipped on their backs, tumbled and rolled in the fireworks, and screams and screams could not be heard.
An area is being bombed, and a lightly assembled projectile can throw a ten-pound object a distance of fifty meters.
The Jianlu who rushed to the front were already sparse, but the middle and rear groups were still denser, and it was they who were hit by projectile bombs.
This is Guo Dajing's favorite interception strike. Currently, only projectiles can do it. It can kill the enemy in the middle and cause the attack to lose continuity. It was used many times during the operation to aid Korea.
A bomb fell at Yasiha's feet, and a dazzling flash of light burst out under his horrified and desperate eyes. A piece of debris hit his face hard, and he fell down without even letting out a scream.
Because he is wearing armor, his protection is relatively strong, so the power of the bomb is reduced. But it is not easy to kill him, but it is not difficult to injure him.
In many cases, wounded soldiers are a huge drag on the army and a heavy blow to morale.
The current situation of Jianlu is the same as that of being besieged. If they are eager to retreat, they are even more afraid of being burdened. Therefore, being able to kill more Jianlu is also extremely beneficial to the war situation.
The smoke had not completely dissipated, and the Jianlu who rushed out of the bombing area were still a little blurry, and the roar of muskets sounded again.
Obstacles, obstacles, Jianlu who was rushing in the front was already less than thirty meters away from the position, and the only thing standing in front of them was Juma frozen on the ground.
However, the muskets on both sides fired cross-fire, knocking all the Jianlu who saw hope to the ground. The Fran machine artillery in the front was also replaced with a shotgun... and the black muzzle pointed forward, ready to fire at any time.