Two hundred and sixtieth IX The Battle of the Villa III
Fang Xiaoyu and Wang Xuan were checking the map, and Liu Mingzhao walked in from the outside. Fang Xiaoyu asked: "How is the situation?"
Liu Mingzhao shook his head and said: "Today we have lost more than 3,000 people in battle, and there are more than 1,000 wounded who can no longer participate in the battle. Minor injuries are too many. If the battle continues like this, we will not be able to insist on the arrival of reinforcements."
Fang Xiaoyu frowned after hearing this: "Is it so serious? How many troops do we still have?"
Liu Mingzhao said: "Now, including the wounded who can fight, there are only more than 17,000, plus Lord Wang's 30,000 horses, that's all."
After speaking, Liu Mingzhao sighed and said: "It would be great if Boss Fu was here. No one in defense can be his opponent."
Wang Xuan on the side said: "I think even if we fight again tomorrow, it won't be so fierce."
"Oh?" Fang Xiaoyu turned to look at Wang Xuan and asked doubtfully: "Uncle, do you think our situation will be better?"
Wang Xuan nodded and said: "Today I have been observing the rebels with binoculars on Lanting Mountain. I found that the Cheng family's troops have not been dispatched. Instead, they are the Second Army of the Garrison Battalion, the Beicheng City Guards and the Imperial Guards. The City Guards and Imperial Guards are coming.
The Guards had never participated in a large-scale war, and their will to fight was weak. The fact that the first two attacks were quickly repelled illustrates the problem, and the most intense attack was entirely completed by the Second Army of the Garrison Battalion.
Wang Xuan explained confidently: "The garrison is composed of veterans who have experienced battles for a long time, and their combat effectiveness is very strong. However, it is a pity that they only have such an army in their hands. Today's charge seems like we are in danger, but in fact the casualties of the garrison are greater.
I estimate it must be tens of thousands."
Wang Xuan looked at the two people who were listening to him attentively and smiled: "How many times do you think the garrison camp can carry out a charge with such heavy casualties?"
Liu Mingzhao shook his head and said: "I'm afraid that they will combine soldiers from the garrison and the Imperial Guard to attack. If that happens, the Imperial Guard will move forward desperately under the leadership of the garrison."
Wang Xuan smiled and said: "General Liu, you can rest assured that such a situation will not happen."
Liu Mingzhao was surprised: "How is this possible?"
Wang Xuan said: "General Liu doesn't understand the specific situation, and it's not surprising that he doesn't know. Although the garrison is also a guard force for the capital, it has always been inferior in terms of military pay and weapons, and the Imperial Guards simply look down on them because they are the royal guards.
The relationship between these officers and soldiers selected from the border army has always been very bad. If they mix the two armies, I don't know what will happen to the garrison. Anyway, the Guards will definitely be dismantled."
Fang Xiaoyu worked in the garrison for a period of time and knew some of the situation. He nodded and said: "I heard about it in the garrison, but I didn't expect that the hatred between the two sides was so big."
Wang Xuan said: "In normal times, soldiers from both sides often fight in the streets. It's just because the guards in each city are afraid of offending the emperor's close minister Xia Houhuan, so every time the garrison camp suffers. This makes the imperial guards more and more emboldened, and even sees the garrison.
The soldiers of the battalion were provocative."
"It would be great if this is the case. I will arrange for people to add mines to the open area, and we will have a good fight tomorrow." After saying this, Liu Mingzhao went out happily.
Fang Xiaoyu looked at Wang Xuan and said, "Uncle, let's see if we can hold on until the reinforcements arrive."
Wang Xuan touched a long beard on his chin, thought for a moment and said: "We can hold on for five days at most. If reinforcements cannot arrive within five days, we will have no choice but to break out on our own."
Fang Xiaoyu said: "It is not easy for so many people to break through."
Wang Xuan glanced at Fang Xiaoyu intentionally or unintentionally, and said meaningfully: "Maybe it's not difficult."
"Oh?" Fang Xiaoyu asked strangely: "If it's not difficult to break out of the encirclement, why should we stay here?"
Wang Xuandao: "It's not difficult to break through, but I'm afraid you can't make a decision. What I mean is that we take our elite troops to break out on your special train, and let other troops resist on the spot and intercept the rebels."
"What?" Fang Xiaoyu exclaimed, "You want me to give up my soldiers? I can never do this."
Wang Xuan laughed loudly and said: "Okay, very good. I see in you the qualities necessary for a commander. Others say that a general must know how to choose. As long as victory is achieved, soldiers can sacrifice at will. But I think if
If you can't sympathize with the soldiers, how can they sacrifice their lives for you? Without the courage of your subordinates to fight, good strategic planning will be empty talk."
After saying this, Wang Xuan had a sad look on his face: "I just don't know how many people there will be when we insist on breaking out for five days. Maybe your special train will be able to accommodate them all by then."
Taking advantage of the darkness, Liu Mingzhao densely covered the forward position with mines and square nails, and worked for most of the night before giving up. The next morning, at Wang Xuan's insistence, his Second Guards Division was deployed to the front line, replacing the casualties.
Heavy militia.
In order to strengthen their combat effectiveness, Fang Xiaoyu took out all the Type 92 rifles in the warehouse and reloaded them with the ten latest heavy machine guns produced by the arsenal for the Second Guards Division.
With this batch of weapons, division commander Chen Junhe felt a lot more confident. Although these rifles had a slightly slower rate of fire, they had a very long range, and with the presence of such powerful weapons as machine guns, Chen Junhe believed that he would be able to defend the enemy.
"Charge." The first charge in the morning was still a test. This time Xia Houhuan sent the original Beicheng City Guards, and he himself hid in the rear position and observed the Chinese leader's position opposite, hoping to find
Find the flaws in it.
The City Guards are a police-type force. Although their weapons are breech-loading guns, they are not backward, but their training is the worst. These City Guards usually bully the common people, but their combat effectiveness is limited in a fight.
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Xiahou Huan knew this very well, so he deployed the First Army of the Imperial Guard with loaded guns and ammunition behind the City Guards. In addition to monitoring the City Guards' attack, they were also tasked with seizing the opportunity to support the City Guards' attack.
The city guards who were walking in front were not stupid. They naturally understood Xiahou Huan's intentions. However, with the Imperial Guards behind them supervising the battle, they had no choice but to rush forward.
The swarming enemy troops charged forward in two waves. The soldiers in the trenches became nervous. They clutched the rifles in their hands and stared at the approaching enemies.
"Artillery blocks fire." Liu Mingzhao gave an order, and eight 105mm howitzers and the few mortars from the Kuang Leopard Regiment began to attack at the same time. The powerful shells hit the Imperial Guards behind the city guards.
The explosion knocked people off their feet and made it difficult to overcome for a while.
Due to the obstruction of the artillery bombardment, the Imperial Guard's attack speed slowed down, and there was an obvious disconnect between the two waves of charges. Seizing this opportunity, Liu Mingzhao immediately ordered all weapons to start firing.