The reinforcements brought by Zhang Sanming were only 3,000 people, but they were enough to be the straw that broke the camel's back.
Gu Zhiqi and the 13th Regiment completely defeated the Qing army's spirit with tragic casualties and sacrifices.
Even though there are still more than 40,000 Qing troops, it is no longer possible to break through the 26th Division's defense.
The most important thing is that Zhang Sanming not only brought reinforcements, but also artillery.
The arrival of this kind of killer weapon completely eliminated the gap in numbers.
The road here in Shikou is so narrow, and the number of Qing troops that can rush up in each wave is extremely limited.
They could only line up in a long formation and rush forward like an arrow.
For artillerymen, they really like this kind of enemy.
There is almost no need to aim too accurately. You only need to hit the cannonball into the valley to cause huge casualties.
Although the 26th Division only had light artillery, it was very effective in this kind of field battle.
On the top of the mountains on both sides, Zhang Sanming also dispatched a battalion to take over the defense.
The mountain road was rugged and difficult to walk. After replenishing two battalions of fresh troops, Gong'a's attack came to an abrupt end.
"Fellow, get out quickly, it's dangerous here."
The newly arrived soldiers of the National Defense Force began to persuade the people to evacuate their positions.
Tasks like combat should be left to professionals like them.
In such a short period of time, nearly half of the villagers who ran up to help died.
"Master Jun, there are few of you, so we can help here."
Regarding Xu Ganzi's persistence, the battalion commander was very patient and thought of a way.
"If you really want to help, can you go to the rear and bring up the ammunition we need? As long as we have enough ammunition, the Tatars won't be able to come up."
I heard that the villagers would say nothing about helping to move things.
"Grandpa, don't worry, we are good at moving things."
Seeing that all the villagers had withdrawn, the battalion commander felt relieved and redeployed his position.
The night is as dark as ink, and only the gurgling water of the Hutuo River provides a natural and beautiful melody for such a night.
Luck Dehun led 20,000 Qing troops to stick to the ground and crawl forward bit by bit.
He opened his eyes as wide as possible and carefully observed any abnormalities.
This night attack was the Qing army's last chance.
Duduo issued strict orders to only succeed and not to fail.
He handed over this task to Luck Dehun, who had been recuperating.
With other generals going to war one after another, Duduo handed over the most important tasks to the most capable people.
As the second son of Sakhalian and the grandson of Daishan, Luck Dehun completely inherited the excellent genes of his grandfathers. Although he was young, he had already made outstanding military achievements and began to stand out among the younger generation of the Qing Dynasty.
Later, he was able to lead the army instead of Duduo, which shows how powerful he is.
Through the day's battle, although the Qing army suffered heavy casualties, it also fully understood the deployment of the Ninth Division.
Through the blinding darkness of the night, offsetting the advantages of the National Defense Forces' guns and artillery, and then taking advantage of our own large numbers to conduct a surprise battle, this will be the only chance for the Qing army to break through the blockade and return to the outside world.
Because nothing can be seen clearly, the sense of distance is lost.
Luck Dehun didn't know how long he had been climbing, but he was exhausted.
Fortunately, in order to avoid making any noise, I took off my heavy armor. Otherwise, I would have been exhausted before I could get close to the National Defense Forces.
He looked back and forth, but still couldn't see anything.
However, Sakon's heavy breathing told him that the Qing soldiers were following closely.
This greatly increased his confidence, and he imitated the sound of the late night snack and chirped twice.
Immediately, a Qing army scout passed him and headed forward.
After a while, the scout returned.
"Master Belle, the barbed wire fence in front has not been repaired and can still be passed through."
Luck Dehun was overjoyed.
"It's our luck that the general on the opposite side is so negligent. If you pass on the order, follow closely and don't get lost."
Those in the Qing army who did not suffer from night blindness walked in front and were responsible for exploring the route. The blind men grabbed the belts of those in front and followed step by step.
As expected, the barbed wire array still retains its appearance after the battle during the day, and is full of loopholes.
After Luck Dehun passed through smoothly, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
He clapped his hands in the dark night, and the Qing army's march suddenly accelerated.
Because at this time, we could already see the faint flickering firelight in the Wehrmacht barracks directly ahead.
Boom boom boom...
In the darkness, several explosions suddenly sounded, breaking the tranquility.
Many Qing soldiers screamed and were blown away, which completely exposed the night attack.
Luckard clearly understood that the National Defense Forces had planted landmines in front of the military camp, but at this point, he had no choice but to charge with all his might.
He personally took out the horn and blew it, conveying his decisive will to everyone.
The 20,000 Qing troops all roared like trapped beasts and rolled towards the Wehrmacht barracks like a tidal wave.
There was an uproar in the National Defense Forces barracks opposite, and they were obviously alarmed.
Close!
Closer!
Luck Dehun's nerves were tense and he stared at the military camp opposite without blinking.
Now it's a race against time.
Did the Qing army rush into the Wehrmacht barracks first, or did the Wehrmacht set up a defensive formation in advance?
But nothing matters anymore.
I saw hundreds of fireballs suddenly flying out of the National Defense Forces barracks and slowly floating high into the sky.
I don’t know what these fireballs are made of. Although the flames were blown around randomly in the night wind, they actually made the fire brighter.
A single burning fireball of this kind can provide very limited light, but hundreds of them together can instantly make the earth as bright as day.
The Qing troops who were still running were all shocked, and they all felt cold all over their bodies.
Because through these lights, they had already seen the musket array already lined up in the Wehrmacht camp opposite.
These fireballs that can fly into the air are naturally simple versions of flares invented by the National Defense Forces.
These fireballs are made of cotton soaked in kerosene, and then tied tightly with iron wire. After being ignited, the iron wire has a relatively high flame resistance and will not burn for a while, allowing the fireball to continue to provide light.
Above the fireball, there are also small balloons hanging with wires.
When needed, these balloons are released. There are ropes on the balloons that are controlled by the ground operators to ensure that the flares will not fly away.
As a result, these hundreds of illumination bombs left the Qing army with nowhere to hide and were completely exposed to the guns of the National Defense Forces.
Seeing that the Qing army launched a night attack as expected, Yu Lichun smiled ferociously.
There is no reason not to accept such a great gift.
"Fire!"
The Ninth Division, which was waiting in full formation, quickly launched into action, and the sound of gunfire was as continuous as fried beans. The Qing army was more like wind blowing wheat, falling piece by piece.