It is actually a very painful thing for an army unit to fight across the sea. People who have never been in contact with the sea will definitely get seasick.
This kind of seasickness is not just a simple discomfort, it will also be accompanied by exaggerated vomiting and loss of appetite. In severe cases, it will greatly affect the combat effectiveness and may even directly endanger the lives of soldiers.
The troops of the Datang Group lacked such combat experience. Their farthest support actually only used less than one battalion of troops, which was from Bunas to Rewind Port.
That time of transportation, because it was going south along the coastline, the wind and waves were not serious, and the number of people was small, so the problem was not too big.
This time, the Datang Group's expedition was from Dragon Island directly across the western part of the Endless Sea, and then landed on Dongwan Island. This distance was almost three times the length of the last operation to support Rewind Port.
At this moment, on the Freedom 103 transport ship carrying more than 1,000 people, the cabin was filled with a nauseating smell. The soldiers who were confident and energetic when they boarded the ship were now listless and weak.
They have been sailing on the sea for 29 days, and these 29 days have been a kind of torture for them.
Although there is ample food supply, and the canteen on the ship even provides them with a variety of good meals, not many people have the appetite to eat these things nowadays.
After all, whatever you eat will soon be vomited out. Under that kind of painful torture, who would be interested in eating something?
"We have been speeding up as much as possible! But the free wheel is not designed for assault operations, so the speed is very slow." The captain looked helplessly at the pale-faced commander of the 1st Regiment and explained patiently.
"In terms of speed, we are actually much faster than a sailboat... If it had been in the past, you would have been at sea for at least 25 more days." The first mate also had to defend his captain.
"In this situation... the soldiers have no combat effectiveness left at all. The situation in the 1st Battalion is better. After all, most of them are locals in Bunas, living by the sea, and are more or less familiar with the situation at sea... But
The 2nd and 3rd Battalions are either from Beiling or Yucheng. Many of them have never seen the sea in their lives..." The commander of the 1st regiment felt sorry for his soldiers. Whenever he had time these days, he would come to the bridge and ask how many more were needed.
Arrive at destination on time.
He has been asking for more than ten days, but it will take at least two days before the fleet can reach Dongwan Island.
Yesterday, the spies who set out first arrived in Zheng State. After a brief investigation of Dongwan Island, they sent back first-hand information.
Bunas was not idle either. They immediately analyzed and compiled the data, and then sent the most useful part to the advancing fleet.
Looking at the cruiser Wolf 1 not far away, billowing black smoke, the captain of Liberty Ship 103 said: "We are already traveling at the fastest speed... Just wait for two more days, in two days
, you can almost log in."
He had no choice, because Tang Mo had actually made many detailed arrangements for this landing, but due to lack of experience or technical problems, he still could not make it foolproof.
For example, Tang Mo even added refrigerator equipment to several free ships participating in the war, which greatly improved the food at sea.
In order to make the soldiers live more comfortably, Tang Mo also urgently added beds to the Liberty Ship that transported the soldiers, instead of using the hammock lake used by the sailors.
Even the number of toilets on the ship was deliberately increased. For this reason, temporary modifications were made and more water tanks were added to ensure the soldiers' daily consumption.
But even so, seasickness is still a flaw that cannot be overcome, and the seaworthiness of the ship cannot be improved in the short term.
It was impossible for Tang Mo to wait for a brand new, larger tonnage and newly designed special troop transport ship to be built and launched before launching operations.
So he could only pinch his nose and endure the poor seaworthiness of the Freewheel, leaving the soldiers crowded in makeshift dormitories for 31 days.
Early the next morning, more news was delivered to the fleet via telegraph. The commander of the 1st regiment boarded the cruiser Wolf 1 in a small boat and met General Bernard, the commander-in-chief of this operation.
"General!" As soon as he climbed onto the deck, he saw Bernard waiting next to a naval gun.
Bernard returned a military salute, and then motioned to the 1st regimental commander to walk casually along the side deck with him.
The two of them walked side by side on the cleanly washed deck. Captain 1 felt that his breathing became much easier.
These days, he spent most of his time huddled in the cabin with the soldiers, and did not choose a warship with better living conditions that only had sailors.
As he walked, Bernard introduced the situation of Dongwan Island: "According to the feedback from the spies who just arrived in Zheng State, Dongwan Island has indeed been occupied by the Mirage Kingdom, but the military strength invested by the Mirage Kingdom on the island
It’s not much.”
"About a year ago, a naval war broke out between the two countries. Zheng's navy suffered heavy losses, losing 17 sail warships, and was forced to give up part of its sea control."
This is the second difficulty. Because the State of Zheng is really too far away, the intelligence work on the State of Zheng was started very late, and the intelligence support that can be provided is pitiful.
The combat troops did not know the specific situation of Dongwan Island. The main reason why Tang Mo dared to let the troops pass by was that he was quite confident in his troops' weapons.
The small arms of his troops are almost at the level of World War II, while his opponents still use flintlock guns... There is no comparison at all.
"According to the text description returned by the intelligence, and comparing it with the inaccurate nautical charts we already have, it is confirmed that Dongwan Island is a narrow leaf-shaped island from the north to the south, with the sides slightly pointed and the middle being the widest. There are mostly mountains in the east and mountains in the west.
A long and narrow plain." Bernard briefly introduced the geographical environment of the island.
This is the third difficulty of this operation - the fleet cannot launch an attack directly from the east side, they must go around to the west side of the island.
Since the enemy troops do not need to defend the east side of the island, they will definitely concentrate on the west side of the island, which will bring considerable difficulties to the landing operation.
Arriving in front of a hatch, Bernard motioned to the 1st regimental commander to follow him. With the adjutant and other attachés accompanying him behind, the group arrived at the renovated combat headquarters.
There is a simply sketched map hanging on the wall of the cabin, with roughly two cities marked on it, as well as some general areas where enemy troops may be deployed.
In fact, this kind of map will not be used as a military map within the Datang Group at all. It can only be regarded as a sketch at best.
But before the fleet set off, the most detailed ones that could be found were these ancient maps that didn't even have contour lines and couldn't clearly depict the precise area.
The commander of the 1st regiment knew that he was leading more than 2,000 soldiers to attack a place where he knew nothing.
Bernard pointed at the map and continued: "The Mirage has about 30,000 troops on the island, divided into 20 legions and 60 battalions. The main force should be stationed in Dongwan, the largest port city in the north of the island, with a small number of deployments.
In Fengshun City in the south."
He explained simply: "The eastern part of the island is actually not convenient for us to land, so the fleet has to go around to the west side of the island and choose a flat beach to unload the troops."
"It is expected that the resistance on the island will not be particularly strong, because the enemy troops are scattered and have not built complete defensive positions at all. They do not know our arrival and are unlikely to make targeted deployments." After speaking, Bernard looked at
To the 1st group leader.
Obviously, he was waiting for the 1st regiment leader to put forward some opinions. The 1st regiment leader thought for a while and directly asked the question he was most concerned about: "Are you sure there is no defensive position?"
He knew very well that his troops were in very poor condition. Under such circumstances, it would obviously be difficult to immediately engage in combat with the enemy.
Assuming that he only landed ashore, did not need to engage in an immediate battle with the enemy, rested for a few hours, or simply stayed in place for two days to regain his combat effectiveness, he was still very confident that his men could defeat 8,000 enemy troops.
"Definitely not! Because neither the Zheng Kingdom nor the Mirage Kingdom have large-scale replacement of bolt-action rifles, and the main force still uses flintlock rifles as the core equipment. They should not be exposed to new tactics, and they will not be exposed to new tactics at all.
They will not guard against our landing operations. This is why we dare to force a landing when information is so scarce." Bernard immediately said with certainty.
He paused and continued to encourage the commander of the 1st regiment: "So, we have also concluded that it is not difficult to defeat the 30,000 troops stationed on the island. We have an overwhelming advantage in both weapons and tactics."
Unfortunately, the commander of the 1st Regiment still lacks confidence in his troops: "The biggest problem now is how many percent of our soldiers have combat effectiveness left... I guess we will be lucky if we can get 300 of them on the day of landing."
The only thing he can rely on now is the 1st Battalion, 1st Company and 2nd Company, which are in relatively good condition. After all, these two companies were the main reinforcements of Rewind Port. They participated in the Battle of Dorne and have rich maritime navigation experience.
, and has practical experience.
In fact, there is no hope for the remaining troops, at least within two or three days.
"Let's make up whatever we can. After all, we have no experience. Next time... it will definitely be much better." Bernard blushed, feeling a little sorry for these army brothers.
"Alas..." The commander of the 1st Regiment also felt very aggrieved. He felt that this kind of ocean landing operation should have been left to the navy itself: "Tomorrow, will we be able to see Dongwan Island?
"
"Yes, you will probably be able to eat on the shore early the day after tomorrow." Bernard gave the only good news in the opinion of the 1st regimental leader.
