As soon as it dawned the next day, the British troops began to mobilize in preparation for the attack.
British Commander Douglas stood on a high ground, holding telescopes in both hands. Behind him stood a group of senior British officers.
"Who is the commander of the rebels?" Douglas asked in a deep voice while frowning as he watched.
The staff officer on the side quickly replied: "It's that old guy from Vail. He is a veteran of the American Civil War. He once participated in the Fenian military operation to attack Quebec."
"This old guy is not dead yet!" Douglas paused and added: "Not only is he not dead, he has become more difficult to deal with."
Douglas swept across the defensive area of the barbed wire fence, squinted his eyes for a while, and said doubtfully: "It's strange, this defensive fortification is not the same as other places, it doesn't seem like it was made by the same commander, etc., etc.
Can you guess what I saw?"
Without waiting for the officers to answer, Douglas gave the answer: "I seem to see yellow people, yes, those short Chinese."
"Have the rebels colluded with the yellow race? It seems that their military strength is too scarce, otherwise they would not have placed the Chinese in such an important position."
"General, do you need to ask Steve to change his offensive strategy a little and strengthen the yellow people's attack? Maybe we can win in the first attack." The staff officer also looked over with a telescope in surprise, while looking at it.
Bian made suggestions.
"There is no need to change for the time being. Maybe those Chinese are just helping with defense." Douglas put down his telescope and looked at his own army below. He said dissatisfiedly: "What are Steve still waiting for?"
"I'll go down and take a look." A staff officer came down hurriedly.
…
The person Douglas saw was Liu Zhenming. He, Sean and others were also observing the enemy's situation.
Seeing the British army's distinctive uniforms and massive momentum, Sean said with concern: "Liu, do you want to ask General Weir for some support?"
Sean admired Liu Zhenming's ability, but he really had confidence in the other soldiers in the trenches who were thin and in messy clothes.
Liu Zhenming knew that he had good intentions. However, he asked for help before there was a fight. Even if Liu Zhenming asked for help, Weir probably would not send anyone over.
Besides, Liu Zhenming doesn’t think that the soldiers of the Self-Rescue Army are worse than the Fenians.
"Let's see, the British are about to move out. Let's enter the trenches." Seeing the attacking soldiers, they began to walk forward slowly. Liu Zhenming immediately jumped into the trenches.
Liu Zhenming's defensive position was on the left wing of the entire front, within the offensive range of Steve's Canadian Brigade.
Among the 20,000 troops led by Douglas, there were four infantry brigades, namely the 2nd and 4th Royal Infantry Brigades, a Canadian Brigade, and an Australian Brigade. The Canadian Brigade and the Australian Brigade just returned to their respective territories after the war.
In addition, there are three squadrons of Lancers. The artillery consists of 5 artillery batteries and 30 Armstrong cannons, all of which are 15-pounders. Of course, if necessary, cannons can also be disassembled from warships.
The lineup is quite luxurious. The colonial army, the local army, and the navy cooperate in the operation. It is no wonder that the Australians just come here for a tour.
The British soldiers of the two infantry brigades formed a yellow khaki tide. They slowly began to move forward. They were waiting for the sound of cannon fire before charging.
Douglas did not use the five artillery batteries together. Instead, they cooperated with the infantry and divided them into three parts, preparing to bombard the left, center, and right attack directions at the same time to clear the way for the infantry.
In the field hospital that had just been set up in the rear, a group of Indians wrapped in turbans were also on standby, waiting to transport the wounded.
Among this group of Indians, there is a young Indian in his early thirties wearing a war medal who is very eye-catching, mainly because his ears are relatively wide. If there is an Indian Asan in the future, he will definitely exclaim.
Mahatma Gandhi….
Yes, this young Indian was young Gandhi. During the Boer War in 1900, Gandhi was in South Africa. The British conscripted a team of Indian ambulance drivers to transport the wounded to field hospitals. Unfortunately, Gandhi was conscripted.
Although Gandhi repeatedly told the authorities that "Hindus are not suitable for activities involving dangerous and tiring manhood," the British regarded him as a fart.
Fortunately, the ambulance driver was relatively safe, and Gandhi's driving skills were also very good. Instead of dying on the battlefield, he received a war medal.
Tragically, the war in British Columbia started again, and Gandhi had no time to breathe a sigh of relief. He and some other Indians who performed outstandingly were sent here again to continue their old business of transporting the wounded.
But this time there was no ambulance for him to drive. What he had to do was to direct other Indians to transport the wounded on stretchers.
Seeing the strong British army, Gandhi silently mourned the defending Fenians in his heart. Based on his experience of more than a year, Gandhi had summed up an experience to directly use military force to challenge the British.
Governance is hopeless.
Only by resisting British rule through non-violent means can there be a way out.
Naturally, no one cared about the young Indian's thoughts. As the British artillery began to show off its power, the Vancouver Defense Battle officially began.
Woo woo woo…
The 15-pound artillery shell streaked across the sky, friction with the air, and produced a sharp and terrifying sound. All the British soldiers watched leisurely as the shell passed over their heads, and then hit the enemy's position fiercely.
Boom, boom…
The shells first hit the obstruction in front of the trench, and wood, gravel, ice slag, and snow began to fly all over the sky.
Liu Zhenming had already led the soldiers of the Self-Rescue Army to hide in the support trench anti-gun holes about 70 meters away from the front trench before the British army started bombarding them.
"The British artillery fire is starting to extend here!" The sound of the artillery fire got closer and closer, and finally stopped around the front line trenches. Sean, who was hiding with Liu Zhenming, had to marvel at this time. It turned out that the second trench was like this
It was useful. When he thought that his compatriots were hiding in the shell-proof hole in the only trench, Sean could only sigh silently. Who made General Weir not trust this Oriental?
"Return to the frontline trenches!" Liu Zhenming waited until the sound of artillery stopped and then quickly conveyed the order.
Suddenly, countless self-rescue soldiers emerged from the artillery holes and quickly rushed to the front line trenches through the traffic trenches. The self-rescue soldiers who had been tempered by the fire of war were no longer what they used to be. They were all like loaches, slippery and slippery.
He returned quietly from the tunnel, no one spoke, no one coughed.
While there were commotions and shouts on other fronts, the Self-Rescue Army's position was quiet and terrifying. All the soldiers were holding their rifles tightly and looking at the movements of the British troops without blinking.
.
The shelling did not completely destroy the barbed wire fences. They still stood on the spot, as if mocking the British's incompetence.
"Soldiers, for the sake of victory, attack! Charge into the rebel trenches and plunge your bayonets into their chests." Steve pulled out his command knife and pointed the bright blade in the direction of the trenches.
In an instant, loud shouts rang out, and countless Canadians, holding rifles and leaning forward, launched an assault forward.
The defensive positions stretching for several kilometers were filled with British troops marching bravely. A major commanded hundreds of people to come to the Self-Rescue Army's position.
The major had already learned that the people defending this area might be Chinese. Therefore, during the charge, he shouted arrogantly: "Soldiers, in front of us is the Chinese position. This is where we must break through. If we
If you fail to occupy it, you will be laughed at by everyone else."
"Kill the Chinese!" The soldiers were so excited by him that they howled and screamed, their blood boiling, and they wanted to fight with the Chinese immediately. When they returned from the Boer battlefield victorious, they heard that the despicable Chinese took the opportunity to cause trouble, and their hearts were already filled with anger.
He took a breath.
This kind of anger can only be vented by stepping on the corpse of a Chinese.
Bang bang bang…
Clear gunshots rang out everywhere. When Liu Zhenming listened carefully, he knew that it was not his soldiers who fired, because his soldiers would only fire the first shot in the barrel when they received their orders.
The bullet is fired.
Liu Zhenming squinted his eyes and aimed at a British officer, waiting for the other party to step into the death zone step by step.
Two hundred meters, one hundred and fifty meters,…
As the British army got closer and closer, the gunfire on other fronts had already become extremely fierce. Amidst the continuous gunfire, only the Chinese position seemed to have no one defending it, allowing the British army to advance quickly and continuously.