The water in the creek is not too deep, the deepest part is only up to the neck, and the water level is gentle. Soldiers can walk across it with guns raised, but it is a bit difficult to carry heavy weapons.
Moreover, the water in the river is freezing cold. After wading through it, your body will definitely become stiff and you will be unable to breathe for a while. You must also take emergency measures to keep warm, otherwise you will easily get frostbite.
Therefore, it is not suitable for large-scale armies to swim across the river, but it is possible to send a few hundred elites to take advantage of the enemy's unpreparedness and sneak across first.
Regardless of the cold water, several hundred British soldiers swam across the river, immediately changed into dry clothes, and then built fortifications on the other side to prevent the Self-Rescue Army from attacking their engineering troops. This move seemed to have had a certain effect.
However, when Logan wanted to send more infantry across the river, Liu Zhenming sent infantrymen carrying mortars to blast the river, and then immediately moved before the British artillery could be unloaded from the vehicle.
position.
After doing this again and again, Logan gave up his mind, and he was also afraid that if too many people were sent across the river and they could not gather together on the other side, they would be more likely to be attacked by enemy artillery fire.
Liu Zhenming stood on a high ground, holding telescopes in both hands, watching the enemy's movements from a distance. He was relieved to see that the British army would no longer increase their troops here.
"The British guys are very fast. In a short period of time, almost half of the pontoon bridge was built." Liu Zhenming praised sincerely. He saw floating logs on the river starting to be quickly built one by one. It must not take a few hours for the river to be built.
There will be a new way.
The river is small for one reason, but the engineering team of the Self-Rescue Army could not have built it so quickly. The British Army engineers built four pontoon bridges on the small river at the same time, and they were almost halfway completed.
At this time, Liu Zhenming became slightly excited. When the British began to cross the river, it was time for him to start the attack. During this period, the British could not see any flaws.
"Let brothers prepare for battle!" Liu Zhenming turned around fiercely and ordered loudly.
"Yes, commander!" He Xiaoqing and others gave the order and began to assemble the troops.
For a time, the whole fortification of the Self-Rescue Army was crowded with people. The sound of footsteps could be heard everywhere.
The movement of the Self-Rescue Army aroused speculation from the British army, and the British army guarding the river bank hurriedly sent people to report the news to Logan.
"There is a mobilization of troops in the Chinese position. They are likely to launch an attack when we cross the river. The artillery will cooperate with us to cross the river." Logan looked at the artillery colonel with a serious face.
"Yes, Your Excellency Commander, as long as the Chinese dare to attack, we will definitely fulfill our duties." The British artillery colonel received the order unequivocally.
"Let the engineers speed up. I will start crossing the river in two hours."
"Yes, Your Excellency, as long as the enemy troops do not come to harass us, our infantry will be able to cross the river in two hours."
Logan issued orders one by one, and these troops did not disappoint him. They were all confident that they could complete the orders.
The British soldiers gathered on the river bank, waiting anxiously. They held their guns tightly in both hands, and thousands of pairs of eyes were looking at the ever-extending pontoon bridge. They only waited for the bridge to be completed before crossing the river and moving their defensive positions forward.
Advance a few miles.
"Colonel Logan, the Chinese have walked out of their fortifications and are heading this way quickly." The scouts conveyed the latest news to Logan, who was also standing by the river.
"Let the artillery prepare, and everyone else, be ready to cross the river." Logan's face became anxious. He felt like he was racing against time and against the Chinese. Whoever was faster would win in the end.
After receiving Logan's order, the British soldiers on the river bank also started a commotion...
"Those yellow-skinned pigs are coming, be careful, yellow-skinned pigs are very cunning and vicious."
"Do you think our pontoon bridge will be built before they arrive?"
"It goes without saying that even if those yellow-skinned monkeys arrive, they will definitely let us build a pontoon bridge and then attack when we cross the river."
"That…"
"Don't worry, our artillery is ready. Lieutenant Colonel Kent, leading 500 soldiers, is also waiting for us on the opposite side. He will defend and prevent the yellow people from taking a step forward."
"That's right. If these yellow-skinned monkeys find out that we are all prepared, they will definitely retreat to their trenches in despair."
The captain of the British Army Corps of Engineers stood on a section of the pontoon bridge and kept urging: "Quick, quick, there are still five meters left. With only five meters, we can connect to the other side."
The engineers were constantly carrying wood back and forth, and were busy carrying out various construction work.
At this time, the engineering corps still did not have large machinery, and everything was done with hands. If in later generations, you want to build a bridge, it is simple, just send a plane, hoist the rails, lay some things, and a bridge can be built in an hour.
All can be done.
"Four meters, three meters, one meter..." An engineer soldier wiped the sweat from his forehead, with joy on his face, and then jumped from the pontoon to the other side in front of everyone's attention.
The floating bridge is open!
As the first pontoon bridge was connected, and the other three were completed one after another, the British troops on both sides of the strait started bursts of cheers. However, their celebrations were interrupted by the gunfire of the self-rescuing soldiers.
Ye Geyin and others led more than a thousand soldiers in a skirmish formation and galloped over. The forwards had already exchanged fire with the British troops guarding the opposite position.
"Cross the river and defeat those arrogant yellow people." Logan waved his hand enthusiastically, and the British soldiers began to walk quickly onto the bridge, and they also carried heavy machine guns, ammunition, etc.
As the Chinese Self-Rescue Army attacked, the British artillery began to get busy. One shell after another roared across the river and fell into the attacking Chinese Self-Rescue Army.
"Give them a little more pressure, and everyone will go out!" Liu Zhenming put down the telescope and ordered calmly.
"Kill!"
Immediately, following Liu Zhenming's order, countless Chinese people suddenly surged out of the trenches as if they were emerging from the ground, shouting loudly and heading towards the enemy with great momentum.
Everyone who listens is moved.
As soon as the large troops were dispatched, Liu Zhenming roared: "Set up smoke and kill the foreigners!"
"Yes, let go of smoke and kill foreigners!"
"Set up smoke and kill foreigners!"
…
The order was passed quickly, and after dozens of seconds, it reached the ears of the soldiers standing next to the piles of firewood outside. They lit the matches, threw them on the firewood, and with a bang, they ignited.
As it opened, thick smoke rose from the ground and rose into the sky.
A few miles up the river, several soldiers held up telescopes and looked here without blinking. When they saw the rising smoke, they were all shocked and shouted in surprise: "The smoke is rising."
The smoke is rising!"
"The smoke is rising?!" Zhang Donglai, who was sitting on the ground, stood up suddenly, full of strength, and shouted: "Light the explosives, open the gate, release the water, and kill the foreign devils."
Dozens of soldiers who had been waiting for a long time lit the fuse without any hesitation, and then ran away quickly.
Here, more than 30,000 Indians, Chinese workers, and soldiers built a high dam in more than 20 days, and several explosions were heard.
Boom! The water was surging with extraordinary momentum, like thousands of troops galloping, rushing downstream. Even a few small trees on the river bank were washed away without a trace. With the power of destroying everything, it surged forward
forward.….
On the downstream side of the pontoon, the British had not yet realized the danger coming upstream. They did not know what the burning smoke meant, and the explosions upstream were also masked by the bombardment of Armstrong's cannon.
When Logan saw three thousand more soldiers emerging from the Self-Rescue Army, he was shocked. He thought that the Chinese just liked to use tricks to confuse his opponents.
Fortunately, the number of people was still within his psychological tolerance, but the soldiers had to speed up the crossing of the river, otherwise the hundreds of people on the other side of the river might not be able to defend themselves.
"Quick, cross the river, cross the river, the second group, cross the water, jump into the water, quick, quick!"
The four pontoon bridges are already crowded with people, probably no less than 2,000 people. The rest of the British soldiers are also concentrated at one end of the pontoon bridge, waiting to get on the bridge. However, Logan still feels that the speed is too slow. If the opponent only has a thousand people,
He was also able to calmly let the soldiers cross the river.
But now, the opponent had 4,000 people. Thinking of the combat effectiveness of the Chinese Self-Rescue Army, the cautious Logan asked the soldiers of the second regiment to directly enter the water and swim across to speed up the process.
Logan's order was well implemented. Hundreds of soldiers entered the water at once. All British soldiers knew that time is life. As long as they cross the river, the Chinese will naturally retreat. If the other side is captured,
It is really tragic for us who are on the river.
The British troops crossed the river desperately, which did not bring them victory, but brought them greater defeat.
The Chinese who joined the charge were not real soldiers, but Chinese workers who were temporarily left behind by Liu Zhenming to build the embankment. Under the leadership of He Xiaoqing, they stopped advancing before they could reach the British position.
.
"The foreigners have all gone into the river, and the bridge is full of people, retreat!" He Xiaoqing shouted, and the Chinese laborers who were pretending to be brave seemed to be suddenly discouraged and fled back quickly.