Chapter 1707 Ren Zijuan is facing a head-on blow
Just as the north bank of the bridge was adjusting its deployment and preparing to launch a new round of attack, the south bank of the bridge had also entered an intensive preparation stage.
All the squatting tiger cannons were pulled up to the high ground to the west of the bridge. The fifty squatting tiger cannons were arranged in a stepped manner, pointing darkly at the north end of the bridge. The soldiers also began to adjust the gun positions, hoping to hit the first round of shooting. Just produce good results.
Compared to the dense arrangement of the Tiger Crouching Cannon, occupying key parts of the high ground, the Eagle-billed Gunmen appear to be much more flexible, deploying in groups of three or five according to their most convenient locations.
At the same time, two high earth platforms were quickly built, located on the east and west sides respectively. The platform area was not large, but it could still accommodate seven or eight fire gunners. According to He Huchen's suggestion, the best eagle-billed gunners could Here, shoot regardless of time in order to maximize the damage to the enemies hiding behind the camper.
Considering that the Xuanfu army might launch an attack using a campervan formation, He Huchen ordered his soldiers to pile up soil and stones at the head of the bridge and on the bridge near the south of the bridge. This would act as a blocker and the campervans would have to pass through Send people to shovel away the dirt and push away the rocks, which may have to expose them to the firecrackers south of the bridge.
In addition, He Huchen also asked the soldiers to build another circle of mud barriers at the south end of the bridge ten steps along the bridge. Once the enemy's camp truck rushes out of the bridge, there will still be such a circle of mud barriers to block it and prevent the opponent from taking advantage of the situation. Disrupt your own position.
In fact, He Huchen was not too worried about this section of the stone bridge. In his opinion, no matter how fierce and elite the Xuanfu army was, the narrowness of the bridge deck determined that it was difficult to maximize the optimization of the troops they invested.
If both sides and the front need to be covered with campers, then the space in the middle to accommodate soldiers will be quite limited.
Even if the entire bridge was filled with campers to cover the nurses and soldiers, He Huchen estimated that it would be difficult for the number of soldiers to exceed 200. And if the two hundred people pushed the campers across the bridge, once the campers were no longer protected, they would be greeted one after another. Round storm of metal pellets.
He Huchen was worried that the Xuanfu army might break through from other sections of the river by boating and setting up pontoons with civilian ships. He had limited troops and could not defend the entire Yu River section. He could only use Zhao Keming's three hundred cavalry. Patrol along the river bank and report in advance any signs of enemy troops crossing the river or erecting pontoon bridges and deal with them.
But He Huchen also knew very well that even so, the distance that could be controlled was very limited. If it extended further to the east and west ends, there would be nothing he could do.
Therefore, he did not dare to pull Zhao Keming's troops out. He wanted to guard against the fact that if he failed to control the river bank in time, the other party would steal the camp and cut off the retreat, which would be a real disaster.
At least Gonghua City is here now. If the situation is unfavorable, then you can steadily retreat to Gonghua City and rely on Gonghua City to block the opponent to gain time.
Just after midnight, He Huchen noticed movement on the other side.
The torches on both sides were held high, allowing both sides of the Yu River to have a general view. I dare not say that they had a panoramic view, but with the help of the high platform that had been built, He Huchen could see that campers were starting to gather fifty steps away from the north end of the bridge. At first glance, there were at least fifty vehicles.
Camping vehicles are mainly used for the transportation of large troops' baggage, including grain, fodder, tent wood and other sundries. This is not uncommon in every large-scale military expedition. At the same time, it is also an indispensable barrier for vehicle soldiers.
Once it is in the process of traveling, or when it is needed for fighting, special fences can be quickly inserted around this kind of camper, and then filled with grain and sandbags to become the best cover barrier.
This kind of camp car plays an extremely important role when the infantry deals with enemy rangers and large-scale cavalry charges, as well as against musketeers.
The wooden shield could not withstand firecrackers at close range, but the camper filled with food and sandbags had no problem. The only flaw was that the camper moved slowly, and it was not easy to change formations. It was most suitable to be fixed as a camp, but it was pushed forward by the movement. It is easy to suffer from disconnection and difficulty in conversion.
However, from the perspective of the Xuanfu Army, as long as the camp car and the sergeants are forced to rush across the stone bridge and take advantage of the situation to cover up the enemy, they can break through at close range and defeat the enemy in one fell swoop.
Li Daming's 3,000 men only lost 600, and it would be easy to extract a few hundred more elites. Judging from Li Daming's posture, he was frightened by the opponent. He seemed to be constantly telling the soldiers in line something. They were asked to slow down to ensure safety, and in addition to the camp car, the soldiers were also asked to wear shields.
Guo Yungui curled his lips with some contempt. The commander-in-chief thought highly of Li Daming. Guo Yungui knew that, so it was okay to let this guy go against the wall and suffer. If the first defeat was caused by not understanding the enemy's situation and underestimating the enemy, what about the second defeat? This time, the commander-in-chief will give you whatever you want. If you come back in disgrace, the commander-in-chief will probably fall out with you.
Of course, Guo Yungui doesn’t think Li Daming will cause much trouble in this attack.
After all, the camper has erected fences and filled it with sandbags. Even if ordinary soldiers stand, they will not be hit by firecrackers. Firecrackers are not like bows and arrows that can be thrown, and the camper is protected on three sides. The gap in the middle can There is not much space for hiding soldiers, and even projectiles cannot achieve much effect. The stone bridge is so wide that it is already very difficult to accommodate several campers.
The purpose of the camp car is to push it all the way to the south end of the bridge to form a barrier, and then let the group of sergeants quickly rush across the stone bridge and start a breakthrough.
The enemy on the opposite side also set up obstacles on the bridge. To clear it, lives would have to be taken to fill it. Guo Yungui saw that the dozens of soldiers at the front had already put on plate armor and were holding shields. Only in this way could they resist If they can withstand the attack of the firecrackers, they will act as a death squad, responsible for clearing the obstacles on the bridge deck.
Guo Yungui stretched out and looked at the soldiers who were also gathering behind him. Although he didn't think it would be used, he still had to take precautions. Once Li Daming's troops broke through to the north of Qiao and the situation went wrong, then his own An elite team was about to follow, and this was also a good time to make meritorious deeds. Guo Yungui didn't think anyone could stop his elite team when they arrived in Qiaobei.
Just as he was about to give instructions to the boys behind him, Guo Yungui suddenly heard a loud noise. To be precise, it was not a loud noise, but it seemed more like a sound that erupted from multiple loud noises superimposed in one breath. Before he had time to understand what had happened, he felt a sharp pain covering his head and face, knocking him off his horse.
The severe pain made him almost faint, but after all, he was a veteran who had been fighting on the battlefield for many years. Guo Yungui endured the pain and propped up his body with his left hand.
He could feel that his right arm must be broken. He didn't know what had hit him. The entire right upper arm was **** and bloody. The soldier next to him had already fallen to the ground without saying a word. Guo Yungui looked through the firelight and saw that half of his face was covered in blood. It was beaten to nothing, revealing the horrific state of bones and muscles connected together.
What happened? Guo Yungui was a little confused. He got up and looked around. The five hundred elites behind him were lying on the ground in a mess. Those who were lucky enough not to be hit were so frightened that they dodged around. They didn't know what this blow from the sky was like. Where does it come from.
Similarly, Li Daming's troops who were giving lectures also encountered this sudden misfortune, but their situation seemed to be better than their own. Only one corner was hit, and there were estimated to be fifty or sixty casualties.
"It's an artillery?!" Guo Yungui suddenly realized, does the opponent have a Western cannon? He came to his senses in shock. What could shoot so far except a cannon? Attack across the river, no, no, it's not a Western cannon. If a Western cannon hits me, how can I just break one arm, and I'm afraid my whole body will be turned into powder, it's a squatting tiger cannon.
When Guo Yungui reacted, Li Daming also realized the danger.
The whole north end of the bridge was full of victims, with broken limbs and broken bodies lying everywhere. In fact, less than 30% of the people who died from such attacks were hit on the head, face, internal organs, and vital organs, and the vast majority were shot. It hits non-vital parts, such as limbs, shoulders and back, but this will cause greater losses.
Almost all those who were hit suffered broken bones and tendons, or suffered injuries to their internal organs, and no longer had combat effectiveness. Instead, they needed to be taken care of. Their painful wails greatly damaged their own morale, and even their formations. They were unable to assemble, let alone organize an attack.
The opponent has artillery, a squatting tiger cannon. This kind of rubble from a finger to the size of a jujube is fully exploded with kinetic energy by gunpowder. It can easily break the internal organs and bones of ordinary people. Even if they are wearing cotton armor, they will still be damaged. Can't resist this impact.
Dozens of squatting tiger cannons exploded one after another in a breath, pouring thousands of stones on the assembly area at the north end of the bridge. It can be said that the Xuanfu army was caught off guard again and completely disrupted the Xuanfu army's offensive steps.
In panic, all the soldiers could only subconsciously run back. The enemy could cross the river and attack, but if they stayed there, wouldn't they be waiting for the second shot?
The whole north end of the bridge was in chaos, and some people hid behind the camper. However, because it was dark and they didn't know where the alcohol hit came from. They only knew that it fell from the sky. Everyone could only hide under the camper. Clinging to the ground is the safest way to escape.
Li Daming was lucky. He was not affected by this wave of blows, but the attack he had just arranged was completely useless. For a moment, he didn't know what to do. All the soldiers fled. It takes time to organize, and The ferocious blow hanging above your head may strike at any time, but what should you do?
(End of this chapter)