Hao Dawei, commander of Wu's First Chariot Regiment, watched the train stop at the train station closest to Chengtian Fucheng.
He could tell that Chengtianfu City had fallen into the hands of the enemy.
Captain Hao Dawei glanced at the calendar next to him. It was already November 5th, 3:17 in the afternoon.
Gui Guo has been attacking for more than a week, and the chariot regiment has not yet arrived on the battlefield.
Mainly because Gui State blew up river embankments, causing the railway bridge to collapse due to floods.
The railway department is rushing to repair the railway, which is the most time-consuming time.
The tank regiment is transported by rail, which is already the fastest way.
The combat vehicle was very powerful on the battlefield, but as the mileage increased, the mechanical reliability continued to decrease.
Even if the chariots can reach the battlefield on their own, they have lost their ability to fight.
Chariots can only ride on vehicles and rush to locations near the battlefield.
The best vehicle is the railway, which has a large carrying capacity and is fast.
If in the Empire, you can choose truck transportation.
The national conditions of Wu state dictate that trucks cannot be selected for long-distance transportation.
In the Kingdom of Wu, only the roads around the capital were decent, and most areas were dirt roads and slag roads.
In this kind of road condition, it can barely transport tanks.
However, it is very difficult to drive on the dirt road that has been soaked in water, and trucks with heavy loads will definitely not be able to pass it.
After the floods receded and the sun shone for several days, these roads were reopened to traffic.
However, the tank regiment must rush to the battlefield as soon as possible, and the only option is to transport it by dirt roads.
Captain Hao Dawei led his men down the train station.
The chariot driver carefully drove the chariot off the freight train.
The naval maintenance engineer immediately began to check the condition of the tank.
Commander Hao Dawei ordered the soldiers to rest where they were.
He ordered the chariot regiment to turn on the radio and begin close communication with the Metropolitan Governor.
The Gui army has captured Chengtianfu City and will inevitably set up defensive positions there.
Commander Hao Dawei was confident of breaking through the Gui army's defense line.
The position of the chariot regiment was that of the heavy cavalry in the previous army.
He can break through the enemy's formation, but there is no army to follow behind to expand the victory.
Captain Hao Dawei only had fifty tanks under his command. Once surrounded by enemy troops, it would be easy for his entire army to be annihilated.
The armor of the tank can withstand the close-range explosion of artillery shells.
However, the track of the tank is extremely fragile. Five or six grenades bundled together can break the track of the tank.
When a tank loses its ability to move at high speed, it becomes artillery with limited effect on the battlefield, and it will be quickly annihilated by the enemy.
Captain Hao Dawei sent the information about the chariot regiment to the Governor-General's Office, requesting guidance from the Governor-General's Office.
He soon received battlefield information and orders from the Metropolitan Governor's Office.
The Gui army had captured Chengtian Mansion yesterday, and they immediately deployed defenses around Chengtian Mansion.
The defensive fortifications built by Wu State did not play much role due to insufficient troops.
Now all these fortifications have fallen into the hands of the Gui army.
After the Gui army opened the road, reinforcements quickly arrived at Chengtian Mansion. The Gui army in Chengtian Mansion now numbered 20,000.
The Governor's Office sent a telegram to the chariot regiment to stand guard outside the battlefield, wait until reinforcements arrived, and then cooperate with the reinforcements to attack Chengtian Mansion.
After Captain Hao Dawei read the telegram, the sweat on his temples immediately started to flow.
The Gui army launched an attack, and the Wu army acted as the defender. The situation was very favorable to them.
If there were sufficient troops, the Gui army would never be able to break through the Wu army's defense line.
But this situation is just a fantasy. Including the navy, the total strength of the Wu army is less than 40,000.
Without mobilizing militiamen to join the army, the number of troops that can be used as reinforcements is only about 30,000.
Due to intelligence errors before the war, they could not detect the direction of the Gui army's active attack.
We can only leave some troops in various places and let these troops bear the pressure at the beginning of the war.
Troops from other places will arrive on the battlefield as soon as possible.
Captain Hao Dawei looked in the direction of Chengtian Mansion. Now the Gui army was waiting for work and took defensive operations.
Wu Jun wants to capture Gui Jun, but he doesn't know what price he will pay.
As a soldier, he could only carry out the orders of the Governor-General with all his strength.
He only hoped that the reinforcements would arrive earlier so that the Gui army could continue to build fortifications and become familiar with the terrain.
In the next war, Wu Jun will have to pay a higher price.
…
Wu Palace, War Room.
Wu Wangqi resolutely looked at the intelligence sent from the front line.
He was so angry that he slapped the table hard with his hands.
"How dare he do this to those inhumane people in Gui State.
Since they have captured all the Han people in Chengtian Mansion, there are no Chinese citizens on the battlefield.
You're welcome, I will never stay in this war.
Send a telegram to Zhang Hujing and Li Mansong, allowing them to use incendiary gasoline bombs, thermite bombs, and poison gas bombs in combat."
When Tang Lai, the Prime Minister of Wu State, heard Wu Wang Qi's resolute and angry words, he immediately stopped him and said: "Your Majesty, please think twice about this matter.
This kind of weapon that can cause mass destruction has no problem dealing with aliens.
But dealing with Wu, who is also a Han, will definitely cause huge controversy.
The empire should weigh whether to intervene in wars between vassal states.
If we really use this special ammunition, the empire must deal with this matter even if it is to calm public opinion.
We can still control the situation now, but once the empire ends, the development of the situation will be uncontrollable."
King Wu Qi resolutely heard the advice of Prime Minister Tang Lai. His anger calmed down a little and he also hesitated about this matter.
However, the Grand Governor Zhou Quanjin immediately applauded and said: "The king's strategy is really wonderful.
I am worried about how to drive the Gui army out of our country.
If this war adopts conventional combat methods, it will inevitably cause heavy casualties.
Special ammunition is stored in Jianye, and its use needs to be carried out under the supervision of everyone.
It also takes a certain amount of time to transport special ammunition to the front line.
The troops led by General Zhang Hujing and General Li Mansong will reach the Chengtian Mansion battlefield in one day.
It is entirely possible for General Zhang Hujing and General Li Mansong to try to attack the Gui Army's position.
If the attack fails for a long time and suffers heavy casualties, I believe that special bombs should be used.
Otherwise, the Gui army breaks through our defense line and no army can stop them.
Even if the Gui army did not attack Jianye, all the core population of their Wu state would be transferred.
Our country of Wu is also in a state of existence in name only.
Once the war situation goes against our army, special bombs must be used.
If the empire really intervenes in this war, no matter what the consequences are, they will never be more serious than the consequences of national subjugation."
After Wu Wangqi listened resolutely, a decisive expression appeared on his face.
He waved his arm and said: "The current situation is difficult, and the situation is indeed as Zhou Aiqing said.
Let the prince Qi Bin take the king's handwriting and escort the special bombs to the front line.
Only the three of us, the monarch and his ministers, know about this matter. We did not discuss it in the telegram and kept it as confidential as possible.
Zhang Hujing and Li Mansong are both loyal and patriotic people. They will naturally know what to do after seeing my king's handwriting."
Governor Zhou Quanjin coordinated the supporting troops from various places.
King Wu Qi resolutely called on his confidant Cui Yuanji to take charge of the entire plan.
He was the core figure in escorting the special bombs. The prince Qi Bin just reassured the two generals Zhang Hujing and Li Mansong that Wu State would never do anything to make things worse.
…
November 7, 4357 (1660 AD).
General Lan Ke couldn't help laughing when he read the telegram.
Xuanjing sent a total of two telegrams, one of which was to commend General Lan Ke.
General Lan Ke selected the Han people from Wu State to be transferred to Gui State.
This directly allowed the senior officials of Gui State to find the most valuable thing in this war.
The land occupied by the Gui army cannot be judged on the future development of the situation, and it may not be able to be kept in its hands.
But the Han people who moved to Gui State will not let them go no matter what changes occur in the war situation.
The second thing that makes General Lan Ke happy is that Chengtian Fortress has been solved by the Gui army.
This allows the army to avoid the dilemma of fighting on two fronts.
The heavy artillery deployed by the Gui Army in order to attack Chengtian Fortress can now also be used directly for defensive operations.
The war zone deployed by General Lan Ke will inevitably cause the Wu army to suffer heavy losses.
As long as the Gui army can take advantage of defensive operations, it can severely damage the Wu army.
They can march straight into Wu State. Even if Wu State chooses to urgently recruit militiamen to join the army, they are no match for veterans who have experienced war.
General Lan Ke heard noisy running sounds outside the door.
He saw Army Commander Xu Jinjin trotting over.
He ran to the door of the house, held on to the door frame, gasped twice, and said anxiously: "General Lan Ke, the Wu army arrived at the outer perimeter of our defense line last night.
They chose to attack this morning.
Wu Jun is a tired division. Should our army dispatch chariot regiments? Taking advantage of Wu Jun's poor condition, our army will start a decisive battle with Wu Jun."
When General Lan Ke heard Xu Jin's suggestion, he waved his hands directly and said: "Follow the previous preparations and continue to fight trench warfare with the Wu army.
The current situation is conducive to our army's defense.
If the tank regiment fails, the enemy will find an opportunity to severely damage our army.
If the troops are sparse, there will be no way to use trench warfare.
Now our army's goal is to seek stability and observe the Wu army's combat effectiveness through trench warfare.
Only after this defensive battle is fought can an appropriate combat plan be selected based on the specific situation."
Commander Xu Jin saluted with a military salute.
"I obey my command. Now go back and set up a good position. You will definitely beat Wu Jun to the head and bleed."
…
In the Wu army's camp, General Zhang Hujing and General Li Mansong formed a joint command to jointly command this war.
General Zhang Hujing frowned and said: "Our army has a total strength of 26,000 people, and the Gui army opposite is less than 20,000 people.
It seems that our army is larger than the opponent's army.
But our army is responsible for the attack and needs to pay more casualties.
Judging from my experience, our small number of people is not enough to break the enemy's position."
General Li Mansong nodded and said helplessly: "I agree with General Zhang, but we have to attack.
After all, Chengtian Mansion is our territory, and it is an inside battle here.
Our army has railway and road transportation behind it, and its ammunition supply exceeds that of Gui State.
I believe more in the importance of firepower. As long as the firepower is sufficient, the Gui army's position is not a problem.
The Gui army cannot be allowed to calmly strengthen its fortifications.
Once Gui Guo opens the road to Chengtian Mansion.
Lack of ammunition is no longer the weakness of the Gui army, and the only advantage our army has no longer exists.
At that time, attacking your army's positions will inevitably pay a heavier price."
General Zhang Hujing also understood this truth, which was why he agreed to the exploratory attack.
The Wu army wanted to explore the weaknesses of the Gui army's defensive positions through exploratory attacks.
Zhang Hujing sighed: "We missed one move and now our army is in a passive state.
In this war, all European countries are watching our performance.
Many countries are ready to take action. Once our military performs poorly, it will inevitably end up being shared among the wolves."
General Li Mansong agreed: "War is not a child's play, we must have a fight-to-death attitude."
After a brief exchange, the two of them reached an agreement.
They walked out of the camp and observed the Wu army's attack through the observation hole of the temporary bunker.
The army has been trained to travel long distances.
Even after a long march, the army's combat capability was not greatly affected.
According to tradition, Wu Jun's artillery began to cover Gui's positions.
The Gui army was hiding in the trench, but as long as a shell fell into the trench, casualties would inevitably occur in this section of the trench.
Except for the soldiers who hid in the shell-proof cave in time, all the others were killed by the fragments and shock waves of the shells.
The Gui army launched a fierce counterattack, immediately determined the Wu army's artillery position, and chose to bomb the artillery position indiscriminately.
After the Wu army opened fire, they chose to immediately move their artillery positions, and the Gui army did the same.
It is this tactic that makes artillery more capable of preserving itself, and the artillery battle between the two armies is very fierce.
General Zhang Hujing and General Li Mansong discovered the weak points of the Gui army's position through exploratory attacks.
The two began to command the army and storm these weak points.
The soldiers at the grassroots level repeatedly fought for the trenches with the enemy.
The firepower composed of machine guns and infantry artillery harvested the lives of soldiers.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! This war was the first war fought by two armies equipped with machine guns and metal bullets on a large scale.
During the war between Song and Chu in the colonies, the transportation of ammunition was very troublesome, and the price of purchasing it from imperial arms dealers was very high.
The weapons of both armies are mainly rifles.
The generals of Wu and Gui were aware of the power of machine guns before, but they never had the opportunity to see the true power of large-scale application of machine guns on the battlefield.
The battle ended at night, and when the top brass of both armies saw the casualty data, they remained silent.
General Zhang Orcas looked at the preliminary report, his eyes widened and he could hardly believe it.
"What, in just one day of fighting, our army suffered three thousand casualties.
More than 2,100 people died or were missing, and only more than 800 people were injured and rescued.
More people died than were injured.
Our army has only 26,000 men in total, with 3,000 casualties every day.
It only takes nine days and our army will be completely lost."
General Li Mansong said painfully: "It doesn't take nine days. If there are still these casualties tomorrow, our army will inevitably collapse.
But the Gui army on the opposite side is not much better. As defenders, their casualties will be less than our army.
According to my observation, the number of casualties is also more than 2,000.
Tomorrow's war will still be of this intensity. It depends on which one, our army or the enemy's army, cannot hold back first.
Whoever cannot bear the casualties and collapse first will lose this war."
General Zhang Hujing's eyes lit up and he said: "The lowest level of our two armies is almost composed of new recruits, and the endurance of new recruits is much weaker than that of veterans.
If only artillery bombing is used tomorrow, will the Gui army be unable to bear it?"
General Li Mansong's eyes lit up and he said: "It can be solved with artillery fire, but try not to let the soldiers charge.
I'll give it a try tomorrow, but I can't fight like today.
I am really afraid that our army will be the first to be unable to withstand the casualties and collapse."
The two generals reached an agreement, and they began to lay out the Wu army's battle plan for tomorrow.