At the pass in front of Zhennan Pass, there is a long wall. This wall is seven feet high, three miles long, one foot wide at the bottom, and three miles long. It spans the east and west ridges, and a deep trench is dug outside the wall. This is the mobilization of Feng Zicai
The defenses built by the people after more than a month of repairs were also his biggest barrier against the French attack.
The sun is scorching now, but there are human heads standing behind the long wall. Feng Zicai's five thousand troops have gathered here. Because the French have come to Zhennanguan again, and this time there are more people than before.
After Nigri led the French army to dispatch troops from Wenyuan and Lang Son, Feng Zicai received the news immediately. Although it was his plan to lure the snake out of its hole, when the French army actually came, he was not sure about it.
Although he had tried the fast cannon sent by the Italians before, as well as the electric cannon operated by the Italians themselves, he was not sure whether this thing was reliable.
I remember that when he watched the demonstration of the electric cannon named Maxim, his face changed. With many years of military experience, Feng Zicai was keenly aware that the swarm-like group charge before would be difficult to appear in the future.
And this is what I planned when I prepared it.
Immediately, he specifically asked the Italians whether this electric cannon was Italy's unique weapon. After receiving a positive answer, he felt relieved.
Since the French did not have such a thing, his previous idea could still be realized. In order to facilitate his command, he ordered Wang Xiaoqi to guard the west ridge on the right, Chen Jia and Jiang Zonghan to guard the east ridge on the left, and he and his two sons guarded the valley entrance.
Facing the formation set up by Feng Zicai, Nigri, who led his army to the pass, didn't care at all. In his opinion, these Qing troops were a group of cowards. As long as he shelled them, they would scatter in all directions.
Even if there are still a few stubborn people who refuse to retreat, the French warriors will use the guns in their hands to make them understand that they are simply irresistible. This is not the case in Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Even in Indochina, the French warriors are the same.
in this way.
Although they also encountered some minor troubles, such as the Black Flag Army, who were difficult to deal with, these people could only display their bravery in small-scale battles. As long as the French soldiers reached more than two battalions, then such as the Black Flag Army
Small characters can't resist the footsteps of France.
So when he saw that the Qing army actually wanted to block his footsteps with a long wall, Nigri couldn't help laughing. Fortunately, no one asked him why the general was laughing.
Since these reckless Qing people want to block France, let them taste the power of French cannons.
"Fire."
After the artillery was ready, Nigri immediately gave the order to fire and let them have a taste of the shells.
"Boom, boom, boom..."
This time Nigri brought a battalion of artillery, more than thirty artillery pieces of various types, which roared loudly. The artillery shells basically landed in front of the long wall and the Qing army's position. Occasionally, there were artillery shells that flew over the long wall and landed behind, but
At this time, screams could be faintly heard.
Such shelling may have been effective against other Qing armies, but it was of no use to the Qing army commanded by Feng Zicai.
Of course, the French army is not the only one capable of this. As the artillery gradually became familiar with the terrain and ballistics, its artillery became more and more accurate. Especially at several checkpoints on the long wall, it was violently bombarded. Many
The soldiers of the Qing army who failed to hide were hit by shrapnel. Some fell down without a sound, while others fell to the ground and screamed in agony.
The fierce shelling caused the morale of the Qing army to fluctuate, and many people showed some fearful eyes. And all this was seen by Feng Zicai. During the interval of the French shelling, he pulled out his saber and shouted loudly.
Call. "All officers and soldiers, starting from me, no one is allowed to take a step back. Behind us is our hometown. Who wants his wife and children to be insulted by the French? Now anyone who dares to step back will be dealt with immediately by military law. Before I go to war, I will
Guards have been arranged to guard the retreat. As long as there is no order from me, anyone who retreats will be killed without mercy."
Feng Zicai first started from a small point, moved the soldiers with emotion and reason, and then used military force to intimidate them, finally calming down the soldiers' minds.
These soldiers came from nearby state capitals, and of course they did not want to see their hometowns suffer military disasters, especially the dirty things the French did in Vietnam, and they did not want to see them in their hometowns. So after Feng Zicai's instigation, they
My heart gradually calmed down.
Later, even if the French bombarded them more fiercely, they persisted. Generals are courageous. This sentence is absolutely correct. As long as the generals themselves are not afraid of danger, then the soldiers will not be afraid.
The French bombardment did not last long. After about two sticks of incense, the bombardment stopped. This was not because the French army felt that the bombardment was about the same, but that the artillery needed to cool down.
Nigri took advantage of this moment and waved his hand, and five hundred Vietnamese servants immediately moved towards the long wall. This was to test the strength of the Qing army guarding the pass.
How could Feng Zicai not know the tricks of the French army? There was no need to use fast guns. When these Vietnamese servants came to the trench, figures immediately appeared from behind the long wall. A burst of bows and arrows and gunfire made these servants cry.
The mother crawled back.
Inside the wall, the Qing army deliberately raised the foundation so that they could shoot with only their chest exposed.
Seeing that the servant army behaved so badly, Nigri was so angry that he wanted to enforce military law on them. However, it is easy to enforce military law, but it is a bit difficult to recruit servant troops, so Nigri held back. Although these people were not good at fighting,
But it can help the French army a lot in other aspects.
"Keep firing."
As the artillery cooled down, a new round of bombardment began again. After repelling the attack of the servant army, the Qing army immediately descended from the wall. Who could wait for the French to bomb it?
So the Qing army hid behind the long wall and endured the French artillery fire.
The shelling ended the test, and the shelling continued after being beaten back.
After several times in succession, Nigri no longer planned to use these servants, and a battalion of French troops formed a skirmish line and moved towards the long wall.
The sharp-eyed eldest son Feng Xiangrong immediately suggested to his father Feng Zicai, "Father, now that the French have dispatched their own troops, open fire."
"There's no rush, let's wait out the French's energy first."
Feng Zicai, who has been in the army for many years, will not use his own foreign guns and cannons at this time. Besides, his numbers are not as good as those of the opponent. As long as he shows them now, the enemy will immediately retreat and the effect of surprise will not be achieved.
Of course, if you want to paralyze the enemy, you need to sacrifice human lives. General Feng knows this very well, but if you want to win, how can it be possible without adding some lives? When necessary, he and his sons will do it together, and the old general will not blink an eye.
Take a look.
So just like before, the Qing army remained motionless until the French troops reached the long wall. Of course, these French officers and soldiers already knew the Qing army's tactics, so the closer they got to the long wall, the more cautious they became.
"beat."
Seeing the French army entering the shooting range, there was a shout from the high wall, and countless Qing troops emerged. They held bows, arrows and guns and fired at the incoming French army.
But this time was different from before. The French officers and soldiers were well prepared and immediately responded with rifles in their hands. After all, the breech-loading guns were more powerful. After a burst of shooting, the French army suffered few casualties, but the Qing army behind the wall was seriously injured.
It rained heavily.
"Father……"
Seeing that a large area of his own soldiers had fallen on the wall, Feng Xiangrong was about to speak again. However, Feng Zicai waved his hand to stop him, and saw the old general continuing to order. "Let the two battalion heads of Kui and Shan prepare. I will give the order to change them immediately, and continue."
Shooting with the French."
After a touching exchange of shots, Feng Zicai gave an order, and the Qing troops from the two battalions of Kuei and Shan immediately replaced the defenders.
As new troops appeared behind the wall, the casualties of the attacking French army also increased. After the two sides fought like this for nearly an hour, Nigri finally couldn't bear it anymore and sent out a battalion of reinforcements. The attacking French army now
Reached more than 700 people.
"Not enough."
Looking at the number of people attacking the French army, Feng Zicai muttered, and then ordered two more battalions to continue to lure the French army to attack. The two armies fought fiercely across long walls and trenches.
"Whoosh"
An arrow was deeply embedded in the chest of a French soldier who was about to shoot. The French soldier screamed and fell to the ground. Before the Qing soldier who shot the bow and arrow could be happy, his half-exposed body
He was hit by several bullets, and his body went limp and fell down.
Also behind the wall, two soldiers carrying guns were about to open fire at the French troops outside, but they were targeted by the French soldiers who had already spotted them. After a burst of gunfire, the two soldiers disappeared with their guns.
sound.
Generally speaking, the French army had the upper hand in this battle, and the advantage of rear-loading guns was clearly demonstrated. The French soldiers each looked for bunkers, lying down or squatting in various postures to minimize their exposed bodies.
Although the Qing army could block most of the body, the weapons in their hands were either bows and arrows or rifles, and even fewer front-loading guns, so they were destined to suffer heavy losses. After an hour of fierce fighting, the people behind the defensive wall
The Qing army was already exhausted and showed signs of wavering.
As a veteran, Feng Zicai couldn't help but notice this, so he immediately called his eldest son Feng Xiangrong. "Renqing, you lead the first battalion of the left team and reinforce it immediately."
The most elite of Feng Zicai's hands is the left and right battalions, led by his two sons Feng Xiangrong and Feng Xianghua respectively. What these two battalions have in hand is a thousand Italian quick rifles sent by Zhang Zhidong, which is a company of 500
This is a treatment that even the soldiers in his hometown don't have. Since he is using a fast gun, he needs to use it on the edge. Now Feng Zicai thinks it is time.
After receiving his father's order, Feng Xiangrong didn't say much. He immediately rushed to the rear and waved to the resting left battalion. "My sons, follow me to kill the enemy."
The battle situation immediately became different with the addition of the first battalion of the left team. After all, everyone now uses fast guns. Although there are certain differences in performance, there is no generation difference, so the casualties of the attacking French soldiers began to increase.
Increase.
Faced with the sudden appearance of the defenders operating breech-loading guns, Nigri saw everything. He breathed a sigh of relief and finally waited for the elite troops of the defenders.
According to his understanding, when fighting against the Qing army, there will always be such an elite force, either used to fight at critical moments or used to cover the commander's retreat. Based on the current situation, the defending commander is obviously used for defensive operations.
