Four hundred and sixtieth chapters rendezvous and surprise attack
Chapter 466: Rendezvous and Surprise Attack
Claude only arrived at the pontoon crossing of the Dolinibara River at the end of October. It took him a total of twenty-eight days to arrive here from the Eastern Mountain Defense Front headquarters, which was six days slower than General Albert. But now on the river
There are already four pontoon bridges, and the two extra pontoon bridges were built by the 108th Garrison Regiment, which was stationed at the ferry. The leader of the regiment, Colonel Le Mandoc, stood respectfully at the ferry to welcome Claude's arrival.
Colonel Lemandoc and Colonel Fareos of the 114th Local Guard Regiment are both old subordinates of Claude. They were transferred from the First Division of the Thunder Legion to the local guard sequence. Colonel Lemandoc was injured due to an old waist injury.
Because of the relapse, Colonel Fareos applied to serve in the local garrison because he was old and felt that his physical strength could not keep up.
"General Albert has led the second division of the Thunder Legion to Lanhu City. He fought with the Hicks for the first time and annihilated an enemy light cavalry regiment and an infantry battalion. He suffered nearly 2,000 casualties. General Bolonik was slightly injured.
He led two regiments and one battalion to hold on to Lanhu City for twenty-seven days. Most of Lanhu City was reduced to ruins. When he met with General Ebolent, he only had more than 4,000 troops left under his command...
..."
Colonel Lemandoc reported to Claude in detail the battle situation on the front line and General Albert's arrangements for them.
Major Mason Hughes, as Claude's adjutant, drew on the map the battle lines between the two armies facing off outside Lanhu City.
"Your 108th Regiment and Fareos' 114th Regiment are both placed on the Dolinibara River defense line. Now three local garrison regiments have been deployed on this defense line. The reorganized 117th Regiment
Then he was ordered by General Albert to go to the town of Ginko to strengthen the defense force of the Claude Defense Line. The local garrison that was originally stationed in the coastal area of the Beringana Direct Territory has arrived at the Claude Defense Line...
"
Claude put down his pen and laughed with satisfaction. Until now, he finally let go of his heart. General Albert did a good job. He did not gather these local garrison regiments who came for reinforcements to rescue Lanhu City together, but strengthened them first.
The defensive strength of these two key locations relieved him of his worries.
Even though the war has progressed to this point, the Hicks took the first move and caught the war zone off guard. However, he should never have insisted on taking Lanhu City. As a result, the Thunder Legion had time to rush to help from thousands of miles away.
There is no unexpected ending to this war.
"Major Mason Hughes, order the troops to cross the river and camp on the other side to rest for two days. Also call Colonel McJack and Captain Blovik." Claude ordered: "Colonel Lemandoc, this time also
I need to trouble you and ask your men to help our soldiers set up camp so that they can rest early. They have been traveling all day and night, and what they need most is a good sleep."
"Okay, General, I will immediately ask my soldiers to help set up the camp, and I will get you some food and drink by the way." Colonel Lemandoc saluted and left.
Colonel McJack and Blovik soon appeared in front of Claude.
"I need you to complete a mission." Claude clicked on the map: "The fishing port town, this is the key point of the Hicks people. They can collect food and materials in our direct jurisdiction, but weapons, ammunition and equipment
Materials must rely on this logistics supply channel. Our first division will stay here for two days to recover from fatigue, and then go to Lanhu City for reinforcements.
But you, the 131st Battalion and the Wolf Fang Squadron, can only rest for one day and set off tomorrow night for the fishing port town. I don’t need you to occupy the fishing port town. I only need you to destroy it, burn it to a white ground, and cut off Hicks.
People use ocean transport ships and floating trestles to replenish military supplies. As long as the fishing port town is destroyed, the Hicks outside Lanhu City will no longer think about escaping. They will become the meritorious service of our Thunder Legion's saber. Do you understand?
?”
McJack and Blovik saluted together: "Got it, General."
Claude waved his hand: "You two troops will cross the river first and find a secluded place to camp. You can set out tomorrow night without notifying me. Be careful not to be discovered by others."
After McJack and Blovik left, Claude looked at the confrontation line between the two armies on the map again. What made Claude curious was that the Hicks' offensive style had changed a lot, launching an attack from the eastern frontier mountainous area.
Attracting all the attention of the heavily assembled war zone, and then making a sneak attack and landing in the fishing port town, this is simply a different-world version of building a plank road to cross Chencang secretly. It is really amazing.
The only problem is that after the Hicks landed in the fishing port town, their offensive tactics became stiff and old-fashioned. Although Lanhu City is the administrative center and the location of the theater headquarters of the territorial war zone, capturing Lanhu City can affect the prestige of the war zone.
His own morale has wiped away the shadow of the defeat of the previous four colonial wars, but compared to the Dolinibara River defense line, the strategic position of Lanhu City is not that important.
If Claude is the frontline commander of the Hicks, then after landing in the fishing port town, he only needs to send a division of light cavalry to monitor Lanhu City. There is no need to launch an attack to trap the garrison in the city. The next step is
Another light cavalry drove straight to the defense line of the Dolinibara River, cleared the river defense armed forces, and rushed to the Port of Patres after the subsequent two standing corps landed, cooperating with the two fleets to attack from both sides and capture this deep-water port, providing the Sea King Fleet with
Finding a port to anchor with the combined fleet is the most important key to this war.
After taking control of the Port of Patres, deploy a standing corps to guard the Dolinibara River defense line to prevent the frontline theater troops from returning for reinforcements. Then you can use the sea areas controlled by the two fleets to control the Rodex Bay Colony.
If all four standing legions are transported over and slowly eat away at the garrison troops of the five direct territories south of the river, then this colonial war will inevitably end with the victory of the Kingdom of Hicks.
But now, a light cavalry regiment and two standing regiments of the Hicks people have been staring at Lanhu City since they landed in the fishing port town. As a result, they have been delayed for nearly a month and have not captured Lanhu City. Instead, they have waited.
The Thunder Legion returned from the mountain front line. It can be said that after General Albert led the second division to cross the Dolinibara River, the Hicks lost their last hope of winning this colonial war.
Claude felt that it was a little strange. There was a vast difference between the front and rear commands of the Hicks. It seemed that the frontline commander had been temporarily changed. Just like now, General Albert's second division has arrived in Lanhu Town, with 30,000 soldiers.
The rest of the light cavalry division came as the first batch of reinforcements, but the Hicks people even set up a confrontational formation in Lanhu Town. This was simply a desperate act.
Although the Hicks still have more than two standing legions, his light cavalry legion now only has more than one division of troops. At first, the Hicks' royal knight reserve legion was careless and rashly entered Lan.
Hucheng District, was ambushed by the garrison, and nearly two regiments were lost before they withdrew in embarrassment. After that, they no longer dared to attack Lanhu City, and only conducted vigilance and raids on the periphery, and also dispatched two regiments.
The troops went to the Mormali Direct Territory to collect straw and other logistical supplies...
The two standing legions of the Hicks later fought fiercely with the garrison in Lanhu City. Despite the fact that there were only more than 4,000 troops left under General Bolognik's command of more than 13,000 men, the casualties of the Hicks were even greater.
Several times that of the defenders, the battle damage rate was almost four/five to one. Almost one of the two standing legions had been wiped out. The remaining 60,000 to 70,000 troops were also demoralized and had no fighting spirit.
Under such circumstances, Claude really didn't understand where the Hicks people had the confidence to confront the Thunder Legion outside Lanhu City. Did they still think that they had an advantage due to their strong strength?
In the mountainous area, Claude really had nothing to do against the attacking Hicks, because the mountain road was narrow. If you stood on the top of the mountain and saw the Hicks, they were less than a hundred meters away from you, but to rush in front of him, you had to first
Go down to the bottom of the mountain and climb up again. By the time you reach the enemy, you will be out of breath and have no strength. In addition, the Thunder Legion was originally an offensive light cavalry army, but when fighting in the mountainous area, they abandoned their mounts and marched on foot.
The solution is that the troops in the war zone are tight, and the Thunder Legion has to step up...
One-third of the area of the Amphiston Territory is hilly and mountainous, and two-thirds of the area is plain lakes. Lanhu City is on the plains, next to the lakes, and the terrain here is very suitable for light cavalry raids and guerrilla tactics.
.Here, let alone the Hicks' current two and a half standing legions, even if they doubled their strength, Claude would not take them seriously at all.
Two days passed in a hurry, and the soldiers regained their energy. The horses that had traveled long distances were no longer tired after being carefully fed, and they looked full of energy. Claude was very satisfied after inspecting them one by one, and ordered to blow the whistle.
Gather the horns and start giving orders to set off.
"Colonel Diavid, this time your third regiment will be the vanguard. Keep the marching speed and arrive at Lanhu City within three days. If you encounter the enemy's light cavalry on the road, don't let them go. Tell our boys, Hicks
They are all lining up outside Lanhu City with their butts sticking out, waiting for us to give them a kick! Go ahead, don’t let our enemies down..."
"Yes, General!" Colonel Diaverde saluted and walked out of the tent with high spirits. In the past, either Belklin's 1st Regiment or Murield's 2nd Regiment were the vanguard of the legion, and today it was finally his turn.
His three regiments were accompanied by combat missions. Diaverde was determined to lead the three regiments to win the first prize for the first division and never let the fifth regiment of the second division stand out.
General Albert's battle report has been sent by courier. After crossing the river, his second division rested for only one day before rushing to Lanhu City. The 1305th Regiment was the pioneer. They traveled day and night and arrived at Lanhu City in two and a half days.
On the outskirts of Lake City, a battalion of the vanguard of the fifth regiment discovered a warning defensive position deployed by the Hicks outside the city. It was used to prevent the escape of a small group of defenders in the city. It only had one battalion.
So the light cavalry battalion of the fifth regiment rushed into the camp without hesitation and massacred, attracting the rescue of the light cavalry battalion of the Royal Knights Reserve Corps of the Hicks people. Then the rest of the fifth regiment arrived and spontaneously
were thrown into the battlefield. The same was true for the Hicks, and more and more troops were thrown into the rescue. In the end, all the 1305th Regiment of the Second Division had been thrown into the battlefield, and the Hicks' light cavalry also
Two regiments of troops came to the rescue...
More than 15,000 people fought together, all fighting with sabers, and the killing was inextricable. Finally, the remaining three light cavalry field regiments of the second division arrived, and the Hicks fled in a hurry when they saw that the situation was not going well.
In the battle of light cavalry, the Second Division lost nearly two thousand light cavalry, while the Hicks lost a regiment of light cavalry and a battalion of security garrison troops.
The casualties and battle losses were almost one to three, allowing the fifth regiment of the second division to steal the spotlight. General Albert couldn't help but boast about the bravery of the fifth regiment in the battle report sent to Claude. Claude
The fact that he didn't take it seriously does not mean that the leaders of his subordinates are convinced. For example, Belklin said privately that the leader of the fifth regiment was just a fool. He just rushed forward and didn't care whether he was an enemy or not.
It's a trap. It's just luck that the whole army was not wiped out. How can I have the dignity to ask for credit?
However, many things are not as expected. Three days later, Claude led the first division and quickly arrived at Lanhu City. The third regiment that opened the way not only eliminated three teams of Hicks reconnaissance light cavalry, but also
As Colonel Diavid had hoped, he did not encounter a large force of Hicks. On the contrary, the Hicks stationed outside Lanhu City discovered the arrival of Claude's support troops and strengthened their camp.
and garrison strength and vigilance of defensive positions.
For Belklin, Murield and Diavid, the only good news about the rendezvous with the Second Division was that the commander of the fifth regiment was seriously injured in the cavalry decisive battle and was sent to the rear.
He went to recover from his injuries in the mountainous area. As for the battalion commander Leng Touqing who provoked the decisive cavalry battle, he had died a glorious death in that battle.
General Albert and Claude naturally knew the merits and demerits of this cavalry decisive battle. They put the record of the fifth regiment in front of the entire army just to boost morale and strengthen their confidence in victory. No matter what they said about the Thunder Legion
It is also a light cavalry regiment. It can achieve a battle loss score of 1 to 3 in a saber fight. So if you use a new rifle, are you afraid that you will not be able to defeat the enemy?
Just when Claude's first division and General Albert's second division met in Lanhu City, and saw General Bolognik with a bandage on his arm. On a hilltop outside the fishing port town, Bu
Lovick and several members of the Wolf Fang Squadron were covered with vines and weeds. From a distance, they looked like bushes of weeds. They were carefully observing the Hicks' defense and activities in the fishing port town with monocular binoculars.
.....
In the evening, Blovik and McJack were already squatting in a camouflaged tent and were planning the steps for the night's action: "...the enemy has used the small fishing boats of the residents of the town and captured more than a dozen fishing boats.
The offshore flat-bottomed transport ship rebuilt the floating trestle so that two four-wheeled carriages could run side by side, speeding up the transportation of materials from ocean-going ships.
At the end of this floating trestle is a large offshore transport ship, which is fixed at the edge of the shallow sea area by four anchors. The enemy's ocean-going transport ships docked next to this offshore transport ship and were unloaded from it.
Supplies are also piled on the boat, and then transported to the shore by the transportation team. On both sides of the floating trestle, a brazier will be lit more than ten meters apart at night, and the patrol team also inspects the floating trestle very strictly, half
There is a trip every hour.
The Hicks also have a battleship cruising here, and it will dock next to the offshore transport ship at night. Last night I found that the captain of the battleship took a carriage to go ashore for the night, and did not return to the ship until nine in the morning. I don’t know what this means.
This is not normal. After the captain returned to the ship, the warship set sail to patrol the surrounding waters. Every ocean-going transport ship approaching the floating pier must be boarded and inspected by the officers and soldiers on the warship before it can approach the offshore transport ship, berth and unload.
.
In addition, the defense situation of this fishing port town does not seem to be very thorough. The enemy probably has a regiment of guards, and the defense situation is also very traditional. There are three trenches on the outside, and then a gun fort was built every 100 meters. The women, children and elderly people in the town
The weak residents were all driven to live in this corner of the east, where their personal freedom was restricted, while the young and strong men and women were captured and used as material transport teams...
My suggestion is that my Wolf Fang Squadron dives from here to the floating trestle at night to see if we can get close to the Hicks cruise warship parked next to the offshore transport ship. If possible, we will seize that warship.
, and set fire to the offshore transport ship and floating trestle, attracting the town's defenders to come to put out the fire. At that time, your 131st Battalion will launch a night attack, and I believe we will be able to complete this task soon."
McJack asked a few more key questions, nodded after getting satisfactory answers, and decided on the steps of the action very simply. Then he ordered the soldiers to rest and wait for the attack time to arrive in the evening.
At three o'clock in the morning on October 26, Captain Blovik of the Thunder Legion led the Wolf Fang Squadron and successfully captured the second-class cruise battleship Nightingale of the Hicks Kingdom's Sea King Fleet, and burned the floating trestle built by the Hicks. At the same time,
Under the command of Colonel McJack, the 131st Battalion of the Thunder Corps captured the fishing port town, annihilated more than 2,000 defenders, captured more than 4,000 Hicks prisoners of war, and successfully rescued the fishing port enslaved by the Hicks.