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Chapter 89 Northward II

June 1, 1840, Yam.

This is a special city because it is famous for spanning both sides of the canal. It is divided into east and west parts by the canal. There are two cable bridges connecting the traffic. Enemy gunboats shuttle back and forth on the canal. In addition, it is surrounded by mountains.

hills and rivers, thus forming a situation that is easy to defend but difficult to attack.

Daniel Davis of the 4th Army Corps led his regiment and was heading to the outskirts of the western city of Yam City, preparing to replace the troops of the 3rd Army Corps that had been withdrawn.

Unless necessary, Captain Davis liked to walk with his soldiers when marching. The young regiment commander was always full of energy and the soldiers could always see him.

This time is no exception.

He saw Woodley sitting on a gun carriage, his arms slung across his chest.

"Hey, Adams, are you okay?" Davis stopped and asked loudly.

Just like Davis was transferred to the 4th Army, Woodley was transferred to the 3rd Army and became the regimental commander under Commander Grant.

Woodley jumped off the gun truck, shook his injured left arm, and said nonchalantly:

"Daniel, long time no see. I was just bitten by a lead bullet and took away a piece of meat. It doesn't matter."

"That's good." Davis felt relieved. He took out a pack of cigarettes, stuffed a cigarette into Woodley's mouth, and lit it for him. "Tell me about the war ahead. I heard you were fighting hard.

Hard?"

"Yes. The enemy's tenacity is beyond imagination. Every time we fight for a high ground, we must make great efforts, but the enemy's casualties are more than three times ours. They use human lives to fill the gap. They are really a bunch of lunatics."

Woodley blew out a smoke ring, somewhat unwillingly. Compared with the 1st Army and the 2nd Army, the 3rd Army's results were mediocre. Apart from occupying the peripheral highlands in Yam City, they did not achieve their goals.

Previously, the National Army had been advancing steadily and gradually, and had regained 300 kilometers of land on the north bank of Longjiang River. However, it once again encountered a tough nut in Yam City.

The geographical location of Yam City is extremely important. It stands in the center of the North-South Canal, using its favorable terrain to block the National Army's northward advance. For the defenders, they can also receive a steady stream of supplies through the canal.

"Adams, do you have any advice?" Davis asked.

"The terrain, the terrain is very unfavorable to us. The enemy has built many hiding holes on the other side of the ridge. Each hiding hole can hold at least one company of troops. When our artillery fires, they hide in the holes, enough

Don't touch them. When the artillery fire was about to stop and our infantry charged upwards, they came out again and shot or threw grenades at our infantry from a high position. This made us very uncomfortable."

"When we occupy a high ground with difficulty, our soldiers will be under attack from the enemy's artillery that has been prepared for a long time. They have been operating in Yam City for a long time, and the artillery fire is very accurate. They should have calculated it in advance.

Under such circumstances, we often quickly lose the position we have just occupied."

"Some enemy soldiers are really crazy. They will tie explosives or grenades to their bodies and launch suicide attacks. This makes our soldiers fearful of the enemy."

Speaking of this, Commander Woodley said: "Some people say that these enemy soldiers must be the incarnation of the devil, otherwise it cannot be explained. Commander Grant was very angry, and he arrested all the soldiers who spread these rumors."

"Okay, thank you, Adams, I'll pay attention." Davis said. He glanced at the soldiers of the 3rd Army passing by and saw that their morale was a little depressed, as if they had suffered a big defeat.

In fact, the enemy's losses were much higher than those of the 3rd Army, but Commander Grant considered this a great shame. In the past few years of war, his troops had been making great progress and were almost invincible. He himself was also mentioned in the Genoese newspapers

Considered an "invincible wise general".

At this time, Commander Grant was reviewing Sean:

"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, since our army entered the war on May 1, we have suffered a total loss of 3,200 people, including 1,000 killed and 750 seriously injured. As the commander of the 4th Army, I have suffered such heavy casualties.

, bear the main responsibility, and I am willing to accept any punishment from you."

"This is indeed the most significant casualty suffered by the National Army since the founding of the army." Sean nodded, "Although there is a sentence that is cruel, I still have to repeat it, that is, a soldier is just a number to you and me. A

A wise commander must do his best to protect his soldiers, which is noble humanitarianism, but war will not become merciful just because we are noble."

At this point, Sean said: "Obviously our opponents have gone crazy. I suspect they use drugs to control their soldiers."

"Drugs?" Grant asked suspiciously, "Sir, do you mean something similar to opium?"

"It's much more powerful than opium." Sean said, "I once received information that a magical drug is used in the new army. It can make soldiers more excited, braver, fearless, and even

Very numb to physical pain.

Although I noticed this information, I was obviously negligent, because I always thought it was just a small trick. So, what I mean is that this is not that our soldiers are not brave enough, nor is it that you are not commanding well, but

Our opponents are crazy."

"Your Excellency, your magnanimity makes this humble officer very uneasy. The 3rd Army invites you to fight again!" Grant straightened his chest.

"No." Sean shook his head, "Although your army failed to capture Yam City as expected, you also captured the outer highlands, which gave Simon's 4th Army a chance to gain a foothold. I gave him an order

The order is to besiege the city of Yam where it stands."

"You are going to use Yam City as bait and focus on the enemy's reinforcements." Grant immediately thought of this.

"Militarily speaking, Yam City is very important to us, but it is even more important to the enemy. Under normal circumstances, the enemy will definitely come to the rescue, but..." Sean said, "We already know that the enemy is very

Crazy, if the enemy forces in Yam City were originally guarding here with a death wish, the Holy City might not let us do what we want. They would prefer us to invest heavy troops here. From the perspective of the Holy City, Yam City

It’s also a bait.”

"Sir, what is your plan?" Grant asked.

"The 4th Army is enough to contain the defenders in Yam City. Let the defenders defend theirs while we attack ours. Why let hundreds of thousands of troops dance to the rhythm of a mere 50,000 enemy troops in the city?" Sean pondered, "

I made a mistake,

Just thinking about wearing off the arrogance of the army and letting you take turns to fight and familiarize yourself with the opponent's combat style will only tie your own hands and feet. For example, your 3rd Army is used to maneuvering in roundabouts, rather than rushing into a fortress."

"You are too demanding on yourself." Grant was very moved. Although the commander was young, he was so humble and honest, which made him excited.

"George!" Sean said, "The morale of your troops is a bit low right now. This is not what I want to see. I need you to improve morale as soon as possible and use your best fighting method to fight."

"The 4th Army Corps will surely live up to the high expectations of the Commander-in-Chief."

Grant solemnly performed a military salute.


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