Chapter 922: Following Nightingale’s example, the absolute line of defense of the “rare strategist” [5200]
The dense barrage disturbed the air.
In the blink of an eye, earth and rocks splashed!
Looking at the towering rock wall in front of him and the large wave of bullets flying towards him, Qingdeng couldn't help but be stunned, and his pupils instantly shrank into pinhole shapes.
His body reacted consciously first, the cat lowered his waist, rolled to the side, and hid behind an ancient tree not far away.
However... the large army behind Qingdeng did not have the reaction speed like him.
The barrages roared past, and there was a rain of blood.
"Ahhhhhhhhh!"
"Ugh...! Damn it! I was shot in the shoulder!"
"Spread out! Spread out! Don't get together!"
Suddenly, with splashes of blood, more than a dozen soldiers fell to the ground wailing.
The Changzhou Army's offensive continued.
Abruptly, Qingdeng heard a "whoosh" sound, which seemed to be the sound of something falling.
He looked around and saw black objects drawing beautiful parabolas in mid-air, and then falling straight towards their heads.
One of them happened to fall at Qingdeng's feet.
Qingdeng took a closer look - it was a grenade!
In an instant... the moment he saw this thing clearly, Qingden reached out his hand like lightning, grabbed the grenade that fell at his feet, and then threw it back with all his strength.
The grenade exploded with a "bang" before it reached the highest point in the air.
At the same time, like a chain reaction, the grenades that landed in other places exploded one after another.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunpowder smoke filled the air, and the air was filled with the foul smell of gunpowder.
This time I changed to a new group and suffered damage from the "fragment" range.
Many people were injured by grenades, injured by explosions, or scratched by fragments, and lost the ability to fight.
At this time, the musketeers on the rock wall had finished reloading, and the black muzzles were once again pointed directly at the Shinsengumi below - the second wave of barrages was coming!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Another group of soldiers were unfortunately shot.
This series of offensives by the Choshu Army completely disrupted the order and formation of the Shinsengumi, and the offensive momentum was abruptly interrupted.
The terrain here is open and there are almost no decent obstacles, so there is no way to avoid it.
Upon seeing this, Qingdeng did not let his obsession with "quickly capturing Nangong Mountain" blind him, and made an immediate decision:
"Go back! Go back! Take all the injured and go back!!"
…
…
Under Qingdeng's instructions, the team members retreated in an orderly manner and stayed away from this "rock wall".
He only focused on escaping for his own life, ignoring his injured comrades who fell to the ground... Even if he ignored discipline, military regulations, human ethics and morality, Qingdeng would never allow this behavior to happen.
Therefore, Qingdeng specifically requested that all the wounded be taken away and no one should be left behind.
The rest area Qingdeng chose was a forest not far from the rock wall.
This place is outside the enemy's attack range, and the thick trees can effectively cover the whereabouts of large troops, so that the enemy troops on the "rock wall" cannot see their movements clearly. It is a perfect hiding place and resting place.
.
In this way, the large army set up a simple camp here, rested secretly, and prepared to regroup.
It's noon now.
After a whole morning of fierce fighting, the soldiers were already starving.
We can just take advantage of the current rest time to let the team members have a good meal and restore their strength.
"Get out of the way! Food is coming from behind!"
"Food?! Where is the food?!"
"No fighting! No fighting! Whoever dares to fight will have nothing to eat!"
The cooks carried baskets of hot rice balls up the mountain.
Seeing that lunch was coming, the team members were extremely anxious, but they still followed the order and lined up obediently.
After receiving the still-warm rice balls, the team members eagerly stuffed them into their mouths and swallowed them without chewing much.
This shows how intense the battle was in the morning.
In the base areas...that is, in Kyoto, Otsu and other places, Aomori was able to provide rice, miso soup, dried meat and other sumptuous meals to the soldiers.
But on the frontline battlefield far away from the base area, it is difficult to ensure the normal supply of materials.
Logistics is a university subject.
Even the top management masters in the world will feel overwhelmed by the logistical problems of the army.
The rear area is full of supplies, but they cannot be transported to the front line due to lack of transportation capacity and effective dispatch... This kind of thing is not uncommon even in modern times.
To be fair, the Shinsengumi's logistics system is still in its infancy.
Under Aoto's instruction, Yataro Iwasaki was based in Otsu and was fully responsible for the supply of supplies for this battle.
It doesn't matter if a person eats a little poorly, as he won't lose his fighting ability.
But if the gun is out of ammunition, it will be completely blind.
Therefore, all the Shinsengumi's transport capacity is given priority to supply weapons and ammunition.
As for luxury food such as dried meat and tofu, I really can’t take it into consideration.
Even Yataro Iwasaki, who was experienced and good at management, was overwhelmed by the huge workload and was so busy that he even had no time to eat or sleep.
Allowing the frontline soldiers to eat hot rice balls - this is already the limit of Yataro Iwasaki...or in other words, the current logistics system of the Shinsengumi can achieve it.
At the same time that the cooks were distributing the rice balls, another team also started taking action.
I saw a "man in white" wearing a white smock running quickly in the camp to rescue the wounded.
"Uh uh... Doctor, help me..."
"Don't move! The more you move, the more blood will flow!"
"Ahhh! My hand! My hand!"
"Quick! Here comes another person, hold him down!"
"Doctor, my shoulder bone was shattered by a bullet... Can I still wield a knife in the future?"
"I don't know. I don't know medical skills, so I can't give you an accurate answer."
They are affiliated with Shinsengumi Medical Group.
However, they are not professional doctors. Their main responsibility is to transport the wounded on the front lines to the rear for further treatment by professional doctors.
In other words, their main job is to do hard work, and only a few of them know simple medical skills that can stop bleeding and set bones.
Qingdeng didn’t understand battlefield rescue at all, but he knew the story of the famous Nightingale.
Florence Nightingale - the founder of modern nursing and nurse education, was the world's first true nurse.
From 1854 to 1856, Britain, France, the Kingdom of Sardinia, the Ottoman Turkish coalition and Tsarist Russia fought in Crimea, and the Crimean War broke out.
There is no decent battlefield ambulance in the West nowadays... To be precise, there is no such concept at all!
Due to the lack of medical staff and poor medical conditions, the wounded basically did not receive good medical care.
It is no exaggeration to say that once injured, you can only lie in bed and grit your teeth. Whether you live or die depends entirely on God's will.
This kind of "free-range" management has kept the mortality rate of the wounded at a high level.
The casualty mortality rate of the British army alone was as high as a terrifying 42%.
This tragic situation changed fundamentally with the arrival of Florence Nightingale.
During the battle, Nightingale took the initiative to apply to serve as a field nurse and led 38 nurses to the front line to serve in field hospitals, provide necessary daily necessities and food for the wounded, and provide them with serious care.
Nightingale may not be a miracle doctor who can rejuvenate her body, but she is indeed a technical talent who knows both medical skills and mathematics.
She not only greatly improved the living environment of the wounded, but also used statistics in her work to treat the wounded with scientific means.
Nightingale's methods and measures cannot be compared with modern professional rescue.
However, it was these crude measures that caused the British army's casualty mortality rate to drop to 2% in just six months.
In fact, in many cases, the injured are often just short of breath.
As long as you give them a little encouragement and give them hope of survival, they can grit their teeth and survive the ordeal - the human body is so wonderful.
Even in the West, the science of "battlefield rescue" has only just begun.
There was no one under Qingden who was as capable as Nightingale who knew both medicine and mathematics.
Without even a leading figure, it is undoubtedly a fantasy for the Shinsengumi to have a mature public health system in a short period of time.
However, he could still do this by working hard to improve the medical environment and sterilizing all medical equipment with boiling water to give the wounded a hope of survival.
Therefore, Qingdeng has always attached great importance to medical treatment and has never been stingy in investing in it.
This is not only out of interest considerations, but also out of a simple sense of justice.
Letting his subordinates who had a chance to survive die tragically - this kind of inhumane thing, Qingdeng cannot do it.
…
…
While the team members were resting, Qingdeng found a high place and looked at the "rock wall" from a distance.
He held the telescope and carefully looked at every corner of the "rock wall".
Shannan Keisuke stood beside him, also using binoculars to observe the enemy's situation.
Suddenly, Shannan Jingsuke said softly:
"... Mr. Tachibana, in my opinion, the Choshu Army in front of us should be Takasugi Shinsaku's special force."
Qingdeng nodded lightly:
"What a coincidence, Keisuke, you and I came together."
Until now, the enemy's powerful firepower has made people wonder: Is this still Changzhou's army?
Almost everyone has a flintlock rifle and even grenades.
In addition to being well-equipped, their fighting spirit and training level are also very high.
Even in hand-to-hand combat, I can still fight the Shinsengumi with some success.
Even if they were forced to retreat due to defeat in the war, they showed no signs of collapse and were well-founded in their advance and retreat.
As far as Ayoto knows, the only troops in the Choshu Army that have such qualities... are Takasugi Shinsaku's surprise troops!
Suddenly, a shout came from behind them:
"General! Chief!"
They both put down the telescopes in their hands, turned around and looked - Niimi Nishiki, the captain of the fifth division, strode towards them.
Although he can't compare with Souji, Nagakura Shinpachi and others, Shinami Nishiki, who is proficient in Shinto Muken-ryu, is also a fierce general.
Long before he joined the Shinsengumi, he was already a well-known swordsman. He was very well-known in Mito and was known as the "Lion of Mito".
Just looking at the thick blood stains on his clothes, it is not difficult to imagine his heroic posture of fighting the enemy bravely.
After standing in front of Qingteng, Shinjian Jin slowly said:
"General Ju, Commander Shannan, and all those prisoners have been recruited."
The "those prisoners" he mentioned refer to a group of enemy soldiers captured in this morning's chaotic battle.
Qingteng was now in urgent need of information - he didn't even know which Changzhou army the enemy soldiers in front of him belonged to, let alone who their commander was - so he sent Shinmi Nishiki to interrogate these prisoners.
Qingden raised his chin and signaled, "Let's talk."
Xinjian Jin cleared his throat understandingly and slowly recounted all the information he had collected.
First of all, Qingdeng knew that he had guessed correctly.
This force guarding Nangong Mountain is indeed the famous surprise force.
He learned that the surprise force was split into two parts. The majority of 1,500 people were led by Takasugi Shinsaku and came to intercept the Shinsengumi; the smaller part of 500 people was led by Katsura Kogoro and continued to march towards Kanto together with the "Slav Army".
Then, he learned who designed and deployed these difficult fortifications - the military commander of the surprise force, Omura Masujiro.
Masujiro Omura... Qingto was no stranger to this name - because this man was quite famous a long time ago!
His real name was Murata Ryoan. He was born in the 8th year of Bunsei (1825). He was originally a doctor in the Choshu Domain.
His family's ancestors practiced medicine, and his father, Murata Takahiro, was a well-known doctor in the village and was well versed in orchid studies.
Influenced by his family, Omura Masujiro began to study medicine and Dutch in his teenage years.
As we all know, "abandoning medicine and following X" is the only path that many celebrities must take.
While Omura Masujiro was practicing medicine, out of his strong interest in the art of war, he successively translated a large number of Dutch Army and Navy books on the art of war, thus mastering some knowledge of modern war art.
Soon after, the "Black Ship Incident" broke out.
In order to maintain its dominance, the shogunate ordered each domain to purchase and manufacture advanced ships and guns, reform backward military systems and tactics, and strengthen Japan's coastal defense capabilities.
But for Japan, which has been "locked" for a long time, it wants to reform its military and doesn't know where to start. Even if it means strengthening coastal defense, it doesn't know how to act, so each vassal is actively looking for talents everywhere.
Under this circumstance, Omura Masujiro was recommended in 1853 and accepted the recruitment of Date Munejo, the lord of Uwajima domain.
After Omura Masujiro was hired, his main tasks were to translate military books, teach Western military techniques, and guide the design and construction of forts, manufacturing warships, etc.
During his tenure in the Uwajima Domain, he went to Nagasaki twice on orders of the domain in 1854 and 1855, and systematically learned military knowledge and weapons technology from the Dutch.
Gradually, his excellent military talents became more and more known.
In today's Japan, the number of people who are familiar with Western military affairs can be counted on two hands.
In other words, when Aoto was still a little transparent, Masujiro Omura was already a well-known military expert!
In 1860, Masujiro Omura, who was gradually becoming famous for his military knowledge, was hired by the Choshu Domain.
However, the Choshu Domain believed that he was of humble origin, so they did not reuse him. They only planned to let him translate military books and give lectures.
Since then, Qingnobo has not heard from Omura Masujiro.
And now, through the mouth of the captive, Qingdeng was able to learn about the subsequent plot——
The Choshu clan was unwilling to reuse Omura Masujiro, but Takasugi Shinsaku missed the opportunity.
Just like the Shinsengumi, the Raiders are a team regardless of their origins.
Takasugi Shinsaku took a fancy to Omura Masujiro's talent and actively recruited him, without looking down on him because of his low background.
How exactly it happened, no one knows.
In short, Omura Masujiro happily accepted Takasugi Shinsaku's invitation to become a member of the surprise team.
Takasugi Shinsaku appointed him as the Military System Manager of the Qi Force - simply put, he made him the military advisor of the Qi Force, responsible for improving the military system, training soldiers, and making suggestions.
"Three Heroes of Choshu" Takasugi Shinsaku + "Rare Military Advisor" Omura Masujiro + a well-trained team of surprise troops... Facing this luxurious lineup, Shannan Keisuke shrugged with a wry smile and said with emotion:
"No wonder we had such a hard time..."
Qingdeng remained silent. After thinking for a moment, he said to Xinjian Jin:
"Xinjian-kun, thank you for your hard work. You can go down and rest first."
After letting Shinmi Nishiki retreat for a while, Qingteng held up the telescope again and looked at the "rock wall" that was "long" and full of muskets.
The more carefully he looked at the whole "rock wall", the more serious the look on his cheeks became.
The location of this "rock wall" is extremely dangerous, like a high wall across a crossroads.
If the Shinsengumi right-wing army led by Ayoto wants to attack the top of Nangong Mountain, they must pass through this "rock wall"!
It is not difficult to see that the enemy is well aware of the importance of this "rock wall" to the Shinsengumi.
Therefore, they deployed heavy troops here!
Most of the musketeers are positioned on the top of the rock wall, where they have a good view and enjoy the advantage of the location, allowing them to attack the pouring barrages from a high position.
In order to better search and attack the Shinsengumi, they specially cleared a fan-shaped open space in front of the rock wall.
All the big rocks were moved and all the trees were cut down.
In this way, once the Shinsengumi attacks, they will be in a dilemma where there is no way to avoid or hide.
In addition to muskets, they also displayed hand grenades in the previous confrontation.
Who knows if they will come up with other weapons next?
It's not impossible to take a detour.
However, in this case, there is a risk of stretching the front and exposing the flanks.
In mountainous areas where communication and movement are inconvenient, if the army's flanks are attacked, there will be no time to return reinforcements, and there is a risk of overturning.
Besides, taking a detour will take a lot of time.
This was an unacceptable price for Qingto, who was in a hurry to rush to Kanto.
In a word, Qingdeng had no other choice - he had to try to break through the "rock wall" in front of him!
In Qingdeng's view, if you want to be safe, the best strategy is undoubtedly to bring in cannons! Use cannons to intensively bomb the "rock wall"!
But... moving the heavy cannon from the top of Matsuo Mountain and transporting it to Nangong Mountain... this trip will take at least half a day!
It takes a long time and is not a good idea.
A direct frontal attack is also not feasible.
This "rock wall" is so towering. Hundreds of soldiers from the Qi Corps are waiting here. I don't know how many lives it will take to take it down.
In this way...there is only one optional strategy left...
At this thought, Qingden lowered his eyelids with a complicated expression on his face.
At this time, suddenly, Shannan Keisuke on the side chuckled a few times:
"Jijun, what are you hesitating about?"
"Your thoughts should be the same as mine."
"So... give the order quickly."
"Let me lead the team to attract the enemy's attention from the front, and you lead the chief, Saito-kun and a few other elites to scale the 'rock wall' from the side and launch a surprise attack!"
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Today is November 13th of the lunar calendar, and it is the birthday of Bao Baozi’s father! I am busy celebrating Bao’s father’s birthday today, so the word count is a little shorter... (Leopard Baozi’s head is crying)
Please give me a monthly ticket! Please give me a recommendation vote! (Leopard Head Cries)
Tachibana Aoto and Otakemaru dueled one-on-one, but the final winner was a kappa - this is my impression after watching this year's TGA.
What? You asked me who the kappa is?
That’s right! This is my biggest feeling about this year’s TGA!