Volume 3: Confrontation! The Run of Civilization Chapter 490: Pursuit and Counter-Pursuit
Compared with internal combustion engines, steam engines have a particularly obvious disadvantage: they are bulky. In this era when time travelers have given birth to steam engines ahead of time, since metallurgy, materials and other disciplines have not kept up, steam engines are even more known for being bulky.
Therefore, it was impossible for a steam engine to provide land power for this expedition. Cao Wenzhao had to rely entirely on human and animal power to transfer artillery, which was of course extremely inefficient - it took three days to move nine breech-loading cannons into position in the north of Manila.
In the historical plane, the maximum range of the peak muzzle-loading cannon is 3200 meters. Of course, at this distance, how far the bullet point is from the target depends purely on faith. In fact, in Zhu Youdong's era, the effective range of the 120mm muzzle-loading cannons of the Ming Dynasty and Spain was only 700 to 800 meters. At this distance, the hit rate is almost irrelevant. If you want to be effective, you can only use concentrated fire to cover the target.
Now, the Ming Dynasty's breech-loading cannon using smokeless gunpowder as propellant is different. This cannon, developed by the Fangshan School Firearms Laboratory and manufactured by the Red River Arsenal, is numbered "Tiger Roar". It weighs 1.9 tons, has a caliber of 75mm, and a barrel length of 30 times the caliber. The maximum range is 5,000 meters and the effective range is 3,500 meters. With such data, it can certainly completely crush all kinds of muzzle-loading cannons behind .
Of course, the breech-loading cannon was a new thing, and how to use it better was something that even Cao Wenzhao and his men had to constantly explore and learn in battle. In the first attack on October 1, Cao Wenzhao evenly distributed the nine breech-loading cannons in his hands to each division, but the effect was very poor. This time, he decided to concentrate the eighteen breech-loading cannons to bombard a small section of the enemy's defense line.
“Boom~”
On October 5, at a command from Cao Wenzhao, eighteen breech-loading cannons began to fire intensively at a small section of the enemy's three-kilometer-long trench.
"Commander, the watchtower reports that our first batch of artillery shells basically exploded in front of and behind the enemy trenches, and the farthest point of impact was only more than 30 meters."
"Very good, let the brothers adjust the shooting parameters and try to be as accurate as possible."
While the Ming artillery was firing hard, the commander of the Eighth Division, Du Hongyu, personally led the engineers of the three divisions on the north side of Manila City to start digging trenches: trench siege methods are not only used by Europeans.
While the Eighth Division was digging trenches, Mao Wenlong also led the First Division forward to firmly guard their artillery and engineers. If the Spaniards dared to rush over, they would have to learn from the machine guns of the Ming Dynasty.
…
On this morning, after the Ming army's bombardment began, he originally ordered his soldiers to hide in the trenches and wait until the Ming army's bombardment ended and the infantry rushed up, and then use machine guns to harvest the enemy's lives again. But unexpectedly, the Ming army did not launch a full-line bombardment for the entire morning, but repeatedly bombarded a small section in the middle of the three-kilometer front: after a morning of bombardment, all the bunkers and supports in this section of the trench basically no longer existed. Although the more than 200 soldiers in this small section of the trench were not killed directly by the bombardment, those who were shocked to death, fainted, collapsed on their own, and were buried alive were basically annihilated.
"Maldita Sea!" At this time, the person in charge of the northern defense line of Manila City was a colonel named Jose. "Where are our artillery? We have been bombarded for the whole morning, can't they fire a few shots to show their support?"
"Colonel, the rear lookout reports that the enemy's artillery position is at least four thousand meters away from our artillery position. Our artillery can't reach them."
"Asshole! If we don't find a solution, this 200-meter trench of ours will no longer exist! Then we will have to be exposed in the wilderness and fight the Ming people face to face! No, we must think of a solution."
Enduring the constant shaking of the ground and the dust that kept falling from the top of the underground shelter, Jose shook his hands, fished out a crumpled cigarette from his shirt pocket, lit it and took a few deep puffs. But before he could enjoy the brief comfort that the tobacco brought him, he started coughing violently because of inhaling the dust that fell from the roof.
"Damn it!" He threw the remaining half of the cigarette on the ground, stomped on it a few times with his foot, and yelled, "Javier!"
"Captain?"
"How many men are left in your battalion after the battle four days ago?"
"There were 870 this morning, but now there are only 690."
"Maldita Sea!" After cursing again, Jose said, "I will transfer troops directly under the regiment headquarters to you and replenish your battalion to 1,000 people. Lead them forward."
"Charge?" Javier was stunned for a moment: "Captain, the Ming people's artillery fire is very fierce."
"It's precisely because the bombardment is so fierce that we have to charge." Seeing Javier's obvious displeasure, Jose patted him on the shoulder and said, "The Ming cannons have been firing for the whole morning, and the bombardment is getting more and more accurate. We can say that a section of our defense line no longer exists. This defense is not good here. If it is breached at one point, the entire front will be shaken. So we must charge and force the Ming cannons to stop for a while so that our engineers can repair the defense line."
"I understand, but the other side's cannon?"
"Idiot! Right now the Ming army's artillery is firing at a section of the battle line. What are you afraid of if you rush out from somewhere else? You won't refuse to follow my orders, will you? Hmm!"
"Okay, as you wish."
After leaving the regiment headquarters and supplementing his troops with the assistance of the regiment staff officers, Javier spent a long time to calm his men. Then at three o'clock in the afternoon of October 5, he led more than a thousand Spanish soldiers out of the trenches and began to advance towards the Ming army's front line using skirmish line tactics.
After the plowing and bombardment on October 1, the large trees on the five-kilometer-long land between the Ming Army and the Western Army had long disappeared. Therefore, soon after the Western Army jumped out of the trench, it was discovered by the Ming Army lookout two kilometers away, and its movements were quickly reported.
"Hahaha, these bastards finally show their heads. I'm almost deafened after listening to the bombardment all day. Finally, they can open their mouths now!" After laughing heartily, Mao Wenlong roared loudly: "Brothers, take your positions, listen carefully, no one is allowed to shoot until I say something, and try to get the enemy as close as possible!"
"Yes, sir!"
…
As the son of a small landowner in Castile, Javier was not brave: he joined the army only because there were too many children in his family and the inheritance was too little. So, after he led his troops out, he walked very slowly.
Not only that, he also divided his army of one thousand people into three teams, and the three teams advanced alternately. It can be said that he was extremely cautious.
"The Ming people's artillery can fire so far, they must have smokeless gunpowder, and with smokeless gunpowder, they must have machine guns. Damn Jose, how could he not understand such a simple truth? What on earth is he thinking! I haven't offended him before!"
Although he was mumbling, as a soldier, he had to follow the orders of his superiors. So, no matter how slowly he walked, by four o'clock in the afternoon, they had passed the first lookout post of the Ming army - the sentry here had already retreated.
At 4:10, they found Mao Wenlong's army, which was about one kilometer away from them. However, the enemy just watched them quietly from the simple bunkers, with no intention of shooting.
Javier reluctantly led his soldiers forward, and when they were only 500 meters away from the enemy, he ordered one of his company commanders to lead the charge, while he further slowed down the pace of the two troops behind him.
"It seems that the enemy's leader is very cautious." After seeing the enemy's deployment through the telescope, Mao Wenlong sighed and said, "Forget it, let's eat some pickles to relieve our fatigue."
With his order, the Ming army poured out its powerful firepower towards the more than 300 people who were only 300 meters away from them. Within a few breaths, more than half of the Spaniards who were in the front were knocked down.
"Sure enough! The other side really has machine guns! Retreat, retreat all troops!"
"Humph, now that you're here, you still want to leave? Chen Jisheng, bring your battalion and give chase!"
"Yes, sir!"
…
"Huff, huff, this damn Jose, if I run back, I will definitely not play with him!" It's more than two kilometers to walk out, and the same distance to run back, which is not far strictly speaking. But you can't stand the typical tropical rainforest climate here in Luzon Island. The rain in the sky comes as soon as it comes. In places without concrete roads, it is always muddy. Therefore, running two kilometers in such mud is really a serious consumption of physical strength.
However, when he just saw his own trenches, he suddenly heard screams from behind him from the Ming army battle line that had been chasing him very closely at the beginning.
"Jose? He actually led the team out as well?"
