With a "boom", the black smoke and fire produced by the explosion of the projectile, as well as the debris of the bombed houses and human body parts, flew into the sky, showing a cruel battle scene in the monocular telescope. General Bolognik looked indifferent and just coldly gave orders to his personal adjutant, asking a squadron of soldiers from the rear to reinforce the front line again to make up for the battle losses of the garrison soldiers on the defensive positions.
This was the sixteenth day that Lanhu City was besieged, and it was also the twenty-third day that the fishing port town was occupied by the Hicks. Even though General Bolognik was prepared to hold on to Lanhu City, he never expected that he would face such a cruel urban street battle. Of the more than 13,000 garrison troops, less than 6,000 can continue to fight, and the casualties have exceeded half.
At first, the Hicks only used light cavalry regiments to attack Lanhu City, but General Bolognik dealt with it with ease. Even though Lanhu City has not built a city wall due to expansion, it turns out that Qingqi is indeed not suitable for launching sieges and street battles. The arrogant Hicks light cavalry originally thought that Lanhu City would fall into their hands like a ripe fruit. As a result, they encountered an ambush from the defenders when they broke into the streets and alleys as dense as spider webs, and suffered heavy losses.
The Hicks light cavalry, who suffered heavy losses, no longer dared to go deep into Lanhu City. They surrounded Lanhu City on three sides. To the east was Orchid Lake. They had no choice but to watch helplessly as the defenders in the city transported the residents and wounded who were still stranded in the city to the other side of Orchid Lake through waterways, and then moved into the mountains for evacuation.
However, starting from the eleventh day when Lanhu City was besieged, two standing legions from the Hicks Kingdom finally landed in the fishing port town, and then rushed outside Lanhu City. After only half a day's rest, they launched a fierce attack on Lanhu City. In just four days, the garrison under General Bolognik suffered nearly a thousand casualties almost every day. Although the casualties of the Hicks' attacking troops were several times that of the defenders, they were strong in strength and suffered heavy losses.
"I don't know how many days it will take for the Thunder Legion to arrive..." General Bolognik could only place his hope on the Thunder Legion's return reinforcements. Sometimes I think about General Bolognik really regretting how he ignored the abnormality of the shipbuilding workshop businessman in the fishing port town, and actually believed the lies told by the businessman.
The defense of the coastal areas of each directly-administered territory has always been a focus of great concern to the theater command, and General Bolognik personally inspected it. He has also been to the fishing port town. There are no troops stationed there. The main reason is that it is close to the theater headquarters and reinforcements are convenient. The other is that the shallow sea area there is densely covered with reefs. Not to mention ocean-going ships, even offshore transport ships have to wait until the tide is high to pass, otherwise they will easily hit the rocks and damage the bottom of the ship.
The shipbuilding workshop in the fishing port town can only produce a small flat-bottomed fishing boat for four people with a very shallow draft, which is used for offshore fishing. When General Bolognik went to inspect last time, he saw that the shipbuilding workshop connected three or four of nearly a hundred small flat-bottomed fishing boats with two large wooden boards nailed to them. The weights in the cabins made the small fishing boats sink. Level with the surface of the water.
General Bolognik curiously asked what this was doing, and the businessman replied that it was testing the pressure and leakage resistance of small fishing boats. It would take up to half a month to find out whether these small fishing boats had deck deformations or leaks. After all, it is a small fishing boat with a shallow draft. If such a test is not done, it will not be able to withstand the wind and waves on the sea. In ten days, these small fishing boats will be out of the water. After inspection, if they pass the inspection, they can be sold to the residents of Cromwell and Beringana.
General Bolonik knew that the two direct territories of Cromwell and Beringana had immigrated a large number of military families and relatives of soldiers. Those residents assigned to the coastal areas would bring a benefit to their families by purchasing such a small fishing boat. Additional seafood income. So he didn't wonder why this shipbuilding workshop had so many orders for small fishing boats. He also gave the businessman a few words of encouragement, encouraging him to ensure quality and expand production, so as to get rich and have a bright future.
It was not until it was confirmed that the fishing port town was occupied by the Hicks did General Bolognik realize that he had been deceived by the businessman. When the Qingqi team that went for reconnaissance came back and reported back, they also mentioned that the Hicks used those small fishing boats to build a floating trestle through the shallow reef area, which could directly connect ocean-going transport ships in the deep sea to this trestle. Landing ashore...
Without the support of this Hicks agent, the Hicks people's wish to land from the fishing port town would be a wishful thinking. Even if they build a pontoon bridge from the deep sea area to the shore, it will take at least a day. At that time, before they could land, they were already surrounded by incoming defensive forces. Because of this, the war zone ignored the coastal defense of this fishing port town and did not deploy any troops here. As a result, the Hicks took advantage of the loophole.
But now it's too late to regret. General Bolonik only hopes to wait for the Thunder Legion's return before Lanhu City is captured by the enemy. The last Falcon letter that Claude sent to him made it very clear that Lanhu City could give up, but it must keep the Dolinibara River defense line. General Bolognik didn't take Claude's judgment seriously. After all, he also had a direct reinforcement battalion equipped with new rifles. He should be able to defend Lanhu City and prevent the enemy from threatening the Dolinibara River defense line. of... ...
The light cavalry regiment's attack on Lanhu City was easily crushed by the garrison, which greatly increased the confidence of General Bolognik and the morale of his men. However, when the two main field legions of the Hicks arrived and launched an attack, General Bolognik realized that the Hicks' Big Mac-style throwers that Claude mentioned in the letter were really powerful. The throwing distance is as far as more than 300 meters. The explosion of the grenade, which is twice as big as an iron pumpkin, is frightening. It creates a big crater when it explodes...
The first defensive line outside Lanhu City was quickly lost, but after entering the city, the Hicks also encountered a lot of trouble. The streets and alleys and broken walls made it impossible for the Hicks to use their shields. The giant cantilever thrower is fully protected by trucks and wooden rafts. General Bolognik commanded the defensive forces to launch a counterattack and successfully destroyed two Big Mac throwers.
The Hicks immediately changed their strategy. They deployed the remaining three giant cantilever throwers on the outside and did not enter the city. Instead, they used old-fashioned throwers and iron pumpkins to open the way. This played into the hands of General Bolognik. He also commanded the defensive forces to retaliate in kind, using grenades produced by the military manufacturing industry in the war zone to fight back, causing several times the casualties to the Hicks' attacking troops, forcing the Hicks to only It can send troops to clear the ruined roads, and then move the giant cantilever thrower forward to throw giant grenades and iron pumpkins to bombard defensive positions.
In the street fighting in Lanhu City, landmines finally played their biggest role. Sometimes the garrison suffered serious battle losses and were forced to abandon their defensive positions. After the Hicks swarmed in and occupied the position, they often stepped on the mines, and then exploded into ten pieces. Several casualties. Hitting too many landmines made the Hicks people suspicious, which indirectly affected the speed of the attack and gave the garrison more time to prepare for war.
It's just a pity that the military manufacturing industry workshop headed by Mr. Veblen was in the direction where the Hicks attack was launched. When the Hicks light cavalry appeared on the outskirts of Lanhu Town, it was forced to evacuate. There are not many weapons and ammunition such as grenades and mines in reserve. Those produced in the past were shipped to Claude's front line as soon as possible. This time, after the fishing port town was occupied by the Hicks, all the emergency production was handed over to the garrison for use in urban street fighting. Now there are very few left. This is why General Bolognik is worried that Lanhu City will not be able to defend it.
After all, the Hicks have two standing legions of 120,000 to 30,000 people, plus the light cavalry legion in the peripheral blockade, with a strength of nearly 200,000. However, General Bolognik only had more than 13,000 troops under his command, and he was able to hold on to Lanhu City for twenty-three days despite the enemy's overwhelming force of more than ten times. Only one-third of Lanhu City was occupied by the Hicks. The area and a peripheral defense line can already be called a miraculous achievement.
Now, the defensive force is less than 7,000 men, but the enemy still has 150,000 to 60,000 men, which is still an overwhelming strength advantage. In addition, new weapons such as grenades and landmines in the hands of the defense forces are used less and less, and the pressure to resist the Hicks' attack is increasing, and the casualties are increasing...
The pontoon crossing of the Dolinibara River.
General Albert's nose was almost crooked with anger: "Get me the steward in charge of this pontoon. What is going on?"
General Albert, who finally arrived at the pontoon bridge of the Dolinibara River, found that both sides of the river crossing were filled with crowds of black crows. The north bank is full of veterans of the local garrison who are bored waiting, and the south bank is full of refugees with their families and various vehicles.
One of the two pontoon bridges is passing refugees and the other is passing troops. One of the wheels of a baggage vehicle loaded with supplies fell off the pontoon bridge passing the troops. The entire vehicle was tilted on the pontoon bridge. Material packages wrapped in squares were also scattered on the bridge, blocking the pontoon bridge. Passed.
It took half an hour before the sweaty steward of the pontoon crossing management office came to General Albert. The general cursed loudly, pointed at the carriage on the bridge and asked what was going on. At this moment, General Albert was about to shoot the steward.
The steward was so frightened that he was pissed off. He replied that the carriage was loaded with the baggage supplies of the leader of the local garrison who was passing through the pontoon bridge. It was loaded with a carriage. When crossing the bridge, it was too heavy and the bridge deck was broken. Then the two sides got into a quarrel. Among them, the Floating Bridge Crossing Management Office demanded compensation for the broken bridge deck, but the leader of the local garrison asked the Floating Bridge Crossing Management Office to compensate him for the loss of goods.
"Bring me the regiment commander." General Albert was so angry that he directly ordered his guards: "Throw all the carriages and goods on the bridge into the river, and restore the pontoon bridge to traffic immediately. "
It seems that the senior officers who were transferred from the army to the local garrison are living a prosperous life. They can collect specialties and souvenirs of such a carriage while stationed in the local area.
"Where are your officers? Call everyone here." General Albert ordered as he looked at the veterans of the local garrison who were watching the excitement.
Soon two colonels appeared in front of General Albert.
"What is your organization?" General Albert asked.
"The 108th Regiment of the local garrison order in the theater was ordered to garrison Wickham Castle. The commander of the regiment is Colonel Lemandoc."
"The 114th regiment of the local garrison order in the theater was ordered to garrison the coastal area of Cromwell's direct jurisdiction. The commander of the regiment is Colonel Fareos."
"Where are your troops?"
"Our 108th Regiment arrived here just yesterday afternoon and are waiting to cross the river." Colonel Le Mando replied, pointing to the location of his troops.
"Our 114th Regiment just arrived this morning and is currently resting." Colonel Fareos replied.
General Albert pointed to the carriage on the pontoon: "What is going on, do you know?"
The two colonels glanced at each other, and finally Colonel Lemandoc spoke: "Report to the general, this is the logistics supply unit of the 117th Regiment. Their regiment is stationed at the Baik Hill Castle in the Beringana Direct Territory. It is said that it is on the grassland. They got a lot of hides and beef from hunting bison, and this time they planned to transport the hides and beef to Port Patres for trading. The wind on the river was strong last night and it was unsafe to drive across the river, so they did not cross the river. We started crossing the river when the wind subsided in the morning, but we didn’t expect that the carriage was too heavy and crushed a bridge plank, so we were stuck there.”
"Humph..." General Albert sneered twice, looking at another pontoon bridge crowded with refugees, and asked the steward of the pontoon bridge management office: "What's going on with that pontoon bridge? Why isn't it evacuated?" Those refugees let the troops pass through first..."
The steward collapsed on the ground: "General, when we crossed the river in the morning, I also wanted the troops to cross the river first, but a group of people said they were some kind of congressman and directly pushed the people in our management office aside to rush to cross the river first. The refugees swarmed up, and we couldn't stop them. They all said that their relatives were so-and-so from the legion. The people below did not dare to offend them, so they had to let them occupy a pontoon... "
These refugees are all under the direct jurisdiction of Amphiston, and many of them are military dependents. General Bolognik evacuated the residents of Lanhu City, and these people were preparing to go to the two direct territories of Cromwell and Beringana to seek refuge with relatives and friends. What they said was indeed correct. Their relatives or nephews were either soldiers in the Thunder Legion or the Rock Legion. This floating bridge crossing management office is a small organization that usually maintains floating bridges and collects river crossing fees. It really does not dare to offend these military families.
At this time, General Albert's guards came back carrying a fat colonel. The fat colonel's face was pale, and his pants were still a little wet, as if he had just peed.
General Albert laughed: "So it's you, Colonel Felix. I didn't expect that after I haven't seen you for more than a year, your figure would be so rich. You are twice as plump as before in the army. Look. You're having a great time here."
The fat colonel was trembling: "General, for the sake of our previous friendship, please forgive me this time. I will never dare to do it again in the future."
General Albert shook his head gently: "Colonel Felix, I am very disappointed. You were a brave officer when you were under my command, and I was very optimistic about your future. When you said you were going to transfer to the local army, I also feel sorry for you, thinking that if you continue to work in the legion, you may become a general of the kingdom in less than ten years.
But you refused, saying that you were tired of the battlefield and wanted to live a quiet life on a pasture with your old parents. I fulfilled your wish and made you the leader of the local garrison stationed at the castle on Baik Hill. It's so close to your ranch that you can go home to your elderly parents at any time...
I really want to know why all the local garrison regiments contracted to garrison Wickham have arrived at the river. Your local garrison regiment, which is half the distance away than theirs, is only halfway across the river now. Can you give me an explanation? , the emergency order you received was to reinforce Lanhu City, so did you bring so much baggage and supplies along the way to Port Patres for business?"
The fat colonel couldn't answer a word, so he stood there with his head lowered and begged for mercy: "General, please spare me this time. I won't dare to do it again..."
General Albert sighed: "Although I really want to shoot you directly, it would be too easy for you. Take him down. He has to undergo a military trial. He will be detained first until the war is over. Let’s settle accounts with him again..."
Colonel Lemandoc and Colonel Fareos both turned pale, and they naturally knew what General Albert meant. If General Albert took out his revolver and shot the fat Colonel Felix, that would be the end of the matter. But General Albert wanted him to undergo a military trial, which not only meant that the fat Colonel Felix would still be convicted, but also meant that all the preferential treatment given to his family would be withdrawn by the war zone.
"Okay, Colonel Lemandos, now I give you a task. Lead your soldiers across the river, separate the refugees crossing the river on the pontoon bridge over there, and let our troops cross the river first. As for Fareos Colonel, you also have a mission. After leading your troops across the river, you will guard and disarm the 117th Regiment. All officers and soldiers involved with Colonel Felix will be arrested. Do you understand?" General Albert He pointed at the two colonels standing in front of him with his riding crop.
"Yes, General." Colonel Lemandoc and Colonel Fareos stood at attention and saluted.