Claude only reached 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 headquarters of the Eastern Mountain Defense Front, six days slower than General Albert. But now there are four pontoon bridges on the river. The two extra pontoon bridges were built by the 108th local garrison regiment that was stationed at the ferry. The leader of the regiment, Colonel Le Mandoc, stood respectfully at the ferry to welcome Claude. .
Colonel Lemandoc and Colonel Fareos of the 114th Local Guard Regiment were both old subordinates of Claude, and had transferred to the local guard sequence from the First Division of the Thunder Legion. Colonel Lemandoc suffered from the recurrence of an old waist injury, while 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 Le Mandoc 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 front line where the two armies faced 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 originally stationed in the coastal area of the Beringana Direct Territory has arrived at the Claude Defense Line... "
Claude put down his pen and smiled with satisfaction, until now he finally let go of his heart. General Albert did a good job. He did not gather the local garrison regiments who came for reinforcements to rescue Lanhu City. Instead, he first strengthened the garrison strength of these two key places to relieve his own worries.
Even though the war has progressed to this point, the Hicks took the initiative and caught the war zone off guard. However, he should never have insisted on taking Lanhu City. As a result, it gave the Thunder Legion 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 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 your 131st Battalion and the Wolf Fang Squadron can only rest for one day and set off tomorrow night to the fishing port town. I don't need you to occupy the fishing port town, I just need you to destroy it, burn it to a white ground, and cut off the Hicks from supplying military supplies through ocean-going transport ships and floating trestles. 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 makes Claude curious is that the attack style of the Hicks has changed a lot. They launched an attack from the eastern frontier mountainous area to attract all the attention of the heavily assembled war zone, and then made a sneak attack and landed in the fishing port town. This is simply a different world where they build a plank road to cross Chencang secretly. version is really amazing.
The only problem is that after the Hicks landed in the fishing port town, their offensive tactics became rigid and old-fashioned. Although Lanhu City is the administrative center and theater headquarters of the territorial war zone, capturing Lanhu City can undermine the prestige of the war zone, improve one's own morale, and wipe away the shadow of the failure of the previous four colonial wars, but compared to the Dolinibara River defense line In other words, 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 and trap the garrison in the city. Next, another force of light cavalry drove directly 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 legions landed, cooperating with the two fleets to attack from both sides to capture this deep-water port. Finding a port for the Sea King Fleet and the Combined Fleet to dock is the most important key to this war.
After taking control of the Port of Patres, a standing corps was deployed to guard the defense line of the Dolinibara River to prevent the return of reinforcements from the frontline theater troops. Then we can use the waters controlled by the two fleets to transport all the four standing legions of Rodex Bay Colony, and then slowly eat away at the garrison forces of the five direct jurisdictions south of the river. Then this colonial war will be inevitable Ended with Hicks Kingdom victory.
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's return reinforcements from the mountain front line. It can be said that when General Albert led the second division to cross the Dolinibara River, the Hicks lost their last hope of winning this colonial war.
Claude felt it was a bit strange. The Hicks' front and rear command were vastly different, as if they had temporarily changed the frontline commander. Just like now, General Albert's second division has arrived in Lanhu Town, and the light cavalry division of more than 30,000 people has come as the first batch of reinforcements. The Hicks are still holding a confrontation in Lanhu Town. Formation, this is simply desperate.
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. In Hucheng District, they were ambushed by the garrison and lost nearly two regiments before they withdrew in embarrassment. After that, they no longer dared to attack Lanhu City. They only conducted vigilance and raids on the periphery. At the same time, they also dispatched two regiments of troops to the Mormali Direct Territory to collect wheatgrass 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 people, the casualties of the Hicks were even greater. Several times that of the defenders, the battle damage rate was almost four to 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 he think that they had the advantage due to their strong strength
In the mountainous area, Claude really had nothing to do against the attacking Hicks, because the mountain road is narrow. If you stand on the top of the mountain and see the Hicks, they are less than a hundred meters away from you, but if you want to rush in front of him, you have 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 left. In addition, the Thunder Legion was originally an offensive light cavalry legion, but when fighting in the mountainous area, it abandoned its mounts and marched on foot. There was no way around it. The troops in the war zone were tight, and the Thunder Legion had to go 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 located on the plain, next to the lake. 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 spirits. The horses that had traveled long distances were no longer tired after being carefully fed, and they looked full of energy. After inspecting them one by one, Claude was very satisfied, ordered the rally horn to be blown, and began to issue the order 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 and 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. Don’t let our enemies down..."
"Yes, General." Colonel Diaverde saluted and walked out of the tent with high spirits. In the past, it was either Belklin's 1st Regiment or Murield's 2nd Regiment that pioneered the legion. Today it was finally the turn of his 3rd Regiment, accompanied by the task of fighting. Diavid was determined to lead the 3rd Regiment as the first. The division seeks a jackpot and will 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 only rested for one day before rushing to Lanhu City, with the 1305th Regiment as the pioneer. Traveling day and night, we arrived at the outskirts of Lanhu City after two and a half days. 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, killing them, and attracted the rescue of the Hicks' light cavalry battalion from the Royal Knights Reserve Corps. Then the rest of the fifth regiment arrived and spontaneously threw themselves into the battlefield. The same is true for the Hicks, and more and more troops are involved in rescue. By the end, the 1305th Regiment of the Second Division had all entered the battlefield, and the Hicks light cavalry also came to the rescue with two regiments...
More than 15,000 people fought together, all fighting with sabers, and they were inextricably killed. 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 this light cavalry battle, the Second Division lost nearly two thousand light cavalry, while the Hicks lost a regiment of light cavalry plus a battalion of security garrison troops.
The casualties and battle losses were almost one to three, giving the fifth regiment of the second division the limelight. General Albert couldn't help but boast about the bravery of the fifth regiment in the battle report sent to Claude. Claude's indifference does not mean that the captains 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. Is it an enemy trap? It was lucky that the whole army was not wiped out. How can I have the face 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 troops. On the contrary, the Hicks troops 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. I went to the mountains to recuperate. As for the battalion commander Leng Touqing who provoked the decisive cavalry battle, he had died gloriously 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 army. 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, they saw General Bolognik with a bandage on his arm. On a hilltop outside the fishing port town, Blovik and several members of the Wolf Fang Squadron were covered with vines and weeds. From a distance, they looked like weeds. They were carefully observing Hicks with a monocular telescope. People’s defense and activities in the fishing port town...
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 captured the small fishing boats of the town residents and 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, fixed to the edge of the shallow sea by four anchors. The enemy's ocean-going transport ships are docked next to this offshore transport ship, and the materials unloaded from it are also piled on this ship, and then transported to the shore by the transport 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, with one trip every half an hour.
The Hicks also have a battleship cruising here, and they will dock next to the offshore transport ship at night. Last night I discovered that the captain of the battleship went ashore in a carriage for the night, and did not return to the ship until nine o'clock in the morning. Don't know if this is the norm. 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 could approach the offshore transport ship for parking and unloading.
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 is 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, and their personal freedom was restricted. 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 ignited the offshore transport ship and floating trestle, attracting the town's defenders to come to put out the fire. By then your 131st Battalion will launch a night attack. I believe we will be able to complete this mission soon. "
McJack asked a few more key questions, nodded after getting satisfactory answers, and decided on the steps of action very simply. Then the soldiers were ordered to rest and wait for the attack at night.
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 Sea King Fleet of the Hicks Kingdom, and burned the floating trestle built by the Hicks people. At the same time, the 131st Battalion of the Thunder Corps, under the command of Colonel McJack, captured the fishing port town, annihilated more than 2,000 defenders, captured more than 4,000 Hicks prisoners of war, and successfully rescued the people enslaved by the Hicks. Thousands of residents of the fishing port town...