Yuan Yun said: "Doesn't Mr. have the confidence to hold Fancheng?" ”

"Those who are good at fighting do not think about victory, but first think about defeat. If you don't do what happens after defeat, how can you achieve the ultimate victory? Moreover, the terrain of Fancheng is too small for our troops to be deployed. ”

"Deploying the remaining troops in Xinye is also making full use of our army's resources."

Guo Jia explained to the generals.

Everybody gets it.

With the new field defense line, they can rest assured that they can defend against the enemy.

......

The line of defense is laid out.

The army continued southward.

Soon arrived at Dongyang Mountain, which is less than thirty miles away from Fancheng.

The terrain is treacherous, and it can be used as an ambush.

Guo Jia left a regiment to garrison Dongyang Mountain, build a defensive line, and set up roadblocks.

"Sir, General Cheng Pu is here." Xu Chu said.

"Come here, please."

Cheng Pu walked quickly.

He arched his hand and said: "Sir, General Gan Ning's naval army has been defeated and retreated to the two mouths of the Sichuan Gorge, and Fancheng is in an emergency." Please sir send troops quickly. ”

"Got it."

Guo Jia took out the map, glanced at it, frowned, and said, "No, how could General Gan retreat to the two mouths of the Sichuan Gorge, isn't that the direction of Yizhou?" ”

"Ugh...." Cheng Pu said: "The enemy's firepower is too fierce, and Ganning's navy can't resist it at all." Forced through. ”

"The situation in Fancheng is even more critical than I imagined. Without further ado, I will immediately lead the army there. "Guo Jia knows the truth of the speed of soldiers.

Don't hesitate for a moment.

All the troops, except those stationed at Dongyang Mountain, hurried to Fancheng.

Boom boom...

Outside Fancheng, the battle is raging.

The river connecting the city was full of warships from Jingzhou, and on each warship, there were heavy artillery and heavy machine guns, firing at the tower of Fancheng to suppress the firepower.

After Huang Gai was in the city, he couldn't raise his head at all.

If it hadn't been for the preparation of fire oil and boiling water in advance, Fancheng would have been lost long ago.

"The current situation is very unfavorable for us." The troops led by Guo Jia were less than a kilometer away from the front line. has entered the range of the enemy's attack.

It was only because there was a tall castle tower at the corner as a cover that it was not attacked.

Through the telescope, you can see what's ahead.

Guo Jia ordered: "Let the 14th Brigade and the 15th Brigade go around to Beicheng, but when they see the fire outside the city, they will be killed immediately." The 16th Brigade, covering the artillery regiment, advanced to the south and, as long as the range was sufficient, destroyed the enemy ships. The rest of the troops, with me a feint from the front, attract enemy artillery, and give the 16th Brigade time to buy time. ”

"Yes..."

The surrounding generals replied.

.........

According to Guo Jia's arrangement, all troops were put into battle.

Launched a fierce attack on the enemy forces outside the city of Fan.

Boom boom...

After a burst of cannon fire.

The army rushed out.

Engage enemy forces outside Fancheng.

The enemy forces were suddenly attacked and somewhat caught off guard.

However, they react very quickly to the enemy.

As soon as they were attacked, they quickly fought back.

Bang bang bang...

The two sides engaged in a fierce battle under the city.

The Western Shang Empire was extremely powerful, but its numbers were small. And the army brought by Guo Jia, there were several divisions, and they attacked in separate ways, forming a powerful firepower intersection.

A single charge will crush the enemy.

The artillery of the warship in the distance was desperately smashing here.

But...

It didn't take long for them to discover that an infantry brigade and an artillery regiment were approaching the river. Once in range, the consequences are unimaginable.

To avoid the bombing of ships.

All the gun embrasures were adjusted to attack the infantry brigades and artillery regiments on the flanks.

If time is enough, they can do it.

But on the narrow deck of the ship, it was difficult to turn the gun muzzle. Coupled with the fact that the ships were rocking and the cannons were fired, the accuracy was very poor.

Dozens of shots were fired in a row, and there were not many casualties on the other side.

On the other hand, Guo Jia sent an infantry brigade and artillery regiment to advance steadily, reach within the firing range, break the position on the spot, and carry out a precise attack on the river after accurate calculation and arrangement.

Boom boom...

Four consecutive volleys.

More than 500 shells, all concentrated on the warships on the river.

I saw that the warships collapsed in an instant and slowly sank to the bottom of the river.

The cannon on top was also overturned.

Some of them were blown up and flew out of the warship.

The result is also sinking into the river.

The moment the cannon sounded, Guo Jia looked back.

The smooth battle situation surprised him. I thought that the battle there of the artillery regiment was the most difficult, and it should pay a great price to get close to the river.

But unexpectedly, at the beginning of the battle, the enemy's warships were destroyed.

It was a bonus.

Guo Jia shouted: "Soldiers, rush over and crush all the enemies in front of you..." ”

An army without artillery cover is like having its teeth pulled out by a tiger.

Combat effectiveness has been sharply reduced.

Gather the forces of several divisions and brigades and beat them hard at one point.

Soon.

The enemy retreated back to the river.

Originally, many warships were docked on the riverbank, which were used to carry soldiers. But Guo Jia's artillery regiment has been bombing. After sinking the ships carrying the guns, they attacked the other ships.

Ships sank into the river.

Numerous casualties were immense.

The enemy retreated to the river, where he could no longer retreat. You can only fight against the water.

The art of war is cloudy, and fighting against the odds can multiply the combat effectiveness of the soldiers.

But here, it completely loses its effect.

The reason is simple.

The battlefield of thermal weapons does not rely on a mouthful of blood in the chest, nor does it require the courage to charge. Rather, it requires tactical arrangements, reasonable command, etc.

After being cornered, it can only become more and more chaotic.

The combat effectiveness is gradually weakened.

How can you turn defeat into victory.

Guo Jia seized this fighter plane and ordered the troops to pursue and fight fiercely to annihilate the enemy.

Woo woo...

The horn of the withdrawal sounded on the river.

The remaining ships hurried back.

Avoid shelling.

"Don't run away from the enemy, soldiers, kill quickly!" Guo Jia shouted.

"Kill..."

All the sergeants, it was like they had gone crazy.

Rushing towards the riverbank.

The enemy had no choice but to retreat into the river and be killed again.

The big picture is determined.

Guo Jia took the guard battalion and entered Fancheng.

Huang Gai and Cheng Pu, who were in charge of guarding Fancheng, all bowed their hands and saluted: "Sir..." ”

"No courtesy. How many troops do you still have? Guo Jia walked to the top of the city, looked at the battlefield under his eyes, and suddenly asked.

"Seven thousand infantry troops, three thousand cavalry." Cheng Pudao.

Huang Gai also nodded: "The battle to defend the city in the past few days has been too tragic. Almost all of our troops were bombarded by the enemy's artillery and suffered heavy losses. ”

"If it weren't for Mr. arriving in time, I'm afraid Fancheng would have been lost."

Guo Jiadao: "Fancheng is the gateway to Nanyang County, and it is also an important passage to resist the enemy army and enter Yuyan. Even if it comes at a heavy cost, it is important to hold on. ”

"Yes..."

Huang Gai and Cheng Pu both gave up one after another.

........

The battle outside the city did not last long.

The troops of the Western Shang Empire, who were cornered, were completely annihilated on the riverbank.

The battle.

Both sides paid a heavy price.

In particular, the troops stationed in Fancheng lost 4,000 killed and 7,000 wounded.

Guo Jia's department also suffered more than 1,000 casualties.

But...

Compared with the enemy, it is far behind.

More than 10,000 of their soldiers were killed (including those drowned).

More than 7,000 were injured.

More casualties than the troops stationed in Fancheng and Guo Jia's troops.

After this war, the military strength of the Western Shang Empire in Jingzhou was reduced by one-third.

In order to better defend Fancheng, Guo Jia sent someone to inform Gan Ning to come out from the two mouths of the Sichuan Gorge to join the garrison of Fancheng and consolidate the Neijiang defense line.

Inside the city of Fan.

Gan Ning came to report to Guo Jia: "Sir, Gan Ning is ordered to arrive. ”

"General Gan, please take a seat."

"The last general will not dare." As a general of a defeated army, how can he still have the face to sit down. Gan Ning only felt panicked now, and he couldn't wait to find a crack in the ground to turn in.

Guo Jia understood his thoughts and said with a smile: "Why did General Gan say this." Your navy has also made great contributions to the garrison of Fancheng, and it should be praised. ”

"But the last general... Defeat after defeat.... Gan Ning said.

Before the Western Shang Empire came, Ganning's naval army could be described as a victory in a hundred battles.

However...

The advent of thermal weapons has changed this situation.

"It's not so much defeat after defeat as defeat after defeat. General Gan, don't be presumptuous. Please sit down. Guo Jia waved his hand and said, "You all sit down." ”

"No..."

The generals took their seats one after another.

Guo Jiadao: "Today's battle is a major victory for us to defend Fancheng. I proposed to celebrate the victory with a drink, to boost morale, and to prepare for the battle that followed. ”

"Huh?"

Xu Dingke said that alcohol is not allowed in the army.

"Isn't that good, sir?" Cheng Pu asked.

"There's nothing wrong with that."

Guo Jia said with a smile: "If you win the battle, you should celebrate." Pass my order, and reward the three armies tonight. Take out all our wine and meat, so that the soldiers can eat and drink well. ”

"I won't march tomorrow, and I'll repair in Fancheng."

"But the day after tomorrow, we're going to formally discuss the army. Discuss the deployment of Fancheng and other matters. ”

All the generals smiled and replied, "Obey the order..." ”

...........

In the next two days, the soldiers of Fancheng drank wine and ate meat in large bowls. Celebrate the joy of defending Fancheng.

But.

Of all the troops, there was one unit, which did not participate in the celebration.

He is the 9th Division.

Division Commander Hong Liancheng.

Moreover, Guo Jia did not participate in the celebration.

He took Hong Liancheng's troops and ambushed the riverside outside Fancheng.

"Sir, will the enemy really come?" Hong Liancheng couldn't believe it. Guo Jia told him that the enemy army would definitely come to attack. But until now, there has been no trace of the enemy.

"Wait."

Guo Jia is still as confident as ever.

"The enemy army has just been defeated in Fancheng, how dare you repeat the mistakes of the past? Hung Lian Cheng Road.

"It was because of the defeat on the way back that he desperately needed to win. Moreover, I have ordered all the officers and men of the army to make unguarded repairs and celebrate the great victory of Fancheng. This is the best time for them to sneak attack. If they don't come... It only shows that their commanders are stupid. ”

Guo Jia didn't explain more.

Anyway, he was convinced that the enemy army would definitely come.

As for when to come, it depends on the specific situation.

Time passes minute by minute...

Hong Liancheng squatted behind a tree, almost asleep.

Guo Jia is also mentally depressed.

Suddenly.

In the distance, a black line appeared on the surface of the river.

The black line gradually thickened and became rows of tall warships.

Guo Jia cheered up and dragged Hong Liancheng behind him: "General Hong, look..." ”

Hong Liancheng rubbed his eyes, and immediately came to his senses, and said: "Mr. is really like a god, the enemy army is really coming." ”

"Get ready for battle."

"Yes."

Hong Liancheng personally went to command.

All the machine gunners, bombardiers, leaned forward.

Behind them were the infantry troops, relying on the terrain and forming a network of fire.

Further back was the artillery battalion.

In this configuration, I want to wait for the enemy to get close and attack with grenades.

If the enemy escapes, they can also be pursued with artillery.

Of course, the most important thing is the machine gun crew.

They all leaned forward, and as long as the enemy approached, they could inflict a heavy blow on the enemy with a single burst of fire.

The distance between the two sides is getting closer.

Thirty zhang.

Twenty zhang.

Ten zhang.

....

Until now, the sentries on the enemy's warships have not discovered Guo Jia's troops. This is thanks to the woods on the banks of the river, which hide all the troops well.

Enemy troops landed.

Their soldiers disembarked one after another.

"Hit!"

Hong Liancheng shouted.

Boom boom...

All the grenades were thrown at the enemy ships.

All the machine gunners, towards the dense area of the enemy troops, hit hard.

After the fire.

The enemy was stunned.

Some fell on the ground and fought back.

Some ran into the river.

Others want to go back. But the soldiers on the ship are all going down, how can they get on the boat?

It's all stuck there, it's a mess.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Hong Liancheng's troops attacked more quickly.

Puff puff...

The situation is very good.

Guo Jia stepped back a little way and approached Hong Liancheng: "The battle here is handed over to you, report to me later." ”

"Yes."

The battle here was under the full command of Hong Liancheng.

Guo Jia left the battlefield.

He went to the west.

Because he just remembered that there is still a way to go from Xiangyang to Fancheng. The road was too narrow to pass through boats. But there is no problem with a sneak attack with a small force.

If the enemy is smart and familiar with the terrain, and sends a force from there, Fancheng is in danger.

Although the possibility is very small, he is still not at ease and must go and see for himself.

The soldiers who left with Guo Jia had only one guard platoon.

About a hundred people.

Their weapons, consisting mainly of three types. One is a light machine gun, the other is a pistol. And rifles. Everyone carried grenades. It can be adapted to a variety of battlefields.

"Stop!"

Walked a little to the west.

Jia Xu suddenly heard several gunshots, coming from the front.

He immediately ordered the guard platoon to stop.

All lying on the ground.

Jia Xu too, took out the binoculars and looked ahead. I saw that the sentry team stationed there exchanged fire with a group of enemies. The opponents were all light machine guns, and they wore different clothes from the other soldiers. Touching up from a path, he easily eliminated the sentry team.

Rushed through the line with zero casualties and ran towards this side.

"Oh no, the enemy is coming...." Guo Jia ordered: "Don't let them break through here." You go and tell Hong Liancheng to transfer a regiment over and plug this gap. ”

"All the rest, call me!"

Bang bang bang...

Under Guo Jia's order, a soldier ran back to report the news. The guard platoon approached ahead of the curve and exchanged fire with the enemy.

The battle has just begun.

Guo Jia was dumbfounded.

The enemy's firepower is beyond imagination.

As soon as the guard platoon showed up, half of it was killed.