"The rebels had not used this trebuchet on the battlefield before. Zheng Ting said to the several Haihan officers in front of him with great certainty: "In the past, they used to use bows and arrows as the main means, supplemented by a small number of artillery as a means of long-range attack, and this is the first time I have seen such a trebuchet." ”

Yan Chujie and the others all nodded slightly, which also proved their opinion from the side that these trebuchets were probably also the technology provided by the military advisers of South Vietnam, and their purpose was to supplement the long-range attack means of attacking the coalition defense line. The South Vietnamese army did not have much artillery, and the truce took several days to produce these trebuchets, presumably hoping to be able to use them in conjunction with the artillery to destroy the coalition defenses in the shortest possible time. It's just that the other party didn't expect that behind the defensive wall of the coalition position, there were not just four guns, but more than forty!

Some of these guns were monkey versions of artillery exported to North Vietnam, as well as the four small cannons used in the previous days. In addition, the expeditionary force also brought a number of original and genuine Haihan guns, and if necessary, they could even dismantle the ship guns from the "Exploration" for use. With so many guns, it was difficult to even deploy them on a line of defense that was only two hundred meters wide, so that only half of the total number of guns was placed on the line.

If the South Vietnamese army only launched an attack with a limited number of artillery, the coalition forces would also play the trick to the end, exposing only a few guns and PK the opponent, and slowly knocking out the opponent's artillery with the advantage of range and accuracy. But since the South Vietnamese Army came up with the idea of using trebuchets to supplement the lack of long-range firepower, and it has threatened the safety of the militia soldiers, the coalition forces can no longer hide and tuck, so they simply show their fangs and take advantage of the South Vietnamese Army's failure to recover.

The South Vietnamese army did not expect that after fighting for so many days, there were still so many big killing weapons hidden in the opponent's position that it was useless, and after a rumbling burst of artillery, the trebuchets in the South Vietnamese formation were hit by shells one after another. As for the limited number of artillery pieces, they were named one by one before they even had time to resist under the concentrated fire of the allied artillery.

Faced with such a situation, the South Vietnamese commander was not stupid enough to continue to insist on the offensive, but immediately ordered the rear team to change into the front team, and all the troops retreated. The musket unit in the South Vietnamese Army retracted before it could even show its front.

"General Yan, please ask for your life to pursue!" Zheng Ting saw that the war had only been a stick of incense, and the South Vietnamese army could no longer withstand the artillery attack, seeing that this posture was planning to withdraw, it would be a pity if such a good battle situation was not grasped, so he hurriedly asked Yan Chujie for his life.

Yan Chujie naturally would not object to this construction, now that he has exposed his firepower in advance because of the opponent's tricks, it is not easy to annihilate the opponent's musket troops by taking advantage of the momentum of this battle, but the coalition forces have been preparing for this for so long, at least they have to collect some interest. The command also did not forget to inform the mountain positions in the north and cooperate with the coalition positions to launch a counteroffensive against the South Vietnamese army.

So after a lapse of two months, the North Vietnamese Army finally had the opportunity to make an active counterattack on the battlefield, and the garrisons of the two positions launched an attack on the retreating South Vietnamese Army from the east and north respectively. As far as the South Vietnamese Army is concerned, the situation in the north is slightly better, after all, the North Vietnamese Army stationed in the mountain positions has reached the end of its strong crossbow, and now it is not too strong to fight a counteroffensive. However, the army that was pursued from the east gave the South Vietnamese army a great headache, and almost all the musketeers fell behind not far behind, and as soon as the troops behind the South Vietnamese cushion stopped, they also stopped, and then there was a volley of guns that caused the troops behind the cushion to turn on their backs. If you plan to rush over and fight, there are spearmen lined up in a neat phalanx next to them, and it is really a fatal way for the skirmishers to rush into battle.

The only thing the South Vietnamese Army could be thankful for was that their large battalion was not far from the place of engagement, and the large force could be withdrawn to the battalion at a moment's notice. As for the heavy equipment such as shield carts and trebuchets, no one cared about them when they fled for their lives, and they were all abandoned on the battlefield.

The North Vietnamese Army, which had only infantry, was not carried away by the temporary superiority, and went directly to attack the South Vietnamese army's battalion, and the counterattack troops in both directions stopped at a distance of about four or five hundred meters from the enemy's battalion.

With the advanced means of communication, although there was a large South Vietnamese battalion between the two units, their actions were very synchronized, and after driving the South Vietnamese troops back to the battalion, they began to stay in place to rest, as if to prepare for the next attack.

However, after the South Vietnamese army was tense for half an hour, the allied forces did not attack, but instead a lot of civilians came and began to dig trenches in front of the battle, as if they were preparing to build fortifications and set up camp. In particular, the coalition forces in the east quickly dismantled the defensive wall in the rear and transported it to the front to rebuild, so that the South Vietnamese army could see how to build a solid defensive wall in the shortest possible time.

Only an hour later, even the artillery was transported to the newly opened front line, and one by one it began to enter the freshly dug gun emplacements, and the muzzles of the guns were aimed at the South Vietnamese battalion. The terrain here is much wider than the earlier coalition positions, and the artillery that has not been used before can now be spread out to scare the South Vietnamese army.

The North Vietnamese army in the north did not have such sharp means, but with the strength of the outnumber, it also quickly stabilized its position, and the people in the rear began to transport timber in a steady stream, and they rushed to the position to make deer and horses on the spot, and dug trenches in front of the formation.

If you really want to fight with the South Vietnamese army, the main force of the North Vietnamese army is estimated to have little chance of victory, and after struggling to support it in a defensive state for nearly two months, the vast majority of them have reached their limit. However, the Allied Command did not intend to involve the main forces of the North Vietnamese Army in the war, and their task was to put themselves in a position and put enough pressure on the South Vietnamese Army from the north.

The South Vietnamese army had the intention of moving the enemy in the north, but in the face of the fangs of the mysterious troops on the other side, no one dared to act rashly at this juncture, and then mention the matter of sending troops to attack, the army in the east was at most two or three thousand people, and there were so many muskets and artillery, who knew what powerful things would be hidden behind the army formation in the north. Maybe as soon as their army goes out, they will fall into the pit dug by the other party.

The South Vietnamese generals already understood that the North Vietnamese had laid a huge trap for them to fall into this time, but when this trap began, no one could say clearly. If it is said that the North Vietnamese were already arranging this situation when they retreated from the battle for the river and the Hengshan line, then the sacrifice made was inevitably too great, and the North Vietnamese army alone had been killed and captured by more than 10,000 people during this time, and the North Vietnamese commander could not be stupid enough to use such a big bait to fish. What's more, when the mountain defense line was on the verge of collapse several times, the North Vietnamese did not sacrifice this large-scale weapon force to save the battle.

But if it has only recently begun, then the North Vietnamese will be too quick to move. From projecting troops at sea and quickly building defensive positions, to attacking and harassing one's own large rear, and a large number of new-style troops equipped with muskets and artillery, it will take at least several months to prepare for any of these things. But the North Vietnamese seem to have been prepared for a war of annihilation from sea to land, which would not have been a long-planned trap to explain these anomalies.

Even if they had their brains open, it was hard to imagine that North Vietnam, which was in a difficult situation, could actually pull in a strong foreign aid, and this foreign aid had indeed spent a lot of time and investment to prepare for this operation. However, whether it is the preparation or the actual combat process, the combat capability of this expeditionary force is indeed far from being comparable with the other two armies on the battlefield.

The convergence of these contradictory phenomena made it difficult for the commanders of the South Vietnamese Army to judge what kind of war situation was being laid out on the North Vietnamese side. Although there is also a musket unit in his own battalion, the number of artillery is far inferior to that of the opponent, and it is probably only a matter of increasing casualties if he pulls out and fights hard.

The opinion of the "military advisers" from the West in the South Vietnamese battalion was more direct: at this time, there should be no more fighting, and the retreat of the army to the south should be arranged immediately. The South Vietnamese generals may not have realized what it meant to have a large amount of artillery in their hands, but the "military advisers" were already sensing the signs of defeat. However, this opinion was not adopted by the South Vietnamese generals, who believed that at least they had to see what North Vietnam would do next, and if they withdrew without saying a word, then these two months would not be in vain? If the troops were withdrawn from the battle, who would bear the responsibility of avoiding war? Who would dare to bear it?

Seeing that the South Vietnamese Army did not retreat in a hurry, but retreated in the camp, the coalition command immediately relaxed. The officers were worried that they would scare away their opponents by revealing their strength, but the South Vietnamese Army did not seem to be aware of the dangerous situation they were in, and they were afraid that they were still lucky enough to fight the coalition forces. In this case, the command will not miss a second chance to strike at the opponent, and if it can grasp it correctly this time, the final result may be better than the previous positional battle plan.

In the current battlefield situation, the coalition forces blocked the direction of the South Vietnamese army's camp from the northwest and southeast. At present, the gap left by the coalition forces in the northeast around the South Vietnamese Army is a direct access to the sea, which is equivalent to a dead end. To the west is the mountains that stretch for more than ten miles, which are basically primeval forests. The only way to survive was the way to retreat south, which, although still under the control of the South Vietnamese Army, was already within range of the Allied artillery.

Of course, if the South Vietnamese Army really dared to fight and rushed directly to the north, it was also possible to break through the North Vietnamese Army's defensive line and cross the mountain positions into the hinterland of North Vietnam. But even if they rushed over, the supply of these tens of thousands of men would still be a huge problem, and the coalition forces in the flank and rear could cut off their long supply lines at any time. What's more, thirty miles north of the mountain defense line, there is another defensive site under construction, Yong'an Harbor. As a safety measure set up by the headquarters, the terrain there was also easy to defend and difficult to attack, and even if the South Vietnamese army broke through the mountain defense line, it would be dragged to death near Vinh An Port and could not continue to advance north.

Since the South Vietnamese chose to defend to the death, the coalition forces did not hurry to build positions and arrange defensive measures in case the South Vietnamese army suddenly launched a counterattack. The command graciously ordered that all coalition forces be given a lunch meal to reward them for their bravery in the previous battle. After a leisurely lunch, the command gave the order to attack the South Vietnamese battalion.

At this time, the command did not intend to continue to hide and tuck, and directly pushed all the artillery to the front line. More than 40 artillery pieces showed their muzzles on the front line together, and even if they did not fire, they already had a great deterrent effect. It was only at this time that the South Vietnamese Army finally realized that they had missed the best opportunity to retreat.

Due to the fact that there were too many guns and not enough gunners, the command had to call in all the half-baked trainee gunners on the "Discovery". Of course, at a distance of four or five hundred meters, the target facing the military camp stretches for several miles, and even if you fight with your eyes closed, you won't deviate too much, and the trainee gunner is enough.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, Yan Chujie announced the start of this round of offensive with the first shell from the artillery position. Dozens of artillery pieces roared one after another, and a thunderous roar could be heard even from ten miles away. Under such power, not to mention the South Vietnamese army who cowered in the battalion, even most of the soldiers in the coalition army changed color and trembled, even the militia from Heitu Harbor was no exception. Only the militia who have been stationed in Shengli Port for training for a long time is still relatively normal, because during every artillery exercise, the general militia also participates in the observation in batches, so as not to panic because of the sound of artillery on the battlefield. Judging from the current appearance, there is no doubt that this kind of training arranged by the Military Police Department has been very effective.

Zheng Bai also heard the dense artillery sound from the southeast in the position a few miles away, although he had already known the battle plan of the headquarters in advance through Feng Annan, but the sound of artillery in the air still made him feel a trace of inexplicable fear Such a dense artillery fire, the South Vietnamese rebels must not be able to bear it, and if they were themselves, I am afraid they would also not be able to carry it.

The South Vietnamese Army did not have a good time, and the first round of artillery fire smashed a section of the wall facing the Allied position, and the shells flew into the camp, often bringing flesh and blood along the way. This kind of force was simply not something that could be resisted by manpower, so the South Vietnamese army did not have much to resist, and soon the South Vietnamese army stationed in this area retreated westward, hoping that it would be as far away from the allied artillery fire as possible.

After firing ten rounds, the artillery fire stopped, and the gunners on each gun position recalibrated the firing angle according to the latest instructions from the command, and the lookout post could easily observe the effect of the fire from a high position.

The South Vietnamese military camp was given a moment of tranquility, but no one was relieved by it. Many people's legs and feet were still shaking, and their minds were full of scenes of their companions being torn apart by shells. Although the number of casualties of these hundreds of shells was not particularly large, the effect was surprisingly good, and a large area of the camp to the southeast quickly fell into a state of confusion after the first round of artillery fire. Under the unilateral long-range fire, the generals of the South Vietnamese Army had no better way to deal with it than to issue military orders that had no practical effect, such as "holding their positions".

Soon a new round of extended fire sent shells to areas that the first round of fire did not reach, quickly causing a new round of destruction and confusion in the battalion. The only way the South Vietnamese responded was to continue to retreat and stay out of range of the shells as much as possible.

If it was faced with invisible lead bullets, the South Vietnamese soldiers still had the courage to charge, but in the face of such shells that could tear their bodies apart, no one could muster up the courage to charge. Almost all of them were praying in their hearts not to be hit by the flying shells, and no one thought about how to fight back.

Of course, the officers still did not want to be beaten, but the problem was that it was basically impossible to organize a decent counterattack in such a dense artillery fire, the soldiers were busy rushing to the west to avoid the shells, all the formations had been disrupted, and the officers could not find anyone even if they wanted to organize their subordinates.

After three rounds of continuous firing, the artillery fire stopped. Zheng Bai hurriedly asked Feng Anan why the command headquarters wanted to stop the attack, and Feng Anan's explanation made Zheng Bai feel that the irony was not because the number of shells was limited, and it had to be calculated.

Feng Anan wasn't joking with Zheng Bai, but it was the case. Among the long-range materials this time, the shells alone weighed more than 20 tons, which sounds like a lot, but this time there were also a lot of artillery pieces, and when they were spread out on each gun, there were actually only a few dozen rounds. The army artillery was equipped with a little more shells, and the "Discovery" went south for two or three days, and less than half of the shells were left. If the attack was carried out at an average rate of 10 shells per hour, the shells would be exhausted in a day, and this was obviously not a situation that the command would like to see.

The combat effect that the command hopes to achieve is to use artillery bombardment to destroy the opponent's will to resist, rather than using artillery shells to kill every enemy soldier one by one. After all, artillery is only a long-range firepower unit, and the final combat mission must definitely be handed over to the infantry to complete.

In the afternoon of the same day, the coalition forces were not in a hurry to attack, but continued to deploy troops, move the position forward as a whole, and at the same time improve the fortifications on the perimeter. The South Vietnamese Army also took advantage of this gap to treat the wounded and repair the damaged fortifications. However, before nightfall, the coalition forces took advantage of the setting sun to attack the South Vietnamese camp a few more times, and knocked down a large part of the wall that had just begun to be repaired, and the sappers and civilians who were working on it were also unlucky. At this time, no one in the South Vietnamese battalion repaired the broken wall, and only a small number of stragglers were deployed to guard near the gap to prevent a sneak attack by the coalition forces.

"Keep an eye on the other side! Their only chance is to launch a night attack tonight!" Mu Shabai made a request to the outpost soldiers who were responsible for the early warning on the periphery, and at the same time transferred the first and second companies of the militia regiment, which were the most powerful, to the position to be responsible for night guarding.

The South Vietnamese army, who were already in a hurry and almost jumped over the wall that night, really lived up to expectations and launched a round of sneak attacks, but they were greeted by a dense row of lead bullets from the opposite position