After dodging several rounds of overhead bows and arrows, South Vietnamese infantry finally approached the line with wooden shields. It's just that in the face of the walled wall, which is more than a foot high, the small group of infantry with a shield in one hand and a weapon in the other hand does not have a very good way to attack, so they can only curl up behind the wooden shield as much as possible, hoping that the ladder behind them can rush up quickly.

The North Vietnamese army erected tall log walls as a means of defense in vulnerable areas, and in some areas built cascade fortifications according to the terrain, even if the opponent broke through the first line of defense, they could retreat to a higher level of fortifications and continue to defend. The section of the line that is currently under attack has built a three-tiered defensive line, and thousands of defenders have gathered behind the defensive line, and it is not easy to conquer this place.

As more and more South Vietnamese infantry rushed under the wooden walls, the lethality of the North Vietnamese archers gradually decreased. There were already wooden ladders that began to reach the wall from below, and immediately infantry ants attached to them, but the first South Vietnamese soldier to poke his body into the wall was directly pierced by several spears and fell off the ladder. At this time, the archers on both sides also adjusted their strategies and began to carry out projectile attacks at a longer distance, so as not to accidentally injure their own people who were already in a state of engagement.

The casualties of this hand-to-hand encounter far exceeded those of previous long-range strikes, and Mu Feng and his wife saw that the South Vietnamese soldiers who had climbed the wall were constantly poked down by the spear arrays behind the wall. But there are quite a lot of people who are not afraid of death, and even some people fly directly into the spear array behind the wall with wooden shields after climbing the wall, as long as they can overwhelm a small piece of the spearmen in front of them, the companions who follow behind can have a little more time to react.

"Ferocious!" Feng Anan held the camera and sighed: "These South Vietnamese soldiers who are fighting in the front are still peasant soldiers, and they can all fight like this, it seems that our previous idea that the peasant soldiers have no combat effectiveness is a bit extreme!"

"There is a team of warlords following behind, and these peasant soldiers can't retreat, so they can only fight hard. Mu Shabai saw the reason for this situation more thoroughly: "However, these soldiers of Annan are indeed ruthless, no wonder this country has not been truly conquered after hundreds of years of war! In the future, when we come here to fight, we must be cautious, and we must not underestimate these monkey soldiers." ”

"I think in the future, we can consider absorbing more of Annan's troops. Feng Anan said: "From the trainees we came into contact with in the training camp, it can be seen that these monkey soldiers are not afraid of fighting at all, and they also have a very indifferent view of life and death. This kind of soldier can only fight hard when he goes to the battlefield!"

"The Executive Committee probably won't agree with you. Mushabai had a different view: "The Executive Committee only wanted to turn the Annan army into an auxiliary army, but it did not have the idea of incorporating them into the direct subordinate army. In my opinion, at most, it would be nice to recruit some soldiers from the North Vietnamese immigrants, as Qian Tiandun did. ”

As the two spoke, more and more wooden ladders had been put up on the wall, and the places where the walls were attacked had quickly expanded from one or two to four or five. Already South Vietnamese infantry had climbed over the wall and began to engage the North Vietnamese army head-on. The North Vietnamese Army, which had previously had some advantages, had now begun to suffer casualties in the melee.

"The North Vietnamese army is a little unable to hold on!" Feng Anan couldn't help but be a little worried when he saw that the North Vietnamese defenders had begun to gradually retreat to a higher level of second-tier defense line. It has not been half an hour since the South Vietnamese launched the attack, and the North Vietnamese Army has been faintly unable to hold on, and there are still several waves of attack forces behind the South Vietnamese Army that have not been put into the battlefield.

"I don't think so, the North Vietnamese army is consciously retreating. Mu Shabai said: "The North Vietnamese army is still very particular about building this kind of stepped fortifications, the platform between the first and second layers of defense is very narrow, and the number of soldiers that can accommodate it is extremely limited, and the South Vietnamese army wants to use this as a platform for upward attack, it is not so easy to attack the first layer." ”

As Mu Xiabai explained, Feng Anan also noticed this fact: "They deliberately let go of the first layer of defense to reduce the pressure of their own attacks...... This Zheng Bai really has two brushes!"

"If you don't have two brushes, you won't be entrusted by the Zheng family to lead this army. (Baidu search update is the fastest and most stable)" Perhaps the battle in front of him was too fierce, Mu Shabai never put down the binoculars for a moment: "Before I came, I was a little worried that the lord of North Vietnam would be a mediocre talent, but it seems that my worries are a little redundant." ”

Sure enough, after the North Vietnamese Army slowly withdrew from the first line of defense, the South Vietnamese Army's offensive speed slowed down a lot, and the second wave of infantry had arrived under the first wall at this time, but because the space between the first and second lines of defense was very narrow, the number of soldiers who could enter this platform to attack the second line of defense was also extremely limited, and a large number of South Vietnamese infantry could only stand under the first wall. Only if the attack of the companions above has progressed, or if the dead and wounded have retreated, can the soldiers under the wall have room to replenish.

The focus of the North Vietnamese army's defense is obviously the second line of defense, and the North Vietnamese regular troops deployed on this line of defense are obviously the North Vietnamese regular army, most of whom are wearing iron armor or have equipment to protect their vital points, and the combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of the South Vietnamese peasant soldiers who attack from the bottom up. As a result, this line of defense immediately became the meat grinder of the South Vietnamese army, although the infantry from the rear was constantly replenished, but after half an hour of fighting, it still could not advance an inch, but left hundreds of corpses on the platform between the first and second lines of defense.

The South Vietnamese were not much better off on the other side of the attack, and because of the steep terrain, the South Vietnamese army suffered more casualties when attacking the first line of defense, and at this time it was also caught in the trap of stepped fortifications.

"The South Vietnamese army can't be defeated. Mu Sha Bai finally put down the telescope and made a judgment on the trend of the war situation: "The fortifications of the North Vietnamese Army did make full use of the terrain advantage, and the South Vietnamese Army had the advantage of air forces, but the combat area that could be invested in the troops was too small to reflect this advantage. Although this mountain defense line is ten miles long, there are only a few strategic points that are really suitable for a large army to attack. If the South Vietnamese Army wants to break through this line of defense from the front, I am afraid that it will really have to be filled with human lives!"

"If you were to command the troops to attack this mountain position, what would you do?" Feng Anan asked with interest.

Mu Shabai was silent for a while before he replied: "If it is only a combat method of cold weapons, then I am afraid it will be difficult to open a gap on the frontal battlefield, and some unconventional means must be used, such as night attacks and fire attacks, but in the case of the soldiers of the South Vietnamese Army, these combat methods are probably difficult to work, and if they don't do well, they will trap themselves." In my opinion, the best way is to bypass this line of defense. ”

"That's going to be difficult, all the boats we saw all the way south were small boats carrying only a dozen people, and the situation on the South Vietnamese side was probably not much better. To use this kind of ship to transport tens of thousands of troops around this line of defense, it would take thousands of ships. Feng Anan sighed.

Mu Shabai said: "I heard the trainees in the training camp say that in the past, Annan still had some big ships, but in the previous few civil wars, they were almost consumed, and the construction and maintenance costs of sea ships were too high, and the cost performance was not as good as cheap peasant soldiers, and slowly both sides did not have the idea of building new ships to participate in the war." Therefore, the ships that are now going south to transport grain to this army are all small ships with a tonnage of no more than 20 tons, and they do not have any combat capability at all, which is very consistent with the prediction of the base camp. ”

"At least we don't have to worry about being cut off from the sea when we're fighting. Feng Anan smiled and said: "It seems that the South Vietnamese army can no longer fight and is ready to withdraw." ”

After dropping hundreds of corpses in the small space in front of the second line of defense, there were fewer and fewer places for the attacking South Vietnamese army to stay, and the infantry had to fight on the piles of corpses, which was far more difficult than it had been when they had previously attacked from the bottom of a steep slope. Continuing to force an offensive in this situation will only increase casualties.

Sure enough, soon the South Vietnamese army sounded the gong to collect the troops, and the surviving infantry withdrew from the battle line as quickly as possible. Then, under the cover of the archers, they returned to the dense forest on the hillside. The North Vietnamese Army cheered and celebrated the victory in the battle. Mu Shabai raised his hand and looked at his watch, the whole battle took more than three hours from the dispatch of the South Vietnamese army to the retreat, but as a witness, he felt as if only a moment had passed.

"Let's go check it out, too. Feng Annan said.

After explaining the situation to the officers who had remained at the stronghold, a small group of North Vietnamese troops escorted Mu Phong and the others to the most intense battle of the line, where they met Zheng Bai, who had just personally commanded the operation.

"General Zheng has worked hard!" Mu Xiabai now has a new view of Zheng Bai, and his attitude is more cautious than before. This has nothing to do with the country and position he is in, but with respect for the military qualities he has just shown in his operational command.

"What do you have to learn from watching our army fight?" Zheng Bai took a sip of water before asking Mu Feng and the others.

"Your army's defensive operations are very well done, they are simply impeccable, and the tactics are very mature. Mu Shabai praised heartily.

"If this stalemate continues, I don't think the rebels in the south will be able to break through this line in a few more months. Feng Annan also spoke highly of the North Vietnamese army's appearance.

Although the basis for the Executive Committee and the Military Police Department to formulate this military intervention plan was to "take advantage of the danger of others", Mu Feng and the others had to admit that the North Vietnamese army's war situation here did not seem to have deteriorated to the point where Cheng Dù was as dangerous as imagined, at least for now, it still looks like it is very capable of fighting. If the war situation continues to develop like this, then the South Vietnamese, who have the numerical superiority in the army, will not be able to be worn out by the North Vietnamese army little by little in this flesh and blood millstone.

"We can't fight Ruan for a few more months. After receiving the praise of Mu Feng and the others, Zheng Bai did not have the slightest joy on his face, but looked very tired: "Ruan Wei has the support of the Zhancheng State that can provide some materials and financial resources, but we don't, we have requisitioned a large number of peasants and soldiers for this war, if we fight for a few more months, it will directly lead to a comprehensive reduction in grain production, and it will also require a lot of expenses to maintain such a large army to fight." At that time, even if we win, we will not be able to go south to defeat Ruan Rebellious. Both of them have seen how valiantly our soldiers are fighting, but if they don't get the promised pay and bounty for a long time, their morale and combat strength will quickly decline. ”

Zheng Bai said and raised his finger to the south and said, "Ruan Wei knows that he can't attack this defense line, but he still insists on attacking every day, and they just want to fight with us." Not just soldiers, but also financial resources and materiel. It is 800 miles away from Thang Long Mansion, but it is only less than 300 miles away from Quang Zhi of Nguyen, so whether it is transporting grain or troops, we have to consume more than double. The longer this battle is fought, the more obvious the advantage over Ruan Wei will be!"

Mu Feng and the others exchanged glances, both of them said in their hearts, this Zheng Bai can actually have such an understanding and analysis of the battle situation, it seems that he is not just a martial artist. Thang Long was determined to continue a long-term standoff with the south, but the commanders at the front of the North Vietnamese Army apparently did not see a long-term standoff as a good solution.

At this time, a personal soldier came over and whispered a few words in Zheng Bai's ear, Zheng Bai nodded, and said to Mu Feng and the others: "Would you like to go with me to the front of the battle to have a look?"

"Then ask General Zheng to lead the way. ”

Although Mu Xiabai and Feng Anan were both from the military before the crossing, their minds were also strong, and they had just observed the entire battle from a distance, but when they saw the overlapping corpses on the battlefield, it was still difficult to suppress the shock in their hearts.

The thick smell of blood in the air indicated the severity of the battle, and in some low-lying places, large swaths of blood had begun to clot. Teams of auxiliaries and minfu entered the battlefield and carried the bodies of their own soldiers to the rear, while the South Vietnamese soldiers who died here were not so lucky, and when it got dark, Minfu would throw their bodies to the edge of the dense forest below the hillside and leave them to their own destruction. When the South Vietnamese Army attacks again tomorrow, the corpses of their fallen comrades will become the first weapon to attack their psyche.

Only then did Mu Feng and the others understand why there was a strong smell of corpses in the smell of blood here, and it seemed that there were still the corpses of a large number of South Vietnamese soldiers in the dense forest dozens of meters away. The fact that these South Vietnamese soldiers were able to muster up the courage to attack after stepping over the decomposing corpses also shows that they are so strong that they can be called barbaric from another point of view.

Zheng Bai took Mu Feng and the others to inspect the battlefield while introducing the results of this battle. The South Vietnamese army left more than 1,100 corpses on the two battlefields, the highest casualties in the past 10 days. The slightly superior North Vietnamese army could not avoid casualties, with more than 300 casualties killed in direct combat, and hundreds of wounded soldiers would be incapacitated for a period of time due to their injuries.

In the area where the corpses were emptied, craftsmen immediately entered and began to repair the damaged walls and fortifications, and some of the wooden walls that had been knocked down or cut down by the South Vietnamese army would be re-erected in the shortest possible time. In addition, there were people who carried loads of sand into the field and buried the conspicuous blood pits. The reason for this was not only to protect the soldiers stationed there from the smell of blood, but also to avoid the breeding of mosquitoes on the defensive line and the emergence of epidemics. All kinds of aftermath work is being carried out in an orderly manner, and it seems that the North Vietnamese army has already gained experience here.

"General Zheng is so relieved and bold to let the craftsmen and people into the field, if the opponent seizes this opportunity to launch another attack, won't it be in a hurry?" Although Feng Annan admired the aftermath of the North Vietnamese, he still raised his own doubts.

Zheng Bai smiled rarely: "Ruan Wei has indeed done this, but after suffering a few losses, they will never be fooled again." Now that real craftsmen and people have been sent to clean up the battlefield, Ruan Shun does not dare to act rashly anymore. ”

Feng Anan suddenly realized: "It turns out that General Zheng used this as a plan to fight their ambush?"

Zheng Bai said: "It's just a small skill of carving insects, the two of you are smiling!"

After that, he looked up at the sky, and then said, "It's a little late today, and it seems that there will be no second attack, and the two of you can go down the mountain and go back to the camp to rest." ”

The two were escorted back to the Chinese army camp by Zheng Bai's personal soldiers, and began to sort out the results of today's battle that night. In terms of the general direction of development, the situation of the civil war in Annam was basically in line with the judgment of the base camp, but the specific situation of the battle was quite a bit unexpected by the Military Police Department. Whether it is the brutality of the battle or the tactical attack and defense of both sides, there are many points that deserve the attention of the military police department, otherwise the Haihan militia will set foot on this battlefield a few days later, and there may be mistakes and omissions in tactical arrangements and undue losses.

In addition, the commander of the North Vietnamese Army, Zheng Bai, who not only understands military strategy, but also seems to have a good view of the overall situation, and does not have any rejection and antipathy for Haihan's assistance. If the North Vietnamese can make a beautiful comeback after this, then this Zheng Bai's status in the North Vietnamese military may rise further in the future, and this should be a worthy object for the crossing group to make friends and maintain relations.

The reports compiled by the two men were sent by radio to the Tushan Peninsula and Shengli Port that night for the reference of the action planners in the rear. In addition, they had to prepare the content of the meeting with Zheng Bai the next day, and ask the other side for the personnel, materials, and operational support needed by the Haihan militia. The first of these was to let the North Vietnamese send people to build a wharf and logistics base at Vinh An Port in the north ahead of schedule.