Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 193: Grenade in Action! The Last Despair
Boom, boom, boom——!
The lethality of the firepower coverage is horrifying.

In less than ten minutes, the entire defense zone of Tanggu Port was shaken to the ground.

The artillery at the Tanggu Port bombarded indiscriminately as if it were free of charge.

of course,

Each gun did not fire at a limit, but instead fired about five rounds per minute.

300 guns, plus the Weiyuan cannon and 120mm mortars, a total of 342 guns,

About 1700 shells were fired every minute.

Ten minutes' time.

Hunter's coalition forces used human lives to carve out a bloody path leading to the Tanggu Port fortifications.

More than 15,000 of the 20,000 colonial troops were killed.

More than 5,000 of the 10,000 elite Western troops were killed in this wave of artillery fire.

The ground was bombed into scorched earth.

this moment,
Not to mention Hunter, the commander of the Western Alliance's first army, even the usually calm Freke and all the rest of the Western Alliance were filled with murderous rage.

That's right,

They went from being afraid and desperate at first to bursting into ferocity in the end.

The bandit's blood was completely ignited.

The remaining 10,000 Western coalition troops had their retreat routes blocked by artillery fire.

Therefore,
They could only rush forward; they had lost their minds.

Looking at the Tanggu Port in the distance, I saw that the enemy's artillery was still bombarding.

The remaining elite members of the Hunter coalition all had red eyes.

It's like a wounded beast that launches a frenzied attack when it sees its injured prey.

Wow——!
Next, everyone rushed towards the Tanggu Port frantically.

As the Hunter coalition forces broke through the three-kilometer defense line, their attack speed suddenly increased.

Freke took the brunt of the charge. Instead of allowing the colonial army to charge forward slowly, he wore heavy armor and led the charge forward head-on.

"Charge into the Tanggu Port defenses!"

Freak roared.

There are two ways to resist artillery attacks.

The first is to stay away. Staying out of the range of artillery can ensure safety.

If the retreat route had not been cut off by the Weiyuan artillery and 120mm mortars, it is believed that Hunter would have commanded the army to retreat and break out of the artillery coverage.

but now,

There was no escape for them.

Therefore, Freke directly chose the second method, which was to shorten the distance.

Once the distance is shortened, the mortar will not have time to adjust the angle and will lose its effective range.

The previously adjusted range was about 4 kilometers.

With just fine-tuning, it can cover a range of 3km to 5km.

but,

When the Western Allied Forces broke through the 3-kilometer cordon.

Then,

The mortar had no time to continue adjusting its angle.

Once the distance is adjusted too close, it is easy to hurt your own people by mistake.

this moment,
Everyone inside the Tanggu Port fortifications was stunned after seeing this scene.

Chen Jie was a little surprised when he saw Freke, wearing heavy armor and rushing like mad.

Isn’t it said that the French army is the most afraid of death?

Why is this guy so fearless?
"You still want to break through the Tanggu Port. Do you have the chance?"

Chen Jie couldn't help but spit.

He turned around and told Yan Kuangtu, "Brother Yan, it looks like we have to use grenades in advance!"

The manufacturing process of grenades is not complicated.

The last time Chen Jie moved the 'cannonball production line' over, after a period of debugging, it had already started mass production.

He taught Huang Tianyou from the arsenal the complete production process of grenades.

A lot of grenades have been produced in the past few days.

Originally, before this, Chen Jie planned to use grenades during the final charge to clean up the mess.

Since the attack range of the grenade is too short, it has to be thrown entirely by hand.

Therefore,
This weapon has great limitations and can only be used in the final hand-to-hand combat to be most effective.

But now Freke led the coalition forces and launched the most frenzied charge towards the Tanggu Port.

Although after a round of artillery bombardment, the Western coalition forces were crippled.

but,

In terms of numbers, Ximen Hall is still at an absolute disadvantage.

Once a hand-to-hand combat occurs, Ximen Tang will suffer a great loss if there is no grenades and fire suppression.

"It's already been prepared!"

Yan Kuangtu said excitedly.

He had never fought such a smooth battle before. Things had changed, and he didn't expect that he would be able to blow the Western coalition forces to pieces, forcing them to flee everywhere.

When Yan Kuangtu saw Freke leading his men to charge, he only felt more and more excited.

The three-kilometer distance was covered in less than fifteen minutes with Freke leading the charge.

I saw a torrent of steel rushing towards the Tanggu Port.

Bang bang—bang bang—!
At the fortifications of Tanggu Port, everyone abandoned their mortars and started attacking with muskets.

Gunshots rang out rhythmically.

Although these muskets were looted from the concessions of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

However, the bullets we are using now are produced by the Ximentang Arsenal, and their power has been greatly improved.

For a while,
Outside the entire Tanggu Port's fortifications, it was like hail.

The heavy cavalry of the Western coalition forces rushed to the front and blocked the bullet attacks with thickened metal shields.

All you could hear was the sound of ping-pong.

Many shields were pierced by bullets, revealing sieve-like holes.

There are design flaws in these muskets, and they can only be fired once before changing the bullet.

However, when thousands of people fired at the same time, the lethality was still very strong.

Compared with Western muskets, the power of the bullets has been increased, so the destructive power is greater and the range is much longer than before.

The Western coalition forces, who were at the forefront of the charge, suffered heavy casualties.

But it must be said that Freck, the most powerful general in France, is indeed extremely powerful.

He took advantage of the moment when the Ximentang elites were changing their bullets and launched another charge.

In less than a minute, he rushed to the bottom of the Tanggu Port fortifications.

The Western troops following closely behind quickly stabilized their position, knelt on one knee, and began to fight back with muskets.

Bang bang—bang bang—!
For a moment, the firepower was able to suppress the Ximen Hall elites on the fortifications.

next moment,
I saw two Western strongmen, wearing steel armor, carrying a Krupp infantry gun towards the gate of the fortification fifty meters away.

They are extremely strong and can run very fast.

He actually ran while carrying a Krupp infantry gun weighing several hundred kilograms.

boom--!
next moment,
With a cannonball, a big hole was blasted in the gate under the fortifications by the cannonball.

The entire fortification shook violently as if there was an earthquake.

"Who are these two guys? Why are they so strong?"

Seeing these two strong men running wildly with the Krupp infantry gun.

Even Zhang Changfeng, who was at the middle stage of Iron Bone Dark Energy, was stunned with shock.

"This is the Western Hercules!"

Chen Jie couldn't help but take a deep breath and said with emotion:

"I didn't expect that the Western strongman is so powerful, and his reputation is well-deserved!"

"Master Zhang, it's a good thing that you didn't encounter a Western strongman when you fought with the Westerners last time, otherwise the brothers would have suffered a great loss."

One force can defeat ten!

If a Western strongman wears heavy armor on the battlefield, his combat power will be infinite.
Once they hold a hammer or axe in their hands, they are like human weapons, sweeping wildly all the way.

Zhang Changfeng nodded and said:

"My Lord, you are right. If we are caught off guard and engage in hand-to-hand combat with these powerful monsters, it will be difficult to gain an advantage."

finished,

Zhang Changfeng continued: "Sir, can you use grenades now?"

Chen Jie said in a deep voice:
"Wait a moment, let their people gather together, and then we will give them a heavy blow with grenades."

"Brother Zhang, let the combat unit take care of the front, and you lead the Eagle Unit to outflank them from the side!"

"I will make sure they never return and wipe out those guys who charge first!"

The group of people that Freke led to charge first was about three thousand people.

Following closely behind were other troops of the Hunter coalition, who all rushed into the three-kilometer cordon.

However, 80% of the artillery and heavy machine guns had been cleared out by Xue Qian's special forces at the designated locations!
at this time,

There were also two Western strongmen in Hunter's coalition, who set up a Krupp infantry gun, targeting the Weiyuan cannon in the Tanggu Port fortifications.

Bang!
With a cannon shot, a Weiyuan cannon was instantly blown down.

The powerful shock wave caused the surrounding Ximen Hall reserve soldiers to scatter and hide.

The impact of artillery is very strong. If you don’t lie down or find obstacles to hide behind, you can easily be seriously injured or even killed on the spot.

at this time.

I saw an artilleryman from Ximen Hall pointing his thumb forward and deftly adjusting the direction of the mortar.

At this time, the mortar's flexibility advantage is reflected.

Although the Weiyuan Cannon is very powerful, its range and angle are fixed and cannot be adjusted.

Mortars can be precisely positioned.

Although positioning with a sight is very accurate, it is very complicated to operate and takes a lot of time.

This is a technical job, which requires calculating the elevation angle of the gun barrel, the distance of the parabola, etc. The artilleryman can accurately calculate the position by just using his thumb.

This requires not only experience but also talent.

Then,

With just one gunshot, the remaining Krupp infantry gun of Hunter's coalition forces, two kilometers away, was instantly destroyed.

The two Western strongmen were also killed on the spot by the heavy artillery.

"This gunner is great! What's his name?"

After seeing it, Chen Jie nodded and exclaimed in admiration.

When this guy saw the enemy's artillery fire, he was able to quickly fire in the shortest time and directly destroy the enemy's Krupp infantry gun.

He is decisive, intelligent, has superb artillery skills, is talented, and is worthy of cultivation.

"Sir, he is Xie Dong, the artilleryman who just joined our reserve force!" Zhang Changfeng, who was standing next to Chen Jie, replied.

Chen Jie silently memorized the name 'Xie Dong'.

If this battle is won, this guy can be the commander of the "artillery battalion"!

Able to make the most advantageous moves and achieve results based on the uncertainty of the battle situation.

This is the basic quality of being a military commander.

With the gunner named "Xie Dong", several consecutive shells destroyed the remaining Krupp infantry guns of Hunter's coalition.

The entire Tanggu Port’s fortifications were no longer threatened by the enemy’s artillery fire.

Next,
At the entrance of the fortifications that had been opened by the artillery shells just now, more and more troops gathered around Freke.

They were ready to attack the Tanggu Port in one go using heavily armored troops and hand-to-hand combat.

"Grenade! Throw--!"

Chen Jie ordered loudly.

Next,
On the fortification walls, a barrage of hand grenades fell among the Western Allied Forces.

Boom—boom—!
A loud explosion was heard under the city wall.

The three thousand elite troops led by Freck had just charged to the gate of the fortifications.

It was blown up by a grenade and collapsed again.

Although they are fearless and brave, who can withstand thousands of grenades thrown at them at once?
Many Western soldiers were completely devastated and terrified.

Especially those who rushed to the front and performed the most bravely were blown to pieces.

this moment,
The two sides entered into a fierce confrontation.

Puff-!
The powerful shock wave from the grenade knocked Freck to the ground.

His horse was killed instantly.

"Damn it! How could this happen?"

"What kind of bomb is this? It's so powerful!"

At this time, Frek, the peak Silver Knight, was finally injured.

Damn it——!
How come the Ximentang militia guarding the Tanggu port has such terrifying combat effectiveness?
Lost!

This time the attack on Tanggu Port ended in another disastrous defeat!
Freck looked up at the team of less than three hundred people behind him and felt like crying but had no tears.

Three thousand men launched a charge and were about to blast open the gate of the fortifications. They would soon be able to break into the fortifications of the Tanggu Port.

but,

Unexpectedly, a bunch of bombs were thrown down from the walls of the fortifications.

Three thousand people were killed in several waves of bombing, and less than three hundred were left.

This battle was fought so miserably!

There was no direct contact, and before they even started hand-to-hand combat, they were defeated by the opponent.

"retreat--!"

Freke was very decisive and did not fight to the end.

He raised a heavy sword in his hand and turned back.

Chen Jie held a Barrett sniper rifle in his hand and pointed it at Frek who was preparing to retreat.

This guy is so fierce!

They charged continuously and even were bombed by grenades several times, but they were still full of energy.

It is obvious that the other party's mental power is extremely strong and he has a super sixth sense of crisis.

He was wearing heavy armor and holding a heavy sword in his hand.

Ordinary muskets could not hurt him at all.

Even if there is an artillery attack, as long as it is not a saturation bombing targeting him, he can avoid the crisis in advance.

"Flake, be careful--!"

Alande, who happened to be rushing over from the direction of the Hunter coalition, suddenly felt a fatal crisis.

He raised a shield without hesitation and rushed behind Frek.

throat!
The bullet from the Barrett sniper rifle roared out like an angry dragon.

Alande's body was hit by bullets.

The shield in his hands and his body were instantly shattered.

“Arland——!”

When Freke saw this scene, his eyes turned red and he let out a sharp roar.

next moment,
He picked up Alande's body, turned around and rushed to the side.

Freke's figure suddenly disappeared from the scope of Chen Jie's Barrett sniper rifle.

pity--!
He was just one step away from killing France's most powerful general.

Unexpectedly, Alande risked his life to block the bullet with his own body.

When Frek began to escape to the side, the remaining elite soldiers following him actually protected him as he retreated.

After a few minutes,
Freke joined Hunter, and they chose to break out to the side, with no way to retreat.

To put it simply, the source was within the mortar coverage of the Tanggu Port.

If Hunter's coalition forces retreated along the same route at this time, they would be hit by artillery fire again and would be doomed to be wiped out.

Therefore,
Hunter changed course directly and retreated to Chenjiagou, another stronghold of Dagukou Fortress.

The entire Dagukou Fortress has a total of five strongholds, namely:
Tanggu Port, Haiguang Temple, Yantuo, Chenjiagou, Majiakou!
Chenjiagou is closest to Tanggu Port and its defense is relatively strong.

However, the Daqian Dynasty garrison stationed in Chenjiagou obviously did not expect that Hunter's coalition forces would break out through Chenjiagou.

They fired a few shots, then used the Weiyuan cannon, and after firing a few more shots, they watched Hunter's coalition forces retreat.

no way,
The combat effectiveness of the garrison in Chenjiagou is far inferior to that of the Ximentang Yituan, and is even inferior to that of the Xiongwu Army.

Although the Hunter coalition was beaten like a stray dog by the Simon Hall militia and fled in defeat.

but,

A tiger without teeth is still a tiger.

The garrison in Chenjiagou could not stop their retreat at all.

When Hunter's coalition forces retreated ten kilometers away.

Freke stared at Alande in his arms with his eyes wide open.

He looked back at the Tanggu Port blankly, and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood in anger.

Puff-!
Next, Frake fell to the ground and passed out.

When he was under the defensive wall of Tanggu Port, he was injured by a grenade, but he was able to hold on until the retreat, which was an indescribable bravery.

The Hunter coalition's attack on the Tanggu Port ended in failure due to Freke's injury and Aland's death.

More than a dozen kilometers away, at the Hunter coalition's temporary base, the atmosphere became extremely depressing.

Hunter gathered 30,000 coalition troops, but in the end, there were less than 6,000 people left.

lost heavily!

Starting their charge five kilometers away from the Tanggu Port, Hunter's coalition forces suffered unprecedented artillery fire.

Such fierce artillery fire had far greater lethality than the previous one.

The casualties of the garrison at Tanggu Port were almost negligible.

From the beginning to the end, the Western coalition forces were in a situation of being beaten and had no chance of counterattack at all.

Freke finally led 3,000 elite troops into the gate of the Tanggu Port fortifications and blasted it open with artillery.

but,

Several waves of consecutive grenade attacks wiped out three thousand elite troops in one fell swoop.

this moment,
All the remaining members of Hunter's coalition were frightened, panicked, and had lost their fighting spirit.

What everyone was thinking was, retreat quickly!

At the temporary military command post of the Western Allied Forces, the remaining commanders of various forces gathered together.

Hunter stood in the makeshift command tent, looking at the map in front of him, unable to speak for a long time.

Although the remaining military commanders have already thought about retreating.

but,

The commander-in-chief of the Western Allied First Army was Hunter.

Therefore,
Hunter needs to make the decision whether to retreat or wait for reinforcements.

Freke had woken up, his face looking terribly gloomy.

Twice!
He had suffered two defeats in the attacks on the Tanggu Port.

The first time was very lucky. Although the Western coalition suffered heavy losses, the French army was not seriously damaged.

Today's battle was a huge blow to Freke.

The French coalition was defeated!

Alande was dead, and there were less than three hundred people left in the French coalition, including him.

This was the most humiliating battle Freck had ever experienced since coming to Daqian.

As a top silver knight, Freke has never felt so aggrieved.

at this time,

The atmosphere in the entire temporary command post was extremely depressing.

Hunter stared at the map, sighed deeply, and said:

"Today's defeat is all my fault!"

"Because of my stubbornness, I chose to attack from Tanggu Port, which led to this great defeat!"

"It's me who hurt everyone--!"

(End of this chapter)