Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

Chapter 256: The Power of Incendiary Bombs! Burning the Camp

Jack Bonaparte learned from Wang Jixin, the elder of the Taiping, that Ximen Tang's fighting ability was incredibly strong.

Therefore,
He did not dare to take it lightly and made the entire beach defense position as solid as a rock.

Four hundred artillery pieces and forty heavy machine guns were ready for battle.

but,

What came next surprised Jack Bonaparte.

Simon Hall did not use fire coverage, but instead occupied three high ground far away from the beach, forming a fan-shaped angle.

Next,
Jack Bonaparte saw Simon Hall's firepower configuration through the telescope.

hiss--!
He couldn't help but gasp.

He could clearly see that Simon Hall was continuously setting up artillery on three high grounds.

The number of artillery pieces overturned Jack Bonaparte's cognition.

Thousands of artillery pieces were set up on almost every high ground.

What is this concept?
In other words, the enemy had more than three thousand artillery pieces!
Artillery shells from afar were continuously delivered to the heights.

Through the intelligence Wang Jixin obtained from the Taiping, Jack Bonaparte knew that Simon Hall had sent out a total of about 30,000 troops.

In terms of numbers, Jack Bonaparte's side has a slight advantage.

in addition,

The 80,000-strong Waldersee coalition force was encircling the city from the flank and going around behind it.

Therefore,
The number of Western coalition forces will be four times that of Ximentang.

But when Jack Bonaparte saw that Simon Hall had so many artillery pieces, he felt his scalp tingling.

What made him feel even more suffocated was that Maxim heavy machine guns were installed in three consecutive directions.

The twenty heavy machine guns of William's coalition were all confiscated by Simon Hall, and the firepower was replenished in time.

at this time,

After Simon Tang's army occupied the high ground a few kilometers away, they did not launch an artillery attack but stopped.

The distance between the two sides seemed to have been precisely calculated.

Because the location where Simon Hall appears is on high ground.

The attack range of the Western coalition's artillery would be greatly reduced.

The distance at this time was exactly the limit of the Krupp infantry gun's attack on the high ground.

That is,

If both sides launched artillery attacks, the artillery of the Western coalition forces would not be able to attack the other side's positions.

Therefore,
If the war starts at this time, the Jack-Bonaparte coalition will be at an absolute disadvantage.

"Damn it! Could this place also be an ambush they prepared?"

Jack Bonaparte's mind skipped a beat and he had a bad feeling.

Given the current state of both parties,
Although the Western coalition forces had already arranged their positions, it was not easy to stop Ximen Tang's artillery attack.

For a moment, Jack Bonaparte was in a state of confusion.

but,

He took a quick, deep breath to calm himself.

Although Ximentang’s artillery can form an absolute advantage, it is surrounded by beach defense positions.

With fortifications arranged with sandbags, the power of artillery shells can be greatly weakened.

and,

Jack Bonaparte was cautious as he entered the beach to set up a defensive position.

He had already left a retreat route that could not be attacked by artillery.

If you can't withstand the enemy's artillery, you can evacuate at any time.

Thinking of this,

Jack Bonaparte breathed a sigh of relief.

But soon, Jack Bonaparte's heart rose to his throat again after seeing the next scene through the telescope.

because,

He saw two groups of people appearing on the flanks of the beach.

The number of people in these two teams is about 500.

Special operations battalion!
That's right, this is the Ximen Hall's 'War Department' special operations battalion.

They set up five heavy machine guns at the intersections on the flanks.

This means that once the coalition forces are subjected to heavy artillery fire, they will have no way to retreat.

If we retreat, we will face attacks from heavy machine guns.

Once ten heavy machine guns opened fire fiercely at the retreat intersection, no matter how many people there were, they would not be able to rush out.

more importantly,
With the retreat route cut off, the entire beach position will become a grave.

hiss--!
Thinking of this, Jack Bonaparte couldn't help but take a breath again.

Damn it—I was already very cautious!
but,

Unconsciously, I chose to deploy defenses on the beach!

This is simply - walking into a trap!
The situation was extremely unfavorable for Jack Bonaparte.

this moment,
Although Simon Hall did not launch an artillery attack, it did not initiate an attack.

But from the moment they entered the beach position, it meant that the Jack-Bonaparte coalition had no way to retreat!
Next,
In the three directions of the position, Ximentang's mortars, heavy machine guns, and muskets formed cross fire.

An iron wall!

Take advantage of the height difference to carry out targeted bombardment.

This is a very famous tactic from the cold weapon era of the Daqian Dynasty:
——Close the door and catch the thief!
When catching a thief, you must lock the door. It is not because you are afraid that he will escape, but because you are afraid that he will be caught by others!

The combination of mortars and heavy machine guns made it impossible to break through the enemy's position.

To put it simply, it means closing the door and beating the dog!

Occupy the high ground, launch artillery bombardment on the target, and at the same time use heavy machine guns to wait for the enemy to break through.

Especially at this time, Ximen Tang occupied three high grounds, forming full fire coverage of the entire beach camp.

Jack Bonaparte's assistant Povich took a deep breath and murmured to himself:

"What kind of tactic is this? How come we are surrounded all of a sudden?"

"What the hell—what happened?"

"How come these Daqian people have so many artillery pieces? Why are their artillery pieces different from ours?"

The appearance of the mortar and the Krupp infantry gun is very different.

Any European who saw Simon Hall's mortars through a telescope would be shocked.

The artillery may look very simple, but it can unleash such terrifying firepower.

Jack Bonaparte took a deep breath and sighed:

“Maybe—we are all wrong!”

"The Daqian Dynasty is not as decadent as imagined. Without a complete industrial system, they would not be able to possess so many artillery pieces!"

"This nation has awakened. If we, the Western coalition forces, want to conquer them, we will pay a heavy price!"

"I have a feeling that this is an army more powerful than the British Empire!"

He has practiced the art of Bible prophecy and has become very sensitive.

Somehow, his premonition became stronger and stronger.

Povich nodded in agreement and asked:
"General, what should we do next?"

"The Daqian army has surrounded us. The situation that follows is very unfavorable to us!"

"Once the other side launches an attack, we can only passively take the beating and cannot launch a counterattack at all."

"How about we retreat first?"

Jack Bonaparte shook his head helplessly and said:

"Retreat!? Where to retreat?"

"Don't you see that both wings of the retreat route have been blocked by heavy machine guns and artillery?"

"The retreat route is blocked. We have no way out!"

at this time,

He felt bitter inside. He had been so careful, yet he was still surrounded.

This shows that

It was no accident that William's coalition forces were completely annihilated by the enemy.

Povich thought for a moment and said in a deep voice:

"General, can we open fire first and open a retreat route before they launch an attack?"

"If we wait any longer, we will be in danger!"

Jack Bonaparte shook his head and said unhappily:

"They have more than five times as many artillery pieces as ours, and they have occupied the high ground, just out of range of our artillery!"

"Besides, their numbers are not much less than ours. Once we launch an attack, we will be quickly defeated!"

"The only thing we can do now is to adopt a defensive tactic!"

"The surrounding sandbag fortifications can weaken their artillery attacks. They don't want to waste shells, so they won't fire easily!"

Povich was a little anxious and said:

"But this is not a solution! There is no way out, we can only take the beating!"

Jack Bonaparte said in a deep voice:

"This is the only way for now. I hope Duke Waldersee's troops can launch an attack from behind them. Only then will we have a chance to break through!"

"Don't forget our goal is to delay their main force!"

"They are not launching an attack now, but setting up positions. This gives us a chance to catch our breath, and also buys Duke Waldersee time to attack!"

"Pass my order down, aim all our artillery at the three high grounds. No one should be the first to fire and waste shells!"

Povich nodded and said, "Yes, General!"

in fact,

Ximen Tang was on three high ground at the moment and did not initiate the artillery attack, not because he was worried about wasting artillery shells.

Everyone in the artillery battalion is calibrating their positions at this moment.

This was a precise mortar combat drill, a rare opportunity.

Taking advantage of the high ground's bird's-eye view, we launched targeted bombing from three directions.

Although the enemy had built sandbag fortifications, as long as the shells landed inside the sandbags, the lethality of the shells would be more than doubled. Therefore, Ximen Tang prepared for more than ten minutes, aiming and positioning.

According to the artillery battalion's requirements, the enemy's 400 artillery pieces and heavy machine guns were all within the targeted clearing range of Ximentang's artillery.

Jack Bonaparte's sense of crisis grew stronger and stronger.

At this moment, he could only pray that the Waldersee coalition forces would be able to reach the designated location as soon as possible and launch an attack from the back of Cixi City.

Only in this way can we resolve the crisis on our side.

Can't delay any longer!

Jack Bonaparte was becoming more and more impatient, and his "Bible Prophecy" made him feel suffocated.

therefore,

He gave the order decisively and fired first!
The purpose is simple, to interrupt Ximen Tang's positioning and aiming, and disrupt the opponent's deployment.

but,

As Jack Bonaparte gave the order to fire, Simon Hall's artillery was finally positioned and aimed.

Give an order!
The mortars began to cover the sky and the earth!

Accurate positioning, full firepower!

Boom—boom—!
At the beach camp, the earth is shaking!

The huge sound of cannons completely tore the air apart, making a piercing roar.

Although sandbags and fine sand can weaken the shock waves of artillery shells.

but,

As long as the landing point is accurate, the sandbag will not only fail to weaken it, but will strengthen it instead.

The whistling sound of artillery shells resounded throughout the sky above the entire beach position.

Then,

The shells hit the ground at the beach camp and exploded.

Some shells fell on sand piles. After the explosion, fine sand covered the sky like a rainstorm, enveloping the surroundings.

Many stacked sandbags were collapsed by the shells, and miserable howls continued to be heard all around.

The first areas to bear the brunt of the attack were the artillery and heavy machine gun locations.

Although the Western coalition forces deployed sandbags around the area.

But the continuous bombardment was ultimately unstoppable.

The two sides launched the first round of artillery battle.

Because of the Krupp infantry guns on Jack Bonaparte's side, the range of the high ground was halved and there was a lack of stronger heavy artillery.

The location of Simon Hall's ambush was exactly at the effective range limit of Krupp's infantry gun.

in addition,

Ximen Hall was well prepared, as if everything had been carefully calculated.

Although Jack Bonaparte ordered the artillery to fire, the 400 artillery pieces fired loudly, giving people a shocking feeling.

but,

But it could not pose a threat to Ximen Tang's artillery battalion.

but,

Simon Hall’s artillery is completely different.

The high ground took advantage of the increased range and was able to provide artillery coverage of Jack Bonaparte's beach camp.

not to mention,
Ximentang’s mortars have a very fast firing rate. Although they are all 60mm mortars, their lethality is not low.

therefore,

After the artillery fire from both sides, Simon Hall's firepower instantly suppressed the Jack-Bonaparte coalition.

Simultaneously,

Simon Hall bombarded the Jack-Bonaparte coalition forces from three directions, creating an almost complete absence of blind spots.

This was a crushing defeat in terms of firepower.

Jack Bonaparte was beaten so badly that he had almost no power to fight back, and his artillery and heavy machine guns were constantly destroyed.

Many soldiers of the Jack Bonaparte coalition hid behind sandbags.

However, he was killed directly by the precise landing of the artillery.

Although the coverage strike of fixed artillery was far from the full artillery coverage of Ximen Hall in the past.

To avoid wasting shells, the rate of fire was strictly limited.

but,

With continued bombing, it won't be long before the Jack-Bonaparte coalition will be destroyed.

At this time,

Jack Bonaparte began to feel anxious and frightened.

Because it had been almost an hour since he led his troops into the beach position and began to deploy defenses.

According to the previous plan, the Waldersee coalition should have reached its destination and launched an attack from the back of Cixi City.

Only by attacking from both sides can we catch Ximen Tang off guard.

but,

There is no movement at all now.

What is Duke Waldersee doing?
Even if they didn't reach their destination or changed their plans, they would at least arrange for someone to notify them.

I have already held back the main force of Ximen Tang!
If the Waldersee coalition suddenly launched an attack from the back of Simon Hall at this time.

Then,

From a tactical point of view, it can indeed deal a heavy blow to Ximen Tang.

Why hasn't the Waldersee coalition launched an attack yet?
If they continue to fight like this, the Jack-Bonaparte coalition will be in great danger and may very likely be wiped out like William's coalition.

Povic next to him was also confused at this moment.

He said anxiously: "General! It is not a good idea to passively take the beating like this. How about we organize some people and force a breakout from the flank?"

Jack Bonaparte couldn't help but take a deep breath.

He nodded slightly and was about to give the order to break out with all his strength.

but,

Suddenly he was startled and looked up into the distance: "What is that?"

Povich turned his head and looked toward the beach camp.

The artillery that fell from the sky exploded after landing on the beach, forming a sea of fire!
boom--!
The fire burned fiercely and the temperature around it rose rapidly.

In everyone's eyes, the entire beach camp seemed to be completely on fire.

"What's going on? How can sand catch fire?"

Jack Bonaparte was shocked when he saw the scene before him.

The sand is burning!
That's right, when the shells in the air landed, they did not explode again, but instead ignited the sand.

Simon Hall replaced the shells!

Just after a round of bombardment, the artillery used on warships was quickly replaced.

——Incendiary bomb!

The incendiary bombs that fell from the sky exploded in the middle of the Jack-Bonaparte coalition forces, and a raging fire burned.

Boom-boom-boom--!
As the explosions continued, the surrounding sand seemed to have turned into hot oil and was actually ignited.

This is the power of an incendiary bomb, not the actual ignition of the sand.

As the heat wave swept around, countless Western Allied Forces soldiers rolled on the ground after being ignited by the flames.

For a while,
The entire Jack-Bonaparte coalition was in complete chaos.

Many soldiers were hit by incendiary bombs and shrapnel from artillery shells, and screams could be heard continuously.

"Damn it! What kind of shell is this? How can it ignite the sand?"

"How could the Daqian people possess such a terrifying weapon that everything around them would be instantly ignited!?"

Seeing the sea of fire around them, Jack Bonaparte and Povich were completely stunned.

Even the usually calm Jack Bonaparte became confused and his expression changed drastically.

Although incendiary bombs have also appeared on battlefields in Europe.

Even the British Empire has been researching "white phosphorus weapons".

But at present, there has been little progress in research!

The incendiary bombs launched by Simon Hall at this moment were iterative products, decades ahead of Europe.

This weapon that was ahead of its time created a crushing firepower.

Incendiary bombs are very expensive, and even though Ximen Tang is wealthy, they are generally reluctant to use them.

In another time and space, incendiary bombs are also very expensive weapons.

Anything that comes into contact with this kind of incendiary bomb will be burned fiercely.

of course,

At this time, Ximen Tang was not using the restricted white phosphorus bomb.

Instead, napalm was used!

After refining gasoline at the Ximending refinery, much of it was used to make incendiary bombs.

Compared with white phosphorus bombs, napalm bombs are slightly weaker in power.

But for the Western coalition forces, this horrific incendiary bomb directly crushed their fighting spirit.

The key is,
The soldiers of the Jack-Bonaparte coalition had no idea how many powerful weapons Simon Hall had in his hands.

As incendiary bombs exploded on the beach camp.

The surroundings seemed to have turned into a furnace, and screams continued to be heard.

Jack Bonaparte and Povich lay in the sandbag fortifications, watching the burning scene around them through binoculars.

hiss--!
At this moment, both of them felt a chill in their hearts.

They clearly saw that after the incendiary bomb fell on the ground, a raging fire broke out within a radius of five meters!

This kind of fire cannot be extinguished at all, even if it is covered with sand!

The most terrifying thing is that as the fire of the incendiary bomb ignites, oxygen is consumed rapidly.

The surroundings soon made people feel suffocated and dizzy.

After a round of incendiary bomb attacks.

The artillery attack from Ximen Hall did not stop, and ordinary artillery shells were prepared again.

(End of this chapter)