Lu Ming

Chapter 627 Retribution ([-])
"Has anyone actually tested the damage effect of that mortar?"

Facing the opinions put forward by the young staff officer on the shelling, the head of the regiment, Sheng Nan, was not in a hurry to explain, but asked a question first.

The 170mm "Gronde" mortar presented to North Vietnam was an experimental product of the military industry department.After the data was tested at the shooting range, it was thrown in the warehouse until this time it went to the front line.

So few people have seen the shelling live.

But this does not affect the staff to calculate the power of the mortar.Although such a large-caliber artillery has not yet appeared in the army's standard weapons, you often see the navy's 24-pound cannon firing, and you can probably calculate the firepower of the mortar.

"It's good to know." Sheng Nan saw that the staff had quickly estimated the power of the artillery with pens, and smiled happily: "It's just such a little power, and the damage effect will be reduced. What are you worried about?"

Sheng Nan then stretched out her finger: "170 mm, 17 cm, hum, the diameter of the shell is not as wide as mine."

"This level of bombardment is not bad for warships or other soft targets. But it should be used to bombard the solid fortress defense system. Hehe, I can only say that you are thinking too much."

A 170 mm caliber gun is converted into a 7-inch gun.Putting this caliber on a super battleship of World War II can also be regarded as a second-level main gun, and its power is quite impressive.

However, the 7th-century mortar that appeared in Zhengjiangkou is fundamentally different from the [-]-inch barrel artillery of World War II: one is an iron ball shell, and the other is a high-explosive shell with a collision fuze.

The iron ball propelled and launched by black powder is very different from the bomb power that people in later generations are familiar with.It can't be said that it is useless if it is used to smash a fortress, but it is far from achieving the effect of destroying the dead.

"You have been doing your homework these two days, and I have not been idle."

Sheng Nan spoke and lay back on the green canvas folding chair: "According to my observation, the troops in the South Vietnamese fortification area probably have the attitude of 'defending their homeland', so they generally have high morale and are skilled in tactics."

"Everyone knows that Hue is at the back of this defense system. The South Vietnamese national movement is now maintained on this fort wall, and most of the soldiers inside should be the elite South Vietnamese."

"So, stop worrying about the South Vietnamese. That cannon won't be a big deal. The tug-of-war between the two sides, as far as I can tell, will continue."

"In this case, why didn't you agree to the artillery to fight? Judging by your expressions, you really treat the prince as a fool? If this matter is pushed back and forth, how will it work later? You must see the overall situation!"

Having said that, Sheng Nan waved his hand to signal that the conversation was over and that the old man was going to rest.However, looking at these young people who hesitated to speak again, Sheng Nan finally sighed and shouted angrily: "Don't think you don't know what you are thinking! Don't worry, the real killer is on the way. Now get out of here Far, I want to go back to sleep!"

After all, Head Sheng's return sleep was unsuccessful.

Soon after, the flow of North Vietnamese envoys began to travel to and from the station, constantly reporting the location of the cannon, asking for instructions on what to do next, and harassing the head of the group.

This bright and ubiquitous anxiety undoubtedly shows that the pressure on the North Vietnamese court is so great that it can't be bothered to cover it up.In the end, the harassed Sheng Nan could only get up and put on his military uniform: "Let's all go out and have a look."

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On the top of Xiaoshi Mountain, a group of yellow-skinned men wearing large iron-gray caps, with a straight figure, overlooked the Han family's homeland on both sides of the Zhengjiang River.

Zhengjiang, which runs from west to east, is calm during the dry season, quietly dividing the land into two halves, advecting like a sea.

As far as the eye can see, the large areas on both sides of the Zhengjiang River and even the upper reaches are covered with astonishing mountains and virgin forests, with endless verdant birds and birds, and the scenery is breathtaking.

Like most islands in the world, the Indochina Peninsula is also the product of orogeny in various prehistoric periods.

Since it is an orogenic movement, the terrain is the same: mountains and plateaus are "extruded" from the surface, surrounded by a narrow flat land at the foot of the mountains.

Located on the edge of the peninsula and occupying the narrow flat land of Vietnam, it faithfully follows this natural law.

The entire mainland of Vietnam, from Thang Long in the north to the bottom in the south, is a narrow vertical "skirt" of the continent.

This narrow plain, from north to south, is the essence of Vietnam.The reason why the North Vietnamese court represented by Thang Long Mansion often called itself "Zheng Shuo" was because the surrounding area of ​​Thang Long Mansion was the only large-scale food producing area in Vietnam: the Red River Plain.

Throughout the dynasties, the North Vietnamese forces that occupied the Red River Plain had a hard power advantage over South Vietnam, so every time the North Vietnamese side took the initiative to initiate wars.

Sheng Nan and the others are now standing on the small stone hill at the mouth of the river, and they can see it at a glance.Looking to the north, it is a narrow coastline with a constant flow of people.Looking south, it is also a narrow coastal area composed of white sand and tropical forests.

It's just that this coastline is now artificially divided into two sections: at the narrowest part of the south bank of the Zhengjiang River, there is only a section of coast less than 500 meters away, on which a thick and solid line of defense has been built. The seventeenth-century Oriental Maginot.

The next moment, the huge roar caught the attention of the soldiers on the stone mountain. Everyone turned their heads and moved their eyes from the southern defense line to their feet.

Sure enough, the 7-inch mortar was passing the rocky mountain.

Under the guard of the formed soldiers and horses on the periphery, a large number of recruited civilians are moving the giant steel beast weighing several tons forward in units of "inches".

Since the land near the coastline is mostly sandy land, the first step is to keep placing logs on the road ahead of the mortar.

Two rows of trackers with ropes on their shoulders are struggling to drag in front of the cannon.The loud roar just now was the chant of these trackers.

At the same time, there are constantly rotating hands pushing the iron wheel of the cannon.In this way, everyone worked together to move the cannon slowly.

Yes, this majestic and mighty "Gelongde" cannon has become the confidence of the North Vietnamese court since it was disembarked at the Thang Long Mansion Wharf.After the war broke out, the North Vietnamese imperial court forcefully pushed and pulled the cannons to the Zhengjiang front line inch by inch with civilians like this, which can be described as extremely difficult.

By the time the cannon was loaded on a boat and transported across the river, it was already evening.Sheng Nan knew that the cannon would definitely roar in the morning.

It's no wonder that the North Vietnamese court was so anxious, Sheng Nan knew the inside story.

It is the end of March, the end of the dry season in Vietnam.Thanks to the climate of the Little Ice River, the temperature in the cool dry season is only about 3 degrees, and there is no rain around the battlefield. This is an extremely favorable climate for the attacker to launch a campaign.

By the way, the staff officers of the observation group can also come out in handsome military uniforms to pretend to be aggressive, and the temperature is not too cold or too hot.

However, the rainy season in Vietnam is just around the corner. Usually, as soon as April enters, the temperature will rise rapidly to 4+, and the rain will fall continuously. This is a huge disaster for the attacker in the field.Rising temperatures will lead to plagues in the army, and rain will greatly increase the advantage of the defenders hiding in the fortress.

Therefore, the North Vietnamese imperial court must take advantage of this short window of favorable weather to complete its merits and win a barrel of Hue.Otherwise, it can only be the same as before, returning home in defeat.

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The next day, early in the morning.

The moment the sun rises on this coast, the impatient "Yankee" army has ended the first round of offensive today.

The "Nanxie" soldiers stationed at the fort line did not panic either.After all, in the past few days, both the offensive and defensive sides have turned the war into a standard trilogy routine: attack, shoot, and retreat.

So this latest round of attack came earlier than before, but the Yankees still blocked the Yankees with familiarity.

However, the South Vietnamese soon realized that something was wrong.

Just 200 meters away from the front line, layers of North Vietnamese troops gathered again.It was this distance, but the attacking side did not move, and the two sides suddenly entered a strange state of silent confrontation.

The tense South Vietnamese were not given much time to guess.About half an hour later, the tide-like army parted from it, revealing a dark mound.

Behind the small mound is today's protagonist: the 170MM large-caliber mortar whose muzzle points to the sky.

The mortar with a short and thick barrel was originally used to shoot at the sky.

Compared with the later generations, the current metallurgy and other metal processing technology of Dayan Kingdom is still backward.The caliber of this Gronde is only 170MM, but its actual barrel thickness far exceeds 170MM, and there are three stirrups on the barrel.

This scene is actually similar to those cultural relics cannons in the late Qing Dynasty. The seemingly thick barrel is thicker than a person, but in fact, a fist is stuffed into the muzzle.

Finally, the cannon let out a deafening roar under the operation of the artillery crew of Ming foreign aid: a 17cm iron ball was pushed out of the barrel by the black powder gas.

This iron ball spanned a short distance of 200 meters, and smashed one end on the stone bastion in the middle of the defense line, breaking a hole in the fort wall, killing several artillery crew members and damaging a Francois Machine cannon.

Compared with other forces in this era, the military products of Dayan Kingdom are still trustworthy.Although the projectiles fired by the mortars did not smash through the bastion, the results were still good, and they directly wiped out one of the Nanlao artillery groups.

This bastion is located in the middle of the defense line, and the multiple artillery placed in it can cover most of the trenches, and it is the core support point of the entire front.

Prior to this, the Yankees had used the method of filling people's lives to fill up various obstacles and trenches in front of the bastion, creating a 30-meter-wide passage.

Accompanied by today's artillery fire, the Nanxie, who hadn't paid much attention to the passage before, suddenly broke out in a cold sweat: If this strange artillery fire continues to bombard, won't the bastion disappear?With the bastion gone, wouldn't that passage allow the Yankees to penetrate deep into the line of defense?

The Yankees naturally noticed the problems that the South Vietnamese were aware of.In fact, this was the result the Yankees had been waiting for: it had finally been proven that the lives they had sacrificed were worthwhile.

Next, when the South Vietnamese were frantically looking for countermeasures, another superior technology of the quality military industry appeared: the mortar fired 20 projectiles in a row before it began to cool down and recover.

As for the military technology of the "Da Ming Kingdom", all the Yankees who had worked in Shenglong Mansion and suffered bombardment before had expected it.So when the muzzle stopped, the Yankees, who were familiar with the rhythm, once again launched a strong attack on the bastion with great momentum.

Facing the bastion whose combat effectiveness had been reduced, the frightened Yankees urgently mobilized the reserve team. For the first time, they used the brutal hand-to-hand combat method of exchanging lives to push back the Yankees' attack.

However, when the time came in the afternoon, the Yankees' morale was greatly boosted after confirming the high accuracy of the cannon.Adopted the high-end atmosphere and high-grade tactics proposed by the observation group: infantry coordination.

Tens of thousands of cannon fodder launched a wave-like attack on the bastion in front of them against the iron ball flying over their heads amid tidal shouts.

This time, seeing the iron ball crushing his own people and the Yankees into a pulp, the Yankees couldn't stand it anymore.In the evening, the defense line marked as A7 on the map was in the middle of the bastion, and it was declared lost.

(End of this chapter)