Hidden Dragon in Qing Dynasty

Some said it was a civil war between the same people, some said it was a foreign war between different countries, some said it was a blood war between brothers, yet the Italians had taken advantage of it. After all, this was what the Italians called the Third War of Independence.

However, regardless of what the later generations said, there was one thing that everyone admitted. The duration and intensity of the Pu'o Battle was something that was rarely seen in hundreds of years. Both sides had completely broken away from the shadow of the war of cold weapons. A large amount of new war equipment had been widely used, and both sides were using the power that could topple empires.

This battle had only lasted for seven weeks, and it had let people know what it meant to have a revolutionary change in individual weapons. It had let people know what it meant to have a strategic detour, what it meant to have a large army advancing, and what made the whole of Europe even more shocked was the Prussian's ability to mobilize for war.

Yes, Prussia had only launched 300,000 troops on the battlefield, but all the intelligence agencies of the strong knew very clearly that while the front lines were fighting in full swing, Bismark had mobilized another 600,000 reserve troops from behind the front lines. Furthermore, according to some senior intelligence sources, if all 600,000 troops were cleared out, Bismark could even mobilize more than a million reserve troops and militia.

Not only that, Prussia's railway network and telegraph system was very advanced, with hundreds of thousands of troops moving without any disorder. Along the long border, if a fire broke out anywhere, the reserve army would be able to move within a few hours.

To put it bluntly, Poo War had become a classic case study of European countries' Military experts and Rulers. After this war, the entire world started to crazily eliminate these kinds of old fire sticks that were thrown away by the entire European army.

The arms merchants of Europe went to great lengths to dump their arms on the colonies and the backward countries. Even the Qing Dynasty at that time became a huge threat and bought many poker sticks at what they thought was a very favorable price.

It was not only the reform of the guns, but also the reform of the artillery. All the solid artillery shells were eliminated, and the flowering bomb finally unified the martial arts world.

The contribution of the Poo War to the evolution of the military concept was self-evident, but people could not forget, these so-called successful experiences were all made up of bloody corpses and countless ghosts. Those who personally experienced this battle would never be able to forget the hell-like scene in their lifetime.

Many years later, the memoirs of the veterans and the interviews of the media reporters faithfully restored that battle.

"I am an ordinary Queue length of the Fourth Prussian Artillery Regiment. The Sardova War to me is more like a hand-to-hand fight with a bayonet mounted on a cannon … The number of our cannons is far lower than the Austrian's, so we are not their match when it comes to covering and shooting. We had no choice but to keep moving forward and shoot in order to use our accuracy to pursue greater destructive power … "

"I am an ordinary loading man. I don't remember how many rounds I put in, maybe fifty, maybe eighty... "By God, I really can't remember. I didn't feel anything during the entire battle, only the sound of artillery firing. I didn't have any rest time for the whole morning …"

"Bullets were flying everywhere in the sky. No one would have thought to dodge when the battle became intense, and no one would have been able to dodge because there were simply too many of them … Ten meters away from me, I saw with my own eyes a field gun's chamber explode. A chain explosion occurred within the ammunition box and instantly, all of the surrounding twenty odd soldiers were torn to shreds! "

"The artillery is fighting very miserably, but they are far inferior to our infantry …" I am a Squad Leader of the Seventh Division. During the entire Sada Battle, we were the ones who guarded the left wing of the Prussian Legion … "You can't even imagine the concept of two armies besieging a single division. Even if they use outdated front-loading rifles, the number of soldiers is enough to make up for the technical disparity …"

"Bullets rained down on us like a storm. At that time, there were still no smoke-free gunpowder, but after each shot, the opposing side would appear to be shrouded in a fog. The suffocating smell of gunpowder permeated the battlefield, stimulating everyone to the point of blood rushing to their heads …"

"And the charge of the enemy. Do you know how magnificent it is when two regular armies of fifty to sixty thousand bayonets shine at the same time, the earth shaking like an avalanche charging at you, the earth shaking?"

"We did it, our Seventh Division did it …" This is war. Do you want to live? Do you want to overcome your fear? Then don't worry about anything and forget about yourself as a machine on the battlefield... "Pull the bolt, load the bullet, and then shoot without raising your hand to aim. Pull the bolt back, load the bullet again …"

"Oh God, you just have to remember to repeat one action! As long as you don't have any selfish thoughts, as long as you forget the terror of your enemy and allow your movements to be repeated like a machine, you will also be able to survive on the battlefield! "

"No no no, you are all wrong! The most intense battle on the battlefield isn't concentrated in artillery or infantry, only us cavalry can truly experience what it is like to be miserable! "

"Our cavalry division was originally meant to guard the General Command and protect Mao Qi. However, after 12 o'clock, when the Chief of Staff gave the order for the entire army to attack, we were moved to the front lines … "

"Artillery bombing, rifle firing..." It was just a drizzle, and only a cavalry assault could give you a taste of the cruelty of war … We took a detour from the right wing of the battlefield into the main battlefield and met head-on with the enemy of the Austrian's cavalry army … "

"Originally, I thought that the Guardian Cavalry Division would be able to easily destroy this troop of cavalry, but you all simply cannot imagine how tenacious this group of Austrian s are! Shooting at us from afar, I pulled out my Zhanmadao and charged at you … All of the enemies are fearless. Facing the rain of bullets, they completely ignore death. In the end, the galloping war horses would collide with each other, as if they had come here to perish together with us … "

This group of Austrian are really ruthless. Even though the vanguard have already annihilated all of the cavalrymen behind them, they still fearlessly charged forward, they are really taking their own lives for this! "

"Only after the battle was over did we learn that the commander of this cavalry brigade was actually... It was actually a brigadier general! His name is Ferdinand Rosenzwig von Dreuville... Everyone knows, Ferdinand is the special name of the Austria Royal Family, and Feng is also the surname of a high level noble.

The veterans who had experienced war were proud to have participated in the most desperate battles. In their eyes, the stronger the enemies were, the greater the pleasure they would feel after victory.

Because no one was convinced, a good memoir soon turned into a heated argument. Everyone was emphasizing that their experiences in war were the most tragic, and neither side was willing to accept the other's hand.

"Oh, for God's sake, please wake up. Without artillery risking their lives to cover their firepower, you still want to make a surprise attack? "Don't forget how the Austrian bombed you guys, please always remember that the cannons are the true god of war!"

"Oh, I've had enough! How much firepower cover did you artillery provide? When our Seventh Division is fighting alone, where are your firepower support? If there is no infantry stubbornly protecting the front line, do you still want to open fire? "Dream on …"

"Flank, gentlemen, don't forget the flank battle! The defensive battle at the edge of the battlefield was completed by our cavalry, and after the general attack is launched, we cavalry will also be the ones to disrupt the enemy's formation, and when the enemies retreat, we cavalry will also need to rely on our cavalry! Your disregard is simply an insult to us! "

The veterans were arguing, while the interviewers and writers looked at each other in dismay.

"Mm …" Gentlemen, please calm down. We will not destroy the merits and achievements of any single unit. Now we have new questions … Excuse me, when did Second Corps join the battlefield? And … "Those Chinese, did they appear on the battlefield in Sadova..."

The atmosphere suddenly became deathly silent. All the veterans stopped talking. Their faces suddenly revealed strange expressions, some of excitement, some of shame, and some of reverence.

After a long period of silence, the first cavalryman of that year opened his mouth and said, "July 3rd, 14: 30 PM. I will never forget that time …" that is, the moment Second Regiment appeared on the right wing … "

"As for those Chinese people …" Once again, the room fell into silence. The door to his memories was completely opened, and all the legends from the miracle of the stone bridge once again flooded his mind.

July 3, 1866. The slaughter in the Sardova region had already lasted for seven hours. The soldiers on both sides were almost exhausted, while the Austrian had gained the upper hand in numbers. The Prussian front had begun to loosen and cave in.

Right now, the artillery of both armies could no longer be used to count exactly how many artillery shells had been fired. Now, the artillery positions of both armies were filled with one after another, and the artillery units had even become the ones with the heaviest casualties.

Lao Maoqi and Bismark were like ants on a hot pan, walking back and forth in the Headquarters. They had wanted to give the order to retreat more than once, but the strong conviction in their hearts was encouraging them.

"Wait a little more, Second Regiment will arrive in a second? What if the Shiqiao uplands can defend it? Maybe Prince Karl's horse is already close to Sada … "

"Yes!" I firmly believe that Prussia's national fortunes are still rising, and I believe in the tenacity of the Prussian Iron Army! "

The two old men continued to cheer each other on. In front of the gigantic Military Maps, more than ten high ranking staff officers from the empire were playing Go over and over again, adding every change on the battlefield to the deduction parameters.

"No …" The situation of the war is extremely disadvantageous for us! Commander: Prime Minister! Give the order to retreat. Right now, our soldiers still have a quarter of the ammunition base. If we slowly return it, we can guarantee that our army won't collapse … Please, don't wait for Second Regiment, how can those Chinese people defend Shiqiao uplands? "

The staff officers were frantic. If this battle were to continue, the final result would be a complete wipeout, and the entire army would collapse.

However, just as the two old men were making their painful decisions, from the west side of the battlefield, which was the right wing of the Prussian army, a strange tsunami suddenly came.

"What is that sound?" What happened? " The sound was getting louder and louder, and it was getting closer and closer. In the end, everyone could hear it clearly.

"Reinforcements!" Everyone was shouting a single word, "Reinforcements …" Could it be Karl? Could it be the Second Regiment?! " Lao Maoqi and Bismark rushed out of the headquarters like madmen.

When the scene in the telescope appeared before their eyes, their vision blurred and their emotions collapsed. Hot tears welled up as their bodies trembled like a sieve.