NFBE Chapter 306 Testing
Chapter 306 Testing
"General, order a retreat!" suggested a Russian officer standing next to Yigu, about a mile away.
"Why? The warriors are about to charge forward?" Yi Gu put down his binoculars and asked, puzzled.
"General, this was originally a probing attack, and the casualties are too high! If we continue fighting, even if all these soldiers die, we may not be able to break through the rebels' first line of defense. It will also severely damage morale! I have a better way!" The Russian officer grinned.
“Alright! Let’s call it a day!” Yigu nodded, accepting the Russian officer’s suggestion.
Of course, a better solution would be preferable, and he didn't want his army to suffer too many casualties. These were some of his few elite troops, after all.
The crisp clang of the gong rang out, and the two Manchu bannermen officers, though resentful, led their men away.
When they returned to the main camp and took stock, they discovered that they had lost four or five hundred men. The two were heartbroken, never expecting such a large loss.
"General!" The two officers walked angrily to Yigu and bowed.
"You've worked hard! Each of you will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver, and each soldier who went into battle will be rewarded with half a catty of opium." Yi Gu nodded in satisfaction. These two were his trusted and beloved generals. He had to win them over properly.
"General, we were about to capture the rebel defenses. Why did you sound the retreat?" a captain said indignantly.
"Calm down, let's hear what Mr. Vasily has to say!" Yigu waved his hand.
"Generals, I know you and your soldiers are very brave. But if we continue fighting like this, the casualties will be too great!"
"Through the probing just now, I discovered that although the enemy's firepower is very strong, their numbers are too small, and they don't have many heavy weapons. Therefore, we can use some tactics to reduce casualties..."
"All platoons and squads, quickly check your weapons and ammunition. Are there any casualties?" The enemy retreated, and Shen Weiguo quickly began checking the soldiers in his company.
After a flurry of activity, thankfully, only six people were injured, and no one was killed. He quickly instructed people to move the wounded to the back.
"They've already lost? These Eight Banner soldiers are too weak!" Zhou Shunda put down his binoculars and said disdainfully. Seeing how incompetent the rebels were, he started to tremble again.
"That's already pretty good! Their fighting strength is stronger than I expected. I thought they would collapse at the first sign of trouble!" The lieutenant colonel next to him shook his head and said.
"Commander Song, look, the enemy has retreated. How about we send our men up to help clean up the battlefield and let them see some blood?" Zhou Shunda said, turning his head.
"Alright! Take two hundred men up there, be careful." Commander Song nodded. He couldn't just move his soldiers around, so it was good to let them go up and clean up the battlefield.
"Thank you!" Zhou Shunda was overjoyed and turned to call his militia.
"Company Commander Shen, I've brought some men up to help you clean up the battlefield." Zhou Shunda and Shen Weiguo were old acquaintances. Back in Linqing, they often worked with these kids.
"Uncle Zhou, then you all be careful. I'll send soldiers with you." Shen Weiguo showed great respect to Zhou Shunda. He had given these kids plenty of money and gifts in the past.
"Alright! Listen up, everyone, and hurry up. Take back everything valuable and useful. Send the seriously injured on their way!"
"Yes, Commander!" a group of militiamen answered loudly. Zhou Shunda smiled broadly, quite pleased with the title of commander. He picked up his own gun and followed them towards the position.
"Ha! Not bad a gun! It's a shame you're holding onto it!" Zhou Shunda walked up to the corpse of an Eight Banners officer, picked up a Mosin-Razor, glanced at it, and mocked. He then began searching the man's body.
And you know what? These Manchu nobles had quite a few good things on them. Besides gold and silver, there were jade pendants, snuff bottles, and the like. All really nice stuff!
"Commander, there's someone who's fainted here!" a militiaman reported.
"Take them back first!" Zhou Shunda waved his hand. Cleaning up the battlefield is the priority now; we can deal with everything else later.
Half an hour later, the militiamen returned laden with their loot. Each of them carried a gun and bags full of supplies.
"Hand over everything! You know the military discipline: all spoils must be turned over to the authorities. If you find anything later, don't blame me for administering military law!" Zhou Shunda said sternly.
While cleaning up the battlefield, he discovered that some people were hiding things, and now he has decided to give them a chance.
The militiamen below remained silent for a moment, then several stepped forward and handed over the spoils. Zhou Shunda breathed a sigh of relief; if the army had discovered that his men were hiding spoils of war, he would have lost face big time.
Soon, the logistics department sent people to begin inventorying the spoils of war. Weapons, ammunition, gold, silver, and some particularly valuable items were taken away. The army didn't care about the remaining miscellaneous items.
The only weapons they had were swords and other cold weapons; the most common items were clothes. These militia members had stripped the corpses naked; they were all from poor backgrounds and couldn't bear to part with anything useful.
"These things are your reward!" Commander Song nodded.
The militiamen were delighted. These clothes and swords were beneath the army's notice, but they were valuable to them. These Eight Banner soldiers were all well-dressed; the worst were cotton-padded coats, and many wore silk.
After waiting for two or three hours, the Eight Banners army launched another attack. This time they were smarter; they pushed carts full of sandbags and had their soldiers hide behind them.
Having learned from their previous experience, they spread out very widely. They surged up the mountainside in droves.
"Ready! Fire!" Shen Weiguo also became serious. After the enemy troops approached within two hundred meters, he ordered them to open fire.
With the shield carts providing cover, the damage from their firepower was greatly reduced. Seeing that the enemy hadn't inflicted much damage on them, the Eight Banners soldiers shouted in unison and quickly pushed their shield carts forward.
"Good!" Seeing his troops charge forward, Yi Gu clapped his hands and shouted with joy.
"Stay hidden, aim at one point, and fire when they get close!" Shen Weiguo held a rifle and aimed at a shield vehicle.
Just as a Manchu soldier peeked out, Shen Weiguo shot him in the forehead. The immense kinetic energy of the rifle bullet blew the back of his head off.
The soldiers didn't panic. There was a trench ahead, and these Manchu soldiers wouldn't be able to break through it in a short time. Everyone held their guns and carefully aimed at the enemy before firing.
The general-purpose machine gun swept across the area, causing plumes of white smoke to rise from the mounds on the shield vehicle.
"Grenades ready!" Shen Weiguo sneered as the enemy closed to within fifty meters.
Thinking they can break through with just a few shield vehicles? What a joke!
"Throw!" When the enemy was within thirty meters, Shen Weiguo roared and threw a grenade first. The other soldiers followed suit and threw their grenades as well.