Australian Storm 1876

  Chapter 617 Ruthless Duan Qirui

   October 8, 1890

  Nine o'clock in the morning

   More than a dozen kilometers from the outskirts of Sydney

The Scottish General Julian Smith is wearing a blue-gray general uniform and riding on a tall horse. The two gold stars on his shoulders represent the rank of lieutenant general. He was appointed by the new government as the commander of the Confederate Army Smith Corps. He has a force of 35 thousand. More than a thousand people were responsible for the command of the battle to clean up the territory of New South Wales.

  He watched the army marching coldly, with a hint of arrogance on his face.

The infantry queue of the Southern Federal Army, which was advancing in the direction of Snow Mountain Town, could not be seen at a glance. The soldiers marched silently, and the queue was maintained very well. This made Lieutenant General Julian Smith feel very satisfied. The effectiveness of military training in the past few months Significantly.

  This is a fateful battle, and it is inevitable.

Since the Sydney Incident on June 26, the Northern Ocean Kingdom has been conscripting and preparing for war on a large scale. The Southern Federation has not been idle, training soldiers, arranging armed forces, and intensive preparations for war. Nearly 175,000 soldiers have been armed, and they are still there. Call up a new army.

some of

  In New South Wales, 110,000 soldiers have been armed and trained, Victoria has trained 65,000 soldiers, Tasmania has armed a company of soldiers, and the Confederacy of the South is ready for all wars.

  The arrow is on the string and I have to send it.

  At present, a cavalry division rushed from Melbourne Qingqi and swooped into Canberra, 310 kilometers away, with the intention of pulling out the nail that went deep into the hinterland in one fell swoop, and completely eliminated the troubles.

  The other two Victorian infantry divisions are moving northward, preparing to reinforce the first-line battle in Sydney. In addition, three infantry divisions and four independent artillery regiments are gathering and will arrive on the front line one after another.

  Looking at the powerful army rolling forward, Lieutenant General Julian Smith was confident and confident to lead the Smith Corps to a good start.

  His first goal was Snow Mountain Town, which is only 44 kilometers away from Sydney, and the Legion can reach it in one day.

  Snow Mountain Town is located in the Penrith area, in the west of Sydney. From Snow Mountain Town to the west is a continuous mountain range. The mountain system here belongs to the branch of the Great Dividing Range. In the cold season, there are often heavy snows. Snow Mountain Town is named after it.

  From here, you can reach the Palle Golan Bay more than a hundred kilometers south. The southern extension of the coastal railway project passes through Snow Mountain Town and goes south through Panshi Town to reach the Palle Golan Bay, and then continues to the south...

  What needs to be pointed out is;

The southern extension of the coastal railway is not always built along the coast. After crossing the Kangsby Plateau (near Beilun City), it gradually extends to the hinterland. Snow Mountain Town is 44 kilometers away from Sydney Bay, and the two places are connected by a railway branch. (Unrepaired), after the coastal railway line continues southward and deep into the inland area, it is hundreds of kilometers away from the east coast.

  This is mainly caused by two reasons;

First, from the perspective of geographical conditions, the Sydney Bay is deeply integrated into the inland area, separating the Cornsby Plateau from the Sydney Bay Area. If a large railway bridge across the bay is not built, the location of the railway line must be inland. near.

  Second, white ranches close to the metropolis Sydney are densely distributed. It is difficult to acquire land and has many obstacles. It is extremely difficult to advance southward. Therefore, the railway line has to be extended to remote areas inland.

The Southern Federation Army rushed all the way towards Xueshan Town. By 3 o’clock in the afternoon, the vanguard had arrived in the hilly area about 8 kilometers east of Xueshan Town, and set up camps here, set up rows of neatly arranged camps, buried pots for cooking, and thirst. The impatient soldiers prepared a steaming dinner.

  Lieutenant General Julian Smith led his officers to the heights of the hills, raised their binoculars, and took a close look at this Chinese-built Snow Mountain Town. After a long time, they put down the binoculars and thought deeply.

The Snow Mountain Town in front of you is not deep into the mountains, but in the valley at the front end of the mountain. A long railway line passes through the Snow Mountain Town. There is a river nearby called the Limer River. The water is about half the people high and the water is clear and fast .

  It is now in October. The cold season in the southern hemisphere has just passed. The ice and snow in the mountains melted and turned into streams flowing out. The temperature at night is probably less than 10 degrees, and the climate is still relatively cold.

  The temperature during the day will rise to about 20 degrees. Because the ice and snow melt, the river water is still at a low temperature, and it is so cold that the soldiers wading through the water at such a low temperature, it is inevitable that the soldiers will not catch a cold and get sick.

  This is not a big problem. The key is that there is a highland next to Xueshan Town, and the visual observation is about 360-400 meters, forming a geographical pattern of support from the left and the right with Xueshan Town.

  The strong artillery position can be seen through the binoculars. This poses a great threat to the attack on Snow Mountain Town and must be cleared.

  Snow Mountain Town laid barbed wire and trenches along the railway line, and blasted the only bridge on the Lime River, built strong barricades in the town, and was ready to fight to the end.

  Related information display;

The town is composed of Chinese immigrants mainly railway workers, as well as some residents who migrated from the north, mainly young and strong men, with a total of about 3,700 people. There is also a railway cavalry unit of nearly 400 people with a total strength of about More than 4,000 people, most of whom have received military training, gathered in the town to prepare to fight to the end.

  In the face of such a strong defensive fortress, Lieutenant General Julian Smith frowned slightly. Judging from his rich military experience, it is probably impossible to conquer such a fortress without paying the price of blood.

"These hateful Orientals, like maggots in the tunnel, piled up everything that can be defended into a thick, hard carapace. I suggest smashing their shells with artillery fire, and then rushing in. wipe out."

  Speaking is Colonel Antonio. He is the colonel commander of the Sixth Division of the Confederate Army. He is an American, a veteran who had participated in the American Civil War. When he retired, he was a lieutenant and an authentic white supremacist.

Lieutenant Colonel Henry, commander of the artillery regiment, frowned, stretched out his hand and gestured for a few distances, and said, "I am afraid that artillery bombing will not work. It is estimated that the mountain plateau is about 370 meters away. Our 105mm field guns must be fired at an increased elevation angle.

  Because of the flat trajectory of the field plus howitzer, the projectiles fired can cover the high ground in front of the slope, but there is nothing to do with the artillery positions in the rear.

  The enemy’s geographic advantage is too obvious. It can lob our artillery positions from a height, and the range is greatly extended, almost 1/3 of the range can be increased from a height of 370 meters.

  It is unrealistic to use artillery to attack first. We can't hit the other side, and the other side can easily destroy all our artillery regiments. This high ground must be destroyed before the artillery regiment can take advantage of firepower.

  The existing campsite is not safe, and it is necessary to retreat 4 to 5 kilometers to avoid heavy losses caused by local artillery raids. "

   "It's really a group of cunning Easterners, I'm beginning to find it more interesting." Colonel Alan Keynes, commander of the Third Infantry Division, sneered slightly, and looked forward carefully.

  Lieutenant General Julian Smith thought about it and said; “Col. Antonio, I need you to organize a regiment of soldiers no less than one to attack at night and take down the mountainous highlands at dawn to cover the army’s intrusion into Snow Mountain Town.”

   "As you wish, Your Excellency General, the Sixth Division is determined to complete the task."

  "The river is very cold at night. Send some whiskey to the soldiers to warm up. I need you to send elite troops to raid the mountains and highlands. Try to covert the enemy by surprise and wait for the good news of your victory."

  "Please rest assured, Your Excellency General, I will arrange for Deputy Commander Fletcher to personally lead a regiment to perform this task. He is my best helper in the Civil War, a veteran with rich combat experience."

   "That's great."

  Determined the battle plan, the officers of the Smith Corps looked a lot more relaxed, whispering down the hillside, and then returned to the barracks on their horses.

  According to the artillery regiment commander Lieutenant Colonel Henry’s warning, the advancing camp must retreat 4 to 5 kilometers away from the enemy’s artillery fire coverage. This important thing must be done immediately to avoid unnecessary losses.

  On the mountain and high ground

  Lieutenant Colonel Duan Qirui clearly saw the high-ranking officials of the Southern Allied Forces conducting pre-war reconnaissance through the telescope. He resisted the urge to concentrate the firepower and watched them leave.

  It's not that I don't want to fight, but the chance of hitting is too small, less than 30%.

   Rush action will expose the firepower configuration of the party, and it will not be able to give the enemy a big surprise.

To be cautious, Duan Qirui restrained the impulse in his heart. He is now the deputy commander of the Railway Cavalry Division and the commander-in-chief of the defense of Snow Mountain Town. The small road leads to Panshi Town, dozens of kilometers away.

  If the enemy forces block the roads, they can also retreat into the deep mountains to fight guerrillas. The mountains have already prepared several material reserves, which are enough to last for two months.

  But Duan Qirui was not prepared to do this. He had made up his mind to fight the enemy bloodily in Snow Mountain Town.

  This is not because he wants to seek death, but because the current situation forces him to do it.

  Duan Qirui is a very ambitious and smart man. He knows that now the Ocean Kingdom has been established. It depends on whether the mule is the horse or the horse. If the south is calmed, there will be no large-scale war in Australia.

  At most, it is a small fight to suppress the bandits and quell the chaos, and that can't make much credit.

  If you want to stand out, you have to work hard, and you have to come up with impressive achievements, so that you can enter the eyes of His Majesty the king, and you can rise to the top, stand out, and earn the Duan family a hereditary aristocratic title.

Not to be missed.

  As for how many people will die for such a remarkable feat, Duan Yinrui is not what he has to consider. What he has to consider is how to make the Confederate Army shed more blood.

  A small lieutenant colonel rarely has the opportunity to lead the army alone. Duan Qirui knows how precious this opportunity is?

  More than three months

Xueshan Town has already been managed by Lieutenant Colonel Duan Qirui, and there are many pitfalls. In addition to the 8 95mm Miss Australia artillery, 12 60mm field guns, and 12 Maxine heavy machine guns, Lieutenant Colonel Duan Qirui. I spent my wealth and squandered my usual contacts and got twice as many shells, more heavy machine gun bullets and grenades, a lot of gasoline, and a lot of barbed wire and other scarce supplies, and more. Ten heavy machine guns were installed, and they were ready for a big fight.

  At the same time, he rigorously exercised the militia day and night, and had already managed Snow Mountain Town like an iron bucket.

  Especially this mountainous highland contains a big surprise, which can definitely make the southern coalition drink a pot.

  Speaking bluntly, Duan Qirui was so ruthless that she was even afraid of herself.

  (End of this chapter)