My Italy

There is a long wall at the pass in front of Zhennan Pass. This wall is seven feet high, three miles long, one foot wide at the bottom, and three miles long. It spans the east and west ridges, and a deep trench is dug outside the wall. This is the fortification that Feng Zicai mobilized the people to repair after more than a month. It is also his biggest barrier against the French attack.

The sun is scorching now, but there are heads standing behind the long wall. Feng Zicai's five thousand troops have gathered here. Because the French came to Zhennanguan again, and this time there were more people than before.

After Nigri led the French army to dispatch troops from Wenyuan and Lang Son, Feng Zicai received the news immediately. Although it was his plan to lure the snake out of its hole, when the French army actually came, he was not sure about it. Although he had tried the fast cannon sent by the Italians before, and the electric cannon operated by the Italians themselves, he was not sure whether this thing was reliable.

I remember that when he saw the demonstration of the electric cannon named Maxim, his face changed. With many years of experience in the military, Feng Zicai was keenly aware that the swarm-like group charges would be hard to come by in the future, and he had such an intention in his preparation plan.

Immediately, he specifically asked the Italians whether this electric cannon was Italy's unique weapon. After receiving a positive answer, he felt relieved.

Since the French don't have this thing, then my previous idea can still be realized. In order to facilitate his command, he ordered Wang Xiaoqi to guard the west ridge on the right, Chen Jia and Jiang Zonghan to guard the east ridge on the left, and he and his two sons guarded the entrance of the valley.

Facing the formation set up by Feng Zicai, Nigri, who led his army to the pass, didn't care at all. In his opinion, these Qing troops were a group of cowards. As long as he shelled them, they would scatter in all directions.

Even if there are still a few stubborn people who refuse to retreat, the French warriors will use the guns in their hands to make them understand that they are simply irresistible. This is not the case in Africa, the Americas, and Asia. Even in Indochina, the French warriors are the same. in this way.

Although they also encountered some minor troubles, such as the Black Flag Army, these people could only display their bravery in small-scale battles. As long as the French soldiers reached more than two battalions, then such as the Black Flag Army Small characters can't resist France's footsteps.

So when he saw that the Qing army actually wanted to block his footsteps with a long wall, Nigri couldn't help laughing. Fortunately, no one asked him why the general was laughing.

Since these reckless Qing people want to block France, let them taste the power of French cannons.

"Fire."

After the artillery was ready, Nigri immediately gave the order to fire and let them have a taste of the shells.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

This time Nigri brought a battalion of artillery, more than thirty artillery pieces of various types, roaring. The shells basically landed in front of the long wall and the Qing army's position. Occasionally, some shells flew over the long wall and landed behind, but at this time, screams could be vaguely heard.

Such shelling may have been effective against other Qing armies, but it was of no use to the Qing army commanded by Feng Zicai.

Of course, the French army is not the only one capable of this. As the artillery gradually became familiar with the terrain and ballistics, its artillery became more and more accurate. Especially at several checkpoints on the long wall, it was violently bombarded. Many The Qing soldiers who failed to hide were hit by shrapnel. Some fell down without a sound, while others fell to the ground and screamed.

The fierce shelling made the morale of the Qing army begin to fluctuate, and many people showed some fearful eyes. And was all this seen by Feng Zicai? During the interval of the French shelling, he drew his saber and shouted loudly. "All officers and men, starting from me, no one is allowed to take a step back. Behind us is our hometown. Who wants his wife and children to be insulted by the French. Now anyone who dares to step back will be dealt with immediately. I have made arrangements before going to war. I have sent guards to guard the retreat. As long as there is no order from me, I will kill anyone who retreats without mercy."

Feng Zicai first started from a small point, moved him with emotion and reason, and then used military force to intimidate him, finally calming down the soldiers' minds.

These soldiers are all from nearby state capitals. Of course, they don't want to see their hometowns suffer military disasters, especially the dirty things the French did in Vietnam. They don't want to see them in their hometowns. So after Feng Zicai's instigation, their hearts gradually calmed down.

Later, even if the French bombardment became more fierce, they gritted their teeth and persisted. The general's courage is absolutely correct. As long as the general is not afraid of danger, the soldiers will not be afraid.

The French bombardment did not last long. After about two sticks of incense, the bombardment stopped. This is not because the French army feels that the artillery fire is about the same, but that the artillery needs to cool down.

Nigri took advantage of this moment and waved his hand, and five hundred Vietnamese servants immediately moved towards the long wall. This was to test the strength of the Qing army guarding the pass.

How could Feng Zicai not know the tricks of the French army? There was no need to use fast guns. When these Vietnamese servants came to the trench, figures immediately emerged from behind the long wall. A burst of bows and arrows and gunfire made these servants cry. The mother crawled back.

Inside the wall, the Qing army deliberately raised the foundation so that they could shoot with only their chest exposed.

Seeing that the servant army behaved so badly, Nigri was so angry that he wanted to enforce military law on them. However, it is easy to enforce military law, but it is a bit difficult to recruit servants to join the army, so Nigri held back. Although these people are not good at combat, they can help the French army a lot in other aspects.

"Keep firing."

As the artillery cooled down, a new round of shelling began again. After repelling the attack of the servant army, the Qing army immediately descended from the wall. Who could wait for the French to bomb it?

So the Qing army hid behind the long wall and endured the French artillery fire.

The bombardment ended the test, and after being beaten back, the bombardment continued.

After several times in a row, Nigri no longer planned to use these servants, and a battalion of French troops formed a skirmish line and moved towards the long wall.

The sharp-eyed eldest son Feng Xiangrong immediately suggested to his father Feng Zicai. "Father, now the French have sent out their own soldiers, fire."

"There's no rush, let's wait out the French's energy first."

Feng Zicai, who has been in the army for many years, will not use his own foreign guns and cannons at this time. Besides, his numbers are not as good as those of the opponent. As long as he shows them now, the enemy will immediately retreat and the effect of surprise will not be achieved.

Of course, if you want to paralyze the enemy, you need to sacrifice human lives. General Feng knows this very well, but if you want to win, how can it be possible without adding some human lives? When necessary, he and his sons will do it together, and the old general will not blink an eye. Take a look.

So just like before, when these French troops did not touch the long wall, the Qing troops remained motionless. Of course, these French officers and soldiers already knew the Qing army's fighting style, so the closer they got to the long wall, the more cautious they became.

"beat."

Seeing the French army entering the shooting range, there was a shout from the high wall, and countless Qing troops emerged. They held bows, arrows and guns and fired at the incoming French army.

However, this time was different from before. The French officers and soldiers were well prepared and immediately responded with rifles in their hands. After all, the breech-loading guns were more powerful. After a burst of shooting, the French army suffered few casualties, but a large number of Qing troops behind the wall fell.

"Father……"

Seeing a large area of ​​his own soldiers falling on the wall, Feng Xiangrong was about to speak again. As a result, Feng Zicai waved his hand to stop him, and the old general continued to give orders. "Let the two battalion leaders Kui and Shan prepare. I will immediately change them upon my order and continue to shoot at the French."

After a touching exchange of shots, Feng Zicai gave an order, and the Qing troops from the Kui and Shan battalions immediately replaced the defenders.

As new troops appeared behind the wall, the casualties of the attacking French army also increased. After the two sides fought like this for nearly an hour, Nigri finally couldn't bear it anymore and sent a battalion of reinforcements. The number of attacking French troops now reached more than 700.

"not enough."

Looking at the number of people attacking the French army, Feng Zicai muttered, and then he ordered two more battalion heads to continue to lure the French army to attack. The two armies fought fiercely across long walls and trenches.

"Whoosh"

An arrow was deeply embedded in the chest of a French soldier who was about to shoot. The French soldier screamed and fell to the ground. The Qing soldier who shot the bow and arrow didn't have time to be happy. His half-exposed body was hit by several bullets, and his body fell down as soon as he went soft.

Also behind the wall, two soldiers carrying guns were about to open fire at the French troops outside. However, they were targeted by French soldiers who had already spotted them. After a burst of gunfire, the two soldiers disappeared with their guns. sound.

Generally speaking, the French army had the advantage in this battle, and the advantage of rear-mounted guns was clearly demonstrated. The French soldiers each looked for bunkers, lying down or squatting in various postures to minimize their exposed bodies.

Although the Qing army could block most of their bodies, the weapons in their hands were either bows and arrows or rifles, and even fewer front-loading guns, so they were destined to suffer a big loss. After an hour of fierce fighting, the Qing army behind the defensive wall was exhausted and showed signs of wavering.

As a veteran, Feng Zicai couldn't help but notice, so he immediately recruited his eldest son Feng Xiangrong. "Renqing, you lead the first battalion of the left team and provide reinforcements immediately."

The most elite one in Feng Zicai's hands is the left and right battalions, led by his two sons Feng Xiangrong and Feng Xianghua respectively. What these two battalions had in hand was a thousand Italian rifles sent by Zhang Zhidong. This was a treatment that even 500 hometown soldiers did not receive. Since you are using a quick gun, you need to use it on the edge. Now Feng Zicai thinks it is time.

After receiving his father's order, Feng Xiangrong didn't say much, and immediately rushed to the rear and waved to the resting battalion of the left army. "My sons, follow me and kill the enemy."

The battle situation immediately changed with the addition of the first battalion of the left team. After all, everyone now uses fast guns. Although there are certain differences in performance, there is no generation difference, so the casualties of the attacking French soldiers begin to increase.

Faced with the sudden appearance of the defenders operating breech-loading guns, Nigri saw everything. He breathed a sigh of relief and finally waited for the elite troops of the defenders.

According to his understanding, when fighting the Qing army, there will always be such an elite force, either to fight at critical moments or to cover the commander's retreat. Based on the current situation, it is obvious that the garrison commander used it for defensive operations.

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