War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

When you think of the Sunshine State (California), what is the first thing that comes to mind? Sun, beach, beauties, bikini, Hollywood, or beef noodles?

Of course, the impression of California at this time was still far from that of later generations. What is now displayed in front of the world is its other side - the cruelty of nature.

The desert valley floor known as "Death Valley" is the lowest and driest region on the North American continent. It is also the only way to the future Sunshine State.

Death Valley, as its name suggests, is very unfriendly to life. It is shrouded in heat and dryness. The average temperature in summer is above 38°, and the highest temperature can even exceed 56°.

About 400,000 gold diggers once crossed this "death zone" without hesitation in order to reach their destination faster. At least 4% of them never made it out alive, so travelers at the time also called it this "death zone". Funeral Hill.

Today's US military relies on more adequate preparations and better quality than future gold diggers. Therefore, its first army only lost a few hundred people when it crossed Death Valley, but the huge mental pressure and exhaustion caused by crossing this dangerous terrain But it is difficult to eliminate.

Lieutenant General Stephen Carney had been preparing for a possible surprise attack by the Austrians.

However, the expected encounter did not happen. In fact, this was because the Austrian garrison was too far away from here, and the local climate was not only torture for oneself, but also for the enemy.

There is a huge temperature difference between day and night in Death Valley. During the day it is often hot enough to dry people out, but at night it is so cold that frost can form on the rocks. Therefore, you need to bring a lot of luggage when you go to ambush there, otherwise the enemy will be killed before you can. Nature eliminated.

In addition, the most important point is that the uninhabited terrain is not suitable for an ambush; the narrowest part of the 225-kilometer-long passage is nearly six kilometers wide, and the widest part can even reach 26 kilometers. The terrain is generally There are many lower salt flats and sand dunes.

This terrain treats both sides equally and makes no difference. The complex terrain would hinder the Austrian army's superior firepower, so Archduke Carl Ferdinand chose to wait for work.

Due to his family background, he has been studying defensive warfare skills, but when he learned that the U.S. military on the opposite side actually chose to split up his forces, he decisively decided to take the initiative.

Stephen Carney divided his 30,000-man team into two parts. He assigned most of the cavalry and light infantry (similar to the Austrian chasseurs) to Major Carter, who would be responsible for opening the way forward.

At the same time, in order to find out the fate of the leading brothers' troops, the remaining infantry and baggage teams were led by himself to hold the battle at the back.

Although Major General Carter's army only has 8,000 men, its advantage lies in its high mobility and strong combat effectiveness. It can be used as an outpost for reconnaissance work.

If traces of the leading friendly forces are found, on-site support can be provided, and even if they are ambushed, they can retreat in time.

The reason why the large force led by Lieutenant General Stephen Carney chose to slow down the march was because the soldiers' physical and mental limits had been reached by the previous forced march.

The Austrian side learned from the mouths of the previous American prisoners that all the enemy's subsequent troop strength, firepower configuration, and personnel arrangements.

In fact, it was not difficult to obtain this information. After those pampered US military officers worked in the mine for a few days, they were willing to tell them everything when asked again, keeping almost no secrets.

As night fell, Lieutenant General Stephen Carney lay down early. Many days of rapid marching had made the commander exhausted. Moreover, there was another unit in front of him as a target. Gradually, his tense nerves relaxed. After coming down, strong sleepiness also came, and soon the sound of snoring came from the tent.

The soldiers outside the tent also stretched out and fell asleep holding their guns. The sentry sat on the roof of the caravan and looked up at the stars in boredom.

The comrades beside the campfire did not enjoy the treatment of a tent, only a simple blanket and a quilt made of linen, but this did not prevent them from enjoying the warm stove and delicious food in their dreams.

The U.S. Army's military discipline at that time was very lax. They did not even build a sentry tower outside the camp. Instead, they chose to drive the caravan out and let the sentry sit on the roof to observe. The advantage of this method is that it saves trouble, but the disadvantage is that it is basically useless.

A US military sentry spotted a group of people and even a caravan far away, but instead of reacting, he waved the light in his hand in the night.

The other party also shook his head in the same way. Since the code was correct, he turned his head and continued counting stars.

On the other side of the dark night, the convoy began to unload the cargo and set up the launcher. At the same time, the elite hunters spread out and one of the small groups approached the sentry.

Facing an enemy force that may exceed 20,000 people, the total number of the Austrian sneak attack team did not exceed 1,000, but do not underestimate them. After all, this team brought a dozen carriages filled with rockets. .

As a sharp whistle sounded, the sentries in the US military camp looked around for the source of the sound.

Suddenly a soldier pointed to the sky and shouted.

"Look! It's a meteor! It's flying towards us!"

Then there was a loud boom, and the rocket exploded above the camp, bursting into brilliant and deadly fireworks.

At this time, the rockets used to attack the US military camps were not the latest rockets, but the "inventory" was mixed with various types and models of rockets, so the contents were naturally different.

Along with the beautiful fireworks display, various debris, kerosene, combustibles, and small steel balls were scattered in all directions. Of course, there are also high-explosive rockets specially used for siege.

They were seen rushing into the opponent's camp. Just when the enemy nearby thought it was a stink bomb, a violent explosion suddenly occurred. The air wave was enough to lift the enemy soldiers away.

The rockets in the sky were thrown at them as if they were free, causing the American officers and soldiers in the camp to wander around like headless flies. Especially those unlucky ones who were hit by incendiary bombs would not die immediately, but would be carried around with fire. Run around until you are burned alive or killed by friendly fire.

The fire spread rapidly in the US military camp, and the shining fire was the best target. More gorgeous rockets dragged long trajectories and hit the enemy like meteors.

Feeling unbearably hot, Stephen Carney suddenly opened his eyes and found that his tent was on fire.

You must know that in the dream just now, the general had just received the presidential award in the White House and spoke in front of his competitors. Afterwards, the first lady even invited him to the secret garden to chat about life. When people are in dire straits.

Stephen Carney, who was awakened by the heat, immediately escaped from his tent and was stunned by the sight he saw.

The military camp in front of them looked like the end of the world was coming. There were frightened and fleeing soldiers everywhere. The sounds of screams and explosions were endless, and the camp had been turned into a sea of ​​fire.

The wood and corpses crackled and exploded in the fire, and the surroundings were filled with choking smoke. The pungent smell spread into the mouth and made people nauseous.

He fled this flaming hell as if he was dying, falling down several times along the way and bumping into several of his comrades.

But Lieutenant General Stephen Carney miraculously survived. The gasping survivor saw meteors hitting his camp in famous parabolas from the nearby slopes.

Others in the U.S. First Army were not as lucky as him; the fires, explosions, smoke, and the resulting chaos and fear caused many soldiers to lose their way in the fire, and there were even unlucky reasons. I'm so stressed that I go crazy. I use my gun to kill the moving shadows.