Chapter Seventy-Four: The Battle of Haiphong Harbor Li Laiheng's attack was blocked

Originally, Li Li made up his mind to fight again, not only gathered a lot of troops, but also summed up the experience, this time the army they came over, brought a lot of fish oil. When their soldiers were within range of their bows and arrows, they fired rockets to attack the position. The mobilization meeting for the re-battle was also held, and the generals below also saw Li Li's determination to fight to the death, and they all held the determination to fight to the death.

However, the news came back from Haiphong Port quickly, and only more than 10,000 of the more than 30,000 people there escaped, and the rest were either killed or captured. Originally, Li Li wanted to sneak attack Haiphong Port to pick up a bargain, but how did he know that in addition to Niu Jinxing and a few thousand people in Haiphong Port, there were more than 3,000 people from the Yaogang Marine Corps there.

Niu Jinxing received the news that the Annan people were going to attack Haiphong Port, and immediately personally commanded the deployment. Originally, according to the suggestion of the commander of the Marine Corps, they were going to carry out a surprise attack on the night of the arrival of the Annanes, and take the Annanites by surprise while they were sleepy and lacking, but Niu Jinxing did not agree, and he wanted to wait for the Annanite attack to be unfavorable, and when the Annanite attack was unfavorable, he would counterattack and defeat the Annanes. In fact, there are pros and cons to both tactics, but Niu Jinxing is the commander-in-chief, and the marines must also obey. Especially since such a battle ended similarly no matter how it was fought, there was no need to disobey Niu Jinxing's command.

Niu Jinxing and they stayed in Haiphong Port to consider that the Annamites would come to attack when the army attacked, so they arranged a defensive line. The defense line is formed by connecting Hai Phong City and Hai Phong Port. Niu Jinxing knows very well that Haiphong City has strong walls, and the opponent will not touch it, and will definitely attack Haiphong Port. Therefore, Niu Jinxing placed 1,000 Marine Corps soldiers on the front defense line, and the other 2,000 people on both sides of the position on standby.

Because the Annam soldiers who attacked Haiphong Port had just assembled in Tokyo and were sent to Haiphong Port by Li Li, they did not know the strength of their opponents. Although Li Li has repeatedly warned them that the current opponent is different from the previous Ming army, and we have suffered great losses, you must pay special attention. However, although the general who led the troops nodded yes, he listened to it with his ears and did not listen at all in his heart. When he arrived at Haiphong Port, he also knew that Haiphong Port had already known that they were coming to attack, and he was already ready for battle. The general thought to himself that I had brought more than 30,000 people, and a simple defensive position in front of me was not a matter of rushing through all at once.

Considering Li Li's repeated instructions, the general still ordered artillery fire to be prepared, and the first wave of attacks would use 10,000 people, and his request was that the 10,000 soldiers rush up and rush directly into Haiphong Port, and the 10,000 people who followed up followed behind, killing all the Ming soldiers on the position, leaving no prisoners.

But just as they were lining up to prepare for the shelling, suddenly there was a "squeak" in the air, and then a "bang" shell exploded on the artillery position.

The general also fought a lot of battles, and he knew that it was not good, and the opponent's shells were too accurate. But just when he didn't wake up, the "squeaky squeak" shells flew over like locusts, and his artillery position suddenly became thick with smoke, and the artillerymen were blown up by the opponent's shells and martyrs. Especially those cannons that were already full of ** were blown up and suddenly fired, beating the soldiers in front of the muzzles to cry wolf.

The artillery scouts of the Marine Corps of the Navy discovered that the Annam artillery was ready to open fire on the gate tower of Haiphong Port, so they used the radio to inform their artillerymen. The Marine artillerymen originally conducted a test fire with artillery strikes, but the result was a direct hit, and the artillerymen directly covered the artillery positions of the Annan army without correction.

The ambitious General Annan was surprised to find that the opponent's artillery had covered his artillery position, and he was furious. Their own soldiers brought over the heavy cannons, and after a lot of effort, they were blown up without a single shot. This tone must come out of the Ming army, and the general brandished his sword and ordered, "Attack!" ”

In the Annan formation, the "Tongtong" was immediately struck, and the well-trained Annan soldiers attacked in formation. The 10,000-strong contingent, which was overwhelming, flooded into the position.

Many of the soldiers of the Dashun Army who were mixed with the Yaogang Navy Marine Corps and arranged on the position were elite soldiers in a hundred battles, although they were not afraid of death, but they were also a little nervous when they saw the formation in front of them. Only the soldiers of the Marine Corps were still talking and laughing, as if they were participating in some game, they were too confident in their automatic rifles. Seeing that the soldiers of the Marine Corps were not nervous, the soldiers of the Dashun Army were also relaxed.

Walking in the middle of the ranks, a platoon of Annam soldiers suddenly squatted down, and then they suddenly "dongdong" fired a lot of tiger squat artillery shells. It's not too much of a threat to the defenders, though, because the accuracy of that thing is just too bad. However, this already made the Marine artillery who were observing behind feel a great shame, and they immediately fired back. not only covered the Annan soldiers who were packing up the tiger squatting cannons, but also killed a lot of soldiers around them. At this time, Annam's archers also began to shoot arrows at the positions of the marines. The officers on the Marine Corps position were a little puzzled, the opponent had already entered the range of the heavy machine gun, and this bull Venus also knew why he let the fire go, he shouldn't let the archers shoot first. But the battlefield must obey orders, and there is no way. It wasn't until the Annan soldiers attacked within 50 meters that Niu Jinxing gave the order to shoot, and at this time, more than 1,000 automatic rifles, dozens of heavy machine guns, hundreds of light machine guns, and the archers of the Dashun army shot together.

The Nan'an soldiers were suddenly hit by the oncoming metal wind like falling leaves in the autumn wind, and fell down one by one, but this Nan'an army was also the elite soldiers of Nan'an, although they were blinded all of a sudden, but the soldiers behind did not stop attacking because the soldiers in front fell, and more than 10,000 people were quickly filled in front of the position. The more than 10,000 soldiers who followed up in the back saw the tragic situation of the piles of dead bodies in front of them, and they were a little hesitant whether to retreat, but it was too late. The 2,000 marines who were in ambush on both sides of the position had already jumped up and rushed out, surrounding the Annanites from both sides.

The general Annan who commanded the attack was also battle-hardened, but he couldn't accept more than 10,000 people at once, and he fell in front of him, and a rush suddenly rose from his heart, and he felt that a golden flower was rising in front of him. But the general beside him saw someone coming up from both flanks and hastened to warn him that the situation was not good. The general understood the situation before him and immediately ordered a retreat. Still, the order was a little late. Only the more than 10,000 people who were ready to be in reserve behind were withdrawn, and the more than 10,000 people who followed the first team to attack were surrounded. Hearing the fierce gunfire in the encirclement, the fleeing men did not rush back to support. Until now, the general doesn't understand how this battle was fought, why the firearms of the Ming army are so powerful, it is more than 10,000 people, and they are annihilated if they are annihilated.

Withdrew, fleeing far away, the general held the group. Of the more than 30,000 people who came, only about 10,000 remained, and the general, despite his reluctance, sent fast horses to report the serious situation to Li Li.

The marines who stayed in Haiphong Port were originally very disappointed, thinking that they would have nothing to do in the future, but they did not expect to fight another battle today, not only killing more than 10,000 Annam soldiers, but also taking more than 9,000 prisoners. Niu Jinxing and the officers and men of the Marine Corps were all happy.

The only hope was disappointed, and Li Li understood that this time the Ming army was different from the past, and it was fully prepared before coming, so Li Li's determination to attack the Ming army again was also shaken. He believes that it is very difficult to solve the immediate Ming army at once, and it is necessary to make long-term plans.

The city of Tokyo (Hanoi) has been built and strengthened many times, and can be used as a support to fight a war of attrition with the Ming army. Li Li believed that the Ming army had come from afar, and he must hope for a quick victory, and was unwilling to drag on the war. Tomorrow, in the name of continuing to dispose of the corpses in front of the battle, it can be delayed for a day, so that the Ming army cannot judge whether they are ready to withdraw to Tokyo City or continue to attack. In this way, the defensive preparations on the Tokyo side can be put in place.

At this time, on the Yaogang warship, Li Zicheng, Mu Yi, and Zheng Zhilong had confirmed that Li Li wanted to shrink into the defense of Tokyo City. Because if Li Li wanted to continue the attack, he would not spend two days disposing of the corpses, and he could continue to attack without leaving any respite for the defenders.

Li Zicheng accepted Mu Yi's suggestion and wanted to delay as much as possible until Liu Zhongmin and his large army came from the north before encircling Tokyo (Hanoi). But Li Zicheng and Zheng Zhilong both thought that it might be too late. Liu Zhongmin and the others came from the north, and there were mountainous areas over there, not to mention that there were troops to intercept them, even if they marched over the mountain road, the time was not short. This matter can only be determined by the situation. Because if Annam's army shrinks back to Tokyo City and his own army does not follow up, Li Li will definitely see that his side is deliberately delaying time.

The next day, the Annan soldiers were still slowly carrying the corpses, and Song Xiance could also see that the Annan people were deliberately delaying time. After communicating with Li Zicheng by telegram, Song Xiance deliberately asked the soldiers to build fortifications with great fanfare. Let Annan look at it, thinking that they are also looking forward to having time to build fortifications.

Li Li in Tokyo City came to the city wall and saw that the artillery was placed a few feet away, and he had confidence in defending Tokyo City again. However, what he was worried about was the artillery on the Ming warships on the Yellow River, which was too powerful, and I was afraid that the city wall would not be able to withstand the bombardment of the cannons. But now there is no way to deal with their artillery, so they can only rely on the advantage of their own large number of men, prepare more troops in the city, prepare more straw bags to fill the soil, and fill the gaps with men. Li Li thought that their shells must also be limited, and they never let go of them and used them casually. Otherwise, this battle really can't be fought.

Song Xiance's battle on their side was very smooth, and everything was under control, but Li Laiheng's battle on the Guangxi side was not smooth.

Jiang Wei sent troops to take over Pingxiang and Zhennanguan in advance, although the generals and officials there were very reluctant, but they couldn't help it. They had long known that the army of the Yaogang people had come over, and they had already occupied Nanning Mansion, and most of the people in the world were already theirs. These officials, soldiers and officials also know that if they use force to resist, there will be no good results, and they will not necessarily be good if they are killed by the kiln gangsters. After the Dashun army returned to the Shun Yaogang people, they wanted to march to Annam, and it is said that the emperor also agreed. However, the connection between their side and the imperial court has long been severed, and there is no official notice from the imperial court, let alone how to deal with it. Leaving this place to the kiln gang people is not so troublesome. Now the imperial court has no way to pursue them.

Li Laiheng came to Pingxiang with an army, and before 50,000 horses were in place, he sent the vanguard army. Exiting the pass to the south to reconnoitre, the attack advanced, and their first target was Lang Son. But they couldn't go far, and they were annoyed when they encountered it.

Lang Son is 18 kilometers away from the Ming Dynasty and the southern border in the north, and 130 kilometers away from Tokyo (Hanoi), the capital of Annam, in the south. To the north of Lang Son is a mountainous area with undulating mountains and dense jungles; To the south of Lang Son is the northern plain with rice paddies and a dense water network.

Lang Son is surrounded by mountains such as Kuma Mountain, Bawai Mountain and a series of highlands, and the terrain is very steep; Lang Son Castle is divided into two parts, north and south, and is divided by the Qi Poor River that crosses it. If you want to use troops in Anbei and Nanbei, Lang Son is the place where the key is locked. Hold it, and the enemy can be blocked in the mountains of northern Vietnam; Take it, and then you will go straight to Tokyo (Hanoi). Since ancient times, the Central Plains Dynasty took Jiaozhi in the south, and it is a must-pass place here.

Now all roads from Lang Son to the border are destroyed. The passes are full of stones. The bridges over the creek were all demolished. The mountain trail was not easy to walk, but now it is even more difficult. Fortunately, they were mentally prepared, and Li Laiheng and the others had no choice but to send sappers to advance while building roads. Before arriving at Lang Son, there are still Annam towns such as Gao Ping, Lao Cai, Tangtang and Dong Deng to break through and clean up.

Since the news of the war on the Tokyo side had already reached this side, not only did the Annam army gather a lot here, but also mobilized the people to resist the invasion of the Ming army. After many people cleared the wilderness, they all participated in the defense of the checkpoint, and almost all of them were soldiers.

This is what Li Laiheng and they didn't expect at the beginning. I had no choice but to fight non-stop bloody battles all the way. Li Laiheng is the righteous son of Li Zicheng Li Guo, he has been secretly detained after being captured by the Yaogang people, and later the Yaogang people gave Li Zicheng a favor and gave him to Li Zicheng to take back. Because one of Li Guo's arms was not suitable for battle, he followed Li Zicheng's side, but Li Guo interceded for Li Laiheng, and this time Li Zicheng asked Li Laiheng to follow Liu Zhongmin to attack Annan by land.

Liu Zhongmin originally had a good relationship with Li Guo and Li Laiheng, especially Li Laiheng's martial arts were very good and very smart, Liu Zhongmin also wanted to give him the opportunity to make meritorious contributions, so he handed over the task of attacking from Pingxiang to Li Laiheng. Li Laiheng knew that the opportunity was rare, so he did not dare to slack off when the attack began, and personally supervised the advance of the army. But the further forward they went, the fiercer the resistance of the Annamite became. Li Laiheng almost carried out the means of extermination. Because, when you enter Annam, it is difficult to distinguish between the military and the civilian. Annan almost did not distinguish between men, women, and children, and all the people were soldiers, and they fought to the death with Li Laiheng. Therefore, the place where Li Laiheng's army passed was almost a no-man's land. Except for a few who fled into the mountains and forests, they were all killed. Li Laiheng's reason is that it is impossible for the people who resist in this way to be educated again, and it is a scourge to keep them, so it is better to destroy them.

In terms of killing, Li Laiheng is a bit like Li Guo, Li Guo has slaughtered many cities in Shaanxi. The difficulty brought about by this is that foster care is difficult to solve locally, except for the food seized in some towns and cities, everything else needs to be transported later. Together with musket ammunition, etc., the pressure of transportation is great. Although Li Laiheng was in a hurry, they couldn't march fast.

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Mt. Fuji erupted, Japan was earthquaked. --Progress of "Memories of the Southern Song Dynasty".