Chapter 533: Blood Stains the Earth

When the horn sounded in the early morning, a whole battalion of soldiers of the baggage battalion who had worked all night retreated into the camp, and after a whole night's work, they had eliminated the topographical factors on the battlefield that were unfavorable to their side, and the large trees that obstructed the view were uprooted, and then the deep tree holes were filled. The boulders were removed, and the gravel-covered ground was leveled back and forth with huge stone rollers, so that the fighters could not suffer non-combat attrition due to the ground during the run. At the same time, telephone lines were drawn at the predetermined combat positions of each battalion, and command tents were set up one by one. Each line is undergoing intense testing. Behind the command tent, there are ambulance stations, a large number of medicinal materials, bandages and other utensils have been moved in, and doctors and medical soldiers have begun to familiarize themselves with the environment. The medics, in particular, also need to carve out stretcher routes according to the detailed deployment map in order to send the badly injured soldiers back to the camp.

The sergeants of the Heavy Equipment Battalion later came to the somewhat busy land and began to plot their fronts, determining the coordinates one by one, so that they could switch their targets more quickly, which would help them kill and damage the enemy more quickly. This work will continue all day, and in the afternoon, there will be a part of the ballista to calibrate according to these coordinates.

When the Dongping army began to prepare at night, Xie Boan received a report, but he strictly ordered him to only remain vigilant and never go out of the camp to engage in battle. During the day, Xie Boan stayed on the conning tower almost all morning, watching the Dongping army prepare in earnest. The telescope in his hand is also produced by Yip's workshop, there is no doubt about it. With the exception of Yip's Workshop, no other institution in the world has been able to produce binoculars that suppress dispersion and edge deformation to such an extent. In the telescope, Xie Boan could clearly see how luxurious the battlefield was being plotted by the opponent's heavy equipment battalion. The surveyor with complex scale plotting and stable tripod bracket is not sold out at all. Xie Boan knew that they had obtained an operation manual for a surveyor through Kong Xinhua, which was as thick as 700 pages, not to mention those big bosses in the army, even those officials in the Ministry of Industry, and few of them could fully understand it. However, the heavy equipment battalion in Dongping was carrying out battlefield surveying and mapping, and there were more than 200 sergeants in total...... Of course, this is not all the people who will use the mapper. Thinking of this, Xie Boan felt a little suffocated, as senior as him, he naturally would not feel that fighting was strength and courage, and now, it is becoming more and more different. The combat effectiveness of the airship team in Northern Liao has not improved quickly, to a large extent, because the cultural quality of the soldiers is too poor, and it takes a long time for them to learn the flag and light transmission. Dongping's tactics of multi-airships cooperating with cluster elevation to deal with the higher-flying Northern Liao airships, the airship crews can see it clearly, but it takes a lot of effort to let them do it. The more serious problem is that Dongping has been in charge of airships for a long time and has many opportunities to use airships for various operations, so it has already cultivated a group of professional flying officers, but Northern Liao is almost blank in this regard...... As for the heavy weapons battalion, Xie Boan also had three battalions in his hands. Not to mention how big a gap is between the equipment they use and the things produced by Ye's workshop, and except for some officers in these three battalions who are equipped with telescopes, they don't mention any surveying and mapping equipment. The sergeants of those battalions had a certain professional foundation, and naturally they could understand what the heavy equipment battalion was doing in Dongping, but they didn't even have the conditions to learn to imitate. After discussing the matter, the battalions of several battalions reported that they would begin a brief plotting operation in the afternoon...... At the very least, it can make their shooting accuracy better than rough shooting. In this regard, apart from sighing and nodding in agreement, Xie Boan had nothing to say.

After a long day of suffering, the time for war finally came.

At four o'clock in the morning, an airship from the Dongping side appeared in the sky above the weeping incense forest. An airship with twelve signal boxes, enough batteries and fuel dropped its thick cable and moored over the weeping grove. Command the airship...... Of course, this was a thorn in Xie Boan's side, but he didn't think to kill this thing first. Four airships, including Yunzhou No. 1, are already on alert in the sky. Whether it's a sneak attack or a strong attack, the success rate will not be very high. An hour later, the Dongping army began to enter the position one after another. The three battalions of the first row sat down to rest after entering the position, while the baggage battalion sent the equipment of other troops to the position, and then the soldiers of each battalion entered the position with their bare hands and then wore armor...... And their armor, and Dongping's heavy armor, are not on the same level. And these elite sergeants in Dongping actually had to spare even a little bit of physical strength from the big camp to the battlefield......

"The whole army is out of camp and ready to fight!" Xie Boan's palm slammed on the table and gave the order. The pressure exerted on him by the other party was so great that only he could understand. Isn't Ye Tao more than just a carpenter? Although the Northern Liao military always has an understanding of Ye Tao's past experience, although they also know that Ye Tao has fought and won many battles, they always feel that a carpenter from a poor family can know how to fight? But Ye Tao came to the front, and the rhythm of the entire tribal army immediately changed, although he did not formally take over the battle, but Ye Tao's step-by-step preparation, that calm and confident attitude, and that undoubted determination to win at his own pace, all made Xie Boan feel tremendous pressure. I am afraid that only the tension and fanaticism after the start of the war can dilute this pressure. Xie Boan still felt that the victory was on his side, after all, his own forces had an absolute advantage.

"Ye Shuai, the Northern Liao army has begun to enter the position." The herald reported to Ye Tao.

"It's okay, let's continue to rest. They're going to take a moment. At this time, Ye Tao was on the command tower, quietly enjoying a hearty breakfast as if he had been countless mornings in the past. Soft and rich layers of fried eggs, slices of bread, cheese and ham are complemented by fragrant coffee...... It was as if this was not a battlefield where blood and fire collided and perished, but in a café with a peaceful atmosphere. When I was in Yejiabao, there were always fruits such as oranges for breakfast, but here, although the berries collected in the mountains are juicy, they are somewhat sour in taste, which can be regarded as a fly in the ointment.

"The baggage camp isn't idle, is it?" Ye Tao asked casually.

"No, the baggage battalion is starting to confirm the medical route. Part after the preparation of meals and drinks. Liu Yong replied with a smile.

"Alas, now that such a battle is fought, the things that need to be considered in all aspects are becoming more and more complicated. Fortunately, the current staff team is very serious, although it is not as good as the people in the Chinese military camp, but it is basically qualified. However, after this battle, I don't think there will be many opportunities to train their coordination skills. Ye Tao said lightly.

Liu Yong shrugged his shoulders and agreed with Ye Tao's judgment. Still, he asked: "Infantry against cavalry...... Sometimes I really feel that your courage is really terrifying. ”

"It's not a matter of guts, it's just a matter of calculation." Ye Tao explained with a smile: "The advantage of cavalry over infantry is only relative. But the height and speed of the cavalry, when encountering the heavy infantry, there is no room to play, once the cavalry can't rush, then what is there to be afraid of. The other side is just a calculable force, and it is easier to get caught up in our rhythm. In my opinion, it is up to the infantry to withstand the attack, to slow down the pace of combat, and to rely on the heavy equipment battalion to deal damage...... This is a normal way of thinking. ”

Liu Yong sighed: "Is this the T and DPS theory you discussed with us before?" If you hadn't seen it now, I couldn't believe that you really dared to use this tactic. ”

"There's nothing you don't dare to use. I trust my warriors, and I now have almost the best infantry in the world, and they face an enemy that is slightly better than the second-rate, far inferior to the first-rate cavalry and a little worse. When it comes to equipment, our side is more than one grade ahead of the other side, and when it comes to command and coordination, it is not at all an era. What am I afraid of? Those who learn from me live, and those who are like me die...... I said this many years ago when I established the Blood Qi Army. Now, the only ones who learn the Blood Qi Army are indeed the only ones in front of us, after all, ...... The backbone of them are all people who came out of the Blood Qi Army back then. ”

It is not unreasonable for Ye Tao to be able to command so many troops sent one after another, it is these officers who have successively "graduated" from the Blood Qi Army and then been entrusted with important tasks by major families, they have deep respect and trust for Ye Tao, there are several battalion leaders, captain-level figures, and even comrades-in-arms who experienced the garrison of Baishi City with Ye Tao back then, this deep affection for the robe made these troops quickly condense. And the tradition of the Blood Qi Army has always allowed Ye Tao to rest assured that the right troops are in the right position.

"Those treasures of Xie Bo'an have appeared......" Watching the rows of heavy ballistas being pushed into position, black dots appeared in the sky in the distance that gradually became larger, and the airship team of Beiliao also appeared at about the same time.

"Attack!" Ye Tao commanded lightly. He only needs to say two words, and naturally his staff officers will pass on his orders. After a burst of turning of the handle of the hand-cranked telephone, the staff officer hurriedly gave the order to the mooring ground in the rear.

However, the time of the battle between the two sides was a little later than Ye Tao expected, and the Northern Liao side was too slow in preparing the heavy equipment battalion. Xie Boan hesitated, but still put the position of the heavy equipment battalion in front of the position, in front of the heavy equipment battalion there were only more than 10,000 infantry lined up to protect these expensive war machines. In the middle and on both flanks, there are also passages that allow cavalry and infantry units to pass through the array to the front of the battle formation, and continue to launch an organized attack on the Dongping army.

"Xie Boan's determination is very great, this situation shows that he doesn't care about losses at all, and he is ready to die." Tan Weiran said lightly.

"Wait a minute, I'll leave it to you to save the scene in several directions." Ye Tao said.

"Okay, but ...... That was at least an hour later. I don't think those guys who managed to get a fight would be willing to give me such a chance. Or, at least, give me this opportunity so soon......" Tan Wei said self-deprecatingly. The whole people of Dongping regard the current war of attacking Northern Liao, as well as the war of attacking Xiling and Chunnan in the future, as the best opportunity to gain military merits, and they are worried that they will not have a chance to go to the battlefield. And now, these soldiers who originally guarded the families not only stood on the battlefield, but also stood in front of Ye Tao, standing in front of one of the most important people who decided the ownership of the war.

After the Northern Liao army set off from the camp one after another and entered the position for more than half an hour, Ye Tao stood on the high command tower and watched the armies of the two sides collide violently.

Xie Boan was a little paranoid, even a little crazy, and in the first assault, he directly bet on 30,000 cavalry, and the 30,000 troops all pounced. The Northern Liao army, which had the advantage in strength, was under the command of Xie Bo'an, a famous marshal who had greatly improved the combat situation with the tribal army, and its morale was like a rainbow, and the 30,000 cavalry were like three rushing angry waves, surging towards the weeping incense forest. But seeing such a scene, Ye Tao just frowned, and didn't even bother to give any more orders.

"Singular series launch!" "Reload!" "Double-numbered launch!" …… The first to express an opinion on the offensive of the Northern Liao army was the heavy equipment battalion. One by one, the fire oil bombs pulled a faint black smoke trail into the air, drawing a shocking arc, smashing into the center of the battlefield and exploding in the array of the Northern Liao cavalry. This scene made Xie Boan's face pale, he arranged the cavalry impact according to the range of the Dongping ballista he originally knew, in order to pass through the dangerous middle of the battlefield as quickly as possible, and avoid the killing and wounding of the terrible ballista array of the Dongping army, but he didn't expect that unconsciously, the range of Dongping's ballista was nearly a hundred feet farther than he knew. This meant that the Northern Liao troops had lost a safe distance of 100 feet in the distance of 2,500 feet in front of the Dongping army.

"A third of the high-explosive bombs, go get ready. Concentrated fire at a distance of twenty-six, three coordinate grid ranges. After two rounds, intensive firing began, paying attention to communicating with the battalion officers in front. "Now the unified command of the equipment battalion is Ye Hongjiang from the experimental camp of the Ye Workshop Research Institute. This guy was originally surnamed Gu, but after Ye Tao opened a mansion in Yunzhou, he became one of the first batch of generals of the Ye family. Ye Tao doesn't like to drive others, and he has always lacked interest in accommodating family generals, but Gu Hongjiang, a guy who has already enjoyed high technical dividends and has followed the Ye family since Yicheng, let Ye Tao agree with a dead face. In his opinion, everything he has comes from the Ye family, and it is his glory to be able to serve the Ye family. And his family, and even everyone around him, supported him in doing so. even became the head of the Ye family, and many colleagues around him were envious to death. After all, a family general is not a family member, since he is a general, he must know how to fight. Gu Hongjiang, a first-class technician, has served in the research institute for many years, from the beginning of the first-generation ballista test to the present, every piece of the ballista and other long-range weapons from generation to generation has passed through his hands, and his importance is even far higher than that of some battalion-level officers. With the help of abundant financial resources, the Yip's Workshop Research Institute not only studied ballista technology, but also studied a series of long-range attack tactics under the instigation of Gu Hongjiang. The experimental camp of the Yip's Workshop Research Institute, under his management, trains and works in full accordance with military standards, if not higher. The degree of familiarity with ballistas in the experimental battalion amazed the officers and men of the heavy equipment battalion. Although it is a long-range attack, Ye Hongjiang, a firepower supremacist, can make the heavy weapons battalion hiding behind the infantry become fanatical and bloodthirsty. The camp was full of shirtless men with heavy ammunition and huge ratchets rolling. The small lookouts not only shouldered the responsibility of coordinating and commanding, but also the sergeants with loud voices constantly shouted the results of the shelling to their comrades-in-arms, and the cheers, laughter and scolding on the battlefield were endless.

"Third squad, you've knocked over a soldier!"

"Captain Jiang, correct a coordinate forward, your barrage is retreating too fast!"

"Five teams replenish a base number of high-explosive shells."

However, to the surprise of the soldiers who were stationed and waiting in the front and rear, no matter how frenetic the atmosphere was, a high degree of order was maintained on the positions of the heavy weapons battalion. Boxes of fire oil bombs and high-explosive bombs will never be randomly stacked next to the ballista because they want to save time and physical strength, but will always be quietly stacked in the explosion-proof ditch on the side. The coordination between the ammunition man, the gunner, the observer and the wrestlers who reset the ballista was as precise as a clock, and every movement was accurate and unambiguous...... What kind of training can combine this sense of order with this fanaticism?

Compared with the heavily armed battalions, the three battalions at the forefront of the enemy attack were a little depressed and nervous. Although the battalion and many of its non-commissioned officers at all levels understand that they are not only close to the Blood Qi Army in terms of weaponry, but also work towards that standard in all aspects, purely speaking of training, some indicators even surpass the Blood Qi Army. However, without the test of actual combat, no one will feel that it is a strong army. The three heavy infantry battalions in front all fought 120,000 points to defend themselves in this battle. They all know very well that they are all happy to fight on behalf of the family, but if they don't fight well, they would rather die on the battlefield than return to the family alive. The suspicion, sympathy, and accusations of family members and neighbors will become something they carry for the rest of their lives. Compared with Dongping's current fully professional army, the fighting spirit of the family army is even higher.

The sound of horses' hooves had become like rolling thunder, and the earth was trembling slightly, and no one knew whether it was because of the orange-red explosions in front of them, or because of the might of the enemy cavalry. The soldiers were nervous, and the officers were nervous. But seeing the enemy cavalry rushing out of the billowing smoke of the explosion, only three hundred feet away from them, the officers almost subconsciously shouted in unison: "Stand shield! Defend against shocks! ”

A tower shield more than one person high stood in the outer circle of the phalanx of the heavy infantry battalion, and a twenty-foot-long spear protruded from the hole in the middle of the shield, and the card slot on the body of the gun only jammed the spring on the shield. Three trained soldiers complete a series of devices that only take one breath to take. The phalanx of heavy infantry quickly turned into a small metal city. The soldiers stood in the gap between the towers and shields with their two-handed machetes in hand, and behind them were crossbowmen ready to shoot, comrades ready to drag down wounded ones, and another two-handed machete ready to fill their positions...... Watching the enemy get closer and closer, the hideous faces became clearer and clearer, and the warrior's breathing became heavier, excitement or fear? Or is it both?

Even if it was so difficult to see the heavy infantry phalanx in front of them, the Northern Liao cavalry generals who rushed to the front still raised their spears, machetes or sledgehammers in their hands without hesitation, and shouted in unison: "Kill!" ”

"Javelin, quick!" "I'm invincible!" "Dongping cubs, grandpa, I'm here!" All kinds of shouts and cheers rose all at once, and one after another short military orders and quick disposal methods tested the ability of each general. As the Dongping people thought, just crashing into the phalanx of the heavy infantry without any reaction was by no means a result that they could be satisfied with. Compared with being powerless to resist under the offensive of artillery fire, there is always some hope for people to have a target in front of them.

A strong fighting spirit and a spirit of seeing death as if it were home will never be lacking in this land. What's more, these experienced cavalry generals know very well that the cluster impact of 30,000 cavalry can only advance but not retreat, once the people at the front stop their footsteps and do not rush into the opponent's formation, then the back is crowded together, squeezing and trampling each other. In order to break through Dongping's iron bucket formation, they needed such troops, and because of such troops, they finally crashed heavily into the defense line made of a large amount of metal...... It was only at the first moment of the handover between the two parties that a large amount of blood was spilled on the ground. It is then quickly absorbed by the gravel and fine sand ground, leaving only a vivid ...... The battle, from the very first moment, was in full swing.