The night is always the best cover for military operations. In this era, when military reconnaissance technology was far from being as developed as it was later, the pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info. Whether it's the defender or the attacker, the best time for them to adjust their forces is at night. The two warring sides are always in full swing to adjust their troops' weapons and replenish ammunition and supplies. While nervously listening to all kinds of loud sounds on the opposite front. Mentally speculating about how fierce the attack will be tomorrow or how to defend resolutely. Sometimes there is the rumbling sound of artillery fire. However, most of these sporadic shootings are just harassment.

On the night of October 29, 1875, in the area of the Cotherl Bluffs bridgehead on the Missouri River front, the soldiers crouching in the trenches of the American army spent half the sleepless night with the most apprehension and uneasiness. Although the Donghua army has been careful to hide their true intentions. But this cover-up was only until daylight on October 29. The noise of more than 200,000 heavily armed soldiers marching into the front-line positions from their reserve assembly positions on the west bank of the Missouri River could not have been detected by an enemy less than 1,000 meters away.

In fact, as early as 24 hours ago, when the 200,000-strong army commanded by Liu Mingchuan marched into the West Bank of the Missouri River to prepare the assembly area. The Americans are already aware of it. Throughout the day on October 29, the Americans were frantically braving the firepower of the Donghua Army to adjust their posture. In preparation for 'a' reading 'novel' ybdu.. The troops on the position all moved forward. One by one, the artillery battalions of infantry regiments seized the time to enter the positions, and then desperately repaired the fortifications and dug anti-artillery bunkers. The order has been conveyed from the Missouri Cluster Command of the US Army. All front-line departments are required to hold on at all costs! Don't take a step back no matter what! All fifteen infantry regiments of the Third Army of the American Empire stationed in this area. Together with ten mountain artillery battalions. Five battalions of heavy artillery, all of which reached the first line of defense. Ammunition for two bases has also been prepared for a long time. Six infantry regiments and three field artillery battalions of the US Second Army, as well as an advance column of the US Seventh Army with the 24th Division as the main force, were also urgently drawn out of the general reserve of the cluster, and first took a train and then drove into two reserve positions on foot.

As for mobilizing more troops to reinforce the Conseil Bluffs area, it was not the commander of the Missouri cluster, George Brown. Admiral Mead's power is within reach. Because of the heavy losses in the previous August battle, and more than 150,000 cavalry were transferred to form a cavalry group for a roundabout attack on the back of the Donghua Army. Thus now the American Emperor. The total strength of the Missouri River cluster is only 800,000 men, and it is still scattered on a front of more than 500 kilometers. by George. Meade had a rather limited reserve at his disposal. Moreover, the Donghua Army also made feins in the area of the other three bridgeheads, making a lot of movements. So, it's not just Conseil Bluffs who needs Mead to send reinforcements!

And in New York's Central Park, William commanded the whole situation. Admiral Sherman, now his attention has also returned to the Missouri River front. Much of the information about the movements and build-up of the Chinese army, which had been overlooked, was dug up from the archives by the staff officers and placed on the desk of His Excellency the Admiral. Obviously, the main force of the Chinese army has been assembled on the Missouri River and is planning an attack! However, Admiral Sherman and his chief of staff, Lieutenant General Grant, were not pessimistic, because since the Chinese army was concentrated along the Missouri River, their backs would be even more empty. This was clearly very advantageous for the roundabout cavalry cluster. Now, as long as the Missouri River can be held, an unprecedented victory will belong to the United States! William. Admiral Sherman has already given the order to die to the American troops on the front line. There must be no retreat, the front must be maintained. At all costs

Because the fate of the United States is here!

The American officers and men who received the order were in the trenches, at the observation posts, in the machine-gun bunkers, and in the civil pillboxes, watching with wide eyes and panic at the movements of the Chinese positions on the opposite side. These beauties. Most of them participated in the offensive operations in August, and they were bloodied in front of the defense of the Donghua Army, and they didn't know how many comrades died on the battlefield, which also made them a little afraid of the enemy of Donghua. Now it's their turn to defend, and I wonder if the Chinese army's offense will be as good as their defense? In the darkness on the other side, what are the Chinese preparing for? What kind of tragic situation will the upcoming offensive be? The nerves of the front-line US troops have been stretched to the point of maximum tension. They are all waiting for the decisive battle to come!

The main force of the Sixth Army of the East China Army on the line of the Konsel-Bluffs bridgehead. At this time, all preparations were made before the attack. A cannon craned its long neck on the west bank of the Mighty River. The battle station was full of ammunition. The infantry of the brigade brigade entered the starting positions in the first line. The defensive positions of the American troops were around the Conseil Bluffs bridgehead, forming a semi-narrow oval with a length of more than thirty kilometers. Previously, the hot air balloon and fire reconnaissance of the Donghua Army had been carried out repeatedly. Roughly grasp the defense of the US army, their defensive depth is not deep enough, only three lines of defense (in fact, the Donghua Army only has such a defensive depth, no matter how deep the strength is not enough), and the fortifications are not strong, only the first line of defense has reinforced concrete permanent fortifications, and is equipped with a dense firepower network, and there are quite sufficient garrison troops. As for the second and third lines, they can only delay the actions of the attacking side and buy time for further mobilization of troops. Such a defensive system could actually be imagined without conducting reconnaissance by the officers of the East China Army, because this is what was done according to Jérôme. Marshal Peel's book "The Omnipotence of Defense" is deployed by standard. That's how the world's defenses are right now. The kind of large-depth defense-in-depth system that turns the strongest defense in depth has not yet appeared, and it is not necessary.

In a tense atmosphere, time passed minute by minute. On the side of the Donghua Army, the trenches were crowded with soldiers and officers with serious and nervous expressions, and everyone seized the last bit of time to make final preparations in the trenches. Some were drinking water and eating some dry food, some were wiping their weapons, and some were counting the grenades on their bodies. The middle and lower-ranking officers were all with their own troops, seizing the time to arrange the mobilization and the order of the attack. From time to time, he took out his pocket watch and looked at the time, waiting for the time when the attack would be launched. The long-range artillery in the rear was also firing sporadic artillery fire from time to time, harassing the adjustment of the American troops. The elite troops of the Donghua and Ming armies have quietly touched the noses of the US military positions.

Zhang Xun, who has already become a captain, has now been transferred to such an elite unit - the third battalion of the first regiment of the first guards infantry division of the Ming Royal Guards. It was ambushed in a field full of craters. Machine guns, mortars were erected, and even a 40mm rapid-fire gun was erected. All nervously awaited the start of the shelling. These were specially trained assault infantry designed to deal with trench fortifications. The lightweight Guangfu 29-year-old air-cooled machine gun has been assigned to the infantry squad! There are also various types of explosives used to deal with pillboxes, and they are now the pioneers of the whole army! Under the cover of night, they reached a place just over 1,000 meters away from the US position. In front of them, there were already layers of obstacles, trenches, and the Edison anti-infantry mines of the Americans. The great American inventor in history has become an expert in weapon design in this time and space!

Zhang Xun, who had already lurked, looked at the quiet position opposite with wide eyes, and occasionally only the shells of the Donghua Army exploded sporadically in one or two rounds. By the light of the fire, Captain Zhang Xun took out his pocket watch and looked at it, the hour and minute hands were pointing exactly 2, and it was already two o'clock in the morning on October 30, 1875, and the preparations for powerful artillery fire were about to begin! (To be continued......)