'Beep!! While the soldiers were still in a daze, the officers and non-commissioned officers had already blown their whistles "shelling!! Take cover!!! ”

The terrible shouts and shrill whistles immediately made all the soldiers wake up in an instant. In the face of the cruel threat of death, no one would be stupid to joke with their lives. The soldiers who were still talking nonsense in the trenches instantly turned into agile rabbits and swished into their respective anti-artillery holes.

These highly trained soldiers know very well what a large-scale artillery bombardment is like. If you are in the area of shelling, if you want to survive, it really depends on your character.

Almost as soon as the soldiers got into the anti-artillery holes, the artillery positions in the rear of the Sardinian army in the distance suddenly lit up.

Zhang Cheng, who looked solemn, pursed the corners of his mouth and stood in front of the X artillery mirror and looked into the distance. Under the dark of night, in the cold winter night. In the blink of an eye, the black horizon in the distance lit up with a series of huge points of light like lightning. Its density, when viewed from afar, is as dazzling as the rising sun before dawn.

The darkness at the junction of heaven and earth in the distance was instantly enveloped by countless huge and dense points of light. Countless freaks of light like flying fire meteors soared into the sky, like dense scorching meteor showers, piercing the sky, and smashing heavily into the defenders' positions across the night sky at extremely high speeds!

"Boom, boom, boom!!"

There were so many violent explosions that Zhang Cheng couldn't hear the explosion point at all, as if everything was exploding in all directions, and the position instantly became boiling.

The flames were blazing, the smoke was filled, and the scorching earth was mixed with deadly shrapnel that flew in all directions. Violent shock waves will tremble everywhere. Ring-shaped shockwaves spread across the hillside, making them stand out in the dark.

It was raining in the sky. It wasn't water, but hot earth and rocks, mixed with shrapnel and other mess, that were sent into the sky with the tremendous force of the cannonball's explosion, and then fell again.

Zhang Cheng shook his head vigorously, picked up the earbuds and plugged them in his ears. The main position of the 207th Heights he was in at the moment was the main direction of attack of the Sardinian army. As long as you can take this place, you can completely break through the ring defense line of the defenders and directly enter the port of Savona. Count Cavour did not believe that the Ming navy would open fire on the port of Savona, which still had his own men. They are aristocrats who pay attention to face and status.

The heavy shelling of the Sardinian artillery was clearly desperate. Their shelling was very intense, shelling of various calibers was incessant. Shells rained down on the positions, turning the night sky red. Look up at the darkness of the night and you'll see countless points of light rising from the dust. Piercing the night sky with a dazzling sheen and landing at your destination, the scene is spectacular, more gorgeous than any blockbuster special effects.

"Sir!" The battalion commander of the major came to Zhang Cheng's side, his face was calm, but there was a trace of anxiety in his eyes that could not be hidden. shouted at Zhang Cheng: "Please give the order to let the naval guns return fire!" ”

Zhang Cheng took off the earbuds, shook his head, and stretched out his hand to point out of the narrow observation port, "Their artillery position is set very far, almost on the edge of the effective range. The naval guns could not reach it, and if it was too far away to bombard the main guns of the battleship, it would be a waste of shells if it did not have accurate coordinates. There is no need for this. ”

After a pause, Zhang Cheng raised his eyebrows and continued: "Don't look at the shelling of the Sardinians so fiercely, but the number of heavy artillery that is really threatening is not much. If you want to destroy our positions, unless you hit us directly, you need large-caliber artillery. Judging by the strength of the Sardinians, it was impossible to hold out for too long with shelling of this level. ”

Zhang Cheng's words are not wrong at all. The Sardinians were not strong enough, their artillery was in a hurry and the number of shells they carried was practically not great. This is also an important reason why the Count of Cavour made a desperate bet. If there is no result tonight, the Sardinian army will not have the strength to do it again in a short time. And what they lack most is time.

The positions outside the port of Savona were all mountainous, not very high, but not accessible to tanks that had played a significant role.

The decisive weapon, tanks, could not be used, and the Sardinian army, with light infantry as the main force, could only fill the battle line with the tactics of crowds and lives. How many of them have enough to fill?

Despite the fact that the Sardinian army had tens of thousands of people, the defenders had an absolute advantage in terms of terrain and fire support. If the heavy shelling does not achieve the desired success, it dooms the Sardinians to pay an unbearable price!

The shelling by the Sardinian army lasted for almost an hour before it gradually subsided. It's not that they don't want to continue shelling, but the shells that they brought in too quickly have gradually consumed most of them, and the continuous shelling has burned the barrels of the guns to the edge of the bore. After the artillery leaves the field, it is time for the infantry to perform.

In this hour's time, the Ming naval fleet did not fire a single shot, and all positions were silently bearing the baptism of artillery fire. At least hundreds of soldiers were killed in this ferocious round of shelling. But they gritted their teeth and held back. This is the difference between elite troops and mercenaries. If the mercenaries of the 3rd Regiment were holding their ground, the situation would be dangerous.

"I have a bad premonition." The solemn-looking Count Cavour shook his head and lowered the telescope in his hand. With an ugly expression, he turned his head to look at his chief of staff, and said in a deep voice, "The heavy shelling for an hour has not met any form of return fire, and there is no sign of the collapse of the defenders' positions. The Huaxia people on the hill looked as if they had all been blown up. ”

"Maybe they were all blown up, right?" The chief of staff raised his hand to support his gold-rimmed glasses, and answered softly, "Anyway, things are already like this, so we can only continue to fight." ”

"That's right." Count Cavour nodded vigorously, his gaze gradually hardened, "No matter what the cost, we must break through the enemy's defenses tonight." If not. At this, Count Cavour slowly lowered his eyelids, "Then the kingdom is over." ”

Failed to capture the position and broke into the port of Savona and took advantage of the situation to fight the heat. Naya, on the contrary, suffered heavy losses of his own. Then the Sardinian army had no chance of continuing to fight. You don't even have to wait for the Ming Empire's expeditionary force to arrive, you have to surrender on your own initiative. Because there is no strength left to continue fighting.

In that case, the Sardinians' obsession with unifying Italy would become a dream. The people of the whole country who have worked hard for decades will fall short of all the strength they have built up through thrift and painstaking management. And Count Cavour will also be the sinner of the entire kingdom. For Count Cavour, this battle can only be won, not lost. To lose is to lose everything.

The terrible whistle sounded, and the Sardinian soldiers, who were already shivering in the cold winter night, took the last puff of their cigarettes, and then got up and climbed out of the trench with a roar, and rushed from the starting position towards the opposite hill like a tide. It was destined to be an unusually bloody battle.

When the artillery bombardment of the Sardinian army gradually weakened, a series of whistles sounded on the defenders' front-line positions. Many soldiers hiding in the anti-artillery holes threw off the dust on their bodies and rushed out one after another and rushed to the position. Hidden heavy machine guns were also lifted out and placed on the firing table.

Zhang Cheng threw away the earbuds and breathed a sigh of relief, came to the table and poured himself a large glass of water, and drank it dry in one gulp. It was only at this time that the chest tightness caused by the intensive shelling gradually eased.

Shaking his head, Zhang Cheng took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. The head will not ask out loud, "Did you come up?" ”

"It's already here." Major Luo leaned on the gun mirror and replied loudly, "The distance is 1500, and it is approaching rapidly." They were very loose in formation and their tactical moves were very standard. Turning his head to look at Zhang Cheng, "Is this really the army of Sardinia?" ”

"Huh." Zhang Cheng took a puff of his cigarette and chuckled, "These Sardinian soldiers are all elites who have undergone long-term and rigorous training. If they line up in a tight formation, it will be a problem. None of that matters, though. ”

"There are a lot of them, and it's night, and the advantage in the terrain is quickly offset by the cover of night. Can we hold on? I heard that the Sardinian army had tens of thousands of troops. Major Luo looked at Zhang Cheng with a solemn expression.

Major Luo was very worried that once his troops were broken into the position by the enemy, the hundreds of brothers under his command would not be enough to attack them in one round. Those Sardinian soldiers were highly trained and skilled in night combat. Although the Major was equally confident in his troops, the difference in numbers between the two sides was too great to be desperate.

Man is a sensual animal, and no matter what, seeing with his own eyes such a large number of enemy troops with shaking figures everywhere. In other words, everyone will be afraid in their hearts. Major Luo had already lost nearly a company of troops in the previous bombardment. Although there are still reserves in the back, the battle has just begun.

"Have you forgotten?" Zhang Cheng came to Major Luo's side with a smile, raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "We are not simply fighting positional warfare. He took out a cigarette and handed it to him, then said, "As I said a long time ago, it is not us who can really decide the success or failure of this battle, but the naval fleet. ”

"What does the commander mean," Major Luo's eyes lit up, and he took the cigarette and lit it before speaking, "Stop them with naval guns?" ”

"It's not a blockade." Zhang Cheng shook his head, raised his finger and shook it, "It's elimination." ”

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