Chapter 338: Cannonballs are the Cheapest (Second update, please subscribe)

The violent explosion swept across the earth like a whirlwind, and all living things within a radius of dozens of meters were wiped out in the violent explosion. When the smoke dissipated, the crater was the center, with broken limbs and arms everywhere, and people struggling and screaming in a pool of blood.

"Hurry! Hurry up..."

Although the fort was filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder, in this fortress-like field artillery made of round logs and earthen baskets, the gunners were shouting loudly. A soldier was holding a spherical cannonball that was bigger than his head. As soon as he stuffed the cannonball into the muzzle, the loader standing at the muzzle used a ramrod to push the hundreds of pounds of cannonball into the chamber. The gunner at the back skillfully inserted a copper nail into the flash hole, pierced the gunpowder bag, and then stuffed the firing tube in.

"Shoot the angle...release!"

After completing the adjustment of the shooting angle, the gunner standing on the left side of the breech pulled the fuse hard!

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the nine-inch Dahlgren gun carriage recoiled, and the heavy iron gun carriage retreated all the way to the gentle slope behind it before stopping. Then, under the weight of the gun, it began to slowly move forward along the slope, while the gunners pushed the cannon hard to reset it.

Such a scene was played out in many similar artillery forts, most of which were equipped with nine-inch or ten-inch Dahlgren guns. Although the iron gun carriages were heavy, they gave these heavy guns a certain mobility. During the Paraguayan War, such heavy guns had demonstrated their power time and time again, and their power was obvious.

But for the infantry, the mortar is even more deadly!

The mortars used by the Argentine army are old goods from the Civil War era - 4-inch mortars. This mortar weighs only 160 kilograms and has a range of only 1.3 kilometers, but the power of its shells is amazing, but what is even more amazing is the rate of fire.

As the attacking force advanced in depth, it was immediately subjected to artillery fire from the Argentine army. The vertically falling mortar shells and heavy artillery shells made the officers and soldiers of Nanhua feel the threat of artillery for the first time.

In the fierce artillery bombardment, everything on the battlefield was burning. Amid the violent explosions, black smoke rose up and hot shrapnel flew in the air. While the shock waves of the shells tore the soldiers' uniforms to pieces, the twisted shrapnel took the lives of many people.

"Hide, hide..."

After being hit by artillery fire, the officers holding sabers lay in the craters, staring at the front. The exhausted soldiers around them mostly stared at the front nervously. All of them lay on the ground, in the craters, although they were not frightened by the dense artillery fire.

However, their instinct for survival made them choose to avoid the bombardment.

No one would risk their life to fight against artillery fire. After the attack was blocked, the officers did not force the troops to attack. They had already completed the battle plan. Since the enemy has reacted, let's wait for the next time!

The fierce battle lasted less than three hours. After three hours, the South Chinese army, which had advanced one kilometer as planned, finally compressed the Argentine army into a narrow area of ​​less than 7 square kilometers.

For the people guarding here, they were desperate, they were afraid of encountering the nearly destructive artillery fire again, but one thing is certain, they also used artillery fire to fight back against the South China Army to a certain extent, suppressing their attack, and even forcing them to switch from attack to on-site defense.

"cannon!"

In the bunker, General Adolf Alsina stared at the field fortifications of the South Chinese with a telescope and said.

"Since they used heavy artillery to tear through our defenses before, they will definitely do it again. That witch cannon is enough to destroy any kind of fortress. However, I estimate that their range must be very limited..."

Staring at the South China Army's defense line, General Alsina pondered for a moment.

"Pay attention to the movements of their defense line. If you find any forward artillery positions, immediately attack them with mortars. Use artillery to counter artillery. Don't give them a chance to get close."

As a general who had experienced many battles, there was no doubt that Alsina's judgment was flawless. He was keenly aware of the biggest shortcoming of the Type 68 mortars - limited range, which restricted their application. After targeted adjustments and deployments, without the devastating blows of heavy mortars, the offensive of the Nanhua Army weakened. Just when the generals on the front line were preparing to launch an attack, they were directly ordered to refuse by Zhu Xianhai.

"It is extremely stupid to use human lives to attack the fortress!"

Compared to a fortress, Zhu Xianhai values ​​human life more! He values ​​the lives of his own people more!

"Remember, for Nanhua, the most valuable thing is human resources, especially men in their prime. They are not only the main force in marching and fighting, but also the foundation for conquering and occupying this land in the future! Therefore, when fighting, use artillery shells as much as possible. Compared with human lives, artillery shells are the least valuable. One artillery shell is only a few dollars. For a soldier who died in battle, the army needs to pay 500 yuan in pensions, and support their bereaved families. In terms of time, it takes at least 18 years for a baby to grow up and join the army. In comparison, how long does it take to produce a artillery shell? It's only a few minutes..."

In the command center, Zhu Xianhai once again instilled the idea of ​​"human life is precious" into the officers around him. This was not because he was influenced by modern concepts, but because in Nanhua, the most precious thing is human resources.

Especially the Chinese immigrants in South China, they are the precious "seeds", the seeds for the Chinese nation to survive and reproduce on this land. In Zhu Xianhai's eyes, any Chinese male is not just one person, but the ancestor of dozens or hundreds of people.

If everything goes well, a Chinese man will have at least five children after marrying a white or mixed-race woman. After 20 years, his children will have the same number of children. What about after 40 years? His family will have grown into a large family with hundreds of people.

It is for this reason that these middle-aged men are the fundamental guarantee for Nanhua to conquer South America - without them, without high fertility rates, even if they were conquered, they would sooner or later be driven away or assimilated by the locals.

Therefore, manpower is the foundation of an empire's conquest and rule!

"Marshal, everyone understands this, but now our heavy artillery cannot be delivered and is being suppressed by the Argentine mortars. Unless we wait for the railway to be built to the front line, then..."

Without waiting for Sun Hu to speak, Zhu Xianhai spoke.

"Don't hang yourself on a tree. Since this method doesn't work, let's change our thinking."

Looking at Sun Hu, Zhu Xianhai said solemnly.

"War, the purpose of war is nothing more than to kill the enemy to the maximum extent and preserve ourselves. If we do not hesitate to sacrifice human lives in exchange for victory in a war, even if we win, it will only be a loss for us. It is not worth it for us."

Looking at the people present, Zhu Xianhai thought for a moment and then continued.

"You must understand this point clearly. South China is completely different from China. We don't have enough human resources to squander or sacrifice. So in this case, can we squander artillery shells? What is our advantage? It's firepower. We should fully exert our firepower."

Then he said earnestly.

"I hope you can remember this firmly in the future. What is the purpose of fighting? To kill the enemy and save yourself. If a few shells can save a life, then why should we waste lives? Of course..."

Staring at the Argentine "fortress" on the sand table, Zhu Xianhai thought for a while and then said.

"We have indeed encountered some problems at the moment, but this is not a problem at all. They prevent us from fully utilizing our advantages. So we just need to change our tactics. In addition to cannons, we have other weapons. In war, we just need to fully utilize our advantages..."

(End of this chapter)