The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 4 Battle ([-])

"Array up!...Second company, fourth company, fifth company array"

"...line up in five horizontal lines!"

"Artillery sets up firing positions!"

"The dragoon company is on standby behind the formation!"

"..."

The next day, at noon, when the third mixed battalion marched to an open Gobi area, the Omanis suddenly appeared in front of them. On the low hills, they were covered in darkness, slowly approaching the Qi army.

The well-trained officers and soldiers of Qi State immediately transitioned from a marching state to a fighting state. Under the command of the commander, the officers and soldiers of each department quickly lined up and formed a large horizontal line.

From behind the Omani formation, hundreds of cavalry were vaguely detected. Therefore, the Qi army's horizontal lines were arranged in five slightly thicker columns to prevent the cavalry from attacking.

After decades of development and the baptism of countless wars, the Qi Army's infantry line tactics have become very mature.In battle, three tactics are generally used: line formation, square formation, and vertical formation.Among them, the line is a horizontal line formed by infantry during battle, and then a volley of muskets is used to increase the firepower density.Generally, there will be 3-4 rows in this line, with the first row kneeling and shooting, the second row fighting, and the third and fourth rows as supplementary personnel.Such intensive firepower can give full play to the firepower advantage of the flintlock gun, and at the same time maintain a loose distance between each soldier, so that the soldiers will not be harmed by the opponent's intensive firepower over a large area.

The phalanx is a hollow phalanx surrounded by 3-4 rows of infantry. This is an array specially deployed for enemy cavalry to launch a four-sided raid in an open area. Each phalanx infantry must undergo strict courage training. Only by being able to face the impact of cavalry and stab the horses with bayonets can you become a qualified line infantryman.

The vertical formation is a square formation that facilitates infantry to move and attack. The Qi Army uniformly uses two-point columns or four-point columns when marching.After entering the battlefield, you can quickly change your formation and launch an attack on the enemy.

In addition to the infantry line phalanx, the Qi Army will also have a large number of light infantry (i.e., chasseurs), cavalry and artillery to coordinate with the phalanx, depending on the scale of the battle and the strength of the enemy it faces. This kind of battle mode is very important in this era. There is almost no solution except meeting equal opponents and using the same tactics to fight head-on.

For the company, the smallest organization in the Qi Army, there is only one formation, and that is the three-row formation.Formations such as horizontal formations, columns, and square formations are for units organized above the battalion level.

The so-called battalion horizontal formation, battalion column, and battalion square formation are actually the products of the battalion-level commander's transformation, combination, and arrangement of the three company horizontal formations included.All three columns of company lines are arranged into a large line, which is the battalion line. The advantage of this formation is that it facilitates the development of firepower. The disadvantage is that it is very sensitive to terrain and disciplinary requirements, the movement speed is slow, and it is very difficult to maintain an orderly formation.

However, the third mixed battalion is located in an extremely empty Gobi area with almost no obstructions, which makes it easier for the troops to form arrays to face the enemy.The only disadvantage may be that the enemy troops are rushing from the hills to the south, forcing the Qi officers and soldiers to face the dazzling midday sun.

"What a fool, the Omanis really chose the best time to attack." Company Commander Yu Yuanbin set up a pergola with his hands, squinted his eyes and looked at the Oman array hundreds of meters away, "At noon, they insisted on not letting up. Give me a break!...Hey, are those rushing in front Persians?"

I saw thousands of Persians decorated as civilians in front, crying and screaming, forced by the swords of the Omani soldiers, rushing towards the Qi army array.Any Persian who stopped or fell to the ground was killed by the brutal Omanis with a sword, which caused greater agitation in the entire team.

The Omanis actually used all the captured Persians as cannon fodder for the battle!
"Fire!" Yan Shaowu, commander of the [-]rd Mixed Battalion and Xuangjie Colonel (Major), put down the telescope and gave the order expressionlessly.

"Boom! Boom!..."

Five 55 mm caliber light army guns (equivalent to the 4-pound artillery of the same era) fired one after another, but only two shells accurately fell into the dense crowd. Broken shrapnel flew in all directions and immediately overturned ten people. Several people stirred up the entire charging formation into even more chaos.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

After two rounds of calibrated firing, the artillery fired more and more fiercely, and the artillery shells also switched from the initial spherical explosive bombs to shrapnel shells, causing a lot of damage to the enemy.The Persian cannon fodder in front ignored the Omani's pressure and began to flee, exposing the Omani army hidden in the rear to the firepower of the Qi army.

"The Omani camel artillery was found in front, approaching our army quickly!" "The enemy troops divided into two groups and outflanked our army on both wings!"

"The enemy cavalry has moved! They are encircling our rear!"

"..."

Yan Shaowu stood behind a baggage truck, observing the enemy situation ahead and silently calculating the situation between the enemy and ourselves.Obviously, the Omanis had the right time and location at this time, and tried to use their slightly superior force to annihilate the third mixed battalion here in the Gobi Desert by besieging them from all sides.

Humph, the fighting power of a chicken and a dog actually wants to fight a perfect siege and annihilation battle!
Aren't you afraid of breaking all your teeth? !
"Move the three artillery pieces to the north and bombard the enemy cavalry!"

"The hunters attack and fire freely. When the enemy reaches a range of 200 meters, quickly retreat!"

"The entire army changes formation!... Form a hollow square formation!"

"..."

With the help of the cover of Persian cannon fodder, the Omanis successfully reached a position more than 300 meters away from the Qi army's array, and then began to accelerate their pace, preparing to launch a final desperate charge.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

The constant roaring of artillery and the sound of muskets from time to time made the fast-moving Omani soldiers feel their scalps numb and their hearts filled with infinite fear.

It is said that the Qi people have sharp cannons and powerful firepower. As soon as they entered the battle, it was just as rumored.Obviously the opponent didn't have many artillery pieces, but the artillery shells fired fast and urgently, with the rate of fire reaching an astonishing frequency of two rounds per minute.Moreover, the Qi army's artillery fire was also extremely accurate, specifically targeting crowded areas.This caused the Omani army's charge queue to be out of formation, almost rushing towards the Qi army in the form of skirmishers.

Thousands of Persian prisoners who rushed in front of them had all fled and were scattered all over the mountains and plains. The Persian cannon fodder who rushed to the Qi army's formation were without exception shot to death in front of the formation, or stabbed to the ground with bayonets. .

"The true God will bless us! Let us rush over with incomparable courage and kill all the demons on the opposite side!" Salah Yahya, the former commander of the Omani army, shouted loudly, holding his machete high.

Before the war, according to the operational plan of Yassin Sheadi, the governor of the Kingdom of Oman on Kishm Island, they first used Persian cannon fodder as the lead to attack the Qi army array.If it can disrupt the deployment of Qi's army, that would be the best.The entire army will take advantage of the situation to rush into the Qi army's formation, engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Qi army, and rely on their superior strength to annihilate this enemy.

If the Persian cannon fodder cannot shake the Qi army's array, then the Omani army hiding behind can also use this cover to quickly approach the Qi army's array.As the vanguard, Salah Yahya will lead more than [-] Omani soldiers to launch a fierce attack from the front and both wings with a desperate attitude to attract the maximum attention of the Qi army.

The cavalry commander, Ali Al Jabri, led more than [-] cavalrymen and maneuvered to the rear of the Qi army. Taking advantage of the stalemate, the Qi army dealt a devastating blow to the Qi army.

In the view of Governor Yassin Sheadi, this Qi army only has more than [-] people, less than one-fifth of the Omani army, and the terrain here is flat. Once they are surrounded by them from all sides, they are likely to be completely annihilated by the Omani army. .

In this way, they will be able to defeat the powerful Qi army in one fell swoop, thereby breaking the myth and legend that the Qi people are invincible. This will greatly inspire and inspire the military morale of the Kingdom of Oman.

The key to victory in this battle lies in the decisiveness of the front army's charge, which provides the most favorable opportunity for the cavalry to rush to the rear of the Qi army.As long as the Qi army's formation is broken, the Qi army without any protection on this unobstructed beach next door will become their lambs to be slaughtered.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..." Just as the former army commander Salah Yahya took the lead, shouting the slogan "The true God is great" and leading his men to charge towards the Qi army array, several crisp snipers The gunshot rang out, and two projectiles were shot into his body. With a muffled groan, he fell to the ground.

(End of this chapter)