Napoleon II Reborn

Chapter 167: The Fall of Fleet Smith (Medium)

(I finished another exam today, and there are three more, so I am depressed. Today is still a chapter, sorry!)

On December 4, after several days of long march, Xiao Jie's 88th Army finally reached Sabadell, which is only a few kilometers away from Barcelona. It was evening when they reached Sabadell. However, in order to prepare to deal with the Smith Fleet, all the artillery units of the 88th Army, regardless of the fatigue of the march, acted urgently. Including the heavy artillery regiment directly under the legion, the artillery regiments and heavy artillery battalions of each division, all rushed to Barcelona at night to secretly arrange the battlefield.

It wasn't until two o'clock in the morning that all the units entered the designated position. Among them, the heavy artillery regiment was arranged in the center of Barcelona. Since Barcelona had been destroyed by the Smith Fleet, the cannons of the 88th Legion were also well hidden in the ruins, but there were only hideous guns after the guns were removed. The muzzle pointed obliquely to the east. In front of the Heavy Artillery Regiment was the Artillery Regiment of the 1st Division. A total of one hundred 75mm field guns were divided into 10 artillery positions and distributed throughout Barcelona. The 1st Division Heavy Artillery Battalion was deployed on the north side of Barcelona, ​​while the 2nd Division Heavy Artillery Battalion was on the south side. In addition, the 2nd Division Artillery Regiment was also divided into two parts and arranged in two places. With a range far beyond the opponent, Xiao Jie has reason to believe that when the Smith Fleet continues to bombard Barcelona tomorrow, the shells pouring down from all sides will surround them, and then gradually destroy and sink them all.

"Eck, are you all ready?" Xiao Jie asked.

"It's basically finished. All that's left is to measure the firing distance and optimize the artillery configuration in order to maximize the lethality of our cannons. Someone is doing all of these, and it can basically be completed tomorrow morning." Eck Excitedly replied. He was very excited when he thought that Fleet Smith would be wiped out here tomorrow.

"Oh, that's good, now I'm waiting for Yuer to take the bait." Xiao Jie said. After several days of continuous observation, each regiment is the shelling time of the Smith Fleet from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. They repeatedly shelled Barcelona's buildings, roads and other infrastructure, if the French army wants to pass and use here Otherwise, it would take a lot of time to waste, and now the French army is short of time. Every minute of delay, Britain and Spain have one more chance of winning.

However, due to Barcelona's special geographical location, it is basically impossible for the French army to bypass here and enter Spain directly. Due to the obstruction of the Pyrenees, the French army had no other place to go to Spain except on both sides of the mountains. It is not impossible to cross the Pyrenees Mountains, but that is only suitable for small troops. Due to the drag of various equipment and supplies, it is basically impossible for large troops to cross the Pyrenees Mountains.

Barcelona is a large city located on the coast of the Pyrenees, on the transportation hub between France and Spain. Since the transportation conditions in Spain are also very backward, the French army wants to enter Spain on a large scale. A supply base had to be established in northern Spain close to France, and Barcelona was the best option. That's why it became the target of the Smith Fleet's bombardment.

"In addition, pay attention to the concealment of artillery positions and the construction of fortifications. Although our artillery performance is far stronger than that of the opponent, the opponent has an incomparable numerical advantage. The Smith Fleet must have seven or eight hundred naval guns, although They can only use one side to shoot, but that's twice as much as us, let's be careful, I don't want too many casualties, and also, this is our first battle in Spain, let them fight me We must fight this battle well. We have experienced too many failures, and we urgently need a victory to boost the morale of decadence, so this battle cannot be lost." Xiao Jie said seriously, because if we win The benefits of this battle are too many.

Eke also understood the importance of this battle, and assured Xiao Jie that he would complete the task well.

After Eke went out, Xiao Jie looked up at the dark night sky. Although it was past two o'clock in the morning, he didn't feel sleepy at all. On the contrary, he was still in good spirits. He knew that it was impossible for him to sleep under such circumstances. Although the war had not yet started, the air seemed to be filled with the smell of gunpowder smoke. He doesn't know if there will be any changes tomorrow, but he can only do what he should do. The so-called "people plan things, make things happen", whether they can succeed or not depends on God.

On the other side, on the sea less than 10 kilometers away from Barcelona, ​​Smith was chatting leisurely with his old partner. At this time, an officer came in and reported: "Your Excellency, we have just received information that the French 88th Army has arrived in Sabadell, and it is estimated that they will pass through Barcelona tomorrow." In ruins, no one in the Smith Fleet would think that he would choose this place as a supply base, and at the same time, he would never think that the 88th Army would prepare a big meal for them there.

"Notify the captains to check the ammunition and prepare for a big fight tomorrow." Smith also laughed excitedly. After waiting for so many days, he finally got the prey.

"Old man, don't you be more careful? Although this legion has only been established recently, their reputation has already spread throughout the European continent." George said cautiously.

"How powerful are they? No matter how powerful they are, they are still on land. When they reach the sea, they are our territory." Smith laughed arrogantly. He didn't take the 88th Army seriously at all. In his eyes, the 88th Army was like a docile sheep when it arrived at sea. He forgot that the 88th Legion didn't need to go to sea to destroy them, but it could also be done on the shore.

George smiled helplessly. He knew that his old friend was like this, and he never put the French in his eyes. Although this is not feasible for a senior commander, fortunately, the French navy has completely lost power, and Smith's arrogance will not be a problem at all.

"I heard that the French crown prince, the commander of this legion, is also here this time. It would be bad if one of our shells accidentally injured that delicate crown prince." Smith said with a smile, Having said that, but from his expression, it can be seen that even if it gets blown up there, there is nothing wrong with it, it is best to be killed. Although that will cause the deterioration of the relationship between the two countries, the relationship between the two countries is already very bad, and it will still be the same if it gets worse. Anyway, he is just a soldier, and the political affairs should be left to those hypocritical politicians.

Seeing Smith like this, George could only shake his head with a wry smile, not saying anything.

December 5th, a day that should be recorded in history. On this day, the first battle of the 88th Army was launched, which was also a turning point in the Spanish war. Also from this day, the great French emperor, Napoleon II, began the stage of growing his power. The object of commemorating this great moment is the thousands of people in the Smith Fleet in the Mediterranean Fleet of the Royal Navy of the British Empire.

That morning, the 88th Army, which lacked artillery units, began to march towards Barcelona according to the original plan. The news released was that they would pass through Ospitelet here and bring this place closer to Barcelona, ​​but they were not affected by the flames of war. to serve as a supply base for their entry into Spain.

At 09:00, the 1st Regiment of the 1st Division of the 88th Legion passed through Barcelona safely, followed by the 2nd Regiment, whose speed was severely affected by the destruction of Barcelona's transport infrastructure. big impact. It takes nearly an hour to cross Barcelona.

"It's already 9 o'clock, why hasn't the Smith Fleet appeared yet?" Xiao Jie and a large group of senior officers of the 88th Corps gathered on a hill behind Barcelona, ​​holding binoculars and stretching their necks like a goose Staring nervously at the sea.

"It's probably coming soon." Eke replied without confidence.

After half an hour, the 2nd regiment had passed Barcelona, ​​and the 3rd regiment had already started marching. At this time, Major General Monty, the commander of the 1st Division (formerly the captain of the 1st Battalion of the 88th Corps, was expanded to serve as the commander of the 1st Corps, and now he was promoted to major general, as the commander of the 1st Division of the 88th Corps) excitedly shouted: "Come on! Here we come."

Everyone took a look through the binoculars, and a few black spots appeared on the sea in the distance, and the Smith Fleet finally appeared. "The prey has appeared, tell everyone to enter the fighting state." Xiao Jie ordered. Almost at the same time, Smith, who had preyed on the 88th, also ordered the captain of his next ship to enter the battle state, and the sailors loaded the shells into the guns.

Slowly, UU Reading www.uukanshu.com is getting closer and closer. The Smith Fleet is only two kilometers away from the coast of Barcelona, ​​but the artillerymen of the 88th Legion are still silent, although the opponent has entered their furthest range, But Xiao Jie's goal is the entire Smith Fleet, so continue to let them go.

At 1800 meters, 1600 meters, and 1500 meters, the cannons of the 88th Army rang. However, only a dozen or so 75mm guns were also fired, and they were all adjusted to raise the shooting elevation angle, so that the shells fell three to four hundred meters in front of the Smith Fleet.

Seeing this situation, Smith laughed out loud, because this is simply what the artilleryman would do when he was frightened on the battlefield for the first time. He was still cautious at first, but he was completely relaxed here. "Order all the ships to move forward for 300 meters, and then strike across the hull to kill those buzzing flies." Smith yelled arrogantly. Although he has reached their range now, due to his contempt for the 88th Army, he It is still decided to move forward a little, in order to kill the enemy to the maximum extent.

George watched all this silently. He felt that something was a little strange, but it was just his intuition, and there was no evidence to speak of. The closer he got to the coast of Barcelona, ​​the heavier his uneasiness became.

(To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please log in to .FU., more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)