Chapter 205 Battle of Beirut (Part 2)
When Ibrahim saw those deserters being cut into pieces by the Sudanese natives, instead of feeling fear or nausea, Ibrahim felt very excited.
At this time, he discovered that the distance between the coalition infantry and skirmishers was still far away. If he had a cavalry in hand, he could cause huge damage to those skirmishers.
It's just that Egypt originally lacked cavalry, and the only camels were used to transport supplies and support the northern front line, so he was so passive in the face of these skirmishers.
At this time, the closest people to the coalition skirmishers were the Sudanese natives, so Ibrahim was ready to completely sacrifice these natives who disappointed him so much.
Ibrahim ordered the Death Army to charge. He thought, "It would be great if these natives could replace the coalition skirmishers. In this way, when all the coalition troops leave the fortress, he can charge in columns." "
European tactics during this period advocated offense, believing that only by taking the initiative to attack can we take the initiative in the war and win victory. France is the birthplace of this kind of thinking. Ibrahim's studies in France made him believe that offense is the true meaning of war.
On the battlefield, as the horns from behind urged people to advance, the Sudanese natives gasped and looked at each other.
The Sudanese natives only had simple leaves and animal skins on their bodies, their plump muscles were exposed, and their eyes exuded a bloodthirsty red light.
As the first Sudanese native roared and rushed in the direction of the coalition forces, countless natives followed his footsteps, screaming and rushing towards the coalition skirmishers.
As soon as the skirmishers saw this formation, they picked up their guns and ran towards their own line of infantry. They knew very well that if they were caught up by the Sudanese natives, they would definitely end up being hacked to pieces.
Gablenz stomped his feet when he looked at the rear. His own line infantry moved too slowly. The main reason was the lack of effective communication channels between the coalition forces, which resulted in unnecessary congestion, which caused the skirmishers to become disconnected from the line.
Being able to seize such a small gap proved that the opponent's general was by no means mediocre. At this time, he began to regret listening to the British man's advice.
In fact, in history, General Gablenz was not a coward. On the contrary, he was a ruthless man who dared to lead the infantry charge with a saber.
It was just that the pressure on him from Metternich and Count Latour before the war was too great. Both regarded this battle as a key battle related to the face of the Austrian Empire.
Of course, the two sides have completely different views. Prince Metternich hopes that he can preserve his strength as much as possible, while Count Latour hopes that he can cause as much damage as possible.
Historically, in 1839, Gablenz was still an unknown major in the Lombardy region. However, due to Franz's intervention, the Austrian War Ministry selected him as a military observer to Mexico.
After the Mexican War, rewards were given based on merit, and Gablenz was moved to a position he shouldn't be in, so he worried about gains and losses.
Colonel Carter was also a little surprised. These Sudanese natives were very timid before. They ran away when they saw cannons, muzzles, and bayonets. How could they be so brave today? Could it be that Egypt was acting before? But the play was too realistic.
When the Egyptian soldiers saw how brave the Sudanese natives were, they couldn't help shouting.
But suddenly some of the Sudanese natives who rushed halfway lost their weapons, and then other natives also threw away their weapons. Just when both sides were confused, the natives suddenly raised their hands and shouted in broken English, "I surrender."
This move of kneeling down and surrendering made both sides unable to hold their nerve.
So the commander-in-chief of both sides ordered the large troops to advance, and the war was about to break out.
The coalition forces used traditional rows and skirmishers, while Ibrahim used Napoleonic columns and skirmishers. Coupled with the Charleville rifles in their hands, it was simply the French African Division. .
Some people here must have questions, why did the coalition forces just defeat the Egyptian skirmishers, and now where did Ibrahim get the skirmisher line?
In fact, this is very simple. The Egyptian skirmishers are just ordinary infantrymen holding rifles. Let the line infantry take rifled guns to replace the fallen skirmishers. This is what Ibrahim did.
Of course, you don't need to guess the combat effectiveness of this skirmisher line. They were quickly defeated by the coalition's skirmishers.
The Egyptian army charging in columns also received heavy attention from artillery fire. This time the cannons were replaced with solid bullets. The scorching iron ball flew out of the barrel and hit the Egyptian ranks. The shells brought out a thick line of blood in the Egyptian ranks like bowling balls.
The British army concentrated all their artillery to bombard the Egyptian queue. This heavy artillery used in naval battles was too terrifying for the infantry.
As long as one is hit by a shell from this 32-pound cannon, even if it hits the hands and feet, the person can be lifted up completely, and then fall to the ground like a puddle of mud.
If it is directly hit on the torso or head, it will cause a bloody storm and make the surrounding comrades lose their sanity.
Before those Egyptian soldiers who were lucky enough not to be hit by solid shells had time to rejoice, the eight-pounder howitzer brought by the Austrians opened fire.
As an artillery specially designed to deal with infantry, the Egyptians were also kindly equipped with shrapnel, a terrifying weapon.
Although this artillery shell was invented by the British, the Austrians only bought one shell and copied it, and gave it a new name "shrapnel".
It is common for countries to plagiarize weapons designs from each other. The British Patent Office would not be established until 1852. At this time, it was simply impossible to protect rights across borders.
That’s why countless time-travelers rush to the UK to register patents. In fact, patent law in this era has always been domestic law, not international law.
The first worldwide intellectual property rights organization had to wait until the end of the nineteenth century.
As shrapnel exploded in the air, countless small steel balls shot at the poor Egyptian soldiers. Some people wanted to reach out to block them, but it was in vain. Countless small steel balls were embedded in their bodies.
Those Egyptian soldiers who were shot were lucky if they died on the spot, otherwise it would be extremely difficult to remove the steel balls embedded in their bodies. Even if they were removed, there was a high probability that they would die from postoperative infection and would have to suffer for several more days.
Those Egyptian soldiers who survived the two bombardments were called out one by one by the skirmishers. Soon the ground was covered with Egyptian corpses. In order to prevent the morale of the army from collapsing, Ibrahim could only order the supervisory team to kill all sides behind.
But even if the supervising team has killed a river of blood, it still can't stop the fleeing soldiers in front. What's even more frightening is that the coalition infantry is approaching step by step and has spread out in a fan shape. There is no doubt that the next battle will be a fierce battle. A massacre.
At this time, the disadvantage of the Egyptian side was infinite, and Ibrahim did not understand why it was defeated so miserably. He clearly used Napoleon's tactics and the soldiers used French equipment, but he could only swallow the bitter fruit of failure.
In fact, Napoleon once said: "Unless there is superior artillery, a column cannot break through a horizontal column."