Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 109: The Sorrow of Brazilian Cavalry
"What's wrong with the navy? The enemy has hit their doorsteps several times in three days. How are they doing their security work?"

The Brazilian naval base on the river bank is about forty miles away from the main camp. Shortly after the river bank battle broke out, Garcia immediately sent soldiers to the river bank to inquire about the news. At the same time, part of the Brazilian army besieging the Humeita Fortress withdrew from their positions and assembled in the camp in front of the headquarters to prepare to reinforce the river bank troops.

Garcia made a wrong judgment. He habitually believed that the ones attacking the riverine navy were still the Paraguayan guerrilla forces. These dispersed Paraguayan fleets often harassed Brazil's water transport forces and occasionally fired cold shots at the coastal bases.

"Commander, there's no need to be angry. The Paraguayans are surrounded from front and back. This sneak attack might be their desperate move. They hope to force our troops to withdraw from the front line by attacking the river supply channel from behind, thus creating conditions for the Humeta defenders to break out."

"That's possible." Garcia nodded.

"The garrisons at the key defensive positions on the front line remain stationary, and Colonel Grove's cavalry troops are transferred to the headquarters camp to receive orders in order to prevent any unexpected events."

Garcia felt a little worried, so he dispatched another troop to gather at the headquarters camp.

The riverside base did not have a limited telegraph line, which led Garcia to misjudge the fighting situation at the front. Two hours later, the soldiers who went to gather information returned to the camp and brought back shocking news.

The troops that attacked the riverside base were not Paraguayans, but a group of yellow-skinned people wearing black uniforms and looking like Indians.

"How many of them are there? What's the situation on the riverbank?"

Garcia didn't bother to find out the identity of the suddenly appearing army, and immediately asked about the situation on the battlefield.

"We don't know their number, but it looks like all the ships on the river are theirs. There are also several thousand enemies on land attacking the riverside defense positions. When we came back, the Imperial Navy ships on the river had been divided and surrounded by the enemy, and the defense line on land was also in danger."

the soldier replied.

The total strength of the riverside navy reaches 5,000 people. Since the enemy can completely suppress the naval forces from the river and land, the number of troops is at least 30,000. Such a force that outnumbers the defenders of the Hume Tower Fortress suddenly joining the battlefield will bring fundamental changes to the war.

"Commander, the navy is in a critical situation. The first thing we need to do is to mobilize troops to support the riverside base, otherwise I'm worried that the navy may be wiped out!"

Although they did not witness the actual scene of the river bank battle, the senior generals in the headquarters could infer the seriousness of the situation from the news sent back by the soldiers. The enemy launched a surprise attack, had an absolute advantage in numbers, and surrounded the Brazilian naval fleet on the river. If they delayed a little, the battle would most likely be over by the time reinforcements arrived at the battlefield. The navy would be destroyed, the water route would be cut off, and the senior generals who stayed on land would also be in danger.

"Urgently order Colonel Grove to lead the cavalry to immediately support the navy. Order the 1st and 2nd divisions to withdraw from their defensive positions and assemble. I will personally lead the 1st and 2nd divisions to support the navy. The remaining troops will be handed over to the chief of staff to take over command to prevent the defenders of Humeta Fortress from launching an attack."

Garcia quickly issued the order, his face heavy, "Since entering Paraguay, the Imperial Army has never faced such a severe situation. The responsibility of defending the camp is handed over to the generals. I will lead the reinforcements to fight the enemy and try to defeat the enemy on the river bank."

Faced with a powerful enemy, the Brazilian army quickly completed its preparations. The first batch of 2,000 cavalry troops to reinforce were quickly assembled and then rushed to the battlefield under the leadership of Grove.

The sounds of galloping horses and horse hooves hitting the ground mixed together and reached the ears of the Chinese soldiers who were digging their positions.

"Enemy troops are attacking!" A shrill alarm sounded in front of the Chinese Independence Army's position. The soldiers who were still building the position quickly put down their shovels and jumped into the unfinished crude fortifications. The machine gunner held the machine gun and aimed it at the cavalry troops who were rushing forward. Two auxiliary soldiers sat on both sides, ready to help the machine gun change ammunition at any time.

Twelve Napoleon guns were loaded with ammunition, and the artillery observers were staring at the road signs set up in front of the position.

"One thousand five hundred meters, one thousand two hundred meters, one thousand meters." The Brazilian cavalry accelerated their charge and entered the attack range of one thousand meters. The artillery signal flag fell, and twelve artillery pieces fired one after another. An explosive bomb exploded, forming a killing range of more than ten square meters. The Brazilian cavalry in the range covered by the fragments slowed down their sprinting speed. Eight or nine cavalrymen who were hit by the fragments fell off their horses. More than a dozen empty areas instantly appeared in the dense cavalry formation.

Less than a hundred Brazilian cavalrymen were hit by the first round of artillery shells, but the fallen horses became an obstacle to the advance of the subsequent cavalry. The Brazilian cavalrymen, who were charging in a cluster, lost the flexibility to change direction and crashed directly into the dead horses. The huge inertia threw the cavalrymen on the horses out. The horses marching side by side on both sides were hit by the flying cavalry. Fifty or sixty Brazilian cavalrymen were knocked to the ground and became the burial objects of the first batch of cavalrymen who were hit.

The Brazilian cavalry is different from the Peruvian cavalry. The Peruvian cavalry is mainly composed of light cavalry. The formation is scattered during the cavalry charge. The main purpose of the battle is to gradually weaken the enemy. The main ruling body of Brazil is the royal aristocracy from Portugal. Influenced by traditional Western cavalry warfare, the Brazilian cavalry unit imitates the cavalry power of France. The cavalry unit is mainly composed of heavy cavalry equipped with breastplate and lance. The combat purpose is to use the excellent equipment of the cavalry to break through the enemy formation and quickly resolve the battle.

Heavy cavalry equipped with lances and breastplates were an important combat force even in France. Grove did not think that his cavalry unit was outdated, and the cavalry casualties caused by the first round of artillery bombardment did not shake his determination to attack. The enemy's position was right in front of him, and if he sprinted over, the elite heavy cavalry would ruthlessly destroy the enemy in front of them.

"Each column maintains formation, rushes through the front position, and kills the enemy!"

"We must win!" The Brazilian cavalry burst into a roar, and the vacancies left by the cavalry who fell off their horses and died were filled by the cavalry behind them, and the scattered formation gradually returned to order.

"Hurry up, clean the barrel quickly and load the shells." After the shelling, the artillery behind the position immediately became busy. It took three gunners to clean the barrel and reload the shells.

The Napoleon cannon has superior performance and great power, but it also has the same shortcomings as traditional bronze cannons. After each firing, it takes ninety-one minutes longer to clean and load the shells than iron cannons. Because of this shortcoming, Li Mingyuan transferred more soldiers to perform auxiliary work, with more than ten people responsible for one Napoleon cannon, in order to minimize the time between firing two shells.

Taking advantage of the time the artillery was preparing shells, the Brazilian cavalry advanced quickly. After three rounds of artillery fire, the Brazilian cavalry had lost more than 700 people.

The remaining 1,300 Brazilian troops advanced to within 300 meters in front of the position. Napoleon's artillery lost its effective deterrent to the Brazilian cavalry. Grove, who suffered heavy losses, insisted on continuing the attack, pinning his hopes of breaking through the Chinese Independence Army's position within the last 300 meters.

The Brazilian cavalry continued to charge forward. The wounded cavalryman was trampled to the ground by his companions' horses. He became a broken corpse before he could even scream in pain. The miserable state of his companions affected the emotions of the other cavalrymen. The hands holding the lances trembled in fear of the unknown danger ahead. The distance between them was rapidly shortened. Rows of dense bullets were fired at the charging cavalrymen.

The horses wailed, the wounded bodies of the cavalrymen fell to the ground and twitched. The charging cavalrymen were like powerless wheat seedlings falling under the violent storm.

The gunfire stopped, and the last Brazilian cavalryman fell in front of the position ten meters away, ending the last cavalryman. No one from the Brazilian cavalry set foot on the position of the Chinese Independence Army.

The Brazilian cavalry was well-equipped, and the strong protective power of their breastplates could block bullets from ordinary muskets. However, the ferocious artillery and machine guns destroyed the breastplates that protected the cavalry, causing them and their users to perish together.

The charge of heavy cavalry is more brutal than that of infantry. The excessive explosive power and inertia make it impossible for the cavalry to stop. Facing the front position, the heavy cavalry can either break through the enemy's defense to win, or charge forward and die on the way.

Li Mingyuan admired the courage of the Brazilian cavalry, but he would not go far when the two armies were fighting. The best way to deal with such enemies was to destroy them and make them stepping stones for the Chinese Independence Army to become stronger.

(End of this chapter)