Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 483 Surrounded
When dense artillery shells fell on the front line, Getulio, commander of the 9th Division of the Brazilian Army, realized that the Han army's counterattack was ahead of schedule.

With the assistance of his aide-de-camp, Major General Getulio quickly put on his military uniform and tidied his appearance, then returned to the combat command post and asked several staff officers about the situation on the front line.

"The Han army used dozens of artillery pieces to bombard the Mbokayadi defense line?"

"Yes, there are mortars, mountain guns, field guns, and all kinds of artillery. Among them, the number of medium-caliber artillery is estimated to be about 20, and the enemy's front-line assault force is about 1000 to 2000 people."

"What are the casualties of the troops at the front line?"

"The situation is not good. The enemy's firepower is fierce and the shelling is continuous. Many of our artillery and heavy machine gun defense fulcrums have been destroyed by shells. The casualties of the frontline troops are estimated to be more than 200, and as the shelling time increases, the number of casualties continues to increase.

Colonel Barnett was worried that the first trench line was not strong enough to effectively resist the enemy's offensive, so he asked the general to send reinforcements.

"Wait a moment longer. Let Colonel Barnett hold the position firmly and carefully respond to the enemy's attack."

Major General Getulio was thinking about the main attack direction of the Han army and did not easily mobilize support troops.

"Boom, boom, boom", several artillery shells landed nearby, and the shock waves formed by the explosion shook the command post a few times.

"The Han army's artillery has extended its attack backwards. The shelling of the frontline positions has ended. It's time to launch a charge."

The moment the shell fell and exploded, everyone in the command post crouched on the ground as if by reflex. After the sound of the shell explosion faded away and the command post was temporarily safe, Major General Getulio stood up and made an analysis in his mind based on his experience.

"Report to the general. The Han assault troops have dug two gaps in the central defense line of our Mbokayadi position. Colonel Barnett requested the urgent mobilization of artillery reinforcements to launch a fire attack on the enemy's follow-up troops that are advancing along the no-man's land between the two armies' trenches, isolating the enemy in two sections, and assisting the frontline defenders to eliminate the enemy squads that have broken through and block the gaps."

"General, the Teviquari position has been attacked by the enemy. A part of the enemy cavalry bypassed the front line of defense and broke into the flank line of defense of the Teviquari position. Colonel Gaspard requests permission to abandon the outer line of defense and withdraw the troops to hold the second line of defense."

Just over an hour after the Han army's artillery attack ended, Getulio received two pieces of bad news.

Mbokayadi is the focus of our defense. The main heavy weapons and troops are stockpiled on the three defense lines in this direction. Excluding the time delayed in message transmission, the Han army took a maximum of one hour to break through two gaps in the first trench. Therefore, the Han army must have concentrated elite troops on this defense line to carry out key attack tasks.

Major General Getulio searched for key information from the news he received and made plans in his mind.

"General, general."

Seeing that Major General Getulio remained silent for several minutes without giving any further instructions, an officer whispered a reminder.

"Yeah, I'm listening."

Getulio finished thinking and said, "The enemy concentrated about 20 medium-sized artillery pieces on the Mbokayadi defense line and bombarded the frontline for half an hour. As soon as the bombardment ended, the enemy's assault troops used an hour to dig two gaps in our first trench position. What does this show? It shows that Mbokayadi is the enemy's focus of attack. According to the enemy's combat habits, the enemy's troops of more than 1000 people are only the first wave of vanguards. There will be second and third waves of attacks later. Our army only has 12 75mm artillery pieces. We can't show our last trump card at the beginning of the battle."

"General, what should we do next?"

"First, withdraw troops from the second trench to support the defenders in the first trench in the direction of Mbokayadi. Order Colonel Barnett to rely on the first trench defense system to drive out the small group of enemy troops that broke in.

Two cavalry companies and one infantry battalion were drawn from the reserve to support the Teviquari position. Colonel Gaspard was asked to hold out until night, then retreat to the second line of defense under cover of darkness and reorganize the defense. "…

More than 200 cavalrymen and more than 300 infantrymen were sent out, and there were only 2000 reserve troops left. As he calculated the troops he could mobilize, Getulio's brows were furrowed.

"Have the people who went to the eastern ports to carry bullets and shells returned?"

"No."

"How long will it take to come back?"

"It's estimated to be at 5 o'clock tonight at the earliest."

"It's too late. Send the cavalry company out to help them transport ammunition. Prioritize the heavy machine gun bullets. If the transportation capacity is insufficient, you can transport less mortar shells." "General, there is only one cavalry company left in the reserve. Send them out to transport ammunition. If something happens to the defense line, there will be no mobile force to support it."

The staff officer anxiously reminded: "The road from the front to the eastern port is slippery and muddy, with many hidden pits and swamps. It is not suitable for war horses to pass. If we force it to rush, I am afraid that a large number of war horses will be lost. If the road conditions are not unsuitable for mules and horses, there is no need to withdraw infantry to carry ammunition on their shoulders."

"General, the enemy's offensive is fierce and their firepower is stronger than ours. Rather than suffering heavy casualties and spending time here, it would be better to retreat to the rear and reorganize the defense line as soon as possible."

There was a huge gap in strength between the enemy and us. Most officers in the command post were unwilling to engage in a head-on battle with the Han army, and they tried to persuade them one after another.

"The war is urgent, so why should we care about the loss of war horses? We should get through this difficult time first."

Getulio waved his hand to stop his officers from persuading him, and said helplessly: "Timely retreat is the most rational and correct choice at the moment. Do you think I don't want to retreat? Lieutenant General Rodriguez strictly ordered our army to hold on for 15 days. Now is only the eighth day. Without further orders from the lieutenant general, I can't withdraw the troops to the rear even if I want to."

Major General Getulio appeared to be loyal to his duty, but in fact, he deliberately disobeyed orders and slowed down the march in order to allow his troops to loot more than a week ago, which led to the Han army occupying Villarrica first. Moreover, in the subsequent offensive, he did not recapture the position and failed to complete the combat mission assigned by his immediate superior Rod Rodriguez, which caused the war to be delayed, leading to the current unfavorable situation.

After the decision-makers of the Republic of Brazil made the strategy of shrinking the troops and relying on key defense lines such as fortresses, castles, and trenches to hold out, Lieutenant General Rodriguez gave him a death order: either hold the position until reinforcements arrive; or the position is breached and die on the position; if he dares to disobey orders again and retreat without authorization, even if he escapes back to the country, his backer, the Speaker of the Parliament Morais, will not be able to save him this time, and the president and Marshal Peixoto will both kill him. "

Due to Rodriguez's murderous threats, Major General Getulio did not dare to evacuate easily. There were only three roads in front of him, but each road was difficult to walk on and seemed like a dead end.

Major General Getulio did not want to wait for death, so he continued to struggle.
On the one hand, he encouraged his own defense line to be maintained in the hope of resisting and delaying the offensive of the Han army. On the other hand, he continued to urge the speed of ammunition supply. At the same time, he sent out messengers to report the unfavorable situation on the front line to his immediate superior and request emergency support.

The battle continued until the evening, and the frontline positions of the Brazilian troops were in crisis again. The first trench line of defense in the direction of Mbokayadi was completely destroyed. The Han army continued to advance towards the second trench along the communication trench. The efforts to recapture the outer defense line in the direction of Teviquari position failed, and the defenders withdrew to the second line of defense to reorganize the defense.

At 6 p.m., the soldiers sent out to carry the ammunition returned, bringing much-needed reinforcements to the defenders' defenses.

The next morning, the Han army launched another attack. The second trench in the direction of Mbokayadi was in danger. Major General Getulio felt desperate and had to play his last trump card. He ordered the artillery to launch a counterattack against the occupied front line of defense and the Han army's artillery positions.

The 12 guns were divided into two groups and used separately. Four were used to attack the fallen trenches in the direction of Mbokayadi, and the other eight were used to attack the exposed 8mm artillery positions of the Han Army.

The artillery equipped by the Brazilian army on the Villarrica front was 75mm recoil gun. This old-fashioned artillery had a bulky body and a slow firing speed, firing two shells per minute, which was one-third slower than the artillery of the same caliber equipped by the Han army.

The artillery pieces were few in number, had a slow firing speed, and were used in a dispersed manner. The artillery that Getulio had high hopes for did not make a fundamental improvement to the battle situation. Instead, it launched an artillery attack. After its artillery position was exposed, it was hit hard by the Han army's 105mm howitzers, 75mm field guns, a total of more than 50 artillery pieces.

Continuous artillery shells landed on the artillery positions of the Brazilian defenders, forming a dense fire blockade network. As the density of the bombardment became higher and higher, the shells piled next to the gun crew were detonated. The powerful chain reaction destroyed the nearest artillery pieces. Under the saturation attack, the Brazilian artillery had no power to fight back. One artillery piece after another was destroyed, and groups of artillerymen were affected by the shells and died.

The artillery position was destroyed, and the 12 artillery pieces were also destroyed. Major General Getulio seemed to have been drained of all his strength, and slumped in the field command post. The trusted officers beside him persuaded him one after another, suggesting that he should improvise and retreat with the troops. However, what Major General Getulio was thinking in his mind was that if the troops retreated, the middle and lower-level officers would still serve as soldiers and receive their salaries, but if the war was lost, he, the commander, would definitely be thrown out as a scapegoat and bear the responsibility.

At 6 p.m., the Brazilian defenders' defense line was gradually breached, and the remaining 7000 Brazilian soldiers retreated to the last trench defense. At this time, the returning messenger brought back the latest orders.

"Relax the defense requirements and hold out for another four days while waiting for reinforcements."

After hearing the news, Getulio lost his last hope. It would be difficult for him to hold on for even one day, let alone four days.

"General, the enemy cavalry has outflanked us, and our road to Mauricio has been cut off. The Han army has surrounded us."

The troops were surrounded, with no hope of reinforcement, and Getulio seemed to accept his fate, saying nothing.

"General, the Han army has sent a messenger, demanding our army surrender as soon as possible."

"Surrender?" Getulio grasped a key point. Why should he obey Rodriguez's orders and make a choice among the three paths he gave? He should control his own destiny. I want to take the fourth path.

"Send someone to invite the Han army messenger in. Remember, you must be polite!"

A new hope ignited in Getulio's heart and he regained his usual calm demeanor.

(End of this chapter)