Reborn as King of South America

Chapter 486 Ambush
The Brazilian soldiers were detained under the supervision of the Han army, while Getulio and several middle and senior officers followed Pang Zhenyun and his party to the command room.

"General Getulio, our army intends to destroy the reinforcements heading to Villarrica, and we need your cooperation."

As soon as he did it, Pang Zhenyun directly stated his intention.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this is beyond the scope of the surrender agreement."

After hearing the request, Getulio was stunned, and then subconsciously refused.

"According to the supplementary agreement, our army has the right to obtain military intelligence related to the Battle of Villarrica, and information about reinforcements coming from the Paraná River Basin is also within this scope."

"But the Battle of Villarrica is over, and our army has handed over its weapons and positions to your army and formally surrendered."

"No, the Battle of Villarrica is not over. The reinforcements coming from the Paraná River are also part of the Battle of Villarrica."

"Okay, I'm willing to cooperate."

After trying hard, Getulio realized that he couldn't change the other party's attitude, so he stopped insisting.

"How many reinforcements are coming from the Parana River? When will they arrive? What are their weapons and equipment like? Who is the leading officer? What is their combat style?"

Pang Zhenyun asked several questions in a row.

"The reinforcements are about 4000 people, consisting of the 6st and 65th Regiments of the 3nd Division and two black battalions. The leading officer is Colonel Enfield, the commander of the st Regiment of the nd Division. It is estimated that they will arrive in three days. The main weapons and equipment are an artillery company equipped with mm light mountain cannons and a machine gun team equipped with heavy machine guns.

Colonel Enfield once followed Field Marshal Garcia and participated in the First Paraguayan War. Influenced by Marshal Garcia, his combat style tended to be conservative.

"Which march route do they take?"

"Colonel Enfield is quite cautious and did not reveal the specific route of the march. According to his analysis of the characteristics of his troops, he will not take the route from the eastern port to Villarrica. This route is the shortest, but it is easy to be ambushed by your army from the flank.

It is estimated that they will go around Mauricio and then turn back west to Villarrica. Although the second marching route will increase the distance by 15 kilometers, as long as the Villarrica frontline defenders hold on, they will not be ambushed from other directions. "

"By taking a long detour to reinforce you, isn't he afraid that you won't be able to hold on?"

A Han army officer asked a question that embarrassed Getulio.

"Colonel Enfield is a stubborn man," Getulio explained stiffly.

"Thank you for your cooperation, you can go back and rest. I will send someone to notify you when there is a need."

"Okay, then I won't delay your discussion of important matters."

Getulio said a brief farewell to Pang Zhenyun through the interpreter and then left the command room.

"After the surrender of the 1.6th Brazilian Division and some reinforcements, our army wiped out about 4000 enemy troops in Villarrica in the ten days before and after. If we can eliminate the 2 troops coming to support from the Paraná River, a total of 2 enemy troops will be eliminated. The remaining enemy troops in the Paraná River are estimated to be about 2. troops are scattered in the long river basin from Brazil to southern Paraguay. They are weak and cannot stop the attack of our follow-up troops. Everyone, the opportunity is rare. I suggest taking advantage of the victory to eliminate the enemy reinforcements and continue to expand the victory. Let's discuss how to fight."

After Getulio and some grassroots officers left, only key officers such as Pang Zhenyun, Hu Kunshan, Shen Dehui, Zhang Wenlian and Zhou Shanchu were left in the command room.

"The defenders on the front line of Villarrica have surrendered, and the enemy troops remaining in the Eastern Port, Mauricio and other strongholds have not received the news. It is better to order Getulio and other Brazilian officers to cooperate with our army to take over the Eastern Port, Mauricio and other strongholds. Then our army will deploy troops there and wait for the Brazilian reinforcements to arrive in three days. We will take advantage of the favorable opportunity when they are not yet firmly established and launch a direct attack."

"Ignore the small number of enemy troops left in the eastern port, Mauricio and other strongholds. Our army will directly deploy on the spot, create the illusion that the enemy is still holding on, and wait for the Brazilian reinforcements to arrive."

"No, Villarrica is too far away from the enemy reinforcements. If we just stay where we are and wait for them, it will easily expose our true intentions. I suggest that, based on the opinion of Captain Zhang, we place the battlefield in the middle of the route from Mauricio to Villarrica and choose a favorable location to ambush the enemy reinforcements."

Hu Kunshan, Zhang Wenlian, Shen Dehui, Zhang Wenlian and others put forward suggestions from different angles. After thinking about everyone's suggestions, Pang Zhenyun drew a point on the map with his hand.

"Staff Officer Shen's suggestion is good. I suggest that we place the battlefield in Monte Carlo and ambush the enemy reinforcements here."

"Monte Carlo is surrounded by plains with a wide field of vision. The nearest forest is nearly 2 kilometers away from the main road. According to the Army Manual, this is not the most suitable ambush site."

A colonel-level officer did not understand why Pang Zhenyun chose the ambush site at
Monte Carlo's intention was to express his doubts.

"Marching and fighting must be based on local conditions, Major Han. When fighting, we cannot just follow the Army Drill Manual. We must learn to apply it flexibly."

"Please teach me, sir."

Pang Zhenyun was very satisfied with the other party's modest and studious attitude, and explained: "The enemy commander who is coming to support is cautious by nature. If we choose to set up an ambush in a critical area, the enemy will be cautious and send a small force to scout, which will easily expose us. On the contrary, setting the ambush site in Monte Carlo can reduce the enemy's vigilance and achieve the ambush combat goal.

At the same time, in addition to setting up an ambush in Monte Carlo, I plan to collect 1500 mules and horses in good condition from the entire army, and select 1500 infantrymen who are familiar with horses to form a mounted infantry team.
When the enemy troops leave Mauricio, they will suddenly occupy Mauricio and cut off the enemy's retreat. Then our army will launch an ambush from the front and swallow up the 4000 enemy reinforcements in one gulp. "

"Most of the army officers and soldiers in the central part of the empire have pastures and mules and horses. It is not difficult to find soldiers who are familiar with the nature of horses. Using mounted infantry to cut off the enemy's retreat can achieve the effect of a surprise attack without alerting the enemy in advance. The commander's battle plan is comprehensive and I admire it."

The major named Han, who had just raised the question, looked like he was studying seriously and flattered him without saying a word.

"Major Shen, submit our army's plan to ambush the incoming enemy forces to General Chen for approval."

Pang Zhenyun ignored the flattery of his officers. He gave an order to Shen Dehui and lowered his head to continue thinking about and perfecting the details of the ambush operation.

Time passed little by little, and it was October 10. The battlefield where fierce fighting had taken place in the past was cleaned up, the bodies of the dead Brazilian soldiers were burned and buried, the scattered heavy machine guns and artillery shells were picked up and recycled, the dense temporary camps were dismantled, and the tents and wood were recycled. Except for a few soldiers who were left to guard the prisoners of war, most of the soldiers in the camps headed east, towards Mauricio. In Mauricio City, teams of soldiers lined up in a long line, coming from east to west.

"Sir, the troops have been marching for seven hours straight. Do you want to stop and rest for a while?"

The adjutant rode to the center of the team and found the commander of the troop, Enfield, and asked for instructions.

"The battle in Villarrica is urgent. We have already wasted a lot of time by taking a detour to Mauricio. We can't delay any longer."

Enfield rejected his men's request, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

"Captain Walker, after getting off the ship, did you find anything unusual?"

"Everything is normal, Colonel. Two days ago, the Eastern Port received a team to receive and transport supplies. Yesterday, two soldiers from Mauricio City reported the battle situation on the front line. Captain Arthur from the Eastern Port and Lieutenant Brooke from Mauricio City are both my friends. We often got together before. They are both normal and there is nothing unusual."

"Maybe I'm overthinking it."

Enfield shook his head, forcing himself to stop thinking about it.

"Tell the soldiers that Monte Carlo is 13 kilometers ahead. After Monte Carlo, Villarrica is another 20 kilometers away. I promise everyone that after we reach Villarrica and successfully assist the garrison in retreating, I will let everyone have a good rest for three days."

"Okay, Colonel. I'm sure the soldiers will understand."

The reinforcements continued to advance with tired steps. When the long column gradually went away, in the city of Mauricio, several men dressed as Paraguayans quietly left, came to a woods outside the city, led out several horses that had been prepared in advance, and galloped away.

"Colonel, Monte Carlo is ahead. The soldiers are really tired and require rest."

The adjutant stepped forward again and conveyed the soldiers' request.

“We walked out of the hilly area and arrived in Monte Carlo, rested for 20 minutes, and then continued on our way.”

Enfield did not dare to push the soldiers too hard and had to compromise rationally.

A long queue walked out of the hilly area and came into view. It was getting closer and closer, and the number of people was increasing. When the last few hundred people sat down on the ground to rest, Pang Zhenyun put down the telescope, took out the pistol from his waist, and fired a shot into the air.

The sound of gunfire was the order. More than 400 cavalrymen were the first to rush out from the woods ambushed on one side, followed by more and more soldiers charging with rifles.

"What's going on? How could the enemy be ambushed here? How did they get through General Getulio's lines?"

Looking at the Han army rushing from both sides, the adjutant said in panic.

"Asshole! It must be Getulio who surrendered to the Orientals and betrayed us!"

There is only one possibility for the Han army to appear in Enfield. The defenders of Villarrica are finished. The Republic of Brazil has deployed 1.6 people in Villarrica. Even if the battle is fierce and more than half of the defenders were killed or wounded, they should be able to defend their positions. It is impossible for the entire army to be wiped out in just ten days. Even if the Han army is very strong, it would be difficult to do so. So, excluding the possibility that all the defenders' positions were lost, the only possibility is that Getulio surrendered and gave up the defense line.

"Getulio, you coward, you son of a stepmother! Why don't you hold on!"

Enfield was extremely angry and kept spitting out foul language.

After a brief venting, the charging cavalry was less than 1 kilometer away from their side.

"End the rest, order the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment of the 2nd Division, the 3rd and 5th Battalions of the National Self-Defense Force, and the Machine Gun Team to organize defense on the spot, and the other troops to retreat in an orderly manner towards Mauricio!"

Enfield roared loudly in response and command, but unfortunately it had little effect. The rapidly charging Han cavalry battalion poured into the formation, constantly reaping the lives of soldiers with their lances and sabers, and creating chaos at the same time.

"Colonel, it's bad. A group of enemy troops have appeared in Mauricio's direction. We are surrounded."

Enfield had difficulty commanding the soldiers to evacuate, but less than 5 kilometers away, he received a piece of bad news that made him despair.

"It's over, it's over."

Looking at the pursuing Han soldiers and his own soldiers who were constantly being divided and surrounded, Enfield's eyes were full of pain and unwillingness.

"Order, all troops to disperse and break out."

"Colonel, it's useless. There are enemies on all sides. They are using artillery and heavy machine guns. Their numbers are several times greater than ours. We can't run away."

"No, there is still hope. Go and pass on the order!"

"Yes, Colonel."

Enfield was like a wild beast that preyed on its prey, and he remained stubborn despite all attempts to persuade him.

The adjutant was frightened by Enfield's eyes and left in a hurry.

The war will not change because of the persistence of a few officers. At 4 pm, the Brazilian defenders who broke out in all directions, except for a few who hid in the forest near the battlefield and were not discovered for the time being, including Enfield, a total of nearly 4000 people, were all captured or annihilated.

(End of this chapter)