Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 597 The Attack (Part 8)

Just as Hernandez feared, this new Chinese army, which seemed to have descended from the heavens, had marched a long way along the "Royal Road," the lifeline of Spain's wealth in the Americas.

This gravel road, which was first built in the 1520s, was the land route that spanned the two oceans for the Spanish Empire. It was about 80 kilometers long and connected Panama City on the Pacific Ocean with Porto Bello on the Atlantic Ocean.

Its core function is to transship goods from the two oceans. To the west, it transports precious metals such as silver and gold from Peru, as well as other specialties from the Americas (such as alpaca wool and cocoa), from Panama City in the Pacific Ocean to Port Bello in the Atlantic Ocean.

Eastward: This involved transporting European goods (textiles, weapons, wine, books, etc.) from mainland Spain to Panama City via the port of Bello.

Goods were loaded and unloaded at both ports, completing the most crucial land transportation segment of the transatlantic-transpacific global trade chain.

This road is not flat; it traverses rainforests, swamps, and hilly areas.

Despite being one of the best roads at the time, it would become muddy and difficult to travel during the rainy season (May-November), and could even be blocked by floods and mudslides. Along the way, travelers faced threats from tropical diseases, mosquitoes, and potential robbery (by European pirates and local Indians).

As a Spanish nobleman once wrote: "During the rainy season, this road was the worst I had ever seen on my journey, with mud reaching the mules' bellies and stones breaking the horses' hooves."

It winds its way through rainforests, swamps, and hills, becoming increasingly muddy and difficult to traverse during the rainy season. Floods and mudslides frequently disrupt traffic, mosquitoes swarm, diseases spread, and there is also the potential risk of pirate or indigenous attacks.

However, this "worst" road carried nearly half of the wealth transported by the Spanish American colonies. It is estimated that about one hundred to two hundred tons of silver were transported by mule caravans along this route to the port of Bello, and then loaded onto ships for shipment to Spain.

Given the importance of this passage, the Spanish naturally deployed a large number of troops to defend it.

Twelve fortresses (such as the formidable San Lorenzo Castle) and five military outposts (such as Cruces Fortress) were established along the route, with a permanent garrison of around five hundred men.

For important silver shipments, the Spanish colonial authorities would deploy regular troops to escort them throughout the journey, and even ordinary mule caravans would be accompanied by ten to twenty arquebusiers.

Since January 9, after the Xinhua Army occupied Panama City, it has been determined to completely paralyze this vital artery.

After more than a month of meticulous planning and reconnaissance, the Xinhua Army selected more than 700 soldiers from two mixed battalions and joined forces with more than 400 brave warriors from the Guaymiya tribe to form an advance detachment. On February 23, they embarked on the "Royal Road" in a grand manner, heading towards the port of Bello on the Atlantic side.

Their advance exceeded the expectations of the Spanish defenders along the way. Facing numerous fortresses and post stations along the route, the Xinhua Army employed flexible tactics. For those with weak defenses or those that could be quickly captured, they used superior forces to swiftly eliminate them and annihilate the defenders. For fortified strongholds that were difficult to conquer in the short term, such as the San Lorenzo Fortress, they decisively bypassed them without getting entangled.

The Guaymiye warriors moved with ease through the jungle, clearing obstacles and pointing out shortcuts for the army.

As a result, what would normally be a journey of four to six days by mule trains was accomplished by this lightly equipped and rapidly advancing force. After overcoming numerous difficulties and dangers and capturing more than ten fortified posts, they reached the dense rainforest outside Bello Harbor in less than five days.

Because it was a long-distance raid, they could not carry heavy siege artillery and powerful rockets; their only supporting firepower consisted of three light ground guns.

However, the orders issued by Army Commander Mo Tianhai before departure were also highly flexible.

That is, take Bello Port if possible, and if it is well-defended and difficult to attack by force, focus on sweeping away the wealthy villages and estates around the port, destroying the economic base of the region to the greatest extent possible, dismantling Spanish colonial rule, liberating the enslaved Indians and arming them as appropriate.

Finally, on their return journey, they completely destroyed this "Royal Road," rendering it unusable for a short period, even after the Xinhua Army withdrew from Panama.

After the troops quietly arrived at the designated assembly point on the afternoon of February 27, Major Lei Mingchun, the commander in charge, and several staff officers used the cover of the woods to carefully survey the defense system of Port Belleau.

What comes into view is the imposing Fort Santiago, the mutually supporting Fort San Philip and Fort San Gnonimo, and the hidden iron chains and stakes faintly visible in the harbor.

Everyone agreed that, without heavy artillery cover, a forced attack on these bastions would be tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock, inevitably resulting in heavy casualties and being unlikely to be effective.

Lei Mingchun immediately decided to implement the second contingency plan: the troops would rest overnight and then launch a raid at dawn the next day to sweep through the surrounding villages and manors.

If we can use this to lure the enemy out of their hiding place, it would be best to eliminate the Spanish defenders in open battle.

If the enemy remains entrenched and refuses to engage, then focus all efforts on sabotage missions to weaken their war potential.

However, the allure of war lies in its unpredictability.

The next morning, just as the various units of the Xinhua Army were setting up camp and preparing to "hunt for supplies," the sound of artillery fire suddenly came from the direction of Port Belleau.

Startled and suspicious, Lei Mingchun immediately dispatched scouts to investigate.

Soon, news came back that the port forts were engaged in fierce fighting with three pirate ships attempting to break in, and almost all the attention of the Spanish garrison was drawn to the battle at sea, resulting in a rare relaxation in the defenses facing inland.

"A golden opportunity!"

Upon hearing the news, Lei Mingchun was overjoyed.

He immediately cancelled the original plan, regrouped the troops that were preparing to launch a dispersed attack, and quietly headed towards Port Bello.

Just as the English pirate ship "Revenge" was severely damaged, and two other pirate ships hesitated and retreated, the Spanish defenders were in high spirits and were unleashing a barrage of cannon fire...

"kill!"

The Xinhua Army surged out of the jungle like a tidal wave, rushing toward the nearest bastion.

On the south side of Fort St. Grenouille, the small number of Creole militia on guard duty were almost unable to make any effective response.

They stared in horror at the enemy who had appeared like divine soldiers descending from the heavens; their gleaming bayonets, reflecting a chilling killing intent in the sunlight.

The makeshift low walls and trenches were breached in an instant. The militiamen were either stabbed to the ground with their bayonets or shouted, dropped their muskets, and fled into the fort or the port city.

The Xinhua Army charged at an extremely fast pace; the first wave of assault soldiers practically trampled over the fleeing militiamen as they reached the base of the walls of Fort St. Grenadier.

The fortress's cannons, facing inland, could not fire at such close targets, and the defenders on the walls hastily turned their guns around, resulting in sparse and scattered bullets.

Several agile grenadiers lit bombs and hurled them at the city walls.

The battle at St. Grenadier Fortress was short but intense.

Approximately several dozen Spanish regulars and remaining militia attempted to organize resistance on the city walls and in the passageways, but were quickly routed by the Xinhua soldiers who stormed into the fortress with bayonets and close-range volleys of gunfire.

The pungent smell of gunpowder and the strong stench of blood permeated the interior of the fortress.

Before the remaining Spanish enemies within the fortress were cleared out, the Xinhua Army, like a flood bursting its banks, rushed directly towards the port city of Bello, adjacent to the fortress, through the passage opened after capturing Fort San Gonnemo.

"Quick! Close the city gates!" Inside Bello, a Spanish officer shouted hoarsely, trying to organize a last stand.

Several Spanish soldiers struggled to push open the heavy, iron-clad wooden door.

However, the speed of the Xinhua Army's charge was too fast.

They completely ignored the sporadic bullets fired from the city wall and, in an extremely spread-out formation, swept towards the city gate like a whirlwind.

"Charge!...Charge in!" roared a grenadier sergeant, his face covered in gunpowder smoke. He slammed his body into the closing door, bracing it with his shoulder, while simultaneously drawing a short blade from his waist and stabbing wildly at the Spanish soldiers inside who were trying to block the door.

"Kill him!" the Spanish soldiers inside the gate shouted in terror as several spears and rapiers came hurtling towards him.

Two other grenadiers arrived just in time. One used a battle axe to smash the Spanish soldier through the crack in the door, while the other lit a bomb in his hand and threw it through the crack.

"Boom!" An explosion and screams came from inside the door.

This brief delay bought precious time for the follow-up troops. Countless Xinhua Army soldiers, with bayonets fixed to their muskets, squeezed through the narrow doorway and charged deeper into the enemy territory.

The cold glint of bayonets flashed in the narrow passageway, and sporadic resistance was quickly crushed.

The Spanish defenders and civilians were completely stunned by the sudden charge, and panic spread like a plague.

On the fortress of Santiago, the soldiers operating the cannons stopped what they were doing, turned around in astonishment, and could hardly believe their eyes.

Right behind them, the city of Belleau, which they were supposed to defend, was breached by the enemy in less than half an hour.

This is incredible!
The cannon fire that had been relentlessly bombarding the English pirates came to an abrupt halt, like a rooster being choked.

The entire harbor fell into an eerie silence, with only the sound of waves crashing on the shore and the faint sounds of shouts and cries coming from within the city of Bello.

The Spanish garrison at Fort Santiago and Fort San Phillips was plunged into utter chaos and confusion.

"Should we...should we continue bombarding the pirates?" a young artilleryman asked his superior instinctively.

The lieutenant opened his mouth, looked at the pirate ship in the harbor, then turned to look at the now-owned Bellow City behind him, his face filled with helplessness.

"Bello City... is lost!?... What's the point of us fighting those pirates anymore?"

Counterattack and retake Bellow?

The thought flashed through the Spaniard's mind, only to be overwhelmed by immense fear.

How many people from the Xinhua Army came?

Judging from the momentum and speed of this attack, the number of troops must be considerable.

Moreover, their ability to rush all the way from Panama speaks volumes about their fighting prowess.

With such a small force at the fort, leaving the stronghold to launch a counterattack would be tantamount to suicide.

Are we to defend the fortress to the death without fighting back?

Fort Santiago was designed to defend against naval attacks, while Fort San Gonnemo was not yet fully completed. Both fortresses were extremely vulnerable to land attacks, and their supplies and water sources depended on the city.

Now that the port city has fallen, the fortress and gun emplacements are isolated islands. How long can they hold out?
There are two English pirate ships lurking in the harbor. Should we just let them go?

For a moment, the Spanish defenders were caught in a dilemma.

A sense of despair and confusion mingled with despair; not knowing what choice to make.

"Run!" someone shouted first.

"The city has fallen, are we just going to stay here and wait to die?"

"Hurry! Take the land route and get into the jungle!"

Panic, like a burst dam, instantly swept away the remaining discipline.

Spanish soldiers fled their gun emplacements, rushing along the paths behind the fortress into the dense rainforest, desperate to escape the land that had already fallen.

Meanwhile, in the harbor, the pirates aboard the English pirate ships "Sea Fox" and "Storm" were also in a state of great confusion.

"What the hell? Why aren't the Spanish firing?" The captain of the "Sea Fox," a lean and sinister man, stared intently at the suddenly silent Spanish fortress through his binoculars.

Then, his telescope slowly moved, revealing unfamiliar flags fluttering above Bello's walls, and the figures of soldiers dressed in uniforms different from those of the Spanish army, who could be vaguely seen moving about on the walls.

"Oh, someone got a bargain!"

"Captain... what, what's that flag?" the first mate asked, leaning closer.

“God knows…” the captain murmured, “but it’s definitely not a Dutch flag. Oh, look over there! The Spanish are running away; they’ve abandoned their cannons!”

"Boss, what do we do now? The 'Revenge' is finished, but we..." the first mate asked hesitantly.

The captain narrowed his eyes, a mixture of greed and caution in them.

The gunfire in the port has ceased, and the prosperous port of Bello seems to have... changed hands?
Moreover, it was carried out through a land-based attack.

"Get the crew of the 'Revenge' aboard first," the captain ordered, his tone tinged with uncertain excitement. "Then... we'll approach slowly... Be careful! Assess the situation."

Two English pirate ships carefully adjusted their sails, like tentative hyenas, and slowly sailed into the now undefended harbor.

They first rescued all the surviving crew members of the "Revenge" that were floating on the sea, and then carefully approached the dock area.

On the deck, the pirates gathered together, discussing the matter.

"Is he/she French?"

"It doesn't look like... the uniform looks a bit strange."

"They're fighting the Spanish? So... does that mean we've helped them out?"

"Hey, maybe we can get a piece of the pie! Port Bellow has a lot of good stuff!"

Captain Redbeard wiped the seawater off his face, gazing at the city that had changed hands, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

His planned robbery failed completely, and he also lost the "Revenge".

But now, the situation seems to have taken an unexpected turn.

This army, which appeared out of nowhere, unexpectedly formed a "cooperation" with them.

"Who are they?" Captain Redbeard asked the captain of the Sea Fox beside him in a low voice.

"I don't know, but coming from land... God knows which pirate force it is." The captain of the "Sea Fox" shook his head, then a sly smile appeared on his face. "But, buddy, we just risked our lives to draw all the Spanish fire... Without us, could they have taken this city so easily?"

"We need to settle this score with them properly."

The pirates' minds began to stir, and their greedy eyes turned to the port area that had just been ravaged by war.

They had unwittingly cooperated with each other, so could they... perhaps get a share of the spoils?
The harbor wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder and the salty tang of the sea, swept through Bello Harbor.

Major Hernandez and Captain Torres, along with the fleeing soldiers, disappeared into the boundless rainforest. Looking back, their homes had fallen, and their future was uncertain.

The fire on the Isthmus of Panama spread from the Pacific Ocean all the way to the Atlantic Ocean, and the most vulnerable yet most prosperous choke point of the Spanish Empire was tightly gripped by a hand from the East.
-
(End of this chapter)