Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 169 Hunted Turkey

Spanish river camp

This was a sturdy camp built with logs as thick as thighs, about 5 meters high. One end was sharpened and sunk into the ground, while the other end was sharpened to prevent the enemy from climbing up.

On the outskirts of the camp
There was also a circle of deep trenches dug, with sharp wooden spikes pointing upwards buried along the edges and in the trench. If you fell into it, you would definitely die, and there would be no chance of survival.

The only way in and out was a wooden bridge made of bundles of hardwood, which was now hidden high.

Above the camp
There were a large number of Spanish soldiers patrolling back and forth, looking as if they were facing a great enemy, and the atmosphere was filled with tension.

In the camp

After learning about the final casualties, Colonel Fabian's face looked extremely ugly. He did not expect the losses to be so great, almost to the point of serious injuries.

"Damn it, damn it! I will kill all these damn Orientals, leaving no one alive." Colonel Fabian slammed the table hard. The recoil made his palm hurt, but he didn't care.

Although the first battle went badly, Colonel Fabian did not lose confidence.

He huddled in the camp and held on, although he had only more than 170 men, but he was confident that he would make the enemy pay a heavy price and escape from here in disgrace.

The artillery positions in the rear are his support. There is no shortage of ammunition, food and water. Colonel Fabian is confident that with the existing troops, he can hold out for at least three months.

Lieutenant Merino, standing aside, looked ashen. His Karbala company had suffered a devastating blow and now only had 32 people left, more than half of the 79 people in its heyday.

Colonel Fabian turned around and saw him, feeling even more annoyed, and said with some disdain;
"Go find a quiet place and stay. Your company will serve as a reserve force, providing support wherever needed if a battle breaks out.

And...reinvigorate your soldiers.

Damn it!
Do what an officer should do. I am not your servant. It is ridiculous that I have to take into account the emotions of the soldiers while commanding the battle.

Go, eat something and get some sleep, and everything will be fine."

"Yes, sir." Lieutenant Merino left with a sad expression. He didn't know how to explain to the soldiers in the company.

Lieutenant Olmo Perez walked over with a blood-stained cloth in his hand, and watched Lieutenant Merino leave dejectedly, and a shadow fell over his heart again.

He did not go to the Colonel's cabin. The colonel was in a bad mood and he didn't want to be bullied.

The garrison suffered a severe blow, which gave Lieutenant Olmo Perez a new understanding of the fighting ability of these Orientals.

What the hell!

Those damn British, who said that a hundred musketeers could chase ten thousand Eastern troops and make them flee in all directions?
Those who believed these lies were badly harmed.

A landing site not far from the sea
After more than two hours of fierce fighting in the forest, the number of the landing Chu army had reached more than 2700. With the landing of the artillery team, the main force had basically landed.

After listening to the battle report, Major General Huang Shan nodded with a satisfied look on his face and said;

"This team was very vigilant and bought time for the main force to counterattack. They killed two enemy soldiers with their own hands. They should be credited with this achievement.

Pass on my military orders

Please ask the military doctor to treat me carefully. If I can return to the battlefield, I will definitely be promoted to a platoon leader! I will reward those who have made contributions generously.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir. I, Wang Fugui, would like to thank you first."

"Well, your battalion will continue to send out scouts to search forward. Be aware that the foreigners are unpredictable and extremely cunning. Although we have defeated their enemies several times today, we have not yet dealt a heavy blow to our entire battalion. We must be on guard against a potential counterattack."

"Yes, sir. I'll take care of it." Fifth Battalion Commander Chen Changli saluted, turned around and went to make arrangements.

Major General Huang Shan turned to face the other officers and said solemnly, "I order..."

With a snap, all the officers stood at attention with their hands down, waiting for their superiors' orders.

Major General Huang Shan then continued;

"The Fourth Battalion will be the vanguard, following behind the search team. Move forward in a tight formation, keeping watch on both sides for any enemy that might have slipped through the net. If attacked, counterattack immediately."

"As you command, sir."

"Use the Sixth Battalion as the center, protecting the artillery as it advances. If my artillery fails in any way, you will be held responsible."

"Yes, sir, we will protect the artillery to the last hair."

"Well, the Fifth Battalion will remain on standby, guard the landed baggage, and await orders to rendezvous with the front."

"As you command, sir."

After the order is issued

The large group of soldiers began to move, cautiously stepping into the tropical jungle in front of them, searching and advancing all the way, being extremely careful.

Nothing happened and we crossed the jungle smoothly.

Around 2 p.m.
The officers and soldiers of the Fourth Battalion and hundreds of sword and shield soldiers appeared on the open river beach opposite the Spanish camp and stayed in place to be on guard.

Shortly thereafter
Major General Huangshan followed the Sixth Battalion and escorted the artillery team across the jungle. They also came here and saw the wooden fence camp not far away.

He raised the monocular and observed carefully for a while, and then he had a clear idea in his mind.

If the expeditionary force did not have artillery, it might have no way to deal with these French troops. It could only fill them with people, slowly wear down the enemy's defenses with human lives, and fight a difficult battle.

But with artillery, it’s completely different.

"Pass on my orders. Have the fifth battalion follow with their baggage. Remember to bring all the gunpowder. I'm going to use heavy artillery fire to blow all these Frankies up into the sky." "Yes, sir."

"Go inform the sailing fleet that they can continue up the river. Our army has completely controlled the area along the river."

"As you command, sir."

"Fourth Battalion Commander..."

"Here, please give your orders, sir."

"Lead your battalion and the sword and shield soldiers assigned to you to surround the left and right sides. Keep a distance of 700 to 800 meters and don't get too close. If the remaining white enemies rush out, you should know what to do."

"I understand, I will kill them all without leaving a single one alive."

"Well, the Northern Expedition is imminent, and my army can't keep these white prisoners. Killing them is the safest way."

"I understand. Killing him will be more efficient." The fourth battalion commander, Qian Ahu, saluted decisively and turned to carry out the order.

The Fourth Battalion has a total of more than 400 soldiers, and is equipped with 620 sword and shield soldiers, with a total of more than a thousand people in the battalion.

Guarding both sides, one on the left and one on the right, in this open area, the Frankies in the camp could hardly escape.

Behind the camp was a hilly plateau of seventy or eighty meters high, which was difficult to climb on both sides. The only road was behind the camp, within the range of musket fire.

Major General Huangshan had already observed that there was a small camp on the high ground, which should be an artillery position, with several black gun ports opened on the wooden fence.

However, these 6-pound field guns could not threaten the main force of the Chu army located on the river bank.

Waited about another hour

The vanguard of the fifth battalion came up with baggage. Four soldiers were grunting and panting as they carried a barrel of gunpowder. Looking around, they saw that nearly 4 barrels of gunpowder had been carried up.

Many soldiers were covered in mud and grass, obviously having fallen many times in the jungle.

But all this hard work is worth it, as it saves the attacking army a lot of lives.

Major General Huang Shan raised his lips slightly, and said to the artillery captain Zheng Jiaben in a friendly manner, "Brother Jiaben, I want you to smash this tortoise shell with your artillery. Can you do it?"

The artillery captain, Zheng Jiaben, saluted without hesitation and replied, "Please rest assured, sir. I will resolutely carry out your orders and smash this tortoise shell to pieces."

"Hahaha...Okay, we should be so bold and carry out the order."

"As you command, sir."

In the camp

Upon learning that the Eastern army was surrounding them, Colonel Fabian and several officers with him had already gone up to the camp patrol road, pointing and commenting.

"These foolish Orientals thought they could take over Cagayan just because they had more people. I can only say that they are extremely wrong." Colonel Fabian patted the log beside him with confidence and said with a confident smile;
"This traditional Spanish wooden fortress has helped us win countless victories, leaving the natives with broken heads and blood, and their bodies piled up like a mountain.

In Central and South America, in North Africa, and here as well, we will continue to repeat this tedious process.

Tell the soldiers that there is no need for mercy, just harvest the lives of these Orientals like hunting turkeys.

They are all pagans. This is a gift to God. May God's holy light purify them and send them all to hell."

"I am happy to follow your orders, Your Excellency." Lieutenant Olmo Perez regained some confidence.

Colonel Fabian was right. This camp, which cost a lot of indigenous people to build, was very solid and could bring a high sense of security.

Muskets could not penetrate thigh-thick logs, and standing on the high patrol road, the soldiers could leisurely hunt Orientals, so many officers laughed.

Said complimentingly;
"Your Excellency, this will be a one-sided massacre, and we are happy to do it."

"May God have mercy on these pagans. Death will be the best purification. Under your leadership, we will repeat this tedious and boring hunt."

"Oh, well, these little lambs that just came to my door are really getting me excited. Oh... God, what is that?"

After a scream

The faces of several Spanish officers standing on the patrol road suddenly changed, their lips trembled and they couldn't speak. They were almost scared to death.

Among the densely packed Chinese army on the riverbank, six field guns were suddenly rolled out, with their black muzzles pointing directly towards the Spanish camp, and some artillerymen were adjusting their gun positions.

Colonel Fabian's face turned pale. He raised the monocular telescope with some trembling and carefully observed the six enemy artillery pieces more than a thousand meters away. His body and mind suddenly felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

"It could be a 10-pound field gun. Good God! Can someone tell me how they got a gun?"

"No... I guess it's a 12-pounder. I'm pretty sure it's an American M1857 12-pounder. We're screwed."

"A damn American?"

"Oh my God! It turns out that the Americans are helping them, but how can we pass on this important information?"

"There is no chance." Lieutenant Olmo Perez's eyes were filled with despair. His arrogant words just now seemed so ridiculous now.

The turkey that was hunted was actually himself.

He knew it clearly;

The 12-pound field gun was not powerful enough to deal with the solid stone fortress, but it had little difficulty dealing with these wooden palisades.

(End of this chapter)