Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 175: Cracking the Turtle Shell

The ship's 32-pound guns are not light. Each gun without the gun mount weighs more than 820 kilograms, which is very heavy.

It took more than three hours
It was not until after 9 o'clock in the evening that hundreds of people unloaded the four cannons and pushed them all the way towards the city.

At around ten o'clock at night
These four heavy artillery pieces were finally placed in the attack position. The officers and soldiers were extremely tired after a day of hard work. In addition, it was dark and visibility was extremely poor.

Major General Huangshan ordered the sword and shield troops to take turns on duty, and the musketeer troops entered the houses within the cordon to rest, recover their strength, and prepare for tomorrow's battle.

"Report to the commander, the casualty statistics are out."

"Read!"

"As of 2122 p.m., our troops had killed 957 enemies, including 1165 whites and local indigenous people.

Our army suffered 626 casualties, of whom 215 were killed and 411 wounded. 189 were among the Musketeers, and the rest were among the Sword and Shield.

"Ok!"

Major General Huang Shan frowned and said "hmm". The reporting officer quietly withdrew without saying anything more.

The entire army lost 626 men, and there were still combat-capable soldiers. Today's bloody urban battle and the Spanish's crazy counterattack put a lot of pressure on Major General Huangshan, and he no longer had any contempt for them.

The main force of the Spanish resistance was the white militia. The total number of Spaniards stationed in Visayas Fortress, Morata Fortress and St. Mary's Cathedral was about a thousand.

In addition, there were two or three thousand Spanish elderly, weak, women and children in the latter two places, all hiding there, trying to escape the war.

In most of the city occupied by the Chu army, the Spaniards, regardless of age, gender or children, were wiped out, leaving only less than a hundred prisoners.

Major General Huangshan could understand the soldiers' enthusiasm, after all, money can move people's hearts.

He also had no intention of tightening discipline and emphasized the prohibition of killing innocent people. Doing such things would make people hate him, and the Chu army did not treat prisoners preferentially.

Most of the Spaniards, including women, children, the elderly and the young, who died in the war were killed by officers and soldiers who were greedy and killed them at will.

Forget it, just kill him.

Major General Huangshan dared to do this because he was certain that Marshal Zheng Guohui would never punish him for it.

As for the rewards for officers and soldiers, that was even a piece of cake.

As long as the Cebu and Luzon Islands were occupied, there would be millions of indigenous convicts and women, as well as white captives, all of which would be worth a lot of money.

Even if one indigenous woman is worth at least 20 taels of silver, how much silver are 100 million indigenous women worth?
Soldiers can choose indigenous women, fields and houses as rewards, all of which are converted into extremely favorable prices. The rewards are based on military merits, so why do they need to pay actual silver?

After following the Marshal for several years, Major General Huangshan has finally understood everything.

The Marshal's Mansion has made a very careful calculation. I have to admire it very much.

For example, if we take over the Luzon Islands and Cebu Islands, we can support at least another two million immigrants. If we calculate based on 3 immigrants per month, we will have no worries for the next six to seven years.

These 200 million Chinese immigrants came to the Luzon Islands, and each person had to pay 99 taels of silver for the ship fare. In addition, they had to buy indigenous women, grain seeds, cattle, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, livestock, farm tools, and bottles and jars on credit, which meant they owed the Marshal a large sum of money.

I dare not say more, but I will have to work hard on the farm for the next six or seven years to repay the money I owe to the Marshal.

How much silver does this cost?

If you calculate it roughly, it would be hundreds of millions of taels of silver, a terrifying amount of wealth. I can't count it, I can't count it...

Everything is afraid of comparison, and the gap will appear once there is comparison.

After the British and French powers opened up Chinatown with guns, they have been sending large numbers of Chinese immigrants to the Straits Settlements and Indochina to develop colonial plantations and local land and minerals.

These Chinese immigrants were called "contract laborers" and had to work hard for ten years in tropical and wild places like Southeast Asia before they could get their indentures back.

This is still the most ideal situation. If you encounter those unreasonable white plantation owners, you will work until you die or vomit blood, but you will never see the indenture.

These contract workers had no wages and could not get enough food to eat in the plantations in Southeast Asia. Many of them died of starvation and exhaustion, accounting for almost 60 to 70 percent.

Can’t the imperial court see the fact of such suffering? Can’t the people see the fact of such suffering?
the answer is negative.

It was precisely because of the comparison that all the Chinese immigrants going to Southeast Asia were happy. No one thought that the fare of 99 taels of silver was too high. Instead, they were sincerely grateful to the Marshal for giving the people a good life with hope.

He provided women and fields, and also supported the sale of seeds, cattle, horses, and farm tools on credit, so that everyone could have enough food to eat and settle down in Southeast Asia.

Such kindness is like the grace of rebirth.

This is also the real reason why the Marshal is widely loved by Chinese immigrants. Compared with the suffering of "contract laborers", these Chinese immigrants are like soaking in a jar of honey.

What's wrong with working harder on the farm?
Chinese farmers have always been hardworking and never hesitate to put in any effort. All they want is to have enough food to eat, to marry a woman and have children, and to live a good life with a bright future.

The Marshal has given us all this, what else can we expect?
"Reporting to the General, unusual movements have been detected at the St. Mary's Church ahead. Please give us instructions."

"Prepare plenty of torches for illumination, order muskets and pistols to be loaded, and maintain strict vigilance. If you see any unusual movement, fire a volley to scare the enemy."

"As you command, General."

The officer hurried forward to convey the order, and this little episode just now interrupted Major General Huangshan's confused thoughts.

He smiled and shook his head, muttering;
"I'm just meddling in other people's business. Just make sure the Marshal's decisions are carried out. As for the affairs of the higher-ups, how can a soldier like me, a simple soldier with only food to eat, understand them?"

He then hurriedly ate some dry biscuits and meat, picked up his command knife and went out.

This night

All officers have to take turns on duty to prevent any unexpected events, and Major General Huangshan also has to inspect the occupied area before he can feel at ease.

Standing in the deep night
Major General Huang Shan looked at the tall dark shadow of St. Mary's Cathedral not far away. From inside came the crying of Spanish women, the noisy sounds of children and the irritable shouting of men, as if it were the end of the world.

He stood there silently for more than 10 minutes, watching as if he were creating a masterpiece.

These generals who followed Marshal Zheng Guohui in his battles across the north and south had witnessed too much death and killing, and their hearts had long since become cold and hard, rarely showing a trace of softness.

After standing for a while

Major General Huang Shan walked to the side of the cannon that had been transported overnight, gently stroked the thick gun body with his hand, his eyes flashing with deep affection.

This big guy really suits his taste.

The four 32-pound cannons set up in the streets required more than a dozen carts of shells and eight large barrels of gunpowder, each weighing 150 pounds.

This big guy consumes 2.5 pounds of black powder for each shot, and a whole barrel of gunpowder is only enough for 15 rounds of salvos.

The heavy artillery fired shells weighing 25.6 pounds, most of which were solid bullets, used to break through the solid cathedral walls and open a gap for attack.

The Cathedral of Santa Maria is built with large rocks 55 centimeters thick, and even the walls are made of the same material. It can withstand the frontal bombardment of 12-pound field artillery and remain standing.

The Franks held their ground with muskets, and a large number of casualties among the sword and shield soldiers came from this.

When it comes to holding a strategic position, these Franks are quite good at it.

I hope... before the Marshal leads the Northern Expedition Fleet to arrive tomorrow morning, we can capture the Cathedral of Santa Maria as scheduled, as a presentable gift of military achievement.

At that time, you can declare;

"Most of Cebu City has been captured by our army, completely securing victory. Over 90% of the Franks have been eliminated and captured. Only a few remnants remain, and we have not much time left!"

According to accurate information, Major General Huang Shan estimated that even 32-pound heavy artillery could not penetrate Fort Visayas and Fort Morata. The defense of these two fortresses was really abnormal.

plan for today
We can only surround them first and then think of a good strategy. There is no good solution for the time being.

At this moment

Suddenly, a volley of crisp gunfire was heard in the night sky, followed by a second round, and then high and low screams, commotion and curses, piercing the quiet night sky.

It was obvious that the white man's sneak attack was thwarted and he suffered a great loss.

Major General Huangshan could hear the crisp sound of volleys coming from the American-made muskets equipped by his side.

Because American rifled muskets use advanced Minié bullets, the bullets are well sealed when fired, the explosion of gunpowder propels the bullets to a high initial velocity, a long range, and a crisp and loud sound.

The Spanish old-fashioned flintlock rifles used round iron bullets with poor sealing properties. When fired, they sounded like air leaks and the sound was different.

Just a few shots would cause the hot smoke to cover people's faces, and many people were burned.

Nothing in the night

At dawn the next day
Teams of cooks came with their loads, bringing up steaming hot broth and dry biscuits. The officers and soldiers who had just woken up ate with relish and filled their bellies.

Young people have strong recovery abilities. After a good sleep and a full meal, they will soon be fully recovered.

Today, the "Yi" Regiment will be the main attacking force, while the officers and soldiers of the "Xin" Regiment will be responsible for guarding the surrounding areas and clearing out the remaining enemies house by house.

Major General Huangshan has ordered
Anyone who refuses to leave will be killed without mercy!

The entire city of Cebu has a population of more than 4.7, making it the second largest city after Manila. It has many descendants of Spanish colonists and a variety of stone Spanish-style buildings.

The streets are crisscrossed, many of them are paved with cobblestones.

This is also the city that Major General Huangshan has found most appealing so far, with its unique Nanyang style.

in this city
In addition to the six or seven thousand white descendants of Spain, there are also a large number of indigenous nobles, chiefs, Chinese immigrants, and some merchants from other European countries, but this group of people is not large.

Chinese immigrants account for about 12-15% of the city's total population. During the military operation of the Chu army to occupy the city, many Chinese immigrants took the initiative to act as guides and played an important role.

It was just getting light and the first rays of morning light appeared on the horizon.

The fully armed soldiers of the Great Chu have already lined up, and the gunners from the warships have removed the gun covers, revealing the dark and terrifying thick gun barrels.

"Okay, it's time to wake these foreigners up and start the shelling." Major General Huang Shan was somewhat influenced by some American officers and spoke less rigorously.

"As you command, sir."

The gunners had already adjusted their muzzles and, at a distance of more than 350 yards, aimed at the solid stone walls of Santa Maria Cathedral and lit the cannon fuses.

"Boom boom..."

After two heart-shaking muffled thuds, thick smoke rose up, and a 25.6-pound solid bullet slammed heavily with enormous force onto the solid stone wall of the Cathedral of Santa Maria not far away.

Accompanied by the sound of "crackling", two heavy artillery shells smashed the solid stone wall, leaving spider-web-like white cracks at the impact points, and stones as big as bowls fell down.

The morning breeze blew, and a cloud of white smoke appeared.

These two shells actually smashed the solid rock into powder. It can be seen that the force was so huge that it was astonishing!

Even so
It only blasted long cracks into the solid stone walls of Santa Maria Cathedral.

Okay, there is a way.

Major General Huang Shan put down the monocular in his hand, the joy in his eyes was hard to conceal, and he shouted loudly;

"Alright, alright, alright, keep bombarding me like this. Fire 20 volleys first. I don't believe I can't crack this tortoise shell. Keep bombarding it!"

"As you command, sir."

Then the rumble of artillery sounded, and every minute or two a round of fierce artillery fire was fired, like a sledgehammer hitting everyone's heart, and the cries and screams from the church became a confused mess.

After just over 10 rounds of artillery fire, the originally indestructible stone wall of the church finally collapsed with a loud crash, revealing a large gap about ten meters long, which raised a large cloud of smoke and dust.

Behind the gap, many foreign men and women with terrified expressions screamed, full of despair.

"Replace the bombardment shells and continue to fire relentlessly. Let these foreigners who dare to resist see what happens if they resist our Celestial Empire soldiers."

"As you command, sir."

"Boom boom boom boom..."

The next salvo of shells was different. These huge iron bullets shot in through the gap, rolling and jumping all the way, breaking doors and windows, breaking arms and legs, and rushing into the depths with burning fuses.

After four or five seconds, they exploded one after another.

The exploding shells shattered into hundreds or thousands of pieces, sweeping across like a bloody iron broom, bringing with them a bloody storm.

Wherever they passed, they swept down all the people and animals.

Dozens of exploding bombardment shells set off wave after wave of death rain in the backyard of Santa Maria Church, bringing deep fear and despair.

More than half an hour later
The order to attack was given, and the sword and shield soldiers, unable to contain themselves any longer, charged in with shouts, stepping on the blood and flesh scattered across the ground to clear out the enemy, or perhaps it was a one-sided massacre...

"General, you may go and greet the Marshal's fleet."

"Oh fine."

Major General Huangshan changed into a neat and clean military uniform, shaved his beard clean, and tidied his whole body before walking out of the house.

As they walked, they said, "Let's go! We must report this good news to the commander-in-chief as soon as possible to make him happy. We are not pushovers. We will take down all those Frankies and ghosts."

"General, you are right. I'd like to join in the fun and show myself in front of the Marshal." Lieutenant Colonel Zheng Jiahui, commander of the "Xin" Regiment of the Great Chu, agreed with a smile.

"Haha... your contribution is indispensable."

"It is all thanks to the General's recommendation. I am deeply grateful."

"Brother Jiahui, please stop being so polite to me. Can you write two characters 'Zheng' with one stroke?"

"Hey, distant relative, distant relative... I'm a relative of the Zheng clan from Rugao."

"It's the same for us. Let's help each other." Major General Huang Shan laughed and walked out with confidence.

(End of this chapter)