Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 457: Battle of Kali
At this time, the two armies were about 2.3 to 2.4 kilometers apart, facing each other. The artillery of the Colombian army suddenly opened fire. The rumbling sound of artillery broke through the calm sky, bringing a solemn atmosphere of war to this world.

Artillery shells of all sizes fell like raindrops, splashing clouds of smoke and dirt debris on the ground, but most of them missed the target and landed on the open space tens to hundreds of meters in front of the Chu army.

Obviously, these old artillery pieces did not have enough range.

Only a dozen or so shells bounced across the open space where the two armies were confronting each other, and slammed heavily into the strict ranks of the Chu army soldiers, breaking bones and tendons, splattering blood, and falling to the ground screaming.

The front-line soldiers of the Chu army were arranged in three horizontal rows. Every time a shell hit the row, it would kill or injure 2 to 3 Chu soldiers, and rarely missed.

A round of fierce artillery bombardment caused about 20 to 30 casualties among the Chu army.

After the Colombian army began shelling, Major General Dong Jiasheng, with a stern expression, did not hastily order a counterattack. Instead, he raised a monocular telescope and carefully observed the distribution and power of the Colombian military's artillery fire so that he could have a clear idea of ​​the situation.

Five or six minutes later

The Colombian artillery positions have launched two rounds of shelling, causing casualties among forty to fifty officers and soldiers.

Every time a gap appeared in the queue, the soldiers at the back would silently move forward and fill the gap with their bodies to keep the entire infantry queue in the front intact.

What makes the armies of the great powers superior to the armies of ordinary countries is that their soldiers have undergone rigorous training, are able to withstand heavy casualties and fight to the death, and have discipline and obedience ingrained in their bones.

There is a saying in the Chu army: "Whether you live or die is decided by God. Whether you live a life of wealth and glory or die a martyr is determined by fate and cannot be forced."

This strong sense of fatalism effectively alleviated the fear caused by casualties in the army, turning soldiers into numb war machines.

Major General Dong Jiasheng lowered his binoculars with a stern expression. He had a clear idea in mind, and he ordered word by word, "Order the artillery on both wings to fire! Each of them will engage the enemy artillery positions at hand. After 1 rounds of bombardment, be sure to destroy most of them and inflict heavy damage on the enemy."

"Yes, sir." The messenger officer saluted immediately, turned around and ran away, then jumped on the horse waiting behind the infantry column and galloped away.

After only three or four minutes, the Chu army's artillery positions erupted in a volley of roars. The rumbling sound of the artillery was deafening, and a dense rain of bullets was slammed towards the enemy artillery positions.

The 10-pound Parrot rifled field artillery uniformly equipped by the Chu expeditionary force had its range extended from 2400 meters to between 2850 and 2900 meters after it switched to nitroglycerin explosives, and the power of the explosion was greatly increased.

Unlike the old Spanish bronze cannons and French Napoleonic cannons equipped by the Colombian army, the ten-pound Parrot rifled cannons uniformly equipped by the Chu expeditionary artillery were known for their long range and high accuracy, and the overall level of artillery technology surpassed a level.

Under the skillful operation of the expeditionary artillery, the artillery fire became more intense and deadly.

The rumbling sound of cannons resounded through the sky, and the artillery of both sides began a cannon battle. The winner was decided after just a few dozen minutes.

The artillery shells fired by the Chu expeditionary force were dense and deadly, turning the Columbia artillery positions into a sea of ​​fire, with shrapnel whistling back and forth.

The flames and smoke produced by the explosion swept a large number of Colombian soldiers' broken limbs and arms and shattered artillery parts into the sky, and then they fell like rain. The scene was quite tragic and bloody.

In contrast, the Colombian artillery's counterattack was scattered and weak. Many of the old bronze cannons from the Spanish era had a range that could not reach the Chu army's artillery positions.

It was a random bombing and shooting, but it was all in vain.

Even if there is occasional artillery counterattack that hits the Chu army's artillery position, it is difficult to form a covering effect, as a single tree cannot make a forest.

In just forty to fifty minutes of artillery fire, most of the Colombian artillery positions were destroyed, and at least 70 artillery pieces were destroyed.

The Chu expeditionary force only lost 5 artillery pieces and 26 casualties, causing at least 470 casualties to the Colombian artillery, which was basically destroyed.

At this moment, the Chu expeditionary force was still pursuing relentlessly, staring closely at the Colombian artillery positions and launching round after round of fierce bombardment, pouring down artillery fire crazily.

The Colombian artillery positions had completely lost their ability to counterattack. The panicked artillerymen ignored the obstruction of the supervisory team and ran everywhere, wanting to get away from this place of death as soon as possible.

The Colombian artillery that was able to launch a counterattack was left with only seven or eight isolated guns, which were still stubbornly holding on.

Ten minutes later

In the subsequent 3 to 4 rounds of artillery fire, these Colombian artillerymen were completely suppressed and turned into a pile of body parts and artillery debris.

Such a result was like a blow to Lieutenant General Laid-Moreno-Montano, commander-in-chief of the Colombian Southern Army in Bili City. With a grim face, he ordered the infantry on both wings to attack, trying to overwhelm the enemy with superior forces and win the final victory in the war.

Unfortunately, the infantry attack was too late at this time.

More than 140 Parrot 10-pound field guns in the Chu artillery positions turned their guns and launched a fierce bombardment on the Colombian infantry on both wings that were pressing forward.

Every minute or two, a round of artillery fire would be fired, cutting hundreds of bloody alleys in the attacking Colombian infantry columns and causing as many as two to three hundred heavy casualties.

The closer the distance, the more accurate the shot.

The 10-pound Parrot artillery is said to be able to hit the door of a barn at a maximum range of 2800 meters. Such artillery accuracy is at the world's advanced level.

Facing the Colombian infantry arranged in an offensive infantry line, you can shoot accurately with your eyes closed.

The Colombian infantry also formed a line of three rows, with the front and back lines of infantry attacking, about a hundred meters apart, forming a wave-like attack formation.

After advancing more than a thousand meters, they had already suffered six to seven rounds of artillery fire, with casualties of about 1500 people.

For the more than 1.6 Colombian infantry on both wings, the casualty ratio was less than one-tenth, but it had already caused a huge commotion and a somewhat uncontrollable chaotic scene.

When each round of artillery fire came as expected, the attacking Columbia line infantry would instantly be thrown into chaos, some running backwards, some running forward, and some running around like headless flies.

With the desperate suppression of the supervision team in the rear, they were finally able to gather together.

But soon, another round of artillery fire rained down like raindrops, and the attacking team was scattered again, becoming even more chaotic. Such a scene made Major General Dong Jiasheng speechless.

He glanced around at the officers around him, sensing their intense excitement and eagerness. He then slowly nodded and ordered, "Attack with all your forces, focusing on breaking through the two flanks and encircling the enemy in the center. I demand complete annihilation and a resounding victory. Can you do it?"

"Yes, sir, we must annihilate the invading enemy and win a complete victory." The officers shouted in unison.

Then they turned around and left, mounted their horses and galloped away, returning to their respective troops to command.

Soon, the sound of military music was heard on the battlefield. The Chu army, which had been lined up in strict formation for more than three hours, now slowly pressed forward with murderous intent, and the formation was extremely strict.

From a distance

Arranged in rows, the soldiers from each battalion and regiment had clear formations and synchronized steps, pressing forward as a whole like a long, somewhat curved snake, giving the enemy a strong sense of oppression.

At this time, the Colombian army had already pressed forward on all fronts, with the two wings advancing and the central array lagging behind, forming three large groups of heavy troops scattered across the vast and gently hilly area.

After more than ten minutes, the distance between the two armies was shortened by half from 2.4 kilometers. The Colombian attacking army left behind a large number of broken corpses and wounded soldiers wailing in pain, and the bloodstains looked shocking.

After the Chu army also launched a large-scale attack, the atmosphere of war instantly became tense.

At this time, the Chu artillery was still madly pouring out firepower, with a very clear direction. No artillery was bombarding the Colombian army in the central column.

Instead, they continued to concentrate their artillery fire, madly ravaging and destroying the Colombian infantry on both wings, and continuously exerting increasing death pressure.

After three more bloody rounds of artillery fire, the Colombian left-wing infantry finally couldn't hold on any longer and their position was instantly blown away. Countless soldiers turned around and ran away crying, dropping their weapons and scattering across the mountains and plains.

The infantry on the left wing collapsed, which quickly led to the collapse of the infantry on the right wing as well.

At this time, the distance between the soldiers of both sides was close to more than 900 meters. The Colombian infantry on both wings ultimately failed to withstand the double pressure. This was the serious consequence of insufficient training.

While you are sick, I will kill you.

The Chu army quickly sounded the attack horn, and the Chu army, which was pressing on all fronts, began to change from advancing steadily to jogging with rifles in hand, quickly approaching the enemy.

At this time, the Chu artillery positions on both sides, which were madly unleashing their firepower, also turned their guns in time and bombarded the Colombian infantry in the central position with more than 140 artillery pieces, causing them round after round of serious casualties.

The main force of the Colombian regular army in the central position did not hold out for long. After several rounds of bloody artillery fire, they collapsed before they even got within 500 meters.

The Colombian soldiers who turned around and ran away could not be stopped. Some soldiers even shot and killed the supervisors and fled, just to leave this terrible place of death and stay as far away as possible from these terrible Eastern soldiers.

Standing on a high place with a panoramic view of the whole situation, Major General Dong Jiasheng couldn't help but smile. He knew that he was in a safe situation now. Wouldn't it be easy to give the fallen dog a beating?
He then ordered: "Order the cavalry to attack and drive the fleeing Colombian soldiers towards the Cali River. Make sure to annihilate the enemy completely."

"Yes, sir. Cavalry, follow me, and the entire army will attack." The cavalry officer led more than 700 cavalrymen and immediately rode away. The rumbling sound of horse hooves shook the hilly earth, bringing an irresistible sense of oppression of death.

These more than 700 cavalrymen came from the Viceroyalty of Patagonia and were trained by local armed militia. Each of them had skilled riding skills.

In the vast Viceroyalty of Patagonia, horse riding is a necessary skill for almost every Chinese immigrant, otherwise it would be difficult to move forward. Therefore, the area is also rich in cowboys and cavalry.

With the addition of such a cavalry force, tactics and methods of warfare become more flexible and varied.

More than 700 cavalrymen formed a long cavalry line, continuously driving the fleeing Colombian soldiers towards the Cali River. Those who tried to go against the flow were chopped to the ground and died.

The Chu State's line infantry, which were pressing forward in large numbers, stopped at the order of their superiors and fired round after round of neat volleys, washing away the fleeing soldiers with dense rain of bullets, forming large piles of corpses and bloodstained corpses scattered across the hilly area.

The Colombian soldiers who were busy escaping for their lives were unable to organize any resistance. They often faced the bullets with their backs and were shot to the ground one after another. Their deaths were without dignity and worthless.

Countless Colombian soldiers dropped their weapons and raised their hands in surrender.

They were then taken away from the battlefield and marched in groups to the banks of the Kali River, where they were executed in rows. Their bodies were pushed directly into the river and floated downstream.

After a day or two, the rushing river water will wash these corpses into the Pacific Ocean, where they will become food for fish in the sea, and there will be no trace left.

The occasional bursts of gunfire and bloody killings continued intermittently for several hours until around four o'clock in the afternoon, when the one-sided Battle of Kali came to an end.

At this time, the advance troops of the expeditionary force had completely occupied and controlled the city of Kali, successfully completing the phased combat mission.

According to the pre-planned operation
After winning the victory, the Dong Jiasheng Task Force of the Expeditionary Force will rest in this city for more than half a month, continuing its previous brutal and bloody suppression style and clearing out the surrounding villages and towns.

It will not be until sometime in early October that it will move northward towards Medellin.

The speed will not be fast, and we will strive to be stable and sweep the surrounding villages and towns first to avoid being surrounded by the enemy.

It is about 340 kilometers north from Cali to Medellin, the largest city in Colombia, and about 300 kilometers east to Bogota, the capital of Colombia. The distances are not too far.

There are wide roads along the way, although the road conditions are poor and the bumpy dirt roads are a headache. The expeditionary force has already taken this into consideration.

A troop has been dispatched to escort more than 3000 convicts and to repair and level the roads along the way for the army to use in its march north.

This was actually a bait. Behind the road construction army, Dong Jiasheng's task force sent out a mobile force consisting of 200 cavalrymen and more than a thousand infantrymen, which was less than 2 kilometers away.

If any Colombian army tried to attack and rescue the road construction team, they would inevitably be pursued by the mobile forces. How could two feet outrun four hooves?
Once the cavalry holds them back, the mobile Chu army that follows will encircle them and deal a fatal blow to the enemy. This is a trap.

The Chu army had many strategies for fighting. How could these South Americans have ever seen such a battle?
If you are not careful, you will fall into the deep pit and be swallowed up without leaving even a trace of skin and bones, leaving only unforgettable memories of fear.

(End of this chapter)