North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 104 A Verbal Exchange (5,000 words, please subscribe)

The 1,200 battle-hardened U.S. Army regulars consisted of an artillery battalion, two infantry battalions, and two cavalry companies.

Facing three hundred armed miners who had only been trained for a few months and had almost no real combat experience!
No matter how you look at it, this is definitely a match between two extremely mismatched opponents!

That night, both sides mobilized their troops, and a major battle was imminent!
The next day, early morning!
The sun had just risen into the sky, and the thin morning mist in the Sierra Nevada Mountains had not yet completely dissipated.

"Dong dong dong...!"

"Beep beep beep...!"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...!"

At the foot of the mountain, in the American military camp, came the deep beat of drums, the loud sound of bugles, and the melodious sound of Scottish Highland bagpipes!

Accompanied by the sounds of drums, bugles, and bagpipes, the entire military camp came alive!

Hundreds and thousands of infantry, cavalry and artillerymen emerged from their tents and lined up in neat rows in front of the camp, facing the direction of the giant elephant mountain!
Two battalions of infantry were lined up in front.

An artillery battalion was stationed there.

Finally, there were two cavalry companies. In such mountain warfare, their main responsibility was to protect the artillery battalion.

This is the most typical British battle formation!
America, which originated from Britain, perfectly inherited the British style.

"Dong dong dong...!"

Accompanied by the drumbeats, two battalions of eight hundred line infantrymen, carrying Springfield M1842 rifles on their shoulders, marched in neat, orderly lines and began to advance toward Giant Elephant Mountain.

Behind the artillery positions that had already been set up, Brigadier General George Phillips put down his monocular telescope.

Having clearly observed the movements on the mountain, Brigadier General George Phillips asked with some doubt, "Why can't we see any enemies on the mountain?"

The lieutenant colonel staff officer also put down his binoculars: "Could it be that they fled overnight?"

Just yesterday, the mining camp on the mountain was operating as usual. Everyone, including the lieutenant colonel, heard the rumbling explosions in the mine and saw the small train chugging along the makeshift railway on the mountainside.

So, at least yesterday, there were still people on the mountain.

Why is there no movement on the mountain today?

There wasn't even a single person in sight.

Only from the middle of the mountain down, large swathes of forest have been completely logged.

This didn't just happen in the last few days; it was something that Azu had arranged long ago to cut down all the trees from the middle of the mountain down to use as fuel for the steam engine.

Down the mountainside, two trenches, each several hundred meters long, were dug out!

At this time, two battalions of 800 line infantrymen had approached the foot of the mountain.

George Phillips raised his monoculars again to confirm that there was still no movement on the mountain.

Although he could not see any enemies, Brigadier General George Phillips did not believe that they had all escaped.

"Artillery battalion, give them a blast and blast those yellow-skinned rats out!"

"Yes Sir!"

"Boom boom boom...!"

Eighteen M1841 6-pound field guns and nine lightweight 8-inch mortars roared almost simultaneously!

Without seeing the enemy, the only targets these cannons could be for bombarding the advance of their own line infantry, thus paving the way for their own troops.

"Boom boom boom...!"

The shells exploded in front of the two battalions of line infantry, kicking up clouds of rocks and dust!

However, there was still no sign of the enemy on the mountain!

"What's going on with these yellow rats? Did they really escape? Did they just abandon this mining camp like that?"

Faced with this unprecedented battlefield situation, Brigadier General George Phillips was equally bewildered and somewhat at a loss.

Eight hundred infantrymen, arranged in three neat lines, stretched out a battle line two to three hundred meters long, and began to climb the mountain, advancing steadily upwards.

Without encountering any resistance, and under the watchful eye of Brigadier General George Phillips, they were already only two or three hundred meters away from the halfway point of the mountain!

With their target within reach, Brigadier General George and Lieutenant Colonel Walton both breathed a long sigh of relief almost simultaneously.

"General, the enemy must have fled overnight...!"

Lieutenant Colonel Wharton, the intelligence officer, didn't even finish his sentence.

Suddenly, a dense array of gun barrels appeared in the trench more than 200 meters in front of our own line infantry!
"Brothers, fight!"

After holding it in for half a day, Ah Zu suddenly burst out with a loud roar.

Ah Zu personally carried the thick, heavy gun barrel, while Ah Yan beside him carried the even heavier tripod gun stand.

Ah Zu skillfully assembled the gun barrel and gun rack together, while Ah Yan loaded the ammunition belt for him!
"Crack...!"

Azura loaded his gun!

"Hit me!"

Another roar erupted from his mouth!

"Da da da da...!"

Before he finished speaking, the water-cooled Maxim machine gun in his hand began to spew out extremely fierce flames!
At the same time, the HM49 rifles in the hands of more than two hundred miners also fired a dense barrage of shots, like popping beans!

In addition to the Maxim machine gun operated by Azu himself, there was another Maxim machine gun, which was firing fiercely under the control of Victoria.

"Da da da da...!"

A torrential downpour of bullets rained down on the line infantry two hundred meters away!

"Da da da da...!"

Under the barrage of machine gun and rifle bullets, eight hundred line infantrymen were massacred like wheat being harvested!

Yes, it was a one-sided massacre!

The sudden and fierce barrage of bullets was something even these battle-hardened line infantrymen had never experienced before!

Their courage, their experience, and their proudly orderly ranks seemed utterly laughable in the face of the Maxim machine gun!

In just the first wave of bullets, hundreds of line infantrymen fell in pools of blood!

"Fire, fire!"

The line infantry commander drew his sword, attempting to organize a counter-fire!

"Da da da da...!"

But what greeted him was a dense hail of bullets from two machine guns, which instantly turned him into a sieve!
"Bang bang bang...!"

Most of the first column of line infantry fell, and the second and third columns of several hundred line infantry hastily opened fire on the suddenly appearing enemy.

"Da da da da...!"

But the intense gunfire from the other side seemed endless, relentlessly reaping lives!
"Bang bang bang...!"

More than two hundred HM49 rifles were far more accurate, more lethal, and had a faster rate of fire than their Springfield M1842 smoothbore rifles!
Rows of line infantrymen were shot down and fell to the ground, lying in pools of blood!
In just one or two minutes, less than half of the 800 line infantrymen were still standing!
Brigadier General George Phillips, who witnessed this scene through his monoculars, was horrified!
"Artillery battalion, aim at the enemy trenches and fire!"

The general's order had barely been given when the thunderous roar of cannons could be heard.

"Boom boom boom...!"

But this wasn't the roar of our own cannons; it was the sound of cannons coming from the top of Mount Giant Elephant!
At that moment, the six 81mm mortars produced by Huamei Company's secret arsenal opened fire!
But the mortars were not aimed at line infantry, but at the artillery positions of the U.S. Army!

"Boom boom boom...!"

Six mortar shells exploded into six bursts of flame in the artillery position!
"Boom boom boom...!"

Compared to the field artillery and mortars of the U.S. Army, mortars have a much faster rate of fire!

The first salvo of shells had barely landed when the second salvo came right after!

"Boom boom boom...!"

Mortar shells overturned mortars and field guns, and the surrounding artillerymen were blown away!
Splattered blood, flying limbs and entrails, and steaming entrails covered the artillery position!

"Snapped……!"

Brigadier General George Phillips, who was not far behind the artillery position, also had warm blood splattered on his face!

But Brigadier General George Phillips seemed oblivious, raising his binoculars to look at the distant summit of Elephant Mountain.

"Artillery battalion, target the top of Elephant Mountain, the enemy's artillery position, blast it to smithereens!"

Brigadier General George Phillips gave the order without hesitation.

"General, our firing range is insufficient!"

The artillery battalion commander turned and roared. His face was covered in blood, it was hard to tell if it was his own or someone else's. "Not enough range? Do you think these miners' cannons can fire farther than the cannons of the American Army?"

"General, they have a commanding position and a significant advantage in terrain!"

"Boom boom boom...!"

As they were talking, another round of mortar shells landed on the artillery position, overturning two more cannons!
"General, you need to retreat, it's too dangerous here...!"

Lieutenant Colonel Walton pulled on the reins of the general's horse, intending to back up.

"Coward, get out of here!" Brigadier General George Phillips brandished his riding crop and lashed Lieutenant Colonel Walton across the face.

The brigadier general continued to order: "Artillery battalion, fire on the enemy trenches to cover our infantry's retreat!"

"Eighth Cavalry Company, find a way to bypass the enemy's trenches, charge up the hill, and take the enemy's artillery position!"

"Yes Sir!"

Upon receiving the order, the cavalry company commander led about a hundred cavalrymen in a rapid maneuver to the right front, preparing to bypass the enemy's defenses and attack the artillery positions on the mountaintop.

In the short time it took Brigadier General George Phillips to give the order, two more volleys of mortar shells landed on the artillery positions.

The dense barrage of shells pinned down the entire artillery battalion, making it impossible for them to raise their heads and organize a counterattack.

At this point, the line infantry, unable to withstand the dense barrage of bullets, had already retreated in a rout.

Behind these fleeing soldiers, a continuous hail of bullets never ceased, relentlessly mowing down wave after wave of line infantry.

"They really only have three hundred armed miners? How could they possibly have such powerful firepower!"

Even a seasoned general like Brigadier General George Phillips could hardly believe what was happening on the battlefield today!
Whether it's bullets or shells from the other side, whether it's the density of firepower or the amount of damage, it's simply unimaginably powerful!

Lieutenant Colonel Walton, who had been whipped by the general, covered his swollen face and replied, "General, I suspect they possess unknown advanced weapons! Listen to the gunfire from the other side; the density and continuity of that firepower are definitely beyond the capabilities of any known firearms!"

Brigadier General George Phillips listened to the continuous gunfire from the mountain, his expression growing even colder: "That's right! The gunfire has almost never stopped. Damn Huamei Industrial Company, damn the Chinese, they must have secretly produced weapons capable of continuous fire!"

"General, I think it's not just about being able to fire continuously...!"

"Lieutenant Colonel Wharton, what do you mean?"

Lieutenant Colonel Walton pointed at the retreating infantry: "General, you see, our retreating infantry are already four or five hundred yards away from the opposite trench, but their guns can still inflict effective casualties on us!"

"This means that the range of their firearms far exceeds that of ours!"

Watching his retreating infantry being slaughtered like wheat being harvested, Brigadier General George Phillips felt his heart bleeding!

"Boom boom boom...!"

The relentless barrage of mortar shells bombarded Brigadier General George's artillery positions, leaving them riddled with holes. A significant portion of the field guns and mortars had already been destroyed.

Under such firepower, even if the remaining artillery could manage to fire a shot from a moment's delay, it would be utterly ineffective in providing cover for the retreating infantry!
"General, what should we do? If this continues, our artillery battalion and infantry will only be slaughtered on one side...!"

"retreat……!"

Brigadier General George Phillips decisively ordered: "The 9th Cavalry Company will cover the rear and advance the infantry and artillery!"

"If the 8th Cavalry Company can destroy the enemy's artillery positions, this battle can still be fought; otherwise...!"

At this point, George Phillips felt a surge of anger rising in his chest, and with a "pfft!" he spat out a mouthful of blood.

In his decades-long military career, Brigadier General George Phillips had never fought such a humiliating battle!

Whether it was infantry tactics or artillery tactics, they were completely and unilaterally crushed!
"General!"

Lieutenant Colonel Walton exclaimed in surprise, reached out and steadied the swaying general on his horse, then grabbed the reins of the general's mount and hastily retreated.

In Azu's view, the order to cease fire was given only after the opposing infantry had retreated seven or eight hundred meters away.

The U.S. Army, retreating in disarray, left behind only corpses and wounded soldiers groaning in agony in front of the Huamei Company's position!

Seeing the seemingly invincible American army, which was several times larger than themselves, being so easily defeated, a series of cheers suddenly erupted from the trenches where the smoke of battle had not yet dissipated!

"Long live! Long live the boss!"

"Long live! Long live the BOSS!"

"Long live! Long live Azu!"

"Long live! Long live Magnificent!"

Everyone jumped out of the trenches with great excitement, throwing their hats high into the air!

Victoria put down her machine gun and rushed to Azu's side.

"Bo-er...!"

Equally excited, Victoria left a perfect lip print on Azu's face with her bright red lips!

"What are you doing?"

Ah Zu covered his face, looking at Victoria with surprise at her inexplicable excitement.

"Hi, BOSS! This is to thank you, I've never felt so good today!"

"Cool……?"

Azu looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah! Controlling the machine gun you invented to kill people like crazy, I think there's nothing more exhilarating than that!"

Ah Zu stared at her: "How could she be a born killer?"

Victoria, her adrenaline surging, seemed not to hear: "Boss, I can't wait to do something even more innocent with you!"

"Waaaaah...!"
Victoria, without any hesitation, kissed Ah Zu on the lips.

Ah Zu felt as if his mouth had been pried open with a nimble clove.

Then……!
"Oh... ho ho ho...!"

More than two hundred miners, witnessing this scene, burst into laughter that echoed through the sky.

"Ugh...!"

He was so tightly bound by this crazy girl that he couldn't push her away for a while!
After a heated argument, he finally managed to push her away. Ah Zu wiped his slightly swollen lips with the back of his hand: "Victoria, you're absolutely insane!"

"Boss, you commanded 300 miners and easily defeated 1,200 American soldiers. I think there's no one more insane than you!"

Victoria's pretty face flushed red, and she licked her bright red lips gently with her small, fragrant tongue, still wanting more: "Boss, I'm crazy, but you're even crazier than me! I only like men who are crazier than me!"

"I'll deal with you later!" Azu glared at her fiercely.

Following this, Azu ordered the battlefield to be cleaned up and the wounded and supplies to be collected.

He didn't seem worried at all about the cavalry company that had taken a detour.

On the circular artillery position atop the mountain, Azu also deployed two more Maxim machine guns.

Sure enough, a moment later, a continuous barrage of gunfire and explosions rang out from the mountaintop, and soon after, the retreating cavalry company could be seen.

After a brief but intense battle, Azu led the miners to collect more than 300 enemy corpses and more than 100 seriously wounded.

Compared to that, our losses are negligible!

Fifteen people were killed and more than twenty were injured.

Just as they finished cleaning up the battlefield, an enemy rider arrived at the foot of the mountain carrying a white flag.

"Ayan, take some men to disarm him and bring him up here. Let's see what they're up to!"

"Okay, boss!"

Moments later, Lieutenant Colonel Walton, who had been completely disarmed, was brought before Azu.

“I am Lieutenant Colonel Payne Walton, a staff officer in the United States Army.”

Lieutenant Colonel Walton sized up the tall, thin Ah Zu in front of him and asked, "Are you Mr. Li Zunian, the owner of Huamei Industrial Company?"

“Lieutenant Colonel, you know me too?” Azu asked curiously.

Lieutenant Colonel Wharton replied, "Of course! Your name and image are etched in my mind."

"Heh!" Azu chuckled coldly. "Speak up, even though you are the U.S. Army, you have no right to attack a legitimate mining camp without cause!"

“Lieutenant Colonel, you should know that the entire area within a radius of several miles is the private property of Huamei Industrial Company. Your attack without any cause will result in me filing the strongest complaint with the U.S. Congress and the Department of the Army!”

Lieutenant Colonel Walton was stunned. He hadn't expected the villain to accuse him first, and he was bitten in the back!
"This...this...I think it's all a misunderstanding! We mistakenly thought that the people on Elephant Mountain were some kind of Native American tribe!"

"Heh, a misunderstanding?" Azu sneered.

"Yes! It's all a misunderstanding. Incorrect intelligence and outdated maps led to today's misunderstanding!"

(End of this chapter)