North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 220 Bolívar's Great Sword
"General, the two California armies have completely surrounded Gamboa Mountain...!"

Upon hearing this devastating news, Brigadier General Garcia felt as if the world was spinning again.

Fortunately, she managed to stay upright and didn't faint again.

"General, what should we do now?"

"Should we...should we abandon Gamboashan and break out?"

"Breakout...?" Brigadier General Garcia rubbed his throbbing temples hard with both hands. "How many troops do we have left?"

"Report, General, we still have the remnants of the 135th, 136th, and 137th Regiments, plus the remnants of the division's directly subordinate units, as well as the remnants of the 7th Brigade and the Artillery Regiment, totaling... less than five thousand troops...!"

"Heh, less than five thousand...!" Brigadier General Garcia let out a bitter laugh.

After some hesitation, the staff officer continued his report: "This force of less than five thousand men, many of whom are wounded, and... moreover, our ammunition is also severely depleted!"

Brigadier General Garcia's face grew even more ashen: "A few days ago, my troops numbered as many as 18,000!"

"After several days, less than five thousand men remain... How can we continue this battle?"

Brigadier General Garcia's gaze swept across the faces of his staff officers one by one.

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Brigadier General Garcia already knew the answer in his heart.

"With so few troops remaining, plus a large number of wounded and severely depleted ammunition... surrender!!"

Brigadier General Garcia closed his eyes in anguish: "For the Republic, we have done our utmost!"

"In this desperate situation of being surrounded, I must be responsible for five thousand lives!"

"So... surrender...!"

……

Fifteen minutes later, a huge white flag was raised atop Mount Gamboa.

Meanwhile, white flags of all sizes were being raised one after another on various fronts in the Republic of New Grenada.

……

More than two hours later, thousands of New Grenada Republic Army soldiers, who had completely laid down their weapons and become prisoners of war, lined up in a long queue in the town of Gamboa.

Here, Brigadier General Garcia presented his ornately decorated sword to Feng Zicai with both hands.

“Commander, this sword was once a precious gift from Simón Bolívar, the liberator of the Americas, to my father!”

"This sword was once Bolívar's personal sword, and it accompanied my father and me in battles across the country, witnessing countless victories!"

Brigadier General Garcia said with immense sorrow, "Commander, this sword is now yours!"

Feng Zicai remained calm and took the sword that had once belonged to Bolivar with both hands. With a clang, he drew the gleaming blade.

"What a fine sword!!"

Feng Zicai returned his sword to its sheath: "Brigadier General Garcia, you and your soldiers are all brave and skilled warriors!"

"Rest assured, after you surrender, as long as you cooperate fully and abide by the rules for prisoners of war, you will receive ample respect and preferential treatment here!"

"Heh!" Brigadier General Garcia laughed bitterly, "I just hope my soldiers can receive fair treatment!"

"As you wish...!"

Feng Zicai waved his hand, and immediately a squad of soldiers escorted the prisoners of war away.

……

Soon after, Shi Dakai also led his troops to Gamboa, where the two brigades of the California National Guard achieved a victorious rendezvous.

"Dakai, you and your Second Brigade have done a great job in this battle!"

Feng Zicai patted Shi Dakai heavily on the shoulder: "The greatest credit for this battle belongs to your Second Brigade!"

Shi Dakai laughed and said, "Brother Feng, if it weren't for your First Brigade holding the line and drawing away the enemy's main force, how could our Second Brigade have managed to outflank them?"

"Haha!" Feng Zicai laughed heartily, "No matter what, the brigade that annihilated the most enemy troops was still your Second Brigade! I heard that you also took down a cavalry brigade that came from Cologne Port?"

“Yes!” Shi Dakai said with a hint of pride, “These foreign devils fight straightforwardly and don’t care about strategy at all. As long as you use a little trick, they will definitely fall for it.”

"Hahaha!" Feng Zicai laughed loudly, "How can these foreign devils compare to the strategies and tactics of our ancestors when it comes to fighting?"

Shi Dakai rubbed his hands and said, "Brother Feng, so how should we fight next? Should we head straight for the port of Cologne and, together with the American army, launch a pincer attack on Cologne?"

"No rush, let's rest for a couple of days and let them fight first!" Feng Zicai said, "Dakai, what are the casualties of your Second Brigade?"

Shi Dakai replied, "Since landing in Panama, we have suffered more than 1,800 casualties, including more than 800 killed in action, more than 1,000 seriously wounded, and countless others slightly wounded."

Feng Zicai nodded heavily: "My Second Brigade also suffered more than a thousand casualties. Together, our casualties have exceeded three thousand."

"For our total force of 15,000, the casualties exceeded 20%, which is quite a lot."

"First, send the dead and seriously wounded back to Panama Port, and then send them back to California by transport ship as soon as possible." "We can rest for a while and then advance towards Colon Port."
-
On the same day, in the port of Colón, thirty or forty kilometers away, the fighting was raging.

The United States mainland fleet, though numerous in number and with even more naval guns, does not possess the same firepower and range as the California Coast Guard's naval guns.

With a range of only two to three thousand yards and solid ammunition, the support for the landing forces in the urban warfare that unfolded in the port of Colón was quite limited.

With 50,000 troops on each side and the New Grenada army holding the advantage of terrain, the battle was extremely fierce and bloody.

The small port of Colón became a meat grinder for both sides in the war.

In just a few days, the casualties on both sides in the port of Colon reached more than seven or eight thousand.

On the flagship of the Home Fleet, the sailing frigate USS Constitution, Major General Harold Ritchie and Rear Admiral Paparo King, along with a group of high-ranking staff officers, were on the command platform, closely monitoring the battle situation through binoculars.

"Paparo, I never imagined that the tiny Republic of New Grenada would have such a resolute will to resist...!"

Major General Harold Ritchie, the army commander in this war, said in a deep voice: "Cologne has been reduced to ruins. After suffering such heavy casualties, the New Grenada Army is still fighting to the death!"

"To take this crucial port city as quickly as possible, who knows how many more lives will have to be sacrificed!"

Rear Admiral Paparo King, seeing the ubiquitous flames of war in the port city of Cologne, couldn't help but nod emphatically: "We have already suffered such heavy casualties. This war cannot continue like this!"

As he spoke, Rear Admiral Paparo King turned to the group of senior staff officers and asked, "How are the troops in California making progress on the other side of the Isthmus of Panama?"

"Report, General, the California troops have captured Panama City and are currently attacking Gamboashan!"

"If the California forces can capture Gamboa Mountain in one fell swoop, they will be able to encircle the port of Colón from both the front and the rear."

"At that point, even if the New Grenada army doesn't want to retreat, they will have to."

“Hmm…!” General Paparo King nodded. “That’s true! But… not only do we know this, but the other side also understands the importance of Gamboashan.”

"Moreover, we all know that Gamboashan is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the terrain is extremely unfavorable to the attackers."

"Taking Gambo and Asan in one fell swoop is not that easy!"

……

As they were talking, a small boat appeared and quickly approached from the sea.

A moment later, an intelligence officer disembarked from a small boat and rushed into the command tower of the USS Constitution.

"Report, General... We just received a battle report: the California troops have just captured Gamboashan!"

"What……?"

General Paparo King and General Harold Richie asked almost simultaneously, utterly shocked, "What did you say? Say it again!"

"General, the California troops have just captured Gamboa Mountain. The New Grenada garrison suffered over 12,000 casualties and captured nearly 5,000. Only fewer than 1,000 enemy soldiers escaped into the jungle..."

"What......?"

General Paparo King snatched the battle report and checked it as quickly as possible.

After reading the battle report, General Paparo King's hands trembled slightly.

"I never would have guessed...!"

General Harold Rich took the battle report from Paparo King and quickly glanced through it.

"I never imagined that not only is the California Coast Guard so powerful, but the California Army is also so formidable!"

"In just a few days, they annihilated the New Grenada garrison...!"

“That’s not right…!” General Harold Richie couldn’t help but question, “Isn’t the garrison in Panama only around 15,000?”

"The numbers on this battle report have exceeded 18,000... What's going on?"

The intelligence officer quickly reported: "According to intelligence, the New Grenada Army's 5th Independent Brigade, stationed at Colón Port, was ambushed by California troops on its way to reinforce Gamboa Mountain, and was almost completely wiped out...!"

"What......?"

Generals Harold Rich and Paparo King, along with a group of high-ranking staff officers, widened their eyes almost simultaneously.

Such a record is simply astonishing!
Up to 50,000 U.S. Army troops are still bogged down in the quagmire of the port of Colón.

Meanwhile, the California troops on the other side achieved such brilliant results one after another!

It's simply unbelievable!
Compared to Major General Harold Rich, Paparo King had some knowledge of the California military's strengths.

General Paparo King, realizing what was happening, quickly pressed on, "So, does that mean the California troops have cleared all obstacles from Gamboa Hill to Colón Port and can now attack us from both sides to encircle and annihilate the New Grenada garrison?"

The intelligence officer nodded emphatically: "Yes, General!"

"Then what are we waiting for...!" Major General Harold Richie exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands. "Then quickly relay my orders to the California troops to launch a pincer attack on the Cologne port garrison as soon as possible...!"

(End of this chapter)