North America 1849, from Gold Rush to Warlord

Chapter 77 The Dawn Attack

"When are those scumbags going to make their move?"

The man saluted Major Daniel and replied, "The operation will begin tomorrow night at 11 p.m.! Starting today, those bandits will gradually disperse and infiltrate the city."

“Very good!” Daniel Cameron asked, “Have all our people been infiltrated?”

"Yes, as ordered by the major, our men will be responsible for clearing the main targets! But...!"

The visitor's hesitant manner made Daniel Cameron raise an eyebrow: "What happened?"

"Major, there are many Native Americans around here. Those gangs have been harassed and attacked by the Native Americans, and some have been injured or gone missing."

"Indians?" Major Daniel's tense face relaxed slightly. "Their spears and arrows pose no threat whatsoever! Proceed to San Francisco as planned!"

Led by Major Daniel Cameron, this elite cavalry force continued to approach San Francisco, which was dozens of miles away.

No one expected that the Rangers' temporary camp would also be attacked by Native Americans in the early hours of the next day!
In the darkness, countless Native Americans surrounded the camp from all directions, firing several rounds of gunfire and throwing countless explosives into the camp.

"Boom, boom, boom...!"

Countless fireballs exploded one after another in the Ranger camp.

Gunshots, explosions, wails, screams, cries for help, neighing of warhorses... countless sounds mingled together, turning the vast Ranger camp into utter chaos.

But this Rangers were indeed an elite force. After the initial panic, Major Daniel remained calm and quickly organized an effective counterattack.

The attacking Native Americans were quickly repelled after several rounds of explosives were thrown.

Moreover, it seems that the Indians' main target was not these soldiers!

Moments later, the smoke of battle finally began to dissipate from the Ranger camp.

Just then, the first rays of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon.

Major Daniel Cameron, bathed in the morning light, had a terribly grim face!
This sudden attack did not cause much damage to his soldiers; only a few sentries and unfortunate men were killed or wounded.

However, they lost the vast majority of their warhorses!

Daniel Cameron looked down at the countless horse carcasses lying in front of him, and the hundred or so warhorses that had been injured by the explosion and were lying on the ground neighing in pain. His heart was bleeding!

Of the entire Ranger battalion, which had several hundred warhorses, only a mere twenty or thirty remain standing unharmed!
These warhorses included crossbreeds of European Thoroughbreds and Native American horses, as well as fine warhorses from Andalusia, Spain. Each one was the lifeblood of the cavalry!
Without these warhorses, the entire Ranger Battalion was like a battalion with its legs cut off, its combat effectiveness reduced by more than half.

Because of the importance attached to these warhorses, when we set up camp last night, we concentrated them near the water source and arranged for someone to take care of and guard them.

Unexpectedly, those damned Native Americans seized the opportunity and killed or wounded the vast majority of the warhorses!

What I never expected was that those damned Native Americans actually had a large number of powerful explosives and turned into real grenadiers!

This has never happened before!
Because it had never happened before, Daniel Cameron kept his warhorses under centralized management so that even if they were attacked by Native Americans with only primitive weapons, the damage would not be too great.

Where did those damned Indians get their explosives from?
Even Daniel Cameron's own black Andalusian warhorse lay in a pool of blood, its belly blown open, its still-warm internal organs mixed with blood flowing all over the ground!
His most beloved warhorse, which had been with him for several years, was still alive, lying on the ground, struggling and twitching weakly with its limbs limp!
Major Daniel crouched down and stroked the head of his beloved warhorse. In the wide, dark eyes of his companion, Daniel Cameron saw extreme pain!

Major Daniel slowly pulled out his Colt revolver and aimed it at his partner's head.

"boom……!"

Daniel ended his partner's suffering!
"Bang, bang, bang...!"

Like the major, the rangers also ended the suffering of their injured warhorses.

The warhorse's agonizing neighing finally subsided completely! At this moment, Daniel Cameron's heart was bleeding; he closed his eyes in anguish and remained silent for a long time, gazing at the sky.

"Captain Murphy...!"

Daniel finally opened his eyes and made a decision: "Captain Murphy, you will lead the entire battalion on foot to San Francisco! You must get there by tomorrow night!"

The short, stocky, red-skinned Captain Murphy, the deputy commander of the Ranger battalion, replied: "Yes, Major!"

"And you, Major?"

Daniel led about twenty trusted men and walked without looking back toward the twenty or thirty warhorses that were still standing there.

"I must get to San Francisco tonight!"

"Da da da……!"

The chaotic sound of hooves rang out as Major Daniel, leading more than twenty riders, rode off into the distance, leaving all the Rangers who had lost their horses in his wake.

"Sergeant Remy...!"

Major Daniel, still on his horse, once again ordered the cavalryman beside him: "I command you to get to San Francisco as quickly as possible, and delay our men and those scumbags from making their move for another day!"

"Yes, Major!"

"drive……!"

Sergeant Remy thrust his boot into the horse's belly, cracked his whip, and his mount accelerated again, rushing ahead of Major Daniel and the others.

Watching Remy's departing figure, Major Daniel felt a little more at ease.

From the moment the camp was attacked, he felt that something was wrong, very wrong!

The road they chose was a highway leading to San Francisco, where Native Americans rarely frequented.

But last night, a large group of Native Americans launched a surprise attack on the camp.

The Native Americans we encountered in the past, though strong and brave, were mostly armed with primitive bows, arrows and spears, which had limited lethality.

But the Native Americans last night not only had guns and pistols on average, but also a large number of powerful explosives.

Native Americans with such equipment are unprecedented and unheard of!

Moreover, the Native Americans, with their superior equipment, did not primarily target the Rangers who had slaughtered them countless times, but rather their warhorses!

After slaughtering all the warhorses, the Native Americans quickly disappeared into the night, not because they were driven back by the Rangers, but more like they were retreating on their own initiative!

Why slaughter the warhorses? Why retreat voluntarily? What are these damned Native Americans up to?
Major Daniel Cameron can't understand it!
He had never encountered such a strange Native American!

Because he couldn't understand it, he had a bad feeling about his plan!

Therefore, he ordered his men and the bandits he had planted in advance to wait until he and the main force arrived before taking action.

It was still a full fifty miles from here to San Francisco, a perfect distance for a cavalryman to travel in a day.

But for infantrymen who have lost their horses, fifty miles is an impossible distance to cover in a day!
"boom……!"

Just as Major Daniel was deep in thought, he suddenly heard a sharp gunshot from ahead!

(End of this chapter)