Wild North America 1846

"Master Wu, the Commander-in-Chief has a request."

"Thank you!"

Master Wu Erbao followed behind the staff officer of the Legion Headquarters, tidied up his military uniform and walked step by step to the courtyard behind the church. This place was originally the daily living place of the priest, but now it is turned into the office of the Chief of the Legion.

"Report to the Commander, the Volunteer Tenth Division has completed the task of escorting supplies, come here to pay the order, please give instructions." Standing at the door, Wu Erbao asked for instructions loudly.

"Come in, make a cup of tea for Mr. Wu."

Lieutenant General Lei Juekun still held a cigar in his hand, stood in the office and waved, and gave orders with a friendly expression.

Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao walked in as he said, stood up with his feet together, gave a standard military salute, and replied; "Thank you for your love, sir, it is an honor to be humbled."

"Hehehe... It's an honor to have a cup of tea. You, a big landlord in the province of Cordoba, are not so superficial! How about... a cigar?" Lieutenant General Lei Juekun looked quite kindly, pointing to the cigar case on the table;
It means, if you want to smoke, take it yourself, don't be rude.

He looked up and down Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao, and saw that Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao's military uniform was ironed without any wrinkles, and his cowhide military boots were shiny and shiny. He nodded in satisfaction and continued; "Yes, the etiquette of officers has not been forgotten. The veterans who have been trained by the Northern Legion for many years have not disgraced our soldiers."

In the imperial army, the etiquette requirements for officers are extremely strict. There are rules for sitting, standing, and walking. The dress requirements for officers are even stricter. If you behave sloppily, you will definitely be reprimanded by the officer, and you will not be impressed.

The 10th Division led by Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao was a volunteer militia. All officers were awarded temporary ranks and were disbanded immediately after the war.

As the top-ranked manor owner in Cordoba Province, Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao has a wealth of wealth, and his land property is even larger than that of Lieutenant General Lei Juekun's Marquis fiefdom. He is a wealthy person.

Therefore, Lieutenant General Lei Juekun did not regard him as a simple subordinate in the army.

In normal times, he treated these volunteer militia commanders who were born as large manor owners with a gentle attitude, showing kindness inside and out.

"Thank you, Commander, for your generosity. I am sincerely and sincerely afraid." Master Wu Erbao said so, but he took two steps forward to take out one from the cigar box, and replied slightly apologetically; When I was in the army, I was already addicted to cigarettes, and I dare not disobey this gift from the elders!"

"It's fine."

Lieutenant General Lei Juekun watched the other party light the cigar, then sat down on his own, and gently pressed down with the hand holding the cigar, signaling to sit down and talk.

"Thank you, sir, for giving me your seat!"

Wu Erbao sat down, his upper body straightened like a green pine, half of his buttocks sat on the chair, his upper body leaned forward slightly as if he was listening to teachings.

The chief is indeed kind, but this is not the reason for Wu Erbao to be presumptuous.

Lieutenant General Lei Juekun is the noble marquis of the empire, a proper top-notch nobleman, and his status is a thousand miles higher than that of Wu Erbao.

Although Wu Erbao's large manor has tens of thousands of hectares of land, the nature of these lands is "ten taxes and three" private land, and the annual tax payment is a large number.

In addition, there are so many hired families and Indian slaves to feed, and the construction of Wujiabao Town is promoted, the landlord's family has no surplus food!
Compared with the noble fiefs, the gap is not even a little bit.

These big manor owners of the Indian Governor's Mansion enthusiastically obeyed the call of war, and even donated a lot of food and wealth to seek official positions. Didn't they just hope to make contributions in the war and be rewarded by the empire?

That kind of hereditary nobility is unlikely, and it is still very hopeful to get a second-class lifelong nobility. If you can receive a reward, your status will be different immediately.

"The escort mission was performed well this time. The Legion Department will credit the Tenth Division with a credit, and the reward will be honored after the war." Lieutenant General Lei Juekun had already received the report, so he said something calmly.Then he changed the subject and asked, "You must have known that the Governor's Mansion plans to build the Northern Extension Project of the Central Railway. Do you have any personal thoughts?"

"Excuse me for my lowly position and stupidity, but I would like to ask the commander to clarify." Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao replied cautiously.

Lieutenant General Lei Juekun held up his cigar and took a puff happily, and slowly exhaled. The strong smell of cigar tobacco lingered around him like a fairy, and then continued;

"The Legion Department arranges tasks and will respect your individual wishes when necessary.

The planned northern extension of the Central Railway is an important decision made by the Governor-General in order to completely control the occupied area. The construction is about to start in full swing. It will be divided into more than 170 construction sites and start construction at the same time. kilometers of railway lines.

The completion of this railway artery means that the imperial ruled area extends to the southern border of Paraguay, which has an irreplaceable role in the situation in South America of the Governor's Office, consolidating and colonizing the occupied area.

To this end, the Legion Department will deploy two volunteer militia divisions to carry out the task of armed escort for construction along the railway.

The Tenth Division can apply to the Propaganda Department if they wish.

But I want to remind you;
The task of escorting convicts by armed forces cannot be withdrawn midway. It will take about one and a half years, which may seriously affect the production of the manor ranch, so one must be mentally prepared. "

It is now June 1867, which is the coldest period of the year in South America. The lowest temperature at night will drop to 6-3 degrees Celsius above zero, which is the slack season for farming.

Winter wheat, the main crop of the year, has already been sown and can be harvested in early September.

The Governor’s Mansion chose to issue a mobilization order in early May, also considering that launching a war during the slack season would have less impact on the production of farms and estates under the Governor’s Mansion.

Today, armed corps responding to the second round of mobilization calls have arrived one after another, and the total number of troops stationed here has exceeded 2, which has put great pressure on the allied forces.

It was precisely because of the real military strength of the opponent that Lieutenant General Lei Juekun generously took out two militia divisions to cooperate with the Governor's Office in advancing the Northern Extension Project of the Central Railway.

You must know that the combined strength of these two volunteer divisions has more than 8000 people, which is a powerful force that cannot be ignored.

Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao knew that this was the good intention of the Corps Chief. As long as he successfully completed this task and got himself a lifetime baronial title (no fiefdom), there would be no danger of casualties.

The only downside is;
For a year and a half, a large number of laborers in the manor were occupied. The women and children in Wujiabao Town alone would not be able to do it, and the agricultural and animal husbandry production would definitely be greatly affected.

"Thanks to the commander-in-chief's care, I am very grateful for my humble position." Wu Erbao bowed his body and continued with a humble expression;
"But I am a little unwilling to reconcile, I want to follow the commander in chief to continue to make contributions, go to Paraguay, go to Brazil and Argentina, earn a title for the Wu family with military merits, and then live up to my wish in this life!
From the humble point of view;
Brazil and Argentina in South America are not strong enemies. Their national characters tend to be passionate, romantic and fanciful, and they tend to overestimate themselves, but they are actually very good.

The battle that the empire participated in is very likely to be the final battle that will determine the structure of South America. I don't want to miss it!

The humble 10th Division is not afraid of difficulties, sacrifices, or powerful enemies. It only wishes to charge forward with the commander in chief, and the military orders will advance and never retreat.

A little selfishness, I beg the Commander-in-Chief to fulfill it! "

Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao quickly stood up, solemnly raised his hand as a military salute, and his eyes were full of determination.

"Well, they are all good soldiers! Sit down and talk about it." Lieutenant General Lei Juekun nodded in satisfaction. He didn't like those officers and soldiers who retreated before the battle. Culture underlings.

Who doesn't dream of a knighthood, a symbol of military honor?

Lieutenant General Lei Juekun saw that the other party sat down as promised, so he said unhurriedly;
"The battle is fierce, there are many opportunities to make meritorious deeds, are you afraid that there will be no battles to fight?

Presumably you are also speculating privately, why is my Imperial Legion not moving?

Regardless of whether the guess is correct or not, I will teach you a trick today. This is also the method used by my Majesty the Great Tang Empire to use cavalry all the time, and all senior officers can get it.

If the army does not move, it is as quiet as a mountain, waiting for the enemy to show its weakness.

When it moves, it is as powerful as thunder from nine days, and it is as swift as wildfire to start a prairie fire. If you hit it, you will see blood seal your throat. This is the way cavalry use it. "

Speaking of this
Lieutenant General Lei Juekun clasped his fists in a respectful expression, and saluted in the direction of the imperial capital Chang'an, as if respecting his mentor from afar.

These high-ranking generals of the empire counted as one, and they were all outstanding figures who had grown up in the flames of war over the years. It could be said that they were disciples and grandchildren trained by His Majesty the Emperor, and their attitudes towards war and conquerors were exactly the same.

"Now the allied forces of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay are already frightened. If there is any trouble, they will retreat to the fortress of Umaita, the big river castle. Gathering tens of thousands of troops in one place will greatly increase the difficulty of our army's attack.

In view of this
Paralyzing the enemy's military is the best policy, and it has paid off.

The commander of the Allied Forces, Duke Marquis de Cassias, gradually let go of his guard and sent troops to Ascension. Now he is partying all night in the capital of the enemy country, enjoying the glory of the staged victory.

Most of the allied forces, about 6.8 people, were scattered along the line from Ascension to Umaita Fortress. Less than 3 troops remained in the Umaita Fortress, and some of them were stationed in camps outside the pass.

And this is the fighter plane that our army is waiting for, the Corps Headquarters decided..."

Speaking of here
Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao stood up straight, stood at attention with a "ba", and replied loudly; "The Tenth Volunteer Division has made all preparations, is determined to overcome all difficulties, and complete any tasks assigned by the Corps. There is no going back."

"Very good, please take a break." Lieutenant General Lei Juekun stood up, his expression became serious, and he walked to the side of the map and pointed to the terrain and said;

"Decision of the Ministry of Corps;

A mobile corps composed of 4 cavalry divisions was dispatched to swim across the Paraná River from the northeast of Argentina, bypassing the province of Corrientes, and turn half a circle from the northeast side of the Allied Forces to arrive near Uzbekistan. The northern line of Maita Fortress.

The journey of this large circle is about 1150 kilometers. The whole army must complete the battle within 4 days.

Shield the battlefield along the way, and if necessary, a small number of troops can be left to control the prisoners, and the news must not be leaked, so as to achieve the sudden effect of heavenly soldiers.

Today is August 6

After resting tonight, we will set off in the early morning of tomorrow. The mobile corps must arrive at the northern city of Umaita Fortress before 6:7 on the evening of June 12.

On June 6th, they launched a sudden attack before Fuxiao, captured the Umaita fortress in one fell swoop and held on for three days until they joined the main force of the corps, so as to completely annihilate the main force of the Allied forces.

Do you have the confidence to complete the task? "

"Please don't worry, Commander of the Corps. Even if the Tenth Division fights to the last soldier, it will resolutely complete the task. Otherwise, come and see me." Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao replied decisively, his eyes were shining with fiery light, without the slightest hesitation.

Now there are more than 20 divisions gathered in the front-line battalion. It is a great honor for the 10th Division to be selected by the corps commander to carry out such an important combat mission!

Now the army of the Great Tang Empire has the iron-blooded demeanor of the heyday of the Tang Dynasty more than a thousand years ago. They are happy after hearing the battle, and they are not afraid of difficulties.

A moment later
Seeing Lieutenant Colonel Wu Erbao, the commander of the 10th Division, take the order away with high spirits, Lieutenant General Lei Juekun nodded in satisfaction. This was exactly the effect he hoped to see.

The task of the four militia divisions that formed the Assault Corps was arduous. In just four days, they had to face at least a dozen battles, large and small. A large circle goes straight behind the enemy...

After the arrival of the troops, they had to overcome the exhaustion of running thousands of miles and fight continuously to capture the Umaita fortress in one fell swoop and hold on for three days.

It is not easy to do this.

Wu Erbao's [-]th Division was selected to take on the important task because he, the division commander, was very good at using his brain and performed well on tasks, so he came into the sight of the head of the Corps.

According to news from the upper echelons of the Argentine government;

Today's allied forces are mainly focusing on the port areas along the route. They are afraid that the expeditionary force from the mainland of the Tang Empire will land, and that will be a disaster.

As for the 11.5 troops staying outside the southern border of Paraguay, after such a long period of inactivity, the Tri-National Allied Forces Command has also become somewhat slack.

The commander of the Allied Forces, Duke Marquis de Cacias, said during his inspection recently; "After fighting hard for more than three years, let the soldiers relax. When the news of the arrival of the expeditionary force arrives at the port, we will withdraw and return to a favorable place to hold on. Believe me, gentlemen, the Argentine's miss was just an accident, and the Allied forces will give the Easterners a taste of the toughness of South America..."

Leaving aside, how could the upper echelons of the Argentine government spread the news?

Lieutenant General Lei Juekun was keenly aware of the fighter's slack shown between the lines by the commander of the Allied Forces, so he formulated this unprecedented and bold battle plan.

To put it bluntly, the allied army did not pay much attention to the combat effectiveness of the Tang Empire Armed Corps, and always thought that it was only necessary to compete with the regular army.

Actually

The combat effectiveness of these armed militia groups in the Tang Empire was no worse than that of the regular army. Their backbones were all retired officers and soldiers, and their members had also experienced 4 to 5 years of fighting against indigenous Indian tribes, and they were very skilled in combat awareness and skills.