The wind blows from the South Sea

Chapter 144 Attack on the transport team

In dense tropical jungle
More than 150 heavily armed soldiers rested tiredly in the forest glade. They were part of the Nanyang Army's task force, which went deep into the rear of the white colonial army's nest gathered in Bellick. Their main purpose was to destroy the fragile land. Logistics transportation line.

The mission carried out is highly dangerous, and all the team members involved are elite.

This was the poisonous sting shot by the Nanyang Army in the back of the white colonial army. There were three teams in total, with a total number of about five hundred people. This was just one task force code-named "Gray Fox", which had just arrived in the target area.

"Report on the investigation."

"Yes, captain." Han Jinke, the infantry platoon leader in charge of the investigation, pointed at the simple drawings surrounded by several people and reported;
“We should be at this location now, about 11 kilometers east of Jinji Village and less than 30 kilometers away from Bellik further east, outside its warning range.

Four days after arriving in the designated area, according to our investigation results, there should be a mule and horse transport team escorting the baggage through every two days, with a number of about five to six hundred people.

Nearly half of them were armed with firearms, and the rest were armed with knives and guns.

The number of mules, horses and carts escorted was over a hundred. The escort team was mainly composed of indigenous soldiers, with only a small number of white officers on duty. The overall strength was weak.

The most troublesome thing is that the teams of mules, horses and carts are too long, often three or four kilometers away. We don't have enough troops to destroy them all.

Then he trotted to catch up with the team, more to deal with errands than to be on guard.

He stretched out his stubby fingers, pointed at the route on the drawing and began to arrange combat missions, saying;

half a day later
Near 2 o'clock in the afternoon, a meandering team of mules and horses appeared on the mountain road in the distance as expected, moving slowly at a speed of 5 to 6 kilometers per hour.

If you search in the woods for a long time and the warning team in front moves further and further away, wouldn't it be more difficult to chase them?

"Understood, sir."

It wasn't until it was urgently needed that I went up to the pole to repair it.

These garrison checkpoints dispatch patrol teams on a daily basis to patrol the roads in their respective mission areas, and this is one of the main targets of the task force.

The sound of gunfire may attract enemy patrols along the way. Once the two sides encounter each other, I ask that you must persist for an hour until you complete the mission and retreat.

If the prediction is correct, there should be a large convoy of mules and horses passing by today, sir, look..."

From time to time, a few soldiers were sent to take a brief look in the woods on both sides.

After achieving the combat goal, you are only allowed to evacuate quickly with a small amount of loot. Do you understand? "

Whether to attack the patrol team or to ambush the mule and horse transport team is decided independently by each task force leader, who has the power to make arbitrary decisions based on the situation.

Since the end of last year, the white colonial army has mobilized tens of thousands of indigenous people to repair road conditions, widen and renovate bridges that were in disrepair, and greatly improved this mountainous road.

Due to the complex geographical and hydrological conditions in the mountainous area and the large river drop, the section from Purwokardo to Belik does not have inland navigation conditions, so the materials needed ahead need to be transported forward through roads in the hinterland.

After several platoon leaders saluted one after another, they immediately turned and left, shouting at their soldiers to leave the forest clearing where they were resting and lurk towards the dense forest near the road.

"I understand, let's take action. After the arrangement is completed, let the brothers eat something and drink some water. Once the battle starts, I don't know when the next time to eat will be, so the brothers have to be full. Leave a few when you capture it. Take the donkey with you and retreat, you can kill it for meat at any time, and you don’t have to chew dry food.”

So after everything was ready, the "Gray Fox" task force was ready to attack the enemy's mule and horse transport team.

All the mules and horses transported by the enemy will be killed on the spot. Food, tents and other military supplies and carts will be burned as much as possible. Ordnance that cannot be carried will also be blown up on the spot. Don't be reluctant to part with it.

"Fuck him!" Captain Fang Guowei, the bearded task force leader, punched the drawing hard with a ruthless look in his wide-open leopard eyes.

Both Saladiga and Belit are cities surrounded by mountains. They are located in the vast mountains of central Java and are connected by a winding main road.

at this speed
It would take at least four to five hours to arrive at the logistics camp on the outskirts of Bellick.

The first team and my guard squad were ambushing in the middle. After receiving the order, they fired volleys of rifles to hit the enemy hard and completely destroy their will to resist.

After several months of intensive construction, the traffic conditions of this mountainous road have been greatly improved, and it has been repaired into a wide and smooth gravel road, which can pass three carriages in parallel.

The sun sets late in the tropics, around seven o'clock, which is when the last ray of the sun shines on the sky. Any later than that and it will be dark.

The starting point of the logistics supply line of the Dutch white colonial army was in Bandung. From Batavia on the coast, to Bandung, and to Purwokerdo, there was developed inland shipping, transported by wooden ships of dozens of tons.

The Dutch Government House is a typical example of "treating the head when it hurts and treating the foot when it hurts". During decades of peacetime, it ignored the road infrastructure and allowed it to decay in the erosion of tropical rains. pit.

Captain Fang Guowei, the leader of the task force, received orders in advance that the task forces did not need to cooperate with each other, but instead went deep behind enemy lines to fight alone and carry out harassment missions.

The mountain road about 310 to 320 kilometers to Bellik has become a key node for logistics and transportation.

The time starts with the first gunshot. Our combat goal is mainly to burn supplies. We do not require killing a large number of enemy personnel. We only need to surrender.

We can't use it, and we will never let the Ghost Army use it.

"Grey Fox" is the second task force to infiltrate. The first task force has about 200 people and is codenamed "Coyote". Its mission area is closer to Purwokerto and is expected to launch operations in the near future. .

This main road runs east through Belik to Saladiga, west through Purwokerto to Bandung, and from Bandung to Batavia (Jakarta).

I led the third team to lie behind and wait until all the enemies entered the ambush circle. Then I used the precise long range of the Mini rifle to carry out continuous attacks on the enemies.

"Understood, sir."

Another target is the mule and horse transport team.

In order to defend this vital transportation line, the Dutch army built garrison posts every twenty or thirty kilometers, usually located in villages or mountain passes with strategic geographical locations. Ordinary caravans and unrelated personnel were strictly prohibited from entering.

Violators will be punished as enemy spies.

Walking in front of the mule and horse transport team were indigenous soldiers carrying flintlock rifles. There were about 30 people in a platoon, wearing broad bamboo hats on their heads, walking listlessly on guard along the way.

Platoon Leader Han, if you take your reconnaissance platoon and move two kilometers to the west, there will be a round rock beside your road. I ask you to hold it until the battle is over.

Its purpose is to deliver supplies to the front line.

"The second team ambushed at the turning point in front. Whoever dug a few pits for me to bury the explosives first, and after getting the order, blew up the entire road for me, trapping the enemy's transport team here.

So these indigenous soldiers, with swords and guns in hand, went twenty or thirty meters into the woods on both sides of the road, and peered into the depths of the woods to take a look.

If there is nothing unusual, exit immediately.

Captain Fang Guowei used a telescope to observe coldly. He knew that his brothers were hiding relatively deep. They would only move forward to the starting position of the battle after the enemy security team passed by, so he was not worried about being exposed at all.

The sunshine in the tropics is strong, and these indigenous soldiers who are rushing under the scorching sun are also exhausted. Looking from the brighter road to the lush forests on both sides, it is basically impossible to see very far. If you lower your body a little, you can't see clearly from thirty meters away.

Watching these indigenous officers and soldiers passing by and heading towards the bend area where the second team was ambushing, Captain Fang Guowei, the task force leader, gestured to the brothers behind him, and the soldiers walked out of the depths of the forest and entered one after another. The fighting position is about 30 meters away from the road.

Since the ambush area is long, the task force is divided into ten-person squads as combat units, and the distance between each other is also large, so as to control a large area as much as possible.

After the battle starts, deal with the nearest enemy first, and then the enemies slightly further away on the left and right sides.

After comprehensive suppression, they heard the sound of military bugles and launched a collective charge to resolve the battle.

Time passed quietly while waiting, that is, five or six minutes later, the Dutch army's mule and horse transport team had arrived, and the people walking in front were still indigenous soldiers.

There were about a hundred of these indigenous soldiers. The commanders were two white men on horseback. Their skin was reddened by the tropical sun, and they rode their horses forward slowly.

Among the infantry, he appeared extremely conspicuous.

The senior and middle-ranking officers of the indigenous servants of the colonial army were all Dutch whites, including company-level officers, in order to maintain absolute control over the indigenous troops.

Hiding in the jungle, Captain Fang Guowei leaned down and watched the other party pass by without taking any action.

The battle begins when the second team at the bend fires the first shot.

Soon, a large group of mules and carriages followed, and it was impossible to see the end from here.

The indigenous soldiers driving the mules, horses and carts were all on foot. The carts were tightly wrapped in rainproof tarpaulins. You couldn't tell what was inside?
But it can be seen from the heavy ruts that these carts with mules and horses are basically fully loaded.

The proportion of indigenous soldiers who used cold weapons to protect mules, horses and carts suddenly increased. These soldiers only wore uniforms, and their pants and shoes were inconsistent.

There are various styles of trousers, and many soldiers wear shorts and straw sandals on their feet. At first glance, they are not an elite servant army.

The elite indigenous servant army should be those that were annihilated in the Battle of the Gulf Highway. All uniforms and trousers are uniform, and the basic equipment is flintlock muskets. The soldiers look stronger and more energetic.

Seeing the enemy gradually approaching the bend, Captain Fang Guowei made a gesture of preparation for battle. Then, like other infantry brothers, he opened the cowhide ammunition magazine on his waist and began to load the Mini rifle in his hand.

The mini rifles newly equipped by the Nanyang Army use fixed bullets. Every ten rounds are packed in an oil paper bag and sealed to prevent moisture.

Open the oil paper bag. Each bullet is a small paper bag, divided into two parts with a needle and thread in the middle.

Tear open one end and insert a certain amount of black powder inside, pour it from the muzzle, then tear open the other end and insert an oval lead bullet from the muzzle.

Take out the ejector rod, insert it from the muzzle and tamp it down. After retracting, the ejector rod is put back into the gun body slot.

At this time, preparations were made for the volley.

Not long to wait

"Boom, boom, boom" explosions came from the front, and then crisp volleys of gunshots came one after another. It was obvious that the second team had taken the lead in firing.

"Everyone stand up, raise your guns, aim at the enemy, and fire!"

"Clap clap clap..."

The battle started with a team of ten people. Under the orders of the commanders one after another, the task force members who had already been ambushing on the side of the road skillfully loaded, fired, reloaded, and fired again...

In the ambush area about three kilometers long, crisp and rhythmic volleys of gunfire came one after another, converging into a unique rhythm of killing. The target was naturally the unlucky mule and horse transport team.

Suddenly encountering a blow, these indigenous officers and soldiers collapsed after just two or three rounds of firing.

The white colonial officers riding tall horses in the team were almost wiped out in the first round of concentrated fire and volleys. They were too conspicuous.

After losing the command of their officers, the indigenous officers and soldiers who were suddenly attacked seemed confused and helpless. Some wanted to resist, some wanted to escape, some moved forward, and some backward. During the subsequent rounds of gunfire, Completely collapsed.

However, the deadly volley fire did not stop, it still sounded rhythmically. Many indigenous soldiers running around had blood blooming on their bodies, and their bodies fell to the ground weakly.

After a few minutes
The indigenous officers and soldiers running around like headless flies were no longer visible on the battlefield. Captain Fang Guowei waved his hand and ordered the trumpeter beside him to blow the charge horn. All the soldiers loaded their bayonets and rushed out of the woods with their guns drawn. .

"You all just lie down and don't kill me."

"Pujie, throw away your weapon, otherwise I will be heartbroken."

"All lying down,"

The soldiers shouted and rushed out of the jungle. Some indigenous soldiers tried to get up and escape, but were soon stabbed through the chest with sharp bayonets and died unwillingly.

A part of the soldiers were assigned to monitor the battlefield, and the other part of the soldiers quickly removed the bayonets from their guns, cut off the ropes on the mules and horses, and opened the tarpaulin, revealing the piles of grain and wooden boxes inside.

Preliminary calculations show that this large convoy of mules and horses transported mostly grain, totaling about 15 pounds, as well as hundreds of pounds of oil, 700 barrels of wine, and more than old-fashioned muskets, which may be used to supplement the frontline troops. Inadequacy of Firearms.

The soldiers quickly began to set fire, and killed the mules and horses at close range. They almost put their guns to the heads of the big mules and donkeys, killing them with one shot.

These large animals cannot be taken away, but they cannot be left to the ghost army. Executing them on the spot is the best way.

Soon thick smoke rose, and the food and oil were all ignited, burning in the flames.

The soldiers rushed to get some wine from their own water bottles, filled the bottles and took a sip before running away with smiles.

This thing was going to be destroyed anyway, and the soldiers only had kettles that could hold wine. The clever soldiers seized the kettles from the prisoners and took several kettles to fill them with wine.

"Move quickly, gather the weapons together and destroy them. See if there is any black powder? It's best to light a fire and blow them up together."

"Hey...keep those donkeys and don't kill them."

"Pour this oil on the weapons and set them on fire for me! Everyone, move quickly and prepare to evacuate."

While he was busy, the faint sound of volleys of gunfire came from the west, which made the look on Captain Fang Guowei's face immediately become serious.

He didn't expect that Gui Lao's patrol would arrive so quickly.

So he shouted;
"Okay, okay, don't pour the wine. Here, a few guys will push the barrel over, yes... push it to the cart carrying weapons in front. Move faster, we are about to retreat."

"First Captain, take your men to the round rock to have a look. I'm afraid the reconnaissance platoon is entangled."

"Set fire, quickly set fire to the weapons. You take the donkeys and retreat first, hurry, hurry, hurry... we are going to run away."

(End of this chapter)