Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 1305 Tianxiong Three Towns ([-])

"Before our army captures the narrow and winding mountain valley in Tianxiong County (not yet established), if the Karma Kingdom's army advances westward along the Little Karu Plateau to attack our country, its troops must rest in Tianxiong County , supplies, and even mobilize troops before being able to take the next step in military action. The reason for this is actually because the western part of the Little Karoo Plateau is dry and barren. Small-scale troops are fine, and large-scale marches are bound to be difficult. After coming over, his troops must be exhausted and dying. They will not have the ability to fight again in a short period of time, and urgently need to find a place with rich water and grass to rest. However, our army pushed the defense line to the area of ​​​​the three towns of Tianxiong and drove back the nearby Kama After the kingdom became a vassal of the tribes, our army has gained a great strategic advantage, and the large and small Karu plateaus have become our natural barriers. It will be too difficult for the army of the Karma Kingdom to come.” A roof outside the construction site in Tianxiong Town Inside the military tent, Major Xie Hansan, the commander of the South African Garrison, was still recalling the current situation of the enemy and ourselves analyzed by Reynold.

The former Cossack officer pointed out that Tianxiong County is an important agricultural and animal husbandry base with rich water and grass and criss-cross rivers. After crossing the [-]-mile dry area, if the Xhosa people cannot get water supplies here, they have to come from the rear. Long-distance transshipment of grain and grass is obviously impossible for the Kama Kingdom with backward productivity; secondly, the terrain here is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and a large number of fortresses have been built-not only the three towns of Tianxiong, but also other supporting towns. Xiaozhai——After blocking the tunnels in the mountains, the Kama Kingdom, which has no ability to attack fortifications at all, will sigh at the city, and can only sit back and watch the people on the east bank occupy and digest this land.

"Tianxiong is to Kama what Hengshan is to Xixia, and Youyun is to Khitan. If you win, you can attack, retreat, or defend; if you lose, you lose the strategy and initiative. The four hundred miles of vast sea and natural danger are shared by the enemy and us." , This fellow also emphasized such a passage in a strange way, which surprised Xie Hansan—unexpectedly, this fellow has studied hard day and night for 30 years, and his level of Sinology has improved.

Deputy Battalion Commander Lai finally said that the main force of the Karma Kingdom does not lie here, and that those stationed on the Karma and Karoo Plateaus are mostly just a partial division. Water, westward along the plateau, can reach areas with relatively rich aquatic plants after traveling more than 100 kilometers day and night.There are quite a few Xhosa black tribes there, and their vigilance must not be high. If they take a surprise attack, they will definitely gain a lot!

Xie Han Sanyi was hesitant about this at first, because the South African Cavalry Battalion has been formed so far and has been well-trained and experienced countless battles. It is an extremely important unit under the South African Garrison and should not be easily lost.This time Reynold wanted to surprise the Little Karoo Plateau, which was an extremely risky military action, and it was not advisable for a commander like Xie Hansan who believed in relying on the level of strength.However, once this kind of surprise attack is successful, its benefits are also very huge, because the people on the east coast can push the line of defense to the eastern section of the Little Karoo Plateau.At that time, not only will this place in the west become the rear, but it will also form a strategic encirclement of the British territory from the flanks, making it impossible to look at each other from head to tail, which is of great strategic significance.

Because of this, after much deliberation, Major Xie Hansan reluctantly agreed to Reynold's plan, and handed over some scouts from the South African Garrison Command, bringing the number of cavalry under his command to more than 430.Later, Xie Hansan also negotiated with Commissioner Jiao of the regional administrative office to collect more than [-] war horses from the South African army stud farm, and distributed them to Reynold's troops uniformly, so that one man had three horses, and his mobility was greatly increased.

On the night of October 10th, Reynold and others bid farewell to Xie Hansan, took several defected blacks as guides, and a group of more than 28 people rode northward through the planned Fort Taining and quietly entered the Little Karoo Plateau.They were not so stupid as to walk on the dry and barren shrub grassland, but headed northwest along a winding river. Although the water source of this river is not very rich—especially in the dry winter—they can always meet Some remaining water pools can be used as drinking water for humans and animals.Moreover, it is generally easier to walk along the river, and you can find some grass suitable for horses (horses can't eat the shoots under thorny bushes like sheep), which is very important for long-distance marches.

On the afternoon of October 10th, after a difficult trek, their troops finally got out of the rolling mountains and entered the flat grassland.Here, they accidentally encountered a small group of marching black troops, about 30 people in number, driving a herd of cattle and sheep, carrying knives and guns, and they didn't know whether they were going for trade or robbery—— But whatever their purpose, the East Coasters are here to rob!

Reined gave an order, and before the group of Xhosa could react, more than 400 cavalry rushed over like a whirlwind with their sabers held high.There was no shelter on the flat and dry sandy ground, the enemy was marching again, there were still a large number of mooing cattle and sheep in the team, and the panic of the people on the east coast, all of which buried the ground for their failure. deadly factor.

The surface of the area where the battle took place is very flat, so flat that a highland 100 meters high in the distance looks like a mountain, and even this kind of "mountain" is very rare here, so it is very convenient for cavalry to drive.The brothers of the South African Cavalry Battalion had completely broken up the enemy's formation in just one assault, and the casualties were extremely slight. Only a few people fell off the horses under the bullets fired by the trembling arms of the Xhosa.

The eastern bank cavalry who rushed to the distance turned around very tacitly, and then charged back again under the leadership of the former Cossack officer Reined.At the same time, more than [-] cavalry were sent to both sides of the large cavalry unit, led by Lainide's two sons Lai Weizhong and Lai Weichang respectively, and they circled to the two wings to attack and kill those Xhosa blacks who were trying to flee.

"Puff! Puff!" There were repeated sounds, it was the sound of the saber cutting across the human body.The battle lasted for about ten minutes, and the enemy who was caught off guard had completely given up resistance, and then made the biggest mistake of the day, which was to show their backs to the "heinous" East Coast cavalry, and fled for their lives in all directions.The cavalry on the east bank who were ready to fight naturally would not let go of this good opportunity. They deliberately slowed down their horses, caught up with the enemy at a leisurely speed, and then easily harvested their lives with one blow. There was an overwhelming massacre.

Half an hour later, when the sun was setting, the last few Xhosa blacks also fell on the sand due to exhaustion. They cried and knelt down and begged the forgiveness of the people on the east coast, but they were met with only cold and merciless saber.

"Just tidy up. The injured horses are slaughtered on the spot. The cattle and sheep are also gathered up and brought back by the injured brother. The others eat and rest." Reynid turned over and got off the horse, and took out a glass from the saddle bag After taking two sips slowly from the military kettle, he took out two more dry noodles and swallowed them down with cold water.It's not tasty, he knows, but there's nothing to pay attention to when you're out on an expedition, all you need is to fill your stomach.However, I heard that the local Dafeng Food Factory got the recipe from the Spaniards, and is developing a battlefield food called "chocolate", and plans to spread it to the entire army after it succeeds.However, Reynold was very skeptical about this. Didn't he never drink chocolate, but is that kind of drink really suitable for carrying around and serving as battlefield food?

The east bank cavalry finally rested here for most of the night. It is not people who need rest, but delicate companions like horses who need rest. Early in the morning on the 31st, under the gradually warming sun, the group set out on the road again and continued to march quickly along the flat mountain valley.It is not like the desert landscape in the western part of the Little Karoo Plateau, the surface is covered with herbaceous vegetation and shrubs everywhere - in the 17th century when it was not overgrazed, the environment here is quite good - and there are even trees in some places, only But it's rare.

On the morning of November 11, the officers and soldiers of the South African Cavalry Battalion drove out of the relatively flat mountain valley and entered the hinterland of the plateau that had been largely cut and eroded by the rejuvenation of the river.And before that, they defeated a Xhosa black tribe who were caught off guard. They attacked in the early morning, facing the white belly on the eastern horizon, and beheaded more than 1 men, women and children in the whole tribe with a short assault. —Don't blame them for being cruel, marching fast in the enemy's hinterland, being kind to the enemy is being cruel to yourself, they dare not make fun of their own lives.

At noon on November 11, more than 3 east bank cavalry who roared suddenly appeared near the later city of Ladysmith.There is a Xhosa black tribe with a population of over a thousand, which should be regarded as the core armed force of the Kama Kingdom here. In the end, they were still defeated by inaction—of course, the strength of the two sides is also very different. There are more than four hundred elite cavalry armed to the teeth, and on one side is a mixed tribe of men, women, old and young. It is clear at a glance which is strong and which is weak.Not to mention that people from the east bank deliberately and unintentionally staged a surprise attack, so a fragile defeat is not surprising.

In this battle, the South African Cavalry Battalion killed more than 29 Xhosa black men, women and children at a slight cost of 700 casualties. Not impossible.

The victorious east bank cavalry did not stop. In the early morning of November 11, the east bank people, who were very particular about marching speed, finally walked out of the hills and valleys and appeared in the fertile valley of the Xianghe River Basin.There are no boulders and pebbles that can be seen everywhere on the western surface, and there are no well-developed sand dunes and ridges. There are only wet riverbeds (local blacks call them "Fleira", or they are used for grazing, or used To reclaim and plant cold-resistant and poor-tolerant crops, such as sorghum, which is also the main crop of blacks) and relatively rich vegetation.All in all, after experiencing the endless shrubs, grasslands and sand dunes in the western half of the Little Karoo Plateau, rushing into this Elephant River Valley, you will definitely have a bright feeling: this place is really fertile!

The sudden mist covered the footprints of the people on the east coast. After agreeing on the password and the order of battle, three or four hundred cavalrymen from the South African Cavalry Battalion roared down a sand dune, and then rushed towards the nearest black tribe with a thunderous force. Running away, judging by their momentum, they are completely rushing to cut grass and roots.

The unexpected Xhosa suffered a disastrous defeat!When more than 100 warriors organized in a hurry were broken by the east bank cavalry, their tribe had already fallen into the bottomless abyss.Panicked women and children ran everywhere, and some shacks (often made of dead branches and sorghum stalks) were also set ablaze by the people on the east coast. The entire tribal camp was completely disrupted, and the chief could not find him. Soldiers, husbands unable to find wives and children, farmers unable to find livestock, slaves took the opportunity to break free and fight back, and a large tribe of more than 800 people was destroyed in an instant—many of them even died They were all empty-handed in humiliation, and they didn't even have time to take off their short spears.

At noon on November 11, the East Coast cavalry who did not dare to take too much rest—in fact, did not dare to rest too much—rushed directly to the vicinity of the later city of Oudtshoorn, and defeated a Xhosa black army of about 8 people. After that, they rushed straight into their living area and slashed and killed them.Krall huts were set on fire, Xhosa blacks were cut down one by one, livestock ran wild, slaves were rescued one by one, and the periphery of the tribe fell into endless chaos.

However, unexpectedly, perhaps as a result of studying the Netherlands for so many years, the Xhosa blacks actually built a city nearby!Although it is just an earthen city built of mud, the city is a city, and it can effectively resist the cavalry raid on the east bank.Moreover, it seems that there are still some troops stationed in the city. At this time, some blacks with weapons have begun to leave the city. They should be eager to restore the residential areas outside the city (there are a large number of Xhosa people living here with the Kraal as the unit) order, and then forced back the sudden enemy cavalry.

It's just that the people on the east coast will not let them get what they want!Reynold selected two hundred of the most elite cavalry, led by his eldest son Lai Weizhong, mustering up the last remaining courage—everyone is still very tired after fighting continuously—to disperse the black soldiers who left the city, but they They also suffered heavy losses from the enemy's musket or spear-throwing attacks. More than [-] people fell from their horses, setting a record of casualties in a single battle in ten days.

At the same time, more than 100 other cavalry continued to slash and kill outside the city, chasing the backs of the chaotic Xhosa blacks and making up for the knife, causing huge casualties to the enemy.It's just that at the end of the battle, the enemy outside the city has gradually gained some order. Some Xhosa blacks who had recovered from the chaos gathered in the livestock pens one by one under the command of the officer (that is, Krall). The muskets fired at the cavalry on the east bank, causing some casualties.Moreover, with the desperate attack of the enemy troops in the city, the two hundred cavalrymen on the east bank gradually couldn't stop them and had to retreat.Seeing this, Reined led his troops to charge for a while, and then began to slowly gather the formation, gradually breaking away from contact with the enemy, and then went to form a team in the distance, looking at this side from a distance.

"They have already reacted, and there is no chance." Lai Weizhong, the eldest son of Lainide, rode over on his horse, leaned against his father, and said solemnly: "I'm afraid there are seven to eight thousand people in this tribe, and they have military experience. There are a lot of veterans in China, unlike the lowly organized tribes that we attacked before, they collapsed as soon as they rushed, and they couldn't even organize a counterattack, so they could only be slaughtered by us. They were different. Many people spontaneously organized to fight against us. It caused us a lot of casualties, and finally squeezed us out by relying on the superiority of numbers, and the combat effectiveness is much stronger than that of the previous garbage."

"If you don't have a chance, retreat, don't increase the casualties in vain." Reynide was thinking about it, and only heard him say: "So far, we have killed two or three thousand Xhosa blacks, and our own casualties are less than a hundred. The loss of horses is only more than two hundred, this battle is already a big profit, there is no need to take any more risks."

As the supreme commander of this battle, Reined did what he wanted. In the afternoon, more than [-] cavalrymen of the whole army quickly left the sight of the Xhosa, and finally disappeared into the mountain valley to the south, leaving behind a horrified crowd. The enemy, as well as the corpses and smoke all over the ground-the Xhosa people, the loss this time was indeed a bit heavy, and they paid a huge price for their paralysis.I believe that the Xhosa people on the large and small Karoo plateaus should not be able to recover within a few years after Reynold and the others did this.

(End of this chapter)