Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 501 The Beginning of Danger

December 1645, 12, Christmas Day.

More than ten kilometers away from Hekou Township on Highway 2, a few wisps of residual smoke curled up through the gaps in the forest.Several dead horses lay down on the ground, whining one after another; two carriages rolled over beside them, and golden wheat grains scattered all over the ground.Dozens of soldiers in khaki military uniforms carried bayonet-mounted rifles, jumped over the overturned vehicles, walked up to some Guaraní men who fell to the ground gasping for breath, and stabbed the bayonets expressionlessly. .After the stabbing, they kicked it twice with their feet, and did not start to pick up the next "corpse" until the corpse did not respond, and added a bayonet from time to time to prevent any fish from slipping through the net.

Meng Hu, the captain of the 18th Expedition Team under the jurisdiction of the Huxi Hilly Area under the Ministry of Communications who set off with the army, turned his head away with a sigh, and said to Long Xu, the commander of the 103rd company of the army, who was inspecting the road conditions: "Actually, I have a question. I want to ask, why do we kill these Guarani people? As for it, such a big death feud? Now they are all here to destroy our roads and attack our transport convoy. Aren’t you afraid of this kind of fearful day? ?”

"You have to figure it out, it's not us who want to kill them, but they want to kill us." Long Xu glanced at Meng Hu and said solemnly.

"Don't talk nonsense to me." Meng Hu said dissatisfiedly, "If you hadn't implemented the inhumane extermination policy against these aborigines from the beginning, how could they have such great hostility towards us? Your military department really They are all a group of imperial Han elements plus **** lunatics, the country just made you mess up."

"Hehe, since you said that, then I don't bother to talk nonsense with you. You just ask, how did the 30 Guarani people in southern Brazil turn into only a little over 5? Now there are even less than 4 people Yes, you can see the Guarani slaves in the plantations in Brazil and the Guarani soldiers who fought with the people of Sao Paulo. Are all these caused by us? Yes, we killed thousands of melons The Lani people exiled about 2000 people by the way, but compared to the crimes committed by the Brazilians and the mutual hatred among the indigenous people, what are the people we killed?" Long Xu said with a sneer , "Also, you are also 40 years old, why are you still doing universal human rights like a young man? Remember, all of us outsiders are robbers. How can robbers not kill their masters? How about occupying the owner's property with peace of mind?"

"Moreover, these people have all joined the religion!" Long Xu continued to hit Meng Hu mercilessly, "You should also know that religion is a very important part of culture, because it permeates people's way of thinking. , code of conduct, and every detail of life. If these people are naturalized by us, wouldn’t our country become a Catholic country? Will our country be an Eastern country or a Western country in the future? Don’t tell me You can convert them. Look at how many years it has been. How many of those immigrants from Central and Western Europe have converted? Is it one-tenth, less than that? Why do we advocate science and break superstition in China? We Why only introduce Livonians who have no religious beliefs in Europe? It's not to save yourself trouble!"

Although Meng Hu understands what the other party said is right, he is unwilling to accept things that do not conform to his own ideals. It doesn't matter what others say, he just wants to live in his own world.Therefore, he didn't answer Long Xu's words, and instead led the expedition team to help the vehicle and pick up the scattered wheat on the ground.

They had just been attacked half an hour earlier - an armed attack led by a few hundred Guaranís.These people took bows and arrows, wooden spears, and a small number of matchlock guns, and launched a surprise attack on the material transport convoy of the people on the east coast.The small number of militiamen who escorted the supplies were fairly well-trained. They immediately relied on the carriages and cargo boxes to shoot fiercely at the enemy, and together with the army behind the convoy, they repelled the invading enemy.

整场战斗东岸人一共只有2名民兵阵亡，另外还有6人受了轻伤；陆军也只有1人阵亡、4人受伤。作为他们的对手，这些瓜拉尼人却付出了至少80人的伤亡——或者说80人死亡更准确，因为这些不能行走的伤员现在也都被打扫战场的东岸军人用刺刀刺死了。

Hmph, looking at the messy battlefield, Long Xu sneered inwardly.In the hilly area between Neukönigsberg and Hekou Township, there are many forests and grasslands, but there are very few Guarani villages. According to the gendarmerie's estimation, there are no more than 2000 Guarani people living in the whole area. .And in the past six months, nearly half of the 2000 people have defected to the people on the east coast, and the rest have also lost hundreds of people in several small-scale battles. How could they gather hundreds of strong people? The convoy attacking the East Coasters?Look at the sackcloth clothes worn by these attackers, how can this be worn by the bitter Guaraní people in the area?The Jesuits and the Franciscans are damnable!

It seems that we can contact those Sao Paulo people in the north. It seems that their slave-catching flag team has not been opened for a long time since it was repeatedly defeated by the armed Parana Guarani people?After you go back, you can ask the military department to discuss with the other party. The two sides will march north and south, and wipe out and uproot the several missionary areas set up by the Spaniards in the Paraná River Basin!The captured slaves were taken away by the São Paulo people. Anyway, we only need to eliminate or expel the Guarani people in this area, and we don’t care about the rest. These São Paulo people should be very happy.

But this is all for the future, now it is better to repair the damaged road first, otherwise the convoy will not be able to pass.They were loaded with food, ammunition, livestock, tools and other supplies that the pioneers of New Konigsberg urgently needed, and they had to be delivered there as soon as possible.

It's a pity that the executive committee doesn't have any spare steel production capacity to build railways in hilly areas.Over the past few years, most of the iron and steel production capacity of Ping'an Iron and Steel Works has been supplied to the First Machinery Factory to produce cast iron tracks, which are used to lay the double track of the Luomei Line Railway and the first phase of the Northwest Corridor Railway (Xiayihebao-Canyonbao) with a total of 180 kilometers railway line.Among them, the 150-kilometer double track of the Luomei Line has been officially completed, while the 30-kilometer first phase of the Northwest Railway has just completed the roadbed construction, and the formal laying of rail tracks has not yet begun.However, in the field of railway construction, leveling the roadbed, digging tunnels, and erecting bridges are the most complex parts of the project. After the roadbed is completed, the rest of the laying of the rails is much simpler and does not take much time.

Most of the steel production capacity has been used in the south. Naturally, the Executive Committee and the Ministry of Communications will no longer consider building a railway in the hilly and low-mountain areas west of Duck Lake in the short term.After all, although the hillside here is not steep at all, and the terrain is not bad, it is not convenient to build a railway on the flat prairie in the south. Therefore, the Ministry of Communications is currently trying to ensure the completion of the Northwest Railway.As for the traffic between New Königsberg and Hekou Township, it can only be dealt with on the simple gravel road like Highway 2.When the new steel plant under planning in the Corrales mining area is put into operation and the Northwest Railway is successfully completed, the Ministry of Communications will naturally build a railway in the north out of balance.

Some soldiers recruited from Zhenhai County quickly filled the dug potholes, and then laid some large wooden boards on several muddy places to allow the carriage to pass smoothly.After Long Xu received the definite information from the scouts that the enemy had gone away, he immediately ordered the convoy and expedition team to follow up. They must rush to a military depot located 2 kilometers away from Highway 20 to rest before sunset.Otherwise, it is too dangerous to camp in the wild, and it is easy to be harassed by the enemy at night.

This military depot is a brick and wood mixed structure, not big, but very strong.There are more than 30 rotating militiamen stationed inside, in addition to two 4-pound steel guns.There is really no way for the Guarani people to chew on this small but strong gun tower, so it is perfect as a temporary resting place for passing convoys and personnel.

As the leading officer, Long Xu walked in the middle of the team on a horse under the escort of the regiment. While observing the road ahead, he wondered whether he should write to the military headquarters with Chang Kaisheng and others after arriving in Neukönigsberg. Request local mobilization in more than ten townships in the north and south of Duck Lake, and mobilize 1000-1500 militiamen to assemble in Meihe Township, and then it is best to add 1-2 regular army companies and some artillery to come over, for a total of about 2500 Soldiers headed west along the Yakuy River, trying to get rid of the Guarani tribes who settled in the Uruguay and Paraná river basins.

These tribes have a large population and a high degree of civilization, and they are sheltered under missionary groups such as the Society of Jesus and the Franciscans.In the past, the people on the east bank never thought of provoking them. Now that the other party has already torn their face and blatantly interfered with the village clearing operation carried out by the people on the east coast in the hilly area west of the lake, then the people on the east coast don't need to care about the face of the Spaniards anymore. .

Assembling an army to directly destroy those tribes, and to eliminate the enemy's war potential, this is a matter of once and for all!As for the diplomatic troubles that may arise from this, that is the business of those white shirts (civilian officials), and has nothing to do with our military department.

Over the years, thanks to the persuasion of the veteran of the army Peng Zhicheng, the military department has been relatively stable and has not done anything too outrageous in order to create a good external environment for the country and fully guarantee the smooth progress of the immigration operation.However, as the 30-year war in Europe is coming to an end and the situation in La Plata is changing, it is time for the Ministry of War to come out and declare its existence.Now that these Spanish missionaries and Guaranís have brought their faces up, don't blame the people on the east coast for pulling you back!

On the evening of December 1645, 12, the convoy arrived at the military depot for a rest; on the 25th, the convoy arrived outside Neukönigsberg, and the material transportation task was successfully completed.

(End of this chapter)