Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 67 Decisive Battle: Theme ([-])

The sloppy gauchos turned decisively, and nearly a hundred Peruvian cavalry gave way to the Cossacks who charged straight over.Their behavior had a bad impact, and the Spanish infantry, who were almost unable to support themselves under the continuous bombardment of the second field artillery brothers, immediately followed suit.When did these pampered colonial troops experience such intense battles and survive a quarter of the casualties? They are already worthy of their usual wages.

At this time, the balance of the battle has undoubtedly completely tilted towards the side of the crossing.The Peruvian cavalry, who had no intention of fighting, fell off more than [-] people under the pistol fire as soon as they met each other. After fighting with the cavalry battalion cavalry for a while, they turned around and fled.Seeing this situation, Liao Meng was overjoyed and immediately ordered the mounted infantry sentry to go back and mount their horses to pursue. Today, we must try to keep as many Spaniards here as possible.

The outcome of the battle has been decided at this time, and everyone will fight with the wind.The spearmen under Zhu Liang had just suffered more than 20 casualties from the Spanish artillery strikes. The morale of this group of recruits had already been greatly reduced. Now seeing the enemy fleeing, their morale immediately increased. One by one, they carried spears and strode forward in pursuit.

The ground was full of Spaniard corpses, abandoned cannons and muskets, and war horses that had lost their owners. Wei Aiwen led the mounted infantry post with most of the staff, and pursued the Spaniards.The gauchos in the Spanish formation fled the fastest, and they had already disappeared; the remaining 200 or [-] Peruvian cavalry did not dare to look back under the pursuit of the Cossacks who were comparable in number to them.As for the remaining more than [-] Spanish infantry, they were in a panic. They threw away the spears and heavy matchlocks that were not easy to walk, and spread their feet and fled in the direction of Rocha.Fleeing and fleeing, many people simply stripped off their breastplates, threw away the light swords around their waists, and fled in vain.

It's a pity how two legs can run faster than four.The soldiers of the cavalry and infantry posts circled in front of them like the wind, and then dismounted and fired a volley of guns. Most of the Spaniards surrendered obediently, and a few stubborn ones were killed on the spot.

It took a long time to clean up the battlefield, and the scattered weapons and horses were not so easy to collect.At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Cossacks who were chasing the Peruvian cavalry came back. They were covered in blood and beheaded more than 107 Peruvian cavalry again before withdrawing their troops.Only 55 of the [-] cavalry before the battle of the cavalry battalion were left after the battle, and almost everyone was injured, which can be described as extremely tragic.Xu Yu, who thought he would die before the charge, was miraculously unscathed this time, but when he saw that nearly half of his brothers were killed or injured, his mood did not improve after all.

The fusiliers of the two posts killed 12 people and wounded 7 people in the battle; the spearmen killed 18 people and wounded 10 people; Heavy one time.In addition, about 99 Spanish cavalrymen and 240 infantrymen were killed in this battle, 80 Spanish infantrymen were captured, two four-pound and eight-pound bronze cannons were seized, more than 209 arquebus guns, more than 150 pairs of breastplates, spears, light Several swords.

After this battle, the last halo shrouding the Spaniards was completely broken, and the morale of the troops across the border was greatly improved.The Spanish cavalry force, which was originally dominant, was devastated in this battle. The 200 regular cavalry Captain Torres from Peru brought back only 40 cavalry.The Gauchos fled back for nearly a hundred riders, but their bad behavior of fleeing the battle had completely lost the trust of the Spaniards.

On the night of July 7, news of the disastrous defeat on the south bank of the Big Fish River reached the Spanish barracks on the north bank.Not only the commander, Major Antonio Carlos, knew, but even many soldiers saw Captain Torres fleeing back in embarrassment with forty blood-stained cavalry.The Spanish soldiers, who had been impatiently staying under Dingyuan Fort for a long time due to lack of food and clothing, rushed to spread gossip, and an uneasy atmosphere enveloped the barracks.

"So you lost like this?" Major Antonio Carlos looked at Captain Torres with a bloody face and asked angrily.

"The artillery fire of the Tartans is very fierce. Their artillery has a long range and a fast rate of fire. The infantry quickly collapsed under the impact of their eight artillery pieces." Captain Torres explained with a dead face. Having suffered a disastrous failure, he no longer had the usual look at this time.Captain Torres, who was originally full of sense of justice, elegant and temperamental, with his shoulders always straight, seemed to be ten years old now, his shoulders were bent, and his legs trembled slightly. Obviously, the previous battle had greatly destroyed his spirit.

"What about the cavalry? You brought 385 cavalry before the battle, but now only 145 have come back safely. How did you fight this battle? You idiot!" Major Carlos was still a little furious.

"The cavalry of the Tartans are superb in riding skills and brave in battle. And each of them is equipped with a pistol, which is very advantageous in battle. Their cavalry cooperates with the fusiliers to fight. My subordinates fought bravely, but still There were heavy casualties. And...sir, those cowardly, despicable and shameless Gauchos were the first to flee at the most critical moment of the battle. Their shameless behavior shook the fighting will of the kingdom's army and led to the subsequent collapse. Sir We must send them to a military court!" Captain Torres gritted his teeth in hatred for the gauchos' desertion.

"Captain Juan Cruz Torres, your frivolous remarks are the greatest slander to the brave gauchos. I demand a duel with you!" A tall officer in the tent stood up abruptly, with an angry face Said with a full face.He is the leader of the gaucho volunteer army who followed him this time, a middle-aged horse herder who is very popular among the gaucho people.

"Captain Torres, this is a very serious accusation. Are you sure what you said is the truth? It's not a lie you made up to shirk responsibility for the defeat?" Another middle-aged officer in the tent questioned.He was a lieutenant in the Navy, the liaison officer to the Army sent by Commander Diego Garcia's fleet.

"The 40 royal cavalrymen who came back with me can testify!" Torres looked at the gaucho standing opposite him with contempt, and said, "that's why the gaucho casualties are so low. Because they are cowards There is nothing more disgusting than that, they shirked their responsibilities and betrayed their comrades who are still fighting in the field. By God, I am not lying! I implore the Army to investigate this abominable incident!"

"Enough!" Major Antonio Carlos interrupted Captain Torres, "I will ask Commander Garcia to investigate this matter. And Captain Torres, as for whether you have command errors in combat, I will also investigate. Investigate." Now there are about 150 gaucho cavalry under Major Carlos's command and those left behind. Regardless of whether they have deserted or not, now is not a good time to investigate.On the contrary, Major Carlos had to try to stabilize them first. After all, no matter whether he continued to fight or retreated, he could not do without these gaucho cavalry.

"Gentlemen, the war has now reached a point of great delicacy, and things do not look good to us. After this frustrating battle, we have lost the initiative of the war, and our supplies It has also been completely cut off." Major Carlos said after taking a deep breath, "In fact, our supplies have not been completely smooth, and in this damn weather, the soldiers have lost more than 200 soldiers due to cold and disease. The rest of the soldiers are not in very good condition, and their morale is extremely low. At this point, I think we don't have to lie to ourselves anymore. The Tartans are very strong in combat, and I am against restoring the transportation lines behind us again. Pessimistic attitude. Gentlemen, this war is, in fact, very difficult for us to continue."

Everyone was a little silent.Only ten days had passed, and the nearly 1700 Royal Army soldiers who crossed the river in high spirits fell into such a predicament.Underestimating the fighting power of the Tatans is the biggest sticking point!They are familiar with the geographical environment and weather, they have strong fortresses, they have sufficient supplies, their fighting will is tenacious, their artillery performance is excellent, they are equipped with a large number of advanced rifles, and they have innovated cavalry tactics... This The gap in each item has an impact on the outcome of each battle, and then affects the direction of the entire battle situation.

"Leo, tomorrow you will go to Rocha with my personal letter, and describe the difficulties we are facing to His Excellency Commander Garcia in detail, and ask him to allow our withdrawal request. I must do it for the children who are still on the north bank of this river. We are responsible, and I have the responsibility to bring them safely to La Plata and Paraguay. This war...will not go on after all." Major Carlos said with a sad face.

"Yes, Your Excellency." The adjutant Leo standing behind Major Carlos bowed slightly.The young adjutant Leo was also a little emotional. Who would have expected that the war would turn into such an embarrassing situation when the war started a few months ago?Your Excellency the Chief Prosecutor wrote the rash war order in Peru. Perhaps in his heart, the power of the Tartans is no match for the Kingdom's army at all.

Thinking of this, Leo couldn't help but secretly slandered that Chief Prosecutor Romero.

(End of this chapter)