Rise of Empires: Spain.

Chapter 231 Bloodbath of the Bangi Tribe

Following the Congo River all the way north, along a tributary called the Ubangi River, there are mountains and plains that are not covered by tropical rainforest.

This is the northernmost part of the Congo Basin and also the northernmost part of the tropical rainforest. If we go further north, we will be out of the Congo River Basin, which is more suitable for development than the Congo Basin in the south because it is far away from the tropical rainforest.

Through the railway connection between Guinea and Congo, Spain occupied the largest plains and plateaus along the Ubangi River. However, due to insufficient numbers, a large amount of land was still controlled by the indigenous people, the most important of which was the indigenous tribe called the Baka.

After deciding on the plan of revenge against the natives, Manuel Mathias Icardusa ordered the army of the Congo Territory to begin assembling.

Although the colonial garrison regiment had only 2300 people, it had no problem launching an attack on a single indigenous tribe.

Although the indigenous tribes had a larger population and were able to form armies of thousands or even tens of thousands of people, these so-called armies had no resistance to the Spanish regular troops. The indigenous troops armed with cold weapons were just moving targets in the eyes of the Spanish army.

"This should be the largest tribe of the Baka people." On a hill a few kilometers away from the Baka tribe, Manuel's adjutant reported while looking at the map.

Manuel nodded and asked calmly, "How many people are there in this tribe?"

"According to the information we obtained from the explorers, the Baka tribe has a population of at least 20." The adjutant replied, "There are also many small villages nearby that are affiliated with the Baka tribe. The total population may be close to ."

Manuel nodded calmly and ordered: "Let's act! It's time to let these natives know who is the real master of this land."

"Action!" As the herald conveyed Manuel's order to each company of the army, the Spanish army also began to move in a mighty manner.

Although most of the soldiers in Manuel's colonial garrison were indigenous, these indigenous people came from southern Morocco and had no connection with the indigenous people of the Congo Territory.

This is also the reason why Manuel resolutely launched the retaliation even though he only had a colonial garrison regiment. On the premise that the colonial garrison regiment completely obeyed his orders, these natives could not pose much threat to the Congo territory.

Led by Spanish officers, the Moroccan soldiers marched down the hillside in a mighty force. Their target was a Baka gathering place a few kilometers away, a huge tribe called Bangui.

Because Moroccans are all white, this army looks more like a regular European army and has little to do with the colonial armies formed by the various powers.

As they got closer to the Baka tribe, this European army of more than 2000 people attracted the attention of the natives of the Baka tribe.

Several native soldiers quickly ran towards the tribe, apparently to give a tip-off. One native who was obviously the leader did not choose to run towards the tribe, but gradually approached the Spanish army, chattering something.

Manuel walked forward slowly. He had no idea what the native was saying. Seeing Manuel frowning, the colonial official who was in charge of translation quickly said, "General, he is asking about the purpose of our visit."

"Purpose?" Manuel sneered, looked at the native with disdain, and said in a cold voice: "Tell him that our plantation was looted a few days ago, and we have sufficient reason to suspect that the looting was initiated by the Baka people.

If the Baka people cannot provide sufficient evidence to prove that they have nothing to do with this incident, we will retaliate with force.

Tell him to inform their superiors. I only give them two hours. Either tell us which tribe is behind the looting, or wait for our army to attack. "

After the colonial officials relayed Manuel's words to the native verbatim, the native fled back to the tribe in panic with a look of panic on his face.

At the same time, Manuel also ordered the army to block several entrances and exits of the tribe.

Although the natives were asked to make their choice within two hours, Manuel obviously would not wait for two hours.

As the soldiers blocked several main entrances and exits of the tribe, Manuel also issued further orders to take the lead in clearing the indigenous villages near the Bangui tribe.

Because it is surrounded by tropical rainforests, the villages around the Bangi tribe are relatively dense, and they are all medium to large villages with large populations.

The smaller villages have a population of several hundred people, while the larger villages have a population of thousands or even tens of thousands of people.

These people were all good laborers, and Manuel was not going to let them go. No matter what choice the Baka people made in the end, Manuel would clear out the surrounding indigenous villages and transport these indigenous people back to the Spanish colonial outposts as laborers.

According to the previous colonial practice of Spain, the most valuable among the indigenous population were the adult male indigenous people. These male indigenous people were excellent laborers, whether they were miners or slaves on plantations, they could play a huge economic value.

Less valuable are adult female indigenous people and some younger indigenous children. These indigenous people provide limited labor, but they can ensure that the size of the indigenous population remains within a certain range, which is considered to be of some value.

The ones with no value are the older natives. These natives can't play any role, so Spain naturally doesn't need them to waste food.

The Bangi tribe and nearby villages have a population of about 20, but the number of young and middle-aged laborers is only a little over 10 at most.

Including some children who have not yet grown up, the Congo Territory can accommodate a maximum of 12 to 13 people. As for the remaining natives, they are naturally the target of Manuel's operation.

The action against the Bangui tribe was not only to find out the real culprit behind the looting of the Spanish plantation, but also to serve as a warning to the indigenous people around the Congolese territory, so that they would understand who is the real owner of this land.

Only by completely scaring off the surrounding natives can we ensure that similar attacks will not happen again. Of course, after the Congolese territory expands its military, it will be unlikely for the natives to plan attacks again.

2 troops are enough to ensure the security of the Congo territory. Even if all the indigenous tribes in the Congo territory unite together, they cannot defeat 2 soldiers with advanced rifles.

While Manuel was launching a siege on the outer indigenous villages, the Baka people were also having a very heated discussion within the Bangui tribe.

After the native leader fled back to the tribe, he not only relayed Manuel's original words to the tribal leader verbatim, but he even added fuel to the fire and exaggerated Manuel's threat.

This also made the indigenous tribes very angry. It was clearly their land that was occupied, so how come these outsiders became the owners of the land?
After an hour-long heated discussion, the tribe reached a unanimous opinion, which was to gather the young men of the tribe and teach these aggressive European colonists a lesson.

The population of the Bangui tribe exceeded 20, and there were many indigenous villages around. The total indigenous population was close to , and tens of thousands of indigenous people could be mobilized to resist the European colonists.

This is also the source of the confidence of the tribal leader. The Bangi tribe is the largest indigenous tribe within more than 100 kilometers, and it is also the largest indigenous tribe of the Baka people.

If you want to find an indigenous tribe larger than the Bangui tribe in Congo, you have to go to the territory of the Kingdom of Kongo further south, or the Kingdom of Karawi further east.

But no matter whether it is the Kingdom of Kongo or the Kingdom of Karawi, they are separated from the Bangui tribe by an entire Congo rainforest. Along the Ubangi River, the Bangui tribe is the most powerful indigenous force, and they will not allow European colonists to act so recklessly.

After more than an hour, Manuel's patience gradually wore out.

He led his troops back to the entrance of the Bangi tribe, looked at the rather large indigenous tribe in front of him, frowned and asked: "Are these black-skinned natives not making any movement?"

"In the past hour, these black monkeys didn't make any movement." The adjutant shook his head and replied, "But in the last few minutes, the tribe has started to get in chaos.

They seem to be gathering men, and I was just about to inform you, General."

After all, it is a huge tribe with a population of up to 100,000 people, and its area is larger than some cities in Spain.

Some of the actions of the Bangui tribe could not be concealed from the Spanish army outside. In the eyes of the Spanish army, their movement of gathering manpower was actually seeking death.

"Since they have made their choice, we can only send them to see God." Manuel smiled. He was not surprised by the natives' choice.

He looked at his watch and then gave the order: "Attack, let these damn natives go to see God."

"Attack!" With Manuel's order, the colonial garrison regiment of 2300 people launched a mighty attack on the Bangi tribe.

In order to catch them all in one fell swoop, Manuel dispatched the entire Colonial Garrison. During the deployment of the Colonial Garrison, the safety of the colonial outposts in the Congo Territory will be protected by the armed squad of the original expedition. Although these armed forces are not enough to protect all the colonial outposts in the Congo Territory, the Colonial Garrison's operation does not take too long.

If the operation goes smoothly, it will basically only take one day to completely conquer an entire huge tribe.

boom!Boom!

boom! boom!
A colonial garrison regiment was equipped with three artillery pieces, which were also the only heavy firepower weapons of the colonial garrison regiment.

In order to conquer the Bangui tribe as soon as possible, Manuel transported the three cannons directly to the front line.

Originally, attacking the tribe with rifles was a slow process, and sneak attacks by some natives hiding in the dark could also cause injuries or even deaths to the soldiers.

But under the first round of artillery suppression, these natives quickly panicked and were unable to organize themselves to pose a threat to the Spanish army.

Although both the Bangui tribe and the downstream Kingdom of Kongo belong to the Congo River basin, the two are completely different.

Although the Kingdom of Kongo was occupied by Portugal for hundreds of years, it also acquired certain thermal weapons through trade with Europeans.

Although they do not have many weapons, they also know the power of thermal weapons.

The situation of the Bangui tribe in the upper reaches is different. Because they are located in the upper reaches of the Congo River, they were in an extremely isolated state before the Spanish established a colonial outpost.

These tribes had never been exposed to hot weapons, let alone experienced the powerful power of artillery. This gave them great confidence that they could teach Spain a lesson by organizing an army of tens of thousands of people.

But what they didn't know was that in the face of hot weapons, the number of troops was just a simple string of casualties. Before the Spanish army ran out of weapons and ammunition, the army organized by the natives was nothing more than a jumping target.

More importantly, because of Manuel's advance action, the Bangui tribe did not complete the organization of its troops.

A tribe of 100,000 people occupies a very large area, and it takes a long time to mobilize the young manpower of the entire tribe.

The information exchange between the indigenous peoples relied almost entirely on manpower. After the Spanish army launched the attack, the information and transportation system of the Bangui tribe was almost paralyzed, and the troops could not be organized at all.

Not to mention organizing their troops, after being bombarded by several rounds of Spanish artillery shells, the natives were almost in a state of collapse.

They had no idea where these powerful shells came from. They only knew that if they fell nearby, not only would they be blown to pieces, but their houses would also be blown to pieces.

The houses of these indigenous tribes have one thing in common: they are flammable. The houses of the indigenous tribes are either thatched houses or wooden houses with thatched roofs and wooden enclosures.

No matter what kind of house it is, after being exposed to wind and sun for a long time, it becomes extremely flammable.

The Bangi tribe is a bloated tribe, which results in the houses of the tribe being piled together. Once a fire breaks out, a large area will burn.

Manuel naturally noticed this, and he would not show any mercy to the natives. As soon as he launched the attack, he ordered his soldiers to set fire to the nearby thatched houses, so that the natives could have a taste of fire.

The Bangui tribe is located along the Ubangi River, far away from the Congo rainforest, so arson will not have any impact on the rainforest.

Although the thatched houses in the tribe are densely packed, setting fire to them will not cause the entire tribe to burn. This will not only not cause too much impact, but will also cause panic among the natives in the tribe, making it easier for Spain to attack.

Although Manuel was determined to teach these natives a lesson, they were still very useful and Manuel did not intend to kill them all.

Especially those adult male natives, they should be preserved. These natives are excellent laborers, and it would be a waste to kill them now.

At least they should be allowed to fully realize their value before being killed, so as to make the best use of them.

In the face of the powerful firearms of the Spanish army, the African natives had no room to resist. Coupled with Manuel's fire attack strategy, the natives who first faced the Spanish army were in a panic.

Many indigenous people on the outskirts of the tribe fled inward, making it difficult for the tribes inside to organize manpower to defend against the attack of the Spanish army.

Often, before the formation on the native side is completed, the natives from the periphery would flee in and destroy the formation.

The natives whose formation was broken could only flee, because if they didn't run, they would be shot in the next second.

In this way, in a situation of you running and I chasing, the Spanish army quickly broke into the interior of the Bangui tribe.

Compared to the thatched houses of ordinary tribe members, the house of the tribal leader is more luxurious. Not only does it look bigger, it is also surrounded by wooden stakes and has its own yard.

Precisely because this house looked so conspicuous, Manuel's first choice after entering the tribe was to occupy this house.

As luck would have it, the tribal leader was in this house, along with some high-ranking members of the tribe.

They are called high-level officials, but in fact they are just some subordinates of the tribal leader. The Bangi tribe has not formed a political system similar to that of a country. The tribal leader has absolute sovereignty, and the rest of the population is not much different from slaves.

"We should be able to have a good talk now, right?" Manuel looked at the tribal leader calmly, his expression unchanged.

As the translator relayed Manuel's words, the tribal leader, who was being pointed at by several rifles, nodded quickly and said a lot of chatter in bird language.

"What did he say?" Manuel frowned.

"He said that rebellion had nothing to do with him, and that looting the plantation had nothing to do with him. He was willing to submit to your rule and only asked you to spare his life," the translator translated.

"Now you understand how to be obedient?" Manuel sneered, but he had no intention of killing the tribal leader right now.

If you want to control the Bangui tribe, the tribal leader is still very important. The hierarchical differentiation within the African indigenous tribes is still deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and only the tribal leader can control the entire African tribe.

Without a leader, the Spanish army can only rely on endless killing to control the situation. Although the Bangui tribe can no longer pose a threat to the army, indiscriminate killing will waste labor, and the current Congolese territory is in great need of such labor.

"Tell him to keep his tribe quiet." Manuel ordered, "Also, gather all the adult male natives together. As compensation, they need to work for us for free for one year.

Of course, while they are working for us, we provide them with food and some supplies to ensure that their families do not go hungry.”

Gather the adult male natives and use the remaining natives as a means of threatening them. Hearing that the work time is only one year and Spain will provide food and supplies, these natives will definitely agree.

Unless they are willing to lose their families, they have no choice but to agree to this option.

Once they entered the Spanish plantations or mines, it was not up to them to decide whether to get out. Although Manuel promised that they only needed to work for Spain for one year, it was not up to Manuel to decide whether the plantation owners or mine owners were willing to let them go.

After hearing Manuel's instructions, the leader of the Bangi tribe nodded repeatedly, indicating that he understood.

"Very good." Manuel smiled and said, "Tell him that as long as these natives are obedient, I will spare his life. But if anything unexpected happens to the natives during the gathering, I will have to send him to see God and let God forgive him."

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(End of this chapter)