Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 11: Destroying the Sharp
Just as the ship-seizing operation at sea was coming to an end, the battle on land reached its climax.

After the first mate of the "San Luis", Adrian Gavira Corrado, and two sailors were hit by muskets in the wooden stronghold and died, all the attacks stopped immediately and retreated quickly to the edge of the forest.

No one expected that the natives in the wooden village actually had muskets, so the sailors who underestimated the enemy suffered a great loss in the first place.

Faced with this situation, the sailors began to argue and discuss.

Some sailors suggested that they should temporarily withdraw to the shore and try to get a cannon from the big ship. In addition to suppressing the counterattack of the natives, they could also break through the wooden stronghold and clear a safe passage for the attacking personnel.

Some sailors said the natives must have only a few muskets, perhaps only two or three, while they, over forty men, possessed thirty, giving them an absolute advantage in firepower density. If they were brave enough to form a firing formation and charge the village wall with a continuous volley of fire, the natives would be unable to withstand the attack and would be forced to flee.

Other sailors said that they would wait until night, take advantage of the cover of sky, quietly approach the wooden stronghold, then climb over the fence, swarm into the stronghold, and use their numerical advantage to capture and kill the natives one by one.

Of course, there were also timid sailors who suggested that they change the landing place to avoid these somewhat "evil" natives. Anyway, they just needed to cut down a few tall trees to replace the mast and find a water source to replenish some fresh water. They could get it in another place and avoid a fatal confrontation with the natives.

It’s totally unnecessary!

We have gone through many life-threatening situations and finally crossed the vast Pacific Ocean and avoided several storms. It would be such a shame if we died here!
What's more, as soon as this statement was made, it was actually agreed by many people, who all believed that it was better to have less trouble than more.

It is one thing for us to bully those natives who have little ability to resist, but if we encounter natives who are really tough and good at fighting, there is really no need to waste time and energy fighting them.

It would be totally not worth it if you lose your life accidentally.

Even if I get hurt a little, it is unacceptable.

In this day and age, sometimes even a small injury can be fatal.

The boatswain Harvey, who had been silent for a long time, stood up and stopped the endless argument.

With the death of First Mate Corrado, he has the highest position among the sailors. According to the strict hierarchy on the ship, he will automatically take over the command.

Whether to fight or to flee is up to him to decide.

Deep down in his heart, Harvey didn't really want to continue to dwell on this matter.

Whether it was setting up mechanisms and traps in the jungle or their performance in the initial battle just now, the natives in the wooden village responded in a very methodical manner. It was obvious that they were not the kind of primitive savages who knew nothing.

Perhaps there were civilized people in the wooden village who guided them in building this fortress with a certain degree of defense, taught them combat skills against civilized people, and even provided them with weapons from the civilized world.

When facing these natives who have certain counterattack capabilities, there is really no need to fight them to the death. It is not worth it.

Every time we travel the Pacific route, the casualty rate is already alarmingly high. On a round trip, at least 30% of the sailors on almost every ship would die.

If you are unlucky and encounter a strong storm at sea, all the people on the ship will be wiped out.

It is really unfair that he lost his life on this nameless island just for conquering a group of natives and stealing some things.

However, Harvey did not dare to retreat to the shore with his men, and he returned to the "St. Louis" in a small boat in shame.

Because the first mate Corrado was dead and his body was thrown near the wooden village.

This first mate is the distant nephew of a big shot in Mexico City and has a very deep background.

As a result, he died inexplicably at the hands of the natives. If Harvey had escaped with the sailors, the death of the first mate would have been blamed on him.

When they return to Acapulco, they might face the wrath of the big shot in Mexico City and be liquidated and retaliated by him.

Therefore, whether it was to relieve their own worries or to retrieve the first mate's body and atone for their sins, they needed to launch another fierce attack on the natives.

It would be best if he could capture the indigenous wooden village and capture a large number of natives inside. He would then be able to give an explanation to the captain and the big shot in Mexico City.

Under his instigation and threats, the sailors reluctantly agreed to organize another attack. If they failed, they would retreat to the seaside, report the situation here to the captain, and wait for his decision.

Xavi had never served in the Spanish Army, but he knew a little about the army's organizational model and offensive methods.

He arranged the thirty musketeers into three rows, and the remaining ten or so sailors, holding short swords and spears, stood on the left and right to protect the two wings. As the commander, he stood on the right side of the team and issued unified commands.

Unfortunately, they had no flag-bearers or drummers, and could only launch the attack at his monotonous and simple commands. This small Spanish phalanx (at this period, the real Spanish phalanx was mainly composed of spearmen, with musket soldiers arranged in dense formations at the four corners of the phalanx) slowly approached the indigenous people's wooden stronghold again from the edge of the woods.

Every few dozen meters, the team would stop, adjust their formation, and then continue to move forward proudly at the commander's command.

It has to be admitted that once the crowd gathers into groups, the courage to fight will immediately double. Every sailor seems to feel that he is a member of the great Spanish Kingdom army. Under the guidance of the Burgundy Cross Flag, he will join thousands of troops to launch the most fierce attack on the enemy.

"Stop!"

When the team reached the shallow trench in front of the wooden stockade, Harvey shouted orders.

"Raise the gun!"

"Aim!" "Shoot!"

Harvey swung his raised arm down sharply.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

After the sailors in the first row finished shooting, they immediately jumped into the trench, then struggled to climb over the opposite slope, half-crouched on the ground, took out the cleaning rod, cleaned the gun barrel, took out the gunpowder, and reloaded the ammunition.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

The sailors in the second row also finished their round and jumped into the trench, preparing to cross to the other side.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

When the soldiers from the third row started firing, the soldiers from the first row who had crossed the trench had already loaded their ammunition, stood up, raised their guns and aimed at the nearby wall.

Although their musket fire was somewhat uneven, their movements across the trenches were somewhat clumsy and slow, and some sailors even forgot to put in lead bullets when loading gunpowder due to nervousness.

However, this wave of three-stage shooting still made all the sailors' adrenaline surge sharply, and they also had a vague feeling of full confidence.

This wave of ferocious attacks must have frightened the natives in the wooden village into running away in panic!
You see, there has been no counterattack from the village so far. They must have lost their nerve.

"Charge!" Harvey climbed out of the trench panting, looked at the village where there was no movement, and then shouted the order.

The sailors immediately rushed towards the wall of the village with their muskets, no longer paying attention to the formation, and swarmed forward.

It would be best to take advantage of the opportunity when the natives are stunned by the volley of gunfire and climb over, leaving them no time to react.

"Bang! Bang!"

Suddenly, two gunshots were heard from the wooden stronghold. The two sailors who were rushing in the front seemed to be hit by a sledgehammer. They groaned and fell to the ground on their backs.

“Shoot! … Shoot!”

The sailors' charge was paused, and they raised their muskets, lit the fuses, and fired at the wooden stronghold.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

The gunshots were chaotic, and lead bullets scattered everywhere. Some hit the wall of the village, making popping sounds, while others flew into the village and disappeared silently in the open space.

But amidst the chaotic roar of musketry, there were occasional crisp, rhythmic sounds of frying beans. Every time a sound was heard, a sailor fell to the ground.

Those who were hit in the shoulder felt as if they were stabbed by a red-hot iron rod. A sharp pain came over them instantly, and their arms immediately became limp, as if their entire shoulders were about to be torn apart.

Being hit on the arm felt like being whipped hard, with a burning pain. The arm trembled involuntarily, and then the pain began to spread, making it unbearable.

Those who were shot in the chest felt like being hit by a sledgehammer, having difficulty breathing, a stuffy chest, pain that quickly spread throughout the body, and a disordered heartbeat.

If you are hit in the abdomen, it feels like being stabbed by a sharp weapon. The severe cramps make it impossible to straighten your back, and your intestines seem to be tangled together.

As for those who were hit in the thigh, it was like being kicked hard by a strong man. Their legs went limp and they fell to the ground immediately. Then they felt excruciating pain and it became extremely difficult for them to move.

"what!……"

Watching that in just a few moments, eight or nine of their companions were shot to death by the natives in the wooden village, the sailors were suddenly frightened and shouted, turning around and fleeing to the rear.

This battle cannot be fought. We have not even encountered the natives and we have suffered such heavy casualties, with countless casualties.

What the hell are you doing?

Quickly escape to the seaside and take a boat back to the St. Louis.

“%￥@……*@#……”

As he was running at full speed, he suddenly heard a burst of enthusiastic cheers and roars from the wooden village behind him, and his heart tightened.

Oh no, the natives are chasing us!

As soon as he thought of this, his running pace immediately quickened.

Escape from this place quickly. As long as you reach the shore and get on the boat, you will be safe.

However, when the sailors were about to escape to the landing point through the jungle, they all stopped and their faces became extremely ugly.

A group of fully armed natives were holding muskets, forming a thin line, waiting there with a greedy look in their eyes.

(End of this chapter)