Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 250 Storm (Part )

October 10, 13 am, light rain.

Guangfeng City, about two kilometers northeast, the Sixth Colonization Production Team.

Team after team of Marines and militiamen filed out of the temporary camp, then formed into more than ten square formations, standing quietly in the open field.

The drizzle fell lightly on the soldiers' shoulders, soaking their clothes and armor, but it could not extinguish the fighting spirit in their eyes.

After several days of troop deployment, almost all of Xinhua's mobile forces gathered here, preparing to engage in a decisive battle with the Spanish landing forces arriving nearby.

At this time, Mo Tianhai, who was appointed as the commander-in-chief of the army by the decision-making committee, was riding a fairly strong packhorse and standing at the front of the team.

He was wearing a dark grey rainproof cloak, his brand new military uniform faintly visible underneath the cloak, and a saber slung at his waist.

His eyes were as sharp as torches as he scanned the troops under his command, his heart filled with excitement and pride.

This battle was not only a test of his command ability, but also a head-on confrontation between the Xinhua Army and the Spaniards.

The troops at Mo Tianhai's disposal included the 1st Marine Company, the 2nd Provisional Company, the Artillery Squadron, the 1st Provisional Cavalry Battalion, the 1st and 3rd Squadrons of the Shixing Militia, the 1st and 2nd Squadrons of the Guangfeng Militia, the 1st Squadron of the Xinning Militia, and more than 300 Indian servants, plus some baggage and logistics personnel, with a total strength of more than 1,400.

The army was in great shape, morale was high, and the soldiers' faces were filled with determination and fearlessness.

They knew that this battle was not only to defend their homeland, but also to declare to the Spaniards the strong and unyielding power of Xinhua.

Through two days of non-stop harassment and reconnaissance, the Xinhua Army basically figured out the size and military configuration of the Spanish landing force.

Perhaps it was because of the long journey of more than 5,000 kilometers that the Spanish troops suffered heavy casualties, resulting in a total of only more than 1,200 landing troops on the other side. In addition, more than 100 soldiers were left garrisoned in the temporary camp on the beach, so that the number of troops that the other side could actually deploy in the battle was only a little over 1,000.

What is even more surprising is that more than 40% of the soldiers in the Spanish army were Indian servants, who were poorly equipped, without any protective gear, and held the standard spears already in the Spanish army.

Judging from the exchanges of fire over the past two days, most of the Spanish musketeers were armed with old-style matchlock rifles, and the number of flintlock rifles was also very small, estimated to be no more than forty.

As for the artillery, it is not known whether it was due to the inconvenience of landing or damage during the journey, the Spaniards only carried four artillery pieces, all of which were 3-pound or 4-pound bronze cannons, and their firepower was far inferior to that of the New China Army's artillery squadron.

Comparing the two, the Xinhua Army was far superior to the Spaniards in terms of both troop size and weapons and equipment.

The "Type 31-A" flintlock rifles in the hands of the soldiers (some militiamen also held a large number of flintlock rifles converted from matchlock guns), the neatly arranged land artillery, and the sharp sabers of the cavalry squadrons all demonstrated the powerful strength of our Xinhua Army.

Moreover, the Xinhua Army also has a geographical advantage. If we dare not fight a decisive battle with it under such circumstances, it would be too passive.

No, it’s not passive, it’s more like shrinking away from fighting!
"We not only have the geographical advantage, but also the good weather!" Mo Tianhai raised his head slightly and looked at the fine rain in the sky, and his confidence in defeating the Spaniards increased a little more.

This weather is not very friendly to the Spanish arquebuses!

"Let's go!" Mo Tianhai drew out his command knife and pointed in the direction of the Spaniards.

Following his order, the troops formed a slightly loose formation and moved forward slowly at a leisurely marching pace.

A gentle breeze blew, and the rain drizzled as the soldiers walked on the muddy grass, accompanied by the beat of military drums, with firm steps towards the upcoming battlefield.

In this battle, Xinhua will definitely win!
-

"The pirates have set off!"

"The number of pirates is probably between 1300 and 1400!"

"The pirates have cavalry, about 120-150!"

"More than 80% of the pirates are armed with spears!"

"The pirates have cannons! ... Ten of them!"

"The pirates are a quarter of a league away from our army!"

"The pirates are one-sixth of a league away from our army!"

"..."

Scouts kept coming, breathlessly reporting the pirates' movements to Colonel Eric Garcia Matrete, commander of the Spanish landing force.

"Arm your troops! ... Meet the enemy!" Colonel Matret shouted. The Spanish soldiers who had been squatting on the ground to rest stood up one after another. Under the shouts and kicks of the officers, they quickly began to form into squares, and then formed into a complete large square.

According to the organization of the Spanish army during this period, a large phalanx usually consisted of 1500-3000 soldiers, arranged in a huge square or rectangular formation.

The spearmen are located in the center, forming a dense "spear wall", while the musketeers are distributed around or in the corners, and there are sporadic sword and shield soldiers interspersed among the spearmen.

Although this large phalanx has poor maneuverability, it is extremely effective in defense and frontal combat.

It was through this mode of warfare that the Spanish defeated one European enemy after another and established their European hegemony.

At the beginning of the battle, the musketeers fired long-range shots, then retreated behind the spearmen to reload ammunition, forming alternating fire.

When the two armies engaged in close combat, the phalanx relied on dense spear formations and musket fire to resist the enemy's charge.

However, the large square formation usually fought in conjunction with cavalry and artillery. The cavalry was responsible for flank protection and pursuit of the defeated enemy, while the artillery provided fire support.

Relying on the large square formation, Spain was almost invincible on the European battlefield for the past hundred years (until they met Gustav II), crushing countless enemies who dared to challenge it.

Although the Spanish landing force had only more than a thousand soldiers and no cavalry to support them, Colonel Matret still deployed this formation, only slightly reducing the size of the entire phalanx.

In fact, he had felt a little hesitant about the upcoming battle last night, thinking that his side might be in an absolutely disadvantageous situation.

The seaside camp in the rear was attacked by pirates and there was a high probability that it could not be preserved, which immediately put the entire army in an isolated and helpless state.

If the pirates choose to stay in their own place and not fight, hiding in their fortress strongholds, waiting for the landing troops to consume all the supplies, and then running out to take advantage, they will probably face the danger of annihilation.

Although there are reindeer, wild wolves, and many other birds and beasts in the forest, and they can be hunted to supplement their supply, it is not a long-term solution.

Because the temperature here is getting lower and lower. Even if there is enough food, it will be difficult to face the upcoming cold weather.

Perhaps a cold wave would hit and the army would lose more than half of its members. There would be no need for pirates to attack, and they would face a morale collapse.

So, after much thought, Colonel Matret's pride and honor made him unable to retreat.

Moreover, he still held out a glimmer of hope, which was to successfully defeat the pirates, capture the fortresses and ports they occupied, and thus achieve a glorious military career.

These were a group of pirates. If they decided to flee without fighting, their reputation and status would surely fall to dust, and they would become a laughing stock in the Viceroyalty and even the entire Kingdom of Spain.

He would be considered a complete coward, a timid man who dared not fight, and an extremely incompetent officer of the kingdom!
From then on, I could only hide in the shadows where no one could see me like a mouse, and spend the rest of my life in misery and helplessness amid the ridicule and curses of countless people.

Oh, God, I can't let this happen!

Colonel Matret quickly put aside the last bit of hesitation and doubt in his mind, and began to concentrate his attention and think seriously about the upcoming battle.

If the pirates choose to passively avoid fighting and hide in their fortresses, then we must find ways to lure them out, then pounce on them quickly, tear them apart, and annihilate them.

So how do you lure them out?
In order to meet the needs of self-sufficiency, the pirates seemed to have opened up a lot of farmland in the wild and planted a lot of wheat, corn, sorghum and potatoes.

Although much of the wheat has been harvested, leaving stubble on the ground, the corn, sorghum and potatoes are not yet ripe and have not yet been harvested.

In this case, we can completely destroy these farmlands and set fire to them, threatening to completely cut off their food harvest and forcing the pirates to come out and fight us.

By the way, since the pirates have opened up a lot of farmland, they must have also built a lot of agricultural ancillary facilities and a large number of settlements. They can also cause large-scale destruction to them, causing the pirates to feel extremely painful and uncomfortable.

As long as they can't tolerate it, they can only be led by us.

That's right, as long as we use this to defeat the pirates in a field battle and wipe out a large number of their manpower, the rest of the things will become easy.

They are just a group of pirates, how much combat power can they have?
In the face of our powerful Spanish Kingdom army, no enemy can withstand our all-out attack.

Not to mention a bunch of ragtag pirates!

Thinking about these things kept him awake almost the entire night. In a state of anxiety, he only took a short nap in the simple marching tent, then stared with bloodshot eyes, urging the troops to assemble immediately after a hearty breakfast and prepare to march towards the nearest fortress occupied by the pirates.

However, when the scouts came back one after another to report that the pirates were gathering their troops and were showing signs of taking the initiative to attack.

Colonel Matret was overjoyed and immediately ordered the entire army to rest on the spot and wait for the arrival of the pirate army.

In today's battle, the Kingdom of Spain will win!
(End of this chapter)