Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 84: Encirclement of Tagum Town
"What's the point of relying on sharp guns and cannons? Let's bring these hateful enemies into the city. Our warriors are not afraid of close combat and will definitely repel them."

"Chief Tanuatu, what's wrong with you? If you continue to fight, everyone will be killed. Retreat quickly, it will be too late."

"Where are the Frankies? Oh... by the way, Mr. Carlos, what do you think we should do?"

Several tribal chiefs started arguing with each other and finally turned their attention to Carlos.

This man was a priest in the Catholic Church, but in his early years he was a member of the Spanish colonial army. He once led his troops to fight in Central and South America. After middle age, he began to think about retiring and transformed himself into a priest who spread the gospel.

Carlos frowned. He could tell from the enemy's fighting style that this was a well-trained army that had experienced many battles. The same was true in the Spanish army.

That is conquest and bloodthirstiness, and killing is nothing.

The most important thing now is not these, but to send this first-hand important military intelligence to the Governor-General of the Luzon Islands to prevent the Spanish army from making misjudgments and causing heavy losses.

"We can't retreat. Where can we retreat to?" Carlos said in a heavy voice. He looked at several anxious chiefs and continued in a very persuasive tone.

"These Chinese troops are devilish legions from hell. They will devour all the people and animals they see, leaving no trace behind.

This is the punishment of the Lord on the ungodly. After the ore is smelted and the impurities are removed, it will turn into gold. This is a test of blood and fire.

Those who believe devoutly will gain eternal life and return to the Lord's paradise.

Don't dream of escaping. When the flood comes, all cowards will be swept up in it and fall into the endless abyss after death.

Resistance is the only way to survive. You must obey my orders and stop attacking blindly.

Defend the town and turn it into a slaughterhouse to hang your enemies. Fight bravely, and God will grant you the final glory and return to the embrace of heaven."

The chieftains here were all Catholics. Father Carlos' words strengthened their resolve to resist. After gritting their teeth and looking at each other, they said, "Okay, let's do as Father Carlos says and fight these vicious enemies."

"I will lead my men to the west, and you two will stay here and fight them to the end."

"Well then, I'll also go and mobilize my people. Since these demons won't let us live, let's fight to the bitter end."

Several tribal chiefs quickly reached a consensus and acted separately.

the other side

"Boom boom boom..."

Accompanied by intermittent artillery fire, the hastily built barricades and earthen houses were blown down one after another. The indigenous warriors hiding behind them were either killed or injured, and retreated in embarrassment under the attack of volleys of gunfire.

After reloading the bullets, the commander gathered the originally long team together, forming a dense formation of more than a hundred people to adapt to street fighting.

Each team of over a hundred men consisted of over 60 sword and shield soldiers and over 40 musketeers. Each team was separated by over a hundred meters and advanced in a dense formation.

Because the town streets were narrow, the musketeers formed a formation of eight people in a row, with five rows in front and back.

The sword and shield soldiers surrounded them, rushed into the houses on the street to fight, cleared out the remaining enemies in an orderly manner, and advanced calmly.

If you find a place where the natives are densely occupied, stop and wait for the artillery from the rear to arrive, and then fire a few shots without thinking.

The earth and rocks were broken and the enemy's flesh and blood flew everywhere. Then the volley of gunfire followed, carrying out intensive and deadly sweeps. Finally, the sword and shield players came on the scene to finish off the enemy.

The intermittent sound of volleys of gunfire, the roar of gunfire, and the cries of killing intertwined into one, and screams rose one after another. The entire town of Tagum was filled with a thick atmosphere of blood and killing, and the air was filled with smoke...

More than two hours have passed
Under the vigilant protection of a group of personal soldiers, Zheng Guohui stepped into this indigenous town that could be called a slaughterhouse. He looked around with a grim expression.

"Pass on my orders. All residents of this town will be killed without mercy. No one will be spared, including the indigenous people who have fled to the dense forests. Man, woman, old, or young, will be executed."

"As you command, General."

After Zheng Guohui gave the order, he breathed in the thick smell of gunpowder and blood in the air, and looked at the ruins of the town that had been shattered by artillery fire. A fierce look flashed in his eyes.

It was necessary to establish authority and kill these indigenous tribal people so that they were terrified and dared not even think of resisting.

Only in this way can they be tamed and sent to the labor camp to contribute to the construction of the king's hegemony.

He didn't have the time to waste on talking, so he had to take the most brutal and direct approach, which was to kill people and scare them into submission.

As for the resistance of these indigenous tribal warriors, it did not cause much waves.

Most of Zheng Guohui's colonial army were survivors who crawled out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They had not forgotten the skill of killing, but had mastered it to perfection.

When facing the enemy, sword and shield soldiers often work in groups of three, taking turns to cover and attack. They can defend from above but not from below.

When the indigenous enemies blocked the knife coming from above, the knife coming from below had already stabbed into their abdomen, or the knife coming from the side had already hit their legs, and their counterattacks could only hit their shields in vain.

When these natives gathered, they would be subjected to repeated attacks from artillery and volley guns, and their numbers would be quickly reduced. Then they would be beaten to death by sword and shield soldiers.

Each coordination is very exquisite, and it is a completely efficient killing machine.

As Zheng Guohui walked along the way, he saw the corpses of indigenous people everywhere on the roadside, in the houses, and hanging on the doors and windows, but very few Chinese soldiers.

If they were accidentally injured, they would immediately withdraw. The two-hour siege had caused another three thousand casualties among the indigenous tribes, a one-sided massacre.

I looked at the Western watch in my hand. It was not yet eleven o'clock in the morning, so it was still very early.

Zheng Guohui was not in a hurry at all. He gradually replaced the companies fighting at the front and sent some new forces to continue to put pressure on the enemy.

Don't seek speed, just seek stability.

It takes one company more than ten minutes to clear a house, and with five or six companies working together, it takes more than an hour to clear a street, ensuring that nothing is missed.

If they press in from the east and south at the same time, how big would the entire Tagum town be?
Including the big and small streets, there are at most more than a dozen streets, and it will take most of a day to completely clear them.

Therefore, Zheng Guohui's army fought with great patience and did not give the enemy any chance to lure them deep into their territory.

Those who lead the grassroots companies are all veterans, and the battlefield is no joke.

Whenever a company advanced deep into the enemy lines, they would stop to consolidate their defenses, catch their breath, drink some water, eat some food they had brought with them, and prepare for the next round of combat.

When will all the enemies be killed?

Don't be anxious, just play steadily step by step, the advantage is mine anyway.

This is all based on experience, and veterans on the battlefield know it well.

Once the fighting starts, it is possible that they will fight day and night for two or three days, or even fight and track continuously without having time to eat.

Therefore, before going to the battlefield, the best way to maintain physical strength was to secretly stuff two steamed buns and some pickles in your arms and fill a bamboo bucket with water.

Zheng Guohui's army could fight like this, but the tribal chiefs who suffered heavy casualties could not bear it anymore.

Seeing a commotion ahead, dense crowds of natives poured out from the streets, rooms, and courtyards, crying for their parents and fleeing to the north. Many people dropped their swords and guns in the crowd.

Is this... a defeat?
"Pass the order down. Hold the front line, press forward step by step. Pay attention to the coordination between the various companies. Don't underestimate the enemy and advance rashly."

"As you command, General."

The messenger loudly conveyed the order on the street, and the nearby companies could hear it, so they took unified action and advanced steadily from the east and south to prevent themselves from falling into the enemy's trap.

"General, several thousand natives have broken out of Tagum and are fleeing north in panic. Please give us your instructions."

"Send a signal to the ambushing troops and order the cavalry to pursue the remaining fleeing natives and drive them westward toward the Davao River."

"As you command, General."

The messenger mounted his horse and rode away quickly. He would go to an open area and deliver the order using the agreed flag.

Zheng Guohui looked at the messenger's departing back, his eyes slightly closed, revealing a hint of coldness.

It was too late for these natives to escape at this time.

He was too lazy to identify these indigenous tribes that openly resisted, and the simplest option was to eliminate them all.

In Zheng Guohui's view
The indigenous population of Davao City and its surrounding areas, more than 1, is still too large. It needs to be reduced by at least one-third, especially the able-bodied men, with a focus on eliminating the indigenous tribal armed forces that have organized resistance.

Completely eliminate the indigenous nobles and upper class, eliminate those insightful indigenous intellectuals, eliminate the core strength of the indigenous tribes, and what remains is a mess.

By the time

They could be flattened or rolled as they pleased, and these enslaved indigenous men were made to contribute to the basic construction of towns and farmland water conservancy, land reclamation, mining, road transportation, bridges and dams, etc. They were just disposable consumables.

The indigenous men in the labor camps could neither get married nor have spouses, and they had no need to reproduce.

Indigenous women are just the right match for single Chinese immigrants, so after one generation, everyone will be a unified Chinese nation.

The sound of gunfire could be heard faintly in the distance, and shouts of killing were heard everywhere.

After hearing this, Zheng Guohui raised a hint of sarcasm at the corner of his mouth. Sure enough, he could not escape the plan of this official.

He ordered "Prepare the horses", and soon the war horses were brought over. Zheng Guohui jumped on the horses and led his personal soldiers to run forward, chasing towards the battlefield.

On the open field
A large group of fleeing natives were shot down piece by piece by the musketeers who were hiding there, like cutting wheat.

The fleeing natives had no intention of fighting, as a large number of soldiers were chasing them from behind.

In his desperate escape, he didn't care how many people around him were shot to death, he just kept running away.

Not far
Another cavalryman came out, waving their sharp sabers and attacking from the side. The natives were thrown into chaos again with their sharp blades.

They were forced to flee westward, but to the west was the surging Davao River, which was a dead end.

In such a panic, what choice is there?

(End of this chapter)