1635 Han style rises again

March 4, early morning.

The official attack on the city of Acapulco by the Qi people was much later than everyone expected. Gein, four days ago, in order to deter (intimidate) the Spaniards to the maximum extent, the task force bombarded the port. A little bit too much force, not only destroyed a large number of facilities in the port, but also caused serious damage to the pier trestle and berths, so that the heavy siege artillery that the landing troops urgently needed could not be unloaded.

Hundreds of servant soldiers had to act temporarily as construction workers, unloading a large number of plates from the supply ship, supplemented by felled logs, and repairing the severely damaged dock.

More than 450 officers and soldiers of the Eighth Mixed Battalion, the main force of land warfare, with the assistance of Yinzhou township soldiers, roughly established a temporary camp, dug defensive trenches, set up artillery positions, set up tents, arranged guard posts, planned and built Life, sanitation camp.The Spanish defenders in Acapulco did not move at all, watching all the actions of the Qi army under the city.

It took the landing force two days to repair and reinforce several damaged dock berths.Afterwards, several heavy siege artillery and howitzers were slowly unloaded through the boom, and then dragged by many servants, they moved towards the city of Acapulco bit by bit.

The defenders in the city stared dumbfounded at the thick long-barreled cannons approaching the city of Acapulco, and bad thoughts suddenly flooded everyone's minds.Can the city wall, which has been in disrepair for a long time and is mainly made of rammed earth and wood, really withstand the bombardment of these long-barreled heavy artillery?
The more than [-] volunteers mobilized and recruited in the city possessed less than [-] muskets, and most of them held cold weapons such as rapiers, spears, iron forks, hoes, and picks.As for the several cannons deployed at the top of the city, they are still antiques from decades ago, and it is really doubtful how much lethality they can have.

On the other hand, the Qi army under the city can be roughly counted. Although there are only about 2000 people, almost all of them hold muskets, wear iron pointed helmets, and even many soldiers wear plate armor, which can be said to be armed to the teeth.

Comparing the two, the gap in combat power is obvious. So, can we really defend the city of Acapulco?

Captain Felipe Reyes, the commander of the garrison, believed that the Qi army under the city could not be allowed to drag the siege artillery to the firing position smoothly, and had to go out of the city to launch a surprise attack to disrupt the enemy's combat deployment.If the enemy's heavy artillery can be destroyed in one fell swoop, it will greatly encourage and inspire the determination of the [-] soldiers and civilians in Acapulco to resist.

Captain Reyes recruited [-] brave volunteers. At dawn yesterday, all of them were still asleep. They quietly opened the city gate, tried their best to hide their tracks, and went to the Qi army camp.

However, as soon as they arrived at the defensive trench dug by the Qi army, they were discovered by the vigilant sentry of the other side.The piercing sound of horns pierced the sky immediately, and the sporadic sound of muskets made the incoming Spanish army quicken their pace. Countless planks were quickly laid on the trenches, and the brave soldiers and armed volunteers waved their guns. Bingren shouted and rushed over.

However, just after crossing the ditch, the Spaniards suddenly saw a wooden repelling horse running across the front. They were stunned and stopped their momentum of continuing to charge forward.

Just as everyone was hesitating whether to step forward to move the Juma away and enter the Qi army camp, or retreat and return to the city.Hundreds of officers and soldiers of the Qi army had already lined up behind the rejection horse, holding up muskets, and began to aim and shoot at them.

Following the order of the opposing commander, a neat row of guns rang out, and the Spaniards who rushed to the front immediately fell to the ground.

The Spanish armed men who were hit head-on inevitably fell into chaos. Some militiamen who became a little hysterical because their close companions were shot dead continued to rush towards the horse, while some who were frightened by death and blood Soldiers and militiamen turned back and ran back.

From the start to the end of this failed raid, within an hour, the Spaniards left nearly [-] corpses and fled back to Acapulco in embarrassment.

At ten o'clock this morning, two 24-pound long-barreled cannons were placed in the established artillery positions, and then the shelling of the city of Acapulco began.

After three rounds of corrections, the two cannonballs, carrying huge kinetic energy, hit the city wall hard one after another, knocking large pieces of rammed earth to the ground, and also caused the section of the city wall to shake violently.

Some municipal councilors and business representatives watching the battle at the top of the city couldn't help showing a trace of fear on their faces.It will be a matter of time before such a powerful heavy artillery can knock down the city wall.At that time, the walls will fall and the city will be broken. Will the thousands of citizens who have been hastily armed still have the courage to face the Qi army and start street fighting with them?
Since the Qi army has been equipped with more and more heavy weapons, the once-variety and tricky siege modes have gradually disappeared, followed by increasingly boring and established combat procedures, making the whole battle extremely boring.

When manpower is abundant, the Qi army will use various civil engineering methods to dig curved trenches and traffic trenches, gradually approach the enemy's city wall, and finally blast with explosives, or bombard the city wall with artillery, break through the city defenses, and enter the city.

When the necessary manpower was lacking, the Qi army dragged the heavy siege artillery one after another step by step out of the range of the enemy's artillery, and then slowly bombarded the city wall until it broke through the fortress.

If the enemy's city does not have much strategic significance or effective value, it will cover the entire city with a large number of rockets, killing and destroying all enemies in the way of burning the city with flames.

In the eyes of the Qi army, the city of Acapulco has a very high economic value. The wealth accumulated by the Spaniards for more than 100 years has accumulated in the city.

By [-] o'clock in the evening, the city wall on the south side of Acapulco, which was under heavy attack, collapsed in many small areas.The defenders and civilians in the city continued to fill the breach with bricks, stones and wood to maintain the defense of the city wall.But everyone knew that the fall of Acapulco was inevitable, maybe in the night, maybe in the morning.

And where are the reinforcements we were looking forward to?
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April 4, Mexico City, Palace of the Governor General.

The governor of New Spain, Juan El Gomez, put down the paperwork report in his hand, then looked solemnly at the many colonial officials gathered in the hall, and said in a deep voice: "At present, we have very clearly determined that the Qi people organized A large-scale expeditionary fleet crossed the vast Pacific Ocean and launched a shameful attack on the Viceroyalty of New Spain. Moreover, we have verified through multiple sources that the real attack target of the Qi people is Acapulco!"

"Your Excellency, since this is the case, we must immediately recall the troops sent to Banderas Valley (now Vallarta, Mexico's Pacific port), and once again conduct emergency mobilization in Mexico City to form a counterattack army that will invade New Zealand. All the Qi people in the Viceroyalty of Spain were wiped out." Alejandro Abrinez Redondo, the Attorney General of the Kingdom of Spain in Mexico City, said loudly: "We cannot allow the Qi people to capture our sacred Spanish territory , to make the people of our kingdom bear the insult of the enemy. As a loyal subject of His Majesty, I am willing to personally lead our heroic Spanish Kingdom army to fight against the evil and shameless enemy."

"Prosecutor Redondo, all of us are amazed by your courage, and your loyalty to His Majesty is also admired by all of us." Governor Gomez said with a smile: "However, the army who led the army to conquer the invasion Qi people, we should leave it to the more professional generals. I think that we all have to be familiar with the geographical environment of the Governor-General, the degree of control over the officers and soldiers, and the timely response to changes in the battlefield. Can't compete with them."

The Spanish Governor of America was appointed by the king on the petition of the Indian Affairs Committee, and the candidates for the governor were all the most trusted and loyal nobles of the royal family.The governor is the king's representative in the colony, and his status is very prominent. Whenever a new governor arrives in the colony, he is treated almost like a king.Colonial people will build a triumphal arch for him, and hold huge parades and banquets to welcome him.The main responsibility of the governor is to protect the colony, prevent Indian rebellion and foreign invasion, and maintain and increase income for the royal family.The Governor combines the actual ruling power and judicial power of the colony, and his will is almost the law of the colony.

However, in order to prevent the phenomenon of "warlord" separatism in the colonies, the Spanish royal family adopted a series of surveillance measures against the governor.In the governor's jurisdiction, there is a trial court directly led by the royal family and the Indian Affairs Committee, and a number of prosecutors are appointed to play a certain role in restricting the governor.It is the highest judicial institution in the colonies. It not only has the power to hear judicial cases, but also has the power to supervise administrative agencies, including the governor, and even summon the governor when necessary.Before the arrival of a new governor, the governor's duties are often represented by the capital prosecutor general.

However, such personnel sent by the royal family, for their own benefit, often collude with the governor, or are bought and controlled by the governor, forming a situation where officials and officials protect each other.Therefore, the governor is like an overseas emperor who is far away from the sky and the emperor, and can do whatever he wants.Moreover, due to the short term of office and the chances are hard to come by, all previous governors have exhausted the people in the areas under their jurisdiction so that they can benefit from it for life after returning to the country after leaving office.

Although Governor Gomez is as greedy and tyrannical as previous governors, he is a very qualified "politician" after all. How can he allow a general prosecutor to take personal risks and lead the army to fight against the invasion of Qi? national army.In case of being lost in the enemy's line, whether captured or killed in battle, how can I explain to His Majesty the King and the Indian Affairs Committee?
"General Navarro, in the face of the blatant invasion of the Chinese, can you provide us with some more professional military advice?" Governor Gomez turned to look at Ricard Rubio, the commander-in-chief of the Royal Spanish Army in Mexico. Lieutenant General Navarro asked with a serious expression.

"Your Excellency Governor." Lieutenant General Navarro said solemnly: "Through the news from all parties, although we have learned the real attack target of the Qi people, we still have not grasped their specific strength. Therefore, we can only Rely on inaccurate estimates to assess the strength of Qi's invasion. Qi's expeditionary fleet may have about ten powerful warships, and their firepower is very fierce. Well, from Banderas Valley and Acapulco According to the feedback, our coastal defense turrets are unable to suppress the artillery bombardment of the fleet. In view of the insufficient strength of my Pacific Squadron, I think that in the entire coastal area of ​​Mexico, we have lost our due sea control."

"In the face of this situation, I very prudently suggest to the Governor that an emergency martial law be issued throughout the Governorate of New Spain, and a large-scale evacuation of the ports and towns along the Pacific Ocean and the transfer of personnel and materials be carried out to avoid being attacked by the Qi people. In addition, we need to temporarily concentrate our limited forces in Mexico City, in addition to preventing various emergencies, we can also provide rapid support to the surrounding important towns."

"General Navarro, what about Acapulco, which is currently being attacked by the Qi State?" Governor Gomez frowned after hearing this, "Also, is your suggestion too conservative? Are we Shouldn't we take the initiative to attack and wipe out all the Qi people who landed on the coast?"

"Your Excellency, we have to admit that the Qi people have taken full advantage of our weakness, that is, on the Pacific coast, our Kingdom of Spain does not have a powerful fleet, so that we cannot control the sea here." Lieutenant General Navarro expressed his expression Seriously said: "Under this situation, our entire Governorate of New Spain will be in an extremely passive situation. The people of Qi can use their powerful sea fleet to attack any weakly defended coastal port and town at will."

"We received the news that Acapulco was attacked two days ago. I believe that after such a long time, Acapulco may have been breached by the Qi people. Yes, let's not doubt the Qi people's attack." Attacking ability, in the La Plata area, the Qi people in the south have used their achievements to prove that they have a strong combat power that is not weaker than the French. Therefore, if we gather a large army to go to Acapulco, it will be very easy There may be a city that has been ravaged by the enemy. Our enemy will take his time to attack the next coastal town while our army is exhausted."

Many colonial officials in the hall gasped when they heard the words.

The coastline of thousands of kilometers along the Pacific coast of my New Spain Governor's District is almost an undefended area, all of which are within the attack range of the Qi State Expeditionary Fleet!
"The expeditionary fleet of the State of Qi crossed the vast Pacific Ocean. It took several months before it arrived at the Governor-General of New Spain. I am afraid that its combat power has been reduced by sixty-seven." Governor Gomez said in a deep voice: "Although Acapulco There are not many garrisons, but there are several coastal defense forts in the port, and the city has a city wall for defense. In addition, the city has nearly [-] residents. In the face of a large-scale attack by the Qi State, it is bound to be united as one, and thousands of armed volunteers will be mobilized and organized to defend their city. They are the people of our Kingdom of Spain, and they are devout believers in God. We cannot abandon them, we must do our best to save them. General Navarro, I hope that with what you have always had With courage and loyalty, lead our army to defeat the people of Qi and defend our people!"

As the governor, he has the responsibility of defending the place, how can he just passively avoid war?If His Majesty the King and the chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee were informed that they did not dare to fight against the attack of Qi, then they would be deposed, and even judged as dereliction of duty by the trial court.

Governor Gomez, who is well versed in politics, naturally would not have made such a mistake. Regardless of whether he can win or lose the Qi State, I don’t care about it for the time being. Whether it is to His Majesty the King, or to hundreds of thousands of local officials and people, there is an explanation!