Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 588 Offensive Warfare and Defensive Warfare ([-])

Anda Fifteen, who was short and stocky, stood solemnly on a small hill outside Santa Fe, surrounded by a strong smell of blood. Just now, a shell fired by a Spanish artillery hit him like a god. An army soldier who was watching the enemy's situation and two Kelandi mercenaries who were digging fortifications died on the spot.

The news of the arrival of the Spaniards had been known to Anda Fifteen three days before, when the East Coast cavalry who were patrolling west of Santa Fe spotted the Spaniards and broke out an outpost with their cavalry.Anda XV, who was in the city of Santa Fe, got the report and immediately concluded that it was an army coming from Cordoba.In fact, it took more than half a year for the Spaniards to conquer Buenos Aires on the east coast before sending such an army from the direction of Cordoba. This efficiency is already very painful.Now they seem to have finally raised their personnel and materials, and at the same time suppressed the Kelandi uprisings in Cordoba and Tucumán areas—they were obviously influenced by the compatriots who rebelled in the La Plata River Basin— Only then did it belatedly drive to the vicinity of Santa Fe City.

After receiving the warning of the Spanish attack, Anda XV sent people to Corrientes and Asunción upstream, and Buenos Aires downstream.At the same time, he also ordered all the troops staying in the city to immediately station in the repaired fortifications and prepare to fight the enemy. Several small troops that were collecting food (actually collecting livestock) outside the city were also recalled immediately. On the occasion of this war, the only thing that Anda Fifteen needs to be responsible for is the smooth flow of the main artery of the Paraná River and the safety of various materials accumulated in the city of Santa Fe.

As of today (May 5), there are a total of 20 tons of wheat, 150 tons of sorghum, [-] tons of rice, and a total of [-] tons of sweet potatoes, potatoes and corns stored in more than a dozen large-scale warehouses with a mixed structure of brick and wood in the city of Santa Fe. [-] tons, this food is enough for the east coast officers and soldiers in Asunción, Corrientes, and Santa Fe for about three months.

In addition to the staple food, there are 20 barrels of salted cod (1000 per barrel), 10 barrels of soft fish, 150 tons of salted whale meat, and a large amount of vegetables, soybean oil, salt, sucrose, shredded tobacco, spirits and other consumer goods in the city.These few materials, especially those seafood, have almost exhausted the production potential of the South China Sea Fishery Company. Almost two-thirds of the factory's production capacity is used to maintain the army's consumption in the La Plata area, so that the domestic private pickled The price of cod on the black market has risen several times, reaching an appalling price of 1.6 yuan/cod.Salted cod, which used to be relatively affordable, has now become a symbol of luxury. After all, no one wants to spend a third or a quarter of their salary to buy a fish to try it out.

Even though the current fleet of the South China Sea Fisheries Company has expanded a lot, and has recruited many sailors to go fishing in Patagonia, the transport ships between the port of Rocha and the port of Mar del Plata every day There is also an endless stream, but the meager output is still not enough to make up for the huge consumption.In order to support the front-line war, the common people must endure the side effect of the war-the shortage of supplies.

In addition to food, the most stored in the city is of course a large amount of gunpowder (more than 4000 barrels), lead bullets, various types of artillery shells, armor and cold weapons, all of which are urgently needed war materials on the front line.There is even a logistics management department set up in the city, which has jurisdiction over the material dispatch office, firearms repair station, health center, veterinary clinic, and many other institutions. All kinds of damaged guns brought back from the front line are repaired or replaced here, and then shipped back to the front line Continue to use; the wounded and sick also receive simple treatment here, and then they are discharged or transferred back to the mainland to continue treatment depending on the situation.

And just yesterday, Captain Liao Xiaoyao of Buenos Aires sent fifty students from the 35th Regiment of the Student Corps to escort a batch of medicines, the most eye-catching one being [-] aspirin anti-inflammatory drugs up.After a large number of human experiments (Guarani people), this drug has been proved to be quite effective, and the soldiers on the front line are also very fond of it.The North Pharmaceutical Factory in Ping'an County was greatly encouraged by the feedback from the frontline soldiers. At present, it is planting willow trees in China and importing willow bark in large quantities, with a view to gradually expanding production capacity and benefiting more citizens.

To sum up, it can be said that the city of Santa Fe at this time is the largest war logistics base of the East Coast people in the La Plata area. In chaos, and without a fight.Therefore, it is quite reasonable for the Spanish colonial army that came from Cordoba to attack here.And the people on the east coast can naturally guess the movements of the Spaniards. They have already spent several months driving the nearby Spaniards, Gauchos, and Kelandi to build a series of towers in and around the city of Santa Fe. Fortifications in response to possible Spanish offensives.

At this time, the place where Anda Shiwu was standing was an observation post on a small high ground outside the city. At the same time, this observation post was also a gun tower with 4 artillery pieces installed on it, facing west and north respectively.There are two platoons of 42 officers and soldiers stationed in the gun tower. The gates are usually blocked with stones, and the entrances and exits rely entirely on ladders, which can be described as easy to defend but difficult to attack.

There are four such artillery towers outside the city of Santa Fe, and there are some semi-permanent army defense facilities in conjunction with the artillery towers. A thousand militiamen from the Rocha County Militia Brigade are stationed inside day and night.Originally cooperating with them were a considerable number of Gaucho cavalry and the so-called Krandi Volunteer Army (actually a rabble), but at the beginning of this month, Santa Fe City suffered from a not very serious epidemic. More than 500 residents and soldiers died successively, including about 50 or [-] East Coast Army (including militiamen), and more than [-] hired Tatar cavalry also fell ill, and more than [-] died.

At that time, the native land that received the urgent report immediately sent a number of old Chinese doctors and their assistants here for consultation. They used precious medicinal materials imported from North Korea to make medicinal soup and distributed it to every soldier or resident. At the same time, officials sent by the Ministry of Health They also started a large-scale sanitation inside and outside the city. Dead people and animals were required to be buried or cremated immediately, and garbage had to be strictly landfilled.With such a multi-pronged approach, the infectious disease in Santa Fe City was immediately contained when it first showed signs of outbreak, so that the death toll was kept to a minimum.

And when a rare autumn infectious disease broke out in Santa Fe, those gauchos and krandi people who were also infected immediately scattered everywhere. At most, there were more than 1000 of them at the moment, only about 300 people remained. Here, most of them are those who are thin and weak in combat power.These people were integrated into the convoy by Anda Fifteen, responsible for transporting supplies and ammunition from the warehouse in the city to the stronghold outside the city. As for fighting, there is no need to count on them for the time being.

For the time being, there is no convincing and accurate data on the strength of the Spaniards. Based on the reconnaissance information sent back by the cavalry, the intelligence staff judged that there were more than 1000 Spaniards. A terrific number.You must know that in the Battle of Colonia that broke out between Spain and Portugal decades later in history, the Spaniards mobilized about 2000 soldiers throughout the entire La Plata area with all their strength. More than [-] of them are Indians, which is already very telling.

According to the last news received this morning, [-] Spanish cavalry had already crossed the tributary of the Salado River in the west, and in the afternoon, their artillery also crossed the river, and then began to attack the east bank People are located in the gun tower outside the city.Naturally, this kind of brick-and-wood mixed structure can't withstand the artillery bombardment of the Spaniards-they are mainly used to deal with infantry attacks, but similarly, the simple field artillery fortifications of the Spaniards can't withstand the firing of the artillery on the turret. .

The Spaniards would not be able to attack the city of Santa Fe without clearing the artillery towers deployed by the people on the east coast outside the city. Therefore, as soon as they arrived here, they immediately arranged field artillery positions aggressively, and began to surround the two towers in the west of the city. The east bank artillery towers launched an attack.The artillery on the east bank immediately fought back, and the first battle between the two sides kicked off with the exciting way of artillery battle.

Anda XV climbed down from the gun tower along the rope ladder after observing the Spanish gun emplacement, camp and soldiers who had already crossed the river. After he and the guards came down, the rope ladder was retracted from the gun tower.Anda XV took a brief look at the Spaniards who were setting up a camp in the distance, then got on his horse, and returned to Santa Fe City with his entourage.

The big battle is imminent, and he still has to check the status of each department again in order to fight this crucial defensive battle.The Spaniards came from Cordoba on a long-distance expedition. There may be no shortage of troops, ammunition, and supplies in the short term, but they will definitely not be able to support them in the long run.Therefore, the Spaniards are quick to fight, but the people on the east coast can spend their time fighting a defensive war of attrition.

The Spaniards set up colonies in Tucuman, Jujuy, Cordoba and other places in the northwest of La Plata. These colonies far surpassed Buenos Aires in terms of population, economy and other aspects. It can be said that these places are the essence of Spanish colonization in the La Plata area except Paraguay.The materials in northern Chile, Bolivia, and even Peru are often transported by mules and horses through the city of Cordoba to the Port of Santa Fe and then sailed to the sea. There is only one way.As for other places, there are either dense forests or muddy swamps, in short, large-scale convoys are completely impassable.

In other words, if the Spanish army coming from the west cannot pull out the nail of Santa Fe, then they will not be able to effectively support Asuncion, which is being violently attacked by the army on the east bank; The supply line was in danger of being cut off by the cavalry on the east coast.In short, the battle at Santa Fe--a comfortable defensive battle for the East Coasters--was by all accounts inevitable.

(End of this chapter)