Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 589 Offensive War and Defensive War ([-])

The light rain fell for three consecutive days, and the morale of the officers and soldiers on the east bank under the canopy was a little low.

Chang Kaisheng wore a pair of high-end rain boots made of whale skin, and stepped on the muddy campsite with one deep foot and one shallow foot.At this time, the sky was getting dark, and there was a muffled sound not far away from time to time—don't get me wrong, it wasn't thunder, but the artillery were weakly carrying out routine shelling.It had been raining for three days. At this time, the solid iron ball shells were no longer effective. The artillerymen had replaced the explosive bombs, raised the barrels, and shot the explosive bombs into the city through a certain curved trajectory.It's just that the misfire rate of this explosive bomb is too high, even reaching more than [-]% in this rainy and humid weather.The remaining [-]% still exploded during the flight, or exploded after landing for a long time. In addition, the Spaniards generally hide in civil engineering, so the actual combat effect of this kind of shells is very poor.

After Chang Kaisheng observed the camp carefully for a while, he decisively ordered the artillerymen to stop shelling, and at the same time asked them to move the artillery positions, move some long-barreled heavy artillery forward as far as possible, and use hollow iron bullets (spherical shells with a cavity in the middle) ) approached and shot some small fortifications held by the Spaniards.Every cannon requires enough soldiers to protect it, and it must not be snatched or destroyed by the enemy.This is already the outskirts of Asuncion. When Chang Kaisheng stood on the watchtower, he could clearly see the bustling streets of Asuncion.

常开胜支队下辖4个步兵连、3个骑兵连、3个炮兵连，计1350余人；此外还有东方县民兵大队、镇海县民兵大队共计2000人；波兰、鞑靼雇佣军1000人，以及志愿参加东岸军队的被解放克兰迪人奴隶1000余人。这些人加起来人数达到了5400余人，不过其中真正能战的不过4000余人，那些克兰迪人和部分鞑靼牧民只能担任一些战场救护、修筑工事、运输物资的任务。

But even this number has greatly exceeded the number of Spanish defenders.The main force of the Spanish army, the La Plata Infantry Regiment, has been forced to recruit some militias after being attacked repeatedly. The current strength of the troops has finally recovered, but the combat effectiveness has dropped greatly, and the weapons and equipment can not be equipped with a flintlock gun. Already extremely.

In addition to the La Plata Infantry Regiment, there were more than 400 soldiers of the Lima Legion (the Colonial Legion of the Governor General of Peru, Indians in the majority) in Asunción City - most of them were white or mixed-race whites. After the war broke out, they were forced to recruit Many native whites or newly arrived white immigrants from Central and South Europe enlisted in the army, plus some soldiers who sneaked over from Tucumán and other places, Spain forced its troops to about 800 people.

These people, together with the La Plata Infantry Regiment, have a total number of nearly 1400 and have 6 artillery pieces (the total number of artillery pieces of the Lima Legion has expanded in recent years, reaching 30 pieces).Although the combat effectiveness is far inferior to the East Coast Army or even the East Coast Militia, it has been able to effectively delay the actions of the East Coast people.

If we only count the number of people, the number of white defenders in Asuncion City at this time is only a small number, and the Guarani people really account for the majority of the defenders.The Jesuit monks mobilized at least [-] Guarani believers. Most of them entered Asunción two months ago to assist in the defense. The army without food annoyed the army on the east bank.

A few days ago, with the acquiescence of Chang Kaisheng, Jiang Zhiqing led more than 500 people to conduct a "limited public security war" against the conquered Guarani villages and tribes outside Asunción.According to the vague information from the "Pravda" reporter Li Dayan who accompanied the army, the army on the east bank launched a bloody and brutal massacre on the outskirts of Asunción, especially those militiamen who did not receive military pay, as well as Polish and Tatar mercenaries. The most ruthless, often razing entire Guaraní villages to the ground.Part of the looted cash was handed over, and part was kept for themselves. Except for the part handed in, the rest of the livestock property was sold to the logistics department.According to incomplete statistics, the logistics department paid officers and soldiers more than 5 yuan in one-year bank acceptance bills issued by the Northwest Reclamation Bank this month (May).

After doing such a tragic thing, naturally it cannot be seen in any newspapers.Therefore, at the request of the "Pravda" newspaper, Li Dayan used the Spring and Autumn style of writing in the interview with the army, focusing on the despicable sneak attack by the Guarani believers on our officers and soldiers on the east coast, which aroused the anger of the public and then ignored some other issues. "detail".

"Detachment Captain, this is already the frontmost position of our side." Yang Xu, commander of the artillery unit who was promoted to major together with Chang Kaisheng because of his meritorious service in combat, pointed forward with a sheathed saber and said: "Here is an 18-pounder, here is an 18-pounder, here is a 12-pounder, here are two 8-pounders..."

"Artillery is the core of our army's battle. It is our army's tradition not to fight without artillery. We must protect the artillery well." Chang Kaisheng nodded, and then continued to ask Yang Xu beside him: "Are there any difficulties at present?"

"Some infantry brothers belonging to my artillery have been soaked in wet and muddy fortifications for a long time. Many of them have rheumatism. Now it is late autumn, and everyone's clothes have not been changed for a long time, and their morale is very low." Yang Xu thought for a while. , still truthfully speaking for the infantry accompanying the artillery: "It is not easy for everyone, especially in rainy days, those Guaranis may charge from time to time, and the brothers have to fight with them with bayonets through barbed wire. 60 people. Let’s not talk about anything else, at least prepare more hot water and medicine for everyone, otherwise this battle will be too difficult.”

"The problems you mentioned are all being solved." Chang Kaisheng is not ignorant of the difficulties of the soldiers. After all, he himself often runs to the front line, so I saw him say: "There should be no shortage of medicines. It can be used for a long time once I come here. Now that aspirin for civilian use has been rationed and sold, everything is guaranteed to the front line. There should be no shortage of this aspect. At present, there is a shortage of fuel. The two inland steamboats that pulled coal to the front line were a few days ago It was scuttled and the crew was killed while berthed in Corrientes Harbor at night. This is probably done by the Spaniards. Now Santa Fe should be organizing follow-up transportation. Before that, I see that the various departments It is still better to organize the soldiers to log in the suburbs, don’t be afraid of being attacked, organize more people. If the trees that have been drenched in the rain are wet, then go to the outskirts to tear down the Spanish farmhouses and use them as firewood. Go to the Randi people and the Tatars, they can do all kinds of murder and looting, demolition of houses is nothing."

"As for the charge of those Guarani people, what are those mercenaries doing?" Having said this, Chang Kaisheng raised his voice and said, "I know that officers and soldiers of many troops like to show off their bravery. This kind of spirit is admirable and should be commended, but the officers who lead the troops must have brains! Are the Kelandi, Gauchos, Poles, and Tatars here to eat dry food? They have armor on their bodies and spears in their hands, can't they go and fight the Guaraní barbarians?"

"All these things will be done by these people in the future, what a joke, wearing breastplates, gauntlets, hoods, holding sharp sabers and spears, can't they fight those Guaranís who don't have a few cloths on their bodies I think those Poles are very experienced in combat, and they are not new to the battlefield. Many of them have fought against the Ottomans, Swedes, and Russians. It was a big scene of tens of thousands of people, 10,000+ people. There is no problem with the New World coming to fight the barbarians."

After Chang Kaisheng inspected the troops, he stepped on rain boots filled with water and came to the logistics department.The supply soldiers of the logistics department are slaughtering cattle. The second lieutenant of the supply soldier is from Sanpaotai Township, Zhenhai County, and an immigrant from Yongping Prefecture, Zhili, North of Ming Dynasty. He was originally a butcher.Some of these cattle were "unowned" collected, and some were bought from nearby obedient Spanish or Guarani villages.

The East Coast Army initially paid the men a two-year forward bank acceptance, and then purchased some supplies in bulk.Later, as more and more supplies were purchased—mainly wheat, beer, red wine, pigs, cattle and sheep, and the bank acceptance bills on hand were used up, Chang Kaisheng ordered that in the name of the La Plata Expeditionary Force, the local Use temporarily printed military tickets to purchase supplies.In the eyes of those Spaniards, there is no difference between bank acceptance bills and military bills for most of them, and they all need to be under the bayonet oppression of the East Coast people to accept this kind of "paper" to sell supplies.

After Chang Kaisheng tasted the benefits of using military tickets, he immediately ordered the use of military tickets in large quantities to purchase various materials in the occupied area to reduce the pressure on rear transportation.Although the Spaniards were very reluctant, but the East Coast Army's murderous reputation was outside, and the massacre was done. Now it's a fart to ask you to "buy" something, so they have to accept it.

It's not that you don't pay, you can exchange it with money orders or military tickets when the war is over.Of course, the Spaniard's concerns are justified. The money order may really be able to get the money back from the East Coast Bank, but it is difficult to say about the military bill.Because these rough-printed things are issued in the name of the East Coast Army's La Plata Expeditionary Force, if the La Plata Expeditionary Force is disbanded after the war-an inevitable thing, and if the East Coast people deliberately renege , they ask who wants money to go?But no matter how unwilling you are, the people on the east coast just throw their rifles and bayonets in front of you, and those Spaniards can only submit obediently.

After Chang Kaisheng also inspected the logistics department, he hurried back to his headquarters, and he had to make a total calculation with his staff and adjutants.It looks like the weather will clear up tomorrow, and then the army on the east bank will restart the large-scale offensive that has been suspended for three days, trying to take advantage of the good weather to knock down some Spanish strongholds outside Asunción, and then attack the city in one go , in order to end this battle that has dragged on for a long time as soon as possible.

(End of this chapter)