Invincible urban management

99. Vera Cruz Explosion

The sun was scorching like fire, the flags were flying, and the voices of people were buzzing.

Commander Sandoval, who was appointed by Cortez as the commander of the garrison at the port of Veracruz, tremblingly supported the wooden fence that hadn't even been stripped of bark, leaned his head to the edge of the battlements, and watched the menacing situation outside with binoculars of the enemy.

It’s okay if you don’t look at it, but after looking at it, poor Sandoval felt dizzy for a while, and cold sweat was pouring out all over his body.

Oh, God!Do you need to deploy so many troops to deal with such a small ruined fortress like ours?

——On the outside of this wooden fortress, which was built less than a year ago, with a radius of only a few hundred feet, Spanish soldiers and Indian warriors of all races gathered from all over the mountains and plains, covering the plains and beaches within sight. About 3 people!

The thundering drums of war rumbled outside the city, perhaps because of the overwhelming strength of their own side, the warriors of the Indian coalition of all ethnic groups generally had high morale and high fighting spirit.

Looking from a distance from the walled city, I can see their heads with bright feathers, their faces painted with various oil paints, beating their shields from time to time, making excited battle roars, watermelon knives, rubber knives and chopping knives in their hands. The firewood ax gleamed with a blinding cold light—under the massive dumping by the traversers and the generosity of the noble chiefs, the [-] Indian coalition troops gathered here have initially completed the ironization.

What's more terrible is that among the enemies, there are many Spanish soldiers who are like the defenders, and they are majesticly holding the emblems and flags of the Spanish royal family and the Cuban governor.And on the distant sea, there are still several Spanish galleons sailing and wandering, their black muzzles pointing directly at the wooden fence of Veracruz Port, obviously they will not be Sandoval's reinforcements.

The piers and trestles on the beach were all forced to abandon at this time, and the defenders trapped in the stockade were surrounded by enemies on all sides, with a huge disparity in numbers, and it was difficult to fly.

Everything is very clear, only more than 100 people are left guarding the port of Veracruz, this time it is definitely going to be over.

How did things get to this point?

Sandoval rubbed his temples with a tangled face, and couldn't help but start faint memories.

To be honest, according to the news he received at the seaside, the expedition commanded by Commander Cortez was originally very successful. Not only did he conquer several Indian tribes, but he also successfully fought with the Chinese in October last year. The messenger took the lead.

Afterwards, Cortez entrusted someone to bring back a large amount of priceless silk, porcelain, spices and tea from the front, making some cowards who originally refused to leave Veracruz Port to go deep into the inland suddenly stare wide-eyed. Dazzled and dazzled, they all regretted their previous wrong choices, and dozens of people even hurriedly chased him on the road, hoping to make a fortune with Cortez.

Next, at the beginning of December, Sandoval finally encountered a little trouble-four thousand Aztec troops rushed over from the inland for some reason, and tried to attack the port of Veracruz.

But the courage of these Aztecs is commendable, and a batch of steel knives and axes were obtained from somewhere in terms of weapons and equipment, but their tactical level is quite poor.Under the fierce artillery fire from the Spanish expedition, this exhausted and unstable Aztec army was quickly defeated by Sandoval, and could only flee to a distant place in desperation. up.

However, although the Aztec army was temporarily repelled, they did not withdraw their troops and still posed a threat to the port of Veracruz.

As a result, Sandoval used the spoils to try to recruit the Indian Confederate Army, and at the same time sent someone to ask for help from his allies, the Tlaxcalans.

Unexpectedly, at this juncture, a shocking thunderbolt struck—the second Spanish expeditionary force sent by Cuban Governor Diego Velazquez, led by the veteran Navaez, suddenly arrived in the forest not far away. Boyar village lands, come to fight against Cortez's "gang"!

And the first target that Narvaez will attack is obviously Veracruz who is close at hand!

Commander Sandoval is now in a position of embarrassment-compared with his own gang of dishonest mobs, Narvaez's army represents the authentic government of the Spanish kingdom, and it occupies an absolute position in terms of prestige and force. advantage.

Moreover, Cortez's expedition team was also recruited on the island of Cuba, and the families of many people were under the rule of the Cuban governor.Once Narvaez threatens the lives of their relatives, it's hard to guarantee whether these people will defect!

The bad news is still not over yet, and Sandoval received another bad news immediately - the Chinese envoys and the Tlaxcalan army also came to the village of Sumpoyal to meet with Narvaez, thus exposing Cole. The true face of the Tess gang as wanted criminals and crooks in the Kingdom of Spain!

Come on, there are no more allies to count on now.

A few days ago, when the Totonac warriors who had allied with the Spaniards and fought side by side in the port of Veracruz suddenly sneaked away in the middle of the night, Sandoval had already vaguely felt that the general situation was over.

But he calculated that Narvaez's army would have to rest for a period of time after landing on the shore before launching the next military operation, and he should still have time to ask Cortez for help—although even if Cortez received the request Xin, I'm afraid he can't bring back many reinforcements, because there are less than two hundred people on his side, but at least he can have a backbone, right?

Unexpectedly, not long after the rescue messenger was sent out, and before the reply was received, the port of Veracruz was suddenly besieged!

Looking at the mighty army that could not be seen at a glance, Sandoval couldn't help deeply regretting that he was on Cortez's thief ship - if he didn't do it well, he would be charged with treason, which was extremely shameful. Hanging to the gallows for execution, even the family members in the hometown will be implicated...

Alas, the matter has come to this point, it is useless to regret, we can only take one step at a time.

A stern look flashed in Sandoval's eyes, he took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.Immediately, he turned around and pulled out his Toledo long sword, and shouted orders to more than 100 subordinates who were also trapped in the village: "...the enemy is coming up! Everyone is ready to fight!"

Then, he heard a burst of complaints.

"...Sir, do you really want to fight to the death in this ghost place?!"

A young soldier with a pale complexion trembled when he heard the words, "...we only have more than 100 people, but there are thousands of enemies, and there are warships in the sea - I am afraid that this broken stockade will last for two or three days. Don't go!"

"...That's right, sir! You want to die for Cortez, I don't object to that, but can I trouble you not to drag me to die with you?!"

Another middle-aged soldier also raised his long-handled ax angrily, "...I still have a wife and child in Cuba!"

"...Yes, yes! Cortez tricked us into making a fortune together, but he never said that we would rebel together and fight the royal army!"

A squire who joined the gang halfway in Havana also shouted angrily: "... I have absolutely nothing to say about printing Indians, but if I go to fight the regular army of the Kingdom, I will not accompany you! Our family is also serious He was born as a classic knight, and there have been no rebels in his ancestors!"

"...Damn it! Don't say that this battle can't be won at all. Once we fight, we will become traitors. What should the family in our hometown do?"

"...It's really bad luck this time. I didn't know until now that you are actually using invalid commissions to trick people into boarding everywhere!"

"...It's over, it's over, I was really cursed by Satan this time, so I got on your thief ship!"

……

As soon as someone got up, the more than 100 people in the village quickly started arguing, and all stared at Sandoval without awe, with a mixture of despair and indignation in their eyes. So falling into today's situation is all because of this guy in front of him.

Sandoval also had a headache for this wavering situation in the army - Cortez's expedition deep into the interior of Mexico took away most of his cronies, and the troops left in Port of Veracruz, Basically, they all belong to the type that joins halfway, is unreliable, and lacks courage.It is not a big problem to let them print the Indians, but it is very difficult to order them to fight against the crusade army of their own country.

"...Shut up! When did I say I'm going to fight to the death? Isn't it for your sake that I want to fight?"

Sandoval looked around the crowd ferociously, and roared loudly, "...Cowardly idiots! Use your brains! Even if you want to surrender, you must show your strength before you can negotiate terms with the other party! Otherwise, Nava Ace will despise us more and more, and treat us even less as human beings! What awaits us after surrendering may be exile, hard labor or even gallows! On the contrary, we have to beat them first and let Navais Si feels a little apprehensive, thinking that the price of destroying us is too high, so he will swear to forgive our crimes, and maybe allow us to keep the oriental specialties obtained in this expedition, even if it is a small part! In this case, you An adventurous expedition to Mexico is not in vain!"

Although Sandoval is Cortez's confidant and best friend, he is trusted and reused by Cortez, but in this desperate situation, Sandoval can only take care of himself first—otherwise, if he continues to To force these mobs in the village to die, God knows if these people will suddenly explode in order to survive the death, chop off their own heads and offer them to Narvaez, in order to beg for mercy and forgiveness from the other party!

"...But, if there is a real fight and a blood feud ensues between the two sides, will Narvaez be willing to surrender?" Someone stood up and asked.

"...Idiot! Narvaez won't let his Spanish army take the lead as soon as they come up! He will definitely let the Indian Confederates launch the first wave of charge!" Sandoval immediately turned around and gave him a look, vomited on the ground With a mouthful of saliva, "...as long as we can beat the first batch of Indians who rushed up to the point of bleeding, and then immediately send someone out to ask for peace, I believe Narvaez should know how to weigh the pros and cons!"

After hearing Sandoval's reprimand, all the expedition members suddenly realized.Although most people are still a little weak-legged, they are still preparing for the battle in full swing-the crossbowman starts to shake the handle, strings the crossbow, puts sharp arrows into the grooves coated with butter; the gunner hurriedly cleans the barrel , loaded gunpowder, and carried shells; the infantry put on armor, raised their spears, and waited behind the wooden fence.

And Commander Sandoval also put on his helmet and armor after assigning the defense tasks of each team, and then stood behind the crenel of the fence, quietly waiting for the outbreak of the battle.

However, although he made what he thought was the most correct judgment based on his own experience, the following facts were not as he expected...