1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 176 The First War in Hanzhou ([-])
In the morning, Captain Petar Veron woke up in a daze.Last night, there was movement from time to time around the army camp.There is the sound of dogs barking, the sound of horns, and the sound of an oriental percussion instrument (gong), and even the sound of musket shooting from time to time.

These despicable pirates, using such shameless means, almost harassed us all night!Today, we must break their lair and hang them all by the sea.Captain Petar Veron cursed viciously as he adjusted the uniform.

After simply eating breakfast, the Spanish musketeers drove hundreds of native servants and began to march towards the pier.

Walking through the dense forest, all the soldiers were on alert, because in the forest is the best place for the enemy to attack.

However, after walking for two or three kilometers, nothing happened. Except for a few natives who were bitten by snakes, no enemy appeared.

Deep down in his heart, Captain Petar Veron felt an inexplicable danger.When they landed, they were at their weakest moment, and the group of pirates did not attack.

Walking through the dense forest is the best time for the weak to attack, but the group of pirates still did not move out.What are they trying to do?
Although there was no attack in the forest, Captain Petar Veron knew that those pirates must be spying on them from the depths of the forest. Hmph, a group of cowardly and despicable pirates!

"Captain, there is a large piece of farmland ahead through the woodland, and not far behind the farmland is the enemy's pier." A Spanish soldier who had gone out to investigate came back and reported: "But, captain, I think we may not be able to capture the pier."

"Why?" Captain Petar Veron took off his military cap and wiped the sweat from his forehead. The two-hour march in the forest exhausted him too much energy.

"The enemy has a fort next to the pier, and there are at least 100 armed men on the top of the city, and... artillery!" The soldier said dejectedly.

"Huh?" Captain Petar Veron was very surprised. The group of pirates actually built a fortress behind the fort at the pier!He couldn't help but frown, maybe our troops need to go through a hard fight.

In the eyes of Captain Petar Veron, whether it is the indigenous tribes in the Philippines or the small countries in the South Seas of the Sulu Kingdom, including the pirates who are about to attack, their so-called fortresses are nothing more than walls like earthen walls.Sometimes there is no need for artillery at all, as long as there is a row of musketeers standing under the city wall, the natives who don't even dare to poke their heads out.

Perhaps for them, cutting down trees and making wooden ladders is more troublesome than attacking the so-called enemy's city.

After more than 700 soldiers walked out of the woods, Captain Petar Veron immediately organized the team a little bit. The native servants held their spears in front, and more than 250 musketeers were behind, forming a neat square formation. , walked towards the pier.As for the more than 1000 native coolies, under the leadership of a dozen Spanish soldiers, they followed in a somewhat scattered manner to strengthen their momentum.

"Attention all artillery positions, listen to my password!" A squadron leader of the township soldiers shouted loudly on the city wall.Suddenly seeing the Spanish army lined up in a neat phalanx, approaching the pier fort step by step, all the soldiers felt an unprecedented tension.In the past, I followed the Marine Corps to the inland to fight the aborigines, which was like hunting.Today, they are facing a regular army of a major western country, and everyone is swallowing saliva or gasping for breath.

"Stop!" Captain Petar Veron came to a place about 400 meters away from the fort, and loudly ordered the troops to temporarily stop advancing.He came to the front of the team, holding up the binoculars, and carefully observed the fort.

oh god!Captain Petar Veron gasped.This is a fort built by pirates.

It is similar to the traditional European bastion shape. Judging from the material, it seems that they are all made of rocks. Moreover, there are seven or eight cannons lined up on the city wall.

But our landing force didn't even have a single artillery piece. Should we let our heroic Spanish soldiers brave the enemy's artillery fire to capture that fortress?
Captain Petar Veron was a little hesitant, and a little annoyed.Major Anthony Goldstein's pre-war analysis clearly showed a huge error.The enemy's piers and forts are not easy to attack, and they have strict defense preparations.

"Why did they stop?...Aren't they afraid to come over!" On the pier fortress, a few gunners saw the menacing Spanish army formation from a distance, and they had stayed there for more than ten minutes without moving forward. further.

"Shut up! Get ready!" A village soldier leader behind him sternly shouted, waving a scabbard.

"Second Lieutenant Torres, I order you to lead thirty Musketeers and a hundred native servants to step forward and launch a tentative attack." Captain Petar Veron finally felt that he could no longer wait so hesitantly, and ordered a The officer took people to find out the details of the enemy.

"..." The second lieutenant named Torres stared at Captain Petar Veron dumbfounded.Launch a tentative attack?However, the enemy has artillery!Even if we braved the artillery fire and rushed under the fortress, then what?We didn't even build a wooden ladder, so could we climb up it with bare hands?

"It's just a tentative attack." Captain Petar Veron saw Ensign Torres' puzzled eyes and understood his thoughts. "In addition to the artillery on the fortress, let's see what other defensive weapons are there."

"Of order, Captain." Second Lieutenant Torres saluted, and then began to organize personnel and conduct tentative attacks.

"3-pound guns and 4-pound guns, get ready!" the captain of the township squadron ordered loudly.

Driven by more than 30 Spanish musketeers, a hundred native servants rushed over in a swarm.

"Fire!" Seeing that the Spanish native servants had rushed to a distance of 200 meters, the commander of the township squadron gave an order, and the six cannons at the top of the city instantly ejected several projectiles and shot at the Spanish soldiers.

Two bullets missed, and only four bullets crashed into the line of Spanish soldiers, knocking down the three native servants in front immediately, and then continued to bounce without losing momentum, wading a bloody path through the crowd.

With screams, shouts, and screams... a hundred native servants collapsed immediately, turning their heads and running back.The thirty or so Spanish musketeers who followed couldn't stop them, and they also retreated.

"Oh, artillery shouldn't be used." The squadron leader of the township soldiers on the city wall suddenly patted his head, "If you get closer and fire a volley of muskets, more people will be left behind!"

"That's right!" A village soldier captain next to him took the words, "When the artillery fires, the enemy will definitely not dare to come forward, and maybe they will run to the Marine Corps!"

The captain of the village soldier glared at the small captain angrily: "Go away! I can fight as I want!"

Captain Petar Veron saw more than 100 Spanish soldiers retreating scatteredly, and couldn't help looking at several officers.The enemy is guarding the strong city, and there are artillery to help out. There are no fewer than a hundred soldiers at the top of the city. It is estimated that they will not be able to break through for a while.Then, what should we do next?

"This fortress is backed by the pier and mountains, so it cannot be besieged from all sides. ... However, their city should not be as strong and topographical. Otherwise, we will attack their city first, and then threaten the fortress and the dock fort Surrender." An officer suggested to Captain Petar Veron.

Captain Petar Veron nodded. Here, the city behind him can already be seen, and the scale seems to be quite large.Those pirates wouldn't have built such a big city like a fortress, right?

"The enemy launched an attack on the dock fortress!"

"Wharf forts repel the Spanish attack!"

"The Spaniards are coming to Jianye City!"

"..."

The cavalry kept reporting the movements of the Spaniards to Niu Hu.

"Have all the enemies come?"

"The Spaniards led with more than 700 people, followed by the remaining [-] people. But..."

"What else?"

"There are more than a thousand people in the rear team, and it seems that most of them are not carrying weapons!"

"Huh?" Niu Hu was stunned. There were more than 1000 people in the rear team, and most of them didn't carry weapons.This Spain is here, did you forget your weapon?

"Damn it! It's so contemptuous of people!" Qi Tian couldn't help being annoyed when he saw the so-called nearly 2000 Spanish army at the top of the city. "There are more than 1000 people behind, not even the servants. It’s a group of peasants! Our real opponents are the more than 700 Spanish soldiers in front of us!”

"Yes, the Spanish soldiers are more than 700 people in front!" Cao Xiong said: "This is consistent with our previous prediction."

"Then why do they bring more than 1000 civilian men? This is not a long-distance expedition on the mainland, which requires so many civilian men to follow?" Hu Wenjin asked suspiciously.

"Those more than 1000 civilian husbands probably followed Na Xiyi to take over our Hanzhou." Pan Qifeng said with a smile.

"Then we Hanzhou are not welcome, these more than 1000 people, all left to him."

When Captain Petar Veron saw the small fort on the pier just now, he just found it very tricky, which brought great difficulty to the Spanish army in attacking.

However, when he saw the huge walls of Jianye City, a large number of artillery, and soldiers all over the city, his heart was full of despair.

To break this fortified city, let alone bring seven hundred soldiers, even seven thousand soldiers cannot do it!Not to mention, they didn't even carry a cannon at the moment.

"Captain, there are enemy troops in the rear of our army! There are about... 500 people!" A soldier rushed to report.

Captain Petar Veron's face turned pale. There was a fortified city in front of him, and a large army besieged behind him.The enemy is planning to encircle and annihilate them!

---------------

Major Anthony Goldstein led the fleet back to the sea outside Jianye City, waiting for their landing force to capture the docks and forts and welcome them into the port.

In the telescope, the two warships abandoned in the harbor yesterday were still floating there helplessly.But there were no sailors walking around on the ship, presumably the group of pirates sailed past yesterday and captured all the officers and sailors.

Major Anthony Goldstein looked at the direction of the harbor expectantly. Perhaps in the next moment, Captain Petar Veron and the others would capture the dock, destroy the fort, and lead them into the harbor in a small boat.

Not long after, a few gunshots were heard from the pier deep in the harbor, and then fell silent again.

Very well, Captain Petar Veron and the others are attacking the pier. The enemy's artillery may not have had time to fire a few shells, and they were quickly captured.Major Anthony Goldstein calculated in his mind the rhythm of the landing force's attack.

However, after a long time, there was no movement from the depths of the harbor, let alone a boat that was expected to come out.Could it be that they are all busy searching for money and belongings, forgetting the fleet waiting outside the harbor?

It was almost noon, and when everyone was waiting anxiously, suddenly, there was a dense muffled thunder from the depths of the harbor.Major Anthony Goldstein looked at the lush green coast in the distance in astonishment, and an ominous premonition shrouded his heart.

(End of this chapter)