Chapter 2945

First, bombardment was used to break down the obstacles, and then grenades were used to clear the area. This approach obviously did not intend to leave any survivors, and the cleanup work after the battle also confirmed this.

The more than 20 resisters who were hiding in the house and resisting were all killed. Many of them didn't even have their bodies intact. They were probably torn apart by the shells that had passed through the house earlier.

The weapons of these people only had more than a dozen long and short muskets. Although in the eyes of the Haihan Army they were just junk items, the battalion commander still ordered all these weapons to be collected and transported away.

After this, a comprehensive search of the entire Masbate town will be carried out to clean up various civilian weapons. These confiscated weapons will eventually become part of the military exploits of Bangui Camp in this battle.

Of course, the most important goal is to capture the local colonial administrator, which is of great significance to both Haihan and local settlers.

Several servants captured by the colonial steward were also brought to the scene to let them identify whether the steward himself was among the resisters. However, the result was a bit disappointing. This official who managed the local area on behalf of the Spanish colonial authorities was not here.

Among the piles of corpses.

The battalion commander refused to give up and asked these servants to see the corpses at other battle scenes, but the result was the same. It was obvious that the official had escaped from the encirclement before the Haihan Army landed.

He slipped into the forest on the island, or was still hiding somewhere in the town without being found.

If they had already escaped, just the few hundred people from Bangui Camp would not be able to clear Masbate Island, which covers an area of ​​more than 3,000 square kilometers. It would be almost impossible to capture them.

Even if the Bangui Battalion successfully captured the town of Masbate, if the "bandit leader" was not captured, the mission would still not be called a success.

At this time, the sky was getting dark, and if it was delayed until tomorrow, there might be other changes. The battalion commander thought about it and ordered a thorough search of the town overnight to try to solve the problem tonight.

The road leading to the mountains and forests on the island on the south side of Masbate Town, as well as all docks and fishing ports near the town, have been listed as key surveillance areas.

All residents in the town were asked to leave their homes and spend the night at a designated gathering point near the coast. They would register their identity after dawn before they could go home. During this period, the Haihan Army conducted thorough inspections of all the houses in the town.

Search, seize weapons, apprehend fugitives.

Considering that the troops had already entered combat mode at noon, and most of the soldiers were already ravenous by this time, the battalion commander ordered dinner to be eaten first before carrying out the clearing operation.

The town has been completely occupied by the Haihan Army. The kitchen and ingredients are all ready. There is not much pressure on logistical cooking. It is not a problem for the soldiers to have hot food for this meal. It is just that time is tight, so naturally they will not enjoy the treatment of the celebration banquet.

Each person has a bowl of rice and a large spoonful of stew, and after eating, they have to go on their mission.

Before dinner, the battalion headquarters reported the results of operations so far to combat units at all levels.

During the operation, the Haihan Army killed and wounded a total of 174 resisters, and also captured 82 prisoners who were armed and regarded as resisters. This number was far lower than that of the Military Intelligence Bureau during the war.

Based on previous estimates of the local armed forces, the battalion headquarters believed that the raid had a deterrent effect, causing many locals to give up the idea of ​​taking resistance measures.

As for the Bangui Battalion, only seventeen people were wounded in the battle, and no one was killed. This number of casualties should be considered a good performance for the Bangui Battalion, which had been out of battle for a long time.

Zheng Agui, one of the seventeen wounded, put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, then stood up and ordered: "Let's go, let's get to work!"

Everyone hurriedly put the food in the bowl into their mouths, but Qiu Yong, the most delicious one, still held a big bowl and refused to put it down.

Zheng Agui went over and kicked him and said, "We all eat one bowl. If you eat three bowls alone, you will starve to death and be reincarnated, right? Stop eating, it's time to do something!"

Qiu Yong, a native, did not understand the meaning of the starving ghost, but he also knew that military orders could not be violated, so he had no choice but to put down his bowls and chopsticks angrily, grab his backpack and rifle and follow the team.

According to the data currently available, there are about 700 residents in Masbate Town, and the number of buildings in the entire town is similar. A thorough search here at night is indeed a time-consuming and laborious task.

And a lot of lighting is needed as an auxiliary.

On the ground next to the temporary canteen, there are a large number of torches piled up, as many as hundreds. It is said that they were found in a warehouse somewhere in the town. They should be used by the local security team for night patrols, which happened to be sent

It saves you the trouble of making your own torch.

Zheng Agui and his men each received two torches, which were enough to last until midnight. At this time, seven or eight more sailors were arranged to join their team, all under the command of Zheng Agui.

With the strength of the Bangui Battalion, it is still a bit difficult to search the entire town, so in order to maximize the efficiency of the operation, the troop transports and warships that cooperated with the Bangui Battalion in attacking here were also temporarily mobilized, and most of the crew and sailors were sent ashore to coordinate.

Complete the search mission.

Searching the house actually doesn't take much time, and a lot of time is spent on driving away the residents, allowing these residents to assemble on the streets, and then escorting them to the predetermined location.

In order to save time, the soldiers' attitude gradually became rough, including punches and kicks. However, Zheng Agui had been instructed before the operation and would still verbally restrain the soldiers' behavior. Because the purpose of this operation was not only to destroy the Spanish

rule, and to formally bring this place under the rule of Haihan, local residents, regardless of their ethnic origin, are likely to change their nationality in the future and become Haihan citizens.

However, Zheng Agui's team did not find many valuable things. Weapons such as muskets and bows and arrows were rarely seen, and most residents did not even have valuable metal objects in their homes. This shows that the immigrants who settled here

The standard of living is not ideal.

"It is said that these Spaniards had to sail tens of thousands of miles on the sea and took half a year to get to this place, and they ended up living like this? How hard must it be in Spain to push these people to this point!"

This family didn't even have a few pieces of decent furniture, and their daily necessities were just a bunch of pots and jars, not even a porcelain bowl. Zheng Agui looked at the shabby furnishings in the room angrily and couldn't help but sigh.

"They were deceived by the government and nobles into making big cakes!" Qin Bo knew a little bit about this: "These people thought that the east was full of gold and they would make a fortune when they came here. As a result, they were placed on these islands. Even if

I regret and want to run away, but there is no way out."
Chapter completed!