Chapter 798 Santo Domingo City

Logically speaking, if it was just to achieve the purpose of reconnaissance, Qian Tiandun actually did not have the need to secretly transfer Chen Yixin from Kaohsiung back to Penghu to perform the mission. He could directly send Gao Qiaonan or even just the battalion's reconnaissance platoon to complete this mission. And in his heart

It has been decided that Takahashi Minami will be responsible for the official combat command when the time comes. Speaking of which, it is actually more appropriate for Takahashi Minami to go there.

The reason why we go to great lengths to give this task to Chen Yixin is, on the one hand, to take this opportunity for Chen Yixin to gain experience and exercise the special operations capabilities he lacked in the past. On the other hand, it is also because the correction of the map requires someone who is good at surveying and mapping.

Of course, Gao Qiaonan and other scouts have also received training in field environment surveying and mapping, but their professionalism is not enough to compare with Chen Yixin. Qian Tiandun attaches great importance to Taipei's combat plan, and has high requirements for these details.

Very high and strive to do everything perfectly.

Because the weather when leaving the port was not ideal, Chen Yixin was a little worried that there would be trouble on the road. However, after the sailboat left Penghu, the sea conditions improved quickly. At present, there is basically no trace of piracy in the strait, and Chen Yixin does not need to

Worried that something unexpected might happen along the way.

The reconnaissance platoon set off from Penghu in the evening and took a day and a half to get to the sea outside Tamsui. When it was dark the next morning, Chen Yixin could already see the coastline near the mouth of Tamsui River through his telescope. He was not idle during this period.

, it is necessary to regularly record information such as heading, wind direction, ocean currents and sea conditions to confirm the march time required in the combat plan. If it is Haihan's own sailing ship, then this voyage can be shortened by at least several hours, and the troop projection during the battle is

The shorter the time required, the less time the enemy has to react.

The Tamsui River has a total length of more than 150 kilometers and a drainage area of ​​more than 2,700 square kilometers. Both of these data rank third among the many rivers on the island of Taiwan. It is also the only river on the island that is truly navigable.

Of course, Chen Yixin would not order the sailboat to sail directly into the Tamsui River. If he did that, he would be discovered by the Spanish stronghold on the river bank, which would be inconsistent with the purpose of the mission. After Chen Yixin determined the location of the Tamsui River mouth,

Then he ordered to continue sailing north and bypass this place far away. Even if someone near the river mouth noticed the passing sailboat, they would only think that it was heading towards Jilong Port.

After sailing a certain distance past the mouth of the Tamsui River and confirming that there were no other ships on the nearby sea, Chen Yixin ordered to turn closer to the coastline. On the coast about fifteen miles north of the mouth of the Tamsui River, the sailboat slowly approached the shore, and then the scouts rowed a small

The sampan landed ashore. In the next few days, the sailing ship will cruise in the nearby waters and pass by this place regularly once a day so that the reconnaissance platoon can pick them up if they encounter adverse conditions on land.

Since this type of reconnaissance operation will not be equipped with logistics personnel and transportation vehicles, all equipment and supplies must be carried by the scouts themselves. The load capacity of an individual soldier exceeds 20 kilograms. If there is no long-term targeted training, generally

It is difficult for the troops to march in the field and perform reconnaissance missions for several days in this state.

The coast where Chen Yixin chose to land was originally the territory of the indigenous tribe Guirou Society. However, because the Guirou Society broke out in armed conflict with the Spaniards a few years ago and was defeated, they were forced to move away from this area and ceded control to

The Spaniards. In fact, the seaside area north of Tamsui River and west of Yangmingshan, including the city of Santo Domingo, was originally the control area of ​​Guirou Society, but now Guirou Society has moved to Yangming

In mountainous areas, the Spaniards had a limited population and did not have the conditions to fully develop these areas. Therefore, the landing place chosen by Chen Yixin and the reconnaissance platoon had long since become an uninhabited land. The person who provided this information to Haihan was the former

The Spanish blacksmith Jose was captured by Jin Ming at Jilong Port.

According to Jose, although the Spaniards had driven away the nearby indigenous tribes, their actual control area was still limited to a five-mile radius of Santo Domingo City, which also provided Haihan with great opportunities for reconnaissance activities.

Conveniently. It took the reconnaissance platoon less than two hours after landing to reach the vicinity of the Spanish-controlled area.

Just like what Western colonists did in other places in the Far East, the Spanish's development method here was to build a fortress-like stronghold, and then use it as the core to reclaim land and build plantations around it. The same was true near the city of Santo Domingo. The Spanish

Large areas of open land were cleared from the forest, and then food and cash crops were planted. However, because most of the people who worked for it were surrendered indigenous people from Luzon Island and Taiwan, they were not good at agricultural farming. The Spaniards relied on their status and did not want to

He personally went to work as a farmer, so the agricultural development situation here was not ideal. This was one of the main reasons why the Spaniards had been based in Taipei for several years, but still needed Luzon to provide logistical supplies.

Chen Yixin did not intend to risk exposing his tracks through these developed plantation areas, so he led the team to continue detouring through the forest. It took more than two hours to detour to the upper reaches of the Tamsui River, between Santo Domingo City and Santo Domingo City.

Eastern District. It was already noon. After Chen Yixin arranged the perimeter security, he ordered everyone to rest for an hour and have a meal.

The field rations of the reconnaissance platoon are mainly compressed biscuits and self-heating military rations. These foods do not need to be cooked over a fire, so their whereabouts are not easily exposed. However, due to limitations in production methods, the taste and texture of these marching rations are indeed not very ideal.

The feeling in the mouth can basically only be described as "tasteless". Apart from providing the calories needed by the human body, there is basically no sensory enjoyment at all. This is not even close to the food that can be eaten during a real war.

After all, during wartime there would be a dedicated cooking team to provide fresh and hot food, and the quality was much better than this kind of rations.

After a brief rest, the reconnaissance platoon continued to move towards the target area. However, because it was close to the Spanish-controlled area, Chen Yixin also consciously slowed down the march and deployed a few soldiers to explore the road ahead.

Soon they came to the edge of the dense forest. Going further outside was the Spanish plantation, and it was very close to the city of Santo Domingo. The outline of the castle in the distance could be seen with the naked eye. Chen Yixin ordered

On the spot, I took off my backpack and prepared to climb up the tree to take a look.

What he saw through the telescope did not make Chen Yixin feel relaxed. On the contrary, he frowned unconsciously. The external situation of the castle was somewhat different from what Jose said, or there were some important details that Jose was not aware of.

It's not mentioned in the description.

The city of Santo Domingo is indeed very close to the bank of the Tamsui River. Chen Yixin estimated that it is only about 120 to 30 meters away. Haihan's firepower advantage at this distance is almost invincible. However, there is something that Jose did not mention.

Yes, the city of Santo Domingo is located on a hill, with a height difference of more than ten or twenty meters from the river bank. Such terrain is not a convenient location for naval guns to exert their attack power.

Due to the limited deployment space on the ship, the naval guns arranged on the artillery deck do not have much room to adjust the firing angle. In other words, the original plan of directly attacking the city of Santo Domingo with naval gun fire may not be effective.

The naval guns on the deck are basically useless at this stage.

The city's fire defense in Santo Domingo is obviously focused on threats from the water. Although the number of artillery deployed on the city wall cannot be seen clearly, the dense crenellations on the wall on the river side are enough to illustrate the Spanish's ability to suppress fire on the river.

It should not be underestimated. Even if the range of their artillery is limited, with such a height bonus, it can at least cover nearly one-third of the Tamsui River.

"If I hadn't come here to take a look in person, I would have almost been tricked by the little blacksmith!" After Chen Yixin got down from the tree, he couldn't help but muttered a few words. Of course, he also knew that Jose might not have planned the scheme, because why

Even if Sai understands that the Haihan people intend to attack the city of Santo Domingo, he cannot imagine what tactics the Haihan people will use, and whether they will conduct on-site reconnaissance before the war. For the Haihan militia, it is of little use to use such a small brain.

It's unlikely that he was actually tricked.

Throughout the afternoon until sunset, Chen Yixin repeatedly observed the terrain outside the city of Santo Domingo. He had to admit that the Spaniards did have a certain strategic vision, because the land they chose to build the city was considered to be the north bank of the Tamsui River.

It is the only hilly highland near the mouth of the sea. By guarding this key point, the channel of the Tamsui River into the sea is basically controlled. It is no wonder that the Spanish were able to gradually conquer the indigenous tribes along the Tamsui River in the past two years.

After nightfall, Chen Yixin and a few people slowly walked out of the woods and sneaked towards the city of Santo Domingo. They did not use lighting tools, but slowly moved forward by the moonlight in the sky. These people all painted their faces

With their dark paint and camouflage uniforms on their bodies, their presence is indeed difficult to detect in the wilderness at night.

The Spaniards all live in the castle and do not come out after nightfall. There are only a few night-time laborers staying in the plantations outside the city. Since they have gradually conquered the surrounding indigenous tribes in the past two years, the Spaniards no longer have to worry about the natives.

They broke into the plantation in the middle of the night and destroyed it, and no longer organized a night watch team to guard the plantation. Instead, they provided conditions for Chen Yixin and his group of uninvited guests to move easily.

Chen Yixin and others bypassed the wooden stilts where the laborers lived from a distance and approached the foot of the hill where Santo Domingo City is located. In the night, the outline of the city wall on the hillside could be vaguely seen, as well as the scattered residential areas under the hillside.

However, since there was a special person on duty at the top of the city, Chen Yixin, who did not want to reveal his whereabouts, did not intend to go close for reconnaissance. He just used the moonlight to carefully observe the surrounding terrain and look for natural conditions that could be exploited.

Since Spain has very limited manpower deployed in Taiwan and cannot carry out large-scale projects, although the castle is called a "city", its actual area is only the size of a "castle". Chen Yixin visually inspected this Santo Domingo

The city is actually smaller than Fort Victory, and according to Jose's information, the city walls here are only rammed earth walls, less than two meters thick. The city defense is obviously not as strong as Fort Victory, which is reinforced with cement concrete.

If the 48-pound heavy artillery currently equipped by the Army is used for bombardment, this rammed earth wall will definitely crack or even partially collapse within a few seconds. But the problem is that this height difference allows the opponent's artillery range to completely cover the entire river bank, which will make

Haihan's firepower advantage was gone.

"If it doesn't work, we can only launch the offensive in another direction." With this thought in mind, Chen Yixin called his men and disappeared into the night again.

Although the city of Santo Domingo itself is not big, it is located on a higher ground, and the surrounding area it can radiate is relatively large. Chen Yixin wanted to change the direction of reconnaissance, but it was inconvenient at night, so he had to turn back to the forest first.

, wait until the next day before taking action.

However, a small accident occurred early the next morning. The sentry on duty outside sounded a warning signal with bird calls, causing the group of people who had just woken up from their sleep to hurriedly hide in the bushes. It took a while to find out.

It turned out that the tribes in the upper reaches of the Tamsui River loaded a lot of wild goods on bamboo rafts and went down the river to the city of Santo Domingo to trade with the Spaniards. There were probably nearly half of the people lined up on this long bamboo raft on the river.

Commander, no wonder the sentry sent out a warning.

Chen Yixin squatted in the grass and used binoculars to observe the natives holding bamboo rafts on the river. He muttered: "I went to the enemy's territory to do business, but I didn't even bring a self-defense weapon. As expected, my spine has been broken..."

Of course Chen Yixin also knew that this was actually because the Spanish in Santo Domingo City prohibited the indigenous people who came to trade here from carrying weapons. Even non-metallic weapons such as bamboo guns and bamboo arrows were prohibited. Regarding these situations, blacksmith Jose

It has already been explained in detail. However, as a once brave and aggressive indigenous tribe, these natives actually chose to completely give up resistance and surrender to the Spaniards, which indeed made Chen Yixin a little disappointed. But on second thought, although they cannot be expected to give

The Spaniards caused more trouble, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Once the waist softens, it will be difficult to straighten it up again. When Haihan conquers these areas in the future, he should not encounter too strong resistance. After all,

By that time, in the eyes of the natives, the Haihan Militia was a powerful presence that drove away the Spaniards.

After watching the bamboo raft team heading downstream, Chen Yixin ordered the assembly to leave last night's camp. When leaving, the veterans carefully packed away all traces of last night's camp to avoid being seen by anyone who might break in here.

The clues were reported to the Spaniards. Only the special operations battalion reconnaissance platoon and other scouts led by Qian Tiandun had such a habit of dealing with such detailed issues.
Chapter completed!