"Boom, boom, boom..." The explosion of grenades kept ringing in the Arequipa military camp west of the bridge.
The originally peaceful late night became noisy. Everyone's attention was attracted.
This time, Kong Desheng picked up his old profession and brought the Renaissance Army's special operations tactics to its fullest.
He found that many of his Indians had talents in sneaking and fighting, and they were all good candidates for special operations.
The Indians who went with him to touch the opponent's sentries all performed well.
Five hundred warriors of the Donghua Army attacked the Arequipa Army camp from two directions after Kong Desheng led his men to eliminate the opponent's sentries.
The soldiers guarding the bridge of the Arequipa Army who were still sleeping were caught off guard when they were killed. Some of them were even killed by the first wave of grenades while they were sleeping.
Five hundred warriors threw prepared grenades into the enemy camp.
From the bridge head, you can see the sparks bursting out in the camp.
The tent ignited by the explosion looked like a bonfire at a festival.
The explosion also woke up the sleeping Arequipa soldiers. Some soldiers got out of the tent in panic and subconsciously resisted, but they were not even ready with weapons.
At this time, Indians armed with cold weapons had already knocked them down.
These sleepy-eyed and fluffy Peruvian soldiers are no match for the well-prepared Donghua Army.
The situation in the camp was naturally discovered by the Peruvian soldiers on duty at the bridge.
Everyone turned around and looked behind.
Their orders were to stay on the bridge.
Now that Oliver's order has not come down, everyone doesn't know what to do and can only stay where they are and wait.
Just when their attention was attracted to the rear.
The Donghua Army on the opposite side had already reached their position and launched a charge.
I don't know how many Donghua troops rushed toward the bridge in the darkness.
Using the cover of night, the Donghua Army reached not far from the Peruvian Army's bridgehead and launched an assault.
After a brief moment of panic, the defenders at the bridge hurriedly responded to the attack.
"Bang bang bang..." intensive gunshots rang out from the bridge.
The Donghua Army charged while covering and shooting.
The main attacking group rushed forward one after another regardless of their own casualties.
"Come on!"
"Kill!"
After the fighting started, the soldiers finally no longer had to keep silent.
One by one shouted to cheer themselves up.
"Boom..." A Peruvian artillery shell hit the attacking force's camp.
The shells left pieces of meat on the ground. The Donghua Army soldiers who were lucky enough to be injured by the shells lay on the ground and wailed.
Even such a horrifying scene did not make the soldiers of the Donghua Army flinch.
In Peru, they Chinese people are alone. What they are fighting for now is the right to live. Either you die or I live.
If they fail, the fate of the Indians in the white areas will now be their fate.
There is no humanity at all in this era, everything is barbaric and violent.
Dong Shutong also arrested all the white people in Donghua and confiscated their property.
This was the case with early nationalism, either friends or enemies. If the Peruvian government had not taken care of the Renaissance Army, it would not have forgiven the Chinese under its control.
Not only that, but the explosions from the enemy camp opposite also encouraged them to move forward.
My brothers have already reached the enemy's rear. If we don't charge now, how long will we have to wait?
Of course, it would be better if Kong Desheng could follow the troops attacking the bridge from the west at this time and flank the enemy troops defending the bridge.
But after all, he only has 500 men in his hands. Although he can definitely defeat the enemies in the camp, it will not be achieved overnight.
However, this not only distracted the bridgehead defenders' attention and damaged their morale, but also caused them to lose reinforcements.
The position at the bridgehead was narrow and cramped, and there could not be much space for the defenders on the position without reinforcements.
With just the few hundred Arequipa defenders at the bridgehead, they simply couldn't hold on for long.
Sure enough, under the Donghua Army's fierce attack without fear of death.
The Arequipa Army position at the bridgehead was finally lost.
At this time, Kong Desheng also eliminated the enemies in the camp.
"Li Yunshan, your cavalry regiment should rush to Arequipa as quickly as possible. If you can launch a surprise attack on Arequipa, that would be great," Tian Fang ordered.
The bridge has been taken down, which means the access to Arequipa has been opened.
At this time, Arequipa should not be aware of the situation here.
So Tian Fang prepared to use the cavalry regiment to launch a surprise attack on Arequipa.
Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru. It is located in a valley between several high mountains. The terrain is difficult and easy to defend but difficult to attack.
As long as this place is captured, the entire southern half of Peru will fall into the hands of the Donghua Army.
At that time, the Donghua Army will be able to march north and completely replace the current white Peruvian government.
"Lao Kong, you did a good job." Tian Fang finally saw Kong Desheng covered in blood.
"Haha, Commander Tian, Lao Kong didn't embarrass you and our special team, did he?" Kong Desheng said with a smile.
At this time, behind him, several Donghua Army soldiers dragged a white man wearing military uniform lining towards this side.
"Commander, this man is the commander of this army. His name is Oliver. He was captured by us in the small town in front." Kong Desheng said quickly when he saw his men escorting the man over.
"Oh? Then give him to Li Yunshan, maybe he can be used." Tian Fang said casually.
Just now from the prisoners' mouths, the Donghua Army already knew Arequipa's military deployment. The role of this leading officer seemed not to be very great.
Arequipa is a beautiful city.
The buildings in the city are basically made of white volcanic rocks, so it is called the White City. The architectural style in the city is also very unique, combining Spanish and Indian architectural styles.
In the early morning, the earth was still gray.
But the rising sun has already shone on the top of the volcano in the distance.
The white top of the volcano turned shy red.
If Dong Shuheng saw this scene, he would definitely support the development of tourism in Arequipa.
It's simply beautiful here!
Of course. This city is not just beautiful. It was an important hub for the Inca Empire to connect to the seaside. It guarded the main transportation routes on both sides of the Andes Mountains in southern Peru.
Li Yunshan didn't have time to appreciate such beautiful scenery.
While the residents of Arequipa were still sleeping, the cavalry regiment led by Li Yunshan had already arrived outside the city of Arequipa.
From the prisoners' mouths, they learned that there were more than 5,000 defenders in Arequipa.
These include the Rustu family's personal guard regiment.
The people Rustu placed around him to protect him must be the best among the best.
Now on the hillside outside the city, Li Yunshan is thinking about how to fight this battle?
There is no problem in entering the city. The city was rebuilt by the Spanish later, so there is no city wall. But many of the buildings are like castles.
Especially the house where the Rustu family lives is a castle in itself.
This castle does not have tall and solid walls, but there are even some structures similar to bastions built around it.
There are guards stationed above at all times, and there are even four cannons on each turret.
So Li Yunshan was not prepared to touch this hard nut first.
His target was the military camp in the city. There was a regiment of garrison stationed in this military camp beside the square. It was weaker than General Rustu's Guards Regiment.
If this military camp can be captured, the cavalry regiment can gain a foothold in Arequipa.
As long as we hold on until the main force led by Tian Fang arrives, we will win.
When it comes to waiting, no matter how strong Rustu's castle is, it is just a turtle in a jar.
General Rustu obviously felt that Oliver could hold the bridge.
Therefore, he assigned most of the troops around him to various transportation arteries that could enter Arequipa.
Otherwise, General Rustu, who had tens of thousands of troops at his disposal, would not have been able to station more than 5,000 troops in Arequipa.
Last night, Oliver's military report reached Rustu's hands.
Although the Donghua Army fought smoothly in the east, they still suffered a defeat in Arequipa.
Over the years, many people have been jealous of Arequipa's minerals. But no army has been able to capture Arequipa.
As early as the Spanish governor's reign, the Rustu family began to operate Arequipa.
Over the years, their biggest enemies have been the Chileans in the south, because the Chilean fleet is more powerful than the Peruvian fleet. They will bring threats from the sea, but they can just run wild in port cities such as Ilo.
As the sun shines on the earth, the fog on the Andes Mountains gradually dissipates, and the cacti on the hillside are covered with dew.
The urban civilians who got up early started their busy day. Suddenly, there seemed to be a rumble of thunder in the distance.
It rarely rains in Arequipa during this season, so where did the thunder come from? And the sky was obviously cloudless.
If a general who has led troops can recognize it at a glance, this sound can only be made by well-trained cavalry.
Li Yunshan led his cavalry and rushed straight towards the military camp in Arequipa City. They only encountered a few checkpoints on the way, and such a small number of people were not enough to stop the cavalry's advance.
Because we had just received good news from the front line, there was no sense of tension in Arequipa at all like before the war.
The defenses near the city are very loose.
This city with tens of thousands of residents was tight inside and loose outside. Rustu protected his general's palace tightly.
But he was indifferent to other people in the city.
"General, it's bad, the Donghua people have invaded the city!" The supervisor of the castle reported to Rustu urgently. Rustu had already woken up from his sleep without the housekeeper shouting.
As the cavalry progresses, there must be a lot of movement outside the city. The Guards Regiment in the castle has discovered the cavalry of the Donghua Army entering the city.
The entire mansion became noisy. Rustu had been awakened by such a loud noise.
"What? How did the Donghua Army come here? Didn't Oliver just report yesterday that he blocked the Donghua Army's attack?" Although he was mentally prepared for an accident in the city, he first heard that it was the Donghua Army.
General Rustu still felt unbelievable.
"It's the cavalry. Their cavalry has entered the city and is currently fighting with the garrison at the military camp in the city." The supervisor continued to report back.
General Rustu put on his military coat and followed the supervisor to the balcony of the castle. From here, he could see the situation in the city.
The streets in Arequipa are very wide.
This gave the Donghua Army's cavalry ample room for movement.
The military camp is on the edge of the square.
There was a lot of movement from Li Yunshan's troops entering the city, and the soldiers in the barracks had already been shouted out by the officers.
They hurriedly lined up on one side of the square to meet the enemy.
Military camps built in cities have no defensive function.
What's more, as a garrison force that protects the safety of the city, these soldiers of the Arequipa garrison must protect the safety of the city and cannot allow the Donghua Army to wreak havoc in the city.
Therefore, they must take the initiative.
The two sides collided in the square.
Li Yunshan saw that the opponent's number was about the same as his own, and it was a wide square, so he decided to launch an attack directly.
At this time, the streets of the entire city were quiet, and the uninformed people thought that another warlord had arrived.
Everyone closed the doors and windows, hid in their homes and shivered, waiting for the big shots to decide the winner, and then they, the idiots, could continue to live their own little lives.
The streets and squares turned into battlefields. The hoofs of the cavalry's horses made a crisp clicking sound on the stone paved road.
It must be said that Rustu has built the infrastructure of his hometown Arequipa very well.
Not a single stone slab in the square was broken.
"Kill!" Li Yunshan pointed his saber forward.
The cavalrymen of the 1st Cavalry Regiment of the Donghua Army spread out in the square and then charged towards the Arequipa garrison on the opposite side.
"Bang bang bang..." The cavalry's lances and the Arequipa garrison's rifles fired almost simultaneously.
Some people fell down on both sides, but the cavalry were not far from each other, and they drew their sabers within a hundred meters.
At this time, the Arequipa garrison had already felt the pressure brought by the cavalry on the opposite side.
Especially on such a stone road, the rhythm of the horses' hooves hitting the stone quickly made the infantry's heartbeats seem to speed up.
"Hold still! Shoot!" The officers of the Arequipa garrison were sweating from their foreheads. The morning in Arequipa was very cool, even a little cold. This should not have happened.
But the officer's words seemed to have the opposite effect. The soldiers became even more frightened.
It must be said that they chose the wrong battlefield and started the war with the wrong enemy.
"Swish, swish, swish..." The sounds of sabers piercing flesh were heard, accompanied by the screams of the garrison soldiers.
When Rustu stood on the window sill, he saw exactly such a one-sided massacre scene.
"General, Captain Adams came to ask if he would like to support the battle in the city." the supervisor asked.
"It's too late. Sending people out at this time will simply lead to death." General Rustu shook his head and said. The battle in the square is irreversible. If we send out infantry at this time, who will protect the safety of the castle?
"Let someone send a message to the surrounding troops and ask them to quickly return to defend Arequipa. Send another envoy to Chile, saying that I support them in getting Cuya and Iquique, and asking them to send troops to help us drive away Donghua.
military."
At this time, Cuya and Iquique were still in the hands of Bolivia, but Bolivia was experiencing serious internal strife. Chile had always wanted to seize this place, but Bolivia and Peru were in alliance, so Chile had not dared to take action.
Rustu is a warlord in southern Peru. As long as he agrees to Chile's annexation of this place, not even the Peruvian government can stop it.
In addition, General Rustu was thinking of Chile and not the Peruvian government at this time. It was because he had the ability to satisfy the appetites of the Chileans, but he was unable to satisfy his own government.
General Rustu is more like a qualified politician!
At least his political talent exceeds his military talent.
However, he still underestimated the Donghua Army. He thought that relying on the castle could hold back the Donghua Army.
He even used reinforcements to counter-surround them. He didn't even think about it. When the cavalry of the Donghua Army arrived, was the main force of the army still far away?
Of course, maybe he thought that the Donghua Army's cavalry took a detour from another route.