Chapter 27 of 100

Chapter 27

16 min read3,947 words

February 15th. Dingyuan Fort. The General Headquarters of the Pacification Command.

Liao Meng, the deputy commander of the New Army Camp and the overall commander of the Pacification Brigade, straightened his uniform and strode onto the parade ground.

On the parade ground, over a hundred New Army soldiers in neat blue uniforms stood in orderly rows. These were the soldiers from the Second and Third Companies, totaling six platoons. Yesterday, the platoon leader of the reconnaissance unit, Leonid Fyodorovich, had discovered a Charuian village about a day's journey northeast of Dingyuan Fort. He estimated the village population to be less than two hundred, and it was not yet known whether this village was the one responsible for the previous attack on Dingyuan Fort.

However, Liao Meng did not care about such details. In his view, the Charuians were inherently sinful and should be either eliminated or enslaved.

"Now, I declare the start of the Dingyuan Fort Pacification Operation. Everyone, check your equipment and ammunition, and prepare to set out." After giving the order, Liao Meng moved to the logistics unit.

Currently, the穿越众's (Note: This term is not directly translatable but refers to a group of people who have traveled through time or space) forces were in their early stages and lacked professionalism, particularly in the absence of specialized engineering and logistics units. While the journey ahead was relatively straightforward and did not require engineering support, the logistics unit would need to borrow personnel from the civil administration of Dingyuan Fort.

Fortunately, the local authorities understood the gravity of the situation and were cooperative. Xiao Bailang had specially dispatched personnel and vehicles for this operation: one ammunition truck, two food and water supply trucks, two logistics trucks, ten horse handlers, one veterinarian, one medic, two cooks, and ten draft horses.

After all preparations were complete, Liao Meng led the Second Company forward, followed by the logistics unit, with the Third Company bringing up the rear. This long-distance military operation was a first for the穿越众. Liao Meng looked at the vast, endless grasslands around him, then at the crudely drawn map in his hand, and finally at the compass, feeling a bit uneasy.

Although the temperature was only twenty degrees, the midday sun made Liao Meng feel a wave of heat: "Go, bring Leonid from the reconnaissance unit here!"

The soldier who was called responded and quickly brought Leonid over.

Behind Leonid was a wolf-gray dog that Liao Meng found familiar. Liao Meng, who had many things to say, swallowed his words. This young man wouldn't understand anything too complex, so he decided to keep it simple: "Sergeant, where are we?" Liao Meng said while shaking the "map" in his hand.

"Sir," Leonid pointed to the map and said with effort, "Here. Direction... correct. Before nightfall... arrival."

Liao Meng looked at him for a moment, but the young man just blinked, not understanding. "Alright, go do your job. Be our eyes and don't let the Charuians detect us." Liao Meng waved his hand and said.

Leonid saluted and ran back to the reconnaissance unit, mounted an Andalusian horse, and rode forward to scout. The wolf-gray dog chased for a while but gave up when it couldn't keep up.

"Damn, isn't that the puppy Hua Hua that Old Zhang's family had for only half a year? How did it end up here?" Liao Meng's face turned black.

At noon, the troops stopped by a small river to eat and rest. The soldiers, who had been walking all morning, were a bit tired, but they were veterans who had faced life and death on the battlefield and could handle this level of difficulty.

It took a lot of effort to get the logistics trucks across the river. Although the water was only knee-deep, the thick mud at the bottom made it difficult to pull the heavy vehicles out once they were stuck.

Liao Meng observed with his binoculars. The damn little river was quite long, with no end in sight, making it impossible to bypass. Reluctantly, he had the soldiers unload the trucks, then concentrate the draft horses to pull each truck across one by one. After the vehicles crossed, they had to reload the items and reattach the draft horses. By the time everything was done, it was already over two hours later.

"Damn it!" Liao Meng spat into the river, "I'll suggest forming an engineering unit when I get back. This is a real pain. What a mistake, what a mistake. I should have thought about this when I saw the river on the map, which was only a few dozen centimeters deep. Sigh, I need to write this down as a lesson."

At 5 PM, the troops stopped again at a hidden location to rest and eat. They were only about three hours away from the Charuian village marked on the map.

After a full day of marching in full gear, the soldiers were exhausted. Liao Meng and the commanders of the two companies discussed and decided that by the time they reached the Charuian village, it would be dark, and the soldiers would be too tired to launch an attack. It would be better to camp here and set out at dawn the next day, ensuring they arrived at the village just as the sun came up. With over a hundred well-equipped and well-trained soldiers on their side, and the Charuians, including the elderly, women, and children, totaling only about two hundred, a straightforward attack would suffice. There was no need for a difficult night battle.

After everything was settled, they assigned personnel to stand guard and set up tents and sleeping bags from the logistics trucks. The nights in Uruguay were a bit cold, so they kept their weapons within reach and huddled together to sleep.

The night passed without incident. At 3 AM on February 16th, the officers entered the tents, waking the soldiers with a combination of pushing and shouting. After a night's rest, the soldiers were more energetic. They quietly ate roasted potatoes and salted fish from their aluminum canteens, replenishing their energy for the upcoming battle.

At 3:30 AM, the 100 combat soldiers checked their equipment and ammunition and set out on time. The logistics personnel began to pack up the tents and sleeping bags and would follow the main force later.

At 6 AM, Liao Meng had already spotted the small village located at the confluence of two small rivers, about 400 meters away. The village was quiet, with only a few people moving around, seemingly still half-asleep.

"Do you see the bridge on the left side of the river? Lan Guo, you take two platoons and cross the river upstream to block the bridge. Once you're in position, we'll launch the attack!" Liao Meng said sternly, "Everyone, do a final check of your weapons and ammunition, and then move out."

At 6:30 AM, Deputy Commander Lan Guo of the Second Company led 32 soldiers from two platoons to cross the river upstream and arrived at the other end of the bridge. The soldiers formed three tight rows at the bridgehead, their gun barrels pointing at the wooden bridge.

Seeing that the other side was ready, Liao Meng gave the order. The remaining 68 soldiers raised their matchlock guns, formed a loose formation, and began to run toward the village.

A few early-rising Charuians stared in shock as a group of men in blue uniforms and black-brimmed hats charged in aggressively.

"Bang! Bang!" The sharp sound of gunfire rang out, and the Charuians fell in pools of blood.

As more and more Charuians rushed out of their dilapidated houses, the gunfire became more intense. Charuians were continuously being shot down, and the New Army soldiers formed several groups to clear the houses. They shot anyone who resisted, regardless of whether they were elderly, women, or children.

About seven or eight fierce Charuians, armed with spears and other weapons, charged out naked, roaring in anger. Liao Meng smiled contemptuously and, with a forceful swing of his 1932-style command saber, a volley of gunfire rang out, and these Charuians were instantly killed in their charge.

Not all Charuians had the courage to resist. Some women and children began to flee toward the wooden bridge at the back of the village, hoping to escape from the murderous demons. However, they were met with death. Smoke rose from the other side of the bridge, the result of the matchlock guns. The Charuians fell in large numbers, and many, unable to bear the fear of death, jumped into the river.

The New Army soldiers did not care about those who jumped into the river. They did not intend to kill everyone, but driving them away was their mission, and killing was an inevitable part of the process.

Liao Meng's main force continued to clear the dilapidated houses of the Charuians. Occasionally, a few Charuians would rush out with weapons, shouting, but they were all shot down by the well-prepared soldiers.

At 7 AM.

No one was trying to escape across the wooden bridge anymore. Lan Guo led the two platoons across the bridge to the other side, looking at the numerous Charuian corpses on the ground, feeling a bit uneasy.

The clearing operation was nearing its end. Liao Meng's main force had searched almost every house, and a large number of Charuians were shot dead at the doorsteps or inside. For those who stubbornly resisted and refused to surrender, Liao Meng ordered the houses to be set on fire.

For a moment, the entire village was filled with gunfire, smoke, and flames, resembling a hell on earth.

At 7:30 AM, the battle was over. Of the nearly two hundred people in the Charuian village, only a dozen or so managed to escape, while most were shot dead inside and outside the village. The strong smell of blood was nauseating.

"These are the prisoners who surrendered?" Liao Meng looked at the twenty or so Charuians squatting on the ground with their hands on their heads, mostly women and children. They were looking at him with hatred, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Hey? There's even a European?" Liao Meng was surprised to see a Westerner with a Southern European face among the prisoners, who seemed to be a clergyman.

"No! Don't kill me!" The European looked terrified at Liao Meng, speaking in two languages Liao Meng didn't understand, then switching to English, which Liao Meng finally understood.

The European breathed a sigh of relief: "I am a Jesuit missionary from Spain! You can't kill me! You..."

"Bind these people with ropes and take them with us!" Liao Meng impatiently interrupted the priest's rambling and ordered the soldiers.

The soldiers followed the order.

Liao Meng then saw some soldiers leading many cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens and ducks. He thought to himself: It seems the Jesuits have been preaching in this village for a long time. These animals were likely brought from Spanish towns by the Jesuits and taught to the Charuians. This information must be reported to the Executive Committee; the Spanish influence might be right here.

After everything was settled, Liao Meng ordered the soldiers to burn all the houses to prevent them from being used again, and then they set off on their return journey.

From then until March 1st, the "Pacification" Brigade launched two more operations, eliminating or driving away two more Charuian villages, seizing a batch of grain, and capturing over a hundred people.

---