Chapter 61

The footsteps of the decisive battle were drawing near.

On July 2, a group of Gaucho cavalry appeared on the southern bank of the Big Fish River in a few abandoned production team villages. They were ambushed by two platoons of the Third Cavalry Outpost, leaving behind five corpses before hastily retreating.

On July 3, Gaucho cavalry appeared for the first time on the banks of the Big Fish River, beginning to reconnoiter the strength of Dingshanyuan Fort on the north bank.

On July 4, a large-scale reconnaissance battle erupted again on the southern bank of the Big Fish River. The cavalry of the穿越者 (Traversers) from two outposts encountered dozens of Gaucho cavalry, and a fierce battle ensued. In this battle, the Traversers' pistol-armed cavalry performed exceptionally well, killing over thirty Gaucho cavalry with only seven casualties on their side. However, the newly appointed acting battalion commander, Xu Yu, was injured in the melee. In the afternoon, the main Spanish cavalry arrived, and the Traversers' cavalry battalion was unable to hold out, retreating completely to the north bank of the Big Fish River.

Lieutenant Antonio Carlos rode his warhorse, silently observing Dingshanyuan Fort on the north bank of the Big Fish River, surrounded by a large number of cavalry. The fort, about 1,600 meters in circumference, was a very sturdy brick and stone structure. The walls were about 5 meters high, with several watchtowers, and it seemed that some cannons were mounted on the towers. A moat about 3 meters wide was dug outside the walls, directly connected to Big Fish Lake, with an abundant water supply.

"It looks difficult to capture easily. Captain Torres, what do you think?" Carlos suddenly turned to Captain Torres, who was accompanying him.

"As you can see, sir. With just two hundred elite musketeers and a certain number of cannons, this fort is indeed a tough nut to crack for us, who lack heavy siege artillery. If we force an attack, it might come at a great cost," Torres replied honestly.

"I've heard that the walls of Tartan Port are even more magnificent..." At this point, Lieutenant Antonio Carlos hesitated. Yes, for the kingdom's army, which lacks heavy weapons, what if the Tartans decide to hunker down and not come out? A long siege like in European battlefields? Carlos shook his head. For this Spanish army, it was completely impossible. The La Plata region lacked the material foundation to support the kingdom's army for a long-term campaign. For an army lacking supplies and with low morale, only a quick and decisive victory was feasible.

"Captain Torres, tomorrow you will lead the troops to start building a river-crossing bridge. Once the bridge is completed, I will lead the main force to quickly cross the river and launch a probing attack on the Tartans' fort. We cannot fully besiege Tartan Port until this thorn is removed," Carlos sighed. "God will bless us!"

...

In Dingshanyuan Fort, a military meeting was underway. In the small meeting room, five or six officers and a dozen or so factory and production team leaders were seated.

"Acting on our own is courting death!" Chang Kaisheng spat out, "Our strategy is to remain unchanged and adapt to all changes, holding out to the end to see who can last longer! The Spanish have to transport various supplies over mountains and rivers, with much higher losses on the way than we do. The fort has enough food to last us more than a year, and we don't lack water. The Spanish don't seem to have those 32-pound or 36-pound heavy siege cannons. What can they do to us?!"

"Old Chang is right!" Lin Youde echoed. He and Chang Kaisheng were currently the highest military and political leaders in Dingshanyuan Fort. This military meeting was convened to unify thoughts and also to reassure the people in the fort. "So everyone, relax. Go back and explain to your department staff and villagers. Dingshanyuan Fort is impregnable, and the Spanish cannot breach it. They also cannot besiege us for a long time. The final victor of this war will certainly be the Executive Committee, and it will be all of us!"

"The training of the reserve militia in the fort cannot be neglected. I don't have high requirements for them; they just need to be able to fire guns on the walls," Chang Kaisheng said. "We currently have two infantry platoons with 164 men and one artillery platoon with 45 men, which is still a small number. These over a hundred militiamen are important reinforcements for defending the fort. Well, in these extraordinary times, I won't say more. Everyone, go back to work. Follow the plan, and confidence is the most important!"

On July 5, Leonid rode his warhorse to patrol a village on the eastern side of Dingshanyuan Fort. The residents of this village had all moved into Dingshanyuan Fort, leaving behind an empty village. Leonid, now a lieutenant platoon leader, pushed open the door of a half-closed courtyard. He and his cavalry had been patrolling all morning and now needed to rest.

The courtyard was not large, and the walls were clearly later additions, made of mud. In the corner of the mud wall was a chicken coop, empty inside, with a few withered grapevines climbing on the coop frame. Eleven cavalrymen rushed into the courtyard. These Cossacks from Zaporizhzhia took out their military canteens and dry rations, eating and drinking while chatting in low voices. After eating and drinking, they took out some containers from their saddlebags to water their horses, as the few wells in the village had been blocked, and the rainwater collection and filtration pools had been filled. They could only pour water from their leather canteens to feed the horses, and they also fed them horse feed made from soybean meal. These horses, mostly Andalusian and Lusitano breeds, were hard-won, and the Cossacks took great care of them.

After resting, Leonid and his eleven cavalrymen began to move slowly eastward. To the southeast, there was a narrow river bend, a good crossing point. In the morning, a few Spaniards had quietly crossed the Big Fish River at this point, wandering around the river bend, seemingly preparing something. Leonid, who was chasing a few Gaucho reconnaissance cavalry at the time, had temporarily let them go. Now, the weapons, leather armor, and other spoils of war from those Gaucho cavalry were quietly placed in the saddlebags of his subordinates. With his hands free, Leonid decided to come and see what the Spaniards were up to.

About a li (about 500 meters) from the river bend, they dismounted. Leonid climbed a small hill, parted the dense grass, and took out a monocular telescope to look ahead. What he saw made him gasp. Many large trees were tied together in a row, floating on the river. Several wooden stakes were driven into the riverbed around these rafts, and many Spaniards were busy making new rafts on both banks of the river.

They are building a pontoon bridge, Leonid was shocked. After sending two subordinates back to report, Leonid continued to observe. On the north bank, in addition to a large number of people making rafts, there was also a complete defensive force. Sixty cuirassier pikemen were sitting neatly on the ground resting, and some musketeers were patrolling around. Leonid had no doubt that if he and his subordinates appeared, these Spaniards would immediately form a hedgehog-like pike formation to protect their comrades building the bridge.

However, they can't be too comfortable, Leonid thought. We need to put some pressure on them and delay their bridge construction. With this in mind, Leonid mounted his horse and called the remaining eight subordinates to gallop toward the river bend. The distance of over 500 meters was covered in an instant, and soon, the rhythmic hoofbeats echoed at the river bend. The Spaniards quickly noticed the arrival of these unexpected guests. Under the command of their officers, the infantry quickly formed a tight three-row formation, with the nearly 3-meter-long pikes' ends planted in the ground, the tips slanted forward. On both sides of the pike formation were about ten musketeers, who had loaded their weapons, leaning against the pike formation, their gun barrels pointing in the direction of the enemy.

They really are like hedgehogs, impossible to bite! Leonid spat inwardly, steering his horse in a wide arc outside the range of the Spaniards' muskets and turning east. His cavalrymen, skilled in horsemanship, also turned east, and the nine cavalrymen stopped about 200 meters to the east, eyeing the Spaniards menacingly.

The Spanish officers, seeing Leonid and his men like flies hovering around, had no choice but to strengthen their vigilance and order the bridge builders to speed up.

Half an hour later, the sound of hoofbeats rang out again. About twenty cavalrymen came from the west, the direction of Dingshanyuan Fort. Leonid looked at them curiously; they were not from the cavalry battalion but from the first infantry platoon stationed in Dingshanyuan Fort, riding Finnish draft horses. Leonid saw the deputy platoon leader, Jiang Zhiching, among them. Jiang Zhiching and his men dismounted about twenty meters in front of Leonid and his men, then took out 32-乙型 flintlock muskets from their saddlebags and began to load ammunition.

The twenty-odd men formed a loose line, loaded their weapons, and then raised their guns together. At Jiang Zhiching's low command, they fired a volley. Most of the twenty-odd muskets fired successfully, creating a gap in the Spanish pike formation. After firing, they saw the Spanish musketeers, under the command of their officers, rushing toward them. Without lingering, they quickly remounted and galloped to the other side.

Leonid grinned, using the long-range 32-乙型 flintlock muskets to bully the Spanish pikes and old muskets, which would certainly frustrate and infuriate the Spaniards. Another volley of musket fire rang out from the west, this time with Jiang Zhiching and his men firing from stationary horses, with slightly less accuracy, but still causing a few more Spanish pikemen to fall.

The Spanish commander was shouting something, his voice urgent and anxious. The Spaniards on the other side of the river were also shouting in response. Soon, some Spanish soldiers, apparently armed with flintlock muskets, were rowed across the river under the command of an officer. Jiang Zhiching and his men fired two more volleys, knocking down over ten Spanish pikemen, before reluctantly galloping westward and disappearing from sight.

The show was finally over. Leonid smiled, turned his horse, and rode east, soon disappearing into the autumn grasslands.