The gunshots were still ringing like exploding beans, and bullets were raining down. Coupled with the fireworks exploded by grenades and the dust thrown by 6-pound shells, clouds of smoke rose on the hillsides on both sides of the long valley.
After the gunshots, cannons, and explosions, there was a cry to kill!
The corpses of Spanish infantrymen wearing simple half-plate armor fell on the hillside like grass. Near the Ming army's defense line, there are even more layers upon layers, which is shocking. But the Spanish follow-up troops still continued to pour into Changgu!
Five regiments, with nearly 13,000 officers and soldiers, were like stormy waves, repeatedly attacking the mountain pass leading to the Central Valley from the north of Changgu. If one regiment was repelled, another regiment would take over and launch a new offensive. Obviously, Don Juan Jose was not willing to give up his temporary third regiment.
Originally, he estimated that the Ming army coming from afar would not have much supplies. Even if his ambush plan failed, as long as he could block the south entrance of Changgu and block them for three to five or seven days, he would be able to achieve a complete victory. However, he made a miscalculation and allowed the third regiment responsible for luring the enemy to be surrounded with a lot of supplies and livestock. Once those supplies and livestock fell into the hands of the Ming army, the Battle of Changgu would last for half a month or even twenty days. possible!
Although Don Juan Jose firmly believed that his army could defend the south entrance of Changgu, he still did not want his main force to be pinned down on the Northern California front for twenty days or even longer.
Because right now San Francisco, Castel Angel and Castillo San Diego are all very empty! The area around Angel Castle is particularly dangerous! Because there are no easy-to-defend straits, and there are beaches everywhere that are convenient for landing, an angel castle alone cannot defend it.
Once the Ming army's fleet transports landing troops to launch an attack there, the situation in California may be completely reversed!
So while Don Juan Jose set up defenses at the south entrance of Changgu (you still need to be prepared with both hands), he tried his best to launch a fierce attack!
In order to be able to repel the Ming army guarding the north entrance of Changgu, he even brought six 6-pound cannons assigned to de Velasco to the Changgu battlefield to bombard the Ming army guarding the hillside.
However, the Ming army guarding the hillsides on both sides of the north entrance of Changgu had dug many foxholes, so the artillery bombardment was ineffective and could not kill several defenders at all. The New Spanish infantry, which did not receive effective artillery support, became a living target for the young Guardsmen of the Ming Army who fired from a high position. They were knocked down like grass by the lead bullets of the flintlock muskets, even if they could withstand the firepower of the flintlock muskets. If you go up, you will be repulsed by the rain of grenades and the Ming army's bayonet charge.
The wooden-handled grenades used by the Ming army were actually not very powerful, and it was difficult to kill people at once. However, those grenade fragments flying everywhere would inevitably cause injuries when they rubbed or hit anyone. If the wounds were not treated in time, sooner or later a life would be lost. It’s time to explain...
The grenades exploding everywhere and the screams one after another had a great impact on the morale of the New Spaniards, so their attacks could not last long before they were repulsed by the Ming army's bayonet counterattacks.
Don Juan Jose, who had not slept much all night, had dark circles under his eyes, and his throat was a little raw from shouting and inhaling too much smoke, but he still insisted on supervising the battle on the front line.
Under his supervision, the infantry of the New Spanish Army tried their best, especially the fusiliers from the Shimazu family. Every time these Japanese charged forward, even if their heads were blown to pieces by Ming army's grenades, they could still get up and keep fighting! Moreover, the results achieved by these Japanese soldiers were quite satisfactory. They were able to withstand the lead bullets and grenades of the Ming army and rush to within twenty or thirty steps of the Ming army's position, and then use flintlock guns to shoot at the Ming army. Every time All of them can cause certain casualties to the Ming army.
And when the Ming army launched a bayonet attack, this group of "dwarf soldiers" would not be afraid to engage in hand-to-hand combat. You must know that those Ming soldiers in black clothes are all very tall (they are all selected Northland teenagers, and they were raised with good food and drink, so they are certainly not small in size), and they look very good at hand-to-hand combat!
Although the Japanese dwarfs couldn't take advantage in hand-to-hand combat, they could still cause losses to the Ming army with their unyielding determination to fight to the death.
So when the battle progressed to the morning of September 11th, Don Juan Jose, who had discovered that the Japanese could fight, began to assign the "Japanese battalions" to each regiment (actually there were only two with Japanese samurai as the main force). The Fusiliers Company) was mobilized to serve as the main force, and they were asked to take turns to attack the Ming army's positions repeatedly.
After adjustments, the New Spanish army's offensive was significantly strengthened on the afternoon of the 11th. After paying heavy casualties, they finally forced the Ming army back from their first position.
However, there were not many Japanese in the five regiments Don Juan Jose had. After relying on them to fight for almost a whole day, he found that the losses of these "Japanese battalions" were a bit heavy. Each battalion lost seventy or eighty Japanese samurai, their combat effectiveness has been greatly weakened, and their morale has become a bit low.
Another round of attack was over. Seeing the battalion he had just invested being driven down the mountain by the black death-like Ming army, Don Juan Jose sighed, put down his monocular, and looked a little sad.
It's almost dark now, and the Japanese seem to have exhausted their strength. Is it possible that they will lose the battle in Flood Valley?
If we lose...California may not be saved!
On the side, the Marquis of Gasparra squinted his eyes and listened. After a while, he said to Don Juan Jose: "Duke, there are also sounds of shooting and explosions coming from the Central Valley. It seems that the third The group is still holding on!”
"How long can we hold on?" Don Juan Jose's face turned livid, "It's going to be dark again...those Japanese are not very good at fighting at night!"
"Perhaps we can hold on until tomorrow..." the old Marquis said. "We have made some progress in today's daytime battle. Now we can order the troops to stop attacking and deploy defenses on the spot. As long as we can withstand the Ming army at night A night attack, tomorrow daytime will be the last chance.
If we still can't defeat it, our fortress at the south entrance can be completed, and Hongxun Temple should also be defeated. At that time, some of the troops can be transferred back to defend Angel City. "
"How was the fight at Honxun Temple?" Don Juan Jose suddenly remembered that there was a battlefield behind him!
"The progress is going quite smoothly," a staff officer took over the question. "The filling of the trenches was completed in the morning. In the afternoon, the Shimadzu army broke into Honsunji Temple several times. Unfortunately, they were repulsed by the enemy before they could gain a firm foothold. .”
"That won't be easy!" Don Juan Jose nodded, "These Japanese are indeed very powerful!"
He didn't know that the Ming army guarding Benxun Temple and the Ming army in the Flood Valley were completely different... In his opinion, the Ming Dynasty prince's guards would definitely be no worse than those "men in black" of.
Don Juan Jose said: "Marquis of Gasparra, take the cavalry to replace de Velasco and order him to send all the Japanese soldiers to me!"
Marquis Gasparra asked: "Duke, without the Shimazu family's samurai, what can I do to attack Honsonji Temple?"
"There is no need to attack," Don Juan Jose shook his head, "Just guard it... You have a cavalry regiment, are you afraid that you will not be able to guard the infantry of more than a thousand people?"
"Of course that's no problem."
Don Juan Jose took a breath and said: "If we can't break through tomorrow, then the third regiment will be hopeless...At that time, we will use half of our troops to guard the south entrance of Changgu, and use the remaining troops to There should be no problem in visiting Honxun Temple.”
The Marquis of Gasparra saw that Don Juan Jose was a little depressed, so he could only comfort him: "Duke, if we can capture the Ming Dynasty prince in Benxun Temple, we may be able to use him as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Ming Dynasty to reach an agreement. A favorable peace treaty.”
Don Juan Jose breathed out: "Let's talk about it then... As long as we can hold the Flood Valley and capture Benxun Temple, everything will not be a problem!"
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