Wild North America 1846

Chapter 612 Changes in Tumaco Port

Author: Portuguese toothless

Chapter 612 Changes in Tumaco Port

Early 1874

It was February, just after the Lunar New Year. The southwestern border of Colombia is close to the port of Tumaco on the Pacific Ocean. It is a traditional coastal agricultural area with many villages and towns and a dense population.

Continuing south from here, it is only 217 kilometers away from Quito, the capital of Ecuador, further south. It is a coastal plain area with a long history of development, and relics of the Inca Empire remain everywhere.

Stationed in the port of Tumaco is the 3rd Regiment of the Royal Mexican Fusiliers under the Army of the South. The regiment has 3,207 people. It has three cavalry squadrons and one guard cavalry unit, a total of 381 cavalry, and two field cavalry artillery companies.

18 six-pound field cavalry guns.

This force is the southernmost military force of the Southern Legion stationed in the Port of Tumaco. After stationing in the Port of Tumaco, it was assigned a team of more than 1,300 servants to maintain local security and suppress armed resistance groups.

Port of Tumaco is the southernmost coastal port in Colombia. The local urban population is about 86,000 people. It is a typical South American coastal city with many Spanish-style buildings and churches. It is an important distribution center for southern materials.

A large amount of materials shipped from Panama and more distant imperial cities were piled up in the port area, including food, steel, cement and other building materials.

Lieutenant Colonel Hu Zhengguo is the lieutenant colonel commander of the 3rd Royal Mexican Fusiliers. He is a smart and capable young officer who graduated from the Chang'an Advanced Infantry School. He has been serving in the grassroots army for 9 years and participated in the first South American War.

He has quite a lot of combat experience.

His father is a Chinese retired veteran and his mother is an Indian, so he is able to speak the Inca Quechua language proficiently and can communicate with the locals without any barriers.

Lieutenant Colonel Hu Zhengguo received a complete Chinese education and was trained in the imperial army for more than 10 years (including the military academy period). In his heart, he strongly identified with his Chinese identity and was a loyal believer in the imperial colonial expansionist policy.

It's early morning and it's not dark yet.

An urgent military report awoke the luxurious manor in the city. Lieutenant Colonel Hu Zhengguo got up from the messy bed where two pretty women had their pink arms spread across each other. He hurriedly washed his face with cold water, put on his military uniform and hurried out.

According to the military information reported quickly by the reconnaissance cavalry;

In the jungles south and southeast of Tumaco Port, a large number of unknown armed forces gathered, with the number roughly estimated to have exceeded 10,000 people, obviously posing a serious threat to the city.

Lieutenant Colonel Wu Zhengguo immediately ordered the entire 2nd Cavalry Squadron to dispatch to strengthen enemy reconnaissance in the surrounding areas of the city to detect the incoming enemy situation.

Arriving at the regiment headquarters, more than a dozen kerosene lamps were lit brightly, dispelling the darkness of the early morning. The officers rushing back and forth made the atmosphere even more tense.

"Good morning, sir."

"I respectfully welcome the regimental commander. Several deputy commanders and regimental chiefs of staff have arrived and are discussing matters in the headquarters."

"Well, let's go in and talk."

Lieutenant Colonel Hu Zhenguo and the officers who came out hurriedly walked into the headquarters. More than a dozen officers in the headquarters stood at attention and saluted.

Lieutenant Colonel Hu Zhengguo hurriedly raised his hand, returned the military salute, and then asked, "Who knows the situation and can give a detailed introduction?"

"Sir, Captain Qin has been on duty at the regiment headquarters. He has the most detailed knowledge of the relevant situation. Can he introduce it to you?"

"Well, Captain Qin would like to introduce the current military situation."

"Yes, sir." Captain Qin raised his hand and saluted in reply. He quickly stood in front of a simple map on the wall, pointed to the direction on the map and reported;

"Since yesterday afternoon, the regiment headquarters has received sporadic reports of unknown crowds gathering in subordinate towns and villages, ranging from dozens to hundreds of people.

The headquarters sent several "Brother Civil War" teams to investigate, but received no response.

What caught our attention was that last night, a highway construction site about 37 kilometers south of the city was attacked. According to reports from the supervisor who fled back on horseback overnight;

The construction site was attacked by hundreds of armed men. The incident occurred very suddenly, resulting in the death and injury of more than ten people on our side. The "Gordan Civilian Armed Forces" squadron responsible for guarding the convicts fled in all directions.

This unusual sign aroused high alertness from the regiment headquarters, and upon closer inspection, it was revealed;

This is a construction team that widens the main road from Tumaco Port to Quito. There are about 470 to 480 convicts in total. They are guarded by a 63-person dissatisfied squadron sent by the "Colombian Civil War" and more than 20 prisoners.

Chinese engineering staff and supervisors are responsible for constructing a section of gravel highway about 7.5 kilometers long.

One of the Chinese supervisors was the one who escaped and reported back. According to him, this group of armed men suddenly attacked late at night, cutting down people and burning tents whenever they saw them. They were caught off guard.

The convicts in the camp also rioted and cooperated, and many Chinese supervisors were beaten to death.

The situation was so chaotic that he hurriedly grabbed a horse and fled, thus saving his life.

In view of the critical situation, the star officer on duty at the regiment headquarters immediately dispatched three reconnaissance cavalry teams to conduct a fan-shaped search along the south and southeast roads to ascertain the enemy's situation.

The latest detection shows;

The reconnaissance cavalry teams in the south and southeast found a large number of bonfires and unknown armed gatherings in their directions. The estimated number was quite large, exceeding 10,000 people.

Therefore, the reconnaissance cavalry team was hurriedly dispatched to report back, and the reconnaissance cavalry team was waiting in hiding in the nearby jungle, hoping that after dawn, important information such as the number, equipment, and source of the unknown armed forces could be found out.

In view of the urgent military situation and the seriousness of the matter, I dare not neglect my humble duty and report it to the superiors immediately..."

"Well, based on the above situation, it can be concluded that this may be a violent counterattack against our army by armed resistance and foreign forces." Lieutenant Colonel Hu Zhengguo expressed his opinion with a stern expression. He looked around the crowd and saw that most of the officers

They all nodded in agreement and no longer hesitated in their hearts.

He ordered;

“Report to the division headquarters immediately;

The headquarters of the Third Regiment stationed in Tumaco Port encountered a premeditated attack by more than 15,000 local rebels and foreign forces. The subsequent enemy situation needs to be ascertained before being reported.

The Third Regiment discovered the enemy's situation in time and is mobilizing all Chinese militiamen to participate in urban defense operations. They are concentrating all their efforts to fight against the enemy. They vow to live and die with Tumaco. This order."

"Yes, sir!" An officer immediately received the order, drafted the order and sent it out on flying cavalry.

Lieutenant Colonel Hu Zhengguo then ordered: "Issuing an emergency call-up order, the entire regiment's officers and soldiers and affiliated troops immediately entered the highest combat readiness state, and entered the fortress and city concealment department according to the combat plan to await orders. The Chinese armed militia were summoned to coordinate the defense of the city, and the entire city was

A real-time curfew is imposed, and irrelevant personnel are strictly prohibited from moving at will."

"Yes, sir." Several officers immediately responded to the order and took action resolutely.

"The First and Third Cavalry Squadrons and the Guard Cavalry Squadron will use a fifteen-kilometer radius of the city as a boundary to strengthen cavalry patrols and report any enemy situations immediately."

"Yes, sir." Several officers followed the order again and left in a hurry.

At this moment

There were only a few majors, deputy commanders and chiefs of staff left in the regiment headquarters. Lieutenant Colonel Hu Zhengguo thought about it and said, "I remember that a batch of arms arrived at the port last week. Are they still there now?"

"Yes, sir, these are the reserve weapons assigned to our division by our superiors. We use rifles, field artillery and heavy machine guns. What do you mean..."

"Our regiment has no right to use these weapons unless necessary. But if we are forced to the point of desperation, we will not care. Deputy Commander Liu..."

"Here, I humbly obey my orders."

"You lead the brothers from the 4th Battalion and the Troop Battalion to defend the port area, set up heavy machine gun positions, and prepare to meet my brothers from the Third Regiment. This is the escape route for the officers and soldiers of the Third Regiment, and they must be defended by me."

"Yes, sir, we are at the position." After receiving the order, Deputy Commander Liu immediately turned around and left, starting to prepare.

After a series of orders were issued, most of the lively headquarters had dispersed.

The shrill alarm bells and horns sounded in the dark city at night. Groups of heavily armed soldiers took to the streets and began to build barricades. The entire city was immediately filled with a tense war atmosphere.

In the headquarters

Lieutenant Colonel Hu Zhengguo frowned and thought for a while, then sighed longly and said: "The good ones will not come if they come with bad intentions. It seems that our third regiment will face a fierce battle of life and death."

Major Liao Changyuan, chief of staff of the regiment, also felt the same way and said: "Since the imperial army marched south, the bandits in all parts of Colombia have been invincible. The whole country is in awe. No one dares to disrespect orders.

At first glance, the situation seems to be very good, but in fact it is quite wrong.

The three countries of Colombia, Peru, and Guatemala are connected with each other, secretly supporting each other, and undercurrents. Resistance forces escaping from attack hide in the jungle and attack road construction teams from time to time.

In the past two months, it has caused hundreds of casualties.

Guess...

The enemy has gathered considerable strength and wants to attack our third regiment first. They really look down on us!"

The Port of Tumaco is located on the southern border of Colombia, only 217 kilometers away from Quito, the capital of Ecuador. The road currently being widened and built southward has undoubtedly touched a sensitive nerve in Ecuador.

To say that Ecuador turned a blind eye to this would be an understatement.

The so-called dead lips and cold teeth.

Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador were three brothers who were originally one family. Although they later separated due to disagreements, their relationship with each other was far closer than that of other South American countries, and they had more frequent contacts.

Colombia suffered this catastrophe. Many refugees and disbanded resistance forces crossed the border into Ecuador and Peru. There were also some fleeing Colombian politicians and social activists who tried to set off a wave of condemnation of the Tang Empire's aggression and sympathy in various South American countries.

and the groundswell of support for Colombia.

Countries in South America also have different attitudes towards this. Brazil and Venezuela try to keep a low profile due to various concerns, restrict the speech of these exiled politicians, and even directly arrest and imprison them.

The Suriname region, where the British and French colonists belong, can speak freely, but its influence is negligible, and there are no relevant reports in Brazil and Argentina.

Paraguay, Uruguay and Chile all strictly control public opinion sympathetic to Colombia and punish them severely if found.

Except for the two die-hard brothers Paraguay and Uruguay, the Chilean military government is more worried about setting fire to itself.

Only in Peru and Ecuador, the public sentiment was high, and the vast majority sympathized with and supported the Colombian resistance movement. Many people spontaneously carried weapons and crossed the border to join the resistance movement, protesting overwhelmingly against the invasion of the Tang Empire.

It is precisely because of this regional situation that the situation facing the port of Tumaco, which is located on the border, is more complicated.

Based on experience;

The local resistance armed forces alone cannot gather an army of tens of thousands, and there must be external forces involved.

(End of chapter)