ca-book Chapter 27 Walking into a Trap
Chapter 27 Walking into a Trap
The following afternoon, the sky was overcast, with dark clouds obscuring the sun, as if it were about to rain at any moment.
The oppressive air pressed down on the entrance to Shewen Gorge, even the birdsong in the forest became much sparser, leaving only the rushing sound of the river water lapping against the muddy banks. The air was sweltering, causing the Ming soldiers to constantly wipe the sweat from their brows.
Zhu Jiheng lay prone behind the trees on the high ground, his eyes fixed on the road winding from the south like a hawk's—to be precise, it was just a forest path that had been carved out by many people.
Time ticked by in the oppressive wait, until finally, on the distant horizon, the Iloc hunters who had gone out to scout out the enemy appeared.
The hunter darted into the forest and soon arrived at the high ground where Zhu Jiheng was hiding. He knelt on one knee and mumbled a string of words in Irok.
The interpreter beside him quickly translated, "Your Highness, he said the Frankish troops have arrived south of Snake Kiss Gorge and will soon enter the ambush zone, and they haven't noticed anything unusual!"
"good!"
Zhu Jiheng suppressed his tension and excitement, slapped his thigh, and said, "Pass on my order: all units will conduct final pre-battle checks to ensure that the weapons are in good working order. Once the enemy enters the ambush zone, they will be under artillery fire!"
"Yes, sir!"
Zhu Jiheng's order was quickly relayed, and the line infantrymen began checking the loading of their flintlock muskets to ensure they wouldn't jam when they fired.
Faint instructions could be heard from the Ilocos allied forces. The chieftains knew that their warriors were not very disciplined, so in order to prevent them from losing control and charging ahead of time, thus exposing the ambush, the chieftains could only put on a fierce appearance to intimidate them.
In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Spanish flag finally appeared on the distant horizon.
As the intelligence indicated, at the head of the column were colonial musketeers in brightly colored uniforms, lined up in two columns. Their steps were fairly orderly, but their expressions showed obvious laxity.
Several officers rode back and forth on horseback along the sides of the column, shouting orders from time to time. The cavalrymen also marched slowly on both flanks, chatting happily and occasionally bursting into unrestrained laughter.
As they drew closer, the indigenous soldiers dressed in mottled clothing and carrying rudimentary weapons also came into Zhu Jiheng's line of sight.
The servants were scattered and dragged along, with heavy artillery and supply wagons sandwiched in the middle of the column, pulled by oxen and horses, making the entire column look even longer.
Colonel Lopez rode his horse beneath the flag at the front of the column, squinting as he surveyed the terrain before him, his brow furrowed slightly.
The terrain of the gorge between the mountains and the river was indeed treacherous, and as an officer who had participated in the war against the Dutch and the Sudanese, he instinctively felt a sense of unease.
"Colonel, something doesn't look right here." A lieutenant rode up beside him and whispered a warning, "The road is narrow; what if someone has set up an ambush here..."
Lopez stroked his meticulously groomed beard, his gaze sweeping over the mountains and rivers, then turning back to look at the group behind him. He gave a soft snort, his tone carrying his usual arrogance and disdain:
"Hmph, they're nothing but a motley crew of rebels. Even if all the Chinese in Lingayen were mobilized, they could barely hold their ground, let alone dare to launch an attack or ambush."
"They're probably cowering in their fortress right now, praying we don't attack! Besides, even if they did have the guts, how much of a threat could those farmers with pitchforks and those barbarians who only know how to ambush pose to us in this canyon?"
Having said that, he waved his hand and ordered, "Speed up! Get through here faster! Tell those lazybones at the back to keep up, don't slow the whole group down!"
"Leading team, remain vigilant! Rear team, increase speed! Pass through the gorge at full speed!"
The order was quickly relayed. Although the soldiers felt a little nervous, they quickened their pace under the urging of the officers and driven by their inherent contempt and sense of superiority towards the Chinese and indigenous people. They plunged into the narrow passage of Snake Kiss Gorge, which resembled the mouth of a giant beast, in relatively neat columns.
The cavalry also spread out on both flanks, looking warily into the mountains and forests, but the dense vegetation blocked their view.
Zhu Jiheng stared intently at the enemy army ranks below, which snaked like snakes. He saw Spanish officers pointing and gesturing from horseback, while the indigenous soldiers behind them were barely kept in formation. Many of them were also pushing the artillery carts to speed up the heavy artillery and supply wagons.
Soon, the Western Army had fully entered the pre-planned ambush core area, and most of the servants and supplies in the rear had also entered the gorge.
Zhu Jiheng took a deep breath, and without the slightest hesitation, he raised his sword high and roared, "Raise the signal, fire!"
"fire!"
On the artillery position, the artillery officer who had been waiting for the signal jumped up the moment he saw the bright red command flag waving, and roared at the top of his lungs.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The next instant, the four falcon cannons roared almost simultaneously, the scorching iron balls tearing through the air and crashing down into the canyon below with deadly shrieks!
Before the Western Army could react to the cannon fire, two shells slammed into the middle of the Western Army's dense column, instantly tearing flesh and blood apart. The once orderly ranks were split open with two huge gaps, and soldiers fell like wheat being harvested.
Although the other two cannonballs did not hit their targets, one of them still smashed several cavalrymen to pieces due to its momentum after bouncing.
"ah--!"
"My God!"
"Enemy attack! Ambush!"
The Western troops below were instantly thrown into chaos, with soldiers screaming and running away in panic. Colonel Lopez hurriedly reined in his horses, trying to calm them down.
But the next moment, he was horrified to see a dozen huge stone balls bound by vines rolling out of the forest on his left.
The stone balls rolled with a deafening roar, rumbling down the hillside with unstoppable force, directly plunging into the chaotic ranks behind them.
The stone ball crushed everything in its path—soldiers, horses, and supplies. Many soldiers screamed and scattered, but they were too slow and were swept under the stone ball, turning into a pile of mud.
Some of the stone balls crashed head-on into a protruding boulder. The vines couldn't withstand the pressure and tore apart on the spot. The stones inside exploded like a shower of flowers due to inertia, smashing nearby soldiers and causing them to bleed from the head.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Colonel Lopez drew his sword and roared uncontrollably. The soldiers, hearing the order, didn't bother to fight back and hurriedly turned to run away.
Just then, the Ming army's line infantry, upon hearing the cannon fire, quickly took their positions, emerging from the woods and unleashing a dense barrage of fire at the chaotic crowd.
The hail of bullets from the three volleys was like the Grim Reaper's scythe, precisely reaping the Western Army soldiers exposed within the firing range. Those regular soldiers in their brightly colored uniforms became the most conspicuous targets at this moment.
Before they could even load their matchlock guns, they were pinned down by a hail of bullets. People were constantly being hit and falling to the ground, and the officers' shouts were drowned out by the gunfire and the cries of the wounded.