Volume 1 Tigers in Southeast Asia Chapter 96: The Suddenness of the Battle
Lin Fei didn't understand why the Spanish army was advancing so slowly. On January 25, Lin Fei decided to send troops to meet the Spanish army. Before sending troops, Lin Fei decided to leave his confidants in Butuan City. After much deliberation, he decided to leave the original third battalion commander, Wei Zelong, behind.
Wei Zelong was also one of the prisoners of war rescued from Japan by Lin Fei. He had practiced martial arts, attended private schools, and had a basic understanding of literature and writing. He had also been a bandit on the border between the Qing Dynasty and Korea. He never robbed civilians, but only robbed the wealthy and unkind landlords. Later, because of infighting among bandits, he ran away and joined the Qing army to make a living. He was later captured in the Battle of Fengdao.
Wei Zelong is a generous and open-minded person. He never cares about other people's credit. Take the attack on Wuduan City for example. Lin Fei sent the first and second battalions to fight in the front and let the third battalion stay behind. If Lin Fei let the first or second battalion stay behind, Niu Dalong and Niu Dahu would definitely make a big fuss. However, Wei Zelong agreed without saying a word.
In addition to having a military general, he also needed a civil servant, so Lin Fei kept He Kaisheng and then went to the village where the Spaniards were with peace of mind.
At this time, Mindanao did not have the roads that existed in Lin Fei's time. There were weeds and rocks everywhere, so it was difficult to walk. Lin Fei led his subordinates and only walked about 20 kilometers in a day. At night, Lin Fei chose a high ground to set up camp. At this time, the nearby village sent intelligence again.
This intelligence showed that the Spanish army had stayed in a small town called "Magutuga" two days ago and had not left. Lin Fei looked at the map and found that the town of Magtuga was about 30 kilometers away from him. He thought that he should be able to meet the Spanish army tomorrow night, but Lin Fei was very puzzled. Why did the Spanish army stay in the town of Magtuga and not leave?
At this time, the staff officer Li Tianqian came over. Like He Kaisheng, this staff officer named Li Tianqian had served as a staff member in the Qing army. His greatest advantage was his resourcefulness. People nicknamed him "Li Sanshiliu", which means that he had all thirty-six strategies in his head.
Li Tianqian asked Lin Fei in a low voice: "Your Majesty, are we going to the town of Magtuga to fight the Spanish army?"
Lin Fei nodded and said, "That's what I mean."
Li Tianqian frowned and said, "I think the Spaniards might have a conspiracy, so it's better to act cautiously."
Lin Fei said: "I have considered this , but I can't think of any conspiracy the Spanish could have. What do you think their conspiracy could be?"
Li Tianqian asked, "Do you think the Spanish are trying to lure the enemy deep into our territory? Are they preparing to encircle and annihilate us?"
Lin Fei shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be the case. The Spanish don't have an intelligence network like us, so how could they know that we were going to attack them? So there's no way to talk about 'luring the enemy deep into our territory'. Besides, there's only one unit of theirs nearby, so 'encircling and annihilating us' is also impossible."
The two men discussed for a while but could not come to an agreement . The next day, January 26, the troops continued their journey and headed for the town of Magtuga. When they were about ten kilometers away from the town of Magtuga, Lin Fei ordered the main force to set up camp first, and then sent out a sniper team to conduct reconnaissance in the town of Magtuga.
Lin Fei wanted to stay and take charge of the overall situation, so he did not go with the sniper team. Zhang Chuang then led the sniper team members towards the town of Magtuga. An hour later, Zhang Chuang returned on horseback with his men.
Zhang Chuang came to Lin Fei, dismounted, and said, "Your Majesty, we have already conducted a thorough reconnaissance near Magtuga Town. The Spanish army did not dig trenches outside Magtuga Town, which means they had no idea we were coming. We have also investigated the area near Magtuga Town. Within a five-kilometer radius, only Magtuga Town has more than 500 Spanish soldiers."
Lin Fei thought for a while and said, "It seems that our intelligence network has worked. Because of the intelligence network, we have the advantage of discovering the enemy first, taking the initiative in the battle, and achieving the surprise of the battle. We have accepted this group of Spaniards, and used the captured guns and bullets to arm the local Chinese. Now let me tell you about the fighting method."
After Lin Fei finished speaking, he called the commanders of the various troops, picked up a stone, drew a square on the ground, and then said, "This square is the town of Magtuga. Zhang Chuang, where is the Spanish military camp?"
Zhang Chuang pointed to the north of Magtuga Town and said, "At this location, their barracks were originally residential buildings."
Lin Fei said, "At 11 o'clock tonight, our first regiment will quietly set out and go around their backs, while the second regiment will advance to the front of the enemy. We must arrive at the designated location before 12 o'clock tonight and prepare for the attack. Everyone, pay attention to my signal flares. Three red ones mean an attack. Do you understand?"
Niu Dalong and Niu Dahu said in unison: "We understand."
Lin Fei nodded and said, "Okay, organize your men to rest, we'll take action at night." So everyone started to eat and sleep. At 10:30 in the evening, the duty officer quietly woke everyone up, and everyone immediately began the final preparations before the expedition. At 11 o'clock sharp, the first regiment set out under the leadership of Niu Dalong, followed by the second regiment.
Lin Fei stayed in the military camp, thinking to himself: "What conspiracy do the Spanish have? Judging from the current situation, they should not have any. I am just overthinking."
Lin Fei was thinking when he suddenly heard a gunshot from the north of Magtuga Town, followed by a dense sound. Lin Fei was shocked and thought to himself that he hadn't fired a signal flare yet, so how could the fighting start? The First Regiment must have been discovered, and the outflanking and annihilation battle would become an encounter battle.
Lin Fei felt anxious for a moment, but then he calmed down because he thought, the enemy is outnumbered and we are numerous. If the First Regiment really fails to make a detour, then I will immediately order the troops to launch a general attack and crush the enemy with a thunderous momentum!
Lin Fei was about to order a general attack when he suddenly heard something wrong with the gunfire and couldn't help but hesitate.
At this time, Li Tianqian came over and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that the first regiment has run into the Spaniards. Let the second regiment launch an attack as well."
Lin Fei waved his hand gently and said, "Listen, listen carefully, do you hear anything wrong with the sound of the gunshot?"
After all, Li Tianqian was not a soldier and was not very familiar with the sound of gunfire. When he heard Lin Fei's words, he asked in surprise: "What's wrong with the sound of gunfire?"
Lin Fei said: "The battlefield was filled with the sound of our gunfire, and the Spanish gunfire was almost inaudible. Moreover, our gunfire was getting farther and farther away, as if the Spanish were running away and the First Regiment was chasing them."
Li Tianqian finally understood what Lin Fei said and said, "If that's the case, we should immediately order the Second Regiment to encircle and annihilate the enemy!"
Lin Fei nodded and said loudly: "Zhang Chuang!"
Zhang Chuang ran over and answered loudly, "Here!"
Lin Fei said, "Ride your horse to the Second Regiment immediately and tell Niu Dahu to intercept the Spaniards' retreat as quickly as possible and make sure to wipe them out completely."
Zhang Chuang urged his horse to go and arrived at the Second Regiment. Niu Dahu was complaining to Niu Dalong at this time: "My damn brother, in order to steal the credit, he launched the attack without waiting for the order from His Majesty!"
At this time, Zhang rushed in and said, "His Majesty has ordered you to quickly move to the rear of the Spanish army! You must annihilate the Spanish army completely."
Niu Dahu was excited and answered loudly, "I understand!" Then he led his troops to detour to the rear of the Spanish troops. The Second Regiment's detour just blocked the retreating Spanish troops. The two sides immediately engaged in close combat. Automatic rifles and grenades played a huge role in this close combat, and the Spanish army suffered countless casualties.
Lin Fei heard that most of the gunshots on the battlefield were from his own people, with only a small number from the Spaniards. He was very happy in his heart, thinking that the Spaniards were being suppressed by us, and there was no doubt that we would win this battle.
Two hours later, the Spaniards were defeated. At this time, Niu Dahu personally escorted a Spanish officer to Lin Fei and said with a smile: "Your Majesty, I caught a big fish for you. This guy is a major!"
Lin Fei looked at the officer's face, only to see that there was no trace of fear in the officer's eyes, but rather full of arrogance. Niu Dahu had spent quite a while in the Japanese prisoner-of-war camp, and he hated this kind of arrogance. He kicked the Spanish officer over and cursed, "Foreign devil, you are a prisoner now, who are you showing off to?"
The officer held his stomach and gritted his teeth without making a sound. Lin Fei laughed and said, "I didn't expect that a coward who is afraid of death could be so arrogant."
When the officer heard this, he immediately said angrily: "Who are you calling a coward who is afraid of death?"
Lin Fei pointed at the officer's nose and said firmly: "Who else could it be? It's you!"
The officer stood up and yelled at Lin Fei: "How could I be afraid of death? You are insulting me, a huge insult!"
Lin Fei snorted coldly and said, "Are you not a soldier who is afraid of death? Well, let me ask you, from Rosya Village to the current Magtuga Town, the total distance is only more than 30 kilometers, but you actually walked for five days. Five days, 30 kilometers, an average of only 6 kilometers a day, what speed is this?"
When Lin Fei said this, his eyes suddenly became stern, and he said in a serious tone: "There is only one way to explain why you can march at such a speed, that is, you are afraid of death! The battle tonight also confirmed my judgment. After encountering my subordinates, you retreated immediately without any resistance. If this is not being afraid of death, what is it?"
The officer snorted disdainfully and said, "How can you, a stupid Chinese pig, know what we are thinking?"
Lin Fei laughed and said, "What can you think? Are you trying to lure the enemy in? But who can be your reinforcement? You only have one troop, how can you lure the enemy in?"
