Chapter 224 The Troubles of Happiness
The Cagayan Valley is the second largest region in the Philippines, located in the eastern part of Luzon Island, and includes the provinces of Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Bisgaya, and Quirino, as well as the cities of Cagayan, Tuguegarao, and Santiago.
Further north is the Pacific Ocean, so Sheffield's statement that this group of rebels will soon be driven into the sea is not an exaggeration. In a head-on confrontation, although the American Expeditionary Force is undoubtedly a weakling with the same logistical support and weapons and equipment, it is still no problem to deal with these local natives.
What is more frightening than the distant sea is the fear in the heart of the Philippine rebels. Jumping into the sea may not be scary, but if someone forces you to jump into the sea, that is another matter. After the counterattack failed, the rebel soldiers in the Cagayan Valley are almost facing this situation. If they retreat again, they will face the warm Pacific Ocean, and the sea will become their final destination.
But even so, when the troops of the American Expeditionary Force entered here carefully under cover, the Filipinos did not know where they got the courage and strength, and many of them were ready to fight to the death. For American soldiers, bullets could be fired from any direction, and the warm beaches of the Pacific Ocean seemed to be right in front of them, but no one was in the mood to appreciate it.
Most importantly, this is a dense forest with complex terrain. For an invader, this is almost everything that the Philippine mother can do to the invader. The endless tropical forest that covers the sky and the endless tropical forest, and the Philippine rebels whose weapons are not very sophisticated but deadly enough, this combination is already a huge trouble.
The Filipinos hiding here can no longer ask their motherland to do more. All they can do is make good use of everything around them to inflict a severe blow to the Americans.
In this environment, heavy firepower is almost useless. The soldiers of the expeditionary force need to go out in person, wandering between life and death, looking for the true meaning of life. As for whether they can be lucky enough to go to the battlefield in good health, this question mainly depends on whether God's appointment is full today. If not, it can be discussed.
In the battle in the jungle, the American soldiers threw away their rifles without hesitation and replaced them with shotguns, which many of them were proficient in using before joining the army. In this environment, the range of the shotgun is not very important, but the advantage of the killing area is magnified.
Sam, a soldier leaning against a tree, was one of them. Now he was clinging to the trunk of an unknown age and filling his magazine. He could not remember how many bullets were left in his magazine, but the only thing he could be sure of was that he had not hit an enemy yet, because every time he shot, it seemed aimless. Behind those big trees that looked similar or very normal, there might be a Filipino hidden, or even more.
Near Sam, the situation was not much different. His companions loaded and fired silently, filtering all suspicious targets with bullets, and only chatted for a while when they were sure it was safe.
"Hey! Listen up!" Sam's platoon leader gathered several soldiers including him, "We can't stay here, we have to move forward! We will throw the grenade fifty meters away, and after the explosion, we will turn to the level near this side to make a detour, and then ensure the safety of this forest! Understand?"
The soldiers nodded, and their platoon leader warned them again: "You guys must keep up and suppress your rifles on the opposite side! And machine gunners, don't lose that box of bullets!"
In the process of covering, even if the American soldiers were very fond of shotguns, they would not expose their backs under such cover. The killing range of shotguns was so huge, who would dare to do anything? So there were still a few soldiers who retained their rifles and participated in the clearing of the forest.
Sam followed the others, took out the grenade from his waist, unscrewed the iron cover, wrapped the drawstring inside around the index finger of his left hand, and kept his right hand ready to throw the grenade at any time. Then the assault began.
The soldiers were pushed forward through the forests that were ploughed by artillery fire, leaving many craters. Many soldiers even stepped on the craters to advance. It was not that the soldiers had grown up in the war, but because they believed that there would definitely be no poisonous snakes or other unknown but deadly things near the explosion of the shells. They would rather be shot to death than be killed in such an environment.
The sounds of footsteps and gunshots filled the dense forest. The soldiers who usually acted arrogantly and could not control their own crotches also remained cautious. Any abnormality could make them tremble like leaves in the wind.
In the dense jungle, the sound of gunfire was heard continuously. Although it was impossible to observe from the distant artillery positions, everyone knew that a fierce battle was going on between the soldiers of the expeditionary force and the Filipino rebels.
A Filipino man slowly retreated with his rifle out of bullets. He could not remember when he ran out of bullets, but the resistance fighters around him seemed to be in the same situation as him. They were ready to make a final resistance with the bayonets and butts of their rifles.
"Why can't we surrender? Maybe there is still a way to survive!" Suddenly a voice appeared.
"Shut up, you traitor. Americans are more hateful than the Spanish. They have taken our women and occupied our land. They are doing the same things as Spain, but they are more hypocritical." The overwhelming accusations and insults were endless. At this point, the remaining people were all extremely determined rebels. Those who were not determined would have surrendered long ago.
This generation of Filipino freedom fighters was very conscious. They had a deep insight into the imperialist conspiracy and strengthened their minds with very simple language. They were indomitable in difficult circumstances. I believe they will have a good result.
Two days later, the news of the successful clearance of the Cagayan Valley reached Manila, first causing jubilation at the Joint Command, but then the sad news was also received at Sheffield of the Joint Company.
"The expeditionary force's military operations went very smoothly. Although many Filipinos resisted bravely, they were all crushed." Jesla was obviously very appreciative of the expeditionary force's actions, and he also said a few more words in a serious tone.
"This is just the beginning. But it's a success." Sheffield didn't believe that a military action could represent anything. Textbooks of later generations said that the war between the Philippines and the United States should be the first bourgeois revolution in Asia, which was of great significance, and the United States did not solve all problems in a short time.
This requires specific analysis. If we talk about the expeditionary forces on the front battlefield, they will naturally win battle after battle. But a hundred years later, the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan also had the same progress at the beginning. But then the regular war turned into a security war.
Moreover, the experience gained from fighting too many security wars is useless against real enemies. The United States later suffered from this problem, and it even caused a decline in the combat effectiveness of the army.
When problems arose in Ukraine in Eastern Europe, the conflict and contradictions in Ukraine finally broke out, and the United States and Russia intervened immediately, from the economic to the military. The U.S. military, relying on its wealth, sent a large number of military advisers to the Ukrainian battlefield to assist in commanding the Ukrainian army, and their opponent, Russia, was not to be outdone and also sent military advisers to the battlefield.
As soon as the battle was about to begin, the American advisers made a serious mistake in their command. Inertial thinking made them think that the enemy was the guerrillas in Iraq and Afghanistan, but in fact the pro-Russian eastern armed forces had a large number of Russian-made heavy weapons, and even Russian volunteers and mercenaries.
A U.S. military adviser led a Ukrainian military convoy to the front line. Before passing a bridge, the U.S. military adviser asked to check the area because it was an open area. According to the experience of "security war" in Afghanistan and Iraq, such places are prone to roadside bombs. The army stopped the car for inspection as requested by the U.S. adviser.
The consultants sent by the Russian army saw that there was an unexpected harvest. They looked down on the military and industrial strength left by the Soviet Union. They took all the targets piled up together. After a few minutes, they didn't find any bombs, but countless large-caliber artillery shells and rockets whizzed in, covering the entire Ukrainian army.
Sheffield remembered the Philippine-American War. Not many American soldiers were killed or wounded, but the war also lasted for several years. Afterwards, the US military announced the end of the clearance in the Philippines, but this was a unilateral declaration. According to the standards of the Philippine-American War, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq had ended long ago.
But this kind of security war should be fought, because it is absolutely a great thing for the United Company. There are not many casualties, but the war never ends. This is the war mode that military-industrial enterprises like best. There are not many casualties, so there will be little protest. The longer it lasts, the more profits the company can make. As for ordinary soldiers who are cannon fodder, who cares about their life or death?
"If the war ends so quickly, it will be bad for our joint company because we are the main contractor. Similarly, if the war is too intense, it will be bad for other departments of our joint company because some industries need a decent security environment." Sheffield stroked his forehead and said helplessly, "Big companies have their own troubles, although these troubles can also make people happy."
(End of this chapter)
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