Chapter 865: Fighting on the Plateau (Fourth update, please subscribe)
"Chiu..."
The sound of the mortars flying across the sky was very special, a little dull, like a bass humming in the air. The next moment, a huge column of smoke suddenly exploded on the grassland.
The 9-kilogram heavy grenade fired by the 100mm mortar is very powerful. It has always been the favorite weapon of the infantry. The reason is that each infantry battalion has 4 guns. For the attacking infantry, this is the most direct and powerful support weapon they can get on the battlefield.
Compared to Uruguay, the fierce fighting on the Mato Grosso Plateau in the north seems a bit insignificant, because the area is sparsely populated, the Brazilian army has limited manpower, and most of their battles are battalion- and company-scale battles.
But even so, the battle was not easy. After all, they did not have much artillery cover in many cases, and at this time, mortars became the only fire support.
"Squad One, leap forward on the left wing!"
The platoon leader's shout echoed on the battlefield at the moment of the explosion. Hook, who was originally lying on the grass, immediately crouched down and leaped forward with his rifle in hand. More than a dozen figures on the grassland were like cheetahs, constantly approaching the front. Suddenly, a burst of gunfire was heard in the front, and the Brazilians discovered them.
Just as the Brazilian army was firing wildly with the British-made NO.1 rifles, suddenly, a burst of rapid gunfire rang out right in front of them.
It's the Type 5 Gatling gun!
Although this electric three-barreled Gatling gun is a bit heavy, it is still the firepower pillar of the Ming army. Each infantry battalion is equipped with three heavy machine guns. The fierce machine gun firepower made the Brazilians almost unable to raise their heads. The originally suppressed troops attacked again. When they were still more than ten meters away from the Brazilian trenches, Hooker directly threw a heavy grenade.
Two or three seconds later, accompanied by a thunderous explosion, the Brazilians in the trenches were either blown up into the sky or stunned. Before they could recover, the soldiers jumped into the trenches and stabbed the nearest enemy with bayonets. For a while, the trenches were filled with shouts of killing. Facing such a fierce Ming army, the Brazilians all fled. As for the conscripted Paraguayans, they surrendered directly. For these Paraguayans, none of them were willing to work for Brazil, but Mato Grosso Province was occupied by Brazil, and they were forcibly conscripted.
"I surrender, I surrender, I am Paraguayan..."
Amidst shouts in Spanish, nearly a hundred prisoners surrendered. Most of them were Uruguayans, and of course there were some Brazilians. Many of those Brazilians were black. There had always been a large number of black slave soldiers in the Brazilian army, and they only needed to serve for ten years to gain their freedom.
"Are you sure?"
Si Dongli took a look at the captives in front of him. There were more than a hundred of them. They were all ragged "freemen", the so-called "free men". They were all black slaves recruited by the army from the plantations. These people were not good at fighting, but they were good at robbery and killing.
"Sir, that's right, it's them. They were the ones who killed the most people when we invaded Paraguay!"
As Hook looked at these prisoners, his slate-colored eyes were filled with hatred.
Brother Hooker died at the hands of these men's sugar knives. His brother died in the battle of Caraguatay, as did his grandfather, and before that, his father.
He has always longed for revenge.
Now the time for revenge has finally come, how can he miss it?
"Sir, they all deserve to die!"
Hook's words drew a round of agreement from those around him. The 39th Regiment was reorganized from the Paraguayan Civil Defense Regiment. Most of them lived in Paraguay, and many of their wives were Paraguayans. Of course, they had no good feelings towards these people.
Faced with the advice of his comrades, Si Dongli thought of his wife Isabella's hatred for Brazilians over the years. He thought for a while, then looked at Hook and said.
"I'll leave it to you. Take them to the nearby trenches."
"Yes, sir!"
Those "freemen" had no idea what was waiting for them. They just looked around blankly. Whenever they saw the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, a flattering look would appear on their dark faces, but there was a cunning look in their white eyes.
"Sir, sir, we are not Brazilian!"
"Yes, sir, we can help you with a lot of work..."
When these "freemen" were taken to a nearby trench, they kept trying to please these people, either in Portuguese, or in stiff Spanish, or even in Chinese.
But soon, they felt the hostility in the eyes of these Ming soldiers who looked like white masters.
"Where are they taking us?"
They all looked at those escorting them in horror, as if they had experienced this scene before.
No, they had never experienced that. They just gathered the prisoners together and then killed them.
"They're going to kill us..."
Finally, arriving at the edge of a trench, Hook lit a cigarette, then walked up to the "freemen" with the cigarette and spoke in stiff Portuguese.
"I am not a cruel person, but you must be held accountable for the crimes you committed in Paraguay, in the name of God!"
After taking a deep puff, Hook threw the cigarette butt to the ground and stomped it out.
"Ready! Raise your guns!"
"Please spare me, sir, I can do a lot of work..."
Faced with their pleas, these people did not hesitate at all. Following Hook's command, they pulled the trigger.
"Aim—shoot!"
As Hooker shouted, gunshots rang out and piles of corpses fell in the trenches.
With a rifle in his hand, Hook walked up to several bodies that had not yet rolled into the trench and kicked them into the trench.
The trenches once used for fighting became the graves of these people. After the soldiers buried the bodies with shovels in their hands, Hook just sat there quietly, smoking silently. Platoon leader Zhao Niandong looked at him and walked over to ask.
"How was it? Did you feel relieved?"
"Relieve the hatred?"
Hook shook his head and said.
"I don't know. Ten years ago, my father died in the war when I was only eight years old. Seven years ago, my brother and grandfather were killed by the Brazilians when I was only eleven years old. If my mother hadn't hidden me, I might have died there too..."
Hook said while smoking a cigarette and holding the rifle in his arms, looking into the distance.
"I hate Brazilians, I really hate them, they killed too many people... Even I joined the army for this reason. I hope that one day I can invade Brazil with the army, avenge my guys, kill them, I would be really happy..."
Hook couldn't continue speaking. He couldn't continue because he didn't know what to say. He knew he was very happy, but not as happy as he had imagined.
Looking at the confused young man, Zhao Niandong patted him on the shoulder and said.
"Don't think too much, this is just war."
Yes, this is just a war, it's no big deal, there is no so-called hatred, it's just a war...
(End of this chapter)
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