Chapter 798 Santo Domingo City
Logically speaking, if it was just to achieve the purpose of reconnaissance, Qian Tiandun actually did not have the need to secretly transfer Chen Yixin from Kaohsiung back to Penghu to perform the mission. He could directly send Gao Qiaonan or even just the battalion's reconnaissance platoon to complete this mission. Moreover, he already had his heart set on letting Takahashi Minami be responsible for the official combat command. Speaking of which, it was actually more appropriate for Takahashi Minami to go there.
The reason why we go to great lengths to give this task to Chen Yixin is, on the one hand, to take this opportunity for Chen Yixin to gain experience and exercise the special operations capabilities he lacked in the past. On the other hand, it is also because the correction of the map requires someone who is good at surveying and mapping. Of course, Gao Qiaonan and other scouts have also received training in field environmental surveying and mapping, but their professionalism is not enough to compare with Chen Yixin. Qian Tiandun attaches great importance to Taipei's combat plan, and has very high requirements for these details, striving to do it perfectly.
Because the weather when leaving the port was not ideal, Chen Yixin was a little worried that there would be trouble on the road. However, after the sailboat left Penghu, the sea conditions improved quickly. At present, there are basically no traces of piracy activities in the strait, so Chen Yixin does not have to worry about any extraneous things happening along the way.
The reconnaissance platoon set off from Penghu in the evening and took a day and a half to reach the sea outside Tamsui. When it was dark the next morning, Chen Yixin could already see the coastline near the mouth of the Tamsui River through the telescope. During this period, he was not idle. He had to regularly record information such as heading, wind direction, ocean currents and sea conditions, so as to confirm the marching time required in the combat plan. If it were Haihan's own sailing ship, then this voyage could be shortened by at least several hours. The shorter the time required to project troops during combat, the less time the enemy would have to react.
The Tamsui River has a total length of more than 150 kilometers and a drainage area of more than 2,700 square kilometers. Both of these data rank third among the many rivers on the island of Taiwan. It is also the only river on the island that is truly navigable.
Of course, Chen Yixin would not order the sailboat to sail directly into the Tamsui River. If he did that, he would most likely be discovered by the Spanish stronghold on the river bank, which was inconsistent with the purpose of the mission. After Chen Yixin determined the location of the Tamsui River mouth, he ordered to continue sailing north and bypass it far away. Even if someone near the river mouth noticed the passing sailboat, they would only think that it was heading towards Jilong Port. .
After sailing a certain distance past the mouth of the Tamsui River and confirming that there were no other ships on the nearby sea, Chen Yixin ordered to turn closer to the coastline. On the coast about fifteen miles north of the mouth of the Tamsui River, the sailboat slowly approached the shore, and then the scouts rowed a small sampan ashore. In the next few days, the sailing ship will cruise in the nearby waters, passing by here regularly once a day so that the reconnaissance platoon can pick them up if they encounter adverse conditions on land.
Since this type of reconnaissance operation will not be equipped with logistics personnel and transportation vehicles, all equipment and supplies must be carried by the scouts themselves. The load capacity of an individual soldier exceeds 20 kilograms. If there is no long-term targeted training, generally It is difficult for the troops to march in the field and perform reconnaissance missions for several days in this state.
The coast where Chen Yixin chose to land was originally the territory of the indigenous tribe Guirou Society. However, because the Guirou Society broke out in armed conflict with the Spaniards a few years ago and was defeated, they were forced to move away from this area and ceded control to The Spaniards. In fact, the seaside area north of the Tamsui River and west of Yangmingshan, including the city of Santo Domingo, was originally the control area of the Guirou Society. However, now the Guirou Society has moved into the Yangmingshan Mountains, and The Spaniards had a limited population and did not have the conditions to fully develop these areas. Therefore, the landing place chosen by Chen Yixin and the reconnaissance platoon had long since become an uninhabited land. The person who provided Haihan with this information was Jose, the Spanish blacksmith whom Jin Ming captured in Jilong Port last time.
According to Jose, although the Spaniards had driven away the nearby indigenous tribes, their actual control area was still limited to a five-mile radius of Santo Domingo City, which also provided Haihan with a huge opportunity for reconnaissance activities. of convenience. It took the reconnaissance platoon less than two hours after landing to reach the vicinity of the Spanish-controlled area.
Just like what Western colonists did in other places in the Far East, the Spaniards' development method here was to build a fortress-like stronghold, and then use it as the core to reclaim land and build plantations around it. The same was true near the city of Santo Domingo. The Spanish cleared large tracts of land from the forest and then planted food and cash crops. However, since most of the people who work for them are surrendered indigenous people from Luzon and Taiwan, they are not good at agricultural farming. The Spaniards rely on their status and are unwilling to do the work of farmers themselves, so the agricultural development here is not good. Not ideal, this is one of the main reasons why the Spaniards have been based in Taipei for several years, but still need Luzon to provide logistical supplies.
Chen Yixin did not intend to risk exposing his whereabouts through these developed plantation areas, so he led the team to continue detouring through the forest. It took more than two hours to detour to the upper reaches of the Tamsui River and beyond the city of Santo Domingo. Eastern region. It was already noon. After Chen Yixin arranged the perimeter security, he ordered everyone to rest for an hour and have a meal.
The reconnaissance platoon's field rations are mainly compressed biscuits and self-heating military rations. These foods do not need to be cooked over a fire, so their whereabouts are not easily exposed. However, due to the limitations of production methods, the taste and texture of these marching rations are indeed not very ideal. The feeling in the mouth can only be described as "tasting like chewing wax". In addition to providing the heat needed by the human body, there is basically no sensory enjoyment at all. This is not even close to the food that can be eaten during a real war. After all, during wartime, a dedicated cooking team will provide fresh and hot food, and the quality is much better than this ration.
After a brief rest, the reconnaissance platoon continued toward the target area. However, because he was close to the Spanish-controlled area, Chen Yixin also consciously slowed down his marching speed and arranged a few soldiers to explore the way ahead.
Soon they came to the edge of the dense forest, and further out was the Spanish plantation. It was very close to the city of Santo Domingo, and the outline of the castle in the distance could be seen with the naked eye. Chen Yixin ordered a warning on the spot, while he took off his backpack and prepared to climb up the tree to take a look.
What he saw through the telescope did not make Chen Yixin feel relaxed. On the contrary, he frowned unconsciously. The external condition of the castle is somewhat different from what Jose said, or there are some important details that Jose did not mention in his description.
The city of Santo Domingo is indeed very close to the bank of the Tamsui River. Chen Yixin estimated that it was only about 120 to 30 meters away. Haihan's firepower advantage at this distance was almost invincible. But what Jose didn't mention was that the city of Santo Domingo is located on a hill, with a height difference of more than ten or twenty meters from the river bank. Such terrain is not a convenient location for naval guns to exert their attack power. Due to the limited deployment space on the ship, there is not much room for adjusting the firing angle of the naval guns arranged on the gun deck. In other words, the original plan of directly attacking the city of Santo Domingo with naval gunfire may not work. The naval guns on the lower artillery deck are basically useless at this stage.
The city's city defense firepower is obviously focused on threats from the water. Although the number of artillery deployed on the city wall cannot be seen clearly, the dense crenellations on the city wall on the river side are enough to illustrate the Spanish's ability to suppress firepower on the river. Not to be underestimated. Even though the range of their artillery is limited, with such a high bonus, it can at least cover nearly one-third of the Tamsui River.
"If I hadn't come here to take a look in person, I would have almost been tricked by the little blacksmith!" After Chen Yixin got down from the tree, he couldn't help but muttered a few words. Of course, he also knew that Jose might not have a deliberate plan, because even if Jose knew that the Haihan people wanted to attack Santo Domingo City, he couldn't imagine what tactics the Haihan people would use, and whether they would conduct on-site reconnaissance before the war. For the Haihan militia, it doesn't make much sense to use this little brain, and it is unlikely that they will actually be tricked.
Throughout the afternoon until sunset, Chen Yixin repeatedly observed the terrain outside Santo Domingo City. He had to admit that the Spanish did have a certain strategic vision, because the land they chose to build the city was the only hilly highland on the north bank of Tamsui River near the mouth of the sea. By guarding this key point, they basically controlled the entrance of the Tamsui River to the sea. It is no wonder that the Spaniards were able to gradually conquer the indigenous tribes along the Tamsui River in the past two years.
After nightfall, Chen Yixin and a few people slowly walked out of the woods and sneaked towards the city of Santo Domingo. They did not use lighting tools, but moved forward slowly by the moonlight in the sky. These people all painted dark oil paint on their faces and wore camouflage uniforms, so their presence was indeed difficult to detect in the wilderness at night.
All Spaniards live in castles and do not come out after nightfall. There are only a few night laborers staying in the plantations outside the city. Since gradually conquering the surrounding indigenous tribes in the past two years, the Spaniards no longer have to worry about the natives entering the plantation in the middle of the night and destroying it. They no longer organize night patrol teams to guard the plantation. Instead, they provide Chen Yixin and other uninvited guests with Conditions that facilitate movement.
Chen Yixin and others bypassed the wooden stilts where the workers lived and approached the hills where Santo Domingo City is located. In the night, the outline of the city wall on the hillside can be vaguely seen, as well as the scattered residential areas under the hillside. However, since there was a dedicated person on duty at the top of the city, Chen Yixin, who did not want to reveal his whereabouts, did not intend to come close for reconnaissance. He just used the moonlight to carefully observe the surrounding terrain and look for natural conditions that could be exploited.
Since the manpower deployed by Spain in Taiwan is very limited and unable to carry out large-scale projects, although the castle is called a "city", the actual area is only the size of a "castle". Chen Yixin visually inspected that the city of Santo Domingo was actually smaller than Fort Victory, and according to Jose's information, the city walls here were only rammed earth walls, less than two meters thick. The city defense was obviously not as strong as cement concrete. The blessed Fort of Victory.
If the 48-pound heavy artillery currently equipped by the Army is used for bombardment, this rammed earth wall will definitely crack or even partially collapse within a few seconds. But the problem is that this height difference allows the opponent's artillery range to completely cover the entire river bank, which will make Haihan's firepower advantage was gone.
"If it doesn't work, we can only launch the offensive in another direction." With this thought in mind, Chen Yixin called his men and disappeared into the night again.
Although the city of Santo Domingo itself is not large, it is located on a higher ground, and the surrounding area it can radiate is relatively large. Chen Yixin wanted to change the reconnaissance direction, but it was inconvenient at night, so he could only turn back to the forest and wait until the next day.
However, a small accident occurred early the next morning. The sentry on duty outside sounded a warning signal with bird calls, causing the group of people who had just woken up from their sleep to hurriedly hide in the bushes. After a while, I discovered that the tribes in the upper reaches of the Tamsui River had packed a lot of mountain goods on bamboo rafts and traveled down the river to the city of Santo Domingo to trade with the Spaniards. The long queue of bamboo rafts on the river was probably nearly half a mile long. It was no wonder that the sentry sent out a warning.
Chen Yixin squatted in the grass and used binoculars to observe the natives holding bamboo rafts on the river. He muttered: "I went to the enemy's territory to do business, but I didn't even bring a self-defense weapon. As expected, my spine has been broken..."< br>
Of course Chen Yixin also knew that this was actually because the Spanish in Santo Domingo City prohibited the indigenous people who came to trade here from carrying weapons. Even non-metallic weapons such as bamboo guns and bamboo arrows were prohibited. Regarding these situations, blacksmith Jose It has already been explained in detail. However, as a once brave and aggressive indigenous tribe, these natives actually chose to completely give up resistance and surrender to the Spanish, which indeed made Chen Yixin slightly disappointed. But on second thought, although they can't be expected to cause more trouble for the Spaniards, this is not necessarily a bad thing. After this waist softens, it will be difficult to straighten it up again. When Haihan conquers these areas in the future, he should not encounter too strong resistance. After all, by that time, in the eyes of the natives, the Haihan Militia was a powerful presence that drove away the Spaniards.
After watching the bamboo raft team heading downstream, Chen Yixin ordered the group to assemble and leave the campsite last night. When leaving, the veterans carefully cleaned up all the traces of last night's camping, so as not to be seen by anyone who broke in and reported to the Spaniards. Only the scouts from the special operations battalion's reconnaissance platoon, who were led out by Qian Tiandun, had this habit of dealing with such detailed issues.
(End of chapter)