Chapter 808: Capture in the forest
At the moment when his whereabouts were exposed, another sentence from the old hunter who taught him hunting experience suddenly appeared in Delgado's mind: No matter how cunning a fox is, he cannot defeat a good hunter. He had always played the role of a hunter in the past, but he never thought that one day the roles would be reversed and he would become the fox being rounded up by the hunters.
Delgado actually doesn't think he made any low-level mistakes during his escape. First of all, he was able to break through the blockade and enter the forest, which shows that his previous strategy was fully effective and the opponent did not expect him at all. This routine should be deployed in a targeted manner in advance. Secondly, he had been acting cautiously after entering the forest, and did not lower his due vigilance just because he succeeded in escaping. Throughout the night, he tried his best to avoid exposing himself to the moonlight. He immediately switched to latent mode at the slightest sign of trouble, and did not move forward until he was sure that there was no trace of human activity.
After Delgado walked in the dark for about ten miles in the mountains and forests, the sky finally slowly lightened up. At this time, he was basically sure that he was out of the control of the Haihan Army, and finally began to speed up his march. He didn't really want to rush to Jilong Port to report for help, but he was worried that the cannon fodder caught last night would reveal his plan - although each team's breakout direction and route were different, after entering the mountainous area, However, they will gradually enter the same secret path, which is the route that Delgado successfully crossed Yangmingshan District twice in the past. As long as the Haihan people compare the confessions of each team, it is not difficult to find that there are overlapping parts in their escape routes. If they move fast enough, they may follow them closely.
Although Delgado was relatively confident in his traveling speed in the mountains and forests, he did not dare to take the risk when the stakes were too high. In addition to speeding up his traveling speed, he also made subtle adjustments to his planned route in order to maximize the risk. Avoid possible pursuers.
After crossing a mountain ridge in the early hours of the morning, Delgado felt that his physical fitness was somewhat insufficient and he needed to stop and rest. After all, almost six hours had passed since he left Santo Domingo last night, and during this period, his nerves had been highly tense and he had not relaxed at all, and his mental fatigue was already very strong.
At this time, the sound of running water from the forest ahead told Delgado that there should be a mountain spring flowing here. This cheered up Delgado's spirits. He happened to be running out of fresh water, so he took this opportunity to replenish it.
Delgado walked forward for a while, and sure enough he saw a small mountain spring gush out from the rock wall and fall into a small pool measuring one foot square below. This pool is crystal clear, and the water quality of the mountain spring should be quite good. Delgado first picked up a little bit with his hand and tasted it. The spring water had a sweet taste. Then he took off the cowhide water bag from his body and squatted by the pool to start filling it with water.
Perhaps this sense of relaxation affected Delgado's vigilance. Halfway through filling his mouth with water, he suddenly realized that someone from the outside world seemed to be watching him. When he looked up, he was shocked to see seven or eight young and strong men in colorful clothes walking out of the forest. Each of them was holding a slender musket in his hand. The nearest man was only two feet away from him. No more than three feet. Delgado had already recognized the identity of the opponent in the flash of lightning. It was the navy army that came to attack the city of Santo Domingo this time. He had seen a lot of such unique military uniforms on the top of the city yesterday. It was definitely not the case. There may be a second armed force wearing such fancy military uniforms on the battlefield.
It was too late and then it was too late. Delgado hesitated for only a moment. He immediately jumped up from kneeling by the pool. He didn't even pick up the personal belongings he had placed by the pool and rushed straight to the pool. Towards the forest. However, the other party reacted very quickly. He raised the rifle in his hand and fired a round in the direction of Delgado.
Delgado was undoubtedly very lucky. Not a single bullet hit him in a round of shooting at this distance, which gave him full confidence in his ability to escape again. Although the opponent had the advantage in numbers and weapons, Delgado knew that it took a long time to reload a round of ammunition for the musket, and this period was enough for him to escape a long distance. Now all he has to do is run, run away with all his strength. As long as he gets rid of this group of enemies, he can disappear into this dense mountain forest again.
But after Delgado ran a certain distance, he clearly heard the footsteps of someone chasing quickly behind him. Delgado did not dare to look back at the pursuers, but tried to choose a dense forest to burrow in, hoping to obscure the pursuers' sight and make them lose the clues to track him.
But Delgado soon realized that his efforts were in vain. The pursuers behind him fell silently and steadily about ten feet away, and did not slow down because of the obstruction of the trees. Delgado didn't know how skillfully they were tracking him, but he was sure that the pursuers were not incompetent, because he had never seen an army that could move at such a fast speed in the mountains and forests. Compared with the clumsy performance of the Spaniards he had seen in the jungle in the past, the agility of these pursuers was comparable to that of wild deer.
In the past twenty years of his life, except for being chased by a huge wild boar when he was young, Delgado had never had such a second experience of running away. But his personal feelings at this time were more panicked and more difficult to escape than when he was chased by a wild boar.
After running five miles in one breath, Delgado found that not only had the pursuers behind him not been thrown away, but they had been shortened from ten feet to eight feet, which made him feel even heavier. He knew that it was impossible to get rid of the pursuers just by relying on his speed and skills. The only thing that could still give him a fight was his physical fitness. But after spending too much the night before, and currently running at such an all-out state, he didn't think he could keep running over a few hills. You can only hope that the pursuers behind you will reach their physical limit earlier than you and choose to give up the pursuit.
After Delgado climbed over the second hill, his speed gradually slowed down. This was not because the pursuers behind him gave up the pursuit, but because his physical strength could no longer hold on. After continuing to jog for a mile in the forest, Delgado finally couldn't hold on anymore and fell to the ground panting. He had hunted down large and small prey in the forest, but he never imagined that one day he would become a prey chased by hunters with nowhere to escape, and he would escape until he exhausted all his strength and had to be captured helplessly. That kind of thing.
"You bastard... can run so well... I'll break... your legs... believe it or not!" The few Haihan soldiers who caught up were also out of breath, but their condition was slightly better and at least they could still stand. say. These soldiers were all bare-handed, and their rifles were kept by their companions. Otherwise, it would be difficult to catch up with the capture target in the forest.
Delgado was really unlucky. This group of Haihan soldiers was not directed at him. They were just ordered to survey the nearby terrain and make a map of the activities of the mountain indigenous tribes. Wild water sources such as mountain springs naturally need to be noted as important areas on the map, so there was a scene where the two sides met at the mountain spring. Although Delgado had carefully dressed up as a native, he was discovered by the reconnaissance platoon leader because of a small and inadvertent detail - the special operations battalion was searching Spain outside the city the day before. When he was a farm laborer, he had seen a cowhide water bag similar to the one Delgado was holding. The European pattern decorated on the water bag was so unique that the reconnaissance platoon leader recognized it at first sight. In addition, Delgado turned around and ran away, which made the reconnaissance platoon leader identify him even more. Otherwise, if it were just a high-mountain native, the reconnaissance platoon leader would not personally lead the team to track him on foot. He would have to run two hills before capturing the target.
This is why a special operations battalion that has been training in this environment for a long time can have such physical fitness and field tracking skills. If it were an ordinary militia army, Delgado would have definitely escaped capture. The soldier took out a special thumb cuff from his waist, put Delgado's hands behind his back and cuffed them, then grabbed his arms and dragged him up from the ground.
The police thumb cuffs used by the special operations battalion are also a good thing brought by time travelers from another time and space. Although it is not a black technology, it is very practical. Field combat units like special operations battalions often have the task of capturing prisoners. Carrying ordinary iron shackles will inevitably increase the load weight, and using ropes has the problem of insufficient safety. And such a small thumb The cuffs are small in size, light in weight and easy to carry. After cuffing the thumbs of the target's hands, it is impossible to break free. Once tried, they were well received by the soldiers of the special operations battalion and were quickly installed.
The arresting team escorted Delgado back to the mountain spring to meet with the others. After checking Delgado's personal belongings left by the mountain spring, his true identity was revealed. Even if the scout platoon leader couldn't read Spanish, he at least knew that the parchment paper used to write letters and the wax seal on the letterhead were definitely not something a mountain tribe should have. The reconnaissance platoon leader can guarantee with his head that this guy definitely has some kind of close relationship with the Spaniards by the Tamsui River down the mountain.
After escorting him back to the base camp, the truth was soon revealed. The Spanish captain endorsed Delgado on the distress letter, and the prisoners captured last night also identified Delgado after they were escorted out to identify themselves. Delgado saw that most of the cannon fodder he had arranged the day before were captured by the Haihan Army. Those who did not show up must be in danger. He felt even more desperate at the moment. He knew that the city of Santo Domingo was gone and there would be no chance of it happening again. What kind of reinforcements are coming to rescue the crisis here?
"Delgado...it turns out that this guy made the plan to call for help. It's a bit new...but it looks like he's not Spanish?" After listening to the platoon leader's bragging and the translated report, Takahashi Minami thought about it in his mind. The whole thing has been threaded together.
"Tell the battalion commander that this man is a native of Luzon Island. He got such a Spanish name after becoming attached to the Spanish." The translator immediately explained respectfully. This translator is from the Ministry of Commerce. He spent several years in Luzon with his parents when he was young. After returning to the Ming Dynasty, his family fell into decline. Later, he was recruited by the Guangdong Immigration Office because he knew a little Spanish and knew some trade in Manila. situation, he was assigned to the Ministry of Commerce. Later, he studied Spanish with Schneider for a period of time. At the request of the military, he was seconded to Penghu. He also went on an expedition here with the army and played a considerable role in helping interrogate prisoners and read letters. Of course, his performance here will be reported back to his boss at the Ministry of Commerce along with the military report, and will become one of the capital for his continued promotion in the future.
"Don't lock this guy up with other prisoners for the time being. Keep him in a separate prison!" Takahashi Minami's instinct is that Delgado is a dangerous person. If he is locked up with other prisoners of war, God knows what trouble he will plan.
"Master, I am willing to contribute to your army and capture the city of Santo Domingo!" Unexpectedly, Delgado said a few words in Chinese that were harsh but fluent. This guy could actually listen and speak. Yes, everyone thought he only spoke Spanish before.
"You guys are very scheming!" Takahashi Nan was about to leave, but when he heard these words, he immediately stopped and turned to look at the enemy soldier who was kneeling on the ground. He plans to send dangerous people like this to the coal mines of Black Earth Port or the mines in the deep mountains of Shilu after the war, where he will cultivate the earth until he dies. Since I can't speak Chinese anyway, there is little value in keeping it.
But it's obvious that this guy has been watching people's actions and calculating the situation since he was caught. The reconnaissance platoon leader was just here talking about how to hunt him down in the mountains, and this guy obviously listened to everything. It was probably the last words Takahashi Minami said about "incarceration alone" that made him sense the danger signal, and then he jumped out to plead for himself.
Delgado's actions sent at least two clear messages: first, I can help you in the siege, and second, I understand Chinese and can communicate with you smoothly. He was using this method to show Takahashi Minami that he was still valuable.
But Minami Takahashi did not appreciate Delgado's performance. As a samurai, he valued loyalty very highly. Although the two sides are currently enemies, Takahashi Minami will never appreciate a traitor who immediately betrays his employer for glory at the first sign of disagreement. Of course, he also knew that this guy probably just wanted to save his own life in this way, but it was difficult to accept the evil intentions played by Delgado in this process.
(End of chapter)