Chapter 2945
First, bombardment was used to break the barriers, and then grenades were used to clear the area. This style of play obviously had no intention of leaving any survivors, and the clean-up work after the battle also confirmed this.
The more than 20 resistors who were hiding in the house and resisting were all killed. Many of them didn't even have whole bodies. They were probably torn apart by the shells that passed through the house earlier.
The weapons of these people only had more than a dozen long and short muskets. Although in the eyes of the Haihan Army they were just some junk, the battalion commander ordered all these weapons to be collected and transported away.
After this, a comprehensive search will be conducted throughout Masbate Town to clear away various civilian weapons. And these collected weapons will eventually become part of the military exploits gained by Bangui Camp in this battle.
Of course, the most important goal is to capture the local colonial administrator, which is of great significance to both Haihan and local settlers.
Several servants captured by the colonial steward were also brought to the scene to let them identify whether the steward himself was among the resisters. However, the result was a bit disappointing. The official who managed the local area on behalf of the Spanish colonial authorities was not among the pile of corpses.
The battalion commander refused to give up and asked these handymen to see the corpses at several other battle scenes, but the result was still the same. It was obvious that the official either escaped from the encirclement before the Haihan Army landed and slipped into the forest on the island, or he was still hiding somewhere in the town and had not been found.
If they had already escaped, just the few hundred people from Bangui Camp would not be able to clear Masbate Island, which covers an area of more than 3,000 square kilometers. It would be almost impossible to capture them.
Even if the Bangui Battalion successfully captured the town of Masbate, if the "bandit leader" was not captured, the mission would still not be called a success.
At this time, the sky will be dark, and if it is delayed until tomorrow, there may be other variables. The battalion commander thought about it and ordered a thorough search of the town overnight to try to solve the problem tonight.
The road leading to the mountains and forests on the island on the south side of Masbate Town, as well as all docks and fishing ports near the town, have been listed as key surveillance areas.
All residents in the town were asked to leave their homes and spend the night at a designated assembly point near the coast. They would register their identities after dawn before returning home. During this period, the Haihan Army conducted a thorough search of all houses in the town, confiscated weapons, and arrested fugitives.
Considering that the troops had already entered combat mode at noon, and most of the soldiers were already hungry by this time, the battalion commander still ordered to have dinner first before carrying out the clearing operation.
The town has been completely occupied by the Haihan Army. The kitchen and ingredients are all ready. There is not much pressure on logistical cooking. It is not a problem for the soldiers to have hot food for this meal. It's just that time is tight, so naturally we don't enjoy the benefits of the celebration banquet. Each person is given a bowl of rice and a large spoonful of stew. After eating, they have to go on the mission.
Before dinner, the battalion headquarters briefed combat units at all levels on the results of operations so far.
During the operation, the Haihan Army killed and wounded 174 resisters in total, and captured 82 armed prisoners who were regarded as resisters. This number was far lower than the Military Intelligence Bureau's pre-war estimate of the local armed forces. The battalion headquarters believed that the raid had a deterrent effect, causing many locals to give up the idea of taking resistance measures.
Only 17 people from the Bangui Battalion were wounded in the battle, and no one was killed. This number of casualties should be considered a good performance for the Bangui Battalion, which has been fighting for a long time. Zheng Agui, one of the seventeen wounded, put down his bowl and chopsticks, wiped his mouth, then stood up and ordered: "Let's go, let's get to work!"
Everyone hurriedly put the food in the bowl into their mouths, but Qiu Yong, the most delicious one, still held a big bowl and refused to put it down.
Zheng Agui went over and kicked him and said: "We all eat one bowl. If you eat three bowls alone, you will starve to death and be reincarnated, right? Stop eating, it's time to do something!"
Qiu Yong, a native, did not understand the meaning of the starving ghost, but he also knew that military orders could not be violated, so he had no choice but to put down his bowls and chopsticks angrily, grab his backpack and rifle and follow the team.
According to the data currently available, there are about 700 households in Masbate Town, and the number of buildings in the entire town is similar to this. To conduct a thorough search here at night is indeed a time-consuming and labor-intensive task, and requires a large number of lighting objects as assistance.
On the ground next to the temporary canteen, there were a large number of torches, as many as hundreds. It is said that this was found in a warehouse somewhere in the town. It should be used by the local security team for night patrols. It came in handy, saving the trouble of making homemade torches.
Zheng Agui and his men each received two torches, which were enough to last until midnight. At this time, seven or eight more sailors were arranged to join their team, all commanded by Zheng Agui.
With the strength of the Bangui Battalion, it is still a bit difficult to search the entire town. Therefore, in order to maximize the efficiency of the operation, the troop transports and warships that cooperated with the Bangui Battalion in attacking here were temporarily mobilized, and most of the crew and sailors were sent ashore to coordinate. Complete the search mission.
Searching the house actually didn't take much time. A lot of time was spent on driving away the residents, gathering them on the streets, and then escorting them to the predetermined location.
In order to save time, the soldiers' attitude gradually became rough, and punches and kicks were inevitable. However, Zheng Agui had received instructions before taking action and would still use words to restrain the soldiers' behavior. Because the purpose of this operation is not only to destroy the Spanish rule, but also to formally bring this place under the rule of Haihan. The local residents, regardless of their ethnic origin, are likely to change their nationality in the future and become Haihan nationals.
However, Zheng Agui's team did not find many valuable things. Weapons such as muskets and bows and arrows were rarely seen, and most residents had very few valuable metal objects in their homes. This shows that the immigrants who settled here The standard of living is not ideal.
"It is said that these Spaniards had to sail tens of thousands of miles on the sea and took half a year to get to this place, and they end up living like this? How hard must it be in Spain to push these people to this point!"
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This family didn't even have a few decent pieces of furniture in their home, and their daily necessities were just a bunch of pots and jars, not even a porcelain bowl. Zheng Agui looked at the shabby furnishings in the room angrily and couldn't help but sigh.
"They were deceived by the government and nobles into making big cakes!" Qin Bo knew a little bit about this: "These people thought that the east was full of gold and they would make a fortune when they came here. As a result, they were placed on these islands. Even if I regret and want to run away, but there is no way out.”
(End of chapter)