Chapter 3565
The troops currently stationed at Beimen Port include four independent battalions of the army, plus about thirty naval ships, as well as some logistics and engineering troops, totaling approximately more than 4,000 people.
It seems like a lot, but it is impossible for all these troops to be committed to the next battle. According to the practice of previous combat operations, at least a quarter of the troops must stay at Beimen Port, firstly to protect the first batch of more than a thousand immigrants who moved here, and secondly to ensure that there are alternate troops available for combat operations.
Taking into account the time limit imposed by the superiors on this combat mission, the participating troops may only be transported to various islands to fight separately. By then, supplies and heavy fire support may not be expected, which will undoubtedly greatly weaken the combat effectiveness advantage of the participating troops. .
But Zheng Agui also understands that military orders are like mountains. Since the superiors have issued combat missions, they can only do their best to implement them. When Xiao Zhengyang was explaining the task assignment, Zheng Agui was already thinking about what combat supplies his company needed to replenish.
Bangui Battalion, as a unit with relatively rich combat experience among the Luzon Region garrison, was eventually assigned to the western end of the Lesser Sunda Islands and was responsible for the search and suppression operations on three of the islands.
Three islands may not seem like many, but these are not small islands that can be visited in a day or two. The largest island, Sumbawa Island, is about 500 miles long from east to west and about 150 miles wide from north to south. The smallest island, Sasak Island, is about one-third the size of Sumbawa Island.
According to intelligence from the Military Intelligence Bureau, in addition to Spanish colonial settlements on these islands, there are also a large number of indigenous people. And these indigenous tribes who had been suppressed by the Spaniards probably would not have a good look at the Haihan people who were also outsiders.
The time limit Xiao Zhengyang set for Banji Camp was only thirty days.
"Within thirty days, I want you to completely erase the traces left by the Spaniards on these islands. If there is resistance from civilians, the commander can handle it on his own without targeting prisoners."
Xiao Zhengyang's words were very straightforward, and he almost didn't even say the words "shoot to kill without mercy".
In past battles with the Spaniards, the Haihan Army often persuaded the opponent to surrender when it had an absolute advantage in order to reduce battle losses and consumption. But since this operation has a time limit, operational efficiency must be given priority.
Compared with directly destroying the enemy, persuading them to surrender and capturing prisoners takes more time, and captured prisoners have to occupy valuable maritime transport capacity to be transported to the rear, which is obviously not suitable for this combat mission.
Juan's expression, standing behind Xiao Zhengyang, did not change at all. The life and death of the Spanish colonists did not seem to have any impact on him, a Spanish-born Haihan man.
Zheng Agui was secretly relieved. Among the wounded soldiers in his company, there were two who tried to persuade the enemy to surrender in the previous battle, but the enemy took advantage of the opportunity and made a sneak attack.
Since the superiors had changed their tone this time and no longer required that the prisoners should be kept alive first, then he could let his men go about their business freely.
The task areas assigned to other battalions are not much more difficult to clear than the Bangui Battalion where Zheng Agui is located. These islands are all located at similar latitudes and have similar environments, so they can be considered a bowl of water.
The time for each battalion to start operations is basically the same. Xiao Zhengyang's purpose is to make the enemies on each island lose sight of each other, making it difficult to rescue and transfer each other. Xiao Zhengyang finally announced his arrangement and would act with Banji Camp. Zheng Agui didn't know whether this was related to the successful cooperation two years ago, but what he was sure of was that Xiao Zhengyang was considered his nobleman, and he might be able to benefit from him and get some great credit from this mission.
After the meeting, Xiao Zhengyang asked all the officers from Banji Camp to stay. Since he wanted to act with the Bangui Battalion, he naturally had to communicate with the officers at the battalion and company level in advance.
"I have seen the combat effectiveness of Bangui Camp two years ago, so I will choose to cooperate with you this time, and I hope that you can cooperate with my command. As for military merit, as long as you can do your best and achieve the combat goals, the battle will be successful. I will definitely ask the Ministry of National Defense for your reward later.”
Xiao Zhengyang's opening remarks were very brief. Everyone in Banji camp did not dare to neglect, and they all stated that they would go all out.
In fact, Xiao Zhengyang didn't have much choice as to which unit to command personally. He could only choose a unit that he knew relatively well.
Among the various troops on this expedition, the real ace troops in the Luzon region, such as the Marine Corps to which Xiao Zhengyang belonged in the past, the Manila Independent Battalion known as the Luzon Guards, and the mountain battalion known as the jungle experts, are now all Playing for another team led by Jiao Fei.
Although the troops he took command of at Beimen Port were front-line combat troops with actual combat experience, they were not yet at the elite level.
Xiao Zhengyang believed that this was a test deliberately arranged by his father, Xiao Liang, to see whether he could command these troops to achieve beautiful results. And he rose to the challenge and even cut the combat period in half, from two months to thirty days, in order to complete the clearing operation in the area he was responsible for before Jiao Fei.
Xiao Zhengyang also knew that it was difficult to get these officers to serve wholeheartedly just by virtue of his "second generation" status. It was necessary to give them certain benefits and hopes to stimulate the motivation of these people.
"In the conference just now, there was some news that I did not announce. However, these news are related to the area we are responsible for this operation, so I will not hide it from everyone."
"According to intelligence, there is a Spanish armed fleet with a size of 1,000 people. After escaping the previous pursuit of our army, it is very likely to be hiding in a bay in this area. If it can be eliminated, the Spanish will be able to attack Banda The maritime maneuverability of the area south of the sea will be greatly reduced.”
"In addition, there are at least seven to ten Spanish colonial settlements in this area. Our actions will definitely yield a lot of gains, so we don't have to worry about the trip being in vain."
The eyes of everyone in Banji Camp lit up when they heard this. With so many settlements, it was a piece of military exploits! As for how armed the local Spaniards are, that is a secondary issue.
Zheng Agui asked: "Mr. Xiao, in sea operations, our Banji Battalion has a limited role, and the number of warships available at Beimen Port is limited. Can we really block the Spanish fleet at sea?"
Xiao Zhengyang smiled slightly and said: "The naval battle you are worried about may not happen. The ships of that fleet were seriously damaged in the previous battle. They should be trying to repair them while hiding there. If we can arrive in time, we can destroy the enemy ships. Near the coast, then they can't escape again."