The number of poison gas bombs in Diego's hands is not many. These are mainly used for the troops suppressing the Cuban revolutionaries. Guard troops like him only have a small amount of them, but now they don't care about so many. Six mortars immediately started firing
Gas bombs were poured onto the beach. In the poisonous mustard gas mist, the American troops who had just landed rushed towards the Spanish positions in fear. By this time, they already knew that even wearing gas masks was not foolproof. They could be poisoned only through skin contact. There was now a large tank on the ship.
There were a lot of people wailing, but Diego's move actually increased or forced the courage of the American soldiers. These guys would rather face bullets than gas bombs. They held their rifles against the blocking of the Spaniards on the opposite side and rushed like crazy.
When you go up there, you don't even care if you step on landmines under your feet.
But on the contrary, those US troops who were rushing to the beach did not have the courage to rush into the poisonous fog. They looked at each other on the sea. Even the officers' faces turned pale. Di was regretting that he should not have used poison gas bombs.
Brother Ya, immediately discovered that the nearly one thousand American troops who landed first were actually torn apart by poison gas bombs.
"Quick, order to rush out and fight with bayonets!" He hurriedly shouted to the staff beside him. If the two armies were mixed together, there would be no need to worry about naval guns.
This order was immediately passed on. In fact, he didn't need to tell the frontline officers that they were already doing this. Because the US military was too close, the shelling on the sea had stopped. A large number of Spanish soldiers first threw out grenades and then fixed their bayonets.
The rifles rushed out, and the American soldiers on the opposite side did the same thing, first throwing grenades and then fighting with bayonets. The two armies fought together in an instant.
Schefter's blood immediately boiled with enthusiasm at sea. This is the real battle, and this is what soldiers should be like. Hiding in the trenches and shooting is too dishonorable. Bloody hand-to-hand combat is the real warrior, and those who play with bayonets are heroes.
"Quick, blow the whistle to cheer them up!" he shouted excitedly, and Dewey smiled and complied with his request. The ships on the sea immediately blew their whistles, and the morale of the American troops who were fighting in hand-to-hand combat was immediately boosted.
They couldn't hold back any longer. They each accelerated their oars and rushed into the poisonous mist of mustard gas.
This was a battle of wills. Tens of thousands of soldiers from both sides gathered together, roaring and cursing, stabbing each other's bodies with bayonets like crazy, killing each other with rifle butts and even fists and teeth like beasts, with blood splattering.
The brains burst, the internal organs flowed, and the entire beach turned into a huge meat grinder. In the light of the searchlights of the sea battleships, it looked like hell.
But at this time Diego found that he was in trouble, because the Spanish soldiers' stabbing skills were obviously no match for the American troops. And as follow-up troops continued to arrive, the balance of victory was tilting towards the American troops.
"Why hasn't Colonel Carlos arrived yet?" he asked the staff beside him anxiously. He was talking about the commander who originally stayed on the east coast for defense.
Colonel Carlos, who was as fat as a pig, had just arrived at the San Juan River and was about to cross the bridge! Although he had four thousand men, they were the original colonial garrison and Diego's men.
The field troops are not at the same level at all. Because the domestic political situation changes every day, colonial garrisons like theirs, which are high in the mountains and far away from the emperor, have long been completely abandoned. It is difficult to suppress the Cubans in peacetime, let alone fight with the US military, and the equipment in their hands
It was still an old-fashioned black-fire rifle. During the day, I was frightened to death when I saw the fierce shelling on the other side. After receiving the reinforcement order, I have been dawdling one by one until now I am not even halfway done.
"Quick, speed up!" He sat on a horse, panting and shouting, waving his saber, while his soldiers continued to grind listlessly.
"Hurry up! It's too late for the Americans to go ashore!" He angrily shouted with the majesty of a general, but he didn't know that in the woods in the distance, the muzzle of a rifle was pointing at his head.
Maceo's. At that time, the flames of revolution were raging throughout Cuba. The Spanish colonists were beaten until they could only huddle in a few castles and survive. Who knew that they would release the Yellow Devil? From then on, the revolutionary situation took a turn for the worse. Even the Spanish colonists
Theodore died in the battle, and these people hid in Tibet under the pursuit of the Spaniards, struggling to hold on to their ideals.
The long wait finally paid off. Americans came to help the Cuban people. Although he didn't like Americans either. In fact, his father was kicked out of the United States. But this time it was different. They came as friends of the Cuban people.
, after learning that the US military was preparing to land in Matanzas, the guerrillas immediately came out of their hiding places.
"Prepare to fire!" A low-pitched command came from behind Jose. He immediately put aside distracting thoughts, adjusted his breathing and steadily aimed at his target.
"Fire!" After roaring, he suddenly pulled the trigger, and the bullet flew out of the gun chamber instantly.
Colonel Carlos turned around as if subconsciously, and the bullet went straight into his head, and then flew out from behind, bringing with it a piece of blood, flesh and brain. The bloated body shook for a moment, and then fell off the horse.
The sudden blow immediately caused the Spaniards to become confused. Amidst the whistling of bullets and the screams of those who were hit, everyone was panicking for hiding places, and then aimlessly headed towards the dark woods.
Shooting, because of the moonlight, they were in the open while the guerrillas were in the dark. Such shooting was obviously very disadvantageous. Soon, more than a dozen soldiers fell under the guns of the guerrillas, and the rest were also gone.
If you dare to show your head, you can only lie on the ground and use bullets to embolden yourself as much as possible.
The sound of gunfire on the banks of the San Juan River made Brigadier General Diego, who was anxiously waiting for reinforcements in the distance, completely despair. So far, more than 6,000 US troops have successfully landed, but the gas bombs he relied on the most have been exhausted. Wave after wave of
American soldiers from Bofors joined the melee battlefield with rifles in hand. The Spanish defense line, which was already at a disadvantage, was crumbling. Even half of the six Bofors guns had been destroyed by naval guns at sea.
He looked at the fighting battlefield, gritted his teeth and ordered: "Retreat, retreat immediately!"
The Spanish soldiers, who had been waiting for this order for a long time, immediately threw out their grenades as cover and hurriedly fled the battlefield, running towards the dense forest behind them. The US military, which also suffered heavy casualties, had no interest in pursuing them, and then turned around and rushed towards the port.
.
General Schefter in the distance finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then his face turned bitter. The victory was a victory, but the loss was too great. Including the day, his 16,000 men at least
There were nearly 4,000 casualties, not counting those whose skins were contaminated with poisonous gas. There were still more than 500 people on the ship who had lost their combat effectiveness. The total number of casualties was probably more than 5,000, a third of the loss!
"William, be happy, at least we won." Dewey looked at his face and said.
"Yes, we won, but I'm afraid it will become more and more difficult next time. If the navy can't solve them, can you ensure that the transportation lines are smooth in the future? Do you still want to pay the price of four cruisers for every transportation?" Xie
Ford said with a wry smile.
When he said this, Dewey's face darkened, and he looked at the Cervera fleet still lingering in the distance without saying a word. This problem is the real trouble. A sea bridge must be built from the Port of Tampa to Matanzas.
It is obvious that as long as they are around, this bridge will be full of dangers. Now the only hope is the strong industry of the United States.
After Diego retreated, he did not evacuate directly, but retreated to a nearby town. His men also suffered heavy losses, with less than 2,000 men left, and all Bofors rapid-fire guns were lost. Fortunately, the artillery retreated
By that time, the remaining three had been blown up, and all the mortars had been brought out. There were also four machine guns left, but there was not much ammunition. This could be replenished from Havana.
The US military then occupied Matanzas, and the Spanish army that was struggling with the guerrillas was defeated without hesitation. However, Schefter, who suffered heavy losses, was unable to pursue anyone. In fact, what he needed to do most now was to keep this city.
The city was just captured because reinforcements from the Spanish arrived.
The reinforcements led by General Torres should have arrived long ago, but they were attacked by two groups of guerrillas on the way, so they were almost half a day late. After he joined Diego's remnants, they immediately began to counterattack Matan.
Sars.
At this time, the U.S. government officially announced the abolition of the Chinese Exclusion Act. In McKinley's words: "The United States is a country of freedom and equality. All races will be treated fairly here. We can fight to liberate black people."
If there is a war, then we will not tolerate the existence of a bill that discriminates against the Chinese."
"To put it nicely, where did their freedom and equality go when this bill was first formulated?" Li Hongzhang said disdainfully.
"All those things about equality and freedom are deceptive. In this world, fists are real. If our fists are strong enough, they will have to endure it even if we enact an anti-American bill. Even if we say that white people are inferior races, they will just
You can listen honestly." Yang Feng said with a sneer.
Li Hongzhang was preparing to leave for the United States this time. McKinley personally sent him an invitation. After all, this old guy had an affair with Grant. Now the Americans are eager to bring China and the United States closer. They originally wanted to invite Yang Feng to visit the United States, but
Prince Yang has been busy lately, especially as governors from various provinces have arrived in Beijing one after another. His day to become emperor is just around the corner. A trip to the United States will take at least half a year, and he doesn't have that much time.