Not long after Li Mingyuan returned to his tent, he received another report from the soldiers: "Three kilometers away from the camp, five to six hundred Indians are preparing to cross and come towards the Chinese Independence Army."
"Were the nine Indians sent back?"
"The doctor has just treated their wounds and hasn't let them go yet."
"The Indians crossing the river should be their tribesmen. You go and bring those nine Indians, and we will meet them."
The Aymara are the largest indigenous ethnic group in Bolivia. Their weapons and equipment are inferior and they are no match for the Chinese Independence Army in frontal combat.
However, it is not a wise choice to anger them. They cannot defeat the Chinese Independent Army, but in the process of moving in, it is a headache to cause trouble for the Chinese Independent Army and slow down the marching speed of the Chinese Independent Army.
, so Li Mingyuan handled it carefully and tried not to make the Indians hostile.
On the river bank two or three kilometers away from the grassland, five or six hundred Indians built rafts and carefully observed the heavily armed soldiers on the opposite side. They did not dare to cross the river easily. However, they were not willing to retreat without rescuing the tribesmen.
"My father, please take them to the middle of the river to discuss with the Indians and explain that this conflict is a complete misunderstanding."
"Your Majesty, their people were injured and their alpacas were lost. Should we give them something as compensation?" Zhao Youde said respectfully.
The Indians in Bolivia live in poverty. A dozen alpacas may be their entire possessions. Without their own alpacas, it will be difficult for those Indians to survive.
Bullying these poor Indians was not what Li Mingyuan wanted to do. After listening to Zhao Youde's words, Li Mingyuan nodded and agreed: "They still have primitive bows and arrows in their hands. It seems that the local government has strict control over them. Let's take us to the police."
Thirty muskets captured in the first battle were selected and given to them. I believe they will be satisfied with these gifts."
After making arrangements, Zhao Youde took three soldiers on two rafts, sailed to the middle of the river, and then stopped moving forward.
The Indians on the opposite side saw their companions on the boat and understood what Zhao Youde meant. They also sent a small raft to the middle of the river.
When the two rafts met, Zhao Youde conveyed Li Mingyuan's meaning to the other party. Then the Indian on the raft rowed back to the shore and muttered to a middle-aged Indian on the shore,
The middle-aged Indian should be their leader. After listening to the report, he discussed with several old men around him for a while, and then nodded frequently.
After the Indians negotiated, the small raft sailed towards the middle of the river again.
"Your Majesty, the Indians agreed to resolve this conflict, and they are very satisfied with the guns we sent."
After sending the nine Indians back, Zhao Youde returned to the shore and reported to Li Mingyuan.
"What's going on with all these furs?" Li Mingyuan asked, pointing to the alpaca furs on the raft.
"The Indians said that the gifts we sent were very valuable and that their people received good treatment here, so they gave these furs back to us as gifts," Zhao Youde explained.
"Your Majesty, the climate and temperature here vary greatly. These furs can be used to make a fur coat for you to keep out the cold." Sun Bin said.
Bolivia is located in the plateau zone, and the temperature is much lower than that of Peru. Many soldiers have to huddle together to keep warm at night because of their thin clothes.
"No, give these furs to the weak soldiers." Li Mingyuan waved his hand and refused.
There are not many places that are particularly cold in Bolivia. The reason why the Chinese Independence Army suddenly felt that the weather was getting colder was because
On the one hand, it is because they are not accustomed to leaving the hot areas of Peru and entering the Bolivian plateau. On the other hand, the Chinese Independence Army is located in the south of Lake Titicaca and is affected by the surrounding high-altitude climate. As long as they leave this area, the climate will change.
Much better.
After seeing off the Indians, the Chinese Independence Army set off and continued on their way.
From entering Bolivia to Sucre, the capital of Bolivia, the water sources originating from Lake Titicaca and Lake Popo form more than a dozen rivers of varying sizes.
The place where the river passes is a densely populated area in Bolivia, and the Chinese Independence Army also migrated along this road.
Ingawi, a tributary of Lake Titicaca,
Here, the reconnaissance battalion, which served as the vanguard of the Chinese Independence Army, encountered its first blockade into Bolivia.
More than three hundred Bolivian soldiers disembarked from the boats and blocked the front of the reconnaissance camp.
"Zhao Erlang, tell the Bolivian soldiers blocking the road that we have no ill intentions. I hope they won't be nervous."
The commander of the reconnaissance battalion gave instructions to Zhao Youde’s son who was serving as the guide.
Zhao Erlang put down the weapon in his hand and walked toward the Bolivian soldiers blocking the road in localized Spanish.
"Bang," a bullet hit Zhao Erlang in front. The sudden attack startled him and he jumped up suddenly.
The Bolivian soldier on the opposite side pointed at Zhao Erlang and laughed, as if he was looking at a ridiculous monkey.
In the eyes of the descendants of white Europeans, Indians are uncivilized savages. The attitude of white people in La Paz Province, Bolivia, towards Indians is even worse. In addition to depriving Indians of their land, they also massacre Indians from time to time.
In October 1861, the then military commander of La Paz massacred hundreds of local Indians in the name of purging the former president's men.
After Mariano came to power in the name of opposing tyranny, the oppression against the Indians became even more severe. He followed the American strategy and drove the Indians to places with harsh environments, and then sent his closest men to station in various places to suppress them.
forces that oppose their own rule.
As an important city after Sucre, the capital of Bolivia, La Paz was very important to Mariano's rule. Therefore, he sent his brother Balivian as the new military commander of La Paz, responsible for the military deployment of La Paz Province.
Ingawi is under the direct jurisdiction of La Paz Province. More than 300 Bolivian soldiers were brought by Balivian from Sucre.
Each of them is armed with a musket, and their weapons and equipment belong to the elite troops in Bolivia.
The vanguard of the reconnaissance battalion only had more than fifty people. The soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion riding tall horses initially caused a certain deterrent to them. However, when they saw that they sent an Indian to negotiate with them,
The confidence of the Bolivian soldiers was restored instantly. As the Indians were crushed by them, what could the cavalry who got involved with the Indians do?
Noticing the provocation of the Bolivian soldiers, all the more than fifty reconnaissance battalion soldiers were enraged. Although Zhao Erlang looked like an Indian on the outside, he was after all a descendant of Chinese and an escaped representative of the Chinese Independence Army. The Bolivian soldiers ridiculed Zhao Erlang in this way, which was undoubtedly
Slap them in the face.
"Battal Commander, these Bolivian soldiers are so hateful, please give the order quickly!"
The surrounding soldiers said angrily.
"Please be quiet." The commander of the reconnaissance battalion coldly glanced at the restless soldiers around him and said, "Let Zhao Erlang withdraw first. If they don't know good from evil, then teach them a lesson."
The soldiers can vent their anger on the battlefield, but the commander cannot act on his impulse. Now that Zhao Erlang is between the soldiers on both sides, a rash attack may lead to Zhao Erlang's early sacrifice.
Therefore, asking Zhao Erlang to retreat first is what should be done now.
Zhao Erlang stood between the two parties. Facing the Bolivian soldiers' teasing and threats, he felt angry and angry, but he could not escape for a while.
After the Bolivian soldiers played tricks on Zhao Erlang, they took off their muskets and slowly approached the direction of the Chinese Independence Army.
It was too late after Zhao Erlang received the order to retreat. If he ran backward at this time, he would undoubtedly be beaten into pieces by the Bolivians.
The behavior of the Bolivian soldiers clearly sent a signal for war. The reconnaissance battalion commander raised his rifle and made a gesture of preparation for battle with his left hand backward.
The other soldiers nodded silently, held their rifles in their hands, and prepared to charge on horseback.
The Bolivians advanced to a place about 300 meters away from the soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion. The commander of the reconnaissance battalion shouted, "Get down."
Immediately lead the cavalry to attack.
Zhao Erlang had been undergoing military training in the Chinese Independence Army for a month. When he heard the word "lie down," he immediately lay down on the ground subconsciously.
At this time, several "bang bang" shooting sounds were heard, and the bullet hit not far from Zhao Erlang.
The cavalry of the reconnaissance battalion charged forward a hundred meters, then turned their horses' heads. The more than fifty cavalry were divided into two groups, and they went to outflank the Bolivian soldiers on both sides.
Outflanking tactics are one of the basic tactics of cavalry drills. There are not many cavalry in the reconnaissance battalion. A direct charge is likely to lead to the annihilation of the entire army. Therefore, the commander of the reconnaissance battalion adopts a dispersed harassment tactic and seizes the opportunity to knock out the Bolivian soldiers on the periphery.
It creates psychological pressure on the opponent and forces the enemy to retreat.