"Close the gates, and you must not open the gates arbitrarily without an order from the top."

Order

The gate of the fortress of Umata Fortress of Dahe Castle was completely closed, and all the baggage captured outside the city was transported to the fortress, and no one was allowed to open the gate at will without the order of Major General Mai Xiaozu, the commander of the mobile corps.

The fortress retained the 2nd and 19th Divisions plus a cavalry battalion, with a total strength of about 10,000 men, and the rest of the more than 9,000 cavalry drove a total of about 18,000 prisoners in the direction of Yacençon, eliminating 2,337 officers along the way, and the remaining 15,800 troops were formed into a servant infantry division, including 6 Brazilian regiments and two Argentine regiments, and a Uruguayan regiment.

This is a common trick used by the Tang Empire in war, driving prisoners to be used as cannon fodder.

All the officers and non-commissioned officers in the Allied forces were eliminated, and then the more prestigious captured soldiers were selected on the spot as grass-roots officers, and the original army was disrupted and reorganized.

So

These captive soldiers were surrounded by unfamiliar faces, and there was no officer organization, so they did not dare to join forces at will to resist the orders of the commander.

June 9, 1867

Day 2 after the end of the Battle of the Surprise Attack on the Fortress of Umaita

About 30 kilometers south of Yasensund, the area of the Soloyas hills

The Triple Alliance gathered an army of more than 60,000 people, and concentrated more than 520 artillery pieces to form a "concave" trap, and waited quietly on the battlefield from morning to night for a day, and did not wait for the vanguard of more than 20,000 people in the Andean Governor's Palace.

As long as the small group of reconnaissance cavalry of the Triple Alliance Army was scattered, there was no return, and they were strangled by the powerful cavalry troops of the Tang Empire, covering the entire battlefield information.

The Allied commander, Duke Marques de Casias, was also dumbfounded, according to yesterday's latest report;

The vanguard of the Orientals was also less than 20 kilometers away from the ambush area, so why didn't they come?

If you can't do it, let's have one more day!

Early in the morning of June 10th

The Triple Alliance once again gathered an army of more than 60,000 men and lined up on a frontal front of 7.6 kilometers wide, waiting for the enemy to collide headlong.

Waiting, waiting, waiting, and waiting, until noon, when the sun was empty, bad news came from the rear;

The fortress of Umata of the Great River Castle was captured by a surprise attack by the Oriental Army, and the more than 26,000 troops left behind by the Triple Alliance Army were killed, wounded or surrendered, and have been completely reduced to nothing.

This shocking news immediately made Duke Cassias almost faint, and his face immediately turned pale and colorless.

As a veteran of war, he knew;

The army was cut off from the back road, and immediately fell into the danger of annihilation, this is a huge conspiracy!

"We have all been tricked by the cunning Orientals, God, I really can't imagine how they can cross the two provinces of Argentina without knowing it, go around in a big circle behind our backs and capture the fortress of Umata? I left 26,000 troops on the fortress! Duke Cassias said with a grim face.

Shaking his head painfully, he asked in a deep voice; "How many days can the army's food and grass last?"

"Tell Your Excellency, Commander, that you can hold on for three weeks according to normal usage. With a strict rationing system, it can be supported for up to 35 days. ”

"That is, a month at most."

"Yes, Your Excellency Commander."

Duke Casias was silent when he heard the answer, and the current allied forces were in a dilemma, which made him frown, and it was difficult to make a decision for a while.

Do you continue to spread your net in the Zoroyas hills, or do you find another way?

The Zoroas Hills area is the most suitable area south of Yasensund, and the geographical conditions are very favorable to the Triple Alliance, once they abandon this retreat or take the initiative to attack, the advantage of the Triple Alliance will be greatly weakened, and the two sides will return to the same level.

in the area

The more than 520 artillery pieces erected by the Triple Alliance on the high ground can increase the firing range by one-third when bombarded from a high position, and the round shells fired will roll and jump along the slope, greatly enhancing the lethality.

On the contrary, the attacking Oriental Legion was forced to attack from the back, and its advantage of the longer range of its artillery was greatly suppressed, and the range of the artillery from the bottom up was reduced by at least a quarter.

This increase and decrease will close the gap in the range of the artillery of the two sides.

The Triple Alliance set up an ambush with the main force of more than 60,000 people, and besieged the vanguard corps of more than 20,000 people of the Easterners, occupying a 3:1 military advantage and an absolute geographical advantage.

But now that it is known that it is a huge conspiracy, the actions of the Triple Alliance may be expected by the enemy.

Just wait a day, and once the vanguard of the Andean Governor's Palace meets with the main force in the rear, a heavy group of 78,000 men will be formed.

In two days, the Orientals will form a heavy army group of nearly 100,000 people.

The original superiority of the Triple Alliance was gone, and there was a danger that the enemy's main force would be firmly absorbed in the hilly area of Zoroas, and it would not be possible to get out for the time being.

The two heavy military groups met, and only the general battle was decided or lost.

If either side turns around and retreats in a cowardly fight, the other side will pursue the situation and turn into a great rout, which will be a complete disaster.

Duke Cassias frowned and thought for a moment, then asked; "Haven't the scout cavalry teams sent out have returned yet?"

"Your Excellency Commander Qiqi, we have sent 7 cavalry companies this morning, and none of them have returned so far, the enemy has covered the entire battlefield with a strong cavalry force, and we cannot get the latest news for the time being."

"That's right, I suspect that the main force of the Orientals has already joined up with the vanguard and may attack at any time......" Duke Cassias no longer had the same vigor as before, he turned his head sideways, looked at the Argentine general General Fernando Cocdona with blazing eyes, and asked in an inquiring tone; Hell, we fell into the trap of the cunning Orientals, and a large family of guests was originally invited, which was completely beyond our reception capacity, I wonder what Your Excellency the General thinks? ”

"In view of the fact that the current situation on the battlefield is sliding into an unpredictable situation, I recommend that the reserve forces of Asenson be immediately transferred to strengthen the battlefield. In any case, it is not wrong to consolidate the strength of the main forces of the Triple Alliance. We occupy a geographical advantage, right here or what tricks do the Orientals play? ”

"Very well, Your Excellency, our opinion coincides." Duke Cassias nodded heavily, and said decisively; "In that case, let's have a decisive battle here. I plan to transfer another 15,000 troops from Ascension to reinforce the main corps. In addition, the defense north of Yasenson was strengthened, and the enemy's cavalry corps was prevented from stabbing us in the back. ”

"That's all there is to it, I agree with the Duke's decision." General Fernando Cocdona couldn't think of anything good to do, so he could only wait for the change.

On the battlefield

Following the enemy's baton is a very dangerous thing to do, and sometimes it's safer to do nothing than many.

The Triple Alliance expected that the main army of the Tang Empire would go all the way north, and it would have to pass through the Loyas Hilly Region, and the battle here would be the most beneficial place for the Triple Alliance, and it could not be given up no matter what.

Whether it is 20,000 people, 78,000 people, or 100,000 people, it will always be a tough one.

Now that it's decided

The Triple Alliance urgently mobilized 15,700 troops from Yasençon, bringing the total number of troops stationed in the Zoroas Hills to more than 77,000 men, and they continued to deliver food and grass day and night, preparing to hold out for a long time.

Although the capital of Paraguay, Yasençon is actually a South American city with a population of just over 10,000 people, located in the flat plain of the Paraná River.

From a military point of view, it is not conducive to defense.

Abandoning Yasenson and strengthening the Triple Alliance camp in the Soroas Hills was a decent move, and there was nothing wrong with that.

It's a pity that the Brazilians forgot that they were facing the generals of the Tang Empire, who had extremely rich combat experience.

Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5......

After waiting for 7 days, the Triple Alliance forces in the Zoroas Hill area never waited for the main force of the Eastern Corps, and the other side stationed in the valley less than 20 kilometers away, and also set up artillery on the high ground, as if waiting for the Triple Alliance to attack.

If that's the case, it's easy to attack and defend!

This "magnetic tactic" made Duke Cassias angry, and when he was angry in the handsome account, he waved a knife to chop a set of dresses carefully made by a Portuguese court tailor, and scolded the "cunning Oriental", but there was nothing to be done.

The intentions of the main corps of the Andean Viceroyalty were already very clear;

It is to firmly nail the main force of the Triple Alliance to the Zoroas Hill area, the two sides are separated by less than 20km, and the Oriental Army is also in a position, waiting for the main force of the Triple Alliance to attack.

If you don't move, I won't move, and if you want to move, once your weakness is exposed, you will be chased and beaten.

Just when the Duke of Cassias was in a hurry, another bad news came that could not be worse;

The Oriental cavalry corps, which broke through the fortress of Umaita, had about 10,000 cavalry, escorting about 15,000 captives, and had joined up with the remnants of about 14,000 Paraguayan to form a large corps of nearly 40,000 men, which had been engaged in fierce battles with the remaining troops of the Triple Alliance on the outskirts of Yacensund.

These Oriental legions drove the servants to attack continuously, and with the sharp artillery inflicted heavy damage on the defenders, the situation of Yasenson was precarious, and more than 10 urgent telegrams for help were sent in one day.

Forced to desperation

Duke Cassias could only draw out the 15,000 troops that had just been reinforced, and urgently return to Yasensson, making sure to stabilize the rear front.

By the time Allied reinforcements arrived at Yasensund, the Orientals had already broken through the outer defenses and were unstoppable into the city.

Fierce battles broke out between the two sides on the streets of the city and by the churches, and for a time the fighting was in full swing, with the sound of guns and cannons incessant, and many times the white-knuckle battles with bayonets were launched, and the fighting was unprecedentedly fierce.

This made the Allied forces even more depressed, because the captives who rushed to the front met each other in the narrow streets, and there was no chance to catch up and chat, and both sides launched hand-to-hand combat with bayonets.

If you don't kill him, he'll kill you, it's as simple as that.

Behind these servants were hateful Paraguayan overseers, who fired only two rounds to each captive soldier, and when they were finished, they fought hand-to-hand with their guns, and shot and killed anyone who dared to turn back, without hesitation.

And behind these Paraguayan soldiers, it is the Oriental cavalry that the old god is far away from the battlefield, they use sharp artillery to give fire support, and more often rely on the soldiers of the servant division to fight the enemy with swords and guns...... Former allies, comrades-in-arms, to be exact.

This trick is really too vicious.

(End of chapter)