novelSusiti Chapter 100: Is this considered provoking a border conflict without authorization?
Chapter 100: Is this considered provoking a border conflict without authorization?
Chapter 100: Is this considered provoking a border conflict without authorization?
Lu Daqi interrogated the twenty captured American immigrants one by one, and gradually obtained more detailed intelligence.
Zhang Zongyu of Wenjiatun was overjoyed to receive Lü Daqi's report and immediately led two hundred elite militiamen to Naizitun.
After meeting Lü Daqi, Zhang Zongyu examined the hand-drawn map he had seized and listened to the information Lü Daqi had gleaned from his interrogation, thus gaining a general understanding of the road through the mountains.
After a brief discussion, the two decided that Zhang Zongyu would stay in Naizitun for the time being, while Lü Daqi would go to verify the map's direction.
Zhang Zongyu and Lü Daqi also knew that such a rudimentary map could only provide a general direction, and the specific way to navigate the roads in the mountains and forests still needed to be determined after actual exploration and verification.
Lu Daqi prepared exploration tools and supplies, led a hundred elite militiamen as exploration personnel and guards, selected several cooperative American immigrants as guides, and set off upstream simultaneously in two routes, one for water and one for land.
By water, we traveled upstream along the Snake River, the most important tributary on the east side of the Columbia River, in two small inland steamships that burned timber.
The land route, based on the path previously explored in Naizitun, bypasses the most winding, treacherous section of the middle reaches of the Snake River and goes directly to the relatively flat valley in the upper reaches of the Snake River.
Exploring for a road in the wilderness can lead to a variety of dangers, including natural risks such as treacherous canyons and swift currents, as well as various wild animals and local tribes.
Organizing a slightly larger team to quickly drive away and clear away wild animals can prevent ordinary indigenous tribes from approaching and avoid a lot of trouble.
Following the map and the guide's words, Lü Daqi explored upstream along the Snake River for more than a month, and finally approached Fort Fordholm at the end of August in the second year of Hanchang.
Fort Fordholm was an important trading post for the Caucasians on the upper reaches of the Snake River and their first major outpost west of the Rocky Mountains.
Lu Daqi and Zhang Zongyu originally had a simple plan: if this trading post, like Langley Fort and other trading posts, was only garrisoned by a few dozen or even just a few people, Lu Daqi would use his militia to directly attack and seize the trading post.
When the exploration team approached the trading post, Lü Daqi did not lead his men to deal with it directly. Instead, he ordered his soldiers to hide their tracks around the trading post and carefully observe the current situation of the stronghold from multiple directions.
As a result, Lü Daqi immediately discovered that there was a large makeshift camp around the trade area, and there were people everywhere inside and outside the camp, estimated to be one or two thousand people.
These people are all wearing very similar clothes and are currently building large rafts along the river.
Lu Daqi and the observing soldiers quickly realized: "These people are soldiers!"
Lu Daqi knew he could no longer approach Fort Holburg, nor did he have the opportunity to directly capture the trading post.
Lu Daqi arranged for the exploration team to disperse and carefully conceal their movements as they continued to survey the area around Fort Fordholm.
After confirming the size of the army, which was estimated to be around two thousand men, Lü Daqi wrote a special explanation.
Twenty men were arranged to travel downstream on a steam-powered riverboat back to Naizitun to report to Zhang Zongyu that the US army had crossed the Rocky Mountains.
Lü Daqi believes that since these troops have come here, their ultimate goal is most likely the west coast.
It was likely those British merchants returning from the west coast to the east coast who informed the American court of the news that the Han dynasty had occupied the west coast.
So the US government sent troops to try to reclaim the land or assert its presence.
Now that they have successfully established this route, there will be a continuous stream of immigrants and troops being sent over.
This will affect the stability of the Han Dynasty's control over this region.
Lu Daqi advised Zhang Zongyu to quickly gather enough troops and head to the canyon upstream of Naizitun to find a suitable location to ambush and eliminate the two thousand American soldiers.
Then immediately take control of Fort Fordholm. The key is to take control of the southern passage through the Rocky Mountains, block this already largely completed road, and keep American immigrants and troops trapped east of the Rocky Mountains.
Lü Daqi instructed his soldiers to explain to Zhang Zongyu that he would continue to track the army and would regularly send people back to Naizitun to report the army's movements to Zhang Zongyu, asking him to be prepared.
These two thousand American soldiers were the two thousand men arranged by President Jackson. They set off from the East Coast in the spring of 1836 and finally arrived at this place after a long and arduous journey.
When Lü Daqi led his men to explore upstream, they went against the current and it took them more than a month to reach Fort Fodhol. However, when the soldiers returned, they went downstream and returned to Naizitun in just eight days.
After reading Lü Daqi's report, Zhang Zongyu basically agreed with Lü Daqi's judgment.
This army should be dealt with, and control of Fort Fordholm and the southern passage should be maintained to prevent American immigrants and troops from continuing to enter the west coast.
As for whether the act of launching an attack on another country's troops in a disputed area constitutes "provoking border conflicts," it was basically not within the scope of consideration for military personnel such as Zhang Zongyu and Lü Daqi.
A sudden, one-off military operation is not considered a big deal once it's over, as long as the opponent doesn't retaliate or declare war on the Han Dynasty.
Without civilian officials to restrain the military, young officers often act rashly, but this also gives them the opportunity to nip potential threats in the bud.
Zhang Zongyu made up his mind to eliminate the threat and then began to carefully plan the specific battle strategy.
Zhang Zongyu believed that since the US government knew that the Han Dynasty occupied the west coast, it should also have expected that the Han Dynasty would most likely control Naizitun. Therefore, the US army would have made preparations before approaching Naizitun.
My most reasonable plan now is to ambush the enemy in an area far enough upstream from Naizi Village, and at the same time deploy twice the number of troops as the enemy, preferably four thousand men to participate in this battle.
However, there are only 2,300 militia households near Wenjiatun, so additional people need to be transferred from the Gulf of America.
But it's already September, and if we delay for another month, winter will be here. If this US army is to reach the West Coast this year, they should set off immediately.
It may be too late to mobilize personnel from the Gulf of America.
So Zhang Zongyu drafted a hand order and sent it to the west coast, first summoning a total of 2,300 militiamen from Wenjiatun and Xintun in the southern part of the valley to come to Naizitun to join him.
The messenger continued to the First Village, the Second Village, the Third Village, and Lanli Village, summoning two hundred militia households to garrison Wenjia Village. He then went to the other villages to summon one hundred militia households to live in Wenjia Village, awaiting further instructions.
If there is enough time, the militia organized in these follow-up groups will continue to go to Naizitun to join the battle. If there is no time, then the first batch of 2,300 militia members from Wenjiatun will be used to participate in the battle.
Just as the militiamen from Wenjiatun arrived at Naizitun, Lü Daqi sent back a new report.
Two thousand American troops from Fort Fordholm set off on September 6th, marching downstream along the Snake River, a tributary of the Columbia River.
Perhaps due to time constraints, they did not have enough rafts to transport the ammunition and supplies they carried. The soldiers would walk along the shore, and their overall marching speed was similar to that of the infantry.
It should take about a month to reach the vicinity of Naizitun.
Zhang Zongyu checked the date, calculated the time in various aspects, and then directed the assembled army to march upstream along the Snake River.
Two hundred miles upstream from Naizitun, a confluence of rivers was chosen as the ambush site.
Several inland river vessels were used to set up chains to block the waterway.
A portion of the army set up field artillery along the riverbank, blocking the roads and waterways.
Another part of the army continued to advance about one kilometer uphill, where they lay in ambush behind the surrounding earthen slopes, preparing to launch a surprise attack.
Zhang Zongyu commanded his troops to prepare for three days. On the morning of the fifth day, the scouts sent out returned with news that the American army was about to arrive at the ambush point.
Zhang Zongyu ordered everyone to prepare for battle.
At noon on October 3rd of the second year of Hanchang, the American army finally came into Zhang Zongyu's view.
The two thousand American soldiers, carrying their supplies on rafts, arrived at the bend where the Snake River meets another tributary.
The army's commander, George Lister, and his two thousand Union troops were utterly exhausted and weary, having been on a continuous march for over six months.
They traversed the Rocky Mountains along a route never before taken by a large-scale army. This unique sense of accomplishment, coupled with their belief in containing the threat from the East, has sustained them all this way.
Based on the map provided by the explorers, Lister estimated the distance between this place and Nezpersburg (Naizitun), and felt that the enemy should not appear here yet, so he relaxed a little.
Lister climbed up a small earthen slope on the bank, surveyed the desolate landscape around him, pointed ahead and shouted to those around him: "Gentlemen, give it your all! We'll camp out tonight at that bend in the river ahead."
"After resting here for a day, we will go to Nezpesburg, which may have been occupied by Easterners."
"Build our castle near Nespersburg, to confront these Easterners for a long time, and to declare our presence."
"Let them know that this land belongs to our United States—"
Before Lister could finish speaking, a sharp bullet suddenly appeared, whistling as it pierced through Lister's chest.
"Oh my God!"
Lister looked down in pain and shock, seeing the huge bloody hole that had suddenly appeared in his chest. Filled with disbelief, he fell down the slope: "How dare they—"
Lister and his officers and soldiers felt that they might be in danger if they encountered the Han army.
But unexpectedly, the other side launched such a decisive ambush attack—
Upon seeing Lister suddenly shot, the surrounding officers and soldiers were taken aback. They immediately screamed, grabbed their weapons, and looked around blankly, trying to locate the enemy: "Enemy attack! It's an enemy attack!"
"Line up! Line up and prepare for battle!"
The soldiers frantically searched for the enemy, while the junior officers instinctively roared, ordering the soldiers to form ranks and fight.
Some soldiers reacted to the officer's orders and were preparing to regroup when deafening battle shouts erupted from the surrounding earthen slopes.
A large crowd suddenly rushed out from behind the earthen slope, firing rifles at the chaotic crowd on the riverbank.
A hail of bullets rained down, and soldiers on the riverbank were hit one after another.
In their panic, the surviving soldiers lost their last shred of reason, ignoring the increasingly chaotic shouts and cries of their junior officers, and fled towards the deserted area ahead.
But what awaited them was a barrage of bullets loaded with far more lethal field artillery.