Chapter 25: The Surprise Attack on Guatemala

Across the vast wilderness, columns of soldiers in red uniforms marched toward the strategic military stronghold of Guatemala, carrying their marching packs and shouldering flintlock muskets. Three days after landing, Sun Li led his grand army in a forced march toward their first military objective.

Inside his carriage, Sun Li reviewed the latest battle reports from the Wood Elf forces and the intelligence on Mexican troop deployments provided by his Jinyiwei. He felt his confidence in the success of this operation grow.

"Gestapo, have the inside agents for this operation been properly arranged?" Sun Li asked, looking up at the man sitting opposite him.

"Respected Majesty, 200 elite death-sworn soldiers have already infiltrated the stronghold, fully armed. Unlike the imperial heartlands on the European continent, the Mexican colonists lack a constant sense of crisis. On this land, the British Empire, with its formidable navy, has been complacent for too long. Furthermore, the discipline of the mercenary-turned-auxiliary troops is abysmal. Our Jinyiwei did not have much trouble inserting hundreds of men, 200 of whom are hand-picked experts in urban warfare. As soon as the main force arrives and gives the signal, the east gate of the Guatemala stronghold will surely be thrown open for us!" the Gestapo replied with great confidence.

The British Empire’s colonial military operations in the Golden Province had been far too easy. There were no worthy enemies here—only fertile land, beautiful slaves, and immense wealth. It was as if the God of Light had gifted the land to the British Empire, and this "Chosen Nation" had naturally been corrupted by its own prosperity.

The actions of the Wood Elf allies had further weakened the stronghold's defenses. According to intelligence, the garrison could not even muster 10,000 men, as the Governor of Mexico had diverted 70,000 to 80,000 mercenaries to suppress the Wood Elf uprising. The Guatemala stronghold was left with only 1,000 regular troops and six or seven thousand auxiliaries. Had Sun Li not lacked artillery and wished to avoid heavy casualties among his own ranks, a direct assault would have been a foregone conclusion.

The stronghold was surrounded by a few rare watchtowers. As the command center for the surrounding region, it stockpiled vast amounts of weapons, ammunition, and provisions. This was precisely why Sun Li had chosen it as his first target; the Song army’s logistics were difficult, and their ammunition reserves dwindled with every engagement. Fortunately, the limited rate of fire of firearms in this era kept the logistical pressure manageable. If the weapons had the rate of fire of the Second World War, Sun Li would never have dared to lead his army deep into enemy territory alone.

A sentry in a watchtower was gazing with boredom at the unchanging scenery, as he did every day. Suddenly, a flash of bright red appeared on the horizon. He looked on with curiosity. As time passed, his curiosity was replaced by terror. This was an army—and it was certainly not an army of the British Empire!

"Oh, by the God of Light, what am I seeing? Is a war breaking out in the colonies?!" The sentry fired a warning shot and scrambled toward the stronghold; staying outside now would be suicide.

"Gunfire!" The officer on duty quickly led his men to the wall, where they saw a sea of red spilling endlessly from the horizon.

"Enemy attack! Ring the alarm bells! This is war!" the officer bellowed to his men, his eyes wide.

Clang, clang, clang! The alarm bells rang out, and the barracks inside the stronghold erupted into chaos. Soldiers scrambled to don their uniforms and grab their muskets, rushing toward the walls. The few residents watched in terror as soldiers ascended the battlements, sensing that something momentous was about to happen.

When Sun Li surrounded the stronghold with his 40,000 troops, the walls were packed with British auxiliary forces, while the 1,000 regulars were held in reserve by the commander.

"The defenses here aren't that strong; there aren't even any bastion-style fortifications, just a single wall. If only I had 12-pound siege cannons, I wouldn't need inside agents. A few volleys and they would have surrendered," Sun Li lamented the lack of artillery.

However, he was merely grumbling. The stronghold was just a minor inconvenience to the Song army, especially with their inside agents.

"Sir, the enemy is the regular army of the Song Dynasty. There are about... over 40,000 of them... We cannot win. Perhaps we should consider other options?" the British officers looked at the massive, well-equipped Song force, feeling the hope of holding the city slipping away. With the city surrounded, even calling for reinforcements was nearly impossible.

"Though they are numerous, they have no artillery. How could the great British imperial army surrender without a fight? Forget this for now—next time, use your brains before you speak such nonsense!" the commander snapped. The enemy looked far more formidable than the Wood Elf guerrillas, but without artillery to breach the walls, he refused to accept defeat without a fight.

Sun Li had no intention of calling for a surrender. He organized his army and launched the assault immediately.

"First Infantry Regiment, advance!" At the officer's command, thousands of soldiers marched in perfect unison to the beat of military drums toward the walls. The Song forces focused their attack on the west gate, keeping the other sides under observation.

"Ready, aim, fire!" The officer on the wall ordered a volley as soon as the enemy entered range.

As the volley rang out, dozens of Song soldiers fell, but the rest did not even glance at their fallen comrades, simply stepping around them and continuing their advance. Soon, the enemy fired another volley.

"Halt! Raise rifles, aim, fire!" Because they were firing upward, the Song troops had to get closer to be effective. After the enemy's two volleys, the Song army stopped and unleashed a coordinated strike.

The elite line infantry recruited by the Song system were clearly better marksmen than the British mercenaries. This single volley caused far more casualties on the walls than the Song army had suffered.

The Song army utilized a three-rank firing method, pressing forward through the enemy's fire and maintaining a constant stream of bullets. Due to their absolute loyalty to Sun Li, the soldiers were unfazed by the fallen comrades around them; they operated like precision killing machines, sending lead into the bodies of their enemies.

Conversely, the defenders, faced with heavy casualties and the sight of an enemy that marched on despite its losses, began to succumb to fear. Many soldiers, their hands trembling, fumbled their reloads. The frequency of the British fire slowed until the soldiers on the walls no longer had the courage to return fire, ducking behind the battlements despite the shouts of their officers. Soon, those officers who tried to drive their men to fight with drawn sabers were picked off by the precise fire of the Song soldiers.

The first exchange of fire was a total victory for the Song army!

Following this, Song line infantry continuously suppressed the defenders while Wood Elf warriors, led by Su Yunyun, carried scaling ladders to the walls under the cover of the Song troops. Su Yunyun, having been leading these Wood Elf auxiliaries, had been spending every day with Sun Li—quite innocently, of course. For Sun Li, the rapid warming of their relationship during the war was a pleasant, unexpected bonus.

Seeing the enemy's overwhelming firepower, the commander of the stronghold committed his reserves to the wall. The addition of the British regulars boosted the morale of the mercenaries, who finally felt safe enough to poke their heads out and fire back, as the regulars made for much larger targets.

Sun Li’s strategy was simple—so simple he found it almost uninspiring. But in war, if it works, it works.

He drew out the enemy reserves, then gave the signal. Inside the city, the hundreds of Jinyiwei, spearheaded by the 200 death-sworn soldiers, launched a surprise attack on the defenders at the east gate. The garrison, accustomed to long periods of peace, was caught completely off guard by the attack from the rear.

The gate was easily seized. By the time the commander realized what was happening and sent reinforcements to the east gate, the main Song army was already outside the open gate. A classic three-rank volley followed by grenades wiped out the reinforcements in one go.

Watching the near-invincible combat power of the Song army, the commander, persuaded by his officers and fearing for his own life, ordered a total surrender. After all, the Song Dynasty was recognized as a civilized nation, unlike the "barbaric" Wood Elves. As fellow humans, the Song would surely not massacre prisoners—otherwise, they could forget about winning future human civil wars so easily.

As the commander expected, when Sun Li learned of the surrender and the handover of the city's resources, he generously promised to protect their property and lives.

With that, the Guatemala military stronghold, the first city attacked by the Song Dynasty, was perfectly captured.