February 10, 1646, Coal River Township. The sky was cloudless, and the temperature was only 28 degrees Celsius, which was cool and pleasant. Along the banks of the Coal River (Kayi), there are green rice paddies, and on some sandbanks in the center of the river, there are extensive vineyards. At the entrance of the country courtyard, there are usually a few goats tied to it, which are bored and gnawing on the grass. Between the two pear trees in the yard, a hammock was being pulled up, and the tired bear child was lying on it and sleeping soundly, still holding a half-eaten meatloaf in his hand. A small hound wandered under the hammock, its eyes fixed on the meatloaf, unwilling to leave for a long time.

A soft commotion outside broke the noon silence in the countryside. A few children passed by the door shouting, still shouting, "I went to the City God Temple to see the soldiers." The bear child, who was taking a nap, was woken up, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and then slid off the hammock expertly. After taking the hound in his arms and kneading it, he stuffed the meatloaf into his mouth, and then ran out of the house in a puff of smoke, and walked along a stone road towards the main road at the edge of the village.

There, on the pier across the river, which can be seen across the wide coal river, a large group of soldiers in khaki and dark blue military uniforms are busy carrying war supplies to small river steamboats. In order to support the westward march against Guarani's "extreme force", the inland river transport company was ordered to allocate more than a dozen 72-ton small river steamboats to transport supplies with the army. On this journey to the west, there is no smooth road except for the winding river. As a result, the Yakuy River, which flows far from the west, became the only way for people to transport their baggage on the east bank.

On the other side of the river is the seat of the Coal River Township Government, and it is also the most prosperous area here. A rather imposing Chenghuang Temple stands diagonally opposite the township government, and there is a square outside the wall in front of the temple. The square is often filled with hawkers or farmers who come to sell all kinds of goods. Over time, a bazaar was formed.

Today, the market is still crowded. The small square was crowded, as if dozens of people from the production team around it had rushed over. Some of the local militia members who had been conscripted were saying goodbye to their wives and children; The preaching team was vigorously propagating the "evil deeds" of the Guaraní people in the west in the square, though many of them were apocryphal; The staff officers of the military headquarters brought boxes of silver coins and swept away all the agricultural and sideline foods such as vegetables, cured meats, and livestock that appeared on the market, and transported them all onto the ship. The temple of the City God Temple and several Taoist priests are holding a grand and solemn religious ceremony in front of the temple gate, and many Ming and even Tatar people worship in front of the statue of Taishang Laojun, respectfully praying for their relatives to return home safely.

One of the veterans of the army, Major Zhu Liang, wearing white gauze gloves and carrying a saber, stood on a reef on the bank of the river, looking at the platoon. Soldiers carrying supplies into the cabin. This time, the army mobilized the 1st Infantry Company, the 101st Company, the 103rd Company, and the 4th Company, which was originally stationed in Coal River Township, and the cavalry also dispatched more than 200 people from two companies, and the artillery dispatched two companies with nearly 150 people, and the number of regular troops totaled more than 1,400 people. In addition, they also mobilized a large number of militiamen who had just finished their farm work and had been trained for less than a month in Ping'an and Zhenhai counties to serve as baggage personnel, and their number was about 1,500 people, so the total number of troops this time should be about 3,000, which is also the largest single mobilization in the history of the East Coast.

With so many manpower and materials, it is naturally not possible for a small 20 or so small inland steamboats to carry it. Therefore. These ships could only be used to carry supplies, bulky artillery, logistical baggage personnel with little combat effectiveness, and as for the vast number of infantry and cavalry brothers. I can still walk on my own two legs. They will follow the route detected by the intelligence officers of the gendarmerie, and will generally follow the Yakuyi River westward, and will first reach the Terriford area of the later generation, at the junction of the Taquari and Yakuyi rivers, where a military headquarters has set up a military station for more than half a year. There were a large number of military supplies and some food stored in the station, and there were usually seventy or eighty militiamen on duty and two artillery pieces, so that the large army could rest and recuperate after arriving here, and then continue westward.

To the west from Triford, there are a few small Guarani tribes scattered here and there. Some of them were friendly with the Easterners, but most of them were not on good terms, and were even very hostile to the Easterners under the influence of the missionaries. This time, a large number of Guarani people living in the Paraná River valley entered the hilly area of Huxi under religious fanaticism, and many have been found in the south near New Königsberg and even near Hekou Township. However, in any case, more than 1,400 well-trained elite infantry artillery were mobilized on the east bank this time, in order to eliminate all these Guarani tribes and prevent future troubles.

"May I ask Sir Zhu, the scale of our army on the east coast is the largest in the history of the country, and it is entrusted by 100,000 people, what is the morale of the soldiers on the expedition?" A special reporter from Pravda interviewed Zhu Liang.

"How's the morale? Please listen to the cheers outside! Lu Ming pointed to the soldiers marching in a neat queue on the bank of the river, which was from the 4th Company of the Army. Most of these soldiers, locals, walked past the temple with their heads held high and cheered by the people. The host of the local Taoist temple and a group of believers stood on the side of the road to pray for the blessing of the expedition.

Not far away, the military band also played the tune "Victory Belongs to the Army", which brought the atmosphere to a climax. Many teenagers in old military uniforms left behind by their fathers fought their way through the crowd and rushed to the side of the road, waving their arms vigorously at the departing army. Their faces were full of excitement, and if reality hadn't allowed it, maybe they would have gone out with the army. After the military band finished playing for the first time, thousands of people at the scene shouted "Long live" together.

"Guarani is a clown, and the army will be wiped out wherever it goes. The people of Ping'an County have generously donated money to reimburse military supplies. Rest assured, my army on the east coast will be put to the end of evil, whether it is the Guaraní or the Spaniards, and those who kill my people and take my cattle will be judged! Those who are stubborn and stubborn will not be left behind! Zhu Liang said murderously to the reporter who interviewed him.

"It is a great abomination that the Spaniards have repeatedly supported the barbarians to raid our borders and kill our border people. This action to punish the tyrannical West will surely make them remember it for a long time, so I wish my king on the east coast a triumphant return. Long live the East Coast! The young intern reporter who graduated from Fort Corps stuffed the notebook in his pocket, then raised his right hand into a fist and cheered.

Zhu Liang laughed, picked up his saber and turned over his horse, and walked towards the front proudly. Commanding a combat operation of 3,000 people, although he is one of the elders of the army, it is also the first time. The goal of the first phase of the operation was to eliminate the indigenous tribes on both sides of the Yakuyi River, and there were not many Guarani people here, and a considerable number of them were in collusion with the people on the east bank and were relatively submissive. There were few rebel tribesmen hostile to the East Coasters, and according to the Gendarmerie the total number was between five hundred and eight hundred, and it would be easy to eliminate or expel them.

Of course, knowing these nearby Guarani tribes did not make the Spaniards feel even the slightest pain. Only by continuing westward, to the area west of what would become South Caucashoue, and then eradicating all the settled Guarani tribes, could the Jesuit priests feel heartache. If they could continue westward on this basis, and reach the west of Santa Maria and the Uruguay River and its tributaries, it would be able to make the Spanish missionaries feel painful.

This task was not a difficult task for the people on the east bank who were moving along the river. The only factor restraining the movement of the East Bank Army was neither the resistance of the Guaraní nor the possible intervention of the Kingdom of Spain, but the autumn grain harvest in mid-to-late May. The more than 1,500 officers and men of the baggage unit accompanying the unit are all reserve militiamen recruited from the rural areas of Ping'an and Zhenhai counties, and if they fight abroad for too long, it will inevitably affect their families' grain harvesting work. Therefore, the goal of the first phase of the operation was limited to three months, and the fighting was temporarily ended in early May, and all the personnel returned to Coal River Township, Ping'an County to rest and recuperate, and at the same time disbanded the militia and returned home. If there is a second phase of fighting, a separate militia will be conscripted from the capital Dongfang County to cooperate with the operation.

In any case, the people on the east coast of these places could not actually control it for the time being, so they could only fight and retreat, focusing on killing and injuring the enemy's vitality and war potential. Many of the Guaraní tribesmen in these places have gone to the south, and those who remain in the rear are mostly old and young, and the fight is effortless. When the time comes, people will be killed or driven, livestock and grain will be snatched, farmland will be destroyed, houses will be burned, and see how these Guaraní people will resist! How would the Spanish missionaries be faced with the waves of refugees pouring into the Uruguay River Valley!

After all the supplies were loaded onto the ship, the army on the east bank left the town under the watchful eye of the people of Coal River Township, crossed the Taquari River by boat in batches, and after a little formation, formed four columns and headed west. Accompanying their actions were more than a dozen 72-ton small river steamboats, on which all the artillery, ammunition, fresh water and other baggage were placed to facilitate the soldiers to march lightly. After all, the Guarani, a barbarian with a relatively low level of civilization, had no weapons against the ships that sailed in the river. With these ships, it is not only convenient to transport supplies and wounded back and forth, but sometimes some ships can be selected to carry soldiers out to attack quickly, which is of great use.

On 13 February, the East Coast Army arrived at Triford Station. After resting for the night, they continued westward, sending men to recruit strong men from the Guarani tribes who had already been annexed, and preparing to clear the first unyielding Guarani village more than ten kilometers to the west. (To be continued......)