.As the rising sun slowly rose, a long and cold sleepless night finally ended. Pershing and his staff members ate breakfast with red eyes and ate ignorantly, and no one spoke in the middle.

On this night just past, the Zapata peasant uprising army changed its previous tactics of small-scale harassment and dispatched more than ten troops of more than 100 people to launch attacks on the blockade of the US Expeditionary Force, transport convoys and material supply points. A total of 4 convoys were ambushed in the whole night, and there were also checkpoints at the entrances and attacks. More than 300 officers and soldiers died or were seriously injured, and the robbed and burned materials were even more difficult to estimate.

It was undoubtedly a painful night for Pershing and his expeditionary forces. Although the power balance between the two sides is still very different, it is undoubtedly the biggest challenge the expedition forces faced since entering Mexico.

To this end, Pershing and his command mobilized 34 infantry regiments and 57 cavalry patrols overnight to strengthen vigilance and patrols, and exchanged fire with two peasant troops in the south of Morelos. Although the other party voluntarily withdrew from the battle and fled into the mountains, the US military still achieved "glorious results" of killing and wounding more than 40 people from the other party.

In the second half of the night, the previously extremely active peasant army finally fell silent, and the US military was able to take this opportunity to re-adjust the deployment. However, just before dawn, a checkpoint on the cordon in the northern Morelos was touched, and none of the 25 officers and soldiers were spared. This made General Pershing suddenly furious. He immediately ordered nearby troops to conduct a rigorous search of the area, vowing to kill the group of ignorant Mexicans.

However, until dawn, the large-scale ground search operation still made no progress. Before breakfast, Pershing sternly hung up a phone call to the commander of the air wing, asking him to use all his reconnaissance forces to conduct a large-scale search of the northern area of ​​Morelos. Once the peasant army is found, it will report to the command center immediately, and dispatch fighter jets, bombers and airships to carry out air strikes on the peasant army.

On this morning, the 7th National Guard of Arkansas, which had just finished training, received an order that they were sent to northwest of Mexico City to participate in the search operation, with the goal of ambushing a peasant guerrilla team in the US military convoy last night.

The gathering command sounded at the 7th National Guard Regiment's garrison. When the soldiers were ready to line up and stood on the playground as quickly as possible, their commander General George Patton had been waiting there for a long time. However, this time he did not roar and vent his dissatisfaction, but squinted his eyes at the soldiers who were gradually beginning to transform.

"I'm very happy to see you like soldiers!" Patton said loudly, "But remember it for me, and you must never forget your beliefs at any time!"

"Go forward bravely!"

The soldiers shouted in unison.

"Very good, get in the car! Let's go kick the Mexican gang's ass!"

After saying that, Patton took the lead in boarding the front car. Although the US Army does not currently have an armored division and a mechanized division, it has a very high degree of mechanization in logistics transportation. Trucks have long replaced horse-drawn carriages as the main means of transportation. Cavalry is still the elite of the army, but the infantry riding on trucks is not slower than cavalry on the road.

In the afternoon, except for the two trucks that broke down on the road and more than 50 soldiers on it, Patton's remaining 1,500 soldiers had arrived at the designated location, a small town 10 miles from the location where the convoy was trapped last night. There were more than 200 households living in the town, most of whom were Mexican natives.

"What are we here for?" Patton looked at the deserted town in confusion. Apart from two roads, the town was surrounded by crops and wilderness.

"Major. At 6 or 7 a.m., someone saw a group of peasant soldiers passing by on the west side of the town! The command commanded your regiment to search for the area within 6 miles of the town!"

An army lieutenant who had arrived here before explained the situation to Patton.

"I'm sure that guy read it right?" Patton asked suspiciously.

The Army Lieutenant nodded. That was the intelligence they bought with the Mexicans for $500, and everyone would rather believe it was true.

Patton looked at his watch, but he was still in a bad mood:

"Bad. Why didn't that guy report us earlier? What time is it now? The Mexicans probably had already escaped!"

"Major, after dawn, the gangs cannot cross the blockade without us being discovered, and we believe that there is no place for them to continue north! So, they must be hiding in a certain woods and waiting for darkness to grab some food from the surrounding villages and towns!" The lieutenant said proudly, "Hmph! They must be hungry now like a group of mice!"

"Well, Lieutenant, I hope your speculation is not a thousand and one night story!"

Patton turned around and shouted to his own battalion commanders:

"Listen, a Mexican guerrilla team with an ominous number is suspected to be hiding in the nearby woods. We must pull them out and beat them up! From now on, the 1st Battalion will lead westward, the 2nd Battalion will northward, the 3rd Battalion will be in charge of the 6 miles within a radius! If you haven't found it for more than 6 miles, then go back to this town as the same way, and the regiment command and I will wait for you here!"

After receiving the order, the battalion commanders gathered in teams to convey the orders.

Seeing the troops leaving the town in batches, Patton was at a loss. At this time, the regiment cavalry company also arrived at the town.

"Hey, four legs run slower than four wheels. Are you really a cavalry?" Patton, who was a cavalryman, asked them mockingly.

The cavalry company commander shrugged, "Sorry, Mr. Major, you know, our men and horses need to rest halfway!"

Patton put his waist on his back and looked at the guy who was full of indifferent.

"Ah, rest! Well, come down and rest, I'll take a walk for you!"

"What? Stop it...hehehe...ah..."

After dragging the cavalry company commander off his horse, Patton quickly turned over and shouted to the cavalry behind him:

"Hey, boys, let's see if we can find the traces of the bandits!"

The poor cavalry company commander could only watch Patton pull his men away, "Who is this... the gangster!"

When another American plane flew overhead, the peasant soldiers hiding in the woods all looked depressed because of these hateful, crazy planes that they hadn't walked a few miles since dawn. If they continued like this, their plan to arrive at Port Tampico before tomorrow evening would probably be ruined.

Several company commanders came to Rommel, "General, we have to think of a solution! With our usual experience, Americans will definitely buy information about our whereabouts from locals. Only by constantly walking can we get rid of Americans' tracking!"

After Jahart translated the company commanders' opinions, Rommel nodded, then took out and unfolded his specially made map of Mexico, pointed to the scheduled route and said:

"But what we are going to go next is the plains. It's really difficult to escape the reconnaissance of American planes!"

I don't know if they can understand it, but the company commanders focused their attention on the map.

After a while, one of the company commanders muttered and said a lot. After he finished speaking, Jahart retelled it to Rommel:

"Often the guerrillas do not operate on the plains because this is a controlled area of ​​government forces, and American planes patrol it when it is sunny! However, our people once disguised as government forces from Morelos to Port Madero, and were not seen through the way, because the government's local security teams also wore big hats and coarse cloth clothes. As long as we lined up neatly on the road, we waved and greeted American planes!"

"Are you sure it's OK?" Rommel looked at the company commander in surprise.

The company commander told him: "It's just that there has been such a precedent, and more than once!"

After thinking for a while, Rommel decided to take a chance.

So, a "local security team" in Mexico, composed of more than 200 people, walked swaggeringly on the road to the eastern coast. When American planes found them and lowered their altitude to check, they waved and cheered enthusiastically at the planes, and the American pilots on the plane would not have noticed that the guys wearing big hats and a little tall in the middle of the team would be Germans.

In this way, Rommel's 23rd Battalion moved towards the port faster again.

Just as Rommel was very grateful for his disguise tactics, the soldiers in charge of guarding behind suddenly reported that a cavalry was approaching quickly.

"Don't panic, keep going, but be ready to fight at any time! The Germans listened, try to bend down as tall as possible, and lower the machine guns and submachine guns as much as possible!"

Rommel decisively ordered. Then he walked from the front of the team to the center of the team, pressed his hat down, then took out the holster and loaded it, and put the right hand holding the gun against his body.

After a while, a team of less than a hundred American cavalry troops appeared in people's sight. They wore flat felt hats, big cloaks, swords, and long horse boots. From a distance, they looked no different from the cavalry during the American Civil War. In fact, except for the "Barton Sword" and the revolver at their waists. They were not much different from the cavalry during that period, in terms of their outfits and tactics.

When the cavalry units of European countries had long become auxiliary arms, the two major military powers in the Pacific region - the United States and Japan - still maintained group of combat cavalry in their army sequence. This is not because the top leaders of the two countries ignored the experience of European warfare, but more often they believed that the same army could play a completely different role in different regions, and the cavalry's temperament, courage and maneuverability are irreplaceable to other arms.

As they were about to pass by this infantry team, the American cavalry did not intend to slow down. The crisp sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer, which made everyone in the team lift their hearts up, and the person with the pistols quietly loaded the bullets.

Some Mexicans at the end of the team pretended to be curious and looked back, but no one spoke and no one left the queue.

The arrogant American cavalry glanced at the group of Mexican soldiers with disdain. Indeed, there was no obvious difference between them and ordinary Mexican local security teams, regardless of appearance or outfit.

The one who walked at the forefront of the cavalry line was George Patton, who led the cavalry company of the regiment for a ride. Similarly, he did not take these Mexican local troops seriously. If they were not incompetent, he would not have come to this place to "suppress bandits".

As noon approached, the cavalry were already shouting that they were hungry. In fact, Patton was not sure whether to find the peasant army nearby. He was also a little swaying at this moment, so he rode his horse to stop in front of the Mexican team. The cavalry behind him also stopped one after another, but the cavalry had no intention of dismounting and still grabbed the reins with both hands.

Because someone blocked the way, the Mexican infantry team had to stop, and some people in the front looked up at Patton.

"Hey, how far is this from the St. Maria River?" Barton shouted in his unique voice.

Because he spoke American language, the Mexicans in the team looked at him with strange expressions, and this situation almost annoyed Patton. Fortunately, an American cavalry behind him immediately translated the question to the Mexicans in Spanish.

"About 5 miles!" a Mexican standing in the first row replied in a slightly trembling tone.

At this time, many people in the team were sweating slightly when holding guns, and the people carrying rifles were ready to unload the gun and shoot at any time. The Germans in the middle hid their faces under the wide Mexican straw hats, for fear of being seen through by the Americans.

For the first time since his birth, Rommel felt extremely embarrassed. How could he not realize that the American major ahead would meet him on the battlefield in the future, and he was also a difficult opponent.

The American cavalry, who knew Spanish, relayed the Mexican answer to his regiment commander.

Patton turned his head and looked ahead, "Okay, let's turn back when we go to the St. Maria River!"

Immediately afterwards, Patton continued to run forward, and his cavalry quickly followed. At this time, all the talents in the team breathed a deep sigh.

In this way, Patton missed his prey and avoided fighting with the dominant opponents at a very close distance. As for Rommel and his troops, they quickly turned east at the next fork, and soon left the control area of ​​the US military. Walking freely in the fields, everyone felt much more comfortable.

That night, Rommel and his 23rd Battalion stayed in a farmhouse 60 miles from Port Tampico. The owner was an old acquaintance of the guerrillas, so Rommel and his others were able to have a full meal.
Chapter completed!