Empire Rising: Spain

With Andrew’s timely orders, the First Colonial Division quickly took position, buying enough time for the deployment of machine guns and artillery.

The ensuing battle was straightforward; the indigenous forces had no means of resistance under the onslaught of machine gun and artillery fire from Spain.

They did possess firearms, but against the overwhelming firepower disparity, not to mention thousands, even tens of thousands of rifles didn’t make much of a difference.

After all, Spain’s colonial troops were equipped with standard-issue rifles; what chance did these indigenous forces have against the Spanish Army?

This skirmish with the indigenous forces greatly demonstrated the power of machine guns in colonial warfare.

Unaware of the powerful weapon that was the machine gun, the indigenous forces charged in a frenzied swarm when attacking the Spanish Army.

The Spanish machine guns only needed a round of sweeping fire, and one indigenous soldier after another fell, an extremely shocking sight.

Of course, the shock was felt only by the Spanish colonial troops. As for the indigenous soldiers enduring the machine gun barrage, their only feelings were panic and fear.

The soldiers of the Sokoto Caliphate had never experienced such warfare. The enemy used a weapon that looked somewhat like a rifle, causing heavy casualties at an incredibly fast rate.

The loyal warriors of this Muslim state founded on a Holy War suddenly found that their faith in Allah might not be as effective as they believed.

Religious beliefs were set aside as indigenous soldiers ran as fast as they could. The slower ones were fed Spanish bullets, and the fact that the smokeless powder bullets were less painful than those with smoke might have been the only good news for the indigenous soldiers.

The current Caliph of Sokoto, Omar Ben Ali, was dumbstruck; he hadn’t expected the Spanish Army to wield weapons of such destructive power.

He also hadn’t expected his proud Guard Army to collapse in just a few minutes under the powerful fire of the Spanish Army.

Oddly enough, regular training seemed to have paid off for the Guard Army. On the battlefield, the ones who fled the fastest truly were Omar’s Guard Army.

With a better supply of food, these soldiers of the Guard Army, while under the Caliphate’s rule, had more robust physiques than the regular soldiers.

Omar Ben Ali, at this point, was unsure whether to laugh or cry. Because the Guard Army retreated so quickly, the 8,000-strong Guard Army suffered minimal casualties.

The problem was that their swift retreat led to a rapid collapse of the entire frontline troops. While the 8,000-strong Guard Army was spared, the remaining tens of thousands, particularly the more than ten thousand on the frontlines, seemed unlikely to survive in large numbers.

The ruler who took over the Caliphate in 1881 was completely panicked in the face of such a situation. He didn’t know whether to regroup the troops and reorganize the defenses, or to bring the remaining forces back into Oyoibo city, using the capital’s urban environment for a street battle with the Spaniards.

It’s well known that urban warfare is one of the maps with the highest death rates. Different districts with complex terrain and layouts can effectively hold back an enemy’s attack.

The defending side, familiar with the terrain, can launch effective counterattacks and cause significant damage to the enemy.

If things went well, it could turn the tides and force a Spanish retreat, leading to victory.

In a worse scenario, it could still increase Spanish casualties, ensuring better chances in negotiations while preserving one’s own forces.

Before Omar Ben Ali could make up his mind, the Spanish Army had already made the choice for him.

As soon as Andrew noticed the indigenous forces were collapsing, he ordered the troops from the native State to pursue them, further disrupting their retreat.

Sure enough, as the pursuers drew closer to the enemy’s position, the footsteps of the fleeing indigenous soldiers quickened, afraid of being left behind and becoming the sacrificial lambs for their comrades.

This made the Sokoto Caliphate’s army even more chaotic, and it became nearly impossible for Caliph Omar Ben Ali to issue any commands.

No one could quickly reorganize an army that had already collapsed and fallen into chaos, especially one where military discipline was originally poor.

Large groups of fleeing indigenous soldiers charged madly toward the capital, Oyoibo, racing into the city, some not even looking back as they ran straight to their homes.

A few hundred meters behind these retreating indigenous soldiers were the pursuing State troops. Since both sides were locals, the pursuing State troops faced no obstruction as they effortlessly entered Oyoibo.

Upon seeing the pursuers enter the capital, Caliph Omar Ben Ali understood that his nation’s fate was sealed.

Compared to the unfamiliar terrain to the Spanish Army, these native State troops, inherently belonging, were more familiar with Oyoibo’s geography.