Chapter 533: A Convergence of Interests
While Washington was in deadlock, arguing on whether or not the most recent wave of insurrection in their South-Pacific holdings required immediate action or simple reprisal, the colonel in charge of Manila’s garrison had taken it upon himself to act without orders from the suits in charge.
Frankly speaking, Colonel James Whitford had run out of patience in dealing with these attacks from a reactive standpoint.
Their Rules of Engagement were woefully inefficient; they were waiting to be attacked in order to return fire.
And the hit-and-run tactics the enemy used made that damn near impossible to fight effectively. Because of this, he had summoned the big guns.
The Philippines were not exactly a territory teeming with armor, but artillery? They had some leftover guns from the Spanish-American War and the first Philippine Insurrection that could get the job done.
Towed into firing range by motorized transport, the American Army set up the artillery at just the right distance. All the while, the officer in charge of the regiment gave the command:
"Open fire!"
The guns echoed like thunder, so much so that the locals genuinely thought a storm had conjured itself. And they were half right about that.
A storm had suddenly appeared; but it was not one of thunder, lightning, and rain. Rather, it was fire and fury from an angry god. And that god was the United States Army.
The olive drab-clad artillery soldiers plugged their ears as the shots rang out, sending shells downrange with artillery that, on any other battlefield, would be considered obsolete. Their target?