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Chapter 574: Small medicine cures serious illness 2
"It's done, send the signal for the Marine Guards to start landing!" Huang Nanping stood on the helm and held a telescope to observe the situation of the first batch of landing troops. Seeing this scene, he slapped the steering wheel and ordered the landing with great enthusiasm. Order.

As long as these so-called mud horses could really carry people across the mudflats, even if only 3% of them landed successfully, Manila would be basically taken. The Spaniards probably had never seen shrapnel and incendiary bombs that could be fired three miles away. Even the most combative army would be vulnerable to flames and fragments.

Hiding in city walls and fortresses is no longer a hard nut to crack. There is also a unknown killer weapon among the Marine Guards, which is specially used to deal with such situations. Is the stone mountain hard? A dozen people working on it for half an hour can turn it into pieces!
As a firework soared into the sky, Marine Guardsmen in toad uniforms climbed down from the armed cargo ship one after another, rowed their boats and charged towards the beach. After the boat ran aground, they still took out the planks and sticks from the cabin to assemble it on site, and then slid forward with one foot on the mud.

It's just that some of their mud trucks are relatively large and can carry two people at a time. They are divided into left and right parts and driven by feet. Wooden boxes or ammunition boxes containing field gun parts are tied to the free wooden boards.

At this time, the first batch of Annan mercenaries who landed had already used machetes to cut dozens of passages in the woods. After landing, the Marine Guardsmen put on their shoes, inspected the muskets and ammunition, and assembled the field gun parts.

Before the sun set, 500 marine guards and about 1000 Annan mercenaries had successfully landed ashore, advanced about a mile east, and briefly constructed trenches, but the Spaniards were still unaware.

During this period, two small sailboats appeared at the mouth of the river. They were both shot into pieces by the black-sailed battleship, and there was no movement since then. As the sky got darker and darker, both sides ceased their activities, covered up by the chirping of insects and frogs.

Apart from the church, the Governor's Palace is the most majestic place in Manila. Receptions are often held in the banquet hall on the first floor. The governor's family invites bishops, missionaries, military officers, local wealthy businessmen and celebrities, and Spanish captains from afar to attend.

But today, the banquet hall no longer had the elegance of the past, with only a few candles glowing dimly. On the contrary, the living room on the second floor was more lively, with the governor, bishop, Juan and several officers gathered together.

"Colonel Juan, you should give me a clear explanation! Why did things become like this? What happened to Captain Steer's fleet? Is there no news?" But the atmosphere was not warm, except for the roar of Governor Aguna. There was almost no conversation.

"Judging from the sound of gunfire in the early morning, it should be that the fleet led by Captain Steer was fighting with the enemy, but it did not last long. It is almost impossible to completely defeat the Philippines within 2 hours, but in the bay The black sailboat did appear and attacked the sailboat that went to check the situation. "

Not to mention that Governor Aguna doesn't understand, even a semi-professional naval commander like Juan is still a little confused. According to traditional concepts, a fleet composed of five sailing ships is very difficult to defeat quickly when the number of enemies and ourselves is not too disparate.

What's more, there is also the Philippines with a displacement of more than 500 tons and a full crew. If you want to win, you need to repeatedly bombard back and forth to find opportunities to pick up the ship. Even if you get close, you have to fight hand-to-hand. It's like attacking a castle and fighting for a long time.

According to various intelligence reports, the Ming Navy anchored outside Guangzhou Port does not have such capabilities. The number of black sailing ships exceeds the Philippine garrison fleet, but the largest one is only about 200 tons. There are many bare ships that are useless, and they have to rely on quality.

But the reality clearly proved the victory of the black sailing ships. They had blocked the bay, and the fleet led by Captain Steer was still missing. The biggest possibility is to be defeated and lose control of the bay. "Then what should we do now? Just wait here!" Governor Aguna was not in the mood to ponder the reasons for the failure of the garrison fleet. He originally thought that the city of Manila was impregnable, but now he felt a little guilty.

"Yes, the wisest choice is to wait. Controlling the bay alone will have no effect. If you want to attack Manila, you must enter the river mouth. I have sent an additional Ferrando regiment and 2000 indigenous soldiers to the coastal forts and forts. As long as the enemy dares If you enter the range of shore artillery, you will be killed at the bottom of the river!”

Colonel Juan was originally the least optimistic about this war and the least willing to fight the Ming Empire. But at this moment, out of his duty as a soldier and his competitive spirit, he has become the top executive with the strongest will to fight, and in his heart he really wants to compete with the Ming Navy.

"Rumble..." God seemed to hear the colonel's inner voice and immediately gave positive feedback. With the violent noise, everyone in the room felt a strong earthquake.

"God, is it a volcano erupting?"

Bishop Joseph reacted the fastest. He bent down and got under the table, while not forgetting to cross himself. There are several volcanoes in the northern part of the island. It is said that an eruption occurred decades ago. Although it was hundreds of kilometers away, it still knocked down a church tower.

"Adjutant, adjutant, send someone to Fort Santiago quickly to find out what happened! Damn black monkeys, they shouldn't be allowed to enter the fort!" Colonel Juan was not slow in his movements. He immediately ran to the wall and opened the window to face the enemy. North looked around, and then issued an order angrily.

Basically consistent with his guess, the loud noise was not a volcanic eruption but a gunpowder explosion. The location was near Fort Santiago, where a gray-black smoke column had already risen. But he did not think it was an enemy attack. The most likely possibility was that the indigenous soldiers accidentally ignited the powder keg.

He had firmly opposed allowing native soldiers to get close to forts and forts. It was best not to mix and fight with Spanish soldiers, which would not only not help but also cause chaos. However, the governor's attitude on this issue was very firm. The indigenous soldiers must be placed on the front line to minimize the casualties of Spanish soldiers.

The choice of Governor Aguna is not wrong. Compared with the indigenous soldiers, the lives of Spanish soldiers are obviously much more valuable. It is a very economical way of fighting to use cannon fodder to consume the vigor of the Ming army, and then have Spanish soldiers deliver a fatal blow.

However, fighting a war cannot be just about economics. The indigenous soldiers have no discipline at all, let alone tactical literacy. The most important thing is that the indigenous soldiers come from different tribes, some of them don't even speak the same language, and they often get into fights.

Colonel Juan could not think of any good in keeping such a group of people in the fort and coastal forts except causing trouble. No, retribution is coming soon. I hope the location of the explosion is not too critical and does not cause too much damage to the artillery and city walls.

(End of this chapter)