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Chapter 577 The Last Honor
"Boom, boom, boom... boom, boom, boom..." The fighting in Fort Santiago shook the sky, guns and guns fired, and the Pasig River did not stop. Three black sailboats slowly sailed in with half-sails, and started shooting at the forts on the shore.

Without the heavy artillery support on Fort Santiago, the firepower on the shore forts was quickly suppressed. At this time, three fireworks exploded from the black sailboat, and several large sailboats sailed into the river mouth. Following the black sailboat, small boats were lowered, carrying soldiers and began a forced landing.

"Your Excellency the Governor, Your Majesty the Bishop, Juan is very grateful for the care you have taken during this period of time in the Philippines. Now it is time to say goodbye. Please take your family to the dock to board the ship. I will send Adjutant Domingo to lead the guard to protect you. .

First go to the upper reaches of the Bay Lake to hide. If the city of Manila falls, immediately go south to the sea to Cebu. There are also two two-masted merchant ships there. Adjutant Domingo knows the captains and they can escort you back to New Spain safely.

Please tell His Majesty the King for me not to send any more troops to this sea area abandoned by God. It will never belong to Spain unless the black sailing ship dies with the Ming Emperor. "

In the reception room on the second floor of the Governor's Mansion, Governor Aguna no longer roared. His huge body seemed to be integrated with the seat. If it were not for the occasional rise and fall of his chest and abdomen, he would be like a statue. Bishop Joseph stood at the window, looking at the smoke-filled Fort Santiago in the north, holding the cross in his hand and looking pale.

Only Colonel Juan sat at the table, carefully wiping two short guns. In less than an hour, the battle situation became uncontrollable. Fort Santiago played a very prominent role as the defensive commanding heights of Manila City. Once it was lost, the originally impregnable defense circle immediately became full of loopholes.

Nearly four hundred Spanish soldiers and 2000 indigenous servants were stunned to lose Fort Santiago within an hour. After hearing the news, everyone present was petrified.

The adjutant who came to deliver the message said that the enemy had many artillery pieces that could easily travel on land. They were not the small-caliber swivel guns used on the decks of sailing ships, but real artillery pieces that could fire large-caliber shells, at least 12 pounds.

It is simply a fantasy that the Ming Navy could transport 12-pound guns to the land for use and walk around at will. Could it be that the powerful giants under the Ming Emperor were bewitched by the sea monster? Bishop Joseph put forward two hypotheses at that time, otherwise there would be no explanation at all.

Before everyone could figure out whether the giants and sea monsters were participating in the battle, news came back that the river bank forts were being lost one after another. The black sailing ship took advantage of the fall of Fort Santiago and rushed into the Pasig River despite the fire from the riverside forts.

Compared with the dozens of long guns equipped on the ships, the artillery on the river bank forts was much inferior in power and quantity, and they were quickly destroyed one by one. Then the Ming Navy began to forcefully land, advancing along the waterway with the black sailing ship, attacking the forts one by one, and it was expected that they would exchange fire with the forts at the dock in an hour.

More than 7,000 indigenous soldiers were stationed outside the city, but they collapsed almost immediately after facing the double attack from the shore and the river. If there were not hundreds of Spanish soldiers stationed at the pier, they would have seized all the ships.

"Colonel Juan, what you have done in the past two months has fully complied with the duties of a soldier. Now that the matter has come to this, don't die in vain. Come with us on the boat. When we return to the mainland, I will tell the king Explain that what happened here could have been avoided if it hadn't been..."

Even when a person is about to die, his words are good, and these words are very applicable to Governor Aguna. Now he doesn't want to blame anyone, oh no, not including the princes and nobles in Spain.

If they had not secretly prevented the king from agreeing to the Ming Emperor's proposal, not only would Manila Port not be attacked, it would also become a target of protection by the Ming Navy. With such a powerful navy as an ally, Batavia will soon be captured. By then, Spain will not only become one of the masters of the Spice Islands, but also cut off the Dutch's important economic source. I really can’t figure out why I don’t do something so cost-effective!

"Yes, as the bishop of the diocese, I will also truthfully report everything that happened here to the church. Colonel, you and the officers have done your best." Bishop Joseph immediately echoed.

Will Governor Aguna tell the truth to the King of Spain? It's hard to say. Maybe we can put all the blame on Colonel Juan so that he can escape unscathed. But at this moment, Colonel Juan could not die. He followed the river into Bay Lake, then followed the river southward into the sea and finally arrived in Cebu. The journey was not smooth.

After the local indigenous people learned that the city of Manila had been captured by the Ming Dynasty navy, they would fight back against the Spaniards. If Colonel Juan is with him for protection, the chance of survival will be much greater.

"As the commander of the garrison fleet, my only honor is to die in battle. Please move quickly and only bring valuables, food and water. I will try my best to delay the attack, but I cannot guarantee the effect."

Faced with the persuasion of his two superiors, Colonel Juan felt calm, picked up two short guns and walked slowly towards the door. You may not know the temperament of the governor and the bishop at first, but after working together for so many years, you would be a fool if you didn't know better.

Will they blame Duke Lemar and Albrecht VII? Shit, if you had the guts, you wouldn't have started this war. The only result of following them back to the country is to be used as a scapegoat, and your family will be implicated. Death in battle can at least keep part of your reputation.

"God is with you...Mr. Governor, see you at the dock!" Bishop Joseph looked at the colonel's back with a glimmer of light in his eyes. The Philippine diocese has made a lot of money over the years and has done a lot of things that are against God. It would be very troublesome if it were really exposed.

Now that the Colonel was about to die in battle, and the only one left who knew anything about these matters was the Governor, it was necessary to have a talk to find out how to get out and to whom the responsibility should be passed.

"Stop the bombardment... gather the landing troops!" Huang Nanping stood on the flagship, holding a telescope, and issued a new order.

He saw a somewhat strange sight. The north gate of Manila suddenly opened, the suspension bridge was lowered, and then hundreds of soldiers ran out. Although the opponent's attire and weapons cannot be clearly seen through the telescope, the people who can keep the queue in order during war are definitely not civilians.

However, the behavior of these soldiers was very strange. They lined up neatly in two dense square formations on the dock square, beating drums and stamping their feet. They were led by generals on horseback and walked towards the west side of the dock without hesitation. That's right, just walking, every step falls on the beat of the drum. It doesn't look like fighting, but more like dancing.

(End of this chapter)