Dragon Sea Empire

On the flagship of the Flying Dragon, Yin Feng stood beside the cannon on the bow, holding a telescope and looking ahead. Beside him, Chen Zhongji, Ye Hua, Zhao Tie and others were all holding a telescope to look ahead. The Chinese Jesuit missionaries who were traveling with him You Wenhui was drawing something in his sketchbook, and a Portuguese missionary who had just come to Taiwan to preach was also watching the battle.

"Commander Zhao, most of your troops have gone ashore. Not bad, your landing training has worked,"

"Thank you for the captain's compliment, I'm going ashore to prepare for the battle," Zhao Tie said with a smile after saluting, "Just wait and see, if these white devils still treat us as we were three years ago, they will look good. "

Yin Feng smiled and watched Zhao Tie get down on the boat, looked back to the north, and asked Ye Hua: "Has the warship of the Ganla people come out yet?"

Ye Hua is now the deputy commander of the navy, the captain of the Flying Dragon, and the one who reads the most among all the Danmin sailors. This Danmin son from the southernmost part of Hainan Island has now completely become a captain of the Great Navigation Era In the past three years, he has eagerly learned sailing knowledge from the Portuguese, the Dutch, and the old helmsmen and boatmen along the coast of Fujian. He has been upgraded from a long-distance swimmer to an all-round warship captain.

He didn't answer right away. He looked up at the watchman in the watchtower on the top of the mast, observed for a while and said, "The enemy's main battleship has come out... Oh, the red flag has been hoisted, the enemy is coming,"

Yin Feng smiled: "Okay, all the battle here is entrusted to you," he greeted the others: "Come on, let's go to Fort San Diego, the naval battle is about to start, Ji Zai, call Miss Li, We're ashore,"

Li Lihua insisted on joining the troops that counterattacked Manila. Yin Feng took her with him considering that she grew up in Luzon Island and was familiar with the environment there.

……

The city of Intramuros Manila ushered in the biggest crisis since it was built amidst the sound of rumbling guns.

Since the day yesterday, the business people in the city have almost disappeared. Recently, the Governor has divided an area in Binondo, north of the original Balian Chinese District, and rebuilt a new Chinese District. Biological people who can live in Wangcheng are ordered to leave Wangcheng at night and return to live in Binondo.

However, this order was not well implemented. Some Spanish businessmen received overseas Chinese businessmen at home, and they allowed their biological business partners to spend the night in Wangcheng. It was impossible for the Spanish colonial authorities to search one by one.

However, since yesterday, these physiological businessmen have found excuses to leave Wangcheng, saying that they are going to Binondo to supervise the construction of their own houses. Only a few businesses that have nothing to do with China United Company are stranded in Wangcheng. An Xiaosi, the person in charge of the company, believes that there is no obligation to notify these Fujian merchants who are not friendly with the company.

In the morning, when the warning guns sounded from the port of Manila, Governor Acuna, who was having breakfast, accidentally broke his agate wine glass. Army Commander Don Fernando stumbled and fell from the stairs of his home and injured his left wrist. Santiago When the cannons of the Fort rang out, all the churches in the city of Manila rang their bells at the same time, declaring martial law throughout the city.

The Archbishop of Manila is still the same Father Miguel de Benavidez who instigated the outbreak of the Manila Massacre. He is now even older and darker; he has always hoped to return to the monastery in Madrid to retire. He hates Luzon climate, hated the natives here; but because the Spanish Church was very dissatisfied with his missionary work in Luzon, he was never transferred.

The monk Flores who took the lead in the massacre of Chinese and killed hundreds of Chinese with his own hands is already the vice-bishop of Manila and concurrently the abbot of the Dominican Monastery in Manila. He is counting on Bishop Benavides If he can leave Manila earlier, or go directly to see God, he can take over the position of Father Benavidez. Therefore, the two of them usually dislike each other and are very awkward when they meet, but this morning, the two of them came together. Arrived at the governor's mansion.

The power of the Catholic Church is always a powerful political force in any Spanish colony, and the Governor cannot be neglected.

However, now Governor Akuna has no time to talk to them, and while putting on his armor, he said coldly to the two highest priests in the colony: "The commander of the fleet has confirmed that the enemy escaped from Luzon three years ago." The army composed of physiological people is now a life-and-death crisis for the Philippine colony. I hope that the two of you can mobilize the power of all the Christians to defend Manila. I have no time to say anything. We must put aside all internal contradictions. worst enemy,"

……

When the Spanish army in Manila was mobilizing, the naval battle had already begun.

The Spanish army has never planned to conduct large-scale naval battles in Asia. Even the infantry is mainly set up to suppress the rebellion of the indigenous people in the colonies. The Spanish naval warships in the Philippines are not suitable for the new maritime tactics of line-to-line bombardment at sea. The Maria and San Antonio The ships are all Karak ships, with tall ship buildings and heavy hulls, far inferior to the Chinese Fuchuan; even those fast warships are more suitable for transportation than naval warfare. For Asian countries without ocean-going navies, Spain The fleet is still a deterrent fleet; for the naval warfare fleet of the China United Company, they have long broadened their horizons by learning from the experience of the Portuguese and the Dutch; naval warfare tactics mainly learn from the Dutch, drawing on the Yin Feng brought the experience of the era of sailing warships from later generations.

Therefore, from the very beginning, the battle fleet formed a long row with the main force, forming a half-moon encirclement of the small Spanish fleet.

The Spanish sailing warships lined up in two columns to attack, one line was two tall Carrack-type warships, and the other small warships were in the other line. It seemed that they wanted to use 6 small warships to contain the Chinese warships. Destroy the left flank of the Chinese warship array, and then sweep the entire team.

However, as soon as the war started, the Chinese fleet began to use the maneuverability of the Chinese sailing ships to divide and surround the Spanish fleet. In the northern part of Manila Bay, a large number of warships surrounded the inconvenient Maria and San Antonio. Maneuver, look for an opportunity to fire a shot, like a swarm of gadflies besieging a heavy bull.

Near the mouth of the estuary, the Chinese three-masted sailing ships confronted six small Spanish warships, circling each other.

"Our big ship, why hasn't it come out yet?"

Li Lihua shouted anxiously holding up her binoculars on the running platform of Fort San Diego, and then looked at Yin Feng and the others embarrassedly. Captain Van Layden smiled and said, "Miss Elizabeth, don't worry, our battleship will be on the way soon." going to strike,"

Yin Feng, Zhao Tie, Mai Xiaoliu, An Xiaosi and others were spreading out the map of Manila on the artillery emplacement for discussion. He raised his head indifferently and glanced at the naval battle scene filled with gunpowder smoke and flickering sail shadows , Said lightly: "Naval battles are not a problem. I have never paid attention to this small Spanish fleet. The city of Manila is the most important. The first regiment that landed now has only more than 1000 soldiers. What is the size of the rear troop carrier?" it's time,"

The navy liaison officer reported: "Commander Ye has already sent a boat to the mouth of the bay to meet him, and it is estimated that he will arrive in the afternoon."

At this moment, Yan Siqi, who had been clinging to the flagpole, shouted loudly: "The Flying Dragon has come out, all come out, all three warships have come out,"

As soon as the Feilong and other three huge battleships with a combination of Chinese and Western styles appeared, the fierce stalemate immediately fell to one side. According to Tian Ji's horse racing principle, Ye Hua commanded the three warships to pounce on the six small warships first, taking advantage of the opportunity of the Spaniards in a daze , Bombarded with more than 150 cannons in turn, just two volleys, crippled those poor small sailboats, the masts were broken, the hull was riddled with holes, blood flowed on the deck, and corpses were everywhere.

The three ships of the Feizi gracefully turned a corner outside the estuary, headed for the battlefield where the battleships such as the Maria were entangled, and threw the crippled 6 small Spanish warships that were unable to resist to their companions. A Chinese three-masted sailing ship hurriedly surrounded them and beat the dogs in the water, because the Spaniards had lost the ability to fire guns. The Chinese warships could rush to a very close distance and attack the Spaniards mercilessly with gunpowder barrels, rockets, and small cannons. It was not long before five of the six ships were either burning torches, or sank in pieces, and the last of the Spaniards hoisted the white flag and surrendered.

Yan Siqi shouted from the flagpole of the fort: "Captain, Commander Ye sent a semaphore, do you accept the surrender?"

Yin Feng raised his head from the map and looked at the more smoky sea: "Tell him to bring back one or two officers."

In the gun bay below the upper deck of the Flying Leopard, the young gunner Li Kuiqi was squatting in front of a hot charcoal fire, sweating profusely, stirring a round 6-pound iron bullet in the charcoal brazier.

The gunner directing the bombardment is the instructor of the artillery department of the military academy, an old Dutch mercenary Andre. The boy's butt, said in stiff Chinese: "Boy, are you still okay, the war is about to start,"

Li Kuiqi was kicked on the butt, and almost fell into the brazier. He couldn't help being furious. Looking back, he saw the Dutch artillery instructor who was always strict. your business,"

The Maria and San Antonio wasted a lot of ammunition just now, and they were dizzy by a group of maneuverable Chinese sailing ships. Fortunately, the Spanish warships were tall and could withstand the repeated bombardment of those junk ships. After all, the Gadfly could only harass the stupid cow , the real warship duel is about to begin, the Spanish fleet commander Pizarro discovered the sudden appearance of the three main warships of the Chinese company, and paralyzed the six small warships with violent and intensive artillery fire.

He was stunned for three seconds, and then immediately ordered to turn the rudder, aiming the side of the ship's side at the direction of the three warships of the Feizi, but the other party also followed a zigzag course, approaching from the side of the ship, and pointed the side guns at it. The Spaniards, when the two sides were 1000 paces apart, the Chinese fired.

Shooting at this distance is basically equivalent to shooting the moon, which is meaningless. Pizarro thought it was the Chinese gunners who could not calm down and shot first, but soon found that something was wrong; this was a signal. Boats began to leave the area, concentrating about three miles away, blocking the exit direction of Manila Bay.

Now it is two Spanish Karak-type warships and the new warships of the Chinese company. In terms of the number of cannons, the Chinese have about 150 guns, and the two Spanish warships have 70 artillery pieces; the Chinese occupy an absolute advantage of two to one.

At this time, the follow-up fleet of the huge Chinese company fleet also arrived. Part of the first regiment of the escort, Zhuang Ding's auxiliary soldiers, Taiwanese native soldiers, foreign mercenaries and other people of all colors became the audience of this naval battle. , including the old general Chen Di; he finally couldn't resist the temptation to travel overseas, and came to Manila on a warship-after all, he is a man of temperament.

The cannon began to roar, and the two sides approached to a distance of about one kilometer, and the shells could kill each other. Back then, the famous anti-Japanese general Yu Dayou, Chen Di’s old boss, once said: There is no one else in sea warfare. A big ship wins a small boat, and a big gun wins. Just a small gun.

Although the words are a bit absolute, they are undoubtedly the truth under normal circumstances: as long as the dominant side is not an idiot or a coward, of course, well-trained gunners and fast sailors are also required.

There is almost no suspense in the current battle situation. The Spanish warships are not flexible enough to keep up with the Chinese. Several times they were forced to face the enemy's ship's side with their bows, and they fell into a T-shaped trap with the three Chinese warships many times. Go straight to the dead.

Shells whizzed back and forth, and every battleship was spraying fireworks and projectiles at maximum speed.

"A little left, a little left, okay, light the fire,"

"Damn, one more round, clean the barrel, dry, ok, charge, dammit, loader, are you dreaming, quick, ok, use chain, use chain,"

"Boom," an enemy shell pierced through the hull, overturned several sailors, and flew out through the gun window on the other side.

It was completely invisible in the gun bay. The gunner, loader and others were basically groping for work in the choking smoke. The gunner poked his head into the gun window and shouted loudly: "Uplift the sports car by three points, use chain shot the mast,"

"Careful, the fifth battery on the left has been hit,"

"Drag the wounded out, restore the gun positions, keep firing, don't stop, hurry up,"

"The San Antonio is dead, well, who did it, the shot took her mainmast out,"

When the mainmast of the San Antonio fell, it tore most of the cables, and the canvas all fell apart, and it lay paralyzed on the sea and became a living target.

Li Kuiqi carefully held the brazier and came to the middle gun position, and shouted: "Go away, the incendiary bombs are coming, this time I will fire the cannons."

Li Kuiqi now has the reputation of "little magic gun" and is still the deputy gunner, so the gunners step aside one after another. The old Dutch gunner Andre squeezed over and personally acted as Li Kuiqi's loader.

This kind of "incendiary bomb" is a red-hot iron bullet. In the original historical time and space, it was the first evil thing invented by the British in the 17th century. Now, under the instigation of Yin Feng, it appeared on Chinese warships in advance. This kind of shell loading is risky; because the red-hot shell itself is actually used to ignite the propellant when shooting, the loader will injure himself if he is negligent, and death is also possible.

Andrew carefully held the glowing red shells in a brazier, looked at the Maria which was opposite the muzzle and said, "Remember, according to intelligence, the ammunition depot of the Maria is about two-thirds of the height of the stern. The position must be hit with one bullet, "

As the Flying Leopard's hull moved, Li Kuiqi adjusted the direction of the muzzle holding his breath, and kept using the ruler to measure the distance, calculating the distance silently in his heart, "Okay, let's fire the bomb,"

Andrew quickly poured the cannonball from the muzzle, the fiery red iron bullet rolled down the barrel, ignited the propellant, a flash of red light flashed, a puff of smoke rose from the stern of the Maria, the ship shook, keep going.

"It's a hit, oh, it didn't blow up, keep going! Keep firing," Andrew turned his head to comfort Li Kuiqi: "It was a good shot, but it was just bad luck..." Before the words fell, there was a deafening explosion, and the flames turned red gun bay.

Everyone watched in amazement as the entire stern of the Maria exploded, and the entire ship was disintegrated from the water by a huge explosion. When it fell, only the front half remained. Before everyone had time to catch their breath, half of the Maria exploded. The Ya number immediately tilted and sank to the bottom of the sea.

Among the Spanish sailors on the Maria, including the fleet commander Pizarro, only one survived, and the rest were all buried in the sea.