I

  Chapter 498 495【Combine Manila Bay】

  A colonial history is a history of war.

  Spain occupies Manila, and the Netherlands occupies Batavia. They are all played out again and again.

  From the early years of Wanli to Chongzhen's accession to the throne, not only the aborigines in northern Luzon rose up to rebel, but also the aborigines in the southern Philippine Islands also broke out in uprising in full swing. The Filipino Chinese participated in almost the whole process, because their tax payable was much higher than that of the local aborigines!

  Every time an uprising is faced, if the scale is too large, Spain’s response method is to indent Manila’s defense.

  Try to procrastinate until the internal conflicts among the rebels are triggered, and during this period, they also actively send envoys to provoke. Anyway, the origin of the rebel army is varied, and opportunities will definitely be found, and there will definitely be betrayers. Even the leaders of the rebel army turned against each other directly, because there were a lot of leaders.

  Wait until the insurgents fight among themselves or withdraw their troops, Spain will take the opportunity to launch a counterattack, **** suppression and massacre of the rebels.

  It was the same this time, the Philippine Governor stood still and even took back the fleet, determined to defend the city of Manila.

   "Commander, a letter from the Dutch!"

  Wang Hui led troops to successfully capture Turtle Shell City, and the navy led by Zheng Zhilong also moved over and used it as a military base.

  Fuzhou, Zhuluo (Taiwan), Hawksbill (Luzon), the three major logistics centers are connected in a line, and a large number of maritime merchants are transferring materials to prepare for the next long-term siege.

  Tortoisebill City used to be the royal city of a small country, which was abandoned for more than a hundred years, and later became a Chinese town, which was slaughtered by the Philippines twice.

  Zheng Zhilong opened the letter, but it was from Peter, the Dutch commander.

   "How?" Wang Hui asked.

Zheng Zhilong handed over the letter: "The Netherlands is attacking Cebu. There are only about 100 Spanish defenders in the castle, but there are at least 2,000 indigenous soldiers assisting in the defense. Many indigenous people on Cebu Island are also resisting Spain, about 800 or so. The Kirishima natives helped Holland fight the war."

  Wang Hui laughed and said, "It's just that we are honest and dispatched 3,500 soldiers. Spain and the Netherlands have only a few hundred soldiers, but they are pulling tens of thousands of natives to fight."

   "Has the area around Tortoiseshell City been cleaned up?" Zheng Zhilong asked.

  Wang Hui replied: "The aborigines who participated in the massacre of the Han people have been completely wiped out. All men, women, old and children were killed. A total of more than 1,300 people were killed."

  The Datong army killed all men, women, old and children around the city of Tortoiseshell, don't you think it's too cruel?

  A few months ago, even indigenous children carried sticks and followed their elders to massacre Chinese. The same is true for old people and women. There are almost no innocent people, and those who can walk are murderers!

Wang Hui added: "The aborigines in the mountains are all tribes close to the Chinese. I heard from those sea merchants that the pirate Lin Feng hid in the mountains after his defeat and was accepted by the aborigines in the mountains. Many Fujian remnants , married and had children with the aborigines in the mountains, and taught the headhunters in the mountains to farm and weave. This time, hundreds of Han people fled into the mountains and were protected by the headhunters. I have sent troops to pick them up from the mountains.”

  Zheng Zhilong couldn't help sighing: "The headhunters who drink blood and kill for pleasure are actually close to the Han people and even protect the Han people. Who will believe this?"

   Two days later, the expeditionary force missionary official Guike brought the surviving Han Chinese and headhunters to Tortoiseshell City.

  The surviving Han people here are only more than 300, all of them are dressed in rags, and some even wear aboriginal fur clothes. When they saw Zheng Zhilong and Wang Hui, they immediately knelt down collectively, and then wailed and begged for revenge.

  Fang Guike replied: "Marshal Zheng, General Wang, and the Han people who hid in the mountains successfully brought back 317 people. There are also 285 indigenous warriors who are willing to fight with us."

  Wang Hui nodded and smiled: "Thank you."

Fang Guike also said: "Some headhunters in the mountains are also reasonable. For example, the headhunters here are very good. As long as the headhunters are willing to communicate, I think they can be educated, and we can't just treat them as savages. This is the case in Luzon, and in Taiwan. The same is true, we should try to educate those headhunters."

   "This matter, your Majesty." Wang Hui was noncommittal.

  Zheng Zhilong said: "Everything is ready, let's march to Manila."

  …

   There are Spanish villages and towns along the coast, but the Datong Army is too lazy to attack them.

  In these Spanish villages and towns, the number of Spaniards is actually very small. Just some planters, the chiefs of the villages and towns must be missionaries, and every missionary must be a big landowner!

  Spain's Philippine colony is also dubbed the "Church Empire".

   There are no local officials, a missionary manages a piece. The archbishop of Manila can even impeach the governor and act as the governor's affairs when the governor is absent.

   Hawksbill City is near Dagupan, less than 200 kilometers away from Manila.

  But one is located in Lingayen Bay, and the other is located in Manila Bay. You have to go around slowly by sea, because there are many mountains and forests on land, and it is difficult to pass.

  Before the Chinese fleet sailed into Manila Bay, Corregidor Island had already ignited the flames of war.

   Corregidor Island is located at the throat of Manila Bay, where there are lighthouses, beacon towers, forts and castles.

   "Order to bombard the fort!" Zheng Zhilong said.

  48 Datong naval warships lined up and bombarded the forts on the island.

  At the same time, the small boat was lowered from the ship, and under the cover of the firepower of the battleship, the expeditionary soldiers rowed the small boat and tried to land and fight.

  Under the pouring of artillery fire, the Spanish defenders quickly abandoned the shore forts, and all retreated to the small castle on the island. It was the kind of low bastion again, it was difficult for artillery to hit, and the army could only slowly capture it.

   There are also turrets in the castle, more than a dozen city defense guns, firing continuously at the landing troops.

  Wang Hui, who led the troops to land, had a headache. In just over ten minutes, two people from the Datong Army were bombarded to death, and more than 30 people from the indigenous army were bombarded to death. This has just landed, and the attack on the castle has not yet begun.

  Before the expedition, Wang Hui received special training, mainly learning how to attack European castles.

  Three words: dig a tunnel!

  3,500 Datong troops and nearly 10,000 indigenous troops were temporarily transferred to digging trenches.

  They took out the hoes and shovels they had prepared a long time ago, and faced the shells fired by the castle, they first dug a trench to hide in. After digging this defensive trench, they suffered another loss, and more than 60 people were killed by the castle artillery.

   "Damn it, after the castle was taken down, all the red-haired ghosts inside were killed!"

  Lin Ruyi was cursing and doing soil work. He was a soldier in the first year of the Republic of China. As a result of three years of elementary school and a new type of education, he was promoted very quickly, and he was promoted to the head of the sentry (commanding one hundred soldiers) in less than two years.

   This guy is digging trenches with the soldiers. After the outer defensive trenches are dug, they dig diagonally towards the castle, using a "Z"-shaped trench to approach the castle bit by bit.

   "Mr. Whistle, we can't dig ahead." The soldier began to complain.

  Lin Ruyi said: "Dig slowly if you can't dig."

  There is a sandy beach by the sea, and the digging speed is very fast, but the stones are encountered before digging far.

  In a whole day, the trenches only advanced more than 20 meters.

  The Spaniards in the castle were also very helpless. Since the Chinese soldiers hid in the trenches, it would be a waste of gunpowder for them to fire again.

   "Where did the red-haired ghost's warship go?"

  Zheng Zhilong stood in the captain's cabin of the flagship and looked around with binoculars, but found no sign of the Spanish fleet.

  A big battle, boring, from beginning to end is digging.

  After digging for four days in a row, the Dutch fleet came, as did the Sulu and Brunei fleets. The armies of several countries gathered in Manila Bay, but they still did not see the Spanish fleet.

  Peter, the commander of the Dutch army, came to Zheng Zhilong's flagship in a small boat.

   "Meet you again, Zheng." Peter greeted with a smile, and he seemed to be an old acquaintance.

  Zheng Zhilong asked: "How about the south?"

  Peter said: "Zamboanga has been captured, and Cebu has not yet been captured. I left 50 soldiers and brought 3,000 indigenous people to continue to besiege the castle in Cebu."

  Zamboanga is in the west of Mindanao, which was once the territory of the Sulu Kingdom. Nine years ago, Spain sent troops to attack Sulu, looted Zamboanga, burned the city, and then occupied and rebuilt it.

  There are only so many Spanish colonists, and as they continue to expand, they must be stationed separately.

  There are 200 garrisons in places with many places, and 50 in places with few places, which quickly dilutes the strength of Manila. Today, the number of Spanish defenders in Manila is less than 300.

   Even if Manila cannot be captured, as long as it can gain a firm foothold in Zamboanga, the Dutch East India Company will also make money, because Zamboanga is an important port in the southern Philippines!

  The two chatted for a while, and Peter said, "I'm going to help my Chinese friends attack the castle."

   This guy left after finishing speaking, landed in a small boat, hid in a trench and joined the Datong army.

  He said he was here to help, but after Peter entered the trench, he focused on observing the Datong Army. Seeing the equipment of the Datong Army and asking that there were 3,500 people coming, Peter was a little nervous.

  The two parties have not negotiated a spoils sharing agreement, and it is unknown who owns Manila.

  But Peter only led 800 troops to the expedition, and left 50 in Cebu Island. How did he win 3,500 Datong troops?

  Peter took out a pen and paper on the spot, wrote a letter to Governor Batavia, and then sent someone back by boat immediately. The content is very simple: the Dutch Army cannot fight the Chinese Army. If you want to rob Manila, you must block it with warships for a long time.

  In fact, Governor Batavia also has its own bottom line for negotiations.

   That is, the entire island of Luzon was given to China, and the Netherlands occupied the southern islands of the Philippines: Mindanao, Cebu, etc.

  As long as the Netherlands occupies those islands, it is tantamount to controlling the northern spice waterway and the necessary place from America to Southeast Asia.

  On the eighth day of trenching, a warship came from the south.

   "Sir, the Spanish fleet is in the south and attacked our fleet and army in Cebu Island! Four warships have been lost, and the army... has been disintegrated!"

  It doesn’t matter if the army collapses, anyway, only 50 people are left, and the lives of thousands of native soldiers are none of the business of the Dutch colonists?

   It was the loss of four warships, which made the Dutch very distressed.

  When the Spanish fleet came in mighty force, both Zheng Zhilong and Peter understood what was going on.

  The Pacific route has resumed, and the Spanish galleons in America are back!

   There are six Spanish galleons, with the largest displacement of 1,200 tons and the smallest displacement of 500 tons. In addition, there are 16 small warships and armed merchant ships.

  Naval battles are about to break out, and 500-ton warships can deal with them, but larger warships are completely blind.

  Whether it is the Dutch Navy or the Chinese Navy, there is nothing they can do about this kind of sailing ship!

  (end of this chapter)