Volume 3: Confrontation! The Run of Civilization Chapter 486 Reinforcements are on the way
After Chen Xiaotian said this, everyone present fell silent: After Zhu Youdong's repeated propaganda and education over the years, everyone's thinking has gradually changed - every Han Chinese is valuable. This is a new concept that has gradually been established in everyone's mind in recent years.
But after this new concept was put forward, all the generals attending the meeting felt a headache when faced with nearly 20,000 "hostages".
"Everyone." Sun Chuanting stood up. "Because of this matter, I wrote to the Ministry of Rites a few days ago. After the Ministry of Rites agreed, I have sent officials from Taiwan Prefecture to Manila to warn the Spaniards there. The general meaning is that the war between the two countries is a military matter and has nothing to do with ordinary people. If the Westerners dare to massacre the Han people living in Manila in this war, then my Ming Dynasty will not win. If we win, we will definitely kill all the Westerners in Manila. Of course, we also promise to take the initiative to enter the Han Chinese-populated areas of Manila to carry out propaganda. When the war breaks out, the Han people there don't have to act as internal support for my Ming Dynasty, and they can just stay at home quietly..."
"Yes." The generals present nodded with relief: "Grandmaster Sun did a good job."
"Okay." Cao Wenzhao stood up and said, "Let's stop here for now. Captain Chen, please continue ."
"Yes." Chen Xiaotian asked two small flags in the venue to come over and take down the first map of Taiwan and Luzon as a whole, and replace it with a map of only Manila Bay.
"Everyone, based on the Jinyiwei's early intelligence and recent adventurous exploration, we can now confirm that the Spaniards on Luzon Island have realized that their troops are insufficient, so they have given up defending the entrance to Manila Bay. All the fighting forces are concentrated in Manila. This city has been completely fortified. The city wall facing the sea is seven meters high and is all newly poured with reinforced concrete . The density of cannons on the fortress is very high. I'm sorry that we are unable to investigate and have not obtained an accurate number. But from a distance, there will be no less than fifty. On the north and south sides of this fortress, the Westerners have dug long trenches in advance. The trenches are connected to the city. It is very convenient to send troops from the city to enter the trenches for defense or to inject kerosene into the trenches. As for the east side of this fortress, there are large tracts of rice fields and orchards, which used to be the settlement area of local Han people. But now all the Han people in these places have been forced to move to the fortress to live, and these places have also been dug trenches by the Westerners...
As for the Western fleet, we confirmed in April that it was all anchored in Manila Bay. But in the latest investigation in late July this year, we have lost the trace of the enemy fleet... Ladies and gentlemen, the above is the relevant enemy information obtained by Jinyiwei. "
"Thank you, Captain Chen." Cao Wenzhao said, "Now, please allow General Liu Zhaosun to introduce our army's troop deployment for this battle."
Liu Zhaosun bowed to Cao Wenzhao and stood up. "Thanks to the emperor's approval, the Privy Council has coordinated with many parties. For this expedition to Luzon, our Ming Dynasty has mobilized the first, second, fifth, sixth, eighth, and eleventh divisions, as well as the Marine Corps. A total of 93,000 people. In addition to the army and the Marine Corps, the navy has deployed a total of one ironclad ship, 40 first-class warships, 60 second-class warships, and more than 500 transport ships of various types. The navy has also deployed more than 40,000 soldiers of various types on more than 600 ships. It can be said that even if the sailors on the Western fleet are estimated to be 10,000, and the newly formed Western army is included, our army is still 133,000 to 35,000 in this battle. In terms of manpower, our army has an absolute advantage."
Although they said so, the generals attending the meeting were not at ease at all: such a fortress was already difficult to attack. It also involved the lives of more than 20,000 compatriots in the city, not to mention that our side had set out from Taiwan and had traveled a long distance.
"Everyone." After Liu Zhaosun sat down, Cao Wenzhao stood up and said, "The straight-line distance from Taipei Port to Manila is more than a thousand kilometers. If all our troops are mobilized, with the transport ship's speed of three to five knots, it will probably take more than ten days on the road. Therefore, the first point of this battle is that we must first find a place to land on Luzon Island, put all the army and supplies there, and then we can talk about the issue of siege."
"Commander, your advice is correct."
"Of course, the landing site must be as close to the Manila Fortress as possible. Because the road conditions on this island of Luzon are very bad. It can be said that many places are primitive forests. There are no roads at all, and it is completely impossible to support our artillery. So..." Cao Wenzhao also walked to the map and raised his baton: "After consultation with the two fleet commanders Li Guozhu and Yan Siqi of the Navy, we plan to set the landing site in two places, the tidal flats five kilometers north and south of the Manila Fortress respectively. These two tidal flats have no names at present, and I will temporarily name them Zhengtan and Hetan. At that time, Zhaosun and I will lead three divisions each and land in the north and south respectively. After that, we will advance from the north and south to besiege Manila."
"Zhengtan, Hetan? What great names! Ambassador Zheng during the reign of Emperor Chengzu arrived in Luzon much earlier than these Spaniards."
"Yes." After nodding gently, Cao Wenzhao continued, "It is now August 5th. According to the sea conditions recorded by the navy stationed in Nanyang over the years, the wind and waves in Nanyang will gradually decrease after September. Therefore, after I asked for permission, the emperor has allowed us to set out on September 10th of this year based on the sea conditions. Everyone should perform their duties in this month. In addition to completing daily training, those who lead troops should mainly take the soldiers to the transport ships to shake around and vomit. Especially your 11th Division, Anyuan Hou, 70% of which are new recruits. I heard that after you were established in Beijing, many soldiers vomited and wanted to desert on the way south... You should go on board more ships to practice."
"Yes, I will obey your command."
"Well, in addition to the commanders, the officers in charge of logistics in each division have the heaviest tasks. Although our navy can certainly defeat the Western fleet currently stationed in Luzon , it is true that you can't guard against thieves for a thousand days. Therefore, for this batch of landings, ammunition, food, medicine, etc. must be prepared for at least two months. The officers of each baggage camp can now organize people to start loading things onto the cargo ships."
"Yes, I will obey your command."
"Okay, that's all for today's discussion. Let's adjourn the meeting."
…
When the military meeting organized by Cao Wenzhao was held in Taipei, the Spanish fleet, which had set out from the mainland, had already arrived at the southern tip of the African continent.
"Your Excellency, we have sighted the Cape of Good Hope."
“Maldita Sea! How many people have been misled by this name! In my opinion, its former name, Cape of Storms, best reflects its essence.”
After all, Luzon was a colony that Spain had operated for many years and was the core of Spain's layout in the Far East. Therefore, although he knew it was impossible, Philip still invested heavily: this support fleet had a total of two ironclad ships, thirty 1,200-ton warships, thirty 600-ton warships, and more than one hundred transport ships.
The huge transport fleet ensured the fleet's supplies, but it also seriously slowed down the fleet's speed. They set out in mid-June, and almost two months later, they had just arrived at the Cape of Good Hope.
The Cape of Good Hope is actually famous for its many storms. The level 7 storms that the Spanish fleet encountered today, with waves no more than three to five meters high, are basically considered mild.
"Has the Casti's engine been repaired?"
"Not yet. We can only move forward by sail. The speed is only three knots."
"Maldita Sea! Where's the Aragon?"
"There are no major problems yet, except that there are more and more barnacles on the bottom of the boat, and the speed has dropped to nine knots."
"I..." The Duke of Alva of this generation was a middle-aged man in his forties. He was originally known for his gentle manners, elegance and courtesy. In the early years, it was common for him to travel back and forth between America and the Spanish mainland with a large fleet. But now, because the two ironclad ships accompanying him kept having problems along the way, the Duke had long lost all his grace and etiquette.
"Where is the nearest port to us now?"
"Sir, after crossing the Cape of Good Hope, turn north for 20 kilometers and you will find Mitchell, a colony that the British have just opened up. There is a port and the simplest dock there."
"...Okay, give the whole fleet an order to head north. We'll go to the British to rest for a while and take the ship into the dock. At least we need to scrape the bottom of the ship."
"Sir, our time?"
"Idiot! If we don't take good care of the Casti, it will continue to slow us down along the way. It will seem like we are rushing all the way, but in fact, we are extremely slow!"
"Understood, sir. I will follow your orders."
