1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 1640 Thunderbolt
When Simao first arrived in the Far East, he came to Manila twice with a Portuguese merchant ship, and even lived in Manila for a few days.In the entire fleet of this expedition to the west, he is probably the one who is most familiar with the Manila area.It is precisely because of this that Simao will command the two ships sent by Portugal to participate in the war.

However, whenever he had the opportunity, Simao would still prefer to go to the flagship of the Haihan Fleet, communicate with the generals of Haihan face to face, and also observe the operation of the Haihan Navy's combat command system by the way.For Portugal, Haihan's strength in the military field is worthy of study and emulation. Although it is impossible to catch up with Haihan's level in terms of weapons and equipment, at least at the strategic and tactical level, it is possible to narrow the gap through learning.

It is not the first time that Simao has gone out with the Haihan army. In the past few years, he has observed several overseas wars launched by Haihan as a military observer.However, Simao unfortunately missed the Haihan Army's previous two lectures on the battlefield against the Spaniards, and this time when they conquered Manila, Simao naturally did not want to miss any details.He hopes to learn how to deal with the Spanish army from the Haihan people, and then bring these combat experiences back to Europe, and use them on the battlefield of the War of Independence, so that the Spaniards will pay the price for their past expropriation of Portugal.

The Haihan military has no scruples about this enthusiastic Portuguese. The reason why they bring foreign military officers with them every time they perform combat missions overseas is not only to show their strength and serve as a deterrent, but also to save these The country's army followed the idea of ​​​​the Haihan Army.Especially in countries like Portugal, which have unresolved grievances with Spain, teaching them some tactics to deal with the Spaniards is also a means of weakening Spain's strength in disguise.

The name of Corregidor Island comes from Spanish, which means "Magistrate". This small island shaped like a tadpole has an area of ​​about five square kilometers. It is located in the center of the access channel of Manila Bay, and its geographical location is very important.After the Spaniards occupied Manila Bay, they built a signal lighthouse on the island to provide night navigation for ships heading to Manila City from the open sea.As for the nearby Cavallo Island, it has always been an uninhabited island because of its small size and lack of development value.

Although Corregidor Island does not have a good natural harbor, the pier built on the island can provide some basic supply services for passing ships. It can also take shelter from the wind and waves when it is necessary. It can even deploy troops on the island to protect Manila Bay. forward position.In the time and space before the high-ranking officials of Haihan traveled, during World War II, the U.S. military deployed a force of [-] people on Corregidor Island, where they sniped the Japanese for six months.

Of course, it is impossible for the Spaniards of this era to achieve this level of resistance. They neither have so many troops, nor do they dare to deploy a large number of limited troops dozens of miles away from the city of Manila under the condition that they cannot take advantage of the sea. An isolated island in the sea.Otherwise, once the sea lanes are cut off by the Haihan Navy, the troops deployed on the island will immediately become a dead move.

But no matter how many people the Spaniards deployed on the island, the Haihan army must clean up the place before they dare to enter Manila Bay with confidence.However, Corregidor Island only has a simple pier built in a small bay in the north of the island that is suitable for ships to dock. With the huge size of the Haihan Fleet of more than a hundred ships, it is obvious that they cannot all be squeezed into that place.And even if Corregidor Island is occupied, with the existing dock conditions, even ten ships cannot stop, and it is not suitable for use as a forward base.

In this regard, the Haihan military has prepared two sets of action plans. One is to use the Mariveles Bay on the coast of the Bataan Peninsula in the northwest of Corregidor Island as its forward base. This bay is only five miles away from Corregidor Island. Around the sea, it is a good natural harbor. The conditions are much better than the simple pier in Corregidor Island. The only trouble is that there is also a lack of large-scale port facilities. If there is no construction and transformation, it will only be like Subic Bay. The same as a temporary parking spot.It is not a big problem to use it for three to five days, but it is not suitable for the main base.

Another option is to directly attack Cavite, [-] nautical miles west of Corregidor Island, where the port facilities are complete and can be used as a ready-made naval base.However, according to intelligence, the Spaniards not only stationed a group of warships there, but also had newly built fortifications near the coast. Fighting in such an unfamiliar area, even the Haihan army was not sure that they could break through the opponent's defense line in one fell swoop. There will definitely be certain risks.

The Haihan army carefully dispatched a few ships to clean up the waters around Corregidor Island. After confirming that there were no Spanish ships within a radius of ten nautical miles, Tom Wang ordered the Marine Corps to report to Corregidor Island. Landing operations on Recidor Island.But at this time, the warning fireworks signal had already been lit on the island, and the thick black smoke column shot straight into the sky, which could be seen dozens of nautical miles away.The Haihan army was not surprised by this. The opponent's deployment of manpower on the island was of course to serve as an early warning. Unless special forces were sent to the island in the middle of the night to kill all the people, it was unlikely to be able to prevent the opponent from releasing Warning sign.

Half an hour later, news from the frontline came from the island. The Spaniards had not deployed an organized army on the island, and the cautious landing of the Marine Corps had not encountered decent resistance.The four warships that were transferred to the shore to cover the landing of the infantry really became spectators. From the beginning to the end, they watched the troop carrier approach the shore without firing a single shot, and then the infantry landed smoothly and completed the assembly.

This unhindered start made the generals a little surprised. They originally thought that they would encounter at least some symbolic resistance on Corregidor Island, and maybe they would encounter the Spanish fleet.But in fact nothing happened. Shortly after the marines landed, the residents of the island took the initiative to stand up and surrender.There are no Spaniards on the island, only more than 200 local Filipinos who were placed on the island by the Manila authorities. These people are usually responsible for managing the lighthouse and supplies on the island, and no one cares about their lives during wartime.And their loyalty to the Spaniards is only limited to when their own safety is guaranteed.

The Spanish-speaking Portuguese immediately interrogated the captives on the island, but did not obtain any valuable information. It seemed that the Spaniards were well aware of the virtues of these natives, so they did not ask them anything about the battle plan. disclosed.After asking and asking, I only asked about the mysterious disappearance of the Spanish sailing ship "Martin" in the waters near here a day or two ago.This in itself was the work of the Haihan army, and of course there was no need to ask any more news from these prisoners.However, according to their confession, the news of the disappearance of the "Martin" has been sent to Krabi for reporting, and it is time to prepare for going there.

"Leave a platoon of the army on the island, and the fleet will continue to move forward. Let's go to Cavite!"

Since Corregidor Island was settled without any effort, Yan Chujie didn't want the army to stay nearby, so he immediately ordered to continue marching.For the Haihan Army, which has limited combat supplies, every minute is very precious. Getting to the city of Manila earlier will give the operation a little more time limit.The Haihan army only stayed here for two hours on Corregidor Island, and then set off again to march into Manila Bay.

Before the Haihan army landed, the Cavite side had already seen the smoke column rising from the southwest.According to the agreed signal, Juan knew that this should be the signal for the arrival of Haihan's army.He didn't expect Corregidor Island to delay Haihan for too long, so he immediately ordered his own fleet to assemble and set off, and he himself boarded the flagship "San Diego", and he wanted to personally command this very important battle for Spain. fighting.

Now that the Haihan Fleet has arrived in Manila Bay, it doesn't matter where the missing "Martin" went. As for the personnel stationed on Corregidor Island, they are not Spaniards anyway, so they are not in Juan. within the scope of consideration.If the Haihan people were to slaughter all the people on the island, it would be bad luck for them.

However, Juan does not plan to have a head-on confrontation with the Haihan fleet at sea. No matter whether the opponent is going to attack Cavite or go directly to Manila Port, he intends to watch from the sidelines first, and then lead the fleet when the opponent is ready to land. Come out from behind to catch him off guard.

Of course, this attack is only relative. In terms of visibility at sea, the fleet will be observed by the opponent at a distance of about ten nautical miles, and this distance is enough for the slowest warship to prepare for the battle.But this is already the safest way Juan can figure out. After all, the Haihan fleet has traveled a long distance, and there must be many supply ships and troop carriers in the formation, and these auxiliary ships are the targets that Juan really wants to attack.As long as the supplies of the Haihan army can be destroyed and the army severely damaged, the opponent can naturally be forced to retreat by itself.

Therefore, after the fleet led by Juan left the port of Cavite, it did not go directly to the southwest to meet the opponent, but first made a large circle to the north to completely vacate the waterway leading to Cavite and Manila.Of course, he did not forget to send a fast ship to send the warning of the Haihan fleet's attack to Manila City.

Although the lineup of this Manila fleet is not a real navy, and there are even some improvised armed merchant ships in it, Spain in this era is also a maritime power with colonies all over the world, even if it is Juan's motley army, operating at sea During the period, they were able to maintain a good formation and looked good.It's a pity that Juan's time to prepare for the battle is too short. If it takes more than half a year, no, even three months, he can make this miscellaneous fleet completely reborn, and its combat effectiveness will achieve a qualitative leap.

But now, Juan can only hope that he can maintain such a neat formation later in the fight, no matter what the result of winning or losing, at least he can show a calm and calm in front of the opponent, so as to maintain the dignity of the Spanish Empire.

Three hours later, the Haihan Navy had arrived at Cavite, and there was almost no sail on the way, and there was no sign of the Spanish sailing ship at all.Because it was too calm, Qian Tiandun even went back to the cabin to sleep.His troops are best at fighting in the mountains and forests, and amphibious landing warfare has always been the strength of Wang Tom's marine team. The combat mission in Cavite obviously has nothing to do with the special warfare battalion.

But Tom Wang was thinking more at this time. The Haihan fleet had entered Manila Bay for more than three hours, but the Spanish fleet had never appeared. Where are they?What are they going to do?He would not naively think that the Spaniards hid because they were afraid of the war. This must be some kind of arrangement by the opponent.

He had already discussed this issue with Yan Chujie before, thinking that the Spanish fleet should be waiting for a better opportunity to attack. As for what tricks the opponent would come up with, Tom Wang already had some guesses.The opponent's fleet will definitely not stay away from Cavite and Manila City, and actively avoid the opportunity of a direct confrontation, then it can only want to make small moves behind the scenes.There are many non-combat ships in the Haihan fleet, which is probably the most suitable for attacking Haihan.

In the case of a huge disparity in the combat effectiveness of the two sides, for the weaker side, any calculations are actually futile.Haihan is now taking the path of using force to overcome ingenuity. No matter what plans you have, what conspiracy, I will go all the way and occupy all the places that should be occupied.As for whether the Spanish fleet will suddenly jump out from behind, Wang Tom has to make corresponding arrangements before launching an offensive against Cavite.

On the afternoon of January [-], the Haihan Fleet rushed straight to the port of Cavite without making any adjustments after entering Manila Bay.The Haihan Fleet led by three Majestic-class warships lined up in a long formation, using sideboard guns to baptize the coastal fortifications on the coast with a round of artillery fire.Although the Spaniards had expected the firepower of the Haihan Fleet, the intensity of this round of artillery fire was far beyond their expectations. Many defense lines built with bricks and stones were bombarded to the point of collapse. The counterattack was extremely limited, and they were often attacked by Haihan warships after firing a round.

It wasn't until the sound of the guns spread across the sea that Juan in the distance was convinced that the Haihan people didn't seem to consider his fleet at all, but started attacking Jiami Tei regardless.He knew that the hundreds of people in the port of Cavite could not last for too long, so he quickly ordered the fleet to go south to outflank the retreat of the Haihai Han people.

It's a pity that the back road is not so easy to copy. Tom Wang deployed Haihan Navy's new ace "Black Shark" in this direction, and there are four other Exploration-class warships to cooperate with the "Black Shark" operation.Although there were only five warships, after seeing the appearance of the Spanish fleet, this squadron launched an attack without hesitation.

(End of this chapter)