1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 204 Attack on Luzon: Manila's Response
"Your Excellency, we have confirmed with certainty that the Zamboanga Fortress has been breached by the Dutch." Colonel Rolscheit, Commander of the Spanish Navy in the Philippines, reported to Governor Sebastian Coquera sadly, "The enemy came from Depart from Hele Island and arrive at Zamboanga the next day, and Zamboanga fell in the afternoon of the same day. All the military and political officials and soldiers in the city were captured by the enemy.”

"Zamboanga didn't hold on for even a day?" Governor Sebastian Coquera was very shocked. Although the Zamboanga fortress is not as strong and solid as Manila's year-round operation, it is impossible to be destroyed by the Dutch for half a day. , it was broken.

"Yes. The Zamboanga Fortress did not last even a day." Colonel Rollscheidt said: "Also, we received a request for help from the Holy Name Jesus City (Cebu) yesterday. Assault on our important city."

"Wouldn't the defense of Holy Name Jesus City be like that of Zamboanga?" Governor Sebastian Coquera asked with a gloomy face.

"Oh, probably not." Colonel Rollscheidt said, "Holy Name Jesus City is the first place we landed and colonized. The city is as strong as Manila, and there are more than 50 battle-hardened soldiers in the city Musketeers, more than 300 native servants, the enemy will not easily break through."

"Do we need to go to the rescue?" Governor Sebastian Coquera breathed a sigh of relief. If the city of the Holy Name Jesus was breached by the Dutch again, the Spaniards would suffer a great loss.In addition to more than 300 soldiers, there were four to five hundred colonial officials and civilians in the city, and even some baptized local tribal leaders, all of whom were the Lord's people.Damned Dutch merchants!
"Your Excellency, I don't think... we can go to the rescue!" Colonel Rollscheidt said: "The Dutch don't directly attack Manila because they are afraid of our strong defense here. If we rashly send ships and personnel to rescue St. I do not think it wise to call the city of Jesus, the Dutch obviously intending to lure our fleet out and engage us in a decisive battle."

"Is your navy not sure about defeating the Dutch?"

"Your Excellency, we... We only suffered one... setback three months ago. At present, we still temporarily preserve our strength." Colonel Rolscheid pointed out implicitly that a few months ago, almost the entire army of the expedition fleet Annihilation, the current naval strength is not enough to engage in a decisive battle with the enemy.

"I remember that the Cavite shipyard has built two warships in the past three months. Is our navy still insufficient?" Governor Sebastian Coquera asked.

"Governor, we don't have so many sailors to replenish at the moment." Colonel Rohrscheit explained.

"..." Governor Sebastian Coquera was silent. He eagerly began to think in his mind how to restore the strength of the Philippine Navy fleet in a faster time. Otherwise, the Dutch could blockade the Philippines with impunity.

"Colonel Scheit, although our naval strength is obviously insufficient, we cannot blindly hide under the protection of the coastal defense batteries in Manila Bay as we are doing now. We must have an active offensive spirit, not the current retreat. Avoid the war. I think your navy must have a way to thwart the Dutch attack." Governor Sebastian Coqueira looked into Colonel Rorscheid's eyes and said.

"Active offensive spirit?" Colonel Rohrscheit carefully chewed on what the governor said, relying on the only six remaining warships in the Philippines and the two new warships that have not formed combat effectiveness to fight against the enemy's fifteen armed merchant ships to fight.To tell the truth, Colonel Scheit was not sure that he could win the battle.

Seeing Colonel Rolscheit lost in thought, Governor Sebastian Coquera couldn't help shaking his head. The Philippine colonial army bullied the natives so easily that they didn't know how to deal with the enemy in the face of difficult adversity.

"Colonel Onato, do you have any good suggestions?" Governor Sebastian Coquera turned to Colonel Polzionato, the commander of the army.

"..." Colonel Polzionato shook his head in embarrassment, "I'm very sorry, Mr. Governor, I don't have any good suggestions for the time being."

Governor Sebastian Coquera's face suddenly became a little ugly. He is really a bunch of muscle-minded idiots!

"Governor, can we think of a way to separate the fleet gathered by the Dutch?" Camille Franco, the judge of the Manila court, suddenly said.

"Huh?" Governor Sebastian Coquera turned his head to look at Justice Camille Franco, with a strange look on his face, "Dear Franco, tell me your constructive thoughts."

Justice Camille Franco nodded to the commanders of the Philippine Army and Navy, and then said to Governor Sebastián Coquera: "The Dutch have gathered fifteen armed merchant ships, but we are currently There are only six warships, and if we fight rashly, we may fall into their siege. However, if we set a trap, we can separate their fleet. Will we be able to destroy them individually?"

Colonel Rolscheid's eyes lit up when he heard it. Yes, if it is one-on-one, the armed merchant ships of the Dutch with small tonnage and few artillery are not opponents of Spanish warships at all.As long as they are separated, even if there are slightly more ships than their own fleet, the Spanish fleet is confident that they will be sunk into the sea.It's funny to myself, but I always think about how to increase the strength of the fleet in my hand to the same level as the Dutch before preparing for a decisive battle.

"Colonel Scheit, what is the suggestion of our Justice Franco? Do you think it is possible to implement it?" Governor Sebastián Coquera asked.

"Thank you very much for the suggestion of our Justice Franco!" Colonel Rorscheit smiled and nodded at Justice Camille Franco, and then confidently said to Governor Sebastian Coquera: " I now have a very good plan to implement this strategy. However, we will have some sacrifices. Governor!"

"In war, there are always sacrifices!" said Governor Sebastián Coquera, "but in order to defend our Spanish colonies, and to repel those evil Dutch merchants, I think that a little sacrifice, It's all worth it. Now, perfect your plan and defeat our enemies!"

"Colonel Onato, from now until we defeat the Dutch, all ships in the Manila port are not allowed to leave. If there are new ships, the same applies. Also, for some merchant ships from the Ming Dynasty, tax officials can be allowed Confiscate their goods at half price with the army and use them as war materials." Governor Sebastian Coquera ordered

"Obey, Governor!" Colonel Polzionato couldn't help but feel a little excited when he heard the governor's order. It was time to boost the morale of the soldiers in the army.As for the half-price compulsory expropriation of goods from Ming merchant ships, they didn't think so at all.They don't have to worry about the fierce resistance of the merchants of the Ming Dynasty, let alone worry that the merchants of the Ming Dynasty will not come again in the future.

The huge Ming country produced countless goods, so there will always be many businessmen willing to come to the Philippines to exchange for our silver.Businessmen, don’t they all have to take some risks to earn gold and silver?It's just a half-price collection of some goods. This time, they will suffer a little loss. Maybe next time, they will bring more goods.
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Qu Shaorong still mixed in with the servants of the Ming Dynasty recruited by Spain, thinking that they would be assigned to the outer city of Manila as defensive soldiers.He was in the Spanish barracks with several hundred Ming servants, and he only trained roughly for two weeks.Then, each sent a two-meter-long wooden spear, followed a group of Spanish musketeers, and marched southward for more than 20 miles, and came near a fort on the shore.

The fortress is more than 500 meters away from the shore. It guards a huge shipyard next to it. There are many forts on the side of the pier and on the hillsides on both sides. A rough count shows that there are [-] artillery pieces, staring at the sea outside. .

Qu Shaorong and his team of more than 200 Ming servants stationed in a camp outside the fort.It can be seen that once the enemy is encountered here, their group of Ming servants will be the first wave of cannon fodder to counter the enemy's landing.

Every day, Spanish officers would come over to conduct some necessary military training for their group of servants, army formations, formations, spear thrusts, charges... As for retreat and roundabout attacks, there was no need at all.Their purpose is to delay and consume the enemy's possible landing operations.

One day a month later, the Spanish officers gathered them together suddenly, then went to the pier, and began to board two newly built warships.

"Where are we going?" Qu Shaorong asked his companion in a low voice.

"I don't know." The Ming man shook his head, "I guess they want to send us to a stronghold in Spain. I heard that the Dutch red-haired ghosts came and took over the Spaniards' land."

"I think these two ships seem to be newly built warships. They won't go out to fight the Dutch fleet."

"No, these two ships have only been built for less than a month, and there is no sea trial. At most, they are used as transport ships to send us to an island in Luzon."

"Can't a new ship go to war?"

"Of course not." The Ming man seemed to be very knowledgeable about ships. "Newly built warships need at least two or three months of sea trials to see if there are any problems on board. They may have to go to the shipyard for modification four or five times before and after."

"Oh." Qu Shaorong looked at this bright man with some admiration, "You really know a lot."

"I have an uncle in this shipyard, listen to what he said."

"Can Ming people also work in this shipyard?"

"Of course, half of the shipwrights are from our Ming Dynasty. Only the big shipwrights and the key process shipwrights are Spaniards."

Qu Shaorong silently remembered this point.Hanzhou lacks shipwrights, especially those who can build large ships.If this is a surprise attack and the shipyard is taken over in one go, then the shipbuilding industry in Hanzhou will inevitably develop by leaps and bounds.

(End of this chapter)