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Chapter 1333 Has a Tail

In addition, the Spanish garrison and mercenaries took a large amount of food with them when they withdrew, and the mob then looted several major granaries and burned them down.

We need to count and verify how much food is left in stock and how many civilians are left as soon as possible so that we can have a clear idea of ​​how to distribute the food. At least, we must ensure that the army and civilians will not starve before the grain transport ships arrive.

It took two and a half days to arrange all these tasks. After transferring part of the authority, Gao Budong personally selected five centurions, boarded the five warships of the navy, and set sail southward.

At this moment, more than 200 kilometers in front of the fleet, there was also a small fleet sailing in the same direction with full sails. Governor de Cabrera and the accompanying bishops and nobles arrived at the mysterious little port a day and a half ago. No, it should be called the mysterious little bay.

There was really no port or dock there, and all you could see was a flat beach and three sailboats floating on the sea. All the people, horses and luggage had to be transported by small boats, which took up most of the day.

Fortunately, we left the city in a hurry, and no one brought too many personal belongings. The largest piece of luggage was the horse, so the lightering process went smoothly. When the sails were slowly raised and the boat gradually accelerated, everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they watched the shore gradually move away.

At the same time, we sincerely thank the viceroy. Although he failed to defend the city and the people's property, he should not be blamed. Outsiders may not know the situation of the Viceroyalty of Peru, but the high-ranking peninsula people must know it well.

It is definitely not the governor or the garrison that caused the disastrous consequences today, but those damn incompetent local bureaucrats and the greedy and arrogant royal family.

Without even understanding the strength of the opponent, Spain hastily engaged in battle, only to be humiliated again and again. Starting with the loss of the Philippines, Spain was defeated repeatedly in its battles with the Ming Empire, but never learned any lessons.

In order to recover the lost profits, he bet his entire fortune on actively organizing the European coalition's eastern expedition, trying to win back all the losses. This is a typical gambler's mentality.

This finally irritated the Ming Empire. They were going to gather 80% of the troops in Europe to launch a massive expedition to invade Asia, right? Well, not only were they not afraid, they also wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine, and they also sent troops to the east, aiming directly at the New World.

The armed forces in the New World were designed entirely for ruling the indigenous people. Even in Europe, they were at the militia level. Facing the aggressive regular army of the Ming Empire, even if God helped them and there were hurricanes and heavy rains every day, they would not be able to hold out for too long.

What's more, the Ming Empire's tactics were very appropriate and targeted. They did not rashly send troops to land in large numbers, but first tried every means to weaken the colonial government's maritime power, while building large ports and warehouses on the Ming Islands.

This process may have lasted for several years, and only when all conditions were met did the army march to the city in a swaggering manner. On the other hand, the colonial government knew it was in danger, but could do nothing.

They didn't know when the enemy would come, nor where to attack. After losing control of the sea and most of the naval forces, all port cities and coastal areas could only fight alone and completely lost the initiative.

The fall of Lima is a living example. Even without mob riots, the few thousand troops in the city could not resist for many days.

In fact, the Ming army did not need to attack by force. They only needed to find a suitable place to land nearby and send troops to sweep all the villages and towns around the city to cut off the food supply in the city. In two months at most, the governor would have to surrender voluntarily or watch cannibalism begin in the city.

The current situation should be considered relatively good. The officials can put the blame for the loss on the mob. The nobles followed the governor and sold a lot of their properties a few months in advance. They did not end up leaving home with nothing, and they all saved their lives and could return to their homeland in dignity.

One was to escape, the other was to make achievements. Both fleets did not delay much and basically maintained a relatively high speed to speed southward. However, the naval warships had obvious advantages in ship type and sailing equipment. Even though they would reduce their speed at night to ensure safety, the two fleets were still slowly approaching each other at a distance of more than 20 kilometers per day. "Ding Ding Ding... Ding Ding Ding..." Wu Bing, who was sleeping soundly, was suddenly awakened by a burst of rapid bells. He opened his eyes and waited for a few seconds to make sure he was not dreaming. He immediately got up, lit the oil lamp, picked up his clothes and began to put on.

"Bang bang bang...Report!"

"Come in!"

"Captain, a light was spotted ahead. It might be a navigation light. The ship is heading due south. Our speed and distance cannot be calculated for now, but it is estimated to be 10 kilometers away." The navigator pushed the door open and reported in a low voice the reason for sounding the alarm.

"If it's a navigation light, how many ships do you think there are?" At this time, Wu Bing was basically dressed and was looking around for a hat.

"Two to four ships. The possibility of sailing in formation cannot be ruled out." The navigator took off his military cap from the coat hook behind the door and handed it over. The answer he gave was still ambiguous.

"Where are we?"

The interval formation was a way for the Ming Navy to avoid exposing its overall strength too early when sailing at night. To put it simply, only a few ships would light up their navigation lights, and the other ships would follow these ships.

The specific operation method will be adjusted according to the actual situation, such as an interval of one or two ships, up to a maximum of three ships. Anything above that is blind navigation, which is the highest level.

But no one can say for sure whether this method was imitated by the European or Spanish fleets. After all, the Ming Navy had lived in peace with ships from various countries in Asian waters for more than 20 years, and anyone with a keen eye could see some clues.

In this sea area, Wu Bing dared to guarantee with his head that there were no ships of the Ming Navy. If it was an exploration ship affiliated with the Naval General Staff, the other party's ship, due to its low height, should have been the first to discover the lights of its own fleet and turn off the navigation lights. They would not be so stupid as to remain indifferent.

But to be on the safe side, Wu Bing did not make an immediate decision to attack. Instead, he planned to first figure out his location and then speculate on the other party's identity and intentions.

“一个小时之前观测校正为南纬19度04分，西经72度11分，距离预设海域还有130公里左右，日出之后1小时抵达。”

The navigator walked straight to the chart table without looking at any records, picked up a compass and protractor, made a mark near the coast with a pencil, and drew the route to the destination as well as the exact distance and time.

"… notify the fleet to deploy horizontally, at intervals of 10 kilometers, and slow down to sail blindly, so as not to deviate from the target navigation lights."

After looking at the sea chart for a few minutes and checking his pocket watch, Wu Bing still could not determine the number, identity and intention of the enemy. So he decided not to take any action and quietly followed behind. There were still more than 6 hours before dawn, so he would talk about it later.

(End of this chapter)