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Chapter 1434 A facade of harmony masking underlying discord (3)
"Mr. Okundo, the Ming army won the naval battle because of its superior shipbuilding, navigation, and casting technologies, not because it was fearless. One of their military regulations clearly states that if one is in an irreversible disadvantage and one's life is seriously threatened, surrendering will not be considered a crime."

When I first saw this regulation, I didn't understand it at all. I thought that with such a regulation, the soldiers would lack fighting spirit and would surrender en masse in times of difficulty.

But it was only after I met a retired Ming Dynasty navy officer in Manila that I truly understood the intent behind the regulation through his explanation.

Before this regulation, surrendering on the battlefield was considered a great disgrace, and even if released, one would face discrimination or even arrest. But the current Ming emperor did not think so. He said that a soldier's destiny was not to die in battle; being a soldier was merely a job, a relatively special job, but still a job.

It is true that defending the country and fighting against foreign enemies is the duty of soldiers, but ensuring the treatment and safety of soldiers is also the responsibility of the state. When the state is unable to fulfill this responsibility, soldiers have the right to choose a safer way, such as surrendering.

Surrender is not a disgrace. There has never been a general who was always victorious in history. If you refuse to admit defeat and commit suicide to avoid shame, it is not the enemy who will be harmed, but the country.

Soldiers are a very special technical profession, requiring long-term training before they can go into battle, with all training costs borne by the state. If they go into battle once, lose, and all the soldiers commit suicide, the state will have lost everything.

Surrendering is just admitting defeat once, not admitting defeat forever. It's okay to lose this time. As long as you're alive, you can still go back to the battlefield and fight again, and you'll be even more experienced. Maybe you can even win next time.

I'm not sure if you'll all accept this specific regulation, but it illustrates a point: risking one's life is not the optimal choice. Only the weak would gamble their lives for a victory that doesn't belong to them, and on behalf of the Navy of the United Provinces Republic, I reject this kind of warfare.

Another point I'd like to draw your attention to is: where did the Ming Dynasty's naval reinforcements come from? Only 29 days have passed since we arrived here. Clearly, there must have been a Ming Dynasty naval base along that approximately 15-day voyage.

I would also like to mention another habit of the Ming Dynasty navy: their naval bases never only housed warships; on the contrary, they had far more armed merchant ships, a type of military vessel that fell somewhere between warships and cargo ships.

Now that the warship formation has appeared, will it be followed by an armed cargo ship formation? I think the possibility is over 80%. Due to their speed, they will definitely arrive a few days later than the warship formation, but there will be more of them.

Assuming we add about 30 armed cargo ships, each equipped with 10-20 naval guns and with speeds similar to or slightly faster than ours, do you all think we can still fight to the death?

Tropp immediately objected to Oquendo's passionate pronouncements. "Stop getting all worked up," he said. "Even if the Ming Empire conquered the entire New World, apart from Spain, other European countries wouldn't suffer much loss; they might even be secretly pleased."

As for risking their lives against the Ming Dynasty navy here, that's even more impossible. The Dutch never do anything that's clearly a losing proposition. Other countries might lose their navy but still have land to cultivate. What does the Netherlands have? Without ships, they have nothing. Why should we risk our lives for your interests?
Besides, this isn't a life-or-death religious or racial war. At its root, it's just a conflict over who has the final say in business. The fight is merely a statement of intent; there's really no need to expend the power to destroy a nation.

Moreover, the actual situation did not allow for further investment; Ming reinforcements had already arrived, and likely not in a single batch. The allied forces' naval advantage would be greatly weakened, and the port area remained uncaptured. At this point, the best option was to cut losses and retreat quickly to avoid further damage.

"Sir Tropp, if we flee without even trying, it will damage the reputation of our navies!" Faced with the Dutchman's suggestion, the British naval commander expressed limited concern. Deep down, he still wanted to fight; if he could achieve something, he wouldn't have to return home as a loser and be scolded.

"If conditions allowed, I would like to try, but if I miss this opportunity, I will have to pay a greater price to get away later. In fact, it is already a bit late, and there are still more than 2 Allied soldiers on the shore who need to board the ships."

Gentlemen, I believe it's highly unlikely that the Ming army will simply watch them board the ship safely. How to prevent a tragedy is what we need to discuss now!

At this point, Tropp no ​​longer cared about the feelings of his allies, for he sensed impending doom. The Ming army was unlikely to engage in a bloody battle with the allied forces, but they were adept at exploiting their opponents' weaknesses. The allied forces' weakness lay not at sea, but in their land forces besieging Enbird Port.

Without a suitable port available, relying solely on small boats to ferry 2 people would be an astronomical number. It's obvious to anyone that the Ming army wouldn't stand idly by.

If this problem isn't handled properly, at least half of the Allied soldiers will be unable to board the ships safely. The sea near Port Engniu will then be stained red with the blood of Europeans!

"..." Upon hearing this, even the most radical Spanish general was speechless. Indeed, he hadn't carefully considered the army's situation, but now he had to. The Kingdom of Spain had invested considerable elite troops in the army; if the losses were too great, it wouldn't just be a matter of losing a single war.

"Gentlemen, General Tropp's reminder is very timely and necessary. I suggest that we begin preparations for the army to board the ships tonight, and slowly move the troops attacking Enbird Port from the north eastward to the east of the Enbird River."

However, this action must be kept secret to delay attracting the attention of the Ming army as long as possible. During the days of boarding, the navy must continue to actively seek opportunities for attack, but avoid excessive risks and minimize losses.

Having listened to the statements from all sides and understood their respective interests, it was time for the Allied Commander-in-Chief to make the final decision. Bernhard handled this task with great skill, satisfying both the desire for victory of England and Spain while also taking into account the security concerns of France and the Netherlands.

"I agree!" Tropp was the first to raise his hand in agreement.

"I agree!" Blazer followed closely.

"..." Pennington hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chose to raise his hand in agreement. In fact, this plan was of little significance to the English, as they had barely sent any troops to participate in the war.

"I reserve my opinion, but I am willing to abide by the decision of the Allied Commander. Please excuse me, I need to go outside for some fresh air, please excuse me for a moment!" Seeing that the situation was beyond repair, the gray-haired old general straightened his uniform, politely bid farewell to everyone present, and then got up and left the officers' mess.

(End of this chapter)