Red Mansion: I am Jia Lian

Chapter 514 Everything goes well

Jia Lian has always believed that war is the most complicated thing, because both sides of the war are human beings, and human beings are the most complicated.

When it comes to battle plans, plans will never keep up with changes.

You can demand the best from yourself, but you can't control your opponent.

The fact is that we made plans in advance, but none of them were used.

Perhaps it was because the intelligence blockade was too tight, or perhaps it was for some other reason, but in any case, the Spanish fleet had not changed much from usual. Apart from normal maritime patrols, the main force of the fleet had been in the port.

Just when Jia Lian thought that it might be possible to rush into Manila Bay and block the Spanish fleet in the port, thus exposing the whereabouts of the main fleet, a sudden change occurred.

"Boom boom boom...!" Continuous cannon fire was heard. Jia Lian, who was playing chess with Li Yuan in the cabin of the Emperor, dropped his chess pieces, rushed out of the cabin and headed straight for the bridge.

Li Yuan lagged behind slightly, but also caught up.

"Binoculars!" Jia Lian held out his hand, and the adjutant brought the telescope over. After watching for almost an hour, he could not see the battlefield, and the sound of artillery in the distance gradually disappeared.

On the battleship in front, the signal flag was raised, [The vanguard encountered three enemy ships. ]

"How far are we from the entrance of Manila Bay?" Jia Lian was not so nervous anymore. With only three ships, encountering the main fleet would be tantamount to committing suicide.

"Less than sixty nautical miles!" The adjutant was Fan Ping, a recent graduate of the Naval Academy. His Mandarin with a Cantonese accent was very distinctive.

"Sir, there's news from Lieutenant General Jim!" shouted the lookout on the mast.

"The vanguard squadron encountered an enemy patrol fleet. There was a brief exchange of fire, and the enemy ships retreated. To prevent a trap, the vanguard fleet did not pursue them."

This is actually the situation that Jia Lian heard.

The vanguard squadron consisted of six third-class battleships, about three nautical miles away from the main fleet. The squadron commander was John, a British man. He was only a captain in the Royal Navy, but was promoted to lieutenant general, equivalent to brigadier general, in the South China Sea Fleet because of his outstanding performance.

After encountering the enemy patrol fleet, the enemy did not flee immediately, but arrogantly approached, and opened fire in a demonstration nature when they were about 800 meters away. After John ordered a return fire, the enemy ship turned around and fled, and neither side achieved any results. The squadron did not dare to pursue because they were fighting in a different place, but instead reduced their speed and sent a clipper back to report the news.

In naval battles before radio, communication was so difficult that people could only rely on flag signals. Fortunately, there were clipper ships that could shuttle back and forth to deliver messages.

If there is a bird's-eye view of the sea at this time, the following picture will be presented in front of you: two long dragons composed of sailing warships are rising and falling on the sea and dancing close to the sea surface.

From Jia Lian's perspective, the other column on the right was actually eight hundred meters away.

Jia Lian and Li Yuan were naturally on the Great Emperor, a ship that had been modified to be more comfortable, so Jia Lian didn't need to endure hardship.

Compared with before, the only difference is that there are no women in the entire fleet, and Jia Lian is only accompanied by one pillar and two adjutants.

Li Yuan was also very low-key. He only had four eunuchs with him and no maids.

"Sir, Vice Admiral Jim has ordered the main fleet to advance at full speed to the entrance of Manila Bay."

Jia Lian did not express his opinion and had already handed over the command of the naval battle entirely to Jim.

To be honest, Jia Lian was most surprised that Li Yuan could come along. This trip was actually very risky. Sailing in this era was basically a life-or-death struggle. If they encountered a typhoon, the consequences would be unpredictable.

"Tell Jim that everything is left to him." Jia Lian reiterated his trust in Jim. There was no other way. They could only learn from foreigners how to fight naval battles.

Jim did not disappoint Jia Lian's expectations. Under his command, the fleet successfully arrived at the open sea of ​​Manila Bay.

All pre-war plans were not used, which was not a bad thing. For Jia Lian, winning at the lowest cost was what he cared about most.

In this military operation against Manila, what Jia Lian was most worried about was not the warships, but the transport fleet. The entire newly formed First Town in Nanyang was brought here.

The fleet's mission was more to provide escort than to fight a naval battle to gain control of the sea.

From Li Yuan's perspective, the past half month of sailing was really hard. Every day, there was nothing to do except watching the sea fishing. Jia Lian's Go level was too bad, and playing chess with him was torture. But there was nothing else to do, and he had finished reading all the books he brought.

For Jia Lian, drifting on the sea was neither good nor bad. He definitely had a good rest for twenty days, and he could exercise while working overtime every day. He had recently picked up the exercise that he had missed due to official duties and women. He felt that he had enough physical strength to punch the Nanshan Kindergarten and kick the Beihai Nursing Home.

The coastline could be seen in the distance, cheers could be heard above the fleet, the setting sun was still above the sea, and the water was red.

"Good luck!" Jia Lian sighed, the subtext being that he didn't encounter bad weather.

In fact, this was indeed the case during this period. Since we set off, the sea has been calm and not a single drop of rain has fallen.

If I have to say what the most torturous thing is, it’s that I can’t eat green vegetables. I can only eat bean sprouts, tofu, bacon and the like. I get tired of eating seafood every day.

"The clipper is coming! Someone on board is asking to come aboard."

Lai San, who had climbed onto the boat, saw Jia Lian and immediately stepped forward and kowtowed: "I am Lai San, honored to meet you, Master."

Don't laugh at Lai San's words and deeds. In this era, being a servant of Jia Lian was a very honorable thing to be proud of. "Get up. Kneeling is not allowed in the Jia family." Jia Lian spoke sternly, and Lai San quickly got up. Li Yuan stood aside and watched quietly. He was very quiet all the way and never spoke to interfere.

“What are the Spanish doing?”

Lai San answered respectfully: "When I set out, I happened to hear the bell ringing at the fort. The whole city was in chaos, and the Spanish fleet had not left the port. I don't know what else happened for the time being."

Jia Lian frowned slightly after hearing this, and Li Yuan leaned closer and asked in a low voice: "Mr. Jia, is it a good thing or a bad thing?"

Jia Lian smiled and said, "Neither good nor bad, it is also the most normal reaction expected. If I were the Spanish governor, I would also adopt a defensive strategy, dragging it out for a while, waiting for reinforcements from the Dutch. In addition, when foreigners come to the local area, it is very likely that a large-scale epidemic will occur, that is, they will not adapt to the local climate. There will also be problems with logistics and supply. It is definitely not wrong to delay and wait for changes."

"I see. I have read the plan. If the enemy does not come out, we will land far away from the fortress and launch an attack from the land. What is the difference between the fortress built by Westerners and the city of our dynasty?"

Li Yuan is still very studious. At this moment, he does not put on airs at all and asks for advice humbly.

"The Spaniards built a bastion. No matter which angle the attacking side attacks from, there will be no blind spots in defense." Jia Lian explained patiently.

Li Yuan was shocked when he heard this: "So, do we have to keep the siege going for a long time? If we attack hastily, the casualties will be too great and the gains will not outweigh the losses. But if we drag it out for a year or two, then..."

Jia Lian smiled and interrupted him: "Your Highness, you are worrying too much. The Nanyang New Army has practiced how to attack the bastion, and more than once. Of course, if the defenders go out of the city to fight in the field, it will be a great thing. If they stay in the city, they will not be afraid of the strength of the bastion. No matter how difficult a fortress is, it has weaknesses, and the same is true for bastions."

When he saw the sea dragon head, Jia Lian was not disappointed. After all, the landing process sixty miles outside the fortress area was not ambushed and was very smooth.

The next day, after the first regiment of the Nanyang New Army began to land, Jia Lian immediately called Jim and other naval commanders to hold a meeting.

"The enemy fleet will hide in the harbor. After completing the landing cover, the main fleet will surround the harbor, and the squadron will patrol outside. Once the Dutch fleet is discovered, it will be notified immediately. The main fleet will meet the enemy in advance to avoid being attacked from both sides. I believe that the fortress area can be completely surrounded on land to ensure that no information can be transmitted."

After Jim explained the plan, Hai Longtou introduced the situation: "The latest news is that all the Spaniards in the city have retreated to the fortress area today, and the local natives have gathered outside the overseas Chinese settlement, and I am afraid they are planning to besiege and plunder. The local overseas Chinese leader, the chief of the Chen family, asked me to bring a message to you, but if you are ordered, you must obey."

Jia Lian just smiled when he heard this, and didn't take it too seriously. The colonists are best at attacking one faction and pulling the other, and creating a so-called balance. The Chinese in Manila, as a minority, usually act as compradors for the colonists, and when conflicts intensify, they are pushed out to be shields for the local natives to vent their anger.

Now that the army has landed, they are speaking as if we dare not disobey.

"Sir Jia, with more than 10,000 elite soldiers from the first town in Nanyang, besieging nearly 30,000 local Western barbarians, will the military strength be stretched to the limit?" Li Yuan expressed his concern.

Jia Lian smiled and shook his head: "Your Highness, don't worry. We are not Spanish and we don't do the colonial things. In principle, even if they are local natives, if they are willing to cooperate, we can forgive them. The main contradiction at present is how to eliminate the Spanish colonists. According to the information obtained before the war, there are probably more than 30,000 Spaniards in the city of Manila, and there are 50,000 people including the colonies scattered around. And what about the locals? Even if we are good at fighting, can we kill all the locals?"

Li Yuan remained silent after hearing this. When he lowered his head to think, Jia Lian turned back and said to Hai Longtou, "To show our sincerity, tomorrow morning, you and your people will lead the way. The first group will go straight to the Chinese area to protect the overseas Chinese. As for the rest, we will discuss it after we meet the leader of the overseas Chinese."

Well, the Spaniards, as the main force that defeated the Ottomans, were surprisingly cowardly in this battle. Perhaps they were used to being masters in the colonies and lacked the courage to take the initiative.

There is no problem with it tactically, but in terms of morale, it is indeed unacceptable.

While Jia Lian was holding the meeting, the Spanish Governor and the fleet commander were also arguing fiercely.

The fleet commander requested to lead his troops to attack, taking advantage of the fatigue of the Great Zhou fleet, but was stopped by the governor. Not only was he not allowed to attack, but he also ordered the naval officers and soldiers to go ashore, dismantle some of the ship's guns, and strengthen the firepower of the fortress.

Governor, with a strong fortress, sufficient food, and no shortage of water, wouldn't it be good to defend for a year or two? Although the Great Zhou Empire is powerful, it came from thousands of miles away across the sea. Apart from other things, can the personnel adapt to the climate, will malaria spread widely, how to replenish the food they carry, and whether there is enough medical care and medicine, etc. These are all problems encountered by the Spanish during the great voyages in the past. Including the personnel of the fleet, the Spanish governor can have at least 10,000 people to participate in the defense war. In this case, why take the risk?
To put it bluntly, if it drags on until the end of the year, the Great Zhou fleet might go to fight the Dutch first. Besides, although the Dutch have formed an alliance, they may not be willing to come to the rescue.

When the two sides were arguing, Bishop Frank supported the Governor and made the final decision on the grounds that the Governor had been making preparations for the past year.

After the decision was made, Frank told the two that, under his suggestion, the local indigenous Christians could no longer hold back and were about to go to the Chinese community to loot.

When these words came out, the Governor of Borneo was horrified and said, "It's bad! Send someone to stop them immediately."

Frank, with a gloomy face, sneered, "It's too late. In the past six months, the contradictions between the natives and the Chinese have been deepening. As outsiders, the Chinese have accumulated too much wealth. Now that our people have retreated to the fortress area, the natives are completely out of control. If they insist on stopping us, they may even attack us."

Fleet Commander Noah looked at the bishop with anger in his eyes and shouted, "What about the consequences? Have you thought about the consequences, Bishop?"

Frank smiled disapprovingly and said, "Consequences? Even if we lose the war, it was the natives who did it. What does it have to do with Spain?"

Noah was completely furious: "Your Excellency the Bishop, you can insult my intelligence, but don't insult the intelligence of the enemy's general. As the most powerful empire in the world, they sent out a fleet three hundred years ago to protect their overseas Chinese. Now their fleet is coming again. If they find that our overseas Chinese have been invaded, they will only think that it was us who did it. If the local natives could fight, they would not be colonized."

The governor, standing at the third-floor window, looked at the smoke rising in the distance and said, "Stop arguing. There's a fire. It's really too late."

Bang, bang, bang, the sound of gunfire was heard from afar, and Noah's face changed drastically. As a Spanish noble, he would not treat the local natives and overseas Chinese as human beings, but he would be afraid of retaliation. Facing the powerful Eastern Empire, any Western country would not be sure of winning if it became an enemy in this sea area. Winning is fine, but what about losing?
Before dark, the two infantry battalions of the First Nanyang Town completed their landing. The distant columns of smoke under the setting sun could be seen clearly even thirty kilometers away.

"How's the weather lately?" Jia Lian asked casually, handing the telescope to his adjutant Fan Ping.

"It rained several times in June, but each time it didn't last long, just an hour or two. It hasn't rained in the past five days." Hai Longtou knew what Jia Lian was worried about. After the rain, the roads became difficult to travel on.

"Is it a Chinese settlement?" Li Yuan asked worriedly. Lai San nodded heavily, but also said comfortingly: "More than 300 matchlock guns were secretly transported in before, and there are sufficient ammunition. In the past few months, barricades have been built in the settlement. It should be able to hold out for a while and will not be so easily breached."

"I am not worried about the natives, they are just a bunch of rabble. What I am worried about is the Spanish bombardment with cannons." Jia Lian's face turned pale. Needless to say, it was the Spanish who were condoning this.

(End of this chapter)