Chapter 1644
Coping Means
Chapter 1644 Coping Means
The invulnerable black sailboat is certainly powerful, but in Juan's view, this is not only the strength of the Haihan fleet, but at the same time it is very likely to be its lifeblood.Once such an extremely powerful weapon is damaged in a battle, it will undoubtedly have a considerable impact on its combat effectiveness.However, whether the Haihan army will retreat because of this is purely Juan's one-sided opinion. If he does not manage to divert Aragones' attention, then the opponent will always hold Haihan and defeat the Manila ship with five warships. The team will not let go of this result.As for the hard work of Juan and his men during the battle, the Governor must not be interested in slowly understanding, and Juan can only resort to such strange tricks to protect himself.
As for how to achieve this goal, in fact, Juan himself does not have a clear idea.He had been observing the performance of the "Black Shark" during the previous battle with the Haihan Fleet, but the combat effectiveness of this ship was too strong, far superior to Spanish warships in both offense and defense, and it was extremely fast, even in a short distance. The speed was suddenly increased within the time, and the Spanish sailing ship could not reach the speed to break away from the battle group. It was also very difficult to encircle this strange ship at sea by relying on the number of ships.
The only way Juan can think of is probably to use chain bombs to attack its mast and sails, but the range of chain bombs is much shorter than ordinary shells, and this unconventional tactic can only be used when close to the ship.In naval battles in this era, due to the extremely limited range and accuracy of naval guns, it is normal for two ships to face each other face to face. Moreover, they were all heading towards the Spanish warships, and the time for the exchange of fire was so short that there was no time to prepare.If you want to use chain bombs to hit the key parts with low protection, even if you follow this tactic, whether you can achieve the effect Juan wants is largely a matter of luck.
If you are lucky, you may win the lottery as soon as you bombard it. If you are unlucky, you may be seized by the opponent to kill a few ships of your own, and you will still be unsuccessful.But at least in theory, this tactic is a little bit better than the head-to-head confrontation in the previous battles, and there is a glimmer of hope for severely injuring the opponent.
The sudden bad weather temporarily stopped the Haihan army's offensive, and at the same time gave the defenders more buffer time to prepare for the subsequent battle.Since there were not too many chain bombs in stock, Juan ordered to mobilize almost all the blacksmiths in Manila City to work overtime to make chain bombs.At the same time, a meeting was convened with the most skilled gunners on each warship to explain to them some details that need to be paid attention to when using chain bomb tactics - due to the limited number of chain bombs, Juan can only arrange no more than two guns on each ship Use this unconventional shell in combat.
It is normal for craftsmen to obey orders in the wartime conquest city, but the problem is that most of the things blacksmiths eat are heavy and difficult to carry. There is no way to gather blacksmiths to work together, so the task of making chain bombs can only be assigned to each company to complete by itself.In this way, there was not much secrecy at all, but Juan still warned all the blacksmiths not to tell irrelevant people about the chain bomb he made.
But how can this kind of thing really be kept a secret? The Chaosheng Commercial Store run by Ran Tianlu has a blacksmith's shop, and usually makes some small things like farm tools and cooking utensils, but at this time the officials urgently need more. With more chain bombs, the blacksmith shop to which Chaosheng Trading Post belonged naturally also received the task.However, Ran Tianlu just carried out a military labor activity with his own money a few days ago. The Spaniards trusted him more. After handing over the iron materials and blueprints to him, they just told him to complete the task of building [-] chain bombs as soon as possible. Is it reliable to entrust this task to him?
Now Ran Tianlu not only has Father Blanco as his big backer, but also has become a trustworthy object in the eyes of the military. Compared with the past, Ran Tianlu's actions are much more convenient.Although he didn't know the specific purpose of the Spaniards rushing to build chain bombs, he thought it must be to deal with the Haihan fleet that had already arrived in Manila Bay.Then, as Haihan's intelligence officer, he had to try to get this news out as soon as possible.
But Ran Tianlu has a series of problems that must be resolved first. First, he does not know the current location of the Haihan Army. Second, the Manila port is currently completely blocked, and non-military personnel are definitely not allowed to go to sea from the port.The last question, even if he can go out, he still has to consider whether to sneak back. After all, there are dozens of people up and down the Chaosheng store. Maybe all the helpers will be implicated.
The first problem is the best solution. After the last labor activity, Ran Tianlu has already established a relationship with the Spanish officer Gonzalo. The other party has a good impression of him, a Han Chinese who spends money and is also a believer, and specifically told him If the follow-up battle is tight, he can be arranged to enter the castle in the center of Manila to temporarily avoid the limelight with the Spanish immigrants.
Of course, Ran Tianlu was not very interested in such a suggestion. If it was time to hide in the castle, the last line of defense, it would mean that the Spaniards had already lost their chances, and there was no need for him to get involved at that time. Risk, continue to stay with the Spaniards.At that time of chaos, he might as well stay outside the city, and help identify the prisoners after his own army breaks through the city, and maintain local law and order.
So when Ran Tianlu went to Gonzalo to inquire about the situation of the battle, the other party was not too surprised. After all, anyone who is not deaf or blind in Manila knows that the Haihan Army has come, but the officials deliberately blocked the news, and the people did not. Know how the previous fights were going.Although officials claimed that Yunyun had severely damaged the enemy in the naval battle, they could not produce any evidence to prove these results.
"The Haihan people can't even touch the edge of Manila, so you don't have to worry too much." Gonzalo still responded to Ran Tianlu's inquiry in an official tone.
But how could Ran Tianlu be so easy to deceive like ordinary people, and immediately offered the prepared gift box: "Your Excellency has worked hard recently, and I hope you will accept it with some kindness."
Gonzalo said politely, but he had already received it in his hand. He weighed it and it was still a bit heavy. He knew that most of it was filled with gold and silver, so he coughed dryly and said, "Actually, I just fought with the Haihan people." It's a tie, but the Governor hopes that the public's mood will remain stable, so he will exaggerate a little when publicizing the results, you understand."
"The villain understands!" Ran Tianlu nodded, and then asked: "The Haihan people came across the sea, and they will definitely not let it go. I don't know where they retreated to rest? Why don't my Manila fleet take advantage of their retreat and send troops to counterattack?" Killing a wave may have a miraculous effect."
Gonzalo responded casually: "They are in Cavite, that place is not very easy to counterattack..."
Gonzalo realized that he had made a slip of the tongue, and quickly stopped the conversation: "There is still fighting in Cavite, so you can't spread the word about it, you know?"
"I know, I know! The villain must keep his mouth shut and don't tell anyone!" Ran Tianlu quickly patted his chest to reassure Gonzalo, fearing that the other party would not believe him, and swore in the name of God.
Gonzalo made a slip of the tongue for a while, and let Ran Tianlu know that the Haihan army had captured Cavite. That place itself was an outer barrier of Manila City, and it was not far from Manila City, no matter land or sea. They dared not announce the news of the fall of Cavite.
Now that Cavite has fallen under the control of Haihan, the Manila fleet that was originally stationed there can only return to the port of Manila to dock.But in this way, it becomes more difficult to go out to sea from Manila port. Ran Tianlu doesn't think that he can get a boat from the port to leave the sky.And Gonzalo can't help him in this matter, the arrangement of Manila Port is under the control of Juan, and the city defense army can't intervene at all.
Unable to go to sea, Ran Tianlu could only think about going to Cavite from land.Going south along the coastline from Manila to the Cavite Peninsula is probably the closest route, but the journey is still more than 30 kilometers long, and three rivers need to be crossed in the middle.Under the current weather conditions, if you go on foot, you will probably not be able to reach it in one day.Of course, Chaosheng Commercial Store also has a carriage, but at this time the carriage is traveling south, and it is indeed a bit too conspicuous.After all, almost all the refugees who have poured into Manila in the past two days have come from the south. Who would go to that uneasy place?
After much deliberation, Ran Tianlu decided to send the information at hand to Cavite as soon as possible, but he was worried that if he left, the store would lose its backbone and cause accidents, so he delegated the matter to his younger brother Ran Tiancheng.Ran Tiancheng was not from the Ministry of Security, he didn't even have a Haihan nationality, and basically had nothing to do with intelligence work, he was just a pure Ming businessman.Ran Tianlu was afraid that this matter would scare him too much, so he didn't tell him the truth at all. He only said that the battle situation is tense now, and the Spaniards will probably suffer a lot. The Chaosheng Trading Post is causing trouble.
Ran Tiancheng also thought it was reasonable, so he accepted the job.Ran Tianlu sealed the information in an envelope, saying that it contained Haihan Bank bank notes, and it was only used to buy peace from Haihan people, so Ran Tiancheng carefully kept it close to him.Ran Tiancheng didn't doubt him, in order to avoid being noticed by the Spaniards, he chose a healthy horse from the shop and set out on the road in the rain without even bringing his entourage.Ran Tianlu specifically told him to stay in Cavite and not return immediately after the talks with the Haihan people were completed, but to return after the city of Manila was broken or the Haihan people voluntarily retreated.
The weather was windy and rainy. Although it was inconvenient to travel, it actually provided cover for Ran Tiancheng's actions. There was no Spanish patrol in this weather.And the area outside Manila seemed to have become a no-man's land. After Ran Tiancheng left Manila for more than ten miles, he met a group of immigrants fleeing northward from Palagnac town.
Ran Tiancheng was alone, and when he reached the town of Palagnac, the wind and rain became heavier. It was difficult for him to go forward despite the rain, so he could only find an empty house to rest for a while.He had already inquired from the fleeing immigrants before that the Haihan people captured Cavite, and residents in nearby towns feared that Chiyu would be affected, so they abandoned their homes and fled.And the only place they can go is the so-called unbreakable city of Manila.
Due to the bad weather and the darkening sky, Ran Tiancheng had to stay here for one night.Fortunately, he was well-prepared when he set off. He not only brought his own food, but also several catties of beans to feed the horses, so he didn't have to worry about starving.
The weather conditions improved a little the next day, Ran Tiancheng continued on the road and arrived at the town of Noveleta controlled by the Haihan Army at noon.After he reported his identity and purpose to Haihan soldiers, an officer soon came to question him, and then asked him to leave his horse in the town, and specially arranged another carriage to take him there In Cavite Port, Ran Tiancheng was quite flattered by this treatment.
There is still nearly ten kilometers to go from Noveleta Town to Cavite Port, but with the carriage escorted by the Haihan military, this journey is much easier than before.Ran Tiancheng couldn't help but began to wonder how much benefit his brother had prepared for the Haihan people. If it was less, wouldn't they not receive the expected return for such a high-standard arrangement?In case the Haihan people looked at the number in the envelope and thought it was too small, should they decide to increase it?
After much deliberation, Ran Tiancheng wanted to open the envelope to see how much money was inside, but he remembered that before he set off, Ran Tianlu had specially told him not to take it out on the way, and he had to wait until he saw the high-ranking officials of Haihan before offering it. Resisting his curiosity, he decided to handle the matter according to Ran Tianlu's wishes.If the other party really thinks there are too few at that time, then consider increasing the size according to the situation.
Ran Tiancheng never dreamed that the envelope he was carrying was not a check from Haihan Bank, but the movement in Manila in recent days, and the blueprint of the chain bomb that the Spanish military urgently needed to create.
After arriving at the port of Cavite, Ran Tiancheng was handed over to the local military officer, and after changing several officers to lead the way, he finally arrived at the headquarters of the Haihan Army.It was the first time for Ran Tiancheng to join the army. Although there were few people outside because of the weather, he could still feel a chilling aura.
Ran Tiancheng tremblingly entered the headquarters, and heard that the person who interviewed him turned out to be the Minister of Defense of Haihan Kingdom. He knew that this official position was equivalent to that of Minister of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty, so he immediately wanted to kneel down and kowtow, but was stopped by the other party.Ran Tianlu said that he would bring out his things after meeting the high-ranking officials of Haihan. The Minister of National Defense must be a high-ranking official. Ran Tiancheng immediately took out the envelope from his arms and presented it with both hands, explaining his intention to Yan Chujie.
(End of this chapter)
The invulnerable black sailboat is certainly powerful, but in Juan's view, this is not only the strength of the Haihan fleet, but at the same time it is very likely to be its lifeblood.Once such an extremely powerful weapon is damaged in a battle, it will undoubtedly have a considerable impact on its combat effectiveness.However, whether the Haihan army will retreat because of this is purely Juan's one-sided opinion. If he does not manage to divert Aragones' attention, then the opponent will always hold Haihan and defeat the Manila ship with five warships. The team will not let go of this result.As for the hard work of Juan and his men during the battle, the Governor must not be interested in slowly understanding, and Juan can only resort to such strange tricks to protect himself.
As for how to achieve this goal, in fact, Juan himself does not have a clear idea.He had been observing the performance of the "Black Shark" during the previous battle with the Haihan Fleet, but the combat effectiveness of this ship was too strong, far superior to Spanish warships in both offense and defense, and it was extremely fast, even in a short distance. The speed was suddenly increased within the time, and the Spanish sailing ship could not reach the speed to break away from the battle group. It was also very difficult to encircle this strange ship at sea by relying on the number of ships.
The only way Juan can think of is probably to use chain bombs to attack its mast and sails, but the range of chain bombs is much shorter than ordinary shells, and this unconventional tactic can only be used when close to the ship.In naval battles in this era, due to the extremely limited range and accuracy of naval guns, it is normal for two ships to face each other face to face. Moreover, they were all heading towards the Spanish warships, and the time for the exchange of fire was so short that there was no time to prepare.If you want to use chain bombs to hit the key parts with low protection, even if you follow this tactic, whether you can achieve the effect Juan wants is largely a matter of luck.
If you are lucky, you may win the lottery as soon as you bombard it. If you are unlucky, you may be seized by the opponent to kill a few ships of your own, and you will still be unsuccessful.But at least in theory, this tactic is a little bit better than the head-to-head confrontation in the previous battles, and there is a glimmer of hope for severely injuring the opponent.
The sudden bad weather temporarily stopped the Haihan army's offensive, and at the same time gave the defenders more buffer time to prepare for the subsequent battle.Since there were not too many chain bombs in stock, Juan ordered to mobilize almost all the blacksmiths in Manila City to work overtime to make chain bombs.At the same time, a meeting was convened with the most skilled gunners on each warship to explain to them some details that need to be paid attention to when using chain bomb tactics - due to the limited number of chain bombs, Juan can only arrange no more than two guns on each ship Use this unconventional shell in combat.
It is normal for craftsmen to obey orders in the wartime conquest city, but the problem is that most of the things blacksmiths eat are heavy and difficult to carry. There is no way to gather blacksmiths to work together, so the task of making chain bombs can only be assigned to each company to complete by itself.In this way, there was not much secrecy at all, but Juan still warned all the blacksmiths not to tell irrelevant people about the chain bomb he made.
But how can this kind of thing really be kept a secret? The Chaosheng Commercial Store run by Ran Tianlu has a blacksmith's shop, and usually makes some small things like farm tools and cooking utensils, but at this time the officials urgently need more. With more chain bombs, the blacksmith shop to which Chaosheng Trading Post belonged naturally also received the task.However, Ran Tianlu just carried out a military labor activity with his own money a few days ago. The Spaniards trusted him more. After handing over the iron materials and blueprints to him, they just told him to complete the task of building [-] chain bombs as soon as possible. Is it reliable to entrust this task to him?
Now Ran Tianlu not only has Father Blanco as his big backer, but also has become a trustworthy object in the eyes of the military. Compared with the past, Ran Tianlu's actions are much more convenient.Although he didn't know the specific purpose of the Spaniards rushing to build chain bombs, he thought it must be to deal with the Haihan fleet that had already arrived in Manila Bay.Then, as Haihan's intelligence officer, he had to try to get this news out as soon as possible.
But Ran Tianlu has a series of problems that must be resolved first. First, he does not know the current location of the Haihan Army. Second, the Manila port is currently completely blocked, and non-military personnel are definitely not allowed to go to sea from the port.The last question, even if he can go out, he still has to consider whether to sneak back. After all, there are dozens of people up and down the Chaosheng store. Maybe all the helpers will be implicated.
The first problem is the best solution. After the last labor activity, Ran Tianlu has already established a relationship with the Spanish officer Gonzalo. The other party has a good impression of him, a Han Chinese who spends money and is also a believer, and specifically told him If the follow-up battle is tight, he can be arranged to enter the castle in the center of Manila to temporarily avoid the limelight with the Spanish immigrants.
Of course, Ran Tianlu was not very interested in such a suggestion. If it was time to hide in the castle, the last line of defense, it would mean that the Spaniards had already lost their chances, and there was no need for him to get involved at that time. Risk, continue to stay with the Spaniards.At that time of chaos, he might as well stay outside the city, and help identify the prisoners after his own army breaks through the city, and maintain local law and order.
So when Ran Tianlu went to Gonzalo to inquire about the situation of the battle, the other party was not too surprised. After all, anyone who is not deaf or blind in Manila knows that the Haihan Army has come, but the officials deliberately blocked the news, and the people did not. Know how the previous fights were going.Although officials claimed that Yunyun had severely damaged the enemy in the naval battle, they could not produce any evidence to prove these results.
"The Haihan people can't even touch the edge of Manila, so you don't have to worry too much." Gonzalo still responded to Ran Tianlu's inquiry in an official tone.
But how could Ran Tianlu be so easy to deceive like ordinary people, and immediately offered the prepared gift box: "Your Excellency has worked hard recently, and I hope you will accept it with some kindness."
Gonzalo said politely, but he had already received it in his hand. He weighed it and it was still a bit heavy. He knew that most of it was filled with gold and silver, so he coughed dryly and said, "Actually, I just fought with the Haihan people." It's a tie, but the Governor hopes that the public's mood will remain stable, so he will exaggerate a little when publicizing the results, you understand."
"The villain understands!" Ran Tianlu nodded, and then asked: "The Haihan people came across the sea, and they will definitely not let it go. I don't know where they retreated to rest? Why don't my Manila fleet take advantage of their retreat and send troops to counterattack?" Killing a wave may have a miraculous effect."
Gonzalo responded casually: "They are in Cavite, that place is not very easy to counterattack..."
Gonzalo realized that he had made a slip of the tongue, and quickly stopped the conversation: "There is still fighting in Cavite, so you can't spread the word about it, you know?"
"I know, I know! The villain must keep his mouth shut and don't tell anyone!" Ran Tianlu quickly patted his chest to reassure Gonzalo, fearing that the other party would not believe him, and swore in the name of God.
Gonzalo made a slip of the tongue for a while, and let Ran Tianlu know that the Haihan army had captured Cavite. That place itself was an outer barrier of Manila City, and it was not far from Manila City, no matter land or sea. They dared not announce the news of the fall of Cavite.
Now that Cavite has fallen under the control of Haihan, the Manila fleet that was originally stationed there can only return to the port of Manila to dock.But in this way, it becomes more difficult to go out to sea from Manila port. Ran Tianlu doesn't think that he can get a boat from the port to leave the sky.And Gonzalo can't help him in this matter, the arrangement of Manila Port is under the control of Juan, and the city defense army can't intervene at all.
Unable to go to sea, Ran Tianlu could only think about going to Cavite from land.Going south along the coastline from Manila to the Cavite Peninsula is probably the closest route, but the journey is still more than 30 kilometers long, and three rivers need to be crossed in the middle.Under the current weather conditions, if you go on foot, you will probably not be able to reach it in one day.Of course, Chaosheng Commercial Store also has a carriage, but at this time the carriage is traveling south, and it is indeed a bit too conspicuous.After all, almost all the refugees who have poured into Manila in the past two days have come from the south. Who would go to that uneasy place?
After much deliberation, Ran Tianlu decided to send the information at hand to Cavite as soon as possible, but he was worried that if he left, the store would lose its backbone and cause accidents, so he delegated the matter to his younger brother Ran Tiancheng.Ran Tiancheng was not from the Ministry of Security, he didn't even have a Haihan nationality, and basically had nothing to do with intelligence work, he was just a pure Ming businessman.Ran Tianlu was afraid that this matter would scare him too much, so he didn't tell him the truth at all. He only said that the battle situation is tense now, and the Spaniards will probably suffer a lot. The Chaosheng Trading Post is causing trouble.
Ran Tiancheng also thought it was reasonable, so he accepted the job.Ran Tianlu sealed the information in an envelope, saying that it contained Haihan Bank bank notes, and it was only used to buy peace from Haihan people, so Ran Tiancheng carefully kept it close to him.Ran Tiancheng didn't doubt him, in order to avoid being noticed by the Spaniards, he chose a healthy horse from the shop and set out on the road in the rain without even bringing his entourage.Ran Tianlu specifically told him to stay in Cavite and not return immediately after the talks with the Haihan people were completed, but to return after the city of Manila was broken or the Haihan people voluntarily retreated.
The weather was windy and rainy. Although it was inconvenient to travel, it actually provided cover for Ran Tiancheng's actions. There was no Spanish patrol in this weather.And the area outside Manila seemed to have become a no-man's land. After Ran Tiancheng left Manila for more than ten miles, he met a group of immigrants fleeing northward from Palagnac town.
Ran Tiancheng was alone, and when he reached the town of Palagnac, the wind and rain became heavier. It was difficult for him to go forward despite the rain, so he could only find an empty house to rest for a while.He had already inquired from the fleeing immigrants before that the Haihan people captured Cavite, and residents in nearby towns feared that Chiyu would be affected, so they abandoned their homes and fled.And the only place they can go is the so-called unbreakable city of Manila.
Due to the bad weather and the darkening sky, Ran Tiancheng had to stay here for one night.Fortunately, he was well-prepared when he set off. He not only brought his own food, but also several catties of beans to feed the horses, so he didn't have to worry about starving.
The weather conditions improved a little the next day, Ran Tiancheng continued on the road and arrived at the town of Noveleta controlled by the Haihan Army at noon.After he reported his identity and purpose to Haihan soldiers, an officer soon came to question him, and then asked him to leave his horse in the town, and specially arranged another carriage to take him there In Cavite Port, Ran Tiancheng was quite flattered by this treatment.
There is still nearly ten kilometers to go from Noveleta Town to Cavite Port, but with the carriage escorted by the Haihan military, this journey is much easier than before.Ran Tiancheng couldn't help but began to wonder how much benefit his brother had prepared for the Haihan people. If it was less, wouldn't they not receive the expected return for such a high-standard arrangement?In case the Haihan people looked at the number in the envelope and thought it was too small, should they decide to increase it?
After much deliberation, Ran Tiancheng wanted to open the envelope to see how much money was inside, but he remembered that before he set off, Ran Tianlu had specially told him not to take it out on the way, and he had to wait until he saw the high-ranking officials of Haihan before offering it. Resisting his curiosity, he decided to handle the matter according to Ran Tianlu's wishes.If the other party really thinks there are too few at that time, then consider increasing the size according to the situation.
Ran Tiancheng never dreamed that the envelope he was carrying was not a check from Haihan Bank, but the movement in Manila in recent days, and the blueprint of the chain bomb that the Spanish military urgently needed to create.
After arriving at the port of Cavite, Ran Tiancheng was handed over to the local military officer, and after changing several officers to lead the way, he finally arrived at the headquarters of the Haihan Army.It was the first time for Ran Tiancheng to join the army. Although there were few people outside because of the weather, he could still feel a chilling aura.
Ran Tiancheng tremblingly entered the headquarters, and heard that the person who interviewed him turned out to be the Minister of Defense of Haihan Kingdom. He knew that this official position was equivalent to that of Minister of the Ministry of War of the Ming Dynasty, so he immediately wanted to kneel down and kowtow, but was stopped by the other party.Ran Tianlu said that he would bring out his things after meeting the high-ranking officials of Haihan. The Minister of National Defense must be a high-ranking official. Ran Tiancheng immediately took out the envelope from his arms and presented it with both hands, explaining his intention to Yan Chujie.
(End of this chapter)