Chapter 1646
The Choice of Tactics
Chapter 1646 The Choice of Tactics
The fact that the Spaniards adopted this defensive tactic showed that they had a relatively clear understanding of the strength comparison between the two sides, and they did not plan to adopt layers of fortifications on the periphery to resist Haihan's offensive.If they really wanted to fight for every inch of land, it would actually be more in line with Haihan's wishes, because in that case, the Spaniards would not be able to gather heavy troops in one place, but Haihan could use the main force to fight Attack these garrison strongholds and wipe out the Spanish armed forces bit by bit.
Although layers of defense may create more troubles for Haihan and prolong the time it takes for Haihan to attack Manila, this tactic has a fatal flaw, that is, when Haihan's army wipes out the surrounding When the stronghold reached the bottom of the city, the Spaniards would not have too many troops left to defend the city. With the fighting power of the Haihan army, they might break the city in one fell swoop.
The bottom line for the Spaniards is to keep the city of Manila, and naturally they will not allow this to happen.Scattered deployment of layers of defenses will definitely be wiped out by Haihan one by one in the end, but if you take the initiative to retract the defensive circle to Manila City and concentrate your superior forces to fight Haihan, you will not know whether you will win or lose. At least there will be a fight. With a chance, it might really drag the Haihan army to death under the city.
But no matter what kind of tactic it is, it is taking great risks for the Manila authorities to implement it. If it fails, it may end in the destruction of the city.As for Haihan, as long as he keeps pace at every step and does not rush forward, it is basically only a matter of time before the battle line reaches the city of Manila.So although it seems that Spain still has the advantage at home, it is the Haihan Army who are playing away from home that has the initiative in the battle.
Roger's troops did not find a large number of enemy troops near the town of Pasay, and they successfully captured this intermediate station leading to Manila.However, the scale and facilities of the fishing port here are extremely limited, and it is not suitable for the fleet to station here. It can only be used as a temporary cargo terminal.In this way, it is necessary to seize the time to expand the wharf, and to lengthen and strengthen the trestle originally used to dock ships, so that the cargo ships transporting materials can dock and unload smoothly.
But Roger will definitely not let his troops lay down their weapons to do this kind of hard work. Fortunately, the Ministry of National Defense considered that the Spaniards might adopt tactics of fortifying the wall and clearing the field before the war, so they specially brought two Engineer Company.Naturally, the task of expanding the dock must be handed over to more professional troops.
On the eighth day after entering Manila Bay, the Haihan Army finally advanced to a place less than ten kilometers away from Manila City.Of course, if it weren't for the bad weather a few days ago, perhaps the army should have already approached the city at this time.
The Haihan army landed near the town of Pasay, making a lot of noise, and naturally they couldn't hide from the enemy's surveillance. However, the Spaniards seemed to be really patient, and they didn't rush to send troops over to expel them. Adopted a stand-by attitude.The scouts also found Spanish riders on the outside, but these riders who were in charge of inquiring about Haihan's military situation kept the distance very far away, as if ensuring their own safety was their top priority.
However, the Spanish warships of the Manila Fleet were not idle, and tried to send several ships south from Manila Port to see if there was a chance to attack the Haihan cargo ship and troop carrier.But this plan is doomed to disappointment. Every cargo ship traveling between Cavite Port and Pasay is escorted by armed warships, and as long as Spanish warships appear at sea, they will soon attract more The Haihan warship approached this sea area.If you don't want to be encircled and suppressed, you can only choose to take the initiative to retreat.
Although the Spaniard chose to narrow down the defensive area, Haihan didn't intend to just let things go.In the early hours of the morning two days later, the Haihan Fleet raided the estuary of the Pasig River on the west side of Manila, and launched a round of superficial artillery strikes on the Manila Fleet temporarily stationed here.
The reason why the Haihan Fleet did not choose to break into the vicinity and open fire was mainly because the pier where the Manila Fleet docked was under the fire cover of the coastal defense turret. Cannon fire.Even an ironclad ship like the "Black Shark" dare not guarantee that its hull can withstand the large solid shells of the coastal defense gun.The only way is to fire a round of artillery and run away before the defenders react.
Since it was early in the morning when the Haihan fleet launched the attack, the sky had not yet dawned, and the Spaniards were obviously not well prepared for this kind of sea raid, even though they had already discovered the coming from the sea before the Haihan fleet formed an attack formation. Assailants, but countermeasures came too slowly.When the coastal defense artillery fired the first shell, one-third of the Haihan fleet had completed a round of shelling and began to evacuate to the southern waters.
In fact, no matter whether it is the attacker or the defender, it is difficult to complete accurate shooting under such limited visibility, and the time to fire is extremely tight. Basically, they aim at a general direction and then fire. It is pure luck. .However, this offensive launched by Haihan was originally a harassing operation, and he did not really intend to defeat the enemy fleet through such bombardment, and the Spaniards' counterattack on the fort was similar to warning nature, closing their eyes and firing a few shots , hoping to scare away the Haihan people.
So you fight yours, and I fight mine. After busying each other, the battle was declared over before the official engagement.The limited number of shells fired by the Spanish coastal defense fort did not win the prize, and all fell into the sea.On Haihan's side, several shells hit the target, but the damage was not too severe. Two ships were hit by fire and were extinguished by the crew and sailors in time, and no major disaster was caused.
Juan rushed to the pier with a livid face, and after checking the damage of the ships that were shot, he felt a little relieved.The place where he lived last night was actually not far from the pier, and at this juncture, he did not dare to go back to the city to spend the night, lest he be caught saying that he was afraid of war.Juan was actually prepared for Haihan's possible sudden attack, but he didn't expect the Haihan people to play such a game in the early morning.Judging from the fact that the Haihan fleet retreated immediately after winning, and showed no desire to fight, the opponent obviously did not feel at ease to achieve any decisive results through this battle. To put it bluntly, it was just a harassment.Hitting the Manila Fleet is a name, but hitting the morale of the Spanish side is the real thing.
Governor Aragones has already begun to urge him to implement the so-called battle plan and get rid of the difficult black warship as soon as possible as a signal to launch a counterattack.But Juan procrastinated, because he had to wait until enough chain bombs were available before he dared to take the risk.But Haihan seemed to be one step faster than him. Seeing that the number of chain bombs produced by the overtime work was almost enough, he was plotted by the other party.Although he knew that the other party was intentionally harassing and wanted to provoke him to go to sea for a decisive battle, Juan also knew that after this matter was reported to the governor's mansion, the governor would definitely have to urge him to do it quickly.
"Order, all ships and personnel are ready for battle within today, and we will go to the south tomorrow." Juan gave orders to the officers surrounding him in a calm tone as much as possible.He deliberately didn't use words like "decisive battle" because he didn't want to overwhelm the minds of the combatants.
Everyone knows that the attacking Haihan Fleet is stronger than the Manila Fleet. If there is a direct decisive battle at sea, the Manila Fleet's chances of winning are estimated to be less than [-]%.And Juan only issued this order in the form of ordinary missions, in order to avoid pessimism and panic in the fleet.
After Juan gave the order, he left the pier.Things like repairing ships and preparing ammunition are handled by the officers below, and he doesn't need to ask about everything in person.Juan returned to the city in a carriage, went to the Governor's Mansion first, and informed Aragones of the brief firefight and battle situation at the port, and then explained his battle plan.
"Later, I will have the fleet's roster sent to the Governor's Mansion. There will be many people who will cross out their names from it, perhaps including me. Governor, if the Manila Fleet fails in this battle Yes, I hope you can forgive those who come back alive." Juan expressed his attitude to Aragones very seriously: "I guarantee that everyone in the Manila Fleet will do their best in the next battle, but I don't want all these fighters to die at sea, if we can't defeat our opponents, then I will arrange for them to withdraw, perhaps on land, our disadvantage will be smaller."
"Dear Juan, I don't mean to force you to work hard. You have to know that your role is much greater than those of ordinary sailors. You have to live well, understand?" Aragones looked like he was not joking. , is really planning to go to die, and immediately persuaded: "You have to fight with all your strength with the fleet, but you must protect your own safety. If you really can't support it, then retreat, we still have Manila City to defend! "
Hu An thought in his heart that without the harassment from the sea, the city of Manila would be an isolated city. The Haihan people could safely and boldly besiege the city. How long can this last?Although he is a Spaniard, he is not optimistic about the possibility of defeating Haihan on land. The opponent has already landed on the coast of Pasay Town, and it is obvious that he is going to advance to Manila from land. At that time, he will be defeated by Aragones The coastal defense artillery fortifications that are relied on are almost useless.
Without the heavy fire support of the coastal defense artillery, how many days can the city of Manila survive under Haihan's artillery fire?Juan didn't want to think about this issue. He had met with Francis, who was in charge of the city defense. Although the other party said that he wanted to teach the Haihan people a bloody lesson, he couldn't say any specific tactics. Obviously, he was also relying on the coastal defense artillery. Capable of stopping Haihan's landing in Manila Harbor.Now that the Haihan people plan to bypass the coastal defense artillery from land, this man must have a headache after getting the news.
Of course, Juan didn't really intend to serve the country with his death, but he had to take such an attitude in front of the governor to show his determination, otherwise he wouldn't have the face to return to the city after losing the battle.But whether he can save his life in this battle is actually not something he can decide on his own. After all, anything can happen on the battlefield.
In the early morning of the next day, Juan issued a departure order on the "San Diego", and the 22 sailing ships of the Manila Fleet that were still capable of combat came out in full force and sailed south along the coastline.
Juan's first goal was the fishing port in Pasay Town. He knew very well that the size of the local wharf was not suitable for the large-tonnage Haihan warship to dock, so it was likely to be a weak point of Haihan's defense.If there is a Haihan cargo ship docked in the local area, it is a good time to pick this soft persimmon to attack. At worst, try to destroy the local port terminal to delay the speed of Haihan's delivery of materials and personnel to the local area.
Juan's idea is that there is no problem, and it is also a very reasonable battle plan, but the opponent he meets is Haihan.When the Manila fleet set off from the port, Haihan sailors had already noticed this movement on a scout sailboat a few nautical miles away.Although the sailing ship did not carry advanced equipment such as a radio, by virtue of its high speed, the reconnaissance ship led the Spaniards back to the fishing port of Pasay Town, and reported the news of the enemy fleet's attack to the defenders.
As Juan expected, there were no Haihan warships stationed here, but Roger's troops had set up several 24-pound cannons on the pier early on for shore defense.Immediately after receiving the warning, the port of Cavite was notified via the radio, and the main force of the Haihan Fleet immediately set off from Cavite to the fishing port of Pasay Town.The distance between these two places is too close. If the Spanish fleet wants to make a difference in the fishing port of Pasay Town, it will definitely not be able to escape the Haihan fleet rushing to help.
Juan may know this, or he may not have thought of it at all, but after the fleet reached the target area, he immediately gave the order to attack.The Spanish galleons of the Manila Fleet lined up in battle column and skimmed the sea near the fishing port at a tangential angle, firing at the pier at the same time.
There were several cargo ships docked at the fishing port pier, but after receiving the warning, they all sailed out of the pier and headed south in time.But it also made it easier for the army artillery on the pier to respond to the Spanish warship's offensive. Eight guns were fired in sequence, and the shells were fired at the Spanish sailing ship passing near the pier.
The range and accuracy of the army's artillery were far superior to those of the ship's naval guns. This time, Haihan had a clear advantage, and almost every shell easily hit the target.This made the Spanish sailing ship have to sail against the gunfire of the Haihan Army when it moved closer to the shore so that the dock could enter the range of the naval guns. This pressure is not a joke.The artillery positions deployed by Haihan are all fortified with thick soil, and even if the naval guns hit one or two shots, it is difficult to pose a real threat.
(End of this chapter)
The fact that the Spaniards adopted this defensive tactic showed that they had a relatively clear understanding of the strength comparison between the two sides, and they did not plan to adopt layers of fortifications on the periphery to resist Haihan's offensive.If they really wanted to fight for every inch of land, it would actually be more in line with Haihan's wishes, because in that case, the Spaniards would not be able to gather heavy troops in one place, but Haihan could use the main force to fight Attack these garrison strongholds and wipe out the Spanish armed forces bit by bit.
Although layers of defense may create more troubles for Haihan and prolong the time it takes for Haihan to attack Manila, this tactic has a fatal flaw, that is, when Haihan's army wipes out the surrounding When the stronghold reached the bottom of the city, the Spaniards would not have too many troops left to defend the city. With the fighting power of the Haihan army, they might break the city in one fell swoop.
The bottom line for the Spaniards is to keep the city of Manila, and naturally they will not allow this to happen.Scattered deployment of layers of defenses will definitely be wiped out by Haihan one by one in the end, but if you take the initiative to retract the defensive circle to Manila City and concentrate your superior forces to fight Haihan, you will not know whether you will win or lose. At least there will be a fight. With a chance, it might really drag the Haihan army to death under the city.
But no matter what kind of tactic it is, it is taking great risks for the Manila authorities to implement it. If it fails, it may end in the destruction of the city.As for Haihan, as long as he keeps pace at every step and does not rush forward, it is basically only a matter of time before the battle line reaches the city of Manila.So although it seems that Spain still has the advantage at home, it is the Haihan Army who are playing away from home that has the initiative in the battle.
Roger's troops did not find a large number of enemy troops near the town of Pasay, and they successfully captured this intermediate station leading to Manila.However, the scale and facilities of the fishing port here are extremely limited, and it is not suitable for the fleet to station here. It can only be used as a temporary cargo terminal.In this way, it is necessary to seize the time to expand the wharf, and to lengthen and strengthen the trestle originally used to dock ships, so that the cargo ships transporting materials can dock and unload smoothly.
But Roger will definitely not let his troops lay down their weapons to do this kind of hard work. Fortunately, the Ministry of National Defense considered that the Spaniards might adopt tactics of fortifying the wall and clearing the field before the war, so they specially brought two Engineer Company.Naturally, the task of expanding the dock must be handed over to more professional troops.
On the eighth day after entering Manila Bay, the Haihan Army finally advanced to a place less than ten kilometers away from Manila City.Of course, if it weren't for the bad weather a few days ago, perhaps the army should have already approached the city at this time.
The Haihan army landed near the town of Pasay, making a lot of noise, and naturally they couldn't hide from the enemy's surveillance. However, the Spaniards seemed to be really patient, and they didn't rush to send troops over to expel them. Adopted a stand-by attitude.The scouts also found Spanish riders on the outside, but these riders who were in charge of inquiring about Haihan's military situation kept the distance very far away, as if ensuring their own safety was their top priority.
However, the Spanish warships of the Manila Fleet were not idle, and tried to send several ships south from Manila Port to see if there was a chance to attack the Haihan cargo ship and troop carrier.But this plan is doomed to disappointment. Every cargo ship traveling between Cavite Port and Pasay is escorted by armed warships, and as long as Spanish warships appear at sea, they will soon attract more The Haihan warship approached this sea area.If you don't want to be encircled and suppressed, you can only choose to take the initiative to retreat.
Although the Spaniard chose to narrow down the defensive area, Haihan didn't intend to just let things go.In the early hours of the morning two days later, the Haihan Fleet raided the estuary of the Pasig River on the west side of Manila, and launched a round of superficial artillery strikes on the Manila Fleet temporarily stationed here.
The reason why the Haihan Fleet did not choose to break into the vicinity and open fire was mainly because the pier where the Manila Fleet docked was under the fire cover of the coastal defense turret. Cannon fire.Even an ironclad ship like the "Black Shark" dare not guarantee that its hull can withstand the large solid shells of the coastal defense gun.The only way is to fire a round of artillery and run away before the defenders react.
Since it was early in the morning when the Haihan fleet launched the attack, the sky had not yet dawned, and the Spaniards were obviously not well prepared for this kind of sea raid, even though they had already discovered the coming from the sea before the Haihan fleet formed an attack formation. Assailants, but countermeasures came too slowly.When the coastal defense artillery fired the first shell, one-third of the Haihan fleet had completed a round of shelling and began to evacuate to the southern waters.
In fact, no matter whether it is the attacker or the defender, it is difficult to complete accurate shooting under such limited visibility, and the time to fire is extremely tight. Basically, they aim at a general direction and then fire. It is pure luck. .However, this offensive launched by Haihan was originally a harassing operation, and he did not really intend to defeat the enemy fleet through such bombardment, and the Spaniards' counterattack on the fort was similar to warning nature, closing their eyes and firing a few shots , hoping to scare away the Haihan people.
So you fight yours, and I fight mine. After busying each other, the battle was declared over before the official engagement.The limited number of shells fired by the Spanish coastal defense fort did not win the prize, and all fell into the sea.On Haihan's side, several shells hit the target, but the damage was not too severe. Two ships were hit by fire and were extinguished by the crew and sailors in time, and no major disaster was caused.
Juan rushed to the pier with a livid face, and after checking the damage of the ships that were shot, he felt a little relieved.The place where he lived last night was actually not far from the pier, and at this juncture, he did not dare to go back to the city to spend the night, lest he be caught saying that he was afraid of war.Juan was actually prepared for Haihan's possible sudden attack, but he didn't expect the Haihan people to play such a game in the early morning.Judging from the fact that the Haihan fleet retreated immediately after winning, and showed no desire to fight, the opponent obviously did not feel at ease to achieve any decisive results through this battle. To put it bluntly, it was just a harassment.Hitting the Manila Fleet is a name, but hitting the morale of the Spanish side is the real thing.
Governor Aragones has already begun to urge him to implement the so-called battle plan and get rid of the difficult black warship as soon as possible as a signal to launch a counterattack.But Juan procrastinated, because he had to wait until enough chain bombs were available before he dared to take the risk.But Haihan seemed to be one step faster than him. Seeing that the number of chain bombs produced by the overtime work was almost enough, he was plotted by the other party.Although he knew that the other party was intentionally harassing and wanted to provoke him to go to sea for a decisive battle, Juan also knew that after this matter was reported to the governor's mansion, the governor would definitely have to urge him to do it quickly.
"Order, all ships and personnel are ready for battle within today, and we will go to the south tomorrow." Juan gave orders to the officers surrounding him in a calm tone as much as possible.He deliberately didn't use words like "decisive battle" because he didn't want to overwhelm the minds of the combatants.
Everyone knows that the attacking Haihan Fleet is stronger than the Manila Fleet. If there is a direct decisive battle at sea, the Manila Fleet's chances of winning are estimated to be less than [-]%.And Juan only issued this order in the form of ordinary missions, in order to avoid pessimism and panic in the fleet.
After Juan gave the order, he left the pier.Things like repairing ships and preparing ammunition are handled by the officers below, and he doesn't need to ask about everything in person.Juan returned to the city in a carriage, went to the Governor's Mansion first, and informed Aragones of the brief firefight and battle situation at the port, and then explained his battle plan.
"Later, I will have the fleet's roster sent to the Governor's Mansion. There will be many people who will cross out their names from it, perhaps including me. Governor, if the Manila Fleet fails in this battle Yes, I hope you can forgive those who come back alive." Juan expressed his attitude to Aragones very seriously: "I guarantee that everyone in the Manila Fleet will do their best in the next battle, but I don't want all these fighters to die at sea, if we can't defeat our opponents, then I will arrange for them to withdraw, perhaps on land, our disadvantage will be smaller."
"Dear Juan, I don't mean to force you to work hard. You have to know that your role is much greater than those of ordinary sailors. You have to live well, understand?" Aragones looked like he was not joking. , is really planning to go to die, and immediately persuaded: "You have to fight with all your strength with the fleet, but you must protect your own safety. If you really can't support it, then retreat, we still have Manila City to defend! "
Hu An thought in his heart that without the harassment from the sea, the city of Manila would be an isolated city. The Haihan people could safely and boldly besiege the city. How long can this last?Although he is a Spaniard, he is not optimistic about the possibility of defeating Haihan on land. The opponent has already landed on the coast of Pasay Town, and it is obvious that he is going to advance to Manila from land. At that time, he will be defeated by Aragones The coastal defense artillery fortifications that are relied on are almost useless.
Without the heavy fire support of the coastal defense artillery, how many days can the city of Manila survive under Haihan's artillery fire?Juan didn't want to think about this issue. He had met with Francis, who was in charge of the city defense. Although the other party said that he wanted to teach the Haihan people a bloody lesson, he couldn't say any specific tactics. Obviously, he was also relying on the coastal defense artillery. Capable of stopping Haihan's landing in Manila Harbor.Now that the Haihan people plan to bypass the coastal defense artillery from land, this man must have a headache after getting the news.
Of course, Juan didn't really intend to serve the country with his death, but he had to take such an attitude in front of the governor to show his determination, otherwise he wouldn't have the face to return to the city after losing the battle.But whether he can save his life in this battle is actually not something he can decide on his own. After all, anything can happen on the battlefield.
In the early morning of the next day, Juan issued a departure order on the "San Diego", and the 22 sailing ships of the Manila Fleet that were still capable of combat came out in full force and sailed south along the coastline.
Juan's first goal was the fishing port in Pasay Town. He knew very well that the size of the local wharf was not suitable for the large-tonnage Haihan warship to dock, so it was likely to be a weak point of Haihan's defense.If there is a Haihan cargo ship docked in the local area, it is a good time to pick this soft persimmon to attack. At worst, try to destroy the local port terminal to delay the speed of Haihan's delivery of materials and personnel to the local area.
Juan's idea is that there is no problem, and it is also a very reasonable battle plan, but the opponent he meets is Haihan.When the Manila fleet set off from the port, Haihan sailors had already noticed this movement on a scout sailboat a few nautical miles away.Although the sailing ship did not carry advanced equipment such as a radio, by virtue of its high speed, the reconnaissance ship led the Spaniards back to the fishing port of Pasay Town, and reported the news of the enemy fleet's attack to the defenders.
As Juan expected, there were no Haihan warships stationed here, but Roger's troops had set up several 24-pound cannons on the pier early on for shore defense.Immediately after receiving the warning, the port of Cavite was notified via the radio, and the main force of the Haihan Fleet immediately set off from Cavite to the fishing port of Pasay Town.The distance between these two places is too close. If the Spanish fleet wants to make a difference in the fishing port of Pasay Town, it will definitely not be able to escape the Haihan fleet rushing to help.
Juan may know this, or he may not have thought of it at all, but after the fleet reached the target area, he immediately gave the order to attack.The Spanish galleons of the Manila Fleet lined up in battle column and skimmed the sea near the fishing port at a tangential angle, firing at the pier at the same time.
There were several cargo ships docked at the fishing port pier, but after receiving the warning, they all sailed out of the pier and headed south in time.But it also made it easier for the army artillery on the pier to respond to the Spanish warship's offensive. Eight guns were fired in sequence, and the shells were fired at the Spanish sailing ship passing near the pier.
The range and accuracy of the army's artillery were far superior to those of the ship's naval guns. This time, Haihan had a clear advantage, and almost every shell easily hit the target.This made the Spanish sailing ship have to sail against the gunfire of the Haihan Army when it moved closer to the shore so that the dock could enter the range of the naval guns. This pressure is not a joke.The artillery positions deployed by Haihan are all fortified with thick soil, and even if the naval guns hit one or two shots, it is difficult to pose a real threat.
(End of this chapter)