Chapter 1653
Attacking Manila
Chapter 1653 Attack on Manila ([-])
The control of the combat distance is a headache that any country's army will encounter when fighting against the Haihan army. The effective range of the guns equipped by the Haihan army is far better than that of other countries, and the advantage is particularly obvious when fighting in plain areas.Generally speaking, there are only two choices left to the opponent. One is to push upward against the hail of bullets, shorten the combat distance to close combat, and minimize the advantages brought by the excellent performance of Haihan weapons; The combat distance is extended beyond the range of Haihan's weapons, but this means that it is difficult to cause direct damage to Haihan's army, and it will inevitably lead to passiveness.
In today's first fight on the plains south of Manila, the Spanish commander chose the second method of handling, actively retreating to widen the fighting distance.It is hard to say that there is anything wrong with this kind of response, because the composition of the Spanish army is mainly infantry, and it is necessary to maintain a tight phalanx formation to implement the established tactics.With the speed of the infantry, it would obviously be an extremely stupid suicide act to maintain this formation and forcefully push to the front of Haihan's formation under artillery fire.Therefore, when the Spanish commander found that the trend of the battle was unfavorable to his side, he immediately ordered a retreat, which was actually a wise choice.
Later, they chose to let the cavalry attack the flanks of Haihan's position in a roundabout way. The purpose is also to shorten the combat distance through the high-speed advance of the cavalry, so as to reduce the advantage of Haihan's weapons.It's just that this road is still impassable under the rapid attack of the Haihan cavalry. The Spanish cavalry just came out and slipped around, and about one-fifth of the troops were knocked out without even seeing the master. Withdrew without hesitation.
The Spanish army tried two ways to deal with it, but both attempts failed to achieve the ultimate. Of course, judging from its troop reserve and composition of arms, it is indeed impossible to fight head-on with Haihan.If the Spanish commander knew that his counterparts in the far north had failed to hit the Haihan infantry position with thousands of cavalry, then perhaps they would not have to bite the bullet and send the cavalry they had on hand to hit a snag.
However, there is actually a small problem with Qian Tiandun's judgment. If the Spaniards started street fighting, it would certainly be able to effectively delay Haihan's progress in attacking Manila City. Combat power will also be greatly affected.The combat method that the Spanish army is good at relies on the infantry phalanx, and there is no way to form an formation in street fighting. Without daily training, there is naturally no tactics.While the street fighting slowed down the attack of the Haihan army, the defenders also had to bear far greater risks than normal fighting, and this was a problem that the Spanish commander had to seriously consider.
Francis was deeply troubled by this at this time. If it was an ordinary opponent, then he would definitely choose to use street fighting to delay the opponent's offensive under the current situation. He knew whether his opponent was good at street fighting, and he didn't dare to take risks easily.But this is the city of Manila, and if you retreat, you can only retreat into the city for passive defense, and give up a large area outside the city. This is also an unreasonable tactic from a military perspective.
Francis suddenly remembered when Juan was still there. Although the Manila fleet was limited in strength, it could at least share part of the pressure for the city defense, preventing the enemy from advancing unscrupulously from land all the way to the city of Manila.It's a pity that the fleet was beaten to pieces by the Haihan army after only two battles, and even Commander Juan was captured alive by the Haihan people.
But Francis also understands that the City Defense Force is now the last hope of the city of Manila. If the Haihan people cannot be kept under the city, the thousands of Spaniards in the Manila area may not have the opportunity to live here anymore.For some of them, this is actually no different from death.And Francis' personal future and destiny have long been tied to the city of Manila, and there is no other way but to fight to the death.
In addition to the two armies fighting under the city, there is of course a group of people who are most worried about the battle situation, and that is the people living in the fighting area in the south of the city.There are no Spaniards living here, and most of the people who settle here are local aborigines, immigrants and foreign businessmen who are resident in Manila.When war broke out, those who could run would have already packed up their belongings and fled, but there were still many people who stayed behind for various reasons, such as the employees of Chaosheng Commercial Store and the shopkeeper Ran Tianlu.
Of course Ran Tianlu already knew that Haihan's land siege route would be south of the city, but he couldn't voluntarily evacuate here. Even Father Blanco suggested him to enter the city earlier to avoid the war, but he decisively declined.Of course, Ran Tianlu is not reluctant to part with the properties and houses that Chaosheng Commercial Store cannot remove, but he has another special identity. When the Haihan army is approaching the city, it is when he really plays a role. How can he be like other people? flee away.
Of course, the identity of a Ming merchant also gave him an excellent cover. Even the Spaniards in the city believed that a merchant from a neutral country like him who stayed outside the city would not be embarrassed by the Haihan army.After all, Haihan claims to be based on business, and has always treated multinational businessmen with courtesy. This is a well-known fact in the Far East. Even in the war zone, Haihan will not deliberately embarrass some businessmen who maintain a neutral attitude.That's why Father Blanco boldly transported all the property of the church out of the city, and entrusted it to Ran Tianlu in the Chaosheng store.
Although Ran Tianlu stayed in the south of the city reasonably and legally, there were too many uncontrollable things during the war, and he didn't dare to be careless. Before the Haihan army arrived nearby, he gathered the store staff and stopped the business and business. People come in and out, just guard the place where Chaosheng Trading Post is, and wait for the end of the war.
Even so, today the two armies are fighting in the south, and after the rumbling of the cannons, there are still some small commotions inside the store.Some employees don't really understand why the shopkeeper wants to stick to this place. In fact, they can go out to avoid the war first, and come back after the situation stabilizes.Anyway, no matter whether the Spaniards or the Haihan people are in charge of this place, the Chaosheng Trading Post, which exists as a neutral party, will not be greatly affected. Maybe it will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune after the war.
Ran Tianlu was actually panicked. Although he had received systematic intelligence training, he had never really experienced war. He only knew that human life was like an ant in wartime, and his special identity might not be able to be used as a life-saving talisman at critical moments.Fortunately, there are twenty or so armed guards in the store. Many of these professionals from the Golden Shield Guards are actually veterans who have retired from the Haihan Army. Emotions have been reassuring everyone that this battle will not last long, and the Haihan army will conquer this place later, and the store will only need to express a neutral attitude, and nothing will happen.
These comforts finally made Ran Tianlu calm down a bit. Now he hoped that the Haihan army would advance to the city as soon as possible, so that he and the store could be protected.The Spanish defenders had retreated to the city after today's battle. It seemed that this retreat was also thanks to the Haihan Army. Ran Tianlu felt safe, and when the Spaniards retreated into the city tomorrow, he would be liberated.
But things didn't go as smoothly as Ran Tianlu expected. Not long after nightfall, a group of Spanish soldiers came to Chaosheng's store.
"You... want to set up an ambush here?" After hearing the intention of the other party's visit, Ran Tianlu felt that his head could be as big as two.
On a whim, the Spaniards wanted to set up an ambush in this area and fight street battles with the Haihan people after dawn.The Chaosheng Warehouse covers a large area, with strong houses and several exits. Not only infantry and cavalry, but even carriages can enter and exit directly from the door. If it is used well, it can be used as a small fortress for garrisoning troops.However, Francis also knows that this place is Ran Tianlu's property, and he has saved face by not directly expropriating the store, but next, he will station fifty infantry and ten cavalry in the store, and deploy a six-pounder it's here.A group of Spanish soldiers sent here came to inform Ran Tianlu and asked him to prepare enough rations in advance, and the troops would be stationed here later.
Ran Tianlu secretly groaned in his heart, it was all to blame for the fact that when the Ministry of Security set up this storehouse, it deliberately designed it according to the function of a stronghold. stronghold.In the battle plan of the Haihan Army, Chaosheng Commercial Store is where the frontline headquarters will be set up after advancing to the city.The Spaniards can be regarded as good at goods, and they actually picked the garrison in his place to set up an ambush, and they didn't allow him to have a chance to refuse at all.
Of course Ran Tianlu knew that a direct refusal would definitely not work. If it was a normal day, he could try to follow Father Blanco's path and see if he could get Colonel Francis to revoke such absurd order.But now it is wartime, and it is extremely common for the army to temporarily expropriate people's houses, and it is already a very polite move to say hello in advance.If Ran Tianlu refused, he was afraid that a large group of Spanish soldiers would kick in the door next.
Ran Tianlu tried to use gold and silver to persuade the officers who came to pass the order, and said that he had some friendship with Francis's attendant Gonzalo, to see if he could accommodate him and change to another place to garrison.But the officer resolutely rejected Ran Tianlu's request: "This is an order directly from Colonel Francis. In addition, the person who recommended this place to the colonel is Lieutenant Gonzalo."
The damn Spaniard!Ran Tianlu could only curse Gonzalo's two faces in his heart.When he went to work in the army earlier, Gonzalo accepted the benefits he gave, and he said it beautifully at the time, why would he definitely take care of Chaosheng Shangzhan in the future, but in the end it was such a caring method?
Ran Tianlu secretly made a decision in his heart, after the army broke through the city of Manila, he must advise the army to deal with this troublesome Gonzalo.But what should we do now, do we really let the Spaniards enter the store?After the fight starts tomorrow, this place will become the stronghold of the Spaniards, in other words, it will also become the target of the Haihan army.In the chaos, if the guns of the Haihan army were all bombarded at the store, it would be difficult to guarantee their personal safety in this place.
But if the Spaniard is rejected now, the trouble will come immediately, and it will be even more uncontrollable.In desperation, Ran Tianlu had no choice but to agree first, and while the Spanish soldiers were returning to their command, Ran Tianlu hurriedly called together a group of armed guards and asked them how to deal with it.
"Everyone, now it's time for life and death. The Spaniards are hiding in the trading post and fighting with the Haihan people. At that time, everyone will be involved. You are all heroes who have traveled all over the world and have seen the world, so hurry up and give an idea, what to do Can we deal with this dilemma?" Ran Tianlu lowered his posture and asked the armed guards how to deal with it.
"Then it's up to Lord Peng to talk about it."
"That's right, Mr. Peng was a soldier before, so what Mr. Peng said is right."
Ran Tianlu's audience was full of chatter, and they all recommended their leader, Fang Peng, so he took the initiative to bow to him and said, "I hope Master Peng will not hesitate to teach you."
This Fang Peng was in his 30s, with a lean body and piercing eyes, he looked like a man with a firm will.He cupped his fists at Ran Tianlu and said, "The shopkeeper doesn't have to be so polite. Since you asked me, let me tell you what I think. As for how to make up your mind, the shopkeeper has the final say."
At that moment, Fang Peng gave Ran Tianlu two ideas. One was to let the Spaniards do things, but he would not participate or cooperate. When Haihan attacked this place, the Spaniards would naturally retreat into the city, and they should not have been fighting to the death in the store .However, doing so does have the risk that Ran Tianlu is worried about, that is, he may be accidentally injured by the Haihan army during the battle.
The other method is relatively more proactive. It is also to let the Spaniards into the business warehouse, but let them down as many people come. When the Haihan Army arrives, they will hand over these Spaniards to the Haihan Army. A piece of peace.As for the risk, of course, it is necessary to bring down dozens of Spanish soldiers in the store without making a sound, and keep this secret until the arrival of the Haihan army.
"Isn't the risk too great?" After hearing the second method, Ran Tianlu couldn't help being a little astonished at Fang Peng's boldness.
Fang Peng said: "If the shopkeeper is sure that the Haihan people can capture the city of Manila, then you might as well use the second method to make a big contribution to Haihan earlier, so that you can continue to operate here in the future. If you think the situation is unpredictable, Then use the first method to seek a stable result."
Ran Tianlu thought to himself, I can be sure that the Haihan army will break the city, but they want to send No. 60 people, how can they subdue so many people in the store without making any noise?
(End of this chapter)
The control of the combat distance is a headache that any country's army will encounter when fighting against the Haihan army. The effective range of the guns equipped by the Haihan army is far better than that of other countries, and the advantage is particularly obvious when fighting in plain areas.Generally speaking, there are only two choices left to the opponent. One is to push upward against the hail of bullets, shorten the combat distance to close combat, and minimize the advantages brought by the excellent performance of Haihan weapons; The combat distance is extended beyond the range of Haihan's weapons, but this means that it is difficult to cause direct damage to Haihan's army, and it will inevitably lead to passiveness.
In today's first fight on the plains south of Manila, the Spanish commander chose the second method of handling, actively retreating to widen the fighting distance.It is hard to say that there is anything wrong with this kind of response, because the composition of the Spanish army is mainly infantry, and it is necessary to maintain a tight phalanx formation to implement the established tactics.With the speed of the infantry, it would obviously be an extremely stupid suicide act to maintain this formation and forcefully push to the front of Haihan's formation under artillery fire.Therefore, when the Spanish commander found that the trend of the battle was unfavorable to his side, he immediately ordered a retreat, which was actually a wise choice.
Later, they chose to let the cavalry attack the flanks of Haihan's position in a roundabout way. The purpose is also to shorten the combat distance through the high-speed advance of the cavalry, so as to reduce the advantage of Haihan's weapons.It's just that this road is still impassable under the rapid attack of the Haihan cavalry. The Spanish cavalry just came out and slipped around, and about one-fifth of the troops were knocked out without even seeing the master. Withdrew without hesitation.
The Spanish army tried two ways to deal with it, but both attempts failed to achieve the ultimate. Of course, judging from its troop reserve and composition of arms, it is indeed impossible to fight head-on with Haihan.If the Spanish commander knew that his counterparts in the far north had failed to hit the Haihan infantry position with thousands of cavalry, then perhaps they would not have to bite the bullet and send the cavalry they had on hand to hit a snag.
However, there is actually a small problem with Qian Tiandun's judgment. If the Spaniards started street fighting, it would certainly be able to effectively delay Haihan's progress in attacking Manila City. Combat power will also be greatly affected.The combat method that the Spanish army is good at relies on the infantry phalanx, and there is no way to form an formation in street fighting. Without daily training, there is naturally no tactics.While the street fighting slowed down the attack of the Haihan army, the defenders also had to bear far greater risks than normal fighting, and this was a problem that the Spanish commander had to seriously consider.
Francis was deeply troubled by this at this time. If it was an ordinary opponent, then he would definitely choose to use street fighting to delay the opponent's offensive under the current situation. He knew whether his opponent was good at street fighting, and he didn't dare to take risks easily.But this is the city of Manila, and if you retreat, you can only retreat into the city for passive defense, and give up a large area outside the city. This is also an unreasonable tactic from a military perspective.
Francis suddenly remembered when Juan was still there. Although the Manila fleet was limited in strength, it could at least share part of the pressure for the city defense, preventing the enemy from advancing unscrupulously from land all the way to the city of Manila.It's a pity that the fleet was beaten to pieces by the Haihan army after only two battles, and even Commander Juan was captured alive by the Haihan people.
But Francis also understands that the City Defense Force is now the last hope of the city of Manila. If the Haihan people cannot be kept under the city, the thousands of Spaniards in the Manila area may not have the opportunity to live here anymore.For some of them, this is actually no different from death.And Francis' personal future and destiny have long been tied to the city of Manila, and there is no other way but to fight to the death.
In addition to the two armies fighting under the city, there is of course a group of people who are most worried about the battle situation, and that is the people living in the fighting area in the south of the city.There are no Spaniards living here, and most of the people who settle here are local aborigines, immigrants and foreign businessmen who are resident in Manila.When war broke out, those who could run would have already packed up their belongings and fled, but there were still many people who stayed behind for various reasons, such as the employees of Chaosheng Commercial Store and the shopkeeper Ran Tianlu.
Of course Ran Tianlu already knew that Haihan's land siege route would be south of the city, but he couldn't voluntarily evacuate here. Even Father Blanco suggested him to enter the city earlier to avoid the war, but he decisively declined.Of course, Ran Tianlu is not reluctant to part with the properties and houses that Chaosheng Commercial Store cannot remove, but he has another special identity. When the Haihan army is approaching the city, it is when he really plays a role. How can he be like other people? flee away.
Of course, the identity of a Ming merchant also gave him an excellent cover. Even the Spaniards in the city believed that a merchant from a neutral country like him who stayed outside the city would not be embarrassed by the Haihan army.After all, Haihan claims to be based on business, and has always treated multinational businessmen with courtesy. This is a well-known fact in the Far East. Even in the war zone, Haihan will not deliberately embarrass some businessmen who maintain a neutral attitude.That's why Father Blanco boldly transported all the property of the church out of the city, and entrusted it to Ran Tianlu in the Chaosheng store.
Although Ran Tianlu stayed in the south of the city reasonably and legally, there were too many uncontrollable things during the war, and he didn't dare to be careless. Before the Haihan army arrived nearby, he gathered the store staff and stopped the business and business. People come in and out, just guard the place where Chaosheng Trading Post is, and wait for the end of the war.
Even so, today the two armies are fighting in the south, and after the rumbling of the cannons, there are still some small commotions inside the store.Some employees don't really understand why the shopkeeper wants to stick to this place. In fact, they can go out to avoid the war first, and come back after the situation stabilizes.Anyway, no matter whether the Spaniards or the Haihan people are in charge of this place, the Chaosheng Trading Post, which exists as a neutral party, will not be greatly affected. Maybe it will be able to take advantage of the opportunity to make a fortune after the war.
Ran Tianlu was actually panicked. Although he had received systematic intelligence training, he had never really experienced war. He only knew that human life was like an ant in wartime, and his special identity might not be able to be used as a life-saving talisman at critical moments.Fortunately, there are twenty or so armed guards in the store. Many of these professionals from the Golden Shield Guards are actually veterans who have retired from the Haihan Army. Emotions have been reassuring everyone that this battle will not last long, and the Haihan army will conquer this place later, and the store will only need to express a neutral attitude, and nothing will happen.
These comforts finally made Ran Tianlu calm down a bit. Now he hoped that the Haihan army would advance to the city as soon as possible, so that he and the store could be protected.The Spanish defenders had retreated to the city after today's battle. It seemed that this retreat was also thanks to the Haihan Army. Ran Tianlu felt safe, and when the Spaniards retreated into the city tomorrow, he would be liberated.
But things didn't go as smoothly as Ran Tianlu expected. Not long after nightfall, a group of Spanish soldiers came to Chaosheng's store.
"You... want to set up an ambush here?" After hearing the intention of the other party's visit, Ran Tianlu felt that his head could be as big as two.
On a whim, the Spaniards wanted to set up an ambush in this area and fight street battles with the Haihan people after dawn.The Chaosheng Warehouse covers a large area, with strong houses and several exits. Not only infantry and cavalry, but even carriages can enter and exit directly from the door. If it is used well, it can be used as a small fortress for garrisoning troops.However, Francis also knows that this place is Ran Tianlu's property, and he has saved face by not directly expropriating the store, but next, he will station fifty infantry and ten cavalry in the store, and deploy a six-pounder it's here.A group of Spanish soldiers sent here came to inform Ran Tianlu and asked him to prepare enough rations in advance, and the troops would be stationed here later.
Ran Tianlu secretly groaned in his heart, it was all to blame for the fact that when the Ministry of Security set up this storehouse, it deliberately designed it according to the function of a stronghold. stronghold.In the battle plan of the Haihan Army, Chaosheng Commercial Store is where the frontline headquarters will be set up after advancing to the city.The Spaniards can be regarded as good at goods, and they actually picked the garrison in his place to set up an ambush, and they didn't allow him to have a chance to refuse at all.
Of course Ran Tianlu knew that a direct refusal would definitely not work. If it was a normal day, he could try to follow Father Blanco's path and see if he could get Colonel Francis to revoke such absurd order.But now it is wartime, and it is extremely common for the army to temporarily expropriate people's houses, and it is already a very polite move to say hello in advance.If Ran Tianlu refused, he was afraid that a large group of Spanish soldiers would kick in the door next.
Ran Tianlu tried to use gold and silver to persuade the officers who came to pass the order, and said that he had some friendship with Francis's attendant Gonzalo, to see if he could accommodate him and change to another place to garrison.But the officer resolutely rejected Ran Tianlu's request: "This is an order directly from Colonel Francis. In addition, the person who recommended this place to the colonel is Lieutenant Gonzalo."
The damn Spaniard!Ran Tianlu could only curse Gonzalo's two faces in his heart.When he went to work in the army earlier, Gonzalo accepted the benefits he gave, and he said it beautifully at the time, why would he definitely take care of Chaosheng Shangzhan in the future, but in the end it was such a caring method?
Ran Tianlu secretly made a decision in his heart, after the army broke through the city of Manila, he must advise the army to deal with this troublesome Gonzalo.But what should we do now, do we really let the Spaniards enter the store?After the fight starts tomorrow, this place will become the stronghold of the Spaniards, in other words, it will also become the target of the Haihan army.In the chaos, if the guns of the Haihan army were all bombarded at the store, it would be difficult to guarantee their personal safety in this place.
But if the Spaniard is rejected now, the trouble will come immediately, and it will be even more uncontrollable.In desperation, Ran Tianlu had no choice but to agree first, and while the Spanish soldiers were returning to their command, Ran Tianlu hurriedly called together a group of armed guards and asked them how to deal with it.
"Everyone, now it's time for life and death. The Spaniards are hiding in the trading post and fighting with the Haihan people. At that time, everyone will be involved. You are all heroes who have traveled all over the world and have seen the world, so hurry up and give an idea, what to do Can we deal with this dilemma?" Ran Tianlu lowered his posture and asked the armed guards how to deal with it.
"Then it's up to Lord Peng to talk about it."
"That's right, Mr. Peng was a soldier before, so what Mr. Peng said is right."
Ran Tianlu's audience was full of chatter, and they all recommended their leader, Fang Peng, so he took the initiative to bow to him and said, "I hope Master Peng will not hesitate to teach you."
This Fang Peng was in his 30s, with a lean body and piercing eyes, he looked like a man with a firm will.He cupped his fists at Ran Tianlu and said, "The shopkeeper doesn't have to be so polite. Since you asked me, let me tell you what I think. As for how to make up your mind, the shopkeeper has the final say."
At that moment, Fang Peng gave Ran Tianlu two ideas. One was to let the Spaniards do things, but he would not participate or cooperate. When Haihan attacked this place, the Spaniards would naturally retreat into the city, and they should not have been fighting to the death in the store .However, doing so does have the risk that Ran Tianlu is worried about, that is, he may be accidentally injured by the Haihan army during the battle.
The other method is relatively more proactive. It is also to let the Spaniards into the business warehouse, but let them down as many people come. When the Haihan Army arrives, they will hand over these Spaniards to the Haihan Army. A piece of peace.As for the risk, of course, it is necessary to bring down dozens of Spanish soldiers in the store without making a sound, and keep this secret until the arrival of the Haihan army.
"Isn't the risk too great?" After hearing the second method, Ran Tianlu couldn't help being a little astonished at Fang Peng's boldness.
Fang Peng said: "If the shopkeeper is sure that the Haihan people can capture the city of Manila, then you might as well use the second method to make a big contribution to Haihan earlier, so that you can continue to operate here in the future. If you think the situation is unpredictable, Then use the first method to seek a stable result."
Ran Tianlu thought to himself, I can be sure that the Haihan army will break the city, but they want to send No. 60 people, how can they subdue so many people in the store without making any noise?
(End of this chapter)