Chapter 1659
Attacking Manila
Chapter 1659 Attack on Manila ([-])
About three miles south of the battle zone, there is a farm that originally belonged to the Spaniards. However, when the Haihan army attacked this place, the owner's family had already fled into the city, and the farm servants and long-term laborers also fled. An empty estate remained.The owner's house was spacious enough, so the Haihan army requisitioned it as the frontline headquarters.
The past two days were probably the busiest time since the establishment of this manor. There was an endless stream of soldiers entering and leaving this place, and many people rode back and forth on horseback, coming and going in a hurry.The news from the various frontlines was continuously sent back and collected from here, and then countless military orders were quickly sent to the various participating troops from here.Yan Chujie, Qian Tiandun, Wang Tom and other generals were all here to discuss the next tactical arrangement.
"It's not fair!" Tom Wang spread his hands and said, "Is it true that only the army is needed to attack the city of Manila, and our navy can't participate?"
"No one does not want the navy to participate. The Marine Corps maintains military pressure on the West Road, which also plays a role in restraining the Spaniards. Besides, the navy's blockade of the sea lanes of Manila Port is also part of the attack on Manila. Old Wang, you Don't force your words, and command your troops to complete the orders issued by the headquarters." Yan Chujie didn't buy Tom Wang's complaints, and immediately exposed his "trick".
Wang Tom smiled bitterly: "It seems that my troops can only act as spectators in the next battle."
"Tom, don't make too much drama. The first half of this attack on Manila was performed by your navy. You have to leave some drama for our army." Roger and Wang Tom have been friends for many years, and they are very good at speaking. Even more ruthless.
Wang Tom wanted to get some opportunities for his navy and marines in the battle against Manila, but only the battle against Cavite Port allowed him to grab the first prize. Later, when he attacked the fishing port in Pasay Town, he It was Roger's troops who took the lead, but the Spaniards did not deploy defenses in the fishing port, so Roger did not get any military exploits.And then advance to Manila City by land, Wang Tom's Marine Corps has no advantage at all, because this force is under the Navy, so the command will divide the three-way offensive on the west side of the coastline. It was given to the Marine Corps in order to respond to the fleet at sea.
However, Spain has already deployed coastal defenses centered on heavy artillery in the Port of Manila. If the Marine Corps wants to attack the city from this route, it must first take down the Port of Manila. passed an obstacle.So the Marine Corps could only stop outside the Port of Manila, watching the other two army brothers marching all the way, Wang Tom was naturally not satisfied with this.But in fact, he also understands that the Ministry of National Defense must seek a balance, and it is impossible to give the Marine Corps too many opportunities to perform. After all, the Navy has already been in the limelight in previous battles. It aroused the dissatisfaction of the army generals.
If the Port of Manila does not have such a strong defensive means, then Tom Wang has something to do. He can let the fleet approach the coast and use ship-borne artillery to cover the marines moving forward.At that time, the first to attack the city of Manila may not be the other two army troops.
It's a pity that this is just Tom Wang's imagination. The actual situation does not leave any chance for the navy to show off, and he is indeed reluctant to let his elites try to attack the fortifications of Manila Port.These people in the Marine Corps were carefully selected by Wang Tom from the Navy over the years, and then they asked the Ministry of Defense and the Executive Committee for military expenses. The energy and financial resources spent on building this force are huge, how can they be easily damaged? In this unnecessary battle.Wang Tom couldn't think about it, and it was inevitable to complain a few words at the headquarters, but the army generals didn't save him any face, and Wang Tom had nothing to say in a few words.
In the current war surrounding Manila City, the Haihan army has taken the obvious initiative. Large areas in the south and east of the city have been controlled by Haihan. In order to avoid greater losses, the Spanish defenders have taken the initiative to shrink their defenses to the city wall. On the front line, we hope to rely on the strong city to resist the offensive of the Haihan army.The only place where the Spaniards can see a glimmer of life is at sea. At present, the Haihan fleet is only monitoring the periphery a few nautical miles away from Manila Port, and has no plans to launch an offensive against the port.However, there are very few sailing ships that are truly intact in Manila Port, and it is certainly impossible to break through the encirclement of the outer waters of the port during the day.
Of course, there will be some wealthy Spanish businessmen in the city who are unwilling to sit still and are looking for ways to escape.Those who have no connections can only flee to inland towns such as Kalookan and Baliwag on the northern plains, and those who are brave and have enough money can try to buy a sailboat in the port that can still go to sea. Sneak out of the port at night, and then make a big circle north along the coastline of Manila Bay to escape Haihan's sea blockade.
As long as they can leave Manila Bay, it means that they are safe for the time being, and they can take refuge in the nearest Batangas port at the southern tip of Luzon Island. There are also Spanish colonial towns there. Of course, the scale of operations cannot be compared with the surrounding areas of Manila.
Regarding the panic and fleeing of the local people, Governor Aragones has no better idea for the time being except ordering the strengthening of the city defense and prohibiting non-military personnel from entering and leaving the city at will.Although he looked down on these timid youngsters in his heart, many of them were the spokespersons of the domestic nobles in the Far East, and they might have a close relationship with this lord or that prince. No matter whether he can bear it or not, the big man is unwilling to offend.Even if these so-called backers do not necessarily have much energy in the country, but the so-called success is more than failure, Aragones is unwilling to make enemies in the country for nothing.
So even if he knew that the city defenders would accept bribes and let some people flee the city, he could only pretend not to know, and at the same time secretly prayed that these damned cowards would best run into the Shanghai Han army when they went out, and let them be ashamed of the shameful act of fleeing. pay the price.
"My lord, Colonel Francis is here."
The attendant's report made Aragones recover from his anger, and quickly asked the attendant to bring him in.Aragones urgently needs to know how the battle is going on on the front line, and he very much hopes that Francis can bring back some good news, even if it is just spiritual comfort.
But when Aragones saw the ashen and tired face of Francis who walked into the room, he knew that his expectations might be in vain.Sure enough, Francis' report made him feel a little headache: the defenders had lost more than 500 people in the fierce battle in the morning, and the results were not satisfactory. They failed to stop the advance of the Haihan Army in both the east and south directions. , can only retreat to the city for defense.At present, the main force of the Haihan army has advanced to a place less than two miles away from the city wall. Maybe in the afternoon, maybe tomorrow, they will launch the next wave of offensive.
"Colonel, isn't there any good news?" Aragones asked weakly, "Is there no news that is good for us?"
Francis was silent for a moment before responding: "Master Governor, if I brag to you about how many Haihan people I killed on the battlefield, it will not have any impact on the battle situation. At most, it will make you feel better. What do you think? is this necessary?"
"Okay, let's talk about something practical." Aragones could only do the next best thing: "If you have any way to retreat from the enemy, you might as well bring it up quickly, while we still have a little room to struggle, Do something useful!"
Francis replied with a gloomy face: "Governor, I think you should realize that if we want to defeat the Haihan army outside the city with our current strength, it is almost impossible to achieve. Our only chance , is to drag the battle until they can’t continue the war. It’s a pity that Mr. Juan’s fleet failed to cut off their sea supply line, otherwise it might be less difficult to achieve this goal.”
Aragones replied: "Should we have other solutions? This is our place, there is no reason for the Haihan people to take the initiative on the battlefield!"
"My lord, they are really strong. You have to know that before us, they have defeated the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. What we are facing is probably the most powerful armed force in the entire Far East, and its strength is also comparable to ours. Rather, it can be said that we have no other conditions that can be used as an advantage except for the city wall outside that can temporarily provide us with shelter." Francis' tone became more and more depressed, and he could no longer feel any victory over Haihan from his words. Army's confidence.
Aragones was very disappointed with the general's statement. He shook his head and said: "Colonel, if you plan to give up resistance and beg for surrender from the Haihan people, then I advise you to give up this idea. If the news of our surrender is sent back to the country, it will There is no need for a trial, and you and I will be treated by the royal family as sinners who lost the Manila colony. Perhaps His Majesty the King will send a special envoy to the Far East for this, so that he can be hanged in front of our faces. I think it is better to die Fight, if we die in Manila, at least we still have a chance to fight for a stable life for our family.”
Francis shook his head and said, "My lord, I have no intention of surrendering. I just said these words in the hope that you can be psychologically prepared for the possible defeat. Maybe we will die here, or become prisoners of the Haihan people, but this It’s all God’s arrangement, isn’t it?”
"The Lord will bless us." Aragones raised his hand and made a sign of the cross on his chest, agreeing with Francis' statement.Since manpower is likely to be insufficient, it can only be arranged by destiny.
On the afternoon of January 25, the Haihan Army began demolishing houses in the south of the city.This kind of house demolition is not aimless demolition, but a targeted open space near the south gate to provide a good shooting vision for the artillery units that will be deployed here later.
Of course, Haihan did not forget to seize this opportunity to persuade the Spanish authorities in the city to surrender again. The headquarters asked the Portuguese to write a letter, and selected a lucky Spanish prisoner to return to the city with the letter. It was handed over to Governor Aragones for review.
However, this trick did not have much effect. Aragones asked people to shoot the reply letter out of the city with a bow and arrow.His reply was very clear, he would not surrender to Haihan, see you on the battlefield.
For this statement, the Haihan Army responded with a round of artillery fire later.The target of the artillery fire was the south gate of Manila City. Although the gate was about five meters high and three meters wide, it was very thick, but it was still quickly declared damaged under the artillery strike.However, the Spaniards obviously anticipated Haihan's tactics in advance, so after they withdrew into the city, they quickly blocked the city gate from the inside with stones.Although the shells destroyed the city gate, they couldn't destroy the thick stone wall behind the city gate that was almost integrated with the city wall.
"I remember seeing this kind of trick somewhere before?" Yan Chujie, who was watching the battle from a distance, put down the binoculars in his hand and said to himself.
"This is not a new tactic. When I was fighting in Annan, I encountered such a thing." Qian Tiandun added with a smile: "If you can't penetrate the city gate, then blow up the city tower and the city wall together." gone."
Over the years, the Haihan army has used blasting methods more than once or twice when attacking the city defense fortifications. Although it is simple and crude, it is indeed very effective.However, Haihan's opponents often only realize that Haihan's artillery is powerful and need to strengthen their defenses in this way, but they don't know that Haihan's army has a unique skill in blasting, so the defense against this is not so strict.
Almost every ace unit has an engineer unit responsible for blasting operations, just like every unit is equipped with several snipers.And this expedition to Manila naturally brought enough tools for blasting.Immediately, someone has already begun to calculate how much explosives will be needed to completely blast the city gate to create a passage.
Of course, this kind of special operation is impossible to carry out during the day, and we can only wait until nightfall, and then try to sneak into the vicinity to plant explosives.And during the period, it is necessary to fight wits and courage with the Spanish soldiers on the watch on the city wall, which may take several days.
Takahashi Minami originally wanted to volunteer to lead the task himself, but Qian Tiandun refused to let his favorite general put himself in danger, so he handed over the task to the engineering unit specialized in blasting.
In order not to arouse the suspicion of the Spaniards, the shelling of the South Gate and the nearby city walls continued intermittently throughout the afternoon.Although the Spaniards on the top of the city also carried out a symbolic counterattack, when the artillery on the top of the city exposed its position, it immediately attracted intensive attacks, so that the Spaniards had to give up relying on these artillery on the top of the city to reverse the situation thought.
(End of this chapter)
About three miles south of the battle zone, there is a farm that originally belonged to the Spaniards. However, when the Haihan army attacked this place, the owner's family had already fled into the city, and the farm servants and long-term laborers also fled. An empty estate remained.The owner's house was spacious enough, so the Haihan army requisitioned it as the frontline headquarters.
The past two days were probably the busiest time since the establishment of this manor. There was an endless stream of soldiers entering and leaving this place, and many people rode back and forth on horseback, coming and going in a hurry.The news from the various frontlines was continuously sent back and collected from here, and then countless military orders were quickly sent to the various participating troops from here.Yan Chujie, Qian Tiandun, Wang Tom and other generals were all here to discuss the next tactical arrangement.
"It's not fair!" Tom Wang spread his hands and said, "Is it true that only the army is needed to attack the city of Manila, and our navy can't participate?"
"No one does not want the navy to participate. The Marine Corps maintains military pressure on the West Road, which also plays a role in restraining the Spaniards. Besides, the navy's blockade of the sea lanes of Manila Port is also part of the attack on Manila. Old Wang, you Don't force your words, and command your troops to complete the orders issued by the headquarters." Yan Chujie didn't buy Tom Wang's complaints, and immediately exposed his "trick".
Wang Tom smiled bitterly: "It seems that my troops can only act as spectators in the next battle."
"Tom, don't make too much drama. The first half of this attack on Manila was performed by your navy. You have to leave some drama for our army." Roger and Wang Tom have been friends for many years, and they are very good at speaking. Even more ruthless.
Wang Tom wanted to get some opportunities for his navy and marines in the battle against Manila, but only the battle against Cavite Port allowed him to grab the first prize. Later, when he attacked the fishing port in Pasay Town, he It was Roger's troops who took the lead, but the Spaniards did not deploy defenses in the fishing port, so Roger did not get any military exploits.And then advance to Manila City by land, Wang Tom's Marine Corps has no advantage at all, because this force is under the Navy, so the command will divide the three-way offensive on the west side of the coastline. It was given to the Marine Corps in order to respond to the fleet at sea.
However, Spain has already deployed coastal defenses centered on heavy artillery in the Port of Manila. If the Marine Corps wants to attack the city from this route, it must first take down the Port of Manila. passed an obstacle.So the Marine Corps could only stop outside the Port of Manila, watching the other two army brothers marching all the way, Wang Tom was naturally not satisfied with this.But in fact, he also understands that the Ministry of National Defense must seek a balance, and it is impossible to give the Marine Corps too many opportunities to perform. After all, the Navy has already been in the limelight in previous battles. It aroused the dissatisfaction of the army generals.
If the Port of Manila does not have such a strong defensive means, then Tom Wang has something to do. He can let the fleet approach the coast and use ship-borne artillery to cover the marines moving forward.At that time, the first to attack the city of Manila may not be the other two army troops.
It's a pity that this is just Tom Wang's imagination. The actual situation does not leave any chance for the navy to show off, and he is indeed reluctant to let his elites try to attack the fortifications of Manila Port.These people in the Marine Corps were carefully selected by Wang Tom from the Navy over the years, and then they asked the Ministry of Defense and the Executive Committee for military expenses. The energy and financial resources spent on building this force are huge, how can they be easily damaged? In this unnecessary battle.Wang Tom couldn't think about it, and it was inevitable to complain a few words at the headquarters, but the army generals didn't save him any face, and Wang Tom had nothing to say in a few words.
In the current war surrounding Manila City, the Haihan army has taken the obvious initiative. Large areas in the south and east of the city have been controlled by Haihan. In order to avoid greater losses, the Spanish defenders have taken the initiative to shrink their defenses to the city wall. On the front line, we hope to rely on the strong city to resist the offensive of the Haihan army.The only place where the Spaniards can see a glimmer of life is at sea. At present, the Haihan fleet is only monitoring the periphery a few nautical miles away from Manila Port, and has no plans to launch an offensive against the port.However, there are very few sailing ships that are truly intact in Manila Port, and it is certainly impossible to break through the encirclement of the outer waters of the port during the day.
Of course, there will be some wealthy Spanish businessmen in the city who are unwilling to sit still and are looking for ways to escape.Those who have no connections can only flee to inland towns such as Kalookan and Baliwag on the northern plains, and those who are brave and have enough money can try to buy a sailboat in the port that can still go to sea. Sneak out of the port at night, and then make a big circle north along the coastline of Manila Bay to escape Haihan's sea blockade.
As long as they can leave Manila Bay, it means that they are safe for the time being, and they can take refuge in the nearest Batangas port at the southern tip of Luzon Island. There are also Spanish colonial towns there. Of course, the scale of operations cannot be compared with the surrounding areas of Manila.
Regarding the panic and fleeing of the local people, Governor Aragones has no better idea for the time being except ordering the strengthening of the city defense and prohibiting non-military personnel from entering and leaving the city at will.Although he looked down on these timid youngsters in his heart, many of them were the spokespersons of the domestic nobles in the Far East, and they might have a close relationship with this lord or that prince. No matter whether he can bear it or not, the big man is unwilling to offend.Even if these so-called backers do not necessarily have much energy in the country, but the so-called success is more than failure, Aragones is unwilling to make enemies in the country for nothing.
So even if he knew that the city defenders would accept bribes and let some people flee the city, he could only pretend not to know, and at the same time secretly prayed that these damned cowards would best run into the Shanghai Han army when they went out, and let them be ashamed of the shameful act of fleeing. pay the price.
"My lord, Colonel Francis is here."
The attendant's report made Aragones recover from his anger, and quickly asked the attendant to bring him in.Aragones urgently needs to know how the battle is going on on the front line, and he very much hopes that Francis can bring back some good news, even if it is just spiritual comfort.
But when Aragones saw the ashen and tired face of Francis who walked into the room, he knew that his expectations might be in vain.Sure enough, Francis' report made him feel a little headache: the defenders had lost more than 500 people in the fierce battle in the morning, and the results were not satisfactory. They failed to stop the advance of the Haihan Army in both the east and south directions. , can only retreat to the city for defense.At present, the main force of the Haihan army has advanced to a place less than two miles away from the city wall. Maybe in the afternoon, maybe tomorrow, they will launch the next wave of offensive.
"Colonel, isn't there any good news?" Aragones asked weakly, "Is there no news that is good for us?"
Francis was silent for a moment before responding: "Master Governor, if I brag to you about how many Haihan people I killed on the battlefield, it will not have any impact on the battle situation. At most, it will make you feel better. What do you think? is this necessary?"
"Okay, let's talk about something practical." Aragones could only do the next best thing: "If you have any way to retreat from the enemy, you might as well bring it up quickly, while we still have a little room to struggle, Do something useful!"
Francis replied with a gloomy face: "Governor, I think you should realize that if we want to defeat the Haihan army outside the city with our current strength, it is almost impossible to achieve. Our only chance , is to drag the battle until they can’t continue the war. It’s a pity that Mr. Juan’s fleet failed to cut off their sea supply line, otherwise it might be less difficult to achieve this goal.”
Aragones replied: "Should we have other solutions? This is our place, there is no reason for the Haihan people to take the initiative on the battlefield!"
"My lord, they are really strong. You have to know that before us, they have defeated the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. What we are facing is probably the most powerful armed force in the entire Far East, and its strength is also comparable to ours. Rather, it can be said that we have no other conditions that can be used as an advantage except for the city wall outside that can temporarily provide us with shelter." Francis' tone became more and more depressed, and he could no longer feel any victory over Haihan from his words. Army's confidence.
Aragones was very disappointed with the general's statement. He shook his head and said: "Colonel, if you plan to give up resistance and beg for surrender from the Haihan people, then I advise you to give up this idea. If the news of our surrender is sent back to the country, it will There is no need for a trial, and you and I will be treated by the royal family as sinners who lost the Manila colony. Perhaps His Majesty the King will send a special envoy to the Far East for this, so that he can be hanged in front of our faces. I think it is better to die Fight, if we die in Manila, at least we still have a chance to fight for a stable life for our family.”
Francis shook his head and said, "My lord, I have no intention of surrendering. I just said these words in the hope that you can be psychologically prepared for the possible defeat. Maybe we will die here, or become prisoners of the Haihan people, but this It’s all God’s arrangement, isn’t it?”
"The Lord will bless us." Aragones raised his hand and made a sign of the cross on his chest, agreeing with Francis' statement.Since manpower is likely to be insufficient, it can only be arranged by destiny.
On the afternoon of January 25, the Haihan Army began demolishing houses in the south of the city.This kind of house demolition is not aimless demolition, but a targeted open space near the south gate to provide a good shooting vision for the artillery units that will be deployed here later.
Of course, Haihan did not forget to seize this opportunity to persuade the Spanish authorities in the city to surrender again. The headquarters asked the Portuguese to write a letter, and selected a lucky Spanish prisoner to return to the city with the letter. It was handed over to Governor Aragones for review.
However, this trick did not have much effect. Aragones asked people to shoot the reply letter out of the city with a bow and arrow.His reply was very clear, he would not surrender to Haihan, see you on the battlefield.
For this statement, the Haihan Army responded with a round of artillery fire later.The target of the artillery fire was the south gate of Manila City. Although the gate was about five meters high and three meters wide, it was very thick, but it was still quickly declared damaged under the artillery strike.However, the Spaniards obviously anticipated Haihan's tactics in advance, so after they withdrew into the city, they quickly blocked the city gate from the inside with stones.Although the shells destroyed the city gate, they couldn't destroy the thick stone wall behind the city gate that was almost integrated with the city wall.
"I remember seeing this kind of trick somewhere before?" Yan Chujie, who was watching the battle from a distance, put down the binoculars in his hand and said to himself.
"This is not a new tactic. When I was fighting in Annan, I encountered such a thing." Qian Tiandun added with a smile: "If you can't penetrate the city gate, then blow up the city tower and the city wall together." gone."
Over the years, the Haihan army has used blasting methods more than once or twice when attacking the city defense fortifications. Although it is simple and crude, it is indeed very effective.However, Haihan's opponents often only realize that Haihan's artillery is powerful and need to strengthen their defenses in this way, but they don't know that Haihan's army has a unique skill in blasting, so the defense against this is not so strict.
Almost every ace unit has an engineer unit responsible for blasting operations, just like every unit is equipped with several snipers.And this expedition to Manila naturally brought enough tools for blasting.Immediately, someone has already begun to calculate how much explosives will be needed to completely blast the city gate to create a passage.
Of course, this kind of special operation is impossible to carry out during the day, and we can only wait until nightfall, and then try to sneak into the vicinity to plant explosives.And during the period, it is necessary to fight wits and courage with the Spanish soldiers on the watch on the city wall, which may take several days.
Takahashi Minami originally wanted to volunteer to lead the task himself, but Qian Tiandun refused to let his favorite general put himself in danger, so he handed over the task to the engineering unit specialized in blasting.
In order not to arouse the suspicion of the Spaniards, the shelling of the South Gate and the nearby city walls continued intermittently throughout the afternoon.Although the Spaniards on the top of the city also carried out a symbolic counterattack, when the artillery on the top of the city exposed its position, it immediately attracted intensive attacks, so that the Spaniards had to give up relying on these artillery on the top of the city to reverse the situation thought.
(End of this chapter)