Chapter 1665
Attacking Manila
Chapter 1665 Attacking Manila ([-])
"The Haihan people...should have arrived at the East City Gate, right?"
After saying this, Francis stood up slowly and did not look at Gonzalo's body lying on the stretcher.He asked Gonzalo to command the blocking battle in the east of the city, and asked Gonzalo to block the Haihan army for at least one day no matter what, but he didn't expect that Gonzalo would die in battle in just half a day, and his body was still captured by the Haihan people. It was thrown from the upstairs of the command post in a demonstration.
Francis is not optimistic about how long the defending troops under the command of Gonzalo can last. So far, he has not been able to regroup the troops deployed in the east of the city.As for what the Haihan army, who had no resistance in the city, would do next, Francis could probably predict.According to his previous deployment at the East Gate, it would be difficult to hold back the Haihan Army for a long time, and it is very likely that he would lose control of the East Gate before dark.
None of the officers around Francis dared to respond. The death of Gonzalo already explained the current situation of the battle, and they did not want to be sent by Francis to the east gate to fight the Haihan Army.If the main force of the Haihan army had already entered the city, then the resistance measures at this time would have been futile. Everyone understood this truth, but no one dared to say it in front of Francis.
As the city defense commander of Manila, Francis would naturally not be able to voluntarily surrender to the Haihan Army at this time, unless Governor Aragones had made a clear decision.
"Prepare your horse! Go to the Governor's Mansion!" Francis decided to meet Aragones again to see if his boss had any plans to change his mind, so that at least some troops could be saved.
When Francis saw Gonzalo on the stretcher, the battle report from the east of the city was delivered to the governor's mansion almost at the same time, so when he came to the governor's mansion, Aragones had already learned about the current battle situation.After the two people met, their faces were very ugly. Facing the current predicament, neither Aragones nor Francis actually had a good solution, and they themselves knew this very well.If the current situation continues, the defenders will be completely defeated in the past two days.
"Mr. Francis, is there anything else you can do to change the status quo?" Aragones asked hoarsely.He propped his hands on the table, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had barely slept since the day the Haihan army attacked the south of the city.Although he is unwilling to admit it, the fact is that the Manila authorities headed by him are gradually losing control of the city under the attack of their opponents. His position as the Philippine governor may come to an end because of this war.
"My lord governor, I think you should be very clear that the result of defeat is inevitable. What we need to consider now is how to preserve more interests and face for the kingdom, rather than defeating the Haihan people." Francis paused, and then said : "Unless God shows up, maybe we can still defeat the enemy."
Francis finally swallowed some words and did not say them out. Last night, he issued a secret pass and sent a convoy out of the city. The convoy contained Aragones' family and belongings.Of course, not too many people will know about the trip of this convoy, otherwise if the people in the city know that the governor's family has escaped, there will inevitably be turmoil.
Since Aragones himself knew that nothing could be done, and arranged for his family to flee the city with their belongings in advance, what else could Francis have to say.To be honest, Francis already felt that it was not worthwhile to ask his soldiers to fight the Haihan people at this time.Apart from sending his death in vain like Gonzalo, it is actually very difficult to change the current situation.So now he hopes that Aragones will completely give up those unrealistic ideas and face reality.
"You mean... let me negotiate peace with the Haihan people?" Aragones narrowed his eyes, staring at his subordinates and asked sharply: "Mr. Francis, do you know what the consequences will be?"
"I know, doing this will end the war immediately." Francis replied calmly: "Isn't this exactly what we want?"
"No! You don't understand!" Aragones raised his voice: "Peace? When this news is sent back to the country, our actions will only be interpreted as surrender! We who have brought shame to the kingdom will be treated as sinners, and when we return When we arrive in Manila, we will be put on the gallows and take responsibility for the defeat of this war! And our family members will also be implicated in this, and will be exiled to those wild areas that don’t even have place names...We can’t do this!”
"Governor, if we want to fight the Haihan people to the end, we may not even have the chance to return home." Francis continued to persuade: "Losing to the Haihan people is not the most terrible thing. What is terrible is that we all died in Manila. At that time, we will not even have a chance to defend ourselves in China. If we can return to China alive, at least we will have a chance to stand up. Besides, our colony in the Philippines is not just a city of Manila, and there is still a place to stay when we leave here. We can think of a way Slowly explain to the country."
Aragones moved his head forward and got closer to Francis: "Has your spine been broken by the Haihan people, and you can't straighten up anymore?"
Francis didn't get angry at his boss's malicious speculation, but shook his head and said, "I just don't think it's necessary to continue the fight, but if my lord insists, let's all fight to the death in the city together!"
Hearing the words of fighting to the end, Aragones' expression was a little uncertain. It was certainly not what he wanted to stay in the city and fight to the death with the Haihan people.If there is a choice, who would not want to live a good life?It's just that from his standpoint, he can't easily show the attitude of abandoning Manila City in front of his subordinates, otherwise, if the morale of the army is lost, everything will be over.
But in fact, the day before yesterday, he had arranged for his family members to leave the city secretly, which had already chilled Francis. Even if he said something about a deadly battle at this time, Francis might not believe it.However, due to the duties of a soldier, Francis could not advocate for a truce and negotiate a peace. After all, he still had to obey the orders of Governor Aragones.
"If you were from Haihan, would you be willing to accept the enemy's request for a truce at this time?" Aragones asked.
"That depends on what kind of truce conditions the other party can come up with." Francis had to admit that the Haihan army may not be willing to truce to give the defenders a breathing time and a chance to redeploy given that they already have a clear advantage.As long as they continue their current offensive, the defenders will not be able to last for a few days. If it is just a truce, it will not mean much to the Haihan people.
"Let all the people in the city be free to leave, and promise not to pursue, we will cease the war. What do you think?" Aragones continued to ask Francis for advice, as if he had completely forgotten his previous reluctance to negotiate a peace.
"They may not agree, but they can give it a try." Francis knows that it is not easy for the governor to make such a concession. As long as there are opinions for negotiation, the conditions can be negotiated slowly. It is better to negotiate than nothing it is good.
"Okay, then you can arrange this matter." Aragones slowly sat back on the chair behind the desk, and said with a tired face: "For the people of Manila, I am personally willing to pay some price."
Regarding the pretentiousness of the governor, Francis remained calm, bowed slightly in response, and then strode out of his study.Aragones leaned against the back of the chair, his face was immersed in the shadows, and he couldn't tell whether his expression was relaxed or angry.
Francis walked out of the governor's mansion, got on his horse, returned to the headquarters of the defenders, and immediately wrote a short message to be sent to the south of the city to be handed over to the Haihan people.Seeing the messenger leave on horseback, Francis sighed heavily. He hadn't shown the slightest mood swings in front of Aragones before, but now he was a little sad.Whether or not the Haihan accepted the peace talks, he knew he would lose the city soon.
About 10 minutes later, Takahashi Nan received the letter from the Spaniards. After he hired an interpreter to explain the content of the letter, he knew that he could not decide on this matter, so he quickly ordered someone to send the letter outside the city. , give it to Qian Tiandun for review.
However, sending the letter belongs to the sending letter. The battle in the city under the command of Takahashi Minami did not stop because of this. After conquering the enemy command post in the east of the city, the special warfare battalion quickly disintegrated the Spanish defenders who intercepted him in that urban area. Advance quickly to the vicinity of the East City Gate.After fighting with the armed personnel guarding the area for about 10 minutes, the Special Operations Battalion successfully seized control of the East City Gate.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, after clearing the passageway of the city gate that was blocked by chaotic rocks, the east gate was finally reopened, allowing the South China Sea Special Forces Brigade, which had been waiting outside the city for two days, to enter the city.And then there will be an artillery company entering Manila City from this path, and the heavy weapons they carry will be used to attack the last few strongholds in the city.
It was only after Roger entered the city that he received the message from the radio that the Spaniards requested a truce. He was so anxious that he quickly called back to the headquarters, requesting that the matter be postponed for at least one more day, otherwise his troops would be killed again after entering the city. There will be nothing to do and continue to be a spectator in the final battle.
Roger's request contained too much selfishness, so naturally it would not be considered by the command.Of course, no one would criticize Roger's actions. After all, the South China Sea Special Warfare Brigade came all the way from Xingdao, and after so many days of fighting, it was not their turn to fight a tough battle. The commander will naturally be a little dissatisfied, and it is reasonable to want to seize the opportunity to claim credit.
In the south of the city headquarters, almost all the Haihan generals except Roger were present, and they were having a meeting to discuss how to deal with the truce request from the Spaniards.
"Old Qian, what do you think about this matter?" The first person Yan Chujie asked for opinions was Qian Tiandun. After all, the main force fighting in the city now is the troops directly under Qian Tiandun. You should ask his opinion first.
Qian Tiandun said slowly: "If you look at the direction of the battle, I don't agree with the truce. We have already captured the east and south gates, opened the way into the city, and cleaned up the remaining defenders in the city. It’s just a matter of a few days. The truce is not of great benefit to us, but it will give the Spaniards more time to deploy troops and re-arrange. If you don’t want to cause extra trouble, I suggest rejecting their request.”
"But the Spaniards intend to give us the city of Manila, right? You read in the letter that they asked us to let the people in the city leave freely. Doesn't that mean abandoning the city?" Tom Wang took the lead and said: "If You can take this city without fighting, so why bother?"
Wang Tom had nothing to do these two days, the Marine Corps stopped outside the battle situation, and the fleet could not directly participate in the siege of Manila, so he simply went ashore and came to the headquarters to pay attention to the progress of the siege.
"The enemy's statement cannot be trusted." Harugong shook his head and said, "They said to withdraw, and then there may be various situations that prevent the people in the city from withdrawing, and it will take a few more days, the Spaniards Maybe we'll find a turning point. I think it's better not to give them such a chance."
Yan Chujie said: "Of course it's no problem to fight. We also have enough combat material reserves to complete the combat missions in the city. But we also need to consider the damage caused to the city by the war and the post-war restoration and reconstruction work, because it is very likely that it will be destroyed in a few days. Afterwards, this city will belong to us, and it is certainly impossible for all the people in this city to leave. After the Spaniards leave, the people who stay will become citizens of our country in the future. We must also consider the future The placement of these people."
"Old Yan, do you still intend to cease fighting?" Qian Tiandun asked.
"Stay aside for now, I think we can talk to the other party first. If we can't reach an agreement, just continue fighting." Yan Chujie said confidently: "Sharpening a knife is not a mistake for woodcutters!"
"If the other party delays time and can't reach a conclusion after several days of talking, what should we do?" Harukon asked.
"It's easy to handle. Don't give them too much time." Tom Wang suggested, "Just start talking at nightfall today. If you can't talk about it before dawn tomorrow, then just continue calling tomorrow."
Limited to the objective conditions of this era, even the mighty Haihan army generally does not carry out large-scale combat operations at night, so after dark, it basically has to stop even if it does not stop, and this time is used to negotiate with the other party If contact is made, it will not delay the normal combat process.Wang Tom's suggestion was immediately approved by everyone, Yan Chujie then dictated the content of the reply, asked the translator to transcribe it into Spanish, and then sent it back to the city, and handed it over to the north of the city by a Spanish messenger to return.
(End of this chapter)
"The Haihan people...should have arrived at the East City Gate, right?"
After saying this, Francis stood up slowly and did not look at Gonzalo's body lying on the stretcher.He asked Gonzalo to command the blocking battle in the east of the city, and asked Gonzalo to block the Haihan army for at least one day no matter what, but he didn't expect that Gonzalo would die in battle in just half a day, and his body was still captured by the Haihan people. It was thrown from the upstairs of the command post in a demonstration.
Francis is not optimistic about how long the defending troops under the command of Gonzalo can last. So far, he has not been able to regroup the troops deployed in the east of the city.As for what the Haihan army, who had no resistance in the city, would do next, Francis could probably predict.According to his previous deployment at the East Gate, it would be difficult to hold back the Haihan Army for a long time, and it is very likely that he would lose control of the East Gate before dark.
None of the officers around Francis dared to respond. The death of Gonzalo already explained the current situation of the battle, and they did not want to be sent by Francis to the east gate to fight the Haihan Army.If the main force of the Haihan army had already entered the city, then the resistance measures at this time would have been futile. Everyone understood this truth, but no one dared to say it in front of Francis.
As the city defense commander of Manila, Francis would naturally not be able to voluntarily surrender to the Haihan Army at this time, unless Governor Aragones had made a clear decision.
"Prepare your horse! Go to the Governor's Mansion!" Francis decided to meet Aragones again to see if his boss had any plans to change his mind, so that at least some troops could be saved.
When Francis saw Gonzalo on the stretcher, the battle report from the east of the city was delivered to the governor's mansion almost at the same time, so when he came to the governor's mansion, Aragones had already learned about the current battle situation.After the two people met, their faces were very ugly. Facing the current predicament, neither Aragones nor Francis actually had a good solution, and they themselves knew this very well.If the current situation continues, the defenders will be completely defeated in the past two days.
"Mr. Francis, is there anything else you can do to change the status quo?" Aragones asked hoarsely.He propped his hands on the table, his eyes were bloodshot, and he had barely slept since the day the Haihan army attacked the south of the city.Although he is unwilling to admit it, the fact is that the Manila authorities headed by him are gradually losing control of the city under the attack of their opponents. His position as the Philippine governor may come to an end because of this war.
"My lord governor, I think you should be very clear that the result of defeat is inevitable. What we need to consider now is how to preserve more interests and face for the kingdom, rather than defeating the Haihan people." Francis paused, and then said : "Unless God shows up, maybe we can still defeat the enemy."
Francis finally swallowed some words and did not say them out. Last night, he issued a secret pass and sent a convoy out of the city. The convoy contained Aragones' family and belongings.Of course, not too many people will know about the trip of this convoy, otherwise if the people in the city know that the governor's family has escaped, there will inevitably be turmoil.
Since Aragones himself knew that nothing could be done, and arranged for his family to flee the city with their belongings in advance, what else could Francis have to say.To be honest, Francis already felt that it was not worthwhile to ask his soldiers to fight the Haihan people at this time.Apart from sending his death in vain like Gonzalo, it is actually very difficult to change the current situation.So now he hopes that Aragones will completely give up those unrealistic ideas and face reality.
"You mean... let me negotiate peace with the Haihan people?" Aragones narrowed his eyes, staring at his subordinates and asked sharply: "Mr. Francis, do you know what the consequences will be?"
"I know, doing this will end the war immediately." Francis replied calmly: "Isn't this exactly what we want?"
"No! You don't understand!" Aragones raised his voice: "Peace? When this news is sent back to the country, our actions will only be interpreted as surrender! We who have brought shame to the kingdom will be treated as sinners, and when we return When we arrive in Manila, we will be put on the gallows and take responsibility for the defeat of this war! And our family members will also be implicated in this, and will be exiled to those wild areas that don’t even have place names...We can’t do this!”
"Governor, if we want to fight the Haihan people to the end, we may not even have the chance to return home." Francis continued to persuade: "Losing to the Haihan people is not the most terrible thing. What is terrible is that we all died in Manila. At that time, we will not even have a chance to defend ourselves in China. If we can return to China alive, at least we will have a chance to stand up. Besides, our colony in the Philippines is not just a city of Manila, and there is still a place to stay when we leave here. We can think of a way Slowly explain to the country."
Aragones moved his head forward and got closer to Francis: "Has your spine been broken by the Haihan people, and you can't straighten up anymore?"
Francis didn't get angry at his boss's malicious speculation, but shook his head and said, "I just don't think it's necessary to continue the fight, but if my lord insists, let's all fight to the death in the city together!"
Hearing the words of fighting to the end, Aragones' expression was a little uncertain. It was certainly not what he wanted to stay in the city and fight to the death with the Haihan people.If there is a choice, who would not want to live a good life?It's just that from his standpoint, he can't easily show the attitude of abandoning Manila City in front of his subordinates, otherwise, if the morale of the army is lost, everything will be over.
But in fact, the day before yesterday, he had arranged for his family members to leave the city secretly, which had already chilled Francis. Even if he said something about a deadly battle at this time, Francis might not believe it.However, due to the duties of a soldier, Francis could not advocate for a truce and negotiate a peace. After all, he still had to obey the orders of Governor Aragones.
"If you were from Haihan, would you be willing to accept the enemy's request for a truce at this time?" Aragones asked.
"That depends on what kind of truce conditions the other party can come up with." Francis had to admit that the Haihan army may not be willing to truce to give the defenders a breathing time and a chance to redeploy given that they already have a clear advantage.As long as they continue their current offensive, the defenders will not be able to last for a few days. If it is just a truce, it will not mean much to the Haihan people.
"Let all the people in the city be free to leave, and promise not to pursue, we will cease the war. What do you think?" Aragones continued to ask Francis for advice, as if he had completely forgotten his previous reluctance to negotiate a peace.
"They may not agree, but they can give it a try." Francis knows that it is not easy for the governor to make such a concession. As long as there are opinions for negotiation, the conditions can be negotiated slowly. It is better to negotiate than nothing it is good.
"Okay, then you can arrange this matter." Aragones slowly sat back on the chair behind the desk, and said with a tired face: "For the people of Manila, I am personally willing to pay some price."
Regarding the pretentiousness of the governor, Francis remained calm, bowed slightly in response, and then strode out of his study.Aragones leaned against the back of the chair, his face was immersed in the shadows, and he couldn't tell whether his expression was relaxed or angry.
Francis walked out of the governor's mansion, got on his horse, returned to the headquarters of the defenders, and immediately wrote a short message to be sent to the south of the city to be handed over to the Haihan people.Seeing the messenger leave on horseback, Francis sighed heavily. He hadn't shown the slightest mood swings in front of Aragones before, but now he was a little sad.Whether or not the Haihan accepted the peace talks, he knew he would lose the city soon.
About 10 minutes later, Takahashi Nan received the letter from the Spaniards. After he hired an interpreter to explain the content of the letter, he knew that he could not decide on this matter, so he quickly ordered someone to send the letter outside the city. , give it to Qian Tiandun for review.
However, sending the letter belongs to the sending letter. The battle in the city under the command of Takahashi Minami did not stop because of this. After conquering the enemy command post in the east of the city, the special warfare battalion quickly disintegrated the Spanish defenders who intercepted him in that urban area. Advance quickly to the vicinity of the East City Gate.After fighting with the armed personnel guarding the area for about 10 minutes, the Special Operations Battalion successfully seized control of the East City Gate.
At four o'clock in the afternoon, after clearing the passageway of the city gate that was blocked by chaotic rocks, the east gate was finally reopened, allowing the South China Sea Special Forces Brigade, which had been waiting outside the city for two days, to enter the city.And then there will be an artillery company entering Manila City from this path, and the heavy weapons they carry will be used to attack the last few strongholds in the city.
It was only after Roger entered the city that he received the message from the radio that the Spaniards requested a truce. He was so anxious that he quickly called back to the headquarters, requesting that the matter be postponed for at least one more day, otherwise his troops would be killed again after entering the city. There will be nothing to do and continue to be a spectator in the final battle.
Roger's request contained too much selfishness, so naturally it would not be considered by the command.Of course, no one would criticize Roger's actions. After all, the South China Sea Special Warfare Brigade came all the way from Xingdao, and after so many days of fighting, it was not their turn to fight a tough battle. The commander will naturally be a little dissatisfied, and it is reasonable to want to seize the opportunity to claim credit.
In the south of the city headquarters, almost all the Haihan generals except Roger were present, and they were having a meeting to discuss how to deal with the truce request from the Spaniards.
"Old Qian, what do you think about this matter?" The first person Yan Chujie asked for opinions was Qian Tiandun. After all, the main force fighting in the city now is the troops directly under Qian Tiandun. You should ask his opinion first.
Qian Tiandun said slowly: "If you look at the direction of the battle, I don't agree with the truce. We have already captured the east and south gates, opened the way into the city, and cleaned up the remaining defenders in the city. It’s just a matter of a few days. The truce is not of great benefit to us, but it will give the Spaniards more time to deploy troops and re-arrange. If you don’t want to cause extra trouble, I suggest rejecting their request.”
"But the Spaniards intend to give us the city of Manila, right? You read in the letter that they asked us to let the people in the city leave freely. Doesn't that mean abandoning the city?" Tom Wang took the lead and said: "If You can take this city without fighting, so why bother?"
Wang Tom had nothing to do these two days, the Marine Corps stopped outside the battle situation, and the fleet could not directly participate in the siege of Manila, so he simply went ashore and came to the headquarters to pay attention to the progress of the siege.
"The enemy's statement cannot be trusted." Harugong shook his head and said, "They said to withdraw, and then there may be various situations that prevent the people in the city from withdrawing, and it will take a few more days, the Spaniards Maybe we'll find a turning point. I think it's better not to give them such a chance."
Yan Chujie said: "Of course it's no problem to fight. We also have enough combat material reserves to complete the combat missions in the city. But we also need to consider the damage caused to the city by the war and the post-war restoration and reconstruction work, because it is very likely that it will be destroyed in a few days. Afterwards, this city will belong to us, and it is certainly impossible for all the people in this city to leave. After the Spaniards leave, the people who stay will become citizens of our country in the future. We must also consider the future The placement of these people."
"Old Yan, do you still intend to cease fighting?" Qian Tiandun asked.
"Stay aside for now, I think we can talk to the other party first. If we can't reach an agreement, just continue fighting." Yan Chujie said confidently: "Sharpening a knife is not a mistake for woodcutters!"
"If the other party delays time and can't reach a conclusion after several days of talking, what should we do?" Harukon asked.
"It's easy to handle. Don't give them too much time." Tom Wang suggested, "Just start talking at nightfall today. If you can't talk about it before dawn tomorrow, then just continue calling tomorrow."
Limited to the objective conditions of this era, even the mighty Haihan army generally does not carry out large-scale combat operations at night, so after dark, it basically has to stop even if it does not stop, and this time is used to negotiate with the other party If contact is made, it will not delay the normal combat process.Wang Tom's suggestion was immediately approved by everyone, Yan Chujie then dictated the content of the reply, asked the translator to transcribe it into Spanish, and then sent it back to the city, and handed it over to the north of the city by a Spanish messenger to return.
(End of this chapter)