Chapter 1669
Manila after the war
Chapter 1669 Manila after the war
Francis's surrender after being trapped in the attic means that the Manila defenders have completely lost their top-down command system since the city defense commander, the navy and army, and it is basically impossible for the disbanded armed forces to reorganize Resist Haihan's invasion.There may still be some stragglers inside and outside the city who are unwilling to accept the fact that the city of Manila has changed hands, but the resistance measures they can take are useless. At most, they just let the Haihan army waste a little more ammunition to deal with them.
After being carefully searched by Haihan soldiers, Francis saw Qian Tiandun again.When the two met at the negotiating table the day before yesterday, they probably didn't expect to meet in another place so soon, but at this time their situations have undergone new changes.If Francis still had a little room for bargaining last time, then as a prisoner, it would be very difficult for him to say any bold words in front of Qian Tiandun.
"I didn't expect that we would meet again so soon." Qian Tiandun's tone was calm, but there was still an uncontrollable smile emerging between his brows and eyes.Being able to capture the army commander in the Manila area alive, this result must also be credited to the special warfare battalion.If there are no accidents, the upgrade of the special operations battalion, which has been delayed for a long time, should be realized soon after the war.
From the camp to the regiment, this upgrade seems simple, but Qian Tiandun and others have been fighting for it for several years.This is not just a matter of being promoted to a higher rank, and a lot of senior officer positions have been created as a result, which is a rare opportunity for many people to advance.Qian Tiandun wants to fight for a better future for his brothers, but the Ministry of National Defense has to consider whether the political stance and loyalty of this ace force, which is almost based on Qian Tiandun's private team, are as reliable as ever. Calculate how much military spending and how many weapons need to be allocated to this unit after the change of establishment.
There are also many political and military considerations involved in this process, and it is not just a matter of the Ministry of National Defense. The Executive Committee held many discussions before and after this matter to balance the opinions of various departments.Qian Tiandun didn't have much interest in these things in the officialdom, and he was stationed outside for a long time, so he didn't have much chance to fight for himself on the executive committee.In his opinion, the upgrade of the establishment will be stuck in Sanya. The main problem is that his troops are not strong enough in battle. However, the battle achievements made during the attack on Manila should be enough for the special warfare battalion to cross the border. It's a hurdle.
Being able to capture Francis alive, Qian Tiandun believed that this marked a relatively perfect end to the siege of Manila and completely disintegrated the local armed resistance.As for the governor of the Philippines who is still at large, Qian Tiandun doesn't care that much, because judging from the known information so far, the governor's military talents are extremely limited, and he lacks Francis and Juan Luis. Without the assistance of generals, it is basically impossible to organize troops in the Philippine Islands to launch a decent counterattack.
The real purpose of Haihan's expedition to Manila was to complete the occupation of the Manila area by means of force and to attack Spain's colonial rule in the Far East.As for the complete expulsion of the Spaniards from the South China Sea, it cannot be achieved by this battle.Manila City is the largest Spanish colony in the South China Sea, but it is not the only one. In the Philippine Islands, there are actually many small colonies like Cavite Port.Most of the Spanish immigrants who fled from Manila will go to these places to settle down.
If Haihan wanted to completely remove the Spanish colonists from the South China Sea, it would not be a short-term task, and the military did not intend to do such a time-consuming, laborious and ineffective task.Now that the Spaniards are powerless to resist, as long as Haihan takes down Manila Bay and controls all the natural resources on Luzon Island, this mission will be successfully completed.
Francis didn't have any violent reaction to Qian Tiandun's teasing. He knew that it would be useless to say anything on this occasion, so he just responded in a low voice: "This is all God's arrangement."
After listening to the translation, Qian Tiandun couldn't help laughing and said, "It seems that God really doesn't like you Spaniards, and he won't even give you a chance to win."
Francis turned a deaf ear to what Qian Tiandun said. He was a soldier and a devout believer, so naturally he would not care about what Qian Tiandun said.Now that he is a prisoner, he no longer has the conditions to have an equal dialogue with the other party. It is impossible to compete with Qian Tiandun in such details.
"Mr. Francis, out of respect for you, I still want to inform you of the next arrangement. Because of your special status, we will send you to a secret place for solitary confinement. Of course, within a year if you If you can make up a ransom fee for yourself, then we can release you immediately after receiving the money, and if you need to contact someone to raise the fee, we can also try to do it for you." Qian Tiandun said to Francis explained the last chance he could get out.
Francis smiled bitterly: "Unfortunately, my personal property is not much, and I think it has been checked by you at this time, and there is probably no way to squeeze out another sum of money in exchange for freedom. I think you'd better It is to give me a happy treatment, so that there is no need to waste your country's food."
"We don't intend to kill you, but we won't keep you for nothing. When the situation in Manila stabilizes, we will send you to another place and give you a job to support yourself. But I must What I want to say is that it will be a very hard and tiring job, and it will even make your life worse than death, so if you can still contact someone to raise money for you, please tell me as soon as possible." Qian Tiandun did not Ken easily let go of the opportunity to extract money from Francis, still trying to persuade him to find a way to raise money to redeem himself.
Francis still refused to submit, no matter how Qian Tiandun tried to persuade him, he still insisted on his previous attitude and did not seek to escape.Qian Tiandun had no choice but to have someone take him away first.
Simao looked at Francis's back and said angrily, "This guy really doesn't care about life and death. General Qian simply obeyed his wishes and gave him a good time!"
Qian Tiandun shook his head and said: "How to deal with these senior officers in the prisoners of war will be decided by the Executive Committee. This Francis is a bit of a backbone, and he still stays in the city to make a last-ditch effort. Compared with that The governor is much stronger."
Aragones, who was already dozens of miles away, suddenly sneezed loudly, but he didn't take it seriously, and all he thought about was the next escape route.According to his idea, it would not be a problem if he fled all the way to the inland area in the north. A hundred miles north of Manila city is the territory of some local indigenous tribes. He may not be willing to arrange board and lodging for him.
Aragones originally thought about following the coastline of Manila Bay all the way to the west, and then crossing the mountains to Subic Bay, where he escaped to the sea.But it is said that Subic Bay has also been occupied by the Haihan people, and this escape route has become a dead end.For the present plan, the only option is to take the risk of going out to sea from the northern part of Manila Bay at night, pass through the narrow channel at the mouth of Manila Bay at night, turn south after reaching the open sea, and go to Batangas Port to avoid the wind first.
Of course, the prerequisite for the completion of this escape plan is that the Haihan army will not pursue him personally, and there will be loopholes in the waterway to and from Manila Bay.However, Aragones is more optimistic about this. He thinks that the Haihan army will not relax after capturing the city of Manila. is normal behavior.
And the facts are just as Aragones expected, the capture of Manila City only means that the war launched by Haihan has achieved a phased victory, not the end of the entire operation.In this coastal city that has just changed ownership, there are still many affairs waiting for the new owner to deal with one by one.
The first to bear the brunt is the coastal fortifications of the Port of Manila.Before the war, the Spanish authorities spent a lot of manpower, material and financial resources to build coastal fortifications such as forts. Due to the relevant military information collected by Haihan in advance, the Haihan army has always adopted a strategy of encircling this area without attacking it, resulting in these defensive facilities. Little use was made during the war.Although it played a large enough deterrent effect, it was only to the extent of deterrence, and failed to cause real damage to the Haihan army.
After the surrender of the city defense army, the completely isolated port fortifications naturally could no longer conduct independent operations. After clarifying the situation in Manila City, the defenders here could only choose to surrender to save their lives.
However, how to deal with these coastal fortifications, the Haihan army is a little bit difficult.The Spaniards were quite careful when building these coastal defense forts. Even if the work was completed temporarily, the quality of the project was not bad. caliber artillery.If it is simply demolished here, it would be a waste of money, and it is not worthwhile from an economic point of view.
In the end, Yan Chujie called the Portuguese and asked them if they were willing to buy all these coastal defense guns at a price.If the Portuguese don't buy it, then go back and find countries that are very interested in arms trading, such as Da Ming, Annan, and Mataram, and persuade them to buy the large number of weapons that Haihan seized in Manila.
Simao, as a representative of Portugal, went to the port to see the actual objects, and he was quite satisfied with the condition of these coastal defense guns, but he asked for a greater discount in terms of price, and he hoped that Haihan would send all the guns seized in Manila It is also packaged and sold to Portugal, which is something the military can't wait for.
After some bargaining between the two parties, Simao finally ordered a total of more than 110 artillery pieces deployed by the Spaniards in and around Manila at a package price of [-] million Haihan yuan, as well as more than [-] firearms currently seized.Because the Portuguese contributed a lot in this war, Haihan gave Portugal a reasonable price when dealing with these weapons and equipment. This price is cheaper than buying Haihan weapons of the same quantity and specifications. too much.
The Spanish artillery captured during the war was also the target that the military wanted to win.This special unit has extremely high requirements for combat experience and practical ability. Among the Spanish defenders, there are quite a few old artillerymen who have retired from the regular army, and their combat effectiveness is no less than that of Haihan's artillery unit.The Haihan Army hoped that these artillerymen could be used for their own use, so they promised that they could use their service years to exchange for future freedom.
Although this condition sounds unbelievable, it was welcomed by the Spanish artillery in practice.Most of these Spaniards have no conditions to raise money to redeem themselves. If serving Haihan for a few years can be exchanged for freedom, then why not do it, it is much better than being a miner until death.As for nationality, loyalty, etc., life is almost gone, so why pay attention to those things?The purpose of their running from Europe to the Far East is to make a fortune. As for whether they serve the Kingdom of Spain or other countries, there is actually no difference to these mercenaries who are only employed by the Manila authorities. At most, there is a bit of language. Just an obstacle.
Of course, even if these Spanish artillerymen are willing to accept the conditions and serve in the Haihan Army, they will not be assigned to the army immediately.They still need to undergo a hundred-day recruit training after the war. During this period, they also need to learn Chinese, and they can only enter the army after passing the pass. Those who are eliminated will still be sent to mines to work as laborers.
As for those ordinary soldiers who don't have a skill, if they don't have the financial resources to redeem themselves, they can only be sent to other places to work as miners.Of course, even if a high-ranking military officer with a certain cultural background like Francis is assigned to be a miner, he will definitely make the best use of it, let him be a clerk, and will not go down to work in the tunnel like ordinary miners.
As for the clean-up work in the city, it was not as smooth as receiving the port.During the war, the Manila authorities organized thousands of armed forces to fight against Haihan, but only a small part of them were killed or captured. Many paramilitary personnel were scattered and hid in various hidden places in the city, or simply He regained his identity as an ordinary civilian, hoping to escape the Haihan army's search.However, this is easier said than done. The Haihan army has already found the military roster in Francis's official residence, and they are trying to arrest him according to the plan. No one can easily escape.
For a time, the whole city of Manila was full of chaos and there was no peace.According to the estimation of the headquarters, the apprehension and arrest work will last at least three or four days before the task can be roughly completed.
(End of this chapter)
Francis's surrender after being trapped in the attic means that the Manila defenders have completely lost their top-down command system since the city defense commander, the navy and army, and it is basically impossible for the disbanded armed forces to reorganize Resist Haihan's invasion.There may still be some stragglers inside and outside the city who are unwilling to accept the fact that the city of Manila has changed hands, but the resistance measures they can take are useless. At most, they just let the Haihan army waste a little more ammunition to deal with them.
After being carefully searched by Haihan soldiers, Francis saw Qian Tiandun again.When the two met at the negotiating table the day before yesterday, they probably didn't expect to meet in another place so soon, but at this time their situations have undergone new changes.If Francis still had a little room for bargaining last time, then as a prisoner, it would be very difficult for him to say any bold words in front of Qian Tiandun.
"I didn't expect that we would meet again so soon." Qian Tiandun's tone was calm, but there was still an uncontrollable smile emerging between his brows and eyes.Being able to capture the army commander in the Manila area alive, this result must also be credited to the special warfare battalion.If there are no accidents, the upgrade of the special operations battalion, which has been delayed for a long time, should be realized soon after the war.
From the camp to the regiment, this upgrade seems simple, but Qian Tiandun and others have been fighting for it for several years.This is not just a matter of being promoted to a higher rank, and a lot of senior officer positions have been created as a result, which is a rare opportunity for many people to advance.Qian Tiandun wants to fight for a better future for his brothers, but the Ministry of National Defense has to consider whether the political stance and loyalty of this ace force, which is almost based on Qian Tiandun's private team, are as reliable as ever. Calculate how much military spending and how many weapons need to be allocated to this unit after the change of establishment.
There are also many political and military considerations involved in this process, and it is not just a matter of the Ministry of National Defense. The Executive Committee held many discussions before and after this matter to balance the opinions of various departments.Qian Tiandun didn't have much interest in these things in the officialdom, and he was stationed outside for a long time, so he didn't have much chance to fight for himself on the executive committee.In his opinion, the upgrade of the establishment will be stuck in Sanya. The main problem is that his troops are not strong enough in battle. However, the battle achievements made during the attack on Manila should be enough for the special warfare battalion to cross the border. It's a hurdle.
Being able to capture Francis alive, Qian Tiandun believed that this marked a relatively perfect end to the siege of Manila and completely disintegrated the local armed resistance.As for the governor of the Philippines who is still at large, Qian Tiandun doesn't care that much, because judging from the known information so far, the governor's military talents are extremely limited, and he lacks Francis and Juan Luis. Without the assistance of generals, it is basically impossible to organize troops in the Philippine Islands to launch a decent counterattack.
The real purpose of Haihan's expedition to Manila was to complete the occupation of the Manila area by means of force and to attack Spain's colonial rule in the Far East.As for the complete expulsion of the Spaniards from the South China Sea, it cannot be achieved by this battle.Manila City is the largest Spanish colony in the South China Sea, but it is not the only one. In the Philippine Islands, there are actually many small colonies like Cavite Port.Most of the Spanish immigrants who fled from Manila will go to these places to settle down.
If Haihan wanted to completely remove the Spanish colonists from the South China Sea, it would not be a short-term task, and the military did not intend to do such a time-consuming, laborious and ineffective task.Now that the Spaniards are powerless to resist, as long as Haihan takes down Manila Bay and controls all the natural resources on Luzon Island, this mission will be successfully completed.
Francis didn't have any violent reaction to Qian Tiandun's teasing. He knew that it would be useless to say anything on this occasion, so he just responded in a low voice: "This is all God's arrangement."
After listening to the translation, Qian Tiandun couldn't help laughing and said, "It seems that God really doesn't like you Spaniards, and he won't even give you a chance to win."
Francis turned a deaf ear to what Qian Tiandun said. He was a soldier and a devout believer, so naturally he would not care about what Qian Tiandun said.Now that he is a prisoner, he no longer has the conditions to have an equal dialogue with the other party. It is impossible to compete with Qian Tiandun in such details.
"Mr. Francis, out of respect for you, I still want to inform you of the next arrangement. Because of your special status, we will send you to a secret place for solitary confinement. Of course, within a year if you If you can make up a ransom fee for yourself, then we can release you immediately after receiving the money, and if you need to contact someone to raise the fee, we can also try to do it for you." Qian Tiandun said to Francis explained the last chance he could get out.
Francis smiled bitterly: "Unfortunately, my personal property is not much, and I think it has been checked by you at this time, and there is probably no way to squeeze out another sum of money in exchange for freedom. I think you'd better It is to give me a happy treatment, so that there is no need to waste your country's food."
"We don't intend to kill you, but we won't keep you for nothing. When the situation in Manila stabilizes, we will send you to another place and give you a job to support yourself. But I must What I want to say is that it will be a very hard and tiring job, and it will even make your life worse than death, so if you can still contact someone to raise money for you, please tell me as soon as possible." Qian Tiandun did not Ken easily let go of the opportunity to extract money from Francis, still trying to persuade him to find a way to raise money to redeem himself.
Francis still refused to submit, no matter how Qian Tiandun tried to persuade him, he still insisted on his previous attitude and did not seek to escape.Qian Tiandun had no choice but to have someone take him away first.
Simao looked at Francis's back and said angrily, "This guy really doesn't care about life and death. General Qian simply obeyed his wishes and gave him a good time!"
Qian Tiandun shook his head and said: "How to deal with these senior officers in the prisoners of war will be decided by the Executive Committee. This Francis is a bit of a backbone, and he still stays in the city to make a last-ditch effort. Compared with that The governor is much stronger."
Aragones, who was already dozens of miles away, suddenly sneezed loudly, but he didn't take it seriously, and all he thought about was the next escape route.According to his idea, it would not be a problem if he fled all the way to the inland area in the north. A hundred miles north of Manila city is the territory of some local indigenous tribes. He may not be willing to arrange board and lodging for him.
Aragones originally thought about following the coastline of Manila Bay all the way to the west, and then crossing the mountains to Subic Bay, where he escaped to the sea.But it is said that Subic Bay has also been occupied by the Haihan people, and this escape route has become a dead end.For the present plan, the only option is to take the risk of going out to sea from the northern part of Manila Bay at night, pass through the narrow channel at the mouth of Manila Bay at night, turn south after reaching the open sea, and go to Batangas Port to avoid the wind first.
Of course, the prerequisite for the completion of this escape plan is that the Haihan army will not pursue him personally, and there will be loopholes in the waterway to and from Manila Bay.However, Aragones is more optimistic about this. He thinks that the Haihan army will not relax after capturing the city of Manila. is normal behavior.
And the facts are just as Aragones expected, the capture of Manila City only means that the war launched by Haihan has achieved a phased victory, not the end of the entire operation.In this coastal city that has just changed ownership, there are still many affairs waiting for the new owner to deal with one by one.
The first to bear the brunt is the coastal fortifications of the Port of Manila.Before the war, the Spanish authorities spent a lot of manpower, material and financial resources to build coastal fortifications such as forts. Due to the relevant military information collected by Haihan in advance, the Haihan army has always adopted a strategy of encircling this area without attacking it, resulting in these defensive facilities. Little use was made during the war.Although it played a large enough deterrent effect, it was only to the extent of deterrence, and failed to cause real damage to the Haihan army.
After the surrender of the city defense army, the completely isolated port fortifications naturally could no longer conduct independent operations. After clarifying the situation in Manila City, the defenders here could only choose to surrender to save their lives.
However, how to deal with these coastal fortifications, the Haihan army is a little bit difficult.The Spaniards were quite careful when building these coastal defense forts. Even if the work was completed temporarily, the quality of the project was not bad. caliber artillery.If it is simply demolished here, it would be a waste of money, and it is not worthwhile from an economic point of view.
In the end, Yan Chujie called the Portuguese and asked them if they were willing to buy all these coastal defense guns at a price.If the Portuguese don't buy it, then go back and find countries that are very interested in arms trading, such as Da Ming, Annan, and Mataram, and persuade them to buy the large number of weapons that Haihan seized in Manila.
Simao, as a representative of Portugal, went to the port to see the actual objects, and he was quite satisfied with the condition of these coastal defense guns, but he asked for a greater discount in terms of price, and he hoped that Haihan would send all the guns seized in Manila It is also packaged and sold to Portugal, which is something the military can't wait for.
After some bargaining between the two parties, Simao finally ordered a total of more than 110 artillery pieces deployed by the Spaniards in and around Manila at a package price of [-] million Haihan yuan, as well as more than [-] firearms currently seized.Because the Portuguese contributed a lot in this war, Haihan gave Portugal a reasonable price when dealing with these weapons and equipment. This price is cheaper than buying Haihan weapons of the same quantity and specifications. too much.
The Spanish artillery captured during the war was also the target that the military wanted to win.This special unit has extremely high requirements for combat experience and practical ability. Among the Spanish defenders, there are quite a few old artillerymen who have retired from the regular army, and their combat effectiveness is no less than that of Haihan's artillery unit.The Haihan Army hoped that these artillerymen could be used for their own use, so they promised that they could use their service years to exchange for future freedom.
Although this condition sounds unbelievable, it was welcomed by the Spanish artillery in practice.Most of these Spaniards have no conditions to raise money to redeem themselves. If serving Haihan for a few years can be exchanged for freedom, then why not do it, it is much better than being a miner until death.As for nationality, loyalty, etc., life is almost gone, so why pay attention to those things?The purpose of their running from Europe to the Far East is to make a fortune. As for whether they serve the Kingdom of Spain or other countries, there is actually no difference to these mercenaries who are only employed by the Manila authorities. At most, there is a bit of language. Just an obstacle.
Of course, even if these Spanish artillerymen are willing to accept the conditions and serve in the Haihan Army, they will not be assigned to the army immediately.They still need to undergo a hundred-day recruit training after the war. During this period, they also need to learn Chinese, and they can only enter the army after passing the pass. Those who are eliminated will still be sent to mines to work as laborers.
As for those ordinary soldiers who don't have a skill, if they don't have the financial resources to redeem themselves, they can only be sent to other places to work as miners.Of course, even if a high-ranking military officer with a certain cultural background like Francis is assigned to be a miner, he will definitely make the best use of it, let him be a clerk, and will not go down to work in the tunnel like ordinary miners.
As for the clean-up work in the city, it was not as smooth as receiving the port.During the war, the Manila authorities organized thousands of armed forces to fight against Haihan, but only a small part of them were killed or captured. Many paramilitary personnel were scattered and hid in various hidden places in the city, or simply He regained his identity as an ordinary civilian, hoping to escape the Haihan army's search.However, this is easier said than done. The Haihan army has already found the military roster in Francis's official residence, and they are trying to arrest him according to the plan. No one can easily escape.
For a time, the whole city of Manila was full of chaos and there was no peace.According to the estimation of the headquarters, the apprehension and arrest work will last at least three or four days before the task can be roughly completed.
(End of this chapter)