Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 89 Delivery of Ship
"What a pity!" Luo Zhenhui saw that the two Spanish merchant ships on the coast quickly raised the white flag after several rounds of bombardment. While he breathed a sigh of relief, he also felt it was a pity in his heart.

If there were extra sailors on board, the two ships could be taken away, thereby increasing the transportation capacity of Shixing Fort.

After more than half a month of sailing with a tailwind, the "Breaking Waves" and "Zhengtu" arrived at San Diego Bay at 2 pm.

The two previous trips south, both times I replenished my fresh water here and took a short rest, making this place a fixed stopover for travelers.

However, as the two ships entered the bay and just approached the small island of Coronado, the lookout sounded the alarm, saying that there were two three-masted sailing ships on the opposite coast, with a displacement of about 120 to 150 tons, and the Burgundy Cross flag, the symbol of the Kingdom of Spain, flying on their masts.

The two ships' first reaction was that the Spaniards had set an ambush here and were waiting for them to fall into the trap.

But on second thought, this is totally impossible!

Sit back and wait for something to happen, or set a trap, that's not how it works, right?
Because no one knew that the "Pirate Ship" would head south to Mexico at this time.

Well, even if the Spanish may have found a pattern after the two attacks on coastal towns and sent people to guard here, you cannot guarantee that the enemy will enter San Diego Bay to dock and rest.

You have to know that sea routes are different from land routes. Except for some important straits, there is no absolutely necessary route.

What if, after passing through San Diego Bay, the "pirate ship" chooses to pass by without entering and goes straight south? Then your ambush will be in vain!
So, there is only one possibility for the two Spanish ships to be anchored here.

meet by chance!

When they were considering whether to withdraw from the bay to avoid the Spanish attack, the lookout reported that the two Spanish ships had not made any movement and no one was seen on the deck. It was not known whether their lookouts were negligent in their duties and did not notice the arrival of the "Breakthrough" and the "Journey", or whether there were no guards left on the ships at all.

Luo Zhenhui immediately ordered the two ships to come closer to see what the Spaniards were doing.

It was not until the two sides were several hundred meters apart that the two Spanish ships discovered the arrival of the enemy. Within two quarters of an hour, they hurriedly fired several cannonballs.

However, the cannonball had no accuracy at all. Rather than deterring the attacking enemy ships, it was more of a warning to the Spanish who had landed.

Enemies are coming!

As the distance got closer, the "Breakthrough" and "Journey" saw the situation on the two Spanish ships more clearly.

It seemed that the Spaniards really did not leave enough people on the ship, and there were not even a few gunners. After firing a round of cannons, the ship remained silent.

Seeing this situation, why be polite?
The "Polang" and "Zhengtu" quickly seized the "T" head, facing each other's bow with their respective sides, dropped the stern anchor, and then began to bombard.

It can be seen that the sailors on the two Spanish ships were a little panicked. They were running around on the deck, some were raising the anchor, some were adjusting the sails, and some were shooting at the enemy with muskets.

After several rounds of artillery fire, the bows of the two ships were almost smashed to pieces, and the mainmast of one of the ships was broken by chain bullets. The Spanish, who were unable to bear the pressure, had no choice but to raise the white flag to express their surrender.

At this time, more than 200 Spanish soldiers and armed sailors had gathered on the shore, watching in amazement as the two ships they were on were captured by the enemy.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Several shells fired from the sea immediately woke them up, and after a look of hatred, they turned around and fled deep into the land. They were blocked on the shore.

At this time, it is necessary to find a stable defensive position to deal with possible landing battles launched by the enemy.

Humph, these Indians have repeatedly claimed that they have no deeper connection with the pirates who attacked the coastal towns of Mexico, let alone being accomplices.

And now, the pirates not only showed up, but also came to San Diego Bay, to the coast where the Indian tribe lived, and launched a surprise attack on the Spaniards.

It is obvious that they are accomplices and are in the same group!

Then, in order to rescue these Indians, they would most likely go ashore and engage in a head-on battle with the Spanish army.

Oh my God, how things had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.

How come these damn pirates came at such a coincidence?
"Execute all the Indians to prevent them from causing trouble!" Major Diego Ricardo ordered his soldiers to renovate and fortify the Indian camp to prevent the enemy's attack. He also ordered several trusted men, "...Then, collect all available supplies and food."

"We may be here for a long time."
-
"It would be such a pity to sink these two ships!"

After emptying the two Spanish ships of their supplies, Wei Yingbin, captain of the Zhengtu, immediately took a small boat to the Polang and raised his objections when he heard that Luo Zhenhui had ordered them to be sunk in the bay.

"At present, the Spanish colonial power is only in the area south of the Rio Grande in Mexico. They have no actual control over the vast California region, and there is no Spanish colonial outpost in the desolate Baja California Peninsula."

"So, I suggest towing these two ships to a secluded bay somewhere on the peninsula, or to a nearby uninhabited island, and let them sit there. When we have time, we can send a ship back to Shixing Port. Whether they're used for near-shore fishing, short-distance transportation, or even for shipbuilders to disassemble and analyze to learn shipbuilding techniques, they'll be of great use to us."

"What if the Spanish accidentally find it?" She Zhiliang asked, "Wouldn't that give the Spanish a free ride?"

"The Spanish were lucky to find them," Wei Yingbin said. "But given their strength, the loss or gain of these two small boats wouldn't have a significant impact on them. But if they hadn't discovered our hidden ships, and we were able to tow them back to Shixing Port, our strength would undoubtedly have increased. After all, we can't even build a small boat like this with a displacement of just over a hundred tons in such a short period of time."

"I think Instructor Wei—no, Captain Wei—is right," former cadet Zhou Yong murmured in agreement. "The Mexican coast is so long. Even if we just docked these two small boats, the Spanish wouldn't necessarily be able to find them. Besides, those 200-plus Spanish soldiers on land might be more important to them."

"Sir, I think they have a point." Harvey said immediately when Luo Zhenhui's eyes swept over him, "My suggestion to sink the ships was probably foolish. I completely overlooked the possibility that they could be towed back to Shixing Port at some point in the future and eventually used by us."

"Well, then let's tow these two boats away." Luo Zhenhui nodded and said, "Now, shall we leave this place?"

"We should leave as soon as possible. Who knows if the Spanish will have reinforcements?" Wei Yingbin said with a smile. "As for those Spanish soldiers on the shore, let them fend for themselves. Maybe they'll make their way back to Mexico City by land. However, if we continue south, this place might not be suitable for us to stop and rest."

"That's right. Even if the Spanish are slow-witted, they will definitely establish a stronghold here," Zhou Yong interjected. "Furthermore, they might also send armed ships to the north to conduct exploratory patrols at this time of year in the hope of discovering our whereabouts. ...Well, we have to be extra careful from now on!"

Luo Zhenhui listened and nodded.

From now on, we have to find another docking and supply point.

(End of this chapter)