Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 181 A Dream Start
"Hurry, move faster, okay, okay... untie the cable, we still have to deal with the enemies in Karabao Fortress." Major General Dong Kuifa urged anxiously.

The sailing ship he commanded, the Count of Fabiano Pérez, was a Spanish warship captured in the Battle of Palawan.

Now we use it to confuse the enemy. This is called mixing the original juice with the original soup. It has this authentic taste.

Needless to say

This must have been the Marshal's brilliant idea. The entire ship tilted because the cargo was loaded on one side, giving people a precarious impression.

The large holes in the hull were caused by close-range bombardment.

when everything is ready
Troop transport ships came over one after another, tied up the battleship "Count Fabiano Perez" with cables from both sides, and transported soldiers over continuously.

Hiding in the cabin, ready to attack suddenly.

Only a commander with the magnanimity and courage of Zheng Guohui could be so generous as to abandon a genuine Spanish sailing ship.

Now it seems that he was really wise.

After landing more than a thousand officers and soldiers on Corregidor Island, the "Count Fabiano Perez" carried the remaining 200 officers and soldiers, slowly left the dock at the foot of the mountain, and headed towards the not-so-distant Carabao Island.

Corregidor Island covers an area of ​​about 5 square kilometers. The highest peak is 146 meters above sea level and is covered with lush forest trees, like a gem inlaid at the entrance of the bay.

Due to the obstruction of the towering terrain of Corregidor Island, Carabao Island cannot be seen from the dock at the foot of the mountain, and Carabao Island cannot see the changes happening here.

Therefore, there is still a chance for a sneak attack.

There is a small artillery fort on Carabao Island, which is the smallest of the five forts in Manila. It is usually garrisoned with more than 5 people, and it is an understaffed artillery company.

The fortress was equipped with three 24-pound coastal guns and was the small gate to the entire Manila Bay, controlling the entrance channel which was less than a thousand meters wide.

The entire Manila Bay is like a wide-bellied, narrow-mouthed bottle. The entrance is divided into two parts by Corregidor Island. One side of the channel is about three kilometers wide and is the main channel.

The channel on the other side is about a thousand meters wide and is the secondary channel.

The fort fort on Carabao Island serves to control the secondary channel, so it is considered a small gate.

"Let's go and see...what's going on." Lieutenant Vivian Dani, commander of the Carabao Fortress, was immediately confused when he saw the dilapidated sailing ship coming.

Lieutenant Vivian Dani certainly could not have made a mistake in identifying the sailing ship "Count Fabiano Perez" belonging to the Spanish Royal Manila Fleet.

From the moment it appeared on the sea-sky line, the artillery forts on Carabao Island had spotted the battleship one after another and watched it sail towards Corregidor Island, with a lot of unanswered questions in their hearts.

Originally, Lieutenant Vivian Dani wanted to send his soldiers to row a small sampan over to ask what had happened.

who knows

The sailing warship "Count Fabiano Perez" was actually heading towards the island. Lieutenant Vivian Dani immediately took five or six of his men and hurried to the simple dock to wait.

Carabao Island has an area of ​​only 1.7 square kilometers. It is located on a raised hill 37 meters above sea level, and the fort fort is built on it.

Lieutenant Vivian Dani and his party walked only a hundred meters down. This simple dock was used for supplies, and sailboats arrived twice a month.

The sailing ship "Count Fabiano Perez" approached, and the sailors hurriedly helped to hang up the mooring piles so that the sailing ship could dock steadily.

Looking at the more than ten shocking huge gaps and the blackened hull on the ship, Lieutenant Vivian Dani was shocked, as if the sky had fallen.

At this moment

The white sailor on the galleon reappeared, and she cried out in a sobbing voice, "What the hell! Can you believe this? Major Lenormand-Simon actually refused to help us and drove us away so unkindly. Why on earth is this?"

Why...I don't know either?
Lieutenant Vivian Dani was at a loss as to what to do after hearing these words. He saw the white sailor bend down and pick up a blood-stained sailor, and lift him out from the side of the ship with force, leaving the wounded man hanging in the air over the side of the ship.

"Don't just stand there, save the wounded quickly, they will die."

These words woke up the officers and soldiers of the fort. They hurriedly took over the injured person and saw that the white sailor's clothes were soaked with blood and he was unconscious.

This is actually a dead person, but he just died not long ago and his body is still soft.

"There are still many injured people here. They won't make it to Manila. Hurry and find someone to help treat them..."

"My God, the captain is hurt too."

"Okay, okay, we will do our best to treat them, but we need more manpower."

Amidst a series of urgings, Lieutenant Vivian Dani, who was already confused by the sudden emergency, hurriedly nodded and agreed, and asked a soldier to notify the guys in the fort to come and help.

More than a dozen sailors on the ship kept carrying the wounded downstairs. They were all white Spanish men covered in blood and looked seriously injured.

Just a few minutes

There were more than twenty blood-soaked wounded lying on this simple dock, which looked shocking.

On the inside of the frigate, the fully armed Chinese musketeers half-knelt and crouched, hiding densely. The white officers and soldiers from the Carabao Fortress hurried over, all carrying sheets, shovels, sticks, and other items.

This small fortress doesn't have that many stretchers, so they have to make do with other ones instead.

At this moment

Thirty or forty sailors also came down from the simple dock, anxiously waving to the Spaniards and shouting, "Hurry... hurry..."

Although the Spanish pronunciation was a bit strange, no one paid attention to details in this hectic moment.

Among them, there were more than a dozen Chinese sailors, two or three of them carrying a corpse, rushing towards the fortress in a hurry, shouting loudly.

Seeing the evil plan succeed, Major General Dong Kuifa could hardly suppress the curled corners of his mouth, he knew that it was done again.

When the crisp sound of gunfire was heard from the fortress, the Spanish officers and soldiers looked back in shock. Dense groups of musketeers stood up from the side of the ship and pointed the black muzzles of their guns at them.

Many Spanish officers and soldiers subconsciously raised their hands in surrender, but some diehards tried to draw their weapons and resist.

Lieutenant Vivian Dani was one of them. When he saw the Chinese musketeer in front of him, he instantly understood the whole situation and reached out to pull out the musket at his waist in anger.

Several white soldiers around him also drew their swords, shouting and cursing in despair, trying to resist.

"Clap clap clap..."

A burst of dense musketry sounded, and the Spaniards standing in this area were hit with blood holes all over their bodies. They fell to the ground and died without even a splash of water.

This round of musket fire also affected many innocent people. More than thirty white soldiers who raised their hands were riddled with bloody holes from bullets.

After one round of volleys of gunfire, the defenders of the Karabao Island Fortress were almost dead.

This cannot be blamed on the soldiers' poor shooting skills. After all, a white Spanish soldier is worth twenty taels of silver, and an officer is worth fifty taels of silver. They are only valuable when they are dead.

The reward for the captured white officers and soldiers who are still alive doesn't specify how much silver will be given, so wouldn't it be a waste?
Major General Dong Kuifa didn't care about these little things. He was grinning from ear to ear. This clever sneak attack was a perfect move and a good start to the Northern Expedition.

The door to Manila Bay is completely open, and the Marshal's intention has been implemented. This is great news!
As long as this waterway is blocked, the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay will be unable to escape and will be trapped in a jar, unable to escape the fate of complete destruction.

As for the Cavite Fort Battery, haha... this sneak attack plan will still be used, but we have to wait until tomorrow.

What’s the old saying…

One trick is fresh, eat all over the sky.

Cavite Fort is located deep in the bay, more than 30 kilometers away from the entrance of Carabao Island. Even if the gunfire here lasts a whole day, it cannot be heard in the deep bay.

The entire Manila Bay is about 60 kilometers deep, about kilometers long from the southeast, and covers an area of ​​ square kilometers. It is simply an inland sea.

More than an hour later

The huge expedition fleet arrived at the entrance of Manila Bay, and four ironclad warships docked directly at the Corregidor Fortress Pier.

Because the dock pier was not long enough, the four ironclad warships were leaning against each other's side and tied together tightly with cables, like iron chains across the river.

The cargo ships in the large fleet entered the Manila Harbor one after another and anchored near the inner side of the island. The sails looked like a forest, and the scene was spectacular.

The troop transport ship was docked at the other end of the Corregidor Fortress dock. The soldiers disembarked to rest, and densely packed tents were soon set up on the narrow coastal plain.

Many officers and soldiers were also arranged to rest in a nearby fortress. After three days on the boat, they should replenish their bodies.

In terms of natural terrain, Corregidor Island looks like a tadpole. It covers an area of ​​5.49 square kilometers and is 6.5 kilometers long from east to west. It lies at the entrance of Manila Bay.

The width from north to south is about 2 kilometers, with the west side being high and the east side being low.

The wide "Tadpole Head" on the west side is the commanding height of the entire island, where the Corregidor Fort built by the Spanish is located.

Overlooking the surrounding sea area from the fortress, dozens of kilometers in radius are all under surveillance.

The pier is located in the middle of the island, where the island suddenly narrows.

To the east of here is a narrow and long seaside plain, which is the camping site for the expeditionary officers and soldiers of the Great Chu to rest and recuperate, with a large number of tents set up.

Zheng Guohui walked into the Corregidor Fortress in high spirits, surrounded by a large number of army and navy officers, climbed up the fortress wall, and stood on the height overlooking the beautiful scenery around him. His heart was sweeter than eating honey.

This beautiful blue sea and blue sky is now under the absolute control of the Great Chu Army.

As long as the Spanish fleet is completely destroyed, the rest will be like grasshoppers in autumn, and will not be able to jump for a few more days.

The fortresses of Corregidor and Carabao were captured by a clever trick, which greatly boosted the morale of the entire army, as could be seen from the eager expressions of the officers and soldiers.
Making great achievements is now.

Great, that's a fantastic start.

(End of this chapter)