Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 184 Fleet Battle
For his contribution in breaking the city, Huang Zongfa was newly appointed as the leader of the Cavite militia. After occupying the local indigenous vassal camp, he obtained a large number of swords and guns, and the militia quickly expanded to more than 2700 people.

The only requirement to join the militia is to be of Chinese descent.

The rapid expansion of the Chinese militia also brought a certain amount of chaos. Many Chinese men who joined the militia, out of personal revenge, would directly kill the local indigenous people who had bullied them.

They massacred the entire family, young and old, and looted all their property.

Many male members of the Chinese People's Association followed suit, gathering together to retaliate, plunging Cavite City into chaos for a long time.

It was not until Major General Pan Tianshou ordered the militia to return to the camp and began a one-day warning, beating those who deserved it and punishing those who deserved it, that the chaos was stopped.

Huang Zongfa was given a serious warning for this, and he and the other 21 leaders of the militia were all forced to kneel down on the stone steps in front of the hall, enduring the general's wrath.

In the lobby

Various military orders were issued like flowing water, and the officers coming and going passed by them as if they didn't see anything, which made Huang Zongfa and others feel ashamed and angry.

Such severe punishment was like a bucket of cold water poured over the heads of these militia leaders who had become a little hot-headed.

Recognize your own position and become cautious.

September 1th, 2025

Yesterday evening, after receiving the battle report that the Cavite fortress and town had been captured in one fell swoop, Marshal Zheng Guohui immediately mobilized his troops, tore off the veil of disguise, and launched the final attack on Manila.

He ordered Major General Zheng Shun, commander of the Second Expeditionary Division, to lead the remaining troops of the Second Division to Cavite Port immediately to join forces with the troops under the deputy division commander, Major General Pan Tianshou, to reorganize the forces and wipe out the remaining enemies.

Within three days, we must attack from Cavite toward Manila, recapture cities and towns along the way, and there must be no mistakes.

In view of the establishment of the Cavite Militia, with a total number of nearly 3,000, Marshal Zheng Guohui did not equip the Second Expeditionary Division with thousands of sword and shield soldiers from Davao Province, and let them follow the main force of the First Expeditionary Division to fight.

The Second Expeditionary Division has more than 3,500 officers and soldiers, plus nearly 3,000 Cavite militia, with a total strength of more than 6,000. Its strength should not be underestimated.

Marshal Zheng Guohui issued an order;
Commanders of the Da Chu garrisons were appointed in Corregidor, Carabao and Cavite Fortresses respectively, with 412, 115 and 540 officers and soldiers dispatched to guard the three fortresses respectively, half of whom were sword and shield soldiers.

Such a triple troop deployment will be able to fully play the key role of the fortress.

He ordered the expeditionary force's armored strike fleet and sailing battleship fleet to launch an all-out attack, seeking to destroy the main force of the Manila Squadron of the Spanish Royal Fleet in the bay, and no longer concealed his powerful maritime force.

Two "Fen"-shaped frigates from the vanguard fleet also joined the naval battle, with the task of searching for traces of enemy ships and guarding the surrounding waters.

early morning
The battleships "Zhendong", "Zhennan", "Zhenxi" and "Zhenbei" belonging to the armored strike formation started their steam boilers. Thick black smoke billowed out of their huge chimneys, and they slowly left the small dock of Corregidor Fortress and headed towards the depths of the bay.

The armored fleet deployed a parallel search formation lined up in a straight line, with a distance of 3 to 4 kilometers between each other, covering a search front of nearly 20 kilometers wide, and headed straight towards Manila.

The four sailing battleships "Zhenhai", "Zhenjiang", "Zhenhu" and "Zhenhe" were divided into two teams and followed far behind.

As long as the enemy is discovered, they can accelerate to join the ironclad ship formation at any time and participate in the naval battle to annihilate the Spanish fleet.

The six warships belonging to the sailing cruiser fleet were formed into groups of three, approaching the north and south sides of the bay, searching along the coastline.

Such a high-profile move was clearly an aggressive attempt to seek a decisive battle with the Spanish Royal Navy's Manila Fleet.

The entire Manila Bay is about 60 kilometers wide from north to south. With these 16 warships deployed there, the enemy had no way to escape and could only fight back.

The large expedition fleet that had originally anchored in the inner bay of Corregidor Island followed the fleet and also weighed anchor and set sail.

Most of the cargo ships headed for Cavite Port, where some unloaded their cargoes and others remained in the port anchorage awaiting further orders.

The main force of the troop transport fleet continued to anchor in the inner bay of Corregidor Island, waiting for the expeditionary fleet to annihilate the Spanish naval forces and directly land in Manila Port.

The large number of large ships that were originally anchored in the inner bay were suddenly cleared out by 70 to 80 percent, and the sea surface became sparse, no longer as grand as the previous two days.

Zheng Guohui set off for the last time on the large sailing ship "Guangming", leaving the Corregidor Fortress where he had temporarily stayed for two days and heading towards the depths of the bay.

this day

The weather was not good in the early morning. Large dark clouds gathered in the sky and the wind and waves in the open sea became stronger and stronger. By around nine o'clock in the morning, the wind speed had reached level 7 and the waves were 4 to 5 meters high.

It looks like

It is another tropical storm formed in the deep South China Sea and is about to hit the Luzon Islands, bringing with it the immense power of strong winds and heavy rains, showing the violent side of nature.

In Manila Bay, everything remains calm.

This is the geographical advantage of this world-class harbor. The surrounding tall mountains embrace the Manila Bay, reducing the power of tropical storms by 90%, like a huge barrier protecting the harbor.

Zheng Guohui stood high on the stern deck, with the cool sea breeze blowing towards him. The wind was getting stronger and stronger, blowing his clothes up.

From the current position of the "Guangming" sailing ship, only black smoke can be vaguely seen drifting into the air in the distance from the sea and sky line, which means that it is at least more than ten kilometers away from the armored strike formation.

The mainsail of the "Guangming" sailing ship was spread out in the direction of the wind, and the huge sail surface could only catch a little sea breeze. It had no power at all, and it was not running at full speed.

Around 11:00 noon
The large sailing ship, the Luminous, sailed into the Cavite Peninsula deep into the bay and made a brief port call.

Zheng Guohui did not go ashore. He took out a monocular telescope and carefully observed the surrounding terrain. A tall flag of the Great Chu had been erected here, fluttering in the sea breeze.

after a long time
Zheng Guohui put down his telescope and said with emotion, "This place is deep in the bay, with many steep cliffs. The fortress is built high on the cliffs. The geographical conditions are unique."

"Marshal, you are wise. This place may not seem as important as Fort Corregidor, but in fact it is like a thorn in our throat. If we want to fully control Manila Bay, we must get rid of it as soon as possible." Major General Qian Jiang, commander of the 1st Expeditionary Division, did not stay safely in the rear, but followed the Marshal into battle.

The main force of the 1st Expeditionary Division, led by Deputy Division Commander Zhou Laonian, was resting on Corregidor Island. Although he was a man of few words, he was reliable and down-to-earth, giving people great confidence.

The large sailing ship "Guangming" will not rush to the front line of the battle. The ship is rearmed with large-caliber American naval guns, and its combat effectiveness is definitely not inferior to that of a sailing battleship.

"What a thorn in my throat..."

Zheng Guohui smiled calmly, handed the telescope in his hand to the officer behind him, and said with deep emotion, with his hands on the wooden railing;

"In terms of port conditions, Manila is several times better than Davao. The plains inside are deeper and wider, and it has a long history of development spanning hundreds of years, so it has greater potential!"

"I think so too. Judging from the geographical conditions alone, Manila is far superior to Davao City." Qian Jiang echoed.

He pointed behind him and continued to explain;

"The Marshal is wise

I have taken advantage of my free time these days to travel to the four scattered islands of Corregidor, Caballo, El Fraile and Carabao, and I was particularly impressed.

If these four islands are carefully built and equipped with interconnected artillery forts, they will form a tight defense line with a depth of 17 kilometers, forming a solid fortified area that completely blocks the Manila Bay waterway.

Thousands of soldiers will form an impregnable island defense line.

An invading enemy would have no chance of breaking through the bay defenses and entering Manila Bay without an army of tens of thousands, equipped with numerous armored vehicles and heavy artillery. If thousands of troops were stationed in the fortress and city of Cavite, this would provide a double layer of security, ensuring the safety of Manila Bay.

Such excellent defensive conditions are hard to find anywhere else in the world!"

Hearing Major General Qian Jiang's praise for Manila, Zheng Guohui looked at the Guangminghao sailboat passing the Cavite Fortress Cape with a smile on his face and said;

“That’s true, very insightful.

As an old colonist of Europe, you may not believe in the moral standards of the Franks, but you must believe in their precise vision, which is indeed extremely vicious.

Comparison between the two
The Davao Bay is like an open door welcoming guests, the pressure on coastal defense is too great, and there are many loopholes in the defense.

If a maritime power like England or France were to invade without restraint and march straight in, I'm afraid even a small river mouth fortress wouldn't be able to stop them."

Major General Qian Jiang smiled without saying anything, and looked at the naval commander Major General Dong Kuifa beside him, who had more say on this topic.

Major General Dong Kuifa bowed respectfully and replied;

"Replying to the Marshal
With the current strength of our Great Chu Navy, we can be the leader in the South Seas region, slightly surpassing the French fleet stationed in Indochina, and can also withstand the Dutch East Indies fleet.

It ranked second, below the English fleet.

If we can have the support of the Manila island fortress defense line, we will not be afraid of anyone.

If it were Davao City, it would definitely not be able to withstand the attack of the British fleet, and would be facing the French and Dutch fleets, and the outcome would be uncertain.

There are too many factors that affect naval battles, either 50-50 or 60-40, making it difficult to gain an absolute advantage.

Without the advantage of natural barriers, a long defense will lead to failure! "

These words are quite objective. The Chu Navy is now a nouveau riche that became rich overnight. It lacks foundation and accumulation. In a truly severe naval battle, its shortcomings will be exposed.

Compared with the old European powers such as Britain, France and the Netherlands, they are not even a little bit behind.

Battle of Manila Bay

The Chu Navy relied purely on force to overwhelm the enemy, especially the four ironclad heavy gunboats equipped with 15-inch heavy guns. This was a complete crushing advantage that the Spanish Royal Fleet could not make up for by relying on the skilled ship-handling skills and courage of its officers and soldiers.

Comparison of the combat effectiveness of the two fleets

The Chu Navy fought against the Spanish with 16 warships, establishing an unshakable advantage in terms of fleet number, artillery caliber, and technical performance.

If I can't win like this, I might as well find a piece of tofu and hit myself to death.

Major General Dong Kuifa's answer and Major General Qian Jiang's opinion left Zheng Guohui silent. He believed that the "National Construction Strategy" should be seriously reviewed and necessary changes should be made.

Before this
We still need to gain a deeper understanding of Manila's geographical advantages, the hinterland towns and local resources, and make a final decision after careful consideration.

At this moment

The sea breeze in the sky brought with it torrential rain as big as beans, pouring down with a crackling sound. The sea surface was covered with white everywhere, and water vapor was rising, greatly affecting the vision.

They soon got soaked, and Zheng Guohui and others had to rush into the cabin to take shelter from the rain, change into dry clothes and drink some hot tea to prevent catching a cold.

Port of Manila
A torrential rain poured down as a group of more than a dozen carriages hurried to the port. Fleet commander Colonel Baeno Mendes got out of the carriage, followed by dozens of naval officers, all of whom were soaked.

They had hurried from Manila Intramuros after receiving urgent news of a massive invasion by the enemy fleet.

Without saying anything more, they quickly dispersed and boarded their respective sailing warships one after another, urgently giving orders to "cast off the cables," "drop the sails," "leave the dock," "form a battle formation," "all personnel enter combat mode," and "search and advance."

In the midst of increasingly violent storms, six Spanish sailing ships set sail one after another and headed towards the bay.

Colonel Baeno Mendes stood beside the helmsman with a stern expression. He was soaked from head to toe, but he still stood in the command position like a nail, scanning the surrounding sea with eyes as sharp as an eagle, and calmly issued orders.

The six warships formed two warship formations, searching and advancing about 6 kilometers apart, always keeping within sight.

Although his personal life is a bit absurd, it does not affect his command of operations.

Colonel Baeno Mendes is an extremely experienced naval commander who will not underestimate any opponent.

Especially when he heard that the invading fleet had no less than 2 to 3 huge ironclad ships, with thick black smoke rising straight into the sky, like ironclad warriors from hell.

This frightened the Spanish merchant ships that discovered the enemy fleet's attack, and they hurriedly fled back to report.

Colonel Baeno Mendes knew very well that if what the Spanish merchant ship said was true, the sailing fleet he led was in danger and on the brink of an abyss of no return.

All he could do was to try his best to deal with the enemy and buy more time for the defense of Manila.

As for defeating or even overturning the aggressive enemy fleet, Colonel Baeno Mendes knew that the possibility was less than 1%, which was simply a fantasy.

Perhaps the dispute can be resolved through negotiation.

It was nothing more than the Governor giving up some practical interests to satisfy the invading enemy fleet and eventually to cease fighting.

This situation has happened before. As early as 1762 during the Seven Years' War, Spain, as an ally of France, intervened in the Anglo-French War, which completely angered the British Empire.

The Royal Navy's Third Sailing Fleet, stationed in Calcutta, the Governor-General's residence in India, led a combined force consisting of Admiral Cornish and Lieutenant General Draper, and marched from the Indian Ocean towards the Luzon Islands.

On October 1762, 10, the British fleet entered Manila Bay and, after a brief battle, forced the Spanish garrison to surrender.

The British army then occupied Manila. According to the peace treaty signed the following year, Manila was eventually returned to Spain, and Spain narrowly escaped disaster.

The risks of angering the British Empire were high, but not unsolvable.

Until now
Colonel Baeno Mendes still doesn't know who the real enemy he is facing?
In his subconscious, he believed that the enemy fleet with powerful ironclad warships must be either British or French, and there was no third possibility.

Colonel Baeno-Mendez's sources indicate
The French Navy bought a number of ironclad warships from the American Civil War. After returning to the Mediterranean, they were successively commissioned into the French Navy, with more than ten of them serving.

The enemy warships that might attack were part of the French fleet stationed at the Governor-General's Office in Saigon.

Colonel Baeno Mendes racked his brains to understand why the French suddenly came out of their colonies in Indochina and invaded the Luzon Islands on a large scale.

Could it be that the French have also set their eyes on this place?

It's really confusing. If I can't figure it out, I'll just stop thinking about it.

Colonel Baeno Mendes wiped the rain off his face with his hand, looked around the surrounding sea with vigilance, and was determined to fight the invading fleet to the end.

No matter who comes, there will be a fierce fight with knives against knives and guns against guns.

(End of this chapter)