Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 193 The Territory of Da Chu

September 6th, 2025

This was the seventh day of the attack on Manila. After a few days of silence, the Great Chu Expeditionary Force resumed its attack on the Royal City of Manila, with the aggressive plan to take it down in one fell swoop.

The attack was first launched by four heavy ironclad warships sailing upstream along the Pasig River. At around nine o'clock in the morning, these four heavy ironclad warships braved the dense artillery fire from the Royal City Fortress and entered the river near the Royal City of Manila with an unshakable determination.

At a distance of more than 160 yards, four heavy ironclad ships opened fire one after another, bombarding the solid walls of Manila Royal City from close range and pouring out firepower crazily.

A large cloud of gray-black smoke rose up, covering the river near the royal city like a dark cloud.

The orange-red flames kept flashing, and the rumbling of artillery echoed across the river. After more than an hour of fierce bombardment, several huge gaps had been created in the stone wall of Manila Royal City on the river side, causing countless casualties among the white defenders.

Under the crazy suppression of the ironclad naval guns, the fortress batteries were destroyed one after another, turning into rubble, ruins and corpses everywhere, and were completely silenced.

After destroying the last barrier, the four heavy ironclad ships on the river bank immediately switched their ammunition, and the 15-inch Dahlgren cannons stopped firing one after another. There was no need for these huge cannons to exert their power.

The heavily armored fleet then fired grapeshot from its 32-pound secondary guns on the side, killing and wounding a large number of white militiamen and civilians in the Royal City of Manila, paving the way for the final offensive.

On both sides of the river bank of Manila Royal City, assault companies composed of sword and shield soldiers and musketeers were densely lined up on both sides, waiting for the final order to attack.

Near 12 noon

The high-pitched charge horn sounded, and the heavy ironclad ships on the river stopped firing at this moment. The hot muzzles emitted burnt blue smoke and a strong smell of gunpowder.

Suddenly, shouts of killing arose everywhere, and the infantry, led by the A Regiment, began to charge. They swarmed in through several collapsed gaps blasted open on the river bank and quickly broke into the royal city.

At this moment

The white militiamen who had been hiding in the fortified churches and houses throughout the royal city emerged one after another, raised their muskets and opened fire, engaging in a fierce battle with the attacking Chu officers and soldiers.

The officers and soldiers of the "A" Regiment were well-trained. They were not in a hurry to attack, but quickly formed line infantry platoons facing all directions in company units.

The sword and shield soldiers defended in the front, and the musketeers lined up in the back.

Under the command of the company commander, they fired neat and deadly volleys, harvesting lives in an orderly and efficient manner, plunging the battle in the royal city into an unprecedented bloody situation.

The sound of volleys of gunfire rang out one after another, and the shouts of killing continued.

The company that broke through first rushed into the Manila Cathedral. At close range, the sword and shield soldiers showed more efficient killing efficiency, and the close combat was fast and fierce.

After the white musketeers fired one or two shots, as soon as the sword and shield soldiers rushed close to them, they had no chance to shoot again and became their dead souls under the sword.

After the "A" group opened the situation, the militia composed of local young and strong Chinese also rushed in. They rushed forward with swords and guns and quickly occupied the main gate of the royal city.

When the main gate of the royal city opened, the soldiers of the third battalion of the "Wu" regiment, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed in shouting, and together with hundreds of sword and shield soldiers who accompanied them in the battle, they quickly launched a clearing and encirclement of the remaining enemies in the royal city.

Around 3:00 p.m.

Six of the seven gates of Manila's royal city have been occupied. The shouts of killing are earth-shaking, and dense gunfire resounds over the city. The Spanish whites entrenched in the city are facing the most dangerous moment.

Marshal Zheng Guohui led some senior military officers into the royal city and arrived at the gate of St. Augustine Cathedral. What caught his eye was a sea of ​​blood. Corpses were piled up several layers high, and the strong smell of blood was choking and nauseating.

The Spanish resistance was particularly fierce, causing considerable losses to the attacking army.

When Marshal Zheng Guohui and his party arrived, the fighting around the Roman Forum had ended.

The corpse collection team composed of local Chinese was searching through the bodies one by one, then loading them onto mule and horse carts and transporting them to the river outside the royal city to be loaded onto ships.

The bloody drops along the way dyed the road red, and the large and small potholes were filled with blood, emitting a foul stench as mosquitoes and flies flew around.

The bodies were transported out in boatloads, but no one calculated how many there were?

The Chinese soldiers who died in the battle were all placed in the Roman Forum, neatly arranged in rows and columns, their bodies covered with white cloth.

Looking around, they are densely packed, there are hundreds or even thousands of them.

this situation
Even with Marshal Zheng Guohui's heart of stone, he still felt sad and silently took off the golden military helmet on his head to pay tribute to the fallen warriors!
The senior officers behind him took off their military caps and observed a moment of silence for the fallen warriors.

Hundreds of personal soldiers were spread out, guarding the area around the Roman Forum tightly. Several nearby churches were searched and looted, and even soldiers were stationed to guard the tops of the churches.

Zheng Guohui did not disturb Major General Qian Jiang's on-site command. He walked into St. Augustine's Cathedral and looked at the church's high dome, exquisite sculptures, murals, and magnificent altar, feeling filled with emotion.

The glorious end of the Spanish colonists is an unshakable trend of the times.

Rather than letting the United States seize this huge colonial interest decades later, it would be better for us to benefit ourselves and achieve the hegemony of our Great Chu. Isn’t that wonderful?

This thought flashed through his mind as he walked forward with steady steps. A clear echo came from the empty cathedral, as if responding to his conquest.

There were continuous shouts and gunshots coming from outside, which became the background of the conquest.

Looking up at the cross sculpture of the suffering Jesus Christ, Zheng Guohui silently said in his heart: I pray to God, if you really have a spirit, please bless all the living beings living on this land.

After making a wish
Zheng Guohui put on his golden helmet again, his expression became more determined, and he walked out of the church with steady steps and headed towards the Baroque palace building where the Election Commission was located.

This is the location of the selected Marshal's Mansion, just opposite the Roman Forum and not far from the Basilica of St. Augustine.

This is a tall Baroque building with two floors and a high pointed roof. The highest point is more than 30 meters. The building is tall and magnificent, with a large number of office rooms and complete furniture and facilities.

Without making many changes, it can take on the commanding functions of the Marshal's Office.

By 6 o'clock in the afternoon, the gunfire and shouting gradually subsided, and the battle had reached its final stage.

A large number of white women were captured and walked out in long lines, numbering as many as five or six thousand, and then were sent to designated areas for detention.

What was left were the corpses that had to be cleared away, boat after boat, which was still being cleared until dark, and no one knew how many times those carriages had made the trips back and forth.

The returning carriages carried large buckets of water, which repeatedly washed the cobblestone streets, the blood-stained steps and the interior of the house, carrying out the final cleanup work.

After some effort, by the evening, the pungent and unpleasant smell had finally dissipated a lot, allowing people to breathe smoothly.

The body of the slain Spanish Governor, Major General Pedro de Manuel Carvajal, was brought in and laid out on the street outside.

Zheng Guohui came to the Marshal's Mansion and stood on the steps, looking at the white man with who knows how many bullet holes in his body. The anger in his heart had long dissipated, and only disgust remained.

"Carry him away and send him to the sea to feed the fish. This Governor should stay with his people, never to be separated. Perhaps this is the best destination for him."

"As you command, Your Majesty the Marshal."

The officer received the order and waved his hand. Two Chinese strong men walked forward silently, lifted the stretcher, brought it to the large carriage carrying corpses, and threw it on with great effort.

More than a dozen large carriages filled with collected corpses drove along the road towards the outside of the royal city, and soon disappeared around the corner.

The bodies of Chinese officers and soldiers that were originally placed in the Roman Forum have now been transported out of the city, placed in coffins, and will be buried in the Cemetery of Honor tomorrow morning.

The honorary cemetery will be built with memorial archways, martyrs' shrines and heroic soul halls, and pine and cypress trees will be planted. An altar and incense burners will be set up to receive incense and worship from future generations for generations to come.

After nightfall

The noisy clamor and bloody fighting of the day completely calmed down, and the huge city of Manila fell into silence. After eating, a large number of extremely exhausted officers and soldiers found a place nearby and fell asleep, snoring loudly.

In this quiet night

Zheng Guohui was sitting in the study on the second floor of the Marshal's Mansion. On the table was a nine-headed golden candlestick, and in front of him was an intricately carved desk in the Spanish palace style.

He held a cup of tea in his hand, sipped it gently, and enjoyed the endless joy after the victory.

This strong and mellow emotion ferments slowly, as if it has brewed sweet wine. When you savor it carefully, you will feel dizzy and tipsy.

Is this the sweet taste of conquest?
from this moment on
The Luzon Islands, covering an area of ​​30 square kilometers, are now within reach, and the king's ambition to dominate the world can be achieved.

No...it's more than 30 square kilometers.

Zheng Guohui's eyes fell on the large map hanging in front of him. His next target was New Guinea Island, the second largest island in the world with an area of ​​78 square kilometers, and the largest island in the Pacific.

New Guinea, also known as Irian Island, is the second largest island in the world after Greenland.

It is located east of the Malay Archipelago, north of Australia, in the western Pacific Ocean, and south of the equator.

To the west, it borders the Malay Archipelago in southeastern Asia, and to the south, it faces the northeastern part of the Australian continent across the Arafura Sea and the Coral Sea.

It is very close to Mindanao Island. Zheng Guohui only needs to issue an order and the Mindanao Governor's Office will send two expedition teams of more than a thousand people to land on New Guinea Island to declare sovereignty.

There are no traces of white colonists on the island. At most, there are only a small number of white adventurers, perhaps dozens or hundreds of people, who occupy a port or a small fishing village on the island and live there.

This vast island in the western Pacific Ocean is an uncultivated green treasure trove.

There are many cannibalistic indigenous tribes living there, with a total number of about 100,000 people, so it is not difficult to conquer them.

We didn't have the time before, but now that we have the time, we should incorporate this island into the territory of the Great Chu Kingdom. It should be sacred and inviolable.

As for other places...

Zheng Guohui shifted his gaze and saw a series of islands on the east side of the Luzon Islands, including Saipan, Guam, and the Hawaiian Islands, and a calm smile appeared on his face.

None of these islands can be lost, and they should all belong to the natural territory of the Great Chu Kingdom and be sacred and inviolable.

Once everything is settled, we will send a fleet to recapture these islands. The first step will be Saipan and Guam. We will take these two Pacific islands first.

(End of this chapter)