Di Ming

Chapter 183 The Tiger of Luzon
The Kuaiji had four tall masts and white sails like clouds.

Although Zhu Yin's fleet only had one sailing battleship, every medium-sized or larger warship in the entire fleet had been fitted with clipper sails.

This was the most advanced design in the history of sailing ships, but unfortunately it didn't last long before being replaced by steamships.

Of course, a true clipper sailboat involves more than just sail design; the hull also needs to be modified accordingly. Zhu Yin's boat only improved the sail, so it can only be considered a semi-clipper sailboat.

Even with just improved sails, it was still faster than the most advanced Western warships today.

However, Zhu Yin deliberately reduced the speed at this moment, failing to demonstrate the speed advantage of his fleet to the enemy.

This is definitely a trap.

"Fire," Zhu Yin said calmly, putting down his binoculars.

No one in Nanjing knew that the famous Zhu Jieyuan was standing on the deck of a giant warship, leading a fleet of several thousand men to attack Manila.

The majestic and imposing Kuaiji, with its forty-pound Daishan-made heavy cannon, finally aimed at Manila.

The well-trained gunners operate the cannon with skillful movements and perfect teamwork.

"Fire!" The gunner waved his command flag, and a thick plume of smoke rose into the air.

"Boom—Boom!" The warship shuddered amidst the deafening roar as several forty-pound shells hurtled toward Manila.

"Ah—" The black and Indian soldiers on the city wall screamed and howled, their flesh and blood flying everywhere.

They hadn't expected the pirates' cannons to be so powerful.

"Retaliate! Fire!" the white commander on the city wall roared hysterically.

"Boom!" A row of cannons on the city wall roared as they bombarded the Jinghai Navy fleet.

The foreign warships in the harbor also opened fire in return.

Relying on cities and warships, they formed amphibious defensive positions, launching cross-country counterattacks against the "pirate fleet."

For a time, the two sides engaged in a fierce artillery battle, with the roar of hundreds of cannons echoing between the sea and the sky. Smoke filled the air, obscuring even visibility.

"Boom boom——"

"put!"

"what!"

Although the Jinghai Army had 3,800 men, while the defenders on the city walls and enemy ships numbered only 2,000, the Jinghai Army did not gain the upper hand, and for a time the artillery battle between the two sides was evenly matched.

Zhu Yin held up his binoculars and watched as the city's garrison troops rushed over, before finally revealing a slight smile.

We have successfully drawn the attention of all the garrison troops and can proceed as planned.

The artillery duel we just had was, of course, to lure the enemy into moving all their artillery to the west of the city.

This is a conspiracy.

After open schemes, there are hidden schemes. After hidden schemes, there are hidden schemes.

Anyway, Zhu Yin is determined to conquer Manila today.

"Naval battle is dangerous. I request that the Commander-in-Chief and the Grand Marshal take command from the rear!" Ding Huogen said in a deep voice. "If anything happens to either of you..."

Before Ding Huogen could finish speaking, Zhu Yin nodded and said, "Alright! The flagship will be handed over to General Ding."

They then disembarked from the Kuaiji and boarded another warship with Qi Jiguang.

After Zhu Yin changed ships, the garrison's artillery was finally concentrated in the west city, and the dragging and moving of it was very hard work.

Just as the defending troops were about to engage in a decisive battle with the Jinghai Navy in Xicheng, the Jinghai Navy fleet slowly retreated and headed east towards the Pasi River, which flows into the sea.

The sailing fleet moved very slowly, but it was still faster than the enemy's moving cannons.

"Damn it!" Portuguese Commander Xun Erna exclaimed angrily, "Those cunning pirates, they're still going to attack from the east!"

He had expected this, of course. But even if he anticipated that the pirates might use this tactic, he still had to concentrate his cannons in the west of the city.

Otherwise, the pirates could directly attack the western city, and the city would still be difficult to defend. These pirates not only had a numerical advantage, but also had strong ships and powerful cannons, and were well-trained, making them in no way inferior to the Western fleet composed entirely of white people.

But what about the garrison? Currently, there are only 700 white garrison troops in Manila, while the remaining 1,000 or so are black and Indian, whose fighting ability and organization are inferior to those of the white garrison.

The remaining thousand-plus troops were not in Manila, but were instead sent to hunt down Tadaw Ayman, the mastermind behind the massacre of white people, and were expected to return to Manila in a few days.

The pirates' timing couldn't be worse. Either they had intelligence support or they were colluding with the Ming Dynasty immigrants here.

Thinking of this, Colonel Xun Erna even wanted to kill all 20,000 Han Chinese immigrants to prevent future troubles.

"Pass on my order!" Colonel Xun'erna commanded. "While the enemy has left the harbor, our fleet can launch an attack!"

"The fleet is to leave port. Do not engage the enemy ships in a decisive battle; simply maintain distance and keep them occupied!"

Colonel Xun Erna reacted quickly, and his tactical skills were worthy of being the colony's best commander.

He knew very well that he had to take advantage of the pirate fleet's withdrawal from the naval port to get his own fleet out of port.

With a fleet at sea keeping the city occupied, the defense of the city is not so passive, and the position of the cannons does not need to be repeatedly moved under the enemy's command.

There was no better tactic than this decision at that point, yet his orders were still questioned.

"Colonel!" the deputy commander said, "Our fleet can only send a thousand men. Any more and there will be no one left to defend the city. A fleet of a thousand men could very well be wiped out by the pirate fleet!"

"If the fleet is destroyed, defending the city will be even more difficult."

To be fair, the vice commander's concerns were valid.

While it's better to launch a fleet attack than to remain holed up in a naval port, what if we get swallowed up by a pirate fleet?

"It's worth the risk!" Colonel Xun'erna said solemnly. "Without a fleet to hold us back at sea, we'll be moved around by the pirate fleet. The cannons will be moved from the west city to the east city, and the young men will become porters, dragged to their deaths by the pirate fleet. How can we fight then!"

"Child, do you think the pirate fleet has the strength to devour our fleet?"

"Sir, I have a plan!" a Spanish captain said. "Let the Ming immigrants do the hard labor. With them constantly moving the cannons, we won't have to worry about the pirate fleet changing its attack direction."

“No!” Xun Erna shook his head. “There are so many of them. What if they riot on the battlefield, seize our weapons, and help the pirates attack the city? If our troops are thrown into chaos, the pirates will take the opportunity to attack, and it will be very difficult for us to organize a defense.”

The deputy commander said, "I have an idea. What if we tie up the Ming immigrants and bring them to the city walls, forcing the pirate fleet to withdraw? The pirates are probably Ming people too. Would they dare to attack if they saw so many hostages?"

“Merciful Lord!” Xun Erna crossed himself. “Major Dawes, are you joking?”

He pointed his sword at the fleet on the sea. "Those are pirates! They may be Ming Chinese, but even if they are Ming officials or merchants, they still rob them. They completely disregard the orders of the Ming emperor and are traitors to the Ming. Do you think they would give up the siege for the lives of Ming immigrants?"

"If they were truly that merciful, would they still be pirates?"

Major Dawes immediately fell silent; he too felt his idea was somewhat ridiculous.

At Colonel Xun'erna's command, the bugle sounded immediately, and the fleet of the United Kingdom (Spain and Portugal) finally weighed anchor and slowly sailed out of the port.

However, Xun Erna discovered that one of the more important officers was missing.

"Where is Captain Gutt?" Xun'erna asked grimly. "The battle has been going on for an hour, why hasn't he shown up yet? Isn't he a warrior?"

Major Dawes said with a wry smile, "Someone saw a ship escape from the naval port before the war started. It is said that Captain Gutt and a group of his cronies were on board."

"What?" Xun'erna's eyes widened. "You mean, someone saw Captain Gutt desert his post?"

Doss nodded and shrugged. "I'm sorry, sir, it seems that's the truth."

"Damn Italian!" Xun Erna was furious. "Desertion in the face of battle, affecting morale! He should be hanged! He doesn't deserve to be a white man!"

“Sir…” Major Dawes whispered a reminder, “Although Italians are all opportunistic cowards, there are still other Italians in the army. We can’t let them misunderstand that you are prejudiced against them.”

“But Captain Gutt should indeed be hanged. He has disgraced the dignity of an officer and a knight. This Genoese shoemaker’s son has the cunning of a petty bourgeois.”

"Is he the shoemaker's son?" Xun'erna frowned, his expression disdainful. "Damn it, I thought he was born into a knight's family. Turns out he's the shoemaker's son. That makes sense. I hope his father gets kicked to death by the pointed shoes he made."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the fleet finally leave port smoothly.

All right.

With their own fleet keeping them occupied, the pirates, despite their numbers, couldn't gain any advantage.

Perhaps we can take advantage of the pirate fleet's mistake, defeat them with fewer troops, and seize their warship.

They were very confident in the strength of their own fleet. How could these damned Easterners possibly be a match for Western whites in naval warfare?

Xun Erna and the others looked much better.

Don't worry, this battle may cause the pirates to suffer heavy losses and retreat in a sorry state, or even be wiped out.

"Gentlemen, the fleet of the United Kingdom has set sail, merciful Lord!" Xunnard made the sign of the cross. "May the Lord bless them!"

Xun Erna suddenly frowned, as if stung by a scorpion. "What's going on? How come the enemy's ships are faster than ours? Those sails... those sails..."

He was experienced and had already noticed the difference in speed between the two boats.

Doss and the others couldn't help but widen their eyes, only then realizing that the sails of the pirate warships were somewhat different from their own.

Even more critically, the pirates' ships were actually faster than their own warships.

How can this be?

Everyone knows what fate awaits a fleet at sea that is significantly outnumbered and slower than its opponent.

At this moment, the United Kingdom's fleet had only been out of port for a short time when the Jing Navy's fleet immediately formed a flying echelon formation, flanking from both sides and using its superior speed to slowly cut off the enemy's return route.

The speed difference between the two ships was actually not large, only a little over one knot. However, this speed difference was enough for the Jinghai Navy fleet to cut off the rear of the Combined Fleet.

"Merciful Lord! This is a trap! They are luring our fleet into an attack so they can take the opportunity to destroy it! They are devils! More cunning than the Japanese!"

Xun Erna's face turned green, and his blue eyes were filled with bitterness.

"Raise the flag and give the order! Have the fleet return to port! Back to port now! Damn it!"

Doss clenched his fists in anguish. "Sir! It's too late! These pirates must be the same ones who attacked Manila last year! They came prepared!"

As expected, signaling a retreat was futile.

The Jinghai fleet, with nearly four thousand men, gradually contained the combined fleet, which had only one thousand men.

"Boom!" The cannons roared again.

It was 3:45 PM.

The naval battle has finally begun.

The United Kingdom's fleet was outspeeded and unable to retreat to its naval base, leaving them with no choice but to launch a decisive battle in an attempt to break through the encirclement and escape back to the base.

The combined fleet actually had a lot of ships. At first glance, the two fleets appeared to be evenly matched in size.

However, the combined fleet did not have enough sailors on each ship, so its firepower output was definitely inferior to that of the Jing Navy, which had a numerical advantage.

The flagship of the Combined Fleet was the Juan, which displaced 800 tons and was equipped with more than 20 36-pound cannons and dozens of small and medium-sized cannons.

At first glance, the firepower looks very strong.

However, the Juan was not fully staffed; it only had a little over a hundred sailors, less than half.

Over the past six months, the colonial army has suffered heavy losses and too many casualties, resulting in a situation where there are many ships but few people.

Under such circumstances, the combined fleet is simply unable to exert its due combat power.

And so, they met with misfortune.

Zhu Yin used naval warfare tactics from later generations to encircle the combined fleet from both flanks, with all the warships lined up in a row to bombard the combined fleet in the center.

The newly issued binoculars will enable the ship captains to better execute Zhu Yin's tactics.

The combined fleet then realized that naval warfare could be fought in this way!

Not only are our troops few and our ships slow, but our tactics are also terrible!

"put!"

"Boom boom—"

Hundreds of warships, large and small, unleashed a barrage of fire from thousands of cannons, creating a deafening roar. The sea was shrouded in smoke, and those in the city could no longer see the battle.

Xun Erna and the accompanying priests could only pray in vain to their Lord for a miraculous victory for the fleet.

But just by looking at the pirate fleet's tactics and imposing presence, they knew their hopes were slim.

...The booming sound of cannons had long since reached the concentration camps where Ming Dynasty immigrants were being held.

Some time ago, Xun Erna and others used deception and coercion to detain all the Han Chinese immigrants in Luzon and imprison them in various temporary concentration camps, totaling more than 20,000 people.

Most of the women, from their early teens to their thirties, were selected and imprisoned alone in the dungeon, to be assigned as camp concubines.

Apart from the two thousand selected women, all other Han Chinese immigrants were killed.

As for their property, it has, of course, been looted.

The reason we haven't taken action yet is that we need to send over a thousand troops who were pursuing Tadawon back to Manila.

With over three thousand soldiers in the city, carrying out a massacre would be even easier.

The Ming Dynasty immigrants imprisoned in various concentration camps knew their fate all too well.

Everyone knew that even if they didn't participate in the massacre of white people, they would still be massacred by foreigners just like the natives.

It's too late to say anything now.

Their biggest regret now is that they didn't resist before. They were just like pigs and sheep, obediently locked up by the foreigners.

He also regretted not leaving Manila with that group of pirates last year.

But the sound of artillery fire outside today gave them a glimmer of hope amidst their despair.

Someone is attacking Manila!
Who are they? Could they be Ming Dynasty soldiers?

Impossible, absolutely impossible! Those lords of the Ming Dynasty would not travel across the ocean to fight against foreigners for their sake.

It must be that formidable pirate gang from last year!
Here they are again!
At that moment, the earth-shattering sound of cannons actually sounded beautiful to them.

In an instant, everyone in the concentration camp became excited, and many people began to pray.

"Goddess Mazu, please bless the pirates and defeat the White and Black Barbarians!"

"May our ancestors protect us, and may the pirates destroy the foreign barbarians!"

"Dragon King, please bless the pirates to win!"

The Han women who were held in solitary confinement couldn't help but cry.

This last bit of hope must not be extinguished!

……

The eighth quarter of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM).

At this time, the naval battle on the sea had reached a fever pitch.

"Boom boom boom—" The cannons on the Kuaiji fired a terrifying salvo, bombarding the already damaged Juan.

"Ah—" The canvas on the Juan burst into flames, and dozens of sailors were either killed or wounded. Even their plate armor could not withstand the bombardment of artillery shells.

However, wooden warships are not easy to sink. Even though the Juan had lost its ability to fight back, it did not sink.

The Juan was not the only ship to suffer this misfortune.

Jinghai Navy, taking advantage of its superior manpower, bombarded the Combined Fleet with firepower that was more than twice as strong.

"Boom—Boom!" More than one warship's gunpowder barrels were hit, emitting terrifying explosions.

The combined fleet not only failed to break through the encirclement, but was also tightly bound and unable to escape. Although they were at a significant numerical disadvantage, they still demonstrated the professionalism of sailors and were not without the ability to fight back.

However, although both sides suffered casualties, the combined fleet's casualties were several times that of the Jing Navy.

The combined fleet's warships, numbering over a dozen, were rendered powerless to retaliate under the barrage of cannon fire. The canvases burst into flames, and blood and flesh flew across the decks, accompanied by heart-wrenching screams.

Even though wooden warships are not easy to sink, several medium-sized warships still sank into the cold sea.

As these ships lay upside down, their hulls were exposed, revealing a dense swarm of barnacles, broken planks exposing ship maggots resembling pork tapeworms, and giant, worm-like ship borers—a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

"Ah!" A foreign sailor who had fallen into the water grabbed a broken plank and was intimately touched by long shipworms. He screamed in fright, "I surrender! I surrender!"

As the two warships drew closer, the Jing Navy's musketeers and archers began firing, plunging the combined fleet into a desperate situation.

"Bang bang bang—"

“Whoosh whoosh whoosh—”

Bullets and arrows rained down, turning long-range artillery fire into close-quarters combat. This further highlighted the Jinghai Navy's numerical superiority, while the remaining Allied forces were nearly slaughtered.

Some ships even approached, and armored warriors jumped aboard the combined fleet's ships, hacking and slashing.

Zhu Yin saw Ye Kuan, whom he had rescued in Manila last year, wielding a battle axe in one hand and a shield in the other, killing the foreign soldiers who were screaming and howling.

Even foreign soldiers in plate armor couldn't withstand his battle axe strikes.

Some of the Jinghai naval soldiers, unable to break through the foreign soldiers' plate armor, simply swarmed forward, removed the foreign soldiers' helmets, and then killed them.

"Surrender! Surrender!"

"mom!"

"Oh God!"

"Pfft—Pfft!"

"Ah! I want to go home!"

……

As the smoke cleared, the sea returned to calm.

The sunset paints the sea with fiery colors, a scene of breathtaking beauty.

The combined fleet's warships were either burned, damaged, or sunk.

Almost all of the thousand sailors died. Many of them were burned or drowned.

A small number of intact warships and cannons were also captured.

The naval battle, which lasted for more than an hour, finally ended with the complete annihilation of the combined fleet and a great victory for the Jinghai Navy.

The losses suffered by the Jinghai Navy should not be ignored either, with 124 killed and more than 300 wounded. In total, the casualties approached 500.

This is the largest number of casualties the Jinghai Army has suffered since its establishment.

Manila was quiet for a moment, as if the space had become suffocating.

The morale of the defending troops plummeted to its lowest point.

The Western officers were all ashen-faced; some were furiously waving their fists, while others were making the sign of the cross on their chests.

The largest group among them were from the United Kingdom (Spain and Portugal). Next were the Dutch, French, Italians, Swiss, and Russians.

These people included nobles and pirates, such as the Dutch. Some were purely mercenaries, such as the Swiss and Russians.

As white people, they can unite when facing Asians, but they also look down on Asians and consider themselves superior.

However, over the past six months, they have first witnessed fierce resistance from the natives of Luzon, suffering heavy losses. Today, they have encountered an unprecedentedly powerful enemy at sea.

They watched helplessly as their fleet was annihilated at sea, and could only sigh in despair.

"Gentlemen!" Xun Erna exclaimed in grief and indignation, "The United Kingdom's fleet in Luzon is finished."

"This is a devastating and shameful defeat, a curse from the devil."

"In just over two hours, we witnessed with immense pain the destruction of our fleet."

The colonel made the sign of the cross on his chest. "Without the support of the naval fleet, can our thousand men still hold Manila?"

Major Dawes said in a mournful voice, "This is a disaster! Your Excellency, you should have listened to my advice and not let the fleet leave port!"

“My son!” Colonel Xun'erna roared in a low voice, “No one could have predicted that the pirates’ ships would be faster than ours! Our intelligence work was absolutely terrible! We don’t even know where they came from!”

"But the enemy knows us very well! There are spies among the Ming immigrants!"

"Now we can only defend the city to the death. The sun is about to set, and the enemy should not launch another attack."

"We must reinforce our defenses tonight! If we can hold out until the day after tomorrow, reinforcements will receive the news and return."

"Gentlemen! We are currently the largest military force of the United Kingdom in the East, and we must resist to the end!"

Upon hearing Xun Erna's words, everyone suddenly thought of Captain Gutt.

They found that they had never admired and respected Captain Gutt as much as they did now!
……

The sun finally sank into the sea.

Darkness descended, obscuring the carnage of the battlefield.

The sharks, which had been frightened away by the cannon fire during the day, returned in droves to devour the carcasses in the sea.

Many people travel thousands of miles to the East, only to end up as fish.

Zhu Yin stood up on the deck and looked at the sea through binoculars, where he witnessed a body being torn apart by a shark.

Under the moonlight on the sea, the shark's teeth flashed coldly, followed by the sound of human bones cracking.

Zhu Yin turned the binoculars around and looked at the city of Manila in his nightmare, his expression cold.

Under the cover of night, squads of sailors waded ashore from the west bank of the Passi River, dug open the tunnel according to the marks left beforehand, and filed in.

The tunnel we dug last year is finally going to come in handy this year.

Everything went smoothly, and everything was going according to plan.

Xu Wei stepped out of the cabin, stood beside Zhu Yin, and said in a low voice:
"Unexpectedly, when our lord conquered Manila last year, he had already dug tunnels, leaving a deadly trap for the next attack on Manila."

"Although my lord is young, he is capable of making strategic plans and thinking three steps ahead for every one he takes."

Zhu Yin smiled slightly, "Sir, you flatter me. This is just a trivial trick. The reason this trick works is only because the foreigners are arrogant and conceited, and they deserve this crushing defeat."

Ding Huogen laughed and said, "The general has twice campaigned against Luzon, and his strategic maneuvering and momentum are like a rainbow. He can truly be called the Tiger of Luzon."

The Tiger of Luzon? Upon hearing this, everyone felt that the title was very fitting.

Qi Jiguang put down his binoculars. "Little Tiger, about a thousand people have infiltrated. We can make our move now."

Zhu Yin nodded and ordered, "Begin the siege."

At the command, the cannons roared once more.

The city's defenders had no choice but to brace themselves and engage in battle once again.

But just as they climbed onto the city wall, a strange sound came from the direction of the city's dungeon.

It sounded like the tide, or like the sound of metal rubbing together.

Immediately afterwards, a large group of armored warriors appeared from behind.

"The enemy!" Colonel Xun'erna exclaimed in alarm. "The enemy has infiltrated the city!"

At the same time, more than a thousand Jinghai soldiers disembarked and landed on the west bank of the Paxi River, heading straight for the East Gate!

Attack from both inside and outside!

"It's over!" Colonel Xun'erna sighed, looking at the panicked and chaotic garrison, and led a few trusted men to rush towards the west gate.

Damn you, Gutt, you're right!

Xun Erna was an experienced and excellent commander. It was precisely because of his experience that he made an accurate and quick judgment that resistance was meaningless.

Escape was the only option.

Seeing their commander flee, Doss and the other officers scattered in all directions.

Even the most stubborn Russian mercenary captain abandoned his position and fled.

With the white officers fleeing, the Indian and black soldiers lost all fighting spirit and ran around like headless flies.

Soon, the city gates were opened, and the Jinghai Army outside the city rushed in.

A year later, Manila City fell into Zhu Yin's hands once again!
But this time, he will not give up Manila!

P.S.: That's all for today. Monthly votes... I'm practically rolling on the floor! The Manila storyline will end tomorrow. Thank you to all my readers who have supported me. Please leave a review. Those who are waiting for this book to finish, please set an auto-subscribe. Goodnight!
(End of this chapter)