Ming East India Company

At dawn the next day, as the sky began to lighten and the morning mist still enveloped the low, clustered wooden houses of the Eighth Company District, the water vapor on the river had not yet dissipated.

Dozens of bronze cannons deployed by the Spanish army on the surrounding high ground and fortifications simultaneously spewed out blinding flashes of fire. The deafening roar instantly swept through the entire Chinese-populated area, and heavy iron balls, with a whistling sound, slammed into the dense houses, streets, and makeshift fortifications.

Debris and dust rose into the sky along with piercing screams. In just a short while, the once intact outer perimeter of the Eighth Company was blasted to pieces by artillery fire.

The wooden partition wall collapsed instantly, and the defense line made of earth and sandbags was blown open. The Chinese men hiding behind it were swallowed up by flying iron balls and falling wooden beams before they could even see the enemy. Blood instantly soaked the ground beneath their feet.

The artillery barrage lasted less than half an incense stick's time before a barrage of gunfire followed.

Dressed in dark red uniforms and wearing plate armor, the Spanish regulars, under the command of their officers, formed neat horizontal lines, wielding halberds, and steadily advanced towards the various gaps in the Eighth Company's area.

Following closely behind were Hispanic militiamen, indigenous warriors loyal to the colonial authorities, and local thugs who had been incited. Armed with swords and spears, their eyes fierce, they surged into the streets like hungry wolves, burning, killing, looting, and committing all sorts of atrocities wherever they went.

Lynn was awakened by the violent tremors and explosions.

He stayed up all night, keeping an eye on the deployment of the Eighth Company in the attic of the mansion, and only managed to take a short nap leaning against the back of his chair in the middle of the night.

The moment the cannons roared, the entire wooden house trembled violently. Dust fell from the roof, flames shot into the sky outside the windows, and thick smoke billowed. The acrid smell of gunpowder and blood instantly penetrated the doors and windows and rushed into the house.

He suddenly stood up, rushed to the window, and flung open the shutter. The sight before him made this Quanzhou man, who had spent more than twenty years in Southeast Asia and had seen countless storms and life-or-death situations, freeze in his blood instantly.

The surrounding streets and alleys had been reduced to rubble. The simple wooden houses could not withstand the Spanish iron bullets, and huge solid shot pierced through house after house.

In the midst of the fierce battle, the Spanish also launched rockets, setting fire to rows of wooden houses. The fire spread rapidly with the help of the morning wind, and orange-red flames engulfed house after house, with thick smoke obscuring half the sky.

Everywhere there were cries, wails, screams and shouts as strong Chinese men, armed with simple bamboo spears, axes and machetes, launched a desperate charge against the well-equipped Spanish soldiers.

But the crude weapons futilely struck the Spanish plate armor, and rows of figures fell one after another. Blood pooled on the stone pavement, flowing slowly down the low-lying areas of the streets.

"My benefactor! The Westerners have launched their final assault! The artillery fire is too intense; the defensive lines in the North and West alleys have been breached! Brothers, we can't hold on!"

The trusted aide stumbled up to the upper floor, covered in dust and blood, his voice hoarse and trembling, filled with extreme panic and despair:

"These red-haired devils have muskets and cannons; our men can't even get close. Charging in is just suicide! Several squads of our brothers have already been wiped out!"

Immediately afterward, another elderly local man rushed in, stumbling and scrambling, his cries filled with anguish:

"My benefactor! It's terrible! The indigenous soldiers have broken through the South Lane! They're killing everyone they see; shops and houses are all burned down. The elderly, women, and children can't escape, and so many people have died!"

One piece of bad news after another arrived, like heavy hammer blows striking Lynn's heart. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, drawing blood, but he felt no pain whatsoever.

He had long known that the two sides were vastly different in strength, but he did not expect the Spanish to be so ruthless, immediately using artillery to blast open the defenses and launch an indiscriminate massacre.

He originally thought that the small number of civilians in the Eighth Company was not enough to warrant the Spanish governor concentrating all his troops to besiege and suppress them. As long as the other side felt that attacking the Eighth Company was "not worth it", both sides could back down.

Unexpectedly, the other side was so unethical, launching a full-scale attack with all its military forces.

The sounds of gunfire, explosions, screams, and collapsing buildings outside the window grew closer; the Spanish army's advance was far faster than expected.

The outer defenses collapsed one after another, and more and more Spanish soldiers poured into the core area of ​​the Eighth Company. The fire had spread more than halfway, and the retreat route was completely cut off. Those who stayed in the Eighth Company would only be slaughtered, burned to death, or captured alive.

With galleons and other Spanish ships blocking the sea, escaping by sea was simply impossible.

Mount Dalun.

In an instant, Lynn's mind conjured up the image of the rolling, densely forested mountains north of Manila.

In his early years, he had gone into the mountains with caravans to purchase goods, and he knew that the terrain there was rugged and the dense forests made it an excellent place to rest.

Only by retreating into the mountains could they avoid the Spanish's advance and preserve the last spark of hope for the surviving Chinese in this catastrophe.

The gunshots outside the window grew closer, and the shouts of the Spanish soldiers were already clearly audible. The fire had spread to the nearby streets and alleys, and the heat wave hit us in the face, while the thick smoke made it impossible to open our eyes.

There was no time to hesitate any longer. If we delayed even a moment longer, everyone would perish in the flames and die under the sword.

Lynn raised his hand and drew the long sword from his waist. The blade reflected his taut and resolute face. His voice was hoarse but incredibly firm, echoing throughout the courtyard and reaching the ears of countless compatriots outside:

"The Eighth Company can't hold out! All able-bodied men, assemble immediately! The elderly, women, children, and adults, form the middle ranks! We're breaking out to the north and retreating to the Dalun Mountains!"

Those who are willing to follow me, set off now! I, Lynn, swear here and now that as long as I have a breath left, I will never abandon any of my compatriots. I will lead everyone to fight our way out and into the mountains to save our lives!

Those who are unwilling should scatter and flee for their lives; staying here means certain death.

As soon as the words were spoken, the cries and wails outside the courtyard gradually turned into a unified response. Countless surviving Chinese people, as if grasping at the last straw, dragged their families and gathered at Lynn's mansion.

The surviving able-bodied men gripped their makeshift weapons and spontaneously formed a flesh-and-blood defensive line to protect the elderly, women, and children in the center.

Perhaps it was because the goddess Mazu, whom they had worshipped for so many years, had truly appeared this time, for a light drizzle suddenly began to fall from the sky, rendering the Spanish arquebuses useless.

Although they were still able to easily defeat the Chinese team in front of them despite being clad in plate armor, the Spaniards, who were used to using long-range firepower, temporarily withdrew from the Eighth District.

The rain extinguished the fire in the Eighth District, allowing the Chinese residents there to disperse and escape to the surrounding mountains.