Ming East India Company

As soon as the order was given, the forty Ryukyu galleys that were retreating instantly began a tactical turn.

The fleet, which had been retreating, suddenly split to the left and right, with forty warships forming two large wings, like a giant iron pincer. They turned around and surrounded the four isolated galley ships behind them.

Only then did Morga awaken from his daze, his face deathly pale, his body ice-cold, and his heart instantly enveloped in endless fear.

"We've fallen for their trap! These cunning yellow-skinned monkeys are using a ploy to lure us in! Retreat immediately! All ships, regroup before engaging again!"

He roared hoarsely, frantically ordering a retreat, but it was all too late.

The rowers for the Spanish were all conscripted local men who were often underfed and poorly clothed, and they were full of complaints about the Spanish.

In contrast, since the last battle where he intercepted the Japanese army, Shirano has paid great attention to the treatment of the rowing slaves to ensure their fighting enthusiasm.

With both sails billowing, the speed is determined by the stamina and energy of the rowers.

Forty galleys of Calais approached the enemy step by step.

The encirclement had tightened completely, trapping the four Galiot ships in the center.

The next second, the Ryukyu fleet's cannons opened fire.

The forty warships concentrated all their firepower and opened fire on the four galley ships.

The dense barrage of shells rained down like a storm, the explosions were deafening, flames shot into the sky, and the entire sea trembled under the barrage.

Wang Sanshi kept in mind Bai Ye's teaching to concentrate superior firepower. At this distance, the Kövlin cannon's maximum range is basically at its limit; don't even think about hitting it, it's all about getting lucky with the sheer number of cannons.

In contrast, the Spanish galleys ahead, with their cannons located at the bow, were unable to maneuver quickly and could only watch helplessly as the Ryukyu fleet fired from behind.

The four galley ships were instantly subjected to intense artillery fire.

After a series of spectacular water jets were fired near the Spanish galleys, a cannonball finally succeeded in hitting the target.

The black iron cannonball struck the hull of a galley precisely.

The cannonball pierced the oarsman's cabin, carving a bloody, hellish path through the rowing slaves. The oarsmen screamed as they were torn apart by the cannonball, the oars snapped instantly, and the ship's power was completely paralyzed on one side.

The galley, now with half its power gone, quickly fell behind and was hit by more cannon fire.

The wooden planks were instantly shattered, splinters flew everywhere, and seawater rushed into the cabin; the mast was also hit by a cannonball and snapped in two, the heavy sails crashing onto the deck and crushing the sailors who couldn't get out of the way...

Finally, the galley was overtaken by the main galley of the Ryukyu Navy, and Wang Sanshi commanded the ships to fire at the waterline of the galley, which had already lost its fighting capability.

A volley of shells swept across the ship, and the cabin of the Galliot was flooded, quickly disappearing into the murky waters of the Pacific Ocean.

The remaining three Galiot ships completely lost the will to continue fighting and just wanted to run back.

More and more galleys were hit one after another. Each cannonball slowed down the fleeing galleys, and after slowing down, the Ryukyu fleet would hunt them down.

In a short time, the three galley ships were overtaken and attacked by the Ryukyu fleet, and one after another they sank into the deep sea of ​​Manila Bay.

From encirclement to complete annihilation, it took only half an hour.

All four of the Spanish fleet's core galleys were annihilated, with none surviving.

After dealing with the main Spanish force, the forty galleys extinguished their cannons, cleaned their decks, and rearranged themselves into a neat formation.

Under Wang Sanshi's command, the fleet turned around, hoisted its sails, and charged at full speed towards the scattered and terrified remnants of the Spanish fleet behind them, like tigers among sheep.

At this moment, the remaining Spanish fleet, although it still had a dozen or so Patache ships, plus more than ten small Campan native boats, and about thirty warships, had long been in a state of panic due to the loss of the support of the main fleet.

Some wanted to turn the ship around and escape back to Manila Port, some wanted to abandon ship and surrender, and some were so frightened that they collapsed on the deck. The entire fleet fell into chaos without a fight, its formation completely collapsed, and it became a group of helpless lambs to the slaughter.

Forty galleys split into several groups, scattering and charging in all directions, like a pack of wolves attacking a flock of sheep, wreaking havoc on one side.

The Patacher ships were too flimsy to withstand the heavy cannon fire of the Sea Falcon warships. One after another, they were hit and sank.

The small boats of the Kampan natives were even more vulnerable. Ryukyu warships didn't even need heavy cannons; a simple sweep of the deck with breech-loading cannons followed by a ramming attack from the bow of a galley ship was enough to easily sink a Kampan.

On the sea, there were floating shipwrecks, broken oars, tattered sails, burning wood chips, and countless Spanish sailors and indigenous warriors who had fallen into the water.

Cries for help, screams, the roar of cannons, and the sound of warships breaking apart mingled together, echoing throughout Manila Bay. The once peaceful bay had been completely transformed into a bloody inferno.

After an hour of fierce fighting, the harbor gradually returned to calm as ships flying the Spanish flag disappeared from the sea.

The smoke of battle slowly dissipated, and the sun shone again on the surface of Manila Bay.

Most of the thirty-odd warships that Spain deployed sank to the bottom of the sea.

All four Galliot main galleys were destroyed and sunk into the deep sea.

Of the fourteen Patache boats, only two small, badly damaged boats managed to escape the encirclement and fled back to Manila port in a sorry state to report the news.

More than ten small boats belonging to the Kampan indigenous people were also destroyed.

Of the more than 4,000 men in the entire Spanish Navy, only a few dozen managed to escape back to Manila.

In contrast, the Ryukyu navy suffered very minor losses. After a long count, Wang Sanshi found that only seven men had died and sixteen had been wounded.

The victory was clearly a glorious one.

On the sea, only forty oared ships from Ryukyu remained, arrayed in a neat formation, firmly controlling the entire Manila Bay.

The Ryukyu sailors and crew stood on the deck, weapons raised high, and roared with thunderous cheers, celebrating this resounding and uncontested victory.

The two wrecked Patache ships that managed to escape back to Manila harbor carried the devastating news of the fleet's annihilation as they sailed into the port.

On the dock, Acuña looked at the billowing smoke on the sea, at the countless pieces of wreckage floating on the surface, and at the distant cheers of the pirates. He felt all his strength drain away, his legs gave way, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, his face ashen and his eyes empty, no longer possessing any of the governor's authority.

His last naval force was completely wiped out.

Manila's last coastal defense barrier has completely collapsed.

The Spanish colonial navy in Manila suffered heavy losses in this battle, with its entire force wiped out, leaving no possibility of resistance, breakout, or reversal.

Manila Bay was completely controlled by pirates.

……

"Pass down the order to execute all the natives and red-haired prisoners of war, and display their heads on the mast."

Wang Sanshi said to his subordinates as he cleaned up the battlefield.

Shirane had already decided on a policy of not taking prisoners, as revenge for the Spanish massacre of the Eighth Company; Shirane decided to make a gesture to show the entire Chinese community in Southeast Asia.

However, Wang Sanshi quickly stopped his men:

"Wait a minute, leave some high-ranking red-haired prisoners behind. I think the master has a good use for them?"

Immediately, a cruel smile appeared on Wang Sanshi's lips.

……

Two hours had passed since the end of the naval battle. Hundreds of supply ships of the Ryukyu Navy were lined up and anchored in the middle of the bay channel, like a silent steel jungle, firmly blocking all exits from Manila Port.

On the most luxurious of the ships, Shiro was sitting in a tall and comfortable cabin listening to his subordinates' reports.

The prisoners selected by Wang Sanshi totaled 137, all of whom were mid- to lower-ranking officers in the Spanish Navy.

By this time, they had lost the arrogance and swagger they had displayed at the start of the war; each of them was covered in wounds and their clothes were tattered.

Some people lost arms, some had gashs on their legs from artillery shells, and some were disfigured by the smoke and fire.

Everyone had their hands tied behind their backs with thick hemp ropes, lined up in a neat long queue, huddled in the center of the deck, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Bai Ye once mentioned the punishment of "walking on water" to Wang Sanshi, although it was two hundred years before the Caribbean pirates in history came up with this method.

However, this did not prevent Hakuno from using this method to deal with the Spaniards in front of him.

Wang Sanshi had heard about this form of punishment from Bai Ye, so he decided to help Bai Ye "make his dream come true."

"Master, everything is ready. We are just waiting for your command," Wang Sanshi reported.

"Begin execution," Shirano commanded.

Wang Sanshi, dressed in a black outfit with a curved sword at his waist, slowly walked to the front of the flagship's deck, his cold gaze sweeping over the Spanish prisoners huddled together at his feet.

The messenger behind him raised his horn, and the deep, solemn sound of the horn instantly resounded across the sea, reaching all the anchored warships.

The Ryukyu sailors gathered on both sides of the deck fell silent instantly, all of them standing up straight and staring coldly at the prisoners.

Wang Sanshi slowly raised his hand, his voice low and cold, carried clearly by the sea breeze to the ears of every prisoner and across the entire sea.

"The Spanish in Manila blocked the Ming Dynasty's trade routes and murdered my Ryukyu people in Luzon. They are utterly depraved and inhumane. Now, according to Ryukyu's laws, you are sentenced to death."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire place fell silent, with only the sound of waves crashing against the ship and the prisoners' suppressed gasps of shock.

Several Spanish officers instantly collapsed, struggling to stand up, shouting and begging for mercy, but before they could make any more noise, the Ryukyu sailors holding clubs stepped forward and smashed them down with their clubs, instantly knocking them to the ground, bleeding from their mouths and noses, and no longer daring to struggle.

The sailors then tied the prisoners' hands behind their backs one by one.

The execution has officially begun.

The first to be brought aboard was Antonio de Morga, the commander-in-chief of the Spanish fleet. Thanks to his years of swimming skills, he managed to escape the sinking ship, but tragically, he still met his end.

His face was deathly pale, his whole body was trembling violently, and his legs were so weak that he could barely stand. He was carried by two pirates, one on each side, and dragged to the side of the ship.

The pirate blindfolded him with a black cloth and then commanded in a cold voice, "Go up, keep going straight."

A wide, smooth, long wooden plank, one end firmly fixed to the edge of the ship's side, the other end hanging over the sea, stretching straight into the water.

Although Morga couldn't see the suspended plank beneath his feet, the wobbly elasticity of the plank made him realize he was in danger.

At this moment, he completely broke down, fell to his knees with a thud, and kowtowed repeatedly to the pirates, begging for mercy in Spanish with all his might, promising to give up all his possessions and be a slave for life, just to be spared his life.

The only response he received was Wang Sanshi's whip and the knife tip pressed hard against his back.

Two sailors lifted him up, dragging him to the front of the plank. Morgan clung tightly to the edge of the plank, refusing to move an inch, his face streaked with tears, filled with despair and fear.

Finally, the sailor on duty lost his patience and kicked him hard in the back.

With a scream, Morga lost his balance and plunged headfirst into the vast ocean below, sliding down the smooth wooden plank.

With a loud "splash," water splashed everywhere.

With his hands bound, Morga was unable to swim or struggle. He could only thrash about on the surface of the sea before being completely swallowed by the icy water. He disappeared instantly without even a bubble rising to the surface, sinking into the dark seabed.

The remaining Spanish prisoners, witnessing this scene, were utterly plunged into despair.

Some people fainted on the spot, some burst into uncontrollable sobs, some convulsed and lost control of their bladder and bowels, and some closed their eyes in despair, waiting for their death to come.

But no one can escape it, no one is an exception.

One after another, Spanish prisoners were led by sailors to the plank, their hands tied behind their backs, black cloths placed over their heads, and forced to walk onto the plank leading to their deaths!

Screams and desperate roars rose and fell, echoing across the sea.

Every "plop" sound of someone falling into the water represents the loss of a life.

The plank was repeatedly soaked by seawater, and then pushed onto the desperate prisoners again and again. One hundred and thirty-seven Spanish prisoners were executed one after another through this suspended plank, and sank to the bottom of Manila Bay.

Once on the deck, the cries of prisoners ceased. Wang Sanshi turned to look at the indigenous prisoners who had been captured by a bucket.

They were terrified that Wang Sanshi would treat them the same way, and they were scared out of their wits.

But Wang Sanshi said:

"Listen up, our master knows that you were also forcibly captured by the red-haired devils, so our Ryukyu Navy will spare your lives today."

Go back and tell your governor that if he continues the war, this is the outcome; if he wants to surrender, he should send an envoy as soon as possible.