Just as Fu Wenlong of Guangdong was waiting for the big ship to be launched, 3,000 miles away in the sea of Manila in Luzon, the sails were like clouds, and the Spanish expeditionary fleet had all rushed to Luzon from China.

Spanish domination in Southeast Asia has waned in recent years, and the former great power has been challenged by the British and Dutch. Spain had no choice but to mobilize thirteen warships to Luzon to preserve the glory of the aging Spanish empire.

The commander of the Spanish fleet, de la Pena, wore a double-horned military cap and a high-necked close-fitting military uniform with blue trim strips and tight double copper twists, white breeches, and black high leather boots. Wearing feather epaulettes, a dark blue broad-brimmed ribbon, a saber and a short musket at his waist, and white gloves on his hands, he looks very gorgeous.

At this time, he was standing on the towering stern of the flagship, looking at the huge fleet under his command with a condescending posture, and he felt a sense of invincibility across the sea, as if no matter how powerful the opponent was, he could defeat it. The establishment of colonial rule has always been Spain's dream, and now this dream will be fulfilled by itself, and the thought of this, de la Pena is also full of pride.

Batlló Noah de la Pena, 53 years old, came from a family of soldiers, had a military career of more than 30 years, and in these two campaigns he had made many achievements for the Spanish Habsburgs, and at a young age, he also served briefly in Manila, so he was appointed commander-in-chief of this expeditionary fleet, and was given the title of count by King Philip IV before this expedition. And promoted his military rank to lieutenant general.

The Spanish fleet consisted of thirteen large and small ships, of which two were large ships of more than 1,000 tons, four were of more than 700 tons, and the rest were ships of less than 500 tons.

The number of personnel in the whole army reached 7,500, including more than 5,000 soldiers and more than 2,500 sailors.

De la Pena's flagship, the Philip I, was a new type of warship that had been in the water for less than ten years, with a total weight of 1,237 tons, a total length of 67 meters, a length of 50 meters, a width of 12 meters, a height of 20 meters, and a draft of 6. Three meters. It has a total of five masts and eleven sails, divided into three decks, and is equipped with a total of 90 guns, and its combat effectiveness is not weaker than that of the British "Sea Monarch" among the warships of European countries. It was also the last of the Spanish galleons.

Because of the decline of Spain's national strength in recent years and the emptiness of the treasury, it is rare to build large ships of more than 1,000 tons, and more medium-sized warships of 500 to 700 tons, and this Spanish fleet is also dominated by such warships.

Although the scale of this fleet is far from what the Armada was like back then, it was indeed an invincible fleet in the Chinese Sea at this time, and even the Dutch, who were currently the most beautiful in Southeast Asia, could not gather such a huge fleet for a while. So de La Pena's self-confidence is not entirely unreasonable.

In the distance, the port of Manila has sent pilot ships to guide the fleet into the waterway. The Spanish governor of Luzon, Francisco, was on the shore to greet General de la Pena.

De la Pena set out from Spain itself at the beginning of this year, when the fleet consisted of twenty-two warships, and after more than eight months of sailing, it reached Manila, losing nine warships and more than five hundred soldiers because of the wind and rain on the way.

When de la Pena had come ashore, he saw the Governor coming to greet him, and he hurried forward to salute. "The Governor personally greeted him, and the lower officials are flattered!"

"There, the lieutenant general led the team to defend Luzon, and I should wait to meet him." After speaking, Francisco introduced some of the Spanish officials behind him to the lieutenant general.

The next thing is very simple, after returning to the Governor's Palace in Manila, all the celebrity courtesans in Manila have come to meet this new powerful faction.

While serving as commander of the fleet, de la Pena would also serve as the supreme military commander of Luzon. After the reception, the Governor brought some of his staff and officials to the conference room and began to discuss the recent Nanyang issue.

The Governor Franciscow said, "Gentlemen, we welcome first of all our Expeditionary Fleet Commander!" ”

Remembering a round of applause, de la Pena stood up and said, "Rest assured, gentlemen, the purpose of my coming to Luzon is to secure your property. There is no more powerful fleet in the South Seas than ours, and when I passed through Singapore, the British there were so frightened that they hid back in the castle and did not dare to come out. ”

At this time, Amaranto, the treasurer of Luzon, asked: "Your Excellency, the biggest problem in our Luzon now is not the Dutch and the nasty British pirates, but the Ming Dynasty in the north, I heard that they have appointed a new governor of Nanyang, and the Chinese who were killed a few months ago heard that they sent people to the mainland to ask for help from their court. ”

"Hahahaha!" Hearing this, de la Pena burst out laughing: "Mr. Treasurer, I think your worries are too much, or rather you are too cautious. What can you do even if you encounter the army of the Ming people, the Chinese themselves are a timid and cowardly people, and they are still in the barbaric Stone Age, their warships are not vulnerable at all, and their army still uses spears and short swords as weapons, do you think they can withstand our fires and muskets? ”

"But, Your Excellency." Amarantola continued: "You must know that the country of the Ming people is larger than the entire continent of Europe, and the number of Ming people is greater than all the countries of Europe combined. This is a formidable opponent who will be punished on the battlefield if you take them too lightly. ”

De La Pena said: "So what, we have not conquered the same vast African state, conquered the American continent, and conquered the inhabitants there, then this time will not be an exception, the purpose of our expedition is to let the glory of the Habsburg dynasty shine on the land of the East." He waved his hand vigorously and said, "Speak with a gun, and draw a map with a sword." ”

Amaranto let out a wry smile as he realized that he couldn't talk to de la Pena anymore. What he didn't know was that the fleet had come to Luzon not only to guard against the Dutch and British, but to seize the vast wealth of the Ming kingdom in order to alleviate Spain's financial crisis.

It turned out that although the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty flourished in Europe in the middle and early 16th century, it inevitably began to weaken due to various mistakes in subsequent development. The fall of the Armada was the beginning. Although Spain was able to maintain its status as a great European power after the destruction of the Armada by relying on the foundation laid in the past, it was constantly challenged by new forces.

In 1618, the German Civil War, the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, completely dragged Spain into the quagmire of war, although with the full support of Spain, the Catholic countries won the first few stages, but they were exhausted by the war, and in the final stage of the Thirty Years' War, Spain lost one after another, and now it was in urgent need of turning the situation around. However, Spain's coffers were empty, the vast wealth they had accumulated was depleted, and they were unable to recover their defeat, and the Protestant countries needed time to consolidate their gains, so both sides entered a short armistice.

At this time, some people dug up the plan to conquer China from the pile of old papers, thinking that if this plan was implemented, they would gain great wealth from China, so that they would have the funds to continue the fight, and Philip IV was also tempted by this plan.

However, although Philip IV was short-sighted, with the great geographical discoveries and Europe's continuous understanding of the East, he also understood that China was not the American mainland, and the original plan had no possibility of success, and it was impossible for Spain to organize an armada to expedition to China. However, if a fleet could be sent to the East, backed by force, or a trading point could be established along the coast of China, or the Dutch could be expelled and monopolized Taiwan, as the Portuguese had done in Macao, it would not only expand trade with China and increase wealth, but also strike at Dutch power in the East. Weaken the power of the Protestant League.

Therefore, Philip IV, after consulting with his ministers, also considered this to be a feasible solution. So de la Pena's fleet was sent to the East.

Moreover, de la Pena was a typical traditional soldier, but also a stubborn conquest and colonialist who believed in "speaking with a gun and drawing a map with a sword". At the same time, during his short service in Manila, due to the weakness, obedience, and disunity of the Chinese, he misjudged China that China, like the American mainland, was actually a very easy country to conquer, and thus became a staunch supporter of the plan to conquer China.

After accepting the expedition, de la Pena saw this as a rare opportunity to fulfill his wishes, so from the day he set out, he never thought much about how to fight the Dutch power in East Asia and expand trade with China, but became the conqueror of Chinese mainland like the legends of history: Cortés (conquering the Messis), Pizarro (conquering the Inca Empire), and Legazpi (conquering the Philippines and Manila).

At the same time, de la Pena was not worried that he would change the king's order without authorization, and he would be punished when he returned home, because the purpose of Philip IV's expeditionary fleet was nothing more than wealth, as long as he conquered China, wealth would naturally roll in, on the contrary, he would be regarded as a hero by Philip IV, and become a legend like other colonial predecessors. At the same time, according to Spanish regulations, whoever conquers the land is the first governor of the land, and can become the governor of the Chinese colony, but it is an authentic fat shortage, which is simply a matter of fame and fortune. Of course, in de la Pena's view, the conquest of China was completely assured.