The command cabin of the Majesty, every night with a dim whale oil lamp, kept a diary.

"The capture of Subic Bay was easy, and the Army erected 12 cannons over 18-pounder on the shore, which allowed us to protect the fleet anchorage well.

My staff officers seem to have discovered a seemingly paradoxical truth, namely, that an attack across open water is far easier than a narrow one, for the simple reason that it is easier for the attacker to break through the enemy's defenses in open water. After comparing the fortresses of the Qiongzhou Strait with the capture of Subic Bay, I am now inclined to conclude that they are correct. ”

……

"The value of the local merchant ships is very low, and today Philip's Raphael brought me 10 Philippine wrecked ships, only the rice and salted fish are of some use to us, and the rest are rubbish.

If only such a cargo can be captured, this year's naval operation will be a huge loss.

I was upset, so I ordered the soldiers to burn all the broken ships.

The blockade was extremely boring, and I noticed that my temper was getting worse and that I had to pay attention to it. ”

……

"The northerly wind is good, and all kinds of merchant ships come to Manila to trade. The frigate Yuexiu captured two junk ships today.

One of the merchant ships from Guangzhou was 7 feet long, 2 feet 4 feet wide, 1 zhang 5 feet deep, with 25 cabins and 83 sailors. The ship was loaded with silk and floral cloth, and it was clear that the ship was standing behind it. The other is from Fujian and belongs to my dear ally Zheng Chenggong.

The war could not stop the flow of money, and Zheng Chenggong bought silk by all means and sold it to Japan to obtain silver, red copper, and various Japanese cuisine and wine. Merchants in Guangdong soon discovered this, and when the merchants of the Pingnan clan with their money rat tails and the Zheng clan with their hair tied around a scarf traded in Manila, you will find that the braids and buns do not cause any obstacles. The role of the Spaniards is to make sure that the transactions are carried out safely, and they really know how to do business.

Assuming that without my destruction, this single flat clan can earn 13,000 taels of silver, excluding the sailor's salary of 3,000 taels, and Shang Kexi can make a net income of 10,000 taels. And my dear brother Damu, he can exchange about 160 boxes of red copper and more than 8,000 taels of silver. Spaniard? They don't pay anything, they just provide a trading venue, and they can receive a special measurement tax of up to 10%.

The highly profitable triangular trade, the win-win-win ending, seems to be happy for all.

So the question is, who loses in this?

I think Beijing's Fulin must have been lost, and then I also lost.

There may not be a way around Fulin, but I do, so I detain their ships all.

I haven't figured out what to do with it, so I'm not in a hurry. ”

……

"The number of people in the fleet who have been flogged is increasing, the task is too boring, and military discipline is lax. Even the captains could hardly restrain themselves.

The Spaniards were in their castles, and I guess they were repairing their ships and waiting until we were tired to strike them with all their might. Just like they used to do with the Dutch.

I didn't have much to do about it, but to use the army to go ashore and attack the towns in Manila Bay.

I hope that the Spaniards will go to sea as soon as possible for a decisive battle, and I am desperate to put an end to it. ”

……

"There's nothing to grab in Manila Bay!

The junk ships that have come here have a lot of allies that belong to me in the Chinese seas, and I can't even do anything to them.

The Spaniards must have informed the galleons returning from Acapulco this year by land, and the two silver-laden treasures were lurking in a hidden harbor somewhere in the Philippine Inland Sea, of which I knew nothing. ”

……

"Damn ship maggots!

Several battleships experienced a noticeable drop in speed, which was intolerable.

I had to take turns turning the ship to roll the hull and simply clean the bottom, but luckily the Spaniards were still in their harbor.

Thank goodness I took the Army with me. ”

……

"The only good news is that the Taiwan detachment has finally arrived, a total of 9 warships.

Brenshire and Hubelion are two beautiful ships, and at this moment, I just want to have a cup of black tea.

Better late than never, I finally had enough boats to extend the cruising range to the Pisa Yang Sea.

The Pampanga, Spain's main source of troops in the Philippines, set out three days later with an army to burn their towns and villages.

Can Spaniards still sit? ”

……

"The reconnaissance ship reported that black smoke was burning in the Balian community in Manila, and the Chinese were suffering again.

Is the bacon and the indigenous Filipinos taking revenge on me for burning the villages and towns of Bangpanga? ”

……

"The reconnaissance ship reported that the Spaniards had dragged the battleship out of the harbor with a sampan and anchored it in an external anchorage on the west side of Cavite. They're going to do something. ”

……

On December 14, 1653, the wind was northeasterly, and the sea at the mouth of Manila Bay was weak. The lower gun doors of the battleship can be opened smoothly.

There was some fog in the morning, which quickly dissipated after the sun rose.

The Taiwanese frigate "Xin Gaoshan", which is closest to the mouth of Manila Bay, gave a signal, "The enemy ship raised its mast sails." ”

At 8 o'clock, the vanguard ship gave the long-awaited signal of the Federal Navy, "The enemy ship is leaving port or starting to speed up." ”

Twenty minutes later, the news arrived at the flagship Majestic via a relay of briefing ships.

Without hesitation, the signal flag of "sailing at full speed, southeast" was raised without waiting for the formation of a sailing formation.

12 noon.

The lookout report of the mast, which was visually confirmed by the fleets of both sides.

The Spaniards had two fleets. One sails out of Manila Bay from the main channel on the southeast side of Corregidor Island, and the other staggers north from the south.

Thomas raised his binoculars and looked at it for a moment, "The southern one is Juan. Morality. Chavis's Zamboanga fleet, the Spaniards actually transferred them back as well. Aren't they afraid that Sulu will take the opportunity to take Fort Pilar? ”

Orderliness nodded, "We'll find out soon." ”

Spain was unable to expand in the southern Philippines, relying on the geographical advantage of the Zamboanga garrison to block the most border passage north of Sulu. Sulu had the advantage of forces, and the Spaniards were able to support their Galen warships in the south, and Governor Fajardotu brought back this extremely important detachment, which had a profound impact on the situation in the southern Philippines.

The Manila fleet swept out of the bay with the wind and tide at a high speed, and Admiral López's flag flew high above the mast.

Order: "The Manila fleet is there to pick up the returning Zamboanga fleet, and if the fog lasts a little longer, they may be able to succeed." ”

"And if there is no fog, Chavis will sail far out to the open sea, gather enough potential energy and rush back to Manila Bay downwind."

"So, Mr. Merlot."

"So God is on our side, Your Excellency."

"Order Allemand and Philippe to lead the cruising fleet to attack and intercept Chavis."

"Philip should like this order, Your Excellency. He had been haunted by the loss of the Lima in an artillery battle with Chavis at the mouth of the Pearl River. ”

"Thomas, I'm haunted too."

"I understand your mood at the moment."

"Thomas, if we win this naval battle, you know what that means."

"This will be the last brick of the foundation of the Federation, Your Excellency, and we will prove to everyone with our victory that the Federation is a strong nation."

Order: "Let's use our cannons to accept the verdict of fate, Thomas." All the men took their positions, raised their battle sails, and formed an oblique array on the port side to the wind. ”