Chapter 798: Sea Breeze (II)

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After apprenticing, Lin Feng realized that he was not Zheng Ruozeng's only apprentice...... In fact, it is more appropriate to say that it is 'student'. It turned out that Zheng Ruo had opened a captain training course within Nanyang Company, and he was one of the fifteen people in the first phase.

Zheng Ruo used to be the head teacher and hired more than a dozen Western teachers to teach, and he also taught three courses: 'Chinese Studies', 'Maritime Politics' and 'Moral Education'. In addition to the three courses taught by Zheng Ruozeng, there are also mathematics, geography, history, structure, mechanics, physics, chemistry, and the 'ship' course that introduces the world's most advanced knowledge of sea vessels.

One of the most important is mathematics, and the Western instructors told them that the quality of navigation majors depends on mathematics, so in the course arrangement, they also pay great attention to mathematics. For three years, he studied algebra, geometry, trigonometry, arc triangle - the earth is round, so the arc triangle is needed for navigation. Later, I had to learn calculus, and now I still have a headache when I think about it. However, the requirements of the training course are very strict, and if you fail three exams in a semester, you will be expelled; If you fail two courses, you will be suspended from paying your salary for one semester; If you fail one course, your salary will be halved...... Although they are only students now, their salaries are comparable to those of the first rank of the imperial court, and for the sake of money, they must grit their teeth and insist on not failing the course.

In addition to the three-month internship at sea every year, the rest of the time, Lin Feng and his classmates repeated the boring study day after day, during which some could not bear to drop out, and some were persuaded to quit because they couldn't keep up with work...... But it is said that after leaving the class, the company's arrangements are also good, if it weren't for his strong nature, he would have thought about it...... After three years, only he and five other students in the class have successfully graduated, and at the same time, two new training courses have been opened, and there are more students.

There should have been a one-year internship period, but in the past three years, Nanhai's business has expanded tenfold and has become the third largest shipping group, which highlights the talent gap. He was directly appointed as the commander of the Fifth Escort Force, and he had five heavily armed warships under his command, which were specially designed to patrol the most rampant sections of piracy, and completed 50 escorts in half a year, encountered pirates 27 times, repelled opponents 27 times, sank 15 enemy ships, captured 27 ships, and captured more than 2,000 people

After returning to Hong Kong to recuperate after completing his mission last month, his convoy did not set off again, but accepted a secret mission to attack Luzon with 1,500 mercenaries

As a new-style fleet commander, Lin Feng is extremely sensitive to the events that occur in the surrounding area, and the one that attracted his attention the most this year was the 'Five Peaks Coalition Attack on Luzon'.

Since the beginning of the war, the imperial court issued an edict that those who volunteered to defend Luzon would be crowned earls if they could win a great victory, and the entire maritime business world was boiling. To be able to obtain the title of earl of the imperial court, the glory of the ancestors is secondary, and most importantly, to be able to legally set up camp in Luzon and control Manila, an important port no less than Malacca

The maritime merchants knew too well what this meant, so they gathered on the island of Taiwan during the Chinese New Year and sent troops to Wang Zhizhi. After all, the other side was the powerful Spain, although they committed the taboo of being far from the rear, but without the old shipowner to take the lead, the maritime merchants did not dare to start a war lightly.

In fact, Xu Hai is a better candidate for the leader, but he and Wang Zhi have already divided the sphere of influence, and the Southeast Ocean is not his territory, so although he is so anxious that he scratches his ears and cheeks, in order to avoid offending Wang Zhi, he has to look at the ocean and sigh.

Over the years, Wang Zhi's physical condition has not been as good as before, and his ambition seems to have dissipated, although he also wants to take the lead, but he doesn't want to offend the Spaniards. It was not until March that he finally made up his mind and sent his general, Yizi Mao Haifeng, to lead his headquarters and unite with various maritime merchants to form a combined fleet of 2,000 men to set off from Taiwan's chicken coop to attack the Luzon Islands.

As soon as the fleet entered Manila Bay, it was discovered by the Spanish patrol clippers, and soon attracted the Spanish warships that had been waiting for a long time, and the Philippine Governor Legazpi personally commanded the fleet to give a head-on attack.

Since the opponent has been prepared, the right choice at this time should be to temporarily avoid the edge, but Mao Haifeng, who is brave and ruthless, relies on his strength to far surpass the opponent, and even lined up to attack. However, on the battlefield, it is not a matter of who has more troops to win, and this is even more true of naval battles, this patchwork fleet, although there are many ships, but there is no cooperation with each other, and both weapons and combat effectiveness are far inferior to the powerful Spanish navy - fighting long-range, artillery is not as far as others to fight, accurate, can only be passively beaten; In the broadside battle, Spain was even more invincible in the world, killing them to the ground.

The two naval battles between the two sides ended in a crushing defeat for Mao Haifeng's troops, with at least 15 boats and more than 500 people killed at the bottom of the sea.

Seeing that the Ming people were defeated, Li Yashi was really relieved, in fact, when he saw the huge fleet, he also gasped, in case he was outnumbered, all the years of hard work and sacrifice would be in vain. But he was too happy too early, and soon the news came that the Ming people did not retreat to Taiwan, but went north along the coast of Luzon, entered the port of tortoiseshell, and built a walled city in Banshilan, and built forts at various dangers, and even had preparations to stay in Luzon, and was welcomed and supported by the locals.

On the side of the couch, how can anyone snore? Although he is not Chinese, he understands this truth. Ban Shiran is only 400 miles from Manila, and if he is not destroyed, the governor of Lê will not be able to sleep well. After a period of preparation, he mobilized almost all of his country's forces in Asia—five capital ships, thirty speedboats, six hundred marines, and five thousand servants of all tribes. The soldiers were divided into two routes, one attacking from land and the other from the sea, intending to intimidate the enemy from the belly and back.

The sea commandos were very lucky, and when they reached the tortoiseshell harbor by night, they found that all the ships of the opposing army were docked in the harbor, and all the sailors were ashore to rest, and only a few men were guarding, and the Spaniards easily burned down the entire fleet.

On land, the Spanish commandos also launched an onslaught, killing more than 100 'pirates' in the outlying strongholds...... Yes, that's what the Spaniards call them. At this time, the water commandos also joined in, forming a flanking attack on Mao Haifeng's lair. However, Mao Haifeng is a veteran of the battlefield after all, and at the moment of great danger, he finally completely grasped the command, and ordered people to set fire to the fence of the camp, which was already full of hay, and the fire rose to the sky at once, and the Spaniards could not attack it at all.

Taking advantage of this rare respite, Mao Haifeng gathered his troops and reorganized them, surviving the most dangerous first night.

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The next day, the Spaniards planned to line up in a phalanx to attack the fortifications, but Mao Haifeng was worthy of being an old bandit, and the stronghold he built according to the topography was not only solid and well-defended, but also equipped with several cannons and many small cannons.

In comparison, the Spaniards' cannons were too small in caliber and not enough ammunition. The front-line commander, Salcido, abandoned the storm...... This is very wise, otherwise the Spanish commandos who are attacking the stronghold may be completely wiped out by the red-eyed Mao Haifeng.

After research, the Spaniards decided to adopt the method of encircling but not fighting, and waited for the grain and grass of Mao Haifeng's troops to be exhausted, which was in the hands of Xiao Mao's classmates...... If the Spaniards had heard of the Battle of Cen Harbor, they would never have chosen this seemingly correct strategy.

The siege lasted for three months, during which there were naturally many fierce battles, Mao Haifeng held back his strength to wash away the shame, so he always came to the front line to command, so that his side always maintained high morale, not only was not broken through the stronghold, but also caused a lot of casualties to the other side.

However, the Spaniards turned the attack into a trap, occupying the advantage of the battle situation and supplies, and Mao Haifeng was trapped in the stronghold, and the food was running out day by day. What is surprising is that the reinforcements sent by Wang Zhi only showed up on the outskirts of Luzon, and on the grounds that the opponent's navy was strong and could not get close, Shi Shiran returned and seemed to have given up on them.

Although Lin Feng had a grudge against Mao Haifeng, he couldn't watch his compatriots being wiped out by Xiyi and was indifferent, and asked Zheng Ruozeng to send him to Hawksbill Harbor to relieve the siege several times, but he was refused. There is only one reason for disagreement - the time is not ripe.

The organization of Nanyang Company is very tight, without the consent of the president, the escort team cannot leave Ponte 16 at all, Lin Feng can only sulk and be anxious...... Finally, before he turned into a seaside lookout, the president gave the order to leave. At this time, it was already June.

According to Zheng Ruozeng's plan, Lin Feng's fleet will not go to the tortoiseshell port, but detour to Manila Bay, take advantage of the lack of Spanish troops, take Manila directly, encircle Wei to rescue Zhao According to Zheng Ruozeng's estimate, from Macao to Manila, the whole voyage is 2,500 miles...... Converted to the unit he studied, it was 675 nautical miles, the latest model of warship, with a full load speed of eighteen knots, and it could arrive in two days, so he contacted the local branch and prepared to ...... in two days That is, on June 18, Li Ying joined forces with the outside world to help Lin Fengbu take Manila.

However, people are not as good as heaven, the second day of the fleet's departure, encountered a sudden typhoon, although relying on Lin Feng's experience and knowledge, the fleet escaped a catastrophe, only lost more than 200 people, but also deviated from the route for hundreds of miles, a day late to reach the periphery of Manila Bay.

It was no longer possible to carry out the original plan, and Lin Feng, who was cautious by nature, did not dare to act rashly, so he decided to find out first. He had already mastered the charts and commanded the fleet to hide outside Manila Bay, on the edge of a crescent-shaped island, and at the same time sent a small boat deep into Manila Bay at night to connect with the contacts on the shore.

The next morning, the news came that the company's men who were preparing to cause chaos were captured by the Spanish authorities, but the next day, the city was not on guard, and the defenders should go home, as if it were just an ordinary riot, and did not think that it was part of a plan.

There is no possibility of internal and external cooperation, what to do next, Lin Feng and the mercenary commander fell into thought. But soon they no longer hesitated, because of an unexpected situation made things simpler-a Spanish grain ship that was sending supplies to the port of hawksbill turtles, because the bottom of the ship leaked and had to urgently deviate from the course and dock at Crescent Island, only to be dumpled by Lin Feng's battleship, there were a total of twenty-five Spanish soldiers on board, Lin Feng killed all but one alive, and the supplies on board would naturally not be wasted.

In a day at most, the main Spanish force in Hawksbill Harbor will find out that the grain ship is missing, and if its commander is cautious enough, he will definitely return to the division to help protect the lair, that is to say, the time left for Lin Feng and them is only a day and a half at most.

It was necessary to make a decision immediately, and Lin Feng's fleet immediately entered Manila Bay and anchored far away, so as not to alarm the Spaniards on the shore. Taking advantage of the time before nightfall, Lin Feng asked the land commander who was wearing the mountain armor to hurry up and select the assault team, and as soon as it was dark, he would immediately land and take Manila.

The commander was well prepared and soon organized a death squad of 400 men, 200 of whom were musketeers and the other 200 were Japanese mercenaries...... The Japanese civil war intensified, and countless defeated samurai and soldiers were expelled from the country, but now there are no more Japanese to do, but fortunately, their organization, discipline, and obedience are almost perfect, and they are not afraid of death when they fight, and they are deeply favored by maritime merchants, and they do not worry about having no jobs.

Nanyang Company is one of the maritime merchants who recruit the most Japanese, this time Lin Feng brought out more than 2,000 people, including more than 500 Japanese, more than 200 people, more than 300 Annam people, the real Ming people, only half. The fact that there are mixed personnel does not mean that they are unorganized and undisciplined. In fact, under the conditions of Nanyang Company's scientific management, strict training, and favorable treatment, as long as they are not hopelessly Indians and Luzons, they can become qualified members of this multinational force.

Thinking of this, Lin Feng glanced at the burly and dark giant, I heard that these people were all trained by him, and they were really unseemly.

But this person is mysterious, Lin Feng asked him what his name was, and he replied: "I forgot my previous name, you can call me Lao Hei." ”

Even the real name is refused, it seems that this Nanyang company is really secretive.

The night was extremely dark, the stars and moon were lurking, and the wind was strong, which was not only conducive to the commando's covert landing, but also caused difficulties in the landing. But time was no longer easy, and a death squad of 400 people, led by a samurai who was said to have been a nickname, Ono Mizuno, forcibly set off in a dinghy.

Standing on the deck with Lao Hei, watching the death squad disappear from sight, Lin Feng sighed and said: "I feel that since Mao Haifeng came to Luzon, luck has not been on our side, and all unfortunate things have happened, it's really evil...... "If it weren't for the sudden strong wind tonight, the army would have reached Manila directly, and the victory would definitely be in hand, so why bother with all the troubles."

Lao Hei also thought so, but his face did not waver a little, and he said in a deep voice: "Did Mr. Kaiyang tell you the meaning of this battle?" ”

"Hmm." Lin Feng nodded, and said with a serious expression: "He said, we are fighting fiercely at the intersection of history, and this seemingly small battle will determine who will be the true master of Nanyang." If we can't defeat the Spaniards, they will gain a foothold to advance into Asia, establish bloody colonies, and even pose a threat to the Ming Dynasty. At that time, the hundreds of thousands of Chinese in Nanyang will be in a very dangerous situation, and we will lose control of Nanyang, and we will not be able to ensure the safety of our compatriots in Nanyang" There are too many Chaozhou people in Nanyang, so Lin Feng has special feelings for these people.

"Yes." Lao Hei nodded and said: "So how many sacrifices can be bearable, victory must be guaranteed" Lin Feng nodded heavily.

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In the midst of the strong winds, the death squad did not land ashore until midnight the next morning, and when they asked the accompanying guide, they turned out to be more than ten miles out of Manila. Don't say anything, just run quickly, so under the guidance of the guide, hurried to Manila City.

Some locals spotted the men and, instead of panicking, joined the group to show them the way. It is said that the death of Raja Suleiman completely intensified the hatred between the Spaniards and the local natives, and it seems that this statement is not false at all.

Half an hour later, the desperate death squad finally saw the city of Manila in the distance, and Ono was about to order a final charge, but was told by the locals that the villa of Goyt, the commander-in-chief of the Spanish garrison, was on the side of the road, and Ono had a unique Japanese second, so he immediately changed his mind and attacked the villa instead.

The battle was short and fierce, and after paying seven or eight lives, the death squads stormed the villa, which was guarded by a dozen people, and killed everyone in the house, even if they were in the house, and Goyt was really at home, and was about to go to work in the city when he was shot in the arm by an arrow, and was shot and killed by random shooting when he tried to escape by jumping out of the window.

However, the indiscriminate shooting of birds and birds deprived them of their precious suddenness, and the Spaniards in the city finally came to their senses, and they were able to take their weapons and ammunition into battle.

You have to admire the vigilance and training of these Spaniards, who were colonizers, and took advantage of the short time difference to set up ambush circles on the roads inside the city. When Ono led the death squad to crash headlong, he was killed by a dense rain of bullets, and he was defeated in one fell swoop.

At this time, the death squad was too far away from the fleet, reinforcements and supplies were difficult, and seeing that the battle could not be won, Ono had to order the withdrawal of troops. When he retreated to the villa, which was still on fire, he slapped himself hard and scolded, "Baga, what a pig's head."

Partition -

It's time to speed up the update, and I'll update it twice tomorrow.