When Pedro returned to Manila with the battleship "Royal September" and the remaining ships, it was late at night on April 19.

It is only 300 miles back to Manila Harbor from Subic Bay, and the reverse monsoon is not strong at this time, and it can be reached in a day at most, but these warships that have survived the catastrophe are faltering, and it is very good to be able to run at half the speed of normal days. Two more ships sank on the way, and four others were so badly injured that they had to rush to the shore for emergency repairs, and only seventeen ships followed the "Royal September" back to the port of Manila.

Pedro also regarded this retreat as a feat, and if he encountered a slightly stronger wind and waves on the return trip, he was afraid that he would not be able to bring back a few more ships, and now there was still one battleship and sixteen ships, and the Manila Combined Fleet still had the strength to fight.

Manila Governor Lebandu did not think so, and it was a great shame for the Spaniards not to defeat the Chinese in Subic Bay, and he asserted: "Pedro, you will go to court-martial." ”

Pedro did not have such self-awareness, he quarreled with Lebando for most of the night, and finally said heroically: "After ten days of rest, I will continue to lead the team to attack the Chinese's fleet is also injured, and give me all the ships that can fight, and I will definitely be able to solve the Chinese navy and block the Chinese's sea routes." ”

At this time, because of the sudden tension in Luzon, including the galleon fleet and other Spanish merchant ships in the South Seas, they all retreated into Manila Bay, in addition to the more than 20 armed merchant ships that fought before, there were more than 10 merchant ships in Manila Bay that could withstand a battle. According to the Spanish colonial law, the Spanish navy and colonial authorities had the right to call these merchant ships for combat at any time, which was the common law of all Europa maritime powers.

Pedro also squeezed Rebando: "I believe that the governor will not let the squadron enter Manila and capture the city of Santiago in ten days......"

Rebandor scoffed, ten days? Ten days may be able to occupy the southern part of Manila City, the northern part of Santiago City, the fortified fortress where the governor's palace is located at his feet, and ten months, nay, ten years will not be able to take it.

At that time, Li Dan, a Chinese sea lord, gathered tens of thousands of people to besiege Manila, where there were only 2,000 Spanish civilians and 400 soldiers. Relying on the fortified city of Santiago, the Chinese not only did not harm the Spaniards, but left tens of thousands of heads.

The city of Santiago is the heart of Spain in Luzon, and it is thanks to this strong fortress that the Spaniards have been able to take root here for so long, and still stand firm through the wind and rain. This huge stone fort entrenched on the north bank of the Pasig River in Manila is covered by a wide moat, and the walls are more than ten meters thick and all stone. The staggered design of the fortress, coupled with powerful artillery, was guarded by 4,000 soldiers to protect tens of thousands of Spanish civilians in Manila, and how long it could be held depends on how much food was hoarded in the city.

Such a castle, even in Europa, is difficult to conquer without ten times the number of troops and sufficient firepower. And in the South Seas, the number of troops has to be doubled. At this time, Lebandu had obtained information from the Olongapo side of the Chinese Army, and although the enemy's guns and artillery were not bad, their tactical level and training were very poor. He estimated that unless Zheng Chenggong fought the Dutch in Taiwan, he had twenty times the number of troops to besiege it, and it would take more than a year to threaten the city of San Diego.

It is obvious that it is impossible for the Chinese to throw such a large number of troops across the ocean, and as long as they hold it for a maximum of one year, the American fleet will be able to rush to the rescue.

Rebando's response was firm and forceful: "Manila is with the city of Santiago, and the headache is how to redeem yourself and the dignity of the Royal Spanish Navy." ”

Aware of the fortification of Santiago, Pedro barely managed to shake off the frustration of defeat, and the situation was clearly not as bad as he expected. It is impossible for the Chinese to threaten the city of Santiago, and the fleet still has the strength to fight, so next, recuperate and prepare to fight again.

The two bigwigs quarreled until almost dawn before they stopped, preparing to rest separately, and of course they did not forget to issue a warning order on both land and sea. Yawning, Pedro also glanced at the harbor from the castle, hoping that maybe a few more ships could escape, and another absurd idea came to him: Will the Chinese rush into the port with the captured ships to sneak attack? Then he shrugged his shoulders in disappointment, this kind of trick can only be seen in novels, and it is not for nothing to choke the fort in Manila Bay......

The morning sun was about to leap out of the sea, and Pedro was about to return to his room, but the corner of his eye was pulled by the shadow of a sail that suddenly appeared in the west. Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Pedro picked up the binoculars and looked at it, and yes, it was his four cruisers, although they were scarred, they were in good condition, and the flag showed "Victory and return to port." Victory? Looking at the back, actually dragging four Chinese boats, Pedro clenched his fists and said, "Good look." Although only four of them were captured, and although only four small ships were captured, it was a great encouragement to the morale of the Combined Fleet, which was at a very low level.

He was about to go to his subordinates to arrange the welcoming ceremony, but he was stopped by the strange maneuvering of the four cruisers. That stance...... The location...... Pedro's joy was shattered by the cannon door that the opponent suddenly lifted, Chinese...... Sneak attack

The four cruisers circled around the harbor, forming a horseshoe formation, their guns wide open, and aimed at the battleships around them that were half lying on their stomachs like docile lambs, while the four small ships headed straight for the "Royal September". Pedro was so shocked that his skull almost flew off, how did they get in? Hu Hanshan, who was wearing a Spanish Navy uniform, looked at Colonel Gonzalez, who was trembling and suffering from being a shameful traitor, and laughed: "It's ...... hard work for you traitors." ”

There are lighthouses and batteries at the mouth of Manila Bay, and if the flag ships do not match, even if they cannot repel the enemy, they can warn the fleet in the harbor. In addition, the hydrology in Manila Bay would not have been able to enter the port unharmed without a familiar pilot.

With the guidance of Colonel Gonzalez, the captives familiar with the waterways of Manila Bay, and the cover of the night before the wee hours of the morning, Hu Hanshan's adventure was easily completed. When entering the mouth of the bay, there were patrol boats to investigate the ship's identity, but Colonel Gonzalez showed up to report that the deck of the ship was full of "Spaniards." Faces, the Spaniards, who had been hoping for a few more ships to return home, were overjoyed, and didn't think much more about it.

The greatest danger was, of course, the willingness of Gonzalez and the other captives to cooperate. Hu Hanshan did not expect to achieve his goal with bayonets and mere intimidation, and he brazenly shot dozens of unwilling prisoners, threatening to shoot all 2,000 captives if they did not cooperate and let the operation fail.

Such a cool wrist made Yijing learn "civilized warfare." The Spaniards are out of control, and no one dares to say a word.

Colonel Gonzalez also protested that this was a gross violation of the rules of engagement of civilized shijie, and Hu Hanshan said disdainfully: "Civilized shijie? What you think of us Chinese, that's how we see you. If we want to be civilized, we must have enough heads to the ground to fill the abyss between us. ”

This sentence naturally became Hu Hanshan's "Diaboro." "Another ironclad proof of the title." Alerts. ”

On the tall stone walls of the city of Santiago, Pedro's shouts were engulfed in the sound of rumbling cannons.

"Boom, boom, all of them are sinking." Smoke billowed and fireworks flew everywhere, and Hu Hanshan shouted happily.

"It's like cutting wheat." Gomez also shouted excitedly, they Portuguese, but they were bullied badly enough by the Spaniards, look at it now, just like the old saying of the Chinese, it's not that you don't report it, the time has not come, it's just right

The battleships that escaped Huilai were unguarded at the moment, and they were even full of shelves and were in a state of repair. The crew of the ship basically went ashore, healed the wounds, lax, and left a few unlucky eggs to watch the ship.

Except for the "Royal September", the other warships, the 12-pounder guns and 16-pounder guns on the captured Spanish cruisers were enough to clean up, large parts of the ship's planks were torn, and one by one the masts collapsed, and in an instant, the sleeping lady in the port of Manila was rudely defeated.

In the smoke of gunpowder, the flames gradually rose, which was raised from the "Royal September". The four sea carp ships led by Hu Hanshan's sneak attack formation finally opened their meat, and the fierce fire oil tanks on the ships happily spat fire dragons and burned the hull of the battleship.

But they soon found out that this dry method was too inefficient, and the planks of the Spanish battleships were all thick teak, which was not so easy to burn through. And the opponent's cannon door is closed, and it is difficult to burn inside.

The four small ships each had their own countermeasures, some began to make holes with two-inch guns, and some directly poured fire oil on the hull, ignited and burned again. They all went to the bow of the ship, and the sailors who remained behind were dazzled by the flames that were everywhere, and there was no trace of the attacker.

The four incense thieves were busy for most of the day, but they still didn't know much about it, after all, this battleship was too big, and if it was ignited by a few pillars of fire, it would not be a battleship, but a firewood pile at sea.

A sea carp ship broke out and stuffed the powder keg on board into the "Royal September", which was beaten to pieces, and was blown up and burned, and finally the "Royal September" became a fireworks peacock. This caused fatal damage to the battleship, and the gunpowder that the Spaniards did not pack on the rear deck detonated, and the entire upper deck of the stern of the battleship was suddenly torn, and the backmast toppled over, smashing the brave and fearless sea carp ship, and the thrown artillery fragments also overturned another sea carp ship, and the sneak attack formation finally paid the price. It was dawn, and about an hour later, the batteries in the port area began to speak, and the Spaniards finally came to their senses. But at this moment, the harbor was full of ships, and the "Royal September" was more like a smoking torch, disturbing the view of the battery, so that the sneak attack formation did not suffer a fatal blow.

"Let's go, let's go, yijing has made enough money." Jin Huan, who is full of small peasants, urges that if they can solve the "Royal September", they have already made a lot of money from this sneak attack.

"Let's go, sink those galleons too." Hu Hanshan still commanded unwillingly, and at the same time complained that the gunners were too slow, and the gunners were also complaining that the Spaniards' guns were far less effective than their own.

Along the way, the masts of at least six galleons were knocked down, the hull of the ship was shattered, and Hu Hanshan's theft of the port ended perfectly in less than two hours. Of course, the battery area jutting out of the bay was dangerous, but the sails were full of sails and only trying to escape, which made it difficult for the ill-prepared artillery to hit, and the Spaniards were helpless in the face of the sails heading northward.

In the port of Manila, Rear Admiral Pedro shivered and raised his pistol, but was stopped by Rebando: "Kingdom of Spain, the Royal Spanish Navy needs a living scapegoat." Seeing more than a dozen warships in the harbor dumped in the water, the "Royal September" was burning brilliantly, and Pedro threw himself on the ground like a child, crying loudly.

"We are pirates...... Hey. ”

"Haunted, scares you...... Drink! ”

"When you fall asleep, you'll get a knife in the back...... Cha! ”

"We are pirates...... Hey! ”

"Haunted...... Do a vote! ”

"Do a vote...... Ha! "The tone of the Portuguese, the spoken language of the pirates of the South Seas, and the voice of the Anglo-Chinese navy, floated leisurely on the sea.