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The Kingdom of Spain, located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, was one of the pioneers of the Great Voyage and was the hegemon of the world three hundred years ago. Even now, it is considered one of the great powers of Europe. The current Kingdom of Spain has a population of 15 million and an annual revenue of more than 200 million pesos, equivalent to nearly 20 million pounds. Although the degree of industrialization of the Kingdom of Spain is relatively low in Europe, it is far better than that of Xinhua!

From the perspective of comprehensive national strength, the Kingdom of Spain has thrown off several streets of Xinhua. If it weren't for the superiority in weapons, it would put Xinhuaguo in an advantageous position on the battlefield. It was almost impossible for Xinhua to seize Luzon from Spain.

Although the Kingdom of Spain has declined, it is still one of the great powers. The once vast colonies were almost gone, leaving only Luzon and Cuba. Luzon was undoubtedly the most important colony of the Kingdom of Spain, and the loss of Luzon would deal a heavy blow to Spain. Therefore, when Queen Isabella II of Spain received the news of the loss of Luzon, she was furious. Immediately order the Spanish government and military to come up with a way to deal with it. She had only one demand, and that was that Luzon must be taken back.

After urgent consultations between the Spanish government and the military, the decision was made in less than half a month. The Kingdom of Spain would retake the Luzon Islands by force, thereby proving to the world that Spain still had enough strength to defend its interests.

After a month of preparation. The Kingdom of Spain's expeditionary force sailed south from Cadiz in southern Spain along the west coast of Africa, passing the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean. It then crosses the entire Indian Ocean and enters the South China Sea from the Strait of Malacca. The entire voyage took more than 23,000 kilometers, almost half of the world, plus rest and supplies on the way, which took almost half a year.

The huge Spanish Expeditionary Force, consisting of the main force of the Spanish Navy. Together with the three infantry divisions of the army, there are more than 40,000 and nearly 50,000 people in total! On the naval side, a total of 65 warships were dispatched. The flagship was the battleship Isabella, a first-class battleship with a displacement of up to 3,000 tons and 110 guns. In addition, the fleet includes five ships with a displacement of more than 2,300 tons. Battleship of the second rank with 98 guns. 12 ships with a displacement of more than 1,700 tons. A 3rd class battleship with 74 guns. According to the Spanish Viceroy in Luzon, Anthony Murphy. Pedro and others reported that Xinhua's navy was fast and its artillery was long-range. In order to make up for this gap, the Spanish Navy also deliberately sent a large number of small warships. Including 12 Tier 4 ships, 15 Tier 5 ships, and 20 Tier 6 ships! This scale and combat power already accounts for about half of the total strength of the Spanish Navy. After two battles at Cape Saint Vincent and Trafalgar, the Spanish navy suffered a very large loss of strength. Able to send so many warships to form an expeditionary force. This is already done with all its might.

The army consisted of three infantry divisions, totaling more than 36,000 men. These three infantry divisions. All came from the elite units of the Spanish Army. It can be seen that the Spanish military has completely invested in order to recover Luzon!

This time, the commander of the Spanish Expeditionary Force was Admiral Fernands, and the commander of the army was Lieutenant General Callisto. In addition, add the former Spanish governor in Luzon, Anthony Murphy. Pedro, who constituted the decision-making group of the expeditionary force. Of course, the real decision-maker is Admiral Fernands, Anthony. Governor Pedro, the guilty man, was just giving them advice.

Anthony. Governor Pedro, who was also unlucky, finally returned to Spain, but he didn't stay long before he was driven back to the South Seas. Back and forth, tens of thousands of kilometers of voyage, more than a week around the earth! The long time he had been adrift at sea had made him very tired, and his mental state was very bad, as if he was ten years older than when he was the governor!

After the Spanish expeditionary force entered Malacca, it was immediately discovered by the intelligence officers stationed near the Strait of Malacca by Xinhua. These intelligence officers began to use 'carrier pigeons' to transmit news to Manila, and even though the speed of the 'carrier pigeons' was very fast, it was already three days after Long Yufei and a high-level cadre of Xinhua learned of the news.

On the evening of May 24, Long Yufei held an emergency imperial meeting to discuss countermeasures. The arrival of the Spanish Expeditionary Force was undoubtedly a huge test for Xinhua. Whether Xinhua will rise to the top or disappear like a flash in the pan depends on whether it can defeat the Spanish expeditionary force this time.

"Everyone! The Spaniards are coming! Three days ago, their huge fleet had already entered the Strait of Malacca! War, we are not far away! Although the Spanish Expeditionary Force is extremely powerful, we have also changed dramatically from a year ago! The Navy has formed three powerful fleets, and the Army has expanded to 12 infantry brigades, one heavy artillery brigade, and two coastal artillery brigades. I believe that everyone has been longing for this battle for a long time! I also believe that the final victory must be ours! After winning this battle, no one can stop the rise of the country! We will be the de facto rulers of the South Seas! Long Yufei said solemnly to the important ministers of the kingdom. He has been looking forward to this battle for a long time. Whether Xinhua can have a solid foundation depends on this battle!

"Your Majesty, rest assured, the ministers will do their best to win this battle!" Niu Meng, chief of the general staff, led a group of army and navy generals and expressed his attitude to Long Yufei. As soldiers of the kingdom, they have also been actively preparing for war for this period of time. The army and navy of Xinhua were also ready for battle, waiting for the Spaniards to send them to the door. Although the Spanish expeditionary force was powerful, this not only did not make them frightened, but made them very excited. Only in this way can defeating powerful enemies allow them to achieve higher combat achievements!

"Chief of the General Staff, tell you about the information we have obtained!" Long Yufei said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Niu Meng nodded, and then said to everyone: "According to the preliminary information we have obtained, the Spanish Expeditionary Force Navy has sent a total of more than sixty search warships this time, including one first-class battleship, five second-class battleships and 12 third-class battleships, and more than forty fourth-, fifth- and sixth-level battleships!" On the army side, there are more than 200 merchant ships transporting it, and it is estimated that the strength of the army is between 30,000 and 40,000! ”

Although everyone knows that a powerful country like the Kingdom of Spain must be very shocking if it launches a counterattack. But when they hear the specific numbers, they are still a little smacked. It is worthy of being one of the great powers of Europe, and the strength of the expeditionary force sent is enough to destroy a country. Of course, the current Xinhua Kingdom is not among them. Whether it is the army or navy, Xinhua is enough to compete with the Spanish Expeditionary Force!

"Your Majesty! The Spanish Navy has more than 60 formidable warships, and the combined fleet of our navy has only 36 warships, can it defeat them? Premier Li Decheng asked with some concern. As for the army, he is not worried at all, the Xinhua Army has a total of 12 infantry brigades, although the last two brigades have just been formed and are undergoing recruit training. But with superiority in weapons, ten infantry brigades were enough to defeat the Spanish expeditionary force.

"Prime Minister, rest assured, the Navy has absolute confidence to win this battle! Although the Spanish Expeditionary Force had more warships than us, almost twice as many as ours! However, their ships were slower and their guns had a close range. We can gradually reverse the gap and win the victory! Once we have dealt with the Spanish navy, the army that is on the merchant ships will not be any threat at all! We can easily send them all to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish! Wei Yong, commander of the First Fleet, said with a smile. After defeating the Dutch Navy's East India Fleet, the Xinhua Navy became more confident!

"If the Spaniards could be defeated by the navy alone, it would be the best! Of course, the army must also be combat-ready! Once the Spanish Army lands in Luzon, the Army will make sure it can destroy them! Long Yufei said.

"Yes, Your Majesty! The Army's 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th Brigades would be deployed around Manila and along the western coast of Luzon to prevent the Spanish from landing. With the strength of 8 brigades, even if the Spaniards landed in Luzon, it would only be annihilated! Chief of the General Staff Niu Meng assured.

"In any case, those Spaniards can't be allowed to reach Manila! Our industrial construction in Manila, which has just begun, cannot be undermined! Otherwise, it will have a great impact on our industrial development! Minister of Industry Wu Wending said. He was a native of the Wu family in Manila and specialized in industrial affairs. After the center of rule of the new Chinese Kingdom was moved to Manila, the Government Council was also reorganized, Liu Mingde only served as the Minister of Finance, and the industrial affairs were handed over to Wu Wending. Fortunately, Wu Wending's performance satisfied Long Yufei. The construction of industrial zones in Manila is also progressing very well.

"Minister Wu, don't worry! If a Spanish soldier enters Manila, I'll lose to you! Niu Meng said unashamedly.

Long Yufei nodded, he knew that Niu Meng was very confident in the Xinhua Army, which was a good thing, proving that the morale of the army was very good, and he was not frightened by the powerful Spanish Expeditionary Force! (To be continued......)