The emergency court meeting of the Duchy of Luzon ended in mutual accusations, quarrels, and prevarication-~,

If Garth fled back with the rout at this time, there was no doubt that he would inevitably be pushed out by the civil and military officials to take the blame for this defeat. But the problem is that Gals secretly escaped from this set of doors to the principality, and the small number of defeated soldiers who fled back had limited information, so that the higher-ups could not figure out the real situation of Gals.

In this way, they can only blame each other: some blame the soldiers for not fighting well, some blame the intelligence services for not playing any role, and even put the blame for the defeat on the leaders of the Sulu region again. After all, on the surface, if it weren't for the greedy actions of the people there who angered the Songjiang army, this war might not have happened.

However, although there are a lot of reasons to excuse themselves, the current situation is getting worse and worse, and everyone has nothing to do.

The rapid fall of Krabi only proves that the strength of the Imperial people is stronger than imagined, and the previous rout of the Northern Army and the Medan Army is not accidental. If the royal army is really defeated......

"The minister implores His Majesty to move the capital to Dongzhen!"

Some officials called out a proposal to move the capital, believing that the principality could retreat eastward to the Medan region or even Davao Province to temporarily avoid the advance of the imperialists, and at the same time ordered people to defend the city of Manila. In this way, even if the Empire attacked Manila again, I am afraid that they will lose the strength to continue the march because of heavy losses.

This absurd plan has even won the approval of many people.

Although Suleiman V was not a Ming monarch, he also knew that he could not move lightly at the moment, let alone move the capital. Otherwise, once the news spreads, the royal capital legion, which was still determined to defend itself, will lose its fighting spirit in an instant. In case the enemy receives the news and catches up along the road, the principality is only afraid that it will be defeated even more miserably and directly destroy the country!

But after rejecting the proposal to move the capital, Suleiman V himself could not come up with a better solution. There is still nothing to be done.

Not only the imperial situation, but also the royal capital of Manila, when he learned that Garth was defeated and the army of the empire was about to fight, he couldn't help but fall into chaos. Many wealthy people are looking for ways to get out of the city, to evacuate further south on the Quezon Plains, or to take refuge in the estates scattered in the woods around Manila. Some lazy local ruffians and villains in the city. I couldn't help but take the opportunity to make waves, loot supplies, and fan the flames.

This chaos reached its peak when the Songjiang army approached the city!

After only resting for a day in Krabi Tei, the Songjiang army, after leaving a force to defend the city, continued south with the army, and followed the rare smooth road to Manila, stopping outside the only decent city on the entire island of Luzon.

Compared with Dengzhou in Songjiang and Tianlong in Tiannan County, Manila, the royal capital of Northern Luzon, has a population of 350,000. But. Although the scale is large, the buildings in the city are generally relatively low, and only the imperial city is built in magnificence, full of exotic customs, and has the characteristics of the local natives. When it comes to the extravagance of the palace in the imperial city, it is even more than that!

"The royal capital of Manila!"

Following the advance of the Imperial people to return to the royal capital, Agno's mood was obviously a little complicated. But he knew that from the moment he decided to surrender and follow the Imperials. There's no turning back to go. Returning to his old place at this moment, he speculated about how the kings and ministers in the city would feel when they saw the imperial army. While diligently introducing the situation in Manila to He Shixiang.

There is no doubt that as the economic and cultural center of the Luzon people, it has gathered more wealth than can be imagined. In the mouth of Suleiman III, it was boasted of being called the Golden City!

If they can take here, the Songjiang army will instantly become a nouveau riche and make a windfall!

Accompanied by Agno, he took a turn and returned to the camp. He Shixiang's eyes flashed eagerly. Of course, it was not only because of the wealth in the city, but also because of the importance of this battle to the Songjiang army and the expectations of Governor Chen Wu. As long as you can win, your future will surely soar and rise to the top!

Mo said that a brigade commander now, even if he further becomes a division commander, he will even become the current Cheng Dù of the general in the future. It's not necessarily impossible.

………

Separated by a distance of three miles, the Matsue army was stationed outside the northern city wall of the royal capital of Manila.

Because it had already fought under the city of Krabi, and the Songjiang army subsequently issued a large amount of rewards and salaries, the morale of the North Luzon garrison division was greatly boosted. Even in the face of Manila, the royal capital, it can still basically maintain stability. But in the royal capital, which was separated by a wall, it was obvious that the attacking army was not so calm, but fell into more and more turmoil.

It was not until Suleiman V sent troops to suppress it on a large scale and killed dozens of people in a row that order in the city was barely restored.

But under the calm surface, the panic and suspicion of the soldiers and the people under the successive defeats of the war were not so easy to calm. After all, the Empire has fought all the way from the north to their royal capital!

No matter which place or dynasty the country is, it is the most dangerous time to be surrounded by soldiers in the royal city, right? Seven or eight times out of ten times they will destroy the country. No one can guarantee that the country will change hands when they wake up. Although the Duchy of Luzon was decaying, and few civilians had a favorable opinion of it, who could guarantee that the newcomers of the empire would not bully them?

If you are not of my race, your heart will be different, and this sentence is not only unique to the Eastern Continent.

Under the restless watchful watch of the defenders of Manila, the Matsue army camped outside the city for a day, and then began preparations for the siege, but this progress was slower than the Luzon had imagined. The reason is very simple, He Shixiang still has scruples in his heart, and he did not dare to make a decision recklessly, until the accurate movement of the Cebu Army came - the only remaining and most powerful foreign aid of the principality, after slowly walking to the junction of the Cebu region and the Quezon Plain, he learned that the Songjiang Army had broken through the city of Krabi in just a few days, and the idea of wavering in his heart and preserving his strength prevailed again, and he stopped in place and began to wait and see again.

This means that as long as the Songjiang army can take the royal capital at a relatively fast speed, rather than being unable to open the situation for a long time, the Cebu army will not move eastward, let alone affect the siege of the Imperial - of course, in any case, their 15,000 men standing at the junction is a hidden danger that cannot be ignored.

However, in addition to this plan, He Shixiang has another plan.

That was to deliberately pretend that the siege was not going well and lure the Cebu legions from the west to come to the rescue. The Songjiang army maintained a feint with a small number of troops, and the main force lurked in advance and raided the Cebu regiment. Wipe out the last of the principality's incorporated reinforcements, then turn around and slowly attack Manila.

There are two options, each with its own pros and cons.

How to choose is a test for He Shixiang. (To be continued.) )