The initial assault after crossing the border proceeded very smoothly.

Although the natives on the border of Sulu responded to Suleiman VI's order to intensify patrols along the border with the Quezon Plain, this reinforcement was limited. Rumors are circulating throughout Sulu that the Songjiang people who have crossed the sea are still tossing around Cebu, the westernmost part of Luzon, and it will be at least a month or two before they arrive.

With this preconceived notion, how vigilant can the Turkish soldiers on the border patrol be?

The two cavalry brigades at the head easily broke through the weak defense line, went around in a circle to complete the outflanking, and captured all the fleeing native soldiers. Subsequently, more than 20,000 troops swarmed along the gap, marching at full speed beyond the city of Morotai at a speed of more than twenty-five miles a day.

If it is placed in Songjiang, which is very well built on the official road, even the standard speed of an ordinary march is 30 miles a day, and the rapid march is more than 40, or even faster. But in the Sulu region, where muddy roads and woods can be seen everywhere, it is already exhausting to be able to travel twenty-five miles a day.

This is the result of not carrying too many baggage and siege weapons as much as possible.

For more than two days, the army advanced more than fifty miles eastward. Ahead of them, they encountered the city of Pasay, a city in the Sulu region that could be ranked in the top five. It has a population of almost 70,000, and if you count the large estates in the vicinity, that number can be doubled. It can be said that it was the first important city of Suleiman VI to resist the attack of the Matsue army.

As early as the time when Suleiman VI openly established himself, he sent two thousand Sulu legionnaires here. At the same time, the nearby lords of the manor who supported him also cobbled together a thousand auxiliaries, and the full battle had 3,000 defenders.

If it were a normal siege, it would not be easy to take the city of Pasay. Since I didn't carry too many siege weapons, I needed to waste a lot of time by relying on ordinary ladders and ant-attached siege methods. In that case, Suleiman VI of Morotai would have time to react.

This is not what Matsue wants to see.

Of course, it is definitely not okay to leave it alone.

The main force of the Songjiang army this time was exhausted, and if they bypassed Pasay and attacked Morotai City directly, the 3,000 defenders of Pasay City might directly copy their rear route. If their commander is more daring, they can even lead their troops directly into the Quezon Plain and wreak havoc on the land where the Songjiang Army has already firmly ruled.

In that case, it will have a great impact on the prestige that the Matsue Army has accumulated since it became the master.

He Shixiang's response was still very safe and decent, he did not order the army to attack the city, nor did he ignore them, but chose to divide the troops. The defenders had 3,000 men, and he left 3,000 behind, including one wing of the elite of the Songjiang Army and two wings of the Northern Luzon garrison division, with the former commanding the latter.

With the same number of battles in the field, the soldiers of the Sulu Legion could never have won the Matsue Army. In this way, no matter whether the defenders in Pasay City could not defend or took the initiative to fight, the troops left behind by the Songjiang Army could respond to all changes with the same and watch the nail of Pasay City as a delay.

The rest of the army, relieved and bold, bypassed the city of Pasay and continued eastward.

With your own troops behind you, you don't have to worry about what the enemy in Pasay City can do.

The battle has been going on so far, and it can be regarded as very smooth for the Songjiang army. But on the same night that the Matsue army crossed the city of Pasay and continued eastward, there was a little surprise. A local manor owner organized a small group of cavalry, took advantage of the familiar terrain to bypass the blockade of the Songjiang army, and delivered the news to Morotai City as quickly as possible before the Songjiang army!

The entire city of Morotai was shaken.

The training of the Sulu Legion is only halfway through, the recruitment of more reserve soldiers has just begun, the defense and reinforcement plan of Morotai City has not yet been completed, and the second aid of the Andamanies is still floating in the South Seas, why did the Songjiang people suddenly call in advance?

Just two days ago, didn't the news from the west still say that the people of Songjiang had entered Cebu City?

The rumors that the Matsue army had been spreading had a very good effect, paralyzing the forces up and down Suleiman VI's side.

When the main force of the Songjiang army suddenly appeared, and had already touched the further east of Pasay City, everyone was at a loss: the vast majority of the original plan had been nullified overnight, and the enemy army was almost on their doorstep, what should be done at the moment?

"Conservative estimates, we only have a week at most."

Some ministers pinched their fingers and calculated, their faces were very ugly, as if they had seen the repetition of the tragedy in Manila, the royal capital.

"Quickly mobilize the troops, abandon the unimportant towns on the periphery, and pull all the troops that His Majesty can get on hand to Morotai City!"

Some people panicked, and according to instinct and experience, they chose to mobilize troops and defend the new royal city.

It's just that this mention was immediately denied: "It's useless to defend the city!" Those Songjiang people were able to communicate with ghosts and gods, and the city wall collapsed. Even the walls of Manila, the royal capital, could not be stopped, and the city of Morotai was even more impossible. Instead of defending the city of Morotai in vain, it is better to divide your troops and resist along the path of the enemy's march! ”

"Ridiculous!" The person who was defending yì was furious, pointed at the other party and scolded: "The people of Songjiang are also human beings who can kill with knives and guns, how can they have the power of ghosts and gods?" Don't fool the military! ”

"Bewitched?"

The accused minister's face changed, and he said without showing weakness: "When I was in Manila, the royal capital, I heard it with my own ears. After a huge explosion, a large section of the northern city wall collapsed. If it weren't for the power of ghosts and gods, could it still be done by humans? ”

Similar disputes, apparently more than one, were staged in the main hall of Suleiman VI. You argue with me, but no one can come up with a systematic and practical solution.

Seeing this scene, the current Suleiman VI, the former Prince Rahman, finally realized how his father felt at the royal capital at this time last year, which was a deep powerlessness. I want to cut people with irritability, but I have no choice!

He could only hold the case tightly, holding back his anger and waiting for a while, until the quarrel gradually subsided, then he snorted coldly, making the courtiers completely quiet.

It seems that counting on these people will not be a big deal, and it will only repeat the scene in Manila. Suleiman VI took a deep breath, and no matter how many of them, he gave orders one after another—in fact, he was not much more clever than the courtiers of the palace, and these orders were nothing more than a collection of common ones. This included recruiting more recruits, stepping up the construction of the equipment to defend the city, and trying to delay the advance of the Matsue army until the second wave of Andaman reinforcements arrived.

As for what will happen to the Andamanian sailors when they come, Suleiman VI can't think so much about it for a while. After all, he was able to make a comeback, although he had a reputation, but mainly relied on the help of those businessmen.

On the whole, Suleiman VI's order was quite decent. Although there is nothing outstanding about it, I can't find too many faults. In the absence of much good work at the moment, it is better to have such a clear order and implement it than to quarrel in the temple without stopping. After all, for every day they delayed, the enemy's army would be twenty or thirty miles closer to their city. Besides, they got the news in advance, didn't they?

Had it not been for the death-defying news of that small group of cavalry, it would probably have been a few more days before the Songjiang people were discovered. If they waited for the army of the Songjiang people to drive within fifty miles of Morotai City, they were shocked to realize that something was wrong, that would be the real disaster!

Now, they have at least a week left!

………

Compared to the decaying Duchy of Luzon, the New Deal formed by Suleiman VI was slightly more efficient. Coupled with the fact that the situation had indeed been pushed to a desperate point, Suleiman VI's troops were operating with rare efficiency. Soon, the strikers of the Matsue Army felt a subtle change.

The already bad road surface has become even more potholed, and even completely dug up. Or maybe a large number of trees were cut down and piled up in the middle of the road, which really slowed down their march. In addition, water sources on both sides of the road have been polluted and even poisoned. If the army wants to get water, it has to go farther.

Sentries and scouts in charge of reconnaissance also reported being harassed by small groups of enemies from time to time.

If the Songjiang army was uncertain on the first day, then with the rapid increase in the obstruction after the night, He Shixiang could be sure that the Luzon people in Morotai had received the news that they were advancing eastward ahead of schedule. Although he was a little disappointed, the Matsue army didn't pay much attention to it. It is unrealistic to expect the enemy to be so stupid as to find out about them when they are in the city. It was already a big surprise to be able to rush here almost without fighting all the way.

What's more, in the case of early precautions, these small methods of the Luzon people can only bring trouble to them at best, and delay them for an extra day or two. Under the calm handling of the Songjiang army, the troops did not lose their conditioning because of such delays and harassment, but hid that anger, and only released it when facing the enemy, so that they knew the fate of being the enemy of Songjiang!

In the end, it took nearly two days longer than expected for a number of soldiers to break through the means of the Luzon and reach ten miles from the city of Morotai. The other towns between Pasay and Morotai were either abandoned by the Luzon themselves, or too small to be mentioned, and the Matsue army did not attack.

In front of them, there was only this city, which represented the foundation of Suleiman VI.

If they take this place, the only people in the whole of Luzon who can resist them are Davao Province and half of Medan. However, the Medan Legion had already been annihilated by the time of Yanji'an, and the subsequent Ifugao Gold Mine wiped out the remaining routed troops. Suleiman V of Davao Province had no name after the jar was broken, and in fact posed no threat to Songjiang. Many of the soldiers even believed that the remnants of the principality of Davao would automatically collapse if Suleiman VI's city of Morotai was defeated.

This battle is almost equal to the last large-scale battle of the Songjiang Army to unify Luzon Island!