Chapter 451: An Inescapable Fate
When the Taiwan Island fired that round of iron watermelons at the Manila, the situation on the battlefield was decided.
After a salvo, Guo Xu ordered the Taiwan Island to fire another round of double ammunition at it, filling the barrel with a solid bullet and a pack of shotguns, after which the Taiwan Island turned and quickly disengaged and opened the distance.
There was no doubt that this decision was correct, and the Spaniards on the Manila, or all the navies of the world, did not know that there were such strange weapons as molten iron shells. When a fire broke out in the cabin, the Spaniards followed their custom to extinguish the fire, but the results were very poor.
They flapped the flames with wet canvases and mops, or covered the flames with wet sand, but no matter what they did, the fire that had just been extinguished would be rekindled in a moment.
The flames on the hull could not be extinguished, and soon the flames spread to the static support between the mast and the hull, and the wheel soared and ignited the canvas.
Due to the structural problems of the Jeju Island, there was no Martin furnace, so it was unable to fire special ammunition, and its battle with the Cebu was like a gentleman's, with the two sides firing round after round.
It wasn't until 12:31 a.m. that a violent explosion rang out from the Manila, and then a ball of flames rose into the sky, enveloping the Manila in its entirety, and when the smoke cleared, only the mast and part of the stern could be seen slowly sinking to the bottom of the sea.
When the Manila was completely finished, Guo Xu immediately ordered to turn, taking advantage of the gap formed to cut off the battle line of the Spanish fleet, and when it appeared on the west side of the battle line, the Cebu also chose to turn and disengage, and in the following battle, it observed the rest of the battle in the distance, but did not come up again, and disappeared into the vast ocean that night.
In fact, the Cebu was also badly wounded in the gunfight with the Jeju Island, its weak hull could often be pierced by 90-pound shells and 32-pound shells, and the interior of the ship was shattered, and the casualties were so great that it was powerless to threaten the Combined Fleet.
After cleaning up the Manila, the Taiwan Island and Jeju Island were immediately separated and surrounded, and the situation on the battlefield immediately changed to a five-layer sandwich biscuit.
The Friesland was sandwiched between two Spanish galleons, which in turn were sandwiched between the navies of the Oriental Trading Company.
However, Guo Xu came a little later, and by the time he caught the Spanish galleon, a broadside battle had already broken out on the Friesland, and a very large number of Spaniard-wielding short spears, scimitars and sailors' axes on the two galleons pounced on the Friesland and fought with the Dutch.
Guo Xu refused his subordinates' request to come close to help, but kept ordering the artillery to drop shotguns at the three battleships, sweeping down the people on the open deck with countless shotguns, the Spaniards, the Dutch and their vassals, under the stormy shelling, there was no resistance.
Not only the people on board, but also the sails were also shattered, and the 32-pounder cannon continuously fired chain bullets, pole bullets and other ammunition specially used to fight the sail rope, so that the sail rope structure of the Spanish galleon was destroyed, so that it had no possibility of escape.
The open deck and the upper part of the stern of the Friesland had been lost, and Cornelis led the Dutch to hold on to the lower gun deck, and he himself suffered considerable wounds.
Sebastian, the commander of the Spanish fleet, had two of his fingers severed and his shoulder was injured by the burst of sawdust, but he still maintained his fighting spirit, but the harsh environment and excessive blood loss made him unable to hold out for long.
"Spaniard, this is Guo Xu, commander of the First Fleet of the Oriental Trading Company, the battle is over. Your sails are broken and there is no escape. The USS Manila has exploded and sunk, and I now order you to surrender.
We will strictly abide by the laws of survival given by God to mankind and protect your lives, provided that you surrender immediately. "On behalf of Guo Xu, the interpreter issued a surrender order.
But it was greeted by a round of musket fire, and then the voice of a Spaniard rang out.
"Sebastian said that the Spaniards are God-blessed people and will never surrender to us, they will fight to the end. He could free the Chinese on board and offer some ransom. But to escort the Friesland to Japan.
So that no one will die, but if we come aboard the ship, they will set fire to the powder magazine and die with those who board the ship. The interpreter said.
Guo Xu looked around and said to everyone: "Don't worry, we won't engage in a battle with them, this is the order given by the big shopkeeper himself before the battle." I am not afraid of death, but I will not disobey the orders of the great treasurer. ”
"You tell them, give them an hour to think about it, or we'll sink them. During the period of consideration, it is not allowed to repair the sails and open air facilities. Guo Xu said to the interpreter.
Zhang Ping asked: "Sir, if they don't surrender, will they really be sunk?" ”
Guo Xu shook his head: "Of course not, you immediately order the schooner to come over and inform Tamsui of the situation here." We have to wait for the order of the great treasurer. I just said give them an hour to think about it, and sink it if they don't surrender, and I didn't say sink it in an hour.
These are two treasure ships, and the chief treasurer said that the trading company will only take 40 percent of the goods on board, and the remaining 60 percent, half of which will be rewarded to the officers and men of the navy, and half will be ordered for the navy.
If it sinks, there's nothing. ”
At this time, the interpreter also conveyed Guo Xu's order, and then a battle cry broke out on the opposite side: "Santiago, Santiago........" ”
This is the slogan that the Spaniards often shouted before the bloody battle, Guo Xu listened attentively and said: "Listen, the Spaniards are shouting, it's a little strange. ”
"It can be seen as shouting long live before charging." An officer said.
Guo Xu nodded: "Yes, it's weird, isn't it?" There were six hundred people on a galleon, maybe even more, but why was it so quiet. ”
"Maybe they're all hiding in the cabin, and the sound can't be heard." Zhang Ping said.
The slightly older navigator shook his head: "No, no, two years ago in Liaodong Bay, I participated in the retreat of the Ming army.
There was a Ming army that was rescued by us at risk, and they all thanked the great treasurer in unison for his kindness, more than 200 people, and the shouts were louder than this. ”
"Maybe there is some conspiracy, everyone be vigilant." Guo Xu reminded.
After nightfall, Zhang Ping quietly lowered the boat, sent sailors rowed close to the three ships, and blew up their rudder structures with gunpowder, although the casualties were not small, but they succeeded.
In the second half of the night, a burst of gunfire and noise sounded on the Virgin Mary, and there seemed to be an infighting, and the bright light produced by the knives and muskets reflecting the moonlight could be seen on the Taiwan Island that was monitored from the periphery.
After daybreak, the Virgin Mary was the first to hoist the white flag and announce its surrender.
Guo Xu remained vigilant, fearing that this was a conspiracy, so he sent a Yahat ship close to the surrender, and sent a team of marines to the ship.
The Marines got on board, first took over the powder magazine, then sealed the doors of all the guns with nails, and as a richly dressed and dignified man stepped onto the flagship Taiwan Island, Guo Xu learned what had happened to the Virgin Mary the previous night.
The man, Suarez, is a doctor of law and a deputy prefect of the Manila Prosecutor's Court.
He told Guo Xu that Sebastian's attitude of resisting to the end and not hesitating to die with the ship was not accepted by everyone, which is why not so many people chanted Santiago.
There were a large number of nobles and wealthy merchants who had fled from Manila to the Americas, and they did not want to die, as did the craftsmen who were transported on board and sent to Japan.
The only ones who fought to the end were Sebastian and his fanatical young officers and soldiers. And the priest on board did not express his attitude.
In the end, Suarez intervened and persuaded the priest, who came forward and persuaded the sailors, who had been armed during the gang jumping, with the support of the dignitaries and priests on board, first took control of the powder magazine, eliminating the possibility of doom, and then fought with the army led by Sebastian, but still could not conquer the part of the stern that he occupied, and Sebastian also kidnapped many wealthy merchants.
"Priest, I appreciate your contribution to peace and life, and I hope that you will convey my will to Sebastian on my behalf." Guo Xu pleaded with the priest.
Guo Xu made new conditions for the Spaniards.
The Spaniards can not surrender, everyone can keep the two weapons of sabers and pistols, Guo Xu is willing to use the boat to send all those who want to leave to the chicken coop, send one batch first, and then send another batch after making sure it is safe. But you are only allowed to take away your belongings, and you must leave all your wealth behind.
On the condition that the Spaniards hand over both ships to the people of the Oriental Trading Company, and that all the wealth on board also belong to the Oriental Trading Company.
Eventually, Sebastian agreed, and he prioritized the women, children, and wounded on board, then the sailors and soldiers, and he chose to take the last boat, but chose to commit suicide before reaching the chicken coop.
The battle ended after the last Spaniard had left, and going to the chicken coop did not mean that they were safe or that they had brought any benefit to the chicken coop.
In fact, the chicken coop defenders could have held out for months with their fortified castles and many artillery pieces, but suddenly there were more than 1,000 more people, so they ran out of food within a month and were forced to surrender, and all the Spaniards finally did not escape the fate of surrender.
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