Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

The land part of Manila Bay, also known as the Cavite Peninsula after the secular name, was a military location used by the Spanish colonists to rule Luzon during the Great Navigation in Jiang Xinghuo’s previous life. At this time, it was now the Ten At the beginning of the fifth century, there were already quite ancient buildings and fortresses, and the Han immigrants in Manila also used them.

At this time, the location of Manila Port was not the same as that of later generations. It was located under the cover of the Cavite Peninsula. Since the two forts were distributed in an F shape along the Cavite Peninsula, as the advance fleet conquered the southern end of the Cavite Peninsula After the separated ships traveled a certain distance, the attack on the northern end also began.

The water depth of Sangley Point at the northern end of the Cavite Peninsula is seven meters deep. It strangles the entrance of Manila Bay and is extremely important. In Jiang Xinghuo's previous life, the Sangley Naval Base of the Philippines was located here.

This time, I was not as lucky as before, and there was no extremely small chance of a shot entering the soul. However, the powerful firepower of the fleet still suppressed the fortress on Cape Sangre in an instant.

With a muffled sound, the northern wall of the fortress was hit by a solid projectile. A huge hole was blown out of the one-foot-thick rock bricks. Large pieces of rock bricks fell from the wall and rolled to the sea. Stirring up waves.

This was good, but what made it even more difficult for the fortress defenders was that as the ballistic trajectory of the naval guns was adjusted, some shells directly crossed the city wall and hit the inside of the fortress.

"boom!"

The main gun on the bow of the "Raging Wave" type ship fired another earth-shattering blast. As the iron ball fell to the ground, the splashing masonry debris pushed the surrounding crowd, leaving countless wounds on the body, and some were unable to dodge. The person was directly hit by the iron ball that was ejected again at high speed. After crossing an arc in mid-air, he fell heavily to the ground.

And this was just the end of the first round of bombardment. With the second round of naval gunfire, the entire fortress wall was filled with a scorching smell. Large areas of soil that had lost their tiles and were suppressed by the sea breeze gave off a pungent smell. The burnt smell.

Amidst the intensive shelling, the soldiers in the Sangre Point Fortress also felt huge pressure. The constant tremors made the entire fortress seem to be shaking gently.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

The bombardment of the "Raging Wave" type ship's bow main gun continued. Under the deterrence of this huge gun, the soldiers in the fortress had almost completely lost their belief in resisting. They just squatted in the corner, buried their heads in their knees, and raised their hands. Holding their heads with their arms, they prayed that the threat of shelling would be reduced. However, their prayers did not seem to really change the outcome, because soon, several more solid shells landed on the north and south walls of the fortress.

Under the continuous bombardment, most of the originally tough and thick city wall was blown down, revealing corpses buried under rubble, as well as countless wounded soldiers with mutilated flesh and blood and wailing.

One soldier took the opportunity and struggled to climb up the city wall in an attempt to escape, but was soon trampled to death by the people behind him. His body slid down the city wall and turned into a pool of filth in the sea below; another soldier was lucky enough to pick up a For his life, he stood up in shock, turned his head and looked into the distance, trying to find a new exit, but he only saw the flag of the Ming Army flying on the southern fortress.

The southern fortress changed hands less than three sticks of incense after the cannons took the initiative to fire on the Ming fleet.

At the northern fortress of Cape Sangre, the Ming army's landing troops had also quickly reached the shore and then waded into the water to land.

"No! They're coming! Quick, fight back!"

When the captain of the fortress guard saw this, he couldn't help being frightened. He shouted at the top of his voice, trying to summon the soldiers in the fortress to fight the enemy to the death.

However, few people obeyed his orders. Now the soldiers in the fortress are like lambs waiting to be slaughtered. They don't want to risk being injured by stray bullets and do things that have no effect.

Only a handful of his cronies chose to follow him in the challenge.

"They are coming, everyone, hold on. Once we let them come, we will be dead, hold on!"

As he spoke, the guard captain had already drawn his sword and led his few three or five followers to rush to a passage in front, preparing to fight.

However, what awaits these soldiers is not a hand-to-hand fight, but a fatal blow from a firearm!

A bullet accurately hit the captain in the middle of their team, piercing him. Then the gunman next to him also knocked down the two soldiers holding knives to the ground.

"ah!"

The two soldiers howled in pain, and blood and tears flowed from their chests, soaking their clothes.

The remaining soldiers continued to charge forward, but the Ming army adopted a flexible tactic of alternating fire between two rows. The gunmen in the front row retreated, and the gunmen in the back row opened fire. Almost at the same time, several more rounds of bullets were fired. He hit others one by one, knocking all the soldiers who were still trying to organize resistance to the ground.

The guard captain lying on the ground widened his eyes and was stunned as he watched several of his brothers die tragically in front of him.

"This fire."

He looked up, wanting to ask something.

"boom!"

There was another sharp blast, and the guard captain completely closed his eyes and could no longer stand up.

Then, a group of elite soldiers wearing cowhide breastplates, carrying matchlocks on their backs, and some with shields in their hands emerged from the shadows. They quickly occupied the entrance and exit of the fortress.

Then the gunshots continued to roar, the tongues of fire flickered, and bullets struck all the living creatures in the fortress. For a time, the soldiers in the fortress suffered heavy casualties.

"Ahhhhh"

The shrill screams came one after another, intensifying the fear of the only remaining defenders on the city wall.

"What to do! What to do! They have invaded!"

"Surrender! Don't kill me, I surrender!"

In an instant, the already low morale of the defenders collapsed. They dropped their weapons one after another. Some timid soldiers even knelt on the ground and begged for mercy. The entire fortress fell into terrifying chaos.

In the end, most of the surviving soldiers in the fortress gave up their struggle and chose to surrender. After all, no one was willing to die for this, especially in such a desperate situation.

Looking at the surrendering defenders with binoculars, the general in charge in the cabin couldn't help but sneered and said: "These cowards dare to fight with us, they are really looking for death!"

In less than half an hour, all the fortresses at both ends of the promontory of the peninsula had been captured by the Ming army. This amazing offensive efficiency shocked the decision-making chiefs on the shore.

The promontory of the peninsula that protects the port has changed hands. Can they really get anything out of holding on?

But even so, at this time, the negotiation situation, instead of deflecting in favor of surrender, actually became more and more intense.

The reason is also very simple. The level of detail between the information obtained by the people on the shore and the information obtained by the decision-makers is completely different.

"No matter who he is, he can't stop our wealth and prosperity in Manila!"

"Yes! We don't care about your rewards! We just want to live in peace!"

"You damn bitch officers, get back quickly! Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude!"

At this moment, countless noisy curses resounded on the dock.

These Han people in Manila may have lost contact with the Ming Dynasty for too long, and they themselves are people who have left their hometowns, so they simply do not believe that the Ming Dynasty will help them.

The armed conflict that just occurred further proves this point.

In this case, Ming's envoy was obviously unwelcome.

Some clan leaders thought the same thing. After hearing the people's cries, he immediately said: "You heard it too! They don't really want to get along with us at all, they just want to use swords to conquer us, so this time Come here, you are not negotiating with us at all! You are trying to destroy our Manila!"

"We have traveled thousands of miles away from our hometown to come here, and now you are coming to slaughter us? This is simply a thing that only animals can do!"

"Please don't twist the facts."

Hearing this, the young eunuch raised his eyebrows and said coldly: "Your fortress fired first. Eunuch Sanbao has an order not to fire first during the negotiation. Our army is just counterattacking."

Everyone present fell into deep silence.

The strength of the Ming army has made them lose confidence in negotiations. The hysteria of some people now is just the release of this fear.

The common people can vent their emotions, but they, the prominent local figures in Manila, cannot do so.

Because although it feels good to vent their emotions for a while, if they fail completely next, the lives of their entire family will be at risk.

At this time, we might as well use the power of the military to open the skylight and speak frankly.

After all, villains fear power rather than morality.

Now that you have shown your muscles and let the other party know the strength comparison, the next thing will be easier to talk about.

Otherwise, if the other party does not understand the situation and will still have a businessman's mentality of demanding high prices and paying back the money during the negotiation.

The Ming army general next to him sneered: "You think my Ming fleet has traveled here for a long time just to covet your little Manila? You are wrong. We are here today. In addition to making Manila a trade node of the Ming Dynasty, we also There’s another purpose.”

"What purpose?"

No one answered him, but soon everyone understood Ming's further strategic goals.

That is the entire country of Luzon.

Obviously, the Luzon Kingdom became the next Annan Kingdom.

But unlike the Annan Kingdom, the conquest of Annan still required the deployment of 200,000 Ming troops. However, for the Luzon Kingdom, which had a far smaller population than the Annan Kingdom and was extremely fragmented, the Ming Dynasty only needed one stronghold, an ocean-going fleet, and Continuous colonization is enough.

Xu Chailao sighed and said: "I understand, you need to recruit us Han people in Manila City and make them the subjects of the Ming Dynasty. With Manila as a natural port, with the Ming Dynasty's current fleet strength, we can naturally This is the starting point and continue to penetrate around Luzon. Only in this way can you truly occupy Luzon."

"We will not give in." Someone next to him said.

"You won't give in, so what?"

The young prisoner sneered mercilessly: "Manila seems stable, but sooner or later it will fall into the hands of pirates or local natives. Rather than being ruled by foreigners, it is better to submit to the Ming Dynasty. The Ming Dynasty can not only protect you from war, but also protect you from war. Isn't it better for you to enjoy huge trade gains than your hard work? Paying taxes to foreigners is a tax, paying taxes to the Ming Dynasty is not a tax? You have gained everything in the past, and the Ming Dynasty can forget about it. "

"this"

Some people opened their mouths but were unable to refute.

Indeed, the treatment provided by the Ming Dynasty is indeed very good. If they can really join the Ming Dynasty's trade system, they will enjoy trade preferential treatment in Annan, Champa, Japan, and Korea. Their annual income can completely support their families. foundation, and no longer have to worry.

Moreover, in fact, the patriarchs of these large local Han families in Manila knew very well that the other party was telling the truth.

Now Manila can make maritime trade so prosperous because the King of Luzon needs their external power to contain the restless local chiefs. However, the ebb and flow of power is doomed. Now they have a total of more than 100,000 people. , are still under control, but with the increase in immigration and the reproduction of the population, this fragile and delicate balance is destined to be broken. By then, I am afraid that their annihilation will come.

However, if you want to return to the embrace of Ming Dynasty, you have some concerns.

After all, they are traitors to a certain extent.

No matter which dynasty or generation you belong to, disloyal ministers will not be tolerated. Even if it sounds nice on the surface, it is not surprising that the final score will be settled in the end.

And Ming Dynasty is certainly no exception in their hearts.

These Han Chinese in Manila do not have much ambition. They only hope to continue the inheritance on the small island of Manila, and then slowly integrate into the power system of Luzon.

But now, Ming Dynasty has set its sights on the tiny land of Manila, so their situation will inevitably undergo earth-shaking changes, which they cannot help at all.

Thinking of this, Xu Chailao suddenly asked: "His Majesty the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, are you really willing to let us become the people of the Ming Dynasty again? We can also send our descendants to settle in our homeland."

Xu Chailao's move was a test, and he also hoped that Ming Dynasty could give them a chance.

At this time, the young prisoner naturally understood what he meant, coughed slightly, and said: "Don't worry, Your Majesty is kind. Since you have made a promise, you will definitely implement it. As for your heirs, if they are still young, , but I have a chance to return to my hometown.”

After talking about this topic, the negotiation fell into silence again.

Silence seems to have become today's theme.

In fact, the chiefs of the Han clan in Manila are slowly coming back to their senses at this time.

Since the Ming army had just demonstrated its terrifying combat power and smashed their ridiculous little ideas, why didn't they land in one go and instead the advance fleet stagnated?

To put it bluntly, the Ming army believed that people like them still had great use value.

Whether it is for the purpose of conquering Luzon after being incorporated, or because they need their business system, they do not want to completely destroy them.

Because although the Ming Dynasty was strong, it had only just emerged in maritime trade, and they were not the only enemies of the Ming Dynasty in Nanyang.

Pirates can be found in almost every corner of Southeast Asia, and even Malacca is no exception. For example, Chen Zuyi's pirate group has thousands of large and small warships. In this era of wolves, it is really difficult to identify them. The land division has always been the leader. Whether the Ming Dynasty can completely eliminate these hidden dangers of maritime trade and truly establish a new trade order in Southeast Asia.

What's more, even if Daming really did this, it would still be like a "tightening curse" for them. They, the clan leaders, would not be able to enjoy the lofty status and overwhelming rights like before. Even the wealth and weapons in their hands may not be able to be maintained.

Seeing that they were undecided, the accompanying general said bluntly: "Now I give you half an hour to think about it. If you don't agree, then there is no need to talk. We will come directly to kill you."

"Don't forget, the Luzon Kingdom is not close to the Ming Dynasty, nor is it far from the Annan Kingdom. Not to mention us warships and soldiers, the Ming Dynasty now has 200,000 troops ready to go on expeditions in the Annan Kingdom alone. , if you want to attack Luzon, you can easily win it without any effort at all."

The young supervisor also saw their hesitation, and immediately snorted coldly and said: "It's up to you to decide how to make the decision, but our patience is limited. I hope to see your sincerity after half an hour."

"If you reject His Majesty the Ming Emperor's conditions, then, haha."

The young eunuch sneered, and then he left with a group of people and returned to the Ming army's horse boat on the dock. No one dared to stop them.

No one is stupid. If they kill the envoy and his party at this time, the Ming army will definitely be furious. They will not be able to withstand this overwhelming offensive.

Everyone's expressions turned gloomy.

Although we don’t know what means the Ming army will use to attack, there is no doubt that this will definitely not be good news.

Because from the mouths of the surviving fleeing soldiers, they had learned that the Ming army’s firearms were unusually powerful and could place more than a dozen artillery pieces on warships, and there were also powerful heavy artillery pieces. These artillery pieces followed them from the Yuan Dynasty. The weapons obtained there are not products of the same era at all.

In addition, the Ming army's fire cannons were also extremely sharp.

Not only does it reload quickly and has a long range, but its power after launch is enough to tear through the defense of leather armor.

This means that they have no effective means of defense at all. After all, iron armor is also a scarce product in Luzon, and they don't have many in their hands.

And these local Han forces in Manila are also in a gloomy mood.

"The 200,000 troops mentioned by the envoy are estimated to be this number, but wanting to come across the sea is completely bluffing. The Ming Dynasty could not have built so many ocean-going ships in just a few years. Luzon The country does not have enough food to supply an army of this size, and it is even more unrealistic to transport food across the sea to support an army of 200,000."

"Even if it doesn't come to 200,000 yuan, if it comes to 20,000 yuan, will we be able to resist it?"

An old man with gray hair stood on the dock with a cane and said slowly: "Are we just at their mercy?"

"if not?"

Another burly man sighed and said: "Can we resist the Ming army? Not to mention the firearms in their hands, let alone the so-called 200,000 troops. We can’t stop the troops landing at the forts on both sides!”

The other person also sighed and said: "Well, I have long advised you not to covet those three melons and two dates, and just surrender as soon as possible. Now that it is better, we may not all have to die here."

"What nonsense are you talking about!?" The old man glared at him.

At this time, another Han clan leader next to Xu Chai suddenly frowned and asked: "President Xu, I think this seems a little inappropriate."

Before he finished speaking, Xu Chai Lao turned to look at him and said, "Oh? What's wrong?"

The man thought about his words and said: "Logically speaking, our Manila should belong to the Kingdom of Luzon. Now that the Emperor of Ming Dynasty has sent people to appease us, he should talk to the King of Luzon Kingdom first. How can we use this method?" To force us to surrender with an arrogant attitude? This does not seem to be in line with the consistent royal principles."

"What's more, we don't have any chips to exchange now."

Xu Chailao was also in the final stage of weighing the pros and cons.

"It doesn't matter to the king. Under the military power, we just passively dedicated the city, and they have no right to accuse us of betrayal."

"We have received favor from the king, and we must always be loyal to the king."

"Loyal?" The burly man smiled sarcastically and said, "Then, tell me, do you think the Luzon Congress will send someone to help us?"

The old man was stunned and immediately became speechless.

After hearing these words, someone still said worriedly: "But if we offer the city and the Ming army reneges on our promise later, or there are some changes in the government and ignores us, will the King of Luzon forgive us?"

The burly man sneered and asked: "Don't you even understand the principle that a common man is innocent and carries a jade?"

The burly man continued: "If my guess is correct, the Ming Emperor should be planning to use the Luzon Kingdom to make a fuss. The Ming army came this time not just to conquer us, but to use us to plan the Luzon Kingdom. Then let Luzon and Annan, together with the Ming Dynasty, form a stable triangle to protect the Nanyang maritime territory."

"If we really get the support of the Ming Dynasty, what does the native king mean? It is better to break into the royal city and overthrow his bird position."

This sentence actually spoke to everyone's hearts.

When it comes to strength, the chiefs near Manila are actually not that strong. The only real power, or the one with a crushing advantage compared to them, is probably the King of Luzon, and the other princely forces are all Not enough to be afraid of.

But no matter how powerful the King of Luzon was, he could not compare with the Ming Dynasty.

If the Ming Dynasty was willing, it could destroy the Luzon Kingdom in minutes.

After all, with the strength of the Ming Dynasty, it can be said that as long as we take it seriously, in this circle with a radius of thousands of miles, except for Japan, which is a bit difficult to fight, other countries are really not of concern, and they can do whatever they want. It's a no-brainer.

The other person sneered: "That's right. I think this may be the only chance to save all of our lives."

After hearing this, the old man's face changed for a while, and finally he gritted his teeth and said, "In that case, then let's do as you say."

Xu Chailao also made up his mind.

"Send someone to inform the Ming army that we will not resist, but we have to discuss the specific conditions again, and ask them not to continue advancing."