The Spanish merchant ship aboard Governor Rubio and Bishop Bria arrived at Manila Port.
They wiped the sweat from their heads and relaxed completely when they saw the Spanish battleship in the port.
They had fled to Spain's sphere of influence and no longer had to worry about being caught by Dahua warships and taken back to be executed.
Rubio feels that he has been wandering between life and death during this period, which has been a great exercise for himself.
He had been a little indecisive before, but after this trip, he thought he had gotten rid of this problem.
Governor Rubio said in a relaxed tone: "I have always been worried about the Royal Navy's steam boats that do not require wind power.
If this kind of speedboat is really sent to chase us, it will be difficult for us to escape, and it will be almost impossible to return to Manila port safely.
Fortunately, the worst didn't happen."
Bishop Bria is more familiar with the strength of the Royal Navy of China and knows that Governor Rubio is right.
He said confidently: "The strategy we implemented was very successful. It should be that the fake ambassador delayed it long enough.
When Dahua Dynasty learned that we were missing, they could no longer find any trace of us.
He escaped from the cage of the Great China Dynasty, and his contribution to the fake ambassador was indispensable.
When we come to Manila, we can show off our talents and no longer fear the threat of Dahua."
Governor Rubio went to the Governor's Palace with his cronies.
The Governor's Palace has already received orders from the Kingdom of Spain.
The original governor, after receiving the order.
He forwarded the letter to Rubio and at the same time resigned as governor.
He has returned to Spain with the treasure he collected over the years.
Seeing this situation, Governor Rubio said angrily: "The former Governor was too afraid of death. He must have sensed that a war was coming.
I don’t want to wait for a moment and leave with the money I collected.”
Bishop Bria congratulated: "My lord, the former governor may as well leave.
This way we can easily take over the powers of the Governor's Mansion without having to worry about anyone blocking us."
Governor Rubio successfully moved into the Governor's Mansion, and he assigned his confidants to important positions.
He wants to take complete control of the Governor's Mansion as quickly as possible.
Governor Rubio in response to the coming war.
In the name of the governor, he convened all generals for discussion, especially the admirals of the navy.
After Governor Rubio used many means such as spreading money and drawing cakes to conquer the Spanish army generals.
He was supported by the Spanish army and had become the most powerful man in Manila.
He chose to act ruthlessly immediately and use thunderous means to eliminate the treacherous people in the Governor's Mansion.
After using cruel methods to kill chickens and scare monkeys, he used profits to appease other officials in the colony.
In this way, Governor Rubio took Manila into his own hands as quickly as possible.
Colonial officials came to the colonies with only one purpose, and that was to make money.
Rubio gave in to his wishes and subdued a large number of officials.
After they saw the methods of the new governor, no one dared to oppose the new governor's orders.
Officials selected from the colonies did not dare to oppose the big shots from the mother country.
After Governor Rubio took power, he issued several orders one after another.
The warships in Manila Port immediately entered a state of combat readiness.
Officers and sailors must be on board the ship at all times and are not allowed to go ashore for fun.
The Navy dispatches patrol ships to continuously patrol the waters outside Manila Port to alert enemies to sneak attacks on Manila Port.
Merchants in the Port of Manila are prohibited from doing business in the area where the Great China Dynasty is located.
Governor Rubio ordered the detention of all Chinese businessmen who came to Manila Port to do business and put all these businessmen in prison.
Everyone in the Port of Manila can see the new governor's order.
The combined effect of these orders was to blockade the Port of Manila.
People have already smelled the smell of gunpowder smoke.
Many Spanish merchants in Manila Port immediately took ships to seek refuge elsewhere.
Military patrols in the city became very frequent.
The patrol found Chinese people on the street and immediately arrested them in the name of spying on military intelligence.
A large number of Chinese people are hiding in their homes and do not even dare to leave their homes.
Bishop Bria did not go to church in Manila. He had been living in the Government Palace and served as the think tank of Governor Rubio.
He saw that people in Manila were panicking, and everyone was very nervous.
Bishop Bria suggested to Governor Rubio: "Mr. Governor, we cannot delay this any longer.
The smell of gunpowder is too strong now, but the soldiers and people can still fully cooperate with the orders of the Governor's Palace.
When time drags on for too long and these people relax, it becomes very difficult to arouse their emotions.
We will soon send warships to ambush merchant ships transporting steam engines and gold mines."
Governor Rubio tapped the table with his middle finger and said tangledly: "I don't know which target to choose.
My previous thoughts were too optimistic. With the current strength of warships in Manila Port, it would be too dangerous to choose to divide our forces.
We cannot be too close to Nanyang, nor can we be too close to Guangdong.
Both places are garrisoned by Dahua's powerful navy.
We only have one chance to take action. By the time Dahua reacts, we will have no chance to snatch other merchant ships.
I am now hesitating whether to grab the merchant ship transporting steam engines or the merchant ship transporting gold mines."
Rubio's heart is in a mess right now, and he can tell that the steam engine is the most important.
But this thing cannot bring him benefits in a short period of time.
The gold mine is different, it can bring him huge profits immediately.
Rubio wooed military generals and also promised them to distribute gold from Nanyang gold mines.
Bishop Bria sees the reason for Governor Rubio's hesitation.
He began to persuade: "Sir Governor, if you want to go further and gain a higher status, you must choose a steam engine.
If your ambition is just to be a rich man, then choose Gold Mine.
I suggest you choose a steam engine. We have also watched the development speed of merchants in the Dahua Dynasty. Steam engines can also bring huge profits in the later period."
After Bishop Bria finished speaking, he sighed and said: "We actually have no choice, the Dahua Dynasty will not respond too slowly.
There are only a few days left for us.
What Governor Rubio just said made me immediately realize the gap between the two armies.
We will dispatch a patrol boat immediately to investigate the situation.
Whether it's a steam engine or a gold mine, which merchant ship has entered the waters under our control in the near future.
I will immediately send warships to seize this merchant ship.
We have no choice. We must take advantage of the window period that finally appears to achieve our goals.
Both the gold mine and the steam engine must be captured, so that we can give an explanation to the king and not affect Governor Rubio's promotion."
Governor Rubio heard what Bishop Bria had to say.
He also smiled awkwardly. The current situation was not as good as human beings, and they had no choice.
He immediately notified the warships to prepare for war.
Waiting for the patrol boat to find traces of the Dahua ship, they took action immediately.
…………………………
The Royal Navy's Second Fleet and Fourth Fleet, with nearly a hundred ships, lined up in two neat combat formations and headed towards Luzon Island.
A large-scale warship left the Guangzhou naval port.
Everyone in Guangzhou realized that the navy was making another big move.
The people in the street are all talking about it.
"A warship of this size is not like attacking pirates. There are no such large-scale pirates around us."
"The imperial court arrested the Spaniards a few days ago. We should go to war with the Spaniards."
"Such a huge fleet looks quite oppressive from a distance.
I can already smell the strong smell of gunpowder smoke, and I hope the navy can make a triumphant return this time."
On the vast sea, after a long voyage, the formation of warships still remained intact.
Li Qingmu listened to the navigation staff and kept reporting the fleet's location.
He had already formed a chart in his mind. The fleet was only two days away from Luzon.
They are now close to Luzon and may be discovered by the Spaniards at any time.
Li Qingmu met with Feng Sanqiu, the governor of the Second Fleet, and Zhou You, the governor of the Fourth Fleet, under the mast of the battleship of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
The three of them sat together around the tea table, sipping tea in the sea breeze.
Li Qingmu looked at the two governors of the naval fleet, dipped his hands in tea, and drew a simple chart on the tea table.
"We are now very close to Luzon Island and can encounter Spanish warships at any time.
Both of them are talented people who have commanded operations since the founding of the navy.
We have preparations for this battle, but frontline generals cannot just look at preparations.
We must adjust our combat plans in a timely manner based on the ever-changing situation on the battlefield."
Zhou You was a chief of staff, and he was best at war chess deductions.
Hearing Li Qingmu's question, he immediately replied: "Commander Li, our march this time does not need to be modified during the war.
When there is not much difference in strength, using strategies is very effective.
There is a huge gap in naval strength between ours and Spain.
I am not exaggerating to remove the range advantage of our warships.
Even our battleships came within the range of the Spanish battleships' guns.
The Spanish Navy could easily be defeated simply by relying on the difference in artillery power.
Our battleships can withstand more than ten of their artillery shells.
The Spanish battleships were unable to withstand even three rounds from our army.
It is very easy to calculate the victory or defeat of the navy. It only depends on which warship has the largest tonnage and the performance of the naval gun.
When there is not much difference between the two families, the influence of other factors will be considered.
The strength of our navy and that of Spain are not on the same level.
I don't think we need any strategy, we can just push it forward with openness and dignity.
The question we have to consider is how the Spanish navy can be defeated in one attack and how can we completely annihilate the enemy."
Feng Sanqiu was not as flexible as Zhou You. After listening to Zhou You's suggestions, he agreed: "Governor Zhou and I have the same opinion.
With the current strength of our army, we have no rivals in the Nanyang region.
According to the information we interrogated, even the entire Spanish Armada was sent to Manila Port.
We have the power to fight against the Spanish Armada.
What's more, there are only eight old Western battleships in Manila Port.
We proved this through naval battles with the Dutch and Portuguese.
Our battleships, the warships used to attack the Westerners, are not inferior in any one fight against two.
What's more, now our warships have the upper hand."
Li Qingmu listened to the suggestions of the two governors.
He also felt that he was a little worried about gains and losses.
This war was too important to him, and he was a little worried about gains and losses, but he didn't behave as relaxed as the two governors.
Li Qingmu adjusted his mentality in time. He had to believe in the strength of the Royal Navy of Dahua.
"Our goal in this war is to completely annihilate the Spanish naval power in the Southeast Asia region.
And ensure that your own casualties are not too high.
I have seen the level of training of both your fleets.
The Sui-class battleships have not yet been officially commissioned. Which of your two fleets performs better?
I decide which fleet these battleships will be assigned to, so that they can be used to eliminate old battleships or enhance the strength of the fleet."
Li Qingmu saw that the two governors were too leisurely and there was no smell of gunpowder smoke before the war.
The two of them were not nervous, but Li Qingmu used some means to make them nervous.
Arrogant soldiers will be defeated, and we cannot let them go to the battlefield with this mentality.
When Feng Sanqiu heard that Navy Minister Li Qingmu released this reward, his eyes widened like lanterns.
The Fourth Fleet was established relatively late, and their battleships are all new-type battleships.
The predecessor of the Second Fleet was the squadron of the South China Sea Fleet. There were many old models of battleships in the fleet.
If the Second Fleet performs well, these old warships can be retired and replaced with the latest warships.
The Second Fleet will suddenly become the strongest of the four fleets.
Zhou You's eyes kept changing as he looked at Feng Sanqiu, and his eyes became sharp.
The Fourth Fleet was established the shortest time and is the weakest among the four fleets.
He absolutely cannot give up these new battleships to the Second Fleet.
By acquiring these battleships, the Fourth Fleet can make up for the strength gap with other fleets.
The Fourth Fleet will also have the opportunity to operate independently in the future.
This time to attack Luzon Island, among the three idle fleets, the fourth fleet was the closest.
If the Fourth Fleet were stronger, there would be no need to allocate military merit to the Second Fleet.
When Li Qingmu saw Feng Sanqiu and Zhou You, their expressions and eyes changed, and they were secretly competing.
He was happy to see this happen, with the Second Fleet and the Fourth Fleet competing.
They fought this battle seriously, which was conducive to the attack on Luzon.
The observation post on the mast of the battleship Han Wudi blew the whistle.
Li Qingmu and the three of them all raised their heads to look at the situation at the observation post.
He reported in semaphore that there was a Spanish patrol boat patrolling ahead.
He has discovered traces of the fleet and is desperately escaping to Manila Port.
Li Qingmu immediately ordered: "We'd better attack the Spaniards before they notice our traces.
Only in this way can we achieve the greatest results.”
Zhou You immediately scrambled and said: "Commander, leave this matter to our Fourth Fleet. We will destroy all patrol ships along the way."
Feng Sanqiu said with a smile: "Governor Zhou is too anxious, we are on the flagship of the Second Fleet, the battleship Han Wudi.
Only when I give the order can we attack in the shortest possible time.
What's more, our second fleet has secret weapons and is much faster than these patrol boats."
After Feng Sanqiu finished speaking, he immediately notified the flag soldiers and issued military orders to the destroyer detachment.
The semaphore on the mast of the battleship Han Wudi changed.
A special destroyer detachment of the Second Fleet detached from the fleet.
They chased the Spanish patrol ship at extremely fast speeds.
These destroyers are all destroyers equipped with propellers. They are experimental warships.
These warships have no masts and instead have a large smokestack.
The destroyer uses very cheap petroleum fuel, and the boiler burns extremely fast, which can shorten the startup time of the steam engine.
They are like flying fish on the ocean.
They soon caught up with the fleeing Spanish patrol ship.
The destroyer's main guns opened fire, destroying the Spanish patrol ships.
Zhou You said with envy: "This new destroyer is so powerful.
If one day a battleship can achieve this speed, it will be invincible."
Li Qingmu praised: "The destroyers performed very well, let them patrol around the fleet.
Destroy all patrol boats and capture all ships approaching the fleet, and we must not let our traces be exposed."