"Once San Jose falls, the rebels will be able to threaten the core of Spanish rule in Luzon."
"Spain cannot lose Manila, God cannot lose Manila!"
Governor Barossa's face was extremely solemn.
The Spanish troops in the Luzon Islands are limited. Even if they were added up, and even if all the sailors on the Manila fleet and warships were included, they would only number between five and six thousand.
Counting the army alone, there are only about four thousand!
However, more than two thousand of them have been defeated by the Liberation Army. Although there are some militiamen among them, there are also two thousand real Spanish soldiers.
All in all, the army currently in the Governor's Mansion only has 2,000 troops!
Moreover, these two thousand people must be dispersed to guard towns, forts, and military ports in various places.
Also, among the two thousand people, a small number of three hundred were surrounded by the Liberation Army in St. Jones.
The mobile forces that the Governor's Mansion can mobilize are quite limited.
Ricca, the governor of Manila, stood up and said.
"My Lord Governor, please order all towns, forts and other places to mobilize troops, recruit a certain amount of militia, and then go to reinforce St. Jones."
“Manila cannot afford to lose St. Jones!”
Governor Barossa couldn't help but frown, and then said.
"Reinforcements are due!"
"But if we want reinforcements, we must gather all our troops and send troops. What if we lose the battle?"
Barossa was relatively pessimistic about the war. The war with the Governor-General's Palace had not stopped since the Liberation Army launched its troops.
The Liberation Army could always defeat many with less, and could almost be said to be invincible!
This has cast a psychological shadow on Barossa. Now Barossa feels guilty when he thinks of the Liberation Army.
Archon Rika frowned and said.
"Are we giving up on St. Jones?"
Barossa sighed and said.
"Saint Jones must be saved, but I do not recommend the use of military means. We cannot afford the consequences of defeat!"
Bishop Sares spoke.
"Maybe we can send someone to negotiate with the rebels."
Rika said.
"Negotiations require bargaining chips. What chips can we have against the rebels?"
It is true that there are many Chinese under the Governor's Office.
But since the incident in San Fernando, the executioners in the Governor's Palace who never regarded the Chinese as human beings no longer dared to make a fuss about the Chinese.
They dared to massacre Hua twice before, that's because the Ming Dynasty's revenge was just a threat, and the probability of actually taking action was low.
So they dared to massacre Hua without restraint!
But after the tragedy in San Fernando, Zhu Hongyu told the Governor's Palace with the blood of thousands of Spaniards.
If you dare to massacre the Chinese, I will massacre the Spaniards in revenge.
If you don’t believe it, try it!
Of course they didn’t dare!
To put it bluntly, it means bullying the weak and fearing the strong.
Bishop Sares snorted coldly and said.
"Who says we don't have leverage?"
"The governor's palace has limited troops, so the rebels have abundant troops?"
"How many troops can the rebels have now? Have they never suffered any casualties in previous battles?"
Governor Barossa nodded and said.
"The reason why I oppose the use of war now is because there is no guarantee of victory!"
"Even if we win, we will suffer heavy losses!"
"So, war must be the last resort. If possible, I hope that we can rescue St. Jones through negotiation."
Archon Ricca said.
"Whether it's war or negotiation, I think we have to speed up!"
"If we continue to delay, St. Jones may be breached!"
Within a few days, the Liberation Army captured the bastion of San Fernando with very few casualties, which really frightened the Spaniards.
They never thought that the bastion could be breached so easily!
Governor Barossa nodded in agreement, and then spoke again.
"To be on the safe side, if St. Jones falls, resorting to war may be the only option."
"Send orders to all towns, forts, and ports to gather forces and prepare for war!"
What's really important about St. Jones is not the city, but its location.
St. Jones is the throat of the Central Plains of Luzon, which almost means the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Although the city and population are important, what is more important is the location of St. Jones!
Manila cannot lose St. Jones, otherwise the strategic initiative in Luzon will be seized by the Liberation Army!
Because the Liberation Army sent troops from St. Jones, they could go straight to the core area controlled by the Spanish!
You can even reach the city of Manila in one go without any hindrance!
Therefore, even if Governor Barossa no longer dares to fight a decisive battle with the Liberation Army, he cannot sit back and watch St. Jones fall.
"Consul Lica, I need you to stand up and gather people from various towns and cities to form an army and conduct simple training."
"Although I don't want to use war, I must be prepared for war!"
Barossa must be prepared for the worst. Since the bastion of San Fernando can be quickly breached, whether the bastion of St. Jones can be defended is also a serious problem.
He must prepare for the fall of St. Jones before the negotiations between the two parties are completed!
…
Manila, Jiannei!
Wangzhai!
Wang Lixian has not been out since his last mission to the Liberation Army and his return to Jiannei.
While drinking tea and studying at home, he arranged for his family to evacuate Luzon, a place of right and wrong.
The whole person has become much more low-key and quiet!
Because he is really guilty!
The last time he was on a mission to the Liberation Army, he asked to see Zhu Hongyu late at night and betrayed the Spanish, and revealed to the Liberation Army the news that the Spaniards were planning a sneak attack.
Then Zhu Hongyu casually gave him the title of a Jin Yiwei and asked Wang Lixian to serve as a spy for the Liberation Army.
Although this feeling of being a spy is novel, it is also too exciting.
On the way back, Wang Lixian was always anxious.
Fortunately, along the way, everyone in the mission had their own thoughts, so he didn't stand out.
Until he returned to Manila, Wang Lixian could not feel at ease. Whenever someone came to visit him, he would feel his heart in his throat.
I'm afraid the Spaniards sent people to catch him as a spy!
It wasn't until the news came that Colonel Robin was defeated and the campaign to suppress the Liberation Army had completely failed, that he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Since the Liberation Army will not be wiped out, his betrayal of the Spanish will probably not be exposed in a short period of time.
But when the Liberation Army came out of the mountains, they broke into several Spanish towns and defeated and captured nearly a thousand Spanish people.
It really shocked him!
This news caused Wang Lixian's heart, which had already cooled down, to start beating again after delivering the news.
Wang Lixian thought about it, and since his family had already left Manila, he no longer had any worries.
I want to do something to make myself rich!
Since the Liberation Army has such combat effectiveness, even if it cannot really restore China in the future, it should be no problem to conquer the entire Luzon and recreate the Ming Dynasty in Nanyang.
If you can participate in it, can you also play as a hero of the restoration of the country?