It was like someone added a basin of cold water to a frying pan, and instantly, everything seemed to explode.
The Spaniards at the dock were in a mess, with wailing and screaming sounds everywhere!
Even in panic, countless Spaniards began to jump into the sea.
Just like the 100,000 Song troops during the Yashan period, they would rather drown in the sea than dare to face the enemy head-on like a man.
Zhu Hongyu ordered coldly.
"Go down with the order and surrender without killing!"
"Anyone who stubbornly resists will be killed!"
The Liberation Army began to advance gradually, preparing to collect prisoners of war.
Wherever they passed, a large number of Spaniards, including men, women and children, knelt on the ground and surrendered.
The ships at the dock left the shore in panic, loaded with gold and silver, and headed out of the bay, hoping to escape Manila.
Just at this moment, the Ming army’s fleet finally appeared in Manila Bay!
The tall sail jumped out of the water, followed by a series of shelling sounds.
Amidst the rumbling sound of cannons, huge clouds of gunpowder smoke rose from the sea.
Cannonballs were fired one after another at the densely packed Spanish merchant ships in the bay.
However, because the distance is too far, the hit rate of the artillery shells is pitifully low.
A round of bombardment, a salvo of more than a hundred artillery pieces, had no other achievements except to give the Spaniards on the deck a refreshment.
However, no one in the Spaniards dared to ignore the threat of the Ming fleet that suddenly appeared!
The hit rate of this round of shelling is pitifully low, but what about the shelling after the two sides are close to each other?
They are just merchant ships, not warships, and their combat effectiveness is similar to that of Chinese-style ships of the same tonnage but equipped with watertight compartments.
I really can’t beat it...
Just after the Ming fleet signaled the Spaniards to lower their sails and anchor and surrender immediately, the Spaniards successfully demonstrated to the Ming fleet what it means to be a hero who knows the current affairs!
…
The commander of the Ming fleet in this naval battle was Zheng Chenggong's general Liu Guoxuan.
The command of the maritime forces in this decisive battle in Luzon has always been with Liu Guoxuan.
Zhu Hongyu only provided explosives to blow up the Spanish warships and force the Spaniards to surrender, which was a rough idea.
The specific implementation of the plan and the polishing of details, including the two old fortune ships that were abandoned by Ming sailors at the beginning of the war and were filled with gunpowder and oil to block the ship near the dock in order to confuse the Spaniards...etc.
All were planned by Liu Guoxuan!
Even this time when he invited the Ming fleet to come to Manila Bay to block the Spaniards, Zhu Hongyu used an invitation rather than an order in his writing.
There is no other way. In the Liberation Army system, Zhu Hongyu's prestige goes without saying.
But in the eyes of others, what really matters to them about Zhu Hongyu, a young man under twenty, is not the strength of the Liberation Army, but the identity of his clan.
How could a proud and powerful general like Liu Guoxuan obey Zhu Hongyu's command?
Zhu Hongyu could only invite Liu Guoxuan to help in the name of "coordination."
It’s frustrating, but there’s nothing we can do about it!
Of course, in order to prevent Zheng Jun's navy from turning against him after the war, Zhu Hongyu also had backup plans.
For example, he did not use the newly produced rockets produced by the weapons workshop.
This type of rocket was named Guangfu-1 rocket by Zhu Hongyu, and its prototype was the Hale rocket.
It is different from the Ming Dynasty's divine fire flying crow whose sound and light effect is greater than the actual killing effect.
The Hale rocket has three inclined stabilizing spiral plates installed at the tail of the rocket.
The gunpowder gas ejected from the tail of the rocket causes the rocket to spin and stabilize during flight. This new design greatly improves the accuracy and hit rate of the rocket.
This turns the rocket into a weapon that can actually be used on the battlefield.
It's just a pity that the invention of the Hale rocket, like the invention of the Minie rifle, seemed a bit late, at the end of the 19th century.
After these two epoch-making weapons were invented, the world's weapons soon changed from front-loading to rear-loading, completing updates and iterations.
So much so that these two weapons never showed their power and were eliminated by history!
However, the Hale rocket... was a Guangfu-1 rocket. If it were placed in the seventeenth century, it would definitely be a killer weapon.
When used in naval battles, it probably means one battleship at a time!
If Zheng Chenggong really fell out with him, Zhu Hongyu was sure that he could send his entire fleet to the sea to feed the sharks.
However, after Ma Xin saw the combat effectiveness of the Liberation Army on the battlefield, he recently lowered his attitude a lot when getting along with Zhu Hongyu.
Sure enough, the only thing in this world that can make others value you enough and not dare to look down on you is your fist!
Dignity is only on the edge of the sword, and truth is only within the range of the cannon!
My ancestors will never deceive me!
…
With the cooperation of the Ming Dynasty's land and sea, the Spaniards who wanted to escape Manila through the Manila Port obediently became prisoners of war.
While counting the prisoners of war, Zhu Hongyu met with Liu Guoxuan and the two sides negotiated.
On the one hand, it is to divide the spoils, and on the other hand, it is also to discuss the attack on Manila!
After learning that the Liberation Army had captured the Cavite Shipyard, Liu Guoxuan became interested.
Although he was not so bold as to directly demand the entire shipyard, he still asked for a third of the craftsmen to be borrowed.
It is said that it is a loan, but whoever believes it is a fool. Why should a craftsman who borrowed it because of his ability have to pay it back?
The Zheng family has its own shipyards in Dayuan, Annan and other places.
However, due to the tense war situation on the mainland in recent years, Zheng Chenggong focused more on the army.
After the defeat of Nanjing, when Zheng Chenggong turned his attention to the navy, he discovered that the Zheng family's shipyard was in dire straits...
Buildings such as slipways are okay and can continue to be used after proper repairs.
However, it is difficult to find craftsmen who can build Western-style sailboats!
In addition to wanting some craftsmen, Liu Guoxuan also asked for some wood for shipbuilding.
Wood cannot be cut down and used to build ships. In the absence of steam drying technology, the only way is to dry it in the shade.
It takes at least three to five years to shade-dry wood.
This time is really too long!
Zheng Jun wants to build a ship. It is definitely too late to cut down trees and wait for the wood to dry.
However, in the Cavite shipyard, there is a lot of wood that has been dried in the shade and can be directly used to build ships.
The Spaniards saved these timbers to prepare for the annual galleons.
Unexpectedly, it is now cheaper than Ming Dynasty!
Regarding Liu Guoxuan's two requests, Zhu Hongyu rejected them all without hesitation.
First, because the Liberation Army also wanted to build ships and develop a navy.
It was enough to give 90% of the captured warships to Zheng Jun. Zheng Jun actually wanted shipbuilding craftsmen and wood?
Absolutely impossible!
Things that were discussed before the war were easy to talk about. Zhu Hongyu kept his word and promised to give without any shortage.
However, if Liu Guoxuan is fighting with Zhu Hongyu now, taking Zhu Hongyu as his scapegoat, and wants other benefits, that is impossible!
Zhu Hongyu would rather have a fight with Zheng Chenggong than agree!