Chapter 1638 The miserable scout ship
Juan Luis has always felt that something was wrong in the past two days. Although the reconnaissance ships cruising out to sea did not find any trace of the Haihan fleet, Juan had already faintly smelled the smell of danger. He could feel that the Haihan people might have arrived not far from Manila, but he still had no clue. After all, he only sent five or six reconnaissance ships to patrol Manila Bay. In order to report the news in a timely manner, the scope of activities was relatively limited. The area that could be monitored on the vast sea was indeed extremely limited. Even Juan himself believed that it might be necessary to wait until the Haihan fleet arrived in Manila Bay before the maritime surveillance he deployed could serve as a warning.
Although the Manila fleet under Juan currently has more than 20 ships that can perform combat missions, if you take a closer look at the status of these ships, you will find that the actual combat effectiveness of this fleet is not optimistic. Only five of the more than 20 ships were serious warships. The rest were all armed merchant ships or ordinary merchant ships temporarily equipped with a few cannons to serve as warships. Most of the sailors on board had not received formal military training. Training, they couldn't even understand the formal combat instructions given to them by the commander Juan sent to the ship.
As a last resort, Juan could only let the boatswain and captain of the ship jointly control the command. Otherwise, it would be difficult to say how much combat power these ships could exert during wartime. Juan could only pray that these civilian ships would not escape when the war started. Even if they could not defeat the Haihan fleet, they would still have to try to delay the enemy's attack. But thinking about the scene when he fought with the Haihan fleet off the coast of Sanya last year, he really didn't dare to have high expectations for this fleet composed of a mixed army, but he had promised Governor Aragones that he would do his best. Delaying Haihan's army from landing smoothly, although the South China Sea was large, he had no way to retreat and could only defend Manila Bay to the death.
On January 11, a Spanish sailing ship "Martin" patrolling the waters off Manila Bay docked at the Bataan Peninsula between Manila Bay and Subic Bay to replenish fresh water. Shortly after lowering its sails and anchoring, it was arranged above the mast. The lookout post discovered an unidentified sailboat on the sea. After being confirmed by the officers on the ship using binoculars, it can be basically determined that the sailing ship operating several nautical miles offshore belongs to Haihan.
This is not because the officers on board are familiar with the appearance of the Haihan warship. In fact, the red and blue flags hanging on the mast of the ship are very conspicuous, and the Haihan people do not seem to intend to keep a low profile, just hanging their flags. The national flag is waving in the sea, and it is difficult not to recognize it. However, this ship is alone and looks like a reconnaissance ship similar to the "Martin".
However, the "Martin" is just a civilian ship temporarily added to the Manila fleet. In addition to its fast speed, the firepower configuration on the ship is really lackluster. The two small-caliber cannons were only installed on the ship after receiving the mission this time, as well as the gunners. The number is topped up by the sailors on the ship. Naturally, such a ship cannot be said to have much combat effectiveness. Of course, when Juan was assigning tasks, he also specifically told the captain of the "Martin" that if he really encountered the Haihan fleet, the first priority was Send enemy information back to Manila instead of fighting the enemy at sea.
The "Martin" is parked at the mouth of a small river. Most of the hull is covered by seaside woods. It is indeed difficult to detect its existence from the sea. The Haihan sailboat passing by did not seem to notice its existence. The fearful Spaniards waited for a long time before finally watching the ship disappear on the northwest sea. The people on the "Martin" knew very well that there was a natural deep-water bay in that direction, and there were even a small number of Spanish immigrants settling there. But if there are now Haihan sailing ships operating in that area, what does this mean? It goes without saying.
There are two options before the "Martin". One is to quickly turn around and return to Manila Port, report this discovery to General Juan, and let him make subsequent decisions; the other option is to follow up and see Subi. Is there really a Haihan fleet lurking in Kewan? Of course, the risk of the latter option is also quite high. Once discovered by the Haihan people, they may not even have a chance to withdraw to Manila.
The captain and the officers on board were also a little undecided about this. Finally, the officer made the decision and decided to follow up to see if the ship really sailed into Subic Bay. As long as this is confirmed, we will immediately turn around and return to Manila instead of venturing into Subic Bay to investigate the specific situation.
But unfortunately, they still thought of things too simply. By the time they raised anchor and sail again and chased towards the northwest, there was no trace of the Haihan sailboat on the sea. The "Martin" chased for a long time, and the narrow entrance of Subic Bay was faintly visible in front of it, but there was still no trace of the Haihan sailboat. Now it was a bit troublesome.
We had agreed beforehand to withdraw when we saw the ship entering Subic Bay, but we chased it all the way here without seeing the target at all. So should we go in now or not? If you just go home like this, how do you report this to General Juan? Do you tell him that you have lost track of the target, and then sneak back without daring to go in because you are worried that the Haihan Fleet is hidden in Subic Bay?
The dignity of the Spanish Empire did not allow them to give up. After a brief hesitation, the people on the "Martin" quickly unified their opinions and decided to enter Subic Bay to find out. At the same time, they decided that if they found traces of the Haihan sailboat in the bay, even if they only saw one, they would turn around and leave immediately without delaying inside. They still knew something about the terrifying speed of the Haihan battleship. If they were discovered by the opponent and pursued one after another, their chances of escaping would be greatly reduced.
The entrance channel of Subic Bay is about five kilometers wide, and there is a small island called Grande in the middle of the channel, which divides the entrance channel into two. This small island with an area of less than one square kilometer is covered in dense forest and looks no different from the uninhabited islands common in the Philippine Islands. But Yan Chujie's troops, who had actually arrived here, deployed a reconnaissance squad on the island and brought a portable radio to the island to conduct 24-hour uninterrupted monitoring of the channel entrance to and from the harbor. Although the island's commanding heights are less than 100 meters above sea level, with the aid of military telescopes, even on cloudy days it is enough to monitor a range of about ten to fifteen nautical miles outside the bay.
The arrival of the "Martin" will naturally not escape the eyes of the monitors on the island. It was discovered more than ten nautical miles away from the island, and a temporary command post was quickly set up in the bay. Got the alert.
"Now we can catch people alive." Yan Chujie was very relaxed after hearing the news. Since Haihan has set up the frontline base so close to Manila Bay and sent a reconnaissance ship out for activities, of course he can do Be prepared to be discovered. But since the other party took the initiative to come to the door, there was no reason for the Haihan Army to let them go.
Yan Chujie ordered the two "Expedition"-class warships equipped with steam power systems to be ready for battle. If the opponent turned around and left without entering Subic Bay, then chase them and sink them.
However, the Portuguese officer who came here with the Haihan Army said that the Spaniards would definitely not turn around and leave, and the ship would definitely sail into Subic Port next.
"They claim to be the overlord of the sea, how could they go away quietly? General Yan, please rest assured that this ship will definitely come in, and it will be easier to deal with them then. If possible, I would like to personally participate in the next action , my people are also ready to fight!”
The middle-aged officer sent by Portugal this time is named Simang. It is said that he was also a real soldier who fought on the European battlefield before. But later, it seemed that he offended the Spanish nobles due to some personal matters and could no longer stay in the army, so he went to the Far East to seek a living. Now that he had the opportunity to fight with the Spaniards, Simang was very excited along the way, eager to fight the Spaniards as soon as possible to avenge the old grudge of being humiliated by the Spaniards in Europe. Yan Chujie was not surprised that Xi Mang took the initiative to ask for a fight. Since setting off from Sanya, he could certainly feel this man's eagerness to fight. However, this is what Yan Chujie is worried about. Ximang is so eager to fight the Spanish that it may affect his judgment in the command process. This is not a situation that Yan Chujie is happy to see. But at the moment, the target is just an armed merchant ship, and with the Haihan Navy coordinating the operation, it can indeed be left to the Portuguese to practice and warm up, lest they may not be able to get into the state when they enter Manila Bay and start fighting directly.
"Well, gather your people to prepare for battle, but you must accept the command of our army during the operation. Do you have any questions?" Yan Chujie quickly made up his mind and asked Xi Mang for his opinion.
Of course Simang would not have any objections. The division of labor between the two parties in this cooperative operation had been decided long ago. Haihan was the leader, and the Portuguese combatants must obey the command. If he refuses Yan Chujie's request, then of course the other party will have reasons not to arrange for him to play.
After waiting for half an hour, the news returned from Grand Island confirmed that Simang's judgment was correct. The Spanish sailing ship slowed down and quietly approached Manila Bay along the coastline. It seemed that I really plan to come in and explore the truth.
The ships of the Haihan Fleet are all docked in a bay on the east side of Subic Bay. These ships cannot be found from the incoming channel. They can only be seen here after sailing into a certain depth of Subic Bay. the truth.
The "Martin" entered Subic Bay cautiously, and after sailing a certain distance north, it finally saw four sailing ships rushing out from the east harbor. Two were Haihan-style warships, and the other two were Portuguese sailing ship. On the coast behind these four ships, you can vaguely see dozens of ships docked densely on the shore.
"Raise sail! Turn around!"
The captain of the "Martin" did not wait for orders from the ship's officers this time, and immediately took the initiative to exercise command authority. If we don’t run away quickly at this time, I’m afraid we won’t be able to get out of Subic Bay. Regarding his move, the officer on board did not express any objection. When he saw the Haihan fleet hiding in the harbor, he had no intention of fighting at all. The most important thing now is to send this information back to Manila City so that the defenders on the shore can be prepared. As for the dignity of the Spanish Empire, it can be temporarily put aside before the overall situation.
But it is not easy to escape from this place. The two Portuguese sailing ships are nothing more. What is really scary is the two Haihan warships that are emitting thick smoke and are getting closer to "" at a speed that is almost visible to the naked eye. Martin" distance.
"Oh God! What kind of monster is that!" Facing the Haihan battleship chasing from behind, the Spanish captain could only moan helplessly. He really didn't understand why the other party could have such speed. His so-called Comparing the Clippers with their opponents, it feels like an old cow pulling the strings.
At this speed, chasing and escaping, the "Martin" could only escape for half a day at most, and then it would definitely be caught up by the opponent. In order to pursue high speed, the "Martin" deliberately weakened the hull's protective power during construction to reduce the weight of the ship. When the opponent catches up, the "Martin" with its thin skin and small body may not be able to withstand a round. Approaching shelling.
However, what really made the Spaniards on the "Martin" despair was not the two Haihan battleships chasing behind them, but someone else. The officer on board, who was looking at the sea ahead from the bow of the ship, saw through his telescope that on the channel entering Subic Bay that he had just passed, a black sailboat flying the Haihan flag suddenly appeared, and its speed was even faster than that of the one chasing behind it. The two ships were much faster and were heading towards the Martin.
"What is this?"
Although the situation on the ship was not clearly visible through the telescope, the dangerous aura emanating from the ship was very obvious. But in this situation, if you adjust your direction to avoid the other side in a circle, the two ships chasing behind you will definitely take advantage of it. So you can simply rush over, and the other side will definitely not hit you anyway.
Of course, there would be no collision, but when the two ships were still hundreds of meters away, the artillery on the other ship opened fire first. Long-distance firing can be regarded as a demonstration in naval battles of this era, because after all, the range and accuracy of naval guns are very limited, and there is no actual threat at a longer combat distance. Therefore, the people on the "Martin" did not Didn't panic about it.
However, the first shell accurately hit the starboard side of the "Martin" and opened a hole the size of a washbasin in the hull. After the cannonball penetrated the entire hull laterally, it made a large hole with a diameter of more than one meter on the port side. The only good thing is that these two holes are above the waterline, so there is no danger of water entering the "Martin" yet.
(End of chapter)