Chapter 1649 Persuading Surrender
Although Tom Wang knew a little bit of Spanish and was barely able to carry on daily conversations, in order to facilitate communication, he still called Simando, a Portuguese officer who could speak Chinese and Spanish, to be his translator.
In today's combat operation, Simang also went out with the Haihan Navy. After the "San Diego" was beaten to lose power, he was the one who shouted to the ship in Spanish with a tin trumpet. Being able to capture the commander of the Manila fleet in this operation was an extremely dazzling achievement in Simang's eyes. Although he only helped persuade the surrender and take prisoners into custody in the process, he also felt that he was honored. When he returns to China in the future, this record will be enough for him to brag about for a long time. Of course, if he could really break through Manila and drive the Spaniards out of this place, he would be able to brag about it for the rest of his life.
Being able to appear arrogantly in front of a senior Spanish officer like Juan has greatly satisfied Simang's vanity. However, there were also senior generals from Haihan present, so Simang did not dare to steal the limelight too much and acted honestly. Translated.
The questions raised by Wang Tom and Yan Chujie were very direct. They needed to know the military deployment status in Manila and whether it was possible to persuade the defenders to surrender. If Juan is willing to cooperate with Haihan, not only can he regain his freedom after the war, but he can also choose whether to leave Manila. If he is afraid of taking responsibility and does not want to return to China, Haihan can also arrange his future life in the Far East. .
Of course, if Juan makes up his mind not to cooperate with Haihan and must fight to the end, then the rest of his life will probably not be easy. Wang Tom told him straightforwardly that considering his identity and dignity, Haihan would not torture him or execute him, but would send him to an undisclosed island in the South China Sea to work as a coolie, and possibly There will be no chance of release in the future.
"Even if you are lucky, you will end up breathing your last breath peacefully in a wooden house where slaves live on a plantation a few years later. If you are unlucky, you will end up digging in a mine one day. Buried alive by the landslide. Think clearly, Mr. Juan, you still have a chance to make a choice, don’t make a decision that you will regret.”
Simang followed Yan Chujie's instructions and tried hard to convince the other party: "But if you are willing to cooperate with Haihan, then your life will be easy in the second half of your life. Juan Luis, who commanded the Manila fleet in the past, has died in this naval battle." No one will know who you are, and they can change your appearance and become a wealthy farmer somewhere else.”
For a prisoner who had lost the battle and had no possibility of escape, Simang's words were undoubtedly very tempting. If he didn't cooperate, he would be directly hanged or shot, so Juan probably had no idea of struggling. He would just die for his country according to the procedure, and maybe his family would get some compensation for this.
But the Haihan people did not intend to execute him, but gave him other better options. The second best option was to be sent to work as a coolie and die quietly; the better way out was to give up his current identity or even Nationality, go to the place arranged by Haihan to spend the rest of your life.
No matter which way out, at least he can survive first, and for Juan, who was originally determined to die, this was simply a glimmer of hope that suddenly appeared in front of him. Although he has the courage to die for his country, he also has the desire to survive. It is difficult to choose death when he knows that he can live well.
Of course, Juan himself knew very well that once he cooperated with the Haihan people, it would mean treason, and treason was also an unforgivable death penalty in Spain. If the truth was known in the future, it would be difficult to escape the empire's pursuit even if he hid in the corners of the world. He did not believe that the Haihan people would really go to great lengths to protect a traitor.
"I don't believe you." After thinking for a long time, Juan shook his head and rejected Simang's proposal. The cunning Portuguese and the ferocious Haihan people came together. The idea they came up with was not credible to Juan.
After Yan Chujie listened to Xi Mang's translation, he was not angry, but asked: "So your problem is that you don't believe that we will keep our promises, rather than that there is a problem with the solution we proposed? That's easy to handle, you You can tell me what you think. If it is a reasonable request, I can make the decision to agree to it now.”
For Haihan, letting Juan go is not a big deal, especially compared to a real major event like attacking Manila. Juan's life and even the subsequent expenses that may result from it are all just trivial matters. That’s all. As long as Juan is willing to cooperate, Yan Chujie can indeed give him some "special" care.
Juan didn't expect that General Haihan would respond like this to his rejection, and he didn't know how to answer for a while. He didn't want to betray his country, but he really didn't want to spend the rest of his life in a mine. But this moment of hesitation was seen by old foxes like Yan Chujie, who naturally knew that this was a sign of Juan's weak will and loose guard, and immediately signaled Ximang to work harder.
Simang also knew a little bit about the way the Haihan army dealt with prisoners, so he continued to persuade Juan to accept the arrangements of the Haihan army with coaxing and intimidation. As a European, especially a Portuguese who has deep connections with Spain, he understands the mentality of his Spanish counterparts very well. If he died on the battlefield as a soldier, or was hanged by the enemy after the war, Juan would probably not blink an eye, but if he was to be demoted to a slave and treated as an inferior human being, what would happen to this kind of person? The humiliation may not be bearable.
On the other hand, after the remaining ten or so ships of the defeated Manila fleet escaped back to the port, the news quickly spread back to the city. Governor Aragones was actually mentally prepared for the outcome of the defeat, but in the end Juan was unable to safely withdraw to Manila Port, which still disappointed him. Since the "San Diego" was intercepted and killed outside the harbor by the Haihan fleet, Juan's life and death were ultimately unknown, and no more detailed and specific information was fed back to Aragones, only the reports from the subsequent sinking of the "San Diego" From the looks of it, Juan is probably in serious danger.
Although Juan finally managed to save a number of ships, most of these ships were seriously damaged and the crews also lost a lot. It would be difficult to organize a battle with Haihan in the short term. This also means that the Manila authorities have lost almost all of their maritime armaments, and it is difficult to resist the Haihan Navy's offensive at sea.
As a seaport city, Manila loses the protection of maritime armed forces and is tantamount to losing a solid shell, and the subsequent defense will become very passive. There will be fewer defenders for the landing operations that the Haihan Army may launch. a powerful means of defense. Aragones sighed and ordered the news to be temporarily blocked to avoid causing panic among the people in the city.
But how could such a big thing be concealed? Hundreds of crew members were killed, injured or missing in this battle. Their local relatives and friends in Manila soon discovered something was wrong. The fleet had obviously returned to port, but no crew members could Departure and home. I went to the port to inquire about the news, and the official only said that the fleet would continue to prepare for war, and no one was allowed to leave without permission. However, the news that only half of the Manila fleet's warships barely managed to return to the port spread quickly in the city.
Ran Tianlu also received the news immediately. Several days had passed since he sent Ran Tiancheng to report the news to Cavite Port. He had hardly slept peacefully these days because he was very worried that Ran Tiancheng would be intercepted by the Spaniards on the way. If the secret letter was exposed, it would be a disaster for the entire Chaosheng Merchant Store. However, after the news of the defeat of the Manila fleet came, Ran Tianlu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although he did not know whether the secret military information sent to Cavite Port had played a role, but now that the results of the battle between the two armies have come out, Ran Tianlu must have Tiancheng should have sent the information to the place long ago. Without the Manila fleet, how long can the Spanish sustain themselves? Ran Tianlu knew that the Haihan Army would surely arrive in the near future and begin to attack Manila City. He felt much more relaxed at that moment and ordered the kitchen to kill chickens and fish and add vegetables in the evening.
But before he could finish being happy, someone came to the door and informed him that Father Blanco had invited him to discuss something with the church in the city. Ran Tianlu did not dare to neglect, and immediately explained the affairs of the store, and then followed the guests into the city and went to the church.
"Ran, you came so quickly!" Father Blanco was very excited after seeing Ran Tianlu. He enthusiastically took his arm and took him into a living room at the back of the church without any explanation.
Although Ran Tianlu was familiar with Father Blanc, they usually communicated in the church. This was the first time he was brought to such a private place. At the moment, he couldn't help but be surprised by the unusual enthusiasm shown by the other party. He is a professionally trained intelligence officer and is extremely vigilant about his surroundings. The attitude shown by Father Blanco naturally aroused his vigilance. Could it be that his identity has been exposed and the Spaniards have specially arranged this situation? Catch yourself in a church?
However, there was no trap in the living room that he was worried about, and there was no vicious man waiting to catch him. In fact, there was no third party in the room. Father Blanco even specifically dismissed an attendant who was staying in the corridor outside. . Ran Tianlu slowly relaxed and guessed that the other party had something important to discuss with him. It's just that Father Blanco has a respected position in the city of Manila, and even Governor Aragones wants to give him some face, so what else can he do that requires help from a businessman like himself?
"Ran, if one day, the church needs your help, what will you do?" After Father Blanc sat down, he finally introduced the topic.
Ran Tianlu didn't know what he meant, but he still responded according to his identity as a believer: "If it is the Lord's arrangement, then of course I will do my best to help the church."
"Very good." Father Blanc nodded, very satisfied with Ran Tianlu's attitude, and then explained to him the reason for summoning him to meet.
It turns out that the Manila Cathedral contains many artworks and documents collected by the church and Father Blanco. The priest was worried that these things would be damaged in the subsequent war, so he planned to transport them out before the Haihan people launched an siege. Put it somewhere safer outside the city. The storage location chosen by the priest was Ran Tianlu's store.
"You mean, you want to transport the church's precious belongings to Chaosheng Commercial Store and hand them over to me?" Ran Tianlu couldn't believe his ears: "You believe me so much?"
"It is only temporarily stored. After the war, the church will also take back these properties." Father Blanco said seriously: "As for you, after my observation over the past year, you have shown generosity, kindness, and integrity in your daily life, especially to The Lord’s piety shows that you are a trustworthy person. It is the Lord’s choice to entrust these belongings to you.”
Ran Tianlu wanted to criticize a few words, but he felt that doing so would be a bit unfair to the priest's trust in him. Then he changed his angle and asked: "But you are not worried about the Haihan army attacking. The city will be the first to suffer." Outsiders? ”
"This is another important reason for choosing you." Father Blanco explained: "You are a wise man in business, and the Haihan people have always been very friendly to wise merchants. This is a well-known thing. And you often see people in your shop. There will be goods from Haihan for sale. I think that should be an example of your trading relationship with Haihan. In any case, the Haihan people will not embarrass their trading partners, right?”
Ran Tianlu did not expect that Father Blanco had already figured out the cause and effect, and at the moment he could not think of anything to say to refute his opinion.
Seeing his silence, Father Blanc urged: "Ran, you just said you would help the church."
"Of course. As you wish." Ran Tianlu came to his senses and decided to agree to the other party's request first. Anyway, this matter cannot be called collaborating with the enemy. Transport the church's valuable items outside the city to avoid being destroyed by the war. Then report it to your superiors, who will make a decision. Maybe you can get an extra credit for it.
Father Blanco showed a gratified smile on his face, nodded and said: "I will arrange a carriage to send the things out of the city tonight, and you will be there to take care of me outside the city."
Ran Tianlu agreed, thought for a while and then said: "Father, do you think the city of Manila can't be defended?"
Father Blanco responded: "It's not just me, there should be many people who think so. The Manila fleet is gone, and the Haihan army is very close to the city of Manila. Maybe the battle will start in a day or two. Ran, we have never defeated the Haihan people. No one here has the confidence to defeat them. It is the same, whether it is the officers or the governor. The reason why they did not abandon the city is just that people still have a little unrealism. Just hope.”
Ran Tianlu was dumbfounded when he heard this, and thought to himself that you are such an honest man that you dare to say such things. If the governor hears this, he may be accused of disturbing the morale of the army and be imprisoned.
(End of chapter)