Chapter 1651 Attacking Manila (1)
Among Haihan's army troops going to Manila this time, the Ministry of National Defense assembled several elite units such as independent special operations battalion, cavalry battalion, Marine Corps, and South China Sea Special Operations Group. From a certain perspective, this combat operation is also It was the first time that these elite teams competed together in actual combat. In order to mobilize these troops from all over the world to participate in this operation, the Ministry of National Defense also spent a lot of effort. The troop mobilization time lasted for several months, and the military expenditures invested reached millions. , and the purpose is to add a few more weighty weights to the balance of the Battle of Manila, so that the Spanish's largest stronghold in the Far East can be conquered in one fell swoop.
For the commanders of each force, this combat mission naturally has a different meaning. In the past, these troops were undoubtedly the strongest in their own defense areas, and they were also the type to lead the way in front of their colleagues. However, this time the troops mobilized to fight in Manila were all the elites of the military. The Minister of Defense was personally present to supervise the battle, and all troops He was holding his breath to perform well and strive to get the first prize in this battle.
As the saying goes, there is no first in literature and no second in military force. Which unit has achieved the greatest military success in this operation will truly establish its position in the Haihan Army. This is much more than each boasting about their own achievements in the past. After all, in the past, the enemies faced by each army were different and the combat environment they were in was different. It was difficult to distinguish which ones were stronger and which ones were weaker. But this time it was different when attacking Manila City. Everyone was dealing with the same enemy. Who was the enemy? If you are more capable of fighting, you will know who is the real ace unit when you put them on the battlefield.
Although everyone is gearing up and eager to give it a try, there are inevitably some commanders who are not so excited about it. As the commander of the cavalry battalion, Harugong was not so satisfied with the battle plan to attack Manila. Of course, this is not because the headquarters wants to put small shoes on his troops, but the usefulness that cavalry can play in siege warfare is indeed very limited. Although the weapons, equipment and combat capabilities of the cavalry battalion are not inferior to those of other troops, the command will definitely not arrange for the cavalry to dismount and fight on foot when there are sufficient infantry, so his troops can probably only fight on foot during the siege. The perimeter is used as a warning and mobile force.
Seeing other troops receiving their respective combat missions, the cavalry battalion could only serve as peripheral support and would hardly have any chance to perform. Naturally, Harugong's mood was not much better. Yan Chujie knew that his old friend was unhappy, so he also handed over the task of field liaison to the cavalry battalion, reluctantly as a comfort condition.
Among the other troops participating in the battle, the one with the most experience in siege warfare was naturally the earliest special operations battalion in the army. This force has been engaged in the army since the Annan Civil War. It has attacked cities as small as county towns with a population of one or two thousand people, and as large as fortified cities like Hue Prefecture. In 1633, they attacked two cities in Taipei. When we were in the Spanish stronghold, it was also the special operations battalion that acted as the main force on the battlefield, and it was the most knowledgeable about the Spanish defense methods.
So this time the special operations battalion led by Qian Tiandun did their part and became the main force to attack Manila City. Takahashi Minami, who served as the battalion commander, was naturally entrusted with important tasks again.
Takahashi Minami himself has no special feelings about this task. Being the main attacker on the battlefield is a natural arrangement for the special operations battalion, not to mention that the opponent was a subordinate of the special operations battalion four years ago. The defeated general was handed over to him to command this battle, which was considered familiar.
Of course, Takahashi Minami will not take his opponents lightly because of this. In the past few days, he has sorted out the current information on Manila's city defense deployment and conducted a campaign drill at the headquarters with senior officials of the Ministry of National Defense. , and tried their best to improve siege tactics.
In fact, to be serious, the combat environment that the special operations battalion is really good at is mainly mountainous and jungle. Siege warfare is not its specialty. In terms of tactical drills and weapon equipment, the special operations battalion is also more inclined to the needs of field operations. However, in recent years, the special operations battalion has accumulated a lot of experience in siege warfare in the north and south. In addition, the Ministry of National Defense has specially mobilized two artillery companies, a team of snipers, a cavalry company and an engineer company to provide Takahashi Minami took action, and there was nothing faulty about this arrangement.
According to the battle plan, the Haihan Army marched from south to north, and the south of Manila City became the main attack direction of the Haihan Army. The Spaniards originally wanted to make a fuss on the western coastline, but unfortunately the plan did not change quickly. The Haihan Army voluntarily gave up its plan to attack Manila Port from the sea, and instead advanced towards the city of Manila from land. As a result, the heavy-fire coastal defense batteries deployed by the Spanish near the harbor basically lost their defensive function. Although the Spaniards still have time to redeploy these coastal defense artillery to the south of the city, without a solid fort as a bunker, it is difficult to predict how long these large-caliber artillery with obvious targets can persist on the battlefield.
However, Takahashi Minami did not expect that the Spaniards would be stupid enough to close the city to defend. Before Haihan launched a formal offensive, the Spaniards would definitely set up a good position outside the city and have a decent fight with Haihan first. Therefore, the special operations battalion did not move very fast, and many outpost reconnaissance riders were sent to confirm the enemy's deployment.
And just as Takahashi Minami expected, the defenders of Manila City were not so conservative that they stayed behind closed doors. Colonel Francis, who was in charge of commanding the city defense, had already deployed positions outside the city, preparing to attack the invaders. However, before the Haihan army arrived here, Colonel Francis received a letter sent back by the Haihan army through a Spanish prisoner they released.
This letter was in the name of the Haihan Defense Department, warning the Manila authorities to give up resistance and accept the occupation of Manila by the Haihan Army. Otherwise, if the war continues, the Haihan Army will not be able to guarantee the personal safety of local Spanish immigrants. Finally, a list of officers who had been captured in naval battles was listed, and a hefty ransom price was offered. If the Manila authorities were willing to pay the money, the captives could be released immediately and returned to Manila. Otherwise, they would be shipped overseas to work as coolies and lose their personal freedom forever.
After receiving this letter, Francis did not dare to make the decision without authorization, so he ordered the letter to be sent back to the Governor's Palace in the city for Aragones to make a decision. Aragones understands this very clearly. If after redeeming these people, he still cannot defend the city of Manila, then everyone may become a prisoner of Haihan, and the money is equivalent to being given in vain; if he can defend it, , that will not be the credit of these more than thirty naval officers. In this case, why rush to redeem them? It is better to wait until Haihan is defeated and then renegotiate the ransom with them. In theory, the price can be lowered.
"Respond to them, all negotiations, wait until the war is over." Aragones quickly made up his mind. Although he had asked Juan to return to Manila as safely as possible, since the navy gang had become prisoners of the enemy, there was no need to rush to get them back.
The Spanish's reply was quickly sent to Haihan, and the command was not surprised by the result. If the Spanish compromised so easily, then the previous work of persuading Juan would not have been so difficult.
"You won't shed tears until you see the coffin, and you won't look back until you hit the south wall!" Qian Tiandun sighed: "It seems that this battle still has to come to a conclusion."
"Stop pretending. I think you are the one who is most eager to start a fight." Harugong immediately exposed Qian Tiandun's "hypocritical" mask: "The main force is your troops. If the Spaniards really surrender, then But there will be no chance for the special operations battalion to perform," Qian Tiandun said sternly: "If the Spanish surrender, then our purpose of this expedition to the west will be achieved. It will not only save a lot of military expenses, but also avoid the loss of personnel. If there are no casualties, the post-war reconstruction work will be easier, isn’t this a good thing?”
"The consciousness is so high now!" Harugong tutted: "You were not so kind two months ago when you were hunting wild boar skins in Liaodong."
"That's different." Qian Tiandun shook his head and said: "The Hou Jin Dynasty and the Han regime are incompatible existences. If they gain power, it will affect the development of society and culture, and it will not be good for our country in the long run. As for attacking Spain , This is purely the need for our country to expand outward. We just want to seize Spain’s colonies in the Far East, and it is impossible to destroy this country. We just need to drive them out of this area.”
"What's the difference?" Harugong still didn't quite understand what Qian Tiandun wanted to express.
"One is a relationship that cannot coexist, and the other is a relationship that can only coexist. Simple and clear enough, right?" Qian Tiandun could only simplify the explanation: "What we want is control of the Manila area, not the city." The lives of these Spaniards ”
"They have been operating here for more than half a century, and they cannot give up easily." Yan Chujie took over the conversation and said: "Think about it from another perspective, if you were the Governor of Manila, what would you do, fight or surrender?"
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"Of course it's a fight!" Harugong didn't hesitate at all about this issue and immediately gave his choice: "Even if you can't fight, you must try your best to cause enough trouble to the intruder and let the other party know that they want to rob. If the heavy price this place has to pay is lowered, wouldn’t it be possible to just wait for a knock on the door? ”
"The Spaniards in the city probably have similar thoughts." Yan Chujie nodded and affirmed Harugong's opinion: "They can't surrender without a fight, otherwise how can they return to the country for business in the future? Whether they can fight or not is one thing. , but whether you dare to fight is another matter. If you surrender without even fighting, the governor in the city will probably go to jail directly after returning to the country. "
Yes, for Aragones, even if the Haihan people expressed the possibility of a negotiated settlement, there was actually no second option for him other than fighting. Spain can lose this battle, but it cannot stop fighting, otherwise it will lose not only the dignity of the Spanish Empire, but also his personal future.
If a certain number of Haihan people can be killed and wounded in the battle, even if the battle is defeated, it will be an explanation to the country after the war. If you are lucky enough to kill one or two high-ranking Haihan generals, your chances of evading responsibility for the defeat will be even greater.
Since there are still large settlements outside Manila, it is difficult for the Spanish army's musket formations to set up their formation here, so they had to deploy their positions further south on the plains where there are not many residential areas. But in this way, it was in line with Haihan's wishes. The military originally did not want to accidentally injure too many civilians during the siege. The Spaniards were willing to pull out the troops to fight, which was naturally the best.
"They still have a very traditional configuration of spearmen and musketeers." Qian Tiandun confirmed the situation on the Spanish position two miles away through the telescope, and said to Gao Qiaonan: "This is not difficult for us, be careful. That’s the artillery fire in their formation.”
Gao Qiaonan saluted Qian Tiandun, then rode forward and issued combat instructions to the special operations battalion.
The Spanish phalanx was the basic combat unit of the Spanish army from the 16th to the 17th century, including spearmen and musketeers. A square formation generally includes ten companies of spearmen and two companies of musketeers, each with about 250 men. There are also more than 20 personnel including the phalanx commander, military commander, quartermaster, military police chief, army chaplains, supervisors, doctors, and drummers.
After entering the 17th century, with the development of military technology, the proportion of musketeers in the square formation became larger and larger. By the middle of the 17th century, the proportion of spearmen dropped to one quarter, while the proportion of musketeers reached A three-quarters majority. The infantry phalanx outside Manila did not have such a high proportion of musketeers, mainly because the number of Hispanic soldiers was limited, and the authorities did not allow indigenous soldiers to be equipped with muskets, so the ratio of the two arms was about one to one. Almost all of the spearmen in the phalanx were local indigenous soldiers who took orders from the Spanish.
In addition to an infantry phalanx of up to 3,000 men, the Spanish position also had an artillery unit with 16 cannons and a cavalry unit of 200 cavalry. In addition, the authorities also recruited about 2,000 civilians to provide logistics for the combat troops. In terms of the number of troops invested on the frontal battlefield alone, Spain still has a small advantage. But if compared with the actual combat effectiveness, the Haihan Special Warfare Battalion commanded by Takahashi Minami is far ahead.
At about four o'clock in the afternoon on January 20, a red signal flare was fired into the sky from the Haihan Army formation, which was an order to attack the troops participating in the battle. Takahashi Nan raised his hand and raised his whip and pointed at the Spanish position to the north. The troops of the special operations battalion were grouped into companies, surrounded by artillery units in the middle, and slowly advanced. The drums also began to sound in the Spanish formation, and the soldiers gathered in formation to prepare for a head-on confrontation with their opponents from afar.
(End of chapter)