Chapter 1667 Attacking Manila (Seventeen)
Simang was obviously happy to see the negotiations between the two parties finally break down. From the Portuguese's point of view, he hopes that these two families will fight to the death. Of course, it would be best if the Spaniards could be completely expelled from the Philippine Islands and even the Far East. It took Portugal decades to gradually lay out several supply ports in the Far East. If it had not been for Haihan, these colonies would probably have been annexed by Spain sooner or later.
Now that Haihan is taking action against the Spaniards, he is invisibly doing Portugal a big favor. If he were not afraid that the Haihan people would be overly concerned, Simang would really want to take this opportunity to fan the flames and let the Haihan people push the city of Manila down in one go. . However, after following Haihan's army for so many days, Simang also knew that Haihan's real purpose was to occupy Manila Bay and even the entire Luzon Island. Control of these areas was what Haihan wanted. As for attacking the Spanish, it was just a matter of convenience, and it was not entirely necessary to send troops to Manila to start a war with Spain.
Why would Haihan want to seize these places from the Spanish? Simang believed that this was an inevitable measure for colonial countries to expand abroad. Who would not be tempted after seeing a natural harbor like Manila Bay? What's more, there is a seaport city here that has been run by the Spaniards for more than half a century. As long as this city is not completely destroyed by the war and the local permanent population is retained, it can be quickly put back into use without too many twists and turns after being seized. . Moreover, many towns have been formed in the area around Manila Bay, and the cultivated farmland stretches for hundreds of miles. By using this area as a colony for secondary development, Haihan can save a lot of money and time.
Of course, if the Spaniards cannot hold on any longer and surrender directly, Haihan will be able to save even more money and time, but in that case the Spaniards' strength will inevitably be preserved, which is nothing to Portugal. Good news. So when he saw Francis leaving with a dark face, Simon actually felt a little bit gloating about his misfortune.
Qian Tiandun saw the Portuguese's overflowing excitement, but he did not explain the other's little thoughts. The Portuguese wanted to use Haihan's military power to kill people with a knife, but Haihan didn't want to use the Portuguese to check the Netherlands and Spain, and through Portugal's trade channels, gradually established Haihan, Central and Western Asia and the further European continent. the connection between. Everyone just performs their duties in this transaction and gets what they need. If we really want to say who takes advantage of whom, it may not be so clear-cut.
At this time, the eastern and southern city gates of Manila City were in the hands of Haihan, and about one-third of the city was controlled by Haihan. Although the Spanish defenders still occupy more than half of the city, this is just a superficial appearance. Once the war starts again, the occupied areas of both sides will immediately change.
Although the north and west gates are still in the hands of the defenders, outside the west gate is the Manila Port. As long as the Haihan fleet tightens its pockets a little, it will be difficult for any ship in the entire Manila Port to leave safely during the day, so the existence of the west gate is just It was better than nothing. At most, it would be to let the people leave the city and then flee north along the coastline. Not far from the north gate is the Pasig River. If a large number of people flock out of the city, there will not be enough transportation capacity to allow them to safely cross the Pasig River in a short period of time.
After nightfall, the Spanish army made no further attempts to launch a counterattack into the area occupied by Haihan, and Haihan also stayed on the sidelines with a tacit understanding and did not take advantage of the darkness to launch a surprise attack on the central and northern areas of the city.
Qian Tiandun did not want to add operational risks to his troops in vain, so there was no harm in waiting one more night. Roger led his troops to the east gate, and the command headquarters also gave him the responsibility for the artillery troops entering the city from the east gate. Although it is not stated explicitly, this arrangement is actually an invisible compensation for the Nanhai Special Warfare Group. After all, they did not get any military exploits in the previous operations. It is impossible to transfer this unit all the way from Xingdao. Just let them come to Manila for a tour and then go back. If we don't make arrangements for this, the war will be over.
The Marine Corps is still stationed near the coastline southwest of Manila to intercept enemies who may escape southward through the west gate. Of course, no one with a clear mind would probably choose such an escape route. However, the headquarters was worried that the defenders of the Manila Port Coast Defense Battery would engage in some unnecessary death struggles, so they still deployed here. Marines were recruited to prevent some uncontrollable situations from occurring.
Wang Tom naturally still has many complaints about this arrangement, but the generals in the headquarters have known him for many years and know his true thoughts, and will not take his complaints too seriously. The army must be the main force in this siege battle, and the navy must not be allowed to steal the limelight again.
Qian Tiandun climbed over the ruins of the south gate and entered the city after nightfall. It was not that he was worried about Gao Qiaonan's command, but the combat environment in Manila was relatively complicated, and the attitude of the Spaniards had been wavering. There will be another move to request an armistice. Qian Tiandun personally sits on the front line so that he can respond in time.
For Haihan, the attack arrangement for the next day is actually relatively simple, and there is no need to rush ahead. He only needs to advance steadily based on the current occupied area, gradually reduce the scope of activity of the Spanish defenders, and then use artillery to attack and clear up the enemy. The urban area can be completed within a day or two. If the defenders still want to use the previous tactics of using private houses to intercept layers of interceptions, it will not be so easy at this time. After all, the Haihan Army has already entered the city with two combat troops, and their strength is much more sufficient than the day before. It is fully capable of surrounding the entire neighborhood and then cleaning it.
The only thing that needs to be careful is that the opponent adopts some unconventional or even extreme defensive tactics, such as setting fires and poisoning in the city, inciting people to riot, planting explosives in important locations, etc. The possibility of these methods appearing is not high, but it is still It is necessary to guard against it. In fact, there is no particularly effective way to deal with these dirty tricks. Generally, the only way is to implement strict martial law measures in the occupied areas and prohibit people from traveling. Cutting off the channels for information dissemination may be the most effective method.
The Army's most capable special operations battalion and the Nanhai Special Operations Group have already assembled in the city. If it were not for environmental restrictions, the Army's other ace force, the Cavalry Battalion, would also participate. For the Haihan Army, everything is ready for tomorrow's war, all they need is the east wind.
The Spaniards at the other end of the city obviously would not be in such a relaxed mood. They could not predict what kind of offensive they would encounter tomorrow, and they were not sure whether they would be able to get through this alive. Aragones was naturally very frustrated after listening to Francis's negotiation report, but he had nothing to say about it. The Haihan people's conditions were indeed too rude and harsh. Giving up the city of Manila was no different from surrendering directly. There was definitely no way. Deliver domestically. Not to mention Francis, even if he went to negotiate, it would be impossible for him to agree.
In fact, both of them already knew very well whether they could withstand the Haihan Army's next offensive. The chance of their side's comeback was extremely slim. The remaining suspense was just to see how long the battle could be dragged out. Aragones even had a vague idea of retreating, but he knew that Francis would probably not agree with this approach. If he brought it up at this time, Francis would probably give him a look on the spot - at this juncture, he This subordinate will no longer worry about the relationship between superiors and subordinates.
However, if Aragones just wants to save his life, he does not need to rely too much on the protection provided by Francis. He has a private army of a hundred people under his command, which is only loyal to him personally. If the war goes bad tomorrow, this private army can protect him and escape from the city through the north gate. As for whether Francis will defend the city or choose to save his life, Aragones can't care so much. When the disaster comes, they will fly away and survive the current situation first. In the early morning of the next day, Haihan's troops were divided into two groups. The special operations battalion set out from the south of the city, and the Nanhai special operations brigade set out from the east of the city. The two forces dispatched a total of more than 2,000 people and advanced toward the center of Manila. The artillery troops entering the city acted together with Roger's troops. If the defenders encountered temporary fortifications such as barricades erected on the streets in the city, the artillery troops would step in to solve the problem.
The Spaniards, who were unable to cope with the situation, finally continued their previous tactics, hoping that the sparrow tactic of shooting one shot and changing places would continue to slow down the advancement of the Haihan Army. But it is a pity that this tactic did not achieve satisfactory results under the suppression of Haihan's troops. On the contrary, he quickly lost two to three hundred people.
Only an hour after the battle began, the defenders had already fought and retreated, giving up a large area in the center of the city. Without much effort, Takahashi Nan had already commanded the troops to advance outside the cathedral.
Gao Qiaonan finally met here the Father Blanco whom Ran Tianlu mentioned. He took the initiative to take Gao Qiaonan into the church, allowing Gao Qiaonan to see with his own eyes the wounded and many homeless people being treated in the church.
"Your Excellency, Commander, no one in the church has the ability to fight with your army. I hope you can show mercy and allow these people to live." Father Blanc made a request to Takahashi Minami very bluntly: "They are not enemies of your country and should not be involved in this war."
After listening to the translation, Takahashi Minami responded: "Although your request is reasonable, I must say that whether these people can survive will ultimately be determined by the laws of our country. It is not a verbal transaction between you and me. . I can promise to let these people stay in the church for the time being, but you must also promise me that this church can only be entered and not exited. If someone commits an offense, you will be jointly and severally responsible. If you can do it, then you will keep it. The peace of these people in the church is gone.”
Takahashi Minami had no intention of killing indiscriminately, but he had to guard against the possibility of someone gathering to cause trouble. Father Blanco wanted to turn the church into a sanctuary to provide protection for his friends and block the bloody disaster in front of him. In his view, this was a benevolent act of the church, but in the view of Hai Hanjun, it was an act of kindness. Safety hazard. If Qian Tiandun hadn't specifically told him not to use violence against the city's cathedral the night before, Gao Qiaonan might not have bothered to pay attention to Father Blanco's request.
For this reason, Gao Qiaonan left two hundred people deployed on the traffic arteries around the church to ensure that this place was always under Haihan's effective supervision. The subtext is of course that if something happens here, the Haihan Army will have enough troops to suppress it with force as soon as possible.
The Castle District located in the north of the city is a fortress built by the Spanish when they settled here. It is also the political center of the Manila region. Almost all official institutions, including the Governor's Palace, are concentrated in this city-within-a-city, and the six-meter-high stone city wall It's probably the last resort in this city.
Takahashi Nan was delayed for about half an hour because he was dealing with the church in the center of the city, but his troops were not affected by this and arrived outside the castle first before the Nanhai Special Warfare Brigade. However, due to the lack of heavy firepower weapons to break through the defenses, the special operations battalion can only besiege here for the time being and wait for the artillery troops to attack from the east.
At ten o'clock in the morning, the anxious artillery troops who had asked the special operations battalion to wait finally arrived at the frontline battle zone with their weapons. After setting up four cannons at the castle gate, they fired a few rounds without explanation. The gate of this castle was not completely blocked from the inside like the south gate. It was blasted into a pile of wood slag in a few blows. The defenders in the castle basically had no intention of fighting. Seeing that the situation was over, many people put down their weapons and surrendered to Haihan.
Takahashi Minami led people into the Governor's Mansion, only to find that the place was empty, and there was no sign of Aragones at all. Then he led the team to the residence of Francis, the commander of the city defense, but also failed. This result disappointed Takahashi Minami. If the enemy's senior officials were not captured, the success in conquering Manila would be greatly compromised.
Manila is not a big city, nor is it a small city. It is indeed difficult to extract one or two people from the city in the current chaos, not to mention it is not clear whether these two high-ranking officials have escaped. The city.
"Arrest the servants in their residence first, and start interrogation immediately. Before noon, I want to know the whereabouts of these two people!" Takahashi Nan immediately assigned the task. As for the interrogation, with a Portuguese person acting as translator, there shouldn't be much of a problem. Of course, he did not forget to send the news immediately to the south of the city to let Qian Tiandun know the situation on the front line.
"Run away? Even Francis ran away?" Qian Tiandun was quite surprised by this. He thought that the Spanish officer was quite brave, but he ran away before the last moment. It seems that as Simon said, it is impossible to sit down and have a drink with that man.
(End of chapter)