Chapter 1672 No way to escape
After the Haihan Army occupied Manila, most of the Spanish immigrants here would find ways to escape from the Haihan-controlled areas for the sake of their future livelihood. For example, fleeing north to the inland plains on the north bank of the Pasig River was considered by many to be a way out. Some people with connections will try various channels to find ships to go to sea and escape to other Spanish colonies in the South China Sea. During this period, someone wanted to fish in troubled waters and hired a boat to escape under Haihan's supervision. It was not uncommon. However, how could these Spaniards sneak out of the heavily guarded city? The headquarters must investigate. Just understand.
Of course, everyone quickly thought of another possibility. The Spaniards Ran Tianlu saw on the dock were not leaving the city, but were waiting directly outside the city for Ran Hui to take the boat to meet at the Pasig River dock.
However, Wang Tom was not in a hurry and asked Ran Tianlu to get up first and reply. Although Ran Tianlu had made some omissions in his contact with the other party, it had not caused any major fault, and it was discovered in time, so there was no chance of recovery. Ran Tianlu's original identity was from the Ministry of Security, and he had made great contributions in the past. The military could not blame him for such a small thing. Even if a cargo ship was robbed by this group of people, the deposit that Ran Hui took out would have been worth several ships, and there would not be much loss. The only concern is the personal safety of the innocent crew members on board.
According to the personnel registered with the Ministry of Shipping, this cargo ship belonging to Zhan's Shipping Company has a total of fourteen crew members, including Captain Meng Ge. If a human life is really caused, the military will inevitably have to pay some compensation to the shipping company. . As for whether the ship would take the opportunity to escape, this issue did not require the Haihan generals to worry too much.
The command quickly issued an order and dispatched a team of cavalry to follow Ran Tianlu to the bank of the Pasig River to seize the warehouse and see if they could intercept the cargo ship in time. On the other hand, the Navy also notified the armed warships docked in Manila Port to prepare for dispatch immediately, and only waited for news from the Pasig River bank. If the ship had left the Pasig River, it would dispatch the Navy to pursue it. The speed of that cargo ship is only about six or seven knots. Even if it runs for an hour or two first, it will still be overtaken by the navy. After all, there is only one entrance and exit in Manila Bay. As long as it pursues it in that direction, it will not go wrong.
Ran Tianlu immediately thanked Wang Tom for his magnanimity, knowing that whether he could be punished or not would depend on catching these people, so he hurried out of the city with the cavalry team. But when he reached the Pasig River outside the city, the boat that was docked on the shore had disappeared.
Ran Tianlu secretly complained, and at the moment he could only treat the dead horse as a living horse doctor, and asked the soldiers to quickly search the nearby warehouse to see if they could find anything. Soon the soldiers discovered several Han Chinese who were tied up in one of the warehouses. When asked, they were the crew members of the cargo ship. Ran Tianlu hurriedly asked about the situation, only to learn that after he left, the Spaniards on the dock took advantage of the crew's unpreparedness and subdued several of them. They threatened their lives and demanded that the crew surrender and hand over the cargo ship's contents. control.
After a brief negotiation between the two parties, Captain Meng Ge agreed to hand over the ship to the other party in exchange for the safety of the crew. But in the end, the gang took eight people, including Meng Ge, aboard the ship, then pulled up the anchor and raised the sails and left. The remaining six crew members were bundled in and thrown into the warehouse on the dock until Ran Tianlu brought someone to rescue them.
This was not because the Spaniards were merciful and specifically released six people, but the ship required at least eight sailors to operate it. The Spaniards were not familiar with the ship and were worried that these sailors could move freely on the ship. They It was really difficult to keep an eye on them one by one, so I only took the minimum amount of eight people away, so that I could not only sail away by boat, but also control the situation on the boat more securely. As for why the remaining six crew members were not silenced, this was also due to Ran Hui saying a few good words to allow the Spaniards to leave some room to avoid angering Haihan and massacring local Spanish immigrants in retaliation.
Probably when the Spaniards left, they didn't expect that their hiding place had been discovered by Ran Tianlu. They thought that it would take at least one night for the crew to be discovered in the warehouse, and by that time they might have quietly sailed out of Manila under the cover of night. Bay, then the possibility of the Haihan Army intercepting them at sea will be very small.
As for where the ship would be hijacked, the six crew members had no idea. Ran Tianlu was so anxious that he scratched his head, but the officer who was accompanying him was much calmer than him. He immediately sent a cavalry back to the city to report the news, and then comforted Ran Tianlu not to panic. The ship had left the dock less than an hour ago, and there was absolutely no way to escape from the navy. After the pursuit, Ran Tianlu's anxious heart relaxed a little.
The mobility of the Haihan Army was undoubtedly second to none in the Far East in this era. The news was transmitted back to the city by the cavalry, and then sent from the headquarters to the waiting warships in Manila Port in less than a cup of tea.
The warship Wang Tom ordered to dispatch to perform the pursuit mission was the new warship "Black Shark" that stole the show in the Battle of Manila. It happened to be such a coincidence that today it was the Warrior's turn to be on combat readiness duty. The ship had just completed its maritime patrol and returned to the port. Before the sailors could set up the gangplank, the order from the command center came. When Captain Wu Sen saw the content of the mission, he naturally would not let go of such a "light" opportunity to perform a meritorious service. He immediately ordered a quick replenishment of coal and fresh water, and all personnel were on standby on board, preparing to sail again. As soon as the second order from the headquarters arrived, Wu Sen ordered to set off immediately. While Ran Tianlu was still uneasy outside the north gate, the "Black Shark" here had slowly sailed away from the coast.
In addition to the two advanced naval guns one behind the other on the "Black Shark", the steam propulsion system and sail system on the ship are also the latest technological achievements of the relevant departments, and their performance has been improved compared to the previous Majestic-class warships. , especially the time required to speed up navigation, has been greatly shortened compared to the past, which is especially useful when chasing enemy ships on the battlefield. As for chasing a civilian ship at full power at sea, this was the first time for both Wu Sen and the "Black Shark".
When setting sail, Wu Sen had already arranged for people to climb the mast and use telescopes to look at the situation at sea. Although the performance of the "Black Shark" was excellent, dusk was approaching, and if the target was not found before dark, it would be a bit troublesome. .
Wu Sen studied the nautical chart of Manila Bay during the short break before departure. He drew a straight line from the mouth of the Pasig River to Corregidor Island at the exit of Manila Bay. The voyage was about twenty nautical miles. If the other party wants to sail out of Manila Bay in order to escape, and the voyage and sea position are calculated based on the fact that the other party sets off one hour first, then the "Black Shark" pursuing at full speed in this direction should be able to find the other party's traces soon.
Sure enough, just as Wu Sen speculated, about half an hour after leaving the port, the lookout on the mast had already spotted a sail shadow on the sea to the west. The only sailboat that would appear at this location during this time period was probably the one that had been previously spotted. The cargo ship hijacked by the Spanish.
After chasing closer, through the telescope, one could see the "Zhan" flag hanging on the top of the ship's mast. It was the cargo ship belonging to Zhan's Shipping Company. Wu Sen no longer hesitated immediately and ordered to prepare for battle. The order he received before setting off was to intercept the ship at all costs. However, the second order from the command stated that there were eight sailors on board. Crewman Han, ask him to be a little more careful in his actions and not be too reckless.
Wu Sen understood "no matter the cost" to mean that the cargo ship could be sunk directly if necessary, but since there were Haihan nationals on the ship and they had been warned by the superiors, they probably had to restrain themselves a little. Of course, it would be best if the other party is willing to surrender, but judging from the way the ship adjusts its course and speeds up its escape, it seems likely that it will not surrender voluntarily.
Calculating the speed, it is not difficult for Wu Sen to conclude that the ship cannot reach the waters of Corregidor Island before dark, and it is impossible to escape the pursuit of the "Black Shark". In fact, it took less than an hour from the time the ship was discovered until the distance between the two ships was reduced to one nautical mile.
When the distance between the two ships narrowed to about 200 meters, the sky had begun to darken. Wu Sen saw that the other party had no intention of stopping the ship and surrendering, so he was naturally too lazy to slow down, so he ordered the pursuit to be parallel to the cargo ship, and then Fire the gun to hit the area where the tail rudder is. The naval combat capabilities of the "Black Shark" have been fully verified before. At this time, it is natural to deal with a cargo ship at close range. Wusen could already see the chaos on the deck of the ship without using a telescope. It was obvious that the Spaniards were unprepared to be caught up by the Haihan battleship, and the few muskets in their hands wanted to deal with it. Tin cans like the "Black Shark" are just scratching an itch.
As the "Black Shark" naval guns fired one after another, the rear of the cargo ship immediately exploded, and soon began to flood and capsize. The people on the boat saw the stern of the boat slowly sinking into the sea, and knew that it was impossible to escape. They could only throw floating objects such as wooden boards, wooden boxes, and barrels into the sea, and then jump into the sea to escape.
The "Black Shark" slowed down and slowly approached the sinking area of the cargo ship. It used bamboo poles to pull the survivors on the sea to the side of the ship one by one, and then let them climb onto the deck along the ladder lowered by the side of the ship.
None of the eight crew members, including the captain Meng Ge, was killed. Only one person was slightly injured in the previous battle and only needed to be bandaged. The group of people who robbed the ship were not so lucky. After an inventory check, two people were missing. It seems that the few shots that hit the stern of the ship just now pushed it into the sea and sank with the cargo ship.
Ran Hui, the mixed-race businessman who deceived Ran Tianlu, was lucky. When he was pulled onto the ship, he was unharmed. He was just a little frightened and was still shaking while kneeling on the deck. The man was dragged to the captain's cabin, and after Meng Ge identified him, Wu Sen ordered someone to take him down, shackle his hands and feet, and take him into custody alone. He was the one who led the way in this ship hijacking. Of course he was the one who committed the biggest crime. After he was returned to the port, he would be handed over to the headquarters, and the generals would decide whether he should live or die.
Ran Hui probably also knew his situation. After a moment of silence, he suddenly shouted loudly: "This villain is willing to serve his crime and make meritorious service. I hope General Haihan will give me a chance!"
Wu Sen sneered and said: "How can you establish a Kung Fu method to punish crimes?"
Ran Hui gritted his teeth and said: "The villain knows the whereabouts of the Spanish governor. If the general can help the villain regain his freedom, the villain will tell the general this secret."
Wu Sen responded calmly: "You have already fallen into my hands, so what qualifications do you have to negotiate conditions? I will reward you with a torture, but you will do whatever it takes!"
Ran Hui said: "The villain will definitely be punished, but if the delay is too long and the enemy chief takes the opportunity to escape, won't the general's credit be lost?"
"You have a clever mouth, no wonder you deceived you into a ship!" Wu Sen said it would be a lie if he said he was not impressed by Ran Hui's conditions, but he directly promised him a free life. Wu Sen He doesn't have such great authority, and he is also worried that this guy is playing tricks. If he falls for the trick, he will let this guy succeed twice in one day.
"First tell me what you know about the situation. If you really catch that person, I will intercede for you and at least protect your life!" Wu Sen decided that he still had to have reservations and could not agree immediately.
But Ran Hui was afraid that Wu Sen would regret it, so he immediately confirmed it again. It wasn't until Wu Sen impatiently patted his chest and swore that he said: "The villain believed the general. I hope the general will not forget it after he catches the person." This commitment..."
"Don't say it again!" If it weren't for the seriousness of the matter, Wu Sen would have wanted to kick this guy out.
Ran Hui then returned to the topic: "Among the dozen or so Spaniards tied up outside, there is a fat man with brown hair, wearing gray clothes and black trousers, and a bit bald. That man is Governor Aragones!"
Wu Sen suddenly stood up, kicked Ran Hui over, and then left the cabin to find the person he mentioned on the deck. Sure enough, among the more than ten prisoners fished out of the sea, there was one whose appearance was just like what Ran Hui had described. He knelt down and asked a few questions, but the man just shook his head, as if he didn't understand what he said. Chinese.
And when they set off just now, they were walking in a hurry, and there was no translator on the "Black Shark". Now, with big eyes and small eyes, it was impossible to confirm the identity of this person. However, seeing that this man was white and fat, he looked like he was used to pampering himself. Wu Sen pinched this man's palm again, but did not touch the calluses. It was obvious that he was not a manual worker, but it was very possible that he was. The fugitive governor of the Philippines.
But Wu Sen, a man like him, had another plan in his mind. He kicked the fat man and he screamed in pain. The other prisoners next to him immediately looked here. The first thing Wu Sen saw these people looking at was this. The fat man, not himself, had a concerned look on his face, and he was already a little more certain about his identity in his heart.
(End of chapter)