Chapter 3056
DeSantis stood on the bow of the boat, slowly adjusting the monocular in his hand and carefully observing the topography of the nearby coast.
This was not the first time he came to San Diego Bay, but the last time he came here was several years ago. At that time, there was no Haihan armed fleet here, and there was no need to worry about attacks from the sea.
DeSantis would not have been willing to take the job if it hadn't been for the Governor's personal order. Although he has never fought against the Haihan people, he has heard many related rumors and knows how dangerous this opponent is.
In recent years, Spain has been defeated steadily by Haihan in East Asia. It can only parry but has no power to fight back. Fortunately, the Viceroyalty of New Spain is far away in Central and North America and will hardly be affected by the war situation in East Asia. I have the leisure to sit on the mountain and watch the fight between tigers and all kinds of jokes in the Governor-General of the Philippines.
But such good days seem to have come to an end. Haihan, an old rival, has crossed the Pacific and appeared on the west coast of North America.
At first, everything seemed to be peaceful. Haihan only established a stronghold in Jinshan Bay in the north. But in just a few years, the other party had extended its tentacles to San Diego Bay in the south, making the colonial authorities no longer able to ignore its existence.
Although San Diego Bay is just a border area of the Viceroyalty of New Spain and has never been very popular, Haihan must not be allowed to occupy it. Seeing that San Diego Bay had sent messages asking for help again and again in the past six months, the Governor finally couldn't hold back and decided to increase the number of troops in San Diego Bay to protect the two colonial settlements here.
However, allocating military expenditures and supplies required for combat is far more difficult than making a decision to increase troops.
The funds and materials that the San Diego Bay colonial authorities could provide were extremely limited, and the opponent was a tough opponent like the Haihan Army. No one was willing to take the initiative to take on this thankless job, so the Governor's Mansion spent a lot of time energy to complete the preparatory work.
When the latest emergency request for help was sent to Mexico City, several months had actually passed since the governor decided to increase the number of troops. All preparations were almost completed, just in time for the dispatch of troops. Three days after receiving the letter asking for help, DeSantis led the troops to dispatch, which seemed to the outside world to be quite efficient.
The reason why DeSantis was appointed by the Governor was simply because there were very few senior officers familiar with the situation in San Diego Bay and there was almost no choice.
Fifteen warships, plus seven armed merchant ships, this was a fleet that the Viceroyalty of New Spain took several months to piece together on the west coast. Several of the ships were even brought in from as far away as Panama City.
But DeSantis still has little confidence in this operation, because in the past two decades, the Spanish fleet has never defeated the Navy on a frontal battlefield.
In all maritime battle records, Spain has no victory.
It is said that Haihan's highest officer in North America is the country's former naval commander, known for his rich practical experience. None of the members of this improvised fleet led by DeSantis had any experience fighting against the Haihan Army, and had no advantage at all.
DeSantis did not want the fleet he led to become the same as Haihan, so after arriving outside the San Diego Bay, he carefully ordered not to enter the bay first, but to cruise in the open sea and confirm the entry and exit of the strait through telescopes The waterway is not controlled by Haihan.
After receiving the news, Aragones was not so patient. He quickly found a boat to go to sea to meet DeSantis, urging him to enter the bay as soon as possible to stabilize the local people's hearts. "The Haihan fleet is still in the bay. Are you urging us to go in because you are afraid that the battle will not start?" DeSantis was very dissatisfied with Aragones' urging and refused the other party unceremoniously.
Aragones said: "But the local people have been waiting for reinforcements to arrive, and you should understand their expectations."
DeSantis said: "You can go back and announce to the people that reinforcements have arrived. But I must ensure the safety of this fleet first, and then your people!"
Aragones said: "But the purpose of your coming here is to save the people here!"
DeSantis waved his hand and said: "You are wrong. We are here because of the order of the Governor, not to save anyone. If there is a choice, no one is willing to go to war with Haihan. I am the commander of this fleet, The safety of the fleet must be ensured first, followed by you and your territory.”
Aragones didn't know how to respond for a moment. He thought that as soon as the reinforcements from the south arrived, they could use their appearance to appease the people and at the same time frighten the Haihan people who were ready to make a move. But I didn't expect Commander DeSantis to be so cold-hearted. He didn't seem to care about the safety of the locals at all. He said he didn't want to face the Haihan Army.
Aragones suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice: "I spent two years of local tax revenue to invite you here, not just to let you take a few rounds in the distance so that you can go back to do business!"
DeSantis said with a cold face: "Since you mentioned money, I might as well make it clearer. Only one-third of the money you sent to the Governor's Mansion was given to us as military expenses, and even It’s not enough to consume the fleet on the way. Do you want us to work for you? OK, as long as you can pay enough, I will order the fleet to sail into the bay and fight for the Haihan people!”
Aragones was speechless for a moment. He did not expect that most of the funds he sent to Mexico City would be withheld. And the local money and food reserves were running low. How could he collect another military expenditure and hand it over to the other party?
Seeing this, DeSantis also knew that there was not much oil and water to be squeezed out of Aragones, so he immediately said: "When we enter the bay, we are sending ourselves in front of Haihan's powerful ships and guns. The chance of winning is extremely high. Slim. The only chance of victory is to hold the exit of the bay and wait until they take the initiative to attack. Then we can use the terrain advantage to attack the Haihan warship."
Aragones said: "But what if they attack my two settlements first?"
DeSantis responded expressionlessly: "Then what do you want me to do? Let the sailors disembark and go ashore to serve as cannon fodder in your settlement?"
Of course, Aragones knew that this was not feasible, and said: "But at least we should be provided with some help..."
"Listen, if the Haihan people really want to attack your settlement, they won't wait so long without taking action. Now that they are deliberately making a gesture of attacking, but they have been holding back, there is only one possibility..." De Santis paused before continuing: "Their real target is not you and your territory, but the fleet that came to rescue you!"
(End of chapter)