For Wang Jingyi, Intramuros Manila was a dream at first. Whether it was the rows of stone houses on the streets or the huge glass windows in the shops, they all made her shudder. However, the light of dusk quickly faded, and wolves began to run around on the streets.
A sudden attack of troops and chaos broke out.
Like a frightened deer, Wang Jingyi ran along the wide main road for a while. Her grandfather told her to look for opportunities to be a servant at the doorsteps of rich people's homes. Look at the tall stone houses with spires in the distance.
Wang Jingyi thought that it must be a place where rich people live.
However, it was not the case. Many soldiers began to appear on the street and blocked the main road. Wang Jingyi did not dare to go any further. She hurriedly got into an alley and squatted down in an inconspicuous corner.
The clothes of the people passing by her were completely different from the Chinese in Binandu District on the north bank of the Passi River. Even if they were talking to each other, they seemed to be in a hurry, and no one paid attention to the little girl huddled there.
After a while, Wang Jingyi suddenly discovered a fatal problem: she did not understand the language of this city because she could not understand the words of anyone passing by in the alley.
This meant that she could not communicate with any of them. Even though she had made enough preparations to face difficulties, this sudden discovery still made her heart collapse. After all, she could not speak the language of this city, and she could even beg.
became very difficult.
As the sky gets darker, the girl feels more and more helpless, and the invasion of hunger makes her even more panicked. The few bananas she brought with her have been eaten long ago, leaving only the dragon yuan that her grandfather blackmailed Jiang Laoya -
—Wang Jingyi didn’t dare to take it out because the noisy alley didn’t seem to be peaceful.
Night slowly fell. Wang Jingyi, who was crying, suddenly felt a light shrouding herself, and then heard a deep voice: "Por qué lloras?" (Why are you crying?)
Wang Jingyi raised her head, and the first thing she saw was a pair of high heels, then tight stockings, a straight sword hanging from the hem of her wide blouse, and under the wide brim of the hat was the face of a foreigner with a high nose and deep eyes. He was probably in his forties.
Not far behind him, a dark-skinned young man stood there, dressed like a servant, holding a tin-glass oil lamp in his hand.
The little girl stood up and shook her head in panic. The man frowned at first, then took the lantern from the servant's hand, placed it next to Wang Jingyi's face, and looked at her carefully.
His brows quickly unfurled, a smile appeared on his face, and he said in Spanish: "Are you alone? Where is your family?"
Seeing that Wang Jingyi still didn't answer, he untied the sword from his waist, drew three stick figures, two large and one small, on the ground, and pointed at the two adults with the scabbard.
Wang Jingyi understood and pointed to the sky.
The man holding the sword smiled even more. He stretched out his hand, took Wang Jingyi's arm, and motioned for her to follow him.
Wang Jingyi struggled hard, but failed to break free. The man noticed her defense and just grabbed her harder. Then he said: "Don't shout, you will die." He waved his other hand.
of sword.
Wang Jingyi still didn't understand what he said, but she suddenly felt blessed and put a flattering smile on her face - just like she had met Mr. Jiang yesterday.
Perhaps in this chaotic night, the danger of staying in the streets was greater than following this man. She stopped struggling and followed him silently. The servant never made a sound and just followed quietly.
Mr. Hernando Colon is the Attorney General of Manila. On the night of June 13th, he felt that today was his lucky day. The wonderful girl made him spend an exciting and unforgettable night. Unfortunately, this was
A mixed-race guy who didn't understand Spanish, which slightly affected Cologne's mood.
On June 14, the morning after Wang Jingyi suffered her first major blow in her life, Mr. Cologne's bright mood completely turned sour because the Ming army's artillery spoke.
On June 16, Wang Jingyi suffered a third major injury. Mr. Colon's mood did not improve, because the fort at the port had been captured by the Ming army, and Manila fell into panic.
On June 17, Wang Jingyi was dying. Because the Ming army's artillery shells had already hit Manila, Cologne lost the mood to continue playing with her. He lay under the oil lamp and wrote hard, preparing to make his suggestions to the governor.
On June 18, Cologne and Father Lopez of the Manila Cathedral proposed surrender to the Ming army at the Governor's Palace, but they met with fierce opposition from the city defense officer Moratti Fernando.
"Dear Attorney General Don Hernando Colon! The power of New Spain is unlimited! The prestige of Legaspi inspires all Spaniards in it, whether they are soldiers or farmers, priests or craftsmen!
If, and I mean if, Mr. Legaspi were still alive, he would blow your head off with his musket!"
"This is the most glorious land promised to us by God. It must not fall into the hands of infidels. This is unquestionable and conclusive! The suggestion of surrender to the Chinese is shameful. Damn it, you should go to hell!"
The prosecutor general in question looked at the excited red faces opposite him, but there was no expression on his dark face: "Of course I respect Mr. Legaspi, even though he has been favored by the Lord for fifteen years. Mr.
People, fifteen years is just one generation. What have become of the glorious, loyal officers and soldiers led by Legaspi in the past, who used their bravery and hard work to obtain fair rewards?"
"The military pay was received in the morning, and the Chinese debts were paid off at noon. In the afternoon, they lost all their money and owed another sum. There was not a night when they were not drunk, and by early morning, their clothes and shoes were gone! They gave up their teachings and sold out
They took away their weapons, begged and stole - Dear Magistrate Fernando, you don't have to look at the image of the Father, please look me in the eyes and answer, can they still fight now?"
"Ladies and gentlemen, the glorious New Spain has long lost its prestige in the eyes of the natives, and the Chinese regard us as pitiful people. The artillery on the flagship of the Ming Dynasty fleet is the sum of all the artillery in Manila, and they have already occupied the fort! Your Majesty the Governor
, in the name of Heavenly Father, and for the sake of the women and children in this royal city, an honorable surrender will not bring shame on you. I personally and Father Lopez will testify for you in the military court to prove that your decision is a last resort.
Lift."
"You bastard!" Moratti Fernando couldn't bear it after being exposed. He trembled his lips and grabbed the sword at his waist with trembling hands, as if he wanted to give the Cologne Prosecutor General a white knife to go in and a red knife to go out.
With a loud bang, Santiago de Bella, the governor of the East of New Spain and the ruler of the Philippines, slammed his fist on the conference table. Moratti, the city defense officer, and the prosecutor general of Cologne shut up at the same time.
His eyes focused on Santiago, who had gray hair.
Santiago stood up and pointed to the Manila coat of arms awarded by Felipe on the wall behind him, and then said solemnly: "Gentlemen, our great monarch named Manila the 'City of Eternal Loyalty and Nobility'. This city
General Li will never surrender or betray. Mr. Cologne, please wait until I finish."
"The information I received earlier is that the negotiations between the Ming Dynasty's envoys to Europe and His Majesty broke down. New Mexico also reminded us to beware of warships from the east - now they have arrived. Maybe we now have fewer artillery and soldiers than the other party.
, but Legaspi had fewer people when he captured the city, he only had 230 men."
"Gentlemen, there are 670 white people in the royal city who can hold muskets, and there are 6,000 indigenous soldiers. Although the royal city is not completed, the forts have been fully repaired and equipped with artillery. To occupy this place, the Ming army must come from Passi
Ashore at the mouth of the river, as long as the boardwalk is demolished, the mud there will become their cemetery. Gentlemen, even if we abandon our loyalty and courage, we have no reason to surrender."