?The leading fleet departed from Hangzhou in early June and headed for Manila.
According to the normal speed, it takes about fifteen days to get from Hangzhou to Manila. However, it is June now, which is the end of July in the Gregorian calendar. The wind direction is mostly southeasterly and rarely northwesterly, so the fleet travels most of the time.
They all go against the wind, although in this era, the wind
The technology of sailboats has been very advanced. By constantly changing the angle of the sail, it can sail even in headwind conditions, but the speed is obviously much slower, and it requires a lot of manpower. It is difficult to rely only on the sailors on the ship.
Keep the ship sailing continuously upwind.
However, now that the ships were full of soldiers, manpower was not a problem. Along the way, we encountered more than ten merchant ships returning from Manila, and we learned that the situation in Manila had become further tense. Therefore, despite the headwind, the fleet still sailed towards the Philippines.
But even so, it took twenty days for the fleet to arrive in the Philippines.
The Philippines is an archipelago country with a total of more than 7,000 islands. However, there are only 20 or 30 islands that are currently settled. There are 13 major islands, with Luzon in the north being the largest, followed by Mindanao in the southeast.
, plus the Baliwang Island in the southwest, just form a triangle running north-south, with the north tip and the south wide.
Luzon Island is located in the northern part of the Philippine Islands. It is a triangular tip with a total area equal to that of Zhejiang Province. Both are about 100,000 square kilometers, accounting for more than 30% of the total area of the Philippine Islands. It is generally in the form of a south-north rectangle, with a length of about 100,000 square kilometers from north to south.
It is 740 kilometers long, about 220 kilometers wide from east to west, has a coastline of more than 5,000 kilometers, and has many excellent bays. It is now the core of the Philippine Islands, and the main force of Spanish colonists is on Luzon.
The terrain of Luzon Island is high in the north and low in the south. Two-thirds are highlands and hills, basically distributed in the north. Therefore, most of the bays suitable for landing and making ports are located in the southern half. Manila is located
Manila Bay at the southern end of Luzon Island, the mouth of the Pasig River.
Therefore, reaching Luzon Island does not mean arriving in Manila. The fleet walked along the northwest coastline of Luzon Island for another day and arrived at Lingayen Bay in central Luzon Island. There is a large river called the Arno River.
It enters the sea here, and the Chinese have always called it Tortoiseshell Port. It is a relatively good place.
The parking place is still about 220 kilometers away from the city of Manila. In 1574, the famous Chinese pirate Lin Feng led his army to attack Manila. He built a city and established a stronghold here, proclaimed himself king, and fought with Spain.
The army fought for more than ten months. Finally, the troops were unable to retreat and they retreated.
Because Lian Ling had been sailing for twenty days, the crew and soldiers were very tired, so Song Xiechang and others also discussed and decided to rest here for a day before continuing southward. After they sailed into the mouth of the Arno River, they found this place
There are also three Chinese merchant ships moored.
Zhang Gengqiu also went out to inquire. It turned out that he knew the owners of these three Chinese merchant ships. They were brothers Chen Zuowei, Hu Yuan, Zhao Ming, and Zhao Xin. They were all Chinese businessmen doing business in Manila.
Although they did not have any close contact with Zhang Gengqiu and his son, they all knew each other. Seeing that Zhang Gengqiu looked like he was going to Manila, they all asked about it. When Zhang Gengqiu arrived, he did not dare to say that he was with the army and only said
I really want to go to Manila.
Chen Zuowei was an old man about the same age as Zhang Gengqiu. After hearing Zhang Gengqiu's confirmation, he couldn't help but slapped his thumb and said, "Old Captain Zhang, how dare you go to Manila? The Ganlu people are planning to kill us Chinese again." , a few of us just ran away from Manila, and now the Ganzilu people have sealed off Manila Bay. If you still go to Manila now, aren't you throwing yourself into a trap?"
Zhang Gengqiu was also startled and asked, "Have the Gansi La people already taken action?"
Hu Yuandao said, "That's not there yet, but I think it's almost there. Now the natives in Manila have openly started to rob the Chinese shops in Balian, wounding and killing many Chinese. Zhang Tuo, the Chinese manager in Balian, reported to the Spanish Governor The government made a request, but Governor Chacon was vague and did not give a direct reply at all."
Zhao Ming said bitterly, "What vague words? He is basically protecting the indigenous people. He insists on asking us Chinese to exercise restraint and hand over weapons to ensure safety. This is bullshit. After handing over weapons, we will have no resistance at all." , so we can only open our necks and be slaughtered."
Zhao Xin also said, "The Archbishop of Manila, Francisco, has publicly announced that he will punish heretics. What heretics are, aren't they us Chinese? A few missionaries even led Greek soldiers to openly rob in Balian District." , what kind of monk is this? He is simply a robber."
Chen Zuowei said, "Old Captain Zhang, turn around quickly. Don't go to Manila."
Zhang Gengqiu and his son looked at each other, and Zhang Gengqiu said, "Guys, I won't hide it from you. I have long expected that the Ganlu people would attack us Chinese again, so I made a special trip back to China to ask for an audience with King Jingbei of Nanjing. Please He sent troops to protect us Chinese in Manila."
There was a glimmer of excitement in the eyes of the Zhao brothers. Zhao Ming said, "We have heard that King Jingbei once sent troops to attack Japan in order to protect the Chinese businessmen in Japan. This time he will definitely send troops to Manila again."
Zhao Xin also said, "In the end, King Jingbei took over Manila and drove away the Ganzilu people, and we can do business here in peace and quiet."
Chen Zuowei shook his head and said, "I don't think so. Didn't someone also report it to Emperor Wanli in the 31st year of Wanli? What was the result? That is, an edict was issued, and nothing happened. By the 10th day of Chongzhen Didn’t the Latins still kill us Chinese after three years of relations? What happened to Emperor Chongzhen? He didn’t even send a fart. We overseas Chinese businessmen are pariahs in the eyes of the court, and it would not be a pity to die no matter how many times we die.”
Hu Yuandao said, "Yes, even the emperor cannot be trusted these days, let alone a prince? You young people, stop daydreaming."
In fact, the Zhao brothers are all over thirty. According to the standards of this era, they can be considered middle-aged. However, in front of Zhang Gengqiu, Chen Zuowei, and Hu Yuan, they can only be regarded as juniors.
At this time, Zhang Zonghua said, "Guys, you have all thought wrong. King Jingbei is different from other emperors. He will not leave us overseas Chinese businessmen alone. Now we are working with the Fu Bo army sent by King Jingbei." Get up."
Zhang Zongqiao also said, "Yes, this time King Jingbei is going to drive away the Ganlu people and occupy Manila so that we Chinese will no longer be bullied by foreigners in the future."
When the Zhao brothers heard this, they were also very happy. Zhao Ming said, "Is it true? That's great. I have long disliked this group of Ganlu people, and this time I can breathe a sigh of relief."
Zhao Xin also said, "Yes, brother, let's not leave. Stay and help the Fubo army. I also want to kill two Ganlu people with my own hands, even if it means killing a few indigenous people."
Chen Zuowei glanced at their brothers, shook his head, and said, "You only came in six boats. How many people could you have? How could you defeat the Ganlu people?"
Zhang Gengqiu said, "We are just the leading team. The big team is still behind. We will arrive in Manila in a month or two at the latest."
Hu Yuan snorted and said, "What's the point of having thousands of troops here? The Gansi La people have artillery and guns, which are very powerful. Besides, Qian La is also a country. I want to talk about it."
It is several times bigger than China. We can send troops here, and others can send troops as well. Maybe they will make them anxious and attack China directly. We, the common people, are mixing things up in it, so we should escape as soon as possible."
The faces of Zhang Zonghua and Zhang Zongqiao brothers were a little ugly, but Zhang Gengqiu said, "Several of you, everyone knows that there are ten times more Chinese in Manila than Ganlu. Although the court used to ignore us Chinese, we just
I am always bullied by others, but if all
The Chinese can really unite and deal with the Ganzila people unanimously, and they will not be massacred twice by the Ganzila people. But now someone is coming to help us. If we ourselves are not up to date, we will not dare to resist the Ganzila people.
, that means we overseas Chinese are too hopeless."
Brothers Zhao Ming and Zhao Xin glanced at each other. Zhao Ming said, "Old Captain Zhang, you are an elder of overseas Chinese businessmen. Our brothers have not had close contact with you, but you are so old and you have to rush back to Manila. That's why we have to rush back to Manila."
, we also trust you, and we will work with you this time, even if we die in Manila, we will not regret it."
Brothers Zhang Zonghua and Zhang Zongqiao immediately stepped forward to welcome them, while Chen Zuowei and Hu Yuan looked up at the sky and stared at the ground without saying a word.
Zhang Gengqiu sighed and said, "Everyone has his or her own ambitions, and we won't force you to do it. You can do it yourself."
Then they brought the Zhao brothers to see Song Xiechang and explained the situation in Manila again. When Aconia and the other four missionaries heard the behavior of their colleagues, they were all very embarrassed and had no choice but to smile bitterly. Song Xiechang and others listened.
It is said that the Spanish army has blocked Manila Bay, and everyone is very anxious. They don’t know how to get to the merchant house. Moreover, if the merchant ship cannot dock and enter the port, it will not be able to reach the merchant house. In addition, if it is attacked at sea, the merchant ship will not be able to reach the merchant house.
How much resistance.
Therefore, everyone also started emergency negotiations, and finally decided to leave three ships and corresponding personnel in Hawksbill Port, build a wall here, and then proceed to Manila by land, while he took the other three merchant ships and continued to advance by sea.
If you advance in two directions, there is always one way to reach the merchant house, and if the merchant mall has been lost, you can also leave a retreat for yourself, retreat to Tortoiseshell Lane, and continue to wait for reinforcements.
After the discussion and decision, everyone immediately dispatched, leaving Zhang Zonghua and Zhang Zongqiao brothers to go ashore to lead the way, while Zhang Gengqiu and the Zhao brothers continued to move forward with the fleet. The merchant ship of the Zhao brothers was anchored in Tortoiseshell Port, and the crew on the ship and the Fubo army were