Although it is said that the Spanish army has arrived in the city, in the first month after New Year's Eve, the Chinese in Manila still celebrate their own festivals. Under the organization of the officials of the town government, various traditional Chinese New Year celebrations were held one after another: The smell of firecrackers filled the city. There were also dragon and lion dance performances performed by immigrants from each county and township. Not only the Chinese celebrated the New Year happily, but also attracted a large number of indigenous people and businessmen from various countries to take to the streets to watch various folk performances.
Yin Feng had no intention of celebrating the New Year. He asked the Military Intelligence Department three times a day if the Security Department had any information on the Spaniards.
Li Lihua was very happy. Although Yin Feng was very busy, he still found time to accompany her every day, especially a few days before the New Year. Yin Feng also accompanied her to the church. The Jesuits specially decorated the outside of the church to show respect for the traditional Chinese New Year. .
However, just a few days after these days, news came that the Spanish fleet had attacked Cebu.
The original garrison in Cebu was an independent garrison camp of the Chinese Army. After the castle was reinforced, it could withstand heavy artillery fire of more than 36 pounds on the city wall. After learning that the Spaniards had arrived in Guam, Yin Feng also sent Zhao Xuanming A battalion of the 4th Regiment went to strengthen Cebu's defenses.
The Spanish fleet suddenly attacked Cebu. Five large four-masted warships of the Spanish fleet took turns bombarding the Cebu Castle. Other warships dropped a large number of small boats and rushed to the beach. They robbed the indigenous villages on Cebu Island. They were bombarded by heavy artillery from the castle. Later, the Spanish fleet withdrew from the offshore waters. Soon the Spanish troops who landed also evacuated. It seems that this operation was just to obtain supplies on Cebu Island.
After the Spanish Expeditionary Force left Cebu, the Chinese Company's guard post near the southern coast of Leyte Island once discovered the Spanish fleet heading west.
The young staff officers of the old battalion staff looked at the map distressedly and expressed their opinions one after another:
"Could it be that the Guanlu people returned the same way?"
"It's impossible. The Greeks came all the way here. It's impossible to just grab some food and grass in Guam and Cebu and then leave."
"Could it be that the Greeks are deliberately wandering around Luzon to disperse our forces and then wait for an opportunity to land?"
"This is extremely possible."
"All the fleet's clippers have been dispatched. There are patrol ships in the waters around Luzon Island. We will get all the relevant news soon..."
"But it's been ten days. It's been ten days since the Spaniards left Cebu. Where are they?"
The head of the staff department and the elder of the staff, the mercenary Colonel Coutre, is old. He has married the mixed-race daughter of a Portuguese businessman in Macau and has children in Taiwan under the rule of the Chinese Company. He is ready to settle in Taiwan. He is not actually a staff officer. He is an action man. He prefers to rush to the front line; but he has rich combat experience and understanding of the Spanish. So Yin Feng invited him to be his chief of staff. Now he is also staring at Luzon with distress. Map. The quill in his hand kept drawing on the map.
Suddenly, a young second lieutenant officer rushed into the staff office. His face turned red. He waved a piece of paper in his hand and loudly reported: "The latest battle report. Six days ago, the related ship appeared on the Wendu Peninsula in the southeast of Luzon Island. In the strait between Sanba Island, some fishermen's boats were looted and burned. Three days ago, the Ganlu fleet appeared outside Barei Port. It attacked Barei Port and sank one of our gunboats. A large group of enemy troops attempted to land and were defeated. The Bare garrison battalion used artillery to repel them. All the Tagalog villages around Bare Port were looted."
A group of staff officers gathered around the map and marked Barei, a small port located northeast of Manila on the east coast of Luzon Island.
"Colonel Coutre, will the enemy land from the east coast?" a young staff officer asked.
Cutre shook his head and said: "Probably not. The east coast of Luzon is full of high mountains and the roads are rugged, making it difficult for large groups of people to pass. As long as a small number of troops are used to guard a few key mountain passes, the Spaniards will not be able to pass smoothly. The Spaniards will not be able to pass smoothly. You would be so stupid."
Speaking of this, Colonel Coutre shook his head in confusion and said: "It stands to reason that the Spaniards are now running out of food and grass and their personnel are exhausted. They should make a quick decision. Why are they still wandering on the sea and wasting time? Is it really true? Is it to raise food? How is this behavior different from piracy?"
"Their ammunition cannot be replenished. If it goes on for a long time, the Greeks will either turn around and go home, or they will land and fight us decisively." A young man interjected.
Colonel Coutre then said: "Yes. We don't need to set up defenses everywhere and spread our troops. Sooner or later, the Spaniards will come ashore and fight us decisively. Let's just... use... what, how to put it."
The clever young staff officer quickly continued: "Stay constant to cope with all changes. Just wait and see."
The Chinese Company has a strong ability to control the grassroots of society. Not only because of the company's super strong force, but also because Yin Feng never followed the principle of fellow villagers and soil when arranging immigrants to work in the fields, disrupting the clan and family relationships of the immigrants. .Eliminates the possibility of confrontation between clan power, family interests and company interests, allowing the company management organization to firmly control everyone.
Therefore, the Chinese military guard posts are all Chinese immigrants who obtained farmland from the company. Teams of five or ten people volunteered to patrol the coastal area. Moreover, gravel roads have long been built between the immigrant settlement sites. Therefore, The Chinese Army has convenient means of communication in Luzon Island. In addition, Yin Feng issued the "Armor Order", allowing farmers in farms, plantations, and farm estates directly under the company to own weapons. Therefore, the origin of the Zhuang Ding Team is not at all Not a problem. Those indigenous tribes who tried to take advantage of the Spanish attack to cause trouble suffered a major blow during this period. Some large landowners and manor owners took the opportunity to seize some indigenous land.
Soon, news came one after another that the Spanish fleet appeared on the northern coast of Luzon Island, the coast of Palawan Island, and the Pengaslan area on the western coast of Luzon Island.
The Spanish fleet circled east of the Philippine Islands and finally approached Manila Bay.
Now, the 7,000 main force of the 1st Infantry Brigade is ready in the camp south of Laguna Lake, ready to attack at any time. Li Kuiqi's artillery regiment is camped in the west of Manila and north of Laguna Lake. The sound of artillery is still rumbling every day, and the drills are endless.
Several reconnaissance outposts and life-catching teams of the First Brigade have been dispatched to various parts of Manila Bay. Auxiliary soldiers of the Yi'oro Mountain Tribe of Da'an are still fighting sporadic Pampanga rebels. And the foreign mercenary team has just The 300 Taiwanese indigenous auxiliary soldiers who came to Manila from Taiwan to support Manila have been sent to the Tondo agricultural area north of the Pasig River to assist a garrison outpost in Tondo Township, the Luzon garrison to defend this agricultural area.
Several days passed, but the Spanish army suddenly disappeared. The Chinese military patrol boat in Pengaslan patrolled the open sea to Palawan Island. Still no trace of the Spanish was found.
Many officers in the staff stayed up all night, studying various combat plans and the movements of the Spaniards. Everyone was confused. They didn't know what the Spaniards wanted to do wandering on the sea like this. Just in case, the Military Intelligence Department also He released six homing pigeons to Taiwan and asked Taiwan to be more vigilant to prevent possible sneak attacks by the Spaniards.
On this day, Yin Feng personally led the guards across the Pasig River and went to inspect the North Fort fortress area where the original Japanese town was located.
Some Chinese laborers and Tagalog native coolies from nearby places are busy in the trenches around the fort. They are desperately trying to widen and deepen the trenches. Stationed here are a sentry of the 1st Brigade and 150 soldiers.
People saw a group of soldiers in black clothes and breastplates arriving neatly in front of the castle. A tall man riding a white horse was surrounded by a group of strong soldiers with red belts. There was a commotion immediately.
"The captain is here."
"It's the big boss."
"It's Master Qianhu. It's him. Look, there are dozens of Kunlun slave soldiers around him."
"It's true. It looks as black as coal. I heard that each one is extremely powerful and kills people like hemp."
Riding a white horse is Yin Feng's bad taste. When he was a child, he read too many legends about Prince Charming. His new black guard leader is now Magaro's nephew. A Bantu black man escaped from Macau to Taiwan and gained freedom. The great man Galina Magaro only cares about Li Lihua's personal safety now and doesn't care about anything else.
The chief officer of the fortress guard force, Commander Jin Mingyu, immediately appeared at the gate of the castle. He stood at attention with his hands crossed in front of his chest and saluted: "Sir Qianhu, I have Jin Mingyu, Commander of the First Sentinel of the Third Battalion of the Second Regiment of the First Infantry Brigade, to report to you. "
Yin Feng waved his hand and simply asked as he walked: "How are you doing? Are the cannons and ammunition ready?"
Jin Mingyu hurriedly followed him: "No problem. There are enough shells, gunpowder, bullets and grenades. The warehouse is already full."
"How is the training situation of the Zhuang Ding team?"
"This group of villagers came from various estates in Tondo and Binondo. Many of them are veterans who retired after the previous Manila War. There is no problem in going into battle." Jin Mingyu said very confidently.
"Very good. I'll take a look here. Tomorrow I'll go to Tondo to have a look. It's near the northern mountainous area. There have been a lot of troubles among the natives recently."
"Sir, how about I send some people to follow you."
Yin Feng smiled and shook his head: "No need. My own 200 personal guards are enough to cope with it. The troubled indigenous tribes are scattered. It is rare to get hundreds of people to come out."
In the evening, Yin Feng invited all the workers who participated in the fort reinforcement work. They sat on the ground in the open space in front of the castle gate and held a banquet. Yin Feng stood on a carriage and raised his glass and shouted in the blazing light of dozens of torches around him. : "Brothers and fathers, brothers of the Chinese Army, friends of the Tagalog tribe, thank you all for your hard work." He took the lead and drank it all in one gulp: "Come, do it to defeat the Qianlu people and for our own land. ah."
A big man from Shandong who was mostly a coolie and covered in mud. Because he had just arrived in Manila not long ago, he had no idea who Yin Feng was. So he stood there in a daze, holding a drink and being at a loss. He looked around and asked the brothers next to him: "What is this?" .This...the captain is thanking me. Is he saying that I have worked hard?"
A member of the Zhuang Ding team in his forties had a deep scar on his face. He laughed and said: "Silly big man. The captain is toasting you. Drink it soon."
"What, what kind of person is the captain of the ship? He actually proposed a toast to me." The Shandong man was startled, his eyes burning with heat, and he drank the whole bowl in one gulp.