It is most suitable to use coconut bomb tactics when fighting in tropical archipelago areas. Firstly, there is no shortage of coconuts, and secondly, they can be fermented at high temperature!
For the enemies who huddled in the castle and were attacked by coconut bullets, this was a lingering nightmare.
If the storm hadn't hit, the people inside wouldn't have been able to survive for even two months.
At least Zheng Zhilong felt that he wouldn't be able to bear it for such a long time if the two sides switched positions.
Luzon Island is as big as three Dongfan Islands. It would be very difficult to attack it with just the 20,000 land divisions brought by Zheng Zhilong.
Before the local regiment training and armed forces were supported, Zheng Jun could only control Manila and surrounding areas.
There is still a distance of several hundred miles from Manila to the southernmost tip of Luzon.
Zheng Zhilong also didn't want to be overjoyed, so he stretched his troops' front line too long to avoid being attacked by natives from various places.
The current task is to besiege Santiago Castle and force Coquilla to surrender.
It would be even better if we could smoke this guy to death directly...
Unfortunately, before landing in Manila, our own fleet killed less than forty Spanish ships.
Since then, not even one enemy ship has been sunk, which makes Zheng Zhilong feel that he has never had enough fun with the "harpoon".
It is not ruled out that the Spanish will gather nearby warships and attack Xiamen, Quanzhou and other places.
Zheng Zhilong has left some warships in major ports in Fujian, and some of them are also equipped with anti-ship missiles.
If the Spaniards dare to come, they won't get much advantage, but they will have to leave some valuable items behind.
The army besieged Santiago Castle for fifty days without success, and suffered two storms in the middle.
Although this was the case in the previous two attacks on Xiyi Castle, it still made Zheng Jun feel quite unhappy.
Zheng Zhilong felt bored here, so he decided to return to his hometown to have a look.
All units of the Army Division were under the command of Zheng Zhi'ao. There were 300 warships at sea commanded by Zheng Zhifeng, and another 100 merchant ships were used to supply the needs of the army.
Since there are still 5,000 elite soldiers trained by the prince in the landing force, and the local Xiyi garrison has been divided into two.
The half in the castle did not dare to attack, and the half that had fled had long disappeared. Therefore, Zheng Zhilong was relatively relieved about the war in Manila.
"Luo Zaibei, can you arrive?"
"Hurry! According to the chart and sextant, it should be within two days!"
"Very good!"
Former "One Dragon" Xue Chengcai is now almost vomiting bile while sitting on the boat. His face is pale, his mind is dizzy, and he is lying in the cabin limply, almost like a dying fish.
After the troops fought in eastern Sichuan, they followed the main force of the army to fight in Huguang again. Only after the rogue bandits in Huguang area were wiped out were they able to rest.
After becoming deputy general, he led his troops into the Nanyang area to participate in the raids. Due to his considerable military exploits and the recommendation of Sun Chuanting, he was promoted to chief military officer.
Xue Chengcai never thought that one day he would be like Bai Guangen and become a general in the army. This would be a great blessing.
Although there was credit for tricking Luo Rucai and others into death, if you think about it, couldn't these bastards have turned around to trick you?
Without Luo Rucai instigating the rebellion behind his back, how could there have been a series of bullshit events that would last eight lifetimes?
Three months ago, Xue Chengcai, Hui Dengxiang, Wang Guangen and others were lucky enough to go to Beijing to meet the saint.
Originally, the former bosses like Xue Chengcai were very reluctant and were always on guard against the possibility that their superiors would take the opportunity to attack them.
But after worrying for many days, these terrible things did not happen in the end, and instead, I actually saw the current crown prince.
Not only that, but they also received many novel items. After receiving encouragement, Xue Chengcai and others also acted as if they were different people, vowing not to rebel again. If they violate the oath, they will die.
Even though he was just talking about it, anyone who wasn't stupid could see that the Crown Prince had even defeated the Emperor Taiji, and it was easy to deal with the bandits who had spread all over the place.
Especially when they saw Bai Guangen, who was so famous, this group of people felt that there was no need to betray him again, otherwise they would be tired before the big thing was accomplished.
Unless the bandits develop to a certain level of strength, they will not be able to fight against the imperial court. Together they are no match for Sun Chuanting and Hong Chengchou.
What's more, Li Zicheng left for the Western Regions, and Zhang Xianzhong and the Gezuo Fifth Battalion simply stayed in the Dabie Mountains and could not come out.
If the remaining people dare to make another mistake, they will really be beaten to ashes by the army!
First there was Bai Guangen, then Liu Guoneng and Li Wanqing. They were the worst, so they were considered the third group, right?
The three people in front can receive merit and rewards, so why can't they?
We may really not be able to defeat Donglu, but it is definitely not a problem to deal with our former colleagues.
It’s not like he wanted to kill his own mother, so there’s nothing to be embarrassed about!
However, the prince has found a job for everyone that is easier than suppressing bandits, and if they do well, they will even have a place to set up camp in the future.
Xue Chengcai, Hui Dengxiang, and Wang Guangen, with a total of 10,000 troops, were organized into the Ming Dynasty's Fourth Expeditionary Division. Their three parts were called the 10th, 11th, and 12th Infantry Brigades.
The kind-hearted prince released 5,000 captured bandits who had been working in the mines and assigned them to various ministries, gathering a total of 5,000 people for each ministry.
In this way, these three groups can go on an expedition with their families, and the destination is the Luzon Islands!
Each person has an island. After it is captured, each person and his family will settle on the island they are responsible for.
The prince didn't hide it, he said it directly. This seemed to be a distribution, but in fact it was to give everyone a way to survive.
If you stay in your hometown, there will be troubles in the future, and I am afraid that some people may not be able to start well and end well.
Of course Xue Chengcai and others understand that their status is special, and even if they become generals in the army, they will always have stains.
It would be great to have a foothold overseas that is beyond the reach of the imperial court. Naturally, I am very grateful to the prince.
He also said that when he gets there, he will build a living shrine for the prince...
When they returned to the station, their family members and subordinates were overjoyed to see that their leader was unharmed. When they knew the whole story, they danced happily.
The feeling of leaving one's hometown is not pleasant, but it is even worse to live under the shelter of others and suffer hardship. Being able to live on a Nanyang island where the harvest is twice a year is considered the best outcome.
Leaders such as Xue Chengcai required their troops to strictly restrain themselves and not to cause trouble before boarding the ship, especially a life-threatening lawsuit.
Anyone who commits random acts, regardless of rank, will be punished according to court laws. Even minor offenders must stay in the country permanently.
Now, a group of tall, short, fat and thin people, one by one, were all honest. They were just one step away from escaping from the control of the imperial court. No one was stupid at this juncture.
On the day of departure, the official ship arrived as scheduled and first transported 50,000 people, including their families, to Chongming Island.
From there, it passes through the northern part of Dongfan and reaches its destination.
If all goes well, the entire process will take twenty days.
If there is a storm, that will be extended to about a month.
Not counting the days when he got off the boat to rest, Xue Chengcai had been on the boat for twenty days.
Fortunately, I saw land before, which finally gave me and my subordinates some hope.
It's just that it's not the island that my department is responsible for. I heard that the largest island is being raided by Zhenhai Bo Zheng Zhilong's troops.
Looking at the island he is responsible for on the map, in terms of area, it is not as good as the largest Luzon Island.
But thinking about the few men around him, they are already quite big. Once the island is conquered, they will be able to dominate it.
Xue Chengcai is in charge of Masbate Island south of Luzon Island, Wang Guangen is in charge of Cebu Island south of the island, and Prime Minister Hui Deng's troops will land on Bohol Island, the southernmost of the three islands.
In terms of area, the three islands combined are almost as big as half of Dongpan, and the prince has been extremely benevolent to them.
Even if the crops on the island are harvested once a year, catching some seafood will be enough to fill your stomach.
Although the weather here is hot, fortunately the sea breeze blows on your face while sailing, which is quite refreshing.
It must be quite pleasant to build a house on the shore and look at the rippling blue sea!
"Zong Rong, are we already at the end of the world?"
Some soldiers who had been with Xue Chengcai through life and death were very curious about this area, and they were not afraid of being scolded, so they asked about it.
"The end of the world? Haha! Let me tell you, we have reached the middle of the world!"
"Ah? Mr. Rong, don't be joking!"
"Do you know the bitterly cold Far North?"
"The young one does know a thing or two!"
"The further north you go, the colder it is naturally. The further south you go, the hotter it is. And further south, it will get colder!"
"this……"
"This is what the prince told me. In short, I am absolutely sure to listen to the prince!"
"General Rong is absolutely right!"
Xue Chengcai didn't quite understand the meaning of this sentence at first. How could it get cold when going to the extreme south?
It’s just that the prince said that the world we live in is cold at both ends and hot in the middle, and the middle is the best place.
Xue Chengcai could only nod his head in understanding. He thought that the crops in the middle could be harvested two or three times a year. It was really a good place!
After riding the boat for almost another day, we finally arrived at our destination in the afternoon of the next day.
Not only Xue Chengcai, who had just got off the boat, but also the people below, men, women, old and young, all had weak legs.
After resting on the shore for a long time, I regained my energy and prepared to go ashore to educate the indigenous barbarians on the island!
This can't be like a headless fly flying around. Before setting off, a landing site must be opened, a simple resting place must be established, and the safety of the family must be ensured before going on a killing spree.
"Brother Xue! We will meet again later!"
"Brother Hui! Brother Wang! The islands the three of us belong to are not far from each other. It only takes a day or two by boat. If something happens, we can definitely support each other!"
"That's right! See you later!"
Hui Dengxiang and Wang Guangen also disembarked one after another to take a short rest. The arrival of Xue Chengcai meant that their destination was not far away.
Masbate Island where Xue Chengcai is located is far away from Cebu Island, but Cebu Island and Bohol Island are very close to each other. When the weather is good, they can almost be seen visually.
Because of this, Xue Chengcai felt it was necessary to establish an offensive and defensive alliance with the other two.
As long as he still serves the imperial court and does not indiscriminately kill Ming people on the island, he will naturally not offend the imperial court.
The prince did not kill him in the capital, but gave himself a way out, which shows that the prince has a broad mind.
In the future, there is probably no need to guard against the official army, but the local indigenous people may collude with the Western barbarians who are good at using warships to counterattack their own troops.
Zheng Jun could leave them with at most twenty merchant ships, and the rest were small fishing boats.
It is not difficult to communicate with each other. It is rare to send troops to support one party when something happens.
This requires building some larger ships after landing on the island. You can't rely on fishing boats to transport troops.
There are many fishermen in Mali among the three tribes, so naturally they can build boats to some extent.
It doesn't matter if you don't know how to build large warships, as long as you can enlarge and build fishing boats.
After plundering the island, collecting some money and buying some boats from Zheng Zhilong, it would be enough. Xue Chengcai, Hui Dengxiang, and Wang Guangen all planned this.
Instead of dealing with others, you have to protect yourself, right?
Buying a boat with this motive should be done with a clear conscience.
Besides, with the title of the Ming Expeditionary Army, he was driven all over the country by the Western barbarians and natives. It would be hard to tell if it was spread out!
"The resting place is almost here. Let the fishermen go to the sea to catch fish. Let's also try how the fish in the Nanyang sea tastes!"
"Yes! Chief Rong, look at the shallow water on the beach. It's very clear. You can use a spear to insert fish..."
"Okay! Let's figure it out! Anyway, we can't let my men eat dried meat after landing on the island!"
Xue Chengcai looked at the weather and felt that it would not rain today and tomorrow. The mass construction of wooden houses could be put on hold for a while. After dispatching the reconnaissance and search troops, he stayed on the shore to enjoy the extremely beautiful scenery.
Unexpectedly, less than an hour after the order was given, it started to rain and sunny!
On a sunny day, it rains to water the tortoise!
Although it rained for only ten minutes, the rainfall was not large and it was considered a very light shower, which made Xue Chengcai extremely angry.
Immediately order all ministries to build simple shacks before sunset tomorrow, and start building wooden houses the day after tomorrow to avoid colds and fevers.
"Husband, don't be angry, come and eat a piece of fish! The sea fish here are fresh and tender with few spines. They are really plump!"
The concubine who has been here for less than a year immediately offers half a roasted sea fish. The sea fish here is much more delicious than the river fish.
"Yeah! Not bad! Very delicious!"
Put the garlic clove meat into your mouth, chew it, and fill your mouth and nose with the delicious flavor. Although there are not many condiments, it is indeed a rare thing.
This concubine was a Yangzhou thin horse that Xue Chengcai spent a thousand taels of silver to buy. She wanted to honor Sun Chuanting, but she didn't expect that Sun Shaobao wouldn't accept the gift.
The generals under Lord Shaobao wanted to accept it, but they were afraid of becoming the target of attacks by other generals, so they could only watch as Xue Chengcai kept this gift for himself...
Xue Chengcai's lavish marriage also wanted to show Sun Chuanting and even the court that he no longer had the heart to rebel. After all, it is not as convenient as one person to start a rebellion by dragging his family into rebellion.
In a shack made of banana leaves, Xue Chengcai spent his first night in his own jurisdiction, hugging each other.
The men were still in high spirits, and until midnight, there were still people chatting around the campfire in small groups.
There is enough seafood here, as long as you have the ability to catch it.
But when we start raiding the surrounding indigenous people the next day, it won't be as easy as fishing for seafood.
First, the natives cannot understand and do not want to listen to Xue Chengcai’s teachings!
Second, the indigenous people believe that Xue Chengcai and his group are trying to occupy their land, although this idea is basically true.
Third, the natives feel that the best way to communicate is to beat up these barbarians who have invaded the island...
As a result, the two sides began a large-scale mercenary war. As a result, Xue Chengcai's troops won a complete victory with absolute military superiority!
The total population of the indigenous people on the island is greater than the people brought by Xue Chengcai, but even if all the tribes unite, they cannot defeat this bandit army. This is the result of pure amateurs fighting semi-professionals.
Xue Chengcai also had heavily armored infantry, equipped with a thousand muskets, and the prince gave 5,000 grenades free of charge.
The soldiers on the island simply cannot bear the damage caused by hot weapons!
