After some thinking, Jiexuan decided to let Zheng Jiaqi lead a marine brigade and 400 armed merchant ships to stay in Long Beach. The supplies loaded on these ships were basically prepared for Zhang Xianzhong.
Jiexuan really wanted to wait for Zhang Xianzhong to arrive, and the two sides would go through the handover procedures before heading south, but the troops were very fast and time waited for no one, so he had to entrust Zheng Jiaqi to handle the matter first.
Jiexuan had already given instructions on all the precautions, and specially wrote a piece of paper to let Zheng Jiaqi understand Zhang Xianzhong's preferences and taboos, so that he would not make mistakes easily.
In short, for this partner, just remain neither humble nor arrogant, and treat each other with sincerity. Apart from the Spanish defenders in the Long Beach Fortress, the fleet does not need too many additional trophies.
No matter how much Zhang Xianzhong could bring out, he would eat all the orders. The difference would be regarded as a debt and could be made up when the fleet returned.
The remaining Marine Brigade was commanded by Zheng Jiaqi and cooperated with the remaining fleet to besiege the defenders of Long Beach Fortress. As long as the people inside did not surrender, they could continue to fight.
However, Zhang Hualong, who was about to leave in the fleet and had been camping inland in the Changtan area, heard the rumble of cannons and already led his troops to feel it.
Zhang Hualong was really overjoyed after seeing his old acquaintance, which meant that with the cooperation of the Ming fleet, they could retake the Long Beach Fortress.
Jiexuan immediately handled the handover with the other party and introduced Zheng Jiaqi to get to know him. Once Zhang Jun had shipped the supplies to the beach one after another, he could load them and leave.
According to Zhang Hualong, their emperor Zhang Xianzhong was leading troops to fight in the Nevada Mountains because the recent Western counterattack was very fierce.
Zhang Jun had lost even the fortresses in the Bay Area before. Zhang Xianzhong was worried that the Spanish would take this opportunity to launch a large-scale counterattack, and sure enough...
Although the Indian warriors are extremely brave and fearless of death, they are only brave and are not good at positional warfare, let alone tactics. They can only be used to assault or ambush the opponent.
If a large-scale confrontation does occur, Zhang Jun, who is equipped with steam tanks, will be the main force.
However, after repeated defeats, the Spaniards also discovered the weakness of steam tanks, which was that they could only fight in plain areas.
Therefore, recently, especially after the beginning of spring, the focus of the attack has become coastal areas and nearby mountainous areas.
This change in tactics made Zhang Xianzhong and other officers and soldiers very uncomfortable because their own weakness was naval warfare.
As the Ming Dynasty fleet returned, sea control was quickly lost, and then the Spanish fleet began to attack Long Beach and the bay area from the sea.
I believe it will soon advance to northern California, allowing Zhang Jun to spit out all the fruits of his previous victory.
What's even more deadly is that Cueva, the governor of New Spain, seems to have learned a new tactic.
That is to use the naval advantage to project troops to the coastal areas of Zhang Jun's hinterland.
After landing, they began to take advantage of the mobility of the cavalry and continuously weaved through the mountainous areas.
This move gave Zhang Xianzhong a headache, like a swarm of mosquitoes that he couldn't drive away.
By the time the Ming Dynasty fleet arrived in Long Beach on its second expedition, the two sides had fallen into a stalemate.
After listening to Zhang Hualong's brief introduction, Jiexuan estimated that if the fleet arrived half a year later, Zhang Xianzhong might not even be able to save California.
The Spanish warships and reinforcements are attacking northward in a steady stream, and this attack will last for a long time. This is something Zhang Xianzhong, who has a very poor family, cannot resist.
Zhang Hualong was originally worried, but after seeing one hundred steam tanks, thirty-six bronze cannons, ten thousand flintlock muskets, one thousand revolvers, and a pile of other weapons and oil, he felt better.
This batch of arms arrived at just the right time, and I believe His Majesty will be delighted.
Previously, Zhang Jun used firearms captured by the Western Army in addition to the arms he had shipped and the second-hand goods he resold before leaving.
The number is quite a lot, but it is still not enough. The shortfall is expected to be around 30,000 to 40,000.
After obtaining this batch of weapons and ammunition, Zhang Hualong believed that the Jiexuan fleet could also deliver a large amount of loot to his side.
After the generals of the two armies met, the end of the garrison in Long Beach Fort came.
Jiexuan decided to give Zhang Hualong some face and ordered the entire fleet to pour firepower on the fortress.
What is the scene like when nearly a thousand warships besiege a fortress?
Zhang Hualong's eyes were opened today!
For those prospective recruits who are coming to the American battlefield for the first time, it is best to use this fortress in front of them to practice.
Jiexuan's order was very simple and not very big. It was enough to fire one cannon for an hour and blast out eight shells.
Even so, if nearly a thousand warships use one-side firepower to conduct bombardment, the total projection volume will be as high as more than 40,000 shells!
Within two hours, the cannonballs that fell on the fortress and its surroundings were no less than hail.
After the shelling, the fortress had become devastated and in danger, and about half of the walls had been destroyed.
When the Long Beach Castle was first established, it was built according to the standards of defense against the armed forces of the Indian tribes.
The former governor of New Spain, Guzman, did not take Zhang Xianzhong's troops seriously, who lacked heavy firepower, so he has now changed his job to a miner...
Even the fortress in Lima cannot actually withstand the siege of such a large fleet. Looking around the world, only a few castles such as Geranze can withstand it.
Even the wall made of rammed earth cannot withstand a saturation attack. As long as the attacker does not care about the cost, the attacker will use thousands of artillery shells to dig in bit by bit, and it will take less than half a month to break through.
Even if you want to use the turtle retreat tactic, you have to first see if your turtle shell is hard enough!
The defenders, whose will was shattered by the bombardment, surrendered on their own initiative that evening after gazing at the huge fleet on the sea.
They knew Zhang Jun's rules very well. As long as they surrendered before the ultimatum time limit, they would be spared death.
Otherwise, you can choose any treatment such as Ling Chi, car cracking, lighting sky lanterns...
Nearly a thousand defenders were captured, but there was no smile on Jiexuan's face, as if everything was expected.
After finishing this job, Zheng Jiaqi no longer needed to stay. Everyone boarded the ship and immediately set sail for the cat to the south.
"Brother Jie, there is something you don't know whether to say or not?"
"There are no outsiders here, but it doesn't matter!"
"Aren't you afraid that Zhang Xianzhong will default on his debt?"
"Brother Zheng, tell me how you can default on your debt?"
Zheng Ju didn't understand how Jiexuan could trust the notorious Zhang Xianzhong, so he asked for advice when boarding Jiexuan's flagship.
"Just find some high-sounding reasons, such as the war being unfavorable, huge consumption, transportation being robbed, etc..."
"The problem is that Zhang Xianzhong is a smart man, and a very smart man. His mind is as smart as yours and mine. This guy knows very well that he wants Shenzi, and he knows even more clearly that we want Shenzi. This is a prerequisite for mutual benefit. He knows better that the strength of the Ming Dynasty far exceeds that of other troops. As long as you are willing, Your Majesty can send tens of thousands of troops to North America. When the Spaniards advance from north to south, how can there be room for other troops here? But Your Majesty We have a set strategy, which is to support Zhang Xianzhong’s troops and contain the Spaniards, so that the investment cost is the lowest and the return is the highest!”
"Benefit?"
"Yes! We were working for the imperial court before. After destroying most of the Spanish ships at sea, we can make money for the imperial court and make some money for ourselves at the same time!"
"Oh? What's the explanation for this?"
"Brother Zheng, do you know why I am so anxious to go south?"
"Isn't it to encircle Spanish ships with Guangying?"
"This is one, and the other is that the fleet will continue south to Spain's Viceroyalty of Peru, attack Lima, and then go around Cape Horn to the Trinity City on the east coast. In terms of time, it will only pass through before January We can return to Cape Horn before autumn. It is winter in the Northern Hemisphere, but it is summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and the sea conditions are at their best, so our time is very tight."
"Why go to Sanzhenzi City?"
"Brother Zheng, does he know that during the last expedition, some people ate beef and became anorexic?"
"I've heard about it, could it be..."
"Haha, exactly!"
"Hiss... there is such a good place!"
“Not only do you have beef to eat, but you also get to ride foreign horses!”
"It turns out that Brother Jie is also a sweetheart!"
"Hahahaha... When you get to Lima, you will understand that Jinzi is called a 'good place'!"
"I have learned a lesson from you. Brother Jie has a clever plan. I admire you very much!"
Only then did Zheng Ju realize that the time of advance, the route of advancement, the tactics used, and every step of Daqing were all calculated in advance.
This is probably what the uncle said about learning. I have indeed benefited a lot from following Jiexuan. Moreover, he is not arrogant about his talent, but is approachable and willing to teach me.
According to the prisoners' accounts, they did have a base on San Benito Island, but it was just a transit station and not a large naval base.
On the contrary, Acapulco de Juarez Port has been ordered by Cuva to be built into the largest base on the entire west coast of the Americas besides Lima.
However, as long as Zheng Guangying's fleet does not encounter anything at sea, the Port of Acapulco de Juarez will be responsible for this matter...
When heading south, Jiexuan's fleet didn't encounter many big fish at all. The biggest fish were just eight armed merchant ships, which were eliminated before the entire fleet swarmed up.
After the fleet had just passed Cape San Lucas, the southernmost tip of the Baja California Peninsula, it saw Zheng Guangying's fleet heading north in the waters near Madre Island.
These days, Zheng Guangying has done the biggest deal since he led the team, destroying at least 60 Spanish galleons in the port of Acapulco de Juarez.
Since they did not carry marines, they could not land on the beach. After beating the harbor into a mess, it was impossible to capture the opponent's ships.
Including the previous gains at sea, a total of no less than 80 enemy ships were sunk or severely damaged. If the tonnage is calculated and converted, it is approximately equal to more than 200 of our own merchant ships.
Having lost so many ships at once, I believe Governor Kuva will be very sad.
The sadder the other person is, the happier you are!
Ironclad ships are the well-deserved boss in today's seas, and coupled with anti-ship missiles, they are as sharp as a divine aid.
In the previous naval battles, Zheng Guangying, who commanded twenty ironclad ships, did not lose a single ship and no one was killed, which was perfect.
The main generals of the expedition fleet took a rest in Madre Island and exchanged information. After Jiexuan learned about Zheng Guangying's glorious achievements, he became more determined to quickly go south to Lima.
Two hours later, they set sail and the whole army headed south. From now on, they can make money for themselves.
Lima had been turned into a quasi-ruined city before, but with the help of Spanish reinforcements and merchants, the local indigenous people finally restored some of the city's original appearance.
But it is estimated that it will take more than five years to recover as before. After all, the damage caused to the city was too great.
Before the local indigenous people could fully restore this most prosperous city in South America, the Ming Expedition Fleet arrived again...
The new Governor Saida does not believe that those nasty yellow-skinned monkeys will reappear on his territory in the short term.
Armed merchant ships were frightened and fled back to Lima, reporting the sighting of a large fleet in northern waters near Mexico.
Saida feels that the possibility of the Yellow-skinned Monkey Empire launching a second expedition immediately is zero, because each large-scale expedition costs huge sums of money.
Looking around the world, even France and the Netherlands cannot do this, let alone the ridiculous yellow-skinned monkeys.
When someone reported that a large number of ships had been spotted in the waters outside the city, Saida still did not believe it.
After watching with a telescope for a long time, Saida decided that this was probably a mirage, an illusion.
But the rain of shells from the other side turned his conclusion into a big joke...
For Jiexuan, the way to get the city in front of him is very simple, just let the fleet destroy it!
Jiexuan doesn't care whether Lima is complete, only whether it can be obtained, that's all!
Anyway, the losses were all to the Spanish barbarians, and he didn’t need to pay even a single silver coin for it!
"Guangying, was this how you behaved last time?"
"Of course! How magnificent!"
Zheng Shao felt that Zheng Guangying had been led astray by Jie Xuan, so he didn't ask any questions when he came up and just let the fleet launch a violent bombardment.
"Do you think those barbarians will voluntarily surrender or even surrender? To tell you the truth, they only know fists and only surrender to the king! When we come here again, we are telling them that they must obey even if they don't obey! Because from now on From now on, we will be the overlord of the sea, and when we come here, even if we want to take the throne, they can't stop us!"
"Can they agree?"
"Your Majesty said that in this world, cannons are justice, tanks are kingship, and armored ships are education. It doesn't matter if they don't agree, just send them to meet their gods! Get ready to land, otherwise we won't be able to make money for our soldiers!"
Zheng Guangying heard these words from Jie Xuan. As for whether he relayed them 100%, it didn't matter. Zheng Shao hadn't heard of them anyway...
"Huh? Is this how you make money?"
"Of course! Do you think the barbarians will give you money?"
Since Zheng Guangying deliberately retained most of the veterans who participated in the last expedition, this time he made a comeback, and each unit was led by veterans, so the attack on Lima was a familiar one.
But before that, the main function of the beach landing was to find a good place for assembling steam tanks. Fortunately, the bombardment lasted long enough.
Jiexuan and Zheng Guangying both had experience in this. They were not in a hurry to occupy the entire Lima, but waited patiently for the steam tanks to be assembled.
This can greatly reduce troop casualties, and steam tanks are the natural enemies of the Spanish cavalry!
