The situation on the Ming army's side is indeed not very good.
Just like defending a city, no matter how strong the city is, if there are no reinforcements, it will fall sooner or later under the siege of the superior enemy.
At the beginning of the Ming army's expedition to the Americas, whether they were fighting against the remnants of the captives or fighting against the Spaniards, they were victorious in consecutive battles. At this time, morale is at its highest.
However, later on, as more places were captured, the Spanish resistance became stronger and stronger. When the Ming army reached Central America, it turned into a tug of war. In other words, the war has reached a stage where there are winners and losers.
At this time, reinforcements become very important.
If reinforcements can arrive, it will not only boost morale, but also enable more troops to win the battle. In addition, as it takes longer and longer to arrive in America, the consumption of materials, such as the consumption of arms, is increasing.
However, the expeditionary force could not see the arrival of reinforcements for a long time. In this case, it was impossible for them not to think too much.
Some soldiers suspected that they had been abandoned, and that the court had changed its strategy and no longer thought about such a distant America; some soldiers suspected that the people sent back by the Governor had not returned to their homeland at all, and that the court had no intention of returning to the country at all. Knowing the situation in America; some soldiers wondered if it was the storm in the Pacific that frightened the court...
With all these worries and sudden attacks from superior enemies, morale naturally dropped.
It can be said that Sun Chuanting did not immediately engage in a decisive battle with the incoming enemy, but instead retreated first, which was the right decision.
He retreated back to the base in one breath, defended on the spot, and prepared to fight a defensive battle. Just as he said to Anders, there is no retreat now, and it is a battle of all odds. This is the most favorable condition he can create. As for the outcome of the war, it all depends on the sky.
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As the Ming army continued to retreat northward, the morale of the Spanish and pirate coalition forces became increasingly high. On the flagship of the Spanish fleet, watching the fleet heading north in a mighty way, Filot said to the Spanish governor: "Sir, this is the last battle. Our fighting method is going to change."
The Spanish governor knew what he was referring to. He turned to look at the European pirates caught in the fleet, nodded, and said with a sneer: "The day of reckoning is finally coming."
That's right, how could the Spaniards have a good impression of those European pirates. Before joining forces with them, it was just out of necessity. Now that victory is in sight, if we don't cheat them in the final battle, we would be really sorry for them.
According to the plan secretly discussed by the Spaniards in advance, even in the final battle with the Ming army, they still pretended to have a decisive battle with the enemy's main force, while the European pirates continued to cut the enemy's retreat and steal their things.
The biggest advantage of this move is that it will prevent the enemy from fully responding to the decisive battle, thereby creating the greatest chance of victory for the Spanish fleet. And for European pirates, it's also great if everything they grab belongs to them.
However, in this last battle, the Spaniards decided to wait until the European pirates took the back route to grab things from the Ming Dynasty's lair, and then the main force withdrew from the battlefield so that the Ming army could return to fight those pirates. The Spaniards were just fishermen.
Regardless of whether the Akito suffered heavy losses or the European pirates suffered heavy losses, it was good news for the Spaniards. After both of them were defeated, the Spaniards returned to the battlefield and finally harvested the fruits of victory.
"Sir, my subordinates described to them that there is countless wealth in the Ming army's lair, including the gold and silver stolen from us, as well as porcelain, silk, raw silk and so on that they brought from the mainland." Fei. Lott flattered himself and said, "I believe that those pirates are money-hungry and greedy. Even if they know this is the last battle, they will still grab a fortune."
Hearing his words, the Spanish governor actually felt a little uncomfortable. The Ming army had snatched countless gold and silver from Spain. These words were too harsh. But he also knew that, firstly, this situation did exist, but it was a bit exaggerated; secondly, it was to lure those greedy pirates into being fooled, so he snorted from his nostrils to express his understanding.
Filot noticed that the Governor seemed a little unhappy. After thinking about it for a while, he understood what the problem was. He was a little embarrassed, so he didn't say anything and turned to look at the European pirate warships. Thinking about the negotiation that day, he thought to himself: "You were really arrogant back then. Now, just wait and see!"
What they didn't know was that the pirate group was actually wary of this final battle. They are not three-year-old children. How could they be naive enough to believe that if they become allies with the Spaniards, they would really believe it without reservation.
But just as Filot had thought before, for these European pirates, the bait was very tempting. Even if they knew it was poisonous, they still wanted to eat it.
These pirates are all crazy. As long as they have enough money, they will definitely be crazy.
However, they will certainly not be as defenseless against the Spaniards as before. Therefore, they all discussed it privately. In this last battle, the Spaniards and the Ming army were fighting to the death, and they would not take action until the outcome was determined.
I believe that the Spanish and Ming armies are about the same strength. No matter which side wins, they will suffer heavy losses. When that time comes, they will have enough strength to crush the side that suffered a tragic victory, and then grab as many things as they want!
In this way, the Spanish and pirate allies began to approach the Ming army's base camp with their own evil intentions.
On this day, the weather was clear, cloudless, and the view was excellent.
The Spanish and pirate allies finally arrived at the Ming army's base camp. There are more than 250 warships on both sides combined. These are all sailing warships, and they are large ones.
As for the Ming army, including the warships they had left to guard the base camp, there were only about two hundred ships in total, and there were about thirty ships among them, which were just small warships.
The two armies faced each other from a distance and could see each other clearly.
Although Sun Chuanting tried his best to boost morale, and the veteran general was on the front line of the battlefield, he used the strategy of burning the cauldron and sinking the boat. Although the morale was a little higher, the lack of arms and supplies still made the Ming army and the Portuguese allies' desire for victory clouded. layer shadow.
You know, it has been several years, and no matter how much gunpowder there is, it will not be able to withstand consumption without much replenishment. There are also artillery pieces that have a lifespan if they are fired down for several consecutive years. Although the soldiers of the Ming Army and the Portuguese Army knew that at this time, there was no retreat and they could only fight to the death, but the material shortcomings made no one confident of victory.
On the Spanish and pirate allies' side, both sides waited for the other party to enter the battle with ulterior motives. As a result, no one entered the battle. In the end, both of them finally came to their senses and probably understood each other's intentions.
Immediately, the Spaniards became angry.
All this time, it was the Spaniards who were fighting the main force of the enemy. This group of pirates picked up the pieces behind and stole an unknown amount of money. Now they are still making plans of their own! Do they still have any sense of shame?
The pirates are also scolding their mothers. They agreed to be allies, and agreed that the Spaniards would work with the main force of the enemy. They actually want to break the contract and want to have their own ideas. They are really seeking the skin of a tiger. They will never trust the Spaniards again!
However, they scolded each other, and they were still very eager for the wealth in the Ming Kingdom's base camp. They felt that the wealth in the Ming army's base camp would definitely be huge.
Therefore, even though they could have retreated, few pirates were willing to retreat. Just thinking about how to grab the wealth.
They were in a stalemate here, and Anders saw an opportunity, and immediately asked to see Sun Chuanting urgently, and said to Sun Chuanting: "Mr. Governor, those pirates are blind to money, why don't we take out all the money and let them go back? How about beating the Spaniards?”
"Huh?" Sun Chuanting was a little stunned when he heard this, and immediately asked doubtfully, "Is it impossible to bribe the enemy in front of the battle line?"
As far as he is familiar with history, things like switching sides before the battle are basically agreed in advance or for other reasons. If it is a temporary bribe, how greedy does the opponent have to be to be tempted? Especially now that our own side is weak, the opponent can attack first and then talk.
When Anders heard this, he knew that Sun Chuanting still didn't understand Westerners and what kind of people the pirates in front of him were. Therefore, he quickly explained: "Don't worry, Lord Governor, as long as the price is high enough, it is possible not only to let them attack the Spanish, but also to let them attack themselves."
Hearing this, Sun Chuanting was a little moved. Even if they can't do this, even if they just withdraw from the battlefield in the end, it will have a great impact on the battlefield.
Thinking like this, he immediately asked Anders: "If the Spanish see us going to negotiate with the pirates, they will definitely intervene, right? Another point, what if the pirates still come to attack us after receiving the money?" What to do? Do these pirates have any credibility?"
After hearing this, Anders was not sure. What kind of reputation is there in front of money, especially in front of a large amount of money? What is it, and it cannot be eaten!
Seeing him like this, Sun Chuanting gave up the idea and focused on fighting the battle in front of him.
He took out his telescope and scanned the entire battlefield to see if there were any loopholes that could be exploited?
Anders thought for a while, then looked at Sun Chuanting, and was about to speak loudly. Just when he wanted to give it a try, he suddenly heard Sun Chuanting say in a very surprised voice: "Look, what is that? Could it be me?" Is the official's vision dazzled?"
