Chapter 1672 No way to escape

After the Haihan Army occupied Manila, most of the Spanish immigrants here would find ways to escape from the Haihan-controlled area for the sake of their future livelihood. For example, fleeing north to the inland plains on the north bank of the Pasig River was considered by many to be a way out. For some,

Those with connections would try various channels to find ships to go to sea and escape to other Spanish colonies in the South China Sea. During this period, it was not uncommon for some people to fish in troubled waters and hire a ship to escape under the supervision of Haihan.

It's just that the headquarters must find out how this group of Spaniards managed to escape from the heavily guarded city.

Of course, everyone quickly thought of another possibility. The Spaniards Ran Tianlu saw on the dock were not leaving the city, but were waiting directly outside the city for Ran Hui to take the boat to meet at the Pasig River dock.

However, Wang Tom was not in a hurry about this and asked Ran Tianlu to get up first and reply. Although Ran Tianlu had made some omissions in his contact with the other party, it had not caused any major mistakes, and it was discovered in time, so there was no chance of recovery.

Ran Tianlu’s original identity was from the Ministry of Security, and he had made great contributions in the past. The military could not blame him for such a small thing. Even if a cargo ship was hijacked by these people, Ran Hui would take it out

The deposit was already worth several ships, so there was no big loss. The only thing that needed attention was the personal safety of the innocent crew members on the ship.

According to the personnel registered with the Ministry of Shipping, this cargo ship belonging to Zhan's Shipping Company has a total of fourteen crew members, including Captain Meng Ge. If a human life is really caused, the military will inevitably have to pay some compensation to the shipping company.

.As for whether the ship will take the opportunity to escape, this issue does not require the Haihan generals to worry too much.

The command quickly issued an order and dispatched a team of cavalry to follow Ran Tianlu to the bank of the Pasig River to seize the warehouse and see if they could intercept the cargo ship in time. On the other hand, the navy also notified it to dock at the Port of Manila.

The armed warships were immediately ready to dispatch, waiting for the news from the Pasig River bank. If the ship had left the Pasig River, the navy was dispatched to pursue it. The cargo ship could only travel at a speed of about six or seven knots, and it would be the same even if it ran for an hour or two first.

He will be overtaken by the navy. After all, there is only one entrance and exit in Manila Bay. As long as he pursues in that direction, he will not go wrong.

Ran Tianlu immediately thanked Wang Tom for his magnanimity, knowing that whether he could be punished or not would depend on whether he could catch these people, so he hurried out of the city with the cavalry team. But when he arrived outside the city, he could see the Pasig River.

By that time, the boat that was docked on the shore had disappeared.

Ran Tianlu secretly complained, and at the moment he could only treat the dead horse as a living horse doctor, and asked the soldiers to quickly search nearby warehouses to see if they could find anything. Soon the soldiers found several Han people tied up in one of the warehouses.

, upon questioning, it turned out that they were the crew members on the cargo ship. Ran Tianlu hurriedly asked about the situation, and found out that after he left, the Spaniards on the dock took advantage of the crew's unpreparedness, subdued several of them, and risked their lives.

threatened the crew on board to surrender and hand over control of the cargo ship.

After a short negotiation, the two sides negotiated, and Captain Meng Ge agreed to hand over the ship to the other party in exchange for the safety of the crew. However, in the end, the gang coerced eight people, including Meng Ge, onto the ship, and then pulled the anchor and lifted the ship.

Fan left. The remaining six crew members were bundled in and thrown into a warehouse on the dock until Ran Tianlu brought someone to rescue them.

This was not because the Spaniards were merciful and specifically released six people, but the ship required at least eight sailors to operate it. The Spaniards were not familiar with the ship and were worried that these sailors could move freely on the ship. They

It was really difficult to keep an eye on them one by one, so I only took the minimum amount of eight people away, so that I could not only leave by boat, but also control the situation on the boat more securely. As for why the remaining six people were not taken away

The crew members were silenced, and this was also due to Ran Hui saying some kind words, leaving some room for the Spaniards to avoid angering Haihan and massacring local Spanish immigrants in retaliation.

Probably when the Spaniards left, they didn't expect that their hiding place had been discovered by Ran Tianlu. They thought that it would take at least one night for the crew to be discovered in the warehouse, and by that time they might have quietly sailed out of Manila under the cover of night.

Bay, then the possibility of the Haihan Army intercepting them at sea will be very small.

As for where the ship would be hijacked, the six crew members had no idea. Ran Tianlu was so anxious that he scratched his head and head, but the officer accompanying him was much calmer than him. He immediately sent a cavalry back to the city to report the news, and then comforted him.

Ran Tianlu didn't need to panic. It had been less than an hour since the ship had left the dock. There was absolutely no way it could escape the navy's pursuit. Only then did Ran Tianlu's anxious heart relax a little.

The mobility of the Haihan Army was undoubtedly second to none in the Far East in this era. The news was transmitted back to the city by the cavalry, and then sent from the headquarters to the waiting warships in Manila Port in less than a cup of tea.

The warship ordered by Tom Wang to go out to perform the pursuit mission was the new warship "Black Shark" that stole the show in the Battle of Manila. It just happened to be such a coincidence that it was the Warrior's turn to be on duty today.

The ship had just completed its maritime patrol and returned to the port. Before the sailors could set up the springboard, the order from the command center came. When Captain Wu Sen saw the content of the mission, he naturally would not let go of such a "light" opportunity to perform meritorious deeds.

, when even the order was given to quickly replenish the coal-fired fresh water, all personnel were on standby on board, preparing to sail again. As soon as the second order from the command arrived, Wu Sen ordered to set off immediately. While Ran Tianlu was still uneasy outside the north gate, this

The "Black Shark" has slowly sailed away from the coast.

In addition to the two advanced naval guns one behind the other on the "Black Shark", the steam propulsion system and sail system on the ship are also the latest technological achievements of the relevant departments, and their performance has been improved compared to the previous Majesty-class warships.

, especially the time required to speed up navigation, has been greatly shortened compared with the past, and is particularly useful when chasing enemy ships on the battlefield. As for chasing a civilian ship at full power at sea, this is very useful for Wu Sen and the "Black Shark"

This is the first time for me.

When setting sail, Wu Sen had already arranged for people to climb the mast and use telescopes to look at the sea. Although the performance of the "Black Shark" was excellent, dusk was approaching, and if the target was not found before dark, it would be a bit troublesome.

.

Wu Sen studied the nautical chart of Manila Bay during the short break before departure. He drew a straight line from the mouth of the Pasig River to Corregidor Island at the exit of Manila Bay. The voyage was about twenty nautical miles. If the other party wanted to sail,

Leaving Manila Bay in order to escape, and calculating the voyage and sea position based on the opponent starting an hour earlier, then the "Black Shark" pursuing at full speed in this direction should be able to find the opponent's traces soon.

Sure enough, just as Wu Sen speculated, about half an hour after leaving the port, the lookout on the mast had already spotted a sail shadow on the sea to the west. The only sailboat that would appear at this location during this time period was probably the one that had been spotted previously.

The cargo ship that the Spanish hijacked.

After chasing closer, through the telescope, the "Zhan" flag hanging on the top of the mast of the ship could be seen. It was the cargo ship belonging to Zhan's Shipping Company. Wu Sen no longer hesitated at that moment.

Ordered to prepare for battle. The order he received before setting off was to intercept the ship at all costs. However, the second order from the command center stated that there were eight Haihan crew members on the ship. When he was asked to take action

Just be a little careful and don't be too reckless.

Wu Sen understood "no matter the cost" to mean that the cargo ship could be sunk directly if necessary. But since there are Haihan nationals on board and they have been greeted by the superiors, they probably have to restrain themselves a little. Of course, if the other party is willing

It would be best to surrender, but judging from the way the ship adjusted its course and accelerated its escape, it seems likely that it would not surrender voluntarily.

Calculating the speed, it was not difficult for Wu Sen to conclude that the ship could not reach the waters of Corregidor Island before dark, and it could not escape the pursuit of the "Black Shark". In fact, from the discovery of the ship to the two ships

The distance was reduced to one nautical mile, which was less than an hour.

When the distance between the two ships narrowed to about 200 meters, the sky had begun to darken. Wu Sen saw that the other party had no intention of stopping the ship and surrendering. Naturally, he was too lazy to slow down, so he ordered the pursuit to be parallel to the cargo ship, and then

Fire the gun to hit the area where the tail rudder is.

The naval combat capabilities of the "Black Shark" have been fully verified before. At this time, it is natural to deal with a cargo ship at close range. Wu Sen can already see the deck of the ship without using a telescope.

There was chaos. It was obvious that the Spaniards were unprepared to be caught up by the Haihan battleship, and the few muskets in their hands were just scratching the itch to deal with tin cans like the "Black Shark".

As the "Black Shark" naval gun fired one after another, the cargo ship's stern immediately exploded, and soon began to flood and capsize. People on the ship saw the stern of the ship slowly sinking into the sea, knowing that it was impossible to escape, so they could only go towards each other.

Throw planks, wooden boxes, barrels and other floating objects into the sea, and then jump into the sea to escape.

The "Black Shark" slowed down its speed and slowly approached the sinking area of ​​the cargo ship. It used bamboo poles to pull the survivors on the sea to the side of the ship one by one, and then let them climb onto the deck along the ladder lowered by the side of the ship.

None of the eight crew members, including Captain Meng Ge, was killed. Only one person was slightly injured in the battle just now. He only needed to be bandaged and was fine. The group of people who robbed the ship were not so lucky.

After an inventory and verification, it was found that two people were missing. It seems that the few shots that hit the stern of the ship just now pushed it into the sea and sank with the cargo ship.

Ran Hui, the mixed-race businessman who deceived Ran Tianlu, was lucky. When he was pulled onto the ship, he was unharmed. He was just a little frightened and knelt on the deck, still shaking. The man was dragged to the captain's cabin and passed through Meng Ge.

After identifying him, Wu Sen ordered people to take him down, shackled his hands and feet and took him into custody alone. He was the one who led the way in the robbery of the ship. Of course, he was the person who committed the biggest crime. After he was returned to the port, he would be handed over to the headquarters.

It was up to the generals to decide whether he should live or die.

Ran Hui probably also knew his situation. After a moment of silence, he suddenly shouted loudly: "This villain is willing to serve his crime and make meritorious service. I hope General Haihan will give me a chance!"

Wu Sen sneered and said: "How do you know how to establish a Kung Fu method to punish sins?"

Ran Hui gritted his teeth and said: "The villain knows the whereabouts of the Spanish governor. If the general can help the villain regain his freedom, the villain will tell the general this secret."

Wu Sen responded calmly: "You have already fallen into my hands, so what qualifications do you have to negotiate terms? I will reward you with a torture, but you will do whatever it takes!"

Ran Hui said: "The villain will definitely be punished, but if it is delayed for a long time and the enemy chief takes the opportunity to escape, won't the general's achievements be wasted?"

"You have a clever mouth, no wonder you deceived you into a ship!" Wu Sen said it would be a lie if he said he was not impressed by Ran Hui's conditions, but he directly promised him a free life. Wu Sen

He didn't have such great authority, and he was also worried that this guy was playing tricks. If he fell for it, he would have let this guy succeed twice in one day.

"First tell me what you know about the situation. If you really catch that person, I will intercede for you and at least keep your life safe!" Wu Sen decided that he still had to have reservations and could not agree to it outright.

But Ran Hui was afraid that Wu Sen would regret it, so he immediately confirmed it again. It wasn't until Wu Sen impatiently patted his chest and swore that he said: "The villain believed the general. I hope the general will not forget it after he catches the person."

This commitment..."

"If you don't say it, don't say it!" If it weren't for the seriousness of the matter, Wu Sen would have wanted to kick this guy out.

Ran Hui then returned to the topic: "Among the dozen Spaniards tied up outside, there is a fat man with brown hair, wearing gray clothes and black trousers, and a bit bald. That man is Governor Aragones!"

Wu Sen suddenly stood up, kicked Ran Hui over, and then left the cabin to go to the deck to find the person he mentioned. Sure enough, among the more than ten prisoners fished out of the sea, there was one who looked like this

Ran Hui's description was normal. He knelt down and asked a few questions, but the man just shook his head and seemed not to understand the Chinese he spoke.

And when we set off just now, we were walking in a hurry, and the "Black Shark" didn't bring an interpreter on board. Now, with big eyes and small eyes, it was impossible to confirm the identity of this person. However, looking at this person, who is white and fat, he looks like he is used to it.

With a pampered look, Wu Sen pinched the man's palm again, but did not touch the calluses. It was obvious that he was not a manual worker, but he was probably the escaped Governor of the Philippines.

But Wu Sen, a man like him, had another plan in mind. He kicked the fat man and he screamed in pain. The other prisoners next to him immediately looked here. Wu Sen saw that the first thing these people looked at was this.

The fat man, not himself, had a concerned look on his face, and he was already a little more certain about his identity in his heart.
Chapter completed!