As Wang Rulong expected, the Spaniards were just late.
It is not known whether the wild vegetables and fruits dug in Guam were poisonous, or whether it was caused by eating too much rotten food. In short, a large-scale food poisoning broke out shortly after the Armada left Guam.
Good guys can't help but have three bubbles, not to mention that the healthy seasons with poor health are the ocean crews. Large numbers of sailors and soldiers were weakened by the continuous spray. What would happen if we met the Ming Dynasty's fleet? Just transform into Splatoon and spray them to death?
The Marquis of Santa Cruz had no choice but to follow Julio¡¯s suggestion and order the ship to sail to Palau in the southwest so that his men could recuperate on the island.
When they arrived in Palau, the Spaniards were surprised to find that there were many residents on the island. It is also rich in products, including bananas, coconuts, cassava, and many fish fisheries.
Why are you so polite? Let's have fun raping and plundering! They vented their accumulated grievances on the Palau natives. In the end, only a dozen of the more than 10,000 natives survived
However, the Spaniards got a blessing in disguise. Not only did they recover their health, they also got some supply problems, and their morale was also boosted a lot.
The fleet then regrouped and continued to the Philippines.
It will be delayed inside and inside
They arrived at the ocean 20 kilometers east of Leyte Gulf on the 21st of the winter month. There, the Marquis of Santa Cruz ordered the sails to be lowered and slowed down, and at the same time sent a clipper to Suluan Island at the mouth of the bay to contact the Spanish stationed there.
The Marquis was so cautious because he found that the ocean current here flows from east to west, and the northeast wind also prevails at this time.
This means that once the fleet enters Leyte Gulf, there is no turning back. We can only follow the direction of the wind and ocean currents and pass through this narrow sea area as quickly as possible.
So he must ensure safety before entering Leyte Gulf.
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Governor Francis has been waiting at the small stronghold of Suluan Island for many days.
Spain¡¯s control over the colonies is very strict. In order to prevent the governor from losing his position, the king usually only appoints the legitimate sons of great nobles who are closely related to the royal family to serve as colonial governors with great power. There are strict term limits and must be recalled upon expiration.
Governor Francis is naturally no exception. He is based in Madrid and will return to his country as soon as his term is up, so he must please the Emperor's favorite, the Marquis of Santa Cruz. And the large and small nobles who vote for military merit cannot be offended.
Since the preparations in Guam were in a mess, Francis did not dare to travel again. After arranging everything, he personally ran to this small island six hundred miles away from Cebu to welcome the arrival of the Invincible Fleet.
Because of the rich food and wine he brought as a gift, the nobles on board the San Felipe, who wore decorated cakes and tights and hadn't had a big meal in months, didn't embarrass him too much.
They immediately started feasting in the luxuriously decorated restaurant, accompanied by the band.
The Marquis of Santa Cruz only used a little chicken breast with caviar, and then asked about the current situation in the Philippines.
Francis quickly put down the red wine glass, wiped his mouth with a napkin and said: "The Ming Dynasty's fleet is out in full force and is attacking Brunei Bay. However, I have withdrawn the fleet in advance and ordered the defenders to stay tight. The troops and supplies in Brunei City are They are all sufficient and can definitely last for more than half a year.¡±
"Are you sure that all the fleets of the Ming Dynasty are in Borneo?" Admiral Leon, the deputy commander of the Invincible Fleet and the former commander of the Pacific Fleet, asked in a deep voice.
"One hundred percent sure." Governor Francis deliberately demonstrated his ability and said conclusively: "Although the Ming Dynasty did not allow Europeans to enter their territory, we still found ways to hire some spies and spared no effort to infiltrate and monitor them. It can be said that they have everything under control!¡±
"Yeah." The Marquis nodded and wanted to praise him a few words, but stopped when he thought of the bad things in Guam.
"The same information came from different channels. Just twenty days ago, the Ming Dynasty's huge fleet sailed to Borneo. We just received an urgent report from the defenders of Brunei City. Ten days ago, they had deployed their troops. Brunei Bay, prepare to attack the city."
The governor said as he took out a document asking for help and handed it to the Marquis.
The Marquis took it and looked at the time carefully, then stood up and walked to the map, made some gestures with his fingers, pondered for a moment and asked: "Is this the latest information?"
"Yes, because from Brunei to Suluan Island, it takes 250 leagues by sea, and the fastest ship takes ten days." Francis replied.
"The big sailing ship has to go for half a month, not to mention the headwind." Admiral Leon also came over and said.
¡°We can go back to Cebu smoothly and it will only take three days.¡± Francis said.
"Hmm." Admiral Leon nodded and said: "Weapons, no matter how generous the people of the Ming Dynasty were, they would have been used up after shooting for a while in the early stages of the battle.
Who knew that the other party was actually a big dog owner with a mine at home! I shot one clock after another, it has been three clocks, and I still have no intention of stopping!
And the tactics of the Ming people are very clear, which is to use rocket fire intensively to paralyze as many of their warships as possible.
So once a ship loses mobility, even if it only slows down significantly. The rain of rockets that was pouring down would immediately stop.
Because of the rockets fired by the Ming people, they went to find other ships with intact sails and poisoned them.
All the warships were on the move, and the Marquis could not count the specific losses, but he saw at least forty Spanish warships that were lagging behind along the way.
Some sails were shot into honeycombs, and some masts and cables became blazing fire trees. Even his ship San Felipe had a third of its sails destroyed.
That¡¯s one-third of the motivation!
"We can't go on like this" He regretted so much why he didn't resolutely face the enemy from the beginning? I'm afraid half of the battleships have lost speed now, right?
"Hang the red battle flag instead!" The Marquis put on his armor with the help of his attendants, and ordered through gritted teeth: "All battleships should get as close as possible to the enemy! Seek close range bombardment, and then launch a boarding battle!"
After seeing the flagship hoisting the red flag, the adjacent Spanish warship also hoisted the red flag. In this way, the order of the 'Father of Soldiers' was transmitted to the farthest warship.
The Spanish fleet no longer ran away, each ship began to make a difficult turn, preparing to take the initiative to approach the Ming fleet.
The three commanders of the combined fleet saw the enemy's plot at the same time, and knew that the first phase of the battle, named "Turkey Shooting" by the young master, was over.
Now we will enter the cruel second stage - the annihilation war! (Remember the website address: www.hlnovel.com