Chapter 958: Even the Invincible Armada Wins Sometimes? (Please Subscribe)

We're going to win! We're really going to win!

The Invincible Armada is finally going to win. Thanks be to God the Father! Amen! Amen!

As the armed merchantman Pacific Star passed through the channel between Greater and Lesser Mopan Mountains and entered the Dinghai anchorage, de Belasco was so moved that tears streamed down his face, and he kept crossing himself over his chest.

For the twelve galleons of the Great Ming Eastern Sea Fleet were arrayed in a loose, careless line at the wharf beneath the Shenjiamen fort, looking utterly unguarded. Although all the great bird-ships of the Ming Eastern Ocean Fleet were absent, and the most threatening Flying Wing was also away, the loss of twelve galleons in one stroke would still badly cripple the Western-style squadron of the Ming navy, which was not large to begin with.

Moreover, right beside the Shenjiamen fort berths lay the Shenjiamen merchant harbor. The whole harbor was bustling at that moment, Chinese junks and Western-style ships crowded together, a sight to make one's mouth water. Among them, the few galleons belonging to the Dutch East India Company and the English East India Company could not be touched, but before long every other ship there would be spoils of the Spanish Empire!

After reining in his excitement, de Belasco raised his telescope again and began observing with meticulous care.

First he studied the twelve Ming warships moored beneath the Shenjiamen fort. Four of them were of the six-hundred-ton class, four of the four-hundred-ton class, and four of the two-hundred-ton class. Though all were galleons in the Dutch style, a closer look still revealed many Chinese decorative touches — these twelve galleon warships were all products of Ming shipyards!

It seemed the Chinese had already completely mastered the construction of galleons of six hundred tons and below! De Belasco thought to himself: although a six-hundred-ton warship was nothing much in Europe, if the Chinese took just one more step and mastered the building of eight-hundred-ton European-style warships, they would not be so easy to deal with in the future.

For over in Europe, ships above a thousand tons were treasures that safeguarded a nation; naval powers like England, Holland, and Spain could not afford to build more than a few. Because they could not afford many, everyone had little experience in building thousand-ton-plus ships, and so in that class everyone was still groping in the dark.

Next, de Belasco began observing the Shenjiamen fort.

The Shenjiamen fort stood on a hilltop at the southeastern corner of Zhoushan Island. Its base was built of great stone blocks, and atop the base many sandbags had been piled to form individual gun emplacements. The cannon themselves were invisible; only the emplacements could be seen. De Belasco counted them: twenty-four were visible, and as for those not visible, who could say how many there were?

According to the intelligence de Belasco possessed, this Shenjiamen fort was a battalion-level fort, meaning its garrison was at most one battalion, of which the true artillerymen were at most one company. Because fortress artillery did not need to maneuver, its establishment included more gunners than usual; one company of gunners could operate roughly twelve cannon.

In other words, of the twenty-four visible artillery positions, at least half were empty.

After that, de Belasco located a sandbag wall near the Shenjiamen harbor, behind which should lie the Shenjiamen barracks. The barracks compound was not small, and it was heavily guarded all year round; the spies de Belasco had hired had been unable to penetrate it.

One thing, however, was certain: there were troops inside the barracks, and not a few of them!

Because of the existence of this barracks, de Belasco did not dare even think of seizing Zhoushan Island. Although the Spanish army was very strong, that did not mean Spanish sailors could step off their ships and serve as soldiers.

Having finished his observations, de Belasco let out a breath, put away his telescope, then turned to the captain of the Pacific Star, who was following behind him, and said: "We'll exit from the western side of the Dinghai anchorage, then swing around and turn due south, and make for Yonaguni Island to await orders."

Yonaguni Island was at present under the jurisdiction of the Ryukyu Kingdom. The island had few inhabitants, though some paddy fields had been opened up and there were some fishing boats, so it was comparatively prosperous. Merchant ships passed nearby from time to time, but no one ever stopped there.

It was precisely because the sailors who regularly ran the Ryukyu route all knew this place that de Belasco had suggested to Admiral García that Yonaguni Island be made the campaign rendezvous point.

The Pacific Star, commanded by de Belasco, would join Admiral García's main force there. After the surprise attack on Dinghai was over, if the fleet could not withdraw in formation, the warships that scattered and left separately would also reassemble at Yonaguni Island.

When the Pacific Star quietly reached Yonaguni Island, twenty-eight galleons flying the white fleur-de-lis banner of the House of Bourbon had already struck their sails and were lying in ambush, silent and still, on the sea south of the island.

Needless to say, these twenty-eight galleons were the Spanish Oriental Invincible Armada under Admiral García!

The reason they flew the flag of France was that word had lately been spreading through Western circles in the East of a French royal fleet that was about to come to China.

In recent years the Kingdom of France had also begun to recover, gradually emerging from the malaise left by the Thirty Years' War, the Franco-Spanish War, the Fronde, and a whole series of wars and upheavals. The ruling Cardinal Mazarin (previously rendered Masarin) now had the spare energy to turn his attention to opening up overseas markets.

And trade between the Great Ming and France looked, in turn, highly promising.

So Mazarin was assembling a vast royal fleet, preparing to throw it into the Ming-France maritime trade that could bring enormous revenues to the House of Bourbon.

When word of this reached Manila, Admiral García had immediately ordered fleur-de-lis flags prepared, so that he could disguise his own fleet as a French fleet visiting China.

"Well? Colonel, how are things at the Dinghai anchorage?"

Seeing de Belasco arrive in high spirits, Admiral García knew the matter was as good as settled, and so he too grew excited.

"No precautions at all!" said de Belasco. "Let us set out at once. The wind is against us now, so our speed will be slow; we won't be able to burst into the Dinghai anchorage until the night after tomorrow!"

"Can it be done at night?" Admiral García asked.

"No problem. The channel between Greater and Lesser Mopan Islands is wide, and I have sailed it many times. When the time comes, I will pilot the Pacific Star in to lead the way." De Belasco paused, then added, "The Shenjiamen trading port is very lively at night. We need only head toward the lights, and we will find the Chinese fleet's anchorage! There are twelve galleons there. We'll send in fireships first, then close in and bombard!"

"What about the Chinese fort?" García asked again.

"Just one fort, with perhaps a dozen or twenty guns," de Belasco answered. "As long as we charge in at night, there's nothing to fear. They won't get off more than a few shots."

"Then victory is certain!" García drew a breath, his heart surging with emotion. So the Spanish Invincible Armada could win a battle after all!

At that same moment, Zheng Jiangong had finished inspecting the twenty-two great bird-ships provided by the Southern Ocean Fleet, and had even conducted artillery test-firing — every cannon and every gun crew had performed superbly!

Oh, there were only eighty-eight Hongxing Year Six naval-pattern 24-pounders in all. All were well maintained, and the gunners were good too. Although most of the Southern Ocean Fleet's officers and men were not academy-trained, they had all spent years fighting their way through wind and wave at sea, and their skill and experience were excellent. The gunners among them had all taken supplementary artillery courses at the naval academy, so of course their technique was first-rate.

And after the inspection was complete, the eight great bird-ships of the Eastern Ocean Fleet, led by the two galleons Jiangnan and Fujian, also arrived at Xiamen. Together with the three eight-hundred-ton galleons — Flying Wing, Jiangnan, and Fujian — a Great Ming expeditionary fleet of thirty-three warships in all, on the afternoon of the second day of the eighth month of the ninth year of Hongxing, sailed out of the Xiamen anchorage and, riding the northeast wind, vanished into the vast Taiwan Strait.

That very evening, the Spanish Oriental Invincible Armada, made up of twenty-nine galleons, also beat against the howling northeast wind and came out onto the East China Sea beyond the Dinghai anchorage!

The white fleur-de-lis flags slowly descended, and the Cross of Burgundy, emblem of the Spanish Empire, rose slowly in their place.

(End of Chapter)