Chapter 1649 Persuading Surrender

Although Wang Tom knew a little bit of Spanish and could barely carry on daily conversations, in order to facilitate communication, he still called Simando, a Portuguese officer who spoke Chinese and Spanish, to be his translator.

In today's combat operation, Simang also went out with the Haihan Navy. After the "San Diego" was beaten and lost power, he was the one who shouted to the ship in Spanish with a tin trumpet. He was able to do this this time

Capturing the commander of the Manila fleet during the operation was an extremely dazzling achievement in Simang's eyes. Although he only assisted in persuading surrender and taking prisoners into custody during the process, he felt that he was honored. He would return later.

Domestically, this record is enough for him to brag about for a long time. Of course, if he can really break through the city of Manila and drive the Spaniards out of this place, it will probably be enough for him to brag about for a lifetime.

Being able to appear arrogantly in front of a senior Spanish officer like Juan has greatly satisfied Simang's vanity. However, there were also senior generals from Haihan present, so Simang did not dare to steal the limelight too much and acted honestly.

translated.

The questions raised by Wang Tom and Yan Chujie were very direct. They needed to know the military deployment situation in Manila and whether it was possible to persuade the defenders to surrender. If Juan is willing to cooperate with Haihan, not only can he regain his freedom after the war, but also

He can choose whether to leave Manila - if he is afraid of taking responsibility and does not want to return to China, Haihan can also arrange his future life in the Far East.

Of course, if Juan makes up his mind not to cooperate with Haihan and must fight to the end, then the rest of his life will probably not be easy. Wang Tom told him straightforwardly that considering his identity and dignity, Haihan would not treat him badly.

He will torture him severely and does not intend to execute him, but will send him to an undisclosed island in the South China Sea to work as a coolie, and he may not have the chance to be released again in the future.

"Even if you are lucky, you will end up breathing your last breath peacefully in a wooden house where slaves live on a plantation a few years later. If you are unlucky, you will end up digging in a mine one day.

Buried alive by the landslide. Think clearly, Mr. Juan, you still have a chance to make a choice now, don't make a decision that you will regret."

Simang followed Yan Chujie's instructions and tried hard to convince the other party: "But if you are willing to cooperate with Haihan, then your life will be very easy in the second half of your life. Juan Luis, who used to command the Manila fleet, has died in this naval battle."

You are here. No one will know who you are, and they can change your appearance and become a wealthy farmer somewhere else."

For a prisoner who had lost the battle and had no possibility of escaping, Simang's rhetoric was undoubtedly very tempting. If he did not cooperate, he would be directly hanged or shot, so Juan probably had no idea of ​​struggling.

The procedure is to end it by sacrificing one's life for the country, and perhaps one's family will receive some compensation for this.

But the Haihan people did not intend to execute him, but gave him other better options. The second best option was to be sent to work as a coolie and die silently; the better way out was to give up his current identity or even

Nationality, go to the place arranged by Haihan to spend the rest of your life.

No matter which way out, at least he can survive first, and for Juan, who originally had a desire to die, this is simply a glimmer of life that suddenly appears in front of him. Although he has the courage to die for his country, he also has the desire to survive.

It is difficult to choose death when you know you can live a good life.

Of course, Juan himself knew very well that once he cooperated with the Haihan people, it would mean treason, and treason was also an unforgivable death penalty in Spain. If the truth is known in the future, it will be difficult to escape the pursuit of the empire even if he hides in the corners of the world.

He didn't believe that the Haihan people would really go to great lengths to protect a traitor.

"I don't believe you." After thinking for a long time, Juan shook his head and rejected Simang's proposal. The cunning Portuguese and the ferocious Haihan people came together, and the idea they came up with was not credible to Juan.

After Yan Chujie listened to Xi Mang's translation, he was not angry, but asked: "So your problem is that you don't believe that we will keep our promises, rather than that there is a problem with the solution we proposed? That's easy to handle, you

You can tell me what you think. If it is a reasonable request, I can make the decision and agree to it now."

For Haihan, letting Juan go is not a big deal, especially compared to a real major event like attacking Manila, Juan's life, and even the subsequent expenses that may result from it, are all just trivial matters.

That's all. As long as Juan is willing to cooperate, Yan Chujie can indeed give him some "special" care.

Juan didn't expect that General Haihan would respond like this to his rejection. He didn't know how to answer for a while. He didn't want to betray his country, but he really didn't want to spend the rest of his life in a mine.

.But this moment of hesitation was seen by old foxes like Yan Chujie, who naturally knew that this was a sign of Juan's weak will and loose guard, and immediately signaled Ximang to work harder.

Simang also knew a little bit about the way the Haihan army dealt with prisoners. He immediately used coaxing and intimidation to continue to persuade Juan to accept the arrangements of the Haihan people. As a European, especially a Portuguese who has deep connections with Spain, he is very

Understand the mentality of his Spanish counterparts. If he died on the battlefield as a soldier, or was hanged by the enemy after the war, Juan would probably not blink an eye. But if he was to be demoted to a slave, he would be treated as an inferior human being.

If you are a servant, you may not be able to bear this kind of humiliation.

On the other hand, after the remaining ten or so ships of the defeated Manila fleet escaped back to the port, the news quickly spread back to the city. Governor Aragones was actually mentally prepared for the outcome of the defeat, but Juan failed in the end.

He was safely withdrawn to Manila Port, which still disappointed him. Since the "San Diego" was intercepted and killed outside the port by the Haihan fleet, Juan's life and death were unknown in the end, and no more detailed and specific information was fed back to Aragones.

It's all aside, but judging from the subsequent reports of the sinking of the "San Diego", Juan may have been in dire straits.

Although Juan finally managed to save a number of ships, most of these ships were severely damaged and the crews also lost a lot. It will be difficult to organize to fight against Haihan in the short term. This means that the Manila authorities

Having lost almost all of its maritime armaments, it is difficult to resist the Haihan Navy's offensive at sea.

As a seaport city, Manila loses the protection of maritime armed forces and is tantamount to losing a solid shell, and the subsequent defense will become very passive. There will be fewer defenders for the landing operations that the Haihan Army may launch.

A powerful defensive method was created. Aragones sighed and ordered the news to be temporarily blocked to avoid triggering panic among the people in the city.

But how could such a big thing be concealed? Hundreds of crew members were killed, injured or missing in this battle. Their local relatives and friends in Manila soon discovered something was wrong. The fleet had obviously returned to port, but no crew members could

Depart the port and go home. Go to the port to inquire about the news. Officials only say that the fleet must continue to prepare for war, and no one is allowed to leave without permission. However, the news that only half of the Manila fleet's warships barely managed to return to the port spread quickly in the city.

Ran Tianlu also got the news at the first time. Several days had passed since he sent Ran Tiancheng to report the news to the Port of Cavite. These days, he almost never slept peacefully because he was very worried about Ran Tiancheng on the way.

Intercepted by the Spanish, if the secret letter was exposed, it would be a disaster for the entire Chaosheng Merchant Store. However, after the news of the defeat of the Manila fleet came, Ran Tianlu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although he did not know

Did the secret military information sent to Cavite Port play a role? But now that the results of the battle between the two armies have come out, Ran Tiancheng must have sent the information to the place long ago.

Without the Manila fleet, how long can the Spaniards sustain? Ran Tianlu knew that the Haihan army would surely come to the city in the near future and begin to attack the city of Manila. He felt much more relaxed at that moment and ordered the kitchen to kill chickens and fish and add vegetables in the evening.

But before he was overjoyed, someone came to the door to inform him that Father Blanco had invited him to the church in the city to discuss something. Ran Tianlu did not dare to neglect, and immediately explained the affairs of the store, and then came with him.

The people went to the city and went to church together.

"Ran, you came so quickly!" Father Blanco was very excited after seeing Ran Tianlu. He enthusiastically took his arm and took him into a living room at the back of the church without any explanation.

Although Ran Tianlu was familiar with Father Blanc, they usually communicated in the church. This was the first time he was brought to such a private place. At the moment, he couldn't help but be surprised by the unusual enthusiasm shown by the other party. He

He is a professionally trained intelligence officer and is extremely vigilant about his surroundings. The attitude shown by Father Blanco naturally aroused his vigilance. Could it be that his identity has been exposed? The Spaniards specially arranged this situation to

Catch yourself in church?

However, there was no trap in the living room that he was worried about, and there was no ferocious man waiting to catch him. In fact, there was no third party in the room. Father Blanco even specifically dismissed an attendant who was staying in the corridor outside.

Ran Tianlu slowly relaxed, guessing that the other party had something important to discuss with him. However, Father Blanco had a respected status in Manila, and even Governor Aragones wanted to give him some face, so how could he have any dignity?

What kind of things do you need help from as a businessman?

"Ran, if one day the church needs your help, what will you do?" After Father Blanc sat down, he finally introduced the topic.

Ran Tianlu didn't know what he meant, but he still responded according to his identity as a believer: "If it is the Lord's arrangement, then of course I will do my best to help the church."

"Very good." Father Blanc nodded, very satisfied with Ran Tianlu's attitude, and then explained to him the reason for summoning him to meet.

It turns out that the Manila Cathedral contains many artworks and documents collected by the church and Father Blanco. The priest was worried that these things would be damaged in the subsequent war, so he planned to transport them out before the Haihan people launched an siege.

Put it in a safer place outside the city. The storage place chosen by the priest is Ran Tianlu's business inn.

"You mean, you want to transport the church's precious belongings to Chaosheng Commercial Store and hand them over to me?" Ran Tianlu couldn't believe his ears: "Do you believe me so much?"

"It is only temporarily stored. After the war, the church will also take back these properties." Father Blanco said seriously: "As for you, after my observation over the past year, you have shown generosity, kindness, and integrity in your daily life, especially to others.

The Lord's piety shows that you are a trustworthy person. It is the Lord's choice to entrust these belongings to you for safekeeping."

Ran Tianlu wanted to criticize a few words, but he felt that doing so would be a bit disrespectful to the priest for trusting him, so he changed his angle and asked: "But you are not worried about the Haihan army attacking. The city will be the first to suffer."

Outsiders?"

"This is another important reason for choosing you." Father Blanco explained: "You are a wise man in business, and the Haihan people have always been very friendly to wise merchants. This is a well-known thing. And you often see people in your shop.

There will be goods for sale from Haihan, I think that should be an example of your trading relationship with Haihan. In any case, the Haihan people will not embarrass their trading partners, right?"

Ran Tianlu did not expect that Father Blanco had already figured out the cause and effect, and could not think of any words to refute his views at the moment.

Seeing his silence, Father Blanc urged: "Ran, you just said you would help the church."

"Of course. As you wish." Ran Tianlu came to his senses and decided to agree to the other party's request first. Anyway, this matter cannot be called collaborating with the enemy. He will transport the church's valuable things outside the city to avoid being destroyed by the war, and then report to his superiors.

Just make a decision from above, and maybe you can get more credit for it.

Father Blanco showed a gratified smile on his face, nodded and said: "I will arrange a carriage to send the things out of the city tonight, and you will take care of them outside the city then."

Ran Tianlu agreed, thought for a while and then said: "Father, do you think the city of Manila can't be defended?"

Father Blanco responded: "It's not just me, there should be many people who think so. The Manila fleet is gone, and the Haihan army is very close to the city of Manila. Maybe the battle will start in a day or two.

Ran, we have never defeated the Haihan people. No one here has the confidence to defeat them. Whether it is an officer or the governor, it is the same. The reason why they did not abandon the city and escape is just that people still have a little unrealistic hope.

Just hope."

Ran Tianlu was dumbfounded when he heard this, and thought to himself that you are such an honest man. You dare to say such things. If the governor hears this, he may be charged with disrupting the morale of the army and be imprisoned.
Chapter completed!