Just as Fu Wenlong from Guangdong was waiting for the sea boat to be launched, he was three thousand miles away from Luzon Manila, with sails flying like clouds. The Spanish Expeditionary Fleet had all arrived in Luzon from the country.

In recent years, the rule of Spain in Southeast Asia and Spain has declined, and its former status as a powerful country was challenged by the British and Dutch. Spain had to mobilize thirteen warships to Luzon to safeguard the glory of Spain's old empire.

The commander of the Spanish fleet, De La Pena, wore a double-cornered military cap on the head, wore a turtleneck-fitting military uniform with red as the main base material, blue edge strips, tight double rows of copper buttons, white tight breeches, and black high leather boots. She wore a feathered eavesque, a dark blue wide-edged ribbon, a saber and a short musket on the waist, and white gloves on both hands, looking very gorgeous.

At this time, he was standing on the towering ship at the stern of the flagship ship. Looking at the huge fleet under his command with a high posture, he felt invincible in his heart, as if no matter how powerful the opponent was, he could defeat him. Establishing colonial rule has always been the dream of Spain, and now this dream will be fulfilled by himself. Thinking of this, De La Pena was also full of pride.

Batero Noah de la Pena was fifty-three years old and was born into a military family. He had a military career for more than 30 years. He made many contributions to the Habsburg dynasty in these two battles. When he was young, he had a brief service in Manila, so he was appointed as the chief general of this expeditionary fleet. Before the second expedition, he was awarded the title of Count by King Philip IV and promoted his rank to Lieutenant General.

This Spanish fleet has a total of thirteen warships of all sizes, including two large ships with more than 1,000 tons, four warships with more than 700 tons, and the rest are warships with less than 500 tons.

The entire army had 7,500 personnel, of which more than 5,000 soldiers and more than 2,500 sailors.

De La Pena's flagship "Philip I" is a new warship that has been launched for less than ten years. It has a total weight of 1,237 tons, a total length of 67 meters, a hull of 50 meters, a width of 12 meters, a height of 20 meters, and a draft of 6 and 3 meters. It has a total of five masts and eleven sails, divided into three decks, and a total of 90 artillery pieces. Among the warships of European countries, its combat effectiveness is not inferior to that of the British "Sea Monarch". This is also the last batch of super-large ships of Spanish sailboats.

Because Spain's national strength has declined in recent years and the national treasury is empty, it has rarely built large ships of more than 1,000 tons, and more medium-sized warships of 500 to 700 tons. This Spanish fleet also has such warships as the main force.

Although the scale of this fleet is far less than the invincible fleet back then, at this time, China's sea was indeed an invincible fleet. Even the Dutch, who are currently the most glorious in Southeast Asia, could not get together such a huge fleet for a while. Therefore, Delapena's confidence is not completely unreasonable.

The Port of Manila in the distance has sent a watercraft to guide the fleet into the waterway. Spain's Governor Francisgo is greeting General Dela Pena on the shore.

De La Pena set out from Spain at the beginning of this year. At that time, the fleet had twenty-two warships. After more than eight months of sailing, it arrived in Manila. Because of the wind and rain on the road, nine warships and more than five hundred soldiers were lost.

After Dela Pena got ashore, he saw the Governor coming to greet him and hurriedly stepped forward to salute. "The Governor welcomed him personally, and the lower lord is flattered!"

"There is a lieutenant general who will lead a team to defend Luzon, and it is also worth waiting for us to welcome him." After saying that, Francesgow introduced some Spanish officials behind him to the lieutenant general.

The next step is very simple. After returning to the Governor's Manila's Palace, all the famous socialites in Manila have come to see this new real power party.

While serving as the commander of the fleet, Dela Pena will also serve as the supreme military commander of Luzon. After the reception, the Governor brought some staff and officials to the conference room to discuss the recent issue of the South China Sea.

Governor Francesgow said first: "Sir, we welcome our Expeditionary Fleet Commander!"

There was a burst of applause from below, and De La Pena stood up and said, "Sir, don't worry, my purpose in coming to Luzon is to ensure your property. There is no fleet stronger than ours on the sea in the South Ocean. When I passed by Singapore, the British there were so scared that they hid back to the castle and dared not come out."

At this time, Luzon's financial officer Amaranto asked: "Lieutenant General, the biggest problem in Luzon is not the Dutch and the vulgar British pirates, but the Ming Dynasty in the north. I heard that they had appointed a new governor of the South China Sea, and the Chinese who were killed a few months ago heard that they had sent people to the mainland and their court for help."

"Hahahaha!" Delapena laughed loudly when she heard this: "Mr. Finance officer, I think your worries are too redundant, or you are too cautious. What if you encounter the army of the Ming people? The Chinese are timid and cowardly nations, and they are still in the barbaric Stone Age, and their warships are vulnerable at all. Their army still uses spears and short swords as weapons. Do you think they can withstand our fire and muskets?"

"But, General." Amarantora continued: "You must know that the Ming people's country is larger than the entire European continent, and the Ming people are more people than all European countries combined. This is a powerful opponent, and if you despise them too much, you will be punished on the battlefield."

Delapener said: "So what? We have not conquered the same vast African state, conquered the continent of America, conquered the local residents there, and this time is no exception. The purpose of our expedition will allow the glory of the Habsburg dynasty to shine on the land in the east." He waved his hand vigorously and said: "Talk with guns and cannons, and use swords to draw maps."

Amaranto couldn't help but smile bitterly, because he found out from the scriptures that he could not talk to De La Pena any longer. What he didn't know was that this fleet came to Luzon not only to prevent the Dutch and the British, but to seize a large amount of wealth from the Ming Kingdom to ease Spain's financial crisis.

It turned out that although the Habsburg dynasty in Europe was prosperous in the early mid-to-earth 16th century, it inevitably began to decline due to various subsequent development mistakes. The demise of the Invincible Armada was the beginning. Although relying on the foundation laid before, after the demise of the Invincible Armada, Spain could still maintain its status as a major European power, but it was constantly challenged by new forces.

In 1618, a civil war broke out in Germany, which was the beginning of the Thirty Years' War, which completely pulled Spain into the quagmire of war. Although with the full support of Spain, Catholic countries achieved victory in the first few stages, they were exhausted by the war. In the final stage of the Thirty Years' War, Spain suffered consecutive defeats and now it is urgent to reverse the situation. However, Spain's treasury was empty at this time, and the huge wealth accumulated before was exhausted, and it was impossible to save the defeat. The Protestant countries also needed time to consolidate the results of the war, so both sides entered a short period of truce.

At this moment, someone came up with a plan to conquer China from the old papers, believing that if this plan is implemented, you can get huge wealth from China, so that there will be funds to continue fighting. Philip IV was also moved by this plan.

However, although Philip IV was short-sighted, with the great discovery of geography and Europe's continuous understanding of the East, he also understood that China was not the American continent, and that the original plan was not possible at all, and Spain could not organize an invincible fleet to expedition to China. However, if a fleet could be sent to the East, backed by force, or established a trading point in the coastal areas of China, or expel the Dutch and dominate Taiwan, just like Portugal occupied Macau, it would not only expand trade with China and increase wealth, but also attack the Dutch's power in the East and weaken the power of the Protestant Alliance.

Therefore, after discussing with the ministers, Philip IV also thought that this was a feasible solution. So he sent Delapener's fleet to the east.

Moreover, Dela Pena is a typical traditional soldier, and also a stubborn military conquest and colonialist. He believes in "talking with guns and cannons and drawing maps with swords." At the same time, during his short service in Manila, due to the weakness, obedience and disunity of the Chinese, he had a misunderstanding of China, believing that China, like the mainland of the United States, is actually a very easy country to be conquered, and thus becomes a firm supporter of the plan to conquer China.

After accepting the expedition, Dela Pena thought it was a rare opportunity to realize his wish. Therefore, from the day he set out, he never thought about how to attack the Dutch's influence in East Asia and expand trade with China. Instead, he became the conquerors of mainland China like the legendary figures in history: Kertez (Conquer the Messi), Pizarro (Conquer the Inca Empire), and Legaspi (Conquer the Philippines and Manila).
Chapter completed!