Chapter 22: Hunter And Prey
Governor of Manila’s office.
Alonso held a ruler in one hand and a pen in the other, carefully studying the sea chart.
Lieutenant General Juan’s three ships had set off six days ago.
Recently the southwest monsoon has gradually stabilized, the fleet has had smooth sailing, fast speed, and should have covered most of the journey.
At this moment, a servant suddenly ran in panicked from outside the office.
Before Alonso could scold, the servant excitedly said: “Master, Miss Catherine is back!”
“What!” Alonso abruptly stood up, knocking over the wine on the table.
“Father!” Catherine’s voice came from outside the office.
Immediately after, Catherine, draped in a cloak covering her entire body, walked into the office.
“Catherine.” Alonso stepped forward and hugged his daughter. “Thank God, you escaped.”
“Father, Manila is in danger.”
“What’s going on? Tell me slowly.” Alonso was slightly stunned, helped Catherine sit in the chair, and told the servant to brew hot cocoa.
“The pirates who captured me are connected to Lin Feng and the Dutch. They captured me to attack Manila.” Catherine urgently spoke before she could sit down.
Only then did Alonso notice that Catherine had many small scratches from bushes on the back of her hand, and the cloak on her body was linen, not fitting a nobleman’s status.
She must have just escaped back to Manila without time to change clothes and come straight here.
In that case, the news she brought back must be very important.
Alonso sat down and said seriously: “Don’t rush. Start from the beginning.”
At this time, the servant handed over the brewed hot cocoa. Catherine took it and began recounting from the day she was captured and boarded the ship.
When she spoke of Lin Qian sailing a sluggish Great Ming merchant ship, tacking at a small angle against the wind to shake off the San Felipe warship, Alonso’s face was full of disbelief.
This incident demonstrated not only differences in ship structure and performance, but also huge differences in the skills and courage of the captains on both sides.
In Juan’s report to him, he emphasized the storm; this clever tacking navigation was glossed over in one sentence, apparently thinking this failure too embarrassing.
“Lieutenant General Juan said the pirate ship plunged headlong into the storm afterward?” Alonso pressed.
“Yes.”
Catherine then recounted her observations in the typhoon and subsequently on Jellyfish Island.
Alonso widened his eyes and confirmed: “Does this pirate captain have noble bloodline?”
In Spain, navigation is a nobleman’s privilege; the more experienced the captain, the more ancient and noble the bloodline.
Many believe navigation skills are positively correlated with bloodline.
“He never mentioned his bloodline, but in some ways, he is far more gentlemanly than ordinary noblemen.”
Alonso stroked his chin: “Perhaps a descendant of a fallen nobleman. The skills and courage he showed crossing the storm could indeed shame many descendants of ancient bloodlines.”
Catherine continued, recounting what she saw in Lin Qian’s sea log and the conversations she overheard.
“You mean this Lin Qian has united pirates and the Dutch to form a fleet to attack Manila?” Alonso frowned tightly.
He paced to the desk and stared at the sea chart. The spilled wine had been cleaned by the servant, and a new glass poured.
Alonso took the ruler and pen, drawing and writing on the sea chart.
Spain’s military strength in Manila is not strong; at full count, there are only seven warships.
Now three are sailing to Jellyfish Island, one patrolling the sea east of Luzon Island, one patrolling Manila Bay.
The deployable warships number only two, both caravel fast sailboats for scouting and signaling.
Alonso immediately signed the order to dispatch a caravel fast sailboat to catch up with the fleet heading to Jellyfish Island.
Since Catherine had escaped, the ransom trap no longer had meaning; they must turn around immediately to strengthen Manila’s defenses.
Halfway through writing, Alonso sensed something wrong and stopped the pen.
Alonso looked up and asked his daughter: “Did you see this fleet formed by the pirate and the Dutch with your own eyes?”
“I glimpsed it from afar on the mountain on Samar Island. It was nighttime, so I could only see the ship lanterns in the harbor—at least a hundred.”
Alonso actually didn’t care about the fleet’s ship count; he cared more about ship tonnage.
Unlike land warfare, naval battles are not won by ship numbers.
A large-tonnage warship like the San Felipe can handle hundreds of pirate sampans alone; small-caliber cannons can’t even penetrate its thick oak planks.
This is why European navies are keen on building giant ships.
Great Ming sea bandits are characterized by small ships, few cannons, many men—essentially land robbers on boats, no match for the Spanish Navy in naval battles.
Their large numbers after landing are what truly trouble the Spaniards.
In 1574, when Lin Feng attacked Manila, he avoided direct confrontation with the Spanish Navy, instead landing in Lingayen Bay northwest of Luzon Island and advancing overland.
Perhaps Lin Qian’s kidnapping of Catherine was a feint to lure the tiger from the mountain, weakening the Spanish Navy to ensure smooth landing.
Then the Dutch blockade the port, Lin Qian’s pirates land from Lingayen Bay, striking Manila by sea and land.
Facing the Dutch large-caliber cannons and pirate numerical superiority, Manila cannot hold.
The only way to break the deadlock is divide and conquer: while Dutch and pirates are separated, crush the pirates at sea first, then turn to deal with the Dutch.
Of course, the Dutch might also be Lin Qian’s feint.
After all, the sole evidence of the joint fleet is the ship lanterns Catherine saw in the darkness.
Alonso suddenly brightened with insight, thinking of another possible explanation.
Perhaps Lin Qian sought only the ransom from start to finish; he anticipated a navy ambush near Jellyfish Island.
So he timed it: after the fleet delivers the silver coins, release Catherine to spread false news, tricking Alonso into recalling the fleet.
In urgent military straits, the three warships can’t all linger at Jellyfish Island waiting to load silver coins; surely two will return sailing, leaving one to load slowly.
Lin Qian’s men would seize that time gap to rob the silver coins.
This plan seems riddled with holes, but on reflection, it’s the most plausible.
After all, Lin Qian is an obscure pirate, unlikely to convince the Dutch to ally with him.
Leveraging the shared “Lin” surname to recruit Lin Feng’s old subordinates is more feasible.
With Lin Feng’s precedent, this rabble lacks ambition to seize Manila but has the nerve to kidnap Catherine for ransom.
At this thought, Governor Alonso smiled confidently, revised his order: leave San Felipe at Jellyfish Island, the other two ships return—feigning being duped.
With Catherine freed, San Felipe need no longer hold back and can fire cannons freely.
San Felipe’s firepower alone suffices to annihilate this pirate band.
After signing the order, Alonso summoned guards and sent the order to the naval port.
He pondered a moment, then issued another order: station men at Lingayen Bay to build a watchtower, signal with beacon fires, constantly surveil the sea surface.
Meanwhile, station the warship cruising east of Luzon Island, along with the other two warships, near Lingayen Bay.
Though Lin Qian landing to attack is highly unlikely, Alonso prepared countermeasures.
Once the watchtower ignites the beacon, these three warships in ambush can rush over and send Lin Qian’s pirate gang to feed the sharks.
After issuing this order, Alonso relaxed; he reviewed the matter repeatedly in his mind, confirming no oversights.
Alonso held his wine, paced to the window, staring at the broad Manila Bay sea surface outside like a sharp-eyed hunter eyeing prey about to enter the trap.
