Chapter 452: Aground

Just as they were discussing how to act at night, the San Raimundo suddenly turned its rudder and headed for the sandy beach on the shore.

“He’s going to run aground!” Lin Chuanqing shouted.

Sure enough, the San Raimundo lowered its sails and charged straight for the beach of a bay, quickly coming to a stop on the sand.

“Beautiful!” Lin Chuanqing couldn’t help but say. The other party had chosen the time when the tide was beginning to recede, using the current to run the ship aground on the beach.

This beach was very smooth, which minimized both the damage to the ship and the difficulty of getting it afloat again later.

“What?” Zhou Weisen was puzzled.

“This captain is very skilled!” Lin Chuanqing said. “He’s thoughtful and technically proficient!”

“Why did they run aground here?” Zhou Weisen asked, puzzled. “It’s at most a two or three-day journey to Manila from here.”

“With just one mast, it would take another seven or eight days to get there. Besides, the ship might have other problems,” Lin Chuanqing said. “They are probably preparing to repair the ship here.”

In the age of sail, every large ship carried spare ship materials and a carpenter. It was common for ships to anchor on an island or coast for emergency repairs after a storm, sometimes even using local materials from the land.

Judging from the damage to the San Raimundo, the captain probably intended to cut some timber from the forests of Samar Island to repair the masts.

Now that the other party was aground, it would be a shame to let this piece of meat go. Lin Chuanqing’s blood boiled at the thought.

“Let’s hit them hard!” he grinned, baring his teeth. “Fight every enemy we see! We can’t be timid!”

Zhou Weisen nodded. “Let’s do it!”

Lin Chuanqing returned to the camp and called Sun Xiao and Mendoza to inform them of the current situation and his decision.

Although Mendoza was worried about Zhou Weisen’s safety, she had now completely lost her own opinion and basically did whatever Zhou Weisen said. Sun Xiao also expressed his support.

So Lin Chuanqing gathered the officers and non-commissioned officers and ordered them to assemble the troops and prepare for battle.

“All units, check your weapons and prepare for battle!” he ordered. “Distribute combat rations!” To save food, the ration supply in the camp was currently distributed at half the standard for field supply.

The officers and non-commissioned officers immediately got busy. Lin Chuanqing ordered the lookouts to keep a constant watch on the Spaniards. He then sent out a five-man team to conduct a close reconnaissance along the coastline on foot.

“If the terrain allows, we will try to attack from the stern, otherwise we will switch to the bow,” Lin Chuanqing drew a diagram on the ground. “According to our information and the situation on the San Luis, this ship has two demi-culverins or falcons at the stern, and two 1-pounder guns on the sterncastle deck. The firepower is relatively weak compared to the broadside.”

Attacking from the stern was the basic principle for a small ship attacking a large ship in a boarding action, and it was no exception when attacking from land. However, the other party had run aground bow-first, so the stern was likely facing shallow water that was more than chest-deep. In this case, attacking from the stern was not realistic.

But no matter where they launched the attack from, they faced the problem of climbing the bulwarks. Whether it was a surprise attack or a full-scale assault, the marines and sailors had to use tools to climb onto the deck. Lin Chuanqing’s solution was to have the sailors build light ladders, preparing to assault by setting up ladders like in a siege.

“We have M240 machine guns and machine guns. Even without them, it wouldn’t be difficult to suppress the enemy’s deck and broadside fire with volley fire from our Minie rifles—our guns have an advantage in range and rate of fire,” Lin Chuanqing said. “However, during the boarding, as long as the other side is determined to resist, casualties are still unavoidable—especially during the charge towards the large ship, a single canister shot volley from the enemy’s cannons could cause us heavy casualties.”

“If only we had a cannon,” Zhou Weisen said with great regret. “What a pity about our 75mm guns.”

The 75mm secondary guns on the Nongchao were all designed to be detachable and reinstalled on wheeled carriages as field guns, but the capsizing of the ship had either thrown them into the sea or twisted them out of shape. Not a single one was usable, and even the wheeled carriages in the cargo hold couldn’t be salvaged.

However, the three machine guns that had been dismantled from the ship could still be used. Lin Chuanqing decided to leave one to guard the camp and take the other two.

“This is my plan,” he said, sketching a diagram in the sand.

“We will attack from both land and sea. I will lead a mixed formation of sailors and marines along the coastline, and you will take the Feiyun by sea.” His stick drew lines on the ground. “The Feiyun’s mission is to support us with machine gun fire from the sea. You will have both machine guns.”

“That’s not right. I’ve had small unit tactical training, and I organized the last boarding action. I should lead the land team for the boarding, and you take the Feiyun.”

Lin Chuanqing nodded. That was also a good idea. “You take one machine gun then.”

“This thing is too heavy, and we didn’t salvage its wheeled carriage. The troops will have to carry it. Don’t be fooled by the short straight-line distance; it will probably be quite difficult to walk, and its ammunition is not light either. The soldiers will be exhausted. You, on the other hand, can carry as much ammunition as possible on the ship. The M240 is enough for me.”

Finally, a roll call was taken. There were a total of 154 marines, sailors, and special reconnaissance team members in the camp, of whom 128 were deemed fit to participate in this battle. Zhou Weisen decided to take 80 men himself, including all the special reconnaissance team members. The Feiyun would be manned by 20 men. The rest would guard the camp.

“Old Sun, you’re in charge of the camp. If anything happens, I’ll contact you in time,” Lin Chuanqing entrusted to him.

“I understand. I will definitely guard the camp well!” Sun Xiao, seeing the two of them going off to fight again, couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement. He stepped forward and shook their hands firmly. “Waiting for your triumphant return!”

Mendoza watched her man put on his tactical vest, sling his submachine gun and that large revolver over his shoulder, knowing he was going off to fight again. Tears welled up in her eyes—in this time-space, Zhou Weisen was her only family. During their farewell kiss, she bit him hard with a mixture of love and hate, leaving his lips swollen for a long time.

The land-based part was codenamed “Tidal Wave Team.” Zhou Weisen reorganized the soldiers, appointed commanders for each combat group, and assigned specific tactical tasks to each group.

The two teams set off before noon. The land-based mixed company had one M240. Zhou Weisen ordered all the ammunition and spare barrels to be brought along. The special reconnaissance team, having been equipped for a boarding action, were all armed with Scorpion submachine guns, except for two Mosin-Nagant rifles with scopes. Their long-range suppressive fire was insufficient, so they could only rely on the volley fire of the marines’ Minie rifles.

At about two in the afternoon, the Tidal Wave Team rendezvoused with the reconnaissance team that had arrived earlier and took cover in the jungle less than three hundred meters from the San Raimundo.

The San Raimundo was aground on the beach, its hull sitting upright. As long as they worked with the tide and a capstan, it would not be difficult for the Spanish to refloat it.

From up close, the San Raimundo looked even more battered. Not only were its masts broken and most of its sails and rigging lost, but there were also several damaged areas on its hull. It had probably only managed to get here by having the crew pump water in shifts. If they hadn’t beached it for repairs, the ship would have had a hard time reaching Manila.

A simple camp had been set up on the beach. Newly cut logs were piled up, and sailors were busy processing the wood. A simple blacksmith’s forge was also at work, spewing black smoke.

At both ends of the beach, there was a simple gun battery, each with a 1-pounder gun dismounted from the ship. A dozen fully armed matchlock gunners were on duty.

It was clear that the Spanish had not put too much effort into vigilance and defensive facilities. Although the Samareños here were considered “savages,” their military strength was negligible compared to the Spanish. As long as the Spanish did not venture deep inland, they were quite safe on the coast.

Zhou Weisen made a “prepare for battle” gesture. The troops deployed behind him according to the pre-arranged plan. He personally designated the firing positions for the machine gunners and snipers and checked the preparations of each combat group one last time.

The walkie-talkie crackled. Zhou Weisen picked it up.

“Old Zhou! We’re in position. If we get any closer, their lookouts will probably see us. Should we act?”

Zhou Weisen took a deep breath and said, “Begin the operation!”

The roar of an engine suddenly broke the silence of the hot and quiet noon on Samar Island. With the chugging of the diesel engine, the Feiyun began to accelerate, bursting out from its hiding place on the coastline and suddenly appearing in the strait, heading towards the Manila galleon at a “high speed” of 12 knots.

The lookout on the galleon almost immediately noticed the small boat that had suddenly appeared. Zhou Weisen noticed the deck starting to bustle. Suddenly, a puff of white smoke erupted from the stern, and the sound of a cannon was heard.

“They’re quite vigilant,” Zhou Weisen said. He held his telescope, closely observing the galleon and its surroundings.

The Spaniards in the camp stopped their work. The sailors became agitated. Some went for axes, others drew their swords. Just then, the two machine guns on the Feiyun opened fire.

The machine guns, firing at a certain elevation, sprinkled their projectiles. A line of water splashes immediately erupted along the galleon’s waterline. Then, bullets rained down on the deck, tearing into the gunners and matchlock men gathered on the sterncastle. Wood splinters and flesh flew everywhere. Screams and wails filled the air, and men were constantly hit and fell from the deck.

“Maintain fire!” Lin Chuanqing stood on the Feiyun’s open platform, nervously watching the approaching galleon. According to the pre-arranged plan, the Feiyun would suppress the ship’s firepower with its machine guns in the strait, while also attracting the Spaniards’ attention, allowing Zhou Weisen to launch his assault.