Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 1163: Battle of La Coruña

On the same day that Zhu Su's fleet headed north, King John I of Portugal declared war on Castile on the grounds that Castile had arbitrarily participated in the church's invasion of the Ming Dynasty's vassal states, causing Portugal to be unjustly implicated, and launched a large-scale attack on Castile's La Coruña port on the northern coast.

The King of Castile was shocked and quickly called on the surrounding nobles to come to support him. The two sides confronted each other and fought several battles during the period, with casualties on both sides.

As for Castile, although it had to transfer a large number of military forces to the north because the Ming army had been harassing its southern border and the southern Muslim countries had declared war on it, it had to transfer a large number of military forces to the north.

However, its national strength was far greater than that of Portugal under King John I. Although it was fighting on two fronts, it still had the strength to defend. John's army bypassed the town and directly besieged the harbor, which also aroused the vigilance of Count Noa, the commander of Castile.

After all, João and their country of Castile are old rivals. Noah does not think that João would be stupid enough to abandon the supply lines in the rear and expose his back to the garrison in the castle in the rear.

There must be some conspiracy behind this.

Therefore, Count Noah, who was worried about the consequences, chose to launch frequent exploratory attacks cautiously, in order to repel the Portuguese army as soon as possible before any unknown changes occurred.

Joao was anxiously waiting for Zhu Su's Ming army. To be honest, this expedition was a gamble for both Joao and the country.

Everyone was happy when it was successful. Portugal broke the land blockade and, with the help of the Ming Dynasty, embarked on the road of expansion.

But if he was defeated, not only would he lose his army and humiliate his country, but he would also inevitably be opposed by the nobles at home. Even if he was able to return to his country, he might be exiled or even strangled by the angry nobles.

It can be said that Joao placed his ambitions, including his life and death, on Zhu Su's treasure ship. After all, he had no choice: the fleet he had painstakingly built up was lost in one battle, and he urgently needed to wash away the shadow of that battle and regain the support of the nobles and even the people.

Zhu Su's exorbitant demands and his determination not to compromise proved his huge ambition for Portugal. This also made the suspicious João gradually tend to believe Zhu Su, believing that Zhu Su really wanted to help Portugal and help the Ming Dynasty to take this distant vassal state into its possession.

Therefore, despite the increasingly unfavorable situation, João still gritted his teeth and struggled to hold on.

This also led to a strange situation on the battlefield: the Portuguese army, as the attacking party, issued a declaration of war with great momentum and rushed all the way to the outside of the port, but built high camps and avoided fighting.

The Castilian army, as the defending side, kept sending people to attack and provoke. The trenches dug on the road outside the port were filled up to facilitate the attack.

If Earl Noah had not been more vigilant, the merchants who were stuck in the port because of the war would have been able to do business as usual!

What was even worse was that, because they bypassed the enemy's border castle and attacked the La Coruña harbor directly, the Portuguese army's logistical supply was cut off on the thirteenth day of the tug-of-war. When the news came, the morale of the Portuguese knights dropped sharply. If it weren't for King João's personal suppression, they would have almost mutinied on the spot.

Thanks to Count Noah's caution, he suspected that the unusual movement of the Portuguese camp was a trick set up by Joao. Otherwise, if he had taken the opportunity to attack, Joao would have been captured.

The battlefield sometimes changes so rapidly that Count Noah, who has lost his best chance to fight, is still ignorant. Joao and the Portuguese knights, who are about to welcome the god of victory, are now in endless anxiety and panic.

It was not until the fifteenth day that the "roar of the devil from hell" (a metaphor for the sound of artillery bombardment used by soldiers who had experienced the Battle of Lisbon) was heard in the north of La Coruña. The anxious John I was suddenly excited, as if he had drunk a glass of ice water on a hot summer day: he knew that the god of victory had come!

At this time, Zhu Su, the god of victory in João's heart, was personally commanding the Ming navy, which was full of fighting spirit, to bombard the port of La Coruña.

The walls of La Coruña are stone walls. Although these walls are made purely of rocks, they seem strong, but they are actually very weak against impacts. They can hardly withstand the impact of catapults. Therefore, they were eliminated in the Central Plains as early as the Song Dynasty. However, in the West, they are still one of the mainstream methods of building city walls.

Faced with the bombardment launched by the Ming army's giant warships and artillery, after just one round, several large and small gaps appeared in the stone city wall.

Upon hearing the noise, Count Noah hurried to the north of the port. He saw the garrison soldiers howling under the city wall, and rubble everywhere. Outside, several huge ships were cruising on the sea in a show of force. Noah's face looked extremely ugly.

"Count... Your Excellency the Count, it's Ming!"

"Damn the Ming pirates, at this time..."

Until this point, most of the noble generals in the city still did not connect the attack of the Ming army with João's unusual offensive.

Only Count Noah frowned deeply, with some guesses in his mind.

"Your Excellency! The Portuguese outside the city just left the camp!" A soldier reported anxiously, confirming Noah's guess.

The earl, who was known for his bravery, suddenly opened his eyes wide, and his huge red nose full of holes seemed to be spewing steam. He yelled at the noble generals who were accompanying him:

"Quick! Gather the soldiers! Gather the soldiers here!" Count Noah shouted. "The Portuguese are going to attack from the north, prepare for street fighting!"

"Sir, the Portuguese are in the west..." A noble general thought Noah was frightened and stopped him and reminded him loudly. "The pirates of the Ming Dynasty are in the northern sea. The Portuguese will not be stupid enough to attack from the north, which will make them the target of the Ming Dynasty pirates..."

"Idiot!" An enraged Noah kicked the noble in the heart. "What do you think Joao is waiting for... Go!"

After saying this, he still took a few breaths of cold air.

"Oh my God...the Portuguese actually sold themselves to the devil from the East!"

The Earl, who is known for his fighting skills, has already smelled some bad conspiracy.

Sure enough, when the Portuguese knights appeared on the northern beach, the Ming fleet stopped the bombardment in time. Looking at the La Coruña city wall that had opened a gap, and the Ming fleet behind it like a mountain, the depression of these days instantly turned into a monstrous ambition.

"Attack!" João drew his sword and pointed it at the collapsed city wall.

(End of this chapter)