Total War: Restoration of the Ming Dynasty in Luzon

While the battle raged at the port, an offensive against the West City Fortress was also underway.

Before the third and fourth companies launched their attack, the fortress's defenses were lax; even the wooden city gates were not completely closed, leaving a gap large enough for one person to pass through.

Outside the city gate, several sleepy-eyed soldiers stood guard listlessly, some leaning against the cold wall, others against their spears, their heads bobbing as if they were about to doze off.

Just then, footsteps and faint hoofbeats suddenly came from the distant street. The sounds grew clearer and clearer as they approached, finally alerting the soldiers on duty.

"What was that sound?!"

One of the sentries rubbed his eyes and peered into the street. In the dim light of the night, he saw a group of men in strict formation rapidly approaching. Their synchronized steps were so precise that even the guards inside the fortress couldn't bring themselves to come out.

Upon seeing clearly, his lingering sleepiness vanished instantly. He gripped his spear tightly and shouted, "Something's up! Who goes there!"

The guards nearby were awakened by his shout and came forward one after another. Although they looked down on his appearance, the military bearing of those men reminded them of the regular armies of European countries—perhaps only those regular armies could have such high discipline.

But how could the kingdom's regular army possibly appear in Luzon, so far from mainland Europe, and without them having received any news?

unless……

Realizing this, their expressions changed drastically. One of them turned sharply and ran towards the city gate, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Enemy attack! It's the enemy! Close the city gate!"

Upon hearing the guards realize something was amiss, the Ming army broke their silence. Several cavalrymen leading the charge spurred their horses forward, brandishing their swords and shouting, "Seize the city gate!"

The horses' hooves pounded the dirt road with a rapid, dull sound, and several cavalrymen instantly rushed across the short distance, heading straight for the city gate.

The sentries had just fled back into the gate and pushed the city gate open a few inches when the heavy sound of horses' hooves approached. A horse forced its way through the crack in the gate, a flash of cold light, and a saber slashed down fiercely, killing a guard who fell with a scream.

Seeing this, the others were terrified and dared not resist. They crawled and knelt as they fled into the fortress, letting out incoherent screams of terror.

Their howls were like water dripping into a hot oil pan, instantly causing a boiling up mess. The alarm sounded, and sharp whistles, terrified shouts, and chaotic footsteps filled the air. The once silent fortress was now in complete chaos, like a hornet's nest that had been blown open.

Many Spanish soldiers rushed out of the barracks, disheveled and drunk, some even wearing only underpants, clutching their weapons haphazardly, their faces showing bewilderment and horror.

Inside the gate, after scaring away several guards, the guard cavalry immediately dismounted and together pushed the city gate open to the left and right, letting the third and fourth companies of soldiers rush in.

Without pausing, the soldiers of the two companies surged into the city gate and rushed into the courtyard of the fortress.

"Form ranks! Prepare to fire!" roared Chen Sheng, the company commander of the 3rd line infantry company. At the same time, he looked at his comrades behind him and shouted, "Zhang Kai, take your men and scale the wall, seize the artillery!"

The fourth company commander, Zhang Kai, responded and decisively led his team into the city wall, attempting to scale the wall and seize control of the artillery and the city wall.

Under the command of their superior, the well-trained line infantry quickly took their positions in the courtyard. The front-line soldiers raised their flintlock muskets in unison, the dark muzzles aimed at the Spanish soldiers who had just rushed out of the barracks and had not yet formed an effective formation.

"Fire!"

Chen Sheng raised his sword and roared angrily.

bang bang bang-

A burst of intense gunfire suddenly erupted in the courtyard, and smoke instantly filled the air. The dozen or so Spanish soldiers at the forefront were struck as if by a heavy hammer, screaming as they fell to the ground, their blood staining the stone slabs.

The Spanish soldiers stationed in Luzon were second-rate troops with low combat effectiveness, and they were dealing with poorly equipped indigenous people who were full of brute force, as well as a disorganized group of Chinese. They had never seen such a dense volley of fire before.

After taking a full volley of fire, the defenders who rushed to fight back were completely stunned. By the time they tried to raise their guns to return fire, the Ming army had already launched a second volley.

They didn't even last until the third volley; after the second volley, these disorganized and undisciplined defenders collapsed instantly.

"God! Run for your lives!"

Someone shouted first, and the surviving soldiers could no longer resist. Terrified, they dropped their weapons and scattered in all directions. The Ming soldiers behind them immediately raised their bayonets and gave chase at the sound of sharp whistles.

Any Spaniard who was caught up would be stabbed in the back and killed on the spot unless he knelt down and surrendered. On the city wall, the resistance encountered by the fourth company was even less, and several cannons were quickly captured.

From the moment Zhu Jiheng summoned his troops to the removal of the Burgundian cross flag symbolizing Spanish rule from the top of the fortress, and the fall of Lingayen into the hands of the Ming army, less than half an hour had passed.

When the last Spaniard surrendered, before the frontline commander could even send a message, Zhu Jiheng heard the system notification in his mind.

Congratulations! You have captured the first town. Lingayan City is now under your control!

However, this is only the beginning. Your enemies will not stand idly by while you occupy this town. Prepare for new challenges until all of Luzon is under your banner!

You have received the pioneering reward!

You have received 10000 taels of silver, which will be deposited into your designated location.

You have acquired a military building—the Barracks. You can choose to convert any building in town into a Barracks to recruit loyal troops.

You have acquired a military building—the Port Shipyard. You can choose to convert shipyards within your town into Port Shipyards to build a navy loyal to you.

You have acquired the Agent - Spy.

You have acquired 2 line infantry (240)

You have acquired a local cavalry regiment (60)

The system notification gradually subsided, but Zhu Jiheng's mood remained unsettled.

It can be said that none of the system's rewards were wasted; the two military buildings were used directly for conversion, saving him a month of construction waiting time.

Don't underestimate this month. By the time the news reaches Manila and the Spanish authorities mobilize troops to attack, it will take at least a month.

If this month were used to recruit an army, recruiting one more unit would greatly increase Zhu Jiheng's chances of winning.

Spies would be even better. What Zhu Jiheng lacks most right now is intelligence sources. He knows nothing about Manila's military strength or policies. As the saying goes, "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win every battle." He plans to send spies directly to Manila to build an intelligence network, so as not to be completely clueless.