The adjutant added, "The alcade-mayor of San Jacinto also indicates that a copy of Lieutenant Cardona's letter was forwarded to Cebu. He thought that in view of the death or capture of the governor-general of the Philippines, the archbishop of Manila, and the captain-general of the galleons at Cavite, further decisions as to the defense of the Philippines would need to be made by the captain-general of Cebu, in consultation with the bishop of Cebu."
"Very irregular," the captain-general commented.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, sir," said Captain Atondo. "However, I believe that as captain-general of the Acapulco Galleons, your authority is superior to that of the captain-general in Cebu."
"Have the Dutch and Japanese attacked Cebu since the fall of Manila?" asked the Master of Silver. "Or the Moros?" The Moros were the Filipinos and Indonesians who had converted to Islam.
The captain-general shook his head. "I asked the commander of the port here the same question, and if they have, the news hasn't reached Palapag yet.
"So here is how I see the military situation right now. According to the last report by the governor-general to the Viceroy of New Spain, we had six companies in Manila and one in Cavite, all now presumed lost. We have only one company in Cebu and three in Hermosa."
'Those should be recalled to Cebu at the earliest opportunity," said the Master of Silver.
"I agree," said the captain-general. "If we can't hold Cebu and recapture Manila, Hermosa is worthless to us."
"Was it ever worth it to us?" complained the Master of Silver. "I have seen the trade figures, and they are pitiful."
"From what I saw in the harbor, Palapag doesn't have the shipping to fetch three companies from Hermosa to Cebu," said Captain Atondo.
"Agreed. We may need to wait until we reach Cebu in order to put those wheels in motion, and we may find that we need the ships more to defend Cebu from a naval attack than to fetch those companies. They couldn't get the companies to Cebu until the fall, in any event."
"What about Ternate?" asked Atondo.
"That's a good question," said Captain-General Mendoza. "There could be six companies there. If we are lucky, Cebu has already called for them. Hopefully, we still have a company at Oton in the Visayas and at Caraga on Mindanao, but those are both areas that the Moros frequently raid."
The adjutant raised his hand.
"Yes?" asked the captain-general.
"What about this quest for Chinese assistance?"
The captain-general shrugged. "I'll believe it when I see it."
"Based on the note from the alcade-mayor, it appears that there may be, ahem, a romantic relationship between the admiral's niece and Lieutenant Cardona. Perhaps that will influence the admiral."
"Do we know anything about this niece?" asked the Master of Silver.
"The alcade-mayor writes that his wife spoke at length with her. She lived in Manila until its fall, she speaks Spanish, she wears a medallion of the Virgin Mary, and she attended services while in San Jacinto."
"He should wed her and bed her if it would bring this Chinese admiral into the war on our side," said Atondo.
"China is the great prize," said the Master of Silver. "Our profits from the Manila-Acapulco trade are substantial, but they are only a fraction of what they might be if we could trade directly with China. And, of course, if our merchants can enter China, so can our missionaries. If I were sure that this sangley girlfriend of Lieutenant Cardona was the key to unlock the gate of China, I'd pay the bride price on his behalf. Do we know how to get into contact with Lieutenant Cardona? Or this Admiral Zheng Zhilong?"
"The letter said that they will both be found in Amoy. An address was given."
"Well, there are Chinese in Cebu," said the Master of Silver. "Once we get there, we can find a junk to take orders to Cardona. But you, captain-general, will need to decide what those orders should be. A Chinese admiral is a more valuable piece on the chessboard than any Spanish lieutenant."
That night, Captain-General Mendoza dictated a letter to Lieutenant Cardona, to be sent by way of one of the Chinese trading vessels at Cebu, to the lieutenant in Amoy, by way of Zheng Zhilong. It commended him for his diligence and initiative, both in conveying warnings to Cebu and Palapag and in seeking military aid from the Chinese. It concluded: "Ask this admiral whether he would be willing to transport the Spanish companies on Hermosa to Cebu. Give him my invitation to Cebu and sound him out as to what we will do when we sail against Manila. Will he join his forces to ours, and how many ships can he commit? But I warn you: you are still in the service of the Spanish Crown. And you cannot serve two masters. So be careful what promises you make to him!"
Chapter 15
Year of the Dog, Seventh Month (August 23-September 21, 1634)
Keelung (Chihlung, Quelang, Jilong), Taiwan
Juan Cardona's gaze was drawn to the north, to the Punta Diablos. There, on the top of the cape, three signal fires were lit, the customary warning that Dutch ships were nearby.
The formerly Spanish colony was now governed by Bao the Panther, one of Zheng Zhilong's brothers. However, in the hopes of encouraging some of the Spanish, especially artisans and gunners, to remain, Juan had been named the second-in-command. It was also, of course, a reward for his diplomatic efforts on Zheng Zhilong's behalf.
"Drummer! Signal, 'troops to the walls!' " ordered Juan, in the somewhat shaky Chinese drilled into him by his girlfriend Mingyu. The signal drummer beat out the signal, and the soldiers, mostly Chinese, walked or ran to the guns. Some of them were in fact ex-Ming army soldiers, but the majority were ex-Ming navy, ex-pirate, or both.
One of the Spanish artillerymen who had sworn allegiance to the Zheng family came up beside Juan. "We can hope they run aground, eh, Lieutenant?" he said. "It's not called the Devil's Cape without reason. Friar Bartolome Martinez foundered there back in 1629."
The Devil's Cape itself was perhaps five miles from the entrance to the Bay of Keelung. That bay was Y-shaped, its entrance divided by a large, hilly, triangular island into two parts, the Boca Grande on the west and the Boca Chica on the east.
The principal fort, which stood near the southwestern corner of the island, was called Fort San Salvador. It was square, with four stone walls and four bastions, and even a moat. Two of the bastions, San Antonio el Grande and San Antonio el Chico, were of stone, and two, San Sebastian and San Juan, were of wood. It was defended by four bronze 18-pounders, two 12-pounders, and two 8-pounders. The fort was perhaps two musket shot lengths away from the opposite side of the bay.
The Spanish had originally called the nearby settlement Santissima Trinidad, but the local Chinese called it Keelung, a corrupted version of the name of the native tribal people, the Ketagalan, and that was the name used now. The settlement of Keelung was on the south shore of the island, directly to the east of Fort San Salvador, and only a musket shot away. At the time of the sale, there were over thirty wooden houses there, of which perhaps ten had even then been occupied by Chinese. It had once been a Quimaurri village, and some natives remained. Indeed, the children of the tribe were fluent in Spanish.
Keelung had three substantial buildings: the Governor's House, the Dominican Convent of Todos los Santos, and the military hospital. To call Todos los Santos a convent was somewhat misleading, as it also served as the main church of Spanish Taiwan and the headquarters of the Misericordia fraternity. The latter operated the hospital. The bell tower of Todos los Santos was actually taller than the main fortress, a point over which the Dominicans and the civil authorities had quarreled.
Keelung's harbor lay between the island and the mainland and had two entrances, the Boca Chica on the east and an entrance from the bay on the west. The latter was also narrow, thanks to a spit of land that hung down like a beard south-southeast from the vicinity of Fort San Salvador.
Besides San Salvador, there were three smaller forts. The Boca Chica was defended by Fort San-Luis, known as "el Cubo" because of its shape; it was really
just a small wood tower on a hill, with a single small cannon.
Fort San Milan, "la Mira," was, as its nickname implied, essentially a watchtower. It stood north and west of "el Cubo," on a high hill, with an excellent view of the sea to the north. It was armed with a 12-pounder, two 8-pound sakers, and a 4-pound falcon.
Fort San Anton, a triangular wood fort whose largest gun was a 12-pounder, stood between la Mira and San Salvador and guarded the western entrance to the harbor. It was called "la Retirada" because it was a place of retreat, in time of war, for the defenders of "la Mira."
Juan had acquired a spyglass from the Spanish of Keelung, and he was relieved to discover that just one Dutch ship was approaching, and it was merely a medium war-yacht. Juan dispatched a messenger for all of the Spanish still in town to hurry inland. And he sent the Spanish who had duties in the fort to their barracks. He didn't want the Dutch to see a single Spaniard, other than himself, during their visit.
In due course, the tiny Dutch warship exchanged salutes with the fort. Salutes, not cannonballs, because the fort was flying the flag of the Zheng family and not of Spain. Which was probably something of a surprise to the Dutch, unless the Chinese merchants in the parian outside the Dutch Fort Zeelandia in southern Taiwan had informed them of the recent change of management.
The Dutch war-yacht rounded the island and approached the inner harbor, where it was met by a couple of war-junks and a galley of Spanish design. The war-yacht was directed to an anchorage further south, upriver, and its officers invited to dine at the governor's house in Keelung.
Bao the Panther met them there, wearing a ceremonial suit of armor that clinked slightly with every step he took.
The principal Dutch guest, however, was not a ship's officer, but an upper merchant. He had the plumpness of a man accustomed to dining well, and the fineness of his dress confirmed that he was a man of some status in the Dutch East India Company. He wore brown leather boots, turned down at the top of the shaft, brown pants, a brown jacket with a white lace edging, and a broad-brimmed black velvet hat.He returned Juan's scrutiny with an expression of studied imperturbability, even arrogance.
His presence suggested, and his ever-so-casual questions confirmed, that the ship had been sent by Fort Zeelandia to find out whether the rumors that the Chinese had forced the Spanish off the island were true and, if so, whether there were new trading opportunities for the Dutch.
"Oh, no," Bao assured them, "there was no need for force. The Spanish recognized that this island was of more use to us than to them and sold us the territory they claimed." He refrained from mentioning the condition subsequent that could lead to its return to Spain. After all, they might not recapture Manila in time, they might not want Keelung back even if they did, and the Zhengs might be so well entrenched by then that they could safely refuse to honor that part of the deal.
The upper merchant frowned. "They claim the entire island, don't they? Not just the part they have settled. Does that mean that you claim it, too?"
"I am no Confucian scholar, to be able to answer such a question," proclaimed Bao airily. "But as long as there is profitable trade between us in the north and you in the south, there is no need to split legal hairs, yes?"
"Besides," added Juan, who sat beside Bao, "the Dutch surely have greater concerns. Spain will respond vigorously to your attack on Manila, and can you really count on your Japanese allies? And we have heard that most of the Dutch fleet was destroyed two years ago, at the battle of Dunkirk, and Amsterdam placed under siege."
The upper merchant spat out the tobacco he had been chewing. "It is true that much of the national fleet was destroyed thanks to betrayal by our so-called ‘allies,’ but the fleet of the East India Company is at least as strong, and it is unscathed. And I wouldn't be so sure that Spain will be able to retaliate. I hear that it has lost an army or two in Europe, and the loss of Manila will cripple it financially."
He turned to face Bao more directly. "Is the presence of this Spaniard a sign that you and they are actually in alliance? Or has he seen the handwriting on the wall for Spain, and sought a new employer, like a rat fleeing a sinking ship."
The words were spoken in Portuguese, the lingua franca of maritime Asia, and of course Juan understood them before Bao did. Bao did, however, sense Juan's angry reaction and restrained him.
"There is no alliance between China, or the Zheng family, and Spain, and Lieutenant Cardona here hopes to marry into the family. He has necessarily realigned his loyalties.
"But come, enough talk of politics, let us eat...."
∞ ∞ ∞
With a grunt of relief, Bao the Panther took off the ceremonial armor he had donned to impress the Dutch visitors.
"What did you make of that visit, Juan?"
"They want to decide whether it is better to trade with us or to attack us," said Juan confidently.
"Are we in imminent danger of attack?"
Juan fidgeted. "Nothing is certain.... But I don't think so. First, the Dutch at Fort Zeelandia probably suffered somewhat from Liu Xiang's attack."
"I know for a fact that there were casualties," said Bao. "There wasn't much damage to the fortifications, however."
"Not surprising," said Juan. "Back in Manila, I heard that it was of modern design, a square with bastions at each corner, and up on a hill. The bastions would have provided enfilading fire against anyone attacking the walls."
"And, what did your former colleagues think were its weaknesses?" asked Bao with a smile.
Juan answered readily. "A warehouse is located outside the fort, between it and the harbor. It is of stout construction, and a counter-battery could be placed in it, or on its roof, to bombard the fort. Also, the fort lacks an adequate supply of fresh water, so it can't withstand a long siege."
"Interesting, and worth remembering once we have consolidated our positions here. As Chang Yu said, 'attack is the secret of defense.' But other considerations prompted your answer to my question?"
"To be frank, there's not enough of value here," said Juan. "Indeed, there were those in Manila who thought that Spain should have abandoned this fort years ago, as soon as we realized that it wasn't likely that we would find much gold here. Also, the Dutch are going to want to drive the Spanish out of the Philippines and then out of the Spice Islands. Even with the help of the Japanese and perhaps the Moros, that will take time, ships and men. Fort Zeelandia is likely to be neglected."
"Especially given the drubbing that Governor Putnams took at Liaoluo Bay," Bao suggested. "How soon do you expect to be done with training here?"
"Done with training? Never. But I think that the gunners are now at an adequate skill level, which can be maintained with routine drill."
"Excellent! Then I want you to spend time with our Spanish guests. Make sure they are, shall we say, still looking forward to their one-way trip to Cebu, and not thinking about retaking the town and fort."
"I doubt that they are. After all, we just got visited by the Dutch, and they know that."
"You may be right. On the other hand, they may figure that we just convinced the Dutch to leave Keelung alone and this is the perfect moment to take it back."
"I suppose that's possible. But at this point, I doubt they'd confide in me."
"Oh, you might be surprised. You don't get assigned to duty on Hermosa because you have a sterling military career. As a Manila officer, you have considerable prestige. If they are planning to revolt, they might try to recruit you, at least if you come there without Mingyu. If they do sound you out, then play along... otherwise they might slit your throat. Just find a way to warn us before they strike."
Chapter 16
Keelung
Year of the Dog, Eighth Month (Sept. 22 to Oct. 21, 1634)
Juan heard a high-pitched whine, followed by a large bang. Looking about, he saw the distinctive contrail of white smoke emanating from la Mira, the former Spanish watch-post. The use of a skyrocket signified the approach of a substantial naval f
orce. There was no attempt to use different colored fireworks, or different numbers of rockets, to signal that the approaching ships were of eastern or western design. Junks could bear Chinese or Japanese pirates, after all.
Juan ran up the path from the main fort to la Mira. "Well, who is approaching?" he demanded.
"Chinese ships," said the sentinel. "Look!" he added, pointing north.
Through his spyglass, Juan could see a dozen or so junks approaching. Two-thirds of them appeared to be large merchant vessels, and the remainder were war-junks.
With that composition, they were unlikely to be one of the elusive Liu Xiang's squadrons. Most likely, they were Zheng family ships, sent to bring the Spanish to Cebu at last.
∞ ∞ ∞
He ran back to the main fort and had messengers sent out to the Spanish leaders and to Bao the Panther at the governor's house. And then he went looking for Mingyu.
"Mingyu, the convoy has arrived. I need you to speak to the Spanish women, keep them in order. I will see to the men."
The convoy ships rounded the point where the fort stood and entered the harbor.
The Spanish decided that it was time for a fiesta, and called for liquor. Juan had it brought to them, but made sure it was watered down--he didn't want to spend all evening breaking up fights.
As the night progressed, there were some last-minute changes of heart. Several of the men decided that they didn't want to leave their native wives behind and knew better than to bring them to Cebu, and thus decided to stay. And several who had promised to stay and help the new Chinese colony decided that they couldn't bear to live in what was likely to be a Chinese-dominated society, even though Juan had persuaded most of the missionaries to stay, and thus it was guaranteed that the resident Spanish would be able to worship the True Faith.
"Well, at least it will soon be over," Juan told Mingyu, but it wasn't over as soon as Juan would have liked. The wind shifted, and the convoy couldn't leave the harbor. Tempers frayed, and Bao's guardsmen had to reverse their spears and whack the unruly.
The Chrysanthemum, the Cross, and the Dragon Page 11