November 1, 1579, October 13, the seventh year in the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty.

A huge fleet stretching fifty miles long appeared on the ocean east of the Northern Mariana Islands.

Those huge warships flying the St. Andrew's Cross flag were symbols of the royal power and maritime power of the Spanish Habsburg dynasty. They were so magnificent and intimidating when anchored in the port.

However, in the vast Pacific Ocean, they are just a group of ants on the green grass, looking so small.

After nearly three months of drifting on the ocean, these more than 130 huge sailing ships weighing hundreds or thousands of tons are no longer as glamorous as they were before they set out.

Because the whole journey was in tropical waters, the small and enclosed cabin was as hot and humid as a steamer. The pitch and tar filling the seams of the deck melted under the scorching sun and dripped on the sailors' heads, bodies, and daggers like raindrops, and the cabin was filled with unpleasant odors.

The melting of the filling material caused water to seep into the hull, soaking the wood, food, supplies, garbage, etc. in the cabin and making them stink. The dampness and moldy smell mixed with the smell of hundreds of people crammed in a small and poorly ventilated cabin for several months. Add to that the ubiquitous rats, lice, fleas, and bedbugs, and the expensive ships became the filthiest places on earth.

What was more damaging to the sailors’ health than the dirty environment was the poor diet. Less than half a month after going to sea, their daily diet became rotten and smelly bacon, bread full of rubber worms, and water with green moss.

It is said that 'blackhead maggots taste cool and not bitter like weevils.'

In such a harsh environment, fever, dysentery, edema, typhoid, macules, plague, oral ulcers, scurvy and other maritime diseases were madly damaging the health of the crew, and people died of diseases on almost every ship every day. Epidemics broke out on some ships, and almost all of them were infected, with more than a dozen deaths.

Only noble officers, captains and senior seamen had their own rooms instead of rotting in the bunks, and they also had enough wine, well-preserved salted meat and flour to ensure a healthy diet.

But eating monotonous food every day also made the noble lord feel miserable, and he also looked forward to reaching the shore as soon as possible so that he could enjoy a sumptuous meal cooked with fresh ingredients.

So when the lookout on the mainmast of the flagship San Felipe discovered an island ahead, all the sailors and soldiers rushed to the deck and cheered loudly.

Even the nobles flocked to the stern deck, high-fiving each other and celebrating this great achievement of crossing the ocean!

"Captain, have we arrived in the Philippines?" The Count of Provence looked excitedly at Colonel Cafu, the captain of the San Felipe.

"Your Excellency, we are about to arrive at a string of islands in the ocean, 400 leagues away from the Philippines." Captain Cafu has been traveling between the Philippines and New Spain for many years, so he is naturally familiar with the route.

"Is this the island of thieves that Magellan claimed?" The nobles stretched their necks one by one, proudly showing off their knowledge.

The nobles' arrogant attitude was not only due to their arrogance, but also because they all wore 'Laf'.

This white wavy neckline is made of metal wire and is thick and hard. When you put it on, your neck is like wearing a decorated white cream cake, and your head cannot move freely. It forces you to stretch your neck and show a proud, dignified and arrogant attitude.

Wearing this thing makes it inconvenient to eat, but the nobles don’t care, they just want this style.

"You are so knowledgeable." The captain nodded and smiled. "In 1565, the great Legazpi occupied the island for His Majesty the King and established a base on the island as a stopover for galleons on their route from Acapulco to the Philippines."

"I have ordered His Excellency Francis, the Governor-General of the Philippines, to ensure that sufficient supplies are stored in the base for the fleet to replenish and rest." A loud voice sounded at the stairs, and a little old man with a straight back and sharp eyes walked onto the poop deck.

"I don't want the expeditionary fleet to appear in the Philippines in its current poor condition."

A group of Spanish nobles, wearing lapels on their upper bodies, tight pants and crotches stuffed with padding, bowed and saluted respectfully to the bald old man with a goatee and simple clothes.

He is the commander-in-chief of the Invincible Armada, the 'Father of Soldiers' of the Spanish Empire, Alvaro de Bazin, Marquis of Santa Cruz.

Born into a naval officer family in Granada, this most outstanding Spanish general joined the navy when he was young and became famous in the war with France in 1544. In the following thirty years, he fought on the front line for the Spanish Empire. Because of his outstanding military exploits, he was named Marquis of Santa Cruz in 1569.

In the famous Battle of Lepanto in 1571, the nominal commander of the coalition forces was Don Juan, the half-brother of the King of Spain, but Don Juan was only 26 years old at that time. Bazin was the one who actually commanded the huge fleet to defeat the Ottomans.

Moreover, Bazin loves his soldiers like his own sons and has a very high prestige among them. He is the undisputed number one in the Spanish Navy today.

Philip II withdrew him from the fierce battlefield in the Netherlands and appointed him as the commander-in-chief of the Invincible Armada, which shows how much importance His Majesty the King attached to this expedition.

Bazin remembered clearly the earnest words that His Majesty the King said when he summoned him back to Madrid to give him instructions:

'This battle to recapture the Philippines and conquer the Ming Dynasty is related to the fate of the Habsburg dynasty. If we win, the Netherlands, France, England... will all submit to Spain, and I will be the king of the world! If we fail, all countries will become our enemies, and I will be the enemy of the world!'

~~

At this time, a small boat with the Spanish flag came from the island, apparently to greet them.

Bazin ordered his men to bring the newcomer to him.

Half an hour later, a Peninsula man in his forties was brought onto the stern deck of the San Felipe.

After bowing respectfully, the other party introduced himself as Julio, a political officer of the Governor-General's Office of the Philippines, who was ordered by the Governor-General to welcome the Invincible Fleet in Guam.

"Thanks to Governor Francis' kindness, his father gave birth to a good son." Bazin nodded slightly and said directly: "I wonder how much food, wood and oil he has stored in Guam?"

"This..." Julio's expression darkened, and he bent his waist even lower. "I am very sorry, Your Excellency the Marquis, because there was a riot against us on the island, so all the supplies that the Governor had worked so hard to store were burned!"

"What, burned?!" Bazin almost pulled off his goatee, and the nobles behind him became even more noisy.

These nobles who followed the Invincible Armada to gain experience were still of some use at least when it came to helping the Marquis curse people.

"What's going on?" Bazin raised his hand, and all the nobles shut up.

Julio then told the Marquis what had happened not long ago in a veiled manner.

The most important mission of the new Governor General Francis, who was sent to the Philippines by the King, was to serve as a vanguard for the Invincible Fleet. This included the expedition to Borneo and the occupation of Brunei Bay, which was also to provide an alternative port for the Invincible Fleet. Otherwise, if something went wrong in Cebu, the Invincible Fleet, which had come from afar, would face the dangerous situation of having no home port.

So after receiving the order from the Marquis of Santa Cruz last year, Francis did not dare to slack off and began to transport supplies to Guam in batches. However, the distance was too far and the transportation capacity was limited. It was difficult to transport supplies from Cebu to meet the needs of the huge fleet.

Francis then set his sights on the 100,000 Chamorros on Guam. He sent an army company to station on the island and used force to force them to build barracks, warehouses, and expand docks. He also bought food, wood, and other supplies from the Chamorros at very low prices. If the Chamorros refused, he would rob them.

The Chamorro people had several riots, but they were all suppressed by the powerful army companies. This was a tried and tested tactic used by the Spanish in their colonies, but it went wrong in Guam.

One night not long ago, after being forced to work, several Chamorros hid in a warehouse and poured a large amount of tung oil prepared for the fleet into the warehouse’s supplies, then set it on fire and fled…

The warehouse was full of food, wood, gunpowder, grease... all of which were either flammable or explosive. Once the raging fire started, it was impossible to put it out. The violent explosion also killed more than a dozen Spaniards who came to put out the fire...

The rest of the people didn't dare to get close at all. They watched helplessly as the fire burned all the supplies that the Governor had painstakingly stockpiled over the past year.

~~

After listening to Julio's story, the nobles were stunned.

Bazin asked with a gloomy face: "Did you catch the person? Could it be a spy from the Ming Dynasty?"

"That shouldn't be the case. There are no Ming people on Guam." Julio shook his head.

"What remedies do you have?" Bazin exhaled.

"Yes, we carried out a raid. But the Chamorro people were very poor and worried about our revenge, so they either hid in the mountains or fled to other islands." Julio said timidly, "So we only looted a little bit of supplies..."

"Oh." Bazin sighed depressedly. It seemed that the idea of ​​capturing the fleet with full health before arriving in the Philippines was definitely going to fail.

"But please rest assured, Your Excellency. Our Governor has made sufficient preparations in Cebu and Brunei. No matter where the fleet chooses to dock, it will receive adequate supplies." Julio quickly made amends.

"But the premise is that we have to arrive safely." Bazin snorted coldly, unable to suppress his anger, "Without supplies, my children will still not be able to recover in the next voyage. What if we engage in a battle with the Ming fleet as soon as we reach the Philippines?"

"Probably not." Julio smiled and apologized: "The Ming people don't know about the arrival of our invincible fleet. The latest news from the Governor General said that they have accepted the surrender of Brunei, and the fleet is preparing to attack Brunei. When we arrived in the Philippines, their fleet was probably already in Brunei Bay."

"Oh?" Bazin's expression changed and he asked, "Is the information accurate?"

"It should be accurate." Julio nodded repeatedly and said, "Our Governor will personally wait for you at the mouth of Leyte Gulf. By then, we will have more accurate information about where the Ming fleet is."