At 5:30 pm, the sun sets.

Because the mountainous Leyte Island is to the west of the Leyte Gulf, there is no transition and it gets dark very quickly.

Although it was not so dark that the ship could not be seen clearly, it was impossible to distinguish between friend and foe in the dim light of the lower gun position.

Both sides had to cease fire one after another, or in other words, the coast guard warships had to stop killing.

The Leyte Gulf was still filled with the lingering smell of blood and gunpowder, and there were raging fires on many ships, most of which were Spanish galleons.

In the light of the fire, one could see broken sails, planks, barrels, and floating corpses floating all over the surrounding sea.

Many ships could not be saved, so the crew had to abandon ship and row the lifeboats to find their own ships for refuge.

In fact, it was not difficult to find, because dozens of Spanish sailing ships that had lost power, were seriously damaged, or had suffered heavy losses of crew members had hoisted the white flag, dropped anchor, and announced their surrender.

According to the pre-ordered order, the Coast Guard warships ignored the surrendered enemy ships. Anyway, these severely damaged Spanish galleons could not go back against the wind and current, so the Coast Guard fleet only needed to advance overnight and reach the Surigao Strait first, so that they could catch the enemy in the trap and annihilate them completely!

The same was true for those Spanish galleons that were still able to move. As long as they passed through the Surigao Strait first, they could enter the vast Bohol Sea and escape.

So both sides opened their sails at the same time and decided to sail downstream all night, risking running aground on the reefs.

There was no battle line or formation. More than 200 sailboats were mixed together, heading towards the Surigao Strait in the dark.

Fortunately, it hardly rains in Luzon during this season. The night sky is cloudless, the stars and the moon are bright, and the sea surface is shimmering with silver light. The visibility is much better than when it just gets dark. At least you can see the shadows of ships about 300 meters around, so you won't collide with each other while driving.

However, neither side had the idea of ​​fighting under the moonlight, and no one knew what was happening 300 meters away. What if there were enemy ships all around and the enemy was attracted by firing?

The Spaniards were afraid of the fierce artillery of the Coast Guard, especially the Xuande cannon, which could be very devastating when shot in the face.

The coast guard is also afraid of the Spanish boarding battle. Who would be willing to fight to the death with bayonets when a problem can be solved with cannons?

So both sides tacitly agreed not to fire a single shot all night, but no one was idle, all busy repairing the damage overnight. The carpenters and crew on the deck were busy tying ropes, mending sails, repairing masts, and replacing rigging.

The shipwrights and sailors in the cabin were busy plugging leaks and draining water, while the gun crew stayed at their gun positions all night to prevent a night battle that might occur at any time.

In the infirmary, the ship's doctors and medical staff worked all night to rescue the wounded and treat their wounds...

Everyone on both sides was too busy to have time to eat, so dinner had to be delivered to each post from the kitchen.

The dinners of the sailors on both sides were completely different. Although they could not have hot meals due to the blackout, each Coast Guard officer had a can of meat, a can of fruit, a bag of preserved mustard tuber, 500 grams of high-calorie staple food, moon cakes, biscuits or rice balls, and a large bottle of Yilan salt soda.

There are also candies and chewing tobacco sticks after meals. Those who don’t smoke can exchange them for small snacks such as preserved fruits.

This time, as they were fighting at home, Master Zhao would of course try his best to make sure his soldiers had better food.

Looking at the Spaniards on the other side, in addition to the usual "expired bread" with a maggot or weevil smell and water covered with green moss, because it was during the war, the commander and noble officers were merciful and gave each person a few dried peas and a slice of Spanish cheese as thin as a cicada's wing.

This has already moved the crew and soldiers so much that they feel that today's battle was not fought in vain...

Therefore, happiness often comes from ignorance. Once people start to compare, they are far away from happiness.

~~

The same thing was happening on the Combined Fleet's flagship, Kaiyuan.

Although the reserve fleet did not play a leading role in this afternoon's naval battle, it also experienced a brutal naval battle.

This can be seen from the fact that only half of the hatch in the operations room remains.

With a creak, Kaiyuan's captain Mei Ling pushed open the door of the operations room and saw the fleet commander-in-chief Wang Rulong, wearing a cloak and dozing off in a chair.

He quickly slowed down his movements and prepared to leave, but Wang Rulong had already been awakened.

"Did I fall asleep?" Wang Rulong stretched, his face full of fatigue.

Mei Ling quickly picked up the cloak that had fallen off, put it back on him and said, "The commander-in-chief is too tired today. Let's get some sleep first."

"No, I can't sleep even if I'm really tired." Wang Rulong pressed his temple and laughed at himself, "I'm really old and useless. I'm so tired after just one afternoon. A few years ago, after fighting the Portuguese for three days and three nights, I could have held a one-day summary meeting right after getting off the boat, and then played mahjong all night long."

Listening to Old Wang chattering about his bravery in the past, Mei Ling felt a lump in his throat. But he also knew that if he listened to others' advice, he would not be Wang Rulong anymore, so he took a deep breath and said:

"The loss of our ship has been counted. Eight officers and soldiers were killed and 28 were injured, including eight seriously injured. In addition, two guns were lost. The sails and cables can be repaired tonight."

"Hmm." Wang Rulong nodded with satisfaction, coughed twice and said, "It won't affect tomorrow's battle."

After a pause, he asked again: "What is the speed of the ship now?"

"Eight kilometers per hour." Meiling replied quickly.

"Eight kilometers..." Wang Rulong leaned forward to look at the sea chart on the table. Meiling quickly lit a lighter to illuminate it for him.

It was a battlefield situation map that showed the approximate positions of the reserve fleet and the assault fleet before dark.

As for the Windward Fleet, because it was too far away and there were no conditions to launch reconnaissance balloons, the combat staff could only estimate the area.

Wang Rulong put on his reading glasses, picked up a ruler and compass, and measured on the nautical chart for a long time before he put down the ruler and compass, took off his glasses and said:

"If we maintain this speed, the Windward Fleet may reach the exit of the strait tomorrow morning. But the Assault Fleet and the Reserve Fleet will be far behind."

"Well, it's about another twenty to thirty kilometers." Meiling nodded.

"That won't work." Wang Rulong frowned and said, "Many Spanish ships will get ahead of us!"

Mei Ling nodded again. He understood what the commander-in-chief meant.

The Spanish galleons were faster than the Coast Guard warships with the wind, so when they encountered them this morning, their first reaction was to try to escape.

However, the Coast Guard Fleet was well prepared and not only had the upper hand, but also occupied a favorable position in the ocean currents. Although it is true that the ocean currents generally flow from Leyte Gulf to Surigao Strait, there is a U-shaped sea area three or four kilometers wide between Dinagat Island on the east side of the strait and Mindanao Island.

Under its influence, the leeward sea area has a reverse coastal current, so the current speed is slower than that of the upwind area. The combat staff cleverly used this to ensure that the Coast Guard Fleet did not lose to the Spanish in terms of speed.

But now, both sides are in complete chaos, and there is no longer any difference between the upper and lower winds. They are all rushing forward along the ocean current.

If this continues, the Coast Guard warships will gradually become slower than the enemy ships. If they are allowed to escape into the Baohe Sea, it will be even more difficult to catch up with them.

"Fortunately, the Spanish fleet suffered heavy losses today." Meiling hurriedly comforted Wang Rulong, "Although it is impossible to count the results of the battle, at least half of the enemy ships have been destroyed. The remaining Spanish galleons must have had half of their masts broken and most of their sails destroyed, right?"

"There are more than 30 large sailing ships that are still intact!" Wang Rulong shook his head decisively. "Besides, the Spanish ships have more people and more strength, and they are sailing across the ocean. There must be spare parts on board. I think as long as the mast is intact, the sails can be repaired in one night."

"So if the enemy desperately flees, there may be about fifty ships escaping the strait tomorrow morning!" He knocked on the table and said solemnly: "After the battle this afternoon, I believe they will not have the courage to fight again, and will definitely flee with all their strength!"

Wang Rulong sighed and said, "This will make our dream of annihilating the enemy completely come to nothing! How can we explain this to the commander-in-chief?!"

"That's true." Although Meiling felt that the commander-in-chief was too lenient in his assessment of the enemy, the captains and navigators of the Coast Guard fleet at least knew the hydrological conditions of this sea area very well. The Military Intelligence Department also set up several light signals on the shore near Leyte Island.

Most of the Spanish warships were setting foot in this sea area for the first time. How could they dare to sail at full speed at night? Were they not afraid of being stranded on the reefs?

However, he still chose to trust the commander-in-chief's judgment and nodded in agreement.

"We must get ahead of them and arrive at the entrance of the strait in advance!" Wang Rulong punched the table heavily and said:

"Someone come!"

"Yes!" Two duty officers in the operations room hurried out from the duty room next door, one holding a folder and a pencil, and the other turning on the ship's light to illuminate him.

"The Combined Fleet Commander-in-Chief orders as follows: All warships that receive this order must immediately discard all unnecessary supplies, including excess shells and ballast iron! Raise full sails, advance at full speed, and be sure to reach the second battlefield before dawn!"

After coughing twice, he added: "All warships that receive the order must immediately send out speedboats to convey the order to our nearby warships! That's all!"

"Yes!" The combat staff quickly recorded it and then repeated it according to regulations.

Wang Rulong listened carefully, confirmed that it was correct, and signed the draft. The operations staff quickly wrote the formal order.

Lao Wang then ordered Mei Ling, "Send out all the lifeboats to pass the message!"

"Don't you want to keep some as a backup?" Mei Ling asked with gritted teeth.

"Don't stay. Kaiyuan has a watertight compartment inside and an iron hull outside. It won't sink even if it hits a reef!" Wang Rulong said without question, "Go!"

"Yes!" Meiling hurriedly put his legs together and went out to give the order.

Wang Rulong slumped in the chair exhausted, his face turned pale. He wanted to pick up the teacup to drink some water, but he couldn't even lift his hands.

The orderly quickly brought him a cup of tea and took out the pills that Chen Shigong had prescribed for him.

Wang Rulong went under the water and recovered after a while. He said self-deprecatingly, "This ghost appearance is too undignified..."