Chapter 44: Iberian-Japanese War Part X - Decisive Victory in Luzon
With the threat of the Spanish admiral averted for now, Tadataka felt confident enough to march out of Aparri with 9,000 and join Tomoyoshi’s force in Nueva Segovia in early September. The latter was relieved of much of their suffering, welcoming the arrival of troops, provisions, and medical supplies. With the summer heat beginning to let off somewhat, the beleaguered troops, particularly the Mōri contingent, recovered quickly, and two weeks later the main army of 21,000, now led by Tadataka as the supreme commander and incorporating 1,000 native allies within its ranks. Tuguegarao would be reached and taken after a brief battle in early October, and this defeat convinced the main Spanish officers to retreat south to Manila and coalesce with the main expeditionary force, now commanded by Figueroa. Thus, Ilagan to the south fell with little difficulty and it looked like the entire valley would be in Japanese hands by the end of the year. However, before that could happen, the Japanese would finally face Figueroa’s rumored army from Manila. The governor general led an army of 20,000, consisting of 4,000 Spanish conquistadors, 2,500 Tidorese troops, 2,000 elite mercenaries of various backgrounds, and 11,500 Filipino levies. The Spanish army made camp just south of the fork of the Cagayan and Magat rivers.
The Japanese army that approached their position was slightly smaller, numbering around 17,000, including 1,000 native allies and a few hundred Chinese levies and aborigine auxiliaries from Bireitou. On the morning of November 15th, Figueroa marched his army just north of his army and formed up. The Tidorese and mercenaries formed the core of the right wing, which also lay close to the Cagayan River. The center consisted of the Filipino levies, which included a mixture of archers, arquebusiers, and melee fighters, and was fronted by cannons. Figueroa commanded directly from the center alongside the reserves, while Alonso Garcia Romero led the left, consisting of most of the Spanish troops and the entire cavalry force. Facing Romero directly was Tomoyoshi, also on horseback, while Tadataka commanded from the center and Hoida Nobumoto with the main Mōri force formed the bulk of the Japanese left. The Filipino allies on the Japanese side, however, were positioned on the far right in the nearby jungle to serve as hidden skirmishers.
Battle of Cagayan-Magat (salmon=Japanese, brown=Japanese allies, light orange=Spanish, green=Tidorese+Spanish allies)
Both wings of both armies advanced ahead of the respective centers. The Japanese right and Spanish left met first, with both cavalries clashing head on and heavily armored Spanish footmen exchanging blows with Japanese infantry, many of them the highly skilled heavy samurai warriors of Bireitou. The Spaniards’ heavier armor gave them an edge in combat, although the timely intervention of the hidden skirmishers prevented them from gaining a decisive strategic advantage. The Mōri saw more success against the Tidorese and mercenaries, utilizing their unity in formation, maneuvers, and spirit to negate the individual talent of the mercenaries. The addition of samurai cavalry in the Mōri ranks, led by Nobumoto himself, began to push the Spanish right back and dangerously close to the Cagayan River. The outcome of the Battle of Cagayan-Magat would be decided in the center, where the Filipino levies, many of whom were raw recruits, proved no match for the well-trained and battle-hardened Japanese arquebusiers ,yari pikemen, and heavy samurai infantry. Superior Japanese artillery further pounded the Filipino ranks. By the end, the Spanish center was obliterated despite Figueroa’s best efforts, forcing the entire army to retreat as the Japanese center spilled into the left and right wings. While the Spanish left retreated in a bloodied but orderly manner, many of the fleeing mercenaries and Tidorese soldiers fell into the rivers and either drowned or were captured. When the battle finally ended in the afternoon, a third of the Spanish army lay dead, with 2,000 wounded and another 1,000 captured. By contrast, the Japanese suffered only 2,000 casualties in total. This victory reduced Spanish strength in Luzon to under 10,000 as Figueroa’s army would be unable to fully replenish their ranks due to low manpower and subsequent defections as more native villages began to switch sides or become neutral. For Tadataka and his victorious army, the road to Manila was now open.
The Japanese also scored another decisive victory in the northern seas on October 1st, when Itou Sukenori, united with the rest of the Mōri navy and having received reinforcements from further north, successfully drew Antonio de Oquendo into a naval clash near Pasaleng Bay, not far from Cape Bojeador. Sukenori commanded 80 ships to de Oquendo’s 60-70 ships, and he took Moritaka’s former place in the center. With him were Atuy Upash and Zheng Zhilong, with the former in charge of the vanguard. The Mōri navy made up the right wing, led by Kobayakawa Motoshige (小早川元鎮), while a mixed contingent of Shimazu, Chosokabe, and Azuchi ships made up the left wing, led by Shimazu Tadatsune once again. By contrast, de Oquendo combined the Spanish-Portuguese left and center into one formation to compensate for his numerical disadvantage even after recruiting more mercenaries, with de Castro again leading the right wing of the Iberian fleet.
Battle of Pasaleng Bay (salmon=Japanese, light orange=Spanish, green=Portuguese)
This battle would demonstrate a departure from Japanese naval doctrine, which placed the heavy zentousen in the front and relied on their firepower to deal heavy damage on European warships before swarming the opposing fleet with tekkousen and their European-style warships. Instead, Sukenori placed his best galleons and carracks on the frontline but left gaps big enough for the zentousen to slip through and maximize Japanese cannon barrage potential while also sailing forward towards the Iberian fleet with ample cover. Sukenori’s innovative strategy worked to perfection, with de Oquendo unable to counter effectively. Zentousen commanded by Atuy Upash eventually reached Spanish galleons, leading to descriptions of boarding action that would bring fame to the “Ainu Three Hundred”. In contrast to the Japanese, who fought typically in the samurai fashion, the Ainu men in their lighter outfits of layered furs and pelts from Ezo utilized their brute strength and deadly harpoons alongside swords, bows, and gunpowder weapons to overwhelm the crew of one of de Oquendo’s biggest galleons. Later Spanish chronicles would compare them to bears and even the long-gone Vikings due to their ferocity and appearance, especially in comparison to their smaller Japanese comrades. The Japanese wings also played their part effectively, and the naval clash that had begun at mid-day had concluded by the evening as a clear Japanese victory. Antonio de Oquendo would subsequently retreat all the way back to Manila.
With these two decisive victories, the Japanese reversed all of their losses and ousted any significant Spanish presence in Luzon north of Manila. With even more fresh troops arriving in Aparri in November 1632, it became clear that a Spanish victory was almost impossible even with a batch of new ships and reinforcements from New Spain docking in Manila in the fall. The conflict, however, wouldn’t conclude until the following year.