Compared with the local area, the Ming army set out from Belfast and other places set out faster. From getting the news, Zheng Sen, the plenipotentiary minister in Europe, made the decision to send troops, and then the entire army set out. It took less than a month. In fact, they could have set out earlier, but it took time to recruit "minister soldiers" and hire ships from Ireland and North France.

A month later, on October 12, 1665, this "multinational force" led by the Ming army, supplemented by the English, Irish and French, sailed out of Belfast in more than a hundred ships and headed south towards Gibraltar.

Six days later, as the fleet sailed across the Strait of Gibraltar, staring at the Strait of Strait, Zheng Sen said to Li Qingwu beside him.

"Zishan, if the Spaniards deploy heavy artillery here, can you lead the fleet pass through the strait safely?"

Li Qingwu, the admiral of the squadron, replied directly.

"It is possible to pass, but if you want to pass safely, there is no possibility. If the Spaniards have long-range heavy artillery and the fleet wants to pass, they will lose at least half of it!"

"That's how..."

After pondering for a moment, Zheng Sen said in a deep voice.

"Since it is a place that military strategists must fight for, we must find a way to take it down in the future!"

Zheng Sen said it very directly, and even with an unquestionable taste. In fact, as the plenipotentiary minister in Europe, he has been studying the terrain of Europe since taking office. Gibraltar, which guards the throat of traffic between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, naturally attracted his attention. Since it is a place where military strategists must fight, they naturally have to find some ways to seize it.

In Zheng Sen's view, this is his responsibility as the first plenipotentiary minister to Europe - to compete for the interests of the Ming Dynasty in Europe as much as possible!

Zheng Sen, as the prince of Dinghai, did not know that in the past twenty years, his fate has been manipulated by the emperor. Under the deliberate arrangement of the emperor, he made military achievements in the army. Later, he was given a marriage by the emperor and married the eldest daughter of the late emperor as his wife. After leaving the active service three years ago, he has always been in charge of the clan as a royal relative. He was deeply loved by the holy family. Last year, when he was appointed as the plenipotentiary minister in Europe and the Prime Minister in the UK, some people in Nanjing thought he had fallen out of favor.

But only Zheng Sen himself knew the reason - in the court, there were few heroes like him, who could speak foreign languages ​​and were good at dealing with Westerners, and this was also an opportunity!

"As a plenipotentiary minister, you only need to make your own judgments in European affairs! They are all your own family, and I will fully support you!"

Even Zheng Sen himself did not expect that in just one year, he encountered such a big event. He also made the most direct choice - to send troops!

"But it's not possible yet. We are now going to win the support of Spain. By the way, hasn't the Spanish envoy gone to Nanjing?"

When talking about the special envoy sent by the Spanish king, Zheng Sen shook his head and said with a pity.

"It's a pity that it's too far from Nanjing, otherwise we can talk to them about Gibraltar. However, there will definitely be no talks about places like this. Some places must be fought..."

Suddenly, the shout of his hand looking at the top of the mast interrupted his words.

"Pirates! Discovered in Pirates!"

Looking in the direction of the fingers, the people on the boat saw dozens of sailboats of different sizes appearing in the distance.

It's the Barbary Pirates!

"They are indeed here!"

Li Qingwu put down the telescope and said excitedly.

"Send a signal to prepare for the war!"

When the bronze bell on the ship rang and the gunners rushed to the gun position, Zheng Sen frowned and said.

"They won't attack us on their own initiative! They are just a group of pirates. They know that they still have this."

"But they are also part of the Ottoman Navy."

The so-called "Barbary Pirates" are pirate organizations composed of Turks and Moors in North Africa. They were supported by Ottoman Turkey, and their rulers also called themselves Pasha. They were not just privateer fleets of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, but also one of the main forces of the Imperial Navy. In the eyes of Li Qingwu and others, these pirates would definitely prevent their attack on Türkiye's mainland at any cost.

"It's just pirates. Even if they are supported by Türkiye, they don't have to work hard for the Turks. This is the nature of pirates!"

For a moment, Zheng Sen was too lazy to explain all this. After all, it is well known that the Zheng family was also a pirate, but this did not prevent his father from being granted a title of marquis, nor did he prevent him from marrying the daughter of the late emperor. It is precisely because of this that he has a very deep understanding of the habits of pirates.

"Pirates... are just a group of guys who bully the weak and fear the strong. With such a large fleet, they will never dare to provoke us. However, it seems that we can't go to Istanbul!"

Looking at the pirates who were keeping a certain distance from the fleet in the distance, Zheng Sen said.

"These pirates may not pay the capital for the Turks, but they will definitely send people to inform the Turks about our movements. By the time we arrive in Istanbul, it is estimated that there will be a lot of guarding there!"

Zheng Sen smiled and said.

"However, this is just right. The Turks thought that if we go to Istanbul, they would inevitably dispatch troops from all over the country to strengthen their vigilance. We happened to surprise and conquer the weakest area in their defense!"

Not only is the Sinai Peninsula important strategic location, but the Turks' defense there are extremely weak, which is why Zheng Sen chose to attack there.

"What the Lord said is that the Turks not only have weak military forces in the Sinai Peninsula, but also have certain religious significance for the Christians on the ship. In this way, they will get what they want."

In fact, they don’t care whether those Christians can get what they want. After all, in their eyes, those people are just cannon fodder that can be used.

As for the holy wars that are not sacred, they are concerned about the affairs of Daming people and birds, and Daming does not believe in Christ.

"What about these flies?"

Li Qingwu asked, pointing to the pirates who kept a certain distance from a distance.

"Blow them a few shots and drive them out!"

They were just some pirates, and they didn't dare to provoke the Ming fleet at all. Just bombard them.

When the fleet fired guns, those pirates who usually bully the weak and fear the strong sailed to the distance, staring at the pirate ships that were getting farther and farther away, but Zheng Sen said to himself.

"One day in the future, all these pirates will be wiped out. Otherwise, even if we dig up a canal on the Sinai Peninsula, we may not be able to do business here with peace of mind. These pirates are also our confidant!"
Chapter completed!