Temasek is Singapore. This small island located at the southernmost tip of the Malay Peninsula has a very important terrain. It is adjacent to Malaya across the Johor Strait to the north, and faces Sumatra across the Temasek Strait to the south. It is located in Malacca, the shipping artery between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The entrance and exit of the strait. Merchant ships coming from Xiniu Hezhou must pass here to reach the Ming Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. Otherwise, they will have to detour more than twice the sea route, so it can be called the crossroads of the world.
Five hundred years ago,
Panna, the prince of the Srivijaya Kingdom in Sumatra, arrived on the island by boat and saw a black beast, which the locals told him was a lion, hence the name "Lion City". The homophone of "Lion City" in Sanskrit is the word Singapore.
, so the local people and the surrounding princely states called this island Singapore. Only the people who lived in the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty called it Temasek. As for the allusion, it is impossible to find out.
There are about 3,000 residents of Temasek, all of the Malay race. These 3,000 people form a small kingdom called Makati Dora. There are countless such small kingdoms in Malaya, Sumatra and Java. Members of the royal family interact with each other.
Marriage has formed an intricate marriage relationship. The residents of Majiadola make a living by fishing and planting, and their living standards are considered to be below average in this area.
However, as the number of Western merchant ships increased, Temasek's position gradually became more important. First, the natives took aim at those merchant ships carrying rich cargo, and relied on their familiarity with the sea conditions to become pirates. They also made a little fortune from time to time. Later, a man named
Sir Stamford Raffles, an Englishman, had the unique insight to identify Temasek as an excellent overseas trade point, so he donated a sum of gold and silver to the king, bought a port, and established a free trade port. Within a year,
Maritime merchants from the East and the West were attracted. Temasek was unprecedentedly prosperous. Although no taxes were levied, the locals could still rely on merchants. The sailors' consumption had reached a well-off living standard, and the royal family members could also spend a few dollars when visiting relatives in Sumatra.
Show off such exquisite imported products, and live a happy life.
The population of the country is too small, and its military strength is also limited. There are only about a hundred people, which is not even as many as the armed sailors in the port. However, the sailors come from many countries, and the increase in power creates a delicate balance.
It is neither willing nor daring to break this balance and dominate Temasek.
But things are different now. Temasek is about to face its most ferocious enemy. The pirate queen who lives in Song Dynasty and the raiding fleet led by her husband from Ming Dynasty are coming in the wind and waves. Who would have thought of a white luxury yacht and an inconspicuous three thousand materials?
There is an army armed to the teeth hidden in the cargo ship. Zhao Wen is so carefree that he never pays attention to those small foreign countries and Western merchant ships, and Liu Ziguang is a dilettante who likes to take dangerous roads. These two couples are a perfect match.
The sea route from Song Dynasty to Temasek was very long, and the weather in the South China Sea was hot. The soldiers could not stay in the cabin for a long time. Liu Ziguang simply asked them all to go to the deck to practice marksmanship. There was a large amount of gunpowder and lead brought by Zhao Wen in the bilge to support the two sides.
It was enough for one battle. In addition to shooting training, we also found an uninhabited island to practice beach landing. The Jingshi Jiangwu Hall was an army junior school and did not offer courses on naval infantry, so we took this opportunity to make up for it.
Hua Wuyu found a recliner and continued to pretend to be wounded. He said that jumping around in front of Duncan that day affected his wounds and he could no longer lead the trainees to practice. Meng Zhiqiang and others had to disperse and assign them to other small flags to train.
He also had to serve Brother Hua, and asked him why he insisted on going on the expedition even though his injury was not healed. He actually said that he had expected that there would be no tough battles to fight, and that he came here just to get a stipend. For this cunning, lazy and greedy big brother, Xue Bing
They have no language anymore.
The White Swan is the royal yacht of the Queen of Luzon. This is known to everyone. In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Zhao Wen had the hull repainted with black paint and the luxurious decorations of the superstructure were also removed.
, disguised as an ordinary three-masted merchant ship. The troop transport ship behind was originally an inconspicuous cargo ship, so there was no need to disguise it.
The White Swan was painted black while riding the wind and waves. The sailors sat on the wooden planks hung by ropes and sang happily while painting. The white swan was soon painted into a black swan. After the change, the small ship formed by the two ships
The formation entered the business route and sailed towards Temasek. A Spanish flag was hoisted on the bow of the ship. Occasionally, when it encountered a merchant ship coming from the opposite direction, it also waved a salute flag in accordance with the rules of sailors. It looked like two very different ships.
Ordinary, Spanish merchant ships loaded with goods from the east.
The small formation gradually approached the destination along the Kalimantan Island. The waterway here has become narrow and the merchant ships have become denser, but the sea is the sea after all, and not a single ship can be seen in the strait for a quarter of an hour.
The wind and waves inside were much lighter, and the green peaks of Sumatra could be seen in the distance. Seeing land for the first time after sailing on the sea for so long, the students couldn't help but cheer. But Liu Ziguang felt an inexplicable danger, as if someone was there
Staring at himself maliciously on the mountain peak, he raised his telescope and looked towards the land. The emerald green tropical rain forest was endless and deserted. Suddenly, a bright spot disappeared in an instant. This subtlety did not escape Liu Ziguang's sharp eyes.
With his many years of military experience, he determined that this was the sunlight reflected by the telescope lens, and someone was monitoring the fleet!
"Get ready to fight!" Marshal Liu ordered, and the order was quickly conveyed to every corner of the Black Swan. The troop transport ship not far away also received the semaphore. The trainees quickly armed themselves, and there was a roar in the cabin as people put on helmets and arranged their firearms.
Sound, since this is a water battle, heavy armor is strictly prohibited. The students only wear an iron helmet and a cork life jacket on their upper body, which can not only resist weapons damage, but also provide buoyancy, in case they fall into the water.
As for drowning, the officers whispered the order: "Load the ammunition and fix the bayonets." The cadets took out the medicine pot and lead and filled it in through the mouth of the gun, then tamped it with a purge, and then screwed the bayonet to
On the right side of the gun barrel, this installation method will not affect the use of the passage below the gun barrel. After a while, the two hundred trainees were armed and waiting quietly in the cabin. This was their first actual combat. Young
The young men were a little nervous. Most of them had serious faces and kept their lips tightly closed.
Veteran Youzihua Wuyu also got up from the recliner, loaded his musket lazily, hung his sword on the cowhide belt, and stood next to the students with an indifferent expression. He glanced around and saw
Xie Long next to him had a stiff face, his lips were trembling, as if his teeth were chattering, and he smiled and said: "Why, are you scared? This is the first time you go into battle. Just kill a few people."
"My brother can't swim. If he falls into the sea, it will be over. If we were on land, we wouldn't be afraid." Xie Hu defended his brother very dissatisfied.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here, brother, just hide behind me." Hua Wuyu chuckled, lit a cigarette and took a puff, then stuffed it into Xie Long's mouth: "Just take a puff, this thing will be fine
It calms the mind."
Xie Long took a deep drag on the cigarette, but was choked and coughed, causing a group of veterans to laugh. One veteran laughed and said: "Xie Long, I want to teach you how to smoke, so that you can save yourself money to buy cigarettes in the future."
." Then a group of people laughed wildly again, not caring about the upcoming battle at all. The cadets were infected by the fearless spirit of the veterans, and their fingers holding the blunderbuss gradually relaxed, and smiles appeared on the corners of their mouths.
On the Black Swan, Liu Ziguang and Zhao Wen stood side by side on the bridge, scanning the waters ahead with telescopes. Zhao Wen attached great importance to Liu Ziguang's early warning, because she heard from the navy that pirates in the Temasek Strait were extremely dangerous.
Rampant. The Black Swan is now dressed like a Spanish mail ship full of wealthy guests and treasures, and it also brings a deep-draft cargo ship behind it. On the surface, both ships are unarmed. Such fat sheep
It would be strange not to be targeted by pirates.
Sure enough, two sailboats appeared in front. The tattered hulls, patched sails, and a black skull and crossbones flag flying on the mast all showed their identities—active in the Strait of Malacca and Temasek.
Native pirates of the Strait!
The pirates sailed out from the island of Sumatra, and the timing was just right. It was impossible for the prey to speed up to escape or retreat, because two pirate ships also appeared behind them, and a total of four small-tonnage speedboats would
The Black Swan formation blocked the front and rear, and the pirates climbed onto the mast, waving their shining steel knives and howling loudly, looking very excited.
From the telescope, you can see the monkey-like pirates on the other side's ship. They all have their heads wrapped in flower cloth, their upper bodies are bare, and they only wear a pair of homespun trousers. They hold knives and axes in their hands and scream strangely. They are very arrogant.
"Why do these people look so ugly?" Liu Ziguang asked Zhao Wen in confusion.
"These Javanese monkeys have this kind of virtue. They are dirty guys and are a shame to pirates. According to pirate rules, as long as the other party surrenders, they can no longer kill people. They can only put the captives on the nearest island and give them fresh water food."
To ensure that the other party can survive, this is the normal pirate practice, but these monkeys have always killed everyone, burned them all, and robbed them all, even women and children. They are simply beasts." Zhao Wen angrily shouted,
At this moment, she also wore the same floral cloth headband and blindfold, but she seriously accused others of piracy, which made Liu Ziguang feel a little weird.
Now that the pirates have arrived, let's entertain them well. The Black Swan quietly opened the gun holes on both sides, revealing the black muzzles of a hundred cannons, but the Javanese barbarians did not.
Knowing the power of this new weapon, he still set sail and rushed over.