After passing through the Strait of Malacca, it will enter the Indian Ocean, and the fleet will also be divided into two parts and operate separately.
Su Chen immediately called a meeting of fleet officers to make some arrangements in advance.
The total length of the Strait of Malacca is thousands of kilometers, but the western half is wider.
The eastern half is relatively narrow, with the narrowest point being more than 30 kilometers long.
Moreover, there are many islands and reefs in the strait, especially the one or two hundred kilometers at the entrance.
After the fleet personnel have been allocated and all kinds of supplies have been deployed,
Su Chen ordered the fleet to enter the strait.
Su Chen heard that there was a powerful country called Sanfo Qi Dui nearby. He didn't know where it was specifically, so he asked the Persian guide.
As a result, the Persians told Su Chen that there were many tribes and kingdoms on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and they often fought in melee, and they could not tell who was who.
Su Chen thought for a while and estimated that this place was just like the war between princes during the split of China. To Westerners, it was all China, and they could not distinguish between the dozens of countries during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
However, the Persians said that several kingdoms on the south coast of the strait were more powerful. They usually sailed closer to the north coast of the strait. Firstly, there were fewer indigenous people on the north coast. Secondly, the islands in the northern half of the strait had fewer reefs, making navigation safer!
The Persians also told Su Chen that there were several excellent natural harbors along the northern shore of the strait.
Su Chen felt that his decision to bring this group of Persians with him this time was really praiseworthy. It saved him a lot of trouble.
After the fleet entered the strait, it slowly headed westward,
Because the previous section of the strait was narrow and there were some scattered islands floating in the strait, Su Chen decided to sail only during the day and anchor on the shore at night to avoid accidental collisions.
As a result, the speed was extremely slow, and it took two days to sail less than 100 kilometers.
When it got dark the next day, Su Chen dropped anchor on the west side of Singapore Island.
Su Chen thought: The most difficult part of walking is over, and the speed will pick up tomorrow!
On the third day, the sky was dawning,
A sailor climbed up the mast and took a look behind the fleet, and his whole body was filled with excitement:
When did so many ships suddenly appear behind me?
An extremely sharp whistle sounded, and then someone on several warships shouted:
"A large number of ships were spotted ahead!"
"A large number of ships have been discovered in the rear, and the speed is very fast!"
"Weigh anchor!"
"Weigh anchor!"
"Raise the sail!"
"Raise the sail!"
Su Chen just opened his eyes and before he got up, he felt the ship's hull shake suddenly.
He hurriedly ran out of the cabin, and Liu Rengui was commanding the fleet to raise the sails urgently!
"Commander, a large number of ships appeared in the front and rear of the fleet at the same time. It seems that they are coming with bad intentions!"
Li Chengqian also ran out: "What's wrong, are you a local aborigine?"
Su Chen raised the telescope and took a look at the Mediterranean-style galley in the distance.
Immediately shouted: "All ships are ready for first-level battle, the cannibal fleet!"
Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment: "A big cannibal?
Didn’t it say that the Dashi Empire is still more than 10,000 miles away from here?”
Su Chen didn't answer Li Chengqian. Who knows why the big cannibal appeared here.
But you can’t go wrong with the obviously Mediterranean-style triangular sailboat.
"All ships must increase their speed first!"
It's not bright yet, and many ships in the fleet are still anchoring, which makes Su Chen very anxious.
The enemy ship is less than ten miles away from you!
A warship without speed is a living target!
"Commander, go forward or retreat!"
Liu Rengui asked hurriedly.
"go forward!"
Not only was the waterway at the rear very narrow, but it was also full of scattered islands and reefs, making it impossible for the fleet to position itself!
"Commander, the wind direction is not favorable! The specific situation ahead is unknown!"
Liu Rengui's words were very concise and he directly pointed out the disadvantages of rushing forward!
"That's better than retreating and being divided and surrounded by enemies!"
Fortunately, after more than a month of training in Lingdingyang, although the navy was a little panicked at first,
But the basic commands issued have been completed.
The fleet has left the shore and entered the depths of the strait.
At this time, Su Chen had already seen the enemy's beard and turban on the enemy ship through the telescope!
"Master Sun Ren! You lead the third, fourth, fifth, fifth, and sixth frigates to jointly defend the rear and prevent the enemy ships from approaching."
"Liu Rengui, you command all the gunboats to move forward, and the first and second frigates are also under your command to defeat the enemy ships in front as quickly as possible!"
"Cheng Wu, please command the oar fleet and the third pair of frigates to protect the transport ship in the middle!"
Su Chen quickly formulated the fleet's tactical strategy,
It is to use the powerful long-range firepower of the main gunboat to quickly defeat the enemy ships in the front, gain enough fighting space for the fleet, and then lead the fleet to pick out the encirclement first.
The Great Eater was obviously well prepared, and the ambush location he chose was extremely targeted. He wanted to use the narrow strait waterway to significantly weaken the speed advantage of the Tang Navy.
Then they used the dexterous maneuverability of the galley to get close to the Tang Navy and engage in hand-to-hand combat.
And close combat happened to be the weakness of the Tang Navy.
The Dashi fleet on the opposite side came with the wind and was extremely fast!
Liu Rengui was with Su Chen on the transport ship. The temporary commander of the main gunboat fleet was Liu Rengui's deputy Cheng Chubi.
Cheng Laosan can be said to be the one who has done best in the navy among the group of generals!
"put!"
As Cheng Chubi's command flag was fluttered down, the eighteen main gunboats opened fire at the same time.
Coax! Coax! Coax!
Coax! Coax! Coax!
…
The big cannibal directly ahead had four galleys hit by multiple cannons and immediately disintegrated!
Another five or six ships were severely damaged!
After more than a month of live-fire training in Lingdingyang, the gunner's accuracy has improved significantly.
In addition, the east side of the strait is already narrow, and the enemy ships are all charging towards the main gunboats, and the formation is quite dense.
Therefore, the first round of bombardment achieved very good results and directly caused four enemy ships to sink into the sea!!
Seeing that the first round of shelling achieved such results, Liu Rengui breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that this big cannibal is not that bad!
Su Chen didn't look relaxed at all. He held up his telescope and looked behind the enemy ship in the distance, and then took a closer look at the galley rushing forward desperately.
I always feel something is wrong. The fact that the cannibal can set up an ambush in Malacca shows that he is very well prepared.
Then there is no way we can just let these galleys rush up to us without thinking and die!
?The second round of shelling sounded. This time the distance was closer and the hit rate was higher. Nearly ten ships were scrapped by the Big Eater!
If this continues and another round of bombardment occurs, more than half of the cannibal's frontal fleet will be lost!
Liu Rengui also felt that something was wrong: The cannibal was charging intensively against the main gunboats. What was the difference between that and seeking death?
Ordinarily, the Great Eater wouldn't be so stupid. He should have adjusted after the first round of bombardment.
Why are you still charging head-on now without risking your life?
Su Chen held up the telescope to carefully observe the approaching large man-eating ships. Suddenly his eyes widened and his whole body trembled!
