The fleet followed the route it came from and returned to the Sunda Strait.
As expected, Xue Rengui led a small team of men to wait for the fleet in the Sunda Strait.
"Commander! Sure enough, there are large ships wandering in the Strait of Malacca!"
As soon as he got on the ship, Xue Rengui hurriedly reported to Su Chen.
Liu Rengui and others were startled, and all looked at Su Chen: "The commander-in-chief is really good at predicting things!"
Although everyone agreed with Su Chen's detour plan, they did not want to contradict Su Chen on trivial matters. In fact, everyone did not believe that there was really an ambush in Malacca.
Su Chen was also agitated. He was originally just taking precautions, but in fact he didn't really believe that the lusts of those powerful families would be so rampant.
"Please tell me the specific situation in detail. How many ships were found and what were their sizes?"
Xue Rengui asked: "Commander, even the last general doesn't dare to get too close."
"I just saw large ships in the strait from a distance. The exact number is unknown. The size of the ships should be slightly smaller than our gunboats."
Everyone looked at Su Chen with solemn expressions: "Commander! What should we do?"
Su Chen pointed at the map and said: "The other party is within the strait. We have bypassed the Strait of Malacca. There are many routes here that can go directly north back to Datang."
Liu Rengui: "The commander-in-chief is saying that we ignore them and go back directly through other routes?"
Su Chen: "This is the safest way."
Everyone looked at each other: This is indeed the safest way, but it just feels too frustrating!
"Teacher, knowing that the enemy is right ahead, sneaking away like this, doesn't it damage the military prestige of the Royal Navy too much?"
Li Chengqian, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke.
Everyone looked at Su Chen, obviously unwilling to just sneak away in despair.
"Your Highness, the opponent is not the target of the army's operation this time, and we do not have the slightest understanding of the enemy's situation,"
"If you rush into war with the other party, the consequences will be unpredictable!"
"Let's go back to Datang first to find out the details of the other party. After we are fully prepared, it won't be too late to settle the score with them."
Li Chengqian had always kept his promise and never intervened in military operations, but this time he went against Su Chen.
"Teacher, the most elite maritime force of the Tang Dynasty is the Royal Navy fleet. We still have enough ammunition supplies. What preparations do we need to make when we return?"
"If you miss them in this vast sea, you will have to work hard to find them in the future. Why give up this opportunity?"
Su Chen glanced at Li Chengqian and didn't understand why he opposed his decision this time.
Looking at Liu Rengui and others again, Su Chen asked: "What do you think?"
Everyone looked at each other and Liu Ren said: "Commander, it is indeed the safest way for us to quietly return to Datang."
"But it was indeed a waste of a good opportunity to annihilate the enemy."
Su Chen shook his head: "Annihilate the enemy?"
"You are quite confident in yourself!"
Liu Rengui: "Commander, we have only been away from Datang for one year. The other party should not have threatened our ability yet, right?"
Su Chen: "How powerful is Dashi's artillery? Have you forgotten?"
"Their artillery comes from the remnants of the clan."
"I estimate that the opponent's artillery is definitely more powerful than the cannon of the Big Man-Eater. Do you think it can't threaten us?"
Liu Rengui frowned and stopped talking.
Cheng Wuting: "Commander, the generals and others know that the commander-in-chief is for the safety of the fleet."
"Even if the local artillery is somewhat powerful, it's still no match for us, right?"
"But we just slipped back quietly. If His Majesty or others ask..."
Xue Rengui and others looked at Su Chen eagerly. It was obvious that they were not willing to sneak back so quietly.
Su Chen glared at the group of officers in front of him: "You have already gained enough military merits in Dashi. It's not a big deal to get promoted to officers and nobles when you go back. Are you still looking at this small amount of merit?"
Liu Rengui sighed: "Commander! You are not waiting for the last general to be greedy for merit."
"We just see the enemy right in front of us. According to military practice, we really shouldn't ignore it."
"And the enemies within the strait will still be our navy's mission in the future,"
"This is indeed an opportunity. Even if we cannot annihilate the enemy, we can at least detect the enemy's strength."
Su Chen secretly sighed in his heart: Since the navy was established more than a year ago, it must win every battle, and these guys' morale has also been raised.
Seeing the enemy right in front of them and letting them slip away in despair, these guys were unwilling to do so.
Li Chengqian then asked doubtfully: "Teacher, why are you so cautious this time?"
"This is very different from your previous style."
Everyone looked at Su Chen very curiously:
In the past, Su Chen made various action plans, but they were always bold and surprising.
Everyone has been advising Su Chen to be more cautious.
This time it was just the opposite. Everyone felt that they should fight the enemy in front, but Su Chen wanted to sneak away quietly for safety reasons.
Su Chen stared at the people in front of him: "Don't you understand the principle of not fighting an unprepared battle?"
"In the past when I faced Dashi, I had an estimate of the Dashi's abilities."
"My plans may seem risky, but they are all well prepared."
"But the enemies in the strait, we have no solution to them. If we rush to fight with them, the consequences will be unpredictable."
Liu Rengui: "Commander! Our ships and artillery are all designed by you. Others can only imitate and imitate them at best. Can their performance exceed that of our fleet?"
Su Chen: "Humph! There are many capable people and strange people in the world!"
"Those aristocratic families have accumulated hundreds of thousands of years of experience, and they have all kinds of resources in their hands."
"Even if the ships and artillery we build cannot surpass us, the performance is still very close to us."
When everyone heard what Su Chen said, they thought it was possible. After all, Dashi's artillery was already quite powerful.
"And don't you think about it, they already know the strength of our navy,"
"But the other party still dares to wait for us in Malacca. If they are not prepared, how dare they do this?"
Everyone secretly admitted: This is indeed true. The strength of the fleet has long been made public. If the opponent was not sure of victory, it would not be possible to wait in Malacca like this.
However, everyone was still unwilling.
Liu Rengui: "But Commander, let's just sneak away quietly like this..."
"Commander, why don't you and His Highness lead the fleet to leave first, and give the general two ships to test the enemy's strength?"
"After all, our navy will eventually have to deal with these guys in the future. Let's test their strength this time and prepare for the future."
"We will approach them from outside the strait. If something goes wrong, we should be able to escape by running away."
Su Chen secretly sighed: It's a waste of time, these guys still don't give up!
