In the hot Red Sea, the rolling heat waves form waves of scorching hot winds. The red sea water is like stagnant water, with few fluctuations.
A large ship sailed in the Red Sea, heading to Egypt from south to north. It was hoisted with the dragon flag of the Ming Dynasty and the flag of an unknown company.
“I don’t know if these Red Sea pirates will come~”
Yang Zhen wiped the sweat from his forehead. It was really too hot here, which made him uncomfortable as he was born in Shaanxi. He still preferred the cooler climate.
The army occupied Djibouti and built a military base here in Djibouti. The navy could not be idle and began to eliminate pirates in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Pirates are almost extinct in the areas controlled by the Ming Dynasty. Under the attack of the powerful Ming Navy, the pirates have no place to escape.
But outside of the Ming Dynasty, there were a lot of pirates. Like here in the Indian Ocean, there were a lot of Arab pirates, Persian pirates, and Tianzhu pirates.
In Europe, there are so many pirates in the Mediterranean. Some countries even openly support pirates. Many pirates have privateering licenses issued by the state.
The geographical location of the Red Sea is very special, because through the Red Sea, and then through Egypt, you can reach the Mediterranean and Europe at the fastest speed and in the shortest journey.
With the expansion and development of the Ming Dynasty around the world, many merchants traveled to Europe through the Red Sea. A large number of ships passed through the Red Sea, which also breeds banditry here.
There are a large number of pirates entrenched in the Red Sea, looting and extorting passing Ming merchant ships.
This time, the warship led by Yang Zhen also disguised itself as a merchant ship and walked in the Red Sea. When it docked at ports along the way, it also pretended to be very generous, allowing people to see the cargo on the ship, in order to attract the attention of pirates.
force.
"It will definitely come. There is no reason for them to leave such a fat sheep uneaten."
Deng Cheng, the commander-in-chief of the Red Sea Fleet, said Yang Zhen’s identity very confidently.
Deng Cheng is the commander-in-chief of the Red Sea Fleet, which is under the jurisdiction of the Red Navy. He is considered a subordinate of Mao Lun and Yang Zhen. Well, the main reason is that the Red Sea Fleet is very small, with only twenty warships and three thousand people.
This size is nothing in the huge Ming Dynasty navy. The Ming Dynasty navy has now been divided into the East China Sea Fleet, which is mainly responsible for maritime security in the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, North Korea, and the Japanese country.
The Nanyang Fleet is responsible for maritime security in the Southeast Asia and Australia. There is also an Atlantic Fleet, stationed in Penglai City, responsible for the east and west coasts of Golden Continent and the Atlantic area.
The Bohai Fleet is responsible for the Bohai Sea area, and its most important responsibility is to maintain the security of the Beijing-Tianjin area.
There is also the West Sea Fleet. The West Sea Fleet mainly includes the Black Sea Fleet, the Mediterranean Fleet and the Red Sea Fleet newly established here in Djibouti, each responsible for an area.
There are four major fleets in total, each fleet is very large in size, has multiple naval military bases under its command, and has multiple squadrons stationed in various places.
The Red Sea Fleet is under the command of the West Sea Fleet, but it is also under the jurisdiction and command of the Red Navy. The appointment of officials of the Red Sea Fleet lies with the West Sea Fleet, and the power of operational command lies with the Red Navy. This is mainly to facilitate mobilization and maintain the Ming Dynasty in this area.
Interests.
After the opening of the Egyptian Canal, when it is convenient for the Red Sea Fleet to travel to the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, operational command will be returned to the West Sea Fleet again.
"I hope so, otherwise all this sweat will be in vain."
Yang Zhen smiled and said.
To be honest, coming to the Red Sea is not as comfortable as going to other places. The weather here is hot, far away from the Ming Dynasty, and the facilities in the military base have not been built yet, so life is definitely not that comfortable.
But the Red Sea is very suitable for making achievements. There are also a lot of hostile forces here, pirates, bandits, etc. As long as you are lucky, you can get some credit casually.
When the time comes, you can go up immediately after being transferred back to the Ming Dynasty. This is not available in other places.
Nowadays, the Ming Dynasty is prosperous with singing and dancing and dominates the world. No one dares to provoke the Ming Dynasty. Even here in Nanyun Province, the powerful Ottoman Empire does not dare to provoke the Ming Dynasty. There is no war to fight.
The current military system of the Ming Dynasty attaches great importance to military merit. If there is no war, where will the military merit come from?
Yang Zhen applied to come here because he wanted to make great achievements here. He could be promoted if he was in the military industry. After staying here for a few years, he could be knighted and become a new nobleman when he returned.
"Dang~dang~"
At this moment, bursts of bells came from the ship's mast.
"There are pirates~ There are pirates~"
The lookout shouted excitedly below.
"Haha, finally come to life!"
Yang Zhen and Deng Cheng looked at each other and immediately started laughing.
Picking up the telescope and looking at the surrounding sea, he soon discovered that in the sea ahead, four ships that were not too big and could only be regarded as medium-sized ships were quickly heading towards him.
"Mediterranean centipede boat!"
Seeing these four ships, Deng Cheng recognized them immediately.
This kind of centipede boat is named because there are rows of oars on both sides, and its appearance looks like a centipede. It has two types of power, one is the sail on the boat, and the other is to rely on the oars on both sides to row.
It moves very quickly and is a very common pirate ship in the Mediterranean.
"Ask them what they mean?"
Yang Zhen looked at the black skull pirate flag raised on the other side's ship, smiled and ordered.
Soon, the semaphore soldiers on the mast quickly waved their flags to convey their meaning to the other party.
"The other party said this is their water area and asked us to pay a toll."
Soon, the semaphore soldier received a reply and translated the meaning of the other party's semaphore soldier.
"Ask them how much the toll is?"
Yang Zhen raised the corners of his mouth slightly and smiled.
As for the tolls, I will send you to Lord Yama to collect the tolls later.
"The other party said they would board our ship to inspect our cargo and then determine how much to collect."
Soon, the flagman replied again.
"Tell them it's impossible and we won't allow them to board the ship."
Yang Zhen and Deng Cheng looked at each other and laughed again.
"Don't be impatient. Wait until they get closer and then push out our cannons. We will send them all into the sea in the first round of attacks."
Yang Zhen ordered Deng Cheng.
"yes!"
When Deng Cheng received the order, he immediately conveyed it.
"The other party said that if they were not allowed to board the ship, they would loot our ship."
"Tell them that we are ships of the Ming Empire. If they dare to loot, our Ming Empire will kill them all."
"They said they were not afraid of the Ming Empire. They said we Ming Dynasty had money, and it was us Ming Dynasty people who were robbed."
"Are we the Ming people the ones who robbed us?"
Yang Zhen couldn't help laughing angrily and said: "Wait a minute, don't let any of these pirates go, I don't want any prisoners, send them all to the sea to feed the fish."
"Yes~"
Upon hearing Yang Zhen's order, all the navy soldiers wearing ordinary clothes on the ship became excited. In the cabin, the navy soldiers clenched their guns and looked at the pirate ship that was speeding over outside.
"Haha~"
"He's a big fat sheep, and he didn't even invite an escort."
"This time we are rich, rich!"
There were four pirate ships here. As the two sides got closer and closer, these pirates also shouted excitedly and kept waving their weapons.
This pirate group is called the Barbary Pirates. It is one of the most ferocious and powerful pirate groups on Earth in the Red Sea. The leader of the pirate group is called Barbary. He is from Djibouti. He has always been extremely hostile to the Ming Dynasty.
The Ming Dynasty ships escorted by the Escort Bureau would often loot the ships and kill all the Ming Dynasty ships.
If there is a ship escorted by the Escort Bureau, Barbary knows the strong combat effectiveness of the Escort Bureau. Although the Barbary Pirate Group has a great reputation, its combat effectiveness is actually very average. He is not willing to fight with the Escort Bureau, who have been trained and are all good at fighting. But
They can also blackmail and extort money.
"Haha, they are probably a group of newbies who have just arrived here."
"This time, we have really made a fortune. This is a big ship. I have long wanted to own a Ming ship as a flagship."
"Kill all the Ming people on the ship!"
"Can't damage my Barbary!"
Barbary looked at the huge Ming ships in front of him and excitedly gave orders to his men.
He longed to own a large ship, and the ships of the Ming Dynasty were very good.
"Kill!"
"Come on!"
After receiving the order, the pirates on several ships immediately shouted excitedly.
Some pirates prepared hooks. When the ship was very close, they hooked the Ming Dynasty's ship with the hook, and then quickly landed on the other side's ship through the rope.
Some pirates came to the mast with a big axe, preparing to cut off the mast and smash it onto the opponent's ship through the mast. The pirates on the ship could quickly land on the opponent's ship by stepping on the mast, and the mast could be connected at the same time.
The two ships made it impossible for the other party to escape quickly.
These are the most commonly used methods by pirates, and they are also the most important method of naval warfare in this era - follow-up warfare.
Yang Zhen and Deng Cheng looked at the pirate ships getting closer and closer without any panic, silently calculating the distance between the two sides.
"Closer!"
Yang Zhen looked at the pirates who were getting clearer and clearer, and could already clearly see the appearance of these pirates. Most of these pirates were from the areas on both sides of the Red Sea. There were Arabs, Kunlun slaves, some Tianzhu people, Persians, etc.
A mixture of them, most of them look very vicious.
In the cabin, naval soldiers were waiting, and cannons were ready.
"Take out the gun!"
Soon, with an order, the cannon holes were opened, and the Miyun cannons were pushed out, revealing their ferocious faces!
