Only then did everyone finally understand why the Duke did what he did. It turned out that he deliberately lured the pirates into taking the bait, so that he could kill them and annihilate them in one fell swoop.
Everyone is thinking: If this plan can really succeed, it can be done once and for all, and there will be no future troubles. After all, although the Timothy Gang is fierce, they are just a piece of cake in front of the Invincible Fleet. Once they are faced with, there will be no escape.
principle.
However, everyone also has doubts in their hearts. How can the Duke guarantee that the other party will be fooled? How do you know that the other party will take advantage of the empty Manlajia harbor to attack the harbor. Although everyone was a little worried about this in the previous military meeting
, this is indeed a hidden danger. However, there is no information and it is impossible to determine whether or when the pirates will come. Is it possible to wait here and wait?
Wang Hong raised this question soon after. Everyone also looked at Zhang Yanling, wanting to hear what the Duke of Guo thought. They believed that the Duke of Guo would not omit this point and must have considered it.
Zhang Yanling laughed and spoke his truth in a deep voice.
"Everyone, do you think that we left with great fanfare just for fun? That was just for the pirates to see. Do you think that the gangsters who sneaked into the port to cause destruction were just a few people who were captured by us? Obviously that is not the case. We
There is a saying in the Ming Dynasty that when you find a stone ginger, you actually have it.
A large nest of stone ginger is in a place where you can't see it. We caught those few, which means that there are a large number of infiltrators in the port of Manlajia. We have strengthened our vigilance. Although they dare not come out to cause havoc, they still
They will definitely report the news of my fleet going to sea to the pirates as soon as possible. This is for sure."
Everyone suddenly realized that it turned out that the Duke of Guo mobilized troops in this way to convince these lurking guys that the Ming Dynasty fleet had set off. They would then pass on the news. This was the bait.
"You must think that even so, they may not come to attack. To be honest, I can't guarantee that they will come. However, if you think about it personally, if we are the Timothy Gang, I will take this opportunity
Won't let it go? This is not the best
Is there an opportunity for a sneak attack? The empty Malacca harbor is the most suitable target for their attack. Isn't it the best time for them to massacre the city? It is also an opportunity to make contributions to their master. If I were Timothy, I would
I will definitely take action." Zhang Yanling said solemnly.
"If it were me, I would do it." Zhang Yin nodded.
Everyone actually thinks this is true. How can we give up such an opportunity to attack?
"Sir, the problem is, it will take at least ten days and a half for them to get the news and come from their home base. We are just facing the direction they are coming from, so we can just go and kill them. Why hide here?
?" Feng Mazi said.
Zhang Yanling laughed and said: "Brother Feng, you really don't like to use your brain. Do you think Timothy's gang is stupid pigs? They know that we will march westward and will probably attack them, but they will still stay
In the lair? Since they have decided to harass Manlajia, they must have arrived somewhere nearby to hide, waiting for us
Once we leave, we will attack. Of course, this location will not be too close to Managa, for fear of being discovered. But it will definitely not be too far, let alone on the sea. I think they will find a random cat in a bay and wait for us.
Just leave. I guess it’s north of the coastline of Malacca. Because the terrain there is complicated and it’s a place we will never go.”
Everyone thought about it carefully, and the more they thought about it, the more they felt it was true. The pirates captured before had confessed that Timothy and his group had indeed been eyeing the Malacca Harbor. They were waiting for an opportunity to attack the harbor. Obviously they did not dare to attack from the front.
, the Ming fleet is here
They didn't dare to move here for a day, so they could only look for opportunities to make sneak attacks. They sent the pirate soldiers and horses to hide in secret places, and sent people to disturb the harbor and spy on the news. Once the Ming Dynasty fleet sets off, they will launch an attack. This is almost certain.
of.
At the meeting that day, the reason why the Duke of Guo did not discuss too much about the possible sneak attack by pirates seemed to be a bit negligent, which made everyone feel a little strange. But now it seems that the Duke of Guo has changed his mind since then.
I've thought of a countermeasure.
"Since they are hiding on the north shore of the strait, we should search for them along the coast of the north shore of the strait. Wouldn't it be better to kill them directly?" Feng Mazi came to show off his lower IQ again.
This time even Liu Tan couldn't stand listening.
"I said Lao Feng, are you drunk too much or do you really not understand? Where they are hiding is not sure. What if they find an island like ours to hide? There is a desert island like this in the sea.
There are so many of them, how can we find them? How much time will it take?"
"That's right. Even if they are not hiding in the sea, but in the shallow water under the cliff, how can our big ship get close? If they don't run aground on the rocks? How can we fight? Brother Feng, you really don't have any brains."
Feng Mazi hurriedly blocked his mouth with toast and made up his mind not to talk too much anymore. His IQ was indeed not good enough. Fighting with all his might was fine, but coming up with ideas was not.
Zhang Yanling said with a smile: "Yes, it takes too much effort to find them. Wouldn't it be better to let them come out on their own? I think they are only two or three days away from Manlajia seaport at most. In this way, by the time we leave Manlajia,
After three days, they will be able to come out from their hiding place and attack. We will rush back tomorrow evening, and if everything goes well, we will be able to see them soon."
At this point, everyone suddenly understood. Although they were still a little worried, seeing that the Duke of Guo was full of confidence, they had nothing to say. The Duke of Guo rarely made miscalculations, and I hope he will be able to predict the enemy this time.
The Armada was parked in the middle of a deserted island for a day, and the bored officers and soldiers spent the day fishing. There were many fish in this sea area, and at the end of the day, they had a feast of sea fish. The sea fish was cooked fresh and served with white flour steamed buns.
It's supremely delicious. You don't even need to add too many condiments to make it satisfying.
In the evening, Zhang Yanling issued an order. The fleet set off and turned around and headed straight for Manlajia Harbor. In order to prevent the wide sea and difficulty in seeing and missing the enemy ships, Zhang Yanling ordered seven armored warships to distance themselves and gather ten miles away.
The distance is lined up in a row, like a giant comb, combing through the sea more than a hundred miles wide to ensure that enemy traces are discovered.
The night passed without any discovery. There was only about 150 miles away from the seaport of Malacca. Everyone was also muttering in their hearts, whether they expected the enemy to make a mistake or came back too early.
?The pirate ships were not dispatched at all?
Zhang Yanling, who was on the Xingchen towed behind with three supply ships, was not worried. No trace of the enemy was found, which also meant that the enemy did not find him and his intentions were not exposed. Whether it was blocking the pirate ships in the strait or in
Outside, the results are actually the same. However, if you want to annihilate all the pirates, blocking them in the strait is the best result. But the timing can only rely entirely on estimation and judgment, unless there are satellites staring at the enemy in the sky.
, otherwise how can we achieve absolute accuracy.
At noon, Zhang Yanling stood in front of the command platform in the ship hall and looked around with a telescope. He had been standing here looking around for a long time.
Catherine came in with tea and snacks, put the tea and snacks on the table, sat aside and frowned at Zhang Yanling and said: "Your Excellency, do you have to do this kind of thing yourself? Just let others watch. You don't have to work so hard.
.”
Zhang Yanling's eyes did not leave the telescope, and she said with a smile: "Catherine, remember to write this paragraph in the biography you write for me. The Duke of the East is very hands-on, devoted to everything, rigorous in his work, and works tirelessly. In order to discover the traces of pirate enemies, he was very tired.
After vomiting three liters of blood, Huangtian finally paid off and discovered the traces of the pirates."
Catherine covered her mouth and giggled: "Are you doing this on purpose just to be more superior in my book?"
Zhang Yanling chuckled and said: "You mean, I'm disguising? Do I need to pretend to be tall and stalwart? This is my true nature. Whether in combat or...in bed, I will give my all and die."
of."
Catherine's snow-white face turned red. She gave Zhang Trinling a graceful look and was speechless. She suffered a lot in bed. The Duke really worked hard and it was too much to bear. This is actually true.
But those things cannot be written in the book. Otherwise, this biography will be full of such plots.
"But... you haven't found the enemy yet. Where is the enemy? I am waiting to write the plot of the Duke fighting the pirates." Catherine said angrily.
Zhang Yanling suddenly stopped talking. He pointed his telescope at the sea behind him and frowned tightly.
"Also, if pirates appear now and we are the only one on the ship, what will we do? I am a little worried..." Catherine continued.
"Changshun, Changshun." Zhang Yanling shouted.
Tan Changshun rushed up from the deck and shouted: "I'm here. What's wrong?"
Zhang Yanling said sternly: "Sending orders, unknown ship found, direction, guard at ten o'clock northwest. Inform General Chen to come immediately."
When Tan Changshun heard the words, he loudly agreed and ran out.
Catherine stood up in astonishment, widened her eyes and said, "Really...is there really a pirate ship?"
Zhang Yanling finally put down the telescope, stretched out his hand to pull Catherine in front of him, pointed the telescope into Catherine's eyes and said, "Take a look."
Catherine squinted and looked through the telescope, but she saw nothing except the endless sea and the undulating waves of the blue sea.
"Did you see the flash on the sea? The white reflection. That's the sail. It's noon now, the sun is shining obliquely from the southeast, and the sail is facing the sun, and it's a white light. That's the big ship." Zhang Yanling bit her tongue.
Catherine whispered in her ears.
After his explanation, Catherine immediately noticed dots of white light flashing on the sea in the distance. The ships in the distance would actually be very small on the sea, because the curved surface would merge with the waves of the sea, making it difficult to see clearly.
But the reflection of the white sail cannot be hidden.
"Really...really boats...so many...so many." Catherine exclaimed in surprise.
Zhang Yanling sneered and said: "With so many ships found in this sea area, it must be the person we are looking for. Catherine, you go back to the cabin, we are going to fight."
Catherine said: "No, I'll stay here."
Zhang Yanling was about to speak to persuade, when Chen Shiyi rushed in from outside the boat hall.
"My lord, where is the pirate ship?"
Zhang Yanling handed the telescope to Chen Shiyi and pointed it to the northwest. Chen Shiyi quickly saw the ships.
"It's about fifteen miles away. Lord, how should we deal with it?"
Zhang Yanling said in a deep voice: "Order the three ships of the Kunpeng to avoid to the west, and the Xingchen to set up sails to meet the attack. After approaching five miles, we will send a signal to the other warships. Damn it, we are early, these guys are coming from behind
Appeared. Now he has become a sheepherder."
Chen Shi made a loud promise and rushed out immediately. A moment later, a sound of orders was heard on the ship, the soldiers took their positions one after another, and the oarsmen rushed to the deck and began to maneuver the oars to turn around.
Catherine stood beside Zhang Yanling in a daze, looking at Zhang Yanling's side face that was concentrating on observing the enemy's situation, and thought to herself: You can't go to fight with just one boat, right? My Lord Duke!