A few days later, the Armada arrived at the sea more than two hundred miles east of Ceylon. However, what puzzled Zhang Yanling was that there was no trace of any enemy ship on the sea. This was obviously unusual.
of.
It is impossible for the other party not to know the news about the arrival of the Ming fleet. The Fo Lang robots had Raven and Sea Eagle to send messages, so they should have known about the arrival of the Armada. Even if they counted the days with their fingers, they should have calculated the arrival of the Armada.
In terms of time, there were actually no ships in the nearby sea area to fight, and there were even no reconnaissance ships on the sea surface that could be observed by telescopes for tens of miles. This is obviously unreasonable.
Zhang Yanling did not dare to advance rashly, so he ordered the fleet to stop advancing, and sent the Datong and Yansui diagonally for dozens of miles to conduct reconnaissance. The two warships went forward for more than 40 miles and came back with the news that they had not found any
The traces of enemy ships. This result made Zhang Yanling and others even more puzzled.
Zhang Yanling summoned all the generals to discuss the matter in the ship's hall of the Star.
Wang Hong put forward an idea: "Sir, will it be possible that the Francois have abandoned Colombo and concentrated all their warships in Guri Port to fight us there to the death? After all, they know our strength and they cannot concentrate all their forces.
In a decisive battle, they are no match for us."
Wang Hong's idea was supported by some generals. They also believed that there was a high probability that the Francois felt unsure about this situation. Rather than fighting a decisive battle in Colombo Port, it would be better to move the battlefield back to the strait opposite Ceylon Island.
A large-scale decisive battle took place outside the Guri Port on the opposite side.
"If the Francois want to assemble two forces to fight us to the death, why can't they assemble their troops from Guri Port to Colombo? They have enough time to make such a deployment." Zhang Yin raised a question.
Wang Hong pointed to the map and said: "Because of the terrain problem. Guri Port is at the southernmost point of the mainland of the Jialuo Empire, facing the island of Ceylon. A strait terrain is formed here, which is more convenient for them to encircle and divide, and to form a siege. If
At this position we engaged them, and the enemy separated their fleets to wait for us to enter.
After entering the strait and blocking the way back, it will be a pincer attack from both front and rear, which will make us lose our dumplings. Even if we are not afraid of close combat and melee, if there are a large number of enemy ships, we will use hand-to-hand combat with boarding combat, even with suicidal fire.
If the ship perishes together, we will also be in an extremely disadvantageous situation."
When Wang Hong said this, everyone's expressions became serious. Looking at the position on the chart, the pear-shaped Ceylon Island is in the southeast of the Indian mainland, separated from the mainland by a narrow sea area. Guri Port is in the southeast of the mainland, and
The Island of Ceylon is far away facing each other. It is indeed in the strait. If it is blocked there, it will be completely surrounded.
"How could we enter the strait so easily? We went in even though we knew there was a trap? Are we that stupid?" Chen Shiyi suddenly laughed.
Wang Hong said sternly: "Of course we are not that stupid, but our goal is to capture Guri Port. If we do not enter the strait, how can we capture the harbor? Are we anchored outside, wasting supplies, and then returning in vain?"
Chen Shi was stunned and had nothing to say.
Everyone's eyes turned to Zhang Yanling, wanting to hear what the Duke of Guo said. The Duke of Guo kept frowning and thinking, and listened to everyone's discussion without saying a word. They didn't know what he thought.
Zhang Yanling moved, leaned back in the chair and said with a smile: "Master Wang's consideration is reasonable, and it is a possibility."
Wang Hong sighed and received Zhang Yanling's approval, which made him feel slightly proud.
"But... I don't think the Folangji people will do that. Of course the Folangji people hope to have a decisive battle with us in Guri Port, but they know how powerful we are and are probably unwilling to fight us personally. They have to rely on
The warships of the Ceylon Kingdom and the Garo Kingdom will help them. Otherwise, with the current strength of their Eastern Fleet, even if they fight us in the strait, they will lose." Zhang Yanling said slowly.
Everyone was confused. They didn't understand what the Duke said.
Zhang Yanling continued: "What I mean is that if they give up the Port of Colombo, they will give up the support of the State of Ceylon. The Port of Colombo is the capital of the State of Ceylon. Once we occupy it, the State of Ceylon will be destroyed.
Are the kings, princes and ministers of Ceylon willing to lose the capital and help the Francois fight us in Guli? That is absolutely impossible. No one would be willing to do this."
Everyone nodded suddenly. They had never thought about the angle that the Duke of Guo was talking about.
"The war is imminent, and the Francois will not be willing to lose the support of the Ceylon Kingdom. What they need most now is someone to lead them and serve as cannon fodder. Once the Port of Colombo is abandoned by them, they will lose an arm. I
I think the Francois are not so stupid."
As Zhang Yanling spoke, he stood up, walked to the side of the huge chart, and pointed at the chart.
"Also, once the Kingdom of Ceylon is destroyed by us, we will have a port base to advance forward. This is exactly what we dream of. We will control the entire Indian Ocean, so it is absolutely unacceptable to the Francois.
.Our ships can even cruise on the sea at the southern end of the mainland, attacking the Folangji people’s Guri Port and the northern
The port of Goa carried out an actual blockade, blocking their maritime connections with the Franconian country, let alone trade. This was absolutely unacceptable to them. So from this point of view, the port of Colombo is not just a port.
, will be the key point that affects the success or failure of the entire campaign. Unless Alfonso is confused, how can he give up?"
Zhang Yanling moved his fingers on the chart, pointing out the directions and key points. Everyone understood clearly and nodded one after another.
Wang Hong's face turned red, and only now did he realize how ridiculous his thoughts were. He stood up and said with a red face: "My lord, you are humble and stupid, I am really ashamed of myself."
Zhang Yanling smiled and said: "Master Wang, you don't have to be like this. Since we are discussing military situation, we naturally have to express our opinions and put forward any possibility. In fact, your previous view was right. The enemy must be waiting with a net and ambush near Colombo. I
It seems that they want to use the same old method of being close to the port for easy supply and repair. They are just waiting for work and bullying us from coming all the way."
Wang Hong said: "Yes, that's what I thought before I took the post. But when I saw no trace of the enemy, I felt that I had made a mistake in my judgment."
Zhang Yin laughed and said: "Master Wang is eager to kill the enemy and thinks about everything. Unlike me, I am still confused in my mind. Master Wang's combat strategy is far superior to mine."
Although Wang Hong knew that Zhang Yin was complimenting him, he felt a little better about it. Indeed, he was anxious to judge the enemy's situation before he put forward another opinion.
"It seems that their ships are huddled near the Port of Corondo, waiting for us. They know that we are going to attack Corondo anyway, so they simply don't come out and wait for us to come." Zhang Yin frowned.
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "I'm afraid that's the case. The opponent definitely has a lot of troops. There may not be many Flangji warships, but in order to protect themselves, the Ceylon Kingdom must use the strength of the whole country. Their combat power may be weak, but just now Master Wang
What I said reminded me that they could use suicide tactics and attack us with fire ships. 1
Once they adopt this method of warfare, we will really be in some trouble. Dozens or hundreds of ships catch fire and take advantage of the wind to surround our warship. That would be a terrifying thing. The people of Ceylon are willing to fight for Buddha
The Langji people are used as cannon fodder, they only need to severely damage two or three of our armored ships, and the next thing will be difficult to handle."
Everyone nodded slightly and fell into a brief silence. This method of warfare was indeed terrifying. In the previous battle with the Folangji, the opponents were all warships, so naturally they would not use any fire attack tactics. But once the Ceylonese joined,
Coming in, those ships must be small ships. They don't have any strong attack capabilities, so using this suicidal attack method may be their best choice. This kind of strategy is actually very troublesome.
"Sir, can we find a way to get in touch with the king of Ceylon so that they will not help the evildoers and break up the relationship between them and the Folangji people. Maybe the whole country of Ceylon also hates the Folangji people.
They may just be waiting for us to help them drive away the Francois. Just like Manchuria and other small countries."
In the silence, Liu Tan suddenly asked. Liu Tan rarely talked too much. After all, he was a junior, so he usually thought more and talked less, unlike Feng Mazi who kept his head in the air.
"Yes, what General Liu said may be a solution. Let's send people to sneak ashore in a small boat to get in touch with the leader of the Ceylon Kingdom and persuade them to rebel. Maybe we can succeed. I am willing to go ashore to handle this matter."
Chen Shiyi said.
Zhang Yanling gave Liu Tan an approving look, then waved her hand and said with a smile: "It's a good idea, but it may be feasible in Manchuria, but I'm afraid it won't work in Ceylon. Ceylon hates the Ming Dynasty deeply and will not cooperate with us.
of."
"Why is that? Have we offended them?" the generals asked curiously.
Zhang Yanling said: "Ceylon and the Ming Dynasty fought a war, you don't know, right?"
How did everyone know about this? They were all surprised. Ceylon and the Ming Dynasty actually had a war? It sounded incredible.
"When Zheng He, the eunuch of the Three Treasures, sailed to the West and arrived in the Kingdom of Ceylon, he paid a visit to the King of Ceylon, gave him many gifts, and expressed his intention to reconcile the two countries. But what he didn't expect was that the then head of the Kingdom of Ceylon was named
The man named Ariel Kunel actually saw that my Ming fleet was fully loaded
Gold, silver, jewelry, silk, porcelain, etc., he had evil thoughts and wanted to rob my Ming Dynasty fleet. So this guy pretended to invite Zheng He and others ashore to his capital for a banquet to meet and discuss friendly matters. He secretly sent people to cut off the retreat.
A large number of troops were sent to the port to attack the fleet."
"Damn it, this thief is so rude and treacherous? He dares to touch the head of Sanbao eunuch, he is so brave." All the generals yelled and cursed.
Zhang Yanling continued with a smile: "Who is Zheng He? This guy really made a wrong calculation. He thought that Zheng He would lead his troops back to the dock for rescue, but he was ambushed halfway. As a result, Zheng He not only did not return his troops,
Instead, he calculated that he did not have many soldiers and horses in the capital, so he led 3,000 soldiers and horses.
He stormed the capital and captured Ariel Kunel, his wife, son, daughter, and royal ministers in one fell swoop. When he turned around, he defeated the soldiers and horses of the Ceylon Kingdom and captured them all.
He was brought back to the Ming Dynasty and handed over to the imperial court for punishment."
Everyone burst into laughter and said one after another: "You deserve it. You deserve it. If you are looking for death, you can't blame others."
"It's not good to mess with anyone, mess with the eunuch Sanbao, mess with our Ming Dynasty."
Chen Shi said, "Needless to say, everyone in this family must have had their heads chopped off."
Zhang Yanling shook his head and said: "That's not true. At that time, Emperor Chengzu was kind and the ministers all said they would kill these guys, but Emperor Chengzu only sentenced him to deportation and exile. He asked Zheng He to choose a virtuous member of the royal family in Ceylon.
As the king. Later, my footprints in the Ming Dynasty no longer touched the land of Southeast Asia, and the Kingdom of Ceylon happened again.
Unexpectedly, this Yalie Kunel regained the throne with his own hands, and also killed all the clan of the rulers of the Ming Dynasty. This incident was reported to the court. Although the court was very angry, they were thousands of miles apart after all.
Mountains and seas, I can only give up. After all, it is a small overseas country, and the court does not pay much attention to it."
"Fuck you!" everyone yelled in unison.
"So, the current king of Ceylon is the descendant of the king named Kunel. Because of the affairs of their ancestors, they had a quarrel with us? Did they hate us?" Zhang Yin said.
Zhang Yanling nodded and said: "That's right. I heard in Manlajia that the leader of the Ceylon Kingdom helped the Folangji people to attack the Manlajia Port. There is also a rumor here that the fleet of the Three Treasures Eunuchs of the Ming Dynasty came here.
, is to plunder their sacred relic of the Buddha's Tooth. Therefore, the entire Ceylon Kingdom that is incited is hostile to our Ming Dynasty. If you want to plan any internal affairs with them, I think it is better not to think about it."
Everyone cursed again, but they also knew that this matter was difficult to implement. After discussing for a while, they decided to continue advancing for a hundred miles to investigate the enemy's situation before making calculations. Zhang Yanling had some calculations in his heart. In short, he did not know the enemy's situation clearly. He was
You will not attack rashly, you must be fully confident.
This battle cannot be lost. The losses cannot even be too great.