Chapter 898 The plan can't keep up with the changes
The Armada moved forward more cautiously, and stopped advancing after only 50 miles the next day. At the same time, two reconnaissance ships were sent to conduct reconnaissance within the telescope visible range of more than 20 miles on the flanks. But still nothing was found.
On the third day, after another sixty miles, they had arrived more than a hundred miles outside the Colombo Port. Finally, a wooden ship conducting reconnaissance in the southwest sent a semaphore signal, and the enemy was discovered near a small island outside the Colombo Port.
After learning this news, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Discovering the enemy's traces and location was much more satisfying than not knowing the enemy's location and being in chaos.
However, according to the signal signal sent by the reconnaissance ship, what they found was the main force of the enemy. This news made Zhang Yanling very strange.
How could the enemy's main force gather more than a hundred miles south of Colombo Port? That sea area is neither on the route to attack Colombo Port, nor is it far away from Colombo Port. This is not helpful to their operations.
It stands to reason that that position
, it should be just the location where a small group of enemy ships gathered, preparing to outflank the Armada's retreat. Because the Port of Colombo is located at the southeast corner of Ceylon Island, the current direction of the Armada's movement is exactly between Colombo Port and that sea area.
area.
Zhang Yanling felt something was strange and suspected that the reconnaissance ship had made an error in judgment. So he sent out flags and asked several times, but the feedback was that it was the main force of the enemy.
With a cautious attitude, Zhang Yanling decided to take a look in person. The target of the Star was too big, so he took a wooden boat to the sea twenty miles to the southwest, climbed to the top of the mast, and observed it with a high-power telescope.
Take a breath of air conditioning.
There is indeed an isolated island on the sea about thirty miles away. Because there are scattered trees growing there, it is impossible for trees to grow in the sea out of thin air. There is no doubt that it is an island. But next to the isolated island, it is completely dark.
Strange things were gathered together. It looked like a dense swarm of ants surrounding a green leaf.
After taking a closer look, you can tell that the masts of those ships are standing in rows, clustered in piles, and tightly close together. With such a large number of ships gathered together, it makes people feel like they are having a panic attack.
Zhang Yanling also understood that these ships were anchored around the island and anchored on the shoals near the island. Because those ships were small and medium-sized ships, they could not anchor in the deep sea. They could only rely on a certain desert island.
Only by anchoring intensively in the shoal can the anchorage be maintained.
No wonder the reconnaissance ship thought they were the main force of the enemy after discovering them. A rough estimate of these ships showed that there must be at least hundreds of them. If this is not the main force, what is the main force?
Further observation revealed that the ships were not big, and they were all piled with cargo and covered with straw curtains. Because they were too far away, telescopes could not distinguish what was loaded.
Zhang Yanling quickly came to a conclusion. These small boats were obviously the kind of suicide arson boats that he and the generals were worried about. Such small boats were piled high with cargo, but they could still float on the sea.
It's definitely not a heavy object, it should be
They should be flammable things like firewood. They gathered in this position just to wait for their own fleet to attack Colombo Port, rush out from the rear, and then use suicide fire attack on the side of the Armada.
Attack from the rear position.
Thinking about it more carefully, Zhang Yanling broke out in a layer of sweat.
With so many ships on the other side using suicidal arson attacks, they are obviously determined to destroy the Armada here. Unfortunately, these small ships cannot anchor in further waters because they are too small and light. So they can only choose to rely on
The shallow sea area near this small island is anchored and camouflaged.
The location of this small island is quite awkward, and it is within the search range of the Armada. If this small island were twenty miles farther to the south of the ocean, or even only ten miles away, our own reconnaissance ships would probably find it.
Can't reach them.
Because the reconnaissance area currently controlled by the Armada is a sea area sixty miles wide from north to south. This is already the maximum distance within the visual range that the reconnaissance ship can transmit the flag message while maintaining the battle formation.
If today's reconnaissance fails to discover this group of enemy ships, but passes by them, it will be extremely passive. When the battle begins, and more than a hundred fire ships suddenly appear from behind, then
What kind of scene is it? What should be the result?
All this is horrifying to think about.
In order not to alert the enemy, Zhang Yanling immediately ordered the reconnaissance ship to retreat ten miles to avoid being noticed by the other party.
It is morning now, the sun is in the east, and the other party is directly exposed to the sun, so it is difficult to spot the reconnaissance ship. But if it is after noon, it will be difficult to tell. The other party must also have ships cruising for reconnaissance. Once the exposed position is found, they will immediately move. Then
It's not easy to find their location. That's not a good thing.
After returning to the Star, Zhang Yanling summoned the generals to discuss countermeasures. Everyone was shocked when they learned the news.
"Sir, if that's the case, why don't we attack them directly and annihilate these ships to avoid future troubles." Someone suggested.
"No. Since it is a fire ship, if we go to attack, we will be sent to the door. There are more than a hundred ships, and it is not easy to be a target. If the other party sets off the fire, we will definitely suffer losses. Since we know the opponent's strategy of committing suicide
, wouldn't it be unwise to take the initiative to send it to your door?" Wang Hong immediately objected.
Everyone nodded in agreement. It was obvious that the other party's goal was to use fire to commit suicide, and it was obviously unwise to join in. Even if it was just an armored ship being burned, that would be an unacceptable result.
"My lord, it would be better for us to wait until dark, and then we would sneak attack on their wooden sailboats and set fire to their ships. Attack with fire. Attack with fire. Their ships are docked densely together. Once they catch fire, they will all be burned down. We can only use
If we go for a raid on wooden sailboats, we will only lose a few wooden sailboats at most, so we don’t feel bad. Find some brothers who are good at water, light a fire, jump into the sea to escape, and send a lifeboat to the side to respond. This can reduce casualties." Zhang Yin said solemnly.
"Okay, this is a good idea. After dark, use the sailboat to sneak up on him with the wind and set his mother on fire. Brother Zhang, this is a great idea." Chen Shi slapped his thigh and shouted loudly.
All the generals also applauded. Zhang Yanling also nodded slightly. This method is indeed a good strategy. If it succeeds, it can be said to be twice the result with half the effort.
"My lord, I would like to lead twenty Guangzhou disciples to attack and set fire. We are familiar with the nature of water, and we can escape unscathed." Huo Shijian stood up and offered his orders.
Zhang Yanling nodded slightly, looked at everyone and said: "You all think this plan is feasible, you might as well give it a try. Huo Shijian, it's up to you. Choose one with good water resistance, and carry a sheepskin bag to save your life. Also carry a day of fresh water and dry food, as search and rescue at night is difficult.
, it is very likely that we will not be able to rescue you. If so, you can still stay on the sea for one day to facilitate the search. I don’t want you to die in the sea."
Huo Shijian was overjoyed. Since following Zhang Yanling, although he has been promoted to the post of captain of the personal guard camp, he has not really made any achievements. I am really excited and satisfied to be able to accept such an important task this time.
Jin must complete the task.
It was agreed upon that the fleet would anchor and wait until dark. The reconnaissance ships continued to send news, and the enemy ships that were discovered gathering on the desert island did not make any changes. Perhaps because they were worried that their positions would be exposed, they even stopped the reconnaissance ships.
No one was sent. Maybe they set up lookout posts on the coconut trees on the island, so there was really no need to send boats around.
Huo Shijian and Tian Dongxin selected twenty children who followed them from Guangzhou to join the army. These were young men who were good at water and grew up on the beach. They formed a special operations team, packed equipment, and made preparations.
Everyone was excitedly waiting for the sun to set, ready to take action.
However, what everyone did not expect was that the weather suddenly changed in the late afternoon. In the originally sunny and clear sky, black clouds rolled in from the southeast, quickly covering half of the sky. The wind direction also changed from easterly to southerly, and the wind force increased.
.
In just an hour, the sea surface was roaring with strong winds, and huge waves were set off on the gloomy sea surface under the gloomy sky. The wind was mixed with cold water vapor, and there was a black fog on the southern sea surface.
Gandhi, an experienced pirate, immediately came to the conclusion that a storm was coming. This is a common situation in Southeast Asia. After entering June and July, hurricanes and storms are actually commonplace. It may seem sudden, but in fact they have already formed, but they passed by at this time
Just here.
Not long after, strong winds mixed with heavy rain began to fall in torrents. Everyone was dumbfounded.