The Foreign Intelligence Agency judged that an armed conflict between Liu Laoxiang and Zheng Zhilong was imminent, and it was only a matter of time before the two sides started a full-scale fight.

The reason for such a judgment is because according to the historical trajectory of the old time and space, Zhu Cai Lao and Liu Xiang were defeated and eliminated after leaving the old nest in Guangdong to find Zheng Zhilong to start a war, and there was also the blockade of Macao, which shows that these things are not accidental.

The Intelligence Bureau speculated that the real reason behind these events was the shrinking demand in Europe as a result of the Thirty Years' War. The Europeans spent money on military spending, which in general led to a decrease in the amount of silver exported to Asia in the East-West trade. Merchants began to turn to the import of Japanese silver.

It is very likely that Liu and Zhu both went north in order to get involved in Sino-Japanese and Dutch trade, and Macao's financial importance to the Ming Dynasty declined in the maritime melee along the coast at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and the main battlefield has always been the coastal area of Fujian, rather than the traditional foreign trade port of Guangzhou.

Not long ago, the Ming court's order to close Macao had been officially issued to the Guangdong side, and the Foreign Intelligence Bureau kidnapped Gao Shunqin, removing a major obstacle to returning to Guangzhou, but the blockade of Macao still occurred according to its custom. It shows that in this regard, history is still running according to a normal trajectory, but the addition of the crossing crowd has made the situation more complicated, and the situation faced by Liu Xiang Group is also more difficult.

Liu Xiang's group decisively gave up the territory of the Pearl River Estuary and went north, obviously not only to fear the Australian navy, but more to compete for commercial trade. It is obviously not in the interests of business to continue to entrench in the Pearl River estuary, where the value of trade has dropped significantly, and to engage in a head-to-head battle with the ferocious "thieves." After all, Fujian's Sino-Japanese-Dutch trade is the biggest fat.

After the Battle of the Pearl River Estuary, the navy formed a Hong Kong detachment on Hong Kong Island, and in addition to defending the safety of navigation in the waters of the Pearl River Estuary, another important purpose was to use it as a base to suppress the activities of Liu Laoxiang's group in Daya Bay and force it to be unable to go south.

During the first phase of the Navy's shipbuilding and maintenance, the "Consolidation Operations around Hong Kong" was carried out, and Shi Zhiqi and Le Lin carried out a series of small-scale operations around Hong Kong to clean up small groups of local pirates and suppress local clans. In particular, the eastern part of Hong Kong Island, the western part of St. Mary's Bay (Victoria Bay) and the Tseung Kwan O area were intensively cleared. The Line of Actual Control (LAC) was advanced to the Sha Tin, Yantian, Mirs Bay, and Clear Water Bay lines on the far side of the Kowloon Peninsula, and at the same time, the maritime patrol area was extended to Daya Bay, and the surrounding salt pans and rice producing areas were initially controlled.

During this consolidation operation, the Navy dispatched two 8154-class cruisers, four squadrons of special service boats, and a group of pole and minecraft to Hong Kong Island to anchor in the event of a large-scale counteroffensive by Liu Xiang, and to launch a decisive naval battle at Shengnu Bay or Daya Bay in the event of Liu Xiang's large-scale counteroffensive.

But Liu Xiang did not make a sortie, and there was not even an example of direct contact with the navy at all. In addition, the intelligence officers collected information that its main force was not in the Shanwei and Chaozhou areas all show that this seems to confirm the judgment of the intelligence bureau.

"Fifty volts per person! Move fast! A strong man in a mí color suit with an almost square body roared. He wears a prolific Benny hat and has a thick neck that makes him appear stout. A dozen or so soldiers, also dressed in mí uniforms and with pot lids, were doing quick push-ups on the bumpy deck.

"Move fast! Slow like a! "The one who kept shouting around the soldiers like cannibals was Qian Shuixie, the head of the Sanya branch of the Special Investigation Command. The Sanya detachment was the earliest and most successful detachment of the Special Investigation Command to carry out sea training, so it was selected to participate in the engine operation. The detachment first selected a part of its personnel to participate in the Haitian's northward reconnaissance mission.

The main task of the special investigation team is to escort the exploration team to shore for exploration and mapping work, and when necessary, it will also carry out some armed reconnaissance operations such as harassment, ambush and assassination to test the readiness and combat capability of the hostile Shili.

Li Ziping looked at the VZ68 submachine gun on Qian Shuixie's shoulder, and couldn't help but sigh that the Senate really spared no expense for the special investigation team. In terms of weapon configuration, the special investigation team has always been a first-class configuration, and it is used as a product of the old time and space.

The SKSD semi-automatic rifle with a 20-round magazine used in the past was not suitable for reconnaissance operations due to its long length, but since the introduction of Lando's weapons, all of them have been withdrawn and replaced with 022R ammunition MGV176 submachine guns and MB77B assault rifles, and some soldiers are equipped with leash rifles with scopes for sniping. Even by the standards of the old plane, it can be said to be armed to the teeth.

As a member of the Navy, Li Ziping is interested in how the special reconnaissance team will play their role. He remembered that his colleagues in the Navy had permission to be transferred to the Foreign Intelligence Bureau, and that he had advocated that the Navy should have its own intelligence system and armed reconnaissance team.

"There are fireworks signals on the island!" The lookout shouted.

"Watch for the enemy." Li Ziping said, raising the telescope again.

The lookout did not observe any hostile ships on the sea, but as they approached the island of Nanao... More visible traces of smoke emerged from the island. Apparently, the Ming army had noticed their arrival and began to conduct a full-fledged alert.

"Be on your guard." Li Ziping put down the binoculars and ordered, "Right rudder 14 degrees, course 29." ”

"Right rudder 14 degrees, course 229," the helmsman repeated the command, pulling the tune.

The bow of the Haitian slowly tilted over, and the sails fluttered... The blue star flag flutters in the sea breeze... Under the command of Li Ziping, the Haitian sailed straight to Nanao Island, and Li Ziping was ready to test how much the Ming army on Nanao Island was on guard... How it reacts. In addition, the prospectors of the remote exploration team also need to carry out hydrographic surveys around Nan'ao Island, especially to correct the map charts.

The drumming of "Preparing for War" immediately sounded on the Haitian Ship. Indicates that the battle is imminent.

"Navigator! You're here to pilot! Li Ziping ordered. Since the complete defeat of Zhu Cailao, Ren Fu switched to Australians, and after a period of education, he became a person who knew the times and joined the navy. He has been active in the waters of Fujian and Guangdong for a long time, and is much more familiar with the terrain and sea conditions near Nanao Island than they are.

"Understood!" Ren Fu replied loudly.

The Haitian gradually approached Nan'ao Island under Ren Fu's command, and this move obviously triggered a higher level of alert on the island, and more smoke trails rose from Nan'ao Island and nearby islands, and the Ming army was probably relying on this signal to move.

He ordered: "Report the boiler pressure immediately!" ”

A herald immediately opened the lid of the intercom tube and loudly conveyed the order to the engine room: "The air pressure is normal!" ”

"Prepare for a boost!" He gave the order. The biggest disadvantage of steam engine power is that the power system is too slow to respond. In order to be prepared to slip away if there is a problem, it is necessary to increase the boiler air pressure from this point on.

Under the command of Ren Fu, the Haitian began to sail around the entire island of Nanao. The surveyors accompanying the ship observed the shape of the coast and surveyed the water depth and channel in the harbor. Ren Fu is familiar with the coast, islands and reefs in this area. Although there was a lot of wind and waves on the sea, under the command of Ren Fu, the Haitian still sailed around the island smoothly for a week.

During the whole exploration process, Li Ziping noticed that there were some people on the island who probed their brains along the coast, but no armed men of any scale appeared, and there were more ships near the Haitian, and there must have been a number of ships of the Ming army's sailors. They were clearly guarding themselves.

Judging from the reaction of the other party, the Ming army obviously had a strong vigilance against them, but it was obviously not prepared to be an enemy of the crossing crowd. Not even formed units were launched. Li Ziping estimated that even if he wanted to land at this time, most of the other party would stick to the fortress, anyway, everyone could see that a ship would not be able to occupy the entire Nanao Island.

"What, how? It's going to start. "A man appeared on the deck, dressed in a colorful uniform, wearing a steel helmet and carrying a holster, it was Liu Zheng of the long-range exploration team. This time, he took an exploration and mapping team to the north with the Haitian to carry out lanthanum exploration tasks all the way.

"Not yet." Li Ziping said, "It seems that the Ming army has no intention of going to war with us, but is just to prevent us from having any attempts."

"If Nanao Island is occupied, it will be a very suitable transit point." Li Ziping said.

Yoo Jeong is also interested in the game of being a soldier and fighting. He was a little seasick when he first set sail, and he had never been on such a small boat. After adapting to this, he has been observing the surrounding environment of Nanao Island on the deck with great interest, and from time to time he also instructs those naturalized students in the exploration and mapping work.

"The agricultural development on this island is quite good, and the population will not be less." Liu Zheng said, "If you just occupy this island directly, I estimate that you can get a population of more than 10,000." ”

In addition to serving as a transit point, there are 20,000 or 30,000 soldiers and civilians on this island alone, which is much higher than the population density of Hainan Island. It is a very good source of labor and soldiers. The local Hakka people are known for their hardships and hard work, and the Hakka water warriors in the Shantou area of Chaozhou have been famous for their courage and good fighting. As long as it can effectively break down the geographical barrier, it is a useful human resource under the rule of the Senate.

"It would be nice if human resources could be developed on a rolling basis." Li Ziping thought: If you have enough troops in your hands, you can directly occupy Nanao Island and destroy Chen Ting's army. You can recruit enough troops from the manpower on the island to move on to the next island. This is a common tactic used by warlords and grass kings in troubled times: completely destroy towns and villages, force everyone to follow them, and soon snowball a large army...