It is said that the Spaniards entrenched in Sofala have moved! They left a small garrison, and the main forces began to shift towards West Africa!

This news was delivered to me and Hua Mei and Wu Ding almost at the same time. There is no time to communicate, everything can only rely on tacit understanding, and there is no way to do it.

However, I believe that Hua Mei and they will definitely react in time - the two are wrestling with life and death, that is, sailing against the current, not advancing or retreating, when they feel the pressure from the Spaniards suddenly reduced, coupled with the judgment of the news they get, a little judgment, they will come to a conclusion - someone is behind the trouble!

With Huamei's many years of experience in the military and political family, Wu Ding's life and death experience in the Indian Ocean, and his ups and downs, after getting such a good opportunity, as long as the basic risk possibility is ruled out, what is there not to do? People who sail on the sea, both men and women, actually have a brave heart. Cowards are not suitable for the sea, and they will surely sink in the rough sand.

What is the situation in West Africa today? The commander of the Fifth Fleet of the Spanish Armada, Frank López, is actually not clear. What he received from his adjutant Velasquez was actually nothing more than fragments of information, and he relied on his own subjective judgment to connect these information and form an "intelligence chain".

This is the greatest danger of insufficient intelligence! I looked at the information in my hand about Frank López – from our informant, Count Hernandez, a prominent figure in the Portuguese resistance – and I couldn't help but feel a lot of emotion. There is a mental calculation and no intention, and it is really God's perspective, just like the last time they ambushed me in West Africa.

Frank López is fifty-three years old and comes from a family of fishermen in the southern Spanish port city of Seville. He lost his father at the age of four, his mother at the age of nine, and had two younger brothers, one of whom died at an early age because of poverty.

As a result, Frank López, who lost the support of his parents, did some business in Seville since he was a child, and became a famous local golden *hand* finger at the age of eleven.

In 1542, the Spanish royal family established the Viceroyalty of Peru in Lima and established the Viceroyalty of Peru, dedicated to establishing Peru as the center of Spanish colonial rule in South America.

Correspondingly, the Spanish seafaring ranks expanded rapidly, and all port cities, including Seville, began a great conscription, and countless nomads, gangsters, and ruffians put on the uniforms of the Spanish navy and became the notorious nominal navy and de facto pirates who sailed between the various continents.

At that time, Peru was a prosperous business, and Spanish merchants controlled most of the South American import and export trade, and the precious metals and other materials plundered by these greedy fellows from South America were shipped out of Peru. In Peru, they usurped land and imposed the "Mita system", forcing Indians to work in the mines, resulting in a large number of Indian deaths.

In order to oppose the brutal colonial rule of Spain, the Indians held many uprisings, and the Spaniards naturally carried out brutal suppression of them. And it was on such occasions that Frank López came to prominence, gradually rising in status, and slowly climbed to today's position.

Frank López in intelligence depictions is cruel, lustful, timid and cautious, the oldest and least accomplished among the admirals of the Spanish Armadada, but he has one of the greatest characteristics - he has made the least mistakes over the years.

In Frank López's dictionary, there is no word for innovation, especially after becoming Admiral. Born in poverty, he cherishes his current status and life very much, so he always shows absolute obedience and rigid execution to his superiors.

Especially for the current Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Mr. A. Pérez de Guzmán, who was knighted Duke Medina Sidonia, he was even more terrified of the soul of his fear, for fear that a mistake would lead to the loss of this rather lucrative job.

Therefore, in his vicissitudes of consciousness, the taboos of this strict commander-in-chief of the navy are deeply engraved, and at the top of the list are those "dishonest" Portuguese. Because it was at stake in the core interests of the Spanish Empire, "it was an inviolable and sacred right." ”

To this day, Frank López closes his eyes and recalls the impassioned speech of Mr. A. Pérez de Guzmán, then captain of the Spanish fleet, more than thirty years ago. In fact, he himself was deceived by Mr. de Guzmán and fought to the death in that battle, so that he was appreciated by the captain, and with his rise step by step, one person attained Taoism, and the chicken dog ascended to heaven, and came to where he is today.

So he's going to throw everything away and solve things according to de Guzmán's likes and dislikes – and I believe that so that's why I'm doing what I am today!

......

In East Africa in April, as the direct point of the sun gradually shifts northward, the mid-latitude westerly wind belt from 30 to 60 degrees moves northward, the pressure subtropical high pressure belt moves further towards the equator, and the low-latitude trade wind belt in the southern hemisphere crosses the equator and becomes the trade wind belt in the northern hemisphere.

So Frank López went all the way south, but it was extremely unsmooth. He headed to the southwest against the southeast-facing wind, and you can imagine what kind of grievance it was. But fortunately, at this time, the East African coast has a warm current of Agulhas that goes south, which provides a helping hand to the headwind Frank López.

Ten days later, when Frank López finally sailed around the Eastern Cape towards the Cape of Good Hope in the West Cape against the north winds, the sky suddenly changed!

Although there was a headwind, at least there were no big waves, and the ship sailed slowly, but it was very steady. But as soon as I arrived at the southern tip of Africa, the sky was like a child's face, and the rain and snow came for a while!

Frank López looked at the flickering candles in the cabin, and his heart was very upset. According to his usual style, unless it was a sudden and important incident such as ambushing the Ming Dynasty man before, he would rather hide in the harbor and burn the stove in other circumstances.

Such weather is not suitable for sailing at all! But...... But I'm afraid the Portuguese won't wait until they attack them. Frank López said to himself: "Even if I want to show my courtesy in front of the old guy de Guzmán, this time I must be the first to arrive!" ”

Sighing, Frank Lopez ordered the fleet to speed up and rush to Walvis Bay at full speed to resupply and look for clues that the local Portuguese harbored disobedience.

The fifth detachment of the Spanish Armada began to accelerate! They are like petrels, flying proudly between the clouds and the sea like black lightning on the vast sea and when the wind gathers the dark clouds.

Their fleet consisted of five Fred oars and two Venetian gunboats, with a total of more than 1,350 sailors, and it should be said that they had a fairly strong ability to fight in the hands of the white-knuckle warfare. Entangled by such a behemoth, the average merchant fleet doesn't even have a chance to escape!

So despite the bad weather, Frank López was not worried - such storms were completely within the navigation permission of his own ships, and he dared to face his enemies...... In this sea, there must not be any!

The sea is roaring, the wind is roaring, and Frank López sits in the cabin, sipping the glass of red wine from Bordeaux in his hand. Soon we will arrive at Walvis Bay, what to do with the turbulent Portuguese? Now the damned recalcitrant ones should be exiled to the mines of Veracruz, where they will die of old age, sickness, and food!

Frank López drank most of the glass of red wine in a ruthless gulp, still incomprehensibly resentful. At this moment, the shouts of the sailors suddenly sounded on the deck! In the wind and rain, what they were shouting was completely inaudible, but from their voices, they could clearly hear the panic and panic!

Severe panic and panic!

Frank López felt an indescribable panic, he knew deep down that all these sailors under his command were actually outlaws! What is it that can scare them?

Unable to care less, Frank López pulled up his saber and pulled open the cabin door with a "hula", and suddenly a burst of rain hit his face, and he couldn't help but shrink his neck. But this guy knew that at this time, as the captain of the ship, he had to rush to the scene as soon as possible, otherwise he would ...... Something uncontrollable may arise!

The triangle took two steps, and Frank López rushed onto the deck, and in the wind and rain, he looked in the direction pointed by the sailors, ahhhhh What the hell is that!

Less than two nautical miles from the flagship, as lightning struck, a ...... floated on the boiling sea. A tattered ...... Ghost ship?

At sea in those days, if you want to ask what people fear the most, except for the female siren, who has never met before, I am afraid that this elusive ghost ship is the most terrifying!

For a moment, Frank López only felt that cold sweat was running down his back! He stared at the ghost ship in amazement, and was woken up by the wind and rain after a while, shouting, "Fire!" Fire at it! Right full rudder! Right full rudder! Burn the wind! ”

In the midst of the raging storm, the flagship of the Spanish Armada's Fifth Fleet, the third ship, because it was closest to it, began to fire fiercely at the ghostly ship on the sea! But...... But it didn't work!

The ghost ship doesn't seem to be drifting like an ordinary ship, but it looks like it's in a weird "floating" state! It's hard to tell if it's fast or slow, but it's pretty stable! Especially when the cannonball hits, the hull in the wind and rain seems to stir up a little broken wood chips, but there is no sign of life! And the ghost ship did not retreat but advanced, braving artillery fire and speeding towards its own flagship!

"Ahhh Come on! Right full rudder! Damn it! Right full rudder! Run! Do you want to die? Don't run yet! "Frank López finally couldn't suppress the fear in his heart, or rather, completely lost to the legendary fear!

The formation of the Fifth Fleet began to scatter, and it could no longer maintain the standard cruising or battle formation, but instead circled the Cape of Good Hope in a scattered manner and entered the range of West Africa!

The ghost ship behind you...... Still catching up!