The naval fleet on the surface soon received the signal, and a large number of small boats were laid down on their ships, which the sailors rowed deep into the Gambian river and began to measure the depth of the water and mark the course.

Two Yangwu-class fast cruisers are still patrolling the open seas to ensure that the entire fleet will not suddenly be exposed to the enemy.

At this time, the British built the merchant castle on the bank of the Gambia River, and it was a moment of panic.

"Mr. Chris, it's certain the East Coasters, they've raised the flag." Heywood, the army commander of the trading station, pointed to the flag raised over the fallen coastal defense batteries ahead.

Tony. Chris nodded expressionlessly, put away the monoculars, and then said in a hurried tone to a fat middle-aged man beside him: "Mr. Exeter, didn't you say that the people on the east coast are looking for the Portuguese to sue for peace with us in a panic, and that this war will end soon, and the people on the east coast will definitely give in." What can be said about the fleets of the people of the East Coast suddenly appearing in The Gambia? ”

The middle-aged man, Mr. Exeter, was obviously speechless, he just shook his head and said, "The people on the east coast are crazy, they are escalating the war!" The gentlemen of the Board of Directors of the Company will not ignore it, gentlemen, please hold on! The company council still has a couple of warships in Guinea, and we must hold out until they arrive. ”

Chris glanced at the fat man, did not speak, and turned straight over to direct the fortification of the castle.

The trading post built by the British Guiana Trading Merchant Company on the banks of the Gambia River is more appropriately a village than a castle. The core building is several stone buildings connected together, surrounded by a ring of brick walls for protection. The height of the brick wall is about 2.5 meters. The thickness is less than a meter. The circumference is about more than 200 meters. On the side facing the river, a stone protrusion was built on which two guns were placed.

Relying on this wall, the British built a large number of wooden houses, some of which were inhabited by the British, some of which were inhabited by their black servants, and some of which were used for trading. These haphazard, unplanned buildings are built along the riverbank and walls, making the entire trading post look more like an indigenous village.

"James, I'll be back on the Banjul Merchant in command. Here you command the battle on the castle side. I'll leave you 60 musketeers and some gunners, and you'll have to rely on them to hold the Merchant Post with those stupid blacks, and if necessary, you can gather all the men at the Merchant Post, give them weapons, and everyone will fight to the end! Chris patted his first mate, James, on the shoulder and said as he walked towards the docks.

"Yes, Captain!" James replied loudly, "God bless the Banjul Merchant and the Wanderer, for the glory of England!" ”

"For the glory of England!" Chris's voice faded away.

"Children, take up your weapons. Fear not, there's nothing remarkable about the East Coasters. In fact. They are now being beaten badly by us in the New World. "James mobilized the musketeers from England at the merchant station. These poor people, mostly from internal displacement, looked at him numbly, which made James feel that the mere verbal mobilization did not seem to be very effective.

In recent years, there have been a lot of displaced people in the UK, and the main reason for this is that more and more new British businessmen or aristocrats are investing in the booming textile industry to make huge profits. These men did their best to enclose a large plot of land in England, drive out the barley farmers on the land, and then plant alfalfa and raise sheep for wool, the raw material of the woolen industry.

This is especially true after the UK's woolen industry has been fiercely challenged by the emerging East Coasters, and this process is accelerating. Today, more and more British bourgeois merchants are recognizing the drawbacks of the traditional village handmade textile industry, and they are beginning to try to set up large textile factories to reduce costs and compete with foreign goods.

This process resulted in a large number of landless people in Britain, who wandered from city to city in search of work to make ends meet. Some of them became industrial workers in the new factories, others were forced to try their luck in the New World, and others became sailors or hired hands of colonial companies to Africa and Asia.

The dozens of musketeers from the mainland in front of them were once landless peasants, and after several years of training in Africa, they have now become the backbone of the military force of the trading station, acting as an elite thug to protect the trading station and suppress the natives. Of course, these mercenaries who fight purely for money are also realistic, and you don't expect some rhetoric that lacks dry goods to boost their morale, these are the lords who don't see rabbits and don't scatter eagles.

"Mr. Exeter, look ......" James turned his head to the fat man to the side. This fat man is one of the councilors of the Guiana Trading and Merchants Company, and theoretically has full authority over the entire trading station at this moment, and his position is still above James. If it weren't for Tony. Chris's uncle is the majority shareholder of the company, and I'm afraid even he has to look at Exeter's face.

"Okay." Exeter took out a handkerchief and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead, he was soaked from the heat and nervousness, "Soldiers, take up your weapons and fight bravely. The company will give each soldier a bonus of 30 shillings for fighting bravely, and an additional 30 shillings if you repel an enemy attack at the end of the battle. If the enemy is forced to retreat, the company will heavily reward each of them with 60 shillings. In God's name, whether he dies in battle or not, the prize will be paid to him or to his designated beneficiary. ”

After some mobilization and promise, the sixty musketeers finally took their weapons and went up to the city. They were followed by two dozen gunners, all of who, with the exception of those who operated the two guns at the head of the city, had flintlock muskets or arquebuses, ready to join the battle at any moment.

In addition, some of the clerks and handymen employed by some companies within the city walls also carried muskets, and they urged the black servants and soldiers to carry boulders to block the city gates and prevent them from being invaded by the east bankers.

The battle began in the evening.

An army force of the East Coasters attempted to advance towards the outskirts of the merchant post in the setting sun, but their efforts were quickly repulsed by shells fired from the city's artillery.

"These cowards!" Some of the rude English musketeers in the city whistled. The cowardly East Coasters, who withdrew without even scratching a single piece of their skin, raised a glimmer of confidence in these restless musketeers, perhaps today's opponent is a dish?

"Their battleships moved, God, so many artillery! Ah, she's headed for the docks, and our ships are out of the way! Mr. Chris is in command of the Banjul Merchant and the Wanderer! The armed merchant ship 'Mill' followed, and aha, the Dutchman's ship rushed up as well! ”

"Four against four, but the enemy ships seem to have a lot of firepower, will Mr. Chris be able to handle it?"

"Mr. Chris, who has systematically studied the theory of naval warfare and fought several battles with pirates in the Caribbean, is a qualified commander and we should rely on him."

"That being said, but I've always felt that the East Coasters have stronger ships. You see, with so many guns lined up on those two double-deck battleships, she could handle the Banjul Merchant and the Wanderer alone. It is important to know that neither the Mill nor the Dutch ship were serious warships, and neither the speed nor the firepower of the warships of the East Coast were at all. ”

"God, the people of the East Coast have fired! They seized the upper hand, firing from the broadside guns, God, what a spectacular salvo! ”

There was a burst of soldiers' chatter in James' ears, but it didn't affect him. The army of the people on the east bank shrank back, and his attention was now completely drawn to the fierce battle between fleets that was taking place on the wide Gambia River.

The battleships of the East Coasters sailed into the wide river with the southwesterly wind, approached the two battleships commanded by Chris in a standard column formation, and then began a ferocious broadside artillery fire.

A salvo of more than eighty guns broke the side of the ships of the "Banjul Merchant" and "Rover" almost instantaneously. James could clearly see through the binoculars that the middle mast of the Banjul Merchant had been hit at close range by two chain bullets, and the thick mast had fallen with a bang, causing chaos on the deck.

Compared with the powerful firepower of the battleships of the East Coasters, the counterattack of this side was somewhat insignificant, and only less than half of the guns of the East Coasters were fired, and the caliber was generally a lot smaller. Those small-caliber shells hit the sturdy planks of the opponent's ship, causing only some seemingly limited damage.

The fighting on the river between the two sides continued, and the people on the east bank had fired four rounds of artillery shelling, and the third round had just been fought on their own side. James sighed secretly, this naval battle was actually won or lost, and there was no need to continue watching. Moreover, now he is also completely pessimistic about whether he will be able to hold the trading station. It is conceivable that the fleet of the East Coasters, having dealt with several of Mr. Chris's ships, will surely turn closer to the merchant post for artillery bombardment.

Let the massive 32-, 24-, and 18-pounder cannon bombard the weak walls of the merchant station at close range? Forgive me, God, for they will smash the walls to smithereens!

Not only James, but also the other British soldiers on the city wall gradually stopped talking at this time, and they pursed their lips and stared at the naval battle that was entering the climax on the river. (To be continued......)