The monster that fell to the ground was indeed dead. If you want to talk about penetration, long-range lethality, etc., the lead bullet of the pen&funker www.biquge.info flintlock pistol is certainly not as good as the full-power rifle bullet fired by the Mauser 98 or Springfield 1903 of later generations. But at closer range, the lead bullet of a flintlock pistol is much more lethal when it is fired into a living being. A buckshot weighing eight coins, after being shot into the body of a living being, will shatter, like exploding, and the effect is more exciting than the dum bullet of later generations. Although the monster that looks like a big gecko is almost a zhang long, at least one-third of this length is the length of the tail, and the whole size is actually only about the same as a wild boar, and it is only about a hundred catties.

"I don't know if it's good or not." Zhang Chao said.

"I don't know. Now let's drag these things back. Song Ran said.

……

While Song Ran dragged the wild boar and the big gecko back, there were several other groups of people who landed on some islands. Their task is not to help the fleet replenish fresh water, but to monitor the sea in the area.

"When I used to be a pirate, I used to fight the idea of a Spanish silver ship without taking it upon myself. Of course, with just one of my broken ships, it is impossible to move the silver fleet. However, people always inevitably like to think crankily, if people have no dreams, what is the difference between them and salted fish? So although I knew it was delusional, I couldn't help but pay attention to all kinds of information about the silver fleet. I know. The silver fleet crossed the ocean, making sure to replenish fresh water on some islands along the way. In order to shelter from possible storms, they also arrange some sheltered bays on the way. As far as I've observed, they often replenish fresh water on the two islands in the area that have fresh water. Just keep an eye on these two islands and you will be able to find the Spanish silver fleet. Major General, we have four fast communication ships that we can use today, and I will send them near these four islands. These four islands are not far from the two islands with fresh water, and at the high points of the islands, the two islands can be monitored with a telescope. As soon as something is discovered, they immediately relay the news to us using a fast communication ship. So we set out to intercept them. ”

At that time, Old Jack introduced his instructions to Zheng Sen in this way. Now all four scouts have landed on their islands and are waiting.

However, the day after the personnel arrived, the lookout post at the anchorage spotted a storm approaching. The Zheng family's fleet naturally hurriedly hid in the bay, and all the ships put away their sails and lowered several anchors. Most of the people on board also landed on the island to escape the wind and waves.

No sooner had the ship been secured than the storm came. The sky darkened suddenly, and although it was noon, the light was dim as if it were twilight under the thick dark clouds. The wind roared like a beast, so much so that Zheng Sen had to roar loudly if he wanted to say a word to Gu Jiang who was standing next to him.

"Oki, have you ever seen such a strong wind before?" Gu Jiang leaned against the rock and shouted at Zheng Sen.

"I've seen it!" Zheng Sen also shouted, "There are many wind disasters in Fujian, and there will be several strong winds every year!" However, it is also the first time to take shelter in the wild! ”

Zheng Sen: They hid in a leeward corner, but even in such a place, the wind was just as strong. In the wind, the raindrops began to crackle and fall. Liu De worked hard to take out an umbrella and stretched it out to help Zheng Sen cover the rain. But as soon as the umbrella was opened, the bones snapped with a crackling sound. Liu De was also surrounded by this wind, if Zheng Sen hadn't pulled him quickly, he would have almost fallen to the ground.

Liu De hurriedly said something to Zheng Sen, but in the sound of the wind and waves, Zheng Sen couldn't hear what he was saying at all. But Zheng Sen didn't care, probably thanks, apologized or something.

The raindrops fell on everyone's bodies, although they were separated by clothes, but they actually hurt people, and the lightning also lit up, and one after another the thunderbolts exploded around everyone. Zheng Sen wiped the rain from his face and looked at the boats in the bay with great concern. The islands blocked most of the strong winds, but there were still waves in the bay, and the boats were constantly rocking in the waves. Zheng Sen stared nervously at the anchor chains and cables that held these ships, very worried, because if these cables were broken, the ships would drift in the bay, and I was afraid that many ships would be damaged.

Fortunately, the bay that Old Jack was looking for was really good, so there was no incident of the ship breaking anchor and drifting. There was only a thunderbolt that ignited the ship's mast, but fortunately it rained heavily, and the flames were quickly extinguished by the heavy rain.

"I just don't know what the situation is with those fast communication ships. In particular, in order to pursue high-speed performance, the ability of those ships to resist wind and waves has been weakened to a certain extent. Zheng Sen couldn't help but worry about the ships again.

But at this time, it is useless to worry, and you can only hope that the storm will pass sooner.

The storm lasted for more than two hours, and it was not until the sun was about to set that it faded away. The sailors hurried back to check the condition of the ship and repair the damage.

"Captain Jack, I'm worried about our fast communication ships." Zheng Sen said to Old Jack.

"I'm worried, too." Old Jack nodded and said, "Although there are places near those islands where you can hide from the wind and waves, they are not as good as here. Moreover, those ships are far less resistant to the wind than the ships on our side. Even if it doesn't sink, I'm afraid there will be a lot of damage. ”

"Let's hope they're okay." Zheng Sen said.

"We're going to overhaul the ships now, and when it's dawn tomorrow, we'll send the ships to check them out." Old Jack didn't have any more good ways to do it.

……

Early the next morning, four armed whaling ships were dispatched, and in the evening they all returned, bringing back the news that the "Drifting Wind" had run aground, and the "Streamer" had been severely damaged and incapacitated. The other two are still navigable, but they are also badly damaged, and it is unlikely that they will be able to run fast until they are repaired.

"The only way to do this is to replace it with a fast whaling ship. This makes our search range a little smaller. Zheng Sen sighed.

"It doesn't matter." Old Jack said, "They can only replenish fresh water on these two islands, we can still catch them, and the most important thing at the moment is to repair the damage to our ships as soon as possible." ”

……

Five or six days passed after the storm passed, but the Spanish silver fleet never appeared. Zheng Sen couldn't help but feel a little anxious, but Old Jack's mood was getting better and better.

"Don't be in a hurry, Major General. The later the Spaniards arrived, the better. Probably seeing Zheng Sen's anxiety, Old Jack said to Zheng Sen.

"What do you mean, Captain?" Although the old Jack as the commander is not the captain of the flagship "Endeavour", everyone is still used to calling him that.

"It stands to reason that the Spaniards, who should have arrived a few days ago, are now several days behind, which only shows that they did not survive the storm, and in the storm their fleet suffered some losses, so that the speed dropped considerably." Old Jack said.

"Let's hope so." Zheng Sen said.

However, there was no news the next day, and no news on the third day, and it was not until noon on the fourth day that a fast whaling ship arrived and reported that the Spanish fleet had been found replenishing fresh water.

"What is the state of the Spanish fleet? Do you see clearly? Old Jack asked.

"Captain, we found them in the morning. At that time, the sea was a little foggy, and the scouts on the island saw their masts sticking out of the fog, but we couldn't see the details clearly. The captain of the whaling ship, Tang Shan, reported.

"When you set off, they stopped over there?" Old Jack asked.

"Yes, Captain." Tangsan replied.

"Very well, you can go back to your ship." Old Jack said.

When Tangshan left, Old Jack called the herald: "Go, inform the ships, and immediately cook for the soldiers, and in an hour, that is, half an hour, we will set off, and invite the major general and the fourth general over." ”

……

"Captain Jack, have we spotted the Spaniards?" Zheng Sen asked excitedly.

"Yes, Major General, they were in this position this morning, and they were still parked there when our fast whaling ship returned." Old Jack pointed to the charts and said, "The merchant ships of the Spaniards are very full, and even if there is no damage, the speed will not exceed five knots." Our ship returned at a speed of ten knots. Suppose that at the same time as our ship returns, they also start, and according to the general course, they are now in this position as soon as possible! Old Jack measured the chart with a compass and a ruler, and then made a dot in one of them with a charcoal bar.

"Captain Jack, tell me what we should do." Zheng Sen said.

"We grabbed this position from here. There is a long and narrow island, we can hide behind the island, let the lookout ascend to the top of the hill on the island, and once we find the enemy, we will have time to spread our sails, increase our speed under the cover of the island, and grab them in front of them at once, and seize the advantage of the T-head. Among them are four cruisers, which are not much slower than ours, but they follow merchant ships, and the initial speed is not too fast, and it takes time to accelerate. We've been keeping up the high speed so that we should be able to grab at least two T-head shots before they can get up to us. As long as we grasp it well, these two opportunities will allow us to make two Spanish cruisers incapacitated......"