Lin Tongwen conspired with Chen Shouxu on the Changshui for two days, hurriedly handed over the business in Sulu, and prepared to return to Pattani. It is more than 2,000 nautical miles from Sulu to Pattani and is still at the end of the northeast monsoon period. If Lim had taken an offshore route and sailed southwest along the coastline of Borneo to Malacca along the northeast monsoon, he would have to wait for the southwest monsoon after April to return to Pattani along the Malay Peninsula when he arrived near the entrance to the Straits of Malacca. In a hurry, Lin had to venture across the South China Sea after sailing through the Balabara Strait between Borneo and Palawan.

Chen Shouxu's Galen fleet was not difficult to cross the South China Sea, and he only needed to pay attention to the terrible coral reefs of the Spratly Islands. But for Chinese ships with rocking elevators, every voyage to the open sea is a test of life and death. In offshore navigation, if the rudder is damaged, there is still a chance to rely on sails and rocking oars to barely anchor, and there is a chance to repair the ship. If the far-sea rudder is lost, it will be over.

The sea breeze blows from the northeast. Lin Tongwen's long sleeves fluttered, and the sea breeze ruffled his cloak.

Chen Shouxu handed over the wine glass: "It's going to be hard for Brother Lin to run this trip." ”

Lin Tongwen drank all the wine in the cup: "I am about to go to Natuna, and it is appropriate to cross the South Seas." Brother Chen, rest assured, I have also run this route several times, and my people know what to do. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Brother Lin cherishes. ”

Lin Tongwen raised his arms and shook deeply: "I will mobilize the old brothers when I go back, but our strength is not enough." Brother Chen, please leave everything to your fleet. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Chen is duty-bound. ”

Lin Tongwen turned around and boarded the boat and sailed away. Chen Shouxu had been standing at the bow of the ship, watching the tiny junk disappear into the sea antenna.

He turned to Harris. Acton, "Raise the flag, convene a meeting of fleet commanders." ”

======

The Sulu sent an acquaintance, Alimud, to bring pearls, rice, and vegetables to the fleet. The staple food was changed from flour to rice, and a small number of officers and men began to be uncomfortable. This was the case in Asia for the East India Company, where the portion of the Dutch soldiers' salaries was converted into rice.

The fleet had no problem with taking money to support the Sulu attack on the Spaniards.

Taking advantage of the time when the Sulu were preparing to attack, Chen Shouxu learned about the war between Spain, the Netherlands, and Sulu near the Philippines.

Long before the founding of Batavia, in 1600 when Nolte led two warships, the Morris and the Concorde, to plunder merchant ships in the Philippines, the Spaniards immediately armed two Manila galleons, led by the lieutenant governor Morga, a doctor of law, to meet the Dutch. Manila galleons generally have large tonnage and strong loading capacity because they need to be overloaded for smuggling. When the Manila galleon did not need to be loaded with cargo, it loaded heavy guns on board, and it was a powerful warship in Southeast Asia. The Dutch fleet had just passed through a transoceanic voyage and was in a bad state. Nauert was also unlucky, his fleet consisted of four ships, but lost two of them during the transoceanic voyage. As a result, the Spaniards successfully took over in the naval battle, and the San Bartolomé captured the Concorde. The Spanish maritime infantry aboard the Santiago also boarded the flagship Morris, and the Dutch almost fell to their knees. However, after the loss of the deck, Nolte lit a fire in the cabin, pretending to set fire to the ammunition depot and die with the Spaniards, which forced the Spaniards to retreat. The Dutch then seized the opportunity to counterattack and sank the Santiago in a close-range artillery strike.

In 1609, another Dutch fleet blockaded the port of Manila. However, because of the presence of Fort Santiago, the Dutch were unable to storm the port. During the blockade, the Filipino Governor was feverishly preparing for war, and during the blockade, the Spaniards desperately forged cannons and converted galleons into warships, and then the Governor himself led six warships to attack the Dutch fleet at anchor. The First Battle of Hangda Beach broke out, the commander of the Dutch fleet was killed, five ships were sunk by the Spaniards, four were captured, and only one escaped.

In 1616, the Dutch again sent out their fleet, but this time instead of attacking Manila directly, they sought out the Sulus. The combined Dutch-Sulu fleet swept through the ports of Iloilo and the Bisayans, taking countless slaves captive. Slaves were in great demand on the Dutch plantations in the Spice Islands. It was this battle that allowed Sulu to establish an alliance with Batavia.

A year later, in 1617, the Dutch sent another fleet of 10 ships to Manila, and the Second Battle of Hangda Beach broke out. The Spanish Governor of Manila sent 11 warships to meet him, and the battle lasted for two days. The flagship of the Dutch fleet was captured by the Spaniards, two battleships were sunk, another major defeat.

In 1624, the Netherlands pounced on Manila again. Unlike before, this time the Netherlands already has Batavia. In the third naval battle of Hangda Beach, the result of the Dutch finally looked a little better, and the two armies fought to a draw.

From this war report, Chen Shouxu saw the following points:

1. The Spanish fleet was defeated by the Netherlands in Europe and the Americas, but in the Philippines it was victorious. This shows that the Spaniards in the Philippines are really good at fighting;

Second, the strength of the Dutch is generally superior, although they have been defeated several times, they can always come back soon, and it is the Dutch who block the door of Manila to fight;

3. Explain how important a well-defended naval base is to support fleet warfare. Manila was worse than Batavia, but Manila was able to successfully defend its territory. With the support of the fortress and the base, the fleet has a radiating range to the outside, within which the weaker fleet can maintain a strong combat power.

Chen Shouxu had some preliminary ideas for the construction of the future base. There is no shortage of wood in Southeast Asia, and a large amount of wood should be stockpiled to wait for the wood to dry.

In the future, naval bases must have artillery foundries and shipyards, which can not only repair warships damaged in battle, but also improve the combat effectiveness of the navy by surprise through temporary modifications and new warships.

After more than a month of intense preparations, the Sulu people are finally ready to launch a revenge battle to retake the island of Horaku. If he lands on an exploited island, Chen fears leaks, and if he lands on an undeveloped island, he may contract malaria and yellow fever. Therefore, during this period, Chen Shouxu's fleet has been anchored in a hidden anchorage, and the soldiers have not disembarked. After sailing non-stop for more than three months, it was a good time to take advantage of this rare time to recuperate.

Alimoud was responsible for the replenishment of the fleet. Chen Shouxu took advantage of this time to store a lot of rice and vegetables.

The Sulu gathered a total of 4,000 soldiers from all over the country. The majority of them are the Taussu people, as well as the Makassar and Brunei people. In addition to these native armies, Sulu also had several mercenary units, including Indians and Persians. The artillery was a unit composed mainly of Europeans, and its commander was Lindenberg.

The port of Hole was manned with two Spanish Galen and two notification ships, and Zamboanga's garrison fleet had two Galen and three notification ships.

The task of the fleet was to provide escort to the Sulus. Before the battle, Chen Shouxu asked the Sultan: "Dear Sultan, my fleet is much stronger than the Spanish fleet in Hele Port, and there is no problem in defeating them at sea." But what would you do if the Spaniards, seeing my fleet, abandoned the naval battle and moved the cannons from the battleships to the shore? ”

With the speed of the battleship at that time, the Spaniards would have had several hours or even half a day to prepare, from the time they saw the mast of Chen Shouxu's battleship to the time they made visual contact to the distance from the artillery battle. Abandoning naval warfare and going ashore with artillery was a tactic often used by the weak, and now the armed merchant ships of the Spaniards encountered the Dutch fleet, and if they were able, they would bring the warships to the shore, and the cannons would be brought ashore to build some temporary artillery barriers. In the future, the Netherlands will not be able to beat the British, and they will do the same.

If there were more than 300 sailors and 50 cannons in Hele City, the Sulu people would pay a huge price for the siege.

Bensu Sultan: "Let's get the Spaniards out of the harbor first, and then your fleet will go into battle." ”

Chen Shouxu: "What are you going to do?" ”

Sultan of Bensu: "My Korakola ship is the vanguard, and it will be pressed to the open sea of Hele Harbor first. Your ship is behind us. ”

The Korakora is a small and medium-sized galley in the Philippines, the original word Korakora, which seems to come from the Arabic word kurkur.

Chen Shouxu: "You will suffer heavy casualties. ”

Bensu Sultan: "I will fight to the end." ”

Since the Sultan did not hesitate to make sacrifices, Chen Shouxuan would not object, "I wish you all the best, remember to destroy their sails as much as possible." ”

The galleys of the Sulu could hardly pose a threat to the Galen battleship. In order to make the battle smoother, Chen Shouxuan sent some senior soldiers to train the Sulus.

If there is still such a green navy in Southeast Asia that is not very wasteful in morale and spirit, it is the Sulu. In addition, at least the Sulu people still dare to fight. The other sultanates have been shattered by the foreigners at sea, and now they rely on mercenaries and a few galleys to save face. Let them go to war with Galen, that is absolutely unacceptable.

According to the pre-war deployment, the fleet was divided into three parts. The Sulu galleys were at the vanguard of the fleet, and the trumpets carrying infantry and artillery followed the merchant ships and dhows. Chen Shouxu's fleet was at the end, and his speed was faster than that of the transport ships, and he could overtake the front at any time.

Chen Shouxu didn't know if the Spaniards in Hele Island were aware of his existence, but he still wanted to lure the Spaniards out for a naval battle as much as possible. So he hid the mast of the fleet behind the Sulu fleet.

Originally, he also thought about whether to take another route and not sail with the Sulu people in formation. But he was not familiar with the surrounding sea conditions, where there were reefs and shallows, where there were high tides, he didn't know. There are dangers in going it alone. And he did not have the means to communicate with the Sulu people over long distances, and once the distance between them increased, he would not be able to grasp the situation on the battlefield and throw the fleet in time.

Since your own strength is superior, there is no need to play any complicated battle plans. Gather superior forces to block the door and fight. Now, the crucial task is to be handed over to the Sulu galleys. Some sailors with a burning spirit of war asked Chen Shouxu to fight the Spanish on a Sulu galley, but Chen Shouxu sternly refused. The fleet is so many, it would be a pity to lose it in the Sulu Sea.

The wind direction between the islands changes rapidly, which makes Chen Shouxu feel like he has found the Bahamas again.

The cruisers cautiously followed behind the Sulus, and three briefing ships cruised merrily around the fleet. The sloob-slugger sail is at home here.

Hele Port is located in the northwest of Hele Island, more than 3 nautical miles outside the port are several islands, the channel is not wide, fortunately, the island is not long, can only cover a short distance outside Hele Port.

Zamboanga is more than 80 nautical miles from the port of Hora, and with the current wind downward, it will take a day for possible Spanish reinforcements to arrive.

The Spaniards built a guard battery in the southwest corner of the island.

The Sulu fleet was visually confirmed by the Spaniards a few nautical miles from the port of Horaku. Six regiments of beacons were lit on the fort, and according to the Spaniards' coastal warning system in Europe and the Americas, Chen Shouxu thought that the Spaniards should also have signal soldiers on horseback to report the battle situation to Hele City.

The Sulu had already sent some elites to the island quietly, and it was not known if they would be able to cut off the communication of the Spaniards.

The flotilla ignored the guard battery and swooped directly towards the port of Hele, 10 nautical miles away.

A few hours later, Chen Shouxu had heard the sound of artillery in the distance.

Harris. Acton: "The Adventure turns to the pilot ship Excellence, and the enemy ship is in sight." ”

Chen Shouxu: "Battle sails." Tell the Sulus to get out of the way. ”

The wind direction was north-northeast, and the headwind angle was not enough, so Chen Shouxu's fleet could not sail directly to the battlefield. Changshui raised to follow the flagship's turn signal flag, and the left rudder of the fleet sailed towards the sea northwest of Hole Island. The several islands outside Hele Harbor are too annoying for the cruiser, and if there are no broken islands, Chen Shouxuan can form a headwind battle line, pull enough space to the northwest of Hele Harbor, and then turn to the starboard side at a large angle, and use the port side to eat the crosswind and rush to Hele Harbor. But these broken islands made it impossible for Chen Shouxu to perform such a maneuver. He could only sail as far northwest as possible, approaching the islands outside the harbor before looking for fighters. If the Spaniards had parked their warships in the shipping lane between Hele Harbor and the islands, it would have been a no-sail zone for Chen's fleet. If there is no war, Chen Shouxu will change sides three or four times in the narrow channel of 3 or 4 nautical miles, and he may be able to approach Hele Port. But not right now.

He could only hope that the Sulu would lure the Spaniards at least 4 nautical miles outside the harbor and break away from the island's cover. Of course, this is a high probability event. Parking Galen on the waterway as a floating battery was also not a reasonable option, and the Spaniards also needed room to maneuver.

When Chen Shouxu used the 7 compass points of the wind to approach the island in the northwest, he established visual contact with the Spaniards. Sulu's galleys were heroic, and a dozen Korakola ships had already caught fire, some broken wood was floating in the sea, and it looked like some ships had been sunk.

The Spanish fleet, as Chen Shouxu thought, also broke away from the channel and entered the open sea in order to give Galen enough room to maneuver. The Sultan misassessed the strength of the Spanish fleet at Hole Harbor, not two Galen, but three. The three battleships were slaughtering the Sulu boat with a broadside salvo. Two sloops are guarding the tail of Galen's poorly covered firepower.

Despite their great disadvantage, the Sulus did not retreat and they were still charging the Spaniards. The Sultan had brought enough boats.

Chen Shouxu ordered, "Stop sailing against the wind, don't drop anchor." Also, tell the Sulus that they can retreat. ”

The warships of the two sides were separated by 2 nautical miles, and outside the port of Hole was a small archipelago. Chen Shouxu completely stopped the fleet in the open sea outside the island. The Spaniards are outside the small island outside of Harbour Hora, but there is a larger island on their northwest side.

Chen Shouxu was waiting for the Spaniard's choice. The sight was mutual, and the Spaniards must have spotted his fleet as well, and knew that the difference in strength between the two sides was twice as large. But just as the location of the Spanish fleet was a no-sail zone for Chen Shouxu, Hele Harbor was also a no-sail zone for the Spaniards.

"Harris, what do you think they're going to do?"

"I think they're going to enter a fleet battle with us."

Chen Shouxu: "How can you see it? ”

Harris: "They can't just two options, go southwest along the coastline and rush to the Sultan's fleet, but then they will definitely get tangled up in galleys." But we have a headwind angle to the southeast, and we will easily take advantage of them. If the Spaniards pounced on us directly to the west, at least they would still have the upper hand. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Harris, you mean that in this case, you will choose to fight me. ”

Harris: "Yes. ”

Chen Shouxu smiled, "It's still young people who have momentum." But none of us are the commanders of the Spanish fleet, so let's wait. ”

Another boat was ignited, black smoke rose into the sky, and Harris raised his telescope again: "Why haven't the Moros retreated yet?" ”

Chen Shouxu: "Jihadians. ”

Harris: "Let the Tempest stop them?" ”

Chen Shouxu: "No need. They are seeking kindness. ”

The Sulu organized a final charge, and under the cover of the ships in the front row, three Korakola ships rushed to the unannounced ship to escort the stern of Galen. Galen's tail cannon and bulwark boom gun slashed their heads and faces, paralyzing two ships on the spot. But the last one managed to hit the stern of Galen's ship.

Harris: "They're using our tactics and jamming Galen's rudder." ”

Chen Shouxu sighed: "The ships of the Moro people are too poor, they don't need to die so many people if they are better equipped." ”

The battle between the galleys and the Spaniards finally subsided. The Sulu warships retreated, and of course, they had nothing left to retreat from.

Harris: "Yes, Commander." I bet the Spaniards would be shouting 'Santiago.'"

Chen Shouxu smiled but did not speak.

The Spaniards in the Philippines are not straw bales. They hoisted the battle sails and sailed westward.

Chen Shouxu ordered: "Let the ships collect some sails according to the situation." ”

It is impossible for Chen Shouxu to turn around at this time and enter the same course as the Spaniards, which would leave the stern of the ship to the Spaniards. The fleet turned to starboard, and the port side ate the wind and formed a battle line. Chen Shouxu could not sail southeast at this time, and gave up the channel between the stern of the ship and the island to the Spaniards, so he had to follow the wind as much as possible and put away part of the sails to slow down.

The situation at this time was that the Spaniards had two Galen pilots, followed by two messengers, and finally Galen, whose rudder had been broken, and which had staggered forward completely by adjusting its course with its bow mast and stern sails.

An inclined T-shaped was formed, and seeing that the distance was approaching, Chen Shouxu adjusted the speed of the Changshui. It would be better to be able to rush the Spanish fleet to the middle of the fleet, so that the ships would have a chance to bring the Spaniards into range and even have a chance to encircle the Spanish fleet. However, the Spaniards would not let Chen Shouxuan succeed, after all, both sides were small fleets with strong maneuverability. Chen Shouxu was adjusting the speed, and the Spaniards were also adjusting the course.

Just as he was about to enter the mid-range range, the Spaniard swerved sharply to port and entered the southwest course, completely downwind. It is also a normal maneuver.

Harris: "Commander, we're going to turn right." ”

Under normal circumstances, Chen Shouxu should also turn right at this time and enter the same route as the Spanish fleet, and then enter the artillery battle of the battle line.

Chen Shouxu looked at the Galen, which was the largest warship on the battlefield and seemed to be the flagship of Spain because of the rudder damage and the failure to turn around. It is larger than the Changshui, and it is more than 1,000 tons.

"No need."

Harris was surprised: "Commander, that will make the Spaniards run away." ”

Chen Shouxu: "The Spaniards have even given up their flagship, so why should we fight with their retreating fleet?" Harris, this is not our war, we can only come to help, to repel them, we have completed the agreement with the Sultan. ”

Harris: "Yes, Commander......"

Chen Shouxu: "Harris, the Spaniard's ship can be repaired in Manila if it is broken, where can we repair it?" I want to eat this Manila galleon. ”

The fleet shouted to the Spaniards, "Surrender, or die." ”

The Spaniards responded with shelling.

Seeing that the Spaniards would not surrender, Chen Shouxu divided two cruisers to the southwest to monitor the retreating Spanish fleet, and the remaining four warships besieged the lone Manila galleon.

In order not to damage the trophy that was already in the bag. At the same time, it was now in a downwind position, and the guns were in the roll of the battleship, and the muzzles of the guns were raised by the sea breeze. A large number of chain shells were used by each ship to disrupt Galen's sails. Solid shells under 8 pounds were also harmless to Galen's hull, and most of the fire hit fell on the sail mast.

By the time Galen crossed the battle line, the sail suit was in tatters. The captains of all four ships were experienced in naval warfare, and none of them chose to enter the broadside engagement with Galen in this case.

Galen didn't have much control now, and Collingwood led the way to cut across Galen's stern and fired a volley into the stern. Then came Stirling, and by the time Allemand went into battle, Galen's stern had been pierced and shells had flown into the cabin. Galen's gun deck was a blur of flesh and blood. By the time Chen Shouxu cross-cut the deck, Galen's gun deck had lost its combat effectiveness, and the ship's backmast had also collapsed, completely losing the ability to adjust the course.

At this time the fleet entered the same course as Galen and cleaned the decks of Galen from both sides. After beating the Galen open deck to a bloody pulp, the ships lowered their longboats, and the sailors threw their grappling hooks at the slowly moving Garlen tail and entered the lower deck of the ship. At the same time, the Changshui took over and launched boarding operations from the gun deck and the open deck at the same time.

For the Spaniards, it was a desperate situation. The commander of their fleet was killed in an artillery battle, and the open deck and gun deck personnel suffered heavy losses. Chen Shouxu feared that the Spaniards would go mad and doom, and the sailors who entered the lower deck aimed to give priority to the control of the ammunition depot.

The sweeping work was not difficult, and the marines and sailors quickly cleared the last resistance.

Harris reported to Chen Shouxu: "The commander of the Spanish fleet gave the order to die together, but after his death, the soldiers did not carry it out. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Why is it that in the face of the siege of the Moro, the enemy's flagship is not protected by schooners?" ”

Harris: "The captives said that the commander of the Spanish fleet felt that the flagship was the most combative, and sent the schooner to protect the two weaker ships. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Without our participation, he made the right choice. ”

Harris: "The third Galen is a supply ship that has just arrived from Zamboanga, so the Sultan's previous intelligence doesn't have it. Shall we continue to attack Zamboanga? ”

Chen Shouxu thought for a while, "No need. Ask the Sultan for some wood and coconut whiskers, and we'll repair the ship. ”

In the final broadside engagement, the open-air deck guns of the Manila galleon inflicted some minor damage on each ship. However, these damaged ships can basically be repaired with their own ship's materials. Harris knew that the ship repair that Chen Shouxu was talking about was referring to the captured Galen. There was no damage to the waterline, side plates, and ribs of the booty. The stern gunwales and sails are not difficult to repair, as long as there is large wood, the repair of the mast can be solved with some manpower. There should also be a blacksmith shop in Hele Port, where iron parts can be made. The most troublesome thing is this rudder.