The fleet sailed into the South China Sea and sailed directly for the Natuna Islands, leaving the peninsula's coastline far behind.

It can be determined that there are many eyes and ears of the Southern Heavenly Sect in Jincheng today, and the departure of the fleet is a sensational action in the whole city, and there is almost no possibility of secrecy.

The fleet's direct heading for the open sea after leaving the port will make it difficult for these small countries that lack the ability to reconnoiter the open sea to figure out where the fleet is heading. It is also a way to deter enemy countries. With the lessons of the Pattani past, those enemy countries that are about to move should first worry about whether they will become targets.

A few days later, the fleet appeared off the coast of Wuxian Island.

After the Battle of Jincheng, some of the Chinese of the Natuna pirates settled, and many of them chose to serve in the navy. These Chinese sailors couldn't help but cheer when they saw the big island where they had lived for many years.

Chen Shouxu opened the binoculars, only to see that Wang Huizhi's men had already begun to board their junk ship.

He gave the order to Captain Allemand, "René, fire a 21-gun salute and salute our allies." ”

"Admiral, 21 rings, is the etiquette too heavy?"

"It's not heavy at all. René, as our comrades-in-arms, this is the courtesy they deserve. ”

"Yes, sir."

Wang Huizhi's ship was the last to leave the shore, and several pillars of smoke lit up behind him.

The last salute fired by the flagship Nanhai raised the decibel cheers of the fleet to a new level. Eventually, under the command of the boatswain, the sailors collectively stood on the deck, and neat slogans resounded throughout the bay.

Natuna's allies were also infected by the fleet's enthusiasm, carrying a variety of weapons, some stripped bare-chested, and making exhilarating echo sounds.

The two sides met and saw Wang Huizhi on the deck of the Nanhai. Chen Shouxu walked over briskly and stretched out his hand from afar.

"Lord Wang Daao, has he always been good after leaving Jincheng?"

"Haha, thank you for your concern. Thanks to his care, Wang got so many seizures in Jincheng, and finally took his sons and daughters to live a comfortable life. ”

"That's just the beginning, better days are yet to come. You listen to the cheers of the soldiers, they can't wait. ”

On the one hand, the neat cheers of the army, and on the other hand, the wild shouts of the Chinese pirates, at this moment of the meeting, it turned out to be an incomparably good fit.

Chen Shouxu was infected by the high emotions of the soldiers and lost his mind for a moment.

Wang Huizhi, "After receiving the letter from the ruling lord, Wang began to prepare. I've been waiting a little anxious these days. ”

Chen Shouxu was a little apologetic, "Lord Wang Daao may have also heard that we had some actions on land in the last period of last year. Those Heavenly Sect disciples can't fight, but their ability to sneak attack and rob is not bad. I've been delaying the army for a few days, and I've kept you waiting. ”

Wang Huizhi smiled generously, "Good things are grinding." Lord Archon, how are we going to fight this battle? ”

Chen Shouxu invited Wang Huizhi into the cabin, "The lord of Da Ao, please, let's go in and say." ”

"Please."

Chen Shouxu's command cabin basically continued the layout of the original commander of the Spanish fleet, except that some broken furniture was replaced, and the statue of the Spanish king on the wall was replaced with a large map near the South China Sea.

Sunlight shines through the glass of the window into the cabin, illuminating the room.

Chen Shouxu poured the rum and handed it to Wang Huizhi, "I'm sorry, we've all drunk all the good wine, and now we only have the rum just made from sugar cane." ”

The taste of rum is on the sweet side, and Chen Shouxu actually doesn't like it very much.

Wang Huizhi didn't care, he took it and took a big sip, "Is the foreigner's sweet wine really not as good as the soju at home." But it's also much better than nothing. ”

Life on the island is not romantic at all, and all kinds of materials are scarce, and it is much more difficult than on land.

Chen Shouxu is not without hardships in the Caribbean, and he has a close relationship, "My people are studying how to make better distilled spirits from rice, wheat and fruits. When they get it out, I'll give you ten barrels first. ”

"That's good, I thank the ruling lord for my sons."

"You're welcome. Lord Taiao, I see that you put a fire on the shore before leaving, do you have any plans? ”

Wang Huizhi drank all the rum, "Lord Principal." I'm going to leave Nanyang after I finish this with you. ”

"You're going back home?"

"Yes, those who want to continue living in Nanyang have gone to settle down with you. I'm tired of living on this island with more than 500 people left. After getting so many good guns and cannons last time, we plan to go back to China and fight with the imperial court again. ”

Chen Shouxu blinked, he expected this. Wang Huizhi sent the old and weak women and children to Jincheng, but he led a group of people who would rather suffer on Natuna Island than be under the jurisdiction of Jincheng, obviously with the intention of returning to China.

"Tai O has good ambitions. Since you are going back to China, then after this battle, I will send you 6 more cannons to make a strong appearance. ”

Only 6 guns were sent, and it was not that Chen Shouxu was stingy, and his battleships were equipped with long-diameter guns of the cannon and Kofilin classes. It is doubtful that with the lateral strength of the Junk ship bulkhead support, it will be able to withstand the recoil of a broadside gun shot. Wang Huizhi had 6 boats, and Chen Shouxu gave him 6 cannons, just enough to equip each ship with a bow cannon. The junk ship with the keel side keel is not a big problem with longitudinally supporting the rear seat of the Hongyi cannon firing.

Wang Huizhi was a little surprised, the cannon was a gift he couldn't refuse. He knew that Chen Shouxu couldn't produce his own artillery now, and he would have 6 cannons as soon as he shot it, which was not a small gift.

"The cannon is exactly the equipment that the brothers need, and Wang will not shirk it. Please give your order, how are we going to hit Sukkadana Port this time?

Chen Shouxu rolled out the chart of Sucadana Bay, "Wang Ao, in addition to Brunei and Sulu, there are three small countries in Borneo, Sanfa, Suqadana and Machen. Among them, Sucadana is the enclave conquered by Matalan, and Machen is a subject country of Mataran. Our target this time is the two subjects of Mataran. ”

"I thought you were just going to fight Sukkadana."

Chen Shouxu smiled, "The Dutch wanted me to fight Sukkadana, but I ran thousands of miles with nearly 2,000 brothers, and it was a loss to fight only one Sukkadana." Ma Chen was also going to go on a trip, and I didn't promise the Dutch that I would only fight Sukkadana. ”

Wang Huizhi didn't care, "You are the one who talks about things, even if you beat the whole Borneo once, I have no problem." ”

The Natuna pirates are about to return home, and they don't care about the entanglement of the South Seas countries.

Chen Shouxu asked Wang Huizhi for advice: "How much do you know about Sucadana Port?" ”

The Natuna Islands are next to Borneo, and Wang Huizhi still knows a little about the situation of the main countries in Borneo.

"The island of Karimata in Sukkadana is the trading center of Borneo, and in addition to the rice entrepot trade, they also export iron and diamonds."

Chen Shouxu bowed his head, and he also knew the general situation, and what was needed was the details.

"The islands of the entire South Seas love the balemon knives made of Karimata steel. Belitung next to Sukkadana actually produces iron tools, but they mainly use axes, and the quality of Baleng knives is not as good as Karimata. ”

"You're saying there's iron ore on Karimata Island, and they can make steel knives?"

"Yes. Even the Dutch often came to them to buy knives. I remember a few years ago, the Dutch purchased a total of 18,000 balemon knives from Karimata. In addition to knives, their axes are also good and worth buying. ”

Chen Shouxu held his chin, "So, Sucadana City is actually not worth fighting?" Their essence is on the island of Karimata. ”

Wang Huizhi: "If it were me, I wouldn't have fought Sucadana City." ”

Chen Shouxu thought for a while, "I wouldn't have gone to the goal of big risk and small return before. But now it's different, I made an agreement with the Dutch that Suqadana City will definitely go. ”

The two deliberated for a while. Chen Shouxu sent Wang Huizhi back to his ship.

After Wang Huizhi joined, the fleet now had 7 warships and 16 junk ships. After restarting from Natuna Island, we rode the northeasterly wind and turned to due south. The route completely avoided the coastline of Borneo, and it would be difficult for them to sail completely out of sight on land with only the junk ships of the fleet, but since Chen Shouxu was leading the way, the Chinese pirates were relieved to follow along, and even if something went wrong, they could be rescued by the Galen warship quickly.

The sun and moon were not visible, and the stars were not visible for the next two days. Chen Shouxu estimated that a big storm was coming, and in order to prevent the storm, the battleship rolled up part of its sails.

However, to Chen Shouxu's surprise, the next day, the fleet was still in the breeze. In the direction of Sumatra in the distance, lightning flashed and thunder was incessant.

Chen Shouxu was amazed, and he called a few old Chinese sailors who had been in Nanyang for a long time and asked, "Why is this happening?" ”

After 8 months in Jincheng, Chen Shouxu can barely understand some Hokkien dialects.

One of the sailors said, "Your Excellency." It's almost time for the seasons to change, as is often the case in parts of the Sumatran coast, where months of darkness are lost. It's this kind of weather that makes good pepper grow. ”

Another sailor also said: "The Dutch have always been very greedy for pepper over there. They have set up some merchant houses, but those Hongmaoyi can't adapt to the Sumatran climate, and I've heard that their personnel stationed there will die if they don't rotate for three years. ”

The next day, there were a lot of flying fish in the sea, about 6 feet long. This fish has a hard flesh and is not tasty. The fleet did not send people down to fish. Flying fish always swim against the wind and leap high above the sea at this time. On Earth, the habits of animals are always the same. Chen Shouxu is now sure that the storm is coming. The battleship might be able to withstand such a storm, but Chen Shouxu was really worried about those junk ships.

The flagship, the Nankai, hoisted the signal flag, and all warships and transports followed the turn. Chen Shouxu carefully sailed the fleet into the Tammelan Islands.

Harris ordered the three frigates to sail out of the column and overtake the voyage. Scout the fairways and bays before the entire fleet.

There are several inhabited islands in the Temerlan Islands, and Chen Shouxu does not want to alarm them. The storm was clearly coming from the south, and the Excellence found a bay with an opening facing north, large enough to accommodate the entire fleet.

Chen Shouxu is very satisfied with the anchorage, the opening of the bay faces north to avoid the waves, and the several peaks along the coast can shelter from the wind. All the ships put their sails away, and the Nanhai lowered the mainsail, lowered the boom, and secured the rudder. The sailors covered the deck completely with canvas. All the ships in Jincheng were hooked up to the circuit chain. Seeing that Wang Huizhi's ship had no circuit chain, Chen Shouxu hurriedly asked people to send six sets of spare ones over.

That night, a storm struck, and the open sea set off a raging wave. Everyone was glad that the fleet had taken refuge in this small bay. Outside the window, lightning and thunder roared, and Chen Shouxu happened to take this time to read the records of Chinese maritime merchants about wind and waves.

"After the Qingming Festival, the earth's atmosphere is from south to north, and the south wind is the normal wind. After the frost falls, the earth's atmosphere is from north to south, and the north wind is the normal wind. If it is the opposite, the cold south wind and the hot north wind, then the hurricane will be done, and the boat cannot be sailed.

The south wind is strong and smooth, and the north wind is strong and severe. There are many winds in the south, and the wind in the north is rarely broken. The south wind drives the ship, although it is not a hurricane, it often suffers from the wind and the sails, so the businessman takes the small ship as the speed; The north wind drives the boat, although it is not a hurricane, and the sail is not windy, so the businessman is stable with the boat.

The wind is strong and strong, and it is even a typhoon. Hurricanes are frequent, and Taiwan is gradual. Hurricanes or instantaneous stops, while stations often end up for days and nights, or for several days. Around the first, second, third, and fourth months of the hurricane, May, June, July, and August of the typhoon. In September, the north wind is fierce at the beginning, or until the successive months, commonly known as the 'nine winds'; The ship is in the ocean, and it can be done in the event of a hurricane; When you meet the stage, you will not be affected by it.

Across the ocean, with April, July, October as the stable, with April less hurricane days, July cold and summer first handover, October Xiaoyang spring, the weather is sunny and smooth. June and September are the most taboo. With more days in June, more days in September.

……”

Chen Shouxu poured a cup of tea, since he was working hard in the Asian sea, typhoons were a problem that could not be avoided. Now there is no weather forecast, so we can only rely on similar experience.

There was a quick knock on the door, Chen Shouxu was a little surprised, could it be that there was something wrong with the ship?

"Come in."

It was Cai Yuanding who came in, and he was a little panicked, "My lord, a ship was caught on fire by a thunderbolt. ”

A wave of anger rushed to Chen Shouxu's head, "The order has been given to all ships to be hung with anti-electric chains, who is ignoring the discipline of the fleet?" ”

"My lord, it's not our ship. A big ship sailed into the mouth of the bay, so big, that it was struck by lightning right before our eyes. ”

Chen Shouxu quickly stood up, "Bring my binoculars." Before he could finish speaking, he had already walked out of the command cabin.

"My lord, my lord, your poncho ......" Cai Yuanding picked up the binoculars and poncho and quickly followed.

Chen Shouxu took the raincoat, put on his hood, and hurried to the stern deck. Allemand is already there.

The bean-sized raindrops fell on the face, and the visibility on the sea surface was poor, but the distant firelight still clearly showed the target.

Pulling out the binoculars, Chen Shouxu asked, "How is the situation?" ”

Allemand replied: "Admiral, at the mouth of the bay there is a very large junk, no smaller than the Raphael. It should be like us, come in and take shelter. ”

In the telescope, I saw that the ship had sailed into the bay where the wind and waves were relatively small, but it was really unlucky, and it was really struck by lightning. The fire burned in the cabin, and black smoke continued to emerge from various openings. The survivors gathered on the deck, which was drenched in water, and some began to jump into the sea. The fire burned in the cabin, and sooner or later the ship would fall apart.

Chen Shouxu put down his binoculars and looked at the waves in the bay. "Can you lower the dinghy?"

Allemand: "It should be fine. ”

Chen Shouxu: "Then hurry up and send it to save people." ”

"Yes, Admiral."

Allemand instructed the sailors to lift the canvas and hoist the dinghy off the boat. Sailors paddled to the wrecked ship. Seeing that the flagship had sent rescuers, the Rafael and the Lima also lowered their boats.

Under the light of the fire, the survivors on the ship saw that someone had come to rescue them and jumped into the sea one after another. The specific situation could not be seen clearly in the telescope, and Chen Shouxu walked down the stern, "I will let them send the highest-ranking survivor on the ship to the flagship, and I will see it." ”