"But the problem is, I just observed that although there are a lot of Westerners on those battleships, there are more faces from the East." Henry was a little dissatisfied, he felt that he had been neglected, so he persistently continued to discuss the topic he had just discussed.

A naval officer sitting next to him really couldn't stand the persistence of this army colleague, and had to explain in a whisper: "I don't think the Orientals will have such sharp defensive weapons. Otherwise, they should have used it a long time ago, and besides, it is absolutely impossible for their warships to appear around us now, if they were, they would have taken them out long ago when we attacked the Yangtze River, instead of waiting to be severely humiliated by us. ”

The naval officer told the Colonel Henry in a plain and straightforward way, making him understand how inferior his intelligence was. At the moment when Colonel Henry was stunned, the scouts sent by Rear Admiral Ford had already returned to the Lion in small boats.

"There are many, very large numbers, they are all floating underwater, and our warships, if they want to pass, I am afraid that they will ...... We have to pay a heavy price, and besides, just outside the minefields of Liyumen and Rapidsuimen, there are huge fleets waiting for us, and if they attack while we pass through the minefields, I am afraid that it will be difficult for us to get out of here safely. The conclusions reached by the naval officers who rushed back made everyone's hearts sink again, as if the irresistible weight had overwhelmed them.

"Can you find a way to drag the damn shit out of the way?" Staunton asked the officer.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Staunton, it's too dangerous, you know the power of that thing, and it's so numerous and extensive, it will take at least a few days to clear that area of a waterway through it, and most importantly, they won't be watching us move without reacting. Another point, when we were reconnoitring just now, the other side fired a warning shot, the distance of that kind of artillery ...... Like long-range shore artillery. They seem to have moved that long-range shore gun to the battleship against us. ”

"It looks like they've anticipated what we're going to do, and they're ready for it." A wry smile appeared on Macartney's lips. "My God, they're afraid they've already prepared a trap for us. But what I don't understand is why the Spaniards and the Dutch could unite and still be able to form such a large fleet. I recall that the Spanish had been dealt a heavy blow by the pirates of the East in Luzon, and as for the Dutch, they had lost the courage and determination to fight us fifty years earlier. ”

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"Yes, now that France is in civil strife, Spain has lost a strong backing, and the Dutch have always been at a disadvantage in the confrontation with us, do they not know that if they do this, they will provoke our British Empire." Staunton slapped the table angrily, his emotions were a little difficult to keep calm, he saw that he had achieved unprecedented achievements and merits, but in the blink of an eye, he was calculated and trapped here. Of course, Staunton, whose surname is already a little irritable, can't stand this huge psychological gap.

"Landing and landing first, since we can't get out, they don't want to come in, let's set up camp on land first, and then see if there is any other way. Besides, if they are determined to trap us, then they must want something from us. Today's situation can only be changed by the same. In the end, Major General Ford made a decision that was most appropriate, but also very helpless.

The British landed at the dock next to the shipyard in George III Bay, a shipyard still under construction, but the British were not very interested in guessing who owned it.

In the next few days, the British sent their soldiers to search both sides of Qiao Num III Bay, and even a reconnaissance team went to the area of Stanley on the south side of Hong Kong Island, but did not find a single figure, yes, there were no people, and the fishing villages and pirate gathering points that were originally inhabited by people were all empty, not to mention people, even rats were not left. Not to mention food or something.

And to the north, after five days of scouting and shuttling through those dense forests, I also came to a depressing conclusion: there were no people.

Even the pirate gathering point they saw in the small port near Liyumen that day was also uninhabited, and an ominous premonition swirled in their hearts, although they had received sufficient supplies before leaving the Yangtze River port, but the problem was that it would take less than two months at most, and they had to go ashore from time to time to replenish some fresh water and fresh fruits and vegetables, but now, they were completely trapped here, and there was quite a lot of fresh water in this area, and they could be full.

However, no one planted any fruit trees, only some unknown wild fruit groves, and the soldiers could not rely on bread to sustain them for two months, and even if they could survive until that time, what would happen next?

However, before the top brass of the envoys could consider a result, they received news that surprised them. Mr. van Persie, Chief Adviser to the Governor of the Eastern Colonies of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Baron Villa, Special Envoy of the King of the Kingdom of Spain, requested access to George III Bay.

“…… On behalf of the Governor of the Dutch Colony, I have the honour to pay tribute to the gentlemen. Van Persie's face was radiant, even after he went ashore and arrived at the location of Major General Naford and others under the escort of those British soldiers who did not look good. And Villa, the envoy of the King of Spain, standing next to him, was equally reserved and proud.

"Welcome to George III Bay, gentlemen, I wonder what news you can bring us?" Macartney, an excellent diplomat of the British Empire, stood up and greeted the two with a smile, and only Macartney was the most suitable to deal with these guys.

"Honorable Lord, don't you see that you are now surrounded by us. I hope that Your Excellency will surrender to us on behalf of all the English [***] people here, and we will give you the status and treatment they deserve until the English respond correctly. Villa unceremoniously sat down in a chair and smiled at Macartney.

"Mr. Villa, are you a little dizzy? Do you think that with a few words of intimidation, we can make our proud British[***] people succumb to the defeated men of our former subordinates? Major General Ford Huo Ran stood up, but after seeing the look from Macartney, he resisted the urge to slaughter Villa, who looked like a rat crawling in the gutter, and said coldly, staring at this guy without a trace of politeness with his eyes vicious.

"You are right, it is true that England has the upper hand in many cases, but that does not mean that your country will always be able to stand on the top and look down on the world. Dear generals, please do not underestimate the forces that we have united. Van Persie's old dried ginger smiled leisurely.

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"You have done everything possible to trap us in George III Bay in the hope of capturing our British Empire's fleet in the East, and you have done a good job, but one thing, both of you, please note, if the news reaches back to the West, do you think your country will be able to withstand the angry fire of the British Royal Navy?" Macartney also sat down, and sipped the black tea gracefully, even as if he had forgotten, and did not order his subordinates to serve the two of them a cup of fragrant black tea, or rather, this ungentlemanly act represented Lord Macartney's anger and disgust for the two guys in front of him.

"Please note, my dear lord, that this is the East, and that we do not represent only the Netherlands and Spain." Van Persie, the old thing, stroked his oily silver hair, revealing a smile that still looked very old manly.

"What do you mean?" Macartney put down his teacup and looked at Van Persie Sr. with a very serious expression, indeed, he did not think that Spain and the Netherlands alone had the courage to oppose the British Empire, and now, Van Persie seemed to be willing to take the initiative to speak, Macartney naturally wanted to hear the other party's answer.

And when the old Van Persie said the answer, all the Britons present jumped in shock and gasped...... More than ten minutes later, looking at the figure of the old Van Persie and Villa leaving by boat, Macartney felt that one of his heads was about to grow to two sizes. "Spain, the Netherlands, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Portugal, and even Austria and Prussia, I can't imagine that these people really think so highly of us, and the eight countries have joined forces to form an alliance against us."

"In this way, almost all the Western countries that have colonies in the East have joined forces against us this time." Major General Ford's face was ugly, as if he was suffering from severe constipation.

"In this case, our colonies in the East of the British Empire are in danger." Macartney took his hands behind his back and paced up the dock, though he had told the two nasty demons who had come to persuade them to give themselves a little more time.

The other party also readily agreed, and did not limit the time for them to reply, which means that they have the confidence and strength to clean up this British colonial fleet.

Also, although the other Western countries except Spain, the Netherlands, and France are not strong in the East, the fact that they are not strong does not mean that they are not strong. The power of the coalition is not to be underestimated.

Therefore, it is impossible to help but feel that Macartney is not worried about the current situation. "Now, what should we do?" Staunton's face turned a little blue.

"Find a way to get out of here and let the soldiers try again to see if they can clear a waterway, and besides, think of a way to solve it from the land."

(To be continued)