Emir Guerawin, who had come from afar, refused to give him a banquet to welcome him, and immediately summoned the generals of the Combined Fleet to discuss the military situation when he entered the city of Basra. Although the Ming Empire was strong, the Arabs also had their advantages.

After all, they are the masters of the Arabian Peninsula, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Aden, the Red and Arabian Seas, and the northern coasts of East Africa.

"The Chinese are not familiar with the sea west of India and east of Africa, and we Tianfang Christians have been masters there hundreds of years ago. We are more familiar with the sea than anyone else, we own all the islands there, and all the coastal ports except the coast of India are owned by the Celestial Cults. This is our advantage, we can rely on our familiarity with this sea area, and drag them down! "An active pirate leader in the Indian Ocean, Isfahan. Yusuf said confidently. This is a well-spoken pirate, so he became the representative of a bunch of clumsy pirates to attend the meeting.

In terms of familiarity with the sea west of India, probably no one can compare to this group of pirates who robbed that sea, right? So at today's meeting, this pirate leader still has a lot to say.

Emir Gaylavin couldn't help but nodded, relying on his familiarity and control of the seas west of India to deal with the Ming Dynasty, and waiting for change seemed to be the best way to deal with it at the moment. After all, the home port of the Ming Nanyang Fleet is far away in the Strait of Malacca, and it is unlikely that their main force will stay in the waters west of India for a long time. As long as the main force of the Nanyang Fleet is avoided, the sea power of the Heavenly Fang Sect is the master of the seas west of India!

"Your Highness the Emir, please look here." This one has a neatly trimmed beard, and his eyebrows are very bookish. The pirate leader, who seemed to be a celestial teacher, clicked on the corner of the map spread out on the table. "This is the Maldives archipelago, which is made up of about 1,200 islands, large and small. It is the only way to reach the sea west of India from the seas east of India. ”

"From the map, the islands are small. How valuable can they be? Could it be that these islands can stop the Ming fleet? Emil Gaylavin asked.

Isfahan. Yusuf smiled and replied, "These islands are a paradise for pirates in the Indian Ocean. As many as 1,200 coral-made islands make up 26 atolls, which are spread from north to south in the sea of southwest India, which resembles a jungle-covered hill next to a major traffic artery, and is a treasure trove for robbers. ”

Now Emile Gaeravin finally understood. He basically didn't know about naval warfare, but he knew what it was like to get a roadblock.

The crepe pirate boss continues to analyze the value of the Maldives archipelago. "We know every reef and where to hide. We know exactly where to set up ambushes, where to get fresh water and supplies. And the distant Ming didn't know anything about it, and it was impossible for them to place defenders on all 1,200 islands. It is not even possible to arm on 202 inhabited islands. Because that would require tens of thousands of troops. Moreover, the islanders of the Maldives are closely related to us......"

"Flesh and blood?" Gaylavin was stunned.

Sven pirate Isfahan. Youssef laughed, "A lot of pirates come from those islands, and almost all pirate captains have a wife from the Maldives archipelago. That's our home, and as long as we take refuge in the archipelago, the Ming Navy will have nothing to do. ”

"Who is the ruler of the Maldives archipelago?" Gallavin asked.

"The Maldives is a sultanate, and it is ruled by the Moon King Oda there."

"Moon King?" Gallavin frowned. This name doesn't seem like it's from the Heavenly Sect.

"The Moon King's family comes from the ancient kingdom of Karinga in India. But they have been converted to the true God. ”

"The Moon King participated in the Holy War?"

"No, he hasn't gone mad yet, so he sent emissaries to Malacca and Yingdu."

The war between the small Maldives and the big Ming Empire is a crazy move no matter how you look at it. Of course, the Moon King Odda didn't dare to do that. Although it is impossible for the Ming Empire to occupy 1,200 islands. But the island of Malé, where the Moon King's palace is located, can be taken down at any time.

"He surrendered to the Ming Dynasty? This is betrayal! Galavin said angrily.

"Your Highness the Emir, Oda Sultan only chooses peace to preserve his strength when the infidels have an absolute predominance in strength, which is allowed in the Quran."

Isfahan. Yusuf was indeed a learned pirate. He is well versed in the teachings of the Qur'an. As a young man, he studied at Nitzemia University in Baghdad, and his dream was to enter the "Hall of Wisdom" in Baghdad, a national academic research institution founded by Caliph al-Ma'mon. It gathers famous scholars of different nationalities and religious beliefs to collect, collate and translate classical works from Greece, Persia, India and other countries into Arabic. Become a scholar. But it backfired. Due to the Mongol invasion, piracy eventually became his life's work.

Really? Gelawin wasn't sure, and was ready to go back and find a copy of the Qur'an. As a devout Celestial Cultist, Emile Gahravin spent his life fighting for the truth of Celestial Cult and was too busy to read the Qur'an carefully.

Isfahan. Youssef said: "Although the Oda Sultan has declared himself a vassal to the Ming Dynasty, the Maldives archipelago is still our homeland. We've put down roots there! ”

Maher, who has the title of staff officer of the fleet, interjected at this time: "Your Highness the Amir, in addition to the control of the Maldives Islands, we have arranged enough eyeliner in the Strait of Malacca, Chittagong, Riverside Port, and Colombo Port, and every move of the Nanyang Fleet cannot escape their eyes. ”

The places Maher was talking about were originally the territories where the merchants of the Heavenly Fang Sect were active. Now although the Ming Dynasty has openly expelled the merchants of the Heavenly Sect, what religion he believes in is not written on his face. These merchant families, who had been rooted in those areas for hundreds of years, could still be active there as long as they hid their faith. Moreover, it is not only the white people who believe in the Heavenly Sect, but also many indigenous people and even Han Chinese descendants of Nanfan have converted.

"Where is the main force of the South Sea Fleet now?" Gallavin immediately asked.

"The South Sea Fleet is now divided into two parts, one operating in the Strait of Malacca and off the coast of India. It is mainly responsible for transportation and escort tasks. A few months earlier, they had also transported part of the army of the Ming vassal states to the mouth of the Indus River and landed at a place called the Seven Islands on the west coast of India. A castle was also built there. ”

Maher pointed to the map and showed Gaerawin the locations of the strongholds held by the Song and Lü armies on the west coast of India.

"Also. The Ming also forcibly leased the port of Colombo from the Kingdom of Ceylon. It was also an area frequented by ships of the South Ocean Fleet. Maherle paused and added. However, only half of the strength of the Nanyang Fleet was active in these areas, consisting of about fifteen 'New World' class and thirty-six smaller warships. ”

"And half of it?" Gallavin asked.

"Activities east of the Strait of Malacca." "Although the Ming Nanyang Fleet only has more than 100 warships and tens of thousands of officers and soldiers, it has jurisdiction over an incomparably vast sea area. At present, they are tasked with three combat missions: the first is the Indian Ocean operation; the second is the strategy of the southern islands; The third is the Oceania Raiders. ”

"Oceania?"

"Another New World, somewhere south of Java, is said to be the size of Europe!"

"O God! How can all good things be monopolized by these Kafiles? Gallavin muttered under his breath.

"But their forces are also scattered!" Pirate leader Isfahan. Yusuf said. "Because of the lack of naval power, they had to hire many merchant ships to do the errands of warships. This is our good chance to hit them! ”

"What are you going to do?" ”

Maher replied: "Recently it has been reported that the British Crown Prince is summoning merchant ships willing to take on combat missions, as if to embark on a military adventure on the west coast of India!" It is also possible that the crown prince himself will participate! ”

"Oh? Is the message reliable? ”

"Very reliable!"

"This is an opportunity! He looked at the Sven pirate Isfahan. Yusuf. "Whatever they want to do on the west coast of India, we're going to try to stop it!"

Isfahan. Yusuf stretched out his finger and patted it lightly on the Maldives Islands on the map, gritting his teeth slightly: "We can set up an ambush in the Maldives Islands!" With ten times the enemy's forces, no matter how sharp their artillery is, we will win! But ......"

He didn't say any more, but looked at Gaerawin with burning eyes.

Of course, Gelavin understood what he meant, and said loudly: "All the spoils will be shared by the soldiers who went out on the expedition, and I will also reward the meritorious ones with 300,000 dinars!" If anyone captures or kills the Crown Prince alive, I will ask His Majesty the Sultan and His Caliph to canonize him as Emir! ”

……

"Your Highness. We can attack here, the Maldives Islands, the best pirate den in the entire Little Western Ocean. ”

Almost at the same moment, the coffee-colored beautiful girl pirate Goodit. Solomon is in the middle of Tran's calligraphy. Spread out a small Western chart printed by the Admiralty of the Ming Dynasty and explain the robbery plan to Chen Defang.

This brown color, uh. In fact, it is not so dark, if you don't bask in the sun for a while. It should be wheat-colored, and this girl turned out to be a beauty.

Her skin is delicate and elastic. Full of energy. He was tall and plump, with long brown hair and a shawl, shining like satin. A translucent Indian dress gauze was put on the body, and the body was not wearing an inch, so it snuggled up to Chen Defang's side.

It seems that the relationship between the two is already quite unusual!

Originally in Selassie. Before Solomon traveled to the port of Zela to "cheat", Goodit. Solomon took him hostage (in order to prevent Selassie. Solomon went and didn't return? In the name of delivering goods to the door, he lived in Tran's mansion. And it was when Chen Defang's only wife, Jia Shi, took the children to live in Yingdu. So this sixteen or seventeen-year-old, wild and beautiful Lori quietly slipped into the room of Chen Defang, who had been a good man for many years, on a dark and windy night, and performed a graceful Arabian dance, and then presented her own **......

"We only have twenty privateers and one training ship of the British navy, all of which are fortune ships of three or four thousand stones. Although they are all equipped with cannons, they are not warships after all, they are at most armed merchant ships. ”

Chen Defang was slightly frustrated, although he knew that it was unlikely that the Ming Nanyang Fleet would send a capital ship (New World-class) to provide support. Nevertheless, he sent an envoy to Temasek Island and asked for support from the Admiral of the Southern Ocean Fleet.

Unexpectedly, the request was refused, and there was no room for the slightest -- the other side did not refuse on the grounds of insufficient troops, and although the capital ships of the Nanyang Fleet could not be moved lightly, there were still many small and medium-sized gunboats, and they could always piece together some strength. However, the South Sea Fleet said that they could not rob the merchant ships of neutral countries...... When did the Ming Navy become so regular? Did they do less in the Atlantic, on the coast of the New World?

This is clearly not to take himself, the brother of the Ming Sage, seriously!

"Twenty-one gunboats, that should be enough, right?" The coffee beauty frowned and looked at the Maldives islands on the map. "The Solomon Chamber of Commerce may only dispatch ten large slave ships."

Selassie. Solomon traveled to the port of Zela with a contract and a deposit for the purchase of black slaves by a farmer on the island of Java. The contract needed to buy 3,000 slaves. However, the stock of the port of Zela may not be so large, and the Solomon Chamber of Commerce may only be able to ship 2,000 or fewer slaves in one batch, so 10 slave ships will be enough. Twenty-one lucky ships should be enough to capture ten slave ships.

The problem is that the Maldives archipelago is a region where piracy is frequent, and dozens or more pirate ships roam there all year round. What if they find out about this great robbery at sea and join in?

"As for the pirate ships of the Heavenly Fang Sect," the coffee girl shook her head, "if there are only a few dozen, we should be able to deal with them, after all, we have 21 armed merchant ships equipped with cannons, and that's more than 400 bronze cannons!" ”

Tran Tak Fong has set a firepower requirement for all armed merchant ships participating in the operation, with at least 20 3-inch cannons - there is a naval depot on Temasek Island, where merchant ships with privateer licenses can buy cannons!

"More than 400 cannons can't fire at the same time, only one side of the ship's side cannons can fire, at most about 200." Chen Defang paused, and suddenly smiled, "It's enough!" More than 200 cannons, dozens of pirate ships were scared to death. Okay, that's it, tomorrow I'll lead the team to the sea, and you and I will go with you. ”

"That's it!" The beautiful girl smiled, and suddenly kissed Chen Defang on the cheek, "With His Royal Highness the Crown Prince on the horse, even if there are a thousand pirate ships, I am not afraid!" (To be continued......)