May 11, 1629, Friday, April 19, the second year of Chongzhen of the Ming Empire.

After a small storm, with the help of the northeast winds that gradually prevailed after May, Zheng Zhilong's huge fleet from Kinmen finally arrived at Futou Bay in the afternoon of that day.

What was once a pirate paradise seemed quiet at this time, and the once "lively" pirate habitat seemed to have moved overnight, and it was barren and silent. Only a few black and white camouflage warships flying blue and white battle flags were quietly crossing the ocean west of the bay mouth, and on a small island not far to the south, a blue and white flag was also erected.

"With only eight warships, Yang Liu's fleet was wiped out in one fell swoop with lightning speed...... You can still wait here calmly. ”

Among the fleets of the Ming Army's sailors heading south, on the largest Western-style sea ship, Zheng Zhilong, who was dressed in military uniform, held a monocular with a calm expression, while Zheng Cai, who was on the side, had a blue and white face. Because this expedition to the south was another message from a subordinate released by Hua and the United States.

"Big brother, the governor asked us to wait to inspect Futou Bay, and our tone is quite strict, I'm afraid it will be difficult to shirk it." Zheng Zhihu looked at the Huamei Expeditionary Fleet a few miles away, and pulled out his saber, "Our army has exhausted its elite this time, there are more than 100 big ships, and there are only eight ships, even if Yang Liu is defeated, it is not enough to worry in my brother's opinion!" ”

As soon as Zheng Zhihu's speech came out, the military schools around him raised their arms and cheered, and they had the momentum of leveling the gorgeous Fanyi in one fell swoop.

Hearing the request of his brother and subordinates to fight, Zheng Zhilong put away the binoculars and finally let out a loud laugh, and the relatives on the left and right were a little confused.

"It is worthy of being a mentor, Lord Xiong, who is discerning and caressing both hands." Zheng Zhilong's laughter turned into a cold snort, and he almost said it through his nose, "I'm afraid he knew that Hua Mei's soldiers were coming to the East China Sea, and this trip was just to drive away the tiger and devour the wolf." The example is the same as the Yan family. ”

"This ......" Zheng Zhihu was stunned for a moment, and then he suddenly withdrew his blade, but still looked at the row of black dots on the horizon unconvinced, "Could it be that the eldest brother turned back like this, and how would the governor answer when the time comes." ”

"When you sent a letter to the Chinese American fleet, you came to make an appointment with us and others? The Governor's refusal to come forward is what we have to do. Zheng Zhilong smiled mysteriously again, and raised the telescope again, "Pass the order, don't fire the target." Anchor near the mouth of the bay. ”

"Ah, big brother really wants to meet that gorgeous woman!" Hearing that his brother actually gave this order, Zheng Zhihu was directly startled.

"If I am a lip, who can make a tooth?" Zheng Zhilong didn't continue to pay attention to his brother's brain-only question, and just muttered softly to himself.

……

The expeditionary fleet of the US Navy in China was on full alert at this time, and although the order for first-class combat readiness had not yet been issued, almost all the officers and men were stationed at their combat posts, as long as the bell for combat readiness rang. The officers and men of the artillery crew will be able to launch an artillery attack at the first opportunity.

On the flagship Republic, Sun Yang was in the command cabin with his eyes closed, and he didn't seem surprised by the arrival of Zheng Zhilong's fleet, and several staff officers stood silently in front of the chart table in a daze. Only Yan Xianping was alone in front of the porthole. Holding a telescope, he stared at the approaching Daming fleet.

"Hmph, I said that I came to seek justice, but I was really angry when I made peace before I fought! What if Zheng Zhilong's whole army presses up! Seeing Sun Yang behind him, he had an indifferent attitude. Yan Xianping felt a strong dissatisfaction in his heart, and his teeth were itching.

"The other side didn't start a battle formation either? Then hang the flags and stand in line. Let's go out for a while. Second Lieutenant Yan Xianping stayed. A staff officer walked up to Sun Yang's side and whispered a few words in his ear, Sun Yang opened his eyes, smiled and gave an order.

The male officers left the command cabin one after another, leaving Yan Xianping with a dazed face, standing nervously in front of the chart table.

"Look, Zheng Zhilong is very smart, right? This is the best solution, otherwise as soon as our cannon goes off, both the Zheng family and the Yan family will lose their best chance. Sun Yang got up and walked to Yan Xianping's side and gently hugged the other party's shoulder.

"Ahh The fleet commander's intimate action frightened Yan Xianping a lot, almost screaming and bounced to the side, turned sideways, and grabbed the naval badge pendant on the neckline on his chest, his face flushed with shame, "Sir...... You...... Please respect ......"

"Haha!"

Yan Xianping's voice was as thin as a mosquito, and his head hung very low, and Sun Yang smiled even more happily now.

"You're lighter than me, and you're smiling...... If nothing else, I'm gone! Yan Xianping blushed, retreated to the cabin door, touched the doorknob with his little hand, and bit his lips.

"It's nothing, I just want to think about it, do you plan to go back to North America with me in the future, or are you going to stay ......" Sun Yang's smile disappeared, he sat back at the table, grabbed the pencil, and quietly looked at the chart, with a melancholy face.

"Daddy's grave is in the big man, of course I'm ......" Yan Xianping lowered his teeth and whispered.

After speaking, he quietly looked back and found that Sun Yang actually showed a lonely and devastated expression, and he couldn't bear it in his heart: "What about you......"

"I am a soldier, so naturally I am serving the country, and I will be there wherever the battleship is! Dead, the battleship is also my grave! Sun Yang raised his face, and the corners of his mouth were self-deprecating, "From the moment you step on the deck, any naval officer and soldier must give up the idea of returning to the roots, my home is the end of the sea." ”

"And what am I?" Speaking of this, Yan Xianping's head lowered, "The seventh aunt told me a month ago, you proposed to the seventh grandfather, so ......"

What a shame on me, how can I say this?! Realizing that he seemed to be talking nonsense, Yan Xianping felt a strong sense of shame again, and ran out as soon as he opened the hatch.

"Yes, what do I have to marry her......" Sun Yang himself was also a little dazed, took off his military hat, and was thinking hard about his scalp.

In fact, at this time, Sun Yang was completely out of mind about his children's affection, and the reason was the naval battle of Futou Bay, which recalled the "imperfect". It is said that when the naval battle ended, Zhang Chunrui's brows never stretched.

In fact, there are only a handful of captains in the entire navy who have rich combat experience, but the command flag hung by the flagship Republic at that time also has ambiguity in it, and even the arrangement of the order of the combat voyage queue has caused private criticism from several captains afterwards.

There were casualties on the Bloodstone, and Brigadier General Zhang Chunrui, who had been strictly controlling the navy's training for a long time, expressed great concern about this, and although the battle damage was minimal, Zhang Chunrui was still dissatisfied with the many "unprofessional" behaviors exposed during the whole battle.

In fact, it is not only naval operations themselves. Many aspects of the expedition to the East were fraught with unsatisfactory conditions, and it was probably only after the expedition was completely completed that a series of investigations and hearings could be used to reflect on it, and now was not the time to discourage enthusiasm.

Extremely high discipline and clear and unmistakable command signals are the foundation required by the tactics of the sea line. Historically, the English Navy, which pursued naval command skills, maintained a zero-tolerance attitude towards the destruction of line tactics, and even executed several senior officers.

The Chinese and American Navy may be at the forefront of this era, but it can be treated leniently with the reason of "combining exploration and practice", but when I think of the end of the expedition. All the combat voyage records had to be heard and questioned by Vice Admiral Wang Tiezhu, the commander-in-chief of the navy, and Sun Yang felt completely empty.

……

On the small island in the south, a vacant lot has been cleared, and in the camp tent used as the general headquarters, a group of army officers are holding lunch and laughing.

"Brother Yan, how do you know that Zheng Zhilong will definitely come over to negotiate with us?" You Nanzhe picked up pickles and was curious about Yan Xiaosong's letting the whole fleet stay in Futou Bay for half a month.

"He can also fight with you here and talk to you first. But there wasn't much time left for him, and he couldn't afford to fight. Because his biggest opponent now is the Ming court and the governor of Fujian, Xiong Wencan, not the Yan family, nor us. Yan Xiaosong pulled the rice, his expression was very calm. But he couldn't hide a trace of joy in his eyes, "Now that rumors are spreading, Xiong Wencan may not be able to sit still, and he will force Zheng Zhilong to make a choice." He couldn't refuse. He, like Xiong Wencan, has to make trade-offs and give up some unrealistic fantasies. ”

"The handle you got from the Dutch? Then this time, wouldn't we have to hide from the Yan family and talk about the benefits with Zheng Zhilong again? This is a bit unauthentic, isn'......" You Nanzhe realized. However, there are still concerns about what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is doing.

"It was originally a conspiracy, and there was no such thing as concealment. Before we appeared, the cake of interests along the coast of the Ming Dynasty was very large, and we were just a 'side dish'. Zheng Zhilong will not be our choice, but the Zheng family can still get our promise, that is, to ensure that the cake he has already obtained will not be reduced, as well as normal trade relations, and even increase his position on the side of the Ming court, which is what he needs most at present. Hearing You Nanzhe say this, Yan Xiaosong smiled easily, "I can't say it, we have to be bad guys again to help Zheng Zhilong and the Yan family 'reduce' the hostility of the Ming court towards them." ”

"We do bad guys? We have already done a lot of bad things, offending the Ming Imperial Court, it doesn't seem to be good for us......" You Nanzhe glanced at Zhang Chunrui, the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary fleet who was reading the telegram in the corner of the big tent of the headquarters, and lowered his voice, "I heard that the cabinet has not approved the follow-up plan of the Eastern Agent for a long time, is someone in the Congress making a small move?" ”

Yan Xiaosong was stunned for a moment, and slowly showed a wry smile, but he did not answer You Nanzhe's question, because in the latest coded message communication with Su Zining, he only received two words - "re-election".

The general elections for the two houses of the new Congress are about to begin, and there have been many differences in the country on the similar Oriental business layout plan that costs a lot of money and mobilizes the people. At this juncture, it is inappropriate to raise some issues that will seriously affect the core national policy of the country in the next few years, at least at this time, neither Premier Qi Jianjun nor the speakers of the Senate and the House of Representatives will touch these issues that may lead to the deepening of internal contradictions.

"Forget it, anyway, these are the things that your Ministry of Foreign Affairs does, I'll wait for when I leave this place where birds don't, even if it is in that dilapidated Anping Fort, it's better than camping in the wild." After You Nanzhe finished speaking, he stretched his waist and left the tent.

"Hehe, Xiao Yan, there's new news, the third batch of transport ships is already halfway there. However, according to the meaning of the Ministry of Defense, this is the last batch of this year. On the other end, Zhang Chunrui walked over and handed over the telegram in his hand, "I heard that the King of England refuses to accept the opinion of the National Assembly because of financial problems. It is only a matter of time before the English royal family declares bankruptcy, which involves the terms of the loan and mortgage agreement with the English royal family in St. Kitts and Barbados, and it is possible that the country will launch a certain military intervention in order to prevent accidents, and I estimate that the expeditionary fleet will receive a return order by October at the latest. ”

"Well, this time we handed over all the prisoners of war to Zheng Zhilong, and then returned to Anping Fort, no matter how much we do, we need to wait for a better time to come." Yan Xiaosong read the message slowly, and was secretly glad that Xiong Wencan and Zheng Zhilong were not the masters of mud and water, otherwise their time would really not be enough.

"That's good, after dealing with the negotiation with Zheng Zhilong, we will return to the ship, and then we have to worry about Sun Yang's marriage, haha." Seeing that Yan Xiaosong was finally "exhausted", Zhang Chunrui was also relieved, otherwise he didn't know how long he would have to take the whole fleet back and forth here.

……

Soon after the afternoon, Zheng Zhilong's fleet finally anchored in the area of the bay mouth five miles away from the Huamei Expeditionary Fleet, and nearly 200 warships of all sizes lined up densely, and the two sides maintained a clear sense of mutual non-aggression amid tension.

A small clipper sailed into the bay with Zheng Zhilong's messenger, and at the same time, a steam dinghy also lowered from the Huamei fleet and headed for the opposite clipper. (To be continued......)