Off the coast of Jayapura Port

The three-masted galleon "Tulip" is like a vigilant beast, constantly patrolling the sea off Jayapura Harbour and fleeing at any sight.

Unfortunately, several towering islands obscure the view, enclosing the entire bay and making it almost impossible to peek out from the periphery.

This made the old sea wolf Marco van Nistelrooy look uncertain, and he was convinced that his judgment could not be wrong, and this place gave him a bad feeling.

It's like ~ a dangerous trap.

The problem was that he could not prove his judgment, nor could he use this concern to report to the Doge's Palace.

The Netherlands is sparsely populated, and every white colonizer is precious, let alone more than 60.

The salty sea breeze blew in his face, and the distant coastline was shrouded in verdant mountains, and Marco van Nistelrooy's eyes were sour through the brass monoculars, and he didn't notice anything unusual.

He put down the binoculars in his hand and glanced coldly at the stupid pig hanging upside down on the mast.

Mr. Frank Sneijder was tied up like a dumpling, and at first his body was writhing and struggling, screaming and pleading, but now he could not move like a dead pig, and he swayed from side to side in mid-air with the turbulence of the galleon, and his face that had been sunburned red was now as red as blood.

"Jock, put this bastard down, I don't want him to die here, remember, don't let him stain my deck."

"Yes, Captain."

Jock, who resembled a giant bear, smirked as he wore a grim reaper tattoo on his bald head, oily bulging muscles, and wore nothing but a dirty short-sleeved jacket.

He strode over and cut the rope with a single slash, and Frank Sneijder slammed down on the deck with a dull thud and his head bleeding.

The blow caused Frank Sneijder, who had been unconscious, to wake up, and the dirty socks in his mouth were ripped off, and he began to vomit profusely, and his body arched like a lobster.

"Oh God!" Seeing his beloved deck dirty, Captain Marco Van Nistelrooy had a murderous heart and glared at Jock fiercely.

Jock shrugged his shoulders indifferently, meaning...... It's none of my business.

It was late afternoon

The light of the setting sun reflects the brilliant sunset, and the white clouds like fish scales are reflected in gold, as if a huge and friendless divine object soars into the sky, and is particularly magnificent against the background of the blue sea and blue sky.

Captain Marco van Nistelrooy withdrew his gaze, and as long as he was unable to complete his mission or make an account of the Doge's Palace, he finally decided to take a risk.

"May God bless sail through the rapids into the land of tranquility, I praise you devoutly, serve you, and humbly kneel at your feet and ask for protection, Amen!"

Captain Marco van Nistelrooy drew a cross in the pious void and turned to command; "Raise the sails!"

Order

Several sail lifters flexibly climbed the high mast to untie the ropes that bound the huge mainsail, and the ropes on the heavy winch "hula-la" unfolded, driving the sail rigging to make a loud "clang, clang" sound.

The mainsail was spread out and the sea breeze was satisfied, and the hull of the three-masted galleon suddenly began to accelerate as if it had been pulled by a giant hand.

Beneath the female sea god carved in the bow of the ship, the thick wooden horns split the blue waves and galloped across the vast sea, heading for the bay of Jayapura Harbour.

Captain Marco van Nistelrooy made up his mind;

Take advantage of the high-speed thrust of a three-masted galleon into the bay and see what the hell is going on there?

If it were a trap, it would be a big deal to escape and choose an opportunity, and it was already dusk, and when night fell on the vast sea, no one could catch a three-masted galleon as nimble as a fox.

At the level of manoeuvring, the Dutchman is confident that he will not lose to anyone, all it takes is some luck.

The three-masted galleon Tulip quickly entered the entrance to the bay, a natural passage between two islands with high peaks surrounding the huge bay.

It's not a long way to go

Suddenly the eyes opened up, and the bay under the sunset seemed to be plated with a layer of gold and sparkling.

In the distance, a beautiful seaside town in the valley unfolds in front of you, with its tall cornice-like buildings full of Chinese characteristics, stretching one after another, and the large red lanterns on the streets are clearly visible, which is particularly beautiful in the sunset.

Two huge ocean-going freighters were parked on the side of the long bay wharf, and the workers were loading and unloading their goods, and they couldn't help but look at it in surprise when they saw a three-masted galleon sailing into the bay.

The three ironclad battleships came in the shape of a zigzag, their tall chimneys spewing thick black smoke, and their cold muzzles pointed straight ahead.

From here, it can be clearly seen that the sailors are maneuvering their guns to aim at the galleon "Tulip" on the semi-open gun emplacement, apparently prepared for an extremely dangerous trap.

Watt???

Seeing all this, Captain Marco van Nistelrooy's lips trembled and he could not speak, his face was already covered with a dead man's grayness, and he knew in his heart; It's over......

The three-masted galleon and the battleship went in opposite directions, and the other party's orders followed; "Three-masted galleon, sailing into the bay, now I command you to put away the mainsail at once, and repeat...... Immediately put away the mainsail, everyone laid down their weapons and prepared to be examined, and those who dared to disobey were immediately killed, and ......those who dared to disobey were immediately killed, and those who dared to disobey were immediately killed. ”

"Captain, what should I do?" Operator Brown Sr. asked.

The sailors on the ship were all agitated, and they all turned their eyes on the captain, and there were complex emotions in their eyes, such as despair, ferocity, desperate hesitation, etc., but there was no fear.

The galleons that sailed on the seas in this era were mainly used for long-distance voyages for trade, and when necessary, they also played the role of pirates and colonial advance teams, and they were no strangers to combat.

At this point, everything Marco Van Nisteloo needs to know is clear.

The three oncoming ironclad cruisers were flying the flag of Queensland, Australia, which he recognized at a glance, and the other Red Mountain Dragon Flag, which represented the family crest, must have been the coat of arms of some British nobleman, and the vast island had been occupied.

Jayapura, which was supposed to be a primeval jungle, suddenly has a new and beautiful town, needless to say, it should also be the work of this nobleman.

As for the name of this nobleman, and why he would take a fancy to this desolate place, Marco van Nistelrooy was not interested in knowing, and it was none of his business, he only knew that he was in great trouble.

From the heart

Captain Marco van Nistelrooy was unwilling to be caught and obediently handed over his ship and sailors, which was a great humiliation to an old sea wolf.

He was not only a captain, but also a knight who galloped the seas, and had a deep pride in his heart.

"Tom ......"

Seeing that the three-masted galleon did not put away its mainsail as ordered, the oncoming ironclad cruiser fired a series of dazzling chains of fire from its hand-cranked Gatling heavy machine guns, forming a series of snow-white water holes in the sea in front of the galleon.

"The three-masted galleon opposite, you are now seriously intruding on private territory, and must now put away the mainsail and be boarded for inspection, any non-cooperation or resistance will be regarded as hostile, this is a grave warning, repeat...... This is a serious warning. ”

The three ironclad patrol fleets that were approaching suddenly unfolded, and the battleships on the left and right wings parted outward, drawing a beautiful arc at high speed.

Captain Marco van Nistelrooy immediately judged that the speed of the two ships was not less than 15 knots, and this discovery made one of his hearts cold and fell into the abyss.

The most commendable thing about the three-masted galleon is its speed and agility, which can reach 17 or even 18 knots when the sail is fully sailed downwind, and 13~15 knots when it is flat, and it can also reach a speed of 13~15 knots in ordinary times.

Now the distance between the two sides is less than two nautical miles, and the galleon "Tulip" is like a small bug stuck in a spider's web, and it is almost impossible to escape.

Firepower and speed are not dominant, and they are self-defeating.

"Raise the Dutch flag and identify yourself."

At the sound of the order, the Dutch flag was raised on the high mast of the "Tulip", which fluttered in the evening breeze.

This is the only way to buy time for Captain Marco van Nistelrooy, hoping to ease the hostility and find an opportunity to escape.

The "Tulip" did not have the brass horn that the cruiser was equipped with, and could not shout to the other side to show that there was no hostile intent, so it could only raise the Dutch flag to show that it was a cargo ship that had entered by mistake and had no hostile intentions.

generally speaking

Sailing ships at sea do not raise their flags because they can be damaged after a few days in severe salt spray.

Only when necessary, the flag is raised to identify itself, otherwise it could be a pirate ship.

Of course, it also depends on which country.

Britain's merchant ships are basically unimpeded on the seas, and the navy of very few countries dares to seize British merchant ships and infringe on their legitimate rights and interests, which is determined by Great Britain's maritime supremacy.

This level is only the British country, the second level is France, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary powers, the third level can be the turn of the Ottomans, Russia, Spain, the United States, the Netherlands, Norway and other countries.

Ottoman, Russia, Spain, the United States and other countries were squeezed out by the European powers and deliberately targeted and suppressed for various reasons, while Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece, Norway and other countries simply lacked strength and did not receive special preferential treatment.

"Tulip" raised the Dutch flag, and the oncoming ironclad cruisers were clearly unmoved; "The last serious warning, immediately put away the mainsail for boarding inspection, repeat, the last serious warning ......"

The oncoming ironclad began to turn, leaving a conspicuous arc in the stern, carefully keeping a distance of two nautical miles from the galleon "Tulip", and not getting too close.

The Tulip was not without its counter-attack, with eight 10-inch breech guns on deck and an 8-inch breech gun in the bow, although not as intense and dense as the Spanish corsair's double-decker gunfire.