Erdan was a little confused.

He glanced at Qiu Song, and finally set his eyes on Zheng He.

Along the way, Erdan has not been in contact with Qiu Song.

However, in Erdan's opinion, Qiu Song belongs to the kind of untouchable object, but Zheng He, who can communicate well.

He couldn't even understand that it was inconceivable that the Ming Dynasty would send such a seemingly brainless person as Qiu Song as the deputy envoy of the fleet this time.

But...... In detail, this may not be without benefits for the second egg, and the Ming people do not know about power and fraud, which can just complete the Pope's strategy of leading the way to the east.

So he smiled and said, "We have prepared more than a dozen loyal pilots, the waters of Venice are complex, and they know the hydrological situation well. In addition to this, in the ports of Sicily, we have prepared supplies, and the Pope hopes that the sailors will be able to attack quickly. ”

Zheng He frowned, in his opinion, the fleet was exhausted after eight months of sailing. 这个时候，催促船队立即去与那威尼斯人交战，这分明是别有用心。

Moreover, he already knew the situation of the Venetians, who were not small, but had been engaged in business for hundreds of years, and now ...... There are tens of thousands of ships.

Although most of them were small ships, the size of Venice's warships and navy was not small, and it had been dominant in Europe for many years.

In addition, the wealth accumulated in this country over the centuries can be described as innumerable, and there are a considerable number of mercenaries for them to drive.

There is money, there are boats, there are people.

As the commander of the fleet, Zheng He hopes to be cautious, first explore the truth and find the weaknesses of the other party.

As for the Pope, he also needs to be careful.

Zheng He hesitated, but did not speak.

Qiu Song said: "In this case, then we will go to Venice and take Venice first." ”

The second egg was stunned.

He meant ...... Attack Venice.

And taking Venice is another meaning.

Venice was a fortified city, and with strong defenses and many defenders to protect their possessions, it was a city that could not be attacked by sea.

Of course, for Erdan, it doesn't matter what Qiu Song says, as long as Qiu Song is willing to attack, then everything will be fine.

Erdan was overjoyed and immediately said, "Then, I will wish the general success." ”

Qiu Song said: "Don't forget, the gift you promised! ”

"Of course." Erdan said with a smile.

Qiu Song made a straight face: "I'm serious, don't think I'm joking." ”

Erdan put away his smile: "Of course." ”

The second egg withdrew.

Zheng He frowned: "General Qiu, is this a bit reckless?" ”

Qiu Song said: "The eldest brother has explained that you must attack immediately and do not hesitate. ”

Zheng He was full of doubts: "The one we are worried about is the Pope, who is so enthusiastic that we will fight with the Venetians, just afraid that there will be a snipe and a clam to fight and the fisherman to profit." ”

Qiu Song said: "But the eldest brother has explained, he must attack immediately!" ”

Zheng He said: "We are telling you about the Pope's intentions......"

"Big brother confesses ......"

Zheng He looked tired, his heart was very tired, the fleet had too many things to worry about, and he couldn't make sense of this one in front of him.

So he sighed, "That being the case, then...... Act decisively! ”

…………

A detachment of sailors began to gradually break away from the fleet.

Although the men and horses of the naval division are traveling with the fleet that goes to the Western Ocean, they are not subordinate to each other, carrying 3,000 model battalion captains, and at the same time, there is a fleet composed of more than 3,000 Daming naval divisions, all of which are under the control of Qiu Song.

For today, they have been practicing repeatedly for months in the water village.

After that, he sailed for eight months and arrived here.

Several ironclad ships, along with dozens of clippers, are now heading for their established course.

As for the fleet that went to the Western Ocean, it followed behind and responded at any time.

This fleet of tens of thousands of people was divided into two, end to end.

The Mediterranean Sea is not very stormy, and compared to the vast sea, it is like an inland lake, and from now on, Qiu Song ordered that the supply of all the personnel on board begin to increase.

In the bottom warehouse, the sealed canned beef, vegetables and fruits also began to be taken out, allowing people to eat to their heart's content.

And with the fleet, in addition to more than a dozen pilots, there are also two eggs and donkey balls who also walked with them.

"I really didn't expect that everything would succeed." Donkey Ball couldn't help but sigh with excitement, he used Latin, and tried his best to prevent the wall from having ears.

There was a smile on the corner of Erdan's mouth, and he was obviously very satisfied with the current result: "Yes, this Ming navy is very powerful, it seems that ...... is a Venetian that can be hit hard. ”

Donkey Ball said: "I hope it can be hit hard...... Is the Pope ready? ”

"Yes, he has already begun to gather the knights of France and the Holy Roman Empire, and the knights of the Papal States will also be recruited, in addition to the mercenaries of Switzerland......"

Donkey said: "What is the Pope's plan?" ”

"If the Venetian navy fails, then, under the threat of these Ming fleets, we will have people go to Venice, and those Venetian merchants, in order to protect their property, will definitely be forced to ask us to help them defend against the Ming fleet. Of course...... They also have to pay the price......"

Donkey Ball smiled: "When someone falls into the sea, in order not to drown themselves, any harsh terms, they will agree, right?" ”

Erdan nodded: "If Venice wins, then ...... These fleets of the Ming Dynasty, which had taken eight months to arrive here, were so badly damaged that the Pope could ask them for supplies and assistance. If necessary...... We can even pretend to let them anchor for supplies and then attack them. ”

Donkey Ball frowned: "Will this tear up the agreement we concluded with them......"

Erdan said: "This is the Lord's arrangement......"

Donkey Ball seemed to get some relief from this sentence, so he became relaxed, pursed his lips, and shrugged.

"However......" Erdan said calmly, "If the Ming army wins, and we also know that the Pope begins to call on the knights of Europe to come to the aid of the Venetians and resist the Ming navy, we must be prepared." ”

Donkey Ball said: "What do you mean...... We may be prepared to be called by God? ”

Erdan frowned lightly and said, "Yes." ”

Donkey Ball nodded, but didn't say anything more.

For them, in fact, whether the Ming army won or lost, in fact, it didn't mean much, they had already made all the plans, and the only thing that surprised them was actually just why the Ming army was so stupid and easily fell into their trap.

But in any case, they succeeded, and whatever the final outcome, it was the Pope who won.

The merchants of Venice, as well as these Ming troops, without exception, were losers.

Donkey Ball couldn't help but sigh: "It's a pity that we may not be able to see that the merchants of Venice are about to return to the arms of the Lord again." ”

The second egg did not make a sound.

Half a month later.

The fleet suddenly arrived on the coast somewhere.

In the face of this sudden fleet.

The sea here is surprisingly calm.

Although there were many small and medium-sized merchant ships, and they were far away from the fleet, the fleet did not seem to have any interest in attacking them.

But...... Erdan is constantly using a fast boat to communicate with the land.

He was informed of a sudden and reckless incursion into the Mediterranean, and, apparently, the Venetians had already learned the news.

And the Venetians had apparently realized that this fleet, which had come from afar, was offensive this time.

The news soon spread to many cities in Europe.

And then, in addition to starting to strengthen their defenses, the Venetians also began to assemble their fleets in the nearby seas, of course, they did not seem to intend to fight a decisive battle with the Ming fleet in the vast Mediterranean.

Instead, it was hoped that the Ming fleet would be able to lure the Ming fleet into attacking Venice's coastal defenses, while at the same time, the Venetian fleet ambushed the Ming fleet in the rear.

This is also the reason why the Ming fleet was able to go smoothly all the way.

In addition to this, the Venetians have a trick up their sleeve.

They trumpeted the power of the Great Ming Water Master, which made many people panic.

And the result of people's panic ...... It is precisely the Venetians who have received great benefits.

In a panic, many people began to frantically pour into Venice with their wealth.

This is understandable.

At this time, the vast majority of people in Europe, still in the countryside, even including many merchants and small nobles in the countryside, had no ability to protect themselves, and no one could predict what consequences would be caused by the sudden invasion of a group of infidels.

But the city of Venice is different.

This is a fortified city that few people in the history of Europe.

This huge city, which carries half of Europe's wealth, has not been breached for hundreds of years, and it is precisely because of the ...... that Venetian merchants dared to store their wealth here The sense of security that the city of Venice brings to itself.

Thus, Venice did not lead to an exodus of wealth because of this terrible news. On the contrary, a steady stream of wealth came with the arrival of small nobles and merchants who took refuge here.

As for the information collected by Erdan, he only selectively reported it to Qiu Song.

Of course, Qiu Song didn't seem to have much interest in this.

Sometimes I don't even have the patience to listen.

So much so that Liu Tao, the deputy general who came with him this time, couldn't help but be a little worried.

"General, the attack is about to begin, and in three hours, you can arrive at the battlefield."

After hearing this, Qiu Song said with a solemn face: "Check the powder magazine again, all the weapons, you have to re-examine them, let the soldiers rest for a while, so that they can attack at any time." ”

Liu Tao wanted to speak and stopped.

Qiu Song glanced at him and said, "What else do you want to say?" ”

Liu Tao smiled bitterly and said, "General, I think it's ...... Are we being a little reckless......"

When Qiu Song heard this, he actually laughed.

Liu Tao frowned: "Humble means that we should strengthen our understanding of this place, especially to find out the other party's deployment and coastal defense, as well as ......"

Qiu Song said: "Then you say, let my eldest brother come here, can we win?" ”

Liu Tao was born in the Water Master School, and he couldn't have more respect for Zhang Anshi, so he said: "If His Royal Highness the King of Wuhu County is here, of course...... can succeed, Your Highness, he is clever......"

"Since you know that my eldest brother is clever, then you shouldn't doubt it."

"Ah...... This ......"

Qiu Song said: "My second brother Zhu Yong, although he is a little reckless, but in fact, his heart is quite fine, and he has the style of a general. My third brother, Zhang Xuan, has a very stable temperament and does everything in his work. In addition, among the sailors and model battalions, there are many generals, such as Gu Xingzu, the kid who is the smartest, and the eldest brother praises him for having Zhou Yu's talent. But have you ever thought about it, why did the eldest brother choose me? ”

Liu Tao was stunned.

Qiu Song continued: "Don't think that I don't know anything, you all worry that I only know how to fight, and the others don't care about it completely, just blindly fight and rush, but you know, my eldest brother doesn't know?" Since he let me come, this shows that the eldest brother has already expected that this battle, as long as he fights and rushes, he can't have any worries, and he doesn't have to toss around what intelligence collection, what birds, or ...... How to know yourself and your opponent. ”

When Liu Tao heard this, he was a little stunned, he actually felt that there was some truth.

"In that case, then I still want a bird, eat and drink enough, and after three hours, attack with me, and set foot on this bird Venice! The rest...... You can ignore it all. Qiu Song said: "Use the most fierce explosives for me, and order the whole army to fight as hard as they did during the exercise at Songjiangkou." ”

Liu Tao was solemn: "Oh." ”

Qiu Song crossed his hand, and then showed a happy look.

After eight months, it's time for the tigers to come out of the cage.

…………

Three hours later.

Suddenly, on the coast, a fleet appeared.

The appearance of the fleet soon caused the defenders on the shore to rise in smoke and ring the bell.

This is a signal of vigilance.

Obviously, the defenders of Venice never expected that the fleet of the Ming Dynasty would be so reckless, attacking when they said they would attack, and they did not even investigate whether there was a Venetian navy nearby to find out the city defense of Venice.

And in any case, it is clear that the whole of Venice, not in chaos, everything is in order, and it seems that for many people this has not suffered any repercussions.

Can be followed by ...... One ship after another, some people began to push out the guns on the ship, and some people tore off their gun jackets.

Immediately after.

The battleship suddenly began to tremble.

With a violent tremble, the artillery began to roar.

The Europeans were not without an eye for artillery.

It can even be said that since the Mongol expedition brought gunpowder to Europe, the artillery development in Europe as a whole has been extremely rapid.

But this thunderous roar of artillery is still beyond everyone's imagination.

What's even more terrifying is ...... This cannon is not an iron ball, but a flowering shell.

After the shell fell, the shell exploded, and suddenly it ...... The flames were everywhere.

On the ironclad ship, because of the firmness of the hull, the huge guns loaded with several barrels had already begun to load with shells at this time.

Then......

The entire ironclad ship began to tremble.

A loud roar quickly overshadowed the sound of other cannons.

The huge cannonball smashed straight into the sturdy sluice, and then the sluice collapsed, shattering in an instant as the huge cannonball exploded.

At the same time, oil bombs, bombs, and giant artillery shells for the destruction of the city were like a rain of fire.

At sea level, the smoke of gunpowder, the blazing fire on the shore, and the crumbling rubble of the city walls suddenly turned this place into a living purgatory.

This city, which is almost connected to the sea, never imagined that the city walls that had been built for hundreds of years and the coastal defense fortifications that were constantly being built would not have the slightest power to fight back under this bombardment, and even the artillery they had prepared could not attack the huge ships at sea at all, and they were buried in the sea of fire.

At the same time, the boats used for the landing began to be lowered from the giant ships.

Along the rope ladder, the model battalion captains, heavily armed, began to enter the boat.

With the tide of the sea, they began to wash up to the beach slowly.

The thunder of the cannon took half an hour.

Obviously, the Venetians could not imagine that in this world, artillery could be transported on ships, and a ship could be loaded with dozens of cannons.

It is even more unimaginable that the power of this artillery is ten or a hundred times more powerful than the artillery they know.

Half an hour later, the first boat, carrying more than thirty lieutenants, washed up on the beach.

They quickly began to assemble, just ...... Everywhere they looked, there was no enemy resisting, and the shore, as far as the eye could see, was full of severed arms and limbs, and crumbling rubble and rubble.

More and more boats rushed onto the beach, and they quickly converged into a torrent like ants attracted by sugar cubes.

And on board.

Erdan and Donkey Ball watched all this with suffocation, and they looked at the Ming army that had already assembled and began to attack the inner city of Venice. At this time...... As far as they could see, they could only see that it was nothing more than darkness in front of them.

What's even more suffocating is ...... All this ...... It was only in a blink of an eye, and the coastal defense that Venice was proud of was like paper paste.

"Now...... What now? ”

"Pray." Erdan closed his eyes and began to draw a cross on his body.

Donkey Ball was already confused, and said, "We...... Do we ...... They fell for their tricks...... If they can storm Venice without much effort, then ...... Our plans have all come to naught. ”

Erdan said: "Pray, at this time, the almighty ......"

At this moment, another roar came out, and the two of them were on the deck, only to feel that the giant ship was trembling.

This loud voice drowned out the words of the second egg long ago.

Soon, as far as the eye could see, the people on the boat could already see that the inner city of Venice was beginning to catch fire.

It seems that skirmishes began to appear.

Yes, it's really just skirmishes.

The Venetians, who were almost caught off guard, were quickly demoralized to a low point after being hit by this sudden attack and a large number of casualties.

Even if there was a group of brave men, when they wanted to organize a defense, it was actually too late, because the landing of the model battalion was extremely rapid.

This model battalion was at the mouth of the Songjiang River, and it had been training for several months, and the only thing it practiced was to cooperate with the fleet and coordinate with the infantry and artillery.

Therefore, even if the guns on the ship are still roaring, the infantry of the model battalion seems to have a tacit understanding with them, and they can still launch an attack smoothly.