Outside the Strait of Gibraltar in the Mediterranean.
A large three-masted square sailboat with a favorite type of carriageman on the sea, which is specially made for tax evasion. It has basically no armed capabilities, is slow, has a small deck, but is fat, and is wide-body boat wandering outside the Strait of Gibraltar.
In the distance of the ship, at the narrowest nautical miles of the strait between the Port of Seville and the Port of Ceuta, hundreds of Spanish warships gathered to cruise and lie across the sea, and conducted a brutal inspection of all ships that wanted to pass through the Strait of Gibraltar.
At this time, there were many merchant ships or warships from various countries gathered inside and outside the Strait of Gibraltar. However, most people only dared not speak out about the Spanish's rampant behavior. They either waited in line to persevere and passed one by one, or they could only leave far away in frustration.
The large three-masted square sailboat, a large cargo ship built by the Dutch people who took advantage of loopholes to collect taxes on deck width and narrowness in response to the current regulations on the taxation of various ports, did not queue up, nor did they leave, and just parked far away on the sea surface in the distance, observing the situation in the Strait of Gibraltar.
"oops!"
"Things are not good!"
"It seems that the rumors are indeed correct. The admiral of the squadron of the Li Huamei Chamber of Commerce is really a bastard. Even the Spanish dare to provoke him. Now look, there are at least hundreds of warships here, right?"
“My God!”
"What did they do? How could they make such a big deal?"
"Camil, look at the Spanish's angry attitude. I'm afraid they won't stop if they don't sink their ships and then catch all their crew sailors on the dock of Seville and hang them?"
On the narrow deck of this large three-masted square sail, Lilu Agot, the leader of the Dutch private chamber of commerce, was a cheerful, optimistic person, able to understand the pain in others' hearts, and able to do business. She was young and beautiful. After seeing the actions and formations of the Spanish fleet in the distance, she couldn't help but comment and exclaim while commenting.
They had heard about the actions of another fleet of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce in the Spicy Facts Islands, the Indian Ocean, Africa and the Mediterranean in the Beihai. She felt a little unbelievable, so she set out from Amsterdam in the North Sea and drove this large three-masted square sail boat full of woolen fabrics, disguised as if she was going to the Mediterranean to do business.
Then, as expected, she found that things seemed a little more serious than the rumored ones?
Anyway, before coming to the Strait of Gibraltar, they had docked and replenished their supplies to the Port of Lisbon, and then, they learned about what Anne Hasta, the admiral of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce, and five giant warships from the Ming Dynasty led by the other party had done in Madeira and Seville, and they also saw the current situation of the Port of Seville not long ago!
"It's over now!"
"The Li Family Chamber of Commerce, Huamei Li and others will definitely be severely attacked by the Spanish. I wonder if they will be arrested by Esconte in the New World?"
“Really…”
"Who are they going to provoke, but they are going to provoke the Spaniards. Don't they know that the strongest European fleet now is the Spaniards and their invincible fleet?"
Looking at the forest-like masts and dense white sails on the sea in the strait in the distance, Lilu Agott didn't know what she should say.
"It's over..."
"Camille, they are really dead this time!"
"They will definitely be hung in the port by the Spanish!!"
To be honest, Lilu is really worried about the ignorant and fearless Li Family Chamber of Commerce.
She could already begin to imagine that perhaps, after the matter in the Mediterranean was transmitted to the New World by merchant ships or messengers, Huamei Li, who were exploring the New World at this time, would be captured by the cruel conqueror, Diogo de Esconte, the lower nobleman who was also the Spanish, and then escorted back to the Mediterranean. Then she would see that the other party was tortured and hung on the reefs at the port of Seville and allowed the seagulls and crows to eat.
After a year, on those gallows, perhaps only some charred and smelly and moldy bodies remain?
I guess, it must be like that, right?
"alright."
"Lilu, it's useless to be anxious. The other party is the Spanish Invincible Armada, we can't help..."
"Our Agote Chamber of Commerce has only less than ten ships in total, and there are only two armed merchant ships. Most of the others are large three-masted square sail wide-body ships. But now the Spanish Invincible Fleet here in the Strait of Gibraltar is probably more than one hundred. What can we do?"
"besides!"
"Don't tell people that we have friendship with the Li Family Chamber of Commerce, and that we have business dealings with them and want to order ships for them!"
After walking along the boat and looking at the grand occasion of the Strait of Gibraltar in the distance, Camille Marinus Offenie, the childhood sweetheart who grew up with Lilu, sighed and patted Lilu's shoulders, comforting her and warning her.
"hateful!"
"The Spaniards actually blocked the strait directly. In this way, the people from the Li Family Chamber of Commerce will have no way to escape except abandoning the ship and going ashore?"
"I hope they know that Alexandria is the closest place to the Red Sea. If they abandon the boats and go ashore, they should take land to the Red Sea in less than two months, and then spend some money to buy a boat or two to go to the Persian Gulf, then to the Indian Ocean, or even to the distant Eastern Ming Empire?"
As he spoke, Lilu Agot suddenly felt that it was a great solution.
"Hello!"
"Camille, why don't we send people to the Mediterranean to find them and explain the situation to them, and then we will lead our fleet to the Bay of Suez to wait for them, and then we will send them directly back to the East?"
"When the time comes..."
"We will transport several ships of tea, silk and porcelain from the East, so that we will get rich!"
"What do you think?"
"Just!"
"The civil warship ordered by their Chamber of Commerce is almost completed. Let's just send it to them together, and at the same time open up trade routes in the Far East and break the Portuguese monopoly?"
Lilu, who has a cheerful personality and optimistic mind, feels the more she thinks it is feasible. She firmly believes that once again, she will help the pioneering fleet of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce, which will be a mutually beneficial thing, and will definitely make her make another fortune.
Especially after providing help to the people of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce, you can definitely enter the Eastern market in one fell swoop, expanding the business of the Agote Chamber of Commerce to the distant and ancient Eastern Ming Empire, and obtaining the most intimate and most popular products in Europe!
"this……"
"Lilu, I advise you not to meddle in other people's business."
"If you really want to do this, once the Spaniards get the news, our Agot Chamber of Commerce and the entire Netherlands will be in great trouble!"
"You must not do anything wrong!"
Camille frowned and thought for a while, then looked at the huge invincible fleet in the distance, which was closely guarded in the Strait of Gibraltar, and then thought about the situation of the Governor of Guava in Jakarta, the East India Company and the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in the Cape of Good Hope. Finally, he paused and sang firmly to stop him.
In his opinion, the Li Family Chamber of Commerce, especially the Li Family Development Fleet with five giant warships, is undoubtedly the most powerful competitor of their Agot Chamber of Commerce and even the entire Netherlands. Now they choose to watch and then let the Spaniards teach the other party a profound lesson first, so that the other party can dispel the boring idea of ​​dominating the oceans and even the world as soon as possible. Perhaps the Dutch's best choice is the current Dutch?
"That's right!"
"Miss Agote, we'd better take a look at this matter, but we must not participate in it!"
At this time, Hedram Joachim Bergstone of the Swedish Navy also came over.
However, he is no longer the admiral of the Swedish Navy, because he cooperated with Malay Governor Doyle Atai Ropez Di Preyra to fight against the Ming Dynasty in the Guawa Islands, resulting in the entire fleet being wiped out and lost all the naval ships. Once he came back to Sweden, he was charged and imprisoned and deprived of his post as the admiral.
Later, after investigating the reason for the incident and learning that the Li family's pioneering fleet was in Guawa, in the Indian Ocean, in Africa and in the Mediterranean, the Swedish Navy headquarters also seemed to feel that it seemed a bit unreasonable to blame him entirely on Hedram Joachim Bergstone?
Then, with the mediation of his teacher and lobbying from multiple parties, he was reluctantly released.
However, although he was released, he was no longer a member of the Swedish Navy. He was dismantled from the sequence of naval admirals and became an ordinary person. He changed his career to establish a Bergstone Chamber of Commerce. Now, he only trades in Stockholm and Riga in Northern Europe. He soon got to know the Agoth Chamber of Commerce, which also trades in Northern Europe. Then, after hearing that Lilu was planning to come to the Mediterranean to check the situation, he also came to see the fun with shame.
And this is the main reason why he appeared on this ship.
“??”
"Why?"
"Mr. Bergstone, do you, like Camille, think what I just did is wrong?"
Seeing that his childhood sweetheart and respected Admiral Bergstone were opposed to the wonderful idea he had just thought of, Lilu Agot couldn't help but get angry.
"Yes!"
"Lilu, we'd better stay neutral in this matter!"
"otherwise……"
"Once the Spaniards know that you and I are involved, things will be bad."
"When the time comes, maybe it will trigger a war between the Netherlands and Spain?"
"And once the fight starts, the Spaniards will definitely block the Mediterranean and the New World. At that time, the route will be cut off. It will be extremely difficult for us countries in the North Sea to go to the New World, to trade in Africa or Guawa."
"Maybe, it will be another bloody and chaotic maritime privateer war?"
"So, you must think clearly!"
Hedram Joachim Bergstone said quietly, using the serious consequences that might be caused to persuade the ignorant and fearless girl Navigator in front of him to dispel the unrealistic thoughts as soon as possible.
“Besides…”
"In my opinion, the pioneering fleet of the Li family, the devil admiral Anne Hasta and others may not need your help?"
"Maybe your thoughts are just wishful thinking?"
As he was talking, Hedram Joachim Bergstone, who remembered something, couldn't help but hold on to the boat gang, looking at the arrogant Spanish Invincible Armada in the distance, and sighed helplessly with a wry smile.
“!!”
"What's the meaning?"
"etc!"
"Mr. Bergstone, you wouldn't be saying..."
"The pioneering fleet of the Li family chamber of commerce, the devil admiral Anne Hasta, and the others can defeat the Spanish invincible fleet and rush out of the Strait of Gibraltar. There is no need for us to meddle in other people's business?"
"Is that true?"
With those big green eyes, Lilu Agot, who is so cheerful and optimistic about her thoughts, could not imagine that such a thing would be possible.
In her opinion, the second fleet of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce, the pioneering fleet led by the Devil Admiral, had only five ships. Even though their ships were giant warships, fast speed and long cannon range, how could a mere five ships beat the Spanish Invincible Fleet, which claimed to have thousands of warships and rushed out of the Strait of Gibraltar, which was gathered with nearly two hundred large and medium-sized Spanish Fangfan warships (Galen ship type)?
In short, she could not imagine that kind of thing no matter what.
“…”
Hedram did not speak, but recalled.
When he was in Guawa, in the Spicy Islands, he and Portugal's Malay Governor Doyle Ropez Di Preira led a huge fleet of ten warships and dozens of armed merchant ships to attack the second fleet of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce. In the Nanyang waters east of Brunei, he encountered the five giant warships of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce in the open waters of the spice route at about 108 o north latitude 2 o north longitude 108 o east longitude .
Can result...
Hedram experienced all that in person!
Two fleets of sixty-seven warships could hardly have formally fought with the warships of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce, and were sunk eighteen, injured twenty-two prisoners, and then defeated and fled on the spot.
That terrible battle scene, the feeling of powerlessness under the overwhelming shells, now that I think about it, still makes him awake in his sleep from time to time.
"Lilu..."
"Sorry, I don't know if they can rush out, but I only know that the rumored message that the Ming Empire has begun to decline is likely to be wrong. The Oriental people still retain the most advanced shipbuilding technology and artillery making technology in the world!"
"And whoever can get it, perhaps, can dominate the world?"
Thinking of those giant Li family warships that were obviously large but were more resistant to wind and waves and faster and more stable, as well as the terrible naval guns with a range of at least more than twice the range of heavy cannons or iron cannons currently commonly used in Europe, Hedram felt that his heart could not help but speed up a few beats.
He also wanted to get those things and improve Sweden's shipbuilding and artillery technology, but he also knew that it was impossible. The reason why the Spaniards are so popular and eyeing them is obviously self-evident, and there will definitely be no chance for them Swedes!
Of course, there is definitely no chance for the Portuguese, Dutch or British, because now the Spanish Invincible Fleet has blocked the Li family's second fleet directly into the Mediterranean.
“??”
"Reign the world?"
Blinking, Lilu Agott seemed to be digesting the information Hedram said, but soon she laughed.
"Ahhh!"
"Impossible!"
"Mr. Hedram, I have seen Huamei Li and the others, and their large and medium-sized blessed ships. The ships look average, and some cannons are even worse than ours. Otherwise, she would not have tried every means to entrust my Agot Chamber of Commerce to help her get a civilian battleship."
"It is absolutely impossible for their second fleet to rush out of the Strait of Gibraltar!"
"That's absolutely not..."
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Boom! Boom!
“?!”
However, before Lilu Agot finished speaking, she was shocked to find that in the distance, a series of sounds of firecrackers came, and then, the water columns aroused by the shells falling on the sea?
“!!”
“That’s…”
"The Second Fleet of the Li family?!"
Hedram Joachim Bergstone picked up his telescope at the first time and looked into the Strait of Gibraltar. Then he soon saw that at the sea level east of the strait, there were indeed five huge ships sailing down the wind. They were the five battleships of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce!
At this time, they were heading towards the Strait of Gibraltar at high speed, and firing far away from the sea in groups of three or three, as if provoking the Spanish Invincible Fleet that was blocking the Strait?
soon!
In response, the Spanish Invincible Armada, which had originally been anchored and cruising on the sea, slowly moved under the angry commands. They began to pull up sails with Spanish flags and badges, lifted up anchors, and no longer cared about checking the passing merchant ships.
Seeing that the Spaniards no longer make things difficult, the ships waiting to pass at the entrance of the Strait saw that the naval battle was about to begin here soon, they also scattered and drove quickly towards the place they thought was safe.
"No way?"
"It seems that it is really the banner of the Li Family Chamber of Commerce..."
At this time, Lilu Agot also saw the five giant ships and the flags she had long been familiar with in the telescope.
"But……"
"Are they crazy?"
"How dare they?!"
So, seeing that the five ships were rushing towards the strait without knowing their own lives, she couldn't help but exclaim in a daze after seeing that the Spanish Invincible Fleet had begun to move in turn and began to form formations at the chaotic strait entrance.
Of course, she was just exclaiming, because now, she had no choice.
...
At this time, at the sea level east of the strait, on the flagship of the "Xiang Feihu", a disgusting little girl was also looking at the slightly chaotic entrance of the Strait of Gibraltar with a telescope.
“…”
(°〼°〃)
"cut!"
(ˉ▽￣￞］)Tsk~~
"Are there quite a lot of ships?"
(?￣??￣??)??°
"First mate, command: rush up and hit them with a few rounds of shells, then we turn around and run back, leading their large fleet to the gathering place of the old man and the muscular man behind!"
?(?^o^?)?
After looking at the densely packed and formation of Spanish Invincible Armada, and then looking at the more warships rushing out of the Port of Ceuta and the Port of Seville, Anne first curled her lips disdainfully, and then ordered the chief mate who had been opposing and rushed directly towards the Strait of Gibraltar.
“!!”
"Great Admiral, you want to..."
"yes!"
"Abide by the order!!"
The first mate was stunned, and then he quickly understood the specific intention of their Grand Admiral, so he stood up and responded loudly, then ran to his post to issue orders.
"Anne?"
"You want to lead the Spanish fleet to the gathering point of the Basha and Heiding's fleets behind them, so that they can fight?"
"But……"
"What if they don't get fooled and don't fight?"
At this time, Song Yifeng, who was standing by, obviously knew what Annie was trying to make, so she hurriedly asked after the first mate left.
"If you don't get cheated, you won't be cheated. Anyway, we run fast. If they like to fight or not, if they don't fight, we will fight ourselves and run away after the fight!"
(?￣? ￣?)Hehe!
There were too many Spanish warships. Anne just counted randomly and estimated that there were at least two or three hundred. There were only five of them with so many ships. The Mediterranean is so small. If you are not careful, they may be completely blocked, and it will be miserable.
Therefore, she planned to let the Ottoman Navy and Heiding's fleet follow far behind fight head-on with the Spaniards, block the Spanish warships and fight head-on with the enemy, and she and her fleet only need to carry out far-reaching shelling outside the enemy's range.
Of course, she didn't know whether it would be successful. It didn't matter if it didn't succeed anyway. After all, there were too many Spanish ships, and this battle could not end in three to five days. She had time to play with them slowly!
"That's good!"
"I just thought you would definitely rush out regardless of your concern..."
He patted his little breasts with some fear, and Song Yifeng nodded and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"How could he be so stupid?"
!!!∑(?Д?ノ)ノ
"You underestimate others too much!"
o(′^)o
"Wait, we can conquer this Mediterranean soon!"
(????-)?
"ah?"
"Conquer here? Are we just these five ships?"
Song Yifeng was obviously a little unbelievable.
"certainly!"
o(*ˉ︶ˉ*)o
“…”
In the distance, the female pirate Azisha Nurennahar was standing silently at the bow of the ship, looking at the busy sailors on the spacious deck and the two little girls playing on the podium of the stern.
She heard Annie's orders and also heard the conversation between Annie and Song Yifeng. At this time, she didn't want to escape for the time being because she wanted to see if they could really do that to directly defeat the powerful Europeans?
——————————
(?ω?)
Chapter completed!