The watchman's shout woke up many people, and all the pirates rushed out of the nacelle after hearing the news. Some of them ran up with bare legs before they even had time to put on their clothes.
Annie and Zhang Heng were already standing on the deck, and the latter was holding a copper telescope, looking at the dark shadow in the distance.
"How?" Billy's tone was a little nervous.
"The visibility is too low right now, so I can't see the details clearly, and I can't be sure if it's the ship." Zhang Heng said, and at the same time handed the binoculars in his hand to the helmsman beside him.
The weather tonight is not good, and there are almost no stars overhead. Under such circumstances, it is already a miracle that the lookout can find the other party, but it is impossible to get more information.
There are still about four hours before dawn, and Zhang Heng does not intend to take risks. First, because of the current view, shooting is basically a gamble on luck. Even the best gunner may not be able to hit one shot out of ten. It's a waste of shells, after all, it's all money. In addition, if you really accidentally sink the opponent at this time, it will be even more fun if you can't get the goods on board in time, so you said, " Follow it closely first, and be careful not to enter the opponent's range."
Billy and the others had no objection to this. If there was no problem with the news from the businesswoman, the spice ship only had a dozen 6-pound and 9-pounder guns, which were far inferior to the Jackdaw in terms of firepower, so there was no need to storm it in the middle of the night. , it is safer to wait until the daytime, after all, I have been chasing him for so long, and I am not in a hurry at this moment.
Zhang Hengjia sent a watchman, a group of two, to rotate once an hour to keep an eye on the ship not far away, and the rest of them let them continue to go back to rest and prepare for the big battle after dawn.
However, most of the pirates have no sleepiness at this moment. After drifting on the sea for more than a month, the pessimistic atmosphere on the ship is getting stronger and stronger. Many people are ready to return empty-handed, but unexpectedly they are about to give up. When I saw hope again, I couldn't help worrying about gains and losses. After returning to the hammock, many pirates tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, so they simply took out their weapons and started maintenance.
About a quarter of an hour later, the watchman on the opposite side should have also spotted the Jackdaw behind him, and the ship suddenly started to speed up. Billy and the others were not surprised but delighted. The black flag was raised, and the vision was so bad, not only could they not see the situation on the ship in front, but the other party probably couldn't figure out where they came from.
However, under such a situation, the other party resolutely made the decision to run away, which only explained one problem-that is, the things on that ship were absolutely valuable, even if they were not spices, they would be other things.
Those who were still on the deck couldn't help being shocked when they saw this.
After the ship fled for a while, he found helplessly that the distance between himself and the uninvited guest behind him was not widened, but was still shrinking.
At this time, they can probably see that what is chasing them is a warship, and they are only armed merchant ships, and they are full of cargo. The maximum speed is only 4 to 5 knots, and it is impossible to escape, so they simply gritted their teeth The speed of the ship was reduced again, and at the same time, the ship was turned sideways with full left rudder, exposing the side guns, ready to make a final fight.
In a normal fight, this armed merchant ship is definitely not the opponent of the warship behind, but now the night has become their best cover, and no one can see who is right now. The gunpowder magazine, the battle situation can be reversed immediately.
The people on board knew very well that this was their last chance. Once the sun rose, there would be no suspense about the outcome. However, they didn't expect that the warship would slow down after seeing them slow down. It was very cunning. It started to swim around, like a shark smelling blood, not eager to attack.
Seeing the passage of time, the situation of the merchant ship became more and more passive. If they wanted to fight but could not escape, everyone on board became more and more desperate.
At the same time, the Jackdaw was also making the final preparations for the upcoming battle. The sailor in charge of the helm strictly followed the captain's orders, and manipulated the Jackdaw to firmly bite the prey in front of her. Wandering around, the merchant ship on the opposite side fired a few tentative shots, but unfortunately they couldn't even find where the shells landed, so they had no choice but to stop.
The two sides remained in a stalemate like this, and waited until the sky turned pale. Zhang Heng finally confirmed through the telescope that this was the spice ship they were looking for.
From the size of the opponent's ship, to the national flag it hoisted, and the number of cannons on the ship, it was almost the same as the information provided by the businesswoman. After getting the news, all the pirates on the ship couldn't help cheering, sweeping away the previous Anxiety and confusion.
After so many days of torment and waiting, the harvest finally paid off. The morale on the Jackdaw continued to rise at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Zhang Heng stood at the bow of the boat and checked the battle plan with Billy, Annie and the others for the last time.
"... We first launched two rounds of artillery attacks, targeting their masts and decks. The purpose is to make their ships lose power and kill as many people on board as possible. Be careful not to damage their hull structures. If the spices in the warehouse If it is soaked in water, it won’t be able to sell at a good price. When the other party can’t hold the gunfire and surrenders, we will let the Jackdaw approach and organize people to board the ship...”
After Zhang Heng finished speaking, he looked at Karina, who was on the sidelines. The businesswoman had already woken up from the wine, but she was still a little dazed by recalling what happened in the captain's cabin before. She vaguely remembered what she had done last night. It seems that he has talked a lot of messy things, and he can't help but feel anxious, wondering if this will have any bad influence on the other party's heart.
But then the latter said to her, "Your identity is more sensitive, you should go to the captain's cabin first, remember to close the window, and don't be seen by the other side."
Zhang Heng also needs a businesswoman to help him sell his loot to various ports in the colony. It is already very risky for the latter to board the Jackdaw to show up in front of the pirates, and this move is enough to prove her sincerity of cooperation, but if she is contacted again later There is no need for the businessman to see it, and the other party will directly report the matter of meeting her to the customs. At that time, she will have no other choice but to become a pirate.
Karina obviously understood this too, so she didn't insist on anything, thanked her, and walked off the deck.
When everything was ready, Zhang Heng nodded to Billy, "Put the gunner in place, let's start."