***
Shortly after Zheng Sihai's main force left Fusu Port, the Dutch and Sulu joint fleet arrived outside Fusu Bay.
There was a sturdy artillery battery built by the Spaniards in Fusu Bay, but the Qin army was superior to the Spaniards in both weapons and manpower.
Commander-in-chief of the Dutch Eastern Fleet, Carlo, wisely gave up the attack on Fusu Port and chose to continue northward.
He had already found out that the Qin army had a squadron along the coast of Biyao and further north. He also intended to attack the coast of Daqin in the north and force the Daqin navy into a decisive battle.
Zheng Sihai would certainly not flee far away, but he did not immediately engage in a decisive battle with the Dutch. Instead, he played a game of cat and mouse with the Dutch on the sea.
However, who is the cat and who is the mouse depends on the outcome, and there is no conclusion yet.
That night, nearly a hundred large and small warships of Zheng Sihai anchored near Huangyan Reef. After deploying small boats for warning on the periphery, Zheng Sihai summoned battalion commanders including Tong Haifeng, Chen Hui, Lin Youmei, and Zhang Yao to discuss matters.
All the curtains in the cabin were drawn to prevent light from leaking out.
Zheng Sihai said first: "My South China Sea Fleet has the responsibility to defend the territory. His Majesty has already declared in the Golden Palace that the South China Sea is just a bathing pool in His Majesty's imperial garden. If we allow the enemy to roam the South China Sea without any way to stop it, how can we explain to His Majesty
On the other hand, nowadays, the merchant ships of our Great Qin are traveling frequently in the entire South China Sea. If the Dutch warships are allowed to continue to run rampant, it will have a serious impact on the trade of our Great Qin. The longer it takes, the greater the loss of our Great Qin. You all understand. "
What Zheng Sihai said are indeed issues that cannot be ignored, but what he is most worried about is that the Dutch will attack the southeast coast. Once the Dutch burn, kill and loot on the southeast coast, his position as the admiral of the South China Sea Fleet will be over.
Of course, none of the battalion commanders can escape responsibility, as they are all in the same boat.
You know, many ministers in the court have always been dissatisfied with the emperor's vigorous development of the navy. If it is proved that the navy, which the emperor has high hopes for, is incapable of guarding the sea gates, then the navy will definitely become the target of public criticism.
Zhang Hui continued, "Admiral, the small warships of Sulu are numerous, like a colony of ants, which is very troublesome. They will offset the assault capabilities of our small and medium-sized warships. So I think we should first find a way to annihilate this group of ants, and then we can have a decisive battle with the Dutch, and our chances of winning will be much greater."
Lin Youmei, the commander of the second battalion, also said: "I agree with General Zhang's opinion. The Dutch and the Sulu people must not have much tacit understanding in cooperation. We can use the method of fighting and leaving, and continuously attack the Sulu boats from the outside. It would be best if we could find an opportunity to launch a night attack and get rid of these ants at once."
Zheng Sihai said: "This opportunity would only be possible if the enemy dropped anchor for the night. Now it seems that the enemy has no intention of dropping anchor for the night. They are heading north day and night."
Tong Haifeng pondered and said, "Admiral, in fact, even if the enemy does not drop anchor at night, it is still possible to attack them. As long as we can find a suitable sea area, we can do a lot. The Dutch warships are generally larger than ours, and they sink when they are deep. There are many reefs in the South China Sea that small boats can enter, but large ships cannot. If it is a night battle, using these reefs, it is easy to separate the Dutch large ships from the Sulu small boats and defeat them one by one."
***
Napoleon Bonaparte once said: Never think that your enemy is dumber than you.
If the Dutch were stupid, they would not have been able to stand out among the Western countries and become the world's maritime hegemon of this era.
If Calant had been stupid, he would not have become commander-in-chief of the Dutch Eastern Fleet.
That's what war is like. When you are calculating others, others may also be calculating you.
Less than seventy miles away from the Huangyan Reef, hundreds of large and small warships led by Calant were densely packed on the sea surface.
In order to prevent collisions, a lamp is hung on each ship. From a distance, the ocean surface looks dotted with lights, just like countless stars twinkling on the sea.
On Calant's flagship, the soldiers brought two cups of coffee. Captain McCoy served Calant one cup first, then took one cup for himself and tasted it elegantly. He asked casually, "Commander, where do you think Zheng Sihai's fleet is now?"
“Scarlet Shoal.”
McCos nearly choked on his coffee halfway through. He asked in disbelief, "How can you be sure, Commander, that Zheng Sihai's fleet is at Huangyan Reef?"
"I'm not sure." Karant glanced at the dark sea outside the porthole, and then continued, "But I believe my intuition is correct. Zheng Sihai is most likely anchored at Huangyan Reef at this moment."
McCos became more and more curious. He put down his coffee cup and asked seriously, "Excuse me, Commander, can you tell me where your intuition comes from?"
"I have a friend in Amsterdam who used to be poor and often went hungry. Later he went to America and made a lot of money and became a rich man, but he still had the habit of hiding food in his bedroom. When he went out, he would always choose hotels that were close to restaurants."
"Commander, does this have anything to do with your judgment that Zheng Sihai is anchored at Huangyan Reef?" McCos asked very humbly.
"This is a subconscious mind deeply rooted in the human soul. Once formed, it is difficult to eliminate. As far as I know, Zheng Sihai has not had much experience in ocean voyages. At most, he has cruised in the coastal waters for a few years. It is unlikely that he can get rid of this subconscious mind of human beings.
Zheng Sihai led his fleet out of the port of Manila, but avoided fighting. They had defeated Wilson before, so it was impossible for them to flee back to Qin as soon as they heard of our arrival.
I guess he must have weighed the strength of both sides and decided to cruise around us and look for opportunities to launch a surprise attack. I have to admit that Zheng Sihai made a very wise decision.
Captain McCauss, please look at the sea map. There are no islands near this sea area, only one Huangyan Reef, so I guess if Zheng Sihai ordered a night mooring to recuperate, he would definitely choose the Huangyan Reef area. "
"But, Commander, it's just a small reef."
"Yes, in your eyes and mine, it's just a reef. But for people who don't have long-term sailing experience and are not completely accustomed to the ocean, it is a support. At least in their subconscious, they feel at ease because of the existence of this reef."
If Zheng Sihai and the others heard what Karant said, they would definitely open their eyes wide, open their mouths, and be stunned until their saliva flowed all over the floor and they forgot to close their mouths.
Compared to someone like Karant who has traveled the world and fought countless storms, Zheng Sihai and the others are indeed too young. The gap has nothing to do with personal intelligence, but only with experience.
No matter how smart a person is, it is difficult for him to have such awareness if he has not fought against the raging waves in the ocean, because it is human nature to dock at the shore or island, and everyone thinks it is natural and will not reflect on this behavior in depth.
"Commander, what if Zheng Sihai is not at Huangyan Reef?" McCos was still a little uncertain.
"Will their absence from the Scarborough Shoal cause any loss to us? We have only deviated from our route a little."
"That's right." McCos suddenly became energetic, picked up the coffee and finished it, then said, "Commander, please allow me to lead a warship to attack from the west and encircle the enemy at Huangyan Reef."
"As you wish, Captain McCauss, the enemy will definitely send out small boats to guard the periphery. Please make sure to conceal the lights on your ship to avoid being discovered by the enemy in advance."
"Commander, you are the most intelligent fleet commander I have ever met. This time we will definitely be able to annihilate Zheng Sihai's fleet."
McCoy took the opportunity to flatter the emperor and then hurried out of the cabin. After sending a message by light, half an incense stick of time later, McCoy took one-third of the warships and left the main fleet, sailing westward, preparing to encircle Huangyan Reef.
At this moment, Zheng Sihai and his men, who were anchored near Huangyan Reef, never dreamed that a small reef would become the coordinates for the enemy to locate their position;
They were unaware that they were about to be surrounded and were still discussing how to separate the small boats that were attacking the Sulus.
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ps: I will post two chapters first, and there will be another chapter today. If my writing state is good, there will even be two chapters. Please support me with monthly tickets, and I ask my brothers to help me keep the eighth place in the category!
.(To be continued..)
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