All eyes were fixed on the twenty or thirty thick ropes hanging from the top of the cliff. That was Zheng Zhilong’s hope. He stood on the deck of the "Nanhai" and saw all the ropes hanging down, and immediately let the flag bearer down the climber. command.
The three cantons lined up, the anchors were dropped, the hulls were firmly fixed, and they leaned quietly at the place closest to the coastline. The soldiers on the second deck were numerous and not messy. They had already done so. With everything ready, I saw the semaphore uploaded from the flagship, and with the help of my companion, he immediately tied the string under his arm, grabbed the thick string with both hands, and began to try to climb upwards.
The first group of climbers were basically soldiers with outstanding arms and physical strength. Although they could not climb as fast as Zhu Youjian’s guards, in Zheng Zhilong’s eyes, they did not shame him. After all, they had never experienced this. Training.
In about a stick of incense, the climbing soldiers had all reached the top. The marlins were pulled by the stones and returned to the vicinity of the deck. The second group of soldiers was ready to climb.
Jin Hao, the commander of the Marine Corps, came to say goodbye to Zheng Zhilong. He was the commander of the surprise attack. "Commander, the soldiers have already landed, and the subordinates cannot fall behind most of the soldiers."
"Jin Hao, you are going deep alone, with no backup and no supplies." Zheng Zhilong is not worried about how strong the Aceh army is. What he is most worried about is the terrain of Aceh. "The place where you landed should be called Shigri. It’s only one or two hundred miles away from Aceh. Let’s see if you can raid Aceh..."
"Commander, my subordinates remember!" Jin Hao saluted as he waited for Zheng Zhilong's final explanation.
"There is only one way forward in front of you. Regardless of whether you capture Aceh or not, you have to turn to the south and meet the Marines in the south. That is the only way for you to go home." Zheng Zhilong always feels that he can't finish talking. You must pay attention to concealment. If Aceh’s army has not surrendered, the best time to join the battle is when the two armies are in fierce fighting. At this time, it is the easiest to defeat the enemy!"
"Subordinates understand!"
"This is in Aceh. It is necessary to set off lightly. Each soldier’s equipment is a flintlock, a hundred bullets, a war knife, and three days of dry food and clean water. If the food and clean water are gone, only I can supply it on-site in Aceh!" Zheng Zhilong thought for a while, and felt that there was nothing missing. Then he handed a wooden box to Jin Hao, "Here is a compass and a map. It will show you the direction."
Jin Hao took the wooden box and recalled Zheng Zhilong's words again, "Subordinates remembered it!"
"Okay, go!"
Like an ape, Jin Hao climbed several ships and came to the Canton ship under the thick ropes. This is the success of three groups of soldiers on the summit. There are more thick and thin ropes hanging from the cliff, and the soldiers' climbing efficiency is more efficient. High, "Hurry up, everyone, once the night falls and the road is not clear, the climbing speed will slow down. Try to get most of the soldiers to climb the cliff before it gets dark!"
"Yes, group seat!"
The soldiers agreed. Some soldiers who felt they had good arm strength did not wait for the string to hang down from the top of the cliff. They climbed the thick rope directly. Jin Hao waited to stop it, but watched the soldiers climb to the top ten in one breath. Step, and let them go.
Zhu Youjian looked far away from the flagship. At this moment, on every thick rope, there were several soldiers climbing upwards, like a candied haw, "Is this Jin Hao in a hurry? Climbing like this. The soldiers are afraid it is not safe, right?"
"Master, Jin Hao probably hopes that more soldiers will reach the summit before dark!" Wang Mujiu replaced Zheng Zhilong and stood beside Zhu Youjian. Fu Xiaojian left, and he also served as Zhu Youjian's personal guard.
What Zhu Youjian was worried about did not happen. Although some climbing soldiers fell from halfway down the road, they only fell in single digits, and the wastage was not too great.
When it was getting dark, Zhu Youjian estimated that more than half of the soldiers had already reached the top of the cliff. As long as they set up a defensive formation on the top of the cliff, the soldiers behind would be safe. The superior equipment should not suffer.
Zheng Zhilong returned to the flagship in a small boat. Seeing that Zhu Youjian was still on the deck, he knew that he had placed too much expectation on this sneak attack. "Master, it's getting dark, do you want the ship to go back?"
Zhu Youjian raised his head to look up at the western sky. The sun has been buried in the clouds or blocked by the ridge. There is only a sunset glow on the horizon. Looking through the treetops on the cliff top, it is flaming red.
Hundreds of soldiers have gathered on the top of the cliff. Even if they meet the soldiers in Aceh, the artillery on the ship cannot provide support. Only they know the defense area of the Marine Corps. "Most ships go back and leave a few. The ship, ready to contact them at any time."
There is no wharf in the northern part of Sumuduthorn Island. The ships can only withdraw to Malacca. In addition to the three transport ships, Zheng Zhilong also left three blessing ships and dozens of Cangshan ships. These ships are small in size and fast sailing. , And scattered on the sea, ready to make contact with the Marine Corps soldiers who landed anytime and anywhere.
Because the Marine Corps soldiers had already occupied the vicinity of the cliff top, Fu Xiaojian took the guards back to Zhu Youjian's side. They were only defending Zhu Youjian's safety, and fighting was a matter for the Marine Corps.
By the time he returned to Malacca City, it was already the third afternoon. Zhu Youjian did not disturb the civilian officials in the city, but temporarily lived in a military camp outside the city. The long sea voyage made him feel unable to tell. Tired, ate hastily, and lay down on the spacious camp bed to rest.
By this time, more than half of the southern tour had been completed.
It may have been a long time tossed by the wind and waves, Zhu Youjian couldn't sleep for a while, he simply sat up, leaned against the bed, closed his eyes and meditated.
He is not very concerned about the war between the Marines and the Acehnese. If the sneak attack is successful, this kind of beheading may immediately end the war. Even if the sneak attack is unsuccessful, it does not matter. The conquest of Aceh is just a matter of time. The small Aceh has a population of only tens of thousands. Even if they are slaughtered, Daming will have a complete Su Mudu thorn island.
Malacca is the southernmost point of this southern tour. Leaving Malacca is the return route to the north. Should I go to Myanmar by sea or land? Zhu Youzhen filters a rough map of the Malay Peninsula in his mind. Is the sea here a trade route? Are there any Westerner trading bases along the coast
If you go by land, can you drop by to inspect Daiyan Province? Are the people of Daiyan Province really sincerely surrendering to Daming as Zheng Zhilong said
After the layout of Lanzhu Province, Zhu Youjian now pays most attention to Burma Province, which is the closest passage from the inland of Ming Dynasty to the Indian Ocean.
Zhang Zhu, the deputy commander of the South China Sea Fleet, has been ordered to lead a small fleet to Myanmar. He not only needs to familiarize himself with the seas around Daguang, but also build the Daguang military port. I don’t know what is going on now.
When thinking about problems, the brain may be more tired. I don't know when, Zhu Youjian fell asleep in a daze. It was not until Fu Xiaojian pushed in the door that he was awakened.
"Little Jian, what time is it now?"
"It's you time now, it's dark already!" Fu Xiaojian whispered: "Master, Commander Zheng has been invited several times to ask Master when he will go to eat."
"It's dark already?" Zhu Youzhen rubbed his eyes, and the room had been changed to candlelight. "Master, get up, Xiaojian will go and fetch some clean water."
"Yes." Fu Xiaojian turned and exited.
Zhu Youjian got up and moved his body slightly. Fu Xiaojian had come in with the basin. He washed his face and followed Fu Xiaojian to the meal.
The dinner was prepared in the dining hall of the barracks. This is a small room with a small space. A square table is placed in the center. With a few benches around, the remaining space is less than five feet.
Zheng Zhilong and Wang Mujiu were waiting in the small room early in the morning. When they saw Zhu Youjian, they immediately got up and said, "Master, do you have dinner now?"
"Yeah." Zhu Youjian unceremoniously sat down in the main seat.
Zheng Zhilong waved his hand, and then some soldiers brought bowls and dishes, including soup, must have more than 20 dishes.
Zhu Youjian has carefully read that apart from the common chicken, duck and fish meat dishes, there are still some unfamiliar ones. It may be seafood. Vegetables account for more than half, and they are also delicious in color and flavor.
The serving size of each dish is not too much. The dishes are all white porcelain, which is smaller than the household ones and looks very delicate.
Zhu Youzhen frowned slightly. If he had a choice, he would rather have a meal with the soldiers than to be isolated in such a private room. "Zhilong, why is it so extravagant?"
"The identity of the master is different. It has always been... It has never been..." Zheng Zhilong said, "I don't know that these dishes can suit the taste of the Lord. Nanyang is a barren land, and it is inferior to the capital..."
"Zhilong is interested!" Zhu Youjian then remembered his identity. In the palace, which meal is not a hundred dishes? The palace is the real extravagance and waste. Compared with the palace, the barracks here can only be regarded as shabby. "Zhilong, my Lord is to see the people from all over the South Asia, not to inspect the food and products of Nanyang. If it’s for the dishes, why does the Lord have to travel far away?"
"Master, let's not take it as an example," Zheng Zhilong smiled at Zhu Youjian, "Master, during this period of time, walking with the soldiers on the sea, it is too hard, so the subordinates specially ordered the cook to make a few more fresh vegetables, let the master Adjust the taste."
"In that case, the master will taste the delicacy of this Nanyang, but we have said that, let's not take it as an example. The soldiers can eat, and the master can eat it," Zhu Youjian stretched out the bamboo chopsticks and clamped a piece of white, uneven surface. The fish fillet, gently served in the mouth, is crispy and tender, it seems to be sea cucumber, "Well, it tastes good, and the heat is right. There are chefs of this level in the barracks?"
"Lord, the cook was invited from a restaurant in the city," Zheng Zhilong smiled wryly, "Master, would you like some drinks? It's a pity that there is no distilled alcohol here!"
"You... You..." Zhu Youjian pointed at Zheng Zhilong, shaking his head and laughing, "Wine is free." He tasted a few more vegetables, which tasted light and just right. "These dishes are good, Zhilong, Mu Jiu, you guys eat too, don’t just watch, there are so many dishes, you can’t finish it alone!"
"Yes, Lord."
In front of Zhu Youjian, Zheng Zhilong was a little more gentle, while Wang Mujiu swallowed, as if he had just been released from prison. He didn't taste it at all, and swept all the chickens and ducks out of the plate after a while.
"Hey, my lord, these days at sea, there are so many pickles, my subordinates have long been tired of eating it!"
"Mu Jiu, you have only been at sea for more than a month, but the soldiers of the South China Sea Fleet are at sea all year round," Zhu Youjian suddenly remembered, "Zhilong, it is hard to eat fresh vegetables at sea. There is a way: Many mung beans and soybeans are prepared on the boat and soaked in clean water. Bean sprouts can be produced all year round, but within ten days, they can grow to five or six inches."