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Chapter 1305 Hospital Knights Join

A fleet with a white octagonal cross flag on a red background appeared on the sea. Their number of ships was only a dozen or so. It really didn't look like the legendary Ottoman navy with more than 200 galleys.

"The flag of the Knights of Malta!" exclaimed someone who knew the ancient logo of the Knights.

"Why didn't the Spaniards come, but the Hospitallers from the island of Malta?" Sir Pennington was very pleasantly surprised.

"Is it the Knights of Malta or the Knights of the Hospital?" The officers and soldiers of the Fourth Fleet such as Sun Xu and Zheng Zhibao didn't know much about this organization.

"They are not an independent kingdom or force. When they were first created, they were just a charitable organization that took care of the wounded, that is, the Knights of the Hospital. Later, it became a military organization and participated in the Crusades. They did not have their own fiefs. , can only wander around, and now leased the island of Malta from the Kingdom of Sicily, which is now the Knights of Malta."

"On the way to Algiers, the ship we drove off the pirates and rescued was a ship of the Knights of Malta. They must have judged that our target was Algiers based on the direction we were sailing, so they also came to participate. Fight." Sir Pennington felt a lot more relaxed when he saw that it was the fleet of the Knights of Malta.

"Is the Knights of Malta here to help us?" The officer of the Fourth Fleet was a little puzzled.

"Probably yes, they are natural enemies with the Ottoman Empire and the Barbary pirates. The Knights of Malta are like a nail firmly nailed to the Mediterranean, preventing the further expansion of the Ottoman Empire in the Mediterranean. The Ottoman Emperor used more than ten The island of Malta cannot be conquered even though it is besieged by ten thousand armies. If we can eradicate the Ottoman Empire's influence in Algiers, they should be happy to help us." Sir Pennington confirmed.

"The situation on your side is really complicated." The officers of the Fourth Fleet looked at each other, and they all felt that the Western Ocean at this time was simply a chaotic war among nations, and there were military organizations without territories like the Knights.

However, chaos will return to chaos, as long as you can tell whether you are an enemy or a friend.

The arrival of the naval fleet of the Knights of Malta seems to be able to solve the problem caused by the unwillingness of the Spaniards to provide ship support.

Their fleet broke down at a distance from the United Fleet, and one of the large galleys sailed towards the United Fleet.

Several members of the Order of Malta boarded the ironclad that served as the headquarters of the combined fleet.

"God, the hull of this black devil-like warship is actually made of steel!"

"Strange warship, a structure that has never been seen before!"

Members of the Knights of Malta yelled.

The iron-clad ship passed by them before, but at that time they just thought that the length of the ship was a bit surprising, but they didn't expect it to be an iron ship.

"If you guess correctly, you should be the Knights of Malta." Sir Pennington went up and said.

"Castella, Grand Master of the Hospital Knights, thank you for saving us from pirates." A middle-aged knight gave medieval knight etiquette to naval officers and British nobles.

Even the nobles of England such as Pennington are not very familiar with the etiquette of the Middle Ages. Compared with the Knights of the Hospitaller who have always adhered to the ancient etiquette, they have a sense of age.

"At that time, we just happened to pass by, and there was no thanks. These people are Chinese from the Far East, and they are professional soldiers." Sir Pennington introduced the officers of the Fourth Fleet to the Knights of Malta.

"The Chinese people in the Far East? Are they the people who lived in the ancient and prosperous place described by Marco Polo? It turns out that the flag hoisted on this ship is a symbol related to the East." Castella said. It suddenly dawned on me.

"It's the first time we met. I'm very interested in your ships. I don't know if I can hire your ships to participate in the battle. If your ships are damaged during the battle, we will compensate you for the losses." Sun Xu told the Knights of Malta The head of the Grand Regiment is not interested in anything. For him, the ships brought by the Knights of Malta are the most important.

The Knights of Malta have been active in the Mediterranean region for a long time. Most of their warships are also suitable for combat on the coast near the Mediterranean Sea, and they are just used for beach landing operations.

Castella was surprised by Sun Xu's directness, and asked curiously: "Are you gathering in Algiers to destroy the pirates here?"

"We have encountered some small troubles. Algiers is a fortress that Pasha appointed by the Ottoman Empire painstakingly managed and built. They deployed heavy troops along the coastline, especially guarding the forts. We lack enough boats that can sail in shallow water to go to the beach. Send troops." Sir Pennington explained to the Knights of Malta the thorny problems they are now encountering.

After a few simple discussions, Grand Master Castella and several members of the Knights who boarded the ship agreed to send out ships and people to assist the United Fleet in capturing Algiers.

Their Knights specially brought their own fleet here, the original purpose was to participate in the ranks of dealing with the Barbary pirates, and there was no reason to reject the joint fleet's request.

"We don't need you to compensate our warships and members for the losses in the battle, but we need to participate in dividing the spoils. The life of our Knights in Malta is relatively difficult, and our members also need to support their families..." Castella Said embarrassingly.

"As long as Algiers is captured, I believe the spoils captured will satisfy you." The United Fleet said, patting his chest.

How to divide Algiers' loot depends on how much compensation can be demanded from Algiers this time, and the looting of pirates is also considered as loot.

The dragon flag, the rice flag, and the octagonal cross flag, the combined fleet actually involved three forces joining forces to deal with Algiers.

Ships of the Knights of Malta appear out to sea!The pirates who were in charge of observing the movement of the United Fleet noticed that the battleship of the Octagonal Cross Flag had joined the United Fleet, and became more and more panicked!

The Britons and Chinese were not familiar with the terrain of the Mediterranean, and the pirates still had an advantage, but the addition of the Knights of Malta gave the United Fleet the ships and sailors to fight in shallow waters!
"According to the agreement, as long as the surprise attack team is in place, they will launch an attack on the western streets of Algiers during the high tide, and our beach troops will carry out the largest storm on the South Fort when the defenders of the other side panic. This is With the support of the ships of the Knights, we can even transport 600 to 1000 people to the shore at one time, and even a frontal attack has a chance of winning!"

After the Knights of Malta joined, the situation became clear. If the surprise attack team was successful, the navy would immediately cooperate with the surprise attack team to attack the city.If the raiding party fails, the combined fleet, newly acquired by the Knights of Malta, will make another comeback.

(End of this chapter)