unclear

Chapter 1239 Change of plan
"Captain, Mercer is still on board, why don't you let him go?" As the saying goes, old people are cunning and old horses are slippery. Upon hearing this, the boatswain Liang rolled his eyes and made a suggestion.

"...Your Majesty said that people should be kind..." Setel was a little tempted, but a little hesitant.

"Your Majesty is merciful... If you give him a lavish burial, and choose a good feng shui site, and bring tribute to visit him during festivals, it wouldn't be too bad, right? It's worth it for a pirate to be buried in peace and be worshipped after his death!"

Hearing that it was the emperor's intention, Lao Liang had no choice but to agree. But he had a trick. He put himself in Mather's shoes and considered his affairs after his death, and then came to a conclusion: he had no regrets in death!
"That's true... He has no children, no family, and no one to worry about. Even if he didn't die suddenly, he would have lived a lonely life. There is a mountain in my hometown, and there is a temple on the mountain. It is said to be very effective. My father is buried there.

When the time comes, I will ask my brother to buy him a piece of land on the mountain and build a tombstone for him. When I die in the future, I will be buried there and I can have a companion. That’s it, I will go and talk to him!”

Originally, Settle was not a kind person. If the emperor had not opposed it, he would have given up Mather long ago. In addition, he was bewitched by an old villain who was a pirate, and soon found an excuse to make himself feel balanced. Even if the emperor asked about it later, he could still make excuses.

Did Mather have any choice? Of course not. His life was no longer his own from the moment he stepped on the ship. If he obeyed, he might be killed by the Spanish. If he disobeyed, he would be killed by the Ming people immediately.

So he rowed a small boat to the Viceroy of Peru, which was a few hundred meters away. He knew this ship, which usually stayed in the port of Lima to show off its power. It was a thorn in the eyes of the pirates, but they never dared to approach it.

Today, not only do we have to get closer, but we also have to go up and negotiate with the Spanish commander. If he is killed, the captain of the Ming Dynasty promised to buy him a good cemetery and hold a grand funeral.

In fact, Mather didn't care whether there was a cemetery or a funeral. Pirates no longer expected these things. The reason why they were willing to take risks was to fight for a good future for themselves and their brothers. Through these dozens of days of contact and work together, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty seemed to be more trustworthy. Let's trust them for now. What else can a captive ask for!

"This achievement is a bit too great. Listen to me. Don't praise them for being so powerful. Don't find fault with them. You can say whatever you want as long as they don't execute you immediately."

Before Hong Tao's main fleet saw the shadow of the enemy, it received the news of the collective surrender of the Spanish fleet from the communication ship. Then he stood beside the steering column with his hands on his hips for a long time without saying a word.

He was not carried away by the huge victory, but was secretly calculating the gains and losses in his heart. This large-scale naval battle must have contributed a lot, which should have been shared equally by the officers and soldiers who participated in the battle. Even if someone was lucky, it would not be possible to get too much.

But Settle's intervention did not result in bloodshed, and all his military achievements were lost. The other officers and soldiers would not say anything, but they would definitely regard him and Wu Bing as unlucky. They might not realize the serious consequences of the incident, but they could not ignore it.

The honor system is used to reward officers and soldiers for their bravery in battle, so destroying unity is not worth the loss. So we still have to help clean up this shit, not only ourselves, but also the Navy General Staff.

"Students understand... how about bringing dangerous goods on board without authorization? They brought six mines on board and threw them into the sea in front of the Spanish fleet. Unexpectedly, they actually sank two ships.

Although this move shocked the Spanish commander, who thought we had sent demons to hide underwater and attack, and that they could not be countered by human power, this action contributed to the surrender to a certain extent. However, it also seriously violated the regulations on the control of dangerous goods and actually endangered the safety of personnel. According to the law, he should be tried. "As expected of him, he was able to sit in the position of deputy chief of staff of the navy at such a young age. It is difficult to evaluate Bai Fan's character, but his brain is really useful. As soon as the emperor expressed his ideas, he quickly found the corresponding materials.

The consequences of handling this crime can be either light or heavy, and the specific degree of punishment is entirely in the hands of the Navy General Staff, which can be adjusted at any time according to needs.

"It's outrageous! You're treating the lives of all the officers and soldiers on the ship as a joke. This trend must not be allowed to continue and must be taken seriously!" Although Hong Tao didn't like Bai Fan's style of doing things, he couldn't deny his work ability. He immediately frowned and raised his tone as he gave instructions.

In this way, the investigation of the two meritorious captains, Settle and Wu Bing, was no longer Bai Fan's jealousy of talent, but the emperor's decree. Even if someone was dissatisfied, it could not be blamed on the Navy General Staff, and it would not affect the internal unity of the Navy.

"Your Majesty, in addition to this, I have also drafted a plan for how to deal with these ships and prisoners." After helping the emperor deal with his personal affairs, Bai Fan did not forget his official business.

Twenty-one large sailing ships were captured at once, with a total of more than 21 sailors and soldiers. The Navy Staff was responsible for arranging their food, clothing, shelter and transportation, which was a huge workload. They had to arrange it as soon as possible to avoid any more trouble.

"…The plan is fine, but don't execute it for now. I plan to lead the fleet to visit ports such as Lima, Guarquilla, and Panama, and let the Spaniards see who has the final say on the sea.

These ships were escorted to the bay to anchor first, and all the personnel were sent ashore for supervision, and the logistics ships were slowly transported to Pearl Harbor. Tao Daxiang always complained about the lack of craftsmen, but now there are people. If the construction doesn't look good before autumn, what else can he say! "

Hong Tao took the plan and glanced through it, and he recognized Bai Fan's work ability again. Every detail was clearly arranged, and backups were also made.

This person's personality may not be suitable for leading the troops and charging into battle on the front line, but he is definitely qualified to be a steward in the second line to make plans and fill in the gaps. It would be even more perfect if he could change his bad habits of being outspoken and shameless.

"Ah? Going to the port! This, this is not in the plan, and students have no right to decide. Why don't we go back to Pearl Harbor to rest for a few days, and then set sail after we have made a new plan." Upon hearing that the emperor was going to do something weird again, the smirk on Bai Fan's face disappeared immediately, and he began to complain pitifully.

"Don't try to delay the matter. I am the Grand Marshal and have the power to decide on the deployment and combat of any army. Just do as I say. You will see the new plan at breakfast tomorrow. Time is short and the task is heavy. Go and arrange it quickly and don't bargain with me anymore."

Hong Tao didn't believe a word of these suggestions that sounded reasonable. Once you return to Pearl Harbor, you can't get out again. They will come up with all kinds of excuses to prevaricate. For example, the ship needs to be repaired, the supplies need to be replenished, the seconded warships need to return in time, etc. They will delay as long as possible.

(End of this chapter)