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Chapter 1374 Battle of Enbird Port 3
If only I could command it myself, I could first divide the fleet in two, then close the engagement distance to 200 meters, and use the advantage of the naval guns to focus on attacking enemy ships in a certain area, and quickly create two gaps in this battle line that is more than ten kilometers long.

After breaking through the blockade, they used their superior turning and speed to head west towards the port area, launching close-range attacks on the cargo ships that were launching a landing operation. With strong westerly winds blowing, the bulky European warships were slow to turn and move, and by the time they returned, they would likely only find a sea of ​​Allied soldiers' corpses.

There was no chance of rescue. Late September is still winter in the Southern Hemisphere. The water temperature is very low due to the cold air mass. It would freeze a person in less than five minutes. No matter how good a swimmer is, it would be useless.

Without the cargo ships to transport the landing troops, the enemy's offensive is effectively halved. The remaining time can be spent slowly wearing them down at sea. Once the reinforcements from the Seychelles naval base arrive, it will be time to hunt them on the high seas!
He had eagerly applied for a position in the garrison fleet, aiming for military merit, and he actually landed the job—a truly brilliant move. However, the fleet commander became an obstacle. Not only did he avoid direct combat with the enemy, but he also refused to return to port to reinforce it. What good was it to just patrol the outskirts and occasionally sink or damage a few enemy ships?
“The enemy most wants to fight us to the death, but is most afraid of dragging things out…” Before Yan Busi could give his opinion, a new answer came from the left.

"Hmm...?" Even though Yan Busi knew it was the new second mate speaking, he still turned around to look.

The main reason is that this young man is so distinctive in appearance: a large head, a long neck, and thin arms and legs, perfectly inheriting his father's features. In the navy, there's no need to mention his background; 9% of officers of the rank of commander or above can recognize him at a glance, and at least 4% of the sailors have the same eye for him.

Many years ago, a young man with a similar appearance also appeared in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. His identity was very mysterious and he had a lot of power. Most people did not know his name, but only his nickname, Wang Datou!
That's right, this young second mate is Wang Datou's eldest son, named Wang Joseph. The name sounds strange, doesn't it? Actually, it's not strange at all. This child is not of Chinese descent. His mother is Portuguese. Although she never married Wang Datou, she carried him for ten months and gave birth to a son.

He was only recognized as a member of the royal family and given a name after receiving the emperor's permission. Joseph was his mother's name; she was actually named Josephine, but it was a bit too strange to name a boy Josephine, so they simply dropped the word.

Anyway, that Portuguese woman had already returned to her country, leaving the child only a silver necklace with the family name on it. She probably didn't intend for the child to ever go to Europe to recognize his ancestors and inherit a noble title or anything like that.

"Commander, please don't be offended. I was just saying it casually, I didn't mean it..."

Although he looked a lot like Wang Datou when he was young, Wang Joseph's personality was much softer and he didn't seem very brave because of his different living environment. He even backed down after being stared at by Yan Busi, who didn't look fierce.

"Whether you take it seriously or not is not up to you. Explain it in detail... Lower the sail a little more, just until we're within range of the ship's guns, but don't get too close!"

Yan Busi didn't give Wang Yue a chance to back down. He ordered the fleet to slow down while lowering the hood of his raincoat to shield himself from the water mist blown away by the wind. At the same time, he didn't forget to continue asking questions.

To be honest, he didn't like Joseph Wang very much. Besides feeling that he was a bit frail and introverted, making him unsuitable for life at sea, he was mainly wary of Wang Datou. Who would want to have the son of the country's biggest spy chief by their side all the time, even if he was just an illegitimate child? The thought made him uncomfortable.

However, out of instinct, he did not want to actively exclude his subordinate officers. Moreover, apart from not being very talkative, Joseph Wang was quite reliable in his work. At least he could complete his tasks in full and never showed any signs of being cunning or lazy, nor did he ever flaunt his father's name.

He hadn't even mentioned Wang Datou's name once. Apart from the two staff officers in charge of personnel management, only he himself had seen Wang Datou's file. "Just speak when I tell you to. Why are you looking at me? Commander, I'm going to check the sea conditions on the foredeck. The wind seems stronger than this morning. Could it really be a storm coming?" The navigator spoke up again, still as unpleasant as ever, but his excuse was so good that no one could stop him.

“According to historical records, there have been zero near-shore storms at the end of September…” Wang Joseph gave the answer softly, watching the navigator’s back.

"Never mind him, come on, squat down and let's talk. If you were the fleet commander, how would you fight this battle?"

As the navigator, how could he not know about the weather changes over the years? That's impossible, so Yan Busi didn't pay any attention to the departing figure at all, but instead pulled the second mate to squat behind the helmsman.

The Han-class warships were much better at sea than the Qin-class, but they still couldn't get rid of the defects of low forecastle and low sterncastle. When encountering headwinds and high sea states, the waves that were cut by the bow would be swept from the bow to the stern by the wind.

Even wearing raincoats and rain pants, and then taking off the rain hat, you'd still get soaked to the bone, and if you weren't careful, you might even swallow a mouthful of bitter seawater. Only the area behind the helmsman was slightly better, provided the helmsman didn't have an upset stomach.

"It has been exactly 11 months since I was transferred to the garrison fleet. During this time, I have accompanied the patrol fleet westward three times, the most recent time being last month. I can guarantee with my head that there are absolutely no traces of European ships within 800 kilometers, let alone any ports or docks."

Therefore, the enemy must have come from somewhere on the west coast of Africa, 800 kilometers away, most likely in the coastal area of ​​Namibia. Any further and they wouldn't be able to resupply, any closer and they'd be easily detected.

The Namibian coast is bordered by the Benguela Current, a cold current moving northward. Based on current understanding of the general performance of European sailing ships, the average speed would not exceed 6 knots, and the daily journey would be no more than 260 kilometers, requiring at least 4 days to reach this point.

It's now the third day since they arrived, at least seven days since they set off. The warships and raiding ships are certainly getting supplies, but the situation is less certain for the landing troops transported on the cargo ships. If the siege drags on, they'll all face starvation, leaving them with no choice but to retreat.

The fortifications at Enbird Harbor are numerous and were designed from the outset to defend against naval attacks. They were also designed to hold out for at least a month without fleet protection, giving reinforcements from the Seychelles base enough time to arrive.

In my humble opinion, the concern should not be for the port area, but for Enbird City. Its defenses are far weaker than the port's, and the proportion of Khwarazmian warriors among its defenders is excessively high. While their military skills and physical fitness are perfectly adequate, their discipline is lacking, and I fear they might not be able to fully obey orders in crucial moments.

Once Enbird City falls, besides the loss of a large amount of weaponry, equipment, and supplies, the port will also be completely isolated, unable to receive help from the Xhosa. If the enemy knows how to use the spoils and has people familiar with the port to guide them, they might be able to breach the trenches and fortified defenses, at least part of them.

(End of this chapter)