I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 539 Some People Have Not Learned the Art of War
One hundred and ten miles north of Malacca, there is a Perak River with a small island at the mouth of the river, which the locals call Pangkor Island.

The Malacca Strait starts from the northwest entrance, which is the sea area of ​​more than 700 miles wide between Cape Fengdao on Yannan Island and Phuket Island in Sam Po Province, and gradually narrows.

Starting from the waters of Pangkor Island, the strait suddenly narrows to a width of 150 miles.

To the south of the strait and along the northern edge of Yannan Island, the coastal terrain is complex and dotted with islands and reefs, so ships generally sail to the north.

Therefore, the waters of Pangkor Island have become a choke point in the Malacca Strait.

It was a little after seven in the morning on March 12th of the first year of the Wanli reign. However, the sea area of ​​Pangkor Island was shrouded in morning mist.

The cold air that has traveled all the way from the north can only be described as cool here, really cool.

At night, the moist water vapor cools into mist, completing its final stubbornness.

As summer gradually approaches, the cold air from the north will not sweep back until the end of the year. Today's fog may be the last fog of spring.

The fog was like a veil, covering the sea. No matter where you looked, it was all foggy. You opened your eyes wide and tried hard, but you still couldn't get through it.

It is like a thick blanket, hanging heavily between heaven and earth, not only blocking your sight, but also blocking your way.

An oblique mast pierced the thick fog, followed by the bow splitting the fog like an axe, and then the hull slowly emerged.

Calderon stood on the poop, looking around in vain, feeling a little nervous.

"What did the lookout say?"

Adjutant Perroca quickly replied: "Governor, the lookout did not ring the bell, there is nothing unusual."

Calderon looked up and saw only one-third of the mast; the rest had disappeared in the thick fog.

"Damn it, why is there such a thick fog here!"

"Baron," Alfonso's smiling face emerged from the thick fog, "Because this is a strait with land on both sides, a lot of water vapor condenses here. When the weather gets cold at night, the water vapor turns into fog."

Calderon glanced at him and asked, "Are you a follower of Leonardo da Vinci?"

"I am the Lamb of God."

Calderon continued, "How far is it from here to Malacca?"

Alfonso replied: "One hundred and ten miles."*
After a pause, he continued, "My Lord Baron, the strait becomes very narrow here, and I am very worried that our fleet will be discovered by the Ming people. Now there is a heavy fog, even if God blesses us, the Ming people will not be able to discover us at all.

By the time the fog cleared, we had already reached the sea outside Malacca, and even if the Ming people discovered us, it would be too late."

"Alfonso, you have finally brought out the best in your bloodline," Calderon praised. "You have not brought shame to your father, and you have lived up to that great and glorious family name."

Damn, stop talking about that old guy, or I'll be angry! If you mention that shameless old Deng again, I'll surrender to the Ming Dynasty immediately!
Calderon seemed to see through Alfonso's thoughts and changed the subject: "After retaking Malacca, I will write to the king to ask for your merit! I will promote you to a higher rank and give you a higher title. I will also reward you with a considerable bonus in the name of the Governor-General's Office of India!"

Just waiting for your words!

Alfonso was very satisfied. He bowed gracefully and said, "Baron, thank you very much for your generosity. I will be your most loyal servant!"

Adjutant Peroka looked on with some jealousy and could not help but ask, "The Ming fleet heading to the northwest of Sumatra that our reconnaissance ship saw yesterday only had 100 ships. Could it be the main force of the Ming?
Will their main force still remain in Malacca Port?"

Only a hundred ships?

The port of Goa plundered all the ships that could be used for combat, hired armed merchant ships from the country, the Netherlands, Spain and the Arabs, and hastily repaired the captured Arab warships and stuffed them in to make up the number, only to gather more than 50 warships.

Do you think the Ming Dynasty's more than 100 warships are so insignificant?

When the war breaks out, you will know how terrifying these more than 100 Ming warships are.

Alfonso wondered in his heart, was it because he had belittled the Ming navy too much, causing everyone to be overconfident and not take the Ming warships seriously at all?
He thought about it and decided to plug any possible loopholes first.

"My Lord Baron, there may be something unexpected happening in the north, so some of their warships were sent back."

"Something happened?"

"My Lord Baron, the Ming Kingdom is in the north, fighting a country called Annan Mo Clan. It is said that the battle is very difficult and hard to resolve.

Moreover, the Ming Dynasty's coastline is very long, longer than the entire Western European coastline, but they only have three or four hundred warships, and they are unable to guard such a long coastal defense.

It is said that a group of Eastern Japanese monkeys took advantage of the gaps in their coastal defenses and ran to the shore to burn, kill and loot. It took them decades to quell the rebellion. "

Calderon nodded: "With such a long coastline, three or four hundred warships are indeed too few.

Fighting against the Annan Mo clan? Are you saying that some of the Ming warships in Malacca were sent there to support them?"

"Yes. The Emperor of Ming was very arrogant. He considered himself the master of this sea area. The Annan Mo family wanted to rebel, so the Emperor of Ming sent troops to attack them."

Calderon nodded. Arab and Dutch ships traveling from Malacca to Goa brought similar news, but the Ming Dynasty temporarily did not allow foreign ships to pass through Malacca, so the news they received had passed through countless hands and was disorganized, making it difficult to distinguish true from false.

Now Alfonso's words made sense, further verifying the previous confusing news, making Calderon believe it.

"Okay, tell all the ships to follow closely. And the ships ahead, drive carefully and don't hit the reefs or shoals."

The sound of bells rang out in the thick fog, and then the sound of bells rising and falling echoed everywhere in the thick fog. This was the response of the ships of the Portuguese fleet.

Around eight o'clock, the fog gradually thinned and visibility became farther and farther. At almost nine o'clock, the fog suddenly disappeared, and the bright sun suddenly took over everything. The temperature rose rapidly, and the sultry heat just now became scorching, and the steamer turned into a teppanyaki.

The "Cerberus" was one of the main battleships of the Portuguese fleet and had been exploring the way ahead.

When the thick fog dissipated, the crew suddenly found that there was something strange about the ship around them.

There were two sculls not far from them, rowing slowly with oars, no sails, just two bare masts.

Hmm, how come our fleet suddenly has two more galleys?
It’s a Ming ship!
The confused Portuguese sailors suddenly reacted.

There was immediate panic on the deck, and the sailors returned to their respective posts.

The battle bells were ringing wildly.

The Ming army on the galley also reacted. Dozens of sailors quickly climbed up the mast like monkeys and put down the sails. The oars on both sides moved faster and the galley rushed forward quickly. The wind was not in the right direction at this time. The Ming galley with half sails was powered by oars, so the speed was much faster. It soon left the slow "Hellhound" and the Portuguese fleet behind.

The "Hellhound" was ready to fire when the two Ming galleys were more than 100 meters ahead. However, the side guns were ineffective, so the captain could only order the bow gun to fire a heavy shot to vent his anger.

These Ming people run so fast!

The sound of the cannon shocked the entire Portuguese fleet as well as Calderón.

"what happened?"

"The vanguard ship Hellhound has spotted the Ming warship!"

"where is it?"

"over there!"

Following the adjutant's finger, Calderon tried his best to search in that direction with his big, kazilan eyes.

Historically, the telescope was not invented until 1609 by the Dutch.

Now, under the guidance of Zhu Yijun, the Ming Dynasty has invented the monocular telescope, which is even equipped to naval captains, army battalion-level officers, and elite scouts - Yebushou. However, it has always been included in the Class A list of strategic military assets prohibited from sale.

Only the Mongols in the south of the desert, the Korean rebels, and the Mo clan of Annan, who had previously fought with the Ming army, had the opportunity to seize a small amount of treasures from the Ming scouts.

But the Portuguese never had the chance.

They are the key targets of prevention.

There was no telescope, so he could only use his naked eyes as a telescope. Calderon had good eyesight and soon saw two galleys paddling quickly in the distance.

Galleon?
Are such backward ships being used?

The last time the galleys showed off in front of us Portuguese was the joint fleet of Venice and the Ottoman Empire, but they were defeated by us in the Sea of ​​Oman.

Now the people of Ming Dynasty are actually using it as well. What an ignorant and backward pagan country!

Soon, six more galleys appeared in front. They gathered together from the surrounding seas and fled forward desperately.

Seeing so many galleys appear, Calderon, who had been a little worried, was completely relieved.

The winning ticket is guaranteed!

Alfonso blinked, feeling a little strange.

He had spent two or three years in Malacca and knew that it was a tradition to use paddle boats in the waters of Southeast Asia.

From Srivijaya to Majapahit, and then to Malacca, galleys were the main force. Five hundred years ago, the Kingdom of Junyan in South India suddenly raided the waters of Southeast Asian countries, and galleys were also the main force.

There are many islands here and the wind direction is changeable, so paddle boats, especially paddle boats with oars and hard sails, have their advantages.

There is certainly a reason why the Ming people now use larger and improved paddle boats.

Alfonso hesitated for a moment, but decided not to tell the truth and disturb Calderón's interest.

If I get angry with him now, all my previous flattery will be in vain.

Twelve galleys moved closer to the coast of South Island, giving up the main channel along the coast of Sam Po Province in the north.

"Governor, do you want to give chase?" Peroka asked.

Calderon hesitated for a moment and gave the order: "The whole team should head straight to Malacca Port. Don't worry about these small fry!"

The Portuguese fleet continued to head towards Malacca Harbor, and the Ming galleys turned back and sailed parallel to them, getting closer and closer, four miles, three miles, and two miles.
You guys are trying to get close to me and make a big move!

Calderon thought about it and decided that Malacca was more tempting.

There were also 5,000 elite musketeers on board his fleet. While the main force of the Ming army was fighting with the Acehnese, he transported them to the city of Malacca as soon as possible and recaptured Malacca with the cooperation of the navy.

"Send out the Cerberus and the Roland Knight to stop them. Don't let these bastards interfere with our march toward victory."

"Yes!" Perroca said excitedly, "The Cerberus and the Roland Knight are our capital ships. I'm worried that they will scare these pagans."

Calderon laughed complacently.

Alfonso laughed along, but felt something was wrong.

I feel like there is something wrong, but I don't know where.

The study of Ming Dynasty’s military tactics is not in-depth enough!
The Cerberus and the Knight Roland soon arrived at the right wing of the fleet and began to drive away the twelve Ming galleys, firing a few shots from time to time to scare away the pagans in their eyes.

However, the two ships were only 500 meters apart, so the firing of the Cerberus and the Knight Roland was just a noise.

The Ming Dynasty galley closest to the Portuguese fleet was called Yanhaixunjia No. 16, which was affiliated with the Yanzhou Coast Guard Camp. Its duties were to patrol and suppress pirates and inspect customs duties.

The captain's name is Ding Ergui.

The boatswain said to Ding Ergui, "Mad, the Portuguese are too bullying."

"Then what should we do? We only have a dozen cannons. We can fight against pirates, but if we fight against them, we will definitely suffer."

"Captain, didn't the South China Sea Navy equip us with some good stuff the other day? Take it out and show it to us!"

Ding Ergui's eyes lit up, and he made a prompt decision: "Move out, move out quickly! Today our Coast Guard Battalion must eat before the Navy!"

The deck was busy.

Alfonso's feeling of uneasiness became more and more intense. He accidentally saw the Ming Dynasty galley in the distance and couldn't help muttering, what on earth is wrong?

I haven’t learned the Ming Dynasty’s military tactics thoroughly enough!
(End of this chapter)