The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 467 Who is the Cat and Who is the Mouse

Dilly, dilly.

Vice Admiral Edward Hughes led the British fleet in a circle in the Indian Ocean for more than a month, and they had already circled a circle and a half, but they didn't even see the shadow of the Chinese fleet.

Where did the Combined Fleet go?
Lieutenant General Edward Hughes stroked his chin and thought hard.

The war on land was in chaos, and there was no fighting at sea, not even the enemy was seen.

Although France only had a frigate of more than 200 tons and an armed merchant ship of more than 500 tons in its fleet, the English still stubbornly called it a Sino-French joint fleet.

"Sir, this is terribly wrong. Even if the Combined Fleet is very well hidden, there's no way we can't track them down. Could it be that they're not even in the Indian Ocean?"

After a short rest, Brigadier General George Emptich took a small boat to the flagship Hero.

Vice Admiral Edward Hughes had not originally considered this possibility because he felt that the Combined Fleet's land ally, the Kingdom of Mysore, was too weak.

It was completely unable to pose any threat to the Kingdom of England, so the combined fleet had to immediately support the Kingdom of Mysore.

If we go too late and Hyder Ali and his son are defeated quickly, and we lose our land allies in southern India, the westward advance of the combined fleet will be meaningless.

But now, it was not Mysore but England that suffered the greatest loss on land.

Now, even if the Sino-French joint fleet does not come, Mysore can still pose a major threat to England based on the current situation.

After the defeat of Colonel William Bailey, the only troops England could mobilize were 2,500 in Guntur and 12,200 in Bengal.

Considering the current combat capability of the Mysore Kingdom, the 2,500 men from Guntur would be just a drop in the bucket for the rescue and would not be of much use at all.

Therefore, in order to stabilize Madras, it was necessary to transfer the main force of the Indian Army from Bengal.

But Fort William is 1,800 kilometers away from Madras. Given the current road conditions, it would be difficult to transport dozens of cannons over the 1,800 kilometers.

Uh, is this reinforcement or a body collection team?

Lieutenant General Edward Hughes nodded, "Yes, it's possible that they are not in the Indian Ocean. Of course, it's also possible that we simply haven't discovered them.

But this is not the main point. The main reason is that we have to escort the army dispatched from Fort William, and the Marines must also participate in the defense of Madras, otherwise we are likely to lose this key stronghold. "

"Yes, Lieutenant General, that's right." Brigadier General George Emptich nodded repeatedly, "Then let's not beat around the bush and ask the Dutch; they'll definitely know.

These guys were just badly damaged by Seris, and although they have temporarily reached a cooperative relationship with Seris under French pressure, they must be unwilling in their hearts."

Lieutenant General Edward Hughes thought for a moment and nodded slowly. "But we can't go to Jaffna. The defense there is very tight. We can go to Trincomalee and ask the local Dutch. Even if it costs a little money, it doesn't matter."

At this time, there were three important cities on the island of Ceylon: the capital Colombo in the southwest, Jaffna in the north, and Trincomalee in the east.

Of the three cities, Colombo is naturally the most important, as it is the first stop for European ships coming from the Cape of Good Hope.

Jaffna was formerly the capital of the Tamil Jaffna Kingdom. After being captured by the Portuguese in 1591, it has always been an important stronghold for Europeans and a symbol of their rule over Ceylon.

At the same time, in order to maintain the connection between Ceylon and their colony of Nagapattinam in southeastern India, the Dutch also needed to manage this place well.

Trincomalee faces the east, and most ships coming out of the Strait of Malacca, especially merchant ships, will dock in Trincomalee for trade and supplies.

This is also the reason why the Chinese fleet did not go to Trincomalee but went directly to Jaffna.

Due to the limited energy and strength of the Dutch, this place is just a public toilet built for the British. The British can come and go as they please.

Male, Maldives.

The arrival of the joint fleet quickly cleared out the English on the island and pulled the Sultan, who had been sidelined by England, out of his not-so-luxurious palace and began to rule the country.

The Maldives Sultanate at that time was the Hula Dynasty which had been established only 23 years ago. The founding Sultan Ghazi Hassan Izz Uddin was supported by Hyder Ali of the Mysore Kingdom and was also a distant relative of Hyder Ali.

However, after the First Anglo-Mysore War, the Mysore Kingdom's navy suffered a great loss and was almost completely destroyed. The British East India Company took the opportunity to send a small fleet to occupy Male, and the Mysore Kingdom lost its influence on the Maldives.

When the combined fleet arrived, it swiftly wiped out the garrison in Male, which had only a few transport ships and relied entirely on the prestige of the British East India Company to rule.

At this time, more than 20 East India Company employees had been hung on various positions such as the bowsprit and spinnaker of each ship, becoming a delicious meal for flies.

More than 40 sailors had their property robbed and were forcibly conscripted to serve in the Combined Fleet. Only if they could survive the war could they get their property back. As for the few European women, they became camp prostitutes.

This was the Age of Discovery. Europeans like Britain and France were not only cruel to people from other places, but they were also quite cruel to themselves.

Even the operation of hanging several British East India Company employees on the mast to be dried up in the sun did not require the Chinese to do anything, as the French officers took the initiative to arrange it.

Huang Renyong grinned and took a sip of the low-quality rum brewed from sugarcane residue, which was a bit sour. Then he reached out to find a few fish, shrimp, crabs and shellfish that were not too difficult to peel and stuffed them into his mouth.

At this moment, he missed the shenggun porridge, rice noodles, etc. from his hometown so much. He, a Teochew, could hardly bear to eat seafood every day without rice.

Of course, this is just a thought. Rice and other supplies on the fleet are extremely scarce. If they are released for you to have a meal before the decisive battle, it means that the officers above are showing mercy.

A bowl of white porridge, the same level as his mother's last meal.

Of course, there was still some staple food available. Huang Renyong reached out and touched a large piece of black bread, almost as big as a brick. A small saw was needed to cut off a piece of it. He held it in his hand.

This thing is baked with a small amount of flour, rye flour, rye grains, brown sugar, wheat grains, salt and even sawdust.

It tastes sour, salty and a little strangely sweet. It is so hard that it can break your teeth and so rough that it hurts your throat. You need to cut it up and soak it in fish soup to soften it before you can eat it.

Huang Renyong even thought that this thing was a brick, because there was a fight the day before yesterday and someone was hit in the head with a piece of bread.

The sound of slurping food came from beside him. Huang Renyong looked to the left and saw the Qin brothers, Qin Da and Qin San, wolfing down their food.

The two guys quickly opened a conch, pulled out the contents, dipped them in a bowl of dipping water containing only salt and chili, and ate them happily with their mouths open.

At the same time, his eyes were fixed on the soaking black bread in the bowl. As soon as it looked even slightly soft, he would quickly pick it up and take a bite, never wasting a moment. "This is fucking weird. You two landlubbers from southeastern Guangxi, not only don't feel sick on the boat, but you're even better at eating seafood than a Chaozhou native like me. I'm about to throw up, and you two are eating like it's all delicacies!"

"Who can say whether it is true or not?" Luo Dagang's grandfather Luo Asheng also said with emotion: "We left Nanyang for almost half a year. Everyone has been tortured and lost a lot of weight, but these two brothers have gained weight and become stronger.

This guy is born to eat this bowl of knife-edge licking blood and horse rice!"

When Qin Da heard Huang Renyong's nagging, he raised his head and chuckled, then immediately lowered his head and ate quickly. He didn't care what his comrades said, he only knew that being able to eat his fill, every meal, was the happiest thing in life.

If there were wine and meat (is seafood considered meat?), it would be paradise on earth.

In the Male Sultan's Palace, senior generals such as Chen Lian, Duke of Yi'an, Lieutenant General Suflang, and Lieutenant General Ma Bo (Manuel Bonn) can of course still eat well.

Dutt wine, Queen's bread (baked with refined white flour and eggs), seafood porridge, and half a roasted seabird per person.

Hassan Nuradin I, the fourth Sultan of the Hula Dynasty, served carefully on the side and intentionally or unintentionally led the topic to the date.

For him, although the United Fleet was an ally of his overlord, the Kingdom of Mysore, and had rescued him from his puppet position, it did not mean that it was his ally.

Because Hassan Nuraddin I was not sure how long these guys would stay and whether they would continue to treat him as a puppet.

Also, after they left, would the British come back? If they came back, would they cause trouble for him?

Chen Lian knew why the Sultan kept mentioning time, because the Maldives Sultanate had a total population of only 130,000, while the combined fleet had 23,000 people.

Not to mention whether the naval officers and soldiers can strictly restrain themselves, even if they can, the food supply in the Maldives will soon be insufficient.

If we stay for another month, not only will all the food on the island be eaten up, but even the surrounding fish, shrimp, crabs and shellfish will be almost completely caught.

Thinking of this, Chen Lian stood up and said to Hassan Nuradin, "Don't be nervous, Your Highness. The fleet will set sail in three days."

This was discussed by Chen Lian, Lieutenant General Sufran and Lieutenant General Ma Bo. Although they were isolated from all external information, they themselves did not know what was happening in India now.

But according to the military council's calculations, the Mysore Kingdom should have been fighting fiercely with the British outside Madras at least at this time.

It will take them about ten days to return to the Indian Ocean. After returning, they can spread the news that they are going to deliver supplies, so they don't have to worry about the British fleet not coming to seek a fight.

Hearing what Chen Lian said, Sultan Hassan Nuradin I breathed a sigh of relief, but he was also afraid that Chen Lian was deliberately speaking in a sarcastic way because he kept mentioning time just now.

So the Sultan tried hard to express that he was afraid that the British would come back once the combined fleet left, and tried to appear to be trying to keep them.

"Don't be alarmed, Your Highness. The British will definitely suffer a setback this time, and the Sultanate will not be taken away by others again." Chen Lian smiled and comforted him for a few words, then continued:

"I am deeply grateful for your hospitality this month, Your Highness. In two months, three ships of grain will arrive in Male, a small gift from the Emperor of the Chinese Empire."

The Chinese Empire does not have much influence in the waters outside the South China Sea, so it cannot be as arrogant as Britain and France. A little kindness is necessary.

Moreover, these three ships of grain did not require the provision of the Chinese Empire and were able to arrive in Male in two months, so they were naturally provided by the Mysore Kingdom.

Sure enough, when the Maldivian Sultan Hassan Nuraddin I heard that Chen Lian was going to reward him with three ships of grain, he was overjoyed and immediately bowed deeply to Chen Lian with great gratitude.

"Hassan thanked the Chinese emperor for his generosity. The Maldivian people will always remember the emperor's kindness."

. . . .

At this time, to go from the Maldives to the Bay of Bengal, you need to sail northwest to the southwest of India first, find the offshore currents and wind direction, and then follow the coastline to successfully enter the Indian Ocean.

Therefore, after deciding to leave, the combined fleet first sailed northwest.

In Trincomalee, the British still did not find out the movements of the combined fleet.

Not to mention the Dutch in Trincomalee, even the Dutch in Revna only knew that the combined company had left, but had no idea where they went.

But the British were not without gain. At least they confirmed that the Combined Fleet had indeed reached the Indian Ocean, and they also obtained the approximate number of ships in the Combined Fleet and the specific departure date.

Lieutenant General Edward Hughes looked at the date and calculated. Wow, it has been more than a month since he left Revner, and he has never been back.

Suddenly, he jumped up, his face flushed with anger. "Hou Lixiete, that cunning frog Sufran has deceived us all. They must have gone to the Maldives!"

Brigadier General George Emptage also blushed. When he thought of those hateful French people taking the Chinese to the Maldives for rest and recuperation, while they were just being clever and circling around in the Indian Ocean for a month, a strong sense of shame came over him.

"Let's go to the Maldives, and this time we must catch those damn French and Chinese!"

Intense anger and shame began to reduce Lieutenant General Edward Hughes's wisdom, and he made less than wise decisions.

In fact, the best way now is to wait in Trincomalee, and then send one or two fast three-masted cruisers to wait in the Palk Strait between the Indian mainland and Ceylon, and then intercept the combined fleet after it is discovered.

But he did not make this safest choice, so the British fleet immediately rushed to the Maldives.

Then they arrived again, but not only were they late, their base in Male had been destroyed and the person in charge had been dried up in the sun.

Vice Admiral Edward Hughes, who was familiar with the Indian waters, immediately understood the movements of the Combined Fleet and once again rushed to the southwestern waters of India.

However, when the British fleet docked in the Maldives, the Combined Fleet had already passed through the Palk Strait and returned to the Indian Ocean.

Vice Admiral Souffran was not dumbed down by anger. He was very cunning and left a fast frigate of more than 200 tons around the strait to see if the British fleet would attack the Maldives.

In this way, the British fleet arrived at the southwest of the Indian continent and found themselves late again. In anger, they destroyed the Mysore Kingdom's shipyard in Kalikat, and then began to chase towards the Indian Ocean.

Up to now, the Sino-French joint fleet has rested for more than a month. The warships have been repaired and maintained, the speed has been greatly increased, and the soldiers are in high spirits and look forward to the upcoming decisive battle.

The British fleet had been wandering around at sea for two months. Not only did the warships not receive proper maintenance, but the bottoms of the ships were also covered with various things, and their speed had decreased.

What is more serious is that the constant failures have greatly damaged the morale of the fleet's officers and soldiers, and they are extremely tired, which is completely not on the same level as the morale of the Chinese Combined Fleet.

(End of this chapter)