"It is very possible, if my guess is correct, that these three envoys should come from the Ming Empire. They have merchants stationed in Manila Port, with a population of about 20,000. Dozens of merchant ships enter the port for transactions every month, and Xiao It’s dozens of tons, and the big one is about the same as the Montanis.”
Captain Angelo had a completely opposite opinion. He had seen the ships of Fujian merchants in Manila, and had also been to hang out in the settlements of Chinese merchants. At first, he felt the same as the colonel. He couldn't believe that he was in the remote and remote East India. There are so many merchant ships in the islands.
"But why did Governor Aguna attack their merchant ship? Are you sure it is a merchant ship and not a pirate or plundering ship?"
Colonel Aslan Carter still couldn't understand that if so many merchant ships entered the port for transactions, it would be too late for the Governor of Manila to be happy. There are tens of thousands of textile workers in New Spain, waiting for the raw silk from Manila to be spun into silk. They can make a lot of money by bringing them back to Spain. Who has a grudge against money?
"Colonel, this is what the king and the bishop want. They want not only silk, porcelain, and spices, but also believers, Catholic believers. The Jesuits have built many churches and churches in overseas territories, and they usually don't pay much attention to people who don't believe in Jesus. Friendly. Right, Captain Angelo?"
At this time, Baron Silva's baritone whisper sounded from behind the two people. This guy who was as bloated as a fat pig was not as stupid as he looked. He still had some substance in his stomach, or he had a higher level of contact. Even though Unexpectedly, I could also hear some insider information that the middle and lower classes didn’t know.
"Stupid, so stupid! No wonder the British and Dutch can continue to encroach on Spain's overseas territories. It is not a problem of the navy or the army, but... Captain, what should we do now?"
Colonel Island Carter finally got angry and was extremely disappointed with the decision of the Spanish high-level officials. He cursed regardless of the presence of foreign envoys. Fortunately, he was still very sensible and finally stopped the car at the most critical moment without naming anyone. Then, like a deflated rubber ball, I continue to worry about my situation.
"Of course I refuse. The Montanis will never surrender under my command. Gonzalez, let him disembark. Tell everyone to prepare for war! For Spain..."
Knowing the whole thing, Captain Angelo did not hesitate anymore. Without consulting the baron or asking the colonel about his plans, he decisively issued the battle order. At the same time, he raised his hands high and shouted with all his strength to the mast and the crew on the deck.
"Fight for Spain...!" Immediately there was a response from the deck and mast, and the sail that had just been lowered was quickly pulled up again.
"Captain, the Baroness said that they asked to stay on the ship so that they can help contact them if they need to surrender." But soon the first mate ran back and reported the new situation in a low voice.
"Take them into the bottom cabin...forget it, just tie them next to the fort on the poop and let them see who is the master of the sea!"
Captain Angelo was putting on his leather armor with the help of the sailors. Hearing this, he looked towards the deck and saw three young men in black still chatting and laughing with the Baroness, and he suddenly burst into unknown anger.
Just after 8 a.m., the naval battle officially began. The Montanis was the first to raise its sails, which was a silent provocation. Seeing this, the black sailboat in the distance also began to raise its sails and turn, diagonally rushing from the north to the southwest.
"Whoosh...boom..." At the same time, a column of smoke rose from the black sailboat, climbed higher and higher, and then exploded at high altitude. As a bright light flashed, thick black smoke appeared in the sky, as if it was being pulled by something. It did not fall for a long time, and the black smoke kept pouring out.
Colonel Island Carter didn't care whether the Baron was happy or not. He grabbed the telescope and stared at the black smoke, trying to figure out why such a strange scene occurred.
"They said it was a flare and they were calling nearby ships, so we had better surrender to avoid casualties."
At this time, the Baroness spoke again. She was not very concerned about the upcoming naval battle. She had been talking in Latin with the Ming Empire's naval envoy and obtained valuable intelligence.
"Damn it!" Hearing this, Captain Angelo slapped his hand on the helm, his face becoming more and more gloomy.
"What's the problem, Captain?" Colonel Island Carter put down his binoculars and rubbed his eyes. The bright sunlight cast a dazzling reflection on the black smoke. There seemed to be something shiny in the middle of the smoke, but I couldn't see what it was.
"If there is really a ship coming to rendezvous, we have been betrayed! Someone revealed the date of our arrival and provided a chart." Captain Angelo cursed through gritted teeth while raising the telescope, this time not looking at On the north side, the emphasis is changed to the south.
"...There shouldn't be many people who know the Montanis's sailing time and specific route, right?"
Hearing the news, Colonel Aslan Carter was also a little panicked. If it was just a ship that encountered bad intentions, the situation would not be too bad, but if the other party was prepared and there was more than one ship coming, Captain Angelo's worries would be very real.
"This is a question that only the governors of New Spain and the Philippines can answer, and may they be bluffing!"
Captain Angelo really couldn't answer, and he couldn't be sure whether the problem was in Mexico or Manila. There are people in the ports on both sides who know the ship's voyage and master the charts. There is no point in blaming anyone now. We can only pray to God that the worst will not happen.
But God seems not to be at work today, or not over the Pacific Ocean, and the prayers are not working. When the black sailboat in the north fired another black smoke bomb more than 20 minutes later, the lookout on the mainmast used the telescope to see a group of black smoke also appearing on the sea level in the southwest.
Although the ships, including the sails, cannot be seen from this distance, one fact is already in front of us. The black sailboat does have accomplices and they have already contacted each other. Without any major surprises, the Montanis will face a double attack from two black sailboats in an hour.
Sure enough, about twenty minutes later, another black sailboat appeared on the sea five Arabian miles to the south. It was almost identical to the black sailboat to the north, except that it had a huge triangular sail on the bow, which was heading straight over at a very fast speed.
"Damn it, who would make the sail black? Damn it!" What made Captain Angelo even more heartbroken was that the black sailboat in the south would fire a black smoke bomb every ten minutes.
At this time, all three sailboats entered the field of view of the telescope, and it was obvious that they were not in contact with the black sailboat to the north. The answer is ready to come out. There are not just two black sailing ships, but more.
(End of chapter)
