In the Tripoli port tavern on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea in northern Africa, there are a group of drunken and dirty drunkards, down-and-out sailors waiting for work, scantily clad dancers who are full of laughter, and those wearing clothes who don’t know what they want to do. Guys wearing captain's hats were partying or whispering to each other, making the whole tavern full of smoke.
In fact, in this crazy age of exploration, this situation is quite normal in taverns all over the world, and there is nothing surprising about it.
At this time, in a corner, a drunkard was sitting at the table and didn't know what to say, and gradually attracted the attention of many people.
"Tell you the latest exciting news, uh..."
"Pirate King Hayreddin!"
"You should all know that, right?"
After burping, and a turbid and foul-smelling smell of alcohol surged up in his throat, the drunkard with yellowed teeth and dirt on his face continued:
"threaten!"
"The pirate king of the Mediterranean, Barbarossa Fasl Hayreddin, issued a threat to the admiral of the Li family fleet in the port of Algiers a month ago!"
"The results of it……"
"You might as well take a guess?"
In the middle of speaking, the drunkard suddenly stopped, and then asked with a grin on the drunkards, prostitutes and captains who were attracted by his topic and unconsciously gathered around him.
"??"
"Say it quickly!"
"Stop talking! Speak quickly!"
"I'll buy you a drink!"
After a while of fussing, without waiting for anyone to press for more, a captain who seemed to have a little money threw a coin directly into the empty oak cup in front of the drunkard, indicating that he could continue talking. .
"Okay, okay!"
"Let me tell you, that Li family fleet and those Easterners, after they finished replenishing their supplies, they actually got into a fight with the pirate king Barbarossa Fasl Hayreddin who wanted to escort them away when they left the port! "
At this point, the drunkard stopped again and looked around at the people around him who were listening to his words with bated breath, not to mention how proud he was.
"Then what?"
"Say it!"
It was the same captain who had just dropped the coin. He was obviously a little impatient.
"Then?"
"Of course..."
This time, the drunkard did not continue to talk, but after seeing that everyone was attracted and no one interrupted, he said with lingering fear:
"Of course all the dozens of ships belonging to the Pirate King were sunk!"
"They're all gone!"
"You don't know, those Orientals are so cruel... The naval guns came directly from a few hundred yards away, and then big holes appeared in the hull of the Pirate King's fleet, and the water continued to flow. If you rush in like crazy, you can’t even save me!”
"The cannons of the Li family fleet really live up to their reputation. They are so fierce and accurate, just like the devil!"
"At that time, the Pirate King ordered to abandon the ship on the spot!"
"They fled back to Algiers in embarrassment, and less than half of them came back..."
At this point, the drunkard seemed to be remembering something, and after a while, he continued.
"As you know, we were severely slapped in the face by those Easterners just after making the threat. Of course our Mediterranean pirate king is not willing to let it go, right?"
"so……"
"Half a month later, they were fighting here again, in the sea area north of Tripoli!"
"This time, the Pirate King learned his lesson. He dispatched nearly thirty fast ships, all of which were fast ships! Because he knew that the cannons of the Li family fleet were powerful, so he simply did not plan to play artillery battle with those Orientals. Now, he’s ready to start a gang war!”
"As you all know, the Pirate King Barbarossa Fasl Hayreddin is the existence closest to the limits of human beings. No one has ever been able to defeat him!"
"not a single one!"
"but……"
At this time, almost all the people in the tavern became quiet and unconsciously gathered here, surrounding several floors. Even the owner of the tavern and the shrewd waitress gathered around, all waiting for the man with yellow teeth. , the drunkard sailor whose face was covered with dirt continued.
"No one thought..."
"The ships of the Li family fleet, those warships that are bigger than the largest Dutch potbelly cargo ship, can actually run faster than the Pirate King's clipper?"
The drunkard's eyes gradually became a little blurry, and he began to be filled with memories.
"It was a stormy, fan-type night..."
"Taking advantage of the darkness, strong winds, huge waves, and the pouring rain, the pirate king Barbarossa Fasl Hayreddin was naked from the waist up, holding two scimitars in his hands, and his feet were nailed like nails. On the deck of the bow of the ship, like a lion, it glared fiercely at the Li family fleet that was disappearing and appearing in the darkness ahead. "
"That night, it was raining heavily and the sky and the earth were pitch black. Only the occasional lightning that struck the sea could allow the sailors on both sides to briefly see each other's position and distance."
"That's right!"
"The Pirate King's plan is correct. Under such bad sea conditions, both the accuracy and firing frequency of the Li family fleet's naval guns were greatly reduced. Under the favorable wind, two of the Pirate King's thirty-odd clippers were More than a dozen ships successfully rushed within 300 yards of the Li family’s fleet!”
"That was a successful strategy and a perfect sneak attack, just like what the Pirate King usually does against those merchant ships or warships."
"But……"
"When the two sides reached a distance of two hundred yards, surprisingly, the naval guns of the Li family's fleet suddenly rang out again and bombarded the Pirate King's fleet overwhelmingly!"
At this point, the drunkard with yellowed teeth and dirt on his face stopped again, and an expression called fear began to appear on his face as if he were on the scene.
"terrible!"
"Those Easterners are really cunning. They actually let the Pirate King's fleet get closer on purpose, and then they suddenly opened fire like that."
"It's too tragic..."
"It's really too tragic!"
"Think about it, because they were originally preparing for a gang war, almost all the close combat experts under the Pirate King gathered on the deck in the wind and rain, but the result..."
"Under the double blow of the Li family fleet's fierce bombardment and volley of guns, let alone how miserable it was!"
"The shells roared over one after another, and all the people in a straight line on the deck were instantly shot to pieces!"
"There's no place to hide!"
"Because, in addition to the cannonballs, the overwhelming, raindrop-like volley of bullets also shot diagonally from high above."
"It didn't take long before there were only dead bodies left on the entire deck..."
"Those Eastern cannons continue to roar..."
"There were more than twenty fast boats. At the end of the first round of bombardment, nearly ten were sunk on the spot, and several were scattered and scattered!"
"Immediately afterwards, the opponent's second round of shelling rang out again..."
"In the end, only Hayredin's flagship 'Bald Eagle' was like a bolt of lightning, taking advantage of the chaos and darkness to take a detour and ram head-on into the Oriental flagship 'Xiang Feihu'."
"result……"
"And guess what?"
At this point, the drunkard, whose face was still full of fear and confusion, suddenly stopped talking, and kept pouring into his already empty wine glass.
"!!"
"Say it!"
"You should tell me quickly!"
"I'm so anxious!"
"that is!"
"cough!"
"Shut up, everyone!"
"I'll buy you two drinks, go ahead!"
Before the impatient drinkers could make any noise, two glasses of beer were viciously slapped on the table in front of the sailor, an alcoholic with yellow teeth and a face full of dirt.
"!!"
Seeing this, the drunkard couldn't wait to pick up one of the glasses and started drinking it.
"ha!"
Soon, he drank one of the cups in one go, and then slowly said under the impatient looks of everyone and the various urgings to greet his ancestors and women:
"To be honest, at that time, the Bald Eagle almost succeeded..."
"Like a bolt of lightning, under the control of Hayreddin's best red-nosed helmsman, it deftly avoided the enemy's bombardment, prevented the enemy from trying to change course and used broadside bombardment, and took advantage of the ups and downs of the waves. Use the hull of the ship to block the enemy's volley of guns."
"They quickly rushed within fifty yards of the bow of the Xiang Feihu, and even before the Flash could clearly see the ferocious devil bear's head on the bow of the Oriental ship, they could proceed immediately. Let’s fight with help!”
"But……"
"You shouldn't have thought of it, right?"
"At this time, the bow of the 'Bald Eagle' is facing the bow of the 'Xiang Feihu'. The two sides are about to collide violently, and then the Pirate King and his men can jump on board. When they were slaughtering those Orientals, the bow guns of those damn Orientals actually fired!"
"Moreover, that damn god or gods may really be the pirate king who abandoned us..."
"Four rounds came in, and three missed."
"That's a normal thing. After all, it was night, it was raining heavily, there was strong wind, and the waves were higher than the two people. In that case, the best gunner could shoot the shells into the sky. Then Nothing surprising."
"But unfortunately..."
"At that critical moment, a cannonball seemed to have eyes. As soon as it came over, it accurately broke the two masts of the Bald Eagle directly..."
"Then there was chaos on the deck of the Bald Eagle, and after losing its two main masts, it quickly lost power and control, and just lay across the sea, being rocked by the ruthless waves."
"All the crew heard it."
"The pirate king Barbarossa Fasl Hayreddin roared angrily on the bow of the ship, and when the Li family's fleet flagship adjusted its direction and prepared to bombard him, he had people hang up a flag inviting war!"
"That's right!"
"It's the duel skull and crossbones flag that begs for a fight to the death with the other side's captain or the strongest man on the ship, and makes all the captains and admirals in the Mediterranean fearful!"
There is a reason why the pirate king Barbarossa Fasl Hayreddin became the leader of the North African pirates and dominated the Mediterranean. At least people here know that no one can defeat Barbaro in a gang fight or a duel. Sha, not a single one!
And anyone who dares to accept the challenge will die!
"Then what?"
"The Li family fleet must not have agreed and directly bombarded the Pirate King's flagship, right?"
"Sure!"
"If it were me, I would shoot too, I'm not stupid!"
"You all shut up!"
"Say it!"
"What happened then?"
The bystanders started making noises, and after guessing each other for a while and expressing their own opinions, they continued to ask the drunkard who was drinking his second glass of wine.
"Gulu gulu..."
"ha!"
The empty oak cup slammed onto the table, and then the drunkard continued:
"Then……"
"You all guessed wrong. The Li family's fleet did not fire any cannons. They agreed to the pirate king Barbarossa Fasl Hayreddin's invitation to fight and allowed him to board the flagship of the 'Xiang Feihu' for a duel."
"then……"
"No one knows what happened on the spacious deck of the Xiang Feihu..."
"Anyway, in less than ten minutes, the pirate king Barbarossa Fasl Hayreddin came back in a very embarrassed state, with three bloody wounds on his upper body."
"He walked straight into his captain's cabin and closed the door without saying a word!"
"..."
"Some say he won but was humiliated by the enemy?"
"but……"
"Some people also say that he lost, and he lost miserably..."
"But who knows?"
"Anyway, after two major defeats, you know the rest."
"The Pirate King never mentioned the matter of troubling the Li family fleet and those Easterners again. He even gave orders to the ports along the entire Mediterranean and North Africa coasts, saying that no one should embarrass the Li family fleet and allow them to Ashore for supplies?”
Finally, the rotten drunkard with yellowed teeth and dirty face finished telling his story, then drunkenly reached out and took out the coin that someone had just thrown into his wine glass.
"..."
"wrong!"
"How do you know so clearly?"
"yes!"
"You couldn't have made it up, right?"
"I still don't quite believe it. Pirate King Barbarossa has never lost. If those Easterners really dare to duel with him, they will definitely lose!"
"That's right!"
After listening to the story, the sailors, pirates, dancers and captains who were gathered around were not too convinced, and some even doubted the drunkard's words.
"Pooh!"
Bang!
Isla spitted viciously, and then, a bandaged and prosthetic leg was placed on the table.
"Tell you!"
"I was on the Bald Eagle at the time, and this leg was broken by a cannonball at that time!"
"Otherwise, why do you think I don't continue to go to the sea to eat and drink, but drink here every day?"
"I tell you, Pirate King Barbarossa was indeed defeated, and he was defeated miserably!"
"Also, you must not have thought of it, right?"
"In the duel, he was defeated by the devil-like little girl, the great admiral of the Li family fleet!"
"Just three swords!"
"At that time, there were only three swords. It was recognized by everyone that their combat power exceeded the limits of human beings. It was impossible for anyone to be an opponent. Barbarossa Fasl Hayreddin, the pirate king who dominated the Mediterranean, was in that little girl's arms. My men have been defeated!"
Stretching out three fingers that were also covered in dirt and with black substance in the gaps between the nails, the drunkard pirate sailor saw that he had calmed everyone down, and then grinned triumphantly and told the reason why he knew so clearly. .
"!!"
"this!"
"..."
"..."
At this time, everyone gradually believed a little more, and couldn't help but take a breath.
"impossible!"
"There's no way a little girl could defeat Barbarossa!"
"He's lying!"
"But……"
"Haredin seems to have indeed been defeated. You must have heard that rumor, right?"
"..."
"That little girl, is she a witch?"
"have no idea……"
"No!"
"She's not a witch, she's the devil!"
"It's the devil admiral who comes from the distant, ancient, mysterious Ming Empire in the East. She's here to punish us Europeans for infringing on the distant and sacred eastern seas!"
"We're all screwed!"
"Shut up!!"
"Damn it, you dare to step on me, come on, let's duel!!"
"..."
The tavern was silent for a while, and then quickly became noisy again.
What the drunkard who claimed to be Hayredin's subordinate said just now was quickly forgotten by people.
After all, it was just a topic of conversation after dinner. People might write it down and brag about it to everyone, and then evolve many versions of the song. They might even substitute themselves into the lame sailor. Bragging to those who don't know about their deeds of fighting side by side with the pirate king to resist the devil in the east?
…
In the city of Istanbul, in this Mediterranean port city of the Ottoman Empire, the commander-in-chief of the Ottoman Empire Hedem Afomedo Pasha finally received a message from his ally, the North African pirate leader Barbarossa, the pirate king who dominated the Mediterranean. ·A personal letter from Fasl Khareddin.
"..."
"What?"
"Even Barbarossa failed?"
Hedem Afmedo Pasha was really shocked when he saw what was written in the letter.
"Well……"
"That's fine!"
"Go, give orders to our warship admirals, telling them not to embarrass the Li family fleet for the time being, and to the port officials who rule us, from today on, the ports we control are open to the Li family fleet, allowing them to dock or replenish! "
After pondering for a while, Hedem Afmedo Pasha did not even put down the letter, but directly spoke to a herald on the side.
"yes!"
"Yes!!"
The herald didn't dare to ask any more questions and just walked out to deliver the order.
"..."
"Let those Easterners fight Barudis first. When those guys are almost exhausted, that's when we will dominate the Mediterranean!"
"Hum hum……"
Hedem Afmedo Pasha snorted and laughed.
In Asia Minor, the powerful Ottoman Empire navy has wiped out the countries along the Eastern Mediterranean one after another. However, in order to gain sea power, all this is not enough. It is far from enough. He has to attack Italy, attack Spain and open the Strait of Gibraltar!
Otherwise, the Ottoman Empire's navy will always be just an inland fleet, and they will never be able to get involved in the trade of the New World or the Far East!
And if he wants to achieve his goal, the Spanish Armada is an insurmountable obstacle!
It is said that at this time, the Italian Paolo Centrio had completely turned to Barudis. As a result, it gradually became impossible for the Ottoman Empire's navy to invade Italy.
but……
The situation is different now. Those Easterners have come, and it is said that they have severely damaged the port of Seville and destroyed many ships of the Armada?
In that way, it seems that the Ottoman Empire will have more room and opportunities to operate.
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