The lookout's shout woke up many people. After hearing the words, the pirates rushed out of the sailor's cabin. Some people didn't even have time to put on their clothes and ran up with bare legs.
Annie and Zhang Heng were already standing on the deck. The latter was holding a copper telescope and looking at the black shadow in the distance.
"How is it?" Billy's tone was a little nervous.
"The visibility is too low at the moment. I can't see the details clearly. I can't be sure whether it is that ship yet." Zhang Heng said, while passing the telescope in his hand to the helmsman on the side.
The weather tonight is not good, and there is almost no starlight above the head. In this case, it is already a small miracle that the observer can find the other party, but it is impossible to get more information.
There are still almost four hours until dawn, and Zhang Heng does not intend to take risks. First, because of the current situation, firing a gun is basically gambling on luck. Even the best gunner may not be able to hit even one of his ten shots. There is no need to rely on it. It's a waste of cannonballs. After all, all that is fired is money. Besides, if the war starts at this time and the enemy is accidentally sunk, it will be even more fun if you fail to transport the goods to the ship in time. So he said, " Follow it closely first, and be careful not to enter the opponent's range."
Billy and others have no objection to this. If the businesswoman's information is correct, the spice ship only has a dozen 6-pound and 9-pound guns, which are far inferior to the Jackdaw in terms of firepower. There is no need to attack in the middle of the night. , it would be safer to wait until daytime. After all, we have been chasing for so long, and there is no rush at this moment.
Zhang Hengjia sent lookouts, in teams of two, rotating once an hour, to keep an eye on the ship not far away. The remaining people asked them to go back to rest and prepare for the battle after dawn.
However, most of the pirates were no longer sleepy at this time. After drifting on the sea for more than a month, the pessimistic atmosphere on the ship became more and more intense. Many people were already ready to return empty-handed, but unexpectedly they were about to give up. At this time, I saw hope again, but I couldn't help but worry about gains and losses. After returning to the hammock, many pirates tossed and turned and couldn't sleep, so they simply took out their weapons and started maintenance.
About a quarter of an hour later, the lookout on the opposite side should have also spotted the Jackdaw behind him. The ship suddenly began to accelerate. Billy and others were not surprised but overjoyed. You must know that the Jackdaw was not there yet. The black flag was raised, and the visibility was so bad that not only could they not see what was going on on the ship in front of them, but the other party should also not be able to figure out where they were coming from.
But under such a situation, the other party resolutely made the decision to run away, which only illustrates one problem - that is, there is definitely something valuable on that ship, even if it is not spices, it will be something else.
The people who were still on the deck were shocked when they saw this.
After the ship escaped for a while, it found helplessly that the distance between itself and the uninvited guest behind it not only did not widen, but was still shrinking.
By this time, they could probably tell that what was chasing them was a warship, and they themselves were just armed merchant ships, loaded with cargo, with a maximum speed of only 4 to 5 knots. It was impossible to escape, so they simply gritted their teeth. The ship slowed down again, and at the same time, the left rudder turned the ship sideways, exposing all the side guns, and prepared for a final push.
In a normal battle, this armed merchant ship would definitely not be a match for the warship behind it, but now the night has become their best cover. No one can see who is clear at this moment. All they have to do is luck. If a shell falls directly into the opposite side, The gunpowder magazine, the battle situation can be reversed immediately.
The people on the ship knew that this was their last chance. Once the sun rose, there would be no suspense about the outcome. However, what they didn't expect was that when the battleship saw them slowing down, it also slowed down. It was very cunning. It swam nearby like a shark that smelled blood and was in no rush to attack.
Seeing the passage of time, the situation of the merchant ship became more and more passive, unable to fight or escape, and the mood of everyone on the ship became more and more desperate.
At the same time, the Jackdaw was also making final preparations for the upcoming battle. The sailors at the helm strictly carried out the captain's orders and maneuvered the Jackdaw to bite the prey in front of it, 1 nautical mile away from the opponent. Wandering around, the merchant ship on the opposite side fired a few tentative cannons. Unfortunately, they couldn't even find where the shells landed, so they had no choice but to stop.
The two sides remained in a stalemate until the sky turned white. Zhang Heng finally determined through the telescope that this was the spice ship they were looking for.
From the size of the opponent's ship, to the flags flying, and the number of cannons on the ship, it was almost the same as the information provided by the businesswoman. After receiving the news, the pirates on the ship couldn't help but cheered, and swept away the previous ones. Anxiety and confusion.
So many days of suffering and waiting finally paid off, and the morale on board the Jackdaw continued to rise at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Zhang Heng stood at the bow of the ship and went over the next battle plan with Billy, Annie and others for the last time.
"... We first carried out two rounds of artillery attacks, targeting their masts and decks. The purpose was to make their ships lose power and kill as many people on board as possible. Be careful not to damage their hull structures. If there are Spices soaked in water will not be sold at a good price. When the other party cannot withstand the artillery fire and surrenders, we will let the Jackdaw get closer and organize people to board the ship..."
After finishing speaking, Zhang Heng looked at Karina who was standing aside. The businesswoman had also woken up from her drink at this time, but she was probably still a little dazed from recalling what happened in the captain's room before. She vaguely remembered her last night. It seemed that he had talked about a lot of messy things, and he couldn't help but worry about whether this would have any bad influence on the other party's mind.
But then she heard the latter say to her, "Your identity is rather sensitive, so you should go to the captain's cabin first. Remember to close the window so that you don't get seen from the other side."
Zhang Heng also needs businesswomen to help him sell loot to various ports in the colony. It is already very risky for the latter to board the Jackdaw and appear in front of the pirates. This move is enough to prove her sincerity in cooperation, but if she is contacted again in the future, The merchant also saw that there was no need, and the other party directly reported what happened to her to the customs. By then, she would have no other choice but to become a pirate.
Karina obviously understood this, so she didn't insist on anything. She thanked her and walked off the deck.
When everything was ready, Zhang Heng nodded to Billy, "Get the gunner in position and let's get started."
