The fall of Casablanca into imperial hands left Moroccans reeling.
Both Mamun and Helia, although they fought fiercely among themselves, regarded Morocco as their forbidden love.
The arrival of the empire forced the contradiction between the two sides to ease. For a period of time, envoys from both sides kept shuttling back and forth, trying to agree on a solution.
I have to say that although Yin Jiao is very cruel when fighting internally, he is still commendable in terms of being consistent with the outside world.
However, the empire didn't care about their actions.
The difference in force is too great.
As long as the empire itself is not in danger, even if Mammon and Helia unite sincerely, they cannot stop the empire's strategy.
The empire even had the leisure to pay attention to the situation in Europe.
Portugal was so close to Chi Chi that Shang Kexi decided to contact us.
He stationed the first detachment in Casablanca, cooperated with the ninth regiment to consolidate the situation, and led the main force northward.
The Atlantic Ocean has finally calmed down a bit in summer and the sun is shining brightly, making it a good time for sailing.
But in troubled Europe, balance is bound to not be too much.
The scout ship at the front suddenly raised a black flag, immediately putting the entire fleet into combat mode.
"Commander, the reconnaissance ship reported that fighting was detected ahead."
Shang Kexi stared at the sea chart.
"If there is a fight here, who could it be?"
Their location was just past Rabat and about three hundred miles away from the Strait of Gibraltar.
"Let them go over and take a look and keep us informed."
The small team in front received the order and immediately separated seven warships and accelerated their speed.
There was indeed a battle taking place on the sea ahead, but it was not large-scale.
A severely damaged warship fled in front, and four warships quickly chased behind it, with no intention of stopping.
Moreover, both sides fought heartlessly and neither found the ocean fleet approaching.
Well, the telescopes of the ocean fleet were able to see farther and so spotted them early.
"Report, it is the Portuguese who are being hunted and the Spaniards who are being pursued."
Observers on the watchtower soon made the situation clear.
No one is surprised by this result.
In the waters nearby, it is quite normal for the Spaniards to hunt down the Portuguese.
After all, this is the sphere of influence of the two countries, and the two countries are still at war. It would be strange not to fight if they meet on the sea.
The squad commander made a quick decision.
"The Taicang went around the left wing to check if there were any other Spanish troops behind. The Liangshan returned and reported the situation. The remaining ships followed the flagship and rescued the Portuguese."
The empire and Portugal are allies. Since they have encountered each other, they naturally have to come to the rescue.
The team quickly divided the work, and three third-level battleships and two fourth-level battleships rushed to the battlefield.
The Portuguese warship was already crumbling, and it seemed that it was very seriously damaged. It was supported entirely by perseverance.
If it had not encountered the ocean-going fleet, it would have been overtaken and destroyed by the Spaniards sooner or later.
The ocean was as flat as a mirror. When the team sailed within five kilometers, they were finally discovered by both parties.
"Your Highness, we are finished. I really didn't expect that the Spaniards would send so many pursuers."
On the Portuguese ship, a handsome young man had tears in his eyes, but his expression was very stubborn.
"Hold on, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, we cannot give up."
The others looked at the young man's strong appearance and were deeply touched. However, on the sea, the most important thing is calmness.
Here, passion is the most useless thing, and calmness and cooperation are the most respected spirits.
If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't work.
One ship can no longer hold up against four ships. Now that the "Spaniards" have come with so many helpers, they are doomed.
Just when everyone's morale dropped to the bottom of the valley, the lookout above them suddenly shouted wildly.
"Not the Spaniards! Not the Spaniards! It's the Imperial fleet! We are saved!"
Just like a thunderbolt breaking through the dark clouds, light reappeared, and the Portuguese immediately came to life.
Everyone rubbed their eyes and looked at the fleet that was getting closer.
At this time, the flag on the mast can be seen clearly even with the naked eye.
The red flag that shines like the sun and moon on the earth is the symbol of the Imperial Navy.
"We survived! Haha, Your Highness, we survived!"
The Portuguese cheered and returned to the world, but the Spaniards were dumbfounded.
"Major, what should we do?"
Looking at the rapidly approaching ocean fleet, the Spaniards were in a dilemma.
It was obvious that the Portuguese warship was on its last legs. As long as it caught up with it and bombarded it with two more rounds, it would definitely sink it.
But everyone could see that as long as they moved forward, while they could attack the Portuguese, the imperial warships would also completely outflank them.
The Spanish major gritted his teeth and struggled internally.
He got information that there was a big shot on this Portuguese warship. Although I don’t know who it is, if I can kill it, I can definitely inflict heavy damage on the Portuguese.
Do you just give up like that?
Facts have proven that hesitation leads to defeat.
The Imperial Navy made his choice for him.
The sound of the air being torn apart was particularly harsh, like a devil roaring, hitting his head in the blink of an eye.
A lot of water suddenly burst out in the middle of the Spanish fleet, and the air was pushed violently, causing the Spanish warship to sway.
Several more shells landed near the Spanish warship, and the shock wave actually pushed a warship directly over.
All the Spaniards were astonished.
They looked at the position of the imperial fleet, and then looked at their own position, and couldn't help but doubt their lives.
It’s almost 1,890 meters. Can this be hit by naval guns?
Not to mention the extremely long distance, what happened to the cannonballs that can still explode when dropped in the water?
At this time, the bottom of the overturned battleship had been exposed, and the loopholes like a hornet's nest made everyone tremble.
Cannonballs hitting the water can penetrate the strongest bottom of a battleship. Doesn't that mean...
It doesn't require very good aim to cause damage?
"retreat!"
The Spanish major finally recognized the reality and led the remaining three warships to flee quickly before they could even rescue the personnel on the overturned warship.
These Spanish warships are also Galenic ships. Although they are not as good as the Imperial Navy, if they want to run away at this time, the Imperial Navy cannot catch up.
The Portuguese escaped disaster because of the addition of the Imperial Navy.
After the two parties met, the young man announced his identity, but Shang Ke was shocked.
"Dear Imperial General, I am Afonso, son of the King of Portugal, and I request the Imperial Navy to rescue Portugal quickly."
The Portuguese prince personally came out to ask for help. You can imagine how critical the situation was.
After understanding it, Afonso was really not exaggerating.
It turned out that after receiving assistance from the empire, Portugal's power rose sharply, and it was already capable of fighting the Spanish army on land.
In the Battle of Castel Branco five months ago, the Portuguese army even defeated the Spanish and pushed the front into Spain.
Faced with the difficult situation, the Spaniards were certainly unwilling to do so.
Since they suffered a blow on land, they decided to find a solution from the sea.
Although Spain lost its position as maritime hegemon in the Battle of the Downs, Centipede and Dead are at least far more powerful than Portugal.
So Spain organized a large number of warships and attacked Lisbon from the sea.
Although they failed to land, they bombed various coastal cities in Portugal to pieces and dealt a heavy blow to Portugal's economy.
Because of this, Afonso volunteered and broke out to seek help.
He originally wanted to go to England, but the Spanish tightly blocked the northern shipping lanes.
He was quickly discovered and hunted, forcing him to flee south.
If he hadn't happened to encounter the ocean-going fleet, he would have perished in the sea.
