There is no time in the mountains, and there is no year in the cold weather.
This statement also applies at sea.
Chen Kan did not count how many days and nights he spent on the boat, because apart from the rising and setting of the sun, there was only boring sailing on the sea.
The sea is beautiful, but no matter how beautiful the scenery is, you will get tired of it after looking at it for a long time.
Today, the sky is clear.
Chen Kan leaned on the deck chair to bask in the sun, and took a sip of coconut juice from time to time with a reed pole.
"Commander, Commander, Annan is here!"
The sudden noise made Chen Kan couldn't help but frown.
Zhang Dong quickly trotted forward, cupped his hands and said, "Master Marquis, ahead is the Annan Port. Does our fleet need to berth for rest?"
Chen Kan stopped, took a sip of coconut juice, and said calmly: "Why take a break? Send two small boats to the shore via Siam and Chenla to tell Zheng He that reinforcements are coming and ask him to come to the strait to meet me. .”
"oh!"
Hearing that Chen Kan was still not ready to park, Zhang Dong scratched his head, turned around and ran away again.
After Zhang Dong made such a noise, Chen Kan no longer wanted to continue basking in the sun.
The fleet entering the Annan Sea means that it is not far from the Strait of Malacca. It only needs to continue sailing south along the continental shelf of the Southeast Asian Peninsula and pass through the South China Sea to enter the waters of the Malay Peninsula.
Once he entered the Malay Peninsula, Chen Kan's leisurely vacation life came to an end.
Thinking of this, Chen Kan couldn't help but get up and walk towards the kitchen.
His good days are coming to an end. After entering the waters of the Malay Peninsula, the entire fleet will enter combat mode, so he needs to cherish these peaceful days.
How to cherish good days? Of course, it starts with delicious food.
In fact, when Chen Kan is bored on the boat, he will choose to cook by himself.
Although he is not very picky about the taste of food, since he has time, it is not too much to improve the taste.
Today Chen Kan plans to cook an all-fish feast.
It's not because he likes fish so much, it's mainly because there are so many fish in the sea.
Snapper halal, lobster sashimi, blue crab dip.
When Chen Kan made a large table of seafood and was about to start eating, trouble came again.
This time it was Song Qing who came with a slightly excited expression.
Seeing Chen Kan eating, Song Qing hurriedly restrained his movements and prepared to wait until Chen Kan finished eating.
Chen Kan asked while eating: "Tell me, what's the matter?"
Song Qing smiled honestly and said: "It's not a big deal. A group of pirates surrounded our fleet and asked us to leave a treasure ship as payment for passage."
"oh!"
Chen Kan snorted and said, "That's really not a big deal."
Song Qing nodded and was about to continue talking.
Chen Kan suddenly shouted: "What are you talking about, our fleet is surrounded?"
Song Qing was stunned, scratched his head and said, "Didn't the general say it clearly enough?"
Chen Kan's face suddenly became excited: "Are you sure you are a pirate?"
"yes!"
Song Qing was a little confused. What was Chen Kan's reaction?
He felt he didn't quite understand.
We're just surrounded by pirates. Is it necessary to be so excited?
Chen Kan asked excitedly: "Are you the kind of pirate who wears a straw hat and shouts that I am the man who wants to become the Pirate King?"
"Ah...this..."
Song Qing looked at Chen Kan with a confused look on his face, thinking what is all this?
"Yes or no?"
Chen Kan stood up immediately and grabbed Song Qing's collar.
Song Qing shook his head subconsciously: "No!"
Chen Kan was stunned and asked again: "Is that the kind of guy who is crazy, bohemian, has a changeable temperament, loves drinking rum, eating peanuts, and all kinds of beautiful women, and is immortal, driving the Black Pearl? A pirate?"
Song Qing: "?"
Song Qing's expression suddenly became panicked, and he felt that he might have been abandoned by the tide of the times.
What are these things that the commander is talking about? How can there be such pirates in the world?
Chen Kan became anxious and asked, "Is that true?"
Song Qing: "..."
Seeing that Song Qing didn't speak for a long time, Chen Kan suddenly let go of his collar, with a desolate look on his face.
Seeing this, Song Qing could only reply in a low voice: "No!"
As soon as Song Qing finished speaking, he couldn't help but said angrily: "If that's not the case, what are you talking about with me here? Why don't you just kill me?"
"oh!"
Song Qing nodded in agreement. If he had known earlier, he should not have come to tell the commander this news.
How can a pirate be told that the commander is beautiful?
Song Qing left in despair.
Halfway through, Chen Kan's voice suddenly sounded behind him: "Wait, come back!"
Song Qing looked back and asked, "Any other instructions, Commander-in-Chief?"
Chen Kan leaned back on his chair and asked with half interest: "What kind of pirates are you talking about?"
Song Qing: "?"
This question stumped Song Qing. After thinking for a long time, Song Qing pondered: "They are just some pirates who are not tall, walk with eight-figure steps, speak some monkey language that Ji Li Gua La cannot understand, and look like monkeys."
Song Qing swore that this was the highest literary achievement in his life. He really couldn't describe the specific appearance of those pirates.
Anyway, they don't look like big thieves, but more like beggars. The boats they ride on are all small broken boats without even cabin decks.
The largest ship is the canopy boat that the Ming Dynasty Navy has long eliminated. It is one to twenty meters long and has two masts. Its speed and direction are controlled by the wind.
The cruisers of the Ming Navy are stronger than them, let alone the Ming treasure ships.
Just hit them casually and you can smash those pirate ships.
Chen Kanyi nodded in dismay and continued to ask: "How many people do they have, and they dare to surround our fleet?"
Song Qing said: "The number of people is unclear at the moment, but their total number of large and small ships is more than a hundred. Based on the estimate of twenty people per ship, the maximum number of people is no more than two thousand."
After getting Song Qing's answer, Chen Kan stood up and said calmly: "Let's go, I will go with you to have a look!"
After saying that, he went straight to the bow of the ship without waiting for Song Qing.
Chen Kan wanted to see what the pirates of the Ming Dynasty looked like, but he was not too curious. He was just bored and having fun.
Yes, just having fun.
Chen Kan encountered pirates along the way south along the sea. He even encountered several Japanese pirate ships.
But without exception, when they saw the giant treasure ship, they quickly fled without a trace.
He didn't even have the courage to approach the treasure ship, let alone rob Chen Kan.
The leader of this pirate must have many talents to dare to bring such a small number of people to cause trouble for Chen Kan's fleet?
This is something Chen Kan is more curious about.
At the same time, he also had the idea of using waste in his mind.
After walking to the edge of the deck and standing still, Chen Kan took the telescope handed over by Song Qing.
Looking closely, there are densely packed small dots on the sea in the distance.
Daming's cruisers are driving away those small spots. At present, it seems that Daming's fleet has not suffered any losses.
As for people, they cannot be seen clearly, not at all.
After returning the telescope to Song Qing, Chen Kan summoned his personal guards and said calmly: "Arrange the frigate, I am going to Juzong No. 6."
Juzong is the name of Zheng He’s car.
It is also the largest treasure ship in the Ming Dynasty, with a length of 44 feet and a width of 18 feet. It can be called a real giant on the sea.
The navy treasure ships of the Ming Dynasty also used the name Juzong.
Zheng He's ship was Juzong No. 1, and the remaining ships were No. 2 to No. 9.
Among them, No. 2 was given to Chen Kan by Zhu Di as a reward, so the other two ships in Zheng He's fleet were No. 3 and No. 4 respectively.
No. 5, No. 6, and No. 7 belong to the Jiangnan Navy. The ship under Chen Kan is No. 5.
As for No. 8 and No. 9, they are stationed in Dengzhou and Laizhou and belong to the Shandong Navy.
Chen Kan's fleet sailed in a triangular formation with three armies arranged, that is, Chen Kan's car took the lead, and the other two ships were a few hundred meters behind Chen Kan's Juzong No. 5, one on the left and one on the right escorting the main ship. .
As for the remaining Fu ships and cruisers, they were scattered among the three ships to escort them.
So soon, Zhang Dong prepared a cruise ship for Chen Kan.
Cruisers, as the name suggests, are famous for their agility and agility, so the hull is naturally not very large, only about one-tenth the size of a treasure ship.
The number of people who can ride is very limited. It is usually equipped with a helmsman, two sailors, and three small flag soldiers, a total of 21 people.
Chen Kan and Song Qing landed on the cruiser along the ladder. The helmsman turned around and took them straight to Juzong No. 6.
Driving to the stern of Juzong No. 6, he climbed onto the deck along the ship's ladder.
The captain of this treasure ship was Tan Cong, the commander of the Shaoxing Guard.
Seeing Chen Kan and Song Qing coming hand in hand, Tan Cong suddenly looked shocked and hurriedly stepped forward to salute: "Commander, Commander Ji, why are you two here?"
"I heard that pirates are attacking the fleet. I'm here to take a look."
Chen Kan responded and walked to the edge of the deck with his hands behind his back. This time, he could finally see the true appearance of those pirate ships.
Hearing Chen Kan's casual tone, Tan Cong immediately felt relieved.
He bowed his hands to Chen Kan and said, "Commander, don't worry. The general will be able to defeat the mere pirates in an instant. Please sit down with the commander and see how the general defeats the enemy."
Chen Kan nodded, walked to a chair brought out by a soldier, sat down, and asked, "Do you know the origins of these pirates?"
Tan Cong nodded and said: "I heard from the envoys sent by the other side to negotiate that they are rogue warriors who went into exile after the defeat of Japan. They intercepted my Ming Dynasty King Master this time because they wanted to borrow a treasure ship to go back to Japan to seek revenge on some princess. Anyway, it sounds pretty bluffing.”
"Japanese people?"
When Chen Kan heard this, he immediately became interested.
I thought it was an ordinary pirate, but I didn't expect it to be a Japanese pirate.
However, the appearance of these Japanese pirates does not seem to be very good.
Was it that the late Ming Dynasty was harassed endlessly by such a group of things?
After pondering for a moment, Chen Kande said calmly: "Teach them a lesson first, and then order all the escort ships to surround them. Don't let them escape, but don't kill them too hard. Just teach them a lesson."
Tan Cong was stunned and asked cautiously: "What does the commander mean by this move?"
Chen Kan smiled calmly, turned to look at Song Qing and asked, "What do you think, Commander Song Jie, of these servants?"
Song Qing looked at the pirate ship on the other side with an expressionless face, nodded and said: "The courage is quite good, but if they are allowed to attack the city, they may be a little unable to do anything. However, if they are used as cannon fodder to attract artillery fire, it is enough!"
Chen Kan said: "If you are brave enough, that's fine. One of our soldiers of the Ming Dynasty will die less than one."
The two asked and answered questions, but Tan Cong beside them was confused.
What servant soldiers, what cannon fodder, what siege?
Didn't they go across the strait to bring Zheng He home? Why did they get involved in the siege?
Seeing that Tan Cong still didn't move, Chen Kan couldn't help but urge: "Why are you standing there, work!"
Tan Cong twitched his lips, but he did not dare to disobey Chen Kan's order, so he could only order the orderer beside him: "Send the order, let the cruiser block the sea area, and also fire a few cannons at the pirate group at will. "
Now, the confused one becomes the messenger.
What does it mean to fire off a few shots at will?
There is a saying that once a cannon is fired, gold is worth ten thousand taels. When did the Ming Dynasty become so wealthy that they could shoot cannonballs at will?
However, military orders are hard to disobey.
The messenger still waved the flag in his hand and started the messenger.
After receiving the order, the war drums on the ship were also beaten instantly.
The next moment, hundreds of cruise ships quickly dispersed to both sides.
The location of the pirate ship is only a few kilometers away from Chen Kan's fleet.
As for their ship, it is wishful thinking to want to compete with the cruiser in speed.
Before a group of pirates could react, a deafening roar sounded from the Ming fleet.
That was the sound of Hongwu cannon firing.
The current cannons of the Ming Dynasty can be said to be blooming in all directions. Before Chen Kan improved firearms, the Ming Dynasty had many artillery such as Hongwu cannons, divine gun chariot cannons, and general cannons.
It also has close combat weapons such as Hundred Tigers Running Arrow and Sky-shaking Thunder.
The most powerful among them is the Hongwu Cannon.
However, the Hongwu cannon has two shortcomings. The first is that it is bulky, and the second is that the range is not far.
In other words, all the cannons of the Ming Dynasty have such shortcomings.
Among them, the Divine Cannon has the longest range among the three types of cannon, but its maximum range is only about four kilometers.
The bulky Hongwu cannon has a range of only 100 meters.
However, the Hongwu cannon, which Chen Kan helped the Firearms Bureau cheat to build, has a range that can match the cannon of the Divine Cannon, and is dozens of times more powerful than the Cannon of the Divine Cannon. At the same time, it is light enough to rival the Cannon of the Divine Cannon.
The previous Hongwu cannons often weighed five to six hundred kilograms and could not be installed on smaller ships.
Now it weighs more than 100 kilograms, which can basically be done by one person.
Although Chen Kan brought out many ships this time, he brought out more cannons.
"Boom!"
The cannon popped out, bringing out bursts of sparks. In Chen Kan's telescope, as soon as the sound of the cannon sounded, the pirate ships began to flee in all directions.
However, no matter how fast they are, they can't move faster than cannonballs.
A ship exploded directly on the sea, and Chen Kan couldn't help but frown.
"Boom, boom~"
After several more explosions, Chen Kan's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
He couldn't help but yell at Tan Cong: "I didn't tell you to just fire a few cannons to scare them. If you kill everyone, who will attack the city for us?"
