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Chapter 1327 Preparations before the sea battle

At the wharf of Valletta, crates of food, fresh water, black powder, and daily necessities were loaded onto the battleship.

Castella, the grand master of the Knights Hospitaller, announced to the members of the Knights and the island of Malta that the fleet of the Ottoman Empire had appeared in Tripoli, less than [-] nautical miles away from the island of Malta. Big panic.Most of their ancestors were killed and injured in the siege of the Ottoman Empire. Now, the Ottoman Empire has made a comeback!

"The warships of our Knights, as well as the allies who came from thousands of miles to support us, will defeat the barbaric devils and defend the peace of our island of Malta just like 70 years ago! This time, we will not let the flames of war spread to Malta Island, we chose to take the initiative to defeat their fleet at sea, preventing them from landing on Malta Island!"

Castella's speech made the Knights of the Hospitaller and the civilians of the island of Malta excited!Many of them have feuds with the Ottoman Empire, and would rather tighten their belts to defeat the Ottoman Empire's re-invasion of them!

"Your selfless dedication will be compensated by you from the spoils obtained after the victory, and the damaged ships will also be compensated by the warships of the Ottoman fleet captured by us." Sun Xu is very generous.

The only base of the Knights Hospitaller in the Mediterranean Sea has been of great help to their operations.

This location in the heart of the Mediterranean can facilitate the combined fleet to attack in all directions, and can also come back for supplies at any time.It is necessary to have a good relationship with them, maybe the island of Malta will become an important naval base in the future.

The fleet was making final preparations before the decisive battle at sea, and the Knights of the Hospitaller were particularly nervous. They boarded 12 Maltese warships one after another.Some of these 12 Maltese warships were bought from Venice and Spain, and some were improved from captured pirate ships.

"Brother, I also want to go to sea and fight to the death with those demons of the Ottoman Empire!" Hannah stopped Castella when he was returning home to pick up equipment.

"Hannah, this is not the time to mess around, you have to know that this time we are not only facing Barbary pirates, but also the devil fleet from Constantinople, they have at least 200 galleys that can fight! This battle is so fierce that even my brother is not sure of victory, so don't make trouble for him. Be obedient and wait for us in Valletta. We will either return triumphantly or sink into the sea. But even if we lose the battle , as long as you lead the remaining knights of the Knights to stick to this fortress, the Ottoman Empire will not be able to capture it no matter what! Winter is coming, no matter the outcome of this decisive battle, we will be safe on the island of Malta." Castella Rubbing Hannah's head, said softly.

"Then why don't you stand firm on our island, brother? As long as you stand firm with the fortress, you will have 40 to 50 ships to fight back, and you will never be afraid of their fleet attacking." Hannah said.

Castella rubbed her temples with a headache. The younger sister was childish in some ways, and shrewd in others.

Indeed, there is a fortress defense system composed of several bastions on the island of Malta, coupled with the combined fleet as a sea fort, the Ottoman Empire never wants to take down the island of Malta.

Castella was accomplished in mobilizing both the knights and the commoners, and he kept some facts from the knights and islanders.

This war was not initiated by the Ottoman Empire. On the contrary, the combined fleet was the leading party in this war, and the Ottoman Empire fleet was led by them.

Of course he couldn't explain his true intentions to his sister and ordinary members of the Knights.

Defending the knights and defending the island of Malta can make the knights fight with their lives.Hannah may not understand these things.But as the Grand Leader of the Knights Hospitaller, for the benefit of the Knights, controlling people's hearts is the most basic means.

"As men, when the enemy's army is overwhelming and we are evenly matched, we must face it bravely, instead of staying at home timidly waiting for the enemy to lead the war to our island. Well, I won't tell you , There are still many companions waiting for me to command them to win." Castella forcefully explained, fearing that his sister would see something, so he hurried to the pier.

Seeing her brother leaving in a hurry, Hannah always felt something was wrong.

The beach was crowded with people, including soldiers who were about to go to war, and family members who came to see them off.

Compared with the mobilization of the Knights of Malta, the Fourth Fleet and the Royal Fleet were already in the state of expedition, and the battleship was their temporary home, and there was no parting before departure.

"Why do I still have to act with your United Fleet? I'm just an ordinary Dutch businessman. Can I stay in Malta and wait for your triumphant return?" Luiter has been brought by the Fourth Fleet from London City Algiers was taken to the island of Malta, complaining endlessly.

"Ahem, our Fourth Fleet has not long been established and lacks a few staff officers. I think you are very talented in this area, so you will serve us for the time being. We will try our best to ensure your safety. You should serve on the ironclad ship." Sun Xu said.

"What? Do you want me, a Dutchman, to serve on your warship? And what do you mean by ensuring safety as much as possible? That is to say, I will die in battle?" Luiter's face turned pale.

"You should be a smart person. Being a businessman is too wronged for you. Why don't you take this opportunity to experience being an officer. This musket is for you. If the enemy tries to take over and fight, you have to participate in the battle to protect yourself." Sun Chuanting handed a musket to Luiter.

Luiter showed bitterness, this time he was completely on board the thief ship, and had to fight like a navy soldier.

Fourth Fleet needs to recruit a group of native Europeans to expand their business here.Luyter unintentionally showed his talents during the Algiers incident, and was spotted by the Fourth Fleet.

In the original world, this Leyter is actually a very presence guy. On a normal trajectory, he will change from a businessman to the commander-in-chief of the Netherlands Navy, and repeatedly defeat the rise of the Netherlands in the war between the Netherlands and Britain. British Royal Navy.

However, his life trajectory was deflected because of his involvement in the Barbary pirate incident.

Of course, Europe is not just his trajectory changing, the original history here is going to collapse.

"Li Jinde, you just stay on the island of Malta and wait for us to come back after winning." The officer of the Fourth Fleet found out that Li Jinde planned to accompany the ship, so he persuaded him to stay.

"Anyway, I am also a Chinese man, how can I back down in a decisive battle! Don't look at me as a businessman, but I am proficient in water skills in Fujian, and I have been practicing how to use muskets during this time!" Li Jinde recommended himself.

"Okay, you'll serve on the ironclad ship, Zheng Zhibao, take care of Manager Li," Sun Xu said.

"Leave it to me, no artillery can penetrate the armor of our ironclad ship." Zheng Zhibao patted his chest and said.

After replenishing supplies and black powder, the 41 warships began to sail slowly towards the Tunis Strait. The joint fleet also intentionally let the scout ships of the Ottoman Empire fleet discover the traces of their own fleet, and then it depends on whether the other party has successfully taken the bait.

(End of this chapter)