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Chapter 1006 The Collision of Two Continents 2
"Your Excellency, forgive me for being blunt, but as a soldier I am not interested in politics, not even in Asia. The king's order is only to seize Enniao Port and build a new port. After doing all this, I will lead the fleet back to the New World immediately."

Speaking of the international situation, Count Supero was a little unhappy. If it weren't for the constant harassment and provocation from Britain, France and the Netherlands in the New World, the Spanish Navy would not have to send a large number of warships for escort.

These British pirates were supposed to be enemies of the Spanish Navy, but now they have to work closely together to deal with the Ming Empire, which is only heard of but not seen. They also want to take away the Portuguese supply points. It's simply a joke.

Successive Spanish kings had planned this, but it had never been realized. If you don't want a civil war to break out in Spain, it's best not to take advantage of the Portuguese maritime interests.

"Lieutenant Colonel Black, I heard there are some black villages in the north. I think you should send a troop to capture more people. This will help speed up the construction of the port."

Seeing that Count Supero looked unhappy, Villiers immediately stopped discussing the Portuguese and began to focus on the construction schedule of the port. The sooner it was completed, the sooner he could return to London to report to Charles I.

Compared with the colorful court life, sailing with the fleet was simply hell. Even if you were on the 800-ton and exquisitely decorated flagship of Count Supero, enjoying VIP treatment, it was not as comfortable as a small-scale aristocratic ball.

"Yes, those black beasts are lazy all day long. At this rate, the dock will still be a pile of wood next month. Your Excellency the Duke, if possible, please go ashore with me and the guards, and bring back some more slaves."

Count Supero appreciated this proposal very much. Although he didn't like the British, the Duke of Buckingham was an exception. He was handsome, gentle, and elegant. He was impeccable. He wanted to complete this unpleasant task as soon as possible and return home quickly.

“Boom… Boom…”

"Ancelo, who is firing randomly?"

Count Supero, who had just boarded the boat and had not yet left the flagship, heard the sound of cannon fire in the distance and immediately frowned and shouted at the boatswain beside the ship. The discipline of the Spanish Navy is very strict and can never be compared with privateers.

"...General, it's the Ventura that's patrolling at the entrance of the bay. It seems to have discovered something!" The boatswain retracted his head, then quickly stuck it out again, looking a little nervous.

"What are you waiting for? Pull me up! Your Excellency, I suggest that you accompany the flagship and allow Commander Black to return to his fleet."

Count Supero did not hesitate for a moment, and immediately gave up his plan to go ashore for fun, and then gave advice to the Duke of Buckingham. Without waiting for the other party to express his opinion, he took the lead in sitting in the basket.

"Your Excellency the Commander, the Ventura has received an enemy alert, which should have been issued by the Bernabe and Asuncion which were patrolling outside the bay. The specific situation is still unclear." As soon as he stepped onto the deck, the executive captain walked over quickly and reported the situation he had to the count.

"I am familiar with Salvador of the Asuncion. He will not be confused by a few merchant ships. This is very clear. The enemy must have been discovered, and there are a lot of them. Send an order, let the sailors on the shore board the ship immediately! Inform Lieutenant Colonel Black and ask him to lead the fleet to the north side of the island to cover the flank, and we will leave the bay from the south side of the island." Count Supero did not wait for further verification, but made a decision immediately based on his understanding of his subordinates. As the order was issued, the ships quickly sounded the alarm, and the sailors who were working or resting on the shore immediately looked for small boats nearby and rowed hard towards their respective large ships.

At this time, the difference between the regular army and the ragtag army can be seen. The Spanish sailors and soldiers are all acting according to orders, while the sailors of the English privateering fleet are still looking around at a loss, and some of them are already drunk and sleeping on the beach.

An hour and a half later, nearly forty large and small ships slowly formed two columns and sailed toward the open sea along the waterways on the north and south sides of Robben Island. The craftsmen and soldiers who were left on the shore to continue building the docks all crossed themselves as they watched the sails shrinking.

Why did it take so long from receiving the alarm to lining up to sail? This was the rhythm of the navy in the sail era. Once a ship chose to completely lower its sails and anchor, it would not be able to sail away in a short period of time no matter how strict the discipline was.

Just to raise the anchor, dozens of people take turns turning the capstan for more than ten or twenty minutes, and then wait for the sailors to return to their positions, untie the sails, and tighten the rigging. Those who can line up and set sail in about an hour are considered well-trained.

In fact, the same is true in later generations. For large ships, including warships, it takes at least an hour from cold start to startup and then to sail, and it can take several hours.

Therefore, during wartime or combat, the ships involved in the war usually do not stay completely anchored, but always remain in a state of readiness, so that even if they encounter a surprise attack, they can set sail in a relatively short time.

Count Supero was not careless, but he did not expect the Ming Empire's reinforcements to arrive so quickly. According to the information provided by the Portuguese and the British, the Ming Empire's fleet closest to Enniao Port was in Colombo, more than 8300 kilometers away.

It has been less than 50 days since the surprise attack on Enniao Port. No matter how fast the reinforcements from the Ming Empire are, it is impossible for them to arrive within 60 days.

Even so, he still arranged eight fast sailing ships to patrol outside the bay day and night, the farthest of which almost reached the waters of Cape Good Luck. As long as they found a strange ship passing through the stormy waves, they would immediately return to report and buy more than two hours of preparation time.

This time Count Supero miscalculated. When the Asuncion, which was not on patrol, came back to report, the lookout on the mast saw the enemy through the telescope. There were about ten ships to the northwest and six to the north, 5 kilometers away. They were only half-sailed and looked very leisurely, not like they were here to fight.

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"That's them, the Ming Empire Navy! Hoist the battle flag, raise the sails, and sail due west! Tell Lieutenant Colonel Black to lead the fleet due north, bypass the enemy and gain the upper hand."

However, when the count saw the unidentified ship through the telescope, he immediately recognized its origin. It was exactly the same as two of the three ships seen outside Enniao Port.

It was obvious that the Ming Empire's reinforcements had arrived, and they were not going to settle the matter peacefully, but were heading west along the coastline. The current situation was very clear, and the Ming Empire fleet had deliberately gone around to the north in order to block the Anglo-Spanish combined fleet's return route.

(End of this chapter)