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Chapter 991: Quick Rescue

"Your Majesty, I am willing to guarantee with my life that none of the ships in the fleet that appeared at that time had a flag on its mast."

The captain of the communication ship was an old sailor in his forties, with a rank of fourth rank, higher than many commanders or even commanders. He was not afraid of the emperor's questioning and gave a 100% guarantee.

"…Please invite Governor Cohen over, but don't tell him what happened yet."

Not flying a clear flag is equivalent to being a pirate at sea. But whether in the Indian Ocean or the Atlantic Ocean, there are definitely no pirates with so many Spanish sailing ships and galleons. This scale is enough to destroy a country in Europe.

How to judge the identity of the other party? Hong Tao really couldn't think of it, but there is a way. We also have Europeans here, and they are particularly familiar with sailing.

"This is the Queen's ship of England, not a merchant ship, but a warship!" As expected, Cohen picked up the painting and looked at it for only a few seconds, then gave a very affirmative answer with a confused look on his face.

"Could it be the Venetians or the Swedes? Or from your United Provinces?" But Hong Tao was not satisfied with this answer. At that time, Britain was not considered the naval leader. The Venetians, the Dutch, the French, and the Swedes had similar strength to it.

"Absolutely impossible! The Venetians and the Swedes don't have this kind of ship. France and the United Provinces do have it, but they are mostly used as armed cargo ships. They don't build more than two gun decks, otherwise there will be no place to transport cargo." Cohen's answer was still very affirmative, citing the structural details and purpose of the ship as the reason.

"Then guess why the English have joined forces with the Spanish and sent a huge fleet to Port Enniao. They may have already launched an attack now!"

With the origin of the ship, Hong Tao finally stopped being anxious. He personally recounted the events that took place in the waters around the Cape of Good Hope and made a worse assumption based on logical reasoning.

"The English and Spanish attacked Port Enbird... Oh, God, they really did it... It's unimaginable, too unimaginable! Your Majesty, please forgive my gaffe, but this is really unbelievable."

Upon hearing that the Spanish and English fleets had arrived at Enniao Port and might have already launched an attack, the expression on Governor Cohen's face was beyond description. He stomped his feet and shouted like a madman until a honey badger grabbed him by the collar and pressed him into a chair.

"Tell me what you know, and don't hide anything. Even if the East India Company is involved, I will forgive you for the friendship we have had for so many years."

Seeing the Dutchmen so excited, Hong Tao believed in his own judgment even more. The attack on Enniao Port was probably a long-planned conspiracy, and the Dutchmen knew about it in advance, and were even the intelligence providers and participants.

“No, no, no, Your Majesty, please do not misunderstand, the actions of the Spanish and English have nothing to do with the East India Company and the United Provinces!

Indeed, the company had received a message last year that the Duke of Buckingham secretly went to Madrid to meet with the Earl of Oliverius. After returning, the English plundering ships seemed to have received some kind of hint and no longer frantically intercepted the Spanish silver ships.

Obviously, the Duke of Buckingham may have reached a secret agreement with the Spanish. But the company judged that it was related to the religious war, and never thought that they would focus their energy on Port Enbird. I am 90% sure that this was Charles I's idea. He was humiliated by the Parliament in England and Scotland, so in order to raise more military funds and quell the resistance of the Scots, he set his sights on the Spanish.

I am also 90% sure that Charles has been deceived by the Spanish. The East Indies not only have expensive spices, delicious chocolate and soft cotton, but also His Majesty's fleet and cannonballs that can destroy any provocateur. "

Hearing that the emperor was suspicious of the East India Company, Cohen quickly forced himself to calm down and began to analyze the whole thing. From his words and tone, it can be seen that he had no sympathy for the Spanish, but felt a little sorry for the English.

"Sister Ji, organize the Qin-class warships in the expeditionary fleet into a separate formation, and adjust the supplies, ammunition, and personnel to a quantity sufficient for a large-scale naval battle. The faster the better. Wang Chengen, give the order to replace the flagship!

Governor Cohen, would you like to go with me to Porto En-Nor to see what happens to the provocateurs? On the way, I will tell you about Charles I, Louis XIII, Philip IV, Ferdinand II, Queen Christina, and your Archon Hendrick. "

Hong Tao didn't want to make a conclusion for now whether Cohen's words were credible, but he had a preliminary plan for the next step through the conversation and understanding during this period. It would be a waste of time to redistribute the fleet to support Enniao Port, and the expedition fleet was the most suitable for the battle.

However, Hong Tao did not want to interrupt the military operation against the Sultanate of Aceh, so he split the expeditionary fleet into two parts. He led the Qin-class warships to Enniao Port, and the remaining Han-class warships and armed cargo ships stayed in place to continue the original plan.

Why not choose the Han-class warships with more fierce firepower and stronger defense? There is only one reason, to show weakness. Hong Tao did not want the Europeans to understand the true strength of the Ming Navy too early, so as to maintain the maritime advantage for a longer time.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Upon hearing that the Emperor wanted to change the flagship and would only take the Qin-class battleships, the Indian Ocean Fleet Commander Jie Ji and the flagship Captain Setel blocked their way at the same time.

"You will stay and command the expedition fleet on my behalf. Stop talking nonsense and follow my orders. You... follow me to the new flagship and take over as the temporary captain."

Hong Tao knew what the two officers wanted to do without asking, but they couldn't all go. Although Banda Aceh had been captured, the Sultanate of Aceh still had several ports on the northern coast of Sumatra that needed to be cleared, and a senior general who was familiar with the area must be in charge.

However, as a captain, Setel can go to Enniao Port to witness large-scale naval battles. Moreover, he often flies to Enniao Port and has a better understanding of the sea conditions along the way, so he is not a burden.

At the emperor's command, the expeditionary fleet immediately got busy. The Qin-class warships responsible for the outer perimeter returned one after another and docked side by side with the armed cargo ships and Han-class warships.

First, most of the shrapnel shells used to support landing operations were removed, and then replaced with solid bullets and propellants that were more suitable for naval combat, and more experienced sailors and supplies were deployed.

After working all night, they finally formed three squadrons when the sky just turned light in the east. They dived into the vast ocean to the west about ten kilometers apart.

(End of this chapter)