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Chapter 998 Anglo-Spanish Combined Fleet
The hundreds of landing soldiers of the mysterious fleet avoided the bombardment of the artillery and landed on the beach relatively smoothly without encountering any resistance. They were immediately overjoyed and while they were busy moving inland and to both wings, they put the small boats back and planned to let the second wave of landing troops continue to go ashore.

Zhu Neng, the commander of the Yuheng Guard, was extremely wicked and vicious. He deliberately did not attack the landing enemy immediately, for no other reason than to prevent the enemy from escaping on the boat.

When the small boats left the beach and went farther and farther away, gun muzzles quietly emerged from bunkers and trenches, aiming at the exposed figures on the beach.

In less than ten minutes, the battle on the beach was over. In fact, it shouldn't be called a battle, but a massacre, a one-sided shooting. Most of the landing soldiers didn't know where the enemy was until they died, and the fatal bullets shot into their bodies.

Run? Behind me is the turbulent sea, on both sides are the gentle beaches, in front of me are the endless bushes. Where should I run?

Hide? There was nothing higher than the knee within a hundred meters. Unless he could dig a hole on the spot, the only thing he could use as cover was the corpse of his companion.

At this time, a huge black ball slowly rose from the military dock, rising higher and higher. If it were not for the half of the fiery red sphere exposed on the sea level in the east, it would seem as if it was the sun, black!
Everything that happened on the shore should have been seen by the people on the mysterious fleet. They were straightforward and waited for less than half an hour before they set the sails, turned their boats around, and headed west without looking back.

It was as if they had never been here before. All that was left were more than 300 corpses and wounded soldiers on the beach, pools of dark red blood, and seabirds that swooped down impatiently to see if there was any food.

"They did not withdraw, but ran to the west more than 600 kilometers away and found a bay to land. They sent a lot of people to cut down trees, apparently to build a dock.

The students sent out the garrison fleet, but unfortunately there were too many enemy ships and they did not dare to get too close for safety reasons, so they never achieved any results.

However, Zhu Neng did not think that victory would be achieved just because the enemy left. Instead, he recalled the garrison fleet cruising far away on the sea and ordered them to search westward to find out where this mysterious fleet came from and where it was going.

The enemy did not give up completely, but felt that it was a bit difficult to attack Enniao Port, so they changed their location and planned to start a new attack.

"Have you questioned the prisoners? Have you confirmed that it is a joint fleet of Spanish and English?"

Hong Tao nodded his approval of the student's command and follow-up measures. What should be praised more is that Zhu Neng is not only good at fighting, but also has a good knowledge of Latin. He has roughly learned the origin of the enemy from the confession.

“The students captured about a hundred prisoners on the beach, of whom more than fifty died of their wounds, and the rest were handed over to the Xhosa people for custody.

According to their account, the fleet that came this time was put together by the King of Spain and the King of England, of which 29 ships belonged to the King of Spain and 14 to the King of England. There were also more than 3,000 soldiers on board, about half from each country.

However, the student had a question. Many of these captives claimed to be Germans, and were hired by the King of England for just over 2 taels of silver a month. Germany was so far away from England, why would these people abandon their homes and careers to fight for someone else's king for just over 2 taels of silver?

Zhu Neng was not only a qualified officer, but also full of desire for the unknown. In order to prevent forgetting, he wrote down all the questions he didn't understand in a small notebook. When he saw the emperor, he quickly took it out and asked one by one. "Hehe, let Governor Cohen answer this question. The East India Company troops under his command were hired, and it is estimated that 70% of them are from the German region."

Hong Tao likes such students the most: down-to-earth, hardworking, neither arrogant nor timid, and full of curiosity. But the person who has the most authority to answer this question is not himself, but the Governor of Batavia.

"…Generally speaking, people from the United Provinces, Spain, and England are unwilling to serve in the army, mainly because the pay is relatively low. In the territories of the German princes, many people are starving and cold, and will take risks to make a fortune.

Even so, more than half of the mercenaries were deceived. Take the East India Company as an example. For each mercenary provided, the introducer could get a commission of 50 shields, and this money would be deducted from the mercenary's salary in installments.

Some people simply tricked people back under various pretexts, got them drunk, and took the opportunity to sign a contract. Once the contract was signed, the soldier had to serve until the end of his term.

Cohen didn't want to answer the emperor's accusation. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to speak. But he didn't know how England and Spain found mercenaries, so he could only talk about his own company.

"This isn't slavery... Will they fight with all their heart?"

Zhu Neng's Latin was indeed good, and he understood most of it, but he still didn't quite understand the purpose of doing so. If soldiers were forced to serve, would they still be willing to work hard on the battlefield? If soldiers didn't work hard at all, how could they fight the war?

"They have no choice. They can only get half of their monthly salary, and the remaining half will be paid at the end of the contract. If they desert, they will be hanged if they are caught.

In addition, mercenaries are not without opportunities to make money. They will receive subsidies during combat. For example, if they kill an enemy, they will be given a sum of money, and all the enemy's items can also be taken as spoils of war."

Cohen still has the most say on this issue. His predecessor relied on mercenaries to win the battle of Batavia. At that time, the price of each local native head was 10 shields. A German soldier killed 11 natives in a battle and received a bonus equivalent to more than a year's salary.

Moreover, those who have made meritorious service in combat will be promoted. The monthly salary of a sergeant is 20 guilders, the flag-bearer is 36-40 guilders, the lieutenant is 50-60 guilders, and the captain is 80 guilders.

The indigenous chief of Banten once asked himself: Are all your soldiers devils from hell?
My answer is: No, they are just a group of beggars who love money.

"Okay, find the answers to the remaining questions yourself. I'll show you a way. When you return home after your rotation, ask the veterans of the border troops who were laid off that year, and everything will be clear.

Now the officers and soldiers of the fleet need dry and clean houses and delicious meals. You must make arrangements immediately and the first batch of rest sailors will go ashore in four hours. If you fail to do so, you will be held responsible for your dereliction of duty!"

(End of this chapter)