By the 12th day, all but those who had already died, the sailors were healthy. I have to say that the physical fitness of people in this era is still quite good.

Now that the sailors had recovered, the expedition was once again on the agenda. The three parties agreed to leave early tomorrow morning.

On the day of departure, countless people on the docks came to see off the departure of the fleet. Li Qiming and several others were also watching from afar. Huang Tingzhu watched the fleet set sail slowly, and said in a low voice: "Li Tou, is our mission completed this time?" ”

Li Qiming thought for a while and said: "It was said that the enemy fleet would be delayed for at least eight to ten days, and if we delay it for twelve days, it must be completed!" ”

Huang Tingzhu said: "Then what are we going to do next?" Everything was destroyed, leaving only a lonely lurk. ”

Li Qiming said: "I guess that since we are allowed to stay here, there must still be big things to do!" Maybe it's the place that the handsome man has in the picture, and I'm ready to grab it! ”

Huang Tingzhu nodded and said, "That's right, that's right!" With a handsome temperament, he will never be bullied and not fight back! ”

After speaking, Huang Tingzhu looked at the land under his feet with greedy eyes, and said, "It's a pity that such a fat land is given to those lazy natives!" It should be our Han family to farm! ”

Li Qiming snorted and said, "What's the hurry? There will be news soon. When this battle is over, maybe our warships will be parked in the harbor! ”

While a few people were talking, the battleship in the harbor had already left the harbor and was raising its sails and slowly accelerating. Li Qiming said: "Let's go, there's nothing to see." In the past few days, everyone has been diligent and inquired more about the surrounding news. In case the army comes, we can say it. At least there's got to be a map, right? ”

Huang Tingzhu said: "The map must be wanted. However, I think that we should also explore the villages of the natives, so as to estimate the population. Didn't the person who sent the money a while ago say that the marshal was grabbing slaves everywhere? I see that there are a lot of natives in Nanyang here! It's a little thinner, but it can do more work than an animal, right? ”

Li Qiming nodded when he heard this

"That's a good idea!" So, I'll take someone around the city and beyond. The four of you scattered and went around the surrounding native villages. ”

A few of them went to work. And the combined fleet is passing through a strait. This is the route they are accustomed to. However, Major Clark, who was looking at the sea, was full of uneasiness about the journey.

At present, due to the lack of strength of the British, these English people have not yet formed the habit of looking at everything. They struggled under the weight of the major countries in Europe, so everyone was quite pragmatic. Colonel Clark was one of them.

He was full of doubts about this large-scale sailor's illness. And he felt as if he had found evidence. Because he found that in the Chinese neighborhood of Batavia, there were shops selling all kinds of hay. Out of curiosity, after his inquiry, he learned that it was an oriental medicine that had been passed down in China for thousands of years.

Therefore, Colonel Clark sensitively suspected that the illness of the sailors was related to the pirate king, and perhaps the pirate king's people used the unique medical skills of the East to create this disaster! But he didn't know anything about Chinese medicine, so his suspicions were just speculation.

Now that the fleet was approaching the exit of the channel, Colonel Clark hesitated for a moment and then ordered the first mate, "Slow down a little and let us stay away from them." ”

The first mate shrugged his shoulders and expressed doubt about his claim, but faithfully carried out the order. All three English battleships had their sails folded, and their speed slowed down significantly. This made them, who were already at the back of the line, even farther away from the winner's fleet.

At this time, Baron François was waiting on the bridge of the flagship for the fleet to cross the channel exit. As soon as you leave the strait, you will see the endless sea. Baron François couldn't help but get a little excited when he thought about how much power and honor the rich East could bring him! Maybe after going back this time, I might be able to become a viscount!

As long as he can force the ignorant heretics to trade with him, he will surely be able to make a good profit! These heretics don't have much knowledge anyway, and they can get back a lot of precious metals and furs just by giving them something. Just heard that

The Ming Empire is a bit difficult to deal with.

Poor Baron François came to the East for the first time, and he simply did not know how many years the Eastern civilization had been inherited? And the resilience of Eastern civilization is something he doesn't know even more!

The fleet soon sailed out of the mouth of the strait and appeared on the ocean. When Colonel Clark saw the vast ocean, he quietly let go of the doubts in his heart. Being in the ocean, not in a narrow waterway, made him feel much better.

When Baron François was deciding on the course of the charts he was looking at on his flagship, the lookout suddenly shouted: "Sail shadows have been found ahead, the number is uncertain!" At least ten or more! ”

Baron François immediately raised his binoculars and looked into the distance. Sure enough, a row of sail shadows faintly appeared on the horizon. It's just that it's too far away to see clearly. However, it was already clear that the other party was using a crosssail.

Baron François lowered his binoculars and quickly exchanged views with the officers around him. They agreed that the ship coming from the other side was the one that had been taken by the pirate king some time ago. That is, the enemy is coming from the opposite side.

Baron François had participated in many naval battles, so he was not afraid of the upcoming battle. And before he came to Batavia, he had already done a lot of research on Asian ships. So he was confident of victory.

He encouraged the officers around him and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, it is now clear that there are those pagans from the East on the other side! They seized the Dutch and our ships. Now they are trying to use our ships against us! This is a big joke to me! Do those Orientals know how long it takes to learn to sail? They don't think that our sailing ships can go to war if they want to move, do they? ”

His words sparked a low burst of laughter among the officer crowd. Baron François continued: "Those who were ahead of us failed, especially at the hands of a group of activists. This is a huge blow to the reputation of the Empire! Our mission is to restore the Empire's reputation! So this battle must be won! ”

After Baron François finished speaking, the enthusiastic officers shouted in unison: "Long live the king!" ”