The fleet sailed faster than Chen Mu had imagined.

The south wind was much milder than the north wind, and for several days since the sail began, Chen Mu had kept the ship's sailors busy picking up ropes.

He asked the ships in front of him to tie the ropes in large knots, and used a tape measure to measure the rope two miles long and floated in the sea wrapped in an empty kimchi jar, while in the back he had people take his pocket watch to pick up the rope in a boat to measure their speed.

Not exactly, but it allows him to estimate in his mind.

Their speed in an hour was nearly twenty-four miles, and the speed of the Western measure was a little more than four knots per hour, which was especially rare in the case of small headwinds and large fleets. If it weren't for the headwinds that forced them to change course to maintain speed, even a slight tailwind, the voyage from Hong Kong to Manila would have taken only six or seven days.

But this time they will obviously spend almost half a month.

There are three problems that Westerners need to worry about when going to sea, naval battles, shipwrecks, and scurvy; And the Chinese only need to worry about the first two problems when going to sea, scurvy does not exist.

In fact, it is a mistake, although the Chinese's kimchi will destroy a certain degree of vitamins, but it can still retain some parts, even a little, can save lives; On the other hand, the Chinese have tea.

Chen Shuai's tea in Nanyang was exclusively sponsored by his brother-in-law Yang Yinglong, and the 10,000-person expeditionary force was rationed four taels of green tea per month, and 120 quintals of tea a year.

It's not for nothing, of course Chen Mu won't give money, but if this battle is won, he will pull the Yang family out next.

So Chen Shuai didn't worry about anything, only about the supply line and the next typhoon season.

It was because of the typhoon that he chose to attack Manila in June.

Manila is a good place, almost all typhoons affect Luzon, and the typhoon season is from May to October, and no one can say when they will come, so at this time, Spanish ships will rush to leave the port, whether they are going to Japan or Mexico, most of them will not stay in Manila.

Even the month of May he said was brain-made up for five months is normal.

At this time, the enemy is the weakest, and they have always been so strong.

"It's not going to be good......

Outside the general outside the stern of the Chihai, Chen Mu frowned slightly as he propped up the railing of the aisle, and Zhao Shizhen, Ni Shangzhong and others who were standing left and right were puzzled, Xu Wei asked, "Why did the general say this?" ”

"This is the first Clark to be captured and handed over to General Chen?"

In the direction that Chen Mu pointed to, not far from them, a shark ship formation was relying on a hook to drag two Clark sailboats with broken masts in reverse, which was their captured ship, and handed over to the Chen Lan Paifu boat behind to tow, and when they arrived in Manila, they unloaded their baggage, and then sent the fleet back to Nanyang Port.

"The closer we are to Luzon, the easier it is to encounter Xiyi ships, merchant ships and pirates, there are no less than ten large ships alone, and if you encounter small ships, most of them will be sunk, and it is difficult to be spared. But Clark, when he encountered one, he captured one, and when he encountered two, he captured two, captured a dozen of them, and only sank one. ”

Chen Mu frowned and shook his head slowly.

"It's not good."

Those who can serve as the head of the soldiers or staff on the Chihai are all smart people, and no one can't understand them, and they all change color with Chen Mu's words.

Zhao Shizhen's eyelids narrowed slightly, and he said, "The general is saying that our ship cannons can't damage their ship?" ”

"It's not that it can't be broken, it's that General Zhenshuo can't break through its waterline. You see that the bow and stern of the captured Clark have masts, as if they had been chopped off with an axe; The hull of the ship was beaten to pieces and leaked everywhere, but it couldn't go any further. The wind and sun were boundless, and Chen Mu was still dissatisfied: "Clark is not the largest ship in Xiyi. ”

During the southern expedition, Chen Mu understood why Western warships and artillery developed rapidly during this period, while the Ming Dynasty regressed instead of progressing.

Naval warfare is not a land war, and there is sufficient terrain and a variety of weapons and weapons on land to allow the generals to display their outstanding talents. But naval warfare is different, although it is also necessary to transfer troops and send generals, but what ship is what kind of ship, what artillery is what kind of artillery, although the result of the battle is not absolute, but to a certain extent, it increases the decisiveness.

Can ten Daifuku ships full of soldiers win the Red Sea?

Maybe, maybe not.

But it is absolutely impossible for a lucky ship to win the Red Sea.

When he found that the little shark boat or even the general Zhenshuo cannon on the 500 shark ship could not penetrate the waterline of Clark's sailboat, what was the first thought in Chen Mu's head?

He wanted bigger ships, bigger guns to equip the army, first there was demand and then there was development.

"Supervisor Chen, if the naval battle behind you requires a Red Sea artillery battle, please stay in the cabin and don't go to the deck."

Chen Mu said, but Chen Ju was stopped by him before he could speak, and said: "I know that you are not happy, what is the matter with the supervising army in the cabin, I also know that you are not afraid of death, but Chen is afraid of you dying - going to the ocean to fight is different from the north, you can't afford to lose, Chen and the two wives are still in the South Sea!" ”

He planned to wait for the liberation of Manila, and then take his wife over, so as to save him from the changes in the situation in the future.

"It's the same for a few of you, you can get to Luzon in a few days, and Chihai will definitely go to bombard the fort when you land, and everyone except Junxiong will get off the cabin and stay at that time."

Chen Mu's gaze swept over Ni Shangzhong, Ma Gui, Xu Wei and others, these guys were all treasures he had collected, and there must be no mistakes.

At that moment, he swept his eyes to the surface of the sea, and a centipede ship broke away from the fleet and came quickly. This kind of Chen Mu's earliest main warship has now become a communication ship to communicate with the fleets of various departments, using its unrivaled speed at sea to convey orders between various fleets.

When he saw this ship, Chen Mu knew that there was another accident in front of him.

And it looks like the centipede ship is coming in a hurry and fast, a big deal.

"Put the boat and pick people up on board."

The centipede boat sailor sailed extremely fast, and after a short time, a messenger boarded the ship, ran quickly across the wide deck, and reported loudly under the stern: "Report to the commander, Shi Qianhu and Huang Qianhu meet the Xiyi fleet, there is a big ship!" ”

"Big ship?" Shi Qi and Huang Dexiang have twelve ships in their fleet, and it is necessary for a big ship to be so panicked, "What big ship, how many ships are there in total?" ”

"More than a dozen, seven small boats, three gunboats, two large merchant ships, and one large ship...... Bigger than General Chihai! Shi Qianhu asked the marshal to send General Deng's ship to help! ”

Bigger than the Red Sea!

Chen Mu glared and asked, "The enemy ship was intercepted when it sailed east?" ”

After receiving a positive answer, Chen Mu took a deep breath and smashed his fist on the railing, this is not to catch a big fish, it is a sea beast!

Three Caravelles, two old Clarks, and, perhaps, a Galen ship with the word at the head.

From Manila to the east in June, the Spanish royal family had full control of the trade routes, and Chen Mu already knew what he had encountered.

A Spanish treasure fleet, from Manila to Mexico, popularly known as Manila galleons.

"The whole army was ordered to continue sailing, and the speed of the voyage was slowed down; Tell Deng Wuqiao to let him come with me, the two escort fleets will follow, Chihai will turn the rudder, beat the drums and prepare for the artillery battle, centipede ship! ”

Chen Mu clapped his hands and slammed on the railing, "Let's go find them!" ”