In the Nanyang region, the sea near the port of Balin. 【】

In October, the surface of the South China Sea is very calm, unbelievably calm.

When there is no wind, the surface of the sea is like blue satin, without the slightest wrinkle. If a breeze blows, the sea surface will continue to ripple and spread out in all directions. If a ship sails by, the waves stirring up at the bow of the ship will continue to spread around, annihilating all the ripples layer by layer.

After entering the winter, there is almost no bad weather on the surface of the South Sea. The previously violent weather has completely calmed down, and it is the most suitable time for merchant ships to sail. Even novices can sail smoothly on the sea in such a season. Therefore, at this time of year, the number of merchant ships on the surface of the South Seas will increase greatly.

In fact, from October to March next year, it is also the best time for maritime trade in the South Seas. The vast majority of trade turnover was completed during this time period. At the same time, this time is also the best time to travel to and from the Atlantic. After the merchant ships departing from the South Seas arrive in the Atlantic region, it happens to be a relatively calm season in the Atlantic Ocean, which can effectively avoid the invasion of storms and improve the safety factor.

To be honest, whether a merchant fleet can make a profit or not is the most critical thing during this time. As for the rest of the time, it's not so important. Due to the frequent storms in the South Seas from April to September every year, which often affect the traffic of merchant ships, some merchant ship owners simply give up maritime trade during this period and do something else. Only after October will they work hard and night long.

Alihan, a Dutchman, was one such merchant shipowner.

Alihan, who hails from the north of the Netherlands, is not part of the traditional sphere of influence of the Dutch. The Dutch at that time, the exact name should be the United Province of the Netherlands. In the early part of the seventeenth century, the changes in the territory of the Dutch were very complex. Its own governing institutions are also constantly changing. The only thing that remains unchanged is probably the Dutchman's dedication to the sea. The name of the coachman of the sea is definitely not easy to get.

At this moment, Alihan was in a very good mood. In the spacious cabin, he was flirting and drinking with a group of oriental beauties, enjoying life to the fullest. He was drained of all his energy by a group of beautiful women, and he almost didn't even have the strength to move a finger. The huge profits from the sea trade gave him enough strength to live a luxurious life.

The three merchant ships he led were loaded with spices from various islands in the South Seas. These spices, as long as they are smoothly transported to China, change hands are more than three times the profit. This huge profit was enough for him to buy more than a thousand acres of land in a certain area of South America. He can build his own estate on this land.

Alihan, as a merchant shipowner, was very relaxed, and so were the sailors on board. They are not qualified to bring beautiful women on board, bask in the sun, drink rum, and it is perfectly fine. Many sailors put their wicker chairs on the deck and drank rum while basking in the sun. Some sailors even took great pains to fish on the edge of the deck.

Generally speaking, the merchant fleet from the East was quite safe until it reached the ports near the Mediterranean. The greatest threat to the merchant fleet was the hateful British pirates. They were a pack of hungry wolves, indiscriminately plundering all ships except British merchant ships. Not only did they plunder wealth, but they also killed people with impunity.

Fortunately, the hateful British pirates were generally active in the North Atlantic, and rarely crossed Las Palmas to the south. Therefore, they still have plenty of time to relax before reaching the Mediterranean. As for the sporadic pirates they might encounter along the way, they didn't care too much. The armament of the Alihan merchant fleet is still very strong, and each merchant ship is equipped with at least 20 or more guns, and the shelling ability is still quite strong.

While everyone was relaxing, the only thing that could be a little more cautious was the lookout post on the mast. The people in this position are generally the best sailors. Their salaries are generally the highest among sailors. They shoulder the heavy responsibility of the safety of all crew members, so naturally they dare not take it lightly.

"Doot toot!"

Suddenly, a hurried whistle sounded.

The sailors who were basking in the sun were startled, and then subconsciously looked at the top of the mast. Their expressions were obviously a little incredulous. This is because the sound of this quick whistle represents the arrival of a dangerous ship, which requires all to be on guard. This general alert can basically be understood as the most dangerous situation has emerged.

However, they have just left Jakarta! How can the most dangerous situation occur? The sea near Jakarta is the sea where the Dutch fleet has repeatedly patrolled and is on guard. On this surface of the sea, the presence of dangerous ships is simply impossible. If it had, it would have been cleared by the Dutch fleet long ago. Not even the fleet of the Spaniards, or the fleet of the British, could have appeared here. Because, doing so will lead to war!

It wasn't until the lookout post desperately waved the red pennant that the sailors came to their senses, threw down their things desperately, and rushed desperately to their posts. Even the lookout posts waved the red pennants with the highest alert level, and the most dangerous situation appeared. If you are not careful, it will be the end of the total annihilation.

"Bastard!"

"Prepare for war! Prepare for battle! ”

The boatswain shouted, his voice tinged with horror.

For a time, the entire deck, and even the entire merchant fleet, was completely out of order. The deck was full of running sailors. Some sailors ran too fast and didn't see what was ahead of them, and as a result, they bumped into each other and rolled on the deck. Especially at the entrance to the cabin, it was a mess. All kinds of wine bottles, all kinds of rattan chairs, all kinds of fishing rods, were scattered all over the deck, as if they had been mercilessly robbed by pirates.

However, for all this, all the sailors, all did not care. Even the sailors who bumped into each other and broke their heads and bled out, after getting up, hurried to continue running to their positions. This is not a joke, it is related to the existence of one's own life, so no one dares to be careless. For sailors, the sea is an endless treasure, but it is also pregnant with endless dangers. If you're not careful, you'll be buried in the sea. In the South Seas, there are not many other than sharks.

"What's going on?"

"What did the lookout post find?"

"Could it be those damned British pirates who also appeared in the East?"

Alihan, who was in the cabin, holding an oriental beauty and preparing to make love again, was dumbfounded.

The rapid whistle and the waving pennant represent certainly not a good thing. Especially for a merchant ship owner like him, this basically means that the wealth accumulated over a lifetime is very likely to be wiped out in an instant. If he did encounter the British pirates, Alihan would rather shoot himself than fall into their hands.

However, the news sent by the lookout post revealed that it was not the British pirates who suddenly appeared. If it was a British pirate, an experienced lookout post would surely be recognizable. Then, the mysterious fleet that suddenly appeared can only be other pirates. Alihan was surprised, confused, and strange. Pirate? Where did the pirates appear?

It should be known that in the waters near Jakarta, the Dutch Far East Fleet patrolled back and forth to ensure the safety of Dutch merchant ships. This is one of the main tasks of the Dutch Navy. Pakistan is very close to Jakarta, and every time the Dutch fleet patrols back and forth, it sweeps the sea near Pakistan. If there were pirates hiding here, it would be impossible to escape the sweep of the Dutch fleet.

In fact, under the joint attack of the navies of various countries, there are almost no pirates in the South Seas. The most powerful pirates, that is, some sporadic armed ships, will not have a displacement of more than three hundred tons. Many of these pirates came from the Ming Empire in the north. Except, of course, those protected by certain countries.

Sure enough, after a nervous wait, more than a dozen large warships slowly appeared on the sea in the northwest. They were lined up in a row, just enough to completely seal off the route. Alihan, who has rich experience in the ocean, can see it at a glance through the clairvoyant mirror. Those warships were the largest, with a displacement of almost a thousand tons. The smallest displacement also had five or six hundred tons. Obviously, this could never be a pirate warship. They are definitely the regular navy of a certain country.

So many sea beasts suddenly appeared in front of the merchant fleet, as if a burly man, holding a heavy and sharp axe, appeared in front of an unarmed five-year-old child, and the two sides were not of the same rank at all.

In fact, Alihan's merchant fleet was not completely unarmed. There are still dozens of artillery pieces, and the amount of ammunition loaded is also quite large. However, in the face of a dozen large warships armed to the teeth, it is purely looking for death. Therefore, in an instant, Alihan dispelled the idea of armed resistance. Since the other party is not a pirate, but a regular naval fleet, it is definitely the best policy to resist by force.

"Which country's warships are they?"

"Have any of you ever seen a military flag like this? Is it a military flag or a national flag? ”

Alihan swore that he had never seen the flags flying from the masts of those huge warships. Looking at it from a distance, the pattern on the flag seems to be an oriental dragon, soaring through the clouds, holding sharp blades in its claws. Such a banner with teeth and claws, if Alihan had seen it before, would definitely not forget it.

"Who are you? We are a legal merchant fleet in the Netherlands, protected by the Dutch Navy! Alihan hurriedly ordered the flag to be raised.

At the critical moment, the name of the Dutch Navy will inevitably be played.

Since the other party is a regular navy, what it is facing is, of course, the Dutch navy.

As a result, the flag language replied by the opposing fleet, but Alihan's flag sailors could not understand it.

Seeing that the other party was blocking the route, and had no intention of backing down, Alihan hurriedly made preparations with both hands. On the one hand, a small boat was sent to the rear immediately to call for help from Jakarta. On the other hand, he personally took a small boat to explain the situation on the other side's warship. That's the difference between a pirate and a navy. The Navy will not kill people indiscriminately.

In fact, in the face of a dozen large warships that are heavily armed, the method of escape is the most stupid. More than a dozen warships outflanked at once, and the three merchant ships of Alihan are cannon fodder at all! His entire wealth is on these three merchant ships, and of course he can't take extreme actions rashly. He needed to know more.

Fortunately, this mysterious fleet, which suddenly appeared, did not mean to use force to attack merchant ships. They just silently blocked the route, preventing any ships from passing. Alihan's request for a meeting was not denied either. This time, the flag they issued was understandable to everyone. The meaning of the flag is very simple, that is, they temporarily block the sea area, and all unrelated ships are not allowed to pass without permission. Otherwise, you will bear all the consequences.

Alihan came up to the large warship, led by a second lieutenant officer, and came to the front of a major officer. This major officer is none other than Lei Fei. For the work he is responsible for, Lei Fei is full of emotions. He himself didn't understand why he was so unlucky and was arrested to take charge of diplomacy. His greatest wish was to become a good artillery commander. As a result, his current work has nothing to do with the shelling.

Regarding Alihan's inquiry, Lei Fei's answer was hard and without the slightest emotion. He said loudly: "Mr. Alihan, we are the white-clothed naval fleet belonging to the Ming Empire. We were ordered to conduct large-scale artillery drills in this area. In order to avoid accidental damage to passing ships, we need to temporarily block the shipping routes. Please wait for three days. In three days, the route should be restored. ”

"I see, that's good, that's good."

Alihan's heart, which was originally hanging high, finally let go.

It turned out to be an artillery drill, and the sea area needs to be temporarily blocked. Since you're not here for yourself, then rest assured. Soon, however, Alihan began to feel that something was wrong again. The Navy's fleet in white? Why have you never heard of this name? Alihan is also an old merchant ship owner in the Nanyang region, and it is really the first time he has heard this name.

What's worse is, why did they appear at the port of Pakistan? Why didn't they appear in another port, but in the vicinity of Pakistan? Perhaps this port next to Pakistan is nothing special to others. It's just a small port. However, for the Dutch, it is a very fatal existence.

Pakistan is almost the throat of Jakarta. Ships traveling between Jakarta and the Atlantic Ocean basically pass through the sea near Pakistan. The reason why the Dutch did not station troops in the border was that on the one hand, the Dutch did not have enough troops and did not pay enough attention to the border in Brazil. On the other hand, it is completely because the Dutch feel that they are strong, and they do not need to worry about the provocation of others, and it does not matter at all whether they have troops stationed next to Pakistan.

Who knew that the white-clothed navy would suddenly intervene?

However, none of these problems can be solved by Alihan. The only thing he could do was to report to Jakarta as soon as possible. He was confident that Jakarta would respond quickly after receiving his detailed report. It only takes a day for the huge fleet of the Dutch to appear in front of the White Coats Navy.

The Dutch were very powerful in the South Seas, and under the Dutch East India Company, there were five large Far East fleets, and the number of large warships of various kinds exceeded eighty. In addition, there were two fleets that had been temporarily reinforced from the Netherlands mainland. All the warships combined, there have long been more than a hundred. These warships are where the confidence of the Dutch lies. Even the once powerful Spanish fleet, in front of the Dutch, did not dare to raise a profile.

However, Alihan waited left and right, never waiting for the arrival of the Dutch's own fleet. The naval fleet of the Dutch, as if mysteriously disappeared. However, many merchant ships departing from Jakarta were blocked by the naval fleet of the White Army one after another, unable to move. Like Alihan, these merchant ship owners were full of curiosity and doubts about the white-clothed navy, and at the same time, they felt deeply worried.

Idiots know that since the white-clothed navy can exercise here today, it will naturally continue to exercise here tomorrow. Since they can blockade this sea, they can naturally blockade another sea. Who knows when, where, and what kind of new actions will take place in the next exercise of the White Coats Navy and Navy?

In fact, the situation of power in the Nanyang region is very complicated. The Dutch and the Spaniards were at odds, and there were frequent fights between the two sides. In addition to large-scale naval battles, exercises and blockade of sea areas are the most common means. The purpose of this is to interfere with the normal trade of the other party's merchant ships and deliberately make you uncomfortable. Now, the white-coated navy is doing this, and the same is true. The discomfort in the hearts of the Dutch is naturally needless to mention.

Anyway, no matter what, they had to temporarily accept the new face of the white-clothed navy. In the future, there will be another powerful force in the Nanyang region, that is, the white-clothed army and navy. Fortunately, after the three-day "exercise" ended, the white-clothed navy got out of the way and mysteriously disappeared again.

Alihan's depression in his heart is really needless to say. He was already keenly aware of the danger. If the next time we encounter the other side's exercise, we block the shipping route, and the shipping route from Jakarta to the Atlantic Ocean will not be cut off alive?

I really don't know, what are those old men in Batavia (Jakarta) thinking? I have to pay more than 30% of the profits to these old men every year, but I can't get their effective protection, such a navy is going to do it!

(To be continued)