Thirty-sixty special arrangements

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AD 1633, August 7, the third day of July in the sixth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty, which happened to be the day of Beginning of Autumn. The main fleet of the Qiong Navy ended its occupation of Cebu Island and military operations against Spain, and set off to return to its homeland.

Sphere of influence - Luzon or Hainan.

The scene of the return voyage was extremely spectacular. The Spanish warships that had been "accumulated" in the dock in the past few days sailed together, plus the Qiong Navy's own ships that were originally ambushed in the surrounding bays, forming an unprecedentedly large fleet. Even on the Luzon side

There is no room for them in the ports, and some of them have to be sailed directly to Hainan Island.

...The shadows of sails on the sea covered the sky, and more than a dozen famous Spanish galleons were leading the way, followed by some little guys - so-called little guys, who can travel long distances across the ocean to come here from America, no matter how small they are.

Where to go? If we follow the normal comparison of strength in history, any ship here can go sideways on the coast of Southeast Asia. The Dutch are proud of the "Fruit" class that has traveled all over the world.

In front of these Spanish galleons that once created the reputation of the Invincible Fleet, they can only be regarded as juniors.

There is only one flaw - these ships are too big, and they are actually behind the times in terms of ship type and design. In addition to their tonnage and sufficient weight, they are no longer as good as today's Europe in terms of speed, gun positions, and practicality.

The latest model - the improved Galen of the Royal Navy of England, founded in the Elizabethan era, commonly known as the "Queen's Ship", is the best and most cutting-edge ocean-going ship in the world today.

However, in the eyes of Qiong Haijun, this backwardness is nothing. When it comes to the latest sailboat model, who in the world can have a say as much as them? - Their self-built clipper boats have already reached the level of sailboat type.

At the top, large-scale all-metal frames, outer metal armor plates, and wooden hull warships are already being designed—a substitute before the advent of all-steel ships.

In the future, the main force of the Qiong Navy fleet will definitely be the latest and best self-built ships of this kind, and for now, these captured trophies are just transitional products. They only need to be slightly modified and put on the seas of Northeast Asia for use

It is more than enough to communicate with Japan, North Korea, and the small sampan navy of the Ming Empire.

Of course, before the transformation, the number of sailors required to operate these bulky guys was not a small number. Qiong Navy's own sailors alone could not handle it. However, Zhao Lide had already considered this problem, and a large number of Europeans who had recently surrendered

The sailors have been dispersed to various ships. Even the Qiong Navy's own warships are now divided into half and half Chinese and foreign sailors, working together to operate the sailboat. Of course, the Chinese sailors must be in a leading position and have the responsibility of supervision. In addition, on each ship

A Marine Corps was also dispatched to the ship as a precaution.

But overall, the greatest safety guarantee for this voyage comes from the sea - the Qionghai itself is also in this fleet.

Various legends about this big iron ship have been circulated among the European sailors and soldiers for a long time, but few have actually seen it - except for a few senior officers and nobles who were brought over from Manila Port, everyone else has

They were captured directly in Cebu and had not experienced the Battle of Manila. Now let them see this big iron thing with their own eyes, so as to dispel the last trace of luck in these people's minds. With this majestic all-metal ship

The battleship is on the spot, and anyone who wants to plot evil will have to think twice.

As for the Qionghai itself, this was also her last cruise in the Luzon area. Half a year ago, Ling Ning's fleet was suddenly attacked, and the Qionghai had to make an emergency attack. In fact, the preparations were not very sufficient. The battle was barely completed.

After the Battle of Manila Bay, the fuel supply of the Qionghai reached the warning level, and it had to be stationed in the Manila port for repairs. It was not until recently that the chemical team gathered another batch of fuel and transported it from Hainan Island on a transport ship.

The Qionghai replenished the fuel for returning to Hainan Island, and also escorted a group of sailboats back together.

At this moment, on the bow deck of the Qionghai, the Spanish military commander Count Carlos and several other senior Spanish officers and nobles were standing side by side. Next to them was the front turret of the Qionghai.

Two thick metal tubes protruded from their heads and stood straight forward. These Europeans were always a little uneasy. They looked up from time to time, as if they were afraid that the flames of the artillery would suddenly burst out - I think of that time in Manila.

Bay, some of them have observed these two artillery pieces through monocular telescopes from a distance. Every time a flame comes out of the black muzzle, it means that another colleague has been summoned by the god of death. This feeling can only be recalled afterwards.

Getting up is enough to scare people.

But it is precisely because of this that they insist on standing here. Standing under this fort that once brought them endless pressure is a kind of training for themselves - these people are all officers after all, regardless of

Out of courage or face, they could not show weakness at this time. If their range of activities on the ship were not restricted and could only move around the cabin and the foredeck, they would even want to go down to the bilge to have a look.

——Why on earth can this big iron ship float on the sea, and why can it move forward on its own without a sail rope? These questions were not answered as we boarded the ship, but instead there were more and more questions.

In the past, a group of Dutch prisoners were imprisoned on the Qionghai. Those Dutchmen also had the same problem after boarding the ship. They were all groping around in a very ungraceful manner, and they wanted to pry open the floor to take a look. In contrast, these

Spanish officers are much more educated - they all come from noble families and are very concerned about face. No matter how many doubts they have in their hearts, they appear to be well-informed and nonchalant on the surface.

Whisper in private and never show any curiosity in front of others.

So, when Zhao Lide walked onto the front deck, he saw that all these Spanish officers were standing upright, holding on to the railings and looking at the sea, as if they were inspecting the fleet on their own ship. Seeing this, Ade couldn't help but smile secretly, feeling in his heart

Said that these guys really want to save face, and they still don’t forget to put on airs at this time.

However, these few people who were invited to the Qionghai were also the key targets of Adelaide's plan, so even though he knew they were trying to hold on, Zhao Lide was still polite and said hello first:

"How about it, everyone, can you still get used to the cabin on this iron ship?"

Although these Spaniards insist on saving face, they do not dare to show off in front of Adelaide. They all salute and greet each other, including Count Carlos, who also nodded and responded in rather blunt Chinese:

"good, very good."

——Ever since he got excited that day and exposed the fact that he, like many of his subordinates, was secretly learning Chinese, the earl no longer concealed it and began to communicate with this party in Chinese as much as possible. I have to say that this buddy is very understanding.

It’s really not low, or maybe it’s because he’s been distracted during this period and is particularly focused on the skills that are related to his future and destiny... In short, he has learned really well. Now he can have a simple conversation with Ade without using a translator.

This is important because there are some things that Carlos doesn't want others to know - such as the current conversation between him and Ade.

While others were not paying attention, the two quietly walked to the hidden part of the deck. Zhao Lide nodded to each other:

"Your request has been arranged."

And the Spanish count, who always had a straight face and always paid attention to maintaining his aristocratic manners, showed a rare look of joy on his face:

"Really? That's great... But please forgive me for being rude, can you confirm that there is absolutely no problem?"

"Of course, we will send them to the mines in the interior of the Central Plains. For at least ten years, they will not have the chance to return to Europe. As for ten years later... I guess His Excellency the Earl will not care about those people anymore, right?

"

Zhao Lide said with a smile. Carlos's face showed a look of unfinished expression. It seemed that he still wanted to make a request, but after hesitating for a moment, he finally didn't say it. He just nodded and said:

"Okay, if we arrange it this way, ten years will be enough."

——The thing that the two people conspired to do is not very pleasant to tell. This time, the captured Spanish troops went through the "transformation", "selection" and other processes, and some of them voluntarily joined the Qiong Navy. Of course, these people were treated better.

They are now scattered on various ships and returning to Luzon or Hainan with the large army.

There are still some people who are unwilling to surrender. According to the previous agreement between the two parties, they were left on Cebu Island to be taken back to Europe after Carlos and others returned from Hainan - these people are undoubtedly Carlos' cronies.

, even if it was not the case before, after this period of efforts to win over, it has almost changed - Carlos still hopes to rely on them to maintain his status after returning to Europe.

But there are still a small number of people who are not willing to surrender to the Joan Navy, and they are also very dissatisfied with Carlos's command error this time. Of course, they will never listen to him again. Sending them back to Europe will definitely be detrimental to the count...

...How to arrange this group of people will take some thinking.

After several secret consultations, Zhao Lide agreed to keep these people in the East. According to Carlos' secretive attitude, he even hoped that these people would never have the chance to return to Europe. However, Ade was serious.

Tell him: Our Qiong Navy is a group that pays attention to humanity and rules. According to the regulations for treating prisoners, sending them to work in the mines for a few years is the limit, and the maximum sentence of reform through labor is only about ten years.

Of course, considering the difficult conditions in the mines and the long distance between the East and the West, it is difficult to say how many people will be able to return to Europe in the end, and even if they can, it will be at least ten years later, so Your Excellency, the Count, does not need to worry at all.
Chapter completed!