"There is a saying in "Records of the Grand Historian" that there is a big bird in them. If this bird does not fly, it will soar into the sky; if it does not sing, it will soar. Now we are this big bird. No one in the West knows our power yet, so Spanish privateers dare to shell our merchant ships, and Barbary pirates dare to kidnap our merchants. If we want to make a fortune in the West in the future, we must become famous!"

"All wars are risky. Sending fleets to surround Algiers is not only the highest risk, but also the highest benefits! Once we make the Barbary pirates, who are troubled by the Western countries, then the Western countries will be in awe of us, and our merchant ships can run rampant in the Western countries from now on!"

Sun Xu, the commander of the Fourth Fleet, was born in the battle-torn Nanyang Fleet, and inherited the offensive spirit of the Nanyang Fleet. His generous speech made everyone present excited.

After their Western company's merchant fleet arrived in the West, in order to avoid the losses caused by privateers from European countries, they basically only dared to hide in the Thames River and did not dare to go to sea to trade easily.

If the Li Jinde incident can force some Barbary pirates to surrender and show their muscles to the European countries and the Ottoman Empire, then who dares to take the initiative to attack the merchant ship with the dragon flag?

"The Fourth Fleet has two sail battleships of more than 1,000 tons in Portsmouth Port, six frigates with a total of more than 300 artillery pieces, and the danger is still very high. Algiers is the nest of pirates. After hundreds of years of operation in the local Pasha, dozens of heavy artillery were installed on the city walls and surrounding turrets. Their artillery does not need to be considered as huge recoils that will destroy the hull, so it can be very heavy. Even if our artillery performance is far better than their artillery, it is difficult to destroy the city walls and artillery pieces on the undulating sea surface..." The people from the Intelligence Department hesitated about Sun Xu's combat plan for caution.

After all, the price that the third plan may cost a fleet that costs countless funds to build.

The layout of the Jiuzhou Army in European countries will also be disrupted.

The Intelligence Service could not imagine how heavy a blow would be for the Admiralty and Western companies if the Fourth Fleet was jointly annihilated by the Ottoman Navy and pirate ships in the Mediterranean.

Re-producing two wooden sailboats of more than 1,000 tons, six frigates, and providing supporting artillery. Skilled naval soldiers are an unpredictable heavy burden for the finances.

"It's better for us to make some changes - the Fourth Fleet entered the Mediterranean and first negotiated with the pirates to see if it could be exchanged for the ransom. If the other party was willing to release the shopkeeper Li and the money was not asked for, we could reconcile with them and declare that this was a misunderstanding, and we would not lose face because of this, and we can ensure that the shopkeeper Li was safe and sound."

"If the pirates are unwilling to release Manager Li, we can put pressure on them, block the port with warships, capture pirate ships that are haunted in the Algiers' waters, and exchange them with captured pirates."

"Finally, if the above method does not work, we can wait and see if the Ottoman navy has gathered, and then launch a shelling and attack on Algiers depending on the situation. If the Ottoman Empire concentrates its navy and a large number of pirates overwhelmingly, we can also quickly withdraw from the Mediterranean to avoid losses."

A director proposed a plan to improve based on Sun Xu's ideas.

Although these merchants did not understand the naval tactical content, they put forward strategic suggestions.

This proposal between radical and conservative made it acceptable to both Sun Xu and the Intelligence Department.

"If we can tie the Royal Navy of Britain to our fleet, we may be able to increase our deterrence. Our Lord of the Army signed a joint operation agreement with the King of Britain. Since our Fourth Fleet decided to enter the Mediterranean, the Royal Navy of Britain should enter the Mediterranean with us without combat missions." The Intelligence Service thought of Charles I's Royal Navy.

Although the British navy declined for a while, it was also recently building ships. With the help of the British, the two fleets joined forces to join forces and make the pirates in Algiers surrender.

"The British seem to be unable to take care of themselves, and do not know whether they are willing to send a naval fleet to fight with us in the Mediterranean. Since I have arrived in London this time, whether Charles will let the Royal Navy go to the Mediterranean to deal with pirates with us, I will try it. As you said, if the British fleet acts with us, it is equivalent to the deterrence of our fleet. The pirates in Algiers will definitely consider whether they can defend under our joint siege." Sun Xu said.

"The directors of our Western companies also jointly signed to seek the support of Charles I." said the six directors present.

"So everyone has decided on the opinion. We plan to solve the problem by combining force and negotiation?" Sun Xu once again looked around everyone, and his eyes had already told him the answer.

The Barbary pirates in Algiers have given the Fourth Fleet a good excuse to enter the Mediterranean. The next question is how to win.

"All our officers and soldiers will think about strategies against the enemy. During this period, we still need to prepare materials for the expedition. The armed merchant ships of your Western companies are also requisitioned by us. Only by concentrating all our strength can we deter the enemy in the West." Sun Xu said.

"When will the Fourth Fleet enter the Mediterranean? If we know the time, we can make more preparations." asked the director of the Western Company.

"When our local squadron arrives in London, we will be ready to enter the Mediterranean to fight. Our squadron has one battleship and four frigates available. If they arrive, our fourth fleet's combat capability will be higher than the next level." Sun Xu said.

"Our company will also have several armed merchant ships arrive, and we will join forces with your fleet at that time." said the director of the Western Company.

The armed merchant ships of Western companies and the more than ten sail warships loaded with iron cannons from the Fourth Fleet are actually enough for any country's navy to dare not underestimate them, whether in the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean.

If they knew that there was an unprecedented ironclad ship of General Fubo in the upcoming fleet, they might not have been so careful to deal with the current situation.
Chapter completed!