He glanced at Qiu Song, and finally set his sights on Zheng He.
Along the way, Erdan had not come into contact with Qiu Song.
However, in Erdan's view, Qiu Song was one of those untouchable people, whereas Zheng He could be communicated with well.
He couldn't even understand that the Ming Dynasty would actually send a seemingly brainless person like Qiu Song as the deputy envoy of this fleet. It was incredible.
However... Looking at it in detail, this may not be without benefits for Erdan. People who are wise are not familiar with power and deceit, and can just complete the Pope's strategy of diverting troubles to the east.
So he smiled and said: "We have prepared more than a dozen loyal pilots. The waters in the Venice area are complex and they know the hydrological conditions well. In addition, we have also prepared supplies at the ports in Sicily.
, the Pope hopes that the navy can launch an attack quickly."
Zheng He frowned. In his opinion, the fleet was exhausted after eight months of sailing. At this time, urging the fleet to fight the Venetian immediately had ulterior motives.
What's more, he already knew the situation of the Venetians. Although this country was not small, it had been engaged in business for hundreds of years. Now... it owned tens of thousands of ships.
Although most of them are small ships, Venice's battleships and navy are quite large, and they have dominated Europe for many years.
In addition, this country has accumulated wealth for hundreds of years, and it can be said that there are countless extremely wealthy people, and they have a considerable number of mercenaries for them to drive.
There's money, there's boats, there's people.
As the commander-in-chief of the fleet, Zheng He hoped to be more cautious, first detect the reality and find the opponent's weaknesses.
As for this pope, we also need to be careful and guard against him.
Zheng He hesitated, not yet speaking.
Qiu Song said, "In that case, let's go to Venice and take Venice first."
Erdan was stunned.
His original intention was...to attack Venice.
But taking Venice has another meaning.
Venice is a fortified city. In order to protect their property, they have established strong defense measures. Coupled with many defenders, this is a city that is impossible to attack by sea.
Of course, as far as Erdan is concerned, it doesn't actually matter what Qiu Song says. As long as Qiu Song is willing to attack, everything will be fine.
Erdan was overjoyed and immediately said: "Then, I will wish the general success."
Qiu Song said: "Don't forget the gift you promised!"
"Of course." Erdan said with a smile.
Qiu Song, however, had a serious face: "I'm serious, don't think I'm joking."
Erdan stopped smiling: "Of course."
Erdan retreated.
Zheng He frowned: "General Qiu, isn't this a bit reckless?"
Qiu Song said: "Eldest brother has told us to attack immediately without any hesitation."
Zheng He, however, was full of doubts: "What we are worried about is the Pope. They are so enthusiastic in hoping that we will fight with the Venetians. They are afraid that the snipe and the clam will fight and the fisherman will gain."
Qiu Song said: "But my eldest brother told me to attack immediately!"
Zheng He said: "We are telling you the Pope's intention..."
"Brother, tell me..."
Zheng He looked tired. He was very tired. The fleet had too many things to worry about, and he had to deal with the unexplainable situation in front of him.
So he sighed: "That being the case, then... act decisively!"
…………
A group of navy began to gradually break away from the fleet.
Although the navy's men and horses were traveling with the fleet on the Western Ocean, they were not subordinate to each other. They carried 3,000 model battalion captains and a fleet of more than 3,000 Ming naval forces, all returned to Qiu Song.
control.
In order to prepare for today, they have been practicing repeatedly in the water village for several months.
After that, we sailed for eight months and arrived here.
Several ships wrapped in iron armor and dozens of fast boats have now begun to move towards the established route.
As for the fleet going to the Western Ocean, they followed behind and provided support at any time.
This fleet of tens of thousands of people was divided into two, linked end to end.
The wind and waves in the Mediterranean are not very big. Compared with the vast ocean, this place is like an inner lake. From now on, Qiu Song ordered that the provisions of all personnel on the ship begin to increase.
In the bottom warehouse, all the sealed cans of beef, vegetables and fruits were taken out for people to eat as much as they wanted.
Along with the fleet, in addition to a dozen pilots, Erdan and Donkey Ball were also traveling with them.
"I really didn't expect that everything was successful." Donkey Ball couldn't help but sigh excitedly. He used Latin and tried his best to prevent the partition wall from having ears.
There was a smile on Erdan's lips. He was obviously very satisfied with the current results: "Yes, the Ming Dynasty's navy is very powerful. It seems that... it can severely damage the Venetians."
Donkey Fairway said: "I hope it can be severely damaged... Is the Pope ready?"
"Yes, he has already begun to recruit knights from France and the Holy Roman Empire. The fief knights of the Papal State will also be recruited. In addition, there are also mercenaries from Switzerland..."
Donkey Qiu said: "What is the Pope's plan?"
"If the navy of Venice fails, then under the threat of these Ming fleets, some of us will go to Venice. In order to protect their property, the merchants in Venice will be forced to ask us to help them resist the Ming Dynasty.
Fleet. Of course... they also have to pay the price..."
Donkey Ball smiled and said: "When someone falls into the sea, in order to prevent themselves from drowning, they will agree to any harsh terms, right?"
Erdan nodded: "If Venice wins, then... these Ming fleets, which took eight months to arrive here and suffered heavy losses, the Pope can make demands on them in the form of supplies and assistance.
.If necessary...we can even pretend to let them dock for supplies and then attack them."
Donkey Ball frowned: "Will this tear up the agreement we concluded with them..."
Erdan said: "This is the Lord's arrangement..."
Donkey Ball seemed to get some relief from these words, so he acted relaxed, pursed his lips, and shrugged.
"But..." Erdan said calmly: "If the Ming army wins, and we also learn that the Pope has begun to call on the European knights to assist the Venetians and resist the Ming navy, we must be prepared."
Donkey Fairway: "You mean... we might have to prepare ourselves to be called by God?"
Erdan frowned slightly and said, "Yes."
Donkey Ball nodded, but didn't say anything else.
For them, it actually didn't mean much whether the Ming army won or lost. They had already made all the plans. The only thing that surprised them was actually why the Ming army was so stupid and lost so easily.
into their trap.
But no matter what, they were successful. No matter what the final outcome was, the winner was the Pope.
The Venetian merchants and these Ming troops were all losers without exception.
Donkey Ball couldn't help but sigh: "It's a pity that we may not be able to see that the merchants of Venice will return to the embrace of the Lord."
Erdan remained silent.
Half a month later.
The fleet suddenly arrived at a certain coast.
Facing this unexpected fleet.
The sea here is surprisingly calm.
Although there were many small and medium-sized merchant ships coming and going, and they stayed far away from the fleet, the fleet seemed to have no interest in attacking these small ships.
However... Erdan is constantly using speedboats to communicate with the land.
The news he learned was that he suddenly and recklessly broke into the Mediterranean. Apparently, the Venetians had already learned the news.
And the Venetians have obviously realized that this fleet coming from afar is aggressive this time.
The news soon spread to many cities in Europe.
Following this, in addition to strengthening their defenses, the Venetians also began to assemble their fleets in the nearby waters. Of course, they did not seem to intend to engage in a decisive battle with the Ming Dynasty's fleet in the vast Mediterranean Sea.
Instead, they hoped to lure the Ming fleet to attack Venice's coastal defenses, while at the same time, the Venetian fleet ambushed the Ming fleet behind.
This is also the reason why the Ming fleet was able to go smoothly all the way.
In addition, the Venetians also played a trick.
They vigorously promoted the power of the Ming Dynasty Navy, which made many people panic.
And the result of people's panic... precisely brought huge benefits to the Venetians.
In panic, many people began to rush into Venice with their wealth.
This is actually understandable.
At this time, the vast majority of people in Europe were still in the countryside, including many businessmen. The small nobles in the countryside were unable to protect themselves. No one could predict what would happen if a group of pagans suddenly broke in.
.
But Venice is different.
This is a fortified city rarely seen in European history.
This huge city that carries the wealth of half of Europe has not been attacked for hundreds of years. The reason why Venetian merchants dare to store their wealth here is precisely because... the city of Venice has brought them
sense of security.
Therefore, instead of causing an outflow of wealth from Venice due to this terrible news, a steady stream of wealth came with the arrival of small nobles and merchants who came here to take refuge.
As for the information Erdan collected, he only selectively reported it to Qiu Song.
Of course, Qiu Song didn't seem to be very interested in this.
Sometimes I don’t even have the patience to listen.
So much so that Liu Tao, the deputy general who came with him this time, couldn't help but feel a little worried.
"General, we are about to attack. We will arrive at the battlefield in three hours."
After hearing this, Qiu Song said with a solemn face: "Check the gunpowder magazine again, check all the weapons again, and let the soldiers take a rest so that they can launch an attack at any time."
Liu Tao, however, hesitated to speak.
Qiu Song glanced at him and said, "What else do you want to say?"
Liu Tao smiled bitterly and said: "General, I humbly think... are we a little reckless..."
After hearing this, Qiu Song actually laughed.
Liu Tao frowned: "What I mean by humble means is that we should strengthen our understanding of this place, especially to find out the opponent's deployment and coastal defense, and..."
Qiu Song said, "Then tell me, let my eldest brother come here, can we win?"
Liu Tao was born in the Naval Academy, and he couldn't respect Zhang Anshi more than anything else. He immediately said: "If His Royal Highness the Prince of Wuhu is here, of course... we can succeed. Your Highness has a wonderful plan..."
"Since you know my eldest brother's clever calculations, you shouldn't have any doubts."
"Ah...this..."
Qiu Song said: "Although my second brother Zhu Yong is a little reckless, he is actually quite thoughtful and has the air of a general. My third brother Zhang Fu has a very steady temperament and is thorough in everything he does. In addition, he is a navy master and a model
There are many generals in the camp, such as Gu Xingzu, who is the smartest, and my eldest brother once praised him for his talent as Zhou Yu. But have you ever thought about why eldest brother chose me?"
Liu Tao was stunned.
Qiu Song continued: "Don't think that I don't know anything. You all worry that I only know how to fight and ignore everything else. I just fight and rush. But do you know that my elder brother doesn't know? Since he asked me to come,
This shows that the eldest brother has already determined that in this battle, we only need to fight fiercely, without any worries, and there is no need to mess around with intelligence collection, the Thirty-Six Stratagems, or...how to know yourself and the enemy."
When Liu Tao heard this, he was a little confused. He actually felt that there was some truth to it.
"If that's the case, then think about it. Eat and drink enough. After three hours, follow me to attack and destroy this bird Venice! The rest... can be ignored." Qiu Song said: "Use the strongest explosives for me.
Order the entire army to fight as hard as they did during the drill at Songjiangkou."
Liu Tao said solemnly: "Here."
Qiu Song crossed his hands and immediately showed a happy look.
After eight months, it’s time for the tiger to come out of the cage.
…………
Three hours later.
Suddenly, a fleet appeared on the coast.
The appearance of the fleet soon caused the defenders on the shore to raise smoke and ring the bells.
This is a signal of caution.
Obviously, the Venetian defenders never expected that the Ming Dynasty's fleet would be so reckless, attacking whenever they were told to attack, and did not even investigate whether there was a Venetian navy nearby to find out Venice's city defense.
In any case, it is clear that there is no chaos in Venice, everything is in order, and it seems that for many people, this does not suffer any impact.
But then... on one ship after another, some people began to push out the cannons on the ship, and some people tore off the gun jackets.
Immediately afterwards.
The battleship suddenly began to tremble.
With violent tremors, the artillery began to roar.
Europeans are not unfamiliar with artillery.
It can even be said that since the Mongol Expedition brought gunpowder to Europe, artillery throughout Europe has developed extremely rapidly.
But this thunderous roar of artillery still exceeded everyone's imagination.
What's even more frightening is...the artillery is not an iron ball, but an explosive shell.
After the bomb dropped, the shell exploded, and suddenly... there were flames everywhere.
On the ironclad ship, due to the solidity of the hull, several giant artillery pieces were already being loaded with shells.
then……
The entire armored ship actually began to tremble.
The huge roar quickly covered the sounds of other cannons.
The huge cannonball smashed straight into the solid sluice, and then the sluice collapsed and fell apart instantly with the explosion of the huge cannonball.
At the same time, kerosene bombs, bombs, and giant artillery shells specially designed to destroy the city covered the clouds and sun like a rain of fire.
The smoke rising from the sea, the blazing fires on the shore, and the collapsed walls and rubble all of a sudden turned this place into a purgatory on earth.
This city, which is almost connected to the sea, never expected that the city walls that had been built for hundreds of years and the coastal defenses that were constantly being built would not be able to fight back under this bombardment, even if they were prepared
The artillery was unable to attack the huge ship at sea, and it was buried in the sea of fire.
At the same time, one landing boat after another began to be lowered from the giant ship.
Along the rope ladder, the captains of the model battalion were fully armed and began to enter the boat.
They followed the tide of the sea and began to slowly wash up on the beach.
The thunderous sound of this artillery fire lasted for half an hour.
The Venetians obviously could not imagine that in this world, artillery could be transported onto ships, and that one ship could carry dozens of artillery pieces.
It was even more unimaginable that the power of this artillery was ten or a hundred times more powerful than the artillery they knew.
Half an hour later, the first boat carrying more than thirty captains rushed onto the beach.
They quickly began to gather, but... wherever they saw, there was no enemy who was resisting at all. The coast was full of broken arms and limbs, as well as collapsed rocks and rubble.
More and more boats rushed onto the beach in dense masses, like ants attracted by a sugar cube, they quickly gathered into a torrent.
And on the boat.
Erdan and Donkey Ball watched all this with suffocation. They looked at the Ming army that had assembled and started to attack the inner city of Venice. At this time... all they could see was nothing but darkness.
of a piece.
What's even more suffocating is that... all of this... happened in just a blink of an eye, and the coastal defenses that Venice is so proud of turned out to be like paper.
"Now...what to do now?"
"Pray." Erdan closed his eyes and began to cross himself.
Donkey Ball was already in a state of confusion and said: "We...were we...fell into their trick...if they could break through Venice without any effort, then...all our plans would be in vain.
"
Erdan said: "Pray, at this time, the Almighty..."
At this time, another roar came out, and the two of them were on the deck, feeling that the giant ship was shaking.
This huge sound had already drowned out Erdan's words.
Soon, as far as the eye could see, the people on the boat could see the inner city of Venice starting to catch fire.
It seems that small-scale fighting has begun.
Yes, it is indeed just a small-scale battle.
The Venetians, who were almost caught off guard, suffered a large number of casualties from this sudden attack, and their morale quickly fell to the bottom.
Even if there was still a group of brave people who wanted to organize a defense, it was actually too late because the model camp landed extremely quickly.
This model camp had been practicing for several months at Songjiangkou. The only thing they practiced was to cooperate with the fleet and carry out infantry and artillery coordination.
Therefore, even though the artillery on the ship was still roaring, the infantry of the model battalion seemed to have a tacit understanding with it and could still launch an attack smoothly.