Peerless Elegance's worries had come true.
On the 15th of September, just as the first and second fleets of the Handan Navy were escorting a caravan of weapons and equipment worth over a million gold coins to the coast of the Jin Kingdom, they were stopped by the Great Xia Navy.
The Great Xia Navy made it very clear. Because it was a drill, they had to conduct routine checks on passing ships. If they were not carrying any prohibited items, they would be allowed to go.
If they did not cooperate, they would have to search by force for the sake of the drill.
Although the admiral of the Handan Navy was angry, he did not dare to make a decision and said that he would consult the imperial court. Both sides were in a stalemate in the Japanese waters.
The six fleets of the Great Xia Navy surrounded the two fleets of the Handan Navy.
When Di Chen received the urgent report, his face fell. He could not help but scold, "Bullsh * t! What drill, they are obviously making things difficult for us. "He had lost his usual elegant demeanor.
Peerless Elegance frowned and thought for a while before saying, "Something is wrong."
"What is wrong?" Di Chen asked.
"The timing of the Great Xia Navy's attack was too coincidental. They accurately stopped the Handan Navy. Things that are too coincidental are often not coincidental, but premeditated. "
"What do you mean?" Di Chen's expression was solemn.
"I'm worried that the Great Xia might have found out what the fleet was transporting. That would explain why they were able to accurately intercept it, and why they were so adamant about searching it. "
"That's impossible." Di Chen was doubtful. "This batch of weapons and equipment was secretly transported by a caravan. Even within the Qing Dynasty, not many people know about it. How would the Great Xia know?!"
Peerless Elegance shook his head. "Don't doubt the Great Xia's investigative abilities. These two days, their Mountain Sea Guards have become more and more powerful. [Imperial Wind] fought with them a few times but did not gain the upper hand."
"…"
Di Chen's expression darkened.
Based on what he said, it seemed that the Great Zhou Dynasty had nothing to offer that could compete with the Great Xia.
"If the old fox really found out about this batch of goods, then all the more we cannot let them search." Di Chen got up and paced back and forth in the room, regaining his composure.
It was one thing for the Great Zhou Dynasty to form an alliance with the Qing Dynasty and the Jin Kingdom, but it was another thing for them to actively intervene in the war between the Great Xia and the Jin Kingdom.
Just like the Great Qin, the Great Han, and the Great Tang, although they were allies of the Great Xia, they did not reject trading with the Great Zhou Dynasty. Forming an alliance only meant that the relationship between the two sides would be closer. It was equivalent to establishing diplomatic relations in reality.
"Right now, the Handan fleet is surrounded. If we refuse to search, I'm worried that a conflict will break out." Peerless Elegance was still a little worried. Based on her understanding of Great Xia's style of doing things, once they made a move, they would definitely not return empty-handed.
Di Chen stood still with a determined look in his eyes. "Even so, we can't let them search. At worst, we will sink the merchant ship and destroy all the evidence. Let's see what they can do to us then!"
"That's a good idea, but the price is a little too high."
Unmatched Elegance was full of regret. That was a piece of equipment worth over a million gold coins. If he lost it, he would have to compensate the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, taking the initiative to sink his own merchant ship would cause quite a bit of negative impact.
"Now we can only sacrifice the rook to save the king!" Di Chen was very decisive. "As for the follow-up compensation, we can discuss it with the Qing Dynasty. We are transporting weapons and equipment for them, so we should share the risk."
Di Chen was indeed a master at playing tricks. He immediately thought of a way to cut his losses.
"I agree."
Peerless Elegance was also a rational person who knew when to give up.
…
Dongying Sea.
The Great Xia Navy had been in a standoff with the Handan fleet for the whole morning. As time passed, the smell of gunpowder became more and more intense. The cannons of the warships had already extended out of the cannons, and the battle was about to start.
At 2pm, he received a reply from his superiors. The admiral of the Handan fleet immediately had an idea. He ordered the cannons of the warships to be pushed out of the cabin and aimed at his own merchant fleet.
Although this order was unimaginable, military orders had to be obeyed.
The merchant ship following behind the Handan fleet saw that the cannons of the fleet were aimed at them. His eyes widened in shock and he said, "What's going on? Are they going to silence us?"
Due to the need for confidentiality, the merchant fleet that Di Chen found was also an imperial merchant fleet.
To be more specific, this merchant fleet belonged to Lord Chunshen's family and was also the core merchant fleet of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Because of Lord Chunshen's support, they were very confident.
But now, they were dumbfounded.
"Fire the cannons!"
The admiral of the Handan fleet was only responsible for carrying out the order. He naturally did not need to worry about anything else. What he was concerned about now was how to break through the blockade of the Great Xia fleet after destroying the evidence and smoothly retreat to the base.
On the deck of the Stubborn Stone.
The admiral of the Coastal Fleet, Qi Jiguang, saw every move of the Handan fleet through his binoculars. Seeing that the enemy ships were firing at his merchant ship, he immediately understood and ordered solemnly, "The enemy is trying to destroy the evidence. Stop them immediately. Do not hesitate and order all ships to fire! "
"Yes, Sir!"
Qi Jiguang was also a decisive person. After receiving the order from the King, he knew that this mission was not simple. This was not a simple naval battle and required the commander to adapt to the situation.
Indeed, something had happened.
As long as the Handan fleet fired, Qi Jiguang would have the guts to retaliate.
As for why the cannons of the Handan fleet were aimed at his merchant ship and not initiating a naval battle, the situation was so complicated. Who could say for sure?!
After the battle, Qi Jiguang could put the blame on the Handan fleet for firing the first shot.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! "
Accompanied by a series of gunfire, the sea of Dong Ying was no longer calm.
The situation of the naval battle was a little strange. The Handan fleet was firing at their merchant ship with all their might, but the Great Xia fleet was hell-bent on stopping them. They had to protect these merchant ships. It was really not logical.
In an instant, the Handan fleet, which was surrounded by the Great Xia navy, was beaten into a sorry state.
Seeing that the enemy's firepower was too strong and the fleet had suffered heavy losses, the admiral of the Handan fleet was extremely distressed. He ordered to continue to fire at the merchant ships while breaking out of the siege in the southwest direction.
"Retreat to Kyushu Island. I don't believe that the enemy will dare to land on the island!"
Amidst the roar of the cannons, the Handan fleet did not care about the sacrifices and tried their best to break out of the siege. The Great Xia navy was in hot pursuit, and the warships of the Handan fleet were constantly being sunk.
This battle of encirclement and pursuit lasted for an entire afternoon and still did not stop.
In the evening, accompanied by the orange sunset glow, the remnants of the Handan fleet, which had half of their warships sunk, finally advanced into Kyushu Island. The 4th Formation, which had been waiting for reinforcements, successfully sailed into the port and escaped the disaster.
The Great Xia fleet followed closely behind and patrolled the periphery of the port.
Looking at the situation, this collision was far from over. When the battle started in the afternoon, Qi Jiguang had already reported the results of the battle to the Xia Palace and was waiting for the next order from the King.
The situation in the northern sea was changing.
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