Chapter 161 The Naval Battle of Kai
From Coconut Island to Singapore, one must first sail north, passing through the narrow strait between Bangka Island and Hulitung Island, before turning northwest to reach Singapore. The Java Sea, with its year-round southeasterly winds, provided Prince Wirabhumi's fleet with ample power.
Looking at the densely packed fleet on the sea, Bramiden was filled with ambition. Majapahit had already unified most of Java and Sumatra. There were few places in the south that needed military intervention. What use were soldiers if there was no war? Were they just echoing the words of those "wise men"?
Under such circumstances, the Malacca Sultanate in the north became a very suitable target. Although they claimed to be under the protection of the Kingdom of Siam, the South Seas were the South Seas of the barbarians, not the South Seas of Siam.
Brameton planned to conquer Temasek and then march his army to take Malacca, and then confront the Siamese, so that the soldiers of Majapahit could have the status they deserved.
"General, the sentry ship has spotted an unidentified vessel, which appears to be a Temasek ship."
The Southern Barbarian fleet had just passed Banga Island when they spotted the Sikuna sailing fleet sent by Qin Mo. The sentries shouted loudly to notify Bramiden, who was stationed on the central ship.
"Send warships to drive them away, and the rest of the ships continue westward. I want to see Temasek in three days, and I want to rest in the city of Temasek in four days." Bramiden sat in his chair without moving, only waving his hand to his men to send ships to drive away the flies.
Like Prince Wilabumi, Bramiden was obsessed with the culture of the Great Xia Empire. He required his subordinates to call him "General," and in every battle, he adhered to the principle of "swift as fire, immovable as a mountain." He would not leave his chair until he was engaged in large-scale combat.
Du Wei finally spotted the Nanman Rao warships, noticeably larger than the barbarian ships he had seen before, roughly the same size as his own treasurer. A dozen or so Nanman Rao ships sailed away from the fleet, heading straight for their reconnaissance fleet.
"Raise the sails high, circle around, and come back to play with them..."
Du Wei was very confident in his crew's sailing skills. The two-masted schooner was the fastest ship he had ever seen, bar none. Even a frigate couldn't catch up with the full sails and crosswind of the Skuna. Perhaps the "multi-masted schooner" that the prince had mentioned could be even faster.
"Captain, look... aren't they... rowing?"
Dozens of oars extended from the Nanman Rao ship and began to row in unison, making the warship faster and faster, getting closer and closer to Skuna.
"Damn it... Change course, head northwest, dump anything you don't need... don't get entangled with them..."
Du Wei finally panicked. They only had two boats and a few dozen men. If they were surrounded by more than a dozen boats, even if they had three-pound cannons and Type 1 rifles, they might not be able to break through quickly. There were still hundreds of boats watching them like hawks!
Sikuna's mainsail was turned to the optimal wind angle, and the jibs were also catching a lot of wind. They started throwing pots and pans into the sea, and the ships gradually picked up speed. The Nanman warships stopped closing the distance. The two fleets, one after the other, quickly headed north.
Two days later, in the morning, Qin Mo was being served and dressed by Kaihime when Aiya came in to report that Du Wei was requesting an audience. When Qin Mo came out lazily, she saw the anxious Du Wei.
"Your Highness, the day before yesterday, I encountered a Majapahit fleet north of Bangka Island and came into contact with their warships... Their warships... each have dozens of long oars, and when they row together, they are faster than my treasurer... If in a melee, the escort ship would be surrounded by hundreds of warships..."
Du Wei felt ashamed of his arrogance a few days ago. Daxia also had oar-powered sailing ships, commonly known as "centipede ships," but they were mostly used on inland rivers. The turbulent sea was not suitable for oar-powered sailing ships. Who knew that Majapahit's warships were all of this type... coastal goods.
"Rowing sailboats are quite useful in coastal waters, but unfortunately, oarsmen are human, not machines, so the speed cannot be sustained and they are not suitable for open seas."
“Majapahit has many ships, but our cannons are powerful. As long as we use the right tactics, we won’t suffer any losses. Besides, I don’t intend to wipe out hundreds of ships in one go. It’s fine to let them land and play with them in the end.”
"Your Highness's insight is truly admirable!" Du Wei was finally relieved to hear that Qin Mo's final battlefield was in the Inland Land. After all, Qin Mo's combat prowess was undeniable, and capturing enemy generals and flags was a piece of cake for him.
"Get lost! You're quick to learn how to flatter. Tell the captains of ships 601 and 602 to stand by and prepare to set sail."
Kaihime put on her white "captain's uniform" again, making Qin Mo take a second look. On the ship, Kaihime usually wore jeans and a white shirt, just like Qin Mo, but when there was war or a long voyage, she would refer to herself as "this captain".
"I am pleased that you are willing to stay and guard Lion City Port, but you must obey Commander Wu's orders. I am going to the sea to attack enemy ships and will be back soon. If anyone disobeys my orders, don't blame me for not showing you any mercy."
"Your Highness, please rest assured, I will make sure they obey," Wu Mingyi said fiercely to the group of "rabble."
Qin Mo temporarily emptied the port of merchant ships, leaving behind two battalions of high-spirited regular troops and various hired warriors. Wu Mingyi was the best among them in terms of cultivation, combat strength, and battle experience, so Qin Mo organized the two battalions into a regiment and temporarily appointed him as the "regimental commander."
“Yongqian, keep an eye on those laborers. I don’t expect them to kill the enemy, just make sure they don’t cause any chaos.”
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