After leaving Naha, the Coast Guard fleet slowly moved east-southeast.

Their destination was Keelung, the northernmost tip of Taiwan Island. Intelligence gathered by the garrison headquarters and the Ryukyu Trading Post pointed the finger of blame for the Naha massacre at the group of Japanese invaders entrenched in Keelung.

Later, the interrogation of the father and son of the Weng family who seduced the pirates confirmed the correctness of the previous intelligence. The ones who attacked Jiangnan commerce were indeed this group of real Japanese from Kyushu Island. Unlike the real Japanese who fled overseas and became pirates after being defeated in the domestic war, this group of real Japanese came from the Shimazu family, the overlord of southern Kyushu.

The Shimazu family was the first Japanese daimyo to come into contact with the Portuguese. The famous Tanegashima cannon was introduced to the three islands of Japan through the Shimazu family, which completely changed the face of the Japanese Warring States period. The Shimazu family also gained huge wealth through the Nanman trade, as well as a steady supply of muskets and armor, which enabled them to defeat powerful enemies and rise to become one of the three major forces on Kyushu Island.

The Shimazu family's reliance on foreign trade is well known. They were ambitious and naturally not content to wait for the merchant ships of the Nanman and Ming people to trade, so they also organized a fleet, hoping to get a share of the maritime trade. Of course, a dog will always eat shit, they will not miss any opportunity to rob, and they killed people without hesitation, so they had a very bad reputation, and naturally they could not do much business.

Later, after the collapse of the Nine Great Families and the disintegration of the northern maritime trade system, the ship owners took their ships south to make a living. Seeing the vacancy in the East Asian waters, the Shimazu family was very excited, thinking that they finally had a chance to make a big move, so they invested a lot of effort to strengthen the navy and occupied Keelung, an important node on the route, preparing to use it as a base to extort tolls from merchant ships traveling between Southeast and Ryukyu, and finally realize their ambition to monopolize the southern barbarian trade.

Putting aside prejudice, the Shimazu family is indeed one of the few Japanese families that has a global vision and does not just focus on Mishima. If they are allowed to continue, during this window period when the European powers have no time to pay attention to East Asia, they might be able to do something.

Unfortunately, in another time and space, they were conquered by the monkeys, and then the old turtle began to isolate the country for a long time. The Shimazu family made a desperate attempt and swallowed up Ryukyu with the power of Satsuma Domain, which was already the limit.

In this time and space, it was even worse. Young Master Zhao suddenly appeared, and with his strong financial resources, he formed a terrifying marine police fleet, which quickly pacified the Kyushu waters and annihilated the Shimazu family's navy in Kagoshima Bay. Not only did the Shimazu family's dream on the sea fall through, but their power also suffered a great loss. They could only shrink with all their strength to avoid losing their territory on land.

As a result, the Shimazu navy that was sent to Keelung to build the city dock was directly abandoned by the mainland. They tried to return to southern Kyushu several times, but were repelled by the squadron of the Tanegashima Police Station of the Kyushu Marine Police Bureau. They had to temporarily give up the idea of ​​going home and return to Keelung to make a living by robbing...

Their hatred for the Jiangnan Group is conceivable, so they contacted the pro-Japanese faction in Ryukyu, who also suffered heavy losses due to the blockade of Japan by the Jiangnan Group, and wanted to take down the cargo station and fleet of Jiangnan Trade in Ryukyu. One was revenge, and the other was that they really hoped to make a fortune so that they could buy warships and artillery from the red-haired people or Guangdong, and then challenge the Tanegashima Police Station after strengthening their strength.

Especially artillery, they suffered a lot from it in several naval battles. They knew that if they were not equipped with artillery of similar quantity and power, they would not be able to fight against the coast guard. However, the Shimazu family had extremely strict control over the overseas navy, so they had not saved much private money in the past few years and could only take risks.

After identifying the murderer, Zhao Hao immediately sent out a reconnaissance fleet to Jilong for close reconnaissance.

A few days ago, the reconnaissance team returned to Naha safely, bringing detailed intelligence about the enemy, and even figured out the hydrological conditions of Keelung Bay under the cover of night.

According to intelligence, the number of Japanese entrenched in northern Taiwan is about 4,000, plus the population they abducted from the aboriginals, Ryukyu, Southeast Asia, and even the coast of Ming Dynasty, the number is almost 10,000. It can be seen that the Shimazu family was indeed ambitious at the beginning and wanted to operate well in this virgin land.

Although most of the real Japanese pirates were craftsmen and laborers who built strongholds, Japan had been a nation of soldiers for so many years during the Warring States Period, so any adult male could be considered a Japanese pirate.

In addition, there is good news. Perhaps because of the bad start in Keelung, the Japanese pirates opened a branch base in Tamsui to plunder the more densely populated indigenous villages there. This can certainly improve their living conditions, but it violates the taboo of dividing the troops, giving the Coast Guard fleet the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

Therefore, the General Staff Office urgently formulated a combat plan based on the intelligence collected and set the date of departure as August 1st.

Because at the end of July and the beginning of August, the monsoon in the Ryukyu and Taiwan waters changed, and northeasterly and northwesterly winds began to dominate. This allowed the fleet to use the wind to resist the strong Kuroshio Current when heading south, and reach northern Taiwan more quickly.

From Naha to Keelung, the entire journey is 1,200 miles, and it takes about five days, which is surprisingly about the same as going north with smooth sailing. This is because when sailing in a large formation, you must strike a balance between speed and control, otherwise the formation will quickly fall apart. So even if you can travel faster, the fleet basically maintains a speed of about 250 miles a day, which can also save the sailors' physical strength and energy.

~~

The weather is fine today, and Master Zhao is hosting a banquet for Lord Wende on the stern deck of the ship.

The scorching heat over the Pacific Ocean in August has disappeared, the north wind is not as sticky as the south wind, and the air has become fresher.

On the long dining table covered with a green silk tablecloth with dark patterns, there were fresh flowers and beautifully presented dishes. Each dish was carefully prepared by Qiaoqiao. After the fall, food becomes more durable, and ingredients can still remain fresh after four days at sea. This allows her to showcase her increasingly sophisticated cooking skills, and even the tableware for each dish is carefully selected to match the different dishes.

Such a feast with flowers all around and exquisite decorations is a great enjoyment just by looking at it.

The autumn weather was crisp, the sea and the sky were one color, the delicacies were in front of him, and the music was in his ears. It was simply a heavenly enjoyment. Although Mei Nan was a noble prince, as a clergyman, his life was naturally simple, and he had never enjoyed such treatment.

In the past few days, Mei Nan also learned that the beautiful cook named Qiaoqiao and the piano-playing secretary Ma were both the wife of Mr. Zhao. Seeing the high-level reception she received, she was deeply moved and unconsciously let go of her hostility and vigilance. She relaxed and even began to enjoy the journey.

"Your Majesty, are you used to being on my ship these days?" Zhao Hao was wearing a well-tailored blue robe embroidered with hibiscus flowers and a kind smile on his face. He looked even more handsome and youthful.

"I was a little uncomfortable at first, but gradually I got comfortable with it." Mei Nan said with a smile, "Young Master, please call me Mei Nan. I don't like the title of Lord."

In fact, without those old ladies watching over her all day long, and without having to be so cautious about what she said and did, telling her what not to do, she felt relieved and it was almost like she was on vacation.

"Hahaha, okay. You are Mei Nan, and I am also a handsome man, we are really destined to meet." Master Zhao said with a big laugh.

"Oh..." Mei Nan was stunned at first, then he understood his pun and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"It seems that Miss Mei doesn't agree." Zhao Hao smiled at Sister Ma beside him and said, "You should be more objective in the future, and don't let me be laughed at like Zou Ji."

Mei Nan couldn't help laughing again. She had received a good education and naturally knew Zou Ji, who loved to compete with Xu Gong in beauty.

The two of them ate and chatted happily, and Master Zhao told a little joke from time to time.

"It is said that there were three people, a Taoist priest, a monk and a bearded man, who were crossing the ocean. Suddenly, a strong wind blew and the boat was about to capsize. The Taoist priest was in a panic and threw the scriptures into the sea, praying for help. But there was nothing to throw away, so he pulled out his beards one by one and threw them into the sea. The Taoist priest was surprised and asked him, what are you pulling out your beards for? Do you know what he answered?"

"How do you answer?" Mei Nan asked curiously, blinking his big eyes.

"I'm dropping the anchor here," Mr. Zhao replied with a smile, pulling out the cork from a glass bottle and pouring a bubbly drink into her glass.

"Hehe, plucking hair and dropping anchor..." Menan was amused by Zhao Hao and laughed continuously. All the tension and worry of the past month disappeared completely.

Secretary Ma, who was playing the piano, glanced at the beautiful cook who was serving the dishes. He seemed to have some serious business to discuss. So the serious business was to ask us to help him pick up girls?

Sister Qiaoqiao smiled and said that she didn’t have to worry about it anyway.

Lin Feng, who was standing behind Mei Nan, was also secretly helpless. She had said it many times, what you can't get will be in your desire forever, so you have to keep him hanging!

But judging from the situation, in front of a womanizing veteran like Young Master Zhao, this foolish prince would have to start fighting after just a few rounds...

Besides, the food on this table is so tempting, isn't it? I really want to eat it. And what kind of drink is in this glass? It's not boiling, so why is there bubbling?

Menan also looked into the cup curiously, with a confused look on his face.

"If you want to know the taste of a pear, the best way is to taste it yourself." Master Zhao supported his chin with his hands crossed and encouraged her with a smile.

Mei Nan picked up the cup, blew on it first, and when he felt it was not hot, he took a sip.

Suddenly, the innocent face wrinkled like a kitten.

"What's that smell?" Zhao Hao said as he admired the pleasant scene.

"It's so spicy! My tongue is numb..." Mei Nan first fanned himself, breathing in slowly.

Lin Feng's curiosity was no longer there, but she saw Mei Nan's facial features quickly relax, with an expression of surprise, freshness and joy on his face.

"Such a refreshing and stimulating lychee juice. It's so delicious! I feel like my tongue is going to explode!" No one can resist the temptation of carbonated drinks. Mei Nan soon succumbed to it. He drank two more sips, frowning with enjoyment, and it was obvious that he was enjoying it very much.

Lin Feng was so curious again. She was really confused. Why did she dress up as a maid? It would be great if she said she was her sister. She could sit down and eat and drink... Oh no, she could walk around freely. That would be very convenient for investigation.