On the wall of the operations room of the Qing'ao Bay Base Command, there is a huge map of the Fujian-Guangdong waters.

The indoor conference table was also replaced by a huge sand table, which used plaster of different colors to perfectly and proportionally restore the coastal conditions, island and reef locations, water level depths and other geographical elements of the Guangdong coast, and marked all coastal cities in the area and possible berthing and supply points and other navigation elements.

This is the basic skill of combat staff. They are combining the latest intelligence to display the deployment of both sides' forces on the sand table with large and small models.

Zhao Hao stood at the head with his arms folded, and on his left and right stood Chen Huaixiu and Jin Ke, as well as generals such as Wang Rulong, Ma Yinglong, and Ma Kalong, and Zheng Yu, who commanded the Ryukyu navy. The woman standing opposite Zheng Yu, wearing a well-cut black police uniform and a brass-buckled cowhide belt around her waist, was Lin Feng.

She did not wear a turban or a hat like men, nor did she tie her hair into a beautiful heart-shaped bun like the women of the Ming Dynasty. Instead, she let her long hair fall down her shoulders like a waterfall, with only a big red bow tied at the back, which was refreshing.

Zheng Yu could recognize that this hairstyle was similar to that of the Ryukyu Shinto women, but without the big bow. He wondered where this woman came from and why she dressed like this.

The reason is very simple, Mr. Zhao likes it. Since she came in, Zhao Hao has looked at her several times, which made Chen Huaixiu secretly depressed. The big pig's hoof just likes novelty.

"Ahem." At this time, Mr. Zhao shifted his gaze from Lin Feng's face to the crowd and said, "Everyone, the chief has just finished reporting on the military situation. Now the chief of staff will assign combat missions."

"Yes." Wang Rulong responded solemnly, picked up the long wooden stick beside the sand table, and said loudly to everyone: "Don't be scared by the huge number of enemies. The only real threat from them is the more than 30 ships of the Portuguese, and at most the 30 ships of the Wuyang Trading House. The rest are just some weak troops who play Taiping boxing and beat the drums. So although we seem to be at a disadvantage in numbers, the number of truly useful elite soldiers is at least twice that of the enemy. As long as we use our troops carefully and avoid premature loss of the main force, the advantage is on our side!"

~~

Almost at the same time, Commander Domingo was also holding a combat meeting on the Duke of Goa.

In addition to the Portuguese officers and Lin Hongzhong's gang, the participants also included the captains who were selected to lead the huge pirate fleet, including Lin Daoquan.

At first Lin Daoquan was very surprised and thought it was a trick, but when he saw many familiar faces, all of whom were well-known sea lords in the waters of Fujian and Guangdong, he even found Zeng Yiben standing in the corner... He understood what the Portuguese were thinking. There were so many sea lords, all good and bad, that it was impossible to check them all. It would be better to bring them all to a meeting and let them supervise each other.

In this era when maritime communications are extremely inconvenient, it is already difficult for the seriously untrained pirate warships to advance and retreat together. Any strategic deception will only lead to luring their own people.

Therefore, the Portuguese could only use simple arrangements as a whole, and only make some small moves in key places. The former was not afraid of being leaked, and the latter would not say it at all on such occasions.

"Everyone, according to reliable intelligence, the Jiangnan Fleet has only more than 10,000 people and more than 100 ships. The advantage is clearly on our side!" Lin Hongzhong translated for Domingo:

"We must make full use of our numerical advantage and our mobility advantage to harass Qing'ao Bay non-stop and make their fleet run for their lives. The main fleets of the Portuguese and Wuyang Trading House will hide in the most advantageous positions. Once the opponent reveals a flaw, we will rush out immediately and engage in a decisive battle with the Jiangnan Fleet!"

Domingo pointed to the Portuguese naval map on the wall and talked a lot.

Lin Hongzhong translated, "Of course, the situation on the battlefield changes rapidly, and the situation is ever-changing. So if the timing is right, we can also turn the feint attack into the main attack - landing from a favorable position and occupying Qingao Bay with superior forces. Once the Jiangnan Fleet loses this forward base that it has worked so hard to build, it will have no choice but to retreat!"

"Damn it, the soldiers are always changing..." The sea lord below muttered softly, "Don't give the red-haired devils a chance to take advantage of you, they don't know shit about military tactics."

Lin Hongzhong frowned and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, we may not have gotten along with each other in the past, and we may have even fought each other. But since we have come together because of a common enemy, we must unite sincerely and face the outside world together, otherwise there will be no place for us in the southeast tomorrow!"

Only then did the sea lords quiet down.

Domingo continued, "In short, if we can either destroy the main force of the Jiangnan Fleet or capture Qing'ao Bay, victory will belong to us..."

~~

Qing'ao Bay, inside the operations room.

"The Lin Feng Fleet and the Ryukyu Fleet will be responsible for dealing with the pirate fleet, while the Chen Huaixiu Fleet will be responsible for providing support. Just drive the enemy away, and don't stray too far from the base. However, once we catch a group of them, the three fleets will quickly surround them and devour them so that they dare not harass us easily again." Wang Rulong's arrangements were coming to an end.

"Remember, we have the advantage of being at home. It is the Portuguese who are anxious, not us. We must remain patient and deal with them. Their main fleet will surely be unable to hold back and come to seek a decisive battle. At this time, the Coast Guard Fleet can choose the most favorable conditions to fight them. In a word, soldiers against soldiers, generals against generals! You just need to keep your eyes on your targets, and don't worry about the rest. You can't worry about anything else on this vast sea!"

"Understood." Everyone responded in unison.

After Wang Rulong finished his arrangements, Zhao Hao made his final summary: "When you go back, you should do this to your subordinates. It is true that our Coast Guard is a student of the Portuguese, but because of this, we are least afraid of the Portuguese, because we are familiar with their tactics and their warships. Everyone has heard Professor Ping explain the instructions given by the King of Portugal to his expeditionary fleet, right?"

The generals nodded in unison, and Zhao Hao said to a combat staff officer, "Repeat it to the people who haven't heard it yet."

"Yes!" The staff officer hurriedly stepped forward and shouted, "When you encounter any enemy ships, you must avoid getting too close to them as much as possible. You can force them to surrender with just cannons. In this way, the war can be carried out in a safer condition and may also reduce the loss of personnel in your fleet."

"Yes, although the King of Portugal made such a rule because the country was small and the population was small and they could not afford the loss. However, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Their fleet became more and more adapted to the new tactic of long-range bombardment, and they achieved brilliant results with it. The Portuguese sailing ships had already eliminated the metal rams, which was a sign that they had completely believed in long-range bombardment and abandoned boarding melee."

"Although we also use the same tactics." After a pause, he smiled confidently, "But unfortunately, our guns have a longer range and are more accurate. Moreover, their old-fashioned caravels have high forecastle and poop, which are very easy to catch the wind, making it difficult to maneuver the ship against the wind. They are far less flexible and fast than our warships. So in this kite-flying competition, they will definitely be the first to collapse!"

In fact, these words were not only said to ordinary officers and soldiers, but also to friendly soldiers such as Lin Feng and Zheng Xun who were present, so that they could always maintain their confidence in victory and not waver.

~~

Two days later, the boat people along the coast reported that the Portuguese fleet had reached the waters of Huilai and was less than a day's journey away from Nan'ao Island.

Warships cannot wait for the enemy in harbor, especially sailing warships without independent power. Once they are blocked in the harbor and the wind direction is wrong, they will become sitting ducks with no ability to fight back.

Therefore, the commanders led their respective fleets and left Qing'ao Bay in order.

Because the Zhenwo was to fight as the main force in this battle and face unpredictable dangers, Master Zhao, who had originally planned to go out to sea with the ship, was unanimously decided to stay in the base and not be allowed to take any risks.

Of course, it was necessary for Zhao Hao to stay at the base. It was difficult for the fleets to communicate with each other at sea, so they had to send speedboats back to the port every day to hold meetings, exchange information, and adjust strategies in a timely manner. Although Jin Ke, who stayed behind, was competent for the job of central dispatch, he still had to make some important decisions.

Zhao Hao could only put on a forced smile as he sent them off from the dock, wishing them a safe return.

Before Lin Feng left, she hugged his neck and gave him a kiss. Seeing that she was about to go to the battlefield, Master Zhao did not push her away this time.

Lin Feng looked at Chen Huaixiu provocatively, meaning, if you have the guts, why don't you try it too?

Chen Huaixiu smiled faintly and said, "How old are you, but you are still so naughty."

As she spoke, she handed her scented handkerchief to Zhao Hao, which contained a strand of her black hair. You could think of it as a part of herself left behind before going to war, just in case. You could also think of it as a "scented handkerchief of love."

Then she whispered in his ear: "Wait until I come back."

This is the way adults communicate their feelings. She glanced at Lin Feng with a smile, then turned and walked away gracefully.

Lin Feng was about to draw out his sword and pull up his hair to chop off a piece, but Zhao Hao stopped him and said, "Be serious, we are going to fight!"

"Oh, Master." She put away her sword and asked quietly, "What's the reward for winning?"

"Of course there will be a huge reward." Zhao Hao smiled and touched her head and said, "Go ahead. When you return victorious, it's up to you."

"Well, Master is the best!" Lin Feng was immediately overjoyed and boarded the ship with great enthusiasm!

However, in order not to implicate her elder brother, her fleet uniformly changed to the Jiangnan Group's Sun and Moon flag, and did not fly her Fire Phoenix flag.

At dusk, all the ships left and Qing'ao Bay became empty.

Zhao Hao and Jin Ke stood on the quiet dock. Looking at the blood-red sea under the setting sun, Master Zhao murmured, "Once tonight is over, the blood will start to flow..."

"Yes." Jin Ke nodded and said solemnly: "This battle will definitely be more brutal than the previous ones."

As he said this, he turned around to look at the still bustling base - in addition to the 10,000 civilian laborers, there were also Macron's two security teams and the 2nd Marine Battalion left at the base.

It is not difficult to judge that in the next few days, this place will also be stained with blood...

ps. I’ll write one more update, it’s definitely not too early, oh, it’s a vicious cycle… things should be much better after I finish this battle.