Sure enough, when Ma Yinglong pushed the door open, he saw Wang Rulong sitting at the desk neatly dressed without even taking off his clothes, staring out the open porthole.

The night sky was turning slightly white, which meant that fog had completely formed on the sea surface.

Wang Rulong was not frightened by the sudden sound of the door being pushed open, and remained motionless as a mountain as he asked, "The red-haired ghost can't hold it anymore?"

"Yes!" Ma Yinglong said excitedly, "I just received intelligence from the headquarters, saying that the Portuguese are very likely to take advantage of the fog to attack the island!"

"Okay!" Wang Rulong blurted out a word, then slowly stood up, reached out to take the helmet hanging on the wall, put it on his head, and strode out of the cabin. At the same time, he gave the order in a deep voice:

"Emergency assembly!"

The deafening alarm bells of "Ding Ding Ding" rang on the 101st Zhenwo Ship, followed by the 102nd, 103rd and 104th ships.

Then came 201 Zhuifeng, 202 Zhuri, 203 Shejing, 204 Shehu, 205 Mingdi, 206 Weiqing, 207 Qiangri, 208 Bisheng,

Alarms sounded for the ships 209 Fenglei, 210 Modiao, 211 Taisui, 212 Bifang, 213 Beiming, 214 Huya, 215 Zidian, 216 Kaiyun, 217 Qixing, 285 Babao, 219 Jiutian, 220 Houyi... and all small ships, speedboats, and transport ships!

The coast guard officers and soldiers immediately climbed out of their beds and rushed to the decks of each ship as quickly as possible to assemble.

On the Zhenwo, Wang Rulong stood on the forecastle in a neat woolen uniform, with the golden star and medals on his chest shining brightly under the gas lamp. He did not need a megaphone, and his powerful voice reached the ears of every officer and soldier on the deck.

"Everyone, the opportunity we have been waiting for has appeared, and the time for the decisive battle has come! This is a battle to determine the master of the Ming Dynasty's sea area. This is a battle to determine the future and fate of the group and each of us, and every family!"

The deck was completely silent, with young faces filled with tension, excitement, and a hint of fear. Even the most insensitive marine officers and soldiers could sense that this battle was no ordinary one. They would face an unprecedentedly powerful enemy, and there might be unprecedented casualties...

"Since its establishment, the Coast Guard fleet has been eager for such a battle. Only by fighting against the old naval powers and winning the battles can we truly demonstrate our own value and deservedly say that we are the best in the world!" Wang Rulong continued to instruct loudly.

"Number one in the world!" Beside him, Fleet Police Commissioner Ma Yilong raised his arms and shouted.

"No. 1 in the world!" This shout was like breaking the barrier of a lake, and the officers and soldiers followed suit with thunderous cheers.

On other warships, the captains also gave the same instructions. The shouts of "Number One in the World" continued, but due to the noise of the waves, they did not travel far.

"I demand that you destroy the enemy's main fleet at all costs, and not let a single large sailing ship escape!" Wang Rulong finally drew out his golden sword, pointed it at the opposite stern, and shouted:

"I will always stand on the stern of the flagship and lead the fleet forward! For the great cause of the group and the young master, you must all fight bravely and risk your life! Until the last man!"

Unless it completely loses its combat capability, the flagship will always be at the forefront of the fleet and will naturally be the focus of enemy fire. The stern is where the rudder room and command center are located, and of course it is the top priority for the enemy to attack.

Wang Rulong risked his life to encourage the marine officers and soldiers to fight bravely. The fleet's highest commander was not afraid of death and charged forward, so the soldiers would naturally be greatly encouraged and have more courage to face the upcoming battle.

After the speech, there were still a few hours before entering the battlefield. The police officers followed the plan and began to lead the police officers to make preparations for the battle in an orderly manner. They first tidied their rooms and put their personal belongings in the lockers. Then they took down the hammocks and took them to the deck along with the bedding. They also wrapped and tied up the railings, masts, gangways, cabin walls, and even the decks, all the places where people moved.

Past experience has shown that doing so can not only provide effective protection for important parts of warships, but also significantly reduce casualties in naval battles. Because in the era of wooden warships, the debris splashed by solid shells hitting the hull was the biggest threat to the crew on board.

Finally, the crew sprinkled sand and poured water on the canvas on the deck to prevent slipping and fire.

After completing the battle preparations, the officers and soldiers lined up and went to the bathroom on the ship to take turns taking a shower.

The bathroom of the galleon is located at the lower part of the bow gun position. It is a trapezoidal platform with a circle of benches inside the platform. There are regular round holes on the benches, which are the toilets for the crew. On weekdays, the marines are here, enjoying the beautiful scenery seen by the guests and Rousi, and pooping into the sea.

Although the police officers cleaned this place cleaner than their own faces, the officers and soldiers still complained about it, thinking it affected the feng shui. However, they could only make improvements on the newly built warships in the future.

At this time, the officers and soldiers gathered in the bathroom in groups, naked, and took showers with the fresh water delivered by the transport ship. You will find that they have all shaved their heads.

In this way, once the head is injured, the ship doctor and his colleagues can easily see the wound, which can significantly reduce the preparation time for treating the wound. However, because hair is still very important in tradition, the ship doctor only suggested it in the past and never made a mandatory requirement.

But before the expedition, the headquarters issued a unified order for all soldiers to shave their heads. From Zhao Hao to Jin Ke to Wang Rulong, they all set an example by shaving their heads to show their determination to fight to the last man. Therefore, the soldiers had no resistance and shaved their heads obediently with tears in their eyes.

Then they all said, "Wow, it feels so good! It feels good to be bald for a while, and it feels good to be bald all the time!"

The bald soldiers washed their bodies thoroughly and put on the newly issued original linen training uniforms, brand new socks, and rubber-soled leather boots disinfected with sulfur. This was a suggestion from Li Lunming, who believed that if the wounded were injured in battle, wearing clean clothes would greatly reduce the risk of infection.

This is also a good psychological massage. Through the ritual of bathing and changing clothes, officers and soldiers can eliminate distracting thoughts. At the same time, whether this serious behavior is really useful or not, it will give officers and soldiers a strong sense of security. It suggests that they don't have to be afraid of getting hurt, just concentrate on fighting. This is of great significance to improving the wartime status of the fleet.

This little cost was not worth mentioning at all for the wealthy Jiangnan Group. With a stroke of his pen, Master Zhao prepared two new sets of clothes for the officers and soldiers from top to bottom.

At 3 a.m., all preparations were complete. The dispatched scout boat also reported that the Portuguese and pirates' combined fleet of several hundred ships simultaneously moved towards Shen'ao Bay, north of Nan'ao Island.

Wang Rulong immediately ordered the fleet to weigh anchor, and all the combat ships followed the pilot boat, forming two columns and slowly sailing into the depths of the fog.

~~

Just as Jin Ke had expected, the Portuguese sailed their fleet to Shen'ao Bay in the first half of the night to prepare for landing.

Shen'ao Bay was also the original lair of Wu Ping. Zeng Yiben, Lin Daoqian and other sea lords all came from here, so their old brothers are naturally very familiar with this place.

The Portuguese were very cautious about this desperate action, leaving two large sailboats at the mouth of the bay to guard, and the remaining two large sailboats followed behind the huge fleet to cover their landing.

The six caravels and twenty old lock ships also had good firepower. Even if there was an emergency on the shore, it could be completely suppressed.

It was low tide at that time, which was very conducive to the fleet landing.

The people at Wuyang Trading House used barges to transport the pirates from the big ship to waist-deep water, and then drove them off the ship quickly so that they could go back and transport the next batch.

When the pirates waded through the water and stumbled ashore, and confirmed that there was no ambush on the beach, 500 fully armed Portuguese infantrymen, 500 Portuguese civilians recruited by Domingo from Macau, a volunteer battalion of 500 Europeans, 3,000 Annan mercenaries, and 2,000 slaves, led by Colonel Fernando, deputy commander of the Macau fleet, also came down from the Portuguese ships and regrouped on the beach.

By the time the 6,500 Portuguese troops and 30,000 pirates had assembled, it was already four o'clock in the morning.

Seeing that the progress was seriously slow, Fernando was anxious and hurried to urge them to set off. Under the guidance of the guide, the team was divided into three teams and headed towards Qingao Bay.

The northern route is the shortest, taking the Qilonggong Road, and you can reach Qingao Bay in less than five miles.

The middle road goes through Jinshan, which is nearly six miles away.

Take the south route to Xinshan and Bali Road.

The first two routes were all pirates, and the third route was the Portuguese army led by Fernando. He chose the far route over the near route, not out of noble character, but to allow the pirates to reach the battlefield first and attract as many troops as possible from the Jiangnan Group. In this way, when his subordinates finally entered the battlefield, they would naturally face much less pressure.

Although Nan'ao Island is entirely mountainous, the mountains are very gentle, only a few dozen meters high, and do not affect the marching speed.

Before coming, the people of Wuyang Trade House had already offered a bounty to the pirates. Anyone who participated in the battle would be rewarded with 10 taels of silver. If they killed one person, they would be rewarded with another 10 taels of silver. The reward for the leader would be doubled, and the reward for the big leader would be doubled. Anyone who could get Zhao Hao's head or capture him alive would be rewarded with 10,000 taels of silver!

In the minds of the pirates, Wuyang Tongguan was synonymous with wealth and power, so they all believed in their promises. As the saying goes, a big reward will attract a brave man, and the pirates, who had eaten and drunk enough, finally got excited and were eager to take a few more heads to celebrate the New Year.

Therefore, no one delayed along the way, and in less than an hour, the northern team arrived outside Qing'ao Bay first.

It was the dark before dawn, and the fog was so thick that one could not see one's hand in front of one's face. The guide who was leading the way in front of him bumped into a hard stone wall before he reacted.

"Ah..." The guide could not help but let out a scream, but before he could even utter the word "Ah", the Japanese soldier behind him covered his mouth with his hands.

"Keep your voice down! What's the matter?" the manager of the Wuyang Trading House growled.

"Why is there an extra wall here?" The guide groped forward with a puzzled look on his face. The surface felt rough, probably made of rocks.

"Their lair is inside, isn't it normal to have a wall?" the Japanese soldier said unhappily, then waved his hand behind him, and several men carrying ladders came over immediately and placed the ladders on the wall which was more than three meters high.

One of his men bravely climbed up and carefully looked around, only to see total silence and no one in sight.

ps. I failed to adjust to the jet lag again, woo woo. Let's write the next chapter...