Of course, before making this decision, they also carefully weighed the risks of this trip. In the eyes of the Portuguese who thought they had conquered half of the world, although the Ming navy was much stronger than Japan, it was still not good enough.

So, no matter how strong the Jiangnan Group's fleet is, can it be stronger than Zeng Yiben? Nearly one-third of Zeng Yiben's soldiers are equipped with various firearms including matchlock guns. The ships are also equipped with artillery such as Portuguese lances, which can be regarded as the elite of the Asian navy.

Zeng Yiben's fleet of 40 ships and 1,500 people was no match for a caravel. Why would the Jiangnan Group dare to challenge them?

So after getting Omura Juntada's promise to open the Port of Nagasaki and donate the land within three miles of the port to the church, the Portuguese happily agreed to his request.

During the time they were stationed in Fukudaura, Omura Juntada sent them supplies and rewards on a regular basis, and also sent Japanese women on board to entertain the troops. Everything was so wonderful, except that the wind and waves in this damn place were too strong, which made people seasick even if they just stayed there.

Until recently, the Portuguese began to feel uneasy when they heard from Jeju Island that the Ming Dynasty's Jiangnan Group had formed a large fleet to protect their shipping routes. Later, they heard that their fleet could destroy a small mountain with a single salvo.

But after discussing, they decided that this must be a deliberate boast by the cheating Ming people. They knew the level of the Ming Dynasty's artillery. Those crude cast iron cannons had muzzles that were not as thick as their rapid-fire cannons... that is, the Portuguese cannons. How could they have such power?

So they decided to ignore it and continue to stay.

However, the news that Father Torres brought this time made the two captains completely uneasy.

Pinto picked up a piece of 'Belen's Pastry' and put it into his mouth and chewed it slowly... This is a sweet egg tea tart, baked in the oven until brown, sprinkled with cinnamon, and paired with black tar coffee. It is the most popular afternoon tea in Lisbon's upper class.

But the Belem cakes that always satisfied him on weekdays suddenly didn't smell good anymore - the news of the destruction of the Goto navy and the razing of Ekawa Castle was brought by the Japanese themselves, and it was impossible that the Ming Dynasty people were bragging.

The captain of a carrack must have a cool head, excellent judgment, and above-average strategic ability. And being alone, Pinto could not really underestimate the enemy.

While he was silently considering whether to stay or go, he asked Torres: "Father, what does Don Romeo mean?"

"He hopes that you can move to Yokozeura and prevent the Ming fleet from entering Omura Bay." Father Torres said bluntly: "Of course, this is just his own idea, and the church will not interfere with your judgment." The Jesuits and the colonial fleet are interdependent symbiotic organisms. The old priest still knows clearly which is close and which is far.

"It's better not to." Colonel Pinto said decisively: "Before we have a thorough understanding of the enemy's strength, we should not rashly engage in battle with the Ming Dynasty fleet. It is best to stay in Futianpu!"

As he spoke, he smiled without shame and said, "In fact, if the church agrees, I would even like to weigh anchor and go out to sea immediately... You know, a warship in the harbor is like a lion stuck in a quagmire, it is too easy to be attacked, not to mention that Futianpu doesn't even have any coastal defenses."

"That makes sense." Father Torres nodded and said, "Child, don't worry about the church, just do what you want. Although the church always has its own ideas, no one wants to put you, the warriors who are expanding the territory for the Lord, in danger."

"Thank you, there are fewer and fewer reasonable priests like you nowadays." Colonel Pinto looked at Father Torres with gratitude. Those Jesuit fanatics wished they could conquer Japan immediately, and then use Japan as a springboard to conquer the Ming Dynasty, so that the damned Ming emperor could be baptized as soon as possible!

"At my age, I know the importance of patience. Some things cannot be completed in one generation." Father Torres smiled kindly and said, "When we came to Japan with Father Xavier, in order to gain the trust of those daimyo, we had to shave our heads and beards, wear monk robes and rosaries, and regard ourselves as distant branches of Buddhism."

"When Father Xavier left, there were only a few hundred baptized lambs in Japan. But with the foundation he laid, there are now 300,000 believers in Japan. We can preach openly as clergy, and have baptized many daimyo." After a pause, he smiled proudly and said, "This is a great progress. Even if the exclusive pastorate in Nagasaki is ruined this time, we still don't have to worry too much... there will always be opportunities."

"Of course, we will try our best to fulfill our promise to Don Romeo." Colonel Pinto raised his coffee cup.

"Of course, the premise is to ensure your own safety." The priest also raised his coffee cup and clinked it with him.

"Of course..." Pinto smiled happily. Every respected Jesuit is so worthy of respect.

He took a sip of coffee and was about to order Alfonso to weigh anchor when the door was suddenly slammed open and his adjutant ran in with a panicked look on his face.

"Oh no, Captain, a fleet of unknown origin appeared outside Futianpu!"

"What?!" Pinto's hands shook, and black coffee spilled on the lace on his chest.

Without caring about his expensive dress, he wiped his chest with a silk handkerchief, stood up anxiously, and climbed up to the top deck of the poop in two steps. He nimbly climbed up the high rear observation deck along the side rigging of the rear mast.

Then he followed the direction pointed by the lookout, made a shelter with his hands, and looked into the distance against the northwest wind.

Sure enough, outside the bay, we saw a large fleet sailing rapidly southward with full sails.

"How many boats?" Pinto asked loudly.

"Fifty-one Chinese-style sailing ships." Europeans didn't have telescopes yet, so they relied on the lookouts to stand high and see far. The lookouts quickly replied, "Twenty large Fu ships, one Wanhu Wuwei ship, and some small boats!"

They often operate in the waters of Fujian and Guangdong, so they are naturally familiar with the Ming Dynasty's ships.

"Why did you find out so late?!" Pinto asked angrily.

"They were coming from the north, and my view was blocked by the mountains..." the lookout said timidly.

"Idiot!" Pinto cursed, but he didn't bother to get angry. He looked at the distance between the enemy and us, made a quick calculation, and then climbed down from the side rope.

Alfonso and the priest also followed him onto the deck and looked at him solemnly.

"Gentlemen, afternoon tea time is over. Immediately pass the order, gunners, take your positions and prepare for battle!" Captain Pinto ordered his adjutant in a deep voice, and then said to Alfonso: "Hurry back to your ship and prepare for battle."

After a pause, he emphasized, "In this horrible weather, I mainly rely on you to cover me!"

"Yes, Colonel! The Oriental beauty will defend the Duke of Goa to the death!" Alfonso immediately bowed and saluted, then quickly went down the stern deck.

At the same time, the Duke of Goa sounded a deafening trumpet, and the sailors who were taking shelter below the deck rushed out and quickly took their positions.

Seeing that Captain Pinto did not order the sail to be raised, Father Torres asked, "My son, are you not going to leave?"

"It's too late, Father." Pinto said gloomily, "The wind is against us now. We can't get out of the bay at all. We can only hold on here and wait for the wind to change before breaking out."

"I see. May the Lord bless you!" Torres nodded and quickly held the cross in his hand and chanted something to subdue him.

Pinto had no time to feel the glory of the Lord. He pursed his lips and stared at the approaching enemy ship, thinking about how to respond.

This caravel had 500 people on board, but there were only a few dozen Portuguese among them, and with the hired British and Dutch crew members, there were less than 100 Europeans.

The rest were sailors bought from South Asia and India, and a few Chinese served as accountants and business personnel on board... Because the sailors' living conditions were poor and too many died of disease, the Governor of Macau did not want to be accused of enslaving the Han Chinese by the Ming government. And it was much cheaper to use "South Asian monkeys", so they never hired Ming sailors.

In fact, the Portuguese had another consideration, which was that the Ming people learned things too quickly. They were worried that the shipbuilding and navigation technology they relied on to navigate the world would be learned by the Ming people...

The most skilled gunners were all Portuguese, of course. The heavy work of carrying shells and repositioning cannons was done by the native Nanyang sailors.

On the third deck, gun windows were pushed open and long-barreled snake guns were pushed out. The well-trained crew quickly completed the preparations for firing.

But Pinto would not easily order the artillery to fire. Firstly, the distance was too far and only splashes could be made. Secondly, the caravel was too tall and was already tilting badly in such a strong wind. If a salvo was fired towards the upwind side, the center of gravity might tilt and the ship might collapse.

So if they really wanted to open fire, they had to rely on the Oriental Beauty on the side. That kind of galleon had no forecastle and the poop was almost hidden in the hull, which greatly lowered the center of gravity and did not have this problem.

Of course, it would be best if we could delay the time by negotiation without firing. On such a strong wind day, the big sailboat stuck in the leeward direction was too passive. My brother's hegemony was too much, and the priest's hegemony could not offset it...

Captain Pinto quickly ordered his men to lower the small boat and sent his adjutant and several Chinese crew members, waving the white flag used worldwide, to meet the aggressive fleet for negotiations.

~~

The visitors were naturally Zhao Hao's Punishment Fleet. After destroying Jiangchuan City, they didn't even bother to clean up the battlefield, and they rushed eastward in a hurry.

Unfortunately, the wind stopped during the journey, and Zhao Hao and his team were stunned. This is the problem of not having independent power. Although the Chinese hard sail is efficient in receiving wind and can sail against the wind, without wind, they can only grope blindly and let the ocean currents take their course...

The powerful Japanese warm current sent them to the northern tip of the Nishi-sonogi Peninsula, eighty miles away from Fukudaura, which is the Yokozeura area. This is why Omura Juntada was so scared that he quickly begged Father Torres to ask the Portuguese galleon to rush north for support. He thought the next target of the Ming Dynasty people would be him...

Who knew that Zhao Hao and his men were just passive here. The Punishment Fleet had no interest in taking the risk of crossing the narrow Pinwei Strait to find Omura Junzhong who was hiding in the inner sea of ​​Omura Bay.

So as soon as the wind came, the fleet immediately set sail southward, and under the guidance of the guide, headed straight for Futianura.

It was a wrong move, and he actually caught the Portuguese off guard!

ps. No more today. I thought the National Day holiday would end on the 7th. But there is still one day left today, woo woo… I can finally have some peace and quiet tomorrow, right?