Chapter 3022
Just when Lopez was at a loss, the lookout on the mast gave him good news. There was a majesty-class battleship ahead that had obviously slowed down and was moving closer to the route of Lopez's ship. It seemed that the other side was finally willing to make some kind of response to their presence.
The two ships gradually approached and walked side by side on the sea. Upon seeing this, Lopez also ordered to slow down the speed and cooperate with the other party to see if the ship would give a clear signal.
"General, send a flag on the other side and ask for someone to board the ship to communicate with us."
Haihan and Portugal have cooperated in the military field for more than 20 years, and the two sides have already established a mature operating system for communication under various circumstances. Both sides have common plans for lights, semaphores, fireworks signals, etc. that are commonly used at sea.
Lopez had previously tried to use these methods to contact the Haihan warship he encountered on the way, but he had not received a response from the other party. It was not until this time that Haihan took the initiative to use semaphores to give signals, and finally a communication channel was established.
Of course, the amount of information that semaphore can convey across the air is extremely limited. For the current situation, face-to-face communication must be more reliable.
Lopez immediately ordered a reply to the other party, stopped the ship and waited for the other party to send an envoy.
Soon after, a manned small boat was lowered from the side of the Majestic-class battleship, and then slowly rowed towards the Portuguese sailing ship. Lopez ordered the gangway to be lowered to allow the Haihan envoys to board the ship.
After informing each other of their identities, Lopez learned that the young officer in front of him was Roger's adjutant Tan Tianlei, and he frankly told the reason for his pursuit.
"Our country and Mr. Roger have always had a good cooperative relationship. For a military operation of this scale, Mr. Roger should notify our country in advance and take joint actions. There should not be deception between allies, right? ”
Lopez expressed his dissatisfaction unabashedly, but Tan Tianlei showed no shame in his accusation.
"As far as I know, we have notified your country's embassy in Star Island a few days ago to explain the reasons and purposes of our operation. As for the fact that we did not leave time for your country to send people to participate in the operation this time, that is because of the military You need to be quick. If you wait too long and let the pirates get wind of it, they will inevitably miss the target and defeat the purpose of the operation."
Tan Tianlei paused and continued: "Considering that this operation may not be able to rely on the power of allies, we will dispatch a large army and strive to complete the victory in one battle."
After listening to the translation, Lopez couldn't help but shake his head slightly. The other party's words were sharp. This was certainly not the answer he expected, nor was it the way of communication he wanted.
"I want to know where Sir Roger is. I need to talk to him face to face." Lopez didn't want to waste any more time arguing with Tan Tianlei, so he simply bypassed him and talked to Roger directly.
It's just that his reaction was probably what Tan Tianlei had expected. Hearing this, he just smiled and said: "Lord Roger will personally direct this operation. As for his current location, that is a military secret. Forgive me." Cannot be disclosed to you”
Lopez pointed to the majesty-class battleship where Tan Tianlei came from and said: "So he is not on this ship either, right?"
Tan Tianlei smiled and said nothing, but nodded to express his agreement with his guess.
What a joke, if Roger wants to meet the Portuguese, why bother using these methods. If it weren't for the fact that this ship might be the next Governor of Malacca, and he needed to give some face, Roger might not even send Tan Tianlei to come forward to communicate. But Lopez had pursued him so far, and obviously he would not give up just because of Tan Tianlei’s few words. He then said: “Then, as the special envoy of the Malacca Governor’s Palace, I request to be a military observer for this operation of your country, and obtain relevant information, this should be reasonable, right?”
Tan Tianlei said: "According to the agreement between our two countries, of course you can do this. But I must remind you that this operation may cause a fierce battle. For safety reasons, you and your ships can stay in our designated area. , cannot participate in front-line battles. As for the information you want to know, we will release it to your country at the appropriate time.”
Lopez suppressed his anger and protested to Tan Tianlei: "Such an arrangement is inconsistent with the way the two countries have cooperated in military operations in the past. In order to protect our country's interests, I need to supervise the process of this operation in a more intuitive way! ”
Tan Tianlei said: "I will relay your request to Lord Roger. However, before receiving new instructions, I advise you to abide by our arrangements to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Lopez said: "You are threatening me!"
Tan Tianlei waved his hand and said: "I am just thinking about your safety. I believe you have also noticed that the surrounding waters are full of Chinese warships. If your ship does not stay in the designated area, it can easily be mistaken for an enemy ship intruding. It would not be good if a dangerous situation occurs.”
Tan Tianlei's tone was calm, but his attitude was still very tough. The implication is that if you refuse to comply with the arrangement, it may lead to a "misjudgment" and treat you as an enemy ship.
Of course, Lopez didn't want to get into trouble. Not to mention such a huge armed fleet, even the majesty-class battleship that was so close at hand was enough to easily sink the ship he was on.
Lopez has no doubt that Haihan can do such a thing, not to mention that his opponent has already thought of an excuse. When the time comes, he will make a false apology and pay some money. It is impossible for the Malacca authorities to fall out with Haihan. of.
Maybe Governor Costa will be happy to see it happen. After all, after the country gets the news and appoints the next governor, it will take another year and a half just to confirm the candidate. Such a long time is enough for him to earn a few more pensions. .
Lopez had thousands of thoughts running through his mind in an instant, but in the end reason prevailed over impulse. He knew that he could not take risks at this juncture, otherwise he might miss the promotion opportunity he had waited for.
After the brief meeting, Tan Tianlei did not stay on the Portuguese ship in person, but only left an interpreter who was proficient in Portuguese as the liaison between both parties. This liaison person would instruct the Portuguese ship to where it should stay. position.
This arrangement naturally did not satisfy Lopez, but when he saw the Haihan fleet with its flags fluttering on the nearby sea, he could only swallow his complaints silently.
In any case, I am following the Haihan fleet, which is much better than staying in Malacca City and waiting for outdated news that has been delayed for an unknown period of time.
What Lopez could not have imagined was that less than a hundred miles north of his current location was Haihan's first target on his trip, Penang Island.
(End of chapter)