Chapter 954

Wilson watched the Dengzhou military port with a serious expression.

Three fleets from different countries were now communicating battle information by exchanging flag signals. Under Wilson’s command, the first batch of twenty warships advanced into the military port bay.

Through observation, they discovered that only eight Great Yu Empire warships were docked in the vast bay, and the Great Yu Empire warship he had just seen at sea was not present in the harbor.

“Send our soldiers to find landing sites on both sides of the military port, to seize their artillery positions and shipyards. The remaining warships will head to Dengzhou pier to attack their merchant ships to attract attention.”

Wilson calmly issued orders. To achieve his goal this time, he meticulously gathered all information and firmly memorized the nearby terrain.

“Eight warships? Wilson, we might have fallen into their trap,” Dick said worriedly. According to the intelligence they received, the Great Yu Empire navy had at least ninety-six warships, but now they only saw eight in front of them.

In his opinion, the other warships must be setting up an encirclement.

Wilson raised his eyebrows. He said, “No need to worry. I will confirm again before attacking. Look, the person I’m expecting is almost here.”

As he spoke, he looked at the sea not far away. A ship with no flag was approaching them. Soon, the ship reached the fleet.

A person dressed as a samurai boarded Wilson’s warship.

“Long time no see, Makino Haruaki,” Wilson smiled. He knew this man. Three years ago, he and Carey had met this Japanese pirate leader when they went to Nagasaki.

“General Wilson.” Makino Haruaki looked somewhat disheveled. His samurai attire was a bit ragged. The only thing unchanged was the dangerous glint in his eyes.

If not for the need for Makino Haruaki to provide information, Wilson truly would not have wanted to cooperate with him. Whether they were Great Yu Empire people or Japanese, in his eyes, they were all inferior races.

“Let’s make it short. I need intelligence on the military port now. Where are their warships?” Wilson asked directly.

Makino Haruaki had been involved in planning this mission from the beginning, but his responsibility was limited to gathering intelligence.

“Most of their warships have gone south. If I’m not mistaken, they must have gone to attack the Spanish.” Makino Haruaki looked nonchalant, as if it had nothing to do with him.

“The Spanish.” Wilson looked towards the Spanish fleet in the other direction. He pressed, “Are you sure?”

“It’s uncertain whether they’re attacking the Spanish, but going south is confirmed,” Makino Haruaki nodded affirmatively.

Dick burst into laughter upon hearing this. “God is on our side! It seems this time we can successfully destroy their shipyard and leave the Great Yu Empire gasping for breath for a long time!”

Wilson, however, was not so happy. He was somewhat worried. The Great Yu Empire’s southward move was very unusual. It was as if the Great Yu Empire had emptied its nest, and now they were also emptying theirs.

They could destroy Dengzhou military port, and they could completely seize Malacca and control the Australian shipping lanes. If this happened, the advantage gained from attacking Dengzhou would not offset the Great Yu Empire’s advantage in seizing Malacca.

Because once Malacca was controlled, their shortest shipping route from Europe to Asia would be cut off.

“I hope they haven’t thought of Malacca,” Wilson thought to himself. Then he had a soldier pay Makino Haruaki for the intelligence gathered this time.

Taking the payment from the British, Makino Haruaki looked at Dengzhou military port with hatred. He said, “I hope you can destroy the Great Yu Empire, so that our Japan can escape the Great Yu Empire’s rule.”

In the Battle of Ryukyu, he was utterly defeated by the Great Yu Empire. He still remembered the humiliation of that day. Now, Yamada Nobunaga had surrendered to the Great Yu Empire, but many samurai in Japan who opposed Yamada Nobunaga did not recognize the instrument of surrender, and he was one of them.

As long as there was any opportunity to trip up the Great Yu Empire, he was willing to charge ahead.

“This is a difficult task, and one country alone probably cannot achieve it. I also hope Mr. Makino will not give up,” Wilson said, “We British will always be your allies.”

Makino Haruaki was deeply moved. He bowed to Wilson. “I’ll leave it to you.”

With a slight smile, Wilson decided to end this battle as quickly as possible. He said, “Apologies, but it’s our time to attack now. I cannot accompany Mr. Makino any longer.”

“No problem. I will wait on my ship for your moment of victory,” Makino Haruaki said, looking excited. Then he disembarked from the warship and returned to his own ship, observing the battle from the outskirts of the fleet.

After receiving news that the main force of the Great Yu Empire fleet had all gone south, Wilson no longer had any qualms. He ordered his warships to sail into the bay and annihilate all warships in the military port.

Inside the military port, Xie Yuan had been watching this massive combined fleet. This was their first large-scale naval battle of this magnitude in ten years.

“Son of a bitch! Come on! Grandpa will send you to feed the fish in the sea!” Looking at the warships slowly entering the military port, Xie Yuan said hatefully. While deploying coastal defenses, he had also ordered the marines stationed in the military port to enter the battlefield.

At the same time, he also dispatched hunter cavalry to Dengzhou’s main camp for reinforcements. As an important trade port of the Great Yu Empire, Dengzhou was naturally a city where troops were heavily defended.

Therefore, 9,000 army soldiers were permanently stationed in the Dengzhou Grand Camp.

While Xie Yuan was cursing, twenty warships entered the military port. To his surprise, the remaining warships did not follow closely but maneuvered to both sides of the military port.

Seeing this, Xie Yuan immediately broke out in a cold sweat. He said to Ding Chang, “Oh no! They must be planning to flank us and seize our artillery positions! Have the marines send men to watch them!”

“Yes.” Ding Chang responded and went out.

Raising his telescope and continuing to watch the warships entering the military port, Xie Yuan found that these warships indeed stopped outside their firing range, evidently waiting for their soldiers to attack the artillery positions.

This way, they could seize the opportunity to attack the military port.

Taking a deep breath, he looked at a low mountain north of the military port. This low mountain extended into the sea and was a natural barrier. Li Wei and the twelve steam warships he commanded were on standby. “Li Wei, whether we can hold the military port this time depends on you.”

With that, he had someone light the beacon.

Black smoke rose. Li Wei quickly noticed. At this point, he ordered the flag signalman on the mast to relay the command.

The warships he commanded this time were all hybrid warships, and they all used the latest triple-expansion steam engines as their power source, making them incredibly powerful.

In Li Wei’s opinion, these brand-new warships were absolutely superior in combat