kvmb Chapter 279 7 Devil Pirates
Chapter 279 7 Devil Pirates
Considering that the pirates had already targeted them, they also guessed that the pirate ships would block them outside the supply point. Before setting off, the navy stationed at the supply point on St. Helena sent a warship out for a patrol and indeed found six pirate ships waiting in the open sea.
It was a pirate group composed of English and Dutch ships. This group of pirates was notorious and often ambushed merchant ships returning from Asia and America. The more merchant ships there were, the more excited they were, and their methods were extremely cruel. After robbing the cargo, they would kill people and sink the ship. Some stubborn captains would be hung and exposed.
Captain Almeida suddenly remembered something when he heard this, and said with a pale face: "Is it the 'Seven Devils' pirate group?" The title 'Seven Devils' was the name given to them by the merchant ships that suffered greatly from them, and they named themselves the 'Seven Warriors' pirate group.
The navy officer who came to report the news nodded and said, "Yes, that's them. But we only found six ships this time, and the other one is missing. I wonder if it went to gather information somewhere else."
Captain Almeida looked at Yunji. The seventh ship had been dealt with, but he did not reveal the matter to everyone. Instead, he asked everyone, "What should we do? We are being targeted by seven demons. I'm afraid there is no way to end it peacefully."
Yun Ji asked, "Are they very powerful?"
"Yes. As you can see, the cannons on their ships are the best, and those people are battle-hardened, experienced, and their cannonballs are extremely accurate. In the past, they often ambushed merchant ships loaded with silver and gold in the Caribbean Sea. I don't know why they came to the Cape of Good Hope." Almeida was worried.
The navy officer said: "They have committed many evil deeds in the Caribbean Sea, which has aroused public outrage. His Majesty and the King of Spain have sent navy to ambush them. When they got the news, they fled to the east coast to ambush merchant ships returning from Asia."
Almeida's expression was solemn. "I was almost blocked by the seven demons several times before. Fortunately, we were always very cautious and often traveled together with several ships. At that time, their equipment was not very good, so we didn't get any advantage. Now their equipment is getting better and better, and it was all dismantled from the ships they robbed."
Min Xi frowned, "We only have five ships, and we have to bring an unarmed ship. We are not at an advantage at all. What should we do? Even if we don't bring the Tengyun, how can we fight against six pirate ships with our fully loaded ships?"
Yun Ji said, "Why don't I go and take down as many ships as I can."
"No, it's too dangerous!" Min Xi refused without thinking.
Although Yun Ji is very capable, there are six ships on board, and they are all of the same blood. Even if he can board the pirate ship like before, once something goes wrong and he makes some noise and is discovered by other ships, it will be impossible for him to escape unscathed.
"But we only have five ships. They outnumber us and are more agile than us. We have no way to compete with them. Do we have to wait here?" Yun Ji asked.
Captain Rodriguez clenched his fists and put them on his forehead, saying helplessly: "Our fleet of five ships is not small for merchant ships, and we can't compete with them. If there is another fleet of two or three ships, it will basically be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth. Unless there is another fleet larger than the six demons, the merchant ships coming here for supplies will not be spared."
Everyone was silent, and many people even thought, why not wait here for a while, let other small fleets feed the six demons, so that they will not have the energy to rob them. After all, each ship has a limited carrying capacity. No matter how brutal the pirates are, each of their ships can only carry one shipload of cargo. Once they are full of cargo, they will not rob other ships, but will worry about other pirate ships robbing them. On the sea, the law of the jungle is the iron rule.
Now that they are at the supply point, they are not worried about food shortages and other problems, and they can afford it.
There is a galleon at the supply point on St. Helena Island. It is a warship of the navy stationed at the supply point. It is also equipped with cannons. If they really want to fight, they can tie in terms of numbers, but they are definitely not at an advantage in actual combat power. After all, a merchant ship full of cargo cannot compare with a pirate ship in terms of flexibility, not to mention combat experience.
For a while, no one mentioned the issue of sending it anymore. Under the current circumstances, all they could do was wait.
When there were only two of them, Yun Ji said to Min Xi, "I thought I was a bit cruel to throw all those people into the sea. Now it seems that I didn't kill them by mistake. They all deserved to die."
"Yes, fortunately you were decisive and eliminated one ship, otherwise the seven ships would have posed a greater threat to us."
Yun Ji didn't look pleased. After thinking for a long time, he said, "I think we still need to find a way to get rid of them. Six pirate ships are a huge threat to any merchant fleet. Maybe we can use other merchant ships to feed them and escape the disaster temporarily, but what about the future? When we return to Ming Dynasty, will we still have so many ships to go with us? And will Ming Dynasty ships never come to Europe again? Their existence is always a threat."
They originally planned to take the new ship back and present it to the Ming Navy, so they would no longer have to come to Europe to do business. Now that they have seized a galleon, they can still come to Europe with the Jazz in the future.
Min Xi remained silent, knowing that Yun Ji was telling the truth: "But I really don't feel comfortable letting you deal with those desperate criminals alone."
Yun Ji raised his hand and touched his face: "Actually, I want to say that this time I won't bring any helpers, I'll go alone, the target will be too small, and they won't be able to do anything to me. I'm sure there's a way to get out of this unscathed."
Min Xi was horrified: "You're going alone? Without even someone to watch the boat and see the wind, how are you going to come back?"
Yun Ji said, “You don’t need to look at the boat, just make a fixed hook on the small boat and tie it to the big boat with a rope.”
"You are going to deal with so many people alone. What if you make some noise and get discovered by other ships?" Min Xi asked.
Yun Ji thought for a moment and said, "No, I will sneak over there in the second half of the night, after they are all asleep. I will kill them while they are asleep, and it shouldn't be easy to alert other ships."
Min Xi stared into Yun Ji's eyes and said, "If you insist on going, let me go with you. I will keep watch for you and provide support for you."
Yun Ji refused without thinking: "You can't go. Listen to me, if I am discovered, I will fire at other pirate ships. When you hear the sound of the cannon, you will know that I need support. You call everyone to come and support me."
Min Xi looked at Yun Ji, not knowing how to describe his feelings at the moment. When he was young, he longed to be a hero with unparalleled martial arts, able to enforce justice on behalf of heaven and help the weak. When he grew up, he realized that it was just an unrealistic fantasy. He had neither unparalleled martial arts nor the environment to enforce justice on behalf of heaven, because there were laws supervising him.
Now Yun Ji has this ability and is also living in an environment where the strong prey on the weak and there is no legal supervision, but he does not want Yun Ji to be the hero because it is too dangerous and he is unwilling to let him take the risk.
Yun Ji knew his worries: "I know what you are afraid of, but I promise you that I will come back to see you safely. We still have such a long way to go together."
"Let me think about it again." Min Xi felt that the risk was too great and he didn't want Yun Ji to go, but he also knew that as long as these pirates were not eliminated, they would not be able to go on. They had brought so many people out, and they had to bring them back safely.
"Okay, I have to prepare well too." Yun Ji was not in a hurry. Min Xi didn't let him go because he was worried about him, but he felt that he should try. This was related to the safety of many people, including Min Xi.
Min Xi thought about it all night, and got up in the morning with swollen eyes: "I thought about it all night, and I think I still need to make a careful plan. You can't take the risk alone. Everyone should cooperate with you, otherwise how can you deal with six pirate ships alone."
Yun Ji said: "In this case, let's call everyone together to discuss countermeasures."
Min Xi called several captains and the navy stationed at the supply point to discuss the matter.
Captain Almeida looked at them in surprise. "You think we should take the initiative? This is different from before. There are six pirate ships."
It is not uncommon for merchant ships to take the initiative to attack pirate ships, but that was when they had an absolute advantage. However, they do not have the advantage now.
"Yes, that's why we come to you to discuss countermeasures. Yun sneaks into one of the pirate ships and tries to subdue the pirates on one ship, but there is a high possibility of being exposed, so I need everyone to cooperate and go out together. Once he is exposed, we will fire and attract firepower for him. Only in this way can we have a chance of winning. Otherwise, will anyone dare to take this route in the future?" Min Xi said.
Captain Martins of the Laurel hesitated, "Our ship is full of cargo, it's too heavy."
Min Xi said, "Then unload it and put it at the supply point. I know it's troublesome, but it's safer. If the ship is damaged, we can return to the supply point to repair it. If the goods are on the ship, our combat effectiveness will be compromised and the losses will be greater."
Yun Ji said, "I will try not to make any noise and at least neutralize one pirate ship. If everything goes well, I can neutralize another ship." Min Xi looked at him and said, "Seventh Brother, just do what you can. Safety comes first."
Yun Ji nodded: "I understand, I will never show off."
In the end, everyone was convinced by Min Xi and Yun Ji. First, the threat posed by the Seven Demon Pirates was too great. Second, they had seen Yun Ji's ability. He had destroyed a pirate ship by himself and even took it back for himself. If he could destroy another pirate ship, their six ships might have a chance of winning.