Volume 1 Tigers in Southeast Asia Chapter 52: Flying Arrow Warship
Liu Daming said disdainfully: "You little brat are talking nonsense. Our automatic rifles are the best in the world. Isn't it easy to deal with the people on Mindanao?"
Chen Fu snorted coldly and said, "You wouldn't say that if you saw their attack methods."
Lin Fei asked hurriedly: "Is there anything special about their attack methods?"
Chen Fu said: "When they launched the attack, they used a small boat. This boat was about the same size as the lifeboat on the Nuwa ship, but the boat was narrow, especially suitable for high-speed travel in the water. There were many oars on the boat. When everyone paddled together, the boat was like an arrow in the water. They called this boat a 'flying arrow warship'."
Liu Daming said disdainfully: "No matter how fast their ships are, they can't be faster than bullets, right? How can they be a match for our bullets?"
Chen Fu said: "Their boats are not only fast, but also have special bulletproof equipment. Our lifeboats don't have a roof, but their boats have a protective plate made of hardwood, which bullets can't penetrate."
Liu Daming snorted coldly and said, "Little thing, just keep talking nonsense here!"
Chen Fu said with annoyance in his tone, "Big Liu, what right do you have to say that I am talking nonsense?"
Liu Daming sneered and said, "Let me ask you, does your caravan have guns?"
Chen Fu shook his head and said, "No, what's wrong?"
Liu Daming said: "Since you didn't bring a gun, you didn't shoot at their boats. Since you didn't shoot at their boats, how do you know that bullets can't penetrate their boats?"
Chen Fu said: "The outside of the hardwood shield is full of bullet holes, but there are no bullet holes inside. Isn't it obvious that bullets can't penetrate their boats?"
Liu Daming's eyes flashed with surprise, and he asked, "Why are there bullet holes on their ship? Who shot them?"
Lin Fei said at this time: "The Spanish have always wanted to occupy Mindanao and eliminate the Muslims there, but the Muslims on the island are brave and tenacious. The Spanish have not been able to eliminate them after several expeditions. Those bullet holes should be left by the Spanish."
Chen Fu nodded and said, "The city lord is indeed very knowledgeable, Big Liu, now you understand why I said that automatic rifles are not easy to use, right?"
Liu Daming's eyes widened and he said, "If we don't have guns, we still have cannons. Cannons can always deal with them, right?"
Chen Fu shook his head and said, "Their ship is moving very fast, and it may be difficult to aim. I heard that the guns of the Nuwa ship are average in power, and I am afraid we can't defeat them."
Liu Daming laughed and said, "You don't understand this. Naval battles do not necessarily require the use of naval guns. Since their boats are about the same size as our lifeboats, we don't need to fight them. We can just drive the Nuwa ship over and knock them over."
Chen Fu shook his head and said, "It's not okay to get close to them, because they have special weapons when they get close to others!"
Liu Daming asked hurriedly: "What special weapon?"
Chen Fu said: "I don't know what it is. When they attacked us, they threw something on us. When it got on the ship, it started to burn. Our ship then caught fire. The fire spread to the boiler room, and the boiler exploded directly, and the whole ship sank. That special weapon is so powerful, can we win?"
Liu Daming shouted at the top of his voice: "Who said we can't win? We can definitely win..."
Lin Fei waved his hand to stop Liu Daming, and then said: "Stop arguing, Chen Fu, you haven't been here these few days, you don't know that we have improved the naval guns. I designed a new explosive and stereoscopic rangefinder for the naval guns, and the combat power has been greatly improved. Now let's not discuss whether we can win. Tell me about the situation on the island first, so that we can prepare to rescue people."
Chen Fu said: "We were captured by a tribe near the east of Mindanao. The leader of the tribe is called Bazaier Sultan. I only spoke a few words to him and didn't know who he was."
Lin Fei asked: "How many people are there in this tribe? What weapons do they have?"
Chen Fu said: "I don't know about this either. I was just caught by them and then locked up in a slave camp. I didn't see these things in their tribe."
Lin Fei nodded and then asked, "Is that all you know?"
Chen Fu said: "That's all I know. I don't know anything else."
Lin Fei thought for a while and said, "Old Liu, prepare the Nuwa ship to set sail. We will go to Mindanao now. We will use courtesy first and then force. If they release us, it's fine. If they don't, we will have no choice but to go to war!"
Liu Daming agreed loudly, and the next day, the Nuwa ship began to replenish ammunition, coal, food and fresh water. After a day of preparation, the Nuwa ship set sail for Mindanao. Also accompanying it was the Pangu ship, which carried the elite soldiers of the First Battalion led by Li Mingbai.
The person Lin Fei was most worried about on the boat was Chiyoko Mika, because the others were all men, and if they were caught, the most they would have to do some work, get tired, and get beaten, and then they would just have to rest for a while after being rescued. But Chiyoko Mika was a beautiful girl, what if... Lin Fei didn't dare to think about it anymore.
The two ships sailed for three hours, and Mindanao Island appeared in front of everyone. Lin Fei estimated the distance to the coast, which was five kilometers, so he said to Liu Daming: "Drop anchor and stop first. I will lead the sniper team ashore and meet the Sultan of Bazaar to talk to him about releasing the people."
Liu Daming then made an anchoring plan according to the anchoring regulations. Anchoring is not just about throwing the anchor into the water. It is necessary to choose the anchoring point based on information such as water depth, seabed soil, and ship speed, so it takes some time.
Just as the Nuwa and Pangu ships were dropping anchor, Yu Xier ran up from the engine room and said to Lin Fei happily, "Captain, please allow me to go ashore with you."
Lin Fei frowned and asked, "You're coming ashore with me? What for?"
Yu Xier pulled out a Bible and a silver cross from his clothes like a magician, and said with a smile: "The island is full of pagans. I want to save them! May the merciful Lord forgive their sins of believing in evil gods."
Lin Fei said with a smile: "You should stay here. Don't you think the wars between Christianity and Islam are not enough?"
Yu Xier looked confused and said, "I want to save them, why do you refuse? I can't understand..."
Lin Fei shrugged his shoulders, asked someone to persuade Yu Xier to go back to the engine room, and then took Chen Fu and the sniper team to the island. After arriving on the island, they walked eastward and soon saw a large group of people busy at the city wall. This group of people were building more city walls, but the distance was too far and Lin Fei could not see these people clearly.
At this moment, two sturdy men with machetes came over and shouted something at Lin Fei. These people did not speak Filipino, but a local language. Lin Fei did not understand and hurriedly asked Chen Fu. Although Chen Fu was young, he had an amazing talent for languages. He followed his father Chen Jingui to travel around the country to do business and even knew the language of Mindanao.
Chen Fu then translated for Lin Fei, and Lin Fei realized that the two were asking him what these people were doing. Chen Fu hurriedly stepped forward and said, "We are from Yanhuang City, and we are here to discuss the ransom with Sultan Bazair."
The two nodded and said, "You wait here, I will report to Sultan Bazair." One of them turned and ran back into the city wall, and the other held a knife and stared at Lin Fei and his group with ill intentions. Lin Fei pointed at the group of people who were repairing the city wall and asked, "Are those people the slaves you captured?"
The Muslim warrior nodded, and Lin Fei asked, "Where did you capture those slaves from?"
The Muslim fighter said, "Some were captured from Bohol, some from Cebu. Why are you asking this?"
Lin Fei laughed and said, "Nothing, I 'm just asking."
At this moment, the Muslim warrior who had just run in came out again and said to Lin Fei: "Our Sultan invites you in."
Lin Fei agreed and followed the Muslim warriors into the city wall. When he passed by the wall, he saw that many of the people who were building the wall were Chinese, and some were Filipinos. At this moment, a group of Muslim warriors holding machetes rushed out and surrounded Lin Fei and the sniper team. A white-bearded elder walked up to Lin Fei and said loudly: "You can go in, but you must leave your guns behind!"
Lin Fei frowned, thinking that the situation in the city was unclear. If we handed over the guns, wouldn't we be at the mercy of others? In addition, our guns were the most advanced automatic rifles in the world. What if they didn't return them after we handed them over? So the guns could not be handed over.
Lin Fei raised his head and said proudly: "It is impossible to surrender the gun. I am the Lord of Yanhuang City. I should negotiate fairly with your Bazaier Sultan. Surrendering the gun for negotiation is an act of surrender. I will never do it!"
The white-bearded elder snorted coldly and said, "Lord of Yanhuang City, your people are in our hands now. It is not up to you whether to hand over your guns or not!"
Lin Fei showed no sign of weakness and said proudly, "You plundered my people first. I should have led a strong army to crush your tribe. The reason I didn't do that was entirely out of respect for Islam and Muslims. That's why I came here, hoping to resolve this dispute through negotiation. If you insist on asking us to surrender our weapons, then we have no choice."
The white-bearded elder snorted coldly and said, "Do you want to use force? Well then! Draw your sword!"
Following the order from the white-bearded elder, the Muslim warriors behind him all drew out their knives and shouted loudly. Lin Fei waved his hand, and the members of the sniper team also took out their guns and pointed them at the Muslim warriors. Then there was the sound of pulling the bolts.
Just as the two sides were on the verge of a fight, suddenly an old man's majestic voice came from the city: "Stop! Put away your sword!"
