Daming: At the start of the showdown, Lao Zhu was stunned

Chapter 1154: What a Big Fish
In the cabin, Zhu Su was sitting behind a desk, reading a book of stories. Seeing Tie Xuan coming in with a strange look on his face, he put down the book and asked, "Why, is the war over?"

"Yes... It seems that the outcome of this battle is already within your expectations, Your Highness." Tie Xuan's expression was still strange.

"Our Ming army relies on the advantages of warships and is almost invincible on the sea. This battle is of course a foregone conclusion."

"Yes,... although that's the case." Tie Xuan thought about it, but couldn't help himself. "But Your Highness, were Young Master Li's tactics as you expected? Wasn't it too wasteful to use so many shells in one battle?"

"If students were in charge, it would save a lot of money..."

Zhu Su laughed and waved his hand. "It's good to be thrifty. I know you're worried that we might run out of ammunition and food if we go deep behind enemy lines."

"But we are here to steal the show. If we want to steal the show, how can we do it without making a preemptive move?"

"Those Western barbarians are quite courageous. They dared to charge head-on when they saw artillery for the first time. This is enough to prove that there are also heroic people with great ambition among the Western barbarians... If so, we must suppress their ambition and break their backs!"

"If we don't do this, how can we take over the show? Only if we can subdue them once, will we have a chance to gain a foothold!"

"For this, it is okay even if we have to use up all the ammunition."

Zhu Su said it calmly, but his words were full of coldness and ruthlessness.

Tie Xuan was silent. He understood Zhu Su's meaning. Instead of being stingy and saving ammunition and guarding against the repeated attacks of the Western Barbarians, it would be better to defeat them all at once and knock them down, so that they would never dare to face the might of the Ming army and would only bow down to the Ming army.

This was also Zhu Su’s initial decision.

"But, Your Highness, this is only the first battle. If you want to establish your authority through a battle, you should choose a time when everyone is watching and shock them. Instead of wasting ammunition here, it is better to surround the enemy's harbor, defeat their reinforcements, and force them to sign a surrender agreement... This is the best strategy."

"Even if we win now, the only ones we can frighten are these defeated soldiers. Even if we defeat them, it is just a victory. The overall situation is no different from a small victory. For these doomed enemies, Your Highness allows Young Master Li to waste so much? I really don't understand..."

"Times have changed, and strategies must be adapted to the times. How can we be rigid?" Zhu Su said with a smile. "Before, I did want to shock the Western Barbarians with a great victory that shocked everyone. So according to what you said, besieging the enemy and attacking the reinforcements to make things bigger is indeed the best strategy."

"But now, things are different... Didn't you notice? There is a big fish in the opponent's fleet..." Zhu Su said.

"Big fish?" Tie Xuan was stunned again.

"Yes, big fish." Zhu Su nodded, his eyes filled with unusual certainty.

"It's just a small harbor, but there are so many fleets. The courage of one ship can make all the warships rise up in resistance..."

"How could there be an ordinary person on a ship like this? This person must have a great reputation in the West."

"If we can capture such a big fish, the effect will be much greater than destroying a few Western Yi troops."

"For this, it doesn't matter even if we spend some ammunition. If we don't spend ammunition and destroy the enemy ships around them, how can we get close to them and capture them alive?"

"If we can capture a big shot in one fell swoop, it wouldn't be a big deal. But I'm afraid he's just an ordinary guard..."

Tie Xuan still had doubts. On the other side, Li Jinglong had already walked into the cabin and said to Zhu Su, "Fifth uncle, we have hijacked the enemy ship."

"All the people on that ship have been captured alive and are now being taken to the flagship. May I ask, Uncle Wu, what should be done with these people?"

Zhu Su said "hmm", and then asked: "How many casualties did the brothers suffer? Are there any leaders on the ship?"

"Uncle, we didn't have too many casualties. There was indeed a leader on the ship. When we boarded the ship, the Western barbarians on the ship fought to the death to protect him. More than a dozen brothers were careless and suffered minor injuries... But we have captured him and he is now outside the cabin." Li Jinglong said.

Zhu Su was relieved that no one was killed. However, even if there were only minor injuries, it was enough to show that the enemy was amazing.

You know, in a sea battle, lightness is the key, and heavy armor is generally not allowed. However, the Ming army under Zhu Su wore fish scale armor made of the finest armor leaves, which was no less than the ordinary Ming heavy armor. Not to mention the medieval leather armor of the Western Barbarians.

Even so, more than ten people were injured in the siege of a Western warship, which was enough to show how fierce their resistance was.

"Send the rest to the bottom of the ship for detention, and as for the leader, bring him in." Zhu Su said. He had high hopes for this big fish, and at this moment, he was eager to inspect it as soon as possible.

Li Jinglong withdrew in response, and after a while, he took several other soldiers and escorted the leader into the cabin. Probably because of the fierce battle, the leader of the Western Yi was disheveled, with reddish-brown curly hair tied in tufts, and his face was black and red, looking very embarrassed.

However, this person had a rebellious look on his face and a dignified demeanor, and it was obvious that he was not an ordinary fish. In addition, although the shirt he was wearing was now tattered, it could still be seen that it was made of silk material. It was obvious that this person was a very valuable big fish.

You know, silk is unique to the Ming Dynasty, and it was shipped thousands of miles to the West, and its value is even higher than the same weight of gold. If it weren't for the dignitaries in the West, how could they afford such a set of silk clothes?
"Ask him who this person is." Zhu Su said to the interpreter beside him. The interpreter in the Ming army stepped forward and translated Zhu Su's question. The leader, who was being escorted by two soldiers, raised his head with a dejected look and mumbled a long string of words.

As the interpreter listened, his face gradually became surprised and flushed, and he even forgot to translate for a moment. Li Jinglong frowned and said impatiently: "What are you doing? Why don't you translate faster?"

"Oh, oh! Please forgive me, young master. Please forgive me, Your Highness. This barbarian said that he, he is..." The interpreter suddenly woke up and stammered as he translated the long foreign language:

"He said that he was the grandson of Alfonso IV, the son of Pedro I, the brother of Fernando I, the ruler of the Aviz Dynasty, the leader of the Aviz Knights, and the King of the Portuguese Empire, John I..."

"What the hell is this? I'm afraid these Western barbarians are trying to make fun of us. Why are there so many people here..." Li Jinglong said angrily.

Zhu Su, on the other hand, was surprised and delighted. For a moment, he stood up in a trance:
"What, he said, he is the King of Portugal?"

(End of this chapter)