"How much longer until we reach Port Royal!"
Lord Beckett asked the captain beside him, gazing at the azure sky.
He was in the Caribbean Sea under orders from King George II, tasked with expanding Britain's influence.
After a century of war, the British had defeated the Dutch, the French, and their most formidable enemy, the Spanish, becoming the strongest nation in Europe.
However, Britain's rapid rise had caused dissatisfaction among the countries on the European Continent. King George II felt it unwise to provoke others at this time, lest they be ganged up on. Therefore, he decided to send a fleet to the Caribbean Sea to plunder wealth.
This decision by the British was undoubtedly correct, as it was through this method that they transformed from a small island nation into the empire on which the sun never set!
"We are twenty nautical miles from Port Royal. We should arrive around noon, at the peak of the high tide!" The captain of the Endeavour, Arnold, quickly took out his pocket watch to calculate the tides before replying.
On a ship, the captain is usually the highest authority, but as Lord Beckett was the overall commander of this fleet, he chose to make the Endeavour his flagship, so Arnold naturally didn't dare to say anything.
"Tsk tsk! If His Majesty the King knew that the prestigious Port Royal had actually been occupied by a pirate, he'd probably be so angry he couldn't sleep!" Lord Beckett said, pouting. On the way here, he had even considered what excuse he should use to strip Weatherby Swan of his authority, but it seemed completely unnecessary now.
That Weatherby Swan had actually given Port Royal to an Eastern pirate, and even married his daughter to the man!
Regardless of what excuses they had, or what connections they had in London, these two charges alone were enough to have him hanged.
Captain Arnold was hesitant, not knowing what to say. Lord Beckett was powerful and influential, and reportedly had a good personal relationship with King George II, so it was nothing for him to casually mock the King.
But who was he? If he dared to say anything, he might be accused of despising the King's authority, and then he'd spend the rest of his life in prison!
"Have the scouts reported back yet?" Lord Beckett asked, using a silver fork to pick up a slice of watermelon as he sat at the dining table on the second deck.
"The patrol boat just reported back. Port Royal is currently under martial law. It's said that the Easterner has ordered those pirates and traitors to prepare for a desperate struggle!" Captain Arnold read out the report he received from the scouts.
"Huh?" Lord Beckett stopped what he was doing, a sound of confusion escaping him.
"Those people didn't run?"
He set down the silver fork he was holding, took the intelligence report from Arnold, and immediately frowned.
Beckett had originally assumed that with the imposing display he had made, the enemy would have run away in a panic, gathering all the wealth of Port Royal and fleeing.
Because Port Royal's terrain was simply too advantageous. Even though Beckett believed his forces could definitely take Port Royal, if the enemy chose to fight to the death, he would have to sacrifice at least a few ships.
Beckett's guiding principle had always been to get the most done with the least amount of money, which was why he had let the entire Caribbean Sea know that he was leading fifty warships.
In his opinion, since the enemy knew he was leading such an overwhelming force, the best choice would be to immediately pack up the wealth within Port Royal and then flee by ship.
This way, he could retake Port Royal without a fight, saving him unnecessary losses.
As for the runaway Oriental and Governor Swan?
They're a bunch of strays. Unless they can run off and live as savages deep in the Americas, they'll fall into my hands sooner or later.
He just never expected them to deviate from his script.
"My Lord!" Captain Arnold saw the commander-in-chief was in a daze and couldn't help but remind him.
They were now less than ten nautical miles from Port Royal, and they could already see the mountaintops of the harbor. At this moment, the commander was in a daze, and the people below really wouldn't know what to do.
"Give the order! All ships, line up abreast and open fire when within range!" Lord Beckett immediately recovered his senses. He'd seen his share of storms and waves, and a small mistake wouldn't affect anything.
Since those guys were determined to court death, he wouldn't let them off the hook!
"Yes, sir!"
Captain Arnold, having received the order, immediately instructed the sailors to start signaling with flags. Soon, all the warships lined up abreast, and thousands of cannons were pushed out.
At the same time!
"You demon, you're finally going to get your comeuppance!"
Although Elizabeth Swan was looking a bit dispirited, she still cursed defiantly.
"If you don't want your mouth shut, you'd better be quiet!" Li Qingyuan frowned as he pinched Elizabeth Swan's chin.
This little girl had a strong spirit. With his ten points of physique, she still had the energy to curse after a week of continuous fighting.
However, considering that the other party was someone who could become a Pirate Emperor, it was understandable that her combat strength and recovery were stronger than the average person.
"Hmph!"
Hearing the threat, Elizabeth Swan finally closed her mouth in discontent. Locked in a room for more than two months, she had finally managed to come out and get some sun, and she didn't want to be locked back up so soon.
"Marquis, the enemy has appeared!" Lamuel saluted Li Qingyuan and pointed towards the horizon.
"Well, finally," Li Qingyuan said, taking the binoculars. He saw a line of sails through the lenses.
"How far away are they?" He asked Lamuel, putting down the binoculars.
"The enemy warships are currently about nine nautical miles away!" As the gunnery officer, judging the enemy's position was a basic skill. Lamuel only needed a glance to know the distance.
After all, there was no auxiliary equipment in this era. Wind direction, distance, and elevation angle all had to be calculated by the human brain.
Therefore, experienced gunners were highly sought after, no matter where they were.
"Nine nautical miles? So, they still need half an hour?" Because he had crammed a lot of ship knowledge, Li Qingyuan knew that the fastest warships now, even with all the advantages of time, place, and people, could only reach a maximum of eighteen knots per hour.
Let alone the current unfavorable wind direction, even if the wind completely favored the British warships, they wouldn't be able to enter firing range in half an hour.
Because in this era, no matter which country's cannons were used, their range didn't exceed three nautical miles!
Not to mention, the range of shipboard cannons had to be reduced because of the ship's ability to withstand the firing.
For a British warship to enter firing range within half an hour would already be considered an exceptional feat!
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(End of Chapter)