Chapter 169

With the rotation of the winch, the new anchors crashed into the water, pulled the red and white ruler, and pulled out a pink fog in people's eyes.

Bell squatted on the side and couldn't turn his eyes until the winch clicked to stop. He didn't get up and swayed out of the cabin.

Lorraine waited with her back against the main mast.

Bell saw him and grinned, "Bridgeton harbor is a good harbor."

"The length of the port area is 1571 meters, there are seven berths, the water depth is 9.6 meters, the vision is wide, and the access is unimpeded. In addition to the slight defects in the wind shelter conditions, it can be called a top-level deep-water port in all aspects."

"Your memory is still so good. Didn't you hurt yourself when you took risks..." bell spread his hand depressed. "But I didn't expect that you would be willing to work for the British Empire even if you left the army."

"This sentence itself has a problem." Lorraine raised two fingers: "first, I didn't leave the army voluntarily. You know this very well. Desire is desire, but reality is reality. Second, I'm a businessman. As long as it's profitable, any risk can be considered. Just like you, don't you have a close relationship with mountain bandits?"

"Ha? Mountain bandits? I know mountain bandits?"

"Don't you know?"

Bell dragged Lorraine and said seriously, "tell me, which mountain bandit am I close to?"

"There are as many mountain bandits and pirates in the Caribbean. How do I know which family you are close to?"

"This is slander! Where on earth did you hear it!"

"It's important?"

"Very important!"

"It's important..." Lorraine gently shook Bell's hand and stretched his waist lazily. "This is a test. Since ancient times, mountains and seas do not stand side by side, and looting businessmen are also part of pirates, so according to the rules, you need to be tested."

Bell's eyes almost turned to the sky: "do you think I will believe this excuse?"

"It's not an excuse. If you hesitate, I'll arrange for you to return to England. Pirate ships are isolated islands, and the standard of landing on the island is much stricter than you think."

With a lame excuse to switch off the topic, Lorraine got off the ship alone. Before she got out of the pier plank road, a young man dressed as a sailor ran to her face.

"Excuse me, is this Mr. Lorraine Drake, President of Drake chamber of Commerce?"

Lorraine stopped suspiciously, "excuse me?"

"Fran leibil, second officer of HMS badger, lieutenant of Royal Navy. On the order of Captain Lieutenant Colonel Nelson, I am waiting for Mr. Drake at the dock."

……

Not long after, Lorraine was guided by lieutenant leibil to a hotel in the dock area. He successfully met Nelson playing cards and another short young officer with a round face.

"Lorraine Drake, my good friend. I'm glad you showed up in time before I set out." Nelson smiled happily when he saw Lorraine. "Let me introduce you. This is major casbert Collinwood, captain of HMS Hornet, my best friend in the army, a reliable soldier worthy of trust."

Reliable?

Lorraine looked in surprise at the young officer holding a card opposite Nelson.

He looks very young. He has a goose egg face. His face is very small. There is some baby fat on his cheeks. He is short and vigorous.

This baby face makes him look friendly and easy without any soldier's evil spirit and destructive power. Even people like Lorraine who are not good at judging people by appearance can hardly associate him with the word reliability.

Is it that people can't judge by appearance?

Lorraine turned these thoughts in a moment and saw Collinwood put down his card, turned his head and smiled at Lorraine. "I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Drake. I'm Collinwood, kasbert Collinwood."

"Lorraine Jonathan Drake, major, nice to meet you."

After a brief introduction, Nelson and Collinwood ended the half game. The vigorous Nelson didn't even ask Lorraine's intention and directly began to introduce the current situation to Lorraine.

A great war is imminent, and the cause of the war is still on land.

In 1778, general Clinton, the new commander-in-chief of the British colonial army, met with Sir Parker in secret to prepare to transfer the main force to the South under the conditions of more "loyalists" in the South and close to the West Indies, which was conducive to naval intervention. First, he controlled the southern states, and then echoed with the northern stronghold New York to contain the north and end the war. Sir Parker agreed with emotion.

With the support of the new continental fleet, general Clinton sent Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell to lead 35000 British troops to the south by sea from New York and launched an amphibious offensive to Savannah, the capital of Georgia, in December.

Savannah thus became an important fulcrum of the British Army on the south coast of North America.

Relying on her, the British army began to launch a strong offensive in the south. The war of New Orleans, which ended not long ago, is one of the components of this spring offensive, and it is also a rare regional war situation that failed to achieve results.

The reborn and active performance of the British army has brought great pressure to the U.S. Continental Army and its most important ally, the French. The loss of strongholds, the death of sergeants, and the blockade of sea routes by the new continental fleet have made important smuggling channels increasingly depressed.

The United States and France are eager to reverse the unfavorable situation, which means that they must break the sea land connection between Sir Parker and general Clinton. The key is the powerful sea power of the new continent fleet.

Defeating the new world fleet is of great significance. It can not only cut off the communication channels between the north and South British forces and make the two armies isolated, but also smooth smuggling and quickly expand the American resistance.

In order to achieve this goal, the French launched the battle of the Windward Islands.

At the end of February, the French navy and its ally, the Dutch Navy, began to assemble orderly at Fort France, the capital of Martinique, and organized a powerful fleet of 28 ships within one month, including three class III battleships and six class IV cruise ships.

Sir Parker promptly detected the French campaign plan and immediately ordered the powerful new world main fleet to attack Barbados and join the Xiangfeng islands sub fleet stationed here to form a joint fleet of 22 ships, including class II battleships, the general flagship of the new world fleet HMS Duke of Wales, class III battleship HMS effort, HMS son of Poseidon and four class IV cruise ships.

Since mid April, the two powerful fleets have left Hong Kong and began to seek fighters in the waters inside the Xiangfeng islands. So far, there have been three small-scale battles between the peripheral fleets. The Royal Navy won one victory and drew two, and sank a Dutch frigate in the inner sea of St. Vincent.

Hearing this, Lorraine interrupted Nelson's narration in doubt.

"Lieutenant Colonel, you said that Sir Parker's fleet had gone to sea in the middle of the year, and the frigates patrolled around the main fleet, which should be an important scouting and escort force. In that case, why do you and Mr. major..."

"In a battle of this level, the badger can't play the leading role even if she tries her best. This is not what I want, nor what kasbert wants."

Nelson smiled coldly, opened the chart and drew a long arc along the Atlantic Ocean.

"So kasbert and I spoke to the sir and put forward a supplementary plan for the flank raid on Martinique. The Sir agreed that the badger and the wasp were the executors of this independent mission."

"Two class 6 frigates with 28 guns raided Martinique, the hometown of the French?"

"It's three ships. You forgot your golden deer." Nelson waved aggressively. "Three warships, a hundred guns, and our excellent army partners launched a surprise attack on the battle base camp of the French. This will be an interesting journey. We'll knock on the French's house and make trouble without candy, just like Halloween."