The Sun and the Lion

The spice fleet set out to return in winter, and the battle to conquer Colombo was also over. Lourenco, who had escaped from Ceylon, then took on the task of escorting a group of Cochin merchant ships north. The fleet sailing along the coast stopped at all Portuguese trading stations on the way for supplies and trade, and attacked Muslim merchant ships encountered along the way.

The final destination of the Cochin Merchant Fleet was also the northernmost point of the Portuguese commercial network in India - the city of Joul, which was not far south of Bombay, which only emerged during the British rule, on the north bank of the Kundalika River.

After the Indian merchants arrived, they started trading in a leisurely manner. Even the Portuguese sailors who were responsible for escorting the merchant ships were idle in the port for several weeks. They devoted all their time to having unrestrained sex with the dancing girls and prostitutes on the banks of the Kundalika River. Have fun, drink, or gamble to cure the fatigue and boredom caused by continuous sailing.

Such news could not be hidden from Hussein. Compared with the lazy Portuguese, the Mamluks were more attentive to intelligence work, and he had far more information than the Portuguese. He immediately found Ayaz and summoned his captains to discuss the battle plan.

"Everyone, Jore is far away from Cochin, but very close to Diu, and reliable intelligence shows that the Franks in Jore are weak and isolated, so it is inevitable to capture this fleet." Hussain at this time He was full of confidence. Judging from the information he had received, the escort fleet led by Lourenco was only three caravels, three small carracks and two small galleys. The eight ships had a total of five or six hundred sailors.

Although the Mamluk fleet only has six warships, they are all large Karak ships. Although a lot of sailors have been lost due to lack of pay, they still have twice as many escort fleets, plus an unknown number of Ayaz's subordinates. Cheap cannon fodder, the numerical advantage must be grasped first.

After wiping out the Portuguese in Joul, Hussein also intended to go south to Goa to resupply and meet with the Safavid fleet. Then the coalition forces would directly send troops to cut off the connections between Portuguese strongholds such as Cochin and Cannanore, and push the Portuguese All were isolated, and then these blocked isolated strongholds were removed one by one.

It's just that he didn't tell the whole story about the strategy he conceived at the meeting. The top priority is to fight the battle of Joul first and see the strength of the two armies.

Hussein then discussed the battle plan. He asked his attendants to take out a simplified map of Joul and the surrounding area. Everyone could understand the general environment of the battle area at a glance - a narrow river with a not wide entrance to the sea.

"Your Excellency, the waterway is so narrow, and there may be many ships parked in it. Our warships cannot maneuver easily and may fall into a disadvantageous situation." Several Karak captains expressed concern to Hussein.

He just waved his hand and said: "It doesn't matter. Until my army arrives, the enemy will not expect to be attacked at this time. It will be easy to destroy them."

Seeing that the commander was so sure, the captains chose to trust Hussein. Since the admiral thought there would be no problem, let's do it this way.

After persuading the captain under his command, he turned his attention to Ayaz who was aside. In his opinion, the forty First ships in Diu were indispensable, so he requested the righteousness of the jihad, or asked Ayaz to All troops participated in this military operation.

The Governor of Diu had no choice at all. He originally wanted to only provide supplies to the volunteers coming from the Holy Land, but if he was suspected by the Sultan of colluding with Portugal because of his preservation of strength, he would not only ruin his reputation, but also his political status and even his life.

"As your Excellency said before, it is the duty of all Muslims to fight against the public enemy. Naturally, I will not refuse. All the warships in Diu will participate in the battle together." Ayaz thought for a while and gave Hussain a satisfactory answer. reply.

"Okay!" Seeing that the coalition forces were so united, Hussein seemed to be able to see the Portuguese being crushed into powder in the jihad and heading towards the end of annihilation.

…………

In March of 1508, it was the early spring. The Portuguese sailors who were idle on the deck could feel the rising temperature. The sailors, who were listless due to the hot weather, passed the time by gambling and chatting.

The lookout who was on duty suddenly noticed something and called out to his comrades on the deck below: "Hey, look out to sea, I saw the Karak ship! It may be reinforcements. One...five, there are five ships in total!"

"Okay, it's reinforcements!"

The lookout's sudden discovery suddenly excited the sailors present. Everyone relaxed and watched with interest as the distant ships slowly approached. Being alone deep into the north for a whole month was enough to make the sailors and officers on tenterhooks. Since their arrival, there have been rumors that a fleet from Egypt is coming here to attack them. Fortunately, the unexpected surprise attack did not happen, and they waited safely until the reinforcements sent by the deputy king arrived.

"That's not right." The officer who participated in the Battle of Aden carefully looked at the sail rigging of the Karak ship in the distance, and then shouted to the surrounding sailors and his attendants: "This is not our ship, look for Shuyuan www .zhaｏshuyuａ.com Everyone be armed! Be alert!”

The surrounding sailors watched in astonishment as he put on his armor with the help of his attendants. Some brave ones smiled and said directly: "Your Excellency, this is obviously a friendly ship. It's a hot weather, so be careful not to get heat stroke."

The officer who had put on his breastplate retorted to the mocker: "I have neither heatstroke nor madness! There are no crosses on the sails of the five Karak ships, and the flags of Muhammad are hung on the masts. I pray to God. , I am the only fool today, I hope you can laugh at me at sunset, just wait!"

Lourenco did not pay attention to the rumors that the Rum fleet had arrived in India, and the deputy king did not know. Under such circumstances, how could Cochin send reinforcements to strengthen the escort fleet?

Until the five Karak ships led by Hussein entered the estuary, the masts of the Mamluk warships were hung with pennants with crescent moons. The warriors and archers on the deck were all wearing turbans, and the officers and soldiers were wearing armor. Decorated in silk, the style of ornaments is far removed from Portuguese art.

Seeing the Mamluk fleet sailing into the river with great fanfare, and the elite standing on the deck, the Portuguese sailors realized that the people operating these ships were not the colleagues sent by the vice king, but the "Rum people" who came to fight.

The Portuguese sailors on duty on the deck quickly searched for their own equipment, while those on the shore scrambled for small boats and returned to the ship in confusion. The rowers of the galleys desperately adjusted the direction to aim the bow guns at the enemy ships, while the officers Roaring out contradictory orders.

Fortunately, Hussein's five Karak ships bypassed the chaotic Portuguese warships and the fragile Cochin merchant ships, fearlessly advancing deeper - the flagship of Lourenço and his lieutenants and another small ship The Karak ship does not dock with other warships.