The appearance of the flagship, the South Town Warship, gave all the officers and soldiers of the Daming Navy a great boost of morale.
It had to be said that this boost of morale was very great.
Ever since the navy had become an independent army and achieved great military merits, their status had risen. On one hand, the navy had repeatedly gone to war to obtain great prestige, military merits, and rewards. On the other hand, it was the daily training and small fights of the army. Those old people who had followed Xiao Ruxun for a long time were all dissatisfied with this.
The navy had only become an army after Xiao Ruxun arrived in Burma. From the commander of the navy, Jiang Dahai, to the ordinary officers of the navy, they were all refugees who had arrived in Burma. They could not be compared to the Ningxia soldiers who had followed Xiao Ruxun to fight on the battlefield. Although their status was similar, the depth of their relationship was very different.
Many times, at the navy's victory celebrations, there were many generals from the army who mocked and ridiculed them. The officers and soldiers of the navy couldn't help but go forward to argue. The old soldiers of the army always brought out the reason that they and Marshal Xiao had shed blood and killed bandits together. What about you? This made the officers and soldiers of the navy speechless.
That's right, the naval officers and soldiers had a glorious battle record, and their status was rising steadily. But there was always a shortcoming, or perhaps it could be said that they were lacking emotionally. That was, they had never fought alongside Xiao Ruxun on the blood-soaked battlefield. Those old soldiers in the army would always tell stories of them and Xiao Ruxun fighting on the north and south, so there was no need to mention how deep their experience was.
However, most of the commanders of the navy were refugees. After arriving in Burma, they had been promoted step by step by Xiao Ruxun. Although they were trusted aides, they had not fought alongside Xiao Ruxun.
This was a great regret for the soldiers who greatly admired and respected Xiao Ruxun's military achievements.
They had not fought alongside the ruler of Burma. He was a veteran, and they were novices. Wouldn't they tremble in front of him?
Furthermore, the navy's military strength was not as large as the army. The navy's total military strength was only about eight thousand. Normally, there was no need for so many warships, and there were no large-scale naval battles. Although they were currently recruiting navy officers, they were also recruiting army officers.
The tens of thousands of soldiers of the army were well-equipped and well-trained. Compared to the navy, which had to fight against the sea all day, they were much more comfortable.
However, this was also the reason why the Army was dissatisfied. The navy did not want to swap places with them and live a life of training and no fighting. Every time the navy returned from a great victory, they would be rewarded, while the Army could only watch as the navy officers and soldiers received silver until their hands were tired, while they themselves received nothing.
As time went on, jealousy would inevitably arise, and the conflict between the army and navy would deepen.
However, it had to be said that this was quite normal. There would definitely be disputes in the army, and the army and navy were innately at odds. In the past, the Chinese Empire's navy was always in a weak state. Not only could it not be an independent army, but as time passed, it was almost completely suppressed.
Here, the navy was an independent army. There was an establishment, treatment, and a permanent shipyard to build and maintain warships. There was also a fixed recruitment office for navy officers, and a whole set of procedures. Xiao Ruxun said that the navy was also an indispensable part of the army. They had to maintain the navy for a long time to protect the empire's maritime borders.
What? You don't know what maritime borders are?
Come, come, come, let me tell you. Wherever the imperial warships go, it is the empire's maritime borders.
The size of the navy was growing, and there were more and more officers and soldiers. This was the truth, but the navy was still looked down upon by the army. They felt that they did not have good traditions. This was also the truth.
This time, not only did Xiao Ruxun personally lead the troops to attack, but he also attacked with a ship, joining the real battle on the sea. This time, the bastards in the army could not say anything. They could no longer say that they did not have good traditions and did not fight with Marshal Xiao!
The attack of the Southern Town Warship gave all the navy officers and soldiers a great boost in morale. Even the gunships that were immersed in escaping and playing dirty tactics saw this and mustered their courage to turn back to fight back against the Spanish big ships. The Spanish were caught unprepared and were hit head-on with many cannonballs.
On one side, they were being suppressed, and on the other side, they were being jointly resisted by the gunships and two big ships. The Spanish were having a hard time fighting this battle.
However, it did not mean that the Ming Army was having an easy time fighting.
Four hours after the battle began, the Spanish warships were in a tough battle. Seven warships had already been sunk by the Ming Army, and five to six hundred officers and soldiers had died in battle. The Ming Army had also lost two gunships. Some people were not rescued in time, and more than a hundred sailors had died in battle. The battle between the two sides was still very intense, and the situation on both sides was more or less in a stalemate.
The opportunity to break the stalemate was the sinking of a warship. The person who broke the stalemate was Wang Wei.
At that time, the frontline command ship that Wang Wei was on, Dinghai, which was in the center of the battlefield, discovered a big ship that was on the verge of collapse and was trying to leave the battlefield. Wang Wei was determined not to let go of this big ship that was on the verge of collapse. In his opinion, every Spanish warship that was sunk was a huge victory.
Both sides had similar equipment, equal firepower, and the sturdiness of their ships. It was a head-on battle, and it depended on who was more daring and who was less afraid of sacrifice. Wang Wei was undoubtedly the person who was very daring. He was a refugee from Zhejiang. He had no parents, and he had no worries. The reason he joined the navy was because he did not want to die a muddle-headed death.
He had joined the navy with this idea in mind, and after three years of hard work, he had become the vice commander-in-chief of a B Squadron. This was something he had never imagined. He was also a talent with talent for water battles, and after he was promoted by Xiao Ruxun to lead the troops in battle, his goal changed from then on. He wanted to find a way to create something of value that would be remembered by others before he died.
The Weiyuan warship that he was commanding had not sunk a single enemy warship in this battle, but it had two holes in it. The sailors underground were desperately trying to repair it, while the other three warships were protecting the Dinghai warship from being attacked. Wang Wei was furious and was just about to find something to vent his anger on when he saw the large warship that was on the verge of collapse.
It seemed that three rounds of bombardment would be enough to send it completely into the sea. Since it had already come to this, there was no need to hold back. Letting a warship sink in the sea was not necessarily the best ending for the navy.
"Catch up with that Western Continent warship! Sink it! "
Wang Wei gave the order to chase. The Weiyuan ship chased after the big ship at full speed, taking out all the cannons and shooting at that warship.
Boom, boom, boom, boom …
The accuracy of the dozens of cannonballs was not good. Only seven cannonballs hit the target, dragging the big ship further into the depths of the sea. However, it still could not be dragged down. The warship was unexpectedly tenacious, and it was still leaving the battlefield at full speed.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
