When the Ming army finished their preparations and laid out their cards on the negotiation table, the Indian governor-general's army had already arrived at Manchuria. Azeg was eager to try.
In order for the fleet to arrive in time, the Indian fleet could be said to be marching day and night. Although the power of the ships came from the endless sea breeze and did not need to be driven by manpower, traveling day and night still exhausted the entire fleet.
When the army arrived, Azeg looked at the magnificent fleet and almost cried. Twenty warships, a total of twenty! This was almost all the main warships of the Portuguese navy that controlled the Indian Ocean.
The governor-general of Albuquerque was taking a risk and gambling with him. This god of war, who had been adventuring his entire life, had absolute trust in him and once again showed his determination to win the Far East.
This was almost all of the Portuguese garrison in India. If they failed and the fleet suffered heavy damage, Albuquerque's political life would end. He might even be impeached and tried.
The Portuguese Royal Navy would not only be defeated in the Far East, but would also be powerless in the entire Indian Ocean. This power gap would quickly be filled by the Spanish, Arabs, and Ming Destiny's forces.
So on the 14th day of the seventh month in China, the day that ghosts appeared in legends, the foreign ghosts that the people of Min and Guangdong spoke of did not idle. They mobilized troops and transported firearms. More than forty warships were ready to go. Azeg had to fight to the death for his ideals, for his future, and for General Kelk's trust.
When the news that the Ming army had attacked came through the news boats, Azeg immediately ordered all the warships to set sail and fight the Ming army in the outer seas of Manchuria.
Their warships and the Ming army's would not be able to start a decisive battle in the Strait of Manchuria. Also, if the Ming army took the opportunity to rush ashore and occupy land first, they would be forced to fight enemies on land and on the sea.
The Ming army was not the palace guards of Manchuria. It would not be easy to take back lost land. They could only fight to the death on the sea and destroy the main force of the Ming navy. Then the Ming army could only retreat to land, and the South Sea and East Sea could become their own water parks.
In order to better display the power of the side cannons and quickly mobilize the cannons of the ships fighting in coordination, the warships still adopted a goose feather formation with the ships gathered horizontally at a certain distance. More than forty warships formed three rows of goose feather wings, each row about three nautical miles apart, heading towards the Ming army.
The first row of battleships were the Japanese, Spanish pirates, merchants, and mercenaries. These miscellaneous troops had uneven combat power and poor teamwork. The reason why they were placed at the front was obvious — Azeroth was not a fruit seller.
This United Nations fleet was commanded by a Portuguese warship in the middle. The captain was Captain Luis Diego of the Spanish Royal Navy. He was a warlike soldier and Azeger's favorite general. At the same time, he was also a noble. His father was a knight.
Diego, dressed in a well-ironed military uniform, climbed up the observation deck and looked into the distance. There was plenty of sunlight at this time. The only thing that was not very beneficial to the battle was that the wind was blowing from the direction of the Ming army. This meant that the Ming ships were moving faster than them.
However, Diego did not care too much about this. This was the battlefield of their decisive battle, not a place to race ships. Once the two armies fought, the fast ships would not be of much use. His boatmen and helmsmen could use the slightest adjustments to maximize the combat power of his warships.
Diego saw the Ming warships clearly. In that instant, his eyes widened in shock. "My god, this is the Ming navy that made the commander so worried that he even moved the entire main force of the navy from the Indian base to fight?"
There were so many ships, so many, more than the ships docked in the most prosperous ports that Diego had seen on his way east. However, these ships were of all sizes and were uneven. Some of their sails could even be seen to be tattered. Also, the formation of the ships was uneven and without any pattern. If they fired in this kind of situation, the ships at the back might even break the masts of their allies. It was unimaginable.
Diego could swear to God that when he was studying at the San Francisco Maritime Academy, no genius professor had ever told him that he could use this kind of formation to attack the enemy. This was the navy of the strongest nation in the east?
Luis Diego suppressed the urge to laugh. We have been waiting for this kind of tattered navy. They look no different from those backward native tribes.
Diego calmly ordered the ships to lower their sails and slow down. They turned sideways. More than ten warships spread across the surface of the sea and formed an attack formation.
"Their tactics are stupid, but there is no doubt that they are brave. Why are stupid people always braver?" Diego muttered in a tone of superiority and pity. He looked at the Ming fleet that was still charging towards his cannons and habitually stroked the family and school insignia on his chest.
The school insignia of the Maritime Academy had been personally worn by the youngest and most beautiful female instructor in the school. Due to her special contributions, she had been granted the rank of captain by the king, Baron Yali Adeni.
The year he graduated was the year that Adeni came to the school to teach. When he first saw Adeni, he was fascinated by this noble, beautiful, and elegant girl.
He almost decided to study for three years again. If his father, Sir Luis, had not raised his sword and demanded a duel with him, he would have done so.
"Unfortunately, her family actually supported the rebellion, and she fell from a noble to a sinner of the empire. Alas, I don't know if Miss Adeni is still alive. Perhaps she has already become one of the dozens of wives of some fat native chief who weighs three hundred pounds. She has borne him a few children and is now sitting in front of a nest at the foot of a mountain in a skirt woven from leaves and animal skins, basking in the sun. "
Diego crossed himself sadly for his short-lived secret lover. Then he elegantly took off his cap and waved it forward. He chanted as if he was reciting, "Fire, my soldiers, and send these poor ignorant people back."
Boom boom boom! A series of muffled cannon sounds rang out. The muzzles spat out tongues of fire, and columns of water rose from the Ming fleet in front. The unexpected formation of the Ming army surprised Captain Pedro and Miyamoto Hiroshi, who had fought against the Ming army before. However, they didn't have time to think. Following Diego's order to open fire, they hurriedly attacked the approaching Ming ships.
The dense cannon fire created more waves. Some of the Ming warships had already been hit. A small warship that had been hit by multiple cannonballs had been blown to pieces. But the Ming warships did not show any signs of fighting back. They continued to charge forward without looking back.
"Do they want to use these broken ships to sink us? Or are they prepared to risk heavy casualties and jump to close combat? "Diego's eyes were a bit lost. He ordered the fleet to continue the fierce cannon fire, and at the same time, he used flag language to report the situation to the rear, asking them to pay attention to the seas on both sides to prevent the Ming army from attacking from the flanks.
Many of the Ming ships had been hit, and some had their bilges pierced through. They were clearly leaking and sinking, but they still swayed as they charged forward. Behind these densely packed ships, large warships similar in size to the Portuguese fleet began to appear.
"That is the main force of the Ming army." Diego stared at the Ming main force warships that had appeared in the distance in an orderly formation, wariness surging in his eyes.
That was the official fleet led by Han Wu and Adeni. Adeni stood at the bow of the ship, looking at the Portuguese fleet that was still in a horizontal firing stance. She couldn't help but sigh faintly. "I think even if Commander Da Gama was here, he would probably suffer a great loss in the first battle. From where we are, we can't imagine using so many ships to attack at once. It's too imaginative. "
Han Wu also noticed that the Portuguese army still hadn't changed their formation. He couldn't help but smile easily. "This kind of tactic can only win by surprise. Once it's seen through, it's worthless. But it looks like we've succeeded. "
He turned back and said, "Order, speed up, change formation as we move. Prestige lead, follow the sickle line."
Adeni's delicate body shook. She repeated, "Sickle? The blade of the god of death … "
Han Wu looked at her strangely. "What are you talking about? The sickle … "He slowly drew a curved line in the air as he said," It's just a tool for cutting grass. "
* * *
In the distance, Diego furrowed his brows and was also analyzing the Ming army's strategy. "What's with these different types of ships in front? It can't be that they're specially used to consume our shells, right? "
After firing too many cannonballs, it was true that the cannons needed to be cleaned and cooled down. This would delay the time of the cannons. However, the Portuguese army had so many warships and they were only using one side cannon. The effect was minimal. Was this the Ming army's goal?
Or was it a wolf pack tactic? Using these small ships to fight close to the enemy with a large number of casualties to create an opportunity for the main force behind? What opportunity? Attacking indiscriminately? Diego laughed involuntarily at his own ridiculous idea. As a general who had received formal western naval combat training, Diego could not think of any other purpose for sending so many warships.
By this time, a large number of Ming battleships had come within 300 zhang of them. By now they could see the decks of some of the ships clearly. There was not a single person on them. No wonder they had withstood the cannon fire and had not resisted at all. This strange phenomenon caused Diego, who had wanted to order the fleet to raise the sails and move sideways to form a triangle attack with the rear fleet, to freeze.
At this time, Ming warships started to burn one after another. The wind took advantage of the fire and burned very quickly. It looked like the ships were filled with flammable materials and had installed timing devices to ignite the fire. Even though he had never seen a large number of warships used to attack with fire, Diego finally understood the Ming army's intentions. So Yang Ling was not a fruit seller.
The area of attack of the dozen or so Portuguese warships was too large. Diego decisively gave the order to stop the cannons. All the warships turned to face the Ming ships and used the narrow and long hulls of the Ming fire ships. Even though there were many Ming fire ships, there were still gaps between the hulls for them to speed up.
It was too late to move to the sides. As a soldier, he could not tolerate not even seeing a single enemy and being chased by a bunch of fire ships. The Ming warships that were actually attacking were still quite a distance away. At this time, they were moving in a circular arc. He had time to shake off these fire ships and rearrange his attack formation.
The Portuguese warship quickly turned around and rushed towards the warships that were spewing raging flames, their masts and sails making crackling noises. The first row of burning fire ships had already brushed past each other. Right at this moment, there was a 'bang'. One of Miyamoto Hao's ships was hit by the Ming army's fire ships. The ship shook a little, but it continued to sail forward.
"What a bunch of idiots!" Diego cursed but then his eyes widened in surprise.
The fire ship that had hit Miyamoto Hiroshi's ship was on the other side of the ship. He could only guess that it had collided with the Ming fire ships but did not know the details. But now, he clearly saw that one of the fire ships on this side seemed to have a life of its own. It suddenly turned and smashed into Miyamoto Hiroshi's ship.
With another bang, the burning fire ship slammed heavily into the fast-moving battleship. The collision of the hull caused the fire to burn even more fiercely. As the battleship moved forward, the fire ship actually moved in sync with the hull of the battleship. Since the sails of the ships had been burnt out, the fire ships were unhindered. The flames burned Miyamoto Hiroshi's ship, and the bulkheads also burst into flames. The crew members who wanted to put out the fire could not even get close to it.
Diego could no longer scold the Japanese as fools, for his ship, and all the other warships that passed swiftly between them, suffered the same fate. First, he felt the bottom of the ship stop for a moment as though there was resistance. Then the fire ships on the two sides flew over like meteors and smashed heavily into the ship, starting to burn the ship.
"There must be underwater metal chains connecting the fire ships. These fire ships are all connected. My God, it's like a net. Retreat, retreat immediately!"
The sailor and helmsman nervously adjusted the ship. A strange scene appeared on the surface of the sea. Three-masted warships dragged the burning wooden ships on both sides as they slowly moved backwards. Right in front of them, more fire-boats of all sizes were rushing over one after another, chasing them … relentlessly at the bow of their ships.
Further away, the large Ming warships were quickly approaching. A row of warships was about to enter the best firing position at the bottom of the arc. Diego was extremely anxious. He notified the second echelon to come forward to provide support and go around the two sides to fight the Ming army. At the same time, he sped up and retreated. But those damned fire ships were like Siamese twins, biting onto his ship and not letting go.
A sailor avoided the side of the ship that was burning the most fiercely. He used a long pole to push the fire ship. After his skin was about to split from the heat of the fire, he finally threw away the pole that was burning and retreated in despair. "Captain Diego, there are countless long iron nails installed on the side of the ship. When we hit, they were already deeply nailed into our ship. There is no way to separate it."
"What?" Diego's eyes widened as he let out a strange cry. This kind of unconventional fighting style made him at a loss like a new recruit.
As a commander, he had faced all kinds of enemies. The Arabs on their horses who brandished their scimitars, the indigenous barbarians who hid in the bushes with painted faces and blow darts. As for the naval battles with the European countries and the eastern countries of various sizes, including India, he had experienced many, but this was the first time he had encountered a battle like this.
One thousand three hundred and four years ago, there had been a general who had commanded an army of one hundred thousand. He had gripped his sharp blade and howled in grief and indignation at the flames around him. Then, he had become like a kitchen god and abandoned his army to escape. That general was called Xiahou Dun.
Louis Diego felt even more wronged than Xiahou Dun. At least, Xiahou Dun's enemies had twenty to thirty thousand soldiers other than fire. But now, with just these fire ships, they were going to burn more than ten of my warships?
"Boom!" An explosion came from the side of a ship. The side of the ship that had been burned by the fire split open. That was because the fire of the fire ship had been too strong. The cannon that had been placed next to the top of the fire hadn't been taken away in time and exploded.
"What do we do?" The people on the ships all ran in panic. The fire was burning too fast and too fiercely. No one could stand on the side of the ship. They couldn't put out the fire, and they couldn't get rid of the fire ships either. Could it be that the ten warships that had close to three hundred cannons, which were powerful enough to overthrow the navy of many small countries, were going to be destroyed by a few tattered fire ships?
Diego suddenly had an idea and thought of an unconventional way to deal with the situation. He ordered loudly, "Raise the sails and ram Miyamoto Hiroshi's warship with all your might. Use the flank to ram and smash the fire ship!"
The warship moved and collided with Miyamoto Hiroshi's warship. "Bang!" The two ships shook violently. The crew on Miyamoto Hiroshi's warship didn't receive any warning and were instantly 'toppled' by Captain Diego. They all came into close contact with the deck, the side of the ship, the masts, and the cables.
The fire ship itself was no longer sturdy. After the collision, a creaking sound could be heard as cracks appeared on it. After another collision, the hull of the ship was completely smashed. A part of the broken fire ship was still burning on the side of the ship, but the intensity of the fire was much smaller.
Seeing this, the other warships began to follow suit and collided with each other. The iron chains of the fire ships were still connected. The collisions dragged more fire ships over. If they weren't careful, they wouldn't know where they would be nailed. Other than Diego, who had used this method first and retreated from the battle after ramming left and right, the collisions of the other warships only caused more fire ships to be nailed to their bows and sides.
At this time, the Ming Army's warships approached. The warships turned sideways and drew beautiful arcs like a military parade. Row after row of black cannon muzzles boomed and fired bullets like rain.
The "United Nations Army" that was playing "bumper boats" was a mess. They tangled with each other more and more tightly. The ships, including the fire ships, were all tangled together and had lost the ability to move.
Their ships were jammed with each other. The hulls of the ships were tangled with the fire ships. The sides of the ships were on fire and some were already seriously damaged. Under the violent collisions, the remaining cannons had also been knocked off their mounts and rolled everywhere. They couldn't be used for battle.
This was the strangest battle in the history of naval warfare. When one side's warships fired a volley of cannons, the other side actually didn't fire a single shot back. Diego looked sorrowfully in front of him. The dozen or so warships that belonged to the Spanish pirates, Japanese pirates, and native mercenaries had become a pile of junk. They were ten times more broken than the Ming Army's ship he had just seen.
The ships that were burned by fire and cracked by the cannonballs became the best combustible. Now, even without the fire ships, they couldn't extinguish the flames that soared into the sky.
"My fleet is finished!" Diego sighed sorrowfully.
"Hehehehe …" Peng Shark was beaming with joy. The red flag on his head made his hair and beard red. He looked very much like the Fire Lord. Although he couldn't see the battle from here, the thick smoke rising from the sea told him that it was a success.
If the fire attack had failed, the scattered fire ships wouldn't have been able to form such a thick and concentrated smoke. Although the fire attack plan was a plan that had been repeatedly discussed and perfected by many generals and advisors, he was the original proponent.
In the first battle, burning down the barracks, this first merit naturally couldn't escape from him.
When Diego's ship, which had lost its ability to fight, retreated two nautical miles away, the second echelon, seeing that the situation wasn't good, had already formed a zigzag formation. They decisively gave up on rescuing Diego's fleet and directly went to intercept the scythe.
The communication boat on the sea sent the order signal from Han Wu's ship. Peng Shark's spirits rose. He pulled up his sleeves and said, "It's our turn. Let's go!"
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