Ang Lee had also observed carefully. The port occupied by the pirates was on a small island, less than ten square kilometers in area. It was a very inconspicuous island. Moreover, the island's terrain was not flat. There were high mountains and cliffs, and the forest coverage was high enough. This made it an easy stronghold to defend but difficult to attack.
Because there was only one port where the ships could dock, if the imperial army wanted to attack the pirate's lair, they would have to attack the heavily fortified port from the front. This was too difficult for the imperial army of Srivijaya to do.
If they risked releasing small boats and let a small number of soldiers and horses land on the island from other positions, it would be easy to fall into the pirates' traps. In order to defend against the threat from the imperial army, the pirates had set up many hunting traps on the small island. Once someone fell into the traps, he would lose his life. Moreover, the unfamiliarity of the island's terrain made it even more difficult for the imperial army to move an inch after landing on the island. They would be in a passive situation. Therefore, Shilifoshi's army could only let the pirates settle down on the island.
Of course, these small setbacks were too trivial for the Tang Dynasty's navy. The catapults on both sides of the cliffs were very powerful, but they could be destroyed after a few rounds of cannon fire. The first line of defense was nothing to worry about. As for the second line of defense, there was even less to worry about. With such a large permanent arrow tower, it was simply a live target for the Tang Dynasty's navy. Moreover, the Tang Dynasty's landing ship had ten armored artillery vehicles. These artillery vehicles were not afraid of crossbow fire at all and could also effectively resist the attacks of rolling logs and rocks.
As for the situation of the remaining pirates escaping into the dense forest deep in the island after the two lines of defense were broken, there was no need to worry. The island was only so big, they could not escape. As long as they occupied their lair and sent troops to guard it, these pirates who escaped into the dense forest would starve to death sooner or later.
At this time, since King Shilifoshi was watching from the side, Ang Lee naturally could not screw up his act. He wanted to show the strength of the Tang Dynasty in front of the king of this small country to enhance the international prestige of the Tang Dynasty.
"Pass down my order. The two ships on the left and right attack the pirate catapults on both cliffs. We must destroy them all to ensure that our army can enter the port completely."
Ang Lee gave the military order.
After the military order was given, in addition to the largest steam gunship that Ang Lee was on, the two steam gunships beside it sped up and were ready to attack.
When the pirates entrenched on the island saw the Tang Dynasty's navy coming to attack, they showed a look of contempt. However, after seeing the Tang Dynasty's ships, they showed some fear........
In the past, when the imperial army came to attack, they only saw ordinary ships. But this time, the ships were obviously much bigger. Most importantly, they were making a lot of noise and emitting thick black smoke. This was something that the pirates had never seen before, so they were somewhat nervous. But at the same time, they were also very confident in their own defense facilities. They felt that the Tang Dynasty's steam gunships would not be able to escape from their catapults. Moreover, there were powerful permanent arrow towers in the port, which made it even more impossible for the Tang Dynasty's army to break through.
Of course, this was entirely because they were too ignorant. They did not know the strength of the Tang Dynasty's steam gunships. With the power of the Tang Dynasty's steam gunships, destroying them was a matter of minutes. They did not even need to use their full strength. They only needed to use a part of their power.
At first, the two steam gunships were moving side by side. When they were about to reach the port, they changed to one at the front and one at the back to facilitate the firepower of two strings.
This was because most of the cannons of the Tang Dynasty's steam gunships were deployed on both sides of the ship. If a steam gunship was dealing with one pirate, they could only use the cannons on one side, and the other side would be idle. By using the method of one at the front and one at the back, the two ships could use all their firepower, so that they could eliminate the pirates' catapults on the cliff more quickly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Cannonballs fell on both sides of the cliff like raindrops. At the beginning, it was impossible to hit accurately. Many cannonballs fell on the cliff and made big holes on the cliff. Some cannonballs flew over the top of the cliff and fell into the sea in the distance, setting off huge waves. The loud splashes could be heard from far away.
Only a few cannonballs accurately fell on the top of the cliff and set off a huge cloud of smoke and dust, which looked quite spectacular.
Since it was just a test at the beginning, the accuracy of the cannonballs was not high. They did not even cause any substantial damage to the pirates, but the loud explosion frightened the pirates.
These pirates who were entrenched here lacked contact with the outside world. They were a small pirate gang in the region. They had never seen such a scene before, so they were instantly frightened by the loud noise. They all covered their heads and squatted on the ground, afraid that they would lose their lives.
"Your Highness, do you see that? This is the power of the cannons. Since it was just a test at the first time, most of the cannonballs missed. The next few rounds will make the pirates suffer. "
Ang Lee put down the binoculars and said with a smile.
King Shilifoshi seemed to have just walked out of the shock. He was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Very good. This is too shocking. The cannons are really good. They have a long range and great power."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Following that were several rounds of fierce bombardment. A large number of shells fell on the upper part of the cliff, blowing up the trebuchet positions that the pirates had set up beforehand. Many pirates were killed on the spot. Some of the pirates who were still alive quickly fled, wishing that they had more legs.
The fierce cannonballs completely destroyed the pirates' catapults on the cliff, and also crushed the pirates' will to resist. The Tang Army's navy was full of fighting spirit. They wished that they could fire a few more cannonballs to annihilate more pirates.
"Your Highness, how is it? Is it very satisfying? Do you want to fire a few cannonballs yourself?"
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"I can fire a few cannonballs myself. Really?"
King Shilifoshi was very excited. He had never fired a cannon in his life. One could imagine how excited he was to fire a cannon for the first time.
Ang Lee understood King Shilifoshi's feelings very well. He smiled and said, "The pirates' catapults on both sides have been cleared. Next, we should enter the harbor and clear the arrow towers at the front. Let our cannon ship fight. The two warships at the side will be in charge of covering."
After the order was given, Ang Lee's steam cannon ship accelerated to the harbor. The two steam cannon ships at the front slowed down to provide support and protection.
As the threats on both sides had been eliminated, Ang Lee and King Shilifoshi's steam cannon ship successfully entered the harbor.
"The pirates at the arrow towers are still defending. It seems that after the pirates on both sides escaped, they did not inform their companions. So, these guys don't know what happened. Sad."
Ang Lee smiled and looked forward.
"Assistant Minister Li, let's fire the cannonballs!"
King Shilifoshi was a little anxious.
Ang Lee nodded and asked the soldiers to adjust the angle of the cannonballs and aim at the pirates' arrow towers. Then, he led King Shilifoshi to the position of the cannonballs.
"Assistant Minister Li, the cannonballs are ready."
A soldier reported.
Ang Lee looked at the angle and nodded. "Load the cannonballs."
Soon, the cannonballs were loaded accurately. They were calibrated and ready to fire.
"Your Highness, pull this rope. Pull it hard and the cannonball will be fired."
Ang Lee handed the rope to King Shilifoshi and let him fire the first shot.
"You just have to pull hard?"
Li An nodded and said, "Yes, I've already aimed. Fire!"
King Shilifoshi smiled and nodded. He pulled the rope hard.
"Boom …"
With a loud bang, a cannonball was fired and hit the arrow tower at the front.
"I hit it! I hit it! Haha!"
King Shilifoshi laughed happily. This was his first time operating a cannon. Although the aiming was done by the Tang dynasty's soldiers, this was enough. After all, his first shot was a great success. It was worth celebrating.
"Your Highness, do you want to fire another shot?"
Ang Lee said with a smile.
King Shilifoshi was excited. He shouted, "What are you waiting for? Fire another shot! Load the cannonballs!"
He was so excited that he directly ordered the Tang dynasty's soldiers. Ang Lee nodded slightly and asked the soldiers to listen to the naughty king.
Because the first cannonball hit the target accurately and the target in front was bigger, the next few cannonballs also hit the target accurately and destroyed a permanent arrow tower. All the pirates in the tower were also killed.
Using only one cannon from a steam cannon ship to destroy a permanent arrow tower in a few shots. This fully demonstrated the strength of the Tang dynasty's navy. At the same time, it also made King Shilifoshi happy.
"Pass down the order. All cannonballs fire together and destroy all the targets in front."
Ang Lee gave the ultimate order. He asked the Tang Army's soldiers to kill all the targets on the beach so that the landing ships behind could land on the island and kill all the remaining pirates.
The pirates on the cliff were further away and higher, but they were easily taken care of. The permanent arrow turrets on the beach were even more so. After a few rounds of firing, all the permanent turrets and other facilities were completely destroyed.
The pirates guarding the permanent arrow towers were very miserable. They were all killed by the cannonballs. None of them survived.
"Pass down the order. Let the landing ships dock and board the pirates to kill the remaining pirates."
Ang Lee gave the order.
Soon, the landing ships landed on the beach without any hesitation. Ten armored cannonballs and 50 attached infantrymen rushed to the beach and established a landing ground without any obstacles.
The ship of Srivijaya, which was in charge of leading the way, had also reached the shore. The three steam gunboats followed closely behind. The soldiers and horses on each ship came ashore one after another, forming a powerful army on the beach. The total number of soldiers was only 500.
One mile deep in the port was the pirate's nest. However, when the Tang Army rushed up, there was no one in the nest. Obviously, they had escaped.
Although the island was not large, it was still several square kilometers. It was not easy to find a small number of pirates who had escaped on such a large island. However, the pirates' nest had been occupied. These pirates who had escaped into the mountains did not have the most basic living facilities. God knew how long they could last.
Ang Lee ordered the armored cannonballs to lead the troops and divided them into ten groups to eliminate the remaining pirates. Each group had an armored cannonball and 20 soldiers.
Although the strength of each group was a little weak, there were less than 50 pirates who had escaped, and they did not gather together. The Tang Army had armored cannonballs to lead the way. They were fully capable of dealing with the situation on the island. Even if they encountered a trap, the huge and sturdy armored cannonballs could deal with it calmly.
"Assistant Minister Li, this battle is really awesome. We killed more than half of the pirates in one breath. The remaining pirates probably won't last long."
King Shilifoshi said excitedly.
Ang Lee smiled and said, "It's a piece of cake. These pirates are using outdated weapons. How can they stop the Tang Dynasty's navy? Come, prepare the brush and ink."
"Assistant Minister Li, what do you want the brush and ink for? To write a poem?"
King Shilifoshi asked.
Ang Lee shook his head and said, "No, I want to draw a picture."
"What picture?"
"A surfboard."
Ang Lee answered with a smile. He took the brush and ink handed over by his subordinate and began to draw an accurate blueprint of the surfboard.
King Shilifoshi did not disturb Ang Lee. He went out alone to enjoy the scenery and check the damage to the pirate buildings to understand the power of the cannonballs.
The structure of the surfboard was very simple. It was not difficult to draw it, so Ang Lee only took half an hour to complete it. He also called a few soldiers who knew carpentry.
For convenience, there were still many carpenters and blacksmiths in Ang Lee's team. Now it was time for them to come in handy.
To prevent the carpenters from not understanding the blueprint, Ang Lee personally explained to them what to do and where to pay special attention. He also asked the carpenters to get to work immediately. They started to collect materials from the pirate's lair and began to make the surfboard.
It would take some time to eliminate the pirates, so Ang Lee decided to stay on the island for a day. This time could not be wasted. Other than having some soldiers continue to eliminate the remaining pirates, he also wanted to make the surfboard and let the soldiers try it out. It was also a good opportunity to broaden King Shilifoshi's horizons.
Because the structure and material requirements of the surfboard were very low, Ang Lee asked for five of them to be mass-produced. After all, it would not waste a lot of materials anyway.
More than ten soldiers were busy making surfboards. King Srifoshi watched from the side. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't figure out how a small wooden board could carry people to and fro in the sea like it was flying. How did this happen?
It would take some time to make the surfboard. King Shilifoshi could not keep watching. At the same time, he was also very concerned about the situation of the pirates. Every time there was news of the pirates being eliminated, he would be very excited.
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