"Is that the legendary Spanish galleon? It's beautiful. "Liu Sha put down his binoculars and praised from the bottom of his heart.
Sailboats were more aesthetically pleasing than mechanical ships. The famous Spanish Galleons that once dominated the four seas were one of the most outstanding representatives. The densely packed triangular sails, square sails, and ropes that were as dense as a spider's web showed the perfect combination of strength and delicacy.
After hundreds of years on the sea, the Spanish galleon could sail when the wind was not strong. The Chinese Navy soldiers had also accumulated a lot of experience. They knew that they could not do what the Spanish were doing.
The chase at sea not long ago alerted the nearby Spanish patrol ships. As a former maritime power, Spain was experienced in coastal defense. In addition to sending messengers, all warships also raised the alert level. When the China fleet arrived off the coast of Manila, the Spanish fleet also seized the last opportunity to sail out of the port.
The sky was still clear and the sun was gradually setting in the west. The staff officer asked worriedly, "If they escape now …"
Liu Sha said confidently, "They won't escape now. We are moving so fast that the Spanish don't even know where to escape. So they will fight with us. "
Less than half an hour after Liu Sha made this judgment, the four large ships of the Spanish fleet led the way and went away from the China fleet. They left the stunned Liu Sha and the Chinese Navy soldiers behind.
"Motherf * cker!" Liu Sha cursed. But after cursing, he suddenly laughed. "That's good. The Sixth Army can immediately board the ship. Without these bastards messing around, the Sixth Army won't have to spend so much time at sea. "
The Navy couldn't defeat Luzon. The Sixth Army had to deal with the Spanish. Everyone had done military preparations for a large-scale boarding battle. They had done some paper research. Only God knew how far they could go under the harassment of the enemy's navy. China could only be happy that the Spanish avoided the war.
Because there were no special boarding ships for this battle, each ship carried a different number of Sixth Army troops. There were about four hours from now until dark. In order to send more people ashore, these four hours must be a race against time. Small boats were lowered from the big ships, and there were some black bags behind the boats. There are air bags on the outside of the bag, bulging to keep the bag afloat. The sailors set up small sails and rowed with all their might, dragging the bags towards the shore.
For a time, there were boats everywhere on the sea, and it looked very lively. After the training, the Sixth Army did not suffer from severe seasickness. When the boat approached the shore, the Sixth Army jumped into the waist-deep water with their weapons. The people on the boat untied the ropes, and the Sixth Army dragged the airbags ashore.
There were no enemies behind the coconut trees by the sea. After occupying a piece of land, the 6th Army quickly set up camp. The airbag was removed and the black rubber bag was opened. Inside were ammunition, supplies, and cannon parts. The artillerymen assembled the cannon with great speed and dragged the carriage forward. The rubber bags were not wasted either. They made a small opening and filled it with sand. Then, they used canvas belts to tie the rubber bags together. A few bags were enough to build a fortification.
Before nightfall, more than 800 soldiers boarded the ship and set up a position. At this time, the Navy recalled the soldiers who were exhausted from the operation and the fleet retreated to the open sea. There was nothing more stupid than anchored under the eyes of the enemy in the middle of the night.
"It would be great if the Spanish fleet is still so obedient tomorrow." Liu Sha predicted. The staff officers around him remembered Liu Sha's prediction a few hours ago and couldn't help but laugh.
"Commander Liu, it would be even better if the Spanish fleet can fight us," one staff officer said. Hearing this, everyone wanted to laugh at first, but in the end, they couldn't. Compared to making fun of Liu Sha, war was a more realistic problem. If they could really defeat the Spanish fleet in one fell swoop in a short period of time, the war would be much easier. To be honest, the Spanish were able to retreat so cleanly. This kind of decisiveness made the Chinese Navy soldiers admire the more they thought about it. The fleet could only be useful if it existed. If the Spanish soldiers bravely faced it and died a glorious death. Of course, it would make the Chinese people respect them, but it would also completely satisfy the Chinese Navy soldiers. Thinking of the possibility of being ambushed by the Spanish Navy at night, everyone felt uncomfortable.
Liu Sha didn't care about being ridiculed. He said seriously, "The Navy can't float on the sea by themselves. If he doesn't come tomorrow, we have a whole day to send the 6th Army ashore. We are all from the 6th Army. With 5,000 6th Army ashore and the artillery, the Spanish in Luzon won't be able to withstand it. If we take down Luzon, we can send more troops. How long can the Spanish last at sea then? "
At this time, the fleet had withdrawn the boats one by one and began to gather in the distant sea. After forming a defensive formation, the warships began to sail slowly.
There wasn't much space on the ship. The Navy left Taiwan and went south, and the voyage wasn't long. Only 600 of the 5,000 people boarded, and the ships of the fleet felt a lot more space. They could finally rest properly after being squeezed by people. Everyone stretched their bodies, and a sense of exhaustion came over them. All the ships were immersed in a state of sleep.
They only slept until the second half of the night when a shrill alarm suddenly sounded. The 6th Army soldiers who were lying in their clothes were still a little dazed. The neatly dressed Navy soldiers all jumped up and went straight to their respective posts. Everyone knew that the Spanish had come to attack.
The fleet commander of the Spanish Governor-General's Office stared at the sea under the moonlight. The old Navy soldier had seen such a beautiful scenery countless times and had long since lost interest. His attention was on the hazy shadows of the warships on the sea.
When he saw the size of the Chinese Navy during the day, the old general knew that there was no way to fight head-on. In the Spanish's impression, China had never had a navy, let alone the ability to threaten the Spanish fleet. There were too many warships that suddenly appeared, so many that there was no chance of victory. The general immediately made a decision. The small boats temporarily went south to avoid the limelight. The large warships with battleships gathered together, preparing to attack the Chinese fleet at night.
No matter how these ships came, the Spanish artillery level must be above the Chinese Navy. The old general was very confident about this. Facing his subordinates, the general encouraged loudly, "In a night battle, a large fleet often can't exert all its advantages, and may even cause all kinds of mistakes because of panic. We are at a disadvantage in numbers, but we have an absolute advantage in combat! We will win this battle! "
On the more than 1,000 ton China frigate, the political commissars asked loudly, "Have you written all the wills?"
"Yes!" The officers and soldiers replied loudly.
The political commissar shouted loudly, "My will has also been written. Even if it is a glorious sacrifice, there is naturally Military Governor Wei at home, and the party government will take care of me. There is nothing to be afraid of. For China, forward! "
"For China, forward!" The officers and soldiers on the ship shouted together.
The frigate started to move forward at full power. Behind the corvette were 51,000 tons of battleships and 3,000 tons of cruisers. On the other side of the fleet was the Spanish fleet that was about to attack. The young Chinese Navy and the descendants of the Spanish Armada were getting closer and closer. Both sides opened their cannons. They were preparing for a cruel battle.
The Chinese Navy might have taken one more step than the Spanish Navy. The electric ventilation system in the gun cabins started to operate, and the fans blew fresh air into the gun cabins. The effect of a little clearer vision might be very limited, but victory in war was accumulated bit by bit. In this regard, the Chinese Navy had reached the limit of its technical ability.
"Ready to fire!" All the cannons on the Spanish warships held their breath. The moonlight could only vaguely illuminate the sea, and the smoke would also cover the figures of both warships. Distinguishing the flames from the enemy's cannons, and making full use of their memory and experience to display the power of the 24-pound and 32-pound cannons on the Spanish warships was the key to victory.
The moment they held their breath and focused, the day suddenly came. The dazzling white light lit up the sky. Because they were too focused, the Spanish observers and cannons could only see the dazzling white light, and then nothing else.
The Chinese Navy's frigates aimed their cannons at the sky, and one after another, they fired aluminum magnesium alloy flares into the sky. The night was torn apart, and the warships of both sides revealed their pale figures. The blue sea in the daytime was as dark as ink in the light of the flares. A moment ago, the Spanish warships were still sailing elegantly on the sparkling sea under the moonlight. In the blink of an eye, the surface of the sea began to reflect the pale light, like a dark and demonic ghost realm.
"Open fire!" The Chinese Navy's cannons were the first to give the order. The cannoneers in the cannons loaded the cannonballs, closed the cannons, and fired! The cannonballs whistled towards the silent Spanish fleet, and caused pillars of water to erupt around the Spanish warships.
The first round of bombardment was over, and China's second round of bombardment soon began. It was only when the second round of bombardment involving hundreds of cannons came to an end that a few cannons on the Spanish warships finally began to fire back.
The Chinese warships did their best to approach the Spanish fleet, and the closer they got, the higher the accuracy of their cannons. According to the intelligence gathered beforehand, the Spanish battleships were equipped with hundreds of cannons, and the number of cannons alone was far greater than the Chinese warships. In order to make up for this gap, the Chinese warships could only rely on their numerical advantage to completely overwhelm the enemy.
Naturally, the vanguard was still the Ryukyu. Liu Sha did not directly command it. He was the commander of the First B Squadron, and his duty was to command the large ships of his squadron to enter or exit the battle line. The specific battle was naturally handled by the captains of the Ryukyu.
The Spanish did not show any signs of fleeing. They still stubbornly maintained the battle line of the Spanish galleons. Moreover, the once sluggish bombardment was starting to return to normal. This point alone was enough to make Liu Sha feel great admiration. Commanding a sailing battleship to sail and fight in an orderly manner was not a job that the current Liu Sha could undertake at all.
It was at this moment the warship shook violently, followed by a few cries of shock. A while later, the damage officer reported, "Our ship was hit by a cannon, and the cannonball penetrated the armor belt. However, the location is not important, and there are no casualties. "
Inside the command cabin, every naval officer had an ugly expression on their faces. Everyone looked at Liu Sha in unison. Amidst the silence, Liu Sha gave a new order, "Continue to approach the Spanish fleet!"
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