When the Chinese fleet ignored the fierce Spanish artillery fire and approached the Spanish fleet without fear, the Spanish commander's face became extremely ugly. The artillery battle between the two sides lasted for more than ten minutes. The Spanish observers clearly saw at least seven or eight shells hit several Chinese warships. If it was a wooden battleship, after a few shells, there would have been a few huge holes on the side of the ship. In particular, the shells that hit the waterline of the Chinese warships should have caused great damage to the hull, and the undulating sea should have been flooded with seawater.
But none of this happened. The shells that hit the waterline were forcibly bounced off the hull of the Chinese warships. The British used to use the hundred-year-old oak bought by the United States to make the hull of the ship to bounce off the Spanish shells. The Spanish artillery of today was no longer comparable to that of that era. 24-pound and even 32-pound cannons could not penetrate the hull of China's warships, which was a nightmare for the Spanish.
The Chinese liked to say that blessings never come in pairs. Since the Spanish shells could hit the Chinese warships, the Chinese shells could naturally hit the Spanish warships. The Chinese artillery was indeed not as good as the Spanish, but at least five shells hit the Spanish fleet. Every shell dealt a great deal of damage. China used grenades. In the thick hull, the shells would explode violently. The huge explosion blew through the hull, and scattered iron and wood fragments swept across the nearby Spanish sailors, making them look like hedgehogs. In the thinner parts, the shells directly drilled into the Spanish warships and exploded. It was a terrible disaster. The sailors were killed and injured in large numbers, and the storage room was a mess.
The result of continuing this battle was bound to be tragic. The Spanish commander had reached a decisive moment. Should he leave? Should he stay? Looking up at the bright stars rising in the sky, the Spanish commander felt his insides burning. If only the moon shone, things would never have turned out like this. The brave descendants of the Invincible Fleet had too much experience. Now that night had turned into day, the worst situation had become reality. The Spanish fleet had to fight the enemy's powerful fleet with a weak force.
At this moment, the first officer rushed to the commander as if he had lost his parents. He almost cried and shouted, "General, the wind has stopped."
The old general was stunned. He looked up at the sails illuminated by the bright stars. All the once full sails drooped down softly. The wind was blowing! With the ability of the Spanish fleet, as long as there was wind, they could even sail against the wind. This was the accumulation of the overlords of the seas.
But without the wind, the Spanish fleet could not move at all. The commander of the Spanish fleet, who was well-versed in history, suddenly remembered something. In 1588, the Spanish Armada and the British Tudor Navy had also encountered the problem of the wind stopping. The cunning British Fleet was able to recover from their defeat and finally turned defeat into victory. It was one of the bitter defeats suffered by the Spanish Armada. If the hateful Protestant navy had been wiped out in one fell swoop, England would not have risen, and the Spanish Empire would have ruled the world.
"General, the mid-sized warship is leaving!" A new report came in.
This time, there was no need to ask. The commander of the fleet could see with his own eyes that the approaching Chinese Navy was starting to move away from the Spanish fleet. However, they did not have the slightest intention of stopping. Instead, they began to outflank them. The maneuverability of the steam-powered ships was fully revealed at this time. Such a huge thing had very limited sailing in the wind. The Spanish sailing battleships could easily run more than 15 knots, leaving these steam-powered ships far behind. But in the unpredictable sea, the mediocre sailing and not mediocre maneuverability of the steam-powered ships showed their power.
The commander of the Spanish fleet began to draw a cross on his chest and began to pray. Oh God! Please save your people. As long as there was wind, even a hint of wind, the Spanish warships would be able to turn around and face the enemy.
Obviously, God would never answer the prayers of his people. Now there was not even a hint of wind. This was God's response to his people. The Chinese fleet did not turn around to the bow of the Spanish ships like the Spanish fleet had expected. The mid-sized warship headed straight for the Spanish galleons. The Spanish Navy, who was praying with the commander on the deck, saw a bright flash of light on the front deck of the mid-sized warship. The cannonball flew straight and hit the middle of the deck. The body of the cannonball broke through the deck and went straight into the cabin. Then the Spanish warship shook like a mountain.
Three hours later, Liu Sha looked at the results of the battle with satisfaction. Three Spanish warships were sunk, and the largest, the sailing battleship, was captured, riddled with holes. Capturing a Spanish galleon was Liu Sha's biggest wish at this time. This ship could be modified into a training ship for China. Driving a Spanish galleon, they would definitely be able to train more excellent naval soldiers.
As for the Spanish willing to surrender, although Liu Sha was surprised, she was also very happy. Not only was Liu Sha happy, but the Spanish sailors were also happy. God finally had a sign that the Spanish Navy was not fighting against a vicious enemy. Men at sea would choose to live when faced with a situation of certain death. Since God could not let them win, then the one who could let them live was God. There was no doubt that the signal of the Chinese Navy asking the Spanish warships to surrender was so cute in the eyes of the Spanish sailors.
It was also at this time that the wind rose again.
It was not a breeze, not a gale, not even a gale. It was an extremely strong hurricane. According to the 21st century, it was a typhoon. In less than half an hour, the surrendered Spanish warships capsized in the increasingly strong wind and waves because there were too many damage on their hulls. The God that the Spanish people believed in had finally made his stand.
"Retreat to the direction of Taiwan!" The fleet commander ordered. The bumpy ships all accelerated to the north. It would be too unlucky to encounter a typhoon. At this time, the first thing to do was to ensure the safety of the people.
"What about the comrades who went ashore?" someone in the headquarters asked.
With an indescribable expression, the political commissar said decisively, "We have to believe in the comrades of the 6th Army!"
If they forced their way onto the ship now, many warships that did not have enough tonnage would capsize. At that time, not only would it be of no help to the 800 people who had already boarded the ship, but the number of people lost would probably be far more than 800.
Perhaps the political commissar felt that his words were too cruel, he continued to say, "We have to believe that the comrades of the 6th Army can overcome the difficulties by themselves! As long as the wind passes, we will come back! "
The soldiers at sea had seen typhoons before. The earliest route was from Jingzhou to Hongji Coal Mine. Typhoons in the coastal waters could also cause the problem of capsizing. Several of the navy's first experimental ironclads had capsized in the typhoon because of the problem of the center of gravity. The wind would not end in a day or two. The violent hurricane and heavy rain were a terrible test for every ship.
No one objected to the retreat. Even if 800 comrades were left in Luzon, retreat was the only right choice.
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