This Xiou City does not need Kunlun Island. It not only has a solid city built according to the coastal mountains, but also has several solid forts. There were 5,000 defenders, excluding mercenaries, and more than 200 warships, more than a dozen of which were Ming Dynasty's first-generation gunboats. It is by no means an easy task for the English fleet to capture West Gull City.
Nelson looked at the seaport city in front of him from a distance and said, "I heard that that city is a gathering place for maritime merchants, where endless wealth is gathered?" A middle-aged man who looked like a businessman next to him nodded and said, "There are gatherings there. The wealth of maritime merchants from all over the world. In Rome, ten pounds of gold and silk were piled up there. All kinds of gems were shining brightly, and gold and silver were turned into inconspicuous stones." This middle-aged man is an English maritime merchant. One of the senior maritime merchants, named James, was originally just a poor young man in a fishing port in England.
But this James was unwilling to accept the status quo. After hearing the legend of the richness of the Arab world, he gathered a group of friends and took a stolen fishing boat to the Arab world for adventure. It was the time of the First Crusade, and James and his friends took this opportunity to plunder a ship full of property and return home. Later, James started a maritime business and became the leading rich man in his hometown in his thirties. A few years ago, James met Eastern merchants in the process of trading with the Arab world. The Eastern goods amazed him, and the Eastern legends also made him infinitely yearn for, so he embarked on the longest journey in his life, leading Several of his merchant ships formed a fleet and headed for the legendary elven country, the far east.
James won again. The goods he carried made unimaginably high profits in the East. He also purchased a large amount of porcelain and silk from the East at very low prices and sold them back to the Western world at high prices. In the blink of an eye, his one gold coin turned into twenty gold coins like magic. His success was the envy of his peers, so many English businessmen followed suit. Of course, the results of imitation ranged from success to failure. What's more, some failed to reach the East and were buried in the unpredictable sea. However, the failure or even death of some people cannot hinder the enthusiasm of the English to trade with the East. Westerners have such advantages and like to take risks.
In fact, this may not be quite right. We actually have risk-taking genes in our blood, or we may be more adventurous than Westerners. Speaking of distant sea trade, the ancestors of China traveled earlier and farther than Westerners. It’s just that perverted Confucians and selfish rulers always suppress this spirit. Confucianism says that if parents don’t travel far, God knows what achievements they can achieve by staying in one place, and how the whole country can develop. If their children cannot make money, how can they show their filial piety; and the rulers are also afraid that the people will have too much contact with outsiders. And affect their dominance. It’s okay for Confucians to have this kind of scholarly view. The rulers are actually afraid of contact with outsiders. They are really stupid. Don’t they know how much benefit maritime trade can bring? Or it’s not that they don’t see this, it’s just that they think that China belongs to them and the people belong to them. If they want to get money, they can just impose excessive taxes and take advantage of the people. There is no need to contact outsiders.
Without further ado, let’s get back to the topic. James had only been to the East once a few years ago. At that time, Zhao Song had just retreated to Jiangnan, and the atmosphere in the entire Central Plains was very bad. James only went to Zhao Song. His impression of Zhao Song was that the city there was very beautiful, like the legendary elven kingdom. However, the people there were very cowardly. They were worried all day long about their northern neighbors coming across the river and their emperor. And many people have fled from the north. Because of the unstable situation, James did not stay in Zhao Song for long, and left in a hurry after completing the trade.
After James came to the fleet, he told Nelson and others about his knowledge of the East. This completely dispelled the doubts of the English generals who were originally in awe of the Ming Dynasty. They believed that the Ming army encountered on Kunlun Island was only a very rare and rare one in the East. The warriors are elite, and most of the Easterners are cowardly, unable to fight and can only run away. Now that their strongest elites have been eliminated, there is nothing that can stop the army of heaven from sweeping across the Eastern heretics!
Hood said urgently: "Generalissimo, we should capture West Gull Island before the troops from other countries arrive. Otherwise, we will have to divide the interests with other countries, and we in England will be much less!" Other generals, Everyone, including Horatio, nodded in agreement. This may be the first time Horatio agrees with Hood's suggestion. Everyone's eyes showed greed, just like a jackal seeing a sheep, like a pervert seeing a beautiful woman.
Nelson thought the same thing in his mind and said to Hood: "Hood, lead your fleet to the east of the island and block the enemy's escape route." Hood was taken aback and begged: "Generalissimo, please let someone else do it. Let’s do this! As a general with a brilliant record in Great England, I want to fight the enemy with real swords and guns, but I don’t want to hide behind and enjoy my comfort!”
Nelson didn't know what Hood was thinking, what honor he was after, it was clearly for the endless wealth and various beauties on the island. If he led the army to attack, he could take the opportunity to enrich his own pockets, but if he tried to cut off the enemy's retreat, I'm afraid There aren't that many benefits. Nelson glared and shouted: "Is my order negotiable? My order has been given, all you have to do is execute it!"
Hood was depressed. The other generals, especially Horatio, laughed happily.
Hood led his fleet there, but he had already made up his mind. As long as the war started, he would land on the island from the east and go straight to Xiou City along the land route. They couldn't just eat meat and drink soup. Others would just pay it back, but if he had to watch Horatio enjoying the hot food, he would not be able to bear it no matter what.
The scout rushed to the front of Guanshan Pass and reported: "Sir, the enemy has gone around the island to the east."
Guan Shan immediately looked at Guan Ping, "They must be cutting off our retreat!" Guan Ping sneered: "Do you want to swallow us up? I'm afraid it's not that easy!" He turned to Guan Shan and asked: "How many people are there? No evacuation?" Zhang Shun said: "Only half of the people and materials were evacuated." Zhang Heng frowned and cursed: "Damn it! Then there are still ten or twenty thousand people and countless wealth stranded on the island!" Guan Shan frowned and said : "The main reason is that time is too tight!"
From midnight to early morning that day, ships continued to retreat back. They were originally going to evacuate, but not far away, they saw the English fleet, so they all retreated in a hurry. People in the city were panicked, and the merchants, tourists and prostitutes who had not been able to evacuate were at a loss.
The alarm bell rang suddenly, and the people on the street were startled, and everyone became like headless flies. Immediately, soldiers were seen galloping past on horseback, shouting: "All the people go home immediately! All the people go home immediately!..." People were so anxious that they returned to their residences one after another, closed the doors and windows, and the noisy city suddenly came to a halt. Became extremely quiet.
Guan Ping stood on the watchtower and looked towards the sea, only to see the enemy's huge fleet slowly approaching. Guan Ping suddenly remembered what the storyteller said: 'Dark clouds are threatening to destroy the city! Guan Ping couldn't help but burst into laughter and muttered: "When did I pick up my schoolbag?"
Guan Shan ran to Guan Ping, clasped his fists and said, "Brother, the enemy fleet is approaching, and it seems that they are going to bombard our city defenses with artillery first." Guan Shan said, "Go to the front to take command in person, and give those golden-haired ghosts some color." !" Guan Shan responded, and Ben got off the watchtower and ran forward.
As mentioned before, Xiou City is adjacent to the coast and relies on mountains. The mountains extend six to seven hundred meters from both sides of the city into the sea. The walls are very steep, just like a pair of arms of Xiou City. . When the Ming Dynasty built the city here, artillery positions and defensive walls were built on these two arms, called the North and South Acropolis. Each acropolis was equipped with fifty cannon and five hundred sergeants. If the enemy wants to capture Xiou City from the sea, he must first pass the North and South Acropolis.
Nelson was a famous English naval admiral. When he saw the situation in West Gull City, he knew that in order to capture West Gull City, he must first attack the two acropolis. Therefore, he planned to use the secret weapons of the English Navy, giant ships equipped with sea dragon cannons, to bombard the North and South Acropolis. The so-called sea dragon cannon is the latest cannon manufactured in England. Different from the original history, perhaps because of Yang Peng's butterfly, cannons were already commonly used in the Western world at this time. The Sea Dragon Cannon is a cannon that is much thicker and longer than ordinary cannons. It has a much longer range and is much more powerful than ordinary cannons. At present, there are only twenty gunboats equipped with sea dragon cannons in the English Navy.
Nelson looked at the two acropolis with a smile on his face, looking confident. It turns out that although the terrain of the Acropolis is dangerous to defend Xiou City, it is only seven or eight meters high and the area is small. If it is attacked by artillery fire, it will be difficult to defend it. And because the place is so small, the defenders there will inevitably suffer heavy casualties under concentrated artillery attacks. Therefore, in Nelson's view, the two acropolis were not only obstacles, but graveyards for the enemy.
The fleet approached and stopped about five or six miles away from the coast. Immediately, the trumpet sounded loudly, and more than a hundred gunboats left the ship formation, divided into two teams and approached the North and South Acropolis. It stopped two or three miles away, and saw the ten largest warships in each fleet slowly turning sideways. The three-story gun doors on the side strings opened at the same time, and the dark gun barrels stretched out.
Guan Shan, who was sitting in the South Acropolis, was surprised when he saw this scene and murmured: "Are they going to shoot from that position? It's too far!"
In an instant, white smoke billowed, and then a thunderous noise and a sharp whistling sound of the air being torn suddenly came. Then countless cannonballs hit the city wall heavily, stirring up debris all over the sky, falling into the sea, and rising up all over the sky. Splash.
Guan Shan and his soldiers were all surprised. They didn't expect that the enemy's artillery could hit so far! Fortunately, the Acropolis was located seven or eight meters above the sea. The enemy bombarded it from the sea. The shells failed to penetrate the city, but only hit the city wall. The city wall is made of bricks and stones and is very strong. However, the enemy's artillery fire is extremely powerful, and I am afraid it will not last long under such a fierce bombardment.
England's sea dragon artillery bombarded them for several rounds, and Guanshan and the others only felt that the place where they were was shaking. Nelson and other English soldiers who were watching the battle from behind were inexplicably excited.
"Sir, if this continues, the city wall will collapse sooner or later!" An officer rushed to Guan Shan and shouted loudly. At this time, the gunfire was rumbling, and my ears were deafened, so I unconsciously raised my voice to the maximum when speaking.
Guan Shan observed the scene on the sea through the shooting holes on the city wall. Those huge ships were still bombarding them, like monsters in the sea, wildly unleashing their power. Guan Shan frowned, cursed, and then yelled at the officers around him: "Show those bastards their colors!" Several officers roared in agreement and ran down to deliver the order. The sergeants immediately took action and took the two Ten cannons with slender barrels were pushed into the firing position, loaded with gunpowder pellets, and then extended their long barrels from the firing holes.
Prepare! put!
Boom boom boom! A huge roar also sounded in the Acropolis, and for a moment white smoke billowed. Then the water column in the sea area where the English fleet was located rose into the sky. The roaring shells smashed the ship's rafters and masts, and sawdust flew everywhere. The English did not expect that their opponent's artillery was so powerful. They were defenseless and were suddenly blinded.
Nelson came to his senses first and hurriedly ordered the fleet to retreat. Although the counterattack of the Ming Dynasty artillery caused some losses to the English fleet, overall the English fleet did not have the upper hand. Nelson was completely worried about the loss of the precious Sea Dragon, so he hurriedly ordered the fleet in front to retreat.
The English gunboats lifted anchor and retreated. The two sides kept firing at each other. Stone debris flew across the city on the shore, and water columns from the sea below rose into the sky. The loud rumbling sound rolled between the sky and the earth, like thunder and tsunamis, and like the roar of monsters in the sea.
After a while, the artillery fire from both sides gradually stopped, and the battle was suspended.
Guan Shan looked at the enemy's fleet, pouted, and cursed: "You idiot, you know how powerful you are!" But Guan Ping, who was watching the battle from the observatory in the city, frowned, surprised in his heart, and murmured: "No To think that these Western barbarians actually have such powerful cannons! Just as good as our Python Cannon!" The Python Cannon is the most powerful artillery of the Ming Dynasty except the monster cannon. Because the barrel is huge, it looks like a giant cannon. Python, so it was named the Giant Python Cannon by Yang Peng. Since its inception, the enemy has been swept away by the powerful army, so it has not shown its power a few times. I didn't expect that on this wild island, I would encounter an enemy that could compete with the giant python cannon. It was really unexpected.
Also surprised were Nelson and other English generals. Their powerful navy had been invincible across the sea for many years, and they had destroyed countless enemies. The Sea Dragon giant ship is the most powerful warship they have recently built. They thought that the power of the Sea Dragon giant ship was unparalleled and no one could resist it, so they arrogantly bombarded the opponent's fortress. However, they did not expect to encounter an enemy that was as powerful as the Sea Dragon cannon. ’s cannons, causing several precious sea dragon ships to be damaged without warning.
Nelson quickly adjusted his strategy and ordered the gunboats to continue to attack the Acropolis. At the same time, he sent Hood and Horatio each to lead 3,000 elite troops to land on the coast beyond the power of artillery fire on the north and south sides of West Gull City and launch a direct attack on West Gull City. attack.
Suddenly, with drums beating and artillery rumbling, six thousand English elites stormed the city from the north and south. The Ming army relied on the city wall, bombarded with artillery and blocked attacks with bows and crossbows. Cannonballs and arrows were flying in the sky, and the blood and flesh of England's elite were flying everywhere. The English suffered heavy casualties even before they could reach the city wall. In panic, they hurriedly retreated.
Nelson frowned when he saw that the enemy's city was heavily defended. For a moment, the number one general in naval warfare in the West had no idea.
Nelson ordered Hood's troops who had landed in the north to retreat and move to the south to join Horatio's landing troops. The two sides formed a camp based on the terrain, prepared for the sea route, and advanced into camps to squeeze out the opponent. Nelson also knew at this time that the enemy was heavily defended. Although his fleet was powerful, it was impossible to break through the enemy's defense in a short period of time.
The English army suspended the attack, and the captains of each team gathered on the flagship to discuss strategies. Nelson said: "The enemy is well-defended, and a storming attack may not be easy to succeed. I plan to use a surprise attack. Now we have placed the gunboats outside their acropolis, while Hood and Horatio's troops are fortified in the south of the city. . The enemy's attention must be focused on the sea to the west and the land to the south. We will take advantage of this to raid their northern city with an elite force." When the generals heard this, their eyes lit up, and they felt that the generalissimo This strategy is really clever. This is taking advantage of the enemy's blind spots in attention, and you can definitely catch them off guard! As long as the soldiers and horses attack Beicheng, the enemy will be in chaos. At that time, the land and water army will rush forward, and they will be able to sweep away the enemy!
Nelson said to the generals: "Today is when the enemy's vigilance is at its highest, and we have just traveled a long distance and are very tired. Therefore, I decided that we will have a good night's rest today and start action tomorrow night!" The generals agreed in unison.
At the same time, in Xiou City, Zhang Heng was also discussing countermeasures with his subordinates. Just as the English fleet and the Ming Dynasty army were preparing for a new war. The original owners of this island, the King of the Sinhala Kingdom and the King of the Tamil Kingdom were both like ants on a hot pot. Two powerful forces were actually fighting on their land. How could this not make them panic?
As night falls, the bright moon rises over the sea, and its cool radiance shines on the surface of the island, making the waves sparkle like countless broken jade floating in the water. In this magnificent scene of sea and sky, the huge fleet seemed to have turned into many leaves floating on the water, and the big island standing in the sea seemed to have become smaller.
In the silent night, a fleet of ships was sailing quietly on the water.
Boom boom boom! The huge roar woke up the English soldiers from their dreams! People hurriedly rushed out of the cabin to look around, and were shocked to see flames rising into the sky on the water, rumbling artillery fire, and rockets flying everywhere like raindrops. An enemy fleet was clashing and wreaking havoc in the left-wing ship formation, and sirens rang out. Nelson was horrified when he saw such a scene, and then he calmed down and ordered the center ship formation, forward ship formation and right ship formation to immediately separate from the left ship formation to avoid being rushed by the enemy and causing greater chaos. At the same time, Send a signal to the left ship formation and tell them to fight to the death. Nelson was worthy of being a famous general. In this chaotic situation, he clearly judged that although his opponent was menacing, his strength was actually limited. Let alone the entire fleet, even a single left-wing fleet was far more powerful than them.
The disrupted left wing fleet gradually regained its composure and began to counterattack. The chaotic situation slowly stabilized, and the situation became increasingly favorable to the English fleet. Seeing that the opportunity had been lost, Guan Shan immediately led his fleet to clash out of the enemy group and retreat towards the harbor. The left wing fleet, which was holding back its anger, refused to let the Ming fleet escape like this and rushed behind them. At this moment, the cannons on the northern acropolis fired, and water columns rose into the sky in the middle of the English left wing fleet. The English left-wing fleet was hit head-on, and their fevered minds immediately calmed down. They quickly stopped their pursuit and retreated slowly.
The sea gradually calmed down, but the land became noisy again. Nelson and others saw flames shooting into the sky around their own land fortress, and fierce sounds of fighting continued to be heard along the sea breeze. Nelson and others were shocked and couldn't help but feel very worried. Nelson quickly ordered a 5,000-man Marine Corps to immediately go for reinforcements.
Reinforcements sailed toward shore in boats. When they landed on the island, the battle was over. When we arrived at the center of the camp, we saw corpses strewn all over the ground, many tents turned into charred ruins, and the soldiers who were lucky enough to escape looked disgraced and frightened.
Soon after, reports of the battle on land reached Nelson's hands. The camp lost more than a thousand people on the road, and all the baggage and supplies were lost. The enemy's raiding force had already withdrawn before our own reinforcements arrived. Fortunately, the reinforcements arrived in time, otherwise the land camp might have been breached by the opponent.
Nelson and others felt solemn, feeling that the opponents in front of them were not as vulnerable as they had imagined. What makes them even more unbelievable is that judging from the intensity of the enemy's counterattack, the enemy's combat effectiveness seems to be very powerful! It's so unexpected that such a small army can launch such a swift and violent counterattack! However, everyone is still full of confidence. After all, there is a huge gap in strength between the two sides. Although the opponent is much more difficult than expected, the final victory will definitely belong to one's side.
This night is very long for the English. The sun finally jumped out of the eastern sea, the darkness quickly receded, and the sea and sky became bright. The various departments of the Ming Dynasty army and the mercenaries were guarding the sea area to the west and the south, waiting for the enemy's revenge. However, to everyone's expectation, the enemy did not make any movement until the sun went down.
What happened after all, let’s see what happens next.
