Hong'er and Zhuzi were woken up and hurried to the cab. After hearing the news, Zhao Chengwen and Dong Jin also came to the cab.
Because it is a steam engine ship, the driver's cab is placed on the front bridge.
Hong'er looked at the three large ships of the Dragon and Tiger Navy in front of her and felt very disgusted. Obviously, when we arrived in the realm of Ming Dynasty, we still had to fight with these guys with ulterior motives.
"Don't think about anything else. These people won't negotiate with us. They must be intercepting us." Hong'er said.
Zhao Chengwen said: "Is it a routine inspection? After all, we are a merchant ship returning from Jiannu. Besides, since we are leaving so fast, I am afraid that no news from Shenyang will reach Ningyuan."
"You forgot the carrier pigeon. If they release the carrier pigeon, it will definitely be much faster than us." Hong'er said. "Don't have any illusions. Distribute weapons to everyone and prepare to fight."
Dong Jin asked: "We are a merchant ship without artillery. If we really fight, we will suffer big losses. Can the armor of this ship block the artillery?"
Captain Li Anshi said: "I'm afraid not. The armor of this ship is only three millimeters. Although it is made of annealed carburized steel plates, it can only protect against matchlock guns. If it is the Guangdong Turtle Dove Gun, the Japanese Basketball Gun, or the Folan Machine The heavy arquebuses are a bit uncertain at close range. The artillery is useless."
Hong'er said: "They are here for Liu Xingzuo's family. This matter is very secretive. In addition to taking away the family members, they will not leave anyone alive. If we don't resist, we will die. You see how this battle is fought, we There is no way out."
Now that the words have been said, if there is anything else to say, then prepare to fight.
But there are no cannons on the ship, so cross-fire is definitely not possible.
Zhu Zhu asked: "Captain Li, our ship is fast, can we rush through it?"
"There is some trouble. The first two ships are very close to us now. If we rush over, we can only pass between the two ships, and we will be flanked by artillery on both sides. It is very dangerous. But the third ship is still far away, and we have a chance. Go around."
Zhu Zhu thought for a moment and said: "Then stop the ship to show that we are an unarmed merchant ship and accept their inspection. They will definitely clamp both sides of our ship, fix it with hook locks, and then jump in to occupy our ship." "
This is the most routine operation. The modern coast guard also relies on helpers to conduct inspections.
Everyone nodded, this is a solution.
It would be easier if two ships sandwiched the steamer. They are all elites, and they also have incendiary bombs and explosive bags. They also had quite a few revolvers. If they really fight, I still don’t know who will eat whom.
Dong Jin said: "This is a good idea. We will show weakness first and stop the ship for them to check. Once they secure the three ships together, we will rush forward and capture the two ships."
Zhuzhu asked: "If we take these two ships and advance at full speed, how many knots can we make?"
Captain Li understood immediately upon hearing this that Zhuzi planned to use these two boats as shields for the left and right sides of the ship. Take them forward together.
In this way, the remaining ship would not dare to fire. Don't be afraid even if the gun is fired. Blocked by their own boat.
Naval battles in this era were basically boarding battles.
Although since the Ming Dynasty, artillery bombardment tactics at sea have emerged. That was also firing from the side of the ship to the side of the ship.
When the two sides' artillery fired at each other, the accuracy of artillery in this era was very poor and the range was very short. If the firepower density is too small, it will be impossible to hit. Artillery is generally arranged on the side of the ship.
If the two ships are controlled on both sides, the other side will not be able to bombard them head-to-head. Because there is only one cannon on the bow. The head-on projection of the opponent's ship is extremely small, making it almost difficult to hit.
Captain Li said: "Our sailors know how to use artillery, and they can use these two cannons to attack the opponent. We have an advantage if we have more cannons. If we turn the steam engine power to the maximum, we can completely move the two Fu ships. . This ship is equipped with two triple-expansion steam engines. The total horsepower can reach 700 horsepower. There is no problem in running five knots. "
Special operations ships have a variety of hazards to consider because they are designed to operate deep behind enemy lines. If you only have one engine, if it breaks down, you're doomed. so it must be
Dual engine configuration.
Dong Jin said: "Our servants also know how to use cannons. We have all been trained."
Zhao Chengwen said: "Although our people at Tianjin Station don't know how to use cannons, we can use muskets and can fight hand-to-hand."
Zhu Zhu did some calculations, excluding the casualties from last night's battle. Zhuzhu's men were all thirty, and Hong'er had ten men left who could go into battle. There are still twenty-five servants. In addition to the six traitors who were purged at Shenyang Station, there were still 70 people. A rough calculation shows that there are still 135 people left.
Zhu Zhu said: "After a while they dropped the steel hooks and ropes and secured our ship. I took my men and thirty people from Shenyang station to attack the battleship on the left. Dong Jin, you take your men With forty people from Shenyang Station, attack the battleship on the right. Hong'er, you take your people and stay behind as a reserve."
Hong'er nodded in agreement. Among her people, there are still some special talents who are not cost-effective to waste in this kind of battle.
Zhu Zhu continued: "Let Captain Li and the sailors come out to maintain and deal with them. We hide in the material tarpaulin behind the side of the ship. Once they are secured, throw grenades first, and then rush over."
Several people expressed their understanding.
At this time, the lucky ship ahead was approaching. Two of them flanked each other. The other one is farther away. It can be seen that these Longwu Navy people are still relatively cautious.
He Kegang stood on the bow of the ship, observing the merchant ship in the distance with the monocular telescope given to him by Donglin's upper management. This boat is so strange.
Not only does he look short and fat, he also has a round head and round tail. The deck is partially covered with a semicircular canopy. It looks like a cocoon.
Generally speaking, most of the covered ships are inland river ships, such as the ships on the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. There are many of them.
But why did this boat end up at sea? There are only two masts, front and rear, and there is actually a black iron chimney in the middle. Is there a fire for cooking? There is a kitchen below.
He Kegang's ships all flew the flag of the imperial navy. It was openly carrying out the blockade mission against Jiannu in Liaodong Bay. They are local snakes, and merchant ships coming and going must pay homage to them before they can pass.
This is also a common unspoken rule among the Ming Navy.
Moreover, merchants from the Ming Dynasty were theoretically prohibited from trading slaves with Jian, and those caught would be treated as collaborators. But there are exceptions to everything in this world. Everything can be negotiated.
As long as you pay the tax, you will send someone to the Longhu Navy Yamen on Juehua Island (Juhua Island) across the sea from Ningyuan City Pier to pay for the passage. A flag will be given to you. As long as you hang this flag, you will not be inspected.
"Are you sure that this is the only boat that came out of the Liao River from last night to today?" He Kegang asked.
"My lord, my humble position is confirmed." Deng Changchun replied.
After receiving the message from the carrier pigeon in the middle of the night last night, He Kegang immediately took the Sanchongshan Fortune Ship out to sea. The Lantau Island and Xiqishan have been performing blockade missions at the mouth of the Liaohe River in the past few days.
He Kegang waited here after joining them in the early morning.
He Kegang said in his heart, then he didn't run away, it was this ship that robbed Liu Xingzuo's family members from Shenyang.
He was a little curious in his heart. He didn't know what kind of person had this ability. He actually pulled out the tiger's teeth and got people out of Shenyang, which was heavily garrisoned.
"Let them drop the sails and stop the ship for inspection. They don't even have a flag, so they dare to come out for smuggling. Today, I have to take the court's laws seriously."
