Zheng Zhipeng, surrounded by his own soldiers, galloped to the pier, where people on the grain platform had already arrived with boxes upon boxes of silver. 【No pop-up novel website】The most
Because time was tight and there was no time to weigh the money, all that was delivered was Spanish silver. Box after box is open, and the white flowers are so bright that they are dazzling.
"Respecting the general's order, each person will be rewarded with twenty taels of silver! If you have meritorious service, you will be rewarded with another fifty taels!" Zheng Zhipeng said loudly. The sailors immediately became commotion, and the money was very attractive. Originally, they were gathered together and heard that they were going to fight, but there were already signs of instability in the people's hearts. At this time, white money was delivered to the grain table, and they heard that there was a lot of money. After receiving such a big reward, everyone was itchy again.
"Reward!"
The men immediately distributed handfuls of silver coins to the hands of the sailors. Twenty pieces of white silver were heavy in their hands. The sailors all smiled. This was the first time such a generous reward had been given.
Greed makes people bold, and their morale, which had been depressed, was boosted by the money. They all cried out: "There is a scar as big as a bowl on the head!" It seemed that the Australian artillery fire that had just scared them out of their wits was also Nothing special
There are still about 60 fire ships that stayed on Gulangyu Island and escaped back. In their current form, they have a good chance of success. Zheng Zhipeng immediately ordered the entire team to dispatch, hoisted full sails and rushed straight towards Huli Mountain.
After the fleet set sail, it immediately opened a wide front and rushed towards the seaside at the foot of Huli Mountain. The sailors, whose eyes were red from the stimulation of the silver, screamed one by one and rowed their oars desperately to let the ship run away. have to.
The dispatch of the fire attack fleet was immediately discovered by the observers on the Lichun, and Mingqiu immediately ordered the deck to be cleared. Temporarily stop unloading cargo.
"Fit all main guns with grapes!"
The elevator rumbled, and the 130mm grape was lifted from the medicine cabin. Grapes are similar in structure to grapes, but the pellets are much larger. Generally only used by the navy, specifically used to deal with light ships and destroy the deck facilities of enemy warships.
Driven by the combination of sails and oars, the fire attack ship rushed over at an average speed of 7 knots, and soon approached a place less than 1 chain away from the anchorage point.
"Start shooting."
The Lichun's two 130mm main guns roared again, and long tongues of flame pushed the guns out of the chamber. The cannon rotated and flew over a distance of more than a thousand meters, exploding in the sky above the densely packed fire attack fleet. The gunpowder shot out more than a dozen pellets the size of table tennis balls in each cannon. It sprayed towards the fleet.
The grape pills tore apart the human body in an instant, and the firewood on the deck finally penetrated the ship's plank. Sea water immediately poured into the hull.
In the first round of shelling, three fire attack ships began to take on water and sink. Many ships were hit and lost control - some masts were broken, and some sailors lost their lives.
The fire attack ship lost control and floated sideways, and the entire formation suddenly became chaotic. The boat in front blocked the boat behind. The helmsmen had to move the rudder pole desperately, and the dense fleet collided with each other. The sailors cursed each other and used their pennies to prop each other apart.
"All fire!"
Following the Lichun's shooting, the main guns of the other four battleships roared at the same time. Grapes kept flying over the fire attack fleet, and clouds of black smoke exploded in the air, pouring pills onto the fleet. The burning pills hit the dry firewood and the sail of the ship. Start a fire.
The sailors, who had just been emboldened by Ginzi, were crying for their fathers and mothers under the hail of iron that was spreading in the sky, and saw that the head of the man next to him was smashed by the pill. His arms and legs were knocked off, or half of his body was torn off alive. He was so devastated that he no longer had the consciousness to lose a scar as big as a bowl for money. He just hated that there was nowhere to hide on the ship - Every pill goes straight through the bottom of the boat.
The main gun fired three rounds, and the Hotchkiss rotary guns and typewriters on the ship followed suit. The distance of more than a thousand meters was the effective range for them to fully exert their firepower. The 13mm and 30mm lead rained down on the fire attack ship. Flying away, water splashed everywhere, and the boat rushing in front was suddenly beaten like a hornet's nest, and it sank straight towards the sea.
Although Zheng Zhipeng's boat was behind, he could clearly see the tragic scene of the grape explosion in the air. Seeing the Kun thief performing unexpected "demon magic" again, his chest felt like thousands of arrows piercing his heart. In battles, there must be a fight. The outcome is determined, and now what is it called a war? Seeing that the fire attack ships in front were huddled together, some were already on fire, and some were half sunk. This fire attack battle that cost tens of thousands of Spanish silver was already in decline. I couldn't help but feel anxious and hateful, and didn't care about the sailors. Can we hear it? He stood up and shouted:
"Don't be afraid, everyone, come together, if you bump into you, you will be rewarded with a hundred taels!"
Before he finished speaking, another round of grapes flew into the air and exploded. A grape shot down with a whistling sound and passed through Zheng Zhipeng's chest. It immediately made a hole as big as the mouth of a bowl and penetrated behind him. deck. Zheng Zhipeng staggered, as if he still didn't believe there was such a big hole in his body, his eyes widened, and he fell on the deck.
Zheng Zhipeng's death did not cause any waves - even if he was not killed, the fire attack had failed. Under the joint attack of grapes and rapid-fire cannons, none of the fire attack ships could enter within 1000 meters of the transfer anchorage and were hit by grapes. The burning ships burned on the sea, drifting slowly, and burned and sank before reaching the anchorage. The few that got close were towed aside by small boats and allowed to burn.
The sea was smoky, and many fire attack ships were burning, but none of them threatened Kun Pi's warships, let alone collided with one. The thief's boat was still transporting people and horses to the beach.
The generals of the Zheng family gathered on the city tower looked at the sea with dejected expressions on their faces. Some of them had already taken a few steps back. If the city tower hadn't been filled with Zheng Zhilong's soldiers, they would have fled long ago.
Zheng Zhilong forced himself to calm down: "If the fire attack is defeated, it will be defeated. The Kun pirate ship is strong and powerful, and our brothers can't compare. Wait until they get ashore and then fight them in one go! Everyone reorganize their troops and prepare for war!"
All the generals sang in unison and dispersed. Zheng Zhilong led his generals and soldiers down to the city tower. They saw a commotion at the gate of the city. Soldiers were collecting silver rewards. Although the ranks of his own soldiers were a little chaotic, they were all fully equipped with armor and weapons. They were stronger than the officers and soldiers. Much more. I couldn't help but feel a little comforted. Although the Lu Division is not the core of the Zheng family, he has invested less money in it over the years. All equipment and military pay are favorable, which has helped him win several battles - he even went to Guangdong to fight against Pai Yao. Now his only hope is to withstand the Kun thieves in a land battle.
It seems that there are not many people who have landed on the land, only 500 people at best. This made him somewhat reassured. Taking care of the soldiers at the moment:
"Call Matos and Tontaro."
Matos and Tongyun were the leaders of his black guards and Japanese guards. Zheng Zhilong's black guards were recruited from the Portuguese, and most of them were escaped slaves of the Portuguese. According to records, there were "850 Portuguese with families in Macau at that time,... They had an average of 6 armed slaves. The largest and best among them were the Kabari people, and other tribes... The Portuguese and these The Japanese) had excellent muskets, spears, and other weapons. There were few Portuguese who did not have six or twelve muskets or flintlocks."
The Kabari people are black slaves from East Africa. Most of them have received military training and are accustomed to using Portuguese matchlock guns. They are brave in fighting and will not have any problems with betrayal. Therefore, they are trusted by Zheng Zhilong and maintain a strength of 300 people all year round. .
As for the Japanese Guards, his relationship with the Hirado clans and his former Catholic status were enough for him to recruit hundreds of Japanese soldiers of Christian origin.
Although Matos and Tongtaro are not the core members of the Zheng Group, they are Zheng Zhilong's "private soldiers", elite men who truly obey his orders. The most important thing is that he doesn't have to worry about these two people betraying him.
Matos and Tontaro came to him, both dressed in Portuguese clothes. Except for the double swords on Totaro's waist, he is dressed like a European soldier.
Both guards were armed and trained like European armies. Paying special attention to matchlock shooting, both shooting accuracy and firing speed are top-notch. Zheng Zhilong feels that he can still fight, which has a lot to do with having these two teams in hand.
"The Kun thieves are coming to attack here soon." Zheng Zhilong said, "You two have assembled the team and obey my orders."
"Aren't we going out to fight? General?" In addition to the days under the Portuguese, Matos has been in China for several years and can already speak very good Chinese.
"Of course we have to fight, but you are my sharp knives. I have to use them at critical moments. Are the cannons and gunners ready?"
"Get ready. I have sent the best gunners to the city to operate the artillery - they are all Portuguese veterans. But the gunners of the two cannons have not been well trained. I am afraid there will be an accident..." Ma Toth said.
"That Chejidan taught you how to use it. Just use it. The cannons of the Kun thieves are very powerful. None of the cannons we have now are their opponents. We have to take risks."
"Yes, General." Matos no longer expressed any objection.
Zheng Zhilong asked people to bring in silver, and ordered that it be distributed to the soldiers of the guard at the rate of twenty silver coins each. Each of Matos and Tongtaro received one hundred silver coins. In addition, the Portuguese who operated the artillery were given a heavy reward: one silver coin per person. One hundred silver coins.
After the arrangements were made, he divided 2,000 men to hold on in the middle and left city with the cannons on the city wall. The rest of the main force and the guards went out of the city to line up to fight in the deeper area on the northwest side of the city. To be continued. . )
