Chapter 241
Gunfire rumbled in the Subic Strait, smoke filled the air, and vision was obstructed.
The current naval battle makes Dutch sailors feel extremely depressed and aggrieved.
Although they are well-trained, even if they face the Spanish Armada, they are not without power. However, the problem is that the naval guns of the Ning Navy have a farther range than theirs. They can only attack within three hundred meters. It has a higher hit rate. However, Ning Haijun's naval guns can reach more than 1,800 meters away.
Although Ning Haijun's hit rate is poor, the problem is that Ning Haijun's naval guns are too powerful. Once they hit, their warships will either die or be disabled.
The Tulip only received two shots, and the cabin turned into a sea of flames. The Dutch sailors who were trapped in the fire on the deck and could not get out were burned to a crisp on the outside and tender on the inside, and their screams shook the earth. The gunpowder barrels were burned one after another, causing violent explosions. The entire hull deformed, cracked, and tilted amidst the deafening explosions...
"It's over, it's over...I'm going bankrupt!"
Putmans's face was full of despair, as if he were mourning his heir.
"Fort, turret, counterattack... your brain is filled with water!"
"Reporting to the colonel, the fort at the port was demolished by Zheng Zhilong's people!"
"Demolished?"
Alfonso didn't come back to his senses for a long time: "Why should the fort be dismantled?"
"Who knows what they think!"
During the attack on Subic Port, the Zheng fleet suffered considerable losses. Coupled with the more than 200 warships sunk by the Ning Navy, they had a serious shortage of artillery. The British East India Company is not strong now, and the artillery that can be sold to Zheng Zhilong can only be transported from the mainland.
In desperation, the forts at Subic Port were dismantled by Zheng Zhilong and installed on the battleships. Of course, these artillery were actually the cannons on the Spanish battleships, so it was not a big problem.
But the problem is that without the fire support of the fort and relying solely on the cannons on the battleships, the Dutch East India Company has numerous disadvantages in terms of quantity and quality.
Li Zhixiang said: "The first, second, third, and fourth squadrons withdraw from the battle, and the fifth and sixth squadrons join the attack!"
"yes!"
Ning Haijun saw that the guns of the Dutch East India Combined Fleet were too old and had a short range, and could hardly pose a threat to Ning Haijun's warships. In this case, Li Zhixiang had the idea of training troops.
Compared with the first, second, third and fourth strike squadrons, the fifth squadron and the sixth squadron lack actual combat experience. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, the fifth squadron and the sixth squadron can practice their skills.
Fortunately, the Fifth and Sixth Squadrons participated in the attack on the Dutch Combined Fleet, otherwise the Dutch Combined Fleet would have been completely wiped out in half a day at most.
Although the Fifth Squadron and the Sixth Squadron are mostly new recruits and lack actual combat experience, the Fifth Squadron and the Sixth Squadron with full firepower fought very lively, with rows of shells flying overwhelmingly towards the Dutch Combined Fleet. The power was disgraceful.
However, when firing at this distance, and since they were all new recruits, the hit rate was indeed not very good. Most of the shells hit the sea, in vain, stirring up clumps of tall and large water columns, and the sea looked like it was boiling. Bubbles rolled, thunder and lightning flashed.
After the initial chaos, the Dutch Combined Fleet gradually adapted to the bombardment of the Ning Navy. What if they couldn't adapt? Anyway, just do it if you can’t.
Alfonso said: "The range of our naval guns is far inferior to that of the Ming Navy. Only by approaching within three hundred meters as soon as possible can we use the broadside firepower to destroy the opponent. Otherwise, this battle cannot be fought."
"dash forward!"
As the Dutch Combined Fleet launched an attack on the Fifth and Sixth Squadrons of the Ning Navy, the distance between the two sides quickly narrowed. Due to the shortened distance, the hit rate naturally increased greatly. In the blink of an eye, four warships were hit by high-explosive bombs. , the deck, sails, and masts were all on fire, and the sound of explosions was endless.
The Dutch Combined Fleet lost eight battleships in half a day. If Zheng Zhilong had lost eight main battleships, he would never have blinked an eye. But the problem is that the Dutch East India Company only has 150 warships of more than 1,000 tons, and their number and manpower are their shortcomings.
Having just lost eight warships, including five armed merchant ships, Alfonso could no longer hold on: "Hans, you must let Zheng Zhilong send troops, otherwise we can only surrender. The disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves is too great, even if God is invited here , and we can’t win this battle!”
The current battle loss ratio is 8 to 0. Six of Ning Hainan's main battleships were hit successively, resulting in the loss of nearly 70 sailors, but the loss of the battleships was not large.
Putmans also knew that what Colonel Alfonso said was true. The loss of eight battleships was very heavy. If it were not for the large number of colonial native sailors on the battleships and armed merchant ships, thousands of them would have died.
In Subic Port City, a castle originally built by the Spanish, Putmans met Zheng Zhilong for the first time.
At this time, Zheng Zhilong was very leisurely, as if this war had nothing to do with him.
"Your Excellency Nicholas!"
"Hans, you're here just in time. I just got the West Lake Longjing tea. This is new tea before the rain. It can only produce less than two kilograms per year. Come and taste it!"
Putmans was now anxious and angry. He hurriedly said: "You can drink tea anytime, but the problem is that there is no time. The battle in Subic Bay is not going well. We hope for your help, my friend. !”
"I also want to help you, my friend, but you also know that we had a battle with Ning Haijun a while ago, and our Zheng fleet suffered heavy losses!"
"The current situation is very serious. In the words of your Ming Dynasty, it is called the death of lips and the coldness of teeth..."
"My friend, even if you say this, even if you are hiring, there must be a price, right?"
Zheng Zhilong comes from a trading background and is no novice in negotiation. He has rich experience. It is absolutely impossible for the Dutch to use him in vain!
"what do you want?"
"Cannons and battleships!"
"This also comes with a price!"
“My friend, have you ever thought about bringing the entire Formosa under your rule, letting the glory of European civilization spread to every corner of this treasure island, and letting all Formosa people return to the Lord? In my arms?"
Zheng Zhilong has received news that after Ning Haijun landed in the senior officials, he began to quickly encroach on Zheng Zhilong's territory. Since Zheng Zhilong usually levied excessive taxes on those immigrants, Zheng Zhilong was actually not popular among the senior officials. Almost 90% of these immigrants defected to Ning Haijun.
For Zheng Zhilong, the current senior officials are worthless.
You want to defend, but you don’t have enough strength. If you want to defend the generals, you must add more troops to the generals. But the problem is that the Ning Navy has never encountered an opponent in land battles. Their Zheng family claims to have more than 200,000 troops. But the problem is that there are a large number of pirate family members here, and less than 100,000 people can actually go into battle.
But 100,000 people still had to defend the old territory of Fujian and fight land battles with Ning Haijun. Zheng Zhilong lacked the courage, so he took the opportunity to sell off the top officials, which could be regarded as clearing out non-performing assets.
Putmans rolled his eyes and said: "Of course! Which country would think that its territory is too small? The problem is that it can't be done!"
Da'an is a treasure land with fertile land and rich resources. They have grown sugar cane, mined mineral deposits, and developed shipping in the south, making huge profits. Now there is an opportunity to legitimately acquire the entire Da'an. How can they let it go?
As the governor-general of the Great Council, Putmans knew very well the value of the Great Council.
"Now's your chance!"
Zheng Zhilong smiled and said: "I am willing to resell the land of Formosa (general) to you. How much are you willing to pay?"
"Ten thousand guilders!"
To be fair, Putmans' bid was actually quite sincere. One Dutch guilder can be exchanged for twenty pounds. With the cost of the British Sea Monarch being forty-five thousand pounds, at least two ships can be built, including the one hundred and nine doors. artillery.
Ten thousand guilders is equivalent to two hundred thousand pounds, which is enough to accommodate four super battleships such as the Sea Monarch with a displacement of more than 1,600 tons.
If Zheng Zhilong has four Sea Monarch-level super battleships, he will not be at a disadvantage when facing the Ning Navy's main battleship, because this super battleship has served in the British Royal Navy for more than sixty years.
"My friends, you'd better be sincere, time, time is what matters!"
"Fifteen thousand guilders!"
"Ten guilders!"
"Impossible, at most 30,000!"
"We each take a step back, ninety thousand guilders!"
"fifty thousand!"
"Eighty thousand, otherwise, we'll have an interview!"
Zheng Zhilong smiled and said: "I don't want your Dutch East India Company's money. I need battleships and naval guns. With your Dutch shipbuilding capabilities, I will use these 80,000 guilders to order a Dutch third-class battleship from you!"
The Dutch do not have super battleships. Their largest main battleship is the third-class battleship, also known as the Seven Provinces class. This battleship has a displacement of more than 1,500 tons and has 72 guns, including three 36-pounders. cannon and twenty-two twenty-four-pounder cannon, sixteen eighteen-pounder cannon, and thirty-one twelve-pounder cannon.
The firepower of this kind of warship is quite powerful, which has laid the foundation for the rise of the Dutch Navy. Even an 18-pounder cannon is enough to cause fatal damage to warships under 600 tons. Even the main warship of the Ning Navy, two The fourteen-pounder gun also has a greater killing effect.
If it is directly hit by a thirty-six-pounder gun, especially if it is hit at the waterline, it is possible that one shot will go into the soul.
Putmans actually does not have the power to sell Dutch third-class battleships. In fact, there are not many such third-class battleships in the entire Dutch Mediterranean Fleet, less than a hundred.
Even in the naval battle between the Netherlands and the Spanish Downs in 1639, the new Dutch navy won a complete victory and annihilated the huge fleet formed by the Spanish. The number of Dutch navy and armed merchant ships participating in the battle was only 152.
Putmans was forced to sign a city alliance with Zheng Zhilong, agreeing to purchase the Taichung area at a price of 80,000 guilders, and at the same time, hire Zheng Zhilong to fight at a price of 20,000 guilders.
The Battle of Subic lasted until about four o'clock in the afternoon that day. Just when the Dutch Combined Fleet thought they were about to be destroyed by the Ning Navy, the Ning Navy warships that were besieging the Dutch Combined Fleet in Subic Port were actually retreating.
Li Fang roared with some dissatisfaction: "Now that the Dutch have been beaten to death by us, why should they retreat..."
Before Li Fang could finish speaking, Li Zhixiang said: "Execute the order!"
In fact, Li Zhixiang actually does not want to retreat, but the Zheng fleet is now dispatched, and at this time, almost all of the main warships of the Ning Navy are in the Subic Strait. You must know that the Subic Strait is not the Manila Strait. Subic The strait is only twelve to eighteen nautical miles wide. Once it is blocked by Zheng Zhilong's fleet, Ning Haijun will lose its advantage in warship speed.
Located on the South China Sea southwest of Subic Bay, the Zheng fleet is rushing towards the Subic Strait. At this time, the Zheng fleet, like the original Ning Navy fleet, occupies an absolute downwind position.
Zheng's huge fleet was vast and boundless. Zheng Zhilong learned the lesson from the last time. This time he came up as a fire ship, gathering all the mother and daughter ships in the fleet, a total of more than 600 ships.
Such a huge fleet could not hide anything from anyone, and soon Li Zhixiang received the news that Zheng Zhilong was sending troops.
Li Fang felt a little uneasy when he heard that Zheng Zhilong had dispatched more than 600 fire ships.
You must know that this is just Zheng Zhilong's forward force.
"This battle is not easy to fight!"
Shen Shikui sighed and said: "The wind direction is very unfavorable to us. Zheng Zhilong's fire attack this time is too arrogant!"
"If it's not easy to fight, we have to fight. The commander-in-chief is watching us in Luzon City!"
To Zheng Zhilong's surprise, Ning Haijun instead of retreating at first sight, rushed toward them.
"Set water mines in the same way as others do, and return it to others!"
Mines are not actually a high-tech product. As early as thirty years ago in the Battle of Luliang, the Ming Dynasty Navy used a large number of mines to blow up the fleet of the Little Japan Army. They disappeared and appeared among the vast expanse of waves. The psychological threat posed by the mines to the enemy is even greater than that of hundreds of giant ships.
In the last Subic naval battle, Zheng Zhilong suffered a loss from Ning Haijun's mines. This time he also carried tens of thousands of mines. Of course, this kind of mines are actually far inferior to Ning Haijun's mines.
Tens of thousands of mines were produced by Zheng's craftsmen themselves. Each mine was loaded with ten kilograms of black gunpowder. Once it hit the mine, it would definitely end in a bloody mess.
While the Zheng fleet was laying mines, the Ning Navy fleet roared like steel: "Fight to the death! Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"
The terrifying roar was more terrifying than a thousand thunderstorms exploding at the same time, making people's hearts tremble. While the blood-red flag was waving, the main warships of the Ning Navy and the six squadrons were divided into six formations and rushed straight to the location of the main force of the Zheng fleet!
"Boom boom boom..."
From a distance of three to four kilometers, Ning Haijun launched an artillery attack. Of course, Ning Haijun did not perform lucky artillery this time. In the first round of firing, all the shells missed.
As the sun set on the sea level, Li Zhixiang smiled and said: "The whole ship retreats, if you have the guts to chase me!"
Li Zhixiang actually wanted to use mines to deal with the Zheng fleet. As a result, both sides deployed thousands of mines. As for whether the mines would sink merchant ships, this was an issue that neither of them cared about.
In Batavia, the eastern headquarters of the Dutch East India Company, General Debauer, the commander-in-chief of the Dutch East India Company fleet, said arrogantly: "You mean, those Ming people fired at our Dutch East India Company?"
"Yes, they claim this is a response and punishment for our massacre of Chinese people in Batavia!"
"Huh, that's not a bad tone!"
Debauer's originally fair face had become as dark as the bottom of the pot: "No one has ever dared to despise the Kingdom of the Netherlands like this, never!"
Now the Netherlands is enjoying the dividends of the Age of Discovery. Its national power is booming and its strength is so strong that only Spain and France can compete with them. They don't pay attention to other countries! Cheng Shijie, the governor of Liaodong, not only refused to accept the alliance of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to jointly deal with Zheng Zhilong, but also refused the Kingdom of the Netherlands to mediate their disputes with Spain. Now he actually dared to open fire on the Dutch warships and completely ignored the Dutch Empire. How could he Not angry!
You must know that the Spanish Empire has conquered the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa without any rivals, and most of the territory in South America belongs to them. What kind of amazing strength is this? Although the Armada was defeated once by the British Navy, it did not shake Spain's hegemony. In Europe, they are still the well-deserved boss!
However, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands forced the Spanish Empire to sign a peace treaty. If it were not for the fact that the Spanish Empire could not resist the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, how would the Spanish Empire lower their noble heads?
Now even the cowardly Ming Dynasty dared to provoke the Netherlands. Now the Dutch East India Company is very angry.
Although De Baoer was very angry, he did not order the assembly of the Dutch East India Company's fleet to fight to the death with the Ning Navy. For the Dutch East India Company, profit was the most eternal, and war was only the last resort.
Of course, the prerequisite is that the opponent must be able to defeat the Dutch East India Company. Now Ning Haijun punched Spain, stepped on Zheng Zhilong, and now kicked the Dutch in the butt, which made the Dutch East India Company feel very angry.
If it were a small country, even a fart would be a reason for them to start a war. But the problem is that the Dutch East India Company was not willing to go to war with the Ning Navy before it was absolutely sure to defeat the Ning Navy. This was because the Dutch East India Company was not willing to go to war with the Ning Navy. Indian companies are not sure of victory.
In fact, Europeans are very realistic and have double standards.
Simply put, military strength determines everything.
The Dutch must pay attention to Ning Haijun's strength and must be polite and courteous.
"News from the boss!"
"Tell me, if the losses were caused by the attack by the big aboriginals, then it goes without saying!"
"It's more serious than that!"
"How serious is it?"
"Your Majesty General, our senior officer is gone!"
"How could the senior officer be gone?"
"Twenty days ago, the Ning Navy and Army launched a full-scale counterattack against the Dutch troops stationed in Da Yuan. Now on Da Yuan Island, we Dutch are either killed or captured!"
"How can this be?"
"But it's true!"
Baodel's face was full of indignation: "We want to lodge a serious protest with Ming Dynasty."
(End of chapter)
