"Master Chitose, you have misunderstood me. Although I am a businessman, I have always been loyal and trustworthy. How could I run away from the battle? My fleet was not trying to escape just now, but was retreating temporarily to avoid being burned by fire ships..."
When Tang Tong became a loyal warrior of Dashun, Zhu Cixiang was listening to another loyal businessman of the Ming Dynasty explain why he ran away from the battlefield.
This loyal businessman and good minister is Shen Tingyang. When the red lady's fireboat burned the pontoon, his fleet ran away in a hurry. But he didn't run far. After seeing Zhu Cixiang's dragon flag appear on the mound, he swam upstream again and rowed back. Shen Tingyang even went ashore in person to explain to Zhu Cixiang why he had to retreat temporarily...
You profiteer! Do you think I am Emperor Chongzhen? Zhu Cixiang knew with a clear mind that Shen Tingyang was telling lies.
However, he did not expose Shen Tingyang to his face, but said with a smile: "I understand, you are indeed a loyal minister and good merchant of my Ming Dynasty... Then how many sand ships do you still have that can fight?"
"Master Qiantai, there is no damage to Xiaguan's sand boats. It's just that some of the sails of the sand boats were burned and the hulls were slightly damaged, but they can all be repaired."
Li Yan and Lady Hong still underestimated the abilities of the pirates. Pirates fight against the wind and waves on the sea, so how can their damage management capabilities be comparable to that of the captains of the canal boats and the water pirates of the Huaihe River?
Moreover, it is normal to encounter fire attacks in sea battles. Pirates also have considerable experience in preventing and extinguishing fires. How could their sand ship be burned down by rockets?
Therefore, Li Yan and Red Lady's fire attack strategy only scared away Shen Tingyang's sand ships and did not cause much damage.
"But..." Shen Tingyang frowned, showing a look of embarrassment, "But I don't have enough manpower on the sand boats. Most of the sand boats only have twenty or thirty people. If the wind is smooth, we can still fight. But now there is no southeast wind, and the sand boats It needs oars to move it, so there are not enough people on the boat.”
"This is easy to handle!" Zhu Cixiang said with a smile, "Let's get the new soldiers on board to overcome the difficulties."
Shen Tingyang was still a little embarrassed, "But this water battle is different from the land battle. The land attaché cannot command..."
Zhu Cixi laughed loudly and said: "I know this, so I will issue an order right now and let the bow of your ship command the battle!
In addition, I also boarded the ship to supervise the battle! Do you have a big boat suitable for me to ride on? "
"Yes, yes." Shen Tingyang said repeatedly, "My family has a centipede warship. It was built under the supervision of a Portuguese craftsman from Hao'ao. It's called Big Dragon Head. It's extremely strong and fast. Perfect for water fights.”
"Okay!" Zhu Cixiang nodded, and then said to Cao Youyi, who had just arrived from Weibeicheng, Tianjin, "Cao Weishuai, please arrange for the soldiers to board the Shen family's sand ship... According to my decree, all soldiers who board the ship to fight must Obey the command of the Shen family's ship. Anyone who violates this order will be subject to military law!"
"I accept the order!" Cao Youyi didn't say anything. Anyway, the new army to overcome difficulties was not his private army, and it would be the same no matter who commanded it. So he immediately received Zhu Cihong's order and arranged for the generals of the new army to overcome difficulties to board the ship.
The right division of the new army to overcome difficulties has four associations, and now two of them have been dragged by Wu Sanfu to deal with Tang Tong. Another team was escorting the vehicles and materials withdrawn from Weibei City in Tianjin, and they were heading in the direction of Zhu Cixiang. Therefore, the troops following Zhu Cixiang were an association, as well as some directly affiliated troops and the troops of the Generalissimo Fujun's Palace Guards, about 3,000 people.
While Cao Youyi was busy arranging for these people to board the ship separately, Zhu Cixiang took Chen Yidao, Wu Sanmei and others aboard Shen Tingyang's chief helm ship (flagship) Dalongtou.
Because Shen Tingyang and Cao Youyi arranged for the soldiers of the new army to overcome difficulties to board the ship, they did not board the Dalongtou with Zhu Cixiang. What greeted her on the deck of the Dalongtou was the bow gun of the Dalongtou.
"Little Fire Gun Liu, I'd like to greet His Highness the Crown Prince." The bowman of the Dalongtou calls himself Fire Gun Liu. He seems to be a master of playing with Fire Guns. He wears a short coat with no armor, and his cuffs and trouser legs are rolled up high. He stood up, revealing his tanned dark red skin.
"Pingsheng," Zhu Cixiang said with a smile, "I don't know how to fight on the water. Since I'm on the big dragon's head, I have to obey the arrangements of you, the bow of the ship."
Fire Gun Liu was startled for a moment, then he stood up and furtively looked at Zhu Cihong and the dozens of guards who followed him on board, and frowned slightly.
"What's going on? Is there anything you can't say?" Zhu Cixiang asked with a smile.
"Oh," Fire Gun Liu cupped his hands and said, "It's nothing. It's just that Master Qiantose and his guards can take off their armor?"
"Remove the armor?" Wu Sanmei on the side frowned after hearing this, "The sword has no eyes on the battlefield, how can you remove the armor?"
Fire Gun Liu glanced at Wu Sanmei and recognized her as a girl, "This girl doesn't know something. It's easy to fall into the water when fighting on the water... If a suit of iron armor falls into the water, it will be difficult for even gods to save it."
Moreover, nowadays water battles mostly use firecrackers and cannons, and iron armor cannot stop them at all. "
"Artillery?" Zhu Cixiang was stunned, "Do you have artillery on your ship?"
"Yes!" Huo Gun Liu said proudly, "In the belly of this big dragon's boat are two large red copper cannons cast by the Macau Bugalao Cannon Foundry, which can shoot projectiles weighing 10 kilograms. "
Zhu Cixiang rolled his eyelids. There were actually two 12-pound bronze cannons on this big sand ship, and they were "original" forged by the Portuguese in Macau!
This Shen Tingyang actually thought of running away without firing a shot. He also said that he was a loyal businessman and a good minister. He was clearly a profiteer who was afraid of death!
"Okay, okay! It would be nice to have a cannon!"
Prince Zhu nodded repeatedly. He would not pursue Shen Tingyang's crime of "escaping before the battle" now. He was a businessman, and it was normal to be scared when he saw rogue bandits.
Zhu Cixiang looked back and found that Tang Ruowang and Su Ziwen had also boarded the boat, so he ordered: "Tang Jianzheng, Su Shishu (Su Ziwen was also appointed as the official of the East Palace Shishu by Zhu Cixiang), both of you understand As for artillery, go with Liu Chuantou to see the two cannons.
Everyone else has taken off their armor. Now that we are on the ship, we must follow the rules on the ship... Third sister, come and help me take off my armor! "
…
"The city of Tianjin has been destroyed, the city of Tianjin has been destroyed! Those who surrender will avoid death!"
A voice rang out in Tianjin Weinan City at this time. It was a little vague at first. Later, I don’t know how many people shouted together, and it became extremely loud, like the waves of the sea, coming in waves. .
Tianjin Nancheng has been captured by Chen Yongfu!
Although the Dashun Army commanded by Chen Yongfu is not the most powerful old battalion, its combat effectiveness, especially its siege ability, is not much worse than that of the old battalion. Compared with the overcoming difficulties camp formed in a hurry, I don't know how much stronger it is!
The uprising launched by Zhang Juren and Fan Juren caused the defenders of Tianjin Nancheng to waver. Chen Yongfu's soldiers actually seized the opportunity and attacked the south wall in one go!
Although Zhu Chunjie immediately mobilized his troops to counterattack and started a bloody battle with Dashun's army on the city wall, he was not able to fight off the enemies who climbed onto the city.
Chen Yongfu was indeed brave. When he saw the fight on the tower reaching a critical moment, he led his servants to attack them.
The attack by the general and his servants immediately became the last straw to overwhelm the Ming army in the city. The south gate of Tianjin Weinan City was quickly occupied by the Dashun army.
After capturing a city gate, the Dashun army poured into Tianjin Weinan City like a tide.
However, what happened next was beyond Chen Yongfu's expectation. The Zhu family soldiers and horses in the city had obviously been defeated, but they were defeated but not defeated. Not many of them surrendered. Instead, they all went to the Tianjin Governor's Yamen and the Tianjin General Soldier Yamen. The area retreated, and finally gathered into a group, doing their best to resist the attack of Dashun Army!
