Zheng Zhouying knew that the Dutch Red Barbarians had strong ships and powerful guns. Even at a young age, he had learned a lot about the Red Barbarians' military power from his father Zheng Zhipeng.
The Zheng family is able to dominate the sea because of this, but Hongyi can travel thousands of miles to occupy important officials, which is naturally even better.
In this sudden encounter, in order to protect the merchant ships transporting grain, it was impossible not to fight. What's more, Hongyi's warships are heading straight towards their side, and their motives are already clear.
Newborn calves are not afraid of tigers. Even if this Hongyi fleet is a tiger on the sea, Zheng Zhouying is determined to try his best to pluck out a few of its hairs!
Hongyi is very good with a big blunderbuss, and can do whatever he wants, which is incomparable to his own, but Zhengzhouying can also use his strengths and avoid weaknesses, and use money to motivate his soldiers.
The Zheng family has nothing but money. Even if his father Zheng Zhipeng is here to supervise the battle, it is understandable to offer such a reward. Maybe the price will be higher.
Not to mention 10,000 taels, even if 100,000 taels were used to buy Shen Hongyi's boat, they would die without a burial place. After hearing the second young master's words, Zheng Jun's sailors were all gearing up and eager to try.
The harsh words were put aside, and the fight returned. We still had a favorable wind. Zheng Zhouying also had little experience in naval battles, but since our strength was far inferior to the Hongyi fleet, we were still very cautious.
Using a telescope, he saw that the Hongyi fleet adopted a column-based strategy. Zheng Zhouying did not dare to lead his fleet to charge rashly. Maybe most of Zheng's warships would be sunk before they could break up the opponent's line. .
There are a lot of Hongyi cannons on the Hongyi battleship. A ship has at least three or four cannons, and the others are equivalent to cannons. It can be said that the combat power of one Hongyi battleship is equivalent to three or four of our own warships.
The opponent's large ship is even equipped with twenty or thirty Hongyi cannons. The firepower of a salvo is extremely terrifying. If it approaches rashly, the Guangzhou ship will be instantly reduced to sawdust and sink to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish.
Zheng Zhouying's purpose was to protect his own merchant ships, not to seek death. But if the Hongyi fleet approached, he would have no choice but to fight.
Different from Hongyi's column tactics, Zheng Jun still followed the traditional pinzi formation, with nine warships on the left and right wings and 24 warships in the middle.
This arrangement is also more correct. If Zheng Jun adopts the same tactics as Hong Yi, then considering the firepower gap between the two sides, Zheng Jun's defense line may be penetrated by Hong Yi after a firefight.
Zhengzhouying wanted to use a relatively solid formation to hold back the Hongyi fleet, delay its offensive, and delay the opponent's rapid advancement of his own merchant fleet.
"...You are really overestimating your capabilities! Order the fleet to prepare a salvo! Destroy the enemy warships first!"
Colonel Sholes Baker, the commander of the fleet, was a little annoyed when he saw that the enemy actually used small boats to block his own fleet's attack. These people obviously didn't know that doing so was tantamount to death.
Originally, Colonel Baker planned to use a column and salvo tactics to directly destroy the opponent's merchant ships. This would not delay the escape, but also send many merchant ships to the bottom of the sea.
But the opponent's reaction was very rapid. The merchant ships had already sailed quickly to the northern shore with the favorable wind. This meant that in order to sink these merchant ships, the majority of the fleet had to draw an arc northward to achieve the tactical purpose.
It's just that the fleet is currently sailing against the wind, but Zheng Jun's merchant ships are sailing with the wind, twice as fast as our own, and with higher maritime maneuverability than our own. Colonel Baker can only rely on past experience to estimate how many merchant ships he can capture. .
"Report! The enemy ship has entered the range of our naval guns!"
"Order each ship's 24-pounder gun to fire at a distance of one thousand meters from the enemy ship, the 18-pounder gun to fire at a distance of 500 meters, and the 12-pounder gun to fire at a distance of 100 meters to directly destroy the enemy ship!"
Colonel Baker would not allow various naval guns to fire salvos at the same distance. That would be a waste of ammunition. He must shoot at enemy ships in stages and in an orderly manner.
This can form a three-line fire network, and at the same time reduce the possibility of one's own warships being ignited by the enemy's arson ships. The most deadly thing in naval battles is not the naval guns, but the ubiquitous arson ships, which are always difficult to prevent.
Although the mission of the Zheng Army fleet in front of them seems to be to protect the safety of merchant ships, and from the current point of view, the other party has not set fire to the arson ship, but Baker cannot guarantee that there is no arson ship at all.
Even if one of our own warships is set alight by an arson ship, it will be equivalent to a direct loss of combat effectiveness, which will directly cause the entire fleet to lose more than 6% of its strength, because the entire fleet only has fifteen warships. .
"Boom boom boom boom..."
Within less than two miles, the big gun on the Hongyi warship roared, and suddenly the sea surface around Zheng Jun's warship was filled with water pillars and white waves rolling.
Two battleships were unfortunately hit by bombs, and a big hole was blown out of the hull. Along with the screams of the sailors, a large amount of seawater continued to pour in, which looked very scary.
"Damn Hongyi!"
Zheng Zhouying understood that Hongyi's naval guns could definitely hit three or four miles away, but now they could endure two miles before firing, which showed that these Hongyi must be well-trained and with extraordinary combat power, but they were not easy to deal with.
But the decision has already been made, so it cannot be changed overnight, not to mention that if you turn around, you will be beaten, and it may be even more embarrassing. You can't run anyway, so you might as well fight hard in the hope of getting greater results.
Zheng Jun's warships also used the few Hongyi cannons to fight back, but the number was too small. Each ship only had one at most. Many warships were only equipped with guns, and their range was even more worrying.
Secondly, the hit rate was very pitiful. The entire fleet's first salvo actually missed a single shot, allowing the Hongyi fleet to rush over unscathed. It was like Mount Tai weighing on top, making Zheng Zhouying extremely anxious.
Zhengzhou Yingke did not dare to let the fleet fight sideways and use broadside firepower to counterattack Hongyi. Instead, he ordered the bow of the ship to face the enemy ship, so that he could at least survive for a while.
Hong Yi's dare to engage in a broadside battle was based on their absolute firepower advantage. If Zheng Jun dared to do this, under the crazy shooting at close range, I am afraid that they would not be able to last for half an hour, and everyone would be fed to the fish.
Zheng Jun's advantage lies in jumping on the side of the ship. Anyone who dares to shoot at the Hongyi warship at close range is tantamount to seeking death. That's not crazy, that's stupid!
At a combat distance of 100 meters, hundreds of Hongyi cannons fired a salvo, which could almost sweep away the entire sea surface. It was possible for the Zheng Army fleet to lose half of its warships in an instant.
Therefore, Zheng Zhouying ordered that regardless of the direction in which the Hongyi warship was traveling, his own warship must always point its bow toward the enemy ship, so as to reduce the area where it was hit.
Even if doing so would give up the broadside firepower, it had to be done in this way. In front of Hongyi, the sidefirepower of Zheng Jun's fleet was simply not worth mentioning, so it was right to simply give up.
Seeing that the true sea warrior was showing off his true strength, Sergeant Zheng's soldiers became frightened, and the reward offered by the second young master was thrown out of the window.
The way the bullets fired from the Hongyi cannon hit the Guangzhou ship left an unforgettable impression on everyone. It was a truly destructive attack. Our warship was completely unable to withstand it, and almost everyone and the ship's planks were blasted into the sky.
But the second young master was on the front line commanding the battle, and no one dared to retreat on their own. Anyone who dared to run away, regardless of his official position, would be publicly beaten after the war to serve as a warning to others.
"Order each ship to concentrate its firepower and destroy the opponent's flagship first. The two largest ones are!"
Seeing that the effect of the first salvo was not satisfactory, Colonel Baker decided to sink the flagship first. If possible, it would be best to kill the opponent's commander, aiming at the two largest black-tailed ships.
If the opponent loses its commander, it may be defeated directly by our own side. This will make it easier for the fleet to break through the enemy's defense line and then fire cannons to bombard the many merchant ships located inside.
The Zheng Jun fleet adopted such a formation to attack, which shows that it does not want to engage in broadside shooting with its own side, so its own side must also change its tactical strategy, otherwise the hit rate will be too low.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
After the enemy ship entered a distance of 500 meters, the fleet suddenly launched a series of bombardments. White smoke enveloped the sea, and only a few flashes of fire could be seen.
In fact, for the Zheng Jun fleet, the most lethal weapon of the Dutch army was not the 24-pound cannon, but the 18-pound cannon. The former was not necessary for every ship, while the latter was equipped with at least six guns per ship.
The entire fleet has hundreds of 18-pound guns, which are very terrifying when shooting at close range, especially when concentrated firepower only needs to attack two targets.
"Second Young Master, be careful!"
The two black-tailed ships in Zheng Jun's fleet were suddenly covered by a sudden barrage of artillery shells. Zheng Zhouying's flagship was hit by two bullets, one of which almost missed Zheng Zhouying. The frightened tooth general couldn't help but Scream.
A nearby black-tailed boat was hit by three bullets and had its mast broken. It still lost its ability to sail and was decelerating rapidly. It would not be long before it would leave the fleet and become a liability.
"No problem! Order all ships to concentrate their firepower and bombard the Hongyi first ship!"
Zheng Zhouying saw that the red barbarian warship he was leading was huge in size. It might be the flagship of the red barbarian leader. If it could be sunk in one fell swoop, it might be able to change the current situation of being at a disadvantage.
Although the firepower of our own fleet is weak, it is not completely absent. If all the warships concentrate their firepower to attack, not to mention directly sinking the enemy ship, at least they can be severely damaged.
The firepower of the Faji cannon is far inferior to that of the Hongyi cannon, but it has the advantage of a short cooling time and fast reloading speed. The Hongyi cannon can only fire once every quarter of an hour, while the Faji can fire three times in two-quarters of an hour.
Now that it was a matter of life and death, Zheng Zhouying did not care about the life of the engine. He ordered each ship to fire every five minutes. If the engine was destroyed, he would have to buy a new one. If he could not save his life, he would keep the engine. Do you want to make a son?
"Boom boom boom boom..."
After the Zheng Jun fleet was attacked, it immediately launched a counterattack against the Hongyi battleship, targeting the "Hector" who was leading the battle.
The twenty-four warships in the middle opened fire at the same time, each with one cannon at the bow, and the total firepower was twenty-four. The hit rate was pretty good, with three shots hitting the target.
It's just that this level of attack is just a scratch for the "Hector" and can be completely ignored. It only causes slight damage to the hull and does not affect the battleship's combat effectiveness at all.
"Second Young Master! Look over there! It should be our ship!"
General Ya wanted to persuade Zheng Zhouying to retreat, but if Hong Yi used a big gun to attack him again, the second young master's flagship might not even have a chance to escape.
Just when he was anxious to get angry, he suddenly saw a large fleet appearing in the north. Just by visual inspection, the number was no less than forty or fifty.
"...His~! The eldest uncle or the fourth uncle must be leading the fleet to come! Send my order! The entire fleet retreats north quickly!"
Zheng Zhouying also saw this fleet that suddenly appeared on the battlefield. Judging from the appearance, it must be his own warship. The imperial court did not have a navy of this size, only his own family had one.
It seems that the fifth uncle Zheng Zhibao has already led his army to the Japanese country. The only ones who can command such a large fleet are the eldest uncle Zheng Zhilong and the fourth uncle Zheng Zhifeng.
With the help of reinforcements, Zheng Zhouying couldn't help but be overjoyed. He no longer planned to fight to the death, and immediately decided to turn around and run away. He didn't want to eat the shells of the Hongyi cannon alive.
"Quickly retreat!"
The firepower of the ship is fierce, and the ship is small and easy to turn around. Even if it is very close to the Hongyi fleet, Zheng Jun's warship can deal with it calmly, especially in terms of escape, the sailors of each ship are very familiar with it.
The soldiers finally waited for the second young master to wake up, and hurriedly turned around and ran away. They were hit by the Hongyi cannon. It was really a matter of death or disability. No one wanted to be fed to fish here.
"Boom boom boom boom..."
Just as the Zheng Jun warships were turning around, the 12-pounder guns of the Dajuan fleet suddenly opened fire. The hit rate was very high. As many as eight Zheng Jun warships were hit to varying degrees.
One of the most unlucky ships was directly sunk. The sailors jumped into the sea to escape before the warship capsized. The other ship had its mast broken and began to slow down. Two ships were on fire and smoking. The damage to the remaining four ships was not optimistic.
"Oh~! Even if it sinks a Hongyi battleship!"
When Zheng Zhouying saw his own situation, he suddenly felt sad and angry. Escape could not be accomplished instantly. To get out of the range of Hongyi's naval guns, he would have to be bombarded by at least four or five rounds.
He didn't want to go to see his uncle with zero victory, but there was a huge disparity in strength between the enemy and ourselves, and it was out of reach to sink a Hongyi warship.
Zheng Zhouying usually couldn't stand his uncle Zheng Zhilong's attitude of being afraid of the Hongyi battleship, but this time he got to experience the other party's true strength, and it was indeed extraordinary.
The forty-two battleships he led faced the Hongyi fleet of only fifteen ships, but they were unable to cope with it, and they had very few opportunities to fight back.
Without more than 30 large ships such as Fengzhou, Wuwei Ship, and Big Bird Ship, even if his fleet has hundreds of Guangzhou ships, it may not be able to stop the strong advancement of the Hongyi fleet in front of him.
There are no arson ships in our own fleet, so facing the Hongyi fleet with extremely sharp artillery fire, it is really difficult to resist. If my uncle does not lead the fleet to come to support, it will be wiped out in one battle.
Just when the Zhengjun warship was about to complete its U-turn, Colonel Baker's fleet seized this golden opportunity and used its most powerful 24-pound cannon to launch the most violent bombardment against the enemy ship.
The Guangzhou ship simply could not withstand the onslaught of large-caliber heavy artillery at close range. As long as it was hit, it would become a target. Especially when turning, a large area of side was exposed, which caused the hit rate of the Dutch naval guns to rise sharply.
This order to turn and retreat allowed the Dazhan fleet to sink five warships in one fell swoop and severely damage nine. The sea was full of Zheng army warships that were smoking and burning. So far, Baker has not lost a ship...
