The Spanish troops looting eastward along the river did not encounter any resistance. Before boarding the ship at Baoshan, they looted millions of taels of silver from Dantu, Jiangyin, Changshu, Zhenhai, and Jiading, as well as items worth more than three hundred dollars. Goods worth ten thousand taels of silver.
Although it did not meet Marshal Mello's expectations, it was quite successful to easily obtain so many trophies without losing any troops.
The Spanish troops on the northern route had no idea what was happening on the southern route. Admiral Oquendo and his fleet had been waiting in the Baoshan area for three days and still had not received any news.
Since Marshal Melo is the highest commander of the army, strictly speaking, his military rank is higher than that of Admiral Oquendo. This marshal and his more than 20,000 soldiers cannot be abandoned under any circumstances.
No one in the fleet or the northern route army knew what happened in the south. Since the Ming army had already abandoned the city and fled, the attack was very smooth. The two armies had been fighting independently before and did not maintain contact at all times.
Now that he couldn't find anyone to contact him, Oquendo decided to wait for three more days. If Marshal Mero's troops didn't show up again, the fleet would have to pull anchor and set sail.
At this time, the British army had already plundered the main cities of Songjiang Prefecture, and the main force moved to the coastal areas of Zhejiang Province. The two sides had previously agreed to rendezvous with the fleet at the Zhoushan Islands in five days.
The day before the hegemonic fleet pulled anchor, three cavalrymen who had retreated from the battlefield finally arrived at Baoshan along the river and told Admiral Oquendo what had happened before.
More than 20,000 elite soldiers of the Spanish Empire were just annihilated by the ragtag Ming army?
Admiral Oquendo was a little unbelievable about this, but he could not confirm the cavalry's statement through other channels.
These three people also fled all the way north until they reached the Yangtze River, and then they finally determined their approximate location.
Then we went south along the river and saw the fleet. I was so excited that I shed tears.
In order to escape for their lives, they even gave up their horses when crossing the river, which was equivalent to walking from the west of Jiading to Baoshan.
Fortunately, Baoshan is to the west of the Huangpu River estuary, otherwise these three people would definitely not be able to board the ship.
According to his own psychological expectations, Admiral Oquendo waited for the last day.
But not a single Imperial soldier was seen, so he gave up and ordered the fleet to raise sail and set sail south from the Yangtze River Estuary.
After having breakfast on the shore, the fleet slowly set off to the open sea at eight o'clock in the morning.
Two hours later, the Hegemony Fleet was pursued by the Ming Dynasty Combined Fleet coming from Liao Kok Tsui.
The Ming Dynasty's combined fleet included Zheng Zhilong's fleet, Denglai Navy, Tianjin Navy, and Zhejiang Navy, and was commanded by Zheng Zhilong.
On the left is the Denglai Navy, on the right is the Tianjin Navy and the weakest Zhejiang Navy. Zheng Zhilong personally leads the fleet as the central force.
Although the Spanish fleet is extremely large, with as many as thousands of ships, the Ming Dynasty combined fleet is more than double the number of its opponents, but its quality is relatively worrying.
There are no more than 500 warships with the same tonnage as speedboats, and less than 200 warships with the same tonnage as capital ships, and they were all built at Zheng Zhilong's expense.
It’s not that Zhenhaibo didn’t have the money to build more plywood boats imitating Galen’s ships, but he didn’t expect the Spaniards to really come to attack the Ming Dynasty, otherwise he would have built at least a hundred more boats.
But now, even if the enemy fleet is superior in quality, it cannot escape smoothly. The ship can carry a large amount of looted money, food and merchandise.
A certain new emperor had previously told Zheng Zhilong that the food belonged to the court, the goods belonged to Zheng Zhilong, and the captured silver was split in half, which was regarded as a reward for Zheng's army.
More importantly, a certain new emperor also said that sailing battleships would be ended within twenty years.
The past ten years have been the twilight of this type of battleship, and after that, the world of ironclads has come.
After being put into mass production, a certain Xinhuang shipyard can build twenty ironclad ships at a time.
The construction of the corresponding slipway has already begun and is expected to be completed within the next two years.
According to the three- to four-year construction cycle of ironclads, the first batch of ironclads can be launched into service in six years at the latest.
The Ming Dynasty's first iron-clad ship, and also the world's first iron-clad ship, will be launched next year.
Zheng Zhilong has been interested in this for a long time, and even the down payment worth millions of taels of silver has been paid to a certain new emperor.
If we don't pursue the Western Yi diligently now, the delivery of the armored ships will be far away in the future...
Although the Xiyi warships are large in tonnage and have many heavy guns, the Ming warships are not without the power to fight.
All warships of Bird Ship, Guangzhou Ship and above have been equipped with "Harpoon" series of anti-ship missiles.
Medium-sized warships are equipped with "harpoon" type 12, and large warships are equipped with "harpoon" type 34.
In addition, some warships are also equipped with "Black Shark" rocket-propelled torpedoes.
It is conservatively estimated that the number of anti-ship missiles equipped by the Ming Dynasty combined fleet exceeds 5,000, and the number of torpedoes reaches more than 1,000.
The firepower is no less than that of the Spanish fleet. As for achieving the final appearance, it still depends on the on-the-spot performance.
The appearance of most of the warships on both sides is as distinct as the armor worn by the infantry on both sides. However, the forward fleet led by Zheng Zhilong himself is a Western-style plywood ship, which is more conspicuous.
As the main ship of the fleet, each plywood ship is equipped with eight "Harpoon" IV anti-ship missiles.
The total weight of the missile is two hundred kilograms, and the explosive warhead weighs fifty kilograms. One hit can paralyze an enemy's capital ship.
Two or three hits can destroy the target. This is Zheng Zhilong's greatest confidence and reliance.
Retreat or engage?
Although Admiral Oquendo was disdainful of the Ming fleet, he was also secretly surprised by the opponent's huge size.
After thinking about it, since the opponent's forward fleet had not yet caught up with the rear of our own fleet, he ordered the fleet to implement the original plan immediately.
First sail to the Zhoushan Islands, and when they meet the British fleet there, the Spanish-British combined fleet will no longer have to fear these pursuers.
Oquendo was not worried that the hegemonic fleet could not defeat the opponent, but felt that the ship was loaded with a lot of loot.
It would be a pity if the other party set the ship on fire and burned it. This is all money!
The red flare is to meet the enemy, and the green flare is to retreat, otherwise Oquendo would not be able to command thousands of armed merchant ships.
The shipowners understood the admiral's order after seeing the signal flares flying into the sky, and they did not want to spit out the meat they had eaten.
After chasing for more than a day, the Spanish Hegemonic Fleet finally merged with the British Expeditionary Fleet, and the Ming Dynasty Combined Fleet also followed.
Although they were attacked by the Ming army in the Jiangdu Canal area before, the number of armed merchant ships under the hegemonic fleet's jurisdiction still exceeds 1,100.
Of the 566 British armed merchant ships that came to plunder the East, none of them was lost under the command of Lieutenant General Robert Blake, commander of the British Expeditionary Fleet.
The British troops who landed in Songjiang Prefecture and Hangzhou suffered very few casualties due to the active retreat of the Ming army.
Combined with the seizure of more than one million taels of silver and goods worth about five million taels, both Sir Fairfax and Lieutenant General Black believed that the expedition was extremely successful.
Although lower than Cromwell's expectations, this was the price in the Ming Dynasty. Once these goods were transported to Europe, tens of millions of silver coins would definitely be earned.
Black was very dissatisfied that Oquendo actually brought a tail. Considering that the two sides had not fallen out, he did not order a retreat first.
At this time, there were many Dutch and French warships and armed merchant ships gathered on the sea, with a total of more than twenty ships. However, they were only spectators and had no intention of helping the Ming army.
The Ming Dynasty and France only signed the "Ming-France Treaty of Friendship and Commerce". Driven by the top leaders of both parties, the relationship between the two countries was similar to a quasi-alliance, and no formal military alliance treaty was concluded.
Once any party has an accident at sea, only if the other party discovers it, there is a possibility of rescue, but it is not the responsibility and obligation.
In this situation, the French fleet is unwilling to help because France and Spain have signed an armistice treaty before.
The Dutch deliberately came to watch the excitement. If Spain and Britain could defeat the Ming Dynasty, they would be avenging themselves.
Otherwise, the scene is really spectacular...
Near noon, the two sides turned from a long-distance confrontation into a formal fight.
The Spanish-British Combined Fleet has nearly 1,700 armed merchant ships, and the Ming Dynasty Combined Fleet has more than 2,800 warships of various types.
In terms of quantity, the Ming Dynasty combined fleet has a relative advantage, but the Spanish-British combined fleet has an absolute combat advantage in terms of single ships.
Zheng Zhilong asked Zheng Zhifeng, who had severely damaged Xiyi several times, to command the forward fleet, with one hundred plywood ships, one hundred bird ships and one hundred Guangzhou ships under his command.
All warships can only launch anti-ship missiles when they are less than 200 steps away from the enemy ship, otherwise it will be an act of disobedience.
This is Zheng Zhifeng's experience gained through actual combat. Although he had been violently bombarded by Xiyi before, the accuracy of the opponent's bombardment at long distances, especially one mile away, was a joke.
The real killing move of both sides is a close-range shooting of about one or two hundred steps. In fact, it is not much different from the land battle, except that the tanks have become larger and larger warships.
The forward fleet was not much different from Zheng Zhilong's main fleet, and the imperial navy on the left and right wings were also very close to the ground.
Su Guansheng, the commander-in-chief of the Tianjin Navy, and Mao Yuanyi, the commander-in-chief of the Denglai Navy, have both ordered that any ship that dares to escape the battle will be severely punished after the war.
Although the strength of the imperial navy was inferior to Zheng Zhilong, in the face of invading enemies, the Marquis of Zhenhai could not let him laugh.
Cleaning up the Donglu Navy is not even a battle. If you want to temper the navy officers and soldiers, you must fight such a tough battle.
Vice Admiral Blake placed the British fleet on the right side of the allies, with the purpose of quickly turning away when the war went unfavorably.
Switching to the left side, which is closer to the island, the fleet will easily run aground in a panic.
Black had no idea how effective the Ming fleet was, so he had to make an escape plan in advance.
The most important thing is that if the Ming fleet is really equipped with a large number of those "Evil Dragons of the East", Black does not want to use his own fleet as a target ship...
The British fleet deliberately kept a certain distance from the Spanish fleet, and its speed was not as fast as the Spanish fleet.
Lord Fairfax believed that this was a war between the Spanish and the Ming Dynasty, because his side had already made enough money.
The decision to fight or not to fight rested with Black, and the vice-admiral agreed with Lord Fairfax.
Admiral Oquendo roughly guessed Black's thoughts when he saw his allies keeping their distance from the Hegemon fleet.
As long as one's own side can gain an advantage, the British fleet will not be a live audience.
In this case, the hegemonic fleet should be allowed to inflict heavy damage on the Ming fleet at the beginning of the war and destroy its advancing squadron.
The Spanish-British combined fleet was fighting with the wind, and its speed was much faster than that of the Ming Dynasty combined fleet that was heading south against the wind.
For these Ming warships that actively seek death, the shipowners don't mind sending them to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish.
Although the sailors and gunners of the Hegemonic Fleet are not affiliated with the navy, they are all experienced people.
Just change your clothes and you will be a member of the navy in a few minutes...
Since the armed merchant ships were equipped with a lot of heavy artillery, and their firing range was much higher than that of the opponent, the hegemonic fleet opened fire much earlier than the Ming fleet.
Zheng Zhifeng's fleet has a large number of warships, but the hit rate of Xiyi's cannons is still not flattering.
After fighting for a long time four miles away, not a single ship was sunk, which also gave the fleet a sudden increase in confidence.
The sea was filled with gunpowder smoke and looked extremely lively, but that was all. This was just the warm-up stage of the naval battle.
When the distance between the two sides was less than one mile, the real battle began.
After seizing the T-head, Zheng Zhifeng ordered the fleet to lay its hull horizontally and use a long snake formation to defend itself.
Stupid Akito!
Ridiculous tactic!
A tragic outcome!
These were the three thoughts that came to Admiral Oquendo's mind after seeing the Ming fleet in this formation, and a proud smile appeared on his lips.
It seems that victory is beckoning to him. Perhaps before sunset, his hegemonic fleet can send Ming Dynasty's gadgets, which are not much bigger than fishing boats, to the bottom of the sea.
Admiral Oquendo ordered the fleet to rush into the opponent's formation and use the extremely powerful broadside firepower of the battleships to completely destroy these Ming warships.
At this moment, the Ming fleet finally launched its secret weapon that had been hidden for a long time. Hundreds of giant swords trailing white smoke stabbed directly at the overcoming hegemonic fleet.
Previously, the shipowners and gunners were sincerely happy with the effects of the bombardment. With the naked eye, it could be estimated that at least hundreds of enemy ships were destroyed.
Those enemy ships with several holes in their hulls and broken masts can be regarded as losing combat effectiveness and can also be regarded as the results of one's own battle.
But the battlefield situation was far more complicated than what the ship owners saw, and subsequent developments were beyond their expectation.
Is this the legendary "Eastern Dragon"? ? ?
Looking at the unknown fire-breathing weapons that were rapidly attacking their own side, the ship's owner, gunners, sailors, and even the soldiers and their families in the cabin were dumbfounded.
As the first unlucky armed merchant ship was hit and exploded, similar things happened one after another in the Hegemony fleet.
Because the distance is too close, even less than fifty steps, and the size of the Spanish armed merchant ship is very large, the "Harpoon" anti-ship missile can easily hit the target.
Almost a quarter of the armed merchant ships rushing at the front were hit, and the remaining warships were also in shock because the Ming army continued to fire such terrible weapons.
The launch speed of anti-ship missiles is much faster than that of naval guns. As long as the tail flame leaves the hull, the missile soldiers can load the next missile onto the launcher.
After it is fixed, the single wing can be opened to fire and launch. If everyone cooperates skillfully, the whole loading process only takes three minutes.
It is naturally unrealistic to use three hundred warships to withstand the onslaught of thousands of large ships from the other side.
Zheng Zhilong wanted to use the forward fleet to delay the impact of this bull, and then use the center army and the two wings to kill the prey bit by bit!
