The ocean-going fleet came all the way west, divided its troops along the way, and stationed itself in various important places.
Although the scale is still very large now, only the third and fourth detachments can participate in the war.
Even so, facing a large number of Spanish warships, Shang Kexi was still calm and calm.
"We are here this time to set rules for Europe and the world. In this case, use all your strength, don't hide it, and let Europeans see the power of the empire."
In the forest of the world, what you say makes others listen, not based on morality or benefits, but on strength.
If you have the strength to give benefits, that's called goodwill.
If you don't have the strength to give benefits, that's called a prodigal.
Therefore, Zuo Mengeng had already designated a course of action for the ocean-going fleet.
Once you have to fight, go all out. Tell Europeans what it means to be unrivaled in strength.
"Tell Xu Dongyun and Wang Zisheng to let go of the fight. I hope the fight will end before sunset."
Shang Kexi decided not to intervene in the specific battle process and left it to the third and fourth detachments to complete alone.
Now the four major detachments are stationed in various places, thousands of miles apart. This requires the commanders of each detachment to have arbitrary power and ability.
How could you miss such a good training opportunity?
The commander-in-chief delegated power, and the generals below were really happy.
Xu Dongyun, commander of the third detachment, is gearing up.
"Lao Gao, I will lead the Zhending, Fenyang, Xianyang, Lushun, Daeqiu, and Tianshui to seize the upper wind. You will lead the Nanchang, Yueyanghao, Shunde, Dali, and Ganzhou to intercept the enemy's follow-up troops. . Let’s work together to eat up the enemy’s left wing.”
Military and political officer Gao Huaide feels that this tactic is very feasible.
"I need to say hello to Commander Wang so that he won't be caught off guard."
By doing this, the third detachment was tantamount to handing over most of the Spanish warships to the fourth detachment.
"Of course, we just asked him, Old Wang, to hold it off for a while. Once the enemy's left wing is eliminated, we will encircle the enemy and no one can escape."
The operational intention was quickly sent to the fourth detachment via flag.
"Hmph, Xu Dongyun didn't hold his fart in his pants well. Do you want me to slap him?"
Wang Zisheng cursed.
The military and political forces retreated unconsciously and smiled, having their own ideas.
"I think this is fine. Xu Dongyun thinks the tactics are appropriate, but in my opinion, we might be able to catch the majority."
The prince became interested.
"Oh, what do you say?"
Without Ling Tuizhi speaking, Chief of Staff Yamazaki Masaka explained.
"Our weapons are all top-notch. Traditional wooden ships like Spain cannot stop our artillery fire. The commander-in-chief's order is clear enough. Don't hold back, then the Spaniards can withstand our attack." ?"
Masaka Yamazaki was originally a general of the Shimabara Rebel Army, and later went to the Imperial Military Academy for training. Because of his outstanding performance and rare talents, he was retained in the National Defense Forces.
It happened that Japan later merged into the empire, so it was logical for him to stay.
Only then did Wang Zisheng smile happily.
"Reply to the third detachment and agree with their battle plan."
Looking back, several generals from the fourth detachment gathered together and quickly discussed the battle plan.
"Since the Commander-in-Chief has requested that we let go of the fight, we must use all our strength from the beginning and not get any closer. Otherwise, Spain has too many warships and there will always be areas that we cannot take care of."
Deputy Commander Park Yonghae's idea was unanimously agreed upon by everyone.
"We have a total of twenty-three main warships, and we just line them up to form an iron wall. It depends on whether the Spaniard's head is strong enough. If he hits his head, it will bleed."
Watching the third detachment speeding out, everyone in the fourth detachment quickly deployed.
On the Spanish side, when they saw that the ocean-going fleet was actually divided, they were a little confused for a while.
"Is the enemy divided?"
Juan Jose was puzzled.
No one could answer him.
Juan Jose did not want anyone else to explain, and immediately said: "Order Fernandez to monitor the departing enemy, and the other warships will speed up and end the battle before dinner."
The Spanish warships began to speed up and rushed over the sea.
Because the distance between the two sides was still far away, the Spanish warships formed while advancing.
In this way, when they get within 500 meters, they can just change into a battleship array and slowly enter the combat position.
Compared with the Spanish fleet, the fourth team has completed the formation change, aiming its flanks at the Spanish while slowing down its speed.
Such an approach looks very amateurish in the eyes of Spaniards.
Such an opponent made the Spaniard extremely excited and accelerated even more.
After the empire came to Europe, it really stirred up quite a stir, so much so that everyone was talking about the empire.
If Spain wins this naval battle, its status in Europe will no longer be what it once was, and its lost glory may be restored.
They simply didn't know why the fourth team set up their formation so early.
"The distance is 6,300 meters, the east wind is northerly, Category 3, the wind and waves are Category 2, and the ups and downs are four."
The artillery observer's report was particularly loud, which made Wang Zisheng aware of the situation.
"Prepare all heavy artillery, fire in one salvo!"
The bottom floors of all battleships quickly became busy, making adjustments based on the data.
The huge metal slug was stuffed into the gun barrel, and the fully charged launch tube was also loaded.
The artillerymen really liked this new segmented loading shell, which really saved them a lot of effort.
The previous one-piece artillery shells weighed 140 to 50 kilograms and required three people to work together to complete the loading.
After a few rounds, you will run out of energy.
Now it has been changed to a split artillery shell, with a warhead of no more than eighty pounds. A slightly stronger artilleryman can complete the loading alone.
As for the cartridge, it can even be ignored.
The muzzles of thick black cannons were raised one after another, aiming at the sea ten miles away.
There the Spaniards were completely unaware of the danger. All the warships gathered together, as happy as if they were going on a trip.
"fire!"
The order issued by Wang Zisheng quickly spread throughout the ships and turned into a thunderous roar that shook the earth.
The sea trembled, the sky changed color, and everything was frightened!
The Spaniard's joy disappeared, replaced by confusion.
Were the Chinese scared by firing artillery from such a distance?
The cannonballs cut through the sky at lightning speed, and the Spaniards quickly understood the truth.
The Spanish battleships were so densely packed that it got to the point where the fourth detachment could completely ignore accuracy.
As long as the cannonball is fired at a sufficient distance, it can basically cause damage.
More than three hundred heavy artillery shells smashed into the Spanish fleet formation. Although nearly half of the shells fell into the water, these were heavy artillery shells!
Contact with the sea surface at such a fast speed still triggered the fuse, causing a violent explosion.
The violent gas and shattering shrapnel were definitely not something that the wooden hull could withstand, and they immediately tore apart many nearby warships.
As for the battleships that were directly hit by cannonballs, it would be even worse.
Amidst the terrifying black clouds, the battleship was shattered into pieces on the spot. It also caused an explosion and caused fatal damage to nearby friendly forces.
The first round of shelling by the fourth detachment stunned the Spaniards.
