It didn't take long for the two fleets to get closer and closer. The Spanish fleet was seizing the upper hand and facing the enemy with their broadsides.
However, the four armored warships of the Ming Dynasty did not perform these operations at all. They just aimed their bows at the Spanish warships that were crossing over and rushed directly towards them.
Seeing this scene, the sailors on the Spanish battleship laughed. Is this how Ming warships fought? Don't they even know the basic common sense of naval warfare? How can the firepower come from fighting like this?
"Is this the Ming fleet that you said defeated both the Manila fleet and the Dutch fleet?" the Spanish governor put down his telescope and asked Philot next to him with some disdain.
Filot was a little confused. The Ming army shouldn't even know some common sense about naval warfare!
With this in mind, he replied: "I have never seen such a weird battleship before. Your Excellency, Governor, it's better to be careful!"
As he was talking, he heard a "boom" sound. Just in front of the Ming warship, the Spanish warship that bore the brunt was hit by artillery again.
The Spanish governor picked up the telescope and took a look, gritted his teeth and shouted: "They have no time to load the artillery, just wait to die!"
As long as you fight, you will always suffer some casualties, but after all, this is not such a pleasant thing!
Fortunately, he had the same idea. The Spanish warships at the front were all holding their breath. Looking at the Ming warships that had already arrived in front of them but did not slow down or avoid them, they finally started firing a salvo of artillery.
"Boom boom boom..."
Amidst the sound of cannons, iron bullets and chain bullets roared out. At such a close range, most of the shells hit their targets.
Haha, it doesn’t matter if it’s iron covered with wood. If it can’t withstand the bombardment of artillery, it will still sink you!
The Spanish Governor thought so in his mind, and after the smoke cleared, he saw it more clearly. Also because he saw it more clearly, he was immediately stunned.
Yes, the four battleships of the Ming Army were indeed hit by cannonballs and their flagpoles were broken. However, why did those iron bullets that were supposed to shatter the Ming army's warships into pieces and send pieces of wood flying everywhere just left a groove in the Ming army's warships? How thick is the iron sheet on this ship to have such a high defense?
Before he could recover, he saw that the Ming warship had hit the oncoming Spanish warship hard, making a loud "bang" sound. Then, the Spanish battleship was seen broken into two parts like paper. The Ming Dynasty warship passed through the middle gracefully.
"..."
Everyone was dumbfounded, what is going on? Why are the bows of those Ming warships so strong and iron-clad?
While they were in a daze, the sound of "bang bang bang" sounded again. It was seen that the other three armored warships also hit their respective targets. Without exception, the three Spanish warships that were hit were all the same as the first one, split in two from the point of impact. This is countless times more powerful than a cannonball!
"What's going on? What's going on?" The Spanish governor was a little crazy when he saw this scene.
Filot looked at those strange Ming warships in surprise, and replied with a little panic: "Could it be that these four Ming warships are really made of steel?"
Hearing this, he felt a little incredible. Then he met the eyes of the Spanish Governor who was looking at him, and couldn't help but look at each other.
Although I find it incredible that the Ming warships were made of steel, there is no other possible explanation for the scene in front of me except this one.
Thinking that the Ming warships were made of steel, artillery bombardment would not cause fatal damage to them in any case! Can you just take a beating without fighting back?
Thinking of this result, the Spanish governor's face turned as ugly as possible.
However, Filot reacted quickly and quickly comforted the Spanish Governor: "Don't worry, Governor. The masts of the four Ming warships are all broken. Without power, they are half useless. You can ignore them."
Hearing this, the Spanish Governor nodded. Fortunately, the mast was still made of wood. Oh, no, if you have the ability, even the sails are made of iron!
After complaining viciously in his heart for a while, the Spanish governor quickly sent an order to the fleet to leave those four strange warships alone.
At this time, the Spanish fleet was collided by four armored warships, and the formation was already a bit chaotic. Seeing that the main force of the Ming fleet came over, after receiving the flag, thanks to the fact that they had been at sea all year round and still had the skills of the Invincible Fleet, they finally adjusted their formation before the main force of the Ming army arrived. .
But at this moment, the Spanish governor who looked at the overall situation was dumbfounded again. They saw that the four Ming warships they had left behind actually turned a corner and launched an attack on their retreat.
Didn't those four battleships already have no sails? How did they turn, and where did they get the power to drive so fast that they were about to catch up with the battleships behind the fleet?
He stared at this scene dumbfounded, really unable to understand what was going on. You know, in this era, apart from wind power, only manpower can provide power for battleships. However, on this sea, huge warships depend on manpower, and the Spanish governor does not believe it anyway.
He came to his senses, but didn't know what order to give. Because the four Ming warships in front of him were beyond his understanding.
The warships behind the Spanish fleet panicked when they saw the four strange Ming warships biting them again. As a bystander, the Spanish governor didn't know how to respond, let alone their sailors who were facing the power of these strange warships.
"Bang bang bang..."
There was another crashing sound, and the four Ming armored warships, like four tigers, rushed into the flock of sheep. Relying on their own advantages, they clashed left and right in the Spanish fleet, as if they were in an uninhabited land. The Spanish warship was so killed that it had no power to fight back and could only evade with all its strength.
At this time, Zheng Zhilong, leading the main fleet of the Ming army, finally arrived.
Although the soldiers of the Ming army were exhausted, the power of the four armored warships greatly improved their morale. In a short period of time, the officers and soldiers of the Ming Army forgot their fatigue and did not know where they got the strength from. They stayed at their posts, steered the helm, and fired the cannons.
The expected battle did not happen. Instead, the Ming fleet was fighting against the Spanish fleet.
At this time, the Spanish governor's command had completely failed. All the warships fled one after another. Without a formation, if the fleet fights independently, it can only be defeated by the superior enemy and completely annihilated.
However, until this time, they suddenly discovered that on the sea where they were escaping, the original Ming warship had come over and blocked their escape direction.
"I really didn't expect that the armored warships are so powerful!" On the Ming army's flagship, Sun Chuanting looked at the warships in the distance and exclaimed in admiration.
It can be said that the situation of the naval battle just now was the result of the four armored warships turning the balance of victory between the two sides.
Anders, who had not returned to his flagship, heard this and immediately said with a shy face: "Mr. Governor, do you think His Majesty the Ming Emperor can sell us a few of these warships?"
"How can the military and state be so important..." Sun Chuanting heard this and answered without hesitation. However, before he finished speaking, he suddenly thought of Emperor Chongzhen's character. After thinking about it for a while, he changed his words and said, "The cost is high, you guys Can you afford it?”
Not to mention whether the emperor agreed or not, the price alone was astronomical!
After hearing this, Anders said without hesitation: "Such a powerful warship, even if you can't afford it, you have to buy it. I'm afraid that your Ming Dynasty won't agree!"
"You should write to the Emperor yourself about this matter and see if the Emperor agrees or not!" Sun Chuanting was very proud after hearing this and said calmly, "Let's fight this battle first."
Hearing that Sun Chuanting didn't seem to have any intention to veto it, which somewhat represented the Ming Dynasty's intention, Anders was overjoyed and said quickly: "Yes, yes, let's take care of the Spaniards first!"
………………
As for the pirates, just as they were about to engage in battle with the Ming fleet that had come to intercept them, they saw the miserable situation of the Spanish fleet. Suddenly, everyone was dumbfounded.
"What kind of battleship is that, so powerful?" William asked his partner Robert with a look of disbelief on his face.
Robert was also stunned. When he heard the question, he murmured to himself: "You ask me, who am I going to ask? What the hell is this?"
After finishing speaking, he suddenly came back to his senses. As a pirate's instinct, he immediately exclaimed: "Why are you still standing there? Why don't you run away!"
Today, the Ming fleet is still focused on chasing the Spanish fleet. If they come to their senses, they will be in trouble.
As a pirate, if there are major benefits, you can even risk your life. Similarly, since they are pirates, they do not have the consciousness of a regular army to fight to the death.
Therefore, for them, it’s better not to take a walk now than later!
"The wind is tight, pull!"
Seeing that the situation was not good, these European pirates fled one after another, much faster than the Spaniards.
Sun Chuanting's troops and Zheng Zhilong's troops joined forces to strangle the Spanish fleet, and basically surrounded and suppressed the Spanish fleet assembled in America until there were only three or two kittens left, allowing them to escape and ascend to heaven.
This naval battle established the dominance of the Ming Navy in the Americas, thus leaving an important mark in the history books. At the same time, it was also the first naval battle in which steam-armored battleships participated, and it also left an unavoidable mark in history.
Amid the cheers of the Ming Dynasty soldiers, the two flagships approached. Zheng Zhilong jumped over, clasped his fists to Sun Chuanting and said in salute: "The general has met the governor, and it's not too late after all!"
Hearing this, everyone was happy. At the same time, Sun Chuanting also had doubts in his heart, so he asked Zheng Zhilong: "Why did it take three years for you to come? Something happened to the court. How is your majesty?"
