Liu Xin lifted the telescope and looked in the direction of the guard's fingers, and saw that a huge warship appeared in the southwest of the Daqin fleet, a bit like a big Han's ship. Liu Xin was agitated. Did Ganning and the others really find it here
The ships gradually approached, from the first one to two, three, and the entire fleet. Through the telescope, it can be clearly seen that the head of the ship is a tall ship, the black flag on the mast is already in tatters, but the "Han" on it is still faintly visible, it is the big Han's navy.
That day Jiang Qin brought back Liu Xin's order to allow them to participate in the war. The navy was extremely excited, and everyone wanted to join the expedition fleet. Of course, it was impossible for Gan Ning to send all the ships out. In the end, he was able to draw lots to decide who went on the battle and who stayed behind. As a result, Dong Xi and Jiang Qin were unlucky and caught the word. Gan Ning, Zhou Tai, Huang Gai and veteran Cheng Pu all got the word.
Because it was going to be a long voyage this time, no one knew what difficulties would be encountered in the future, so Ganning made full preparations. It was not until four days later that the fleet full of supplies and soldiers slowly left the water village in Kuaiji. Daying.
This mixed fleet of forty boats and 200 Mengchong ships followed the route mentioned by Liu Xin and went south and west along the coast, bypassing India and Africa successively. It lasted four and a half months, and finally Arrived in the Mediterranean.
They were able to get here all the way, in addition to benefiting from their usual training, they also had a lot of luck, but the hardships in the process are not clear in a word. On the way, they have to fight against the storm, fight against disease, and to supply fresh water and food, they have to fight against the indigenous tribes along the way.
When I left Kuaiji Water Village, there were two hundred and forty boats and sixty thousand soldiers, and the flags covered the sun. Now that we have arrived in the Mediterranean, there are only 182 warships and 42,000 soldiers left. Some of the lost ships were overturned by storms, and others sank by accidentally hitting the reefs. More than half of the 18,000 soldiers were killed by disease. The veteran Cheng Pu was also ill and died on the way. Because of the hot weather, their bodies could not be brought back to the big man. They could not even be cremated. They had to be thrown into the sea and buried at sea.
In the fleet that finally arrived in the Mediterranean, the ships were damaged to varying degrees, and the sails and flags were riddled with holes. The soldiers also became yellow and thin because they could not eat fresh food for a long time, especially the lack of vegetables and fruits.
However, during this long journey, the Dahan Navy still made brilliant achievements. The route they opened up from the East China Sea to Europe is a great innovation in human history and the first circumnavigation in history. This voyage also promoted the exchanges between the Han Dynasty and some places along the way. Of course, because of language barriers and differences in customs, these exchanges also had a bloody taste.
For example, in South India, the Dahan Navy had a large-scale armed conflict with the local Kingdom of Satawahana.
At that time, Ganning sent a 300-man troop to land with porcelain, silk and other items in exchange for some food and fresh water to supplement supplies. As a result, the local officials of Satavahana saw the uprising and even framed the Han army as pirates and sent troops to round up them. The soldiers of the Han army were scattered everywhere and did not carry weapons in order to show their friendship. They couldn't resist in a hurry. Except for dozens of people who fled back to the ship, the other soldiers and goods were all detained by the Satawahana army. The Satawahana army not only confiscated the goods of the Han army, but also cruelly executed the captured soldiers.
Gan Ning and Zhou Tai were both pirates. They were furious when they heard the news. They really acted as pirates and led a large army to kill them ashore. They have invaded the capital of Satavaha Kingdom and drove away the king. , Ransacked the palace.
And along the coast of Africa, they also encountered many indigenous tribes. These locals have skin as dark as coke. Some are very friendly to the Han army and will serve them with all kinds of food. Some are very savage and will ambush them with poisonous wooden arrows. Many soldiers lost their lives in search of fresh water and food. Some soldiers did not know the local plants and died after eating poisonous fruits. Cheng Pu was unfortunately contracted with malaria while leading soldiers to find fresh water in the African jungle. At that time, there was no special medicine, and the military doctor who was with the ship didn't even know what kind of strange disease it was, so that the veteran died before his ambition.
After untold hardships, the most powerful fleet in the world at that time finally arrived in Mauritania in the southwestern corner of the Mediterranean.
In this expeditionary fleet, there are also a group of interpreters who understand the Daqin language. Wherever the fleet went, an interpreter would accompany the soldiers to ashore. As a result, they couldn't understand the local language, which meant that they had not arrived in Daqin. The journey is boring, and many soldiers will learn the Qin language from these interpreters to pass the boring time. After all, their ultimate goal is to fight the Daqin army, and it is beneficial to understand their language without any harm. Over time, without the need for an interpreter to go ashore, the soldiers can also tell if this is the Great Qin realm.
As usual, Gan Ning sent a team ashore to replenish food and fresh water. Through the telescope, Gan Ning found that the soldiers sent ashore suddenly cheered. Soon, the soldiers returned to the ship and brought local officials. They finally reached the land of Daqin. Of course, it is no longer under Daqin's jurisdiction. Mauritania, like all the provinces on the southern coast of the Mediterranean, has declared independence and joined the Declaration of Alexandria.
Because he was worried that Daqin would retaliate against him after winning, the newly appointed Mauritania king chose to stand on the side of the big man. Although he didn't send troops to help in the battle, he also provided a lot of food and grass. Now he saw the giant ship like a moving castle, and he immediately became more confident. He volunteered to send a small boat to serve as a guide for the Han army.
With the help of the King of Mauritania, Gan Ning and Zhou Tai led the navy marching in the starry night, marching east all the way, just in time for the landing operation of the Daqin fleet.
At this time, the fog had gradually dissipated. From the telescope, Gan Ning had already seen the densely packed Daqin ships on the sea. After a few months of walking, I finally had the opportunity to have a real naval battle with the enemy. All the navy soldiers were extremely excited, and their exhausted expressions were wiped out.
The Qin army was busy crossing the sea to fight, and they did not have the magic weapon of telescope. When they found out, the Han fleet had already rushed to the front and launched the attack first, and feather arrows and iron arrows poured over like raindrops.
In naval combat, the first thing is to rely on bows and arrows. Although the ships of the Qin Army were equipped with fixed shields, the buildings of the Han Army were too high and the soldiers were standing on the ground, and the Qin Army could not defend it at all. Moreover, the Han army installed a fixed crossbow on the warship, which was one size larger than that used by the infantry and needed to be pulled by a winch. Of course, its power is also amazing, the iron arrow launched can even shoot Qin Jun's hull into a big hole.
However, the most powerful weapon of the Han warship is not the bow and crossbow, but the pole. When the ships of the two armies were close, the rods on the battleships of the Han army were raised high, and a boulder much larger than the millstone smashed heavily on the ships of the Qin army, and the enemy ship could be smashed into two in one click cut.
Although the Daqin Navy is known as the most powerful fleet in the Mediterranean, it has never thought that there will be such a tall ship in the world, and there will be a sharp naval weapon such as a pole. The West Bank fled.
But the Qin Army never thought that the Dahan Navy would appear here at the beginning. All the Qin Navy ships did not prepare for naval battles, and they were all used to carry the landing soldiers. Therefore, they are no longer warships in the true sense, but have become complete troop carriers.
Now, these ships are crowded with heavily armed soldiers, the draft is very deep, and the speed of the ships is very slow. The ships of the Han army are equipped with wheels, so even if they do not rely on sails, they can travel quickly through manual pedaling.
In addition to using poles and bows and crossbows to kill the Qin army, the huge ship slammed into the Qin army's warship by taking advantage of its own speed. In fact, it is not correct to say that it was a collision, because the ship's bow was so high that it could directly squeeze the entire Qin Army warship underneath. The bow of the ship was covered with thick iron armor, the wooden masts of the Qin Army warship were broken, and the whole ship went under the ship in an instant. After the ship sailed for a while, a large number of broken ship boards floated on the water.
Because Qin Jun is wearing heavy armor, like a big rock tied to his body, it is difficult to get out even if the water is good, and he immediately sinks to the bottom of the sea when he falls into the sea, and few can float. Therefore, there are not many corpses on the water, mainly those sailors who are not wearing armor.
When the thirty-six Dahan Tower ships passed by, more than half of the Qin Army warships on the sea had been damaged. At this time, the Han army Mengchong who followed immediately began to attack the scattered Qin army warships. Although these Meng Chongs are not as large as the building ships, there are a lot of rods and crossbows, and they are faster and move more flexibly, easily driving the Qin Army warships around.
On the beach of Asia, the more than 70,000 soldiers of the Qin Army who had just landed forgot their mission and watched the massacre on the sea dumbfounded. Countless soldiers of the Qin Army fell into the sea and sank without a trace. One after another Qin Army warship was smashed into pieces, and the original blue water was tinged with blood.
According to post-war statistics, this naval battle that lasted for two hours resulted in the death of more than 400,000 Qin soldiers on the sea floor, so that in the following decades, no one would dare to salvage any seafood from this strait. eat.
When a few Qin warships were no longer visible on the sea, the battle was not over. The infantry unit sent by Xu Huang for reinforcements rushed over. Liu Xin ordered a general attack on the more than 70,000 Qin soldiers who boarded the beach. .