The Fu ship and the Cangshan ship lay across the front and rear ends of the Dutch ship. There was a blind spot for artillery, and they were basically not attacked.
The shells of the Dutch ship could only fall on the canton parallel to it.
A Dutch shell happened to land on the "Nanhai". The shell hit the inside of the port side. The hull of the "Nanhai" leaned violently to the left and slowly reset.
The main potential energy of the cannonball was dissolved by the shaking hull, and it bounced a few times on the deck before it calmed down and stopped in the middle of the deck.
The soldiers on the deck were shocked, and they quickly lay down on the deck, waiting for the bomb to explode.
After waiting for a long time, the shell still did not explode.
A bold soldier raised his head from the deck, "Huh? Why is it like an iron bump?"
He slowly crawled towards the cannonball, and it turned out to be an iron bump, "Don't be afraid, brethren, the Dutch use solid bullets."
"Solid bullet? A false alarm."
"Why do the Dutch only have solid bullets?"
"Hurry up and report to the commander!"
…
The soldiers quickly reported the Dutch use of solid bullets to Zheng Zhilong.
Zheng Zhilong frowned: "Don't the Dutch have not installed a bomb on the ship yet? Or did they choose solid bombs first?"
He set his sights on the battlefield, and sure enough, none of the Dutch shells would explode.
"Semaphore, tell the brother ship that the Dutch fired solid rounds."
There were no terrifying bombs, the soldiers of the Ming Army relaxed their vigilance, and they no longer avoided the shells that fell on the ship.
The range of solid bullets is very small, but the speed is fast. If you want to avoid it, you can't avoid it. You can only rely on luck.
The ships on both sides have been shot continuously.
The Ming army used the explosive bombs, and the damage to the soldiers on the ship or the ship itself was much greater. Moreover, the number of artillery of the Ming army, including the Fu ship and the Cangshan ship, still occupies the upper hand.
Especially the ten cantons in the middle, concentrated their firepower, and sprinkled the bombs on the Dutch flagship.
After three rounds of artillery bombardment, the Dutch flagship had been shot more than ten, and two port guns had lost their combat capability. I don’t know if the artillery was blown up or there were insufficient soldiers on the ship.
The Dutch seem to have discovered that the main target of the Ming army is their flagship, but sea warfare is different from land, and you can’t escape if you want to.
"Boom... boom..."
Two blooming bullets landed in the middle of the flagship almost at the same time.
The shock waves released when the two bombardments exploded may be superimposed on each other, suddenly exploding the heavily injured flagship into two pieces.
The sea water quickly filled the cabin.
This flagship is made of wood. Originally, the broken ship could still float on the sea, but the twenty heavy artillery on both sides were fixed on the ship’s side. After the sea water was poured into the cabin, the two broken ships formed a huge on the sea. The whirlpool slowly sank to the bottom of the sea.
Only a small amount of sawdust floated up and down with the whirlpool.
At the place where the shipwreck was just now, there were a large number of Dutch soldiers swimming. Because they were too close to the vortex created by the shipwreck, several soldiers were involved in the seabed.
A large Dutch ship close to the flagship fired on the Ming army ships while slowly approaching the fallen soldiers, trying to save these soldiers onto the ship. Perhaps their fleet commander, Jansen, was also among the swimming soldiers. among.
"It's better to cut one finger to hurt ten fingers!"
Zheng Zhilong saw the ship's attempt, and he ordered the flag bearer to play the semaphore. He aimed at the Guangzhou ships of the Dutch flagship and first concentrated the firepower against the Dutch ship that was trying to rescue the soldiers who fell into the water.
This unlucky ship immediately disintegrated in the blooming bomb of the Ming army, and a section of the bow was blown high. The kite glided in the sky for a long distance before it fell again and hit the water. on.
Several Dutch soldiers swimming nearby were stunned by sawdust and sank directly to the bottom of the sea.
The distance between Guangzhou Ship and Dutch ships is getting closer and closer, and if there is a half-stroke time, it is estimated that the ships of both sides will enter the blind area of the opponent's artillery.
If the guns on both sides cannot fire, the Dutch may take the opportunity to gain the upper hand.
Zheng Zhilong decided to turn the rudder ahead of time.
The current bow of Guangzhou Shipbuilding is all facing east. If you turn the rudder to the right, you should enter the blind area of the Dutch naval gun, which is the safest for Guangzhou Shipbuilding.
But in this way, the Dutch may still risk gaining the upper hand when turning the rudder.
Zheng Zhilong decided decisively: turn the rudder to the left, that is, when the ship is turning around, turn the rudder upwards.
This kind of rudder steering is very difficult. It requires seamless cooperation between the helmsman and the sailsman. Moreover, turning the rudder upwards will increase the distance from the Dutch ships. The ships of the Ming army have always been within the range of the Dutch artillery. .
There is no artillery in the front and back of the ship. When the Guangzhou Ship is turning its rudder, the stern of the ship must be facing the Dutch ship.
In other words, when turning the rudder to the left, all the Guangzhou ships are the targets of the Dutch ships.
Fortunately, the Fu Ship and Cangshan Ship on the left and right suppressed part of the Dutch naval guns. After half an hour, the Guangzhou Ship finally turned the rudder, and now the port guns are aimed at the Dutch ships.
In the evening of the war, another large Dutch ship was sunk, and a medium-sized ship was hit by multiple bombs and completely lost its combat capability. Also, a Canton ship of the Ming Army lost its combat effectiveness and was forced to withdraw from the battlefield. .
The South China Sea Fleet is Daming’s national fleet. The state will supplement the loss of all ships and personnel. The Dutch ships belong to the East India Company, and all losses must be borne by private individuals.
As the flagship of the Dutch fleet was sunk, the whereabouts of Commander Jenson was unknown, and the deputy commander James on another large ship took over the fleet.
Seeing the heavy losses of his fleet, James was heartbroken. These losses did not know how much money it would take to rebuild. After returning, I wonder if Putmans would punish himself.
Especially the powerful firepower of the Daming Fleet made James a little bit afraid.
After discussing with the lower-ranking officers, James issued an order to the fleet to return to the port.
Once the Dutch fleet returns to the port, with the protection of the shore artillery, it will be too difficult to completely wipe out it. Even if it can be wiped out, the South China Sea Fleet will suffer heavy losses in the face of the stronger firepower of the shore artillery.
From the semaphore of the Dutch, Zheng Zhilong discovered that the Dutch ship was about to retreat into the port with a tailwind, and he immediately issued instructions to the Fortune Ship and the Cangshan Ship: The Dutch ship should retreat into the port and intercept it at all costs.
If the Fu ship and Cangshan ship drifting downstream were forced to turn the rudder, they would temporarily leave the battlefield, and the captains didn't know what to do.
After receiving instructions from Zheng Zhilong, they immediately set up the battlefield and aimed their starboard guns at the escaping Dutch ships.
Although the displacement of the Fu ship and the Cangshan ship is not as good as that of the Guangzhou ship, they cannot hold up a large number. Besides, the new type of ship has 14 guns, which is more than that of the Guangzhou ship.
In the current Dutch ships, there are only three large ships and seven small and medium ships. Many of the ships’ guns have been destroyed and their combat effectiveness has dropped by at least 30%.
The Fu ship and Cangshan ship of the South China Sea Fleet have been at the front and rear ends of the Dutch ship. There is a blind spot for artillery, and they have not been hit at all.
A strong army blocked it before, and a large number of Cantonese ships squeezed it over.
Even if it was hit by a ship, it is estimated that it would not escape the encirclement of the Ming army.
In desperation, James chose to surrender.
In Xiyi’s dictionary, surrender does not mean shame. If it is determined that the battle cannot be won and the soldiers cannot break through the siege, surrender is the wisest choice. It not only heralds the end of the battle, but also protects the soldiers and property to the utmost extent.
James chose to surrender from the perspective of preserving Dutch soldiers and property.
The six large ships that originally docked in the open sea were not the garrison of the Dutch East India Company in Taiwan, but the navy belonging to the headquarters of Batavia (now Jakarta). They were patrolling the Netherlands by the order of Governor Spex. The bases in Nanyang arrived in Taiwan the day before yesterday.
Fighting with the South China Sea Fleet for half a day, three ships have been disintegrated. If the fight continues, the remaining three will also be disintegrated sooner or later. In order to save these three ships and the precious naval officers, James raised a white flag and surrendered to the South China Sea Fleet.
Although the semaphores of Daming and the Netherlands are different, the meaning of the white flag is the same all over the world. Seeing the white flag of the Dutch, the soldiers on the Daming ship cheered: "Victory, we finally won!"
The soldiers had reason to cheer. This was their first naval battle, which ended in the victory of the South China Sea Fleet.
The South China Sea Fleet also suffered certain losses. One Cantonese ship lost its combat effectiveness, one Cantonese ship suffered heavy losses, and seven or eight Cantonese ships suffered minor injuries to varying degrees.
Daming and Xiyi's understanding of victory is completely different.
Daming wants victory, even if this victory pays a heavy price.
For example, the Anti-Fascist War and the Korean War. Although our human casualties and property losses far exceeded those of our opponents, the result was that we were victorious. The huge casualties and property losses did not affect our celebration of the victory of the war, and no one had ever doubted the war. The necessity.
Xiyi’s view of war is different. They strive to use the least cost in exchange for the greatest benefit. If the cost is too high, even if the war can be won, it is not advisable. In order to reduce losses, surrender is acceptable. The Vietnam War and the Iraq War The United States controlled the other side’s homeland, but even the president and the civilians could not accept the consumption of materials and casualties, and finally chose to withdraw.
They can bear failure, but they cannot bear the price of victory too much, and even set the goal of "zero casualties in the war."
After the Dutch shot the white flag, the shelling stopped automatically, and the Ming army also stopped shelling. The horrible artillery sound gradually subsided.
Zheng Zhilong arranged for Fu Ship to be surrendered, and at the same time prepared Guangzhou Ship to fight to prevent the Dutch from surrendering.
The Dutch had lost their confidence in victory, and they could not afford the losses of the war. When the fortune ship approached the Dutch fleet, the Dutch officers and soldiers obediently asked the Ming soldiers who boarded the ship to bind them one by one and put them on board the ship. The preparation for war is a redundant option.
The surrender of the Dutch fleet does not mean that Zheng Zhilong has regained the southern part of Taiwan occupied by the Dutch. Taiwan still has a city occupied by the Dutch, and there are still their army and trade personnel there.