The flag-bearer who was the first to see this team of warships vigorously waved the flags in their hands, and the drummer below also beat the giant drum.
Zhou Baihu, who was sitting in the command cabin, waiting to take down the cargo ship so that he could ask for credit with the commander, was immediately stunned.
The footsteps in Class A were messy, and people were in a panic.
With the rapid sound of footsteps, someone rushed into the command cabin to report: "Sir, ships, many ships!"
In fact, there was no need for his subordinates to report, Zhou Baihu had already got up and rushed to the window. The command cabin on the third floor has an extremely wide line of sight, and can have a bird's-eye view of the entire sea. They can see a team of warships marching forward less than a nautical mile behind their ship.
In the middle are two medium-sized Wushou boats, surrounded by some small boats. These boats are messy. Anyway, Zhou Baihu saw eagle boats, net shuttle boats, sand boats, etc., and a few strange-looking boats. Paddle steamer.
Zhou Baihu immediately laughed, what kind of fleet is this, obviously some fishing boats have been pulled in from nowhere. Just because of the large number, at first glance, it looks a little scary.
"What all the fuss is about! These rabble people are also worth scaring you like this!" He scolded and threw the clairvoyance in his hand to his subordinates.
Sure enough, after seeing the soldier, he smiled a little embarrassedly: "The subordinate also heard the warning and thought it was an enemy attack."
As flag bearers and drummers who observe the sea and are responsible for conveying various orders, they found that the enemy's situation was naturally a warning, but because of the use of drum beats and flags, they could only express simple meanings.
However, so many ships are enough to make people cautious. It is not that the ants killed the elephant and beat the old master to death with random fists.
Zhou Baihu soon had an order for his subordinates to contact people on another warship, one to deal with the cargo ship and the other to meet the enemy.
He is not afraid of this fleet, not to mention that these ships are a group of rabble, just because the warship under him is a large warship, equipped with more than a dozen Fran cannons, it is enough to kill the opponents. The ship was rolled into slag.
Besides, he still has companions, and another warship can help him after taking down the cargo ship.
…
On the warship in Dinghai, it was still the same command cabin. Xie San saw the two warships on the opposite side, with the dark gun muzzles on the sides of the ships, and some scalps went numb: "You really think about it, our firepower is not as good as theirs. "
Xue Tingxiang was a little annoyed: "It's such a time, what else is there to think about? Could it be robbed by others?"
"There was no cargo on that cargo ship."
It's just a trick to lure the enemy.
"Hide this time, isn't there a next time?"
Thank you for the three words.
No matter how good he is at manipulating people's hearts and traversing the market, when he comes to this vast sea, the two armies confront each other, and there will be shells in an instant. If he loses, he will lose his life, so even if he has always been as stable as him, he can't help but feel Messy.
"Even if you do win, do you really want to..."
His next words were interrupted by Xue Tingxiang: "Don't say it, come."
Xie San followed his gaze and saw that the huge and towering warship was already heading here.
Xue Tingxiang had gone to the window, his face was as usual, but his cheeks twitched twice, his back molars were clenched tightly, and his eyes were looking at the warship like a torch, full of inevitable light.
"You pray that I win, and I must win, or we'll all die."
With a burst of rapid drum beats, Xue Tingxiang's first naval battle officially kicked off.
Although most of the ships on the earth and sea are equipped with firearms, due to the wind direction and distance, the accuracy of the artillery is limited.
And all the ships that can be called warships are made of special craftsmanship, and the hull exposed above the horizontal line is not a whole board, but is composed of many pieces. It is wrapped with iron sheets for protection, and the boat is equipped with boatmen, and it can be replaced at any time if it is damaged.
Therefore, it is very difficult to sink a warship with a few shots.
At present, most of the general naval battles are in this mode. First, they bombard each other at a long distance, so that the power of the cannonballs destroys the sails of the other party, as well as the fort and gunners of the enemy ships, and then the two ships meet each other and fight hand to hand.
Obviously, the other party's warship was aiming for this purpose, and after coming towards it, the sound of cannons was heard.
All the soldiers and boatmen on the ship tensed their scalps. Except for listening to the drums and watching the flags, they could not see the situation on the other side.
The rapid drum beats sounded one after another, and the helmsman at the bow and stern clenched the rudder tightly, and the sailor in charge of the sail also clung to the thick rope in his hand, and changed the direction of the boat at any time.
I only heard the sound of the cannon, but I didn't feel the vibration of the ship, and I heard the sound of falling into the water, which means that the opponent was empty. At the same time, the gunners here have loaded the shells, which can be ignited and released at any time after the command.
Xue Tingxiang had already disregarded his own safety and came to the observation deck. This is the position with the widest and highest view of the entire warship.
This position is for the flag bearer.
Those who can act as standard-bearers are old soldiers who are proficient in naval warfare, at least they can temporarily lead the overall situation even if the commander does not issue an order.
There were five flag-bearers, one official and one pair, and three alternates.
Xue Tingxiang stared closely at the opposing warship, and when the opponent's hull finally reached the optimal shooting distance, he waved his hand.
Soon the main flag bearer waved the two flags in his hand, followed by the sound of the war drum not far below. When the drums were heard, the third, fourth and second gunholes on the port side ejected dark red shells.
The opposing warship is not stationary, but is walking in a zigzag shape like the warship here. This is the necessary proficiency between the two armies in the naval battle, and the direction of the ship can be adjusted at any time to attack, but also to avoid.
A big ship has the advantages of a big ship, but it also has disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage is that when you hit the opponent, it is a cannon and a mosquito, and when someone hits you, the attack surface is much wider.
So Guo Juwei's warship was hit twice.
It's a pity that these two guns were not accurate, neither the sail nor the fort were hit. One hit the opponent's hull, causing it to sway due to the buoyancy of the water, and another hit the deck, causing confusion in Class A.
Before the chaos was resolved, two artillery shells hit Class A on the west side, but another warship in Dinghai also launched an attack.
…
After the initial exchange of fire, the situation on the sea was in chaos.
The two warships in Dinghai were attacking, but they did not engage in close combat, but harassed Guo Juwei's ship not far or near. In fact, the main thing is to hide and run while hiding. If Guo Juwei's boat catches up, the one being chased will be responsible for running, and the one behind will focus on firing.
Guo Juwei turned his head and went to attack the warship that was firing at the rear, but the one who was running turned around and attacked. Dinghai's ship didn't seem to have any intention of catching up with the other party, and seemed to want to consume the other party's shells.
After going back and forth for a few rounds, it was obvious that Guo Juwei's warship had gone berserk.
"Hit, hit me hard!"
After a burst of indiscriminate bombardment from left to right, Zhou Baihu finally calmed down and ordered, "Target one, and forcibly take over."
But it was already too late, because I didn't know when, those small boats that had been wandering in the distance and dared not approach, had quietly approached.
These ships are slender and slender, with sharp iron rams at the front, and they collided with Guo Juwei's warships with flying shots, like nails stuck to them. After the collision, the second half of the ship was seen to break away immediately. As the rear ship escaped, after a series of explosions, the front ship was already on fire.
This ship is a serial ship. It looks like one ship is actually two ships. It is specially used to raid large ships.
Because of this attack, Guo Juwei's ship was already in chaos, and everyone was calling for the ship to leak, calling the boatmen to repair it, but so many wounds, how could they be repaired.
At the same time, the artillery of the two warships in Dinghai came again, causing bursts of ghosts and wolves.
Taking advantage of this chaos, another boat approached, but this time, after getting close, they threw iron claws on the side of the boat. Dinghaiwei's soldiers nimbly climbed onto the boat with their hands and feet on the ropes. Because there were too many people, and Guo Juwei's boat was already in chaos, they were hardly hindered.
If the enemy is in chaos before the battle, it is a one-sided situation.
At this moment, the two warships in Dinghai also approached.
…
On the other side, Guo Juwei's other warship was almost in a similar situation.
The two cargo ships were running in front of them as if they were teasing. They didn't seem to be running fast, but when the warships were about to approach, they suddenly accelerated.
Running faster than a rabbit, it doesn't look like it's full of cargo.
Sometimes they run side by side, sometimes they drive separately, and sometimes they put a cannon to harass them, making people furious.
With just one chasing and two running, the three ships gradually sailed away from this sea area. By the time Guo Juwei's ship reacted to the fraud, it was too late.
Dinghaiwei's warship had swallowed his companions and came in a rage.
Just as they fought back in a hurry, the faces of the two cargo ships that they had chased into chaos suddenly changed their faces, turning from little white rabbits to hungry wolves.
Only then did they discover that the other party was pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger.
…
While the battle was in full swing here, the situation of the two warships being pursued in Dinghai was not good.
He was almost chased and fled, and there was thick smoke on the ship, obviously suffering a lot of damage. The only thing to be thankful for is that they ran faster than usual because they were riding downwind, with the help of the wind.
With a few cannon shots, the hull shook violently, and the soldiers in Class A were thrown up and down. There were screams and screams, like a purgatory on earth.
"Sir, there are several leaks in our boat, and the boatmen have been unable to repair it." A soldier with a black and gray face hurriedly reported.
Geng Qianhu clenched his fists and said solemnly: "Don't panic, we have a spare ship on board, and Lord Xue said that he will come to meet us soon."
"But… "
"Don't be rude, go give an order, go full speed ahead, go there. When we lead them to that place, we will win."
The soldier nodded fiercely, turned around and ran away.
…
The two ships that followed not far behind were hanging behind like a cat playing a mouse.
In fact, the boat in front has slowed down, and they can catch up at their speed. Unfortunately, at this time, they are not too eager to catch up with the other party's heart.
"My lord, I haven't seen how the ship sank in the sea. This broken ship is quite stubborn. It's broken like this, and it doesn't sink." A young military general scolded.
A soldier beside him smiled carefully: "Sir, don't worry, let's make two more shots, it will definitely sink."
Another soldier with a calm face interjected: "Your Excellency, command the Lord to lead someone to pursue another warship alone, should we make a quick decision, so as not to..."
His words were interrupted by a flattering soldier on the side: "The commander is wise and talented, and the Haiwei is the number one warship in our guard. To deal with a small warship, it is undoubtedly cannons to fight mosquitoes. It's easy. Don't say anything bad here."
Obviously, this young general agrees with this statement. He nodded and said, "It's rare for the commander to make the lord interested, let's not lose his interest. Recently, the lord is full of anger, and everyone below is in danger, let the lord vent. Let’s vent, so that we don’t get all the fire on our heads.”
This is the truth. As Zhoushan became colder and colder, He Wei had no good face for many days. He is always short-tempered, and Guo Juwei's people have been eating his spare ribs recently.
Hundred households have spoken, and the small general flag naturally only listens. Just as the flattering soldier pointed to the ship that had received another shot not far ahead, and was talking to the young general, the hull of the ship suddenly vibrated violently.
Is it shot? But what kind of gun can cause such a big shock
The young general was about to ask someone to ask, when a soldier stumbled into the command cabin and said, "My lord, my lord, our ship has hit the rocks!"
These words made people subconsciously disbelieve. The lord stepped forward and kicked the man to the ground, scolding: "Touching your mother's reef, where did this place come from?"
But there is no reef here, which does not mean there is no other things. You must know that this area was filled with boulders and shipwrecks in the past. Because the waterway was filled, this place has always been deserted, that is, it was dug up by the people from Dinghaiwei, and only merchant ships passed through this area.
fill in? dig? Ding Haiwei
Just when the young general's face was stunned, the soldier said with a sad face: "It's really hitting the rocks, because the gap is too big, and the boatmen can't repair it. President Chen asked his subordinates to inform you and be ready to abandon the ship at any time."
…
On a warship not far behind this ship, also in the command cabin, the two general flags were talking in a low voice.
"Why did Zhao Baihu stop?"
"Could it be that Zhao Baihu doesn't want to chase after him, and he wants to give us this credit?"
A middle-aged general who was sitting not far away drinking tea smiled and said, "Zhao Baihu is young and energetic, don't make fun of him."
"But the boat really stopped over there." Someone whispered.
"Oh?" Sun Baihu put down the tea cup and came to the window, and someone respectfully offered clairvoyance.
Sun Baihu took it over and looked over there. Through the small line of sight, he could only see the soldiers on the deck running around in panic. Could it be that something happened
"Come closer and have a look." Sun Baihu said solemnly.
After receiving the order, someone immediately went down to give an order, and with a burst of drum beats, it represented full speed ahead.
Just when you could see the ship approaching with the naked eye, a sudden horn sounded from the opposite side. It is a pity that the meaning of this horn is unclear, which makes people puzzled.
The flag bearer was frantically waving the flag here, and Sun Baihu read word by word: "Don't approach, there are hidden reefs."
Following his words, the hull suddenly shook violently, and the faces of everyone in the command cabin turned white.
…
At a distance of ten nautical miles from here, the Haiwei finally caught up with the warship in Dinghai.
After some battles, the two ships connected, and Guo Juwei's men successfully boarded the ship.
One hundred households who were under siege scolded loudly: "He Wei, as an official of the imperial court, you attacked the officers of the same division in broad daylight. I will definitely report to the commander of Mingdu when I go back this time, and see how you stand in your face. World."
This remark caused bursts of sarcasm, Guo Juwei's soldiers were full of ridicule, and the commander He, who was wearing a black face and a red cloak, was surrounded by a group of subordinates and laughed horribly: "Then you must be able to go back. to make."
"Could it be that you—" The man was horrified, and was about to say something when he heard the commander He say: "We are encircling and suppressing Japanese pirates, not officers from the same division."
As his words fell, the Baihu screamed miserably, but fell to the ground and died.
Seeing that Hundred Households were all killed, Dinghaiwei's people immediately fell into a situation where the dragons were without a leader. Some people immediately threw their weapons and begged for mercy, but unfortunately they were greeted by a merciless butcher's knife.
Seeing this, no one wants to beg for mercy, and everyone knows that today is a mortal battle.
That being the case, pulling one back without losing money, and killing one more is blood-gaining, which are all hard-fought tactics.
Just then, a trumpet sound came from far away.
Commander He looked up and saw countless warships lined up on the sea line, and the one in the middle was Guo Juwei's warship.
He snatched the clairvoyant from his subordinate's hand and looked over, just in time to meet the man standing in the wind on the bow.
This person has a gentle face, wearing a half-old green robe, and the sea breeze blows his sleeves. The other party smiled, as if he knew he was looking at him, suddenly raised his hand and swiped across his neck.
"now you."
Obviously the other party only opened and closed his lips slightly, but Commander He understood this sentence.
His face darkened on the spot.