Chapter 1326 Dilemma

If the intelligence originally sent back to Manila could be more accurate, or if it was accompanied by more realistic drawings, perhaps the officers would have a more intuitive understanding of the coastal defenses on the Sanya coast, and would consider it more carefully when formulating combat plans.

Be more thoughtful. At least you won't rush to the port with your head down like you are doing now, and the fleet will be completely exposed to Haihan's guns. If there are only five, six, seven or eight guns, then Pinto will hold his nose and admit it.

Well, it was enough to rush through this section of the sea despite the bombardment, but the gun emplacements we saw now were so densely packed that it was hard to count how many coastal defense guns Haihan had deployed on this section of coast.

The answer to why the Haihan fleet voluntarily gave up the waterway to Port Victory before the battle was revealed. Obviously, the Haihan people had full confidence in the port's coastal defenses, so they deliberately let the Spanish

The fleet went over and handed them over to the coastal defense artillery, which had a range and power far superior to naval guns. But now Pinto didn't even need to look back, he could predict that the Haihan fleet must have formed a formation in the outer sea, waiting to find them.

This is an opportunity to steal your own ass.

It was too late for Pinto to adjust his current tactics, because at this time the several forts closest to his fleet had launched an attack, and several shells flew from the coast a mile away with a roar that cut through the air.

Under the gaze of the pale-faced crew members, the shells were fired around the "Martin" which was at the forefront. One of the shells hit the hull directly, rammed into the hull from the port side, and continued unabated. After penetrating the entire hull, it drafted water from the starboard side.

A large hole was created near the line, and seawater poured into the cabin through the hole almost instantly.

Although each ship has special damage control measures, the hole that was penetrated is probably the size of an adult's arm. It will definitely take a lot of effort to block it. And it will take a lot of effort.

This ship is within the firepower range of multiple coastal defense guns. It will definitely be impossible to survive one shot. Then the firepower of nearby shore defense guns will definitely be concentrated on this ship. Increase the firepower as much as possible.

the extent of its damage.

As Pinto expected, after making adjustments, the second round of shelling from the coastal defense batteries soon came to the "Martin" again. The 48-pound solid shells sank with great force, and after hitting the hull, they would follow the trend.

After tearing apart all obstacles on the way forward, the seemingly thick ship planks were as soft as tofu in the face of such heavy shells, completely unable to bring safe shelter to the crew. This time, the luck of the "Martin" has been used.

As a result, the hull was hit one after another, and almost every shell made a transparent hole in the hull. Its power even greatly exceeded the ironclad ship that had harassed the American fleet before. Pinto, who was supervising the battle, was also frightened by the sight, knowing that this was

The last checkpoint outside Victory Port is probably not that easy, and this trip may have to stop here.

As the fleet gradually sailed into this sea area covered by coastal defense guns, the coastal defense batteries on the east and west sides were launched one after another, forming a crossfire attack on the Spanish fleet at a huge angle. Compared with the density of artillery fire here, the Spanish talent

Realizing that the previous confrontation with the Haihan fleet was really just a drizzle, Haihan's heavy artillery position poured shells at the Spanish fleet without hesitation, but in an instant, several ships on the periphery of the fleet suffered heavy blows.

In order to avoid the firing of coastal defense guns, Spanish warships subconsciously shrank their formations toward the center, hoping to reduce the chance of being shot. However, the effect this could have was extremely limited. The entrance channel into Victory Port from the open sea was gradually

In the narrowed terrain, no matter how hard you squeeze into the middle, it is still difficult to escape the cross-fire coverage of the shore defense artillery. On the contrary, after the fleet is huddled together, the targets are more concentrated, and the firepower on the shore can be concentrated more conveniently.

Fire struck.

Pinto and Luis were both experienced commanders and naturally realized that the change in fleet formation was inappropriate. However, this change was not an order issued by them, but a natural reaction of the captains of each ship to seek advantages and avoid disadvantages.

The most sensible choice at the moment is not to gather the fleet together, but to spread out the formation as much as possible in order to disperse the attack of shore defense firepower.

But in the midst of chaos, the orders given by Pinto and Luis were simply difficult to implement, because these orders first required the surrounding ships to disperse to make room, and they were the ones that were most seriously damaged at the moment. Who could

Will they be willing to actively close the distance between themselves and the deadly fort? This spread of the formation will undoubtedly force the ships on the periphery to act as targets to attract firepower. Naturally, there will be people who are disobeying them and not executing them.

command.

Even if someone is willing to sacrifice himself to save the fleet, it is often difficult to operate successfully, because these warships have often been damaged to varying degrees under artillery fire, which will have a significant impact on their navigation performance, even if they turn

Basic operations such as changing gears will also become ineffective. And if there is a slight delay, a new round of artillery strikes will arrive.

During the short journey from the Spanish fleet entering the fire range of the coastal defense batteries to the entrance to the Port of Victory, dozens of large and small coastal defense guns located on both sides of the waterway had fired hundreds of shells at the Spanish fleet.

There have been no ships that have started to sink yet, but there have indeed been several ships with serious hull tilts due to water intrusion or mast deflection. If this situation continues, I am afraid that we will not be able to wait for the large forces to rush into victory.

To enter the harbor, nearly half of the ships must first be kept outside the harbor by coastal defense artillery.

Should we rush into the port desperately, or should we pull back from the brink and turn back? These two choices are now before the commander, but his determination is not so easy. After rushing into the port, no one knows whether the Haihan people are still in the port.

There are other defensive measures. After seeing Haihan's many methods, it would not be surprising if there is still a naval ambush hidden in the Victory Port. However, if the Haihan people do not deploy heavy troops in the port, then a landing attack

Fort Victory may also give this fleet hope of making a comeback.

But if we give up these last few steps and turn around to evacuate this place, we will first have to face the Haihan fleet that has already attacked from behind. At this time, there are already many damaged ships in the Spanish fleet, and there may not be enough sailing ships that can maintain complete combat effectiveness.

Half, when the fleet completes the U-turn, this number may drop to less than one-third, and there will be basically no numerical advantage at all against the Haihan fleet. The Haihan people do not have to fight hard at all, as long as they fight hard, no matter how hard they fight,

If the Spanish fleet is allowed to calmly withdraw from the battlefield, many warships will gradually lose their combat effectiveness due to their own damage. By then, there will be very few who can escape from the battlefield unscathed.

At this point, Pinto and Luis no longer had much hope for the outcome of defeating the Haihan fleet and capturing the Port of Victory. This cross-sea sneak attack eventually turned into a head-on confrontation, and the process was the same as before they set off.

The predictions are completely different. A large part of the reason is due to insufficient intelligence. There is no clear understanding of Haihan's naval strength and port defense deployment, which leads to extremely poor pre-war preparations.

Fully prepared and very passive when facing a battle, so much so that he fell into the embarrassing situation of the moment.

Of course, if the Manila authorities could accurately detect Haihan's military strength before the war, then perhaps they would reconsider whether to carry out such an almost fantasy attack. At least in the case of Pinto and Luis

From the perspective of the parties involved, there is indeed a relatively obvious strength gap between the Spanish fleet and its opponents, and cross-sea operations are an extremely unwise choice. If they are given a chance to choose again, perhaps these two brothers will cautiously suggest Manila

Governor Aragones canceled this rash action.

But there was no regret medicine for them now. If they did not make a decision immediately, the survival of the entire fleet would be at great risk. Louis's flagship "San Diego" took the lead in signaling a retreat, and he decided to give up and continue.

Take risks, because even if they rush into the Port of Victory, there may be more powerful traps waiting for their arrival, and if they want to exit, they will have to withstand intensive fire from the coastal defense batteries. The Spanish fleet

Unable to withstand two such blows in a row, it is best to preserve as much strength as possible at the moment - these warships are not only the armed force that Manila relies on for survival, but also have the responsibility of guarding the American colonies. If they are all lost here, then

The negative impact on the Spanish Empire was too great.

Louis hoped that he could at least take most of the warships to evacuate here, and he could barely give an explanation to the governor after he returned. At least the fleet had a real fight at the door of the Haihan people before retreating. Such a result

It cannot be said that he was afraid of war or that he was incompetent in command. As for fear of war, it was not really the main reason why he made this choice.

Seeing that the Manila fleet had decided to retreat, Pinto sighed deeply, knowing that it could not be done. Although he had the idea of ​​​​a life-and-death showdown with the Haihan people, he also knew that even if he could defeat his opponent, he would probably only be able to win.

It was a tragic victory, and we had no idea about the deployment of the Haihan troops. At least in the sea not far from Sanya, there was another Haihan fleet that might rush back to join the battle at any time. If we didn't leave at this time, we would just be delayed.

It was really impossible to go down there. So Pinto reluctantly gave the order, and the entire army turned around and sailed away from the coast of Sanya.

"The Spaniard woke up early! If we rush in again, I'm afraid not a single boat will be able to get out!"

At this time, Liu Shang again heard the comment of the Annan military attache who had previously commented on Haihan's tactics, and this time he was not so surprised. He also had a clear view of the battle scene between the two armies just now, so naturally he could see that Haihan

Han took the complete initiative in the battle. The Spanish fleet rushed into the Port of Victory under intensive artillery fire, which was tantamount to committing suicide. Although there was no naval ambush in the harbor, army artillery was deployed at each port dock.

Position. Even if the Spanish fleet rushed to the shore, it would be difficult to change the situation of being beaten unilaterally. As for the possibility of landing in Victory Port, Liu Shang felt that they had no chance of realizing it.

The coastal defense forts outside the harbor also left a very deep impression on Liu Shang in the current battle. The dozens of warships in the Spanish fleet were unable to do anything against these forts, but in just a short time, they were bombarded.

They were all in disarray. The fighting situation also attracted bursts of applause from the audience. Seeing how many people were red-faced and excited, Liu Shang also realized that the Haihan people's method of arranging people to watch the battle was indeed

Received excellent results.

Of course, this approach is based on Haihan's absolute confidence in his own force, and others would definitely not be able to imitate it. After Liu Shang witnessed the sharpness of Sanya's coastal defenses with his own eyes, he completely gave up on "

The idea of ​​​​leading the Ming army to enter the island to quell the bandits. The Ming army navy has not fought in many years and lacks actual combat experience from top to bottom. Moreover, the warships are very old. I am afraid it will take a few lucky ships to be able to defeat this Spanish

It is a human ship, and its combat capabilities are obviously still inferior to the Spanish fleet. If they cross the sea to attack Sanya, they will probably end up worse than the Spanish. It is no wonder that when Haihan blocked the Qiantang River in Zhejiang for several days, the local navy

They didn't even dare to come forward to challenge. Presumably the Zhejiang government at that time also saw the power of the Haihan Navy and was not willing to engage in a head-on confrontation at all.

While Liu Shang was thinking wildly, the battle at sea did not stop, and the two sides continued to fight fiercely. The Spanish fleet resisted the firepower of the shore defense and completed the U-turn at sea with great difficulty. During this period, several Spanish sailing ships were lost due to serious damage.

In order to maintain the ability to continue fighting, several ships were unable to stop the continuous influx of water into the cabin from the damaged parts, and began to slowly capsize at sea.

Faced with such a situation, neither Spanish fleet dared to stop to rescue their companions, because this meant that they would probably have to eat several more rounds of shells, and more people might be dragged into the water. Therefore, the two commanders

The officer still firmly ordered the fleet to rush south to get rid of the terrible coastal defense artillery attack first.

Of course, if they want to escape from the battlefield, they have to pass the Haihan Fleet. At this time, the Spanish fleet has completely lost its majesty when it came. Most of the crew have no intention of fighting and just want to leave the sea as soon as possible.

This sea area was controlled by the Han Dynasty. Therefore, most of the Spanish warships did not choose to respond to the head-on interception of the Haihan fleet, but instead tried to go around as much as possible. In response to the enemy's bombardment, the Spanish warships counterattacked very few and were not large-scale.

However, the armored "Warrior" came out again, firing shots here and there to kill the already damaged Spanish sailing ships at close range.
Chapter completed!