Qian Wubing trusted his own people and also trusted General Xu.
This is a very simple truth. After learning the bad news of the Guangdong Navy, the navy commander dared to hand over the guard of Quanzhou Port to General Xu, and dared to hand over almost all of the Fujian Navy except the large fortune ships.
70% of the ships outside were given to him to command and control. Regardless of whether General Xu Shen, who was nearly forty years old, was a good person or an official, he was definitely capable in water warfare.
Qian Wubing didn't think that commanding the naval battle by himself would be much better than a naval officer who had been immersed in the sea all his life. He sat on the shore and General Xu commanded the fierce battle. Everyone performed their duties. This was more important than anything else.
Be more efficient. His philosophy has never changed - specialized tasks must naturally be left to specialized people. If a layman directs an expert, big trouble will result.
As a superior, you dare to let people go and trust people. This is courage. At least, that's what Xu Shenjiang thinks!
Xiyi's fleet did not keep the soldiers and civilians in Quanzhou waiting for too long. On the morning of the third day after Qian Wubing arrived in Hong Kong, there was finally news.
The sentinel ships sent out by the navy are like the scouts of the soldiers on land. If no news is sent back after a certain period of time, the leading generals can conclude that these sentinel ships have encountered the enemy, and thus determine whether the enemy is coming from
What direction did it come from.
The distance the sentry ship was not far away. According to General Xu’s order, the report must be made within four hours. However, it was already more than half an hour at noon on this day, and the two sentry ships were still missing.
, General Xu Shen did not hesitate to issue the order for the entire army to prepare for war.
On this day, the sky was a little gloomy.
Qian Wubing received the news when the navy's large and small ships were heading out of the port.
There is a mountain outside the city of Quanzhou. It is not high, but it is quite elegant. It is said that it is one of the eight scenic spots in Quanzhou. Qian Wubing declined the invitation from the prefect of Quanzhou to come to the city and stayed on this mountain. There is water and scenery on the mountain, and there is even a mountain.
Taoist temples, of course, have a quiet room for tourists and pilgrims to rest, and Qian Wubing lived here.
Of course, Qian Wubing was not interested in the picturesque scenery here. He was not that elegant yet. What he cared about was that standing on the top of the mountain, most of Quanzhou Harbor could be seen. This gave him a good overview of the mountains and small areas.
It means that he handed over the command of his fleet to General Xu. It does not mean that he does not care about his fleet or the battle situation. The task of the Navy is to defend Quanzhou Port. So, even if
If there is a naval battle, it can only be on the periphery of Quanzhou Port, most likely on the sea that has just escaped the range of the artillery on the shore - no matter how far it is, the navy will not go there, and no matter how close it is, the enemy will not be stupid
Rush in.
And he could see everything from this mountain.
Looking from the top of the mountain, the sea and sky in the distance are like an ink painting soaked in water. It is very difficult to distinguish where is the sea and where is the sky. The two Spanish warships are from there.
They suddenly appeared in a blur of sea and sky. Like two scouts exploring the road, they suddenly discovered that not far ahead, a dark ship was waiting for them. They seemed to be suddenly surprised.
Same, frozen in the haze of the ink painting.
The space between heaven and earth seemed to be suffocated.
Then, this ink painting was pierced through by various masts. The two pioneer ships slowly moved towards the port. Behind them, more and more Western warships,
Came out.
The Fujian Navy slowly moved. The leaders were the six iron-clad ships of the Sihai Fleet. Each iron-clad ship was guarded by three or two Haicang ships. Behind them, hundreds of
Alphabet ships filled the sea to the brim, and they followed cautiously behind these giant ships, like a group of silent assassins in their shadows.
Some order must have been issued on the flagship. Qian Wubing saw that the black mother ship suddenly moved. Let the big ship in front face the enemy, but they seemed to be discussing something, and they all got tangled together, and then
Suddenly, they separated four by three and spread out towards the two wings of the fleet.
The wind blew across Qian Wubing's face. Qian Wubing took out a scrap of paper from his arms and threw it into the wind. A gust of wind blew the scrap of paper into the jungle at the foot of the mountain.
"Southwest wind!" He said softly, understanding the meaning of those mother-and-child ships.
A sense of solemnity surged from his heart. As the fleet unfolded, if the turn was not completed, the mother ship on one side could certainly use the wind to speed up the attack, while the ships on the other side would be afraid that
It will never reach the enemy's side, and this mother ship does not have the ability to attack from a distance. Before the war started, General Xu was already ready to abandon half of the mother ship, which contained thousands of people.
life!
He does not have this decisiveness. He can be decisive against the enemy, but he cannot do this with his own people. However, he cannot say that General Xu Shen did something wrong and Ci did not command the troops. At this time,
Perhaps the other party's approach is the most appropriate. Regardless of whether the steering is completed or not, at least half of the mother and child ships can fully exert their combat power. The other party has considered the worst case scenario, so what else can he blame?
The ships on both sides were getting closer and closer. Qian Wubing knew very well about his ship. Under normal circumstances, the large general cannons on the bow could shoot more than three miles, which is roughly equivalent to the twelve-mile range in the West.
Pound cannons, Grisa once said, even for defending a city, such a cannon is considered a giant artillery. She even said with certainty that the largest caliber artillery equipped on the Spanish fleet's warships is not
It will be over nine pounds.
This means that the range of the artillery on the Spanish warships is smaller than that of their own warships. If possible, they can stay out of the enemy's range and within their own range. The ironclad ships of the Sihai Fleet can even attack them without any damage.
The enemies were sunk one by one.
Of course, this is just an "if". In terms of speed, the Sihai fleet is far inferior to the Spanish fleet, which means that as soon as it opens fire, this advantage in range will be quickly reduced until
It was completely offset, and then everyone worked together to determine the rate of fire, power, accuracy of the smaller-caliber artillery equipped on the ship's hull, and the sturdiness of the warship.
The first cannon shot rang out from the warship of the Four Seas Fleet that rushed to the front. Qian Wubing recognized that ship. It was the former Princess. At this moment, the person commanding the ship was
The former Spanish Navy lieutenant commander and now the Jin Yiwei Baihu Luca, he obviously knew the gap in the shooting range of the two sides. The moment he entered the shooting range, he ordered to open fire.
The gunshots rang out one after another. Qian Wubing didn't need a telescope to see the white smoke rising from the bows of the ships. Fortunately, General Xu Shen did not disappoint Qian Wubing.
The target of a round of shelling was the Spanish vanguard ship closest to them - this ship was set on fire!
The bombardment did not slow down the enemy. Although the mast on the ship was blown off, and the fortress on the deck was also swept away by the projectiles with a huge and ugly gap, it did not make it lose its mobility. It was almost
He rushed over under the gunfire without any hesitation.
At this time, the Haicang ship, which had been crowding the ironclads, accelerated its speed and pushed forward. Behind them, the huge ironclads were slowly starting to turn, slowly turning the hull sideways. In the process
, these behemoths are at their most vulnerable.
Each Haicang ship is equipped with four thousand-jin general cannons, which may be less powerful than the bow cannon of the ironclad ship. However, when these more than ten warships opened fire together, the Spanish vanguard, who had already been damaged,
The ship, even if it was covered with iron armor, could not withstand the impact of dozens of high-speed projectiles. Both sides fired almost at the same time.
The Spanish fleet is now in the shape of a cone, and the unlucky vanguard ship is the tip of the cone. The consequence of firing guns at the same time is that almost all the artillery fire on Ming's side fell on this unlucky guy, and this
The artillery shells fired by the unlucky guy and the friendly forces behind him were facing a target that was spread out like a long snake.
"First victory!" Qian Wubing clenched his fist tightly. Through the telescope, he could see clearly that one side of the Spanish pioneer ship was almost broken.
There is a problem of water entering the hole. At this moment, even if the Great Luo Celestial Immortal comes, it cannot stop the ship from meeting the Sea Dragon King within half an hour.
As for the Haicang fleet, although it also received a few shots, it didn't seem to be a big problem. The Spanish warship fired directly at their ship. No navy of any country would install a gun on the bow of the ship.
Even if they wanted to install a row of artillery, they wouldn't be able to fit it in. The space is so big, so they usually install one or at most two. However, everyone usually uses power to make up for the lack of quantity.
Although two ships of the Haicang fleet were hit by bombs, and there were people shaking on the ship. It was obvious that there were casualties, but they had not yet reached the point where the entire ship was destroyed.
However, what happened next made Qian Wubing's smile suddenly freeze on his face. The Spanish warships did not pay attention to the sinking pioneer ship and the crew members and soldiers who jumped into the sea and were struggling to survive.
They rowed in an arc and passed by the ship, as if on review. They turned neatly in front of the Haicang fleet, and aimed their long-awaited broadsides at the general.
This fleet was sunk by their colleagues.
"Rumble!" A series of crisp sounds came from the hull, spread through the air, and reached Qian Wubing's ears, turning into a series of continuous muffled thunders.
At this time, the gunners of the Haicang fleet were reloading!