Grosso was indeed an experienced sailor. The moment he heard the roar of the artillery, he grabbed Lawrence by the collar and threw him to the deck as if on conditioned reflex.
The next moment after the two men pounced, dozens of solid lead bullets hit the White Rose's hull like a rainstorm.
In an instant, the deck was filled with smoke, and wood chips and iron pieces were flying everywhere. The sailors who were affected suddenly let out a heart-stopping cry.
"Damn it! That ship definitely has seventy cannons! Even two White Roses are not enough to fire it!"
Grosso coughed and cursed in pain, then glanced at Lawrence, who was lying in shock on the deck, and stretched out his hand to help him up.
After receiving this round of shelling, the White Rose was not seriously damaged, but its speed was obviously affected, and the distance between the Genoa warship and the White Rose was constantly shrinking.
"Hey, something's not good!" When the distance between the two ships shortened to a certain extent, Grosso couldn't help but show an uneasy look.
"What happened again?" Lawrence asked hurriedly, sitting under the side of the boat, still breathing heavily.
For a modern man like him, let alone experiencing artillery fire in person, he has never even touched weapons such as bows and crossbows.
Grosso poked his head out from under the cover of the ship's side, visually measured the distance, and gritted his teeth and said:
"We're almost at the range of the chain cannon. We're going to fucking tell you where we are!"
"Chain cannon? What's that?"
"The shells fired are made from chains. If that thing hits the canvas, it can make a huge fucking hole! If you are unlucky and hit the mast, damn, even such a thick mast can be broken by you.
Already."
As Grosso spoke, he made an exaggerated circle with his hand.
Just as Grosso finished speaking, there was another roar from the Genoese warship.
Lawrence became much more proficient this time and hurriedly squatted under the cover of the side of the ship with his head in his hands.
As expected by Grosso, Genoa fired chain bullets this time.
This kind of cannonball, which uses a chain to link two projectiles together, is extremely effective in restricting the movement of enemy ships.
Chain bombs scattered up and down the White Rose, causing another burst of smoke, but it was much smaller than the previous round of shelling.
There was only a huge stabbing sound as several chain bombs flew over the hull and hit the huge main sail accurately.
The strong canvas was as fragile as a piece of white paper in front of these high-speed flying chain bullets, and was completely torn apart in the blink of an eye.
The White Rose, which lost its sail power, suddenly looked like a swimmer cramping in the water, and could only let its speed gradually slow down.
Although the White Rose continued to use its tail guns to counterattack, these small-caliber tail guns were of little use against the sturdy Genoa warship, and could not even hinder the opponent's pursuit.
Seeing the huge sail above their heads turned into pieces of tattered cloth in an instant, both Grosso and Lawrence fell silent.
The Genoese warship moving at full speed was getting closer and closer to the White Rose. Lawrence could even see the soldiers waiting on the other side's warship with his naked eyes.
"Boy, have you ever encountered a boarding battle?" Grosso suddenly said, but his voice was a little hoarse.
Lawrence shook his head in silence. He had never even been on a boat in his previous life.
"It was really hell on earth." Grosso closed his eyes, seeming to be resting his mind, and recalled:
"There were screams everywhere, gun smoke everywhere, and the deck was full of fucking human blood, brains, intestines, and...organs that I couldn't even recognize. You know, right there
I don’t know how many ounces of fucking blood has flowed through that board under your ass.”
Lawrence looked down at where he was sitting, restraining himself from imagining how it looked covered in blood.
The Genoese warship was still approaching, and Lawrence could already vaguely hear the soldiers on the other side's ship shouting in unison and shouting rude insults.
For sailors who have been drifting at sea all year round, this is a rare time when they can vent their anger.
The distance between the two ships was already only tens of meters, and the Genoese began to throw the hooks at the White Rose continuously, thereby further shortening the distance between the two ships until they collided together.
The captain of the White Rose ordered all the sailors on the lower deck to come to the upper deck. Lawrence even saw a few people dressed as passengers also coming to the upper deck, all looking extremely panicked.
"Boy, this is for you."
Grosso said, taking off the short knife from his waist and throwing it to Lawrence.
Lawrence took the dagger and looked it over briefly. It was a classic sailor broad-bladed dagger in the movie.
The handle of the knife is a little loose, but it doesn't matter. There are many chips on the blade, which are obviously caused by frequent collisions with other weapons, but the blade is still very sharp.
"We passengers also want to fight?" Lawrence held the dagger tightly and felt a little relieved, but still asked nervously.
"Hey, kid." Gross curled his lips and said disdainfully:
"Do you think that after the Genoese people shoot us smugglers, they will let you take a free boat? Send you safely to Corsica? What a wonderful idea! You will be sent to Cuba or Latvia as slaves
Plata, or maybe Louisiana, it’s just that piece of land in the Americas where birds don’t shit!”
The side of the White Rose was already covered with hooks, and the distance between the two sides was less than thirty meters.
The opponent's front row was pulling the ropes together to bring the two ships completely together, while the soldiers in the rear row were carrying smoothbore flintlock guns and continued to suppress fire to prevent the sailors on the White Rose from cutting the ropes.
After Grosso threw the dagger to Lawrence, he turned around and went to his station. As for passengers like Lawrence, after each of them was given a dagger, they were left to their own devices.
The captain of the White Rose also did not expect these passengers who were unable to stand on the ship to be of any help to the battle.
Bang! Bang!
The smoke produced by the musket firing filled the two ships, and bullets hitting the hulls and flying wood chips could be seen everywhere. Such shooting would continue for a while, until the two sides began a real hand-to-hand battle.
Lawrence was still sitting under the cover of the ship's side. The bullets whizzing past his head and the continuous gunfire really made him dare not act rashly.
Just during the shooting stage, Lawrence had already experienced the hell on earth that Grosso just mentioned.
The shouts and wails of the White Rose sailors and the Genoese soldiers were intertwined.
In front of Lawrence's eyes, every few seconds a sailor would be shot and fall down, screaming helplessly in a pool of blood.
And Lawrence knew that a more brutal battle was yet to come.
Finally, the smoke of gunpowder gradually dissipated, and the ships of both sides were almost touching each other. The Genoese moved several long and thick oak planks from the deck and spread them in the middle to serve as a bridge.
The sound of gunfire had almost disappeared, replaced by the loudest war cry from the soldiers of the two ships.
Lawrence swallowed, his heart beating rapidly, he held the short knife tightly in his hand and stood up from the cover. In hand-to-hand combat on the open deck, there was no possibility of hiding. Only by fighting could one have a chance to win a chance to survive.
A Genoese soldier who was charging forward saw Lawrence first. He laughed evilly and rushed over with a knife. He recognized at a glance that Lawrence was not a sailor.
If you cannot adapt to the bumpy environment of the sea, even if ten thousand enemies are on board, they will definitely not be able to defeat a lame sailor.
The Genoese soldier swung his short sword and slashed diagonally down from the upper right corner. The blade even made a sound of wind in the air.
Lawrence's attention was infinitely concentrated, his adrenaline level increased sharply, and he quickly raised his hand to block the slash with his sword.
The two weapons suddenly collided together, making a crisp clang sound, and there were even faint sparks flashing between them.
The Genoese soldiers were not surprised when they saw this, but continued to apply force on their hands, suppressing Lawrence from top to bottom.
Here, Lawrence was gritting his teeth desperately to resist the opponent's downward pressure. Unexpectedly, the opponent suddenly released his strength, then made a fist with his left hand and went straight towards Lawrence's abdomen.
Lawrence's attention and strength were all focused on the blade, and he was completely unprepared for this sudden change of moves. He was unprepared and was punched half a meter away.
"Hmph, are you worthy of holding a knife?" The Genoese soldier looked at Lawrence on the ground mockingly, and said sarcastically. At the same time, he stepped forward and kicked the dagger out of Lawrence's hand.
The unarmed Lawrence sat on the ground blankly. He had never felt that death was so close.
"Go to God and repent!"
The soldier pointed the tip of the knife at Lawrence's heart and said expressionlessly.
The sharp tip of the knife seemed to be soaked with fresh blood in the next second.