The imperial mission is headed by Liao Zhongjian, with Xu Erjue as deputy. But once a war begins, everyone must obey Kong Zhiguang's orders from top to bottom.
Professional people do professional things.
Kong Zhiguang is an experienced naval general who has fought in any environment and is trustworthy.
Liao Zhongjian and Xu Erjue didn't understand military affairs at all, so they stayed on the flagship and became spectators with great interest.
However, some people were not quiet and questioned Kong Zhiguang's tactics on the spot.
"Dear General Kong, I think dividing our troops is a mistake. I know the British very well. They are best at creating chaos and then winning through numerical superiority. Now that our troops are divided into two places, we are likely to fall into the dilemma of fighting independently.
.”
The speaker was the Dutch general De Ruyter.
This person is a rising star in the Dutch Navy and is known as a famous star.
During this expedition to England, De Ruyter, out of curiosity about the power of the Imperial Navy, boarded Kong Zhiguang's flagship and wanted to observe how the Imperial Navy operated.
Along the way, his eyes were opened, and he was amazed by the third-class battleships manufactured by the empire. He also secretly made up his mind to promote the reform of the Dutch Navy after returning.
No matter what, brand new strategic ship manufacturing technology must be introduced from the empire.
He is confident that once the Netherlands masters the manufacturing technology of new battleships, it will definitely be able to dominate the rest of Europe and ensure its dominance.
But now that the war started and seeing Kong Zhiguang's command, he couldn't help but feel particularly anxious.
For him, Marton Tropp was both a teacher and a friend.
He didn't want to see his seniors fall into the siege of the British.
Moreover, the Imperial Navy only had seven battleships, which was too small to change the situation of the war.
Kong Zhiguang looked calm.
"General Ruyter, please be patient. This victory will definitely belong to us."
While speaking, the Imperial Navy had quickly completed its formation. Seven battleships lined up in a straight line, heading straight towards Robert Blake's fleet.
De Ruyter's pupils were trembling.
"How can we unleash the power of artillery fire with a formation like General Kong's?"
But opposite, Robert Blake was extremely nervous.
Coming, coming.
The battle line tactics described by the officer below really appeared in front of him.
He couldn't help but widen his eyes, trying hard to stare at the rapidly approaching Imperial fleet, trying to see every detail of this tactic.
De Ruyter complained for a while and found that no one paid attention to him, so he could only feel depressed alone. He simply copied the telescope and looked at the battle situation worriedly.
But at this moment, he discovered something different.
The telescope in his hand is the standard equipment of the Dutch Navy. It is among the best, but it is a single-cylinder.
Beside him, whether it was Kong Zhiguang, Liao Zhongjian, or Xu Erjue, their telescopes were all binoculars.
"Mr. Xu, can you lend me your telescope?"
Xu Erjue didn't care about himself and handed it over happily.
Before this trip to Europe, the empire had already formulated a clear plan.
Except for new artillery and striker guns, the rest of the technology can be shown to Europeans.
The reason is that everyone understands that many technologies cannot be completely confidential.
In the Age of Discovery, all heroes came together.
All countries are trying their best to surpass their opponents, so when they see their opponents have something advanced, they will inevitably find ways to learn, imitate and surpass them.
Under such circumstances, many of the Empire's technologies could not be kept secret for long.
Of course, new artillery and striker guns are excluded, as is flash cap technology.
Even if the principles of these things were told to Europeans, they would not be able to manufacture them.
At this time, the scientific field in Europe had not yet evolved to a very high level.
The empire decided to sell minie rifles to its European allies, but it firmly controlled the production and sales of flash caps, which was equivalent to blocking the flow of these countries.
At least for a hundred years, you don’t have to worry about these allies stabbing you in the back.
De Ruyter happily took over the binoculars and after using them for a little while, he immediately realized how extraordinary they were.
Obviously, this kind of telescope has a shorter lens barrel, but the distance it can see is farther, and the clarity of the lens is higher. At the same time, the binoculars also effectively make up for the blind spots in the field of view, effectively increasing the efficiency of observing the enemy's situation.
De Ruyter quickly made another mental note.
This is also one of the military supplies that the Netherlands will purchase from the empire in the future.
On the sea, the imperial fleet rode the wind and waves and quickly approached the British fleet.
The observation post suddenly sounded the alarm.
This does not mean that there is an attack, but it tells the commander that the distance between the enemy and us is within two thousand meters.
Kong Zhiguang immediately ordered.
"The whole team turns around and seizes the upper hand."
The messenger quickly waved the flag, and the entire fleet began to draw an arc on the sea.
When de Ruyter completed the turn of the first warship, he immediately realized that the Imperial Navy had adopted a very superb tactic.
He simulated the operation of the entire fleet in his mind, imagining the scene where seven warships would aim all their broadsides at the British fleet and hundreds of artillery fire.
This made him feel trembling all over, as if he had opened the door to a whole new realm of naval warfare.
However, he was still worried.
"General Kong, it's too early to turn. The British warships are still far away, and your tactics may not be effective."
Opposite Robert Blake had the same idea.
The imperial fleet was more than a thousand meters away and started to carry out such maneuvers. What effect could it have?
Kong Zhiguang still did not give an explanation, but focused on giving orders.
"Order all artillery positions and prepare armor-piercing shells."
The Imperial Navy's order was delivered efficiently and accurately, and the gunners of the seven warships immediately began to work nervously.
De Ruyter didn't get an answer, so he simply gritted his teeth, turned around, jumped off the command platform, and rushed into the cabin.
Although he is a senior general, he is not reserved about his status and plans to see with his own eyes how the Imperial Navy operates artillery.
He came to the cabin and happened to see the gunners reloading.
The propellant packed in the paper shell is very convenient. It can be inserted into the muzzle of the gun and pushed with a wooden stick to reach the depth of the gun barrel properly.
It was completely different from the artillery used in Europe at this time, which required many times of hard work to solidify the gunpowder.
What caught De Ruyter's attention the most were the cannonballs.
The cannonball that the gunners took out was not a round iron ball, but an elongated cylindrical shape. Not only that, there was also a delicate arc at the front end, forming a pointed tip.
Are such artillery shells really effective?
Amid De Ruyter's confusion, various gun emplacements were ready.