"Vice Minister E Honglue said that in his hometown, the sea waves are very fierce. In order to ensure the safety of the ships and break through the obstruction of the wind and waves, the ships must be built very slender. Now it seems that these Western warships are not only conducive to traveling in the wind and waves
, the speed is also not comparable to that of our Chinese sailing ships.”
After a small battle, the staff of the New Army immediately held a discussion.
Given that the ships of the Zheng Group were simply unable to catch up with the Dutch warships, someone put forward this view.
Zuo Hua knocked on the table and said seriously.
"This is why the commander-in-chief insisted on building the Galen warship. Stones from other mountains can be used to conquer jade. We must not be blindly arrogant at any time. We really think that China has everything, and that foreign vassals cannot compare with us.
When you see good things in others, you must study hard. Only in this way can we continue to make progress."
These words were said at this time, and all the staff members remembered them deeply.
Zuo Hua was originally a domineering person, but he had one advantage.
That is the blind worship of Zuo Mengeng.
He would do whatever Zuo Menggeng said.
Always regard Zuo Mengeng’s words as an imperial edict.
Zuo Menggeng said that Westerners have something powerful to learn from, and he kept this in mind.
After joining the navy, he completely put down his arrogance and continued to learn naval warfare knowledge from E Honglue and others.
As for other staff officers, in order to complete this transformation, it will take an opportunity like today.
"Hong Xu's ship did not carry bronze cannons, so it did not cause any damage to the Western warships in the battle just now. The Dutch were unprepared and would definitely suffer heavy losses in the subsequent battles."
The effect of bronze cannons on destroying today's warships has already been tested.
The Dutch still think that the artillery used by Zheng Chenggong is the same as theirs.
When the war does break out, I believe the Dutch will be surprised.
On August 12, the Dutch fleet went to Xiamen again to attack.
This time Zheng Zhilong no longer stood by and watched.
After he received the news, he immediately mobilized his entire army and besieged Kinmen Island from both sides.
"General Zheng, that Dutch warship is alone, why don't we mess with him?"
Zuo Hua had nothing to do, and when observing the battlefield, he discovered that a Dutch warship was not with the entire fleet, but was cruising alone on the sea.
Zheng Zhihu took out his telescope and couldn't help but ponder after seeing it for himself.
He knew his eldest brother's intentions clearly.
Zheng Zhilong did not want to fight to the death with the Dutch and both sides would suffer.
That would only benefit the court, and the Zheng family's foundation might be destroyed in one fell swoop.
This is also the reason why Zheng Zhilong has been in constant contact with the Dutch messengers for more than a month, and there have been constant fights, but there has been no real fight.
But this situation made Zheng Zhihu very frustrated.
Although the Dutch did not go to war with the Zheng family, every time they raided the coast, they lost the people in their hometown.
Fujian people have a strong sense of hometown.
Seeing so many villagers die and a lot of wealth being robbed by the Dutch, Zheng Zhihu actually resented his eldest brother in his heart.
At this time, they were encouraged by Zuo Hua and saw that the Dutch warship never left, seeming to tease them.
This gave Zheng Zhihu an idea.
A big fight with the Dutch would definitely make Zheng Zhilong angry. But if he only vented his anger on a Dutch warship, there should be no problem.
"Hmph, let General Zuo see how my Zheng son fights today."
Zheng Zhihu firmed up his idea.
A moment later, the trumpet on the flagship blared.
The other ships that were on standby quickly spread out to the left and right and moved towards the Dutch warship to outflank it.
The lone Dutch warship was the Vesp.
The captain's name is Van der Wiers, and he is a down-and-out nobleman.
He spent money to bribe the East India Company's governor in Batavia, and thus obtained the position of captain of the Vesp.
The Vesp appeared here because it received orders from Hans Putmans to monitor the Zheng fleet coming from the west.
Van der Wiels was quite reluctant to accept this order.
Although Akito's warships are not very good, there are many of them.
With the Vesp fighting alone, if it were really surrounded, it would be a disaster.
I heard that the savage Akito would chop off the enemy's head after catching him.
God!
He is a devout citizen. If his head is chopped off, how can he go to heaven?
Seeing Zheng Zhihu leading a large number of warships, Van der Veers was always nervous.
When he saw Zheng's warship rushing towards him, he quickly gave the order without saying a word.
"Retreat quickly, go east, and meet the main force."
As a sea coachman, the Dutchman did a prosperous business. He was willing to do anything but not die.
Before Van der Wells's order was given, the sailors on the ship were already turning the rudder and the sails.
Van der Wells thought that his subordinates were well trained.
"Look, how powerful our guys are! I can guarantee that there is no warship in the world that can be as efficient as ours."
The escape of the Vesp boosted Zheng's morale.
When seven fireships jumped out of the crowd, relying on the lightness of the hull, full sails and manual oars, they approached the Vivesp faster and faster.
"These damn Akito must want to set fire again. Fire and sink all these ants!"
The gunner received the order and quickly pointed the muzzle at the oncoming fireship.
Under repeated strikes from dozens of artillery pieces, all seven fireships sank quickly.
At this time, the following Zheng ships no longer dared to pursue.
Seeing the struggling and wailing sailors on the sea and the pieces of wood floating everywhere, Zheng Zhihu almost broke his teeth.
But Zuo Hua was still looking weird.
"The soldiers of the Zheng family are indeed brave. They are willing to take risks and fight to the death. With the Zheng family in the Ming Dynasty, why worry about it?"
Zheng Zhihu's hand was already on the handle of the knife.
He vowed that one day he would throw this annoying one-eyed dragon into the sea to feed the fish.
"General Zuo, you've seen it all, but you don't know when to show it to your brothers?"
Zuo Hua is proud of himself.
"It depends on whether God will reward you or not."
No one thought that the opportunity would come so quickly.
Three days later at night, a sentry ship rushed back to the camp.
"Go and invite General Zuo."
When Zuo Hua arrived, Zheng Zhihu began to regain the scene.
"There is a Dutch merchant ship heading to Japan. As expected, it should be selling the looted property. I have always known General Zuo's bravery and prowess. I wonder if you can help my fellow Fujianese people to regain these properties?"
Zuo Hua was silent.
Of course he understood what Zheng Zhihu was thinking.
But he decided to stay in Fujian, wasn't it just to master the skills of naval warfare?
Let him fight against the Dutch main fleet. He doesn't have the ability yet.
How about sailing a boat alone?
Zuo Hua quickly made up his mind.
"If General Hong can be sent to help, then something can be done."
