1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 380 The scapegoat for defeat

This is really what you are afraid of, Liu Xiang's eyes darkened and he almost fell on the deck.Although he is only a pirate, he has experienced many battles, big and small. Naturally, he can think that it is not a coincidence that Haihan's warship appeared at this juncture sooner or later. The Haihan people sent their own fleet to attack Wanshan Hong Kong, I am afraid that the strategy of using this as a bait has long been established.

Liu Xiang forcibly stabilized her mind, shook her leg and threw Liu Xin aside, and asked loudly, "Where is the warship of the Haihan people? How far is it?"

Immediately, someone came forward and reported: "My master, there are about ten warships of the Haihan people. At this time, they have fought against the brothers who stayed outside the port!"

After hearing the news, Liu Xiang felt a little more stable. There were more than a dozen or twenty ships left by her family outside the port. As long as she could block the warships of the Haihan people for an hour and a half, no matter if she continued to attack There is still plenty of time to make adjustments to the port, or to turn around and evacuate here.

However, his emotions only lasted for a few seconds, because at this moment, there was a burst of artillery fire from outside the harbor—Liu Xiang was sure that this was definitely not a hallucination, nor was it the shore fire artillery in the harbor. It was firing, but the sound actually came from outside the port.

The warship of the Haihan people!Liu Xiang deduced the truth subconsciously, because the ships her family left outside the harbor had no artillery at all, and the sound of the artillery could only come from warships of the Haihan people.However, with such dense gunfire, it was hard for Liu Xiang to believe that there were only a dozen Haihan warships outside.But regardless of the fact that there are too many ships or too many guns, there is one thing that Liu Xiang can be sure of—the ships left outside the harbor will definitely not be able to stop this powerful firepower attack.

Liu Xiang found himself in a dilemma. If he continued to attack the port, his subordinates would suffer heavy casualties from the guns and artillery of the Haihan people, and they might not be able to win the position of the Haihan people for a while.But if the troops were withdrawn from the port at this time to challenge the Haihan fleet, wouldn't all the casualties in the port be in vain?
However, the real situation could no longer allow Liu Xiang to hesitate any longer. After another round of bombardment from more than 20 artillery pieces in the harbor, the hulls of two more pirate ships began to roll due to water ingress.Among the more than 50 pirate ships that rushed into the harbor, one-third of the hulls were already injured, and the ships that were attacked the most had even begun to sink slowly.

"Pass my order, the rear team will change to the front team, and withdraw from the port!" Liu Xiang gritted her teeth and finally made up her mind.If it continues to procrastinate, it is hard to say whether they will be able to defeat the Haihan position in the port, but the possibility of their own fleet being blocked in the port and unable to get out is very high.At that time, there will be artillery fire in all directions, and it will be difficult to escape.

Hearing the hasty gong sound from the ship, the panicked pirates hurriedly retreated from the shore.In less than 5 minutes of the landing battle, the pirates paid the price of more than 200 casualties, and even Liu Huo, the nephew Liu Xiang sent ashore to supervise the battle, died among the rebels.

At this time, the battle on the sea outside the port is another scene.After the fleet led by Tom Wang sailed out from behind Xiaowanshan Island, it galloped towards Wanshan Port in a long longitudinal snake formation.Although the pirate ships outside the harbor also went up to intercept them, but most of the ones left outside were small boats, which were not at the same level as the smallest 300-ton Haihan warship, and the bow of the Haihan warship had The added V-shaped stainless steel collision angle will not retreat at all to those who dare to block the car with their arms. If you don't want to be hit and sunk directly, you can only obediently give way.

Wang Tom did not choose these small boats outside the harbor as his main opponent. He let the fleet choose a route that cut directly to the entrance of the harbor diagonally, and then used side gunfire to shoot into the harbor—dozens of ships were densely packed Crowded in the harbor, the naval guns can hit the target almost without aiming.And the sound of intensive artillery fire that Liu Xiang heard came from the first round of attacks after the fleet arrived at the position.However, this round of attack did not cause much damage to the pirate ships in the port, because most of the shooting angles were blocked by several pirate ships parked outside due to the tilt of the hull.

At this time, Liu Xiang had already seen the Haihan fleet passing by outside the harbor from his position. He suddenly found that these warships were far bigger and stronger than he imagined, and the artillery configuration on the ship was not the bow gun of a Chinese sailing ship. , Instead, the side gun positions of the Western-style sailing boats were used. When passing through the outside of the harbor, the side guns fired one by one.From where Liu Xiang was, one could even clearly see the black shell piercing through the air, and then hitting a certain pirate ship in the harbor, tearing a hole the size of a washbasin in the ship.

Although Liu Xiang has given the order to retreat to his subordinates, on the one hand, it will take some time for the pirates who have already landed to retreat to the ship; on the other hand, dozens of pirate ships are crowded in the small harbor, trying to turn around and go out But it is not an easy task.Originally, Liu Xiang wanted to let a large army rush into the port together so that he could gather troops when landing, but at this time, he found that the disadvantages of this decision had already emerged. The narrow port made it impossible for a large number of ships to maneuver flexibly in a short period of time, so that Now it's in a precarious situation.

However, when the pirates panicked, the dozens of cannons in the harbor did not stop to wait for them to adjust slowly, and still fired shells at the pirate ship according to the established frequency.It has only been half an hour since Liu Xiang and his gang rushed into the harbor, but now there are more than five pirate ships in a sunken or semi-sunk state, and as many as a dozen ships have been damaged and entered the water. Few pirate ships have survived unscathed.

"Hurry up! Go and help hoist the sails! Tell Qian Laoqi's boat to move aside to make room for the road!" Liu Xiang was also impatient at this time, seeing that the channel out of the port was tightly blocked by her own boat In fact, he had to start yelling and giving orders, trying to get the chaos under control.

"Pay attention to the fort, pay attention to the fort, and now the ships leaving the port will be the first targets!" Chen Yixin saw the movements of the pirates very clearly on the shore, and immediately issued new orders to the coastal defense forts on both sides of the harbor through the walkie-talkie.

So as soon as they turned around, the pirate ships trying to rush out of the harbor immediately became the targets of the fort. After dozens of shells hit them, the speed of these pirate ships immediately slowed down.

At this time, Wang Tom's fleet has completed the first round of attack outside the harbor, and the fleet of warships sailed to the open sea. They must go around in a circle before returning to the same position to launch the second round of attack. .

After paying the price of many ships being damaged, Liu Xiang finally rushed out of Wanshan Port with a group of defeated soldiers.The Haihan people's warship hadn't come back at this time, but Liu Xiang had no desire to fight and ordered to retreat directly.The pirate fleet turned its head south and withdrew from the battlefield along the route it had come from.

However, Wang Tom didn't intend to let them go. After the warship fleet circled the sea, they chased after the pirate ship's buttocks.The difference in speed between the ships of the two sides was fully reflected at this time. The average speed of the pirate ship was only three to five knots, while the Haihan warship could reach eight to ten knots under the same sea conditions.

In the beginning, there was still a gap of several nautical miles between the two sides, but after chasing a distance, the distance between the two sides became closer and closer, while some of the damaged ships in the pirate ship began to slowly fall behind.In order to escape, the pirates on these ships had to choose to escape from the main force and flee south or north alone.Naturally, Wang Tom would not divide his troops to chase these pirate ships that fled alone, but just kept an eye on Liu Xiang's ship and continued to chase.

"These guys are going on forever!" Liu Xiang looked at the Haihan warship that was clinging to the rear, and had no other better way to vent it except cursing helplessly.He didn't dare to stop and fight the Haihan people. When he rushed out of the port just now, he had noticed that the sides of these Haihan warships had at least five cannons, and all the ships on his side together , Only seven or eight earth cannons can be scraped together, and the combat effectiveness is simply incomparable.

And the traditional gang-jumping battle is useless at this time. If you still ask the men who have lost their spirits to attack the Haihan warship, it is hard to say that it will cause mutiny.The only way is to escape as much as possible, as long as he can escape the pursuit of the Haihan people, he will have a chance to make a comeback after all.

However, the ideal is very full, but the reality is very backbone. Liu Xiang's fleet headed eastward, and before it escaped to the waters of the Dangan Islands, it was overtaken by the Haihan fleet behind.The Haihan battleship rushed in unscrupulously from the middle, using the gunfire on both sides of the ship to shoot at the pirate ship.

If it was a normal state of engagement, Wang Tom would never let his warship risk being approached by pirate ships to insert into the opponent's fleet.But at this moment, the pirates' minds have been scattered, and they only care about running for their lives. They have no idea of ​​resisting or counterattacking at all. Wang Tom is also happy to use this opportunity to beat the dogs in the water. At the same time, he can also use this opportunity to exercise the actual combat capabilities of the sailors. Such large-scale naval battles are not always possible to encounter.

Wang Tom was determined to be cruel this time. He chased Liu Xiang's fleet from the morning until dark, and drove Liu Xiang's fleet for more than 40 nautical miles. After sinking and damaging many pirate ships, he retreated contentedly.Although Liu Xiang was allowed to slip away in the end, the result of this battle has greatly exceeded the pre-war expectations, seriously hurting the vitality of Liu Xiang's pirate gang, and Tom Wang has nothing to regret.

Liu Xiang's fleet fled overnight to the vicinity of Haifeng in Huizhou. After confirming that the Haihan people had given up their pursuit, they stopped to count the losses in this battle.Of the 83 boats that were on the trip, there were less than thirty boats left at this time, and almost every boat was more or less hanged.Of course, not all of the other ships were captured or sunk by the Haihan people. Many ships were scattered during their escape, so the actual loss is difficult to calculate for a while.However, according to Liu Xiang's own estimation, at least half of the more than a thousand men brought out this time have been damaged, and the ships that escaped on the way may not all be able to return to their old nests. It is thankful that half of the ships can be saved in the end. up.

This expedition can be regarded as using Liu Xiang's old money accumulated over the years. In addition to giving out a few thousand taels of silver to his subordinates before departure, the various materials consumed by the thousands of people on the road are not small amounts. The damaged ships and manpower on board can't be beaten without tens of thousands of taels of silver inside and out.

After finishing the calculation, Liu Xiangxiang almost vomited blood. This expedition of nearly a thousand miles did not catch a hair, but the loss was so huge that it would even directly affect her future status in the "Eighteen Zhis". It can be said that the gains outweigh the losses.If Liu Xiang could be given another chance, then he would definitely choose to swallow his anger and not provoke these evil stars.

But it was too late to regret it at this time. How to stabilize the morale of the army and keep the existing people's hearts lingering is the most urgent problem facing Liu Xiang at the moment.Liu Xiang thought for a long time, and finally made an astonishing decision: "Come here! Bind Liu Xin, who is incompetent in his work, cheated on Haihan, and leaked his fighter!"

Liu Xin was shocked and said: "The master, and the younger one tried his best to find out the details of the Haihan people in Guangzhou. They are all under the order of the master. There is no such thing as an affair!"

"If you didn't reveal our details, how could the Haihan people set up this trap in advance and wait for us to drill it? I think the Haihan people have always lived in peace with us, why did their attitude change after you went to Guangzhou?" Isn't it because of your role in the middle that you are so tough that you even go against us?" Liu Xiang asked with a dark face.

Liu Xin is not a fool. After hearing these words, he knew what Liu Xiang was planning-such a serious defeat would definitely hurt Liu Xiang's internal prestige, so someone must come out to take the blame Otherwise, it would be difficult for Liu Xiang to explain internally.As the leader, Liu Xiang is definitely inappropriate for him to come out and take the blame, so he must find someone to take advantage of, and unfortunately, the only person who can be dragged into the whole process of fighting with the Haihan people is Liu Xin himself Now, whether he likes it or not, he will be the blame for the defeat in this battle.

Several of Liu Xiang's cronies immediately came over and pressed Liu Xin to the deck, then took out ropes and tied him up.While struggling, Liu Xin cried out for injustice: "The big master, there is a misunderstanding of this fact, and the little one is wronged!"

Liu Xiang gave Liu Xin a wink, and immediately someone stuffed a piece of tattered linen into Liu Xin's mouth to prevent him from continuing.

"If this guy hadn't betrayed us, we wouldn't have lost so many ships and brothers in this battle! Thief, I really can't keep you!" Liu Xiang, who hadn't slept all night, had red eyes at this time, and she was angry and unwilling. Emotions are performed vividly and perfectly.

"Kill him!" "Get rid of this bastard!" "Get out of the way, let me kill him!"

A group of pirates who didn't know the truth immediately became excited, as if they had found the best emotional outlet for yesterday's defeat, and they all clamored loudly for Liu Xiang to take the lead in dealing with this traitor.At this time, Liu Xin had no way to defend himself other than falling on the deck and trembling.

Liu Xiang raised his hand to signal for everyone to be quiet, and then continued: "The Haihan people have strong boats and powerful guns, and their strength is superior to ours. 'The brothers in the army sent troops to attack together. But the chief culprit who leaked the opportunity and caused our defeat must not be let go!"

Liu Xiang glanced at Liu Xin, intentionally ignored the other's begging eyes, and announced the punishment loudly: "For the sake of Liu Xin's following me for many years and doing his best, I will leave him with a dead body! This is a disaster. Not as good as my family, Liu Xin's family will still be taken care of by me, Liu Xiang, all brothers today will be a witness!"

"Benevolence and righteousness!" "It's cheap!" The pirates praised Liu Xiang's "magnanimity" one after another, and at the same time expressed their disdain for Liu Xin's fate.

So under the auspices of Liu Xiang, the "traitor" Liu Xin was hanged, and a strong pirate strangled him to death on the deck with a cable on the ship. Into the sea.After dealing with the scapegoat, the pirates really recovered a little bit, put yesterday's defeat behind them for the time being, and sailed back to their old nest in Chaozhou.

Compared with the desperate pirates, the atmosphere at Wanshan Port is obviously another extreme.Except for a few personnel who were on duty in rotation, all armed personnel on the island got a rare two-day vacation to rest and recuperate. The civil affairs department also took out the island's meat and drink stocks to comfort the heroic militia soldiers.Of course, at this time, the senior military officers are temporarily unable to participate in the post-war celebrations. They must also count the results of the battle, calculate the military exploits, and write a post-war report to the Executive Committee.

Compared with the previous combat experience of the militia, the results of this battle are actually not that great. No matter in terms of the number of enemies killed, the number of prisoners and the spoils captured after the war, all the data are not outstanding.Since some of the sunk ships could no longer be counted, the number of killed enemies can only be calculated based on the pirates killed on the pier and the floating corpses inside and outside the harbor. The total number is only in the early [-]s, but the officers believe the actual number It should be greater than this statistical result. Someone optimistically estimated that the number of enemies killed should be at least [-], because there were still many wounded on the escaped pirate ships, and the medical and sanitary conditions on pirate ships in this era may not be good. Let the more seriously injured among them have a chance to live ashore.

The prisoners in this battle mainly came from a small number of pirates who failed to board the ship and evacuate from the pier in time, and the crew of the pirate ship who could not leave the battlefield because of the serious flooding of the ship, totaling more than 140 people.If there is no accident, what awaits them in the future will be the day and night excavation work of the Tiandu Iron Mine.

(End of this chapter)