1627 Rise of the South China Sea

Chapter 859 Attacking Liuheng Island

Compared with Ma Ling, a thousand household in the Ming Dynasty, and Lin Xing, a smuggler from Liuheng Island, Xu Ke has a certain psychological advantage.His identity is the representative of Fujian General Xu Xinsu stationed in Zhejiang. Although he was not an official when he came, but now he has to make up a one-sentence matter.Moreover, with the backing of Xu Yuzhuo in the coalition fleet, even the Haihan people had to sell some face, the treatment he received was completely different from these two.These two people are just local leading parties who run errands for the Haihan people in the name of "partners", while Xu Ke's Fujian Ming army camp is a serious Haihan ally, and the status and status of the two are quite different. Big cut.

However, in the eyes of Ma Ling and Lin Xing, Xu Ke is just a leader with a slightly special status, and what he does is actually the same as himself, and there are many things that Xu Ke may not be able to play as big as they can.For example, Ma Ling, who has an official identity, is definitely better than Xu Ke in raising war supplies in Ningbo Prefecture. When it comes to understanding the many armed forces in the Zhoushan Islands, how can the local rich man who lives in Xiangshan County compare with the perennial Lin Xing who got involved in the East China Sea smuggling circle?

Although the tasks that these three people have received so far are very similar, they have their own interests and are afraid of each other, and the relationship between them is very delicate.However, if it weren't for the powerful boss Haihan people above, it would be difficult for the three of them to get along with each other like they are now.

In the following time, Lin Xing also continued to participate in the pre-war preparation meeting of the Allied Army Staff Headquarters.Since the Sanlin Gang represented by Lin Xing joined halfway, the coalition fleet needed to make adjustments to its original plan to attack Liuheng Island in the next step. If they didn't take it seriously after receiving the news, or if they came a day or two late, the Sanlin Gang might suffer a sudden catastrophe from the sky.

After seeing the armed fleet in Shipu Port, Lin Xing knew that there might not be any armed force in the entire Zhoushan Islands that could fight against the Haihan people alone, and the Haihan people probably would not allow enough time for these forces to complete their interconnection. Come together against yourself.The raid from south to north in Haihan’s plan will be completed within a month, and the time to spend on Liuheng Island is only two to three days—of course, the Sanlin Gang’s support will be further shortened now. For the time required for the operation, Qian Tiandun estimated that only two days would be enough for sea operations and land suppression.

During this battle, the Sanlin Gang will help guide the coalition fleet to attack the Haisha Gang territory in the south of Liuheng Island, and assist the coalition forces to intercept and capture the fleeing Haisha Gang members on the island.This task cannot be accomplished by Lin Xing alone, so he seized the time to write a letter, explaining the current situation to the two brothers who stayed on the island, and asked them to organize the members of the Sanlin Gang to cooperate with Haihan's next actions as soon as possible.

Although the Sanlin Gang advertises that there are thousands of fighters, in fact, because the three Lin brothers have invested most of their resources in trade and management, their armed strength is not strong, and there are only less than 800 fighters. Available, compared with the Haisha Gang in the south, there is still a relatively obvious gap.If the Sanlin Gang was to confront the Haisha Gang head-on, then Lin Xing would definitely refuse, but Lin Xing believed that he could still do it by helping the Haihan people and chasing down the remnants of the scattered Haihan Gang.

Lin Xing knew that the performance of this operation might affect the future of his three brothers, so in the letter he specifically urged the two brothers to perform well and complete the task at any cost.Lin Xing thought very clearly that the Haihan people had clearly stated that they would clean up the staffing of the Sanlin Gang. If these people could earn some military merit in this campaign, they might have a good future in the future. If you have unrealistic ideas such as preserving your strength, you will probably be sent to various places in Nanyang to work as sailors and fishermen after the war.

On April 22, the coalition fleet finally launched an armed occupation operation on Liuheng Island.Most of the combat ships including the "Enterprise" were invested in this operation, and only four exploration-class warships and one expedition-class warship were left in Shipu Port as backup, and the remaining army was led by Xu Yuzhuo. Most of the people came, except for some logistics personnel, almost all of Haihan joined the expedition team.

Although the coalition fleet had fought several battles with local armed forces on the way to Ningbo, the scale of the battles was very limited. This attack on Liuheng Island was the first time that the coalition forces used all their combat forces in a true sense since they set off on an expedition.The coalition's combat plan is to wipe out the Haisha gang's sea armed forces as quickly as possible in the southern part of Liuheng Island, and block their escape route from the sea as much as possible.Although the news of the coalition's arrival will inevitably spread after this battle, the targeted blockade can still try to ensure that the real situation of the coalition fleet will not be grasped by other local armed forces too quickly.

The three leading parties are all on the deck of the fleet's flagship "Enterprise" at this time. The impact of this huge battleship is undoubtedly very huge. The curious act of looking at it has never stopped.They were really curious about how the Haihan people built such a large warship, and with relatively few sailors on deck, the speed and steering of this ship were extremely agile at sea, without any clumsiness.These people are all old sea dogs who have been active in the sea all year round, so they naturally quickly noticed these advantages that the Daming Sea Ship did not possess.

The level of armament on the ship made them even more frightened. Before boarding the ship, they noticed the upper and lower rows of gun windows on the side. After boarding the ship, although they did not have the opportunity to go down to the cabin to observe the real situation, there were also more than ten artillery pieces deployed on the deck. ——It is neither the kind of folk cannon that can only shoot gravel and iron nails, nor the Fran cannon that has a long history and limited power in the army, but the Haihan cannon that is rumored to be able to destroy cities.Just seeing the thick and dark cannon body, it seems that it is not difficult to comprehend its deterrent force when fired.It is enough to make people desperate when they think that there are dozens of such artillery equipped on this ship.

Whether it was Ma Ling or Lin Xing, they felt very fortunate that they had made a choice early on. If they really had to confront such an army head-on, they would most likely die on the battlefield inexplicably.When Lin Xing thought of the fact that those members of the Haisha Gang were going to face the result of being destroyed without knowing it, he couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness in his heart.

"Boss Lin, are you worried about your brothers on the island?"

When Lin Xingzheng was fascinated, he heard Ma Ling asking next to him, and quickly responded: "That's not true, although my two incompetent brothers have no skills, they have always obeyed orders, as long as they follow the wishes of the Haihan chiefs. Do it, no problem."

Hearing this answer from the side, Xu Ke was secretly ashamed of Lin Xing for changing his name so quickly and calling him "Chief". Picking up at sea is the only way, the wind is high and the waves are rough, I don’t know if we have reached the place, if it delays the fighter plane, it will be troublesome.”

Lin Xingqian responded with a smile: "Boss Xu is right, so in the letter I sent back to Liuheng Island, I specifically told them to wait at the meeting place three hours in advance, so I think they won't be late."

There are so many ships in the coalition fleet, it is not enough to just rely on the leading party of these three people, not to mention that Ma Ling and Xu Ke are definitely far less familiar with Liuheng Island than the members of the Sanlin Gang, so in the battle plan, the Sanlin Gang will also send A number of personnel were assigned to serve as pilots on the fleet warships.The joint location agreed by the two parties is Guanchuan'ao Island, [-] nautical miles northeast of Shipu Port.

This uninhabited island is located more than ten nautical miles south of Liuheng Island. It is not easy to attract the attention of the Haisha Gang. After the joint is completed, it can quickly and directly attack the main ports of the Haisha Gang in the south of Liuheng Island. The geographical location is just right. suitable for such tasks.

When the vanguard of the fleet arrived at Guanchuan'ao Island, they met Lin Si and his party who came to join them at the scheduled location.At first, he still had some doubts about the decision of the boss Lin Xing, but when he saw the coalition fleet approaching from the south sea, all doubts disappeared immediately.It's fine if you haven't witnessed the strength of the Haihan people before, but it's really hard to summon up the courage to resist in the face of such a powerful fleet.

As if in a dream, Lin Si went up to the deck along the rope ladder on the ship's side of the "Enterprise". Lin Xing hurriedly led him to see Shi Diwen who was in command on the flagship.

"The villain sees General Shi!" If Lin Xing hadn't grabbed him by the side, Lin Si would have knelt down on the deck.Although he has been a pirate for many years, he has never been to court much. He has met the highest-ranking civil and military officials in person, but the county magistrate and Qianhu. Unexpectedly, the two legs were a little weak in spite of themselves.

"Don't be too polite!" Shi Diwen has been in the fleet for more than two years. He has seen a lot of killing scenes, and he has gradually adapted to his status as a superior. Did I tell you what to do? Have you made all the preparations?"

"Yes, after receiving the letter, the villain followed the instructions and made arrangements one by one. This time, the villain brought more than 20 capable men here, all of whom are locals who are familiar with the situation around Liuheng Island. If General Shi didn't Other assignments can be made immediately." Lin Si quickly replied respectfully.

"Very well, then you arrange your people to board the ship as soon as possible, and then we will go directly to the Haisha gang." Shi Diwen didn't want the fleet to delay in this place, so he went to Liuheng Island as soon as possible to finish the business. rest assured.

After the coalition fleet stopped at Guanchuan Ao Island for a while, they continued northward.When passing through the Great Cang Island in the south of Liuheng Island, it was finally discovered by the fishing boats deployed by the Haisha Gang on the sea.Several fishing boats turned around and fled northward, while releasing fireworks from the boats as a warning.

"The game has started, let's go at full speed!" After Shi Diwen observed the opponent's movement through the telescope, he gave the order to start the battle.

The coalition fleet is divided into four, one of which sails to the east end of Liuheng Island. Its route is to pass through the waterway between Liuheng Island and Yuanshan Island in the east, and encircle the coastline at the east end of Liuheng Island. Several hidden docks.The other three teams are in one-to-one correspondence with the three harbors operated by the Haisha Gang at the southern end of Liuheng Island, and strive to block the ships in the harbor as much as possible before the opponent enters the battle, and prevent the Haisha Gang personnel from entering the harbor as much as possible. Possibility of escape by sea.

The "Enterprise" activated the ship's steam-powered propulsion system, and its speed immediately increased a lot.The leading party immediately felt the vibration and loud noise from below the deck, and they were shocked, thinking that there was something strange in the water.It wasn't until the officer on board explained to them that this was the unique power propulsion device of the Haihan warship that they calmed down a little.

They didn't understand what a power propulsion device was, but they could feel the speed increase of the ship immediately.Lin Xing, who had been to Sanya, was the first to comprehend the mystery: "What kind of device does the Haihan people replace the function of sails and oars? Yes, the big iron ship moored in Shengli Harbor has no sails or oars, but it can Coming across the sea, it should be relying on such magical spells! No wonder the Haihan people want to use fine iron to build the ship, and if it shakes like this, after a long time, it will shake all the planks of the ship to pieces."

Under the reciprocating action of the piston of the steam engine in the belly of the ship, the vibration generated by the entire mechanical system is inevitably transmitted to the entire hull through the ship's plank, which made several newcomers who took this ship for the first time feel uneasy, lest the ship would It fell apart while running.However, they looked at Shi Diwen and the Haihan soldiers on the ship with a calm expression, thinking that this ship can sail from the South China Sea to Zhejiang to fight, and it should not be too fragile, so they were a little relieved.

Although the members of the Haisha Gang may not have figured out what happened at sea and who the sudden intruder was, their reaction was quite quick.When the coalition fleet arrived at the southern tip of Liuheng Island, it could be seen that many ships in the harbor had left one after another, heading for the mouth of the bay in the south.

Shi Diwen was also not interested in distinguishing which ships were armed pirate ships and which were just smuggling merchant ships who wanted to avoid this disaster. He turned the rudder himself and ordered the artillery to fire at the targets in the port after they entered the range.

The "Enterprise", which rushed to the forefront, turned west first, turned the right side of the ship towards the ships sailing out of the harbor, and then fired successively from the artillery deck on the bottom layer, more than 20 shells were fired one after another, flying towards about 300 meters away.In an instant, waves splashed on the sea, and the ship's plank shattered. During this period, there were many exclamations and screams.

(End of this chapter)