unclear

Chapter 1432 A facade of harmony masking underlying discord

This is where the advantages of a small boat with a hybrid sail and bar can be fully demonstrated. With long-term training, most boats can perform large-angle, small-radius turns against the wind without listing.

However, agile steering alone is far from enough. Large sailboats can go from full speed to slow speed in a very short time, but it takes a long distance to go from slow speed to full speed.

After turning, the Ming fleet's speed was less than half of what it was before the turn, which was exactly what the British fleet wanted to see. If nothing unexpected happened, before the Ming fleet could regain full speed, the British warships, coming with the tailwind, would catch up with it using their speed advantage, forcing them into close-range combat or even boarding maneuvers.

But accidents always happen when you least expect them. Just as the enemy ship was about to approach from the side, you could see the style of the officers' uniforms on the aft deck without even using binoculars.

"Boom..." The British warship at the forefront suddenly shuddered, its bow churning up a towering wave as if it had crashed into a reef. The bow rose high and then crashed down again, snapping the three masts instantly due to inertia. The entire ship tilted to the left and circled halfway around the sea, changing from heading east to heading west.

"Boom... Boom..." All the British officers' attention was involuntarily drawn to the tragic warship. Before they could figure out what it had crashed into, two more loud explosions were heard in front of the fleet.

The two fastest-moving warships met with misfortune. One of them seemed to have broken its main keel, and its bow and stern were rising at a visible speed, while its midsection was sinking.

Sea monster? Reef? Or a secret weapon of the Ming Dynasty navy? Whatever it was in the sea, watching helplessly as their companions were destroyed and killed, the remaining captains unanimously issued an evasive order. A few who valued their lives more simply ordered a sharp turn to swerve to either side.

The formation, which had been advancing straight like an arrow, was forced to make a hasty evasive maneuver due to the three loud explosions and the strange behavior of the three ships. Then two more loud explosions occurred, resulting in the loss of two more warships.

At this point, it was no longer possible to break into the Ming fleet. As the top sails were raised one by one, those long and thin warships seemed to have been pushed from behind, cutting through the waves and speeding southward, firing cannons as they went, causing little damage but extremely humiliating damage.

"Mark the minefield... Turn 15 degrees, heading 195, starboard guns ready!"

Over a hundred mines were dropped, but only five exploded, a rather underwhelming result. However, Wang Tiemao was quite satisfied. While peering southwest through his binoculars, he issued new orders, his tone now calm.

Sometimes, victory or defeat on the battlefield can be decided in a matter of hours, tens of minutes, or even just a few minutes. The British Navy missed its chance this time, and it may never have another chance in this naval battle.

Once the rescue fleet and the garrison fleet meet, a fleet of more than thirty warships of various sizes will rush down from upwind. They can take away several enemy ships in one go, while the enemy won't even be able to touch the edge. They can only wait to be beaten!
They couldn't move while being attacked, otherwise the armed cargo ship more than 20 kilometers away would take the opportunity to enter the port, send the three thousand-household marines ashore, and cooperate with one and a half marines in the port area to launch a counterattack, completely crushing the enemy's attempt to gain a foothold on land.

As for naval warfare, it can be fought slowly. The Ming navy's ships are small, requiring fewer sailors, resulting in low costs. A moderate-intensity naval battle can last for a week. Once ammunition runs out, armed cargo ships will provide resupply. If the Europeans want, they can fight here for a month or even several months—we'll see them fight to the bitter end!

But as the sun sank below the horizon, both sides were forced to cease fire and distance themselves, giving the European allied fleet a precious respite.
Before dinner, all the commanders boarded the "Amelia." As soon as the hot tea was served, the elderly Spanish fleet commander launched into a probing question at the British fleet commander: "Sir Pennington, didn't you say you could capture the Ming fleet? What happened? I lost three warships before nightfall!"

His name was Antonio de Oquendo, the most renowned admiral in the Spanish Navy. He did nothing but conquer the seas, his footprints covering both ends of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. Apart from being a bit old, he had almost no flaws.

"I also lost six ships, all of them capital ships! The Ming army adopted a new type of weapon that can be thrown into the sea and float with the waves. It explodes when it hits a ship. Its power is considerable; just one can sink a second-class warship."

The man being questioned was short, stocky, and over fifty years old, a little younger than Oquindo. His name was John Pennington, a knighted commander of the Channel Fleet in the Royal Navy, and a trusted lieutenant of Charles I.

He did not hesitate to tell his colleagues about his experiences that evening, so as to show that it was not his battle plan that was wrong, but that the enemy was too cunning and despicable!

"...I'm sorry, although it wasn't my oversight, I still have to apologize to you on behalf of the Spanish Navy." Upon hearing this explanation, Oquendo's face, which had been full of anger, suddenly froze, his eyes and mouth twitched slightly, and his attitude suddenly reversed.

"Mr. Oquendo, why is that?"

This put Sir Pennington in a bind. He was willing to argue heatedly with anyone about the battle situation, even to the point of drawing his gun and dueling, but it was a bit ambiguous to ask an older, more experienced, and more reputable general to apologize to him without any reason.

"Because of a mistake! Today's tragedy could have been avoided. You should all have heard that last June, the Ming army fought against the colonial fleet in the waters off the Galapagos Islands."

It wasn't actually a battle, but rather the Ming fleet ambushing the colonial fleet in the Galapagos Islands, suffering heavy losses. That's not the point; the point is that the Ming army used similar weapons during the battle.

But the details of this naval battle were deliberately concealed by some. I had thought that, for God's sake, they would share some information with their allies before the decisive battle with the Ming army, such as the characteristics of the new weapons. Unfortunately, they paid homage to God, but had no God in their hearts.

Facing a formidable enemy, the old general showed no fear whatsoever, even attempting to board the flagship to personally command the battle. Yet, at this moment, he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant, his voice lacking conviction.

"..." Upon hearing General Oquendo's frankness, all the generals present fell silent. This kind of mutual distrust was not the first time within the Allied Forces, and it was safe to say that it wouldn't be the last.

(End of this chapter)