I, the military god of the Tang Dynasty, have risen since I destroyed the Turks

Chapter 747: Tang Army Victory in Naval Battle
The waves are rough and the clouds are dark.

As if foreshadowing the coming of a great war. Li Zheng stood on the command platform of the ironclad ship, the sea breeze blowing his battle robe. He raised the telescope and saw dense sails appearing on the sea level in the distance.

Your Majesty, we have spotted enemy ships ahead, numbering about 120, including 40 large warships and the rest are small and medium-sized vessels. "The deputy general came quickly to report.

Li Zheng nodded, with a barely perceptible smile on his face.

"Zheng Jing really went all out, and brought his Western friends with him."

Hou Junji walked up to Li Zheng, frowning, "Your Majesty, the enemy is numerous and we are few, we only have 20 warships, should we request reinforcements?" "No need." Li Zheng put down the telescope, his eyes sharp, "An ironclad ship against a wooden ship is like a steel knife against a bamboo pole. Order all ships to line up to meet the enemy as planned."

As the flag signals were transmitted, the fleet quickly changed its formation, with ten main ironclad ships in the front forming a cone-shaped assault formation, and ten auxiliary ships in the back, ready to provide support at any time. The side gun muzzles of each ironclad ship opened one after another, and the black gun barrels poked out, shining coldly in the sun.

In the distance, Zheng Jing stood on the deck of his flagship, the Flying Dragon, also observing the Tang fleet through a telescope. He was wearing gorgeous armor and had a jewel-studded Western sword on his waist, a gift from his Western allies.

"Sir, the Tang army fleet is small in number. It seems that the intelligence is wrong and they are not prepared at all." The adjutant beside him said excitedly.

Zheng Jing sneered: "Li Zheng, you kid, do you think you can stop my army with just a few iron boats? Pass the order, the whole army will rush forward and annihilate the Tang army in one fell swoop! I want to let the court know who owns the South China Sea!"

Following Zheng Jing's order, the combined fleet began to speed up. The cannons on the Western warships were ready, and the sailors were busy loading ammunition. These Western warships were more advanced than Zheng Jing's ships, equipped with new breech-loading cannons, with a range far exceeding the traditional artillery of the Ming Dynasty.

The two fleets were getting closer and closer, and the atmosphere on the sea was so tense that it was almost as if water could be squeezed out of it. Li Zheng stood on the command platform, calmly calculating the distance.

"Your Majesty, the enemy ships have entered the range of our artillery." the gunner reported.

Li Zheng shook his head: "Wait a little longer, let them get closer. Inform all ships not to open fire without my order."

Seeing that the Tang army was slow to open fire, Zheng Jing became more convinced that the enemy was afraid. "Hahaha, Li Zheng is scared! Full speed ahead, ready your muskets!"

When the vanguard of the combined fleet entered a distance of 500 feet, Li Zheng finally gave the order: "All ships fire at the same time, targeting the enemy's vanguard fleet!"

In an instant, dozens of flames spewed out from the side of the Tang army's ironclad warship, and the shells whistled through the sky. These shells were different from traditional solid shells. They were shrapnel shells secretly developed by Li Zheng, filled with special gunpowder, and would explode after hitting the target.

Shells rained down on Zheng Jing's fleet, and explosions rang out one after another. A Zheng warship was directly hit in the cabin, and the violent explosion tore the entire ship in half, with wood chips and human body parts flying into the air. Although Western warships were more sturdy, they could not escape the disaster. The mast of a Dutch warship was blown off and smashed heavily on the deck, crushing several sailors to death.

Zheng Jing was stunned by the sudden attack. "What's going on? How can their artillery fire so far?" he roared.

"Sir, the Tang army's artillery seems to have been improved, and its range and power are far beyond expectations!" the adjutant reported in horror.

"Don't panic! Keep moving forward! Even if we get close to their ironclad ships, they won't be able to stop our muskets!" Zheng Jing ordered stubbornly.

Seeing this, Li Zheng raised his lips slightly: "Zheng Jing is just as I expected, thinking that he can win by getting close. Send an order, execute the fire attack plan!"

Ten small speedboats quickly sailed out from behind the Tang army fleet, each of which was filled with hay and wood soaked in kerosene. These speedboats took advantage of the wind and rushed towards Zheng Jing's fleet like arrows. "Fire attack ships! Intercept them quickly!" Someone in Zheng Jing's fleet shouted.

The guns on the Western warships turned to fire at the speedboats, sinking several, but six still broke through the defense line and plunged into the densest area of ​​Zheng Jing's fleet. The sailors lit the fuse and jumped into the sea to escape, and the flames on the speedboats instantly soared into the sky.

Because Zheng Jing's fleet was too dense, the ship in front was burned, causing a lot of smoke and flames, blocking Zheng Jing's sight. The raging fire spread quickly among the wooden warships, screams were heard, and thick smoke covered half of the sky.

Zheng Jing could only see a sea of ​​fire and thick smoke in front of him on his flagship, and heard deafening explosions. He mistakenly thought that this was the result of his artillery hitting the Tang army fleet, and excitedly slapped the side of the ship: "Good! Good job! Keep attacking! The Tang army's ironclad warship is on fire!" In fact, the Tang army's ironclad warship was not afraid of fire attacks due to its metal shell, and it was continuing to bombard in an orderly manner. Zheng Jing's fleet was already in chaos, and many warships collided with each other to avoid the fire. Some even turned around to escape, disrupting their own formation.

Li Zheng smiled faintly, "Of course, this warship is different from Zheng Jing's wooden ship. With their matchlock guns, they can't penetrate our armor at all."

Hou Junji looked at the burning enemy ships in the distance, sighed, and said, "It's a pity for this batch of gunpowder. If we can get it, our combat effectiveness will be greatly improved."

Li Zheng frowned slightly and asked, "Who invented this new type of firearm?"

"According to spies, it is the latest invention of the Franks, and its combustion efficiency is 30% higher than our black powder." Hou Junji replied.

Li Zheng's eyes narrowed. "It seems that Westerners are ahead of us in firearms research. Pass the order down and try to capture as many Western warships as possible. I want to see their gunpowder formula."

At this point, Zheng Jing finally realized something was wrong. A burning warship drifted close to the flagship, and he clearly saw that it was flying his own flag, not the Tang army's. "What's going on? Are these burning ships ours?" he asked in shock.

"Sir, we have fallen into a trap! Most of the ships ahead have been burned, and the Tang army fleet is almost intact!" The adjutant reported stutteringly.

Zheng Jing's face turned pale instantly: "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

But it was too late. The Tang fleet had already surrounded the enemy, and the ironclad ships attacked from both sides, with cannons blazing. Zheng Jing's flagship, the Feilong, was hit by three shells at the same time, blood and flesh flew all over the deck, and the hull began to tilt.

"Abandon ship! Abandon ship quickly!" Zheng Jing finally panicked and rushed to the lifeboat under the protection of his personal guards.

Li Zheng saw this scene through the telescope: "Aim at that big ship, that is Zheng Jing's flagship, don't let it get away!"

The main gun of the "Zhenhai" adjusted its angle, and with a loud bang, a special chain bullet flew out in a rotation, accurately cutting off the main mast of the "Feilong". The heavy mast fell down and hit Zheng Jing and others, blocking their way.

Seawater rushed into the hole of the Feilong, and the ship sank rapidly. Zheng Jing looked around desperately. The warships of the Tang army had surrounded them, and the sailors on the small boats raised their muskets and aimed at the Zheng soldiers who fell into the water.

“Surrender, Zheng Jing!” Li Zheng shouted through the loudspeaker. “Your Western friends have escaped!”

Zheng Jing looked around and saw that several Western warships were fleeing the battlefield at full speed, with no intention of rescuing them. He smiled bitterly and raised his hands.

After the battle, countless debris and corpses floated on the sea. Tang sailors were busy salvaging prisoners and collecting spoils. Li Zheng stood on the deck and looked at Zheng Jing who was escorted aboard.

(End of this chapter)