I am Emperor Wanli

Chapter 322: As long as the artillery can sink the target, there is nothing to be afraid of!
The left team of the left camp of the South China Sea Navy was the first to rush out.

They only set the foremast and mainmast sails.

The hardtop sail is a longitudinal sail and does not absorb as much wind as the soft cloth cross sail, but it has an advantage: it is flexible in turning.

Under the command of the captains, the sailors manipulated the stiff sails, turning left and right, taking advantage of the ever-changing sea breeze, and rushed out of the bay. Thirty Wusong warships formed a vertical line and rushed out obliquely from the left side of the Spaniards.

Of these thirty Wusong warships, eleven of them are 4,000 tons and should be called frigates according to the new naval warship organization; the twenty-nine are 3,000 tons and should be called cruisers.

There are more than 20 cruisers cruising on the periphery, one to prevent the Spaniards from escaping, and the other to be on standby at all times.

According to Yu Dayou's deployment, five ships would fight one, so thirty ships would be enough to attack six Spanish ships.

The left team of warships approached rapidly. The Spaniards sensed the danger. The captains chattered and the sailors on the deck were busy in a tense and orderly manner.

Ready your artillery and start the battle.

Maneuver the sails to gain the upper hand.

But the advantages of the Carrick sailboat turned into disadvantages. This is an island sea, and the sea breeze is affected by the terrain, shearing from time to time and changing in many ways.

The soft sails on the carrick sailboats were much more difficult to adjust. Under the skillful manipulation of the sailors, the four Spanish ships in front slowly turned their bows to gain the upper hand.

But it was too late, the left team of the Ming navy rushed over like a galloping horse.

As they approached, they assigned combat objectives to each ship based on the water currents, wind direction, and the relative positions of the two armies.

The first Wusong ship cut deep into the water and was heading towards the first Spanish ship less than twenty meters away. The sailors on the ship could clearly see the faces of the other sailors.

"Boom!"

Both sides opened fire fiercely.

The Wusong-type frigate had only twenty-four 18-jin guns and eight 9-jin guns.

More can be installed, but the hull has limited ability to withstand recoil, the caliber must be reduced, and the power is compromised. This configuration was arrived at after careful consideration.

Only twelve 18-jin cannons and four 9-jin cannons were allocated to each side.

The Spanish ship was equipped with forty-two guns, with a caliber and power similar to that of the 18-jin gun. With twenty-one guns on each side, the momentum and lethality of the battle were much stronger.

In an instant, the first ship on the left team was seriously damaged, with several bullet holes on the deck and more than a dozen sailors lying on the ground, either dead or injured. There was a hole in the front and rear of the hull.

The Spanish gunners were indeed very experienced and their shots were very accurate.

The first Spanish ship was relatively lightly damaged. There were bullet marks on the deck, sailors were lying on the ground, and one sail had two holes in it.

But before the Spaniards could laugh out loud, the second ship from the left team came over and opened fire without saying a word.

The Spaniards were embarrassed. They had just fired a round of artillery fire and were still desperately reloading ammunition, which took time.

At this time, they could only passively take the beating.

This round of bombardment caused the first Spanish ship to suffer. Several parts of the deck and hull were damaged, and more than a dozen sailors were lying down. One of the gun positions was even hit and was directly scrapped.

The Spaniards finally loaded their cannons, and when the third ship from the left team cut over, they fired at each other.

Fires flickered and smoke filled the air.

The projectiles whizzed across the sea, heading straight for the opponent, smashing all obstacles.

Debris flew everywhere, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and screams were heard one after another.

Two ships emerged from the smoke, and the third ship from the left team sailed away with tolerable damage.

The first Spanish ship was in a much worse state, suffering even more damage. What was even worse was that the fourth ship from the left team followed closely and unilaterally fired at the Spanish ship.

After a round of bombardment, the fourth ship sailed away, and the Spanish first ship was hit so hard that it vomited blood.

The casualties among the sailors were so great that many actions became slow. When the fifth ship from the left fleet cut in, they had no time to reload their guns.

The Spaniards had no choice but to curse these Oriental pagans with the most vicious words, squatting on the ground with their heads in their hands, listening to the bullets whizzing past their ears and the sounds of explosions and screams ringing all around them.

At this time, they had no time to curse the pagans. They kept chanting the names of God and the Virgin Mary, hoping that they would not become unlucky.

The left team of the left camp of the Ming Dynasty's South China Sea Navy worked like this, with five ships taking turns to attack one ship. After the thirty warships completed a circle, the sailors quickly manipulated the hard-top sails, and the ships turned flexibly on the sea, and once again began to gain the upper hand.

The six Spanish warships were stunned by the first wave, and they were terrified.

They have traversed the oceans and have never encountered such an opponent.

Treacherous and cruel!
Twenty meters! This was the first time the Spaniards had encountered an enemy so close to them.

In the past, when the Spanish fought against the Portuguese, Venetians, and Rumens, they all fired at each other from a distance, and when the bombardment was almost over, they started boarding. But in the far east, the Ming navy, which they thought was weak and vulnerable, not only had a large number of artillery, but also dared to get so close, firing at each other at a distance where they could almost poke each other with their spears.

At such a close distance, you can see the bullets in the muzzle of the opponent's artillery. It can bring enough lethality to the opponent, but the opponent can also beat you all over.

This requires a lot of courage.

Historically, the first enemy the Spaniards encountered in close combat was the British.

It was in this kind of naval battle, which required great courage, that the Spaniards were defeated and gradually lost the upper hand and their position as overlords at sea.

Now the Ming navy has arranged for them in advance, and the distance is closer, so the bombardment will be more brutal!

But the effect is excellent, but this is only for the Ming Dynasty navy.

In the past, everyone in the Ming Dynasty navy had the same mentality as Yu Dayou.

The Westerners could come from thousands of miles away, so they must have quite a few axes. The Spaniards are the strongest and fiercest of the Westerners, so could they have some secret skills passed down from their ancestors?

For example, the indestructible Vajra Body Protection Skill, or the simultaneous attack of thousands of swords like a tidal wave?

Until the war broke out, Yu Dayou was still a little nervous, not to mention the other officers and sailors.

As a result, in the first round of fighting, the Spaniards' outer coat was torn off, the emperor's new clothes!
Such close combat was a daily exercise for the Ming navy, except that they did not load projectiles at that time.

The Spaniards were beaten to a pulp.

The Ming navy also saw clearly that after a cannonball fired, a big hole was left in the Spanish ship, and when it hit someone, blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Damn, it's useless to worry. As long as the shells can kill or sink the ship, that's enough. At worst, we can just fire a few more shells!
We have no shortage of ammunition!

The momentum of the Ming navy suddenly increased.

The terrified Spaniards were frantically manipulating the sails and turning the ship around. They wanted to run away and didn't want to fight with these lunatics anymore.

Moreover, they saw the warships of the right fleet of the Ming Navy, lined up in a column, coming diagonally from the right upwind, with great momentum! They could see the sailors howling on the boats, like a group of wolves pouncing on a flock of sheep.

The Spanish fleet's formation was disrupted, and each ship was fighting on its own.

The right team of the Ming navy also split up, with five ships fighting one, and they engaged in close combat, causing heavy casualties to the Spanish warships and leaving the hulls badly damaged.

Liao Yong, who was responsible for cutting off the Spaniards' retreat, stomped his feet repeatedly and was about to throw the telescope in his hand onto the deck in anger, but in the end he couldn't bear to do so.

"Fuck you, these losers on the left and right teams didn't leave me any. Our rear team drank the sea breeze for half a day, but didn't get any benefit. They took it all.

Flop the street! "

Cursing under his breath, he raised his telescope and observed the scene on the battlefield in the distance.

When the left and right teams turned around, they saw that the Spaniards were badly beaten, and they immediately coordinated through flares and flags and started a boarding battle!

On the warships of the left and right teams, the boatswain led his men, carrying baskets of swords and guns, and distributed them to everyone.

The captain wrapped his hair with cloth and tied thin ropes at the hands and feet of his clothes and trousers.

Neither the captain nor the sailors would wear armor, not even leather armor.

That thing can indeed protect against swords, but it is not flexible to wear, and the space on the ship is narrow, so the main feature is agility rather than defense.

What's more, if you wear it and fall into the water, you will reach the land faster than anyone else and go straight to the bottom of the sea. Leather armor is not good either, because it absorbs water and becomes very heavy once it enters the water.

The sixty ships on the left and right teams slowly approached the six Spanish ships, and the sailors began to prepare hooks and springboards, eager to give it a try.

The Spaniards also knew that they had reached a critical moment and were unwilling to surrender. They gathered together, gripped their swords and guns, with fierce eyes, ready to fight at any time.

Yu Dayou and Song Yingchang watched the battle from afar through telescopes.

"Okay, now that we're in boarding combat, we don't have to worry anymore." Song Yingchang breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Spanish are just like this! The Arabs, Portuguese, and those Italian priests have made them look so magical that they even thought they were heavenly soldiers and generals who had come down to earth.

Today's fight was just like this. They were tougher and fiercer than the Portuguese, but that was limited. Now it's okay. As long as the artillery is not good enough, I am not afraid of them."

"Report!" Someone from the military academy came to report.

"what's up?"

"There's a ship approaching in the northwest!"

"what!"

(End of this chapter)