Southern Ming: A boy soldier at the beginning, supporting the world

Chapter 257: Use the many to defeat the few, use the fast to defeat the slow

At noon on the 18th, the Red Army Navy warships weighed anchor on time, sailed downstream along the western channel, and headed towards Guangzhou.

Ruan Tingfeng, the commander of the Navy, stood on the long dragon warship, feeling very proud. The Red Army Navy had been established for a year and a half, and although they had trained hard, they had never experienced a major battle. This time, the Navy sailed thousands of miles, and the opponent was the notorious Red Flag pirates. Ruan Tingfeng was somewhat unsure.

The Nguyen family inherited the title of naval commander. Their ancestors once served under the famous anti-Japanese general Yu Dayou. According to the elders, their ancestors made great contributions in the Battle of Nan'ao, burning two Japanese pirate warships. After the war, they were promoted to naval commander. All their descendants have benefited from his kindness.

Now, he has been promoted to the assistant commander of the Red Army Navy, and is the de facto commander of the Red Army Navy. However, the Navy has wasted countless money, fought few battles, and achieved few achievements, which has caused much doubt in the army.

Fortunately, thanks to Danchu's trust, he went against all odds to develop the navy, and the Red Army navy has reached its current size. If we can win a big victory in today's battle, it will justify the reputation of the navy and consolidate our position in the army.

"Please raise the flag." Ruan Tingfeng ordered in a deep voice, observing the formation with a telescope from time to time.

"Raise the central army's flag." The flag officer quickly conveyed the military order and directed the flag bearer to raise the navy's flag.

Soon, a huge red flag was raised to the mast, which was very conspicuous among the fleet full of yellow flags. The central army flag could easily reveal the position of the commander, but it was necessary on the battlefield. When the subordinates saw the central army flag, they knew that the commander was still there and could fight with peace of mind.

"Xietai, the first and fourth flags have been raised one after another." The lookout officer held a telescope and reported to the commander at any time: "The central flag of Chen Qice's navy has been raised. All naval forces are normal and are adjusting their formations."

The sun was rising high in the sky, it was early summer, and the warm wind was slightly damp. Ruan Tingfeng felt quite hot in his armor. Fortunately, the river breeze brought some coolness.

The rainy season in Guangzhou is coming, and after the rainy season comes the midsummer. By then, the air will be humid, the weather will be hot, the bow and arrows will become glued and the bowstrings will become soft.

The army speculated that the general would launch a major war around the rainy season. Because at this time last year, the Red Army went north to Quanzhou to fight against the invaders, and took advantage of the rainy season to fight the Manchurian Tartars twice, and they were not at a disadvantage. No matter how strong Shang Kexi and Geng Jimao were, could they compare to Jirgalang and Lekedehun?
"Xietai, there are land troops on the west bank. They seem to be cavalry brothers. They are waving flags and shouting." The flag and drum officer reminded Ruan Tingfeng, interrupting the commander's thoughts.

"Well, use the mirror to signal back, and say 'successful start.'"

"Yes." The flag bearer used a large bronze mirror to raise the corresponding flag.

At noon, the Red Army's vanguard arrived at the island in the middle of the Chenxiangsha River. The Red Flag pirates were already waiting in formation.

The Qing navy was mainly deployed near the two river islands of Chenxiangsha and Shamian. Among them, Shamian Island was surrounded by the Pearl River on all sides, bordered by the Baietan Lake in the south and the Shaji River in the north, and its location was the most important. The navy of Xu Tulong and Liu Longsheng was deployed on Chenxiangsha Island, while the navy of Wu Liuqi and Liang Biaoxiang was deployed on Shamian Island.

Through the telescope, Ruan Dinh Feng could see clearly that the red-flagged pirate warships all had red flags, most of them were seagoing ships, and had many strong cannons. Among them, there were more than a dozen Guang ships, which were the main warships of the pirates.

In the early Ming Dynasty, the country was strong and the navy often used treasure ships, which were huge in size. After the national strength declined, the warships gradually developed into smaller ones. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, traditional warships had basically disappeared, and sea ships represented by Guangchuan, Fuchuan and Shachuan became the main warships of the navy.

Guangchuan is commonly seen along the coast of eastern Guangdong. It is made of iron wood, durable and expensive. It is narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, like two wings. It is stable in the inner river and the sea, but shaky in the open sea. If it is in the trough, it will rise and fall, making it difficult to hit with firearms.

During the Battle of Nan'ao during the Jiajing period, the Ming Dynasty navy used Guang ships as their main warships and almost wiped out the Japanese pirates. In this battle, Guang ships rammed the Japanese pirates' Fuzhou ships, smashing them into pieces, but the ships themselves remained unscathed, which made them famous.

The Red Flag pirates were all pirates who plundered a lot of wealth from maritime trade and had the ability to equip Guangzhou ships. On the contrary, the government troops, whether Ming or Qing, were unable to build large warships due to financial constraints, and their naval forces were even weaker than the pirates.

In addition to the Guang ships, the Red Flag pirates also had two large bird ships, whose displacement and gun capacity were twice that of the Guang ships.

Bird ships were often used as ocean-going merchant ships and were favored by pirates. Pirates in the late Ming Dynasty, such as Zheng Zhilong and Liu Xiang, liked to rob bird ships and turn them into pirate ships. Large bird ships have one more deck than ordinary bird ships, have a larger displacement, and can carry more guns.

The Changlong warship is the largest warship of the Red Army Navy. It is less than one-third of the Guang ship. Can it defeat the Red Flag pirates? Ruan Tingfeng felt worried.

Fortunately, Yang Yandi, the commander of the fourth battalion, was a pirate and had four Guang ships under his command. Chen Qi Ce followed closely behind the Red Army Navy and also had six Guang ships under his command.

As expected, the Red Flag pirates used the Guangzhou ships as their vanguard and formed a horizontal array in the Pearl River, trying to stop the Red Army's navy. More than a dozen Guangzhou ships were lined up in two rows, and each Guangzhou ship was surrounded by several small boats, making it very impressive.

The Red Army formed two columns, with the first battalion on the left and the fourth battalion on the right. Chen Qitse's navy was behind, less than two miles away from the Red Army's navy.

In terms of the number of warships, the Ming army was superior to the Red Flag pirates. In terms of the number of Guang ships and main guns, the Red Flag pirates were superior to the Ming army.

Ruan Dinh Feng was unmoved and gave the order as planned: "Attack with all your strength and charge into the enemy camp."

The flagship raised another red flag, and on the mainmast there was a red supporting flag, as well as a yellow and a red battle flag, which were the signals for a full-speed attack.

The navy received the order and immediately accelerated. The three-ship was small and light, the fastest, and rushed to the front.

The rewards for today's battle are very high. The headquarters has issued a military order. In addition to the normal rewards, if a Guang ship is destroyed, a reward of 300 taels of silver will be given. For other warships, the rewards for destroying one are between 100 and 30 taels of silver. The highest reward is for the big bird ship, which will give 500 taels of silver for destroying one enemy ship.

The reward was the highest in the Red Army. Most of the officers and soldiers of the navy were from the Tanka tribe, and their families had been poor for generations. They were all eager to join the order. They could not only make achievements but also get the reward. Of course, they would rush to do such a good thing. Even if they died in battle, the Red Army would give them pensions, their families could rent official farmland, and their children could go to school for free.

The first battalion of the first battalion was the first to be organized, and its three three-pan boats were in the front. The first sentry was organized into a three-pan boat, and the first sentry leader Luo Kunyu was born a Tanka, and was alert and capable.

The officers and soldiers of the first sentry were all Tanka people from Hengzhou, well-trained and extremely tacit. The sails were full, the oarsmen shouted in unison, their movements were surprisingly consistent, and their speed was incredibly fast, comparable to a wild horse galloping on flat ground.

But they heard a few "dong dong" sounds, and the red flag pirates went upstream and fired first. The Guangzhou ship could carry red cannons and could fire first from two or three miles away.

Soon, a shell fell behind the first patrol boat, and the water column it stirred up rose to a height of four or five feet.

There seemed to be a sound of a mast breaking. Luo Kunyu looked back and saw a three-panel ship. The mast was hit by a shell and broke in half. The sail was also torn in half. The shell continued to fly down and hit the stern, killing a stern gunner on the spot.

The enemy probably used chain bullets, which could specifically hit masts and sails. Another solid bullet touched the water surface on the right front side of the first sentry, flew more than ten feet into the air again, and then fell into the water, stirring up a wave. The solid bullet ricocheted on the water surface, which shows how powerful the enemy's artillery was.

What a fierce firepower! Luo Kunyu felt something was wrong, but he still shouted loudly: "Brothers, don't look back, rush forward. Rowers, paddle, gunners, prepare solid bullets, and fire after my command!"

The two armies were one mile apart, and the first team had already lost a three-ship. Luo Kunyu ordered the cannon to fire, and the shells accurately hit the enemy's Guang ship.

What is surprising is that the hull of the Guangchuan ship is made of ironwood, which is extremely strong. The three main gun shells hit the hull of the Guangchuan ship and were bounced out.

The first battalion had only one Longlong, which gradually came over and fired its first cannon at the Guang ship, barely damaging the ironwood hull. However, the Longlong had only two first cannons, and was no match for the Red Flag pirates in terms of firepower.

The Changlong and Kuaixie were originally inland warships, with weak firepower and protection. They could only attack inland ships such as wheel boats and Boshan boats, and were no match for seagoing ships such as Guangchuan. The Red Flag pirates took advantage of their leisure time and used Guangchuan to block the river surface and use their superior firepower to attack the Red Army.

The Red Army's navy were all inland warships. They were small, had weak firepower, and a short range. They were hit by cannons from time to time before they could even fire. Several of the three-plane ships were destroyed.

The officers and soldiers were greatly discouraged, and Luo Kunyu was also gritting his teeth in hatred. There were a few Guang ships in the fourth group, but unfortunately they were too slow and could not catch up for a while. The four long dragon ships in the first group had slightly stronger firepower, but they were no match for the Guang ships.

In order to defeat the Red Flag pirates, we can only use the majority to defeat the minority and the speed to defeat the slow.

Seeing the enemy's artillery shells coming continuously, Luo Kunyu made up his mind and shouted: "Damn it, no more waiting. Keep charging forward and prepare for a boarding battle."

The first patrol's three-ship boat continued to charge towards the Red Flag pirates despite the artillery fire.

On the broad river, enemy warships were densely packed, and huge ships blocked the river. However, the Red Army's small boat rushed towards the enemy camp against the trend, like a lone brave man who was not afraid of his own safety. The morale of the first battalion was revived, and the long dragon and fast crab rushed towards the enemy camp again.

Ruan Tingfeng was also infected and ordered in a deep voice: "Fire ships attack."

The Sanban ship was small and light, and was the first to approach the enemy's Guang ship. Luo Kunyu commanded the sailors to flexibly avoid the Guang ship's artillery fire and was the first to engage the enemy.

Generally speaking, when the navy is fighting, large ships must be used as the main battleships. Large ships are heavy and difficult to steer, so they must be escorted by small boats. The Red Flag pirates have been in battle for a long time, so they naturally know this principle.

Before Luo Kunyu's three-ship approached the Guang ship, the enemy sent three small boats.

Fall into the trap! I'm not afraid that the enemy won't come, I'm just afraid that he won't come!

The Sanban ship had small cannons, so it couldn't hit the Guangchuan and the Dayiaochuan, but it was more than enough to hit small boats. On the contrary, the enemy's small boats had no cannons, only rockets, bird guns, spray guns, fire bricks and other close-combat weapons, which posed little threat to the Sanban ship.

The enemy's boats rushed ahead and mixed with the Red Army's warships. Without being able to distinguish between friend and foe, the Red Flag pirates would not dare to fire rashly, and their firepower advantage would be greatly weakened.

When the time comes, when the navies come into close combat, it will depend on whose sailors are braver and whose warships are faster and more numerous.

Luo Kunyu sneered and ordered in a deep voice: "Three shots, hold your breath, and shoot when you get closer."

"Yes!" a middle-aged man answered. Unlike other Tanka people, he was from Yangshuo and was originally a gunner in the Army Division. He was nicknamed "Sanpao". Because of his superb artillery skills, he would hit the target within three rounds in any shooting test, hence the name.

"Sanpao" held his breath, aimed, and decisively inserted the red-hot iron rod into the firing port. At such a close distance, the cannon could hit whatever it was pointed at.

With a loud bang, the enemy ship was hit by a cannonball, a chain bullet. Chain bullets consist of two solid bullets connected by an iron chain, and are specially used to destroy the enemy's sails, ropes and masts.

The enemy ship was a Kailang ship, which was similar in size to a Sanban ship. Both were paddle boats with four oars and one scull, but they could not carry cannons and were much slower than a Sanban ship.

The Red Army's chain bullets broke the enemy ship's mast, and the sails fell down. The pirates on the ship were shocked. They couldn't imagine how the Red Army could install cannons on such a small warship and even retract them freely.

The shells fired, creating a violent recoil that accelerated the Sanban ship's progress and brought it closer to the enemy ship. After the Red Army invented the Dinglu-style carbine, each Sanban ship was also equipped with two carbine guns, which were used by the rowers as well.

At this moment, the rowers took out the Dinglu carbine and began to shoot at the enemy. The carbine barrel was shorter than the rifle, without a bayonet, and was more convenient to load. It could fire three to four times per minute, a qualitative leap in firing rate compared to the matchlock gun.

Meanwhile, the gunners continued to load their shells. As the enemy drew closer, the Third Gunners decided to switch to grapeshot.

Grapeshot is similar to lead shotgun, but the projectile is larger than lead bullets and needs to be held tightly with a rope net. It is shaped like grapes and can only fire a dozen bullets at a time. Its range is shorter than chain bullets and solid bullets, making it very suitable for close-range naval battles.

The second enemy ship was getting closer and closer, and the distance between them was less than 50 meters. The gunner finally loaded the grapeshot, and the "third gun" took aim and fired decisively. More than a dozen grapeshot burst out, turning the second enemy ship into a sieve.

The enemy soldiers screamed in agony. A flag bearer was hit on the head, half of his head was cut off, revealing the white brain matter, which could be seen clearly on the three-plane ship.

Luo Kunyu had no time to celebrate, and quickly directed the oarsmen to try their best to turn the ship. The two warships passed by each other and almost collided.

There was another enemy ship, but they were too close to each other and the guns were reloading too slowly, so the lead gun had no time to fire.

Luo Kunyu resolutely ordered a boarding battle. The oarsmen rowed closer, and two rowers abandoned their oars and hooked the enemy ship with harpoons.

The Red Flag pirates were all pirates, desperate men who didn't realize they were about to die. They picked up blowtorches and fire bricks and shot at the three Red Army boats. The first small boat only had its mast and sail damaged, and the sailors rowed and approached, trying to besiege the Red Army.

Two Red Army oarsmen were caught off guard and were shot by enemy blowtorches, their bodies immediately burst into flames. They quickly jumped into the river and used the river water to put out the fire on their bodies.

The spray gun was a common firearm in the Ming Dynasty, often used in close combat. It was filled with combustibles and glued together, so it was difficult to get rid of it once it was sprayed on the body.

"Three Cannons" shouted: "Tail Cannon, why don't you fire?!"

Upon receiving the order, the tail gunner immediately turned the muzzle and inserted the red-hot iron rod into the firing port.

"Bang!" This is a lead shotgun that can fire dozens or even hundreds of lead bullets.

In this charge, the three-ship could only advance and had no chance to retreat, so the rear gun was useless, so they simply loaded it with shotgun shells and used it specifically for close-range combat.

"Ah!" The pirates screamed. On the side of the ship, several pirates were holding blowtorches or fire bricks. They had the upper hand, but they were all shot into sieves by lead bullets.

"Get on board!" Luo Kunyu shouted, "Brothers, follow me! One hundred taels of silver are about to be in your hands!"

Out of the 100 taels of silver, the most common oarsman could get 5 taels of silver, equivalent to six or seven months' salary. If he could kill a sailor, he would get another 3 taels of silver as a reward. Who wouldn't be tempted?
He put his sword in his mouth, climbed up the enemy ship with his hands and feet, and chopped down anyone he saw. Seeing this, his subordinates followed him, killed the pirates in no time, and then used a blowtorch to burn the ship.

The other three ships of the first batch followed one after another and joined Luo Kunyu to attack the pirates' small boats. The pirates were even more defeated, and the small boats gradually lost the wind and began to approach the Guang ship and the big bird ship.

(End of this chapter)