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

Chapter 392: Victory in the Naval Battle
On the 28th, the Red Army's navy went down the river, and the land army split into two groups and advanced along the river. The three groups of Red Army responded to each other and headed for Changsha.

Cen Danchu was stationed in the middle route and followed the navy northward. In addition to the first brigade of the navy, the middle route army also had an artillery brigade and an auxiliary brigade, and also brought a large amount of food and supplies.

The Eastern Army was led by Ma Bao, the commander of Huben Town, and under his command were the Cavalry Brigade, the Second Brigade of the Personal Guards, and the Third Brigade of the Personal Guards. They marched along the east bank of the Xiangjiang River.

The Western Route Army was led by Jiao Lian, commander of the Fourth Infantry Regiment, and had the Twelfth Infantry Brigade, the troops directly under the regiment, and the First Brigade of the Huben Regiment, which was assigned to the Western Route Army. They advanced along the west bank of the Xiang River. The Fourth Regiment was established not long ago, but it has already gotten on the right track, and it is officially responsible for this battle. The Twelfth Brigade is composed of the former members of the Dashun Army, and currently has more than 9,000 combat soldiers. After the main force of Kuidong arrives, the Twelfth Brigade will only be overstaffed, not understaffed.

At noon, the Red Army arrived at the Baxizhou area, and the two armies came into contact and the scouts fought. The Qing army was cautious and conservative, and did not fight actively. Whether it was the naval reconnaissance ships or the land scouts, they all fled in panic.

Baxizhou is an island in the middle of the river, about ten miles away from Juzizhou and twelve miles away from Changsha Linxiangmen (Daximen). It is very close to the west bank of the Xiangjiang River and has a larger area than Juzizhou, making it convenient for garrisoning troops.
The Eastern Route Army stopped marching and set up camp on the spot, about four miles away from the main Qing army at Shimapu. The 30,000-strong army camped for two miles, with deep trenches and high fortifications, ready for a long-term stalemate.

The central army sent auxiliary troops to occupy Bachi Island, leaving behind baggage and grain ships, and then continued downstream.

The Western Route Army continued to move north, facing the Central Route Army across the river, sweeping away the Qing invaders along the way. Because Changsha City was located on the east bank of the Xiangjiang River, the main force of the Qing army was deployed east of the Xiangjiang River, so the Western Route Army was able to march straight in, as if entering an empty land.

The central and western armies continued to descend for ten miles and approached Juzi Island. The Qing army was ready to fight, deploying artillery on both sides of the Xiangjiang River and at the head of Juzi Island, and blocking the river with warships.

In addition to the imitation Sanban and Changlong, the Qing army also had two huge ships, which were arranged in two rows at the head of Juzi Island, blocking the way of the Red Army Navy. These two ships were two feet above the water surface, and were in the shape of traditional tower ships. They could be equipped with huge cannons, but they also had wheels on both sides. Soldiers rode on the waves to move forward at a very fast speed, which was very conspicuous among the Qing army warships.

With a "boom", the huge Qing army ship fired first. The shells cut through the clear sky, making a shrill cry, and fell into the river in front of the Red Army, creating waves.

The shells bounced on the surface of the river several times, which showed their enormous power. The enemy must have placed red cannons on the giant ship.

The Red Army had only three small boats, and they were terrified when they saw this, and they all gave way. The sailors also asked one after another: "Are those two enemy ships ahead wheeled boats or tower ships?"

Ruan Tingfeng led the navy to fight calmly and said, "This is a tower ship that was common in the Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake area during the Song Dynasty. It was very expensive, heavy and difficult to navigate. It often carried large stones and used catapults to kill enemy ships. In order to improve the maneuverability of the tower ship, the Song people installed wheels on the ship to drive the soldiers to move forward on the waves. This ship has long been obsolete and has disappeared since the Yuan Dynasty. Unexpectedly, the Tartars tried desperate measures and the tower ship reappeared in the rivers and lakes today."

After the reign of Emperor Xuande, the Ming Dynasty no longer organized fleets to sail to the West. Since then, the Ming Dynasty's national strength has gradually declined, and both seagoing ships and warships have been developing in the direction of miniaturization. Large ships such as the tower ship are extremely expensive, but their combat effectiveness is very average, and they have basically disappeared in the Ming Dynasty.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that this huge ship is tall and can carry huge cannons. In fact, it is just a silver-plated spearhead, which looks good but is useless. Our association once fought against the Red Flag pirates in Guangzhou. The Sanban ship fought against the pirates' Guangchuan and Bird Ship and was able to win. What about this mere building ship?"

Ruan Tingfeng looked resolute and proud, and said: "Order the whole group, all ships must maintain formation and not panic. I will be the vanguard, and the whole group will not leave any reserves. All three ships will rush into the enemy formation and fight the Tartars close to the side. If we destroy the tower ships first, the Tartars will be in chaos."

The flags were changed, and the flag of the association flew high. Nguyen Dinh Phong personally took a three-panel boat and advanced to the front of the entire association. Seeing the commander of the association charging in the front, the morale of the soldiers was greatly boosted, and they quickly restored the formation.

The Tartars deployed huge cannons on Orange Island and on the tower ships. When they saw the Red Army attacking, they opened fire fiercely.

Today, the wind was against the wind and the water was favorable, so the Red Army simply put away the sails to avoid disrupting the formation. Because sailing against the wind, if the navy wants to move forward, it must zigzag and constantly correct its course. The Xiangjiang River channel is not wide to begin with, and the channel on both sides of the Orange Island ahead suddenly narrows, making it even more difficult to correct the course. The oarsmen and rowers paddled hard to drive the Sanban warship forward. The mountain-splitting cannon on the Sanban ship is stronger than the Weiyuan cannon and the Portuguese cannon, and can fire solid iron bullets, but it is still far inferior to the Red Cannon.

"Boom, boom, boom!" The enemy also noticed Nguyen Dinh Phong's central army flag and concentrated their artillery shells. Fortunately, the waves on the river were surging and the three-board ship was sailing fast. It was not easy for the Qing army to hit the central army warship with artillery.

Not long after, the Red Army approached Juzi Island and then split into two groups. Nguyen Dinh Phong led the first group to attack the enemy on the west wing. Two of the thirty three-ship warships were hit by artillery fire, and the rest of the warships successfully reached Juzi Island.

Nguyen Dinh Phong led the first battalion's nine three-panel ships to attack the tower ship, while the other two battalions supported and blocked the Qing army's small boats.

This tactic of "encircling a point and attacking reinforcements" has been tried and tested by the Red Army many times and has always worked well. Using it on the Qing Navy today is just the right opportunity to broaden their horizons.

A battalion of nine three-panel ships surrounded the tower ship, like a group of hungry wolves pouncing on a stupid elephant. The soldiers were extremely brave and risked firing at close range, first using the first shot to knock out the wheels and cut off the power of the tower ship.

The Qing army knew that they were about to die, so they tried to struggle and used fire bricks, blowtorches, fire bombs and other objects to throw at the Sanban warships from their high position.

This type of firearm had little killing power, and the Sanban ship did not give way. The Red Army musketeers used the Dinglu carbine to snipe the Qing army and succeeded repeatedly, scaring the Qing army away from the side of the ship.

Then, the Red Army used the hook and cymbals to get on the tower ship and call the fire ship to come over. The fire ship had been waiting behind the three-board ship for a long time, and when it heard the news, it came and put the other end of the hook and cymbals on the fire ship.

Soon, the four fireships were engulfed in flames. The hay, grease, and saltpeter burned violently and soon ignited the tower ships.

This set of tactics was as smooth as flowing water, and it was very enjoyable. In less than a quarter of an hour, the huge ship was engulfed in flames, and the soldiers fled for their lives.

The tower ship was the main gunboat of the Qing army and the flagship of the Qing generals. The other Qing warships only had light artillery and bird guns, and were no match for the Red Army's three-panel ship. When the tower ship fell, the other Qing warships fled for their lives. Some knew they could not escape, so they simply raised the white flag and surrendered.

The Qing navy was weak and not good at naval warfare. Luo Xiujin had put together a fleet of mixed men and women, and once they showed signs of weakness on the battlefield, they were quickly defeated.

"Surrender without killing!"

“Han people don’t fight Han people!”

The Red Army was good at united front work and lost no time in shouting slogans to persuade the Qing army to surrender, which further aggravated the Qing army's defeat.

(End of this chapter)