From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 812

The Henggao and Hengfeng ships came from the west and instantly saw the situation on the sea. The former headed north to bombard the two cruisers that were landing, while the latter continued east to support the Hengpan ship that was fighting one against two.

In this eastern sea area, an unprecedented and shocking naval battle finally kicked off.

The sound of the cannons shook the sky and the earth, and there were loud noises everywhere. The flames ignited the ships, and were quickly extinguished by the soldiers with sand.

The four battleships of Dajin faced the three battleships and two cruisers of Franji. For McPherson, this war was beyond his expectations, and for the soldiers of Dajin, they had been longing for this moment for too long.

The will to fight was no longer on the same level.

It can be clearly seen that the Hengpan and Hengfeng ships kept firing and kept approaching the two cruisers behind, making the other side overwhelmed. The speed of reloading the artillery was much slower, and it was obvious that the morale of the army was greatly affected.

"Boarding! Go aboard and kill them!"

Some soldiers couldn't hold back their excitement and wanted to swim over and chop off the foreigners' heads with their own hands.

But the captains were very calm. Although their equipment was not inferior and their soldiers were very motivated, they might not be able to gain an advantage by boarding, after all, the other side was better at short-range gunfights in narrow and multi-obstructed spaces.

So far, the best way for Dajin to fight a decisive battle is still artillery fire.

On the Hengyong ship, Yi Sanshi and Yuan Zhiming had already entered the cabin, but they still saw this fierce scene through the window hole, and even couldn't help but want to help load ammunition.

They were so excited that they wanted to do something, but they couldn't find their position and didn't dare to cause trouble easily.

On the Hengpan ship, Bai Yu and Xia Jianghe also stood side by side, each holding the cabin, panting heavily.

Bai Yu said excitedly: "Brother Jiang Xia, it's so exciting. The navy of our Great Jin can also compete with the Portuguese."

"It is said that the technology of these strong ships and powerful guns was obtained by the prince from the Minister of Trade of Haojing two years ago. The prince's vision is indeed much longer-term."

Xia Jianghe nodded solemnly: "Naval warfare is indeed different from land warfare. The former focuses too much on equipment. The range and power of artillery, the sturdiness and sailing speed of warships, and the role of manpower is not so big."

"Bai Yu, this battle made me deeply feel the importance of those Portuguese craftsmen. If we have more people like Mr. Burton in our Great Jin, will we make a lot of progress?"

This sentence made Bai Yu stunned for a moment, and then he nodded and said: "Of course, that's right, this is what we scholars should do."

The two looked at each other, and with the sound of gunfire, they gradually had some ideas about their future.

On the Henggao ship, Zhou Yuan looked ahead quietly.

Amid the artillery fire, the two cruisers could no longer withstand the bombardment of the battleships and were forced to stop the boarding landing. Instead, they raised their sails and tried to distance themselves by using their speed.

Although the cruisers were fast, their initial speed was also very average. No one could withstand the bombardment.

Some of the Portuguese soldiers were directly smashed, and some jumped into the sea and were frantically shot by the Jin navy who rushed out from behind the cargo box.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "All in, it's a kind of wisdom."

"McPherson is very smart. He gave up Haojing and brought everyone on board to fight us."

"It's a pity that in addition to their soldiers, there are women and children on the ship, as well as countless goods."

"He must be extremely panicked at the moment, and he only wants to escape."

Li Yu'an chuckled and said, "Of course, you can see that the three battleships have turned south again."

Zhou Yuan said, "It's a pity, I won't let him leave easily, even if both sides suffer losses, he must pay the corresponding price so that he can make a smarter choice."

"Nie Zairong, send out flag signals to let the three ships Hengyong, Hengpan and Hengfeng attack with us."

"Now is the time to beat the drowning dog."

In the cabin on the other side, McPherson was indeed anxious.

In order to use Haojing to delay Zhou Yuan, he retreated very late, so that there was no time to transfer Haojing's supplies in advance.

Now all the supplies and personnel are loaded on five large ships. What's the point of fighting Zhou Yuan like this?

Both sides will suffer losses. Zhou Yuan can be fully staffed at any time, but where can I recover?

So many supplies and wealth, all sunk into the sea, so many years will be wasted.

The abomination is that Zhou Yuan seemed to have realized in advance that Haojing was a bait, and actually ordered the Chaozhou merchant fleet to stop sailing, smoothing out the time difference.

"No more fighting."McPherson said: "There is no advantage to be gained by fighting further. We have come all the way here, not to fight to the death."

"Retreat! Retreat to the southern seas! Zhou Yuan dare not pursue them too far!"

Pedro whispered: "I have ordered to retreat, but Your Excellency the Governor, we have too many things loaded, the battleships are heavy, and the speed has not been able to increase. I am afraid we can't outrun the enemy."

McPherson said: "What do you know! Even if Zhou Yuan catches up and fights us to the death, he will not get any advantage. After all, we are only five ships."

"These battleships were obtained by Dajin with great difficulty. Zhou Yuan can't bet them all. Otherwise, even if we lose, they will almost be wiped out."

"The Dutch are eyeing us covetously. Zhou Yuan will not do such a stupid thing!"

"Retreat quickly!"

Three battleships and two cruisers fled south frantically under dense artillery fire.

However, McPherson soon received a report: "Governor, the warships of Dajin are catching up."

McPherson laughed and said: "Zhou Yuan is afraid of being fooled after all, and he sent a warship to chase us, fearing that we will kill back."

"No, Governor, it's four battleships, all chasing us."

Hearing this, McPherson's eyes widened and said: "Ah?"

He hurried to the second deck and looked through the window of the cannon. He saw four battleships coming from the left and right sides, with gunfire roaring and a huge momentum.

McPherson couldn't help but swear: "Stupid! Zhou Yuan is really stupid! What's the point of him fighting with me like this? If he pushes me to a corner, the worst thing is that we will die together. I don't know what Dajin can do to defend the Dutch!"

"I thought he was a hero, but I didn't expect him to be so impulsive and not care about the overall situation of the sea at all."

He was obviously a little furious.

He took out his pipe, lit it and took a deep puff. He saw the burly man next to him, then glared at him and said, "Why are you staring at me? Send an order! Speed ​​up! Get rid of them!"

Pedro said in a deep voice, "We can't get rid of them. We are too heavy and our speed is obviously not superior."

McPherson closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and gritted his teeth and said, "Keep heading south. I want to see how long Zhou Yuan can chase us!"

"Fight them! Shooting out the shells will reduce the load."

So, on the sea, four battleships chased three battleships and two cruisers, and started a vigorous artillery battle.

The hulls of both sides were constantly damaged in the battle, and the carpenters on both sides frantically repaired them, and died in the artillery fire.

On the ships of Dajin, there were experienced warriors who could withstand a protracted war.

But McPherson couldn't do that. In addition to the soldiers, there were women and children on their ships, as well as a large amount of supplies and gold and silver treasures. He couldn't afford to lose!

So in name, it was a bombardment, but in fact, the Portuguese warships were escaping like crazy.

This battle started at dusk and continued to the south. The chase lasted for a full 800 miles and lasted for a full 20 hours.

After the gun barrels were red, they stopped and fired again after cooling down. The soldiers took turns to fight, and the warships of both sides were seriously damaged.

Especially McPherson's warships, because of their heavy load, slow speed, and unstable morale, they were always suppressed.

Until the dawn of the third day, one of the cruisers could no longer hold on, a large area of ​​the right side was damaged, the hull began to tilt, and finally sank.

Accompanied by hundreds of Portuguese people on it and countless supplies, it sank into the sea.

McPherson, exhausted physically and mentally, yelled angrily: "Madman! Zhou Yuan is a madman!"

"Why did he do this! Why did he let the Dutch take advantage of him!"

His eyes were red, and he gritted his teeth and said: "No more running! If we keep running like this, we will die!"

"Just stop! Fight them!"

"At worst, we will all drown in the sea!"