On the sea, the boat was as fast as the wind, but Zuo Hua seemed to be calm and relaxed.
Through the telescope, you can already see the silhouette of Zheng's fleet on the lake.
"According to intelligence, the number of Zheng's warships is about three hundred. This is less than one-fifth. We can judge that Zheng Zhilong must have set up an ambush somewhere ahead."
Shang Kexi fulfilled his duty and informed Zuo Hua of his thoughts.
"Where else could it be? Of course it would be around Zhoushan, which has complex terrain."
Zuo Huadong watched the fire and firmly grasped Zheng Zhilong's thoughts.
The Zheng family's boats are basically traditional Oriental flat-bottomed boats.
This kind of boat sails in inland rivers and offshore areas, and is stable and very safe. However, when it reaches the open sea, it cannot withstand the disturbance of waves, and it has no advantage in speed.
If we really want to fight in the open sea, no matter how many ships Zheng Zhilong has, it is impossible to defeat the four third-level battleships Zuo Hua has.
Therefore, Zheng Zhilong must choose a battlefield that is very beneficial to him in order to win.
Looking at the East China Sea, only the area around Zhoushan Islands is the most suitable.
The sea water there is very shallow, there are many islands, dense reefs, and narrow channels. No matter from which point of view, it is very suitable for Zheng's operations.
It is difficult for a large ship like a third-tier battleship to move around in such waters.
"Then do we still want to chase?"
Seeing that Zuo Hua knew what he was doing, he felt happy and relieved.
"Chase. Why don't you chase? If we don't chase, Zheng Zhilong will run away."
"But such terrain is very unfavorable for our operations."
Zuo Hua chuckled, which was profound.
"Who knows? In this battle, it's hard to judge the winner until the end."
His eyes noticed that a speedboat rushed towards the east sea.
This clipper did not approach the fleet, but started waving its flag five miles away, transmitting some kind of signal.
Only Zuo Hua could understand this kind of signal, which made his smile grow stronger.
"Give me the order to speed up. Don't let Zheng's people run too easily."
The four battleships hoisted their full sails, their speed suddenly increased a lot, and they rushed towards Zheng Zhibao's fleet.
When Shi Daxuan saw this scene, he quickly stepped in without having time to think about it.
The order he received was to delay Zuo Hua's attack and reduce his own losses.
Although both he and Zheng Zhibao were baits set by Zheng Zhilong. However, it was the Zheng family's ship that was lost, and Zheng Zhilong felt very distressed.
If you can save one ship from damage, there will be one less ship that will be damaged.
From this aspect, Zheng Zhilong is still a bit petty.
"Distance 1,100 meters, direction 245, one calibration shot."
According to the Xia Navy's combat maneuvers, one thousand meters is already the distance for firing.
Xia Jun's artillery has an absolute range advantage and is very accurate. Naturally, there is no need to wait for the enemy's warships to get close and bombard them.
This is the most wonderful feeling of being able to hit the enemy, but the enemy cannot hit you.
On the Linqing, a shell escaped from the gun and hit Shi Daxuan's fleet.
It missed its target and splashed a large wave on the sea between the two ships. The churning water turned many people on the two ships into drowned rats.
The pirates all changed their expressions. Looking at the weapons in their hands, they felt extremely powerless.
"One thousand one hundred meters away, the bronze cannon should be able to hit us."
Seeing that Shi Daxuan did not fight back, Zuo Hua was a little confused.
Regarding this, Shang Ke is happy but well aware of it.
"The total number of artillery pieces purchased by the Zheng family from us is just over 200. Zheng Zhilong must be holding them in his own hands like a treasure. As for the others, they can't get them."
Zuo Hua suddenly understood and couldn't help laughing.
"Pirates are pirates, they only care about themselves. Does Zheng Zhilong think that he can defeat us with those broken cannons?"
Shang Ke is so happy that he can't help but smile.
"No matter what, it is the Zheng family's best weapon."
"Data unchanged, salvo!"
Although the calibrated cannonball did not hit the target, since it landed in Zheng's fleet, it means that the data is correct.
Therefore, the salvo of Xia's navy was officially launched.
Four third-level battleships lined up and aimed their sides at the approaching Shi Daxuan fleet.
Each battleship has more than twenty cannons on one side, and four battleships have nearly ninety cannons.
When they were launched together, the entire sea trembled, and the rising white smoke completely enveloped the entire fleet.
The shells fired completely covered Shi Daxuan's fleet.
Explosions were heard one after another on the sea, and even the rolling waves carried a fatal threat.
Shi Daxuan had more than 30 ships at his disposal, and half of them were destroyed in this single salvo.
His ship was not hit, but a shell hit the mast. It exploded in the air and swept away the entire deck.
Fortunately, Shi Daxuan was quick to see the opportunity and hid behind the bunker, so he did not suffer any disaster.
Looking at the miserable situation on his side, his face turned pale and he finally felt scared.
"Turn around and retreat."
He didn't dare to bear it any longer.
Otherwise, maybe the Xia army's next round of shelling can wipe them all out.
Seeing Shi Daxuan turning around and running away, Zuo Hua didn't care about himself and still ordered four warships to pursue him leisurely.
The two sides bypassed Songjiang Prefecture and arrived at the mouth of the Qiantang River.
Directly ahead, the Zhoushan Islands are in sight.
The sea area in this area is very wide, and there are scattered islands everywhere.
However, each island is small, so it is impossible to hide a huge fleet.
Xia Jun carefully observed the surrounding situation while continuing to pursue Zheng Zhibao and others.
Zheng's plan was basically similar to Zuo Hua's guess.
At this time, Zheng Zhilong was leading the main fleet and hiding in the narrow waterway behind Daxie Mountain (now Daxie Island).
It is adjacent to the land, and usually only small boats ferry people back and forth.
Zheng Zhilong and Daming colluded together, so they could use this terrain to hide.
He did not choose the big island of Zhoushan, or barrier places such as Jintang Mountain (Jintang Island) and Cezi Mountain (Cezi Island).
He believed that Zuo Hua would never let go of these places and would treat them with caution and not give Zheng any chance.
Only by giving up these two islands with better terrain and allowing Xia's navy to go deeper will we be able to achieve a complete victory.
"First officer, Xia Jun is chasing us."
Zheng's boat shuttled across the water at high speed, bringing exciting news.
Zheng Zhilong felt that the blood all over his body was boiling.
"Is the third master's side ready? Has anyone noticed?"
The scout quickly reported.
"The Third Master is lying around day and night, and there are few people around. There is no way he will be seen."
This answer made Zheng Zhilong feel a little more comfortable.
"Tell everyone, cheer up. When I give the order, you must not be negligent. Anyone who dares to delay the matter will be punished by death."
Under the strict order, Zheng's pirates all put away their usual laziness and began to enter a fighting state.
