The ruins of the Majiadora Palace have been used by Liu Ziguang and transformed into a temporary stronghold. A trench was dug outside the palace, and the students hid in it under the leaves, armed with live ammunition to guard against enemy raids.
Liu Ziguang's canvas tent was opened, and a large flag with clear characters fluttered in the wind.
On the beach, the funeral of the fallen cadets was being held. The bodies of the nine fallen cadets were placed on the firewood pile. One hundred and twenty cadets lined up to bid farewell to Pao Ze. A pair of young eyes under the rim of the iron helmet contained perseverance. Now
They are no longer just fledgling martial arts students, but warriors who have experienced the test of life and death.
Liu Ziguang also wore a formal dress and stood in front of the queue, and together with the cadets, he listened to the orders of Anthony, the funeral master of ceremonies. Anthony stood facing the queue and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Everyone is here, take off your hats!"
With a collective sound, the people present took off their iron helmets or black gauze together, and hugged them in the crook of their left arm tied with black gauze. Anthony shouted again: "Farewell to the martyrs and toast." Liu Ziguang took the lead to step forward and
They circled around the body of the martyr and poured a bowl of white wine on the pyre. Then others lined up to circle around the body and sprinkled the liquor in their hands into the pyre. After that, everyone stood in silence again.
Next to them were thirty fully armed students in a neat square formation, with white feathers on their iron helmets. They were wearing neat and clean white military uniforms, with criss-crossed cowhide armed belts on their bodies, and their bayonets were polished brightly. They followed.
Antony's neat and neat movements showed excellent military qualities and discipline.
"Guard of honor, raise the gun and fire it!"
"Raise the gun and let go!"
Thirty firecrackers, each in groups of ten, were fired into the sky. The sound of the firecrackers frightened a sea of seabirds. As the torches were thrown into the pyre, the pyre soaked in strong alcohol burned violently, and the flames licked the young people.
The faces and eyes of the students slowly became moist, but no one cried. They just knelt down solemnly with Marshal Liu and kowtowed three times to the deceased. Green smoke curled up into the sky, and the bodies of the martyrs were reduced to ashes with the fire.
For some unknown reason, a few seagulls flew above the beach and circled, their shrill cries adding a touch of sadness to the funeral.
This funeral was specially arranged by Liu Ziguang in order to enhance the sense of belonging and honor of the students. There is no doubt that he achieved this goal. The corners of the students' mouths were tight and their eyes were steely. If they were allowed to attack the port now,
The British must get twice the result with half the effort.
Really, what you want comes to you. Just after the funeral, an ultimatum from the British came. It was said that the British East India Company ordered the Ming Dynasty army to immediately use Ala in order to maintain the political stability of the Kingdom of Macedonia and the economic prosperity of the Free Port of Singapore.
King Bama, withdraw from Singapore waters, otherwise the East India Company will retain any power including the use of force to expel.
"Fart, let's fight if we want, China is afraid of you!" Liu Ziguang was furious, threw the letter on the envoy's face, and ordered them to be blasted out. Rejecting the British ultimatum meant the coming of war.
This has exceeded the scope of the original estimate. The strength of the two hundred trainees is a bit stretched, but we must not retreat at this moment. The British are bullying them to the point of being bullied. The Tiger mercenary group is clearly hired by them. They must use strong words at this moment.
Asking Liu Ziguang to withdraw is nothing.
Of course, Liu Ziguang is not a religious man. He came thousands of miles away just to get Temasek. He thought it was a relaxing military summer camp, but he didn't expect Cheng Yaojin to show up halfway. The situation became more complicated. There were already nine trainees.
He died in Temasek. This is an extremely serious problem. Liu Ziguang was a protector and a student in the martial arts hall.
They are all his thorns in the heart. To kill his soldiers is to go against him. To go against him is to go against the Ming Dynasty. He knows very well what these British grandsons are thinking. It is nothing more than the fact that the Ming Dynasty is extremely far away from Temasek.
Out of reach, the British were so powerful at sea that hundreds of people in these two ships were taken away, and the Ming Dynasty had no power to intervene.
This idea is absurd, not to mention that the Ming Dynasty has formed a solid alliance with the Song Dynasty and has made great progress in the ocean navy. Even from a conceptual point of view, Liu Ziguang's idea of sea persuasion is far beyond their imagination.
He knew Temasek's prominent position very well. Even if Zhao Wen didn't mention the bride price, he would take over this treasure sooner or later.
The two sides were already at odds and were ready to start a war at any time. Liu Ziguang used a flag to notify Zhao Wen stationed on the Black Swan and asked her to be alert to the sea. He led the students to dig fortifications and prepare for land battles. The troop transport ship did not have heavy equipment.
weapons, drove to the shallow water area, put down the sampan, and brought gunpowder and boxes of lead bullets ashore, along with
Bundles of spears, crossbows and arrows were all sharp weapons moved from the warehouse of the Song Dynasty Military Headquarters, as well as bags of rice and boxes of vegetables, meat, and canned fruits. Zhao Wen also bought the goods from the Black Swan
Thirty cannons were dismantled from the boat, and sampans were used to move to the shore, assuming a posture of launching a war on both land and sea at the same time, and a protracted war.
Temasek is as big as a booger, and they can clearly see each other's situation. The British have three main strongholds in the Far East, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Taiwan and Hong Kong are both under the eyes of the Ming Dynasty, and they cannot station too many warships.
, so most of the naval power in the Far East is concentrated in Singapore, the British Navy and other
Western countries are different. They are composed of pirates. In order to revitalize the British economy, Queen Elizabeth issued many privateering licenses to pirates in her country. In this way, they had official status, and at least they would not be immediately captured by the other party after being captured.
Hanged, but enjoyed the status of prisoners of war. The pirates, under the patronage of the Queen, fought for
Britain stole a lot of wealth, and the Queen did not treat them badly. She gave many knighthoods to pirate leaders and incorporated them into the British Royal Navy. John Hawkins was the most famous one. Hawkins's sailors were brave and good at fighting.
, extremely adventurous, even the Spanish Armada was defeated by them,
Although the Ming Dynasty's battle to conquer Penghu and Taiwan last year showed extraordinary strength, it was only a battle in the offshore and on the shore, which did not reflect the combat effectiveness of the ocean fleet. In today's world, when it comes to the strength of the navy, apart from the Song Dynasty, it is the Netherlands and England.
, Spain, the former maritime overlord, could not defeat these two newly rising little brothers.
At the top of the mast of the Black Swan, a thin sailor crossed his legs on the pole, holding a pair of binoculars and looking towards the port. He saw wisps of black smoke rising in the port, and shouted down.
Said: "The enemy ship has set fire and left the harbor!"
Zhao Wen was dressed as a pirate and stood on the bridge of the ship and calmly ordered: "Light the fire, lower the sails, load the bombs, and all personnel will be at the first level of combat readiness."
The chief mate next to her conveyed her orders to every corner of the battleship. Hundreds of well-trained sailors took action quickly. In order not to affect maneuverability, the sails were lowered and the boilers that had not been extinguished were originally sealed.
, now open the furnace door and use the blower to blow hard, the chain conveyor belt is constantly transporting high-quality lump coal into the furnace, the steam is burning, black smoke is coming out of the chimney, seventy artillery are filled with ammunition, and murderous intent is rising from the cannon.
Sticking out of the hole, the Black Swan does not look like an elegant swan, it is simply a strange fish covered in venomous spines.
England's warships are also hybrid-powered, but they are not equipped with advanced underwater propellers, but old-fashioned paddlewheels that turn the water on both sides. In addition, they also have sets of sails. They use sails for ocean voyages and steam engines for battle.
It was this small improvement that enabled the English navy to defeat the Spanish Armada, which was purely powered by sails. The English sailors were all pirates, rough and tough, and hard-working. In their hearts, except for Her Majesty the Queen and their own captain, there was no one else.
Without respecting any power, the Spanish overlords in the past were trampled under their feet, let alone these thin and small Easterners.
The Black Swan is very strange. It looks like a Spanish wooden mail ship powered by pure sails. In fact, there is a boiler system and propeller hidden inside. Armor plates are also installed at key positions. The flag of the Ming Dynasty is flying on the mast. But
The sailors were all from the Song Dynasty, and these royal navy personnel who were stationed in the Song Dynasty were actually wearing pirate attire.
"God, why did they lower the sail? Do you want to stay there and get beaten?" a young British officer put down his telescope and said. Standing next to him was the commander of the British fleet, the governor of Hong Kong, and the executive of the East India Company.
Sir John Hawkins, the officer, said calmly: "The mysterious Easterners are unpredictable and cannot be fooled by superficial illusions. Their warships must be equipped with advanced weapons. If I am not wrong, they are the kind that can
An enlarged version of the Spitfire infantry weapon, they can sink one of our ships with a single salvo."
The young officer's face was a little flushed: "It's a pity that there is only one such powerful warship. It will be difficult for us to swarm him. As long as we can get close and fight, we will win. Sir, please allow me to lead the commando team to take the speedboat to seize this ship."
Battleship."
Sir Hawkins nodded with satisfaction: "Francis, you are very brave and smart. Even the best boxer can't stop the attack of ten street gangsters. Our warships are more than twenty times his number."
, As long as there is a ship close to him, he can win. This ship must have many secrets. If you capture it, you can get the powerful weapons of the East. I ordered the fleet to surround the enemy ship in a fan shape and get close to fight regardless of the loss. Francis
, you pick thirty good men with daggers and axes, take advantage of the chaos and climb onto their decks in a speedboat, remember, try to capture them alive, Her Majesty needs prisoners who understand technology."
Captain Francis Drake nodded firmly. It was he who introduced Prince Ning, Zuo Menggeng and the others to his cousin Sir Hawkins. Despite his young age, he had already gone through several experiences.
This desperate battle with the Spanish revealed the tenacity of the English and the calmness that a pirate should have. Most of the sailors in the British fleet had the same idea as Francis, and they did not
He was not afraid of this mysterious black warship at all, all he thought about was how to defeat him and capture him.
Twenty-five British warships formed a formation and rushed towards the Black Swan. Twenty-five black smoke pillars flew against the wind on the sea, and the sirens blew. This was the British navy's salute to their opponents before the war.