The Aegean Sea has an extremely romantic name, but at this moment in the Aegean Sea, ordinary merchant ships, fishing boats and the like have long since disappeared, and the smell of gunpowder smoke permeating the ocean is so strong that even in the Aegean Sea,
In the vast sea, the two huge fleets can clearly sense each other's existence.
April 15, the 16th year of Hongzhi.
Just as Tian Erniu had expected from the beginning, starting from Sicily, he had been threatening to bombard the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Naturally, it was impossible for the Ottoman Empire to just sit idly by.
If Istanbul is bombarded by the Ming Dynasty fleet, it will definitely be a heavy blow to the already precarious Ottoman Empire.
Neighbors on all sides are waiting for the opportunity. The European knights march all the way eastward, under the banner of the cross, invincible, and the smoke is billowing in the Balkans.
On the Persian Plateau, a hundred thousand Persian troops were aggressively attacking undefended cities one after another with endless fury, shouting the slogan of making the Persian Empire great again.
The Crimean Khanate in the north seems to be disobedient. They have long wanted to get rid of the control of the Ottoman Empire, and now they finally have the opportunity.
The previously obedient falcons turned around and attacked the border of the Ottoman Empire with such ferocity that the waves on the Black Sea were turbulent.
The Arabs in the south seemed to be dissatisfied with the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Tribal chiefs from various places revolted one after another, and the Ottoman Empire's rule here was about to fall apart.
If the Ming fleet is allowed to bombard the heart of the Ottoman Empire, this senselessness will greatly encourage all parties, severely damage the morale of the Ottoman Empire, and make the situation worse.
Therefore, although the Ottoman Empire has tried to negotiate peace with the Ming Dynasty, it still concentrated all its organized maritime forces in the Aegean Sea, preparing for a bloody battle with the Ming Empire's fleet to defend the honor of the Ottoman Empire.
The red-bearded Oruci stood on the deck a little bored. As the most famous pirate in this period of the Ottoman Empire, his other nickname "Barbarossa" almost made all the areas along the Mediterranean become disgraced.
"Barbarossa" means red beard. Oruch has a thick red beard and a big bandage on his head that is unique to the Ottoman Empire.
His eyes were very calm, looking calmly at the sea to the south, looking forward to the arrival of the Ming Dynasty and the Spanish United Fleet.
"Brother, I heard that the people of the Ming Dynasty are extremely rich. How about we leave the Mediterranean after this battle and rob the ships of the Ming Dynasty?"
Beside Oruch, his brother Herzl said with shining eyes.
"As long as you can survive, I heard that the Ming Dynasty's artillery is extremely sharp. I'm afraid this battle will be an unprecedented bloody battle."
Compared to the confidence of his younger brother Herzl, the red-bearded Oruch seems to lack confidence.
Looking back at the surrounding sea, Ottoman warships formed a huge fleet cruising on the sea. The crescent flags raised on each warship looked like thousands of troops, majestic.
There are more than a hundred warships, among which there are more than a hundred regular naval ships of the Ottoman Empire, and the remaining fifty or so are all pirate ships of the Ottoman Empire.
Similar to the English in Western Europe, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire also supported pirates. Not only did he issue licenses to pirates, but he also shared the fruits of pirate victory. He also relied on pirates to conquer the southern coast of the Mediterranean and attack Spain and France in the Christian world.
Italy etc.
"What are the people of Ming Dynasty to be afraid of? I will chop off their heads with my sword."
Herzl said nonchalantly, as a pirate, he is very fierce and not afraid of death, and he longs for the feeling of fighting.
"Dang Dang~Dang~"
At this moment, sirens sounded from the ship's mast.
"Enemy ship discovered~Enemy ship discovered~"
Suddenly, the red-bearded Oruqi, Herzl and others looked towards the sea to the south. They saw that between the water and the sky, at the intersection of the blue water and the blue sky, they could vaguely see the figures of warships.
.
At the top of these warships, the dragon flag of the Ming Dynasty was fluttering in the wind.
"Prepare for battle!"
The red-bearded Oruqi roared angrily, and immediately the pirates on the entire battleship began to roar along with him.
The same was true on the surrounding warships. Whether it was the Ottoman Empire's navy or the Ottoman Empire's pirates, everyone began to get busy quickly.
"Full speed ahead!"
Soon, as the order was issued, the sails on a ship were raised one after another. On both sides of the ship, long oars were stretched out. In the cabin of the ship, a strong sailor was on standby.
, as long as they give an order, they will row the oars as hard as they can, rush in front of the enemy as fast as possible, and then use a series of battles to eliminate the opponent.
However, the distance is still relatively far now, so they just raised the sails. When the distance is suitable, they will be needed to charge.
The warships of the Ottoman Empire, like those of the Venetian Republic, were galleys, a hybrid of canvas and oars. They were fast and flexible, but had shallow drafts and the ships were relatively small.
"What a big boat!"
"If there were two big ships like this, I would dare to sack Rome!"
As the distance between the two sides got closer and closer, he could gradually see the enemy's warship clearly. Oruch looked at the Ming warship rushing at the front and couldn't help but lick his lips.
As a pirate, he knows very well that a pirate's most important asset is a ship, and having good ships is the key to pirates running rampant on the sea.
The Ming warships on the sea are very large, full of streamlines, and as moving as girls.
"Be careful, don't damage my ship!"
Red-bearded Oruch couldn't help shouting to his pirates that he must capture such a big ship, and he had even thought of a name for it.
On the other side, on the side of the Ming Dynasty fleet, Tian Erniu looked at the Ottoman Empire fleet in the sea ahead with a telescope, with a smile on his lips.
"Come to life~"
"It's just as we expected. If we want to attack their capital, they will have to find an opportunity to fight us."
"Go down the order and fight according to the old rules!"
"Yes~"
Soon, the Ming fleet quickly changed its formation. One by one, the Ming warships circled to both sides, forming a huge semicircle, seeming to eat up the Ottoman Empire's fleet.
The brave Spanish bullfighters are still the same as they were in the Battle of Biscay, like an arrow leaving the string, maintaining a tight formation, and piercing the center of the Ottoman Empire fleet like a sharp knife.
Time is passing slowly, and gradually, the distance between the two parties is getting closer and closer.
"Come on!"
In the cabins of the Ottoman Empire ships, accompanied by roars one after another, the oarsmen in the cabins immediately began to row the oars vigorously.
The galleys were like centipedes with legs. With the paddling of the oars, the speed of the boats soared rapidly and they rushed towards the oncoming Spanish fleet.
"Dong dong~dong dong~"
The Ming fleet opened fire first, and with a rumbling roar, billowing white smoke rose from the Ming warships. The shells roared in the sky, and soon landed on the Ottoman fleet.
"Boom~"
Huge water pillars rose up on the sea surface, setting off a large amount of sea water that wetted the surrounding warships. The red-bearded Oruch was splashed with water by the water pillars.
"What a powerful artillery, with such a long range."
Oruch couldn't help but touch the seawater on his face, then calculated the distance between them, and immediately sighed.
As soon as he finished speaking, a ship next to him was hit by a cannonball. A huge hole appeared on the side of the ship, sawdust flew quickly, and there was a miserable wailing sound in the cabin.
"Quick~speed up~"
"Otherwise we will just be beaten passively!"
Oruch couldn't help roaring, facing such a powerful artillery, the distance must be shortened as soon as possible.
"Dong dong~dong dong~"
The intensive artillery attack was like a tidal wave, with no intention of stopping. Wave after wave, countless shells formed a hail of bullets, covering an area.
Whenever bullets rained down, an Ottoman warship was bound to be hit.
Soon some unlucky warships began to sink, and some unlucky warships were hit on their masts, causing their speed to drop sharply, but more warships still rushed toward the enemy without fear of death.
"Great Spanish matadors, pick up the swords in your hands, show your courage, and follow me to destroy these infidels!"
On one of the Spanish warships, Corster drew out the sword from his waist and roared angrily at the people around him.
The Spaniards did not have the slightest favorable impression of the Ottoman Empire.
Historically, Spain was ruled by the Middle East for hundreds of years. It was not until the last hundred years that Spain gradually overthrew the rule of the Middle East, slowly restored the status of Christ in Spain, and expelled
Middle Eastern people.
During this process, the hatred between each other was deep. What's more, the pirates of the Ottoman Empire often plundered Spanish villages, towns, ports, etc., which made the Spanish hate pirates deeply.
Whether it is English pirates or Ottoman pirates, for Spanish matadors, whenever they encounter pirates, they want to drown them all in the sea.
"kill!"
The matadors were extremely excited. They raised their bows, arrows, swords, shields, muskets, etc. one after another. The crosses flying on the sails turned bright red.
"Sailboats are only suitable for use in small bays like this."
"Fire at me and sink them all into the sea!"
Tian Erniu held a telescope and gave the order with confidence,
