Xu Mochen stood on the deck. Behind the Ningtai flagship, there were nine other warships distributed at a certain distance.
The steel on every ship shines in the sun.
The chimney standing on the hull indicates that it is powered by a steam engine.
A huge progress across the ages.
There are still many places where wood is used, and steel is only connected with rivets, but the overall level is no longer the level of this era.
The fleet led by Aikli moved north very quickly.
At the beginning, they still tested the situation of Daqian and advanced step by step.
But when we arrived at several coastal prefectures and counties later, we received news that the whole country knew that the emperor had escaped with his harem officials, and there were riots everywhere.
Aikeli immediately ordered to increase the speed, and now their vanguard has arrived near the sea area of the capital.
Because the opponent's fleet has front and rear, Xu Mochen can only wait for the entire fleet to assemble before he starts to attack together.
He has an absolute advantage in terms of individual ships, but he also has to consider the difference in quantity.
"We have a fort near the port," Tang Derun handed him the telescope, "but the power of the fort may not be as powerful as the fleet of the foreign country."
Back then, Xu Mochen's advancement in thermal weapons was not very in-depth.
Without him, with the help of the Ten Directions World, he could unify the country faster than he planned.
When the world is unified, the main conflict becomes between him and the world of immortality.
Therefore, the current overall armaments of Daqian are still very backward.
"Wei Chen estimates that the port will be occupied soon," Tang Derun has issued various instructions according to the deployment. "The garrison near the port will evacuate after symbolic resistance.
In this way, the enemy fleet should dock."
After docking and confirming that there is nothing unusual, we will let the large troops come over.
This is their most important time point.
"Let the garrison troops not engage in head-on conflicts," Xu Mochen repeatedly warned, "We must grit our teeth and wait until the sheep enters the tiger's mouth."
But in fact, they know that a small number of sacrifices are indispensable.
Soon, the first three-masted warship from a foreign country appeared in Xu Mochen's telescope.
The flags fluttering in the wind are extremely conspicuous and demonstrate their absolute confidence.
The distance was carefully calculated, and Xu Mochen was able to ensure that his fleet would not be discovered.
At noon, he heard the first cannon fire.
Judging from the sound, it was the fort near the port that launched the attack first.
Xu Mochen couldn't see the specific battle situation, and it was impossible for him to fly away with his sword at this time.
The only thing you can do is wait.
Soon, the sound of intensive platoon artillery shelling also sounded.
This is the counterattack of the foreign fleet.
Xu Mochen silently estimated that the time from the beginning to the sporadic sound of artillery fire was only half an hour.
"In a sense, the fleet of the foreign country is indeed very powerful." Xu Mochen commented honestly.
Natural Sect still has its own unique features.
"The next step should be for them to dock, and then the large forces will follow," he breathed out, "pass the order and we are ready to fight."
At present, in terms of naval warfare, the connection with land is separated.
Both sides have immortal cultivators, so this area cannot play its role.
But Xu Mochen had arranged countermeasures in advance.
If it is determined that the foreign fleet is gathering, the garrison on land will set off fireworks into the sky.
That's the best time to take action.
This wait is two hours.
During this period, you can see a fleet passing through the sea in the distance.
"It's almost done," Xu Mochen turned around and ordered, "According to the original formation, our fleet's wings will be spread out."
The mode of naval battle is different from that of land battle.
The fire coverage distance between ships, as well as the sailing speed and direction of each ship, etc., must be taken into consideration.
However, Xu Mochen's fleet relies on steam power to drive propellers, so the impact of wind is much smaller.
But the opponent is a sailboat, and the wind power must also be taken into account.
The wind direction at this time is against the foreign fleet heading north.
When the battle starts later, they will have a tailwind and their speed will be much faster.
"Your Majesty," Tang Derun made the final confirmation, "After the war begins, the degree of annihilation of the opponent will be..."
Xu Mochen said expressionlessly: "Go all out and don't let any fleet go."
He doesn't have time to deal with the war between human nations. It's okay if the foreign countries don't mess with him. Now that they dare to rush forward, Xu Mochen thinks that the best way to solve it is to beat them into fear.
Beat them until they mention Daqian, and they will have fear from the very bottom of their bones.
Tang Derun sighed in his heart. More than a hundred fleets gathered all the elites of the western foreign countries' navies. If this battle continues, the opponent will be inactive for at least fifty years.
Fifty years is enough time for further development.
Time passed by minute by second, and in the afternoon, Xu Mochen finally saw clouds of fireworks exploding over the distant coast.
Signal for war!
Aikli also saw this change and frowned.
He has already commanded the fleet and concentrated it in the waters near the port. Some ships have even docked.
At the outermost edge, there are two fleets blocking the entrance to the sea to prevent ambushes.
Just as he was about to ask, an adjutant came running quickly.
"Sir Admiral, the fleet in charge of security has discovered an unknown ship and is closing in on us."
Aikli stood up with a leap, a flash of uneasiness flashing in his heart.
Fleet? Impossible, it’s impossible for Daqian to have a fleet?
Could it be that they hired foreign aid?
But are there any maritime hegemons in this world that can compare with foreign countries in the West?
A series of questions flashed through my mind, and the sound of shelling could already be heard in my ears.
The sound of "Boom, boom, boom—" came continuously.
Aikli has rich experience in naval battles, and he discerned what was wrong.
This sound of shelling... explosion... is unusual!
He was almost certain that the power of his opponent's artillery was far greater than that of his own ship.
He walked out quickly and urgently ordered all ships to prepare for war.
One-third of the ships docked, including part of the crew, and landed on land.
Now it's like coming back and setting sail again.
Aikli couldn't wait any longer because he received even worse news.
"Five battleships of our fleet sank!"
"What!" Aikeli could hardly believe his ears. In just a short moment, five battleships were gone.
You know, every one of their ships is made of hard oak.
In a normal naval battle, even if dozens of cannonballs are dropped, it is difficult to destroy them.
"Did the gunpowder magazine get hit?" He frowned tightly while commanding the fleet to assemble as quickly as possible.
"No," the person in charge of the report said with trembling legs, "Yes... it was sunk directly by the enemy fleet!"