This huge island became Singapore in later generations. It was called Puluozhong during the Three Kingdoms period, Danmaxi during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and some people called it Haicheng.
About fifty years ago, Parameswara, a prince from Sri Lanka, established the Malacca Sultanate in the area and named it the Lion City. The Sanskrit translation is Singapore La.
However, Ming literature still records Danmaxi Island. When Zheng He sailed to the West, it was also marked with this name on the map. Therefore, when Peng Qing reorganized the voyage to the West, he still retained the name of Danmaxi Island.
Name.
Dammasi Island is a city-state, and the entire island is a city. Because this island is located at the entrance and exit of the Strait of Malacca, its strategic position is very important, and the Eastern Roman Navy immediately focused on it.
Although the Sudanese royal family rose up to resist, the army's limited strength could not really defeat them.
In the end, the Sudanese royal family abandoned the city and fled. The Eastern Romans took over the Magpie's Nest and renamed the Lion City the Griffin City. They hung their unique griffin flag on the city gate and used it as a stronghold to send a Prussian general to lead the army.
The fleet continues to expand eastward.
In just one year, Prussia brought back huge wealth from the East, which made the Eastern Romans have a strong interest in the mysterious Ming Dynasty. When they learned that these Easterners were developing a type of ironclad ship, they became even more interested.
It feels incredible.
Finally, after going through all kinds of hardships, they got the blueprint of the ironclad ship as they wished.
As a result, I found that I couldn’t understand it at all!
It’s not a language barrier, because many people in Nanyang do business and often need to master several languages. If you don’t know it, you can learn it. It’s not an insurmountable gap.
The problem lies in the drawing itself. The steam engine mentioned above confuses everyone.
A machine that can generate power by boiling water with coal is simply mind-boggling.
Therefore, this drawing was sent to the hands of Queen Dosia of Ceylon. This woman was also the only legal heir to the Eastern Roman Empire.
Next, the Prussian general continued to contact officials of the Ming Dynasty and tried to bribe some craftsmen from the Ningbo Shipyard. However, before his plan was implemented, he was blown to pieces by the sudden appearance of the ironclad ship.
After learning about the Ming Dynasty navy's assembly, the Eastern Roman navy stationed on Falk Island immediately withdrew to Danmasi Island.
Here, they have built a large number of fortifications, and relying on the terrain advantages, they can definitely fight against the Ming army.
However, according to the intelligence report, the Ming army's fleet was still hundreds of miles away. Who would have thought that the port would be suddenly attacked with fierce firepower, and they would be caught off guard.
There were more than twenty forts placed in the port, all of which were smashed to pieces.
The Eastern Romans hated the Ming army and also hated the fog.
Don't talk about martial arts, take advantage of the foggy weather to carry out a sneak attack!
Boom!
Boom!
The cannons on the ship poured out the gunpowder in the barrels, and meteors streaked across the sky, destroying the fortifications built by the Eastern Romans.
The Ming troops who landed ashore were like tigers emerging from their cages, and the orthodox Type 16 rifles could crush any force they saw.
In this era, both the Eastern Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire were still in the age of black powder.
Although they have made many improvements to black powder, the improved black powder is still black powder after all.
The Ming army has already used granular gunpowder, and even made breakthroughs in the research and development of yellow gunpowder, but it has not yet been mass-produced.
Granular gunpowder is more powerful and has a longer range. At a certain distance, you can't hit me, but I can hit you. Hey, are you angry?
On the port, as gunshots like exploding beans continued to sound, there were sounds of wailing and screaming everywhere.
At this time, Charlemagne, the commander-in-chief of Griffin City, finally realized that he was under attack!
The rapid bell rang, and the main force in the city quickly gathered and rushed towards the port.
"Report, the enemy's main force has been found ahead, about a thousand people!"
"Withdraw!"
"Yes!"
Zhang Mao went to war with his father at the age of sixteen and had a very keen sense of smell on the battlefield.
Facing the Eastern Romans' counterattack, he quickly made a judgment and retreated!
With the weapons and equipment of the Ming army, even if they were to go head-to-head with these thousand people, they would not be at a disadvantage.
However, this is the enemy's territory after all. Who knows how many people are hidden behind these thousand people?
Your mission is not to die together with the enemy, but to consume the enemy as much as possible, catch the opponent off guard first, and then run away after taking advantage.
The port has been abandoned, all the forts have been blown up, and almost all the few defenders have been annihilated. What are you waiting for, retreat!
The main force of the Eastern Roman Army came fiercely to fight, only to find that what was left was devastated, and only the shadows of a few ships were seen on the sea. These damn Ming troops actually ran away!
Commander Charlemagne's eyes turned red and he shouted loudly, "If we catch up, those Easterners must pay the price!"
"Your Excellency Charlemagne, our ships have been blown up!"
"Damn it!"
Charlemagne was the top general of the Eastern Roman Navy stationed in Gryphon City. Since the day he landed on Danmasi Island, when had he ever been so angry?
They slaughtered all the indigenous people on the island and invested a lot of manpower and material resources in building the port and strengthening the city defenses. However, all their hard work was shattered, leaving only a wreckage.
"There are still ships in the western port. Send the order for everyone to board the ship!"
The large group of people turned to the west, where they also had a port with more than ten ships anchored.
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"Sir, the enemy is catching up!"
Zhang Mao stood on the bow of the ship and looked behind him with a telescope. Sure enough, he could vaguely see a huge mast in the fog.
This ship must be the opponent's flagship. The wind is blowing from the southwest at this time, and the sails are swollen high. It seems that the opponent's speed is much faster than our own ship. According to this situation, it won't be long before we are overtaken. Zhang Mao asked, "How many shells are left?"
"Return to my lord, there is no more."
"No more?"
Zhang Mao couldn't help but frown, how could we fight without artillery?
"Didn't you just say... shoot out all the cannonballs until they are all gone..."
Zhang Mao recalled that he seemed to have said something like this.
"Turn right!"
"Sir, that way... is not the direction to go back."
"Who said we were going back? Immediately give the order to turn right!"
"Yes!"
Soon, the voice of the messenger on the deck said: "Turn right!"
The flagman on the lookout used flags to notify the other two ships, and the three ships immediately turned their rudders and sailed to the right.
Zhang Mao ordered to turn the helm because there are many islands here, which means there are many reefs hidden under the sea.
No matter how big a ship is, it cannot move at full speed without restraint once it enters this sea area.
Otherwise, once it hits a rock, the ship will be destroyed and everyone will die.
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On the deck of the Golden Griffin, Charlemagne was observing with a telescope.
"Your Excellency, those Easterners fled to the Batanes!"
Charlemagne took off the telescope, his eyes a little confused.
Because he knew very well that the Ming army had changed its route. This was not their return route. What exactly did they want to do?
"Keep chasing!"
"Okay, Your Excellency!"
The golden griffon burst into the waves and sailed into the Batanes Islands. Suddenly, Charlemagne seemed to realize something.
"Slow down, slow down!"
"Your Excellency, we will catch up soon..."
"Idiot, take down the jib immediately!"
Charlemagne was really anxious. At this time, he had no time to explain and just started scolding.
When the adjutant saw this, he had to give the order. The sailors pulled the cable and lowered the jib, and the ship began to slow down.
Charlemagne breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Our ship is bigger than theirs. If there is a reef under the water, their ship can go over, but we will hit the rocks. Do you understand? Idiot!"
"Your Excellency is really... wise..."
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On the sea, the three ships of the Ming Army were in front, and the Eastern Roman fleet was behind. One after another, they shuttled in the waters near the Batanes Islands.
When Zhang Mao saw the other party take down the jib and slow down, he couldn't help but said to himself, "These foreign devils are not stupid enough and know how to slow down."
"Sir, the enemy bites hard, what should I do?"
"Have you seen the island in front of you? Rush in!"
"Sir, we don't have hydrological data over there. If there are reefs underwater..."
"Damn it, it's better to run aground on the rocks than to be overtaken by those foreign devils. The artillery on our ship has become mute, and the naval battle will be too disadvantageous."
There are two relatively large islands in the Batanes Islands, roughly the same size as Tamasi Island. Between the two islands, there are many unknown small islands dotted here and there.
These islands are islands when the tide is low and become reefs when the tide is high.
It is very dangerous to sail hastily without detailed maps and hydrological data.
However, the Eastern Roman ships pursued them too closely. If they sailed on the wide sea, they would definitely be overtaken before they could join the main fleet.
Zhang Mao decided to take a desperate risk and rushed into the reef group.
"Turn the rudder, turn the rudder!"
"Lower the jib and slow down!"
The three ships shuttled between the small islands scattered around the stars, and their speed had been reduced to a minimum.
Boom!
Boom!
Suddenly there was the sound of artillery shelling from behind, and Zhang Mao suddenly became nervous. Just as he picked up the telescope and prepared to observe the enemy's situation, a dark shadow came towards him.
It turned out that the adjutant behind him swooped down and knocked him to the ground.
Zhang Mao pushed him away and said angrily, "What are you doing?"
"Sir, be careful of artillery!"
"Be careful!"
Zhang Mao pointed to the water splash behind him and said, "Their cannons can't hit this far, so what are they afraid of?"
The adjutant looked up, and sure enough, all the enemy ship's shells fell into the water, and they were still quite a distance away from his own ship.
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"Sir, be careful..."
"Stop talking nonsense, just go ahead and keep an eye on it. If the bow of the ship hits the rocks, organize people to land immediately!"
There are islands all around. If it really hits a reef, there will be enough time to land ashore before the ship sinks.
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The Golden Griffin did not pursue it because the hull was too large, so the chance of running aground on the rocks was greatly increased.
Charlemagne sent five medium-sized warships to pursue it, while he himself docked in a natural harbor. Then he picked up the map, looked at it carefully for a long time, and then circled a location.
"The Orientals are very cunning. They want to use themselves as bait to trap our Golden Griffin in these waters. Do you see this? Go around and let's wait there!"
"Sir, what if the Easterners don't take this line?"
"No, if they want to join the main force, taking this route is the best choice."
"But..."
"It's nothing, General Wells, please recognize your identity clearly. In Griffin City, I am the supreme commander!"
Charlemagne was an extremely arrogant man. He had made great military exploits for the Eastern Roman Empire. Queen Docia's escape from Constantinople was all due to Charlemagne's heroic fighting. During the war, he would never
Allow someone to question your orders.
Although General Wells was unhappy, he had no choice but to say, "Yes, Your Excellency Charlemagne!"
The Golden Griffin raised anchor and sail, leading other warships around the island and sailing to the other end of the archipelago.
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Between the islands, two fleets, one behind the other, began a sea chase.
Zhang Mao's ship has no artillery and can only use the terrain to shuttle between the islands.
The Eastern Roman fleet in the rear pursued them all the way and continued shelling. However, either the distance was not enough or there were obstacles blocking them, and all the shells missed.
Even so, Zhang Mao still did not dare to underestimate this fleet. Although their artillery was still made of solid iron, he brought a conventional sailing ship, not an ironclad ship. If he was hit by a cannonball, it would still be very dangerous. p>
In this way, from dawn to dusk, and from dusk to dawn, the two fleets hung like this at a distance. I couldn't get rid of you, and you couldn't catch up with me.
Zhang Mao stayed up all night, staring at the map, trying to find a way to defeat the enemy.
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At this time, the quartermaster came forward and said, "Sir, we don't have much food and water!"
Zhang Mao asked without raising his head, "How many are left?"
The quartermaster replied, "Only enough for one day."
Zhang Mao frowned. On the sea, it would be fatal if there was no clear water.
People can survive for a while without eating, but if there is no water, they will die of thirst in up to three days.
At that moment, Zhang Mao immediately made a decision, pointed to a location on the map, and said, "We can't tangle with them any longer. Get out from here and join the emperor's fleet!"
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On board the Golden Griffin, General Wells immediately became excited after receiving the news.
"Your Excellency Charlemagne, your decision is really wise. The Eastern fleet has indeed arrived!"
Charlemagne finally showed a smile on his face and said, "Set up the formation and prepare the artillery!"
Finally, they saw the long-awaited mast.
At the same time, Zhang Mao also discovered that something was wrong.
"Turn the helm, quickly!"
Due to the terrain, Charlemagne's fleet hid behind an island. By the time both sides saw each other, they were already within artillery range.
Boom!
Boom!
More than a dozen warships opened fire at the same time, and the shells roared towards the Ming army.
Zhang Mao immediately gave the order, but it was too late. The sailboat was hit and sawdust flew everywhere.
There was a ship, its mast was broken, the huge canvas fell down, it immediately lost power and spun in place.
"Go to the island, go to the island!"
Zhang Mao has no choice at all. If he still stays on the sea, he will undoubtedly become the opponent's target.
Fortunately, there was a small island nearby. The sailor pulled the canvas rope hard, and the ship's hull rushed straight towards the island and hit the rocks on the shore.