The six warships led by Wang Hong and Qin Yong were actually discovered by the other party a few miles away from the pier on the west side of Tuen Mun.
The soldiers of the Franco Kingdom, who had rich experience in naval warfare, had small boats cruising outside the dock for reconnaissance. After discovering that a ship was approaching, they issued a warning. As a last resort, Wang Hong and Qin Yong had to order the ship to hang a red wind lantern and forcefully break in.
A distance of less than a thousand steps is the maximum distance of a cannon on a warship.
Wang Hong and others were already very cautious, and immediately ordered a salvo after entering the firing range. The target was several tall ships docked next to the pier. The purpose was naturally to destroy or sink one of them in a surprise attack.
It is acceptable to inflict heavy damage on a Folan robot gunboat. Or even to injure it and paralyze it.
Therefore, the six warships had the same goal, aiming at a large ship with a lantern hanging on the south side of the pier and a clear target.
Twelve Zhankou General Cannons roared. Even though they were extremely inaccurate Zhankou General Cannons, they still had an astonishing hit rate. The large ship moored at the dock was hit by eight cannonballs. Two of the solid iron bullets penetrated it.
On the deck, two hit the side, and the rest hit non-vital parts of the hull.
The huge mast fell, the ship was blown to pieces, and a fire soon broke out.
The hit was a preemptive strike, which cheered everyone up. When everyone was preparing for another bombardment, Wang Hong remained calm and gave the order to retreat immediately.
Because according to the battle plan, their purpose was to attract the opponent's three gunboats to leave the dock and mobilize the troops to leave the mountain for Zhang Yanling's battle to seize the island. Moreover, Wang Hong had already discovered a strange movement. After the opponent's warning ship sent a signal, there were already several gunboats on the north side of the dock.
A large ship began to weigh anchor. It moved across the hull and aimed its broadside at its own fleet.
That's probably a precursor to an attack.
The Falangji's counterattack came extremely quickly. In less than a tea break after the sneak attack, the soldiers who stayed on the ship began to turn the ship around and open fire.
The two centipede ships crossed their bodies like bulky maggots. The gun emplacements on their sides emitted continuous fire and roar. The guns on the bow and stern also turned around and launched a bombardment at the Ming Dynasty warships with red lights on the sea.
Although it was a hasty response, and although the French gunboats were parked at the dock and adopted a rotating vacation duty system, with only half of the soldiers on board on duty at the moment, their counterattack was still swift and fierce.
The characteristics of the Folang machine gun's fast rate of fire, range beyond the distance, and high accuracy were immediately reflected. In just a short moment, the two Folang machine warships fired at the Ming Nanhaiwei warship on the sea.
Fired more than thirty cannons.
After the roars one after another, a column of water suddenly rose up on the sea near the Ming Dynasty warships. One of the warships was immediately hit by several cannonballs.
The Fo Lang robot used a combination of solid bullets and explosive bullets. The huge solid iron bullets shattered the side of the ship, and several explosive bombs exploded in the deck building. In an instant, fire shot into the sky, and sawdust exploded on the warship.
Caught in flames.
More than a hundred soldiers on the warship were killed on the spot. Seeing that the warship capsized and was not safe, they all jumped into the sea to escape. Fortunately, they had been prepared before and knew that the opponent's firepower was fierce, so they made some escape preparations. Two small boats were at the stern of the warship.
They were put down in a panic, and dozens of soldiers climbed onto the boat and rowed desperately toward the sea. They escaped to the dark sea through the gaps in the shells.
At this time, everyone who thought Wang Hong was eager to order the evacuation realized that fortunately Wang Hong immediately ordered the warships to evacuate after ordering the bombardment. At this moment, the remaining five warships were already far away from the opponent's gunboat, although they were not out of range.
, but the farther the distance, the safer it is. The opponent's artillery fire hit and bombarded the last warship. The other warships were unharmed.
The battle on the pier alerted the French soldiers in the castle on the shore. Soon, soldiers who rushed from the island began to board the ship. This also gave the remaining five Ming warships time to escape.
After tea time, the five warships were already on the sea two miles away from the dock. They were out of the firing range of most of the Franco machine guns of the French gunboats. Only the heavy Franco machine guns located at the bow and stern of the ship were
The range of the cannon can only reach a distance of two or three miles. But at such a long distance, if you want to hit the opponent, you have to rely on luck. Scattered cannonballs cannot cause great damage to the warships that are spread out.
threaten.
However, the Folangji people obviously did not intend to let them go. The red wind lantern hanging on the mast of the Ming Dynasty warship on the sea was very eye-catching, and the target was very clear. Moreover, they did not seem to be very fast. The centipede ship of the Folangji country was still full of people.
After arriving, they immediately set sail in pursuit. Because they knew that their ships were fast and could catch up with the opponent's ships. Their firepower was strong enough. They were absolutely sure to sink several of the opponent's warships that dared to invade.
Of course Wang Hong wanted them to pursue him. He could have escaped faster, but he couldn't escape. He had to lure the enemy into pursuit to achieve his goal. Therefore, Wang Hong ordered his ships to cruise slowly at the edge of the enemy's range, which was to attract the enemy to dispatch.
.
When he saw the opponent's centipede boat leaving the dock and chasing it in the telescope, Wang Hong was both relieved and annoyed.
Fortunately, the plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain should have been successful. The other party obviously refused to give up. But to his chagrin, he saw the silhouette of three centipede ships in the telescope. In other words, the ship in the previous sneak attack
The large French ship docked at the dock and burning with raging fire at the moment was not a gunboat. It was probably a cargo ship carrying sea goods.
Wang Hong had no choice but to sigh. The distance was too far and he could not identify the type of ship. The other party's centipede ship was completely black and was hidden in the darkness beside the dock. He did not find them. Therefore, he was unable to sink or damage the other party.
The purpose of the gunboat is really frustrating.
But at this moment, there was no use worrying. The other party had already chased them out. Wang Hong immediately ordered all the ships to start at full speed and sail towards the depths of the sea.
…
While the naval guns roared on the sea, more than ten troop transport ships were rapidly approaching under the cover of night on the north side of Tuen Mun Island.
Under the starlight, Tuen Mun Island is getting closer and closer. The rugged rocks and cliffs around the island are like giants and monsters standing in the darkness. The waves below hit the holes under the rocks, making a roaring sound, which is terrifying.
After walking for a mile along the cliffs of the island, there was no place to land. The rock walls were steep and the mangroves were tangled and lush, making it difficult for ships to move forward. Figo pointed here and there but could not find a way.
Chen Shiyi was so angry that he grabbed Figo and cursed angrily: "Where is the beach where you said you landed on the island? You are indeed lying. I will chop you up and throw you into the sea to feed the fish."
Figo said with a sad face: "It's impossible, I remember there is a beach at the seaside. What's going on? If you don't believe it, ask them. Mario, do you think it is? Did we sunbathe on the beach?"
The fat Corporal Mario said hurriedly: "Yes, yes, it does exist. I'm not lying. It's true. It seems to be nearby. I remember there is a forest and a small dock next to it."
Chen Shiyi frowned and shouted: "There are woods everywhere here, and there is a damn dock. Damn it, it must be a lie."
"Master Marquis, I want to go take a look. The mangroves here are dense, maybe the beach is inside the forest." Huo Shijian, who followed, said in a deep voice.
Zhang Yanling frowned and said, "How do you go into the sea in this situation?"
Huo Shijian said: "It's okay, the villain is good at water. Moreover, this villain from Tuen Mun Island has also been here. When the red-haired ghost didn't come, the villain came many times and even went to Mazu Temple to worship. This area seems like
It turns out that there is indeed a small dock, but the water is too shallow for large ships to enter, so they abandoned it. Lord Marquis, I will go down and have a look. It is always impossible to trespass."
Zhang Yanling originally thought about going further ahead and heading to the ferry crossing between Xin'an County and Tuen Mun Island to land on the island, but that would take a lot of time. After hearing what Huo Shijian said, he had no choice but to nod and agree to give it a try.
"Go back quickly, don't force it," Zhang Yanling said.
Huo Shijian nodded, quickly took off his clothes, jumped into the water with a splash, and swam into the dark woods ahead.
Everyone waited anxiously, staring into the dark depths of the mangrove forest submerged by the sea. The roar of artillery coming from the sea was endless. Every roar made Zhang Yanling anxious.
After witnessing the scene where the warship was hit just now, Zhang Yanling was in a bad mood. He didn't know whether his action was too reluctant. If he attacked rashly when he was not strong enough, he might make a big mistake and lose many lives.
human life.
The only thing that can be done now is to seize the island as soon as possible and ensure that the battle plan is carried out. But now that the war at sea is in full swing, I and others are trapped here and are not allowed to go to the island. It is really annoying.
I saw a dark figure swimming over like a fish in the mangrove forest.
"How?" Zhang Yanling probed and asked.
"The beach is right in front, but the water is very shallow and the boat can't get through. I'm afraid I have to wade." Huo Shijian stood in chest-deep water and raised his head and shouted.
Zhang Yanling was overjoyed and said in a deep voice: "Send the order to abandon the ship and go to the sea, and wade to the island. Tell the brothers to hold the firearms and gunpowder above your heads and don't get them wet."
After the order was issued, hundreds of soldiers disembarked and stood chest-deep in the cold water, following Huo Shijian into the woods. Three guards put knives on the backs of Figo, Mario and three others to prevent them from doing evil.
.A group of people waded through the mangrove forest with tangled branches, leaves and roots.
"We're here!" Huo Shijian whispered. Zhang Yanling looked up, and sure enough, a small gap of less than a hundred steps on the beach between the cliffs was not far away. There was indeed a dilapidated trestle and pier standing in the water.
This place must have been a small pier before, but it was abandoned. The mangroves would have grown over the outside within a few years, so it was impossible to find or see it.
"Look, I didn't lie. Dear Lord Marquis, you have to trust me." Figo found an opportunity to show off his merits and said with complaint.
Zhang Yanling nodded and said in a deep voice: "Come forward and lead the way."