Smoke bombs are a novelty, but they are not difficult to make. It is nothing more than white phosphorus burning in the air, producing a large amount of smoke. Making such smoke bombs does not require any advanced technological level, you only need to know the principle.
Originally, the production of smoke bombs was a method that Zhang Yanling came up with to simulate actual combat effects when he was training soldiers and horses. The smoke and dust on the battlefield had previously been simulated by burning fires and firewood, but this was obviously too laborious.
Then Zhang Yanling thought of making smoke bombs to simulate the smoke-filled battlefield. White phosphorus is not hard to find, but the difficulty is to preserve it. It catches fire easily, so it has to be kept in water.
The principle of the smoke bomb is that a small amount of gunpowder is used as a primer. When the shell is launched into the air, the gunpowder burns out and the gunpowder explodes, throwing the white phosphorus in the water in the clay pot into the air. The white phosphorus will spontaneously ignite when it encounters the air.
The heat of the explosive will cause it to burn and explode in the air instantly, emitting a large amount of smoke. This is the principle of smoke bombs.
This time, Zhang Yanling carried more than 300 of these smoke bombs, and he didn't know when they would be used. However, he was prepared for any trouble. Today, he used them.
It's not that smoke bombs have any powerful lethality. The smoke is indeed suffocating and somewhat toxic. But as long as you don't stay in the smoke for too long, there is nothing to worry about.
However, this smoke bomb allowed Zhang Yanling to implement his combat plan.
The opponent's warships are more than five times more numerous than our own. Even if our armored treasure ship is protected by steel armor, it will obviously suffer in a frontal battle. The armor cannot withstand too many shellings. The hull may be able to withstand some
However, the deck, the ship's masts, etc. cannot withstand the bombardment. Once the opponent attacks intensively, with the power of the Folan cannon, the Ming Dynasty's iron-clad treasure ship will never be able to withstand it.
If the opponent adopts the wolf pack tactic and exchanges battle losses with oneself at the cost of one or several ships, then the battle will undoubtedly be lost.
The opponent obviously has heavy artillery with better performance. Zhang Yanling had already seen it when he was watching their training on the hillside that day. They have many heavy artillery with a range of two miles. The warships and artillery of the Fo Langji have obviously been upgraded.
.In this case, the advantage of firepower is actually not great.
For this reason, Zhang Yanling racked his brains to think about the combat strategy. Finally, he formulated this strategy of using smoke cover to break into the enemy's formation and engage in a melee.
It's very simple. Zhang Yanling believes that his own warships have advantages in mobility, armor and firepower, and there is no need to be afraid of one-on-one. Once the seven armored treasure ships rush into the enemy's formation, they will produce huge lethality.
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This is like a battle on land. We are a team of well-equipped cavalry facing infantry several times our size. The opponent has long-range anti-enemy firearms and is well prepared. If there is a head-on battle, charge in front of the opponent to avoid fear.
It's already over. But if the cavalry can break into the infantry formation, it will be a different situation.
Although Zhang Yanling fought a naval battle as a land battle, it has to be said that this strategy is novel and convincing. The rest is to be tested in actual combat.
Seven heavy artillery ships started firing smoke bombs a few miles away, and a smoke barrier began to form on the sea. The weather was suitable today, and there was no wind in the quiet sea with deep currents, so the smoke bombs could be maintained for a long time.
The calm sea seems to be unfavorable for sailing ships, but don't forget that the Ming Dynasty's iron-clad treasure ships are hybrid-powered and equipped with propellers. Even in calm conditions, the sea-going ships can sail at extremely fast speeds.
Under the shroud of smoke, the Francons followed Almeida's order and began to blindly bombard the smoke. But this try-your-luck approach obviously had no practical effect. The seven warships on the wide sea were like
It looks like a few fallen leaves on the lake, so you have to be very lucky to hit the opponent's warship.
In fact, Almeida did not expect to sink his opponent by blind bombardment. He just needed to bombard his opponent to slow down the opponent's oncoming speed and buy time for his fleet to assemble.
Since the opponent wants to fight in close quarters, it is obvious that the best way is to gather the ships and besiege the Ming Dynasty ships. It is best to mobilize all the ships to conduct a true boarding battle and boarding battle. Just like the pirates
The fighting method is to attack the enemy ship and occupy the opponent's warship with the advantage of having more troops. This is the result that you most want to see.
The Ming Dynasty's armored warships were advancing rapidly. More than a dozen sets of propellers on the deck were pushed by more than 70 soldiers. The unique mechanical structure caused the blades to rotate in a spiral shape. The huge blades rotated in the water, pushing the ship rapidly
Sailing, leaving whirlpools of rapids on both sides of the ship.
Zhang Yanling stood in the ship building, looking at the sea in front of him, ignoring the roaring shells and solid bombs exploding in the surrounding sea, and the countless water columns stirring up the surrounding sea.
His eyes were fixed on the front. Although there was a vast white smoke and it seemed that nothing could be seen, Zhang Yanling knew that on the other side of the smoke screen was the enemy's warship. Even though he had experienced many battles, this time it was his heart
It was beating loudly, and I felt excited and nervous.
"Put on a cloth and enter the smoke screen." Someone shouted loudly.
All soldiers pulled up the cloth towels that had been tied on their chins and covered their mouths and noses. Although the smoke is not a serious problem, inhaling too much can cause harm. When walking through the smoke screen, it is easiest to cover your mouth and nose with a cloth towel
way of protection.
Soon, all the invincible warships got into the smoke screen and disappeared. The outermost Folang warship could no longer see their traces.
At this moment, the sea suddenly became quiet. The bombardment of the Folang warship stopped. All the officers and soldiers on the Folang warship stared at the smoke that lingered on the sea for a long time, and swallowed nervously.
Foaming.
The next moment, the smoke was disturbed, and a huge animal head suddenly jumped out of the smoke, like a sea monster. Then the high bow of the Ming Dynasty armored ship appeared.
The Liaoyuan took the lead, and Wang Hong led his Liaoyuan to be the first to break through the smoke and rush into the Franco warship.
"Lavender, Diamond, come forward, block its path, and stop it." The colonel officer on the left team's flagship, the Fire King, gave the order.
Two Franco warships, which were more than a hundred steps away, moved quickly. The two ships crossed and moved forward, forming a pincer attack and heading towards the front of the Liaoyuan's channel. Although these two warships were smaller than the Liaoyuan, they were still smaller than the Liaoyuan.
The force of the pincer attack should be able to stop the Liaoyuan, which is rushing towards them.
Wang Hong stood on the podium, stared and shouted: "Fuck you, hit me."
The oarsmen moved their hands faster, and the Liaoyuan rushed past like a wild beast.
Boom! Boom!
A loud noise sounded, mixed with a huge friction sound that made people goosebumps and numb their scalp. The Liaoyuan directly hit the two intercepting enemy ships. The hard and thickened bow armor was like an iron plow.
Two enemy warships plowed away. All three huge ships shook violently. The soldiers on board swayed this way and that, capsized, and their masts shook as if they were about to fall apart.
The Fo Lang robots never expected that the other party would not slow down or evade, but directly attack them. As the hulls of the ship shook, the two Fo Lang robot warships were knocked away by more than ten feet. Huge waves on the water surface
The waves surged up, forming a big wave that rippled away.
"Captain Chris, look, the Diamond is broken... the Diamond is broken." The soldiers on the deck of the Lavender were surprised to find a huge crack on the right side of the bow of the Diamond warship, which was shaking and spinning.
A large piece of the boat's bow was dented on the outside, revealing a three- to four-foot-long hole. Seawater was rushing in crazily.
"Inform them quickly, quickly!" Captain Chris shouted.
As soon as Chris finished speaking, he felt the hull of the ship shake, and there was an explosion sound coming from the direction of the bow of his ship.
"What's going on?" Chris asked in shock.
He quickly figured out what was going on. There was also a big hole on the port side of his bow, and he was frantically filling it with sea water.
"Block it, block it quickly. Emergency repair team, hurry." Captain Chris shouted loudly.
But they no longer need the emergency repair team. A few dozen steps away, the second Datong rushing out of the smoke was already firing at them. Such a close-range flat shot was another salvo of fifteen cannons on the side.
The side of the Lavender was directly smashed into a sieve. Amidst the explosion of fireworks and sawdust, the entire Lavender began to pour, seawater filled the cabin, and began to sink at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The French soldiers on the ship screamed in panic and began to jump into the sea one after another. They were all experienced sailors and knew that the chance of escape was only a moment. If they did not jump into the sea and swim away now, once the ship sank, they would have no chance to swim away.
.After the ship sinks, it will bring about a huge suction force, which will drag them all into the bottom of the sea.
When the Lavender sank rapidly, under the cover of smoke bombs, seven Ming armored warships emerged from the fog one after another like ferocious beasts and rushed into the formation of the Eastern Fleet.
With Wang Hong's Liaoyuan as an example, the other ships had already learned that the other party was unbearable to hit. They ran rampant in the opponent's fleet unscrupulously, the artillery on both sides roared, and fired at the opponent's ships at close range.
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The Franco warships were gathering, and their warships were everywhere, which affected their firing angle. Moreover, seeing that the Lavender was about to sink and the Diamond was damaged and evacuated, they all realized that they could not be forcibly rammed by the other side, but had to fight one after another.
Avoid the opponent's collision. This makes them have no time to fight.
No one expected that after the armored warship broke into the formation, the Eastern Fleet was actually passively beaten. The Ming warship opened fire recklessly, but the Folan warship was evading frantically and was unable to concentrate its firepower.
As soon as the battle started, amidst the roaring sound in the sky, five French warships caught fire. One of them had sunk. The seven armored warships were like tigers entering a herd of sheep, shuttling through the opponent's fleet, as if they were in a deserted place.
territory.
Behind, on the flagship of the Ocean Flower, Almeida witnessed all this and gave orders while yelling.
"Don't be afraid of accidental damage and fire artillery bombardments. You would rather have the ships damaged than stop them and prevent them from maneuvering. Two ships cannot make three ships, and three ships cannot make five ships. Get close to me, engage in a broadside battle, and engage in a broadside battle."
"
Although Almeida was furious, he grasped the crux of the matter. He could not allow the opponent to maneuver within the formation, and could not throw a trap for fear of hurting his own people. He had to intercept the opponent and engage them in close combat. Otherwise, the consequences would be disastrous.
Not only that, Almeida also ordered the Flower of the Sea to move forward. His flagship was reinforced in terms of size and armor, and was not afraid of collisions. How could Almeida let his opponent be so arrogant if he was as fierce as Almeida.
After the order was issued, the effect was quickly seen. The iron-clad ship Yansui was attacked by three centipede ships and a flagship 'Golden'. Three centipede ships blocked the way, and the Yansui knocked away two of them, but was
The third ship intercepted the ship head-on. The Golden flagship took the opportunity to approach, its side guns began to roar at close range, and the Franco soldiers on the deck also began to fire.
The soldiers on the remaining Centipede ships threw their hooks and hooked them on the side of the Yansui and began to board the ship.
The soldiers on the Yansui naturally refused to show weakness, and the two sides began to sniper at a distance of less than ten feet. The gunners on both sides could see each other from the gun holes, but they did not hesitate to load the cannons.
boom.
The fires and explosions were deafening, and huge explosions and fires came from the cabins of the Yansui and Huanghuang. This close range bombardment was really cruel. The gunners and artillery of both sides were killed in an instant. The shells were directly bombarded into the gun holes.
Among them, two of them even hit in the air.
The same was true on the deck. Dozens of Ming navy soldiers used muskets and bows to shoot at each other's matchlocks and crossbows. Grenades roared and muskets roared, creating a chaotic mess.