After half the night, the fire on the shore gradually extinguished. After all, the raindrops in the sky have not stopped, and there will be a slightly heavier shower after a while. The local houses are all made of wood and stone, with thatch and mud roofs. When the fire breaks out, it is very fast.
But in fact, there is not much material to burn, and after burning for a while, it will gradually become smaller due to insufficient ignition materials.
It was quiet in the harbor bay. The hurricane weather swept away the heat and oppressiveness before, making people feel very cool and pleasant. The sound of rain and tide was the best lullaby, plus everyone had been traveling far away for the past month.
After traveling across the ocean and going through battles and wind and rain, I was very tired. So when I fell asleep, I slept like a baby.
The warships were close together and parked and rested on the sea two miles away from the shore. At this distance, except for artillery, the enemies on the shore were helpless, so everyone was relieved.
At midnight, each ship had manpower on patrol. After midnight, Zhang Yanling saw that the patrolling soldiers were also exhausted, so he asked them to rest on the spot without moving around frequently. It would be enough to patrol around for half an hour. Because Zhang Yanling
In my heart, I also thought that nothing would happen tonight.
Around the fourth watch, Zhang Yanling was also a little sleepy. She sat by the window in the cabin and took a nap, listening to the sound of rain and tide. When she was in a daze, someone suddenly pulled her arm. As soon as Zhang Yanling opened her eyes, she saw Tan Tan
Chang Shun's childish face was right in front of him, and he was holding up his finger to indicate that he should be silent.
Tan Changshun came to Zhang Yanling's side to serve Zhang Yanling in the middle of the night after sleeping. He was afraid that Zhang Yanling would drink tea and run errands, so he followed orders. Zhang Yanling asked him to go back to sleep, but he refused. Zhang Yanling only
He had to give up. This boy was very stubborn, sometimes stubborn, but he always took good care of himself. His temperament was simple and loyal. It didn't involve any principled issues, so Zhang Yanling didn't care about him and let him stay in the cabin.
Changshun had been sitting on the steps at the door of the cabin, and did not disturb Zhang Yanling's thoughts. Zhang Yanling felt at peace with him by his side, so she felt sleepy and took a nap.
"What's wrong? Changshun." Zhang Yanling asked in a low voice.
"Cousin-in-law, something seems wrong. I seem to hear something coming from the sea. Listen, it's rushing, it doesn't sound like the waves. The sea is dark and you can't see anything. But I always feel like there's someone there."
Tan Changshun spoke in an extremely low voice in Zhang Yanling's ear.
Zhang Yanling was startled and signaled Tan Changshun to be quiet, and turned his ear to the window to listen carefully. The sound of raindrops outside, the faint roar of the tide outside the bay, and the sound of snoring coming from nowhere seemed to reach his ears.
Nothing unusual.
Zhang Yanling opened his eyes wide and looked at the sea for a while. The sea was so dark that he couldn't see anything at all.
The ship's lights were off, and there was no moonlight or starlight in the sky. The fires on the shore were also extinguishing, leaving only faint red embers and sporadic flames, which could no longer illuminate the bay. Therefore, the sea in the entire port was as dark as the bottom of a pot, and only the nearby areas were dark.
Only in low light can you see.
Zhang Yanling was about to tell Tan Changshun not to be overly nervous when suddenly he heard the sound of rushing water. Although the sound was slight, it did not belong to the various sounds he had heard before and seemed out of place.
It's suspicious. To Zhang Yanling, it sounded more like the sound of water lapping, slight and rhythmic.
Zhang Yanling trembled and his eyes widened. Tan Changshun also widened his eyes, pointed his finger to the left string position on the south side, and looked at Zhang Yanling. It seemed to be saying: "Did you hear that?"
Zhang Yanling nodded slightly and mouthed silently: "On the port side, don't make a sound, go and take a look."
Tan Changshun pointed to the cabin, meaning to ask if he wanted to call someone. Zhang Yanling waved his hand. Without determining what the situation was, there was no need to make everyone make a fuss. The sound might just be a fish flicking its tail, emerging from the sea.
It’s just the sound of water splashing on the water. See it clearly first before talking about it.
Zhang Yanling tiptoed out of the ship's hall and walked step by step along the stairs to the deck. Tan Changshun followed behind him, quietly. The two of them heard the slight lapping sound of the water on the stairs again.
Listen to the sound, it's just under the ship's side not far outside the port side.
Zhang Yanling did not dare to neglect, reached out and pulled out the gun from his waist, and quickly loaded the ammunition while going down the stairs. Tan Changshun also pulled out the dagger from his boots. The two of them went down to the deck, and bent down step by step to the port side railing.
He knelt down and stared at the dark sea outside.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The sound of water splashing sounded again, and it seemed to be very close at hand.
Zhang Yanling's eyes widened. After adapting to the darkness, he could still see nearby moving objects. Where the sound of water sounded, two dark, round heads were exposed on the sea, and their arms were paddling slowly.
It was close to less than seven or eight feet below the big ship.
That was definitely a person, a person who secretly swam from the sea to the side of the ship. Who could that person be? Of course he was an enemy.
Without thinking, Zhang Yanling raised the short-handled firegun and pulled the trigger at the two heads emerging from the sea. The sparks from the flint friction were very eye-catching in the darkness. The unidentified people on the sea were obviously stunned, and then
Then they heard the roar of firecrackers.
There was a loud "boom", and large steel ball bullets splashed densely on the sea. At this distance, the power of Zhang Yanling's short-handled firecracker can be imagined. The distance of seven to eight feet is only more than thirty steps.
Again, it is condescending, even gods cannot escape.
Loud screams came from the sea, and six or seven bloody holes were blown out of the heads of the two uninvited guests on the sea, which were exposed above the water, and they died instantly.
Following the gunshots, chaos broke out on all ships. The soldiers woke up from their sleep and stood up with shouts. Although the officers at all levels did not understand the situation, they began to loudly order the soldiers to stand up and prepare for battle.
Zhang Yanling fired another quick shot at the sea, and the patrolling guards on the ship had already followed the sound.
"What happened? Lord Guo, where is Lord Guo?"
Zhang Yanling shouted loudly: "I am here. There is an enemy attack on the sea. I light up the lanterns and order the officers and men on the ships to fight immediately."
The guards were shocked when they heard this and acted quickly. Two soldiers quickly climbed up to the top of the mast and lit the wind lantern to send signals to the ships. Seven or eight guards beside Zhang Yanling began to fire towards the sea.
There was a commotion on the sea surface, like the commotion caused by a school of fish exploding their nests. The water splashed and splashed, and the area not far from the armored warship seemed to be filled with the sound of water.
The three guards lit the warning flares, and several flares rose into the air, suddenly illuminating the surrounding dark sea with light.
Under the illumination of the flare, the situation on the sea was completely visible. When Zhang Yanling and everyone around him saw the situation on the sea, goosebumps suddenly appeared all over their bodies, and they were stunned.
But above the sea, between the undulating waves, there were countless heads floating and sinking. They were densely packed and countless. Within the range of the flares, they were all enemies swimming in from the sea. The furthest ones were
Hundreds of steps away, the nearest one was just a few feet below the side of the ship. Zhang Yanling could even clearly see their facial features.
This scene was both strange and frightening. It made people's scalp numb and their heart beating wildly. I thought it was just a sneak attack by a small group of enemies, but who would have thought that there were so many enemies and they were already approaching.
Those were Ceylonese soldiers and horses. They took advantage of the darkness and entered the port from the outside of the bay. In order to avoid being discovered, they entered the harbor in small boats and began to swim. The Ceylonese people in Colombo Port rely on the sea to eat. Who doesn't?
They are good at swimming. Swimming in a harbor with little wind and waves is not a problem for them.
The ferocious shelling during the day not only failed to make them retreat, but they launched a large-scale sneak attack at night.
The Ceylonese people whose bodies were exposed by the flares stopped sneaking around. They began to shout and swim quickly towards the Ming Dynasty's armored ship. Splashes were splashing on the water, and weird shouts filled the sea.
Zhang Yanling and the guards around him used the light to fire continuously towards the sea, quickly killing more than ten people. But this could not stop the enemies who were approaching crazily.
Chen Shiyi had already rushed from the cabin, asking loudly about the situation. Zhang Yanling did not need to explain. At the last moment when the light of the flare disappeared, Chen Shiyi saw the densely packed enemy figures on the sea. He was stunned, and then
Roared loudly.
"Enemy attack, enemy attack! Everyone get on the deck and fight immediately. Everyone!"
The officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty on the other ships also understood the situation. After the soldiers woke up from their sleep, they rushed onto the deck amidst the roars of the generals of the ships. When the flares were fired into the air and illuminated the sea again, the gunmen were already facing the sea.
Shooting started with bang bang bang, and the archers also began to release arrows towards the sea.
The bay, which was quiet just a moment ago, suddenly became chaotic and turned into a battlefield of melee. The roar of muskets, the whistle of bows and arrows, shouts of death, curses, screams, and the sound of splashing water were endless.
The Ceylonese came well prepared and carried small square wooden shields with them. This was their paddling tool for swimming, and it could also be used as a simple shield to block the vital parts of the head and face. Moreover, they were very good at water. After a failed sneak attack and suffered a severe blow, the Ceylonese people came prepared.
, they chose to dive closer dozens of steps away.
The lethality of bows, arrows and firecrackers against enemies under the water is greatly reduced. Once they go deep into the water, which is several feet deep, neither the steel balls of the firecrackers nor the bows and arrows can penetrate the water layer, let alone kill them.
Although many Ceylonese people were continuously shot and killed, more enemies arrived under the hull of the armored warship by diving and forcing their way through. Like a city siege, they had already reached the bottom of the city wall.
.
Hooks and ropes were thrown onto the side of the ship, and the Ceylonese began to climb on the ship. Harpoons and javelins in the water also began to be thrown on the deck. This was a long-range attack method for the enemies on the sea. What was even more shocking was that
The sound sounded, and it was the sound of axes and chisels. The Ceylonese people had axes and chisels, and they had already begun to chisel at the hull. They wanted to pierce the Ming Dynasty's ships and let them all be buried in the sea.
After the battle began, the situation suddenly became extremely serious.