The main force of the Ming Dynasty's Invincible Fleet, led by Wang Hong, was originally dispatched to lure the enemy, but it turned back after making an appearance at Goa Port a few days ago.
Wang Hong naturally thought that this was the best outcome for the Duke of Guo's plan to divert the tiger away from the mountain and encircle and annihilate Alfonso's main fleet in the Gulf of Mannar. However, Wang Hong hoped to get ahead of him on the way back.
The Duke and others fought head-on with Alfonso.
This was not to show off, but Wang Hong knew that the most dangerous part of this plan was whether the two armored ships on the north side of the deep-water channel could withstand Alfonso's main fleet. If they could not, it would be difficult to deal with the follow-up.
The safety of the prince who attacked Guri Castle was also difficult to guarantee.
This point was also raised by Wang Hong when Zhang Yanling announced the plan. Wang Hong even requested the idea of adding an additional armored ship to assist in the defense. However, Zhang Yanling did not agree.
Zhang Yanling's reason is very simple. The original scale of the Invincible Fleet was small. It only had a dozen or so ships together with some wooden sailing ships. The two wooden sailing ships that attacked Guri and the two iron-clad ships that defended the deep-water channel were separated from the main force, which has greatly reduced the fleet.
The scale and quantity. If another armored ship is separated, it will make the other party suspicious.
There are only six main ironclads in total, and they cannot be too small. The defenders of Goa Port are likely to feel that something is wrong immediately. Two wooden sailing ships are used as camouflage, cruising outside the fleet, and four ironclads appear nearby, which can temporarily let them go.
The opponent thinks that the main force of the fleet is used up. At least it can be confusing for a period of time. Otherwise, if something is wrong at the first time, the plan will fail from the beginning.
From the moment it left the Port of Coulombo, the Ming Dynasty's Invincible Fleet created the illusion of being dispatched in full force, and the other party had already received the news. Therefore, it must be considered as carefully as possible.
Details determine success or failure, and others are not fools and will ignore the discrepancy in the number of the opponent's main ships.
As for the subsequent discovery that something was wrong, Alfonso's fleet had already been deceived out of Guri Port, so it would not affect the implementation of the plan.
As for whether the two ironclad ships can block the Eastern Fleet, Zhang Yanling believes that if they cooperate with each other and only aim to harass or block, they can delay success with their powerful firepower and maneuverability. The key is to see Wang Hong's return support.
Speed, whether you can get back before the opponent breaks through the channel.
Wang Hong felt that the Duke's consideration was not unreasonable. The key issue was the lack of strength of the Invincible Fleet. A clever woman could not make a meal without rice. Under the current situation, the only way to fight was through this strategizing method. If there are enough troops, horses and warships,
, why use these fancy means.
Therefore, after returning from Goa Port, Wang Hong ordered to advance at full speed, in order to rush back to the Gulf of Mannar in time. To this end, Wang Hong ordered several wooden sailing ships and three Kunpeng supply ships to follow slowly behind, and he
Then he led four armored warships to advance at full speed to avoid wasting too much time.
Facts have proved that his move was correct. There was a day's voyage between him and Alfonso. Alfonso turned back halfway, and coupled with the existing distance difference, when Wang Hong led the fleet to turn back, the Invincible Fleet and Alfonso
The distance between the Eastern Fleet reached 180 miles.
Even if the armored warship is faster, it will take at least two or two and a half days to catch up over such a long distance. And to catch up with the opponent in the channel channel in the northern Gulf of Mannar, the total distance is only seven hundred miles.
To catch up within this distance of 700 miles is a difficult task.
Wang Hong's method of dividing the fleet into two parts and taking the main ironclad ships first bought him a lot of time. In the past three days and two nights, the four ironclad ships took turns in the battle in three shifts, day and night, and finally fought against the opponent.
The distance is getting closer and closer.
Yesterday evening, when Alfonso's fleet was attacked by the Yansui and Ningxia, Wang Hong and others had already entered the middle of the Gulf of Mannar, and could not meet for more than a hundred miles.
Four armored warships approached the rear of Folangji's Eastern Fleet at the moment the sun rose. Without saying a word, they launched an attack.
The four ironclad ships moved forward together, two miles apart from each other, forming a huge iron net and moving towards the rear of the Eastern Fleet.
The first unlucky ones were the supply ships of the Armada. Those ships had been hiding behind the fleet because of the battle last night. But at this moment, they were the first targets of the attack.
With the roar of cannons, the Ming Dynasty's armored ships opened fire. In just one stick of incense, three of the five supply ships were sunk, and the other two were also injured. They fled to the east and west sides of the sea at full speed.
Wang Hong refused to pursue, and ordered the armored ships to maintain their formation and advance north. Soon after, the main warships of the Franco-Ji fleet turned around to meet the enemy, and the two sides launched a fierce decisive battle on the sea on the south side of the strait.
The Eastern Fleet has a total of more than 20 warships, including the three main flagships Holy Cross and Glory. There are also 12 large centipede ships, seven medium-sized warships and five supply ships.
Such a composition was originally a powerful army. However, in the battle last night, although one of the Yansui and the Ningxia was damaged and the other sank, they successfully sank five warships, including the Holy Cross.
ship, and two other Franconian warships ran aground on the rocks. After the two caught fire, they were close to being scrapped and lost their combat effectiveness.
The Flower of the Sea was also severely damaged, and many facilities on the ship were damaged. A fire broke out on the ship and burned many important parts.
Last night's battle had actually inflicted heavy damage on the Eastern Fleet. More than one-third of its combat strength was damaged.
In fact, in the few hours before dawn, Alfonso had a fierce ideological struggle. At one point, he had decided to turn around and leave here, not to return to Guri. But he didn't know where he should go.
The news of the disappearance of the Eastern Fleet in Goa Port put him under a lot of pressure, and he felt that there would be no good results if he turned back. So perhaps the only way to regain Guri was to recapture Guri with all his strength. In this dilemma, he survived for several hours.
But unexpectedly, it was blocked.
Alfonso quickly learned of the enemy's situation, and four armored ships rushed towards him, and his heart went cold.
"Sink them at all costs." Alfonso roared loudly. At this time, his mind went blank and he could not even make basic battle arrangements. In fact, he knew nothing about naval warfare and thought that the Eastern Fleet
He is invincible in the world and can defeat his opponents without any need for military tactics. He has never systematically and seriously studied naval warfare. His experience is equivalent to zero.
Fortunately, the commanders on each warship were all former members of the Eastern Fleet, and they knew how to fight to some extent. The Glory took the lead, and more than a dozen warships came forward to meet them. Basically, three or four warships faced each other.
The proportion of armored ships was used to carry out assault, encirclement, and split bombardment.
But the Ming Dynasty Armada is no longer a novice. The battles over the past year have allowed them to grow rapidly. During the regular training breaks, the military has conducted many naval battle summaries and tactical innovation drills. What about smoke grenade assaults?
The two ships provide back-to-back cover, some ship-wide collision, some left-right attack.
In particular, a variety of combat routines were developed to address the characteristics of the Eastern Fleet of the Folangji Kingdom, which had a large number of warships and strong firepower, but the warships were not strong enough.
For example, right now, when encountering a siege, smoke bombs will be used to block one side, and the armored ship will use the cover of smoke to attack one side to specifically engage the enemy ships on the other side. This is called an eye-sealing tactic. It is like blocking one of the opponent's ships.
Eyes make the enemy on one side lose their target. Defeating the enemy's siege becomes one-on-one or one-on-two in a short period of time.
In addition, Zhang Yanling's original smoke bomb blockade armor collision tactic is also everyone's favorite tactic. It is simple, crude and enjoyable. With the tonnage and armor of the armored warship, crushing a small and medium-sized centipede ship is equivalent to a rhinoceros hitting a deer. After the smoke bombs cover the surrounding area
, the armored ship rushed out from one direction at full speed. No matter what ship was in front of it, it would sink if it hit it.
Alfonso's "Flower of the Sea" did not participate in the battle. He hid on the north side of the formation several miles away. There was no room for powerful firepower because he was afraid of accidentally damaging his own ship.
As the news continued to come, Alfonso's face became more and more gloomy and frightened.
"Lord Alfonso, the Blue Crystal was sunk by the enemy..."
"The Elk is on fire and sinking, Lord Alfonso..."
"The Glory was hit and on fire... Lord Alfonso... is sending a signal for help..."
"Lord Alfonso..."
"Shut up!" Alfonso roared furiously, interrupting the messages that were constantly coming from the lookout post.
"Damn it, damn it." Alfonso cursed angrily with a pale face.
"Lord Alfonso..."
"I said, shut up, shut up!" Alfonso yelled.
"But... Mr. Alfonso, there are enemies approaching from the north." The Franco soldier who reported the report timidly whispered.
Alfonso grabbed the telescope and looked towards the north channel. He saw the Ming Dynasty iron-clad ship that almost killed him last night and two wooden sailing ships coming through the wind and waves.
Cold sweat broke out on Alfonso's forehead, and he sat slumped in the chair.