Within half an hour of the fleet led by Admiral Chen Pengming approaching the port and engaging in a formal artillery battle with the Portuguese forts, they completely destroyed the six forts deployed by the Portuguese on the periphery of the port, killing and injuring at least a thousand enemy troops.
This result not only frightened the Portuguese who were watching the battle on the top of Malacca City, but also frightened the Portuguese fleet that rushed out of the port with more than ten ships and tried to conduct active interception operations.
Although at the beginning, they still tried with the courage to die, trying to rush up to engage in a boarding battle, but in the face of the powerful artillery fire of the Tang Navy, one ship after another was hit by sawdust flying across the board, causing heavy casualties.
As a result, one of the armed merchant ships of more than 400 tons was hit by multiple 24-pound howitzer shells from the Datang Navy that penetrated its wooden hull and penetrated deep into the cabin to explode violently, eventually causing the ship to explode.
The main internal structure of the ship was damaged and a large water leak occurred and it sank quickly.
Seeing this, the remaining Portuguese ships had no choice but to retreat!
After a battle, the main fleet of the Tang Navy had completely rushed into the port, and then began to unscrupulously use a large number of naval guns to violently bombard the Portuguese fleet and port facilities in the port.
In this case, the Portuguese simply could not resist!
The ships that dared to resist were bombarded one by one, and either sank or burst into flames!
But more Portuguese ships were like dead fish, just drifting in the port, and the sailors on the ships had already scrambled to escape to the pier, and then rushed towards the Malacca Bastion several hundred meters away.
In this offensive battle against the port, there is no doubt that the Tang Navy won an absolute victory!
At this time, they could even anchor directly in the port and use artillery to calmly bombard the remaining Portuguese ships and facilities on the shore!
Of course, although the Tang navy rushed into the port, it did not go too deep into the port, not even within a hundred meters of the dock, because there was also the city of Malacca on the shore.
On the seaside side of Malacca City, there was a solid fort with dozens of heavy cannons deployed, and it was located high up, which could easily pose a threat to the warships of the Tang Navy.
In order to avoid insignificant losses, Chen Pengming did not order the fleet to continue moving forward, but just carried out shelling from a distance of four to five hundred meters.
Although the hit rate is not very good at this distance, it cannot hold many guns!
Using artillery fire coverage, these Portuguese ships can also be completely annihilated!
The rumble of cannons in Malacca Port continued for several hours!
After the rumble of cannons stopped, the Portuguese fleet in the port no longer existed.
This fleet, which had two battleships, multiple professional battleships, and dozens of armed merchant ships, basically did not play the role they should have, and was just wiped out one by one in the port.
Many ships were either sunk and then sunk, or they were ignited in thick fires, and then nothing was left!
When the fleet was destroyed, a large number of artillery carried by the battleship also sank to the bottom of the sea. This made the Portuguese attempt to move all the artillery on the ship to land and then use these artillery for defense on land failed.
The only thing that makes the Portuguese thankful is that, in addition to losing a large number of people at the fort at the beginning, in the subsequent port battles, the casualties were not too many, only a few hundred people at most, and more
The people retreated safely to the land and then entered the fortified city of Malacca.
Looking at the Malacca port that was already in a mess and the Portuguese ships that were still burning, Chen Pengming ordered the fleet to stop the large-scale bombardment and station a squadron at the port to continue to guard and support the army. In addition, the main fleet began to withdraw from the port and return to the port.
Anchorage outside the port.
On the way back, he said to Brigadier General Yang Yiqing, the army liaison officer on the flagship: "The navy has completed its mission, and the rest depends on the army!"
Brigadier General Yang Yiqing, who was still immersed in the scene of the fierce naval bombardment just now, heard Chen Pengming's words and immediately said: "Please rest assured that the navy, our army officers have already begun a large-scale landing. Once the landing is completed,
Preparations will be made for siege!"
Although the navy stole the show for the time being in this Battle of Malacca, the navy alone could not conquer Malacca. The most it could do was destroy the Portuguese fleet and blow up their port to pieces.
However, for the city of Malacca on the shore, this actually does not mean much!
If you want to take Malacca, you have to rely on army soldiers to launch an attack from the ground!
The navy's attack in the port and its brilliant results also stimulated the army officers who were landing!
At the landing site of the Datang Joint Landing Fleet a few kilometers away from Malacca City, Army Lieutenant General Ding Chenzhen, commander of the Seventh Army, raised his feet in long leather boots, stepped out of the landing boat, and stepped on the shoal.
superior.
Although the water level in the shoal is not high, it is only a dozen or twenty centimeters deep, but the low sand and silt are too soft, and coupled with the resistance of the water, it is wobbly for people to walk on it!
The long leather boots sank deeply into the sand every time, and then he had to pull them up hard to move forward. This made Ding Chenzhen, who was already in his fifties, quite uncomfortable walking.
After finally walking onto the dry beach, Ding Chenzhen held the command knife at his waist with one hand and raised his military cap slightly with the other hand. Then he raised his head and looked at the chaotic beach in front of him, and said: "Those idiots in the Navy
, how did you choose the landing site? This wretched place is for people!"
Ding Chenzhen continued to move forward with a group of officers from the military headquarters. After leaving the beach for more than a hundred meters, he walked into a tent. This extremely simple tent was the temporary army headquarters.
He sat directly on an ammunition box, then took off his wet leather boots without grace, and poured out the seawater inside. Then he looked up and saw a group of officers staring at him.
He said: "What are you looking at? Everyone is free. Are we going on a trip?"
"It's a war now, everyone, get moving!"
Among this group of officers, some were his old subordinates. They had a certain understanding of Ding Chenzhen's temperament, so they didn't say anything. They all went about their own business, but there were still a few who were
Officers who were transferred from other armies or from the Privy Council were not very familiar with Ding Chen. They were stunned for a while when they heard such words.
However, they didn’t dare to say anything. They just felt that they were not used to it, so they immediately went about their own business!
After seeing a group of subordinates getting busy, Ding Chenzhen stood up again with bare feet, then took out his binoculars and looked ahead. In front of him was the city of Malacca.
Then he thought for a while, took out the pocket watch on his chest and looked at it, and then said: "Please pay attention to me, first arrange the troops to build fortifications in the north, so that those who have logged in can
The troops must brace themselves to prevent the enemy from launching an attack after dark, and then contact the Navy to keep their support ships and prepare artillery support at any time!"
"If we continue to be so noisy, what will we do if the barbarians attack us? They are looking for death!"
"Damn it, whoever arranged the pre-landing plan has spent most of the day focusing on the south and west sides. The north side hasn't even built beach defenses yet!"
At this time, his chief of staff, Major General Qian Songquan, finally couldn't help but whisper in his ear: "Sir, be careful, this is a landing plan arranged by you personally!"
When Ding Chen heard this, instead of showing any embarrassment, he became even more angry: "Is this arranged by me? You can't even see such an obvious tactical flaw, or why don't you tell me even if you can't see it?
As a staff officer, why don't you remind me that I have to arrange everything? What's the use of you!"
Hearing this, Major General Qian Songquan, the Chief of Staff of the Seventh Army next to him, looked very embarrassed. I warned you before the landing, okay, you old bastard said it yourself. Time is tight at the landing place, so be prepared to the west.
Mainly focus on the south, and leave the north first, because the city of Malacca is in the south. As for the north, the Portuguese barbarians would not have the guts to go around a few kilometers to attack.
But I didn't expect that after logging in, this old bastard would forget what he said, and then blame himself!
At this time, Qian Songquan could only sigh. It was really not easy to work with Ding Chenzhen. If several big guys from the Privy Council hadn't jointly found him and asked him to be Ding Chenzhen's partner, he wouldn't have been willing.
Being the chief of staff for the commander of the Seventh Army, who has a hot temper that is known to the whole army.
We've only been working together for just over three months, and we've already been scolded so many times!
But now I can only endure it, because this Battle of Malacca is a crucial battle for both the navy and the army, and the navy will not talk about it.
The Army had already prepared for the Malacca Battle in advance, and this Ding Chenzhen was actually prepared by the Privy Council specifically for the Malacca Battle.
Although this person has a hot temper, in the huge Tang Army, there are many traditional generals who are good at large-scale field operations or critical battles, but if you want to say that there are not many who are good at amphibious landing operations, if you say they are good at amphibious landing operations at the same time,
He is a general in combat and critical battles, and his military rank has reached the level of Army Lieutenant General.
It’s very unfortunate that Ding Chenzhen is the only one left!
When army bosses Hao Bainian and Li Chunjing simultaneously summoned Qian Songquan, a rookie general in the army who had served as commander of the main infantry division and deputy director of the Operations Department of the General Staff Headquarters, and asked him to serve as chief of staff to Ding Chenzhen,
There was also helplessness in his tone!
It can be seen that they don't like Ding Chenzhen either, but apart from Ding Chenzhen, they have no other candidate for a senior general who can carry out large-scale amphibious landing operations and critical battles at the same time!
In order to prevent the hot-tempered Ding Chenzhen from causing trouble on the front line, they made Qian Songquan, a mature and steady man with a good temper, the chief of staff to Ding Chenzhen.
But from Qian Songquan's point of view, for him to be the chief of staff here and there is simply wiping Ding Chenzhen's ass, and at the same time, he is being criticized every day.
But when he thought about the confessions of many army bosses, and when he thought about the great impact of the Malacca Battle, and even more of the impact on his personal political future, he could only tell himself every day: I will bear it!