Chapter Twenty-Three: The Divine Fire Crow
Driven by strong northwesterly winds, the Punishment Fleet completely offset the adverse effects of the currents, and arrived at the Goto Islands, the westernmost territory of Japan, at nightfall on the 14th. And successfully found that he had come to Huangdao once in the early stage.
Huangdao is a small island located in the southeast of Fujiang Island, the main island of the five islands, and there were originally dozens of fishermen living there, but before Wang Rulong led a team to clean the open sea, he went to the island and arrested more than a dozen households. The dozen or so families who escaped did not dare to come back, and it was a suitable place to connect with the Tang people who took refuge in the agency.
A few small galleys had been waiting in the bay north of Huangdao for a long time, and when they saw the fire on the sea, they hurriedly rowed out of the bay.
The 406 speedboat, which was cruising around the fleet, quickly spotted them, and after verifying their identities, sent the leaders to the flag boat. Ma Yinglong inquired about the situation on Fujiang Island and learned that dozens of large and small ships were in the harbor. Wang Rulong immediately made a decision, and Zhang Manfan went straight to the lair of the Wudao Naval Army.
On the fourth watch, the fleet arrived at the harbor at the mouth of the Fukue River, and by the light on the shore, a small castle could be seen, located next to the trumpet-shaped estuary.
The Tang people who led the way said that the Ujiu family was usually reluctant to light so many lights. However, because it was rumored that the Ming Dynasty's fleet was going to retaliate, the governor Chunyao ordered that after nightfall, a thousand pine torches would be lit at the wharf and Jiangchuan Castle to illuminate the estuary as bright as day, so as to prevent the Ming ships from sneaking up and landing.
But how far can the torch shine at this time? As long as the fleet does not land, the people on the shore will be blinded and will not see anything.
On the contrary, the people on the ship could see through the light of the fire on the shore that the pier was under the castle, and all kinds of ships of all sizes were moored. It can even be seen that those ships are mainly Japanese ships and small mornings, and some Chinese sailing ships.
"Stupid site selection." On the deck of the flagship stern, Wang Rulong put down the binoculars and snorted contemptuously. The Ujiu family actually chose an unconcealed open estuary as a naval army stationed in Hong Kong, and I really don't know how to write the dead word.
"I guess it's far away from the mainland, and the birds don't, so I'm not worried about someone attacking at all." Brother Haier on the side smiled: "It's too careless." ”
"It's because we don't come too little, and they'll learn a lesson if they come a few more." Zhao Gongzi on the other side said quietly.
"Yes, my subordinates will always urge them to improve in the future." Wang Rulong laughed cruelly, and said to Brother Haier in a deep voice: "Act according to the plan of A!" ”
"Yes!" Brother Haier's legs were together, and he immediately got off the deck and went to the wheelhouse to give orders.
The heralds relayed orders through the ship's lights, and soon all the ships began to turn their rudders with difficulty. The capital ships are in a line formation with the sides facing the dock, and the small ships and speedboats move to the wings to protect themselves from enemy ships that are spotted and rushed out.
As for the five supply ships, they obediently stayed behind the capital ships, in fact, they also had overwhelming terrifying firepower in this sea area. However, according to the discipline of the battlefield, the supply ship should always focus on self-protection, and unless the captain judges that it is a matter of life and death, it will be punished as a violation of discipline if it participates in the war without authorization.
In addition, there is one more in the back, which is the 101 ship. Although the flagship does not have regulations to avoid war, there is Zhao Gongzi on board......
Wang Rulong didn't dare to make any mistakes.
~~
At dawn, the fleet was already lined up at a distance of 400 meters from the pier and 600 meters from Gangcheon Castle. Twenty warships lined up in the offshore waters, forming a thousand-meter-long battle line.
In fact, to deal with a small Ukushi clan, there is no need for such a big battle at all, everything is just a rehearsal for the 'hunting operation'.
Once in position, the ships began to fire freely. However, it was not the cannon that fired first, but the traditional program of the Ming army - 'Divine Fire Flying Crow'!
This thing was not sent by Zhao Shizhen, but made by King Rulong of Jinke himself. At the beginning of the anti-Japanese war, Qi Jiguang used various firearms to attack the Japanese invaders, and the 'Divine Fire Flying Crow' was one of the easier to build and more powerful.
It resembles a crow, made of fine bamboo or reeds, filled with gunpowder and coated with grease. Two 'fires' are installed on each side of the crow's body, and the bottom of the 'fire' cartridge is connected to the powder pack inside the crow's body with a medicine wire. In combat, the thrust of 'Fire' can shoot the Raven up to 200 paces. When the crow lands, the gunpowder inside is ignited and can be burned in its entirety. It is a sharp weapon for lighting houses and burning warships.
The gunpowder produced by Jiangnan Group is much purer than that of the official army, and it has been granulated. After increasing the 'fire' charge, the thrust of the Divine Fire Raven can reach 400 meters before falling, which is just right for attacking the warships moored at the dock.
It is said that there is also a kind of 'fire dragon out of the water' similar to a two-stage rocket, which can even hit a mile or two away, but it is a pity that it is a secret of the water master, and the Qi family army will not make it.
One by one, the Divine Fire Crows, dragging their long tails, let out a terrible whistling sound, piercing the darkness before dawn, and scrambled to fly towards the ships of the Goto Navy moored at the dock.
Standing on the flagship, it looks like a fireworks show, and it is very beautiful. In fact, it is originally the same principle as the monkey released during the New Year, but it is bigger and has more arson function.
On the dock, the sailors on duty at night watched this splendid scene in a daze. Some people even thought that there was a ghost, threw away the spear in their hand, and knelt on the ground to worship.
It wasn't until the fire crows landed on the boat or dock and burned fiercely that they woke up from a dream and shouted loudly, picked up buckets and dipped their mops and went on board to put out the fire.
But in those days, they were all wooden ships, and the canopy and sails were particularly flammable, and one ship after another, soon a raging fire broke out, and it seemed that a fire was about to burn down the company camp!
At this time, the sailors and samurai who were staying at the dock also rushed over, and the leader of the Goto Navy, Uku Genya, stomped his feet in a hurry. "Baga, hurry up and get the boat out, don't burn it all!"
How else can it be said that people can't fly without heads, and birds can't fly without heads? The Five Islands Navy wakes up like a dream...... They had indeed just woken up, and hurried to their respective boats, whether it was on fire or not, and rowed away!
This is the moment the coast guard has been waiting for. The side fires of the battleships flashed, the rumbling cannons shook the sky, and countless heavy iron bullets bombarded like meteorites, and all those who touched them flew with flesh and blood!
And solid shells did little damage to the hull, that was for a battleship made of oak. Ships made of pine and cedar can be pierced with a single shot if fired at such a close distance! Dense shells rained down in rounds, sinking most of the ships in the harbor in a short time.
A dozen or so boats were lucky enough to sail out of the dock, but the shells followed, and they still couldn't escape the catastrophe. Under the command of the leader, the Goto Navy rushed desperately towards the demons that were spitting fire snakes. However, when they approached with great damage, the Hong Xi cannon on the coast guard ship opened fire!
The stubby barrel of the cannon looked very merciful, and it could pour out a hundred projectiles at the same time, spraying them on the Japanese ship like a torrential rain, and the people on the boat were swept away as if they were cutting wheat when they boarded.
The last few wrinkles, which were riddled with holes, all stopped a hundred meters away from the Ming boat. There was not a single living person left on the ship, only countless stumps remaining......
~~
The morning sun rises from the sea, dyeing the red estuary of the Fukue River a strange purple gold.
There are no more living people on the entire estuary wharf. The survivors of the Goto Navy had already been frightened, abandoned their warships and fled into Jiangchuan Castle.
As for their leader, Uku Genya, the leader of the Goto Naval Army, had already fled into the castle and reported the enemy to his Ernie-chan.
In that room, with the help of his servants, it took him twenty minutes to quickly put on the armor of his ancestors. Finally, with the help of his younger brother, he put on a peacock-like helmet, and suddenly felt that his breathing was much heavier.
Then he dragged several samurai forward and backwards, and it was easy for him to climb the castle tower and look out.
It doesn't matter if he doesn't look at it, he cries out when he sees it. "My Goto Navy Army is all ......"
"Yes Ani, those big ships of the Ming Dynasty are too terrible, and our warriors who are outrageous have been wiped out without even touching them." Yujiu Xuanya sighed in frustration: "Fortunately, Jiangchuan City is here, otherwise we would have to be defeated this time." ”
"yes." Hearing this, Yujiu Chunyao burst into tears and said with a smile: "Fortunately, we have Jiangchuan City, and if the people of the Ming Dynasty want to fight the cage city battle, let them pay the price of blood!" ”
His self-confidence is justified, although Jiangchuan City was built on flat ground, but with the help of Wang Zhi, this 'flat city' was changed to a 'floating city'...... The castle is surrounded by a river, and from a distance it looks like it is floating on the water. When the drawbridge was raised, no matter how many enemy troops there were, it was even more difficult to capture than the mountain castle.
In addition, the Ukushi family made a fortune in the Nanban trade, and wrapped the outside of the castle with a thick layer of stone walls, and even the wooden structures such as the roof roots of the castle tower were wrapped with thick clay to prevent fire, so they were not afraid of the enemy attacking with rockets.
In the troubled times of the Warring States, you will never lose money by spending money on castles. It can bring an incomparable sense of security, and if you don't see well, you just need to retract into the turtle shell, and you will be safe.
If the enemy wants to attack the city, he must pay a heavy price, and ten times the number of troops may not be able to attack it. It is also unrealistic to want to besiege the city for a long time, because the wealthy Ukushi family has stored food in the city for two years, and there is still fresh water in the city. Not to mention the people of the Ming Dynasty who can't stay for a long time, even the Ouchi family on Kyushu Island can't afford it.
Thinking about it this way, the city lord regained his composure, unfolded the small folding fan, and while fanning the wind, he pointed to the outside of the city lightly and said: "Look, the people of the Ming Dynasty are still too timid to get off the boat after all, and they missed the best opportunity in vain." Now our men can calmly withdraw into the city, leaving no food and supplies for them. ”
"Ani is right, as long as Jiangchuan City is here, we can still revive the Five Islands Water Army!" Uku Xuanya never forgot to excuse herself.
"Hmph." Yujiu Chunyao glanced at him angrily, and said in his heart that if you don't cut your abdomen, you have to go home to apologize. But this is not the time to worry about this, so I asked how many soldiers there were in the city.
In fact, he is also a township chief, and all the troops are naval troops, and at this time he has folded seventy-seven-eighty-eight, and there are still two hundred soldiers left. However, the Japanese soldiers and civilians were united, and immediately issued weapons to peasants between the ages of twelve and forty, and he immediately had two thousand ashibashi.
The main reason for reaching the age of forty is that there are almost no peasants over the age of forty......
ps. No one watched the children a few days after the holiday, so I really couldn't watch the three watches, but fortunately, the holiday was over soon. There are two more changes today, and I will try to write more tomorrow.