The San Diego observer shouted nervously, his pale fingers gripping the telescope as the cold rain ran down his head and face.

There was a dense loud bang, the air screamed, as if countless behemoths pounced, and the first salvo of shells of the Ming fleet flew in!

The officers and sailors of each ship subconsciously raised their heads and looked up in horror, and the next moment, the dozen or so battleships in front of the Invincible Armada almost collectively shook, and more white water columns rose in the surrounding seas.

After all, Okundo is a battle-hardened veteran, and immediately ordered: "Pass the order down and fight back!" ”

The adjutant shouted to him: "Sir, the rain is getting heavier and heavier, and the rain will pour into the muzzles of the guns to wet the gunpowder!" ”

Oquindo stared at the water column in the distance and shouted, "Don't panic, I'll lead the battle, only the devil can get us out of battle!" ”

He turned to the adjutant and said, "Our gunpowder will be wet with rain, won't the gunpowder of the Ming army?" When it comes to hand-to-hand jumping, our Armada is the strongest in the world! ”

Okundo didn't brag, in the era of sailing ships, when the two ships were close enough, from their own ships through the gangplank, swing lock or directly board, etc., board the enemy ship for white-knuckle combat, which is the best of the Invincible Armada!

At this time, the Ming fleet in the distance was corrected and fired a second salvo.

A swarm of shells hissed past the two Spanish warships and landed behind them, raising a column of water that was almost where they had just been.

The bow of the ship fell together in the pouring rain, and in this case, the shells fired by the battleship were not accurate at all, it was all a matter of feeling and luck.

The Invincible Armada also encountered this situation, and with Okundo's order, fireworks erupted, and a round of artillery bombardment of the Invincible Armada also hit the turbulent sea, scattered a hundred meters away from the Ming army's formation.

In the command room of the battleship Chongzhen, the mappers were marking the approximate location of the Armada on the chart table, and at the same time calculating the trajectory according to various data, striving to improve some accuracy in this harsh environment.

Zhu Chenggong hugged his arms and watched coldly from the side, and suddenly ordered: "Order the avant-garde detachment, be sure to copy in front of them, seize the advantageous position, and face the head attack of the invincible armada!" ”

"Yes!"

The clouds were low and sultry, thunder was rolling in the distance, and the air was so humid that water was dripping.

Seeing that the distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer, both sides continued to pour shells at each other, but so far, no warship of either side has been shot and sunk.

However, the artillery performance of the Ming fleet was superior to that of the Invincible Fleet, and with the excellent training quality of the artillery, it was far ahead in the rate of fire.

Coupled with the continuous calculation of various data by the zanhua painters and marking the new positions of the enemy and us on the chart, as the war continued, the advantages of the Ming Royal Navy became more and more obvious.

Lisbon, the whole of Portugal was watching this naval battle, and João IV was even more restless in the royal palace, frequently asking about the situation of the battle ahead.

In the small western-style building where the Ming mission was stationed, Wu Zhong was looking at the chart, also worried.

Although the number of warships on both sides is about the same, the large ships of the Spanish Armada are more than the combined fleet of Ming and Portugal, after all, the Ming Ocean Fleet is only part of the strength of the Ming Royal Navy, and the battle is in a hurry, and now it is raining heavily, and the outcome is unpredictable.

A brocade-clothed guard ran up from downstairs and said breathlessly: "Report to the envoy, Lord Qincha, half an hour ago, my Ming Royal Navy took the initiative to find fighters and sank three Spanish warships!" ”

"Good! All right! ”

Wu Zhong was overjoyed in his heart, and his hanging heart suddenly let go: "The surname of the country is good, and I am strong and powerful!" ”

After a while, the Jinyi Wei intelligence personnel came the news again: due to the continuous wind and rain, a large amount of stagnant water was poured into the guns of the two fleets, and the gunpowder in the barrels was soaked and could not be fired, and the two fleets launched a hand-to-hand battle.

The so-called hand-to-hand combat, also known as gang jumping, relies on the soldiers' muskets to shoot at each other.

Hearing this news, Wu Zhong was even more relieved, the soldiers of the ocean-going fleet were excellent soldiers of the Ming Royal Navy, and the Spanish soldiers could not get any benefits at all!

Sure enough, half an hour later, the Spanish Armada was defeated and hurriedly retreated, the battle ended, the combined fleet returned to Lisbon, and the first confrontation between the two sides ended.

After nightfall, the fleets of both sides rushed to repair the first ships and sent the ships that could not participate in the battle to the rear.

Early the next morning, João IV excitedly announced to his Portuguese subjects: The Spanish Armada invaded Portugal and was sunk by the combined fleet of Ming and Portugal, sinking five warships and killing 800 enemies!

The Portuguese populace was jubilant, and as they excitedly marched to the coastal ports to meet the victorious division, they found several ships of the Combined Fleet laden with dead and mortally wounded crews, some of them contaminated with blood, and their masts and rigging stained with brains, hair, and skulls.

It is known that although this victory was glorious, the battle was tragic, and it was the naval officers of the Ming Dynasty who fought bloodily to defend Lisbon!

On 16 May, after three days of rest and artillery repairs, the combined Benese-Portuguese fleet and the Spanish Arma again clashed off the coast of Lisbon.

Shi Lang, commander of the avant-garde detachment of the Combined Fleet, led his avant-garde detachment to occupy the upper hand position of the Invincible Fleet in order to make meritorious contributions, but instead faced a crisis situation of being besieged by the Invincible Fleet.

Zhu Chenggong personally led the central detachment to relieve the siege, and the formation of the Invincible Armada was chaotic.

Due to the disadvantage in numbers and poor logistical supply, the Ming Royal Navy could not seize this advantageous fighter to strike at the enemy, and both sides lost several warships and withdrew from the battle.

In the early morning of 20 May, Zhu Chenggong led his fleet to the south after being resupplied and took the initiative to attack in search of an opportunity for a decisive battle.

On the 22nd, the two fleets met again for the third encounter.

After the battle began, due to the fierce firepower of the Ming Royal Navy, the Spanish Armada was beaten by a stick, and a gap appeared in the originally dense fleet.

Since the Ming Royal Navy was in the upper hand, Shi Lang seized the fighter and immediately led the avant-garde detachment to break through the gap in the Invincible Armada.

At the same time, the rearguard detachment of the Portuguese Admiral Medina detoured to the downwind side of the Armada and flanked the avant-garde detachment, and a fierce artillery battle was ensued.

Towards evening, the Spanish Armada, which had suffered heavy losses, withdrew from the battle, and the Combined Fleet turned its rudder and returned home as it ran out of ammunition.

The first time he returned to Lisbon, Zhu Chenggong directly broke into the Portuguese royal palace and asked Joao IV loudly: "Do you want to win!" ”

Three times and twice because of the ammunition supply, he missed the opportunity to annihilate the invincible fleet in one fell swoop, and Zhu Chenggong's anger was completely aroused.

In the face of the angry and rude Count Ming, Joao IV's face was ugly, but it was difficult to say anything.

Not to mention that Zhu Chenggong's current reputation is very great in Portugal, and he is regarded as the god of war, at this time the invincible armada has not retreated, and the next big war will have to rely on this Ming count, and he must not be offended.......

Seeing that his own king was being scolded, the Minister of the Navy, Medina, hurriedly dissuaded: "Your Excellency, you have misunderstood, it is not that His Majesty the King is unwilling to win the war, but that our treasury is empty, and we really can't supply this huge war......"

"What a shit-like logistics!"

The surname of the country scolded and threw away his sleeves.

At this time, he is a little nostalgic for the days of fighting Taiwan and destroying the Qing Dynasty, he doesn't know the gap without comparison, the logistics supply of the Ming Dynasty, that is really strong! Can throw off these eighteen streets in Portugal!

(End of chapter)