Zheng Zhiguan commanded 20 large-caliber heavy artillery pieces to fire one cannon at first, and then fired a salvo of 10 guns as a group of 10 artillery pieces, firing round by round to relieve the heat dissipation pressure of the artillery.

More than a dozen pounds of solid iron balls kept stirring up huge water columns on the sea, bouncing inside and outside the left and left of those brigs, constantly passing these ships that were struggling to advance, and occasionally venting huge kinetic energy on the ship's plank, on the deck, the smashed wooden plank was sandwiched with blood, thrown into the air, and thrown into the sea.

The constant whistling of the cannons made the sailors who controlled the ships try to lower their bodies and heads to reduce the probability of being hit by the cannonballs as much as possible.

Fortunately, at this distance, several fast-moving sea ships were attacked by artillery fire, firstly as a moving target, and secondly, the waves of the sea water undulated, constantly jolting the hull up and down, and the hit rate of the shells can be imagined. Most of the cannonballs were shot down and jumped, but they only stirred up a high column of water on the surface of the sea, smashing the fish that were accidentally passing by in the sea to the surface of the sea, enjoying the so-called pond fish disaster.

However, there was still a large iron ball fired by an eighteen-pounder gun, which passed over several gunboats rushing in front of it, and pounced straight on a mortar gunboat. 、

There was a crackling sound of sore teeth and broken tendons, and the screams on the deck were continuous, and the screams and calls for friends were intertwined. The heavy iron ball was struck just as the gunners were loading a huge mortar shell into the chamber using tripods and pulleys. For a moment, the narrow planks became a hell for its wanton behavior, with a bloody mist in its sorrow. The blood mist was mixed with minced flesh and stumps. The shell was castrated after killing and wounding several gunners to the ground. It slammed into the deck behind the gun emplacement, shattering the deck planks to reveal a huge gap, which looked extremely awkward on the neat and smooth side of the ship.

After two rounds of artillery fire, the command ship of the brig sounded a sharp trumpet, "And so they are!" It's time to teach them! ”

At the moment when the round of artillery shells fired under the command of Zheng Zhiguan had just fallen, the ten gunboats that were still jolting forward in the waves of artillery fire rose up thick white smoke. The deafening sound of artillery was loud. Waves of big iron balls seemed to be overwhelmingly smashing into these forts of the Fujian Navy Division.

The heavy shell of the Crane cannon smashed straight into the chest wall of the Gulangyu Fort in a trajectory that was almost a straight line at a distance of less than two miles. A large part of the thick sack barrier on the chest wall was shattered. Although the fort was densely packed with countless bamboo baskets and sacks filled with dirt and sand, it was used to prevent shells from causing secondary damage to the hard fort structure. But. No matter how tightly your baskets and sacks are arranged, the cannon will still roll and bounce when it hits the position. Because there is always room for people to move. When the cannonball flies and bounces on the ground, it seems to be very slow, but in fact, it is only the angle and speed of the cannonball that can be seen with the naked eye, but in fact, the speed is very fast, and the human body often has no time to react.

The shells of more than 30 catties of mortar cannons fell from the top of their heads, and everywhere they went, they smashed even more flesh and blood, and the fire was continuous. Others rolled down in pools of blood, screaming terribly, and beside them, there were fragments of broken limbs and smashed artillery mounts.

Zheng Zhiguan was lifted up from the ground by several pro-soldiers, and a mortar shell weighing dozens of catties smashed on the right side of his flag array. The sack chips shattered by the artillery, as well as a large area of stirred up soil, splashed on his head and chest, and the smoke caused by the burning and explosion of the shell hit a powder keg, making Zheng Zhiguan, a high-spirited young officer of the Zheng clan, immediately become an indigenous slave worker who had just crawled out of the mine.

"Fire!"

On the Three-Headed Tiger, Zhang Xiaohu commanded his gunners to fire the shells of the dozens of cannons on the three-layer gun deck to the south bank battery on Xiamen Island, and fired at the gunners of the south bank battery, attracting and suppressing the artillery fire on this battery, so that those Cron gunboats and mortar gunboats could avoid being pinned by artillery fire from three directions as much as possible.

In the other direction, Li Huamei's Aomei gave full play to the power of the 60 guns on the ship, beating the Yuwei Tsai Fort to the ground, and the gunners did not dare to raise their heads.

"Fire! You death-dreaders! An officer of the Zheng family waved the leather whip and steel knife in his hand, and kept whipping and scolding the gunners who were a little caught off guard by Li Huamei's crazy one-minute attack.

"Put the total sir! It was the ship of the eldest lady of the Li family, and it was at least eighteen pounds or more than eighteen pounds of artillery on it, and the artillery we had here was not only inferior in number, but also inferior in caliber! If you mess with this crazy girl, I'm afraid ......"

"Smack!"

The raw cowhide whip with the copper wire suddenly drew a fleshy edge on the gunner's body, and in an instant it turned purple-black.

"If you don't want to die under her cannon, go back to the gun position and fire!"

The shells of both sides went back and forth in mid-air, constantly discussing the meaning of life. As the gunboats of the naval division got closer and closer to the forts of the Fujian naval division, the artillery on both sides showed great lethality.

But, as Nelson, who did not yet know whether his grandfather had been born or not, summed it up, the fleet was always on the relatively weak side when attacking forts with strong fortifications.

The ships kept passing the battle damage to Zhang Xiaohu's flagship through the guò signal flag.

"Don't worry about casualties, don't worry about artillery losses, first kill the three batteries on Gulangyu Island to Lao Tzu!"

"Marshal, the Li family's ships were suppressed by our batteries, do you want me to rush out with the gunboats and annihilate these Li family ships in one fell swoop?"

On Xiamen Island, the high-ranking generals of the Zheng family gathered on the Sunshine Rock, each using a telescope to observe the scene of artillery fire not far away.

Zheng Zhihu is not arrogant, under the sun rock. In the west waterway of Xiamen Port, at least 100 big Qingtou and red-haired ships are currently moored, and they have the ability to wipe out the dozen or so ships that the Nanyue Army rushed into the waters of Xiamen in one fell swoop.

"No, you can't! Our warships rushed in at this time, which was to do the brothers on the battery a disservice, so that they could not let go and destroy the enemy. The order goes down, before the naval division of the Nanyue army has not retreated, the naval division of our army shall not go out to fight without authorization! Keeping the ship is the key! ”

The artillery battle on the sea continued.

By mid-afternoon, the naval division of the Nanyue Army had changed its tactics and no longer allocated firepower, but had transferred more ships off the coast of Kinmen and Xiamen into the waters of Xiamen. More than 20 brigs were concentrated to carry out continuous artillery attacks on the three forts on Gulangyu Island.

In the midst of constant artillery firefights. The gap between the artillery of the Nanyue Army and the Fujian Navy Division became apparent little by little. The gap between the two sides in terms of artillery performance, ammunition quality, shooting technology, etc., cannot be bridged by the careful construction of one battery. Under the continuous attack of the Three-Headed Tiger and the Aomei, the main fort on the south coast of Xiamen Island gradually began to decline, but all the fortifications here were made of ash purchased by Nanzhong, mixed with sand and stones, and masonry with wrought iron bars. The most sturdy of all. The thick breastwork is covered with mud. It can prevent flying rocks from enemy shells from hurting people. Behind the stone wall was built a military room, and there was a fence to protect it. For a time, the gunners hid in solid granite formations. It's safe, too.

However, the nearly 2,000 defenders and gunners in the fort were all hiding in the safe places they were seeking, and no matter how the officers whipped them, they refused to come out to load and return fire when the Nanyue army poured shells on the battery. It was only when the two gunboats adjusted their sides to prepare for the next bombardment that people ran out like crazy, quickly stuffing the medicine packs and shells into the barrels, and then firing cannonballs at the two giant ships while the Three-Headed Tiger and the Aomei slowly turned their huge hulls, firing one salvo after another. However, the firing effect is not flattering, and even the muzzle elevation angle is the angle at the time of the first few salvos.

On the other side, the sound of cannons on the Gulangyu Fort became more and more sparse, and under the intensive care of nearly twenty brigs, one fort had been basically dumbed. Without artillery, the battery lost its ability to protect itself, and the guards and gunners on the battery shouted, and they all dropped their gun emplacements and ran towards the two adjacent batteries. The space of one fort was already limited, and in an instant, nearly half of the people poured in, and at once on these two forts, there was constant noise, shouting, shouting, and pushing.

In the sea near Dadan Island between Xiamen and Kinmen, more ships of the Southern Guangdong Army and Naval Division are moored. Warships, transport ships, and even wounded ships of different sizes surrounded the Shouhan Changsheng like a moon.

"That's it! It's almost time for the fire! Signal our ships to get ready to carry the landing battalion to attack! Sue the gunboats ahead, don't be red-eyed! Hurt your own people! ”

With the signal flag waved in the hand of the commander of the Shouhan Throne Ship, the sailor fleet of sailors flashed a way, and dozens of fast crab ships that had just been built were like sharp arrows galloping on the water, speeding towards the direction of Gulangyu Island.

These fast crab ships were built after the first battle with the Zheng family in Xiamen!

Fast crab boat, there are rows of oars on both sides of the boat, the shape is like centipedes and crabs, the hull is usually painted red and black, the Yuan and Ming dynasties are called "centipede boats", the Qing Dynasty is called "fast crabs", infests the golden waterways of foreign trade at the mouth of the Pearl River, robs the property of passing ships. Raise the oars without wind, raise the sails in the wind, and use the oars and sails together if necessary. The large "fast crab" has more than 20 oars on each side, each with two strong men, walking on the water like flying, using the odd speed of the boat to chase the "prey" and evade pursuit.

Fast crab was originally a pirate ship in the Pearl River Delta, the hull is long and narrow, dozens of oars are placed on each side, and when it shakes, it stretches like crab legs, hence the name. It is extremely fast, equipped with guns, and when it is pursued by officers and soldiers, it can flee if it can, and if it can't escape, it will open fire to resist arrest, so it is quite a headache for officers and soldiers. In the late Qing Dynasty, pirates not only used it for robbery, but also used it for smuggling, escorting opium ships and other activities, so it became famous for a while.

Now the favorite of these pirates is Zheng Zhilong, the ancestor level figure that Li Huayu used to deal with the pirates, "The battle of Xiamen, in addition to the sailors, also relied on the landing of the land camp, and with the fire and spurs in our hands, the courage of the Zheng family army was completely pierced!" ”

Li Huayu was holding a long knife in his hand and a military flag in his left hand. Looking at the mountain warriors in the cabin who had stripped off their armor and fat jackets, revealing a body of muscles and muscles, this was one of his achievements in the past year.

Under the training of Liang Kuan and others, these soldiers swept dozens of mountain villages and communities across Taiwan, razing those tribes who did not listen to the king's education to the ground.

"Miss! You see! ”

Aji, who was on the Aomei, had sharp eyes, and saw the dozens of fast crab boats at a glance, especially the one headed by Li Huayu, which was even more frightened by Li Huayu's recognition flag.

This little girl from Tianzhu. It can be regarded as growing up with Li Huamei, Li Huayu and others in Ning Yuanbo's mansion. In this mansion that seems to outsiders to be weathered, she was treated as a human being for the first time as a low-caste person. A heart of spring has long been unknown to the young marshal Li.

"Wait for the opportunity. I said to A-Niang. Would you like to serve him in the eldest brother's room? "A little caution about knowing the leader of your own soldiers. Li Huamei is also very happy to fulfill her.

Now, the lover he saw was swinging his knife in the rain of cannons, how did he get it?

"Bastard! The one who wants him to go into battle himself! ”

On the Three-Headed Tiger. Zhang Xiaohu was so angry that his eyebrows were upside down, and his eyes were almost spewing fire.

"Boys! The big and young marshals have gone into battle in person, what are you waiting for, give Lao Tzu a hard beating! After laying down Xiamen, Lao Tzu paid out of his own pocket to invite you to drink wine, eat meat and visit the kiln! ”

Perhaps stimulated by the heavy reward promised by Zhang Xiaohu, or perhaps inspired by the move of the young marshal Li Jiada personally commanding the fleet to storm the Gulangyu Fort, all the gunboats of the Nanyue Army on the sea of Xiamen instantly became a lot more dense.

The sailors and soldiers on the fast crab ship shook their oars with all their might, and they had been told that the shorter they stayed under fire, the better their chances of survival, otherwise, let your parents, wives and children receive your pension!

In the blink of an eye, dozens of fast crab boats rushed to the sea near the fort on Gulangyu Island, which was dumbfounded by the artillery fire of the Nanyue army, which was located in the easternmost part of Gulangyu Island. On its right flank is an stretch of sand.

"Paddle to the beach! Fast! ”

The artillery fire on the two forts on Gulangyu Island began to shift towards the rapidly rushing fleet, and there were constantly columns of water flying in the fleet, and people kept hearing the sound of the keel breaking after the ship was hit by the cannon, and the screams of the wounded falling into the water and calling for help.

"Fire! Cover us for landing! ”

The guns on the Crab ship also began to fire shells at the battery, although it was only a small six-pounder or eight-pounder cannon, but it also slightly reduced the pressure on the battery's fire.

The hull of the ship shook suddenly, and the people on the boat couldn't help but staggered and panicked, but it turned out that the bottom of the boat rushed onto the beach of Gulangyu Island, and the boat ran aground on the beach.

"Quick! Get ashore! Rush up! Rush to the spot where the artillery fire can't hit them, and let them taste our bayonets! Liang Kuan kicked and beat the fast crab boat under his command, blasting Li Huayu's guards battalion soldiers into waist-deep water one by one.

"Guards battalion! Advance! Liang Kuan waved the battalion flag of Li Huayu's guard battalion, shouting the slogan shouted by Ye Qi when he broke through the Lingjiang River many years ago, leading dozens of guards battalion soldiers behind him to rush towards the beachhead quickly.

Regardless of the era, amphibious operations are a complex form of operation, and they are a test of the commander's command art, and the verification of the cooperation of the navy and army that carried out the landing operation also fully expresses the comprehensive national strength of the country carrying out the landing operation, as well as the high level of tactics, technology, and discipline of the landing army.

The most important thing in amphibious landing warfare is to race against time and complete the landing before the enemy reacts, then everything will be fine. If the enemy is invited to attack halfway through, there is a danger that the enemy will attack halfway, and if the enemy sees through the landing operation at the beginning and the surprise attack turns into a strong attack, the attacker's losses will certainly be heavy.

And what Liang Kuan did just conformed to this principle.

Under his leadership, the leading officers of dozens of fast crab boats jumped into waist-deep water, waving flags and weapons, urging the troops to rush to the beach quickly.

As soon as Liang Kuan and the others landed on the shore and stepped on the beach of Gulangyu Island, they invariably made the same action, took off a pair of dry straw sandals pinned to their waists, put them on their bare feet, reorganized the formation a little, and continued along the easternmost fort to the west of the two forts that were slowly adjusting their muzzles!

Behind these dozens of people, there were more and more soldiers of the Guards Battalion, who changed into straw sandals after boarding the beach, and under the rectification of their respective officers, followed Liang Kuan and others to pounce forward.

On the East Fort, which was already powerless, several Zheng soldiers threw aside the weapons in their hands, took off their cotton armor uniforms, and watched in horror as more than 1,000 people pounced from the sea.

"Brother! You see! Those brutes! ”

A young Zheng soldier screamed in horror as he pointed at the Dongfan soldiers who had just landed on the shore.

All of them were naked, carrying swords, guns and firearms on their backs, and their bodies were covered with tattoos, and in the eyes of these Zheng soldiers, they were no less than Shura demons.

These people did not rush to the beach first like Liang Kuan's subordinates, who only walked a little slowly on the beach, changed into dry straw sandals, and rushed to the two forts to the west, but spent a lot of verbal effort to form a team, and then followed the soldiers and horses of the guards battalion to the two forts on the west side.

Still, they ran barefoot on the sand full of shells and gravel. (To be continued......)