Chapter 492 Caught in the Fire

Behind, several forward warships also arrived.

Regardless of the imminent imminence of the Yunti Pass, they slowed down and crossed the "Qinzhou" side one after another, and the gun doors on the side sides opened one after another......

"A chain of distance!"

As the voice of the rangefinder came, Zhang Chenfeng hurriedly ordered: "All battleships, shoot freely!" ”

Mortar shells are too precious to bombard only the most threatening enemy ships, less than 200 meters away, and the large-caliber long guns of each ship, even rapid-fire guns with only 12 pounds, are already effective ranges, not to mention hitting surface targets, and it doesn't matter how large the projectile dispersion is.

"Boom! Rumble! Boom Boom! ”

For a moment, dense projectiles rained down on the fire attack ship.

The fire attack fleet was raging, the sailors on board died and fled, and the out-of-control fireships collided with each other and drifted all the way down the river to the fleet......

"Stop shooting! Drop the sails! Close the ammunition depot! ”

Seeing this, Zhang Chenfeng hurriedly issued an order, "All ships pay attention to observe!" Be prepared for collisions and fires! ”

On the "Qinzhou", the sailors hiding behind the bulwarks began to raise their guns and shoot at the figures in the fireworks in front of them.

The gunners quickly put the ammunition pack of the ship's gun into the fireproof shell box and ignited it with the fireproof star.

On the fore and aft decks, several sailors wearing life jackets and safety ropes stood on both sides of the deck with long hooked pennies, ready to push the fireship away.

The ships behind were concocted in the same way, and the sailors were busy but not chaotic, and they were ready for battle.

The sound of the cannons had completely ceased, and the leading battleships began to pass through the first wave of fire......

Under the double destruction of shelling and burning, the density of the fire attack ships has been much thinner, but the sailors on the battleship still have to often use long pennies to push away the wreckage of the approaching fire attack ships.

There were one or two fire attack ships, and even the battleship "Qinzhou" that had already touched the head of the battleship.

However, the sailors' quick putts prevented the fire from coming to Manyan - the machine-powered battleship had no sails, flammable items such as sails had been put away and covered with thick bamboo mats, and even if a few sparks burst and a few fires fell, they were quickly extinguished by the sailors who were waiting for them.

Soon, more dense fire attack ships drifted down......

One by one, they drifted past the battleship as the sailors pushed their pennies, and the smoke and flames of the fire scorched the river, and the sailors wrapped strips of cloth around their mouths and noses.

Although there was smoke in front of him, from the telescope, Zhang Chenfeng could still see some people in civilian clothes running on the road ahead.

Apparently, they were spies sent by the Tartars to observe the effects of the fire attack.

"Damn, that's all there is to it."

Zhang Chenfeng scolded in his heart.

One by one, the fire attack ships drifted past the side of the battleship and began to float towards the main force of the fleet, which was far behind......

It was very difficult for a troop carrier with a small tonnage to go upstream, and it was still very dangerous to encounter such a large fire, but Shi Lang and they also had a plan, evacuated the formation early, covered the grain and grass tightly, and stretched out the penny to prepare for danger.

The sailors shouted loudly and pushed the pennies with all their might, and the soldiers with fire rackets and buckets also ran up and down from time to time, extinguishing the falling fires, although there was some chaos, but fortunately there was no loss for the time being.

There were a few boats because of the lack of maneuverability, unable to avoid the situation, by the fire attack ship sturdy to hit, for a while, the next boat quickly leaned over to help, a penny with a hook stretched over, the fire attack ship quickly dragged away......

……

Chen Jin listened to the rumbling cannon sound in the distance, and the cannon sound dozens of miles away loomed and seemed to be there, but he listened very carefully, as if he was trying his best to judge the battle situation from the cannon.

Tang newspapers kept sending - "The fire attack ship of the Naval Division Battalion has been launched......

"Attack the fleet ...... by artillery bombardment"

"The river is full of smoke, and the ship of the thief sailor is in flames, and it is no longer clear to see......"

Every time these vague Tang newspapers were delivered, the masters of the shogunate couldn't wait to take them after Chen Jin read them, and several people gathered together and whispered, as if they wanted to find out the unfavorable news of the thief from this few words.

A few people also paced to the wooden map placed aside from time to time, muttering, as if they still had a strategy in their chests......

Chen Jin himself knows very well that these masters are the same as himself, pretending to be, but there is nothing he can do.

Except for hoping that the fire attack ship can win a big victory, the masters have no tricks to speak of to deal with this gang of thieves.

He remembered that Zhang Tianlu had suggested that he make mines such as "Mixed River Dragon", saying that they could not only be used as river blockades, but also float down the river to kill and injure enemy ships.

However, under the personal auspices of Zhang Tianlu, a number of mines were trial-produced according to the drawings of the "Wubei Zhi", and they were not stuck when the incense was ignited - either too early or too late.

Even the sealing of the mine is also very problematic, and the water directly enters the water if the seal is not good, and the sealing is too good, and the fire that ignites the fire inside is often extinguished......

Alas! Whether it is hanging with a lot of gold or a cane, the craftsmen always can't make what they want.

Occasionally, one or two usable ones can be made, and the two or three catties of charge cannot even blow up the thicker planks, and if more gunpowder is added, how to let the mines float on the water has become another difficult problem.

It is always said that Westerners are nothing more than "strange and skillful", but at this moment, how much he hopes that there will be a few craftsmen who know how to "strange and skillful"!

"This bunch of shit!"

I only know how to spend money, and if I do badly, I will kowtow and beg for mercy!

Chen Jin once wanted to cut off the heads of a few craftsmen to make an example of chickens and monkeys, but in the end he gave up under Zhang Tianlu's persuasion, but each of them beat them with 20 military sticks, and the Shanyang County order was ordered to recover the wages.

Waste is waste, and there are really not many craftsmen who can make firearms, so he has ordered these craftsmen and their families to be taken into custody, and when the situation is not good, they can cross the river to the north at any time.

Zhang Tianlu also listened to the sound of the cannon silently.

Dull as thunder, it is the sailor cannon of the Ming thief, and the fragmented and dense one should be their fast cannon and fast gun, needless to say, this is the sailor of the Ming thief attacking the ship.

Although he was the commander of the infantry army, he still had much more insight than that master, and he knew that the fire attack ships were useless in the open water, but the river around Yunti Pass was narrow and had the advantage of going downstream, so he felt that there was still some hope.

As long as I can burn a few ships of the Ming thieves, I can let them know how powerful I am in the Qing Dynasty, and in the future, they will not be so unsightly!

At this time, Zhang Tianlu, the words "defeat the thief", didn't even think about it.

Because, after experiencing the Battle of Nanchang, in his opinion, this is completely impossible, and only if they have to pay a considerable price every time they win a battle, it may be possible to retreat in the face of difficulties......

"Lord Caotai, the sound of guns has stopped."

At this time, one of the staff members shouted.

Chen Jin nodded slightly, indicating that he understood.

On the morning of midsummer, there was no cloud, the sky was clear, from the Wanghai Tower, through the telescope, you could see the black smoke in the direction of Yunti Pass, obviously the fire was very large.

Could it be that the enemy ship has already been burned?

The staff members all watched nervously with such thoughts.

Finally, as soon as the horse arrived, another pond newspaper came urgently - "The river was filled with black smoke, the flames were soaring to the sky, and the thieves' ships were all caught in the fireworks of the river......"

(End of chapter)