Chapter 65: The Battle of Penghu III

How Shi Lang decides, Zheng Chenggong is not interested.

In other words, Zheng Chenggong no longer has the kung fu to think about this.

Because the war is in the middle of nowhere.

Zheng Chenggong wanted to slow down, but he didn't want the Dutch to be more anxious than Zheng Chenggong, the Dutch sailed last night, passed by Zheng Chenggong, and waited for Zheng Chenggong to withdraw to Penghu. I just saw that the Dutch were attacking Penghu.

If you want to save Taiwan, attack Penghu first.

As long as the Netherlands can control Penghu, Zheng Chenggong's Taiwan offensive will not be self-defeating. Carl's vision and determination are not poisonous. Even a decisive battle that hit Karl's hands.

Therefore, as soon as the two sides come into contact, it is like dry wood encountering a raging fire and colliding together.

In the strait between the main island of Penghu and Xiyu, this big battle began.

Zheng Chenggong's fleet sailed from south to north and rode the wind. The Dutch were already preparing to bombard Penghu Island, but Zheng Chenggong's sudden appearance forced them to temporarily change their formation, so they sailed from north to south.

The two sides walked in the same direction.

The cannon rang out again and again, one after another.

To be honest, Zheng Chenggong is also a little worried about such a war. He did not command naval battles, but the previous battles were all based on the shipwreck, but this battle was based on artillery.

This kind of war is even more tragic than the broadside battle.

The two sides were miles away from each other, and they fired artillery one after another. On each ship, there are dozens of guns, large and small, and at the moment hundreds of cannons are invested by both sides. Compared to the Anglo-Dutch naval battle that was about to break out in the west, the two sides invested more than 10,000 cannons. There are some few, but the entire East Asian battlefield is also rare.

I have to say that although there is less cruelty in the fight between swords and soldiers, the cruelty of artillery bombardment is not weak at all.

Although both sides are moving, and the artillery hit rate is not high, but between the miles, the power is quite large. Every shell that hit the side of the ship was a bloody hole like a bullet.

If a person is hit by a shell, there are no bones left.

At this time, it shows that the materials of the two sides are different.

Dutch ships were all made of whole wood, but the materials of the Xia army's ships were different.

The reason is simple.

Economical.

Because in the whole of China, because of historical reasons, that kind of very large logs can only be found in the deep mountains and old forests between Yunnan and Guizhou, as well as in the primeval forests of eastern Liaodong.

In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, there are not many big trees.

Therefore, if you want to use the whole wood for shipbuilding, the price is very high. It's so high that it's almost unbearable.

Between the Ming and Qing dynasties, if the emperor wanted to build the palace, he had to collect wood in the deep mountains in the southwest. It costs hundreds of thousands.

Although there is a freight rate for transportation from the southwest to Beijing. But it can also be seen that the cost is huge.

The Zheng family is a businessman. Zheng Zhilong was not unaware that the Dutchman's ships were good, but from a merchant's point of view, in terms of economy, the fortune ship was better than the plywood ship.

Although Zheng built such a vessel, it was not a whole log that was used, although it was put together with a piece of wood in the traditional Chinese carpenter's technique, and there was no problem with the appearance of the log, or even in its general nature. But under the bombardment of artillery, this difference in performance is much larger.

Therefore, under the same shelling, the Dutch ships were better able to withstand the shelling than the Zheng family's ships.

Under the intensive shelling, the deck was littered with corpses, large patches of blood and wreckage.

Zheng Chenggong was standing at the bow of the ship, watching the cannon fire roar in. Piercing the side of the ship, a cannon that was firing was followed by a dumb fire.

It's not that there is something wrong with the cannon.

It was the person who operated the cannon who had a problem. A large number of gunners and sailors died, which reduced the firepower a lot.

The roar of cannons, the sound of ships being hit by shells, and columns of water rising into the sky beside them. Above deck, it was as if a storm had hit some.

And that's not the most important thing.

Zheng Chenggong clearly felt an obvious vibration under his feet, which was mixed with all kinds of sounds, and it didn't seem to be important.

But Zheng Chenggong understands very well that there must be water below.

Although there were compartments underneath the ship, even if the Dutch had penetrated the bottom of the first layer, the ship would not have sunk so easily.

It's just that in this way, the speed of the boat is very problematic.

At all times, the speed at which a ship sails is very important in the event of an engagement.

Zheng Chenggong was also wet by the seawater a few times, and the whole person was almost fished out of the seawater.

He remained at his post, standing in a place where everyone could see the boat. Let the artillery roar and the shells fly.

Here, there is almost no difference between the odds of facing shelling and above deck.

At this time, there is nothing to command. More to see the play of the people below.

However, what Zheng Chenggong was more worried about happened.

He saw from afar the ship to the north of him, the sail of which had fallen heavily, and the mast in the middle had been broken by force.

The mast broke, almost crippled the ship's ability to move. In this battle where both sides are on the move, this ship is about to get out of the battle sequence.

"You can't come at the other person's pace." Zheng Chenggong secretly said in his heart: "You can only do it according to your own way." ”

Zheng Chenggong ordered: "Turn around and rush over." The ship rushed in the first. ”

"Your Excellency. This is absolutely unacceptable. ”

The attendants beside Zheng Chenggong were taken aback.

Zheng Chenggong's ship was not ranked first because of the first combat position, and the pressure was too great, if it were not so. The first ship was not so miserable.

Zheng Chenggong rushed over like this, and I am afraid it is also the center of the fire.

"There's nothing to do." Zheng Chenggong's eyes turned, and the murderous aura in his eyes was steaming, if the people below didn't dare to look up. "Go and give the order."

"Yes." Zheng Chenggong's prestige was originally unstoppable, and his own temperament was a bit stubborn.

This can be said to be good or bad.

Just like the historical conquest of Taiwan, I don't know how many people opposed it, and even surrendered to the Qing court, Zheng Chenggong was unwavering.

In addition, when he was dying, the same was true for dealing with Zheng Jing.

It's just that two things are positive and negative, but they are two sides.

The times have changed, but Zheng Chenggong's temperament has not changed much, and if someone talks more at this moment, Zheng Chenggong will definitely hang his head on the mast.

The people below also know Zheng Chenggong's temperament very well, and seeing him like this, naturally no one dares to disobey his will.

As the ship turned, from north to east, he waved the flag and conveyed Zheng Chenggong's order to the captains of the ships.

Liu Guoxuan followed behind Zheng Chenggong, and when he saw this, he said: "How can you let Guogong put himself in danger." He immediately rushed in front of Zheng Chenggong and rushed over.

To tell the truth, this kind of charging at the risk of artillery is more suitable for generals at all levels. Westerners lined up in artillery battles, but they were not what veterans of the Zheng family liked.

From the cannon arrangement, the cannons are mostly on both sides, so they rush towards each other. The Zheng family's firepower has been greatly reduced.

However, after the arrival, the power of each cannon was greatly increased, and the accuracy of the head was also greatly increased.

Hand-to-hand combat that borders on bayonets. If the two sides can get on board, it will be more beneficial to the Zheng family.

It's not that the Dutch don't know how to fight, it's that the Zheng family is better at it, and the Zheng family is not afraid of casualties.

Many people died, and with a wave of their hands, they could recruit as many as they could from Fujian.

Don't look at the large number of artillery on both sides, but the soldiers on both sides who participated in the battle, combined, are actually not 20,000 people.

This person, even if all of them died in battle, I can afford to replenish it. The Dutch were different, not to mention the Netherlands, there were not many Fujianese in the country at that time, just talking about the supply line from the Netherlands to Batavia, how long it would take to replenish a single person.

Even if it were to be supplemented from the Indian side, it would take a lot of effort, and in general, the entire East India Company was short of people, and of course the Dutch were Westerners, not natives.

Perhaps the natives can be attached to the army on land, but it is impossible to get them on the ship, and even if they do, they are only low-level slave servants. It's not that the Dutch discriminate against them, but they want to find a number gunner, and it's really hard to find it from the natives.

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