When the battle flags on Zhu Zhanji's flagship were raised, the battle flags on the ships were raised immediately, and the busiest at this time were those cargo ships, who were originally located in the Chinese army, and they had to hurry up and retreat to the rear army.

The mouth of the Persian Gulf is about 20 kilometers wide, and the distance between the front and middle armies is also about 20 kilometers. Within this range, all the battleships that received the order immediately began a new round of position adjustments, which made the warships of the Timurid State on the opposite side stunned.

In this day and age, almost all naval battles still rely on broadside battles.

Because although there are cannons, but today's small cannons, the firing distance is only a few hundred meters, the two armies are fighting, almost a round of artillery fire has not been finished, and the ships of the two armies will collide together.

Moreover, although the navy of Timur sent 200 ships to block the front, they did not receive orders to start a war with the Ming fleet.

Admiral Emir, who led the expedition, only thought that by blocking the entrance to the sea and negotiating with the Ming fleet, the Ming fleet would be able to retreat, and according to their intentions, only merchant ships would be sent into trade.

However, when Qian Zhuang, the commander of the First Fleet of the Front Army, and Wen Shaofei, the commander of the Third Fleet, saw through the binoculars that the battle flags were raised on the heralds who came to report the news, they immediately understood, His Highness let him fight again.

In Bengkulu, he represented the navy, but unfortunately, the navy was only an auxiliary army in that campaign, and only assumed the responsibility of transporting troops and clearing the coast.

Looking at Liu An of the young army, Yu Chengdong and they have made great achievements, but their navy is only a little bigger than sesame, and their hearts are also extremely unbalanced.

was ranked as a former army, and Zhu Zhen deliberately wanted to give them some sweetness to compensate them.

Because the former army also assumed the responsibility of surveying the nearby continent during the voyage. As long as the geographical location along the way is surveyed, it is more or less a credit.

What they didn't expect was that they would be intercepted at Kurumus, which is a feat!

Qian Zhuang is the first fleet, he has never been to sea before, but Wen Shaofei is different, he has followed Zhu Zhen to the Western Ocean three times, and has rich sailing experience.

The forward battalion also has Wen Shaofei as the chief officer, and Qian Zhuang has no opinion on this. Although they are His Royal Highness's pro-army, the area they control is the waters within the Ming Dynasty, and the experience of this kind of naval battle is far inferior to that of the Third Fleet.

As soon as the incident happened, Qian Zhuang took the herald ship to Wen Shaofei's flagship, wanting to see how Wen Shaofei dealt with it up close and accumulated some experience.

Seeing the battle flag on the herald's ship, Wen Shaofei perked up and said loudly: "Herald, the forward battalion raises the side sails and gives way to the left and right sides, and the New Jiangkou Naval Division of the First Fleet and the Dinghai Division of the Second Fleet will open the distance between the ships, swing the rudder two miles forward, and prepare for artillery bombardment." ”

With his command, the flag-bearer on the ship's lookout got the order, and began to wave flags and issue flags on the lookout, and the herald ships began to go out one by one to convey more accurate orders to each ship.

When the sailors of the Timurid kingdom saw the Ming ships quickly raising their sails, they thought that the other party was about to attack, so they hurriedly retreated and approached, preparing to block the route.

Most of their ships were light cargo ships with two warped ends, but hundreds of years of seafaring experience had allowed them to accumulate rich experience in shipbuilding, and most of their warships were more than 800 stones.

In Arabia, sailing ships are generally called makab, and in some places they are called Safinah. The shape of sailing ships in different countries and regions is different, so there are different names.

In the Persian Gulf region alone, there are twenty-five different types of sailing ships. The most common fishing boat is a small sailing boat, five or six meters long, called Shuai. A small galleon used to gather pearls and racing boats, with a bow mast in the shape of a bar, is called Jelbut.

A medium-sized sailing boat for both fishing and business, with a square stern, called a sambug. Large ocean-going sailing vessels, up to thirty or forty meters long and carrying four or five hundred tons, are called bagaras.

Although their warships are not as large as the 2,000-stone battleships of the Ming fleet, they are more flexible, and this is at their doorstep, and they have no fear.

But what they didn't expect was that Daming's fleet raised its sails, not to attack, but to retreat, watching Daming's forward warships draw an arc, sail to both sides, and retreat to the rear, their soldiers couldn't help but raise their scimitars and roared.

Everyone thought that the Ming fleet was scared and was ready to retreat.

Although the fleets that followed did not fully raise their sails, because the speed of the ships was not high, and they did not rush directly to their camp, and there was still a mile or two left, they were completely sideways facing the fleet of the Timurid kingdom.

So this fleet didn't attract their attention, and they even laughed contemptuously because the side of the Ming fleet was exposed.

But as the ships lowered their hard sails almost completely, there were some generals who sensed that something was wrong.

Although most navies still focus on broadside warfare, it is not that there are no ships equipped with small guns, but because the firing range of small guns is too short and the ignition is too slow, shelling has not yet become widespread in today's navy.

Today's Daming fleet lowered its sails and faced them on the side of the board, which was the standard preparation for shelling.

But this distance ......

While the generals of the Timurid kingdom were still wondering, they saw a rocket rushing above their fleet with a sharp cry, and behind the rocket, with red smoke, looked very beautiful.

However, this beautiful rocket brought not the usual festive celebration, and as the rocket lifted off, a deafening roar immediately shook the eardrums of the soldiers on both sides.

As the ships of the Ming fleet rose with thick smoke, the Timurid fleet, which was only about a mile away, immediately faced a stone bomb attack like a torrential rain.

Sunan's five ships were originally in the middle of the front army, but the forward battalion gave up their position, and they became the first ships to face the enemy.

Although it was the first time that the two armies faced each other in a real naval battle, after the Battle of Jeju Island, the Battle of Tsushima Island, and the Battle of Osaka Bay, Sunan did not have any fear in his heart in the face of the battlefield.

He strictly followed the instructions, except for the soldiers who were in charge of controlling the rudder and holding the sails, all the other soldiers began to load gunpowder and transport stone bullets.

As their ship slowly arrived at its intended location, everyone had cotton earplugs in their ears that had been prepared long ago.

Everyone looked at the sky and waited for the order to attack.

When the rocket, everyone did not hesitate to burn the fire rope in their hands to the lead behind the artillery.

The soldiers only felt a violent tremor, and the nervousness, combined with the shock that caused the battleship to retreat a few meters, made many soldiers vomit.

But it was much stronger than it had been at the beginning, and each of their ships had ten guns, five firing at a time.

The five guns were fired at the same time, and during the initial training, the soldiers were completely stunned, many fainted, and some were deaf.

This is not only because of the loud sound shock, but mainly because the five guns ignited at the same time, which caused the ship to have a violent shock, which seemed to crush people and glue them together, which ordinary soldiers could not bear.

It took them a lot of training to get used to the shock.

Now no soldier will be unconscious and deaf, but vomiting is still inevitable.

The soldiers lit the artillery, and the ship was filled with white smoke, and they couldn't see each other clearly.

Sunan roared loudly. "Raise the sails, raise the sails, and quickly retreat according to the predetermined route!"

His roar woke the soldiers below, and although they were still a little dazed, everyone followed the instructions at the beginning, quickly hoisted their sails after the bombardment, and withdrew towards the flank.

In their rear, the Ming fleet raised its sails one after another, and the officers in charge watched the enemy's losses with binoculars one by one, and then conveyed one order after another.

"Lower the muzzle and prepare for direct fire."

"Raise the muzzle and prepare for a salvo."

The first shelled fleets, which were the standard version of the firing elevation angles, and the distance between them and the enemy, including the lowering of the sails, was intended to provide a firing standard for the fleets that fired behind.

The subsequent fleets will make calculations based on the effectiveness of their shots, and then recalculate the optimal elevation angles for their shots based on the position of their own ships.

If you look down at the battlefield from the angle, you will find that the enemy's ships are less than 50 meters apart, and more than 200 warships are divided into two rows, blocking the entrance to the Persian Gulf.

They still adopted the position of the previous naval battle, and were ready to engage the Ming fleet at any time.

However, the fleet of the Ming Dynasty was like a ripple of water, erupting from back to front. Then, at a distance of about a mile from the enemy, they began to cross the left and right sides, and when facing the enemy troops on the flanks, they carried out a round of artillery bombardment, and then withdrew from the battlefield.

And the subsequent battleships filled their positions and continued the shelling.

They had a third fewer ships than the enemy, but now they had an absolute advantage.

This advantage is not only due to artillery, but also due to proper tactics, as well as the three major mistakes of the enemy.

The first mistake was a mistake in formation, their ships were too close to each other, and in a hurry, even if they wanted to dodge, their own ships would collide together.

The second mistake was that they were holding the strait, but they were downwind and lowered their sails, which was extremely inconvenient to raise the sails in a hurry to pursue or escape.

The third mistake, of course, was that they did not recognize the power of artillery, and they wanted to engage the Ming in battle, but now they could only become targets.

The emir watched as the Ming fleet swept past their fleet, and although the two armies did not make contact, the enemy's artillery was able to shoot a distance of more than a mile.

Twenty boats at one time, and a hundred shells fell on their ships. Their soldiers were all on deck, trying to deter each other, and now they were targeted.

In particular, there were a few ships that could no longer bear it and fell crookedly. They have also become an obstacle to the adjustment of their own fleet.

This new tactic made the emir's scalp explode, and for a moment, he couldn't think of how to deal with the Ming artillery.

He was completely stunned to see his soldiers fall one by one under the enemy's artillery, and every stone bullet that landed on the deck could cause several casualties.

Why is this happening?

Why is Daming's artillery so powerful?

Shouldn't naval battles be fought with the ships of the two armies close together, and then rely on the brave fighting of the soldiers?

Da Ming is bullying people by doing this!

The fleet of the Timurid country was completely in disarray, especially the commanders of some of the ships were blown up, no, it should have been after the smashing death, and the ship was left without anyone to command.

They just wanted to communicate with the other ships, but they couldn't get in touch at this time. The Ming artillery was almost constantly shelling, and there was only a roar in their ears, and they couldn't hear each other.

More people fled to the belly of the ship, not daring to stay on the deck any longer, and this response made each ship a floating target.

When the soldiers fled to the belly of the ship, all the chain of command was completely ineffective, and even if the emir now delivered the order, no one could see it.

He really wanted to rush up directly and engage in a battle with Daming's fleet, but Daming's fleet didn't give him this opportunity.

Watching his soldiers die one by one, he had no other thoughts than anger and fear.

At this time, there were Ming ships that discovered his flagship in the rear of the side, and as the flag was transmitted, a ship specifically aimed at his ship.

The artillery of this era, when the firing range was less than a thousand meters, was still very accurate, but beyond a thousand meters, it depended on luck.

Especially at a distance of more than two thousand meters, the artillery is almost projectile, and there is no crosshair at all.

However, the number of guns in the Ming fleet is too large. Twenty shells were fired, and one or two could land on his ship.

When a shell landed on their boat, killing two people, the soldiers on board began to panic.

The emir felt infinite fear in his heart as he watched the smooth, polished cobblestone that had smashed two men to death on the deck, and then smashed a piece of the deck.

He didn't dare to face Daming's artillery anymore, and shouted: "Retreat!" Fall back! ”

The retreating flags were hoisted, and their ships hastily hoisted their sails and fled to the rear. Because of the headwind, it is difficult for them to attack the Ming fleet, but when they escape, it is a tailwind.

Unfortunately, except for about twenty or thirty ships in the rear, who also fled when they saw the retreating flag, the soldiers on the other ships did not dare to stay on the deck at all, and fled below deck.

Although they were able to gain temporary safety, they lost the opportunity to escape.

In fact, the artillery at this time was limited in power, it looked scary, and the actual effect was very mediocre.

Most of the shells, in addition to being able to kill people, cannot even penetrate the deck. Only a small number of shells, when fired directly, at a suitable angle, can penetrate the ship and cause a rollover.

Compared to more than 200 ships, this proportion is less than five percent.

However, the power of artillery is not only reflected in the lethality, but also the destruction of the enemy's confidence.

This kind of ringing and shaking ears are numb, and smoke comes out, I can only hit you, you can't beat my crushing, it is the most powerful.

On the sea, more than two hundred ships of the enemy, stopped on the sea, have lost their threat.

At this time, Wen Shaofei didn't know what to do.

The enemy's leaders have already fled, but the shelling has not stopped, and this kind of live-fire training on the battlefield can greatly promote the combat capability of the artillerymen.

But he did not dare to come forward to occupy these ships, except for some soldiers who jumped into the sea, most of them were still in the belly of the ship, and rushing to the ships would definitely cause a large number of casualties on his own side.

At that time, even if you make a big achievement, it will be greatly discounted.

Therefore, he could only send an order to go down, let the ships continue to attack according to the attack formation, and prevent these people from escaping, and then send a message to the Chinese army and wait for the order.

He didn't wait too long, the war had been going on for almost an hour, and the distance between the front army and the Chinese army was only twenty miles, and Zhu Zhanji's flagship was about to arrive on this battlefield.

Zheng He was actually very shocked when he saw this scene in front of him, thinking that more than ten years ago, the Ming fleet also relied on a large number of people and huge ships to have an advantage in naval battles.

At the beginning, the battle with the pirate king Chen Zuyi was entangled, Chen Zuyi ignited the fire with a small boat, and then rammed the Ming warship, which also caused the loss of dozens of ships to the Ming fleet.

But now in the face of the most powerful Timurid country in the Western Regions, the Ming fleet did not lose a single ship, leaving more than 200 ships.

He glanced at Zhu Zhanji, who looked thoughtful, and asked, "Your Highness, what should I do now?" ”

Xue Lu said disappreciatively: "We just want to come here to do business, but we have encountered obstacles, of course we have to eradicate the grass!" ”

Zheng He didn't answer, but Jin Chun said: "I'm afraid it will hurt the sky and ......."

Although Xue Lu behaved like a vulgar person everywhere, this person was actually cunning. He was very aware of Jin Chun's status among civil officials and did not dare to argue with the other party, but he was very disapproving of this kindness, and couldn't help but pout.

Zhu Zhanji said in a deep voice at this time: "Kindness to the enemy is cruelty to one's own people. There are at least more than 20,000 soldiers on these two hundred ships, and what should we do with these people who stay? Leave them, we don't have time to subdue them at all, what's more, these are the elite of the navy of the Timurid country, if you don't kill them today, when the emperor's grandfather comes, it will become a big disaster! ”

Zhu Zhen heard what Zhu Zhanji meant, groaned, stepped forward, clenched his fists and said, "Your Highness, please go into the cabin to rest, such a trivial matter can be decided by the last general." ”

Zhu Zhanji nodded, and said to Zheng He, Jin Chun, and Xie Jin: "Let's go, this is a naval battle, of course it should be commanded by the chief of the navy......"

Zheng He and Jin Chun were unbearable, glanced at the immobile fleet on the sea in the distance, sighed but didn't say anything.

Although Zheng He was benevolent, he was not an indecisive man, otherwise he would not have been able to lead 2,000 men to attack the capital of Ceylon and capture their lord.

Only Jin Chun wanted to persuade again, but he was pulled by Xie Jin and shut up.

In the cabin, Zheng He and Xie Jin set up a game of chess, the two of them have the same chess skills, both are one line higher than the others, and every time they face off in the past, they can attract many generals to watch.

But this time, not only was there no one else watching, but even the two of them were a little absent-minded when they were playing chess.

Only Zhu Zhanji remained silent, let Jin Kuo put out kung fu tea, and called a few people to accompany him to drink tea.

He knew that Zhu Zhen was blocking a difference for himself, although it was his intention to slaughter the other party, but this order should not come out of his mouth, otherwise, it would seem that his grandson was too cruel and inhumane.

Now that Zhu Zhen has taken over this errand, it is inevitable that he will have a reputation for being cruel and unkind in the future, and it is okay when he is smooth, but if he encounters bad luck, he will inevitably be taken out and beaten up.

However, Zhu Zhanji has already made a decision in his heart, as long as he is still there, he will hold the glory and wealth of the Dinghaihou family.

He wants everyone to know that as long as he gives Zhu Zhanji the worst, no matter how big a mistake he makes, he will not forget it.

The clouds in the command cabin were light and the wind was light, but on the sea not far away, countless people fell into deep despair.

Although the sound of artillery salvos had stopped, with Zhu Zhen's unified command, each enemy was assigned to a different ship.

One ship after another began to sail forward, and anyone who dared to show their heads would be attacked by artillery, until the warships of the Ming Dynasty controlled the opposing ship, and the artillery stopped.

But at this time, the ships of the Ming Dynasty had already joined the ships of the opposing side, and on the deck, the musketeers of the navy raised the muskets in their hands and did not let people go to the deck.

The herald ship was loaded with a shipload of oil and transported it to the front line, distributed it to all the ships, and then the grenadiers hoisted the tanks with the oil oil to the other party's ship by a crane and dropped it.

When a jar of oil fell, the archer ignited the rocket in his hand and shot it towards the deck.

Immediately, a raging fire burst into flames......

The Ming fleet then retreated, withdrawing from the battlefield, but still controlled the situation.

Only in the area on the far right, the enemy ships did not face such a fate, because a passage had to be left for the Ming fleet to enter.

But the soldiers here still can't escape the fate of death.

The fire burned all night, even if some soldiers close to the coast jumped ship and escaped, but for the entire Ming Dynasty, it didn't matter.

The next day, the enemy's fleet on the sea was gone, and only planks and corpses floating on the surface of the sea remained.

The sharks in the sea are in for a feast, and schools of sharks can be seen everywhere, devouring the carcasses on the surface of the sea one bite at a time.

Many people couldn't bear to raise their heads when they saw this scene.

"Your Highness, yesterday the forward battalion sent has arrived in the north of the island of Kurumus, and the third and fourth armies of the young army have arrived in the predetermined area. According to the spies, the people of Kurumus were panicked, and countless people fled in a hurry. ”

Zhu Zhanji wiped his mouth under Ma Xin's service before saying: "Anyone who escapes without carrying their belongings will leave their lives." Except for those who are sure to collude with yesterday's enemy army, I will not want to die as long as I have money. ”

Jin Kuo said: "Those big cannibals are very excited, and they want to see His Highness, and promise that His Highness is willing to sacrifice all their property if he helps them conquer Baghdad. ”

When Zhu Zhanji heard this, he was stunned for a moment, and he suddenly thought that if all the big cannibals in the country were gathered and let them rule the Middle East, would the Ming Dynasty have the opportunity to directly rule the land here in the future?

But at this time he did not have the heart to think about it, and ordered: "Give an order, and the whole army will set off for Khurmus." ”