（0899）

[Today's second update is delivered! ] 】

"Beat the drums!"

Zheng Chenggong shouted menacingly.

Since Zhang Zhun is going to fight a decisive battle, it is good to fulfill him.

"Knock knock!"

"Knock knock!"

"Knock knock!"

The drummers of the Zheng family's fleet raised their mallets high and beat the war drums with all their might, and the drums spread far away. All the officers and men of the Zheng family's fleet were boosted, their blood surged, and their hands and feet became more nimble.

"Beat the drums!"

On the side of the Tiger Ben Army, Zhang Zhun also ordered.

Several big men immediately raised their mallets and beat the drums vigorously.

In these days, whether the navy or army is fighting, the drum beating is the most common means of boosting morale. Since the Zheng family fleet is beating the drums, of course, the Huben army and navy cannot show weakness.

"Knock knock!"

"Knock knock!"

"Knock knock!"

The sound of the cowhide drum spread far and wide across the sea.

The officers and men of the Tiger Army and Navy heard the drumbeat from the flagship, and they were also in high spirits, and their blood was also surging, and their actions were more rapid.

"!"

Hearing the sound of drums from the Tiger Army, Zheng Chenggong cursed a swear word in a low voice.

He originally thought that even if Zhang Zhun had the courage to face the battle, he would not put on such a decisive posture, at most he would make a show, and then he would take the initiative to retreat. He was confident that the fleet brought this time was so powerful that the Tiger Army Navy was not an opponent at all.

However, judging from the current situation, Zhang Zhun really won't give an inch. The Zheng family fleet is beating drums, and the Tiger Ben army and navy are also beating drums! The Zheng family fleet put on a battle formation, and the Tiger Ben Army Navy also put on a battle formation! Such a-for-tat action is completely like fighting to the end!

The most terrible thing is that the number of warships in the Tiger Army Navy is really a lot! Although Zheng Chenggong couldn't see all the battleships of the Tiger Army Navy clearly because of the angle and distance, from what he saw, it seemed to be a little different from what he imagined.

Zheng Chenggong held the clairvoyant mirror and looked at it at a glance, only to see the dense mast and the red military flag on the mast. Against the blue background, the red flags, like a little flame, are particularly eye-catching.

Some of the observation posts of the Zheng family's fleet judged the number of warships of the Tiger Army Navy based on these red flags. However, the warships of the Tiger Army Navy were moving again, and if they were not careful, those red flags were all messed up.

"Find out as soon as possible how many warships Zhang Zhun has."

Zheng Shouyuan solemnly ordered his subordinates.

Because the fleets of both sides are very large and spread over a wide area on the sea, it is really difficult for the observation posts on both sides to count all the enemy ships at once. The person at the top can only compare the different numbers from the observation post below to get a rough number.

If you want to get an accurate number, you can't ask for it unless you can catch a high-ranking officer on the other side. Obviously, this is basically impossible. It is much more difficult to catch a tongue at sea. Before the battle broke out, the warships of the two armies were more than a thousand meters apart.

In fact, there were also a lot of warships dispatched by the Tiger Ben Army, including six dragon god ships, more than 50 sword tooth ships, and more than 200 Cangshan ships, plus the three-masted gunboats of Yang Tiansheng's fleet that were captured, and some other auxiliary warships, all of which added up to more than 300 warships. Of these, the number of large warships, is close to ten. The number of artillery pieces of all kinds also exceeded 3,000. Among them, the number of red-coated cannons, there are ninety-six.

It can be said that in terms of the number of artillery and the number of warships, the Huben Navy is completely inferior to the Zheng fleet. The only thing that is at a disadvantage is the number of large warships. The number of dragon god ships, sword tooth ships, and three-masted gunboats is still a little worse. Especially in the confrontation of the top big ships, the Tiger Ben Army is at an absolute disadvantage.

At the level of 600 tons of displacement, the Tiger Army Navy only has six Dragon God ships and five three-masted gunboats, while the Zheng family fleet has a full twenty-five three-masted gunboats! The ratio of forces between the two sides reached almost one to three.

Fortunately, the number of Cangshan ships in the Tiger Ben Navy is also surprising. These dense warships like mosquitoes are the biggest killer feature of the Huben Navy. Even if it was a three-masted gunboat, it was besieged by a large number of Cangshan ships, and the situation was not good.

"This Zhang Zhun is really a character!"

Zheng Chenggong said a little deeply.

Apparently, he also noticed a large number of Cangshan ships in the Huben Navy. For these small warships with a displacement of less than 100 tons, Zheng Chenggong originally disdained them at all. These small boats, in front of the three-masted gunboats, are simply scum. However, when Zheng Shouyuan, according to the report of the observation post, roughly estimated that the number of these Cangshan ships could actually exceed two hundred, Zheng Chenggong could not be calm.

Two hundred Cangshan ships, damn it, what kind of concept is this? This concept is that once his twenty-five three-masted gunboats are besieged by more than two hundred Cangshan ships, it will definitely not be easy to get out. There are more than 200 Cangshan ships and more than 1,000 artillery pieces. No matter what kind of battleship it is, it is quite dangerous to get caught under the fire of more than a thousand guns.

Obviously, Zhang Zhun was desperate to lose a large number of Cangshan ships, and he also wanted to consume his three-masted gunboats. The cost of Cangshan ships is quite low, and the speed of construction is also quite fast, and a large group can be pieced together in a very short time. But the three-masted gunboat was not good. The cost of the three-masted gunboat was quite high, and the construction period was quite long. Even if ten Cangshan ships were used for one three-masted gunboat, they were all completely done.

"!"

Zheng Chenggong couldn't help but curse again.

The strategy of the Tiger Ben Army Navy is so disgusting, it's a scoundrel! Because the Zheng family fleet came from afar, it was impossible to carry these small warships, and in terms of the overall number of warships, it was obviously at a disadvantage. The Tiger Ben Army Navy dispatched so many Cangshan ships, obviously to use guerrilla warfare and sparrow warfare to make trouble!

However, you have to admit that although the tactics of the Tiger Ben Navy are disgusting, they are quite effective. Because, although these Cangshan ships are small, you can't ignore their existence. After all, intelligence showed that these Cangshan ships were carrying six Wyvern cannons. Although it is small, the cannon is very sharp.

Once they are given a chance to fire at close range, even a three-masted gunboat will be damaged. With the ability of the Cangshan ship, it is impossible to sink the three-masted gunboat, but it is completely possible to tear the sails, kill and injure people, and even break the mast. And once the three-masted gunboat is injured, it will be at a disadvantage when it confronts the large battleships of the Tiger Army.

In the final analysis, Zheng Chenggong's shock was because the strength of the Tiger Ben Army Navy completely exceeded his original expectations. He had estimated that Zhang Zhun would definitely increase the number of warships in the past few months, but he didn't expect that Zhang Zhun would accumulate so many warships in such a short period of time! This is truly astonishing!

It is important to know that warships are not built overnight. There needs to be materials for shipbuilding, there needs to be shipyards, there needs to be sailors for longitudinal ships. As long as any of them are missing, it will not be possible for so many warships to appear on the surface of the sea. This fully shows that Zhang Zhun has made painstaking efforts in developing the navy. The vision of the Tiger Ben Army and Navy is very advanced.

Zhang Zhun has put so much hard work into the navy, what is he going to do? The answer is simply coming out, and that is to dominate the sea. If the Huben navy wants to dominate the sea, it will inevitably clash with the Zheng fleet. In this way, Zhang Zhun has definitely been planning for a long time.

Originally, Zheng Chenggong thought that Zhang Zhun had a temporary conflict with the Zheng family fleet because of the market, and there was no perfect plan before. But judging from the current situation, I'm afraid it's wrong. Zhang Zhun had the idea of confronting the Zheng family's fleet early on.

"Those who come are not good, and those who are good are not coming!"

Zheng Chenggong silently muttered in his heart.

When you find that your opponent has been thinking about yourself a long, long time ago, your heart must be uncomfortable. Because, the feeling of being peeped at by a poisonous snake, no one likes it. Fortunately, he now has a chance to slash the poisonous snake to death.

"Eldest Prince, be careful."

Zheng Shouyuan had to say in a cautious tone.

The strength of the Huben Army's naval fleet also made Zheng Shouyuan feel considerable pressure. He didn't have time to ask why there were so many warships in the Tiger Ben Navy, because there was no point in asking about them. The warships of the Tiger Army Navy have been placed in front of his eyes. What he has to do now is to help Zheng Chenggong win the battle. Leave nothing else to worry about.

The confrontation between two such huge fleets was completely beyond Zheng Chenggong's control. You must know that Zheng Chenggong was only sixteen years old at this time. Although Zheng Chenggong has a warm heart and a strong blood, naval warfare still needs to pay attention to strategy and coordination, and it is not of much use to rely on courage alone.

"I will."

Zheng Chenggong said in a deep voice.

Zheng Shouyuan's words made Zheng Chenggong feel a little uncomfortable, and felt that he was not at ease with himself. However, Zheng Chenggong did not refute. Zheng Shouyuan's words meant well. Indeed, encountering such a powerful fleet of the Tiger Ben Navy, the Zheng family fleet had to deal with it carefully. In case of any unexpected situation, the Zheng family fleet will not only lose a large amount of living forces, but the Tiger Ben Navy will be even more arrogant.

The Zheng family's fleet was also a little surprised by the mighty Huben Navy fleet. They couldn't imagine that the target they were going to attack had the same number of warships. At a glance, it's endless!

Judging by the dense masts, there were hundreds of warships. When, in their north, such a powerful fleet appeared? It's really incredible. When they set off, they didn't expect that their opponent would be so powerful. Obviously, this battle can definitely be regarded as a fierce battle.

"My lord, the number of large warships in the Zheng family's fleet is about thirty percent more than ours."

Wang Shide put down the clairvoyant mirror and said cautiously.

Although it is said that the Cangshan ships of more than 200 may cause great trouble to the enemy ships, it is possible to contain the main battleships of the Zheng family's fleet. However, Wang Shide was still a little worried. Because, the staff of these Cangshan ships are all temporary sailors, and only some of them are backbone trainees. Many sailors, and even captains, were fighting for the first time. It's really hard to say how they will perform.

In a naval battle of this scale, in the end, it depends on the power of the main battleship. No matter how many Cangshan ships there are, they can't wipe out the opponent's three-masted gunboats. To deal with a three-masted gunboat of the same level, only the red-coated cannon equipped by the Dragon God Ship is available. Therefore, the use of the main battleship will determine the final victory or defeat of both sides.

"When the two armies meet, the brave wins!"

Zhang Zhun said quietly.

For today's battle, Zhang Zhun was fully mentally prepared. I believe that the Tiger Ben Army and Navy are also fully mentally prepared. By winning today's battle, the Tiger Army and Navy will be able to gain more time for development and control a wider sea area. If defeated, then there is no need to say anything.

"Heber Thomas!"

Zhang Zhun suddenly shouted.

"What does the brigadier general command?"

Hiber Thomas turned his head and said.

"What tactics do you think Zheng Chenggong will use?"

Zhang Zhun asked quietly.

Hiber Thomas said cautiously: "Portugal's tactics have always been to break through in the middle. The construction of a three-masted gunboat, which was very suitable for a breakthrough from it. Therefore, I estimate that the Zheng family fleet still adopted the tactics of breaking through the center. ”

Zhang Zhun nodded, agreeing with Hiber Thomas's statement.

The bow and stern of the three-masted gunboat were equipped with redcoat cannons. When the three-masted gunboat is advancing, it can fire while advancing. Twenty-five three-masted gunboats were gathered together, that is, fifty red-coated cannons fired at the same time, and the power was still very strong. Even if there is a strong fleet in front of them with T-shaped tactics, they will be repulsed.

"Prepare for the assault!"

Sure enough, Zheng Chenggong shouted.

Soon, the Zheng fleet formed a large column, with a large number of three-masted gunboats in front and combat ships and armed merchant ships in the back.

"Two columns!"

"Fight!"

Zhang Zhun ordered at the same time.

The Tiger Ben Army Navy immediately divided into two queues, one left and one right, and attacked the Zheng family's fleet. The Dragon God Ship was in the front, and the back were the Sword Tooth Ship and the Cangshan Ship.

Such a formation is what the Zheng family fleet needs. Because in this way, all the guns of the Zheng family's fleet can fire at both sides at the same time, and the power of the 3,000 guns can be fully exerted, causing the maximum damage to the enemy ships.

At the same time, such a formation is also needed by the Tiger Ben Navy. Because, the Huben Navy could throw shells at the Zheng family's fleet from both sides, inflicting maximum damage on the enemy ships. The Zheng family fleet that was flanked must have been very uncomfortable