The three forts occupy a high position and become a full force. Pen ~ fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info the Kinmen division ship playing the role of the Ming army on the sea is in the middle of being passively beaten.

Seeing the foreign fleet coming out of the inner harbor of Xiamen, Zhong Baosan, the commander-in-chief of Kinmen Town, who commanded the ships of the Kinmen Division, immediately ordered, "All ships return to the rudder and evacuate the battlefield." ”

At this time, it was May, and the southeast monsoon was blowing on the sea surface of Xiamen. The Golden Gate Division ship is upwind, and it is not so easy to turn against the wind, it takes time.

And this time was enough for the Changjie army fleet to get closer to them.

Ten galleons of Chang Jie's army sailed against the wind, cleaving the waves, and the "Colbell" rushed to the front first.

"Raise the spinnaker ......!"

"Pick up the wind, turn the sail!"

Leborough stood on the slipway with ease, and kept giving orders, "Riyige, raise the stern sails too!" ”

"Yes! Sir! ”

Western galleons have soft sails, which are more cumbersome to handle than hard sails.

Almost all of the sailors on board the "Colbell" are veterans, experienced at sea, and very skilled in wind control. Under their control, all the sails were puffed up in the wind, and the white waves hit the bow of the ship one after another.

Twelve Western galleons sailed at a speed of 8 knots on the sea, like a fragmented arrow, outflanking the left side of the Kinmen flotilla.

The Kinmen flotilla had turned its bow and fled eagerly to the ocean.

The ships of the Kinmen Town Division were all equipped with hard sails, and the ships could not sail head-on against the wind, and had to sail in a zigzag course. When driving against the wind, the smaller the angle between the boat and the wind direction, the slower the speed. The helmsman will speed up if he sails in a zigzag with a larger angle, but the range will be longer.

"Tighten the sail line!"

"Turn the rudder!"

In the face of the pursuit of Chang Jie's army, the ships in Kinmen Town greatly increased the frequency of changing sails.

The green battalion soldiers on the ship are pampered all year round and rarely experience such high-intensity operations. Although they were so busy that they almost collapsed on the deck, the distance between the Western galleon and them was getting closer and closer.

The sailors of Changjie's ships were all transferred to the deck, and the soldiers lined up in three rows on the side of the ship, one by one, holding Brunswick-style rifles, and aimed at the Kinmen Town division ship not far away.

"My soldiers, you must raise your guns!" Riyige paced leisurely behind the sailors of the "Colbell", "Otherwise, our allies will be killed and wounded all over the place." ”

There was laughter on the deck.

500 yards......

300 yards ......

200 yards ......

“fire!”

At the sound of Riyige's order, the sailors opened fire, and bullets rained over the ships of Kinmen Town, and the air was filled with acrid smoke.

The sailors and soldiers were all panicked, and no one paid attention to the rudder and sails, and one by one they all squatted behind the ship's side guard, or simply hid below the deck, and the Kinmen Town fleet was paralyzed on the sea at once.

Listening to the bullets flying overhead, Zhong Baosan, the chief soldier of Kinmen Town, jumped to his feet and scolded, "Sailianmu! These foreign devils are ...... of the order of the monkey head rats"

At this moment, a stray bullet hit Zhong Baosan's left shoulder, Zhong Baosan's body shook slightly, and he sat on the deck.

Gu Qinglian, the deputy general of Kinmen Town, hurriedly escorted Zhong Baosan with a few Goshha guards.

Zhong Baosan reached out and touched his left shoulder, his right hand was full of blood, and he said hatefully, "What are these foreign devils playing!" This doesn't cost human life! ”

Under the attack of the fort and the ships, the Kinmen Town fleet did not support it for long, and they hung up the lowering flags one after another, and a burst of cheers suddenly resounded on the shore.

"General!"

Ri Yige glanced contemptuously at the Kinmen Town division ship paralyzed on the sea, "The Qing army's ships are too weak, far from being comparable to the Ming army's strong ships and artillery, such a drill is like a child's house, it's really ridiculous!" ”

"Guns in front and guns in the back, tight fortification" is precisely the established tactics of the Qing army to defend Haikou.

For this kind of turtle flow tactics, Riyige has always scoffed, "We are a dignified navy, we should take the initiative to attack, seek a decisive battle at sea, and the main decisive battle." ”

"Mr. Captain, you are too impulsive!" Leborough East shrugged, "Don't forget, this is going to be a war between the indigenous peoples of East Asia." ”

He glanced sideways at the pavilion on Huli Mountain, and said lightly, "The Tatars have always been timid and afraid of war, afraid of the Ming army's strong ships and artillery, and they can't let Chang Jie's army rush to the front and turn the tide!" ”

"Why not? The Tatars, they were willing to shell out enough silver. "We came to the Far East, firstly for God, and secondly for money. ”

"First mate, do you remember the 'Edmont'!"

Leborough Dong patted Riyige lightly on the shoulder, "The Ming army ships are strong and very powerful, we have a total of twelve warships, and it is impossible to compete with them on the sea." ”

"General, that naval battle was just an accident." Speaking of the sea encounter half a month ago, Riyige's voice suddenly lowered, "Relying on the battery to fight and carry out coastal defense, of course, can effectively protect the security of the port." It's just that the coastline is so long, where is the established landing area of the Ming army? ”

"My captain, you're thinking wrong!" Lebole Dong sneered, "The Ming army is not a small group of harassment at sea, they are going to land across the sea, and if they want to fully control Fujian Province, the transportation of personnel and materials will inevitably be huge." ”

He said gloomily, "No matter where the Ming army chooses to be the main landing ground, in order to avoid worries, they must take the initiative to design and seek a decisive battle with the main force." ”

Seeing the great success of the coordinated exercise of the gunboats on the sea, the Manchu and Fujian officials headed by Wang Yide were all overjoyed, full of ambition, and complacent, as if the Ming army fleet had been cut down by them and captured the flag and wiped out in the harbor.

In the evening, the Manchu authorities held a grand reception at the International Merchant Club at the British Lease on the Meilu Tou of Xiamen Island, entertaining the consuls of Britain, France, and the United States in Xiamen, officers of the Changjie Army, foreign teachers in the Qing army, and prominent figures from Western countries in Xiamen.

Two carriages hurried to the door of the International Chamber of Commerce, the first car was Zhong Baosan, the chief soldier of Kinmen Town, and the second car was Dr. Heathrow of the London Society.

After Chang Jiejun arrived in Xiamen, Lin Jianyou, the commander of the Fujian Navy Division, set up the Xiamen Field Hospital at the strong request of Leboredong, and Dr. Hislop, who was well-known in Xiamen, was hired as the director of the field hospital.

"Fortunately, the banquet has just begun!" Zhong Baosan hung his left arm, and he was about to go in urgently.

"Lord Zhong! This is the second time you have bandaged your wound today. Dr. Heathrop called Zhong Baosan and repeatedly admonished, "Don't get too excited! Don't drink too much! Otherwise, I'll ban you from the banquet!" ”

"Don't worry, Dean!"

The banquet hall was packed, and the tables were full of delicacies, including Chinese delicacies, Western delicacies, and Bacardi rum from Taiwan.

Bacardi rum has become popular all over the Far East and is very popular among Europeans and Americans in the Far East.

Wang Yide, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang, was concluding his brief speech, "Thank you British and French friends for their strong support to my Fujian, and thank you friends from all over the world for coming to tonight's reception, and now, I propose to ......"

Wang Yide reached out to serve the wine glass.

"Your Excellency the Governor, I propose..."

Shi Jinsha, the French consul sitting next to Wang Yide, laughed darkly, "Before we enjoy the delicious food given by God, we should pray before the meal and thank God for his glory!" ”

In the hall, all eyes were focused on Wang Yide's body at once.

Wang Yide was slightly stunned, and then his face was full of spring breeze, "Yes, yes, now I propose that everyone pray together before the meal!" ”

Zhong Baosan, who was injured in his left shoulder, was a little embarrassed, and muttered, "Have a meal and pray?" What do you have to say in prayer? ”

"There is no fixed prayer for prayer, you can say whatever you want, as long as you sincerely pray to God!"

Dr. Hislop, who was sitting next to Zhong Baosan, had a straight face, "I prayed to show that God is with you when you eat, and you can eat with peace of mind." Because God is with us! ”

“…… Lord, you have put joy in our hearts, and you ask the light of your mercy to shine on us. We have feasted on the products of wheat, wine, and oil, and will rest in peace......" Dr. Heatrop recited aloud.

Dr. Hislop, a member of the London Missionary Society, practiced medicine and preached in Xiamen, but the results of his mission were minimal.

But he never imagined that since Taiwan established the Ming Kingdom, the momentum of Fujian missionary work has suddenly become extremely strong, as if he is about to run into the world of Christ.

The Fujian mission has been fully liberalized, and although Zhong Baosan has been preached n times by Dr. Hisrop and others, he has always had many doubts about this.

Is the God of China the same thing as the God of this foreigner?

Lao Tzu sent a letter to Gu Guan Huahu, is this Christ and Lao Tzu alone?

Seeing the solemnity and piety on everyone's faces, Zhong Baosan also kept shouting, "Amen! ”

While shouting, Zhong Baosan was still thinking, this "Amen" and "Amitabha" should be the same thing, right?!

With the last "Amen" recited by everyone, the pre-meal prayer is over and the main meal officially begins.

After a hearty meal, it naturally transforms into a cocktail party, with people walking around the hall with wine glasses in hand and exchanging greetings.

The French consul Shi Jinsha raised his glass with a smile, "Your Excellency the Governor, the glory of God is everywhere and at all times, as long as you are honest and worship our Almighty Lord, the final victory of the war will definitely be yours!" ”

The French took advantage of every opportunity to persuade Wang Yide to accept the baptism of Catholicism.

Wang Yide has been in Fujian for many years, and has come into contact with quite a number of Western officials, businessmen, missionaries, doctors, and so on, and has seen all kinds of incredible Western civilizations, and he also admits that European and American people are not barbarians, that European and American civilizations are quite developed, and that European and American Catholicism and Christianity have considerable magical powers.

In the depths of Wang Yide's heart, he also believes that there is a great lord in heaven and earth, and everything in the world is created by this great lord; Everyone in the world is brother and sister.

But openly accepting baptism is still quite resistant to Wang Yide, who has read the books of the sages.

"Your Excellency, now that the war is imminent, I have been so busy all day that I hit the back of my head." Wang Yide said euphemistically, "Baptism is a big event, and I can't be sloppy, let me wait until after the war to make careful calculations." ”

Shi Jinsha raised his eyebrows and said slowly, "Portugal has Macao, Britain has Hong Kong, and we in France also need an island as a military and commercial base for French merchant ships in the Far East. ”

Wang Yide raised his wine glass and snorted, saying that he could understand his consideration for French friends.

Shi Jinsha pressed step by step, "I think Kinmen Island is good!" ”

"Kinmen Island?" Wang Yide couldn't help but look out the window, and the sea in the distance was pitch black.

Kinmen Island covers an area of 148 square kilometres, which is larger than Hong Kong Island.

Since Fujian began to strengthen its coastal defense, in order to prevent the Ming army from effectively using these islands around Xiamen, all the residents of the outlying islands such as Dajinmen and Xiaojinmen were forcibly relocated to the mainland.

"Mr. Consul, you really have a vision."

Wang Yide thought about it for a while, and secretly rejoiced in his heart: With the French protecting outside, Xiamen's coastal defense must be safe and sound.

"However, the houses, water sources, vegetation, etc. on Kinmen Island have all been completely destroyed, and there is not a single resident on it, all of which will have to wait until after the war, and we must take a long-term view."