Chapter 491 Witnessing

"Honorable directors of the East India Company, as the company's special envoy, I have the privilege of being entrusted with the important task of witnessing an unforgettable battle ......at sea on the way." When the ship of the British East India Company was still at sea, he couldn't wait to write letters to the bosses of the British East India Company.

The situation of the British in India, which was far away, was particularly difficult during this period, far from being comparable to the world hegemony after the Anglo-Dutch War. At this difficult stage, the British were overjoyed when they received an invitation from China, and immediately sent Adams as a special envoy to Nanjing, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, to meet with the cabinet minister of the Ming State who had sent the invitation.

On the way, Adams' ship encountered a naval battle, which happened to be the battle in which Fonce Valley commanded the fleet to pursue Ryuichi.

"There are many reasons why it is memorable. First, the warship of the Ming people is not a small offshore ship as we heard before. Their warships were in no way inferior to the best in Europe. Second, the size of the Ming fleet is also much larger than the information we have before, in this battle, they used forty warships to besiege the Dutch ten warships, and there is an extremely fast light warship, as a means of entanglement with the opponent, and finally the main fleet caught up with the Dutch and achieved the goal of annihilating the opponent. Third, and most importantly, the range of the Chinese naval guns could fire at a distance of 1,500 feet and successfully penetrate three to five feet thick oak planks. Imagine the number of such warships and cannons that the Ming Kingdom has. Maybe five hundred, maybe a thousand, then in the South China Seas, they will have no opponents. It is even certain that even without us, they would have easily defeated the Dutch East India Company. Combining the above three points, it is not difficult to come to a conclusion, that is, this respected minister of the Ming Cabinet needs more than allies on the battlefield. Personal judgment, he does not know enough about Europe. Lack of self-confidence in their own strength. That's why I made the act of invitation. With that in mind, as Special Envoy, I hope to build his trust in us through an open and honest dialogue. Strive for both sides to become partners. I think. Your Excellency the Cabinet Minister. A partner from Europe was also needed to obtain greater benefits for his overseas trade. Otherwise, I would not be able to understand the true purpose of this invitation. At last. Good luck to me. ”

When Adams set foot on Dayuan Island, he couldn't wait to send the letter back to India. The reason why he was so anxious was because he saw the strength of Daming's sea power. It's a big country with a long coastline that's far from being comparable to the kind of country in the UK. You must know that Britain at this time was not an empire on which the sun never set. And China, as a trade partner, is too tempting.

During this period, Europe as a whole knew very little about China, only that it was a vast and extremely wealthy country. China's silk, tea, and porcelain, as long as they can be brought back to Europe, there is nothing that does not make money. And it's still violent, three or four hundred percent of the light profit, enough for any adventurer to play with his life.

That naval battle made a deep impression on Adams, especially when Fons Valley arrived with the fleet, under a siege, and within two hours, the Dutch surrendered under the white flag. A ship that broke away from the battlefield finally failed to escape the battlefield under the encirclement and suppression of ten fast sailing ships.

Although he only watched the battle from a distance, Adams was surprised by the strength of the Chinese in naval warfare. The tactic of preempting the T-prefix, they used a bit jerky, but they were already doing it. This is definitely a conscious act, maybe their rate of fire is not as fast as the elite British Navy, but the effective range of five hundred meters, it is enough to make up for this gap. You must know that proficiency can be practiced, and the range of a cannon is not something you can have, it must be supported by technology. It can be seen that the Chinese have mastered more advanced manufacturing processes.

It was already late at night outside the window, a crescent moon was in the sky, and Adams's heart fluctuated, and it was difficult to sleep. Walking out of the door and looking at the towering fortress in the distance, he wanted to go up and take a look, but was refused.

Also unable to sleep was the prisoner of war, the Mauritius was hit by more than 100 shells in the battle, and it was riddled with holes. In turn, the casualties inflicted on the Ming navy by his fleet were negligible. This is a battle of disparity in power, and that alone is not enough to make him desperate. What really made him desperate was the range of that kind of cannon, five hundred meters long enough to penetrate three to five feet thick oak planks. In an era when traditional naval battles all take place between 100-200, it is definitely a desperate number. The Ming navy has been so powerful that it can't be looked up to in just over ten years.

He couldn't close his eyes, and as soon as he closed his eyes, the scene of the naval battle would appear in his mind. Shell after shell hit his ship, flying sawdust, wounded seamen fell to the ground groaning, blood spilling across the deck. The sails fell, and the bloodthirsty shark-like Ming fleet surrounded it, and the rain-like cannonballs created countless columns of water on the sea. The whole process is mind-numbing in despair. Until the moment when he ordered the white flag to surrender, the other warships on the sea returned fire, and only a dozen times hit the opponent's warship, and none of them penetrated.

It wasn't until he boarded the Shandong, the flagship of the Ming Navy, that he learned that the warship of the Ming Navy was covered with a layer of iron. Painted with black paint, it's no wonder it looks black and contrasts with the white sails.

As a loser, he handed over his sword to Fang Si Valley, and informed each other of his identity, only to learn that Fang Si Gu was only the commander of a detachment, and the sea forces of the Ming navy were only a part of what was present. After a brief deduction, he became even more desperate. In fact, it is not difficult to judge this at all, the Ming Kingdom is too big and the resources are too rich. It was a huge empire, supposedly a large centralized empire, and if they wanted to do anything, it was not something that the small country of the Netherlands could compete with. Not to mention, they have mastered the desperate manufacturing process.

As an officer, the treatment of Yu Yi is okay, and he can live in one room alone. In the night of Chikan, you can see the lights from Reshalan in the distance. In that place, Putmans and his soldiers, already firmly besieged, could not hold out for long. Even though it was a difficult night, he eventually fell asleep. The next morning, he was awakened by the sound of cannons.

Just as he got up, the door opened, and Fang Sigu, who walked in, showed a victorious reserve, and said politely: "Mr. Yuyi, how was last night?" "As a fellow European, Fang Sigu's move to serve the Ming Empire is really nothing. The European mercenaries of this era, to tell the truth, are exchanging their lives for food. Fang Si Gu can bastard the status of a Ming guerrilla general, which is the envy of many mercenaries. Even for this matter, it is the most proud thing of Fang Sigu.

"I didn't sleep well, I want to know, the cannon sound I heard just now, is it that you are besieging the city of Reshalan?" Yu Yi couldn't help but ask, Fang Sigu shrugged and said, "Your guess is a little bit wrong, we are indeed besieging the city, but we are not attacking. The shelling was nothing more than the artillerymen wanted to have a little more experience in real combat. Resharan doesn't need to attack, what we have is time, just surround it. It won't be long before Lord Pettmans will make the right choice himself. ”

"So, what are you here for?" Kai Yi was very frustrated, as a captive, all he could do was to figure out what his fate was. In general, he was an aggressor and a prisoner. There is no intention of expecting too much.

"You have wisely chosen to surrender, so you are treated most humanely. The coal mines in the north need a labor force, and where you and your subordinates will work for three years, if the table is good, there may be a chance to release it. Fang Sigu's words made it difficult for Yu Yi to accept, and he couldn't help but shout in surprise: "I can pay the ransom!" ”

Fang Sigu shrugged helplessly: "I'm sorry, it's not something I can decide. I need to report to the Cabinet Minister in Nanjing, Lord Chen, and I have to remind you that if he makes a decision, your fate could be even worse. Yuyi's face changed, and this worse meaning was not difficult to understand at all.

"Do you mean that I might be put to death? Isn't the Ming Dynasty going to continue trading with Europe in the future? His voice trembled a little, and he asked in disbelief. Fang Sigu smiled and said, "I think you got a wrong question, there is not only the Netherlands in Europe. The question of the ownership of the entire South Seas depends on the will of His Excellency the Cabinet Minister. To be honest, I always thought that it was a very polite thing that the Ming Navy did not go to Java. So be it, you can bring your personal belongings, board the boat this afternoon, and head north to start a new life. ”

The whole process was really unpleasant, and the Ming soldiers with bayonets looked at these Dutch prisoners with cold eyes. When he came to the docks, a well-established Galen ship was used as a transport ship this time. When he boarded the ship, he saw some things he wanted to see, such as at least seventy or eighty warships to explain the Chinese people, migrant workers on the docks were rushing to repair and expand the docks, and countless supplies were being transported ashore, including a 12-pounder gun. The cannon of the Ming Navy was drawn by four short horses, and in terms of numbers, the soldiers who operated a cannon were about 12 people. A group of soldiers walked past the side of the one in a neat formation, and it only took one glance to see that they were the most elite soldiers.

These soldiers, with strange hats, carrying a duffel bag, carrying rifles, and shoes under their feet, walked on the ground, making the sound of neat footsteps, which made people's hearts tremble strongly. The soldiers who had driven away the captives unceremoniously told the Dutch to stand on the side of the road to give way, and waited for the soldiers to pass before they continued on their way.

When he got on the boat, he saw that the Ming people were hoisting the captured cannons off the ship, and some craftsmen were repairing the damage. (To be continued......)