When Zhao Qiang received the damage assessment report after three rounds of shelling, he waved his right arm fiercely, looking happy.

"Order, a group of fireships in a chain, storm the enemy fleet. ”

The gunners of the Gijia looked through the gun window at the river to the northeast, where thick smoke billowed and it was a mess.

"The credit for the hand flew. ”

"Yes, the gunner's wine is really not good. ”

The hearts of the gunners were agitated, and the water battle was not so terrifying.

"You see clearly, some of you may have seen such a thing once in your life, and your eyes widened for me. ”

The gunner's mouth, the water in the toilet, as always, is not pleasant, but still so responsive.

The gunners don't care anymore at this time, if they want to be able to talk about dead people, what do they want the fleet to do, the gun commander alone is enough.

"East, coming, they're coming. ”

The gunners poked their heads out, all like predatory turtles, staring at the lake to the east.

Ten transports, surrounded by wooden poles, glittered with oil, were connected in a 'line' and headed north.

The gun commander retracted his head, and the warriors who operated the ship, how many people could return.

The gunners saw carefully, and there were no less than a dozen men on each boat controlling the boats, and after pouring into the estuary, they set the boats on fire.

The sailors worked hard to steer the sails around the fire, so that they were evenly arranged and covered a larger area.

Then, with a loud whistle, everyone jumped out of the boat and entered the water.

Several small wooden boats sailed up to rescue the people who had fallen into the water, but there were still a dozen people missing.

"Brothers, let's search again. ”

Several small boats, braving the rain of arrows, circled around the estuary, and only two people were rescued.

After Zhao Qiang received the report, he turned out the list and carefully marked it, they would not be forgotten.

Ten fireships with sidesails rushed towards the Combined Fleet by the north-west wind, and in a short time the fire took advantage of the wind and burst out of the bow of the ship.

Lian Junyou's Fourth Fleet and Dudian's Fifth Fleet are all retreating with all their might, but it will be difficult for those warships that have broken sails and entered the water to withdraw in time.

The enemy ships blocked the river, and the tongues of fire scurried wildly, and they pounced on them with teeth and claws, and the speed was extremely fast.

No, the two commanders had to abandon the ships that could not be evacuated and only rescued the personnel.

Three battleships were lost, and five battleships were lost, and their hearts were cold as if they were drenched by the splashing river.

It's not a success!

The small sentinel ships of the First Fleet have arrived at the position of the abandoned battleships and, according to the order, they are connected in tandem to block the opposing fireships.

The fires were all over the sky, black smoke covered the ground, and the heated river did not bring warmth to the coalition forces.

At this time, Song Feng's First Fleet had already filled the gap in the west, and the black barrels pointed straight to the red river to the north.

"Gun Commander, it seems that we can take another turn, do you still have that wine?"

A gunner teased, stretching out his bright red tongue from time to time to lick his slightly pale lips.

"Scared, do we talk when it doesn't count? As long as we can go to sea, we will give you a few mouthfuls when we have money, and we will spit on a nail for a big man." ”

"Then please okay, the opponent's battleship is so big, and the distance is so close, it is difficult to miss it, this wine, we will book it first. ”

The fireboat collided with the opponent's fighting ship and battleship, and the fire began to spread, and the iron chain used by the opponent to connect the warship had been burned red, and the other end had fallen off from the hull, and a fireboat squeezed into it with the help of the wind.

After the Combined Fleet had withdrawn and two more Sentinel ships had been sacrificed, there were no ships on the water at the mouth of the river, only jet-black planks undulating with the waves.

The mascot lost ten wooden ships, and there were thirty more behind him, and the tactics of fire attack were used once less.

"Do you know what it is?"

Tang Zhixin asked the people who had always come, this was what he was most concerned about at present.

"Yu Dashuai, it should be a firearm, according to the spies, there are also a lot of auspicious lake embankments. ”

Coming is the ring, such a big thing, he must communicate with the coach, and it has nothing to do with shirking responsibility.

"Firearms?"

"Yes, it is said to be a pipe made of iron, which is stuffed with iron bullets, filled with something like ash that can burn, and then bursts out with a large amount of impact to push the iron bullets out. ”

"How powerful is it?" Tang Zhixin asked.

"The iron bullet is not big, but it is not slow, it can penetrate the hull, but it is very difficult to sink, and from this point of view, it is not as powerful as a crossbow. "That ring replied.

Tang Zhixin frowned, looked at the auspicious fleet formation on the table, and said, "Is the number clear, and what is the effective attack distance?"

Nahuan said: "From the analysis of the previous three waves of attacks, each ship should have about ten firearms on the side of the ship, and the entire fleet should be around two hundred and sixty guns, and the range is far beyond the crossbow. ”

Everyone was heavy when they heard this, the other party was holding a spear, and they only had daggers, how could they fight?

"In addition, the enemy ships are equipped with water wheels on the side of the ship, and it is speculated that they should be faster than our warships, and perhaps only the Second Fleet can keep up. ”

The Second Fleet is a fast pursuit ship of fifty ships, not a battleship, so how much effect can it have if it catches up?

Again, that's bad news.

Tang Zhixin was furious, "Those intelligence officers deserve to die, why did they not find out about such important information at all, I want to make them pay for it." ”

Nahuan is also dissatisfied in his heart, he is too underestimated auspicious, and he should have this retribution.

However, he still explained a few words, saying, "These warships have never appeared in front of outsiders, and they may have been hiding in that military port in Hunan." The same is true of firearms, when it appeared on the lake embankment, auspiciousness had already been sealed, and we had to fold a lot of hands to get the message out. ”

Tang Zhixin listened to the explanation, and the anger in his heart disappeared a lot, "How do you deal with such a situation?"

The ring was also thinking about this question, otherwise this battle would have ended here.

The opponent's firearms attack is long, powerful, and fast, and if you want to achieve victory, you can only avoid its strengths and fight its weaknesses.

"Closing the distance, the iron bullet is less powerful than the ship's crossbow, and if you want to win the battle, you have to force them to fight in close combat, or even to engage in broadside combat. ”

"But can we catch up?"

"You don't have to catch up, although Xingyao Lake is big, there is always a shore. ”

Seeing that Tang Zhixin was still hesitating, Nahuan said: "As long as we rush out of the estuary, the other party will definitely escape." ”

Tang Zhixin didn't know this truth, hundreds of warships were trapped in the Xingyao River, like a long dragon, looking majestic, but in fact, they were extremely aggrieved, and it was very difficult to turn around.

"The estuary position can only be carried out by four warships, and the opponent's one hundred and thirty firearms can attack at any time, are you sure that you can rush out before you are sunk?"

The ring said: "The ship only needs to be modified a few times, and an iron sheet is added to the front to block the impact of the iron bullets, so that it can hold a few more rounds." In addition, the pursuing ships rushed out at high speed from both sides, some of them engaged in broadside battles, and the other part blocked the opponent's path, and as long as they were entangled, they would be victorious. ”

"In addition, there is another detail in our favor, when the other side attacked today, the anchor was lowered, and each time the attack was made, the hull of the ship would swing sharply, which shows that the accuracy of the firearm needs the stability of the ship to support.

As a result, the risk of attack in our pursuit is sharply reduced, and the stern of the opposing ship cannot be equipped with a few firearms. Moreover, it takes time to raise anchor, especially for this type of battleship, which provides great convenience for our raids. ”

Tang Zhixin said, hurriedly came to the table and sat down, analyzing the distance of the impact by the light of the oil lamp.

"We have calculated that the effective attack distance of the opponent is two thousand meters, and the warship equipped with iron sheets can only withstand five waves of the opponent's attack, which should be enough for us to break out of this distance. In addition, the addition of the pursuit ship to the battlefield will distract the mascot, and we have a good chance of winning. ”

"Can you thicken the iron sheet and strengthen the defense?" someone asked.

"Thickening the iron sheet is not a good idea, because it will slow down the ship, and it will be too dangerous to withstand eight or ten waves of attack. ”

That ring is reasonable, and everyone admires it in their hearts, but also hides deep jealousy.

With just one engagement, he was able to thoroughly analyze the strengths and weaknesses of both sides and the tactics of the enemy, and this commander did not choose the wrong person.

Tang Zhixin looked at everyone and said, "What do you think?"

"I agree with the commanding envoy. ”

"I also agree that the opponent's firearms are powerful, and who knows what the logistical supply capacity is, so it should be resolved quickly. ”

"Yes, we can't afford it. ”

"It seems that we will not be able to set foot on the auspicious land in 57 years, although it is a bit regrettable, but it is not bad. ”

Everyone laughed when they heard this, and the clouds of defeat in the first battle also dispersed a lot.

Tang Zhixin saw that all the officials and generals supported Nahuan's opinion, and he also made up his mind.

"How long will it take for a ship to be converted?"

The ring said: "It is expected to be three days." ”

"Okay, then it's going to be raided in three days. ”

For mascots, 57 is a special year.

There was no New Year's party, no celebratory parade, no one even cared, it turned out to be 57 years.

On the first day of the new year, Zhao Qiang looked at the opposite side through a telescope.

The Combined Fleet withdrew deeply, and the calm of the three consecutive days made him a little uneasy.

"The second group of fireboats was anchored at the mouth of the river. ”

This decision is undoubtedly safe, attacking and retreating, and defending, if the opponent still retreats, he can only light the fire ship to attack the enemy ship, and then take the initiative to evacuate.

In the winter night sky in the southern part of the Great Summer, it is common to see a bright moon in the sky, or a bright starry sky.

On the night of the first day of the new year, there were dark clouds, lightning and thunder, and a rare winter rain.

The mascot was a little irritable, so the plan of the fireship to stop the enemy was ruined, although the fire oil was not afraid of rain, but it was difficult to ignite the enemy ship, and it could not cause much chaos.

In the middle of the night, the wind direction on the lake changed suddenly, and there were big waves, and it was pitch black in sight.

The staff officers were worried, knowing that the Combined Fleet would not miss this God-given opportunity.

"General, give the order. ”

"It's time to evacuate. ”

The staff officers persuaded Zhao Qiang to retreat as advance, and in such an environment, ensuring his own safety was the top priority.

Zhao Qiang was entangled in his heart, looking at the ten fireships that appeared and disappeared from time to time in the north, and secretly thought to himself.

Time slipped away minute by minute, and Zhao Qiang was still hovering between defending and retreating, but reality had already made a decision for him.

"Bell Bell Bell ......"

A hurried warning bell sounded, and at the same time, ten fireships to the north were ignited almost simultaneously.

"Enemy attack!"

"Anchor, the Second Fleet withdraws south as planned, and the First Fleet blocks the enemy. ”

The Second Fleet is dominated by wooden ships, without paddle wheels, in other words, there is no speed advantage over the enemy, and once it is caught up by small but clever enemy ships, the ship is destroyed and the artillery is lost.

"Tell Da Gaoqiang that you can't lose any artillery or gunpowder, otherwise you will come to see you. ”

On a dark and rainy winter night, orders were difficult to convey, so the herald had to lower the wooden boat and row through the wind and waves.

By the time Da Gaoqiang received the order, the enemy ships had already rushed out of the line of fire and suddenly opened up at the mouth of the river like blooming flowers, and they wanted to make room for the rear ships.

"The order is that the spare explosives are placed in the bilge, guarded by special personnel, and that once the ship is captured, it is immediately detonated, and nothing on board can fall into the hands of the enemy. ”

The three warships began to evacuate, and the small compartments in the bilge were also guarded, and the doors were locked, and they would be lifted only when complete security was assured.

The sailors in the compartment are the last guard of the warship.

After all the members are killed, he will sink to the bottom of the icy lake with the ship, and continue to guard the auspiciousness in another world.