Chapter 241

The sound of artillery in the Subic Strait was loud, the smoke of gunpowder was filled, and the view was blocked.

The current naval battle made the Dutch sailors feel extremely depressed and aggrieved.

Although they were well-trained, even in the face of the Spanish Invincible Armada, they were not without the strength to fight, but the problem was that the naval guns of the Ning Navy had a longer range than theirs, and they only had a high hit rate within 300 meters, however, the naval guns of the Ning Navy could be more than 1,800 meters away.

Although the hit rate of the Ning Navy is poor, the problem is that the Ning Navy's naval guns are too powerful, and once they hit, their warships will be either dead or disabled.

The Tulip was only hit by two shots, and the cabin became a sea of fire, and the Dutch sailors, who were trapped in the fire on the deck and could not get out, were burned to the outside and tender inside, and the screams shook the earth. The powder kegs were exploded, causing a violent explosion, and the entire hull was deformed, cracked, and tilted in the deafening explosion of the loud explosion......

"It's over, it's over...... I'm going bankrupt! ”

Putmans' face was full of despair, like a mourning woman.

"Battery, battery, counterattack...... Brain water! ”

"Back to Colonel, the fort in the port was demolished by Zheng Zhilong's men!"

"Demolished?"

Alfonso didn't come back to his senses for a long time: "Why do you want to tear down the battery? ”

"Who knows what they think!"

During the attack on Subic Port, the losses of the Zheng fleet were actually not small, and with the more than 200 warships sunk by the Ning Navy, there was a serious shortage of their artillery. The British East India Company was not strong now, and the artillery that could be sold to Zheng Zhilong could only be transported from the mainland.

In desperation, the fort in Subic Harbor was dismantled by Zheng Zhilong and installed on the battleship, of course, these guns were actually the naval guns on the Spanish battleship, and the problem was not big.

But the problem was that without the fire support of the batteries, relying only on the guns on the battleship, the Dutch East India Company was inferior, both in quantity and quality.

Li Zhixiang said: "The first, second, third, and fourth fleets will withdraw from the battle, and the fifth and sixth fleets will participate in the attack!" ”

"Yes!"

Seeing that the guns of the Dutch East India Combined Fleet were too old and had a short range, they could hardly pose a threat to the warships of the Ning Navy.

Compared with the first, second, third, and fourth strike squadrons, the Fifth and Sixth Squadrons lacked actual combat experience, and they took advantage of this rare opportunity to let the Fifth and Sixth Squadrons train their skills.

Fortunately, the Fifth and Sixth Fleets participated in the attack on the Dutch Combined Fleet, otherwise the Dutch Combined Fleet would have been completely wiped out in half a day at most.

Although the Fifth and Sixth Fleets were mostly new recruits and lacked actual combat experience, the Fifth and Sixth Fleets, which were fully firepowered, fought very lively, and rows of shells flew overwhelmingly towards the Dutch Combined Fleet.

However, firing at this distance, coupled with the fact that they were all recruits, the hit rate was really not good, and most of the shells hit the sea, in vain stirring up clusters of tall and large water columns, and the sea surface rolled like a boiling pot, thunder and lightning.

After the initial confusion, the Dutch Combined Fleet has gradually adapted to the shelling of the Ning Navy, so what if it is not adaptable? If you can't do it anyway, you have to do it.

Alfang said: "The range of our naval guns is far inferior to that of the Ming Navy, and only by approaching within three hundred meters as soon as possible can we use our gunsoft fire to destroy the opponent, otherwise this battle will not be fought." ”

"Rush forward!"

As the Dutch Combined Fleet launched an attack on the Fifth and Sixth Fleets of the Ning Navy, the distance between the two sides was rapidly reduced, and because of the shortening distance, the hit rate naturally increased greatly, and in the blink of an eye, four battleships were hit by high-explosive* shots, and the decks, sails, and masts were all on fire, and the sound of explosions was incessant.

The Dutch Combined Fleet lost eight battleships in half a day, and if Zheng Zhilong lost eight main battleships, he would definitely not blink an eye. But the problem is that the Dutch East India Company only has 150 warships of more than 1,000 tons, and the number and manpower are their flaws.

As soon as he lost eight warships, including five armed merchant ships, Alfonso couldn't hold on: "Hans, you must let Zheng Zhilong send troops, otherwise we can only surrender, the disparity between the enemy and our strength is too great, even if we invite God over, we can't win this battle!" ”

At present, the ratio of combat losses is eight to zero, and six of the main warships of the Ning Navy have been hit one after another, with the loss of nearly 70 sailors, but the loss of warships is not large.

Putmans also knew that Colonel Alfonso was telling the truth, the loss of eight warships, the casualties were very heavy, and if it were not for the large number of colonial native sailors on the battleships and armed merchant ships, they would probably have died in the thousands.

In Subic Harbor City, a castle built by the original Spaniards, Putmans met Zheng Zhilong for the first time.

At this time, Zheng Zhilong was very leisurely, as if this war had nothing to do with him.

"Your Excellency Nicholas!"

"Hans, you came just in time, I just got the West Lake Longjing, this is a new tea before the rain, it can only produce less than two catties a year, come and taste it!"

Putmans was already in a hurry, and he hurriedly said: "You can drink tea at any time, but the problem is, it's too late, the battle in Subic Bay is not going well, we want your help, my friend!" ”

"I also want to help you, my friend, but you also know that we had a big battle with the Ning Navy a while ago, and our Zheng fleet suffered heavy losses!"

"Now the situation is very serious, in the words of your Ming Dynasty, it is called a cold ......."

"My friend, having said that, even if it's a hire, there's a price to pay, right?"

Zheng Zhilong is a trader, he is not a novice in negotiations, he has a wealth of experience, the Dutch want to call him for nothing, this is absolutely impossible!

"What do you want?"

"Cannons and battleships!"

"It also comes at a cost!"

"My friend, have you ever thought of bringing the whole of Formosa under your rule, letting the splendor of European civilization spread to every corner of this treasure island, and bringing all Formosians back to the arms of the Lord?"

Zheng Zhilong has received the news that after the Ning Navy landed in the Dayuan, it began to quickly encroach on Zheng Zhilong's territory, because Zheng Zhilong usually levied on those immigrants, Zheng Zhilong was actually unpopular in the Dayuan. Almost ninety percent of these immigrants took refuge in the Ning Navy.

For Zheng Zhilong, the current member is a chicken rib.

If you want to defend it, you don't have enough strength, if you want to keep the big guys, you have to increase the troops to the big guys, but the problem is that the Ning Navy has never encountered an opponent in a land war, and their Zheng clan claims to have more than 200,000 horses, but the problem is that there are a large number of pirate families here, and less than 100,000 people can really go into battle.

But 100,000 people still have to guard the old territory of Fujian and fight a land war with the Ning Navy, Zheng Zhilong has no courage, so he took the opportunity to sell the big man, which can be regarded as clearing the bad assets.

Putmans rolled his eyes and said, "Of course! What country would think its territory is too small? The problem is that it can't be done! ”

Dayuan is a treasure land, fertile land, rich in resources, they grow sugar cane in the south, mining deposits, develop shipping, quite profitable, now there is an opportunity to justifiably get the whole Dayuan, how can you let it go?

As the governor of the Governor, Putmans knew very well the value of the Great.

"Now here's your chance!"

Zheng Zhilong said with a smile: "I am willing to resell the territory of Formosa (Dayuan) to you, how much are you willing to pay?" ”

"Ten thousand guilders!"

To be sure, Putmans' offer was actually quite sincere, with one guilder worth twenty pounds, and at the cost of the British Sea Monarch forty-five thousand pounds, at least two ships could be built, including the above one hundred and nine guns.

10,000 guilders is equivalent to 200,000 pounds, enough to take refuge in four super battleships with a displacement of more than 1,600 tons, such as the Sea Monarch.

If Zheng Zhilong had four super battleships of the Sea Monarch class, he would not suffer a loss when facing the main warships of the Ning Navy, because this super battleship has served in the British Royal Navy for more than sixty years.

"My friend, you'd better be sincere, time, it's time that matters!"

"Fifteen thousand guilders!"

"Ten guilders!"

"Impossible, 30,000 at most!"

"Let's take a step back, ninety thousand guilders!"

"Fifty thousand!"

"Eighty thousand, otherwise, let's talk!"

Zheng Zhilong said with a smile: "I don't want your Dutch East India Company's money, I need battleships and naval guns, with your Dutch shipbuilding capabilities, I will use these 80,000 guilders to order Dutch third-class battleships from you!" ”

The Dutch did not have superships, and their most common battleships were the third class ships, also known as the Seven Provinces, which had a displacement of more than one thousand five hundred tons and seventy-two guns, including three thirty-six-pounder guns and twenty-two twenty-two-pounderers, sixteen eighteen-pounder guns, and thirty-one twelve-pounder guns.

The firepower of this kind of battleship is quite strong, which also lays the way for the rise of the Dutch Navy, even if it is an eighteen-pound gun, it is enough to cause fatal damage to a warship below 600 tons, even if it is the main battleship of the Yining Navy, the twenty-four-pounder gun has a greater killing effect.

If you are directly hit by a 36-pounder gun, especially if you are hit at the waterline, you may be hit by a single shot.

Putmans did not actually have the right to sell Dutch third-class battleships, in fact, in the entire Dutch Mediterranean fleet, there were not many such third-class battleships, less than a hundred.

Even in the Battle of the Downs between the Netherlands and Spain in 1639, the nascent Dutch navy won a great victory, completely annihilating the huge fleet formed by the Spaniards, and the Dutch navy and armed merchant ships participating in the war were only 152 ships.

Putmans was forced to sign an alliance with Zheng Zhilong, agreeing to buy the Taichung region for 80,000 guilders, and at the same time, hire Zheng Zhilong for 20,000 guilders.

At about 4 o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, when the Dutch Combined Fleet thought that they were going to be destroyed by the Ning Navy, the Ning Navy naval warships that were besieging the Dutch Combined Fleet in Subic Harbor were actually retreating.

Li Fang roared with some dissatisfaction: "Now that the Dutch have been beaten half to death by us, why do you want to retreat......"

Without waiting for Li Fang to finish speaking, Li Zhixiang said: "Execute the order!" ”

In fact, Li Zhixiang actually didn't want to retreat, but Zheng's fleet is now dispatched, and at this time, almost all the main warships of the Ning Navy are in the Subic Strait, you must know that the Subic Strait is not the Manila Strait, the Subic Strait is only 12 to 18 nautical miles wide, once it is blocked by Zheng Zhilong's fleet, the Ning Navy will lose the advantage in the speed of the warships.

Located in the sea of the South China Sea southwest of Subic Bay, the Zheng fleet is rushing towards the Subic Strait, and the Zheng fleet at this time occupies an absolute tailwind position, just like the original Ning naval fleet.

Zheng's huge fleet is vast and boundless, Zheng Zhilong accepted the lesson of the last time, he came up this time is a fireship, and gathered all the sub-mother ships of the whole fleet a total of more than 600 ships.

Such a huge fleet couldn't hide people at all, and soon Li Zhixiang received the news that Zheng Zhilong sent troops.

Li Fang heard that Zheng Zhilong had dispatched more than 600 fireships, and his heart was a little uneasy.

You must know that this is only Zheng Zhilong's forward force.

"This battle is not easy to fight!"

Shen Shikui sighed and said, "The wind direction is very unfavorable to us, Zheng Zhilong is a fire attack this time, it's too arrogant!" ”

"If it's not easy to fight, you have to fight, the big handsome can watch us in Luzon City!"

To Zheng Zhilong's surprise, Ning Haijun did not accept it when he saw it, but rushed towards them.

"Discharge mines, in the way of others, and give back to others!"

As early as more than 30 years ago, in the Battle of Luliang, the Daming Navy Division used a large number of mines, blowing up the Xiaori Army fleet to the ground, and the psychological threat to the enemy caused by the mines that appeared and disappeared between the waves was more than 100 huge ships.

In the last Battle of Subic, Zheng Zhilong suffered the loss of mines of the Ning Navy, and this time he also carried tens of thousands of mines, of course, this kind of mines are actually far inferior to the mines of the Ning Navy.

Tens of thousands of mines are produced by Zheng's craftsmen themselves, each mine is filled with ten catties of black powder, once the mine is hit, it is definitely the end of flesh and blood.

While the Zheng fleet was laying mines, the Ning Navy fleet let out a steely roar: "Fight to the death!" Fight to the death! Fight to the death! ”

The terrifying roar was more terrifying than a thousand thunderstorms exploding at the same time, and it made people's hearts tremble. In the blood-colored banner hunting and dancing, the main battleship of the Ning Navy, the six detachments of the fleet was divided into six formations, and rushed straight to the position where the main force of the Zheng fleet was located!

"Boom, boom, boom......"

At a distance of three or four thousand meters, the Ning Navy launched an artillery attack, but of course, this time the Ning Navy did not perform a lucky artillery technique, and in the first round of shooting, all the shells missed.

As the sun fell on the sea level, Li Zhixiang smiled and said: "The whole ship retreats, there is a kind of chasing!" ”

In fact, Li Zhixiang also wanted to use mines to deal with Zheng's fleet, but as a result, the two sides laid out tens of thousands of mines, and as for whether the mines would blow up and sink merchant ships, this was a question that they were not concerned about.

Batavia, the commander-in-chief of the fleet of the Dutch East India Company, General Debaul, as the commander-in-chief of the fleet of the Dutch East India Company, said with an arrogant face: "You mean, those Ming people have fired at our Dutch East India Company? ”

"Yes, they claim that this is a response to our massacre of the Chinese in Batavia and a punishment!"

"Hmph, it's not a small tone!"

Debaul's originally white face had become as black as the bottom of the pot: "No one has ever dared to despise the Kingdom of Holland like this, never!" ”

Now the Netherlands is enjoying the dividends of the Age of Discovery, the national strength is thriving, and the strength is so strong that Spain and France can wrestle with them, and they don't pay attention to other countries! Cheng Shijie, the governor of Liaodong, not only did not accept the alliance of the Dutch Kingdom to deal with Zheng Zhilong together, but also refused to allow the Dutch Kingdom to mediate their dispute with Spain, and now he dared to fire at the Dutch warship, completely ignoring the Dutch Empire, how could he not be angry!

You must know that the Spanish Empire has fought invincible opponents in Europe, Asia and Africa, and most of the territory in South America belongs to them, what kind of amazing strength is this? Although the Armada was defeated once by the British Navy, it did not shake the hegemony of Spain, and in Europe they are still the well-deserved bosses!

However, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands forced the Spanish Empire to sign a peace treaty, and if it were not for the fact that the Spanish Empire could not confront the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, how could the Spanish Empire have lowered their noble heads?

Now even the cowardly Ming dared to provoke them Dutch, and now the Dutch East India Company was very angry.

Although Debaul was very angry, he did not order the general fleet of the Dutch East India Company to fight to the death against the Ning Navy, for the Dutch East India Company, profit was the most eternal, and war was only the last resort.

Of course, the premise is that the opponent can beat the Dutch East India Company. Now Ning Haijun punched Spain, stepped on Zheng Zhilong, and now kicked the Dutch in the ass again, which made the Dutch East India Company feel very angry.

If it is a small country, even a fart will become a reason for them to go to war, but the problem is that the Dutch East India Company is unwilling to go to war with the Ning Navy before it is absolutely sure of defeating the Ning Navy, because the Dutch East India Company is not sure of victory.

In fact, Europa people are very realistic, and they are double standards.

To put it simply, military strength is everything.

The strength of the Ning Navy made the Dutch have to pay attention to it, and they must be polite and courteous.

"Big news!"

"Say, if it's the loss caused by the attack of those big natives, then there is no need to talk about it!"

"It's worse than that!"

"How serious?"

"Your Excellency General, our senior staff is gone!"

"How could the big man be gone?"

"Twenty days ago, the Ning Navy Army launched a full-scale counteroffensive against the Dutch army stationed in Dayuan, and now on Dayuan Island, we Dutch people have either been killed or captured!"

"How is this possible?"

"But it's true!"

Baudel's face was full of indignation: "We want to make a serious protest to Daming. ”

(End of chapter)