Chapter 52: The End of Destiny
The British infantry was completely lost. Even if Baron Nelson mobilized all the British Empire warships in the Indian Ocean, there would be no way to attack Weiss in a short period of time. The Ming army on Te Island posed too great a threat.
The navy should fight on the sea, Baron Nelson has always insisted on this.
Before the arrival of Han Xiufen’s fleet, Nelson had to consider how the British Empire would control the princes of India after losing West Island. This period of time was very short, and he had to do something, otherwise, the British Empire would The empire's ten years of deployment in India were about to be in vain.
To fight against the powerful Eastern Empire, only by uniting Europe's multiple forces in the Indian Ocean can a delicate balance of power be achieved again.
Among these people, the Dutch are undoubtedly the most trustworthy friends.
As for Spain and the Portuguese, they are the ones that can be fought for. However, the Portuguese are too weak, and the losses of West Island need to be compensated... As for the French, they will always be European. Aliens are people who cannot be trusted, especially in the British Empire.
Secretary Austin, a young man with soft brown hair, returned.
He brought back 3,127 corpses.
Colonel Owen's remains looked very peaceful, and he was covered with a scarlet cloak.
"They didn't damage Colonel Owen's body?"
Austin lifted the cloak and revealed Colonel Owen's riddled body.
"This is the wound that Colonel Owen suffered before he died in battle, not the humiliation after death."
"That's right, Baron. It's not just Colonel Owen's body that's like this, it's the rest of the body." The same goes for the soldier's body. The Ming people only took away his weapons."
"Oh? Did they collect the gold they brought?"
"No, Baron, Ming. The young royal colonel of the country said that they do not sell corpses."
Baron Nelson put the cloak back on Colonel Owen and said to Secretary Austin: "Let's hold a sea burial."
After that, he left the transport ship full of corpses and returned to the Dreadnought battleship.
The fleet sailed on the blue sea of the Indian Ocean, but the fleet was enveloped by the sound of resentful bagpipes. Under the guidance of several black-robed priests, corpses wrapped in white linen were thrown in one after another. to the sea.
The funeral was held for a whole day. On this day, Baron Nelson did not eat or drink, and he did not even touch his beloved pipe.
Go back to the cabin at night, open your sailing diary, and write in the diary with a quill pen.
“The people of the Ming Dynasty are here. They bring excellent weapons, powerful battleships, and an almost invincible army. They are a group of proud people, so proud that they even took the silver coins from our soldiers who died in battle. They even bothered to take it away
They fought very strategically and with strict discipline.Although it was just a newly formed army that looked like a royal plaything, it still killed 3,126 people from the 9th Fairfax Infantry Regiment under its commander, Colonel Irving Harwell, in the Battle of West Island. people.
There is no doubt that the reason why Colonel Owen Harville, who participated in the Battle of Nezby and made great military exploits, was wiped out was not the fault of Colonel Owen Harville, nor the lack of soldiers. brave.
On the contrary, they have tried their best and proved with their own lives that they are not cowards.
The reason why they failed was because of their weapons and equipment and combat concepts... The most sad thing is that the brave Colonel Owen was not facing the most powerful legion in the Ming Dynasty...
p>I can't imagine what it will be like when their most elite legions arrive in the Indian Ocean.
If our Lord Protector Mr. Cromwell cannot pay attention to it, I think the British Empire will lose all its interests in the Indian Ocean and even the Arabian Sea.
The Ming Dynasty had a large territory, a large population, and was highly civilized. Their new emperor had just calmed down all the wars a few years ago. He was a wise, wise and ambitious young monarch.
The ambitions of such monarchs are boundless, and the Ming Dynasty has the potential to become an overlord. They have a long history, a huge population, hard-working people, brave soldiers, and their determined The determination to explore the unknown.
From this moment on, the British Empire should focus on the Americas and go all out to develop the Americas. In the East, let me think pessimistically, I thought we only need to strengthen our presence here. Too much investment here. ”
Baron Nelson is undoubtedly a true aristocrat of Britain. He has a far-reaching ideological world, a sharp vision, and a keen sense of smell. Although the Battle of West Island was a loss to the British Empire, it was far from It did not reach the level that the British Empire took seriously.
After writing the logbook, he wrote a long letter to Duke Campbell of the House of Lords, and then Baron Nelson led the British fleet sadly. Leaving West Island.
This time, his target was the colonial strongholds established by the Portuguese on the east coast of India. The losses on West Island must be compensated.
Today, the British mainland is still at war, and the royalists and Cromwell’s new nobles are still fighting openly and secretly. If Baron Nelson does not predict, the real victory will be decided next year, in 1649 AD at the latest. Negative.
Lai Guorao’s prediction was accurate. After learning that the Ming Dynasty had captured West Island, the Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, and French warships appeared like hyenas. The waters of West Island.
But after Baron Nelson gathered all the British warships in the Indian Ocean, his strength was still strong, which made the hyenas dare not approach easily. They ambush in every corner of the Indian Ocean. , waiting for some scraps at any time
The more powerful the ship.The closer the fleet gets to West Island, the weaker fleets like Portugal have to stay on the edge and wait for a favorable opportunity.
So, when Lai Guorao's fleet appeared fiercely in the Portuguese sight, the Portuguese's first reaction was to greet them with flags until Lai Guorao's fleet had crossed the hull and the gun windows After revealing the dark muzzle, they hurriedly fought.
Eleven three-masted battleships, two third-class battleships, six were sunk after the two fleets passed each other, and Lai Guorao's ironclad Wushan was even more ferocious. He rushed into the Portuguese fleet and cut off the Portuguese fleet in the middle. All the gun windows on both sides were opened, spitting out fierce artillery fire.
With one projection of firepower, the Portuguese battleship Archangel was completely smashed. After the explosive shells hit the powder magazine, the entire giant ship suddenly jumped out of the sea and then shattered into pieces around him. The main mast of the Poseidon battleship was smashed in half by the flying artillery. The tall mast was driven by the wind and smashed on the wide deck, smashing the sailors to pieces.
The Wushan's thick ramming angle smashed the side of the Poseidon arrogantly. Driven by the sea wind, the Poseidon's hull violently lifted to one side. At this moment, the Wushan The thick artillery on the deck of the ship roared, and a huge shell penetrated the hull and then exploded in the cabin. A huge warship suddenly seemed to be disemboweled, violently exploding from the middle.
Teared apart again by the Wushan with brute force, the Poseidon also broke from the middle. Lai Guorao looked at the broken two halves of the Wushan that were about to sink and stood up high, and sneered. He loosened his collar and said: "One less enemy."
Unfortunately, the Wushan hit the corner with half of the broken ship's side, and the speed suddenly slowed down. After he cleaned up, , only Portuguese sailors holding broken wooden boards were left on the sea waiting to be captured, while the Portuguese warships that could still sail had left the sea with full sails.
The biggest problem with the Ming Dynasty's ironclad ships was that they were too heavy and not as fast as these wooden sailing ships.
Fortunately, it has the characteristics of thick skin and fierce firepower. Otherwise, it will definitely not be an opponent of the flexible European battleships on the vast sea.
From the beginning, Lai Guorao never thought about annihilating the Portuguese fleet. This was almost impossible to happen. He just wanted to cripple the Portuguese fleet so that he could go there. The Portuguese established a colonial stronghold for local governance on the east coast of India. If they could capture it, the harvest might not be as rich as that of West Island, but it must also be a huge fortune.
This was a raid that started violently and ended very quickly. After Lai Guorao ordered to rescue the sailors, he left the hiding place and prepared to get closer to West Island to take a look. Is there any other advantage we can take advantage of?
Han Xiufen was very satisfied with the wine in her hand. The wine was bright red in color and rich in aroma. The most important thing was that the face of Earl Raymond sitting opposite him was as pale as a smoker.The Vampire Count.
“We are friends!”
Earl Raymond once again emphasized his former friendship with Han Xiufen.
Han Xiufen turned the goblet and said: "So, Your Excellency, you can go back alive."
"Attacking the British Empire is not a good idea for Earl Han. We can unite to carve up India, and we can even eliminate the damn Dutch together, and thus become the master of this sea area and even India."
Raymond tirelessly lobbied for the situation in front of him for his life. A strong and beautiful woman.
"Who says it's not? This is a sad incident. However, my emperor hates doing business with others the most in his life. So, Mr. Baron, you should think more about yourself.
Your Lord Protector of Cromwell is not someone who is willing to pay the price to redeem a nobleman."
Raymond quickly said: "Earl, West. The wealth on the island is enough to pay any ransom."
Han Xiufen took a sip of wine and said with a smile: "That's mine, you can't use my money to pay your ransom."
"Earl, even in the most critical time, I did not order the cotton and cotton cloth on the island to be burned. You should be satisfied."
Han Xiufen stood up with a wine glass and smiled: "These I have given full authority to the Governor of the Ming Dynasty West India Company to handle the matter. You should communicate with him more. Don't worry, this person is also your old friend."
Raymond stared blankly. Seeing Han Xiufen leave the cabin, he wanted to speak, opened his mouth, and finally lowered his head. At this moment, he hoped that Baron Nelson could capture West Island and exchange the captured Ming people for him.
While Raymond was thinking about how to get through this difficult time, a familiar person walked into his cabin.
"Earl Wren?"
Wren, who was wearing a blue silk robe of the Ming Dynasty, waved his hand and said: "I am now the governor of the Ming Dynasty West India Company, not an earl."