The large number of Class A and Class B ships participating in the battle on the front line are more than four miles away from the rear of the fleet. It will take time to break away from the enemy and turn back for reinforcements.
So what Zhu Jinghong can rely on at this time is a large number of Class C ships scattered around, as well as a small number of Class A and Class C ships around his flagship.
But the more realistic situation is that of the entire fleet that he ordered to shrink, only one-third is completely close to each other, while the rest are still trying their best to move towards the middle.
Of course, these warships that were farther away also gradually discovered the enemy ships protruding from the side of the island, and they also began to adjust the direction of their hulls as they moved closer to the Chinese army.
The problem now is that the Spaniards have to get close and fire as quickly as possible, while the Ming side has to close in and fire as quickly as possible.
On the watchtower, Zhu Jinghong was sweating on his forehead as he looked at the enemy ships in the distance.
There are about fifty enemy ships, and there are only so many warships he can use at this moment, and most of them are C-class ships.
Including Zhu Jinghong's flagship, there are only three Class A ships and only six Class B ships.
Just when Zhu Jinghong was anxious, there were more than a hundred gates... about eight hundred and thirty enemy ships! ”
This is a rough estimate. It calculates the unilateral firing capabilities of both the enemy and ourselves, and the warships can relatively intuitively display the force.
Cannon is the truth, and now it seems The enemy was stronger, and Zhu Jinghong broke into a cold sweat.
But after all, he had experienced a lot, so he quickly regained his composure. After taking a look at the surrounding situation, he ordered: "Send the order immediately. The fleet in front retreats three miles! ”
With those behind rushing forward and those in front leaning back, the entire fleet will get closer faster and the distance between it and the enemy fleet can be maximized.
At this time
The current situation is very dangerous. If the forward retreats at this time, it will have a great negative impact on the morale of the army, so we must be cautious.
Zhu Jinghong said solemnly: "The flagship is finally withdrawn, so the ships will not be shaken! "
His warship was originally in the center of the fleet and was closely protected from all directions. Going to the front line at this critical moment can allow all ships to see Zhu Jinghong's determination to resist.
"Your Highness's safety is of great importance, how can you put yourself in danger..."
"Please take back this life, Your Highness! "
"Your Highness, please take back this life! "
At this time, not only the several commanders in charge of the staff, but also the generals and generals who actually commanded the warship were kneeling on the deck to plead.
It’s not that they are greedy for life and afraid of death, but they really don’t dare to let Zhu Jinghong take risks. It doesn’t matter if they die if something happens, they are just afraid that their family will be implicated.
“My safety can’t be compromised. Is it more dangerous than the Ming Dynasty? ”
After asking the question, Zhu Jinghong said in a stern tone: “I will not change a word of my words. Anyone who disobeys orders will engage in military law!” ”
“This ship can move forward, but Your Highness please stay out of the way!” "The general commanding the warship mustered up the courage to proceed.Word.
This means that the flagship can execute the order and fight on the front line, but Zhu Jinghong is asked to evacuate to other ships.
But how could Zhu Jinghong do this kind of behavior that is greedy for life and afraid of death? If the news spread, it would be more uncomfortable than killing him.
"I am His Majesty's legitimate son, how can I run away from the battlefield?"
This sentence was so solemn and so solemn that no one could argue with it.
Withdrawing his sword, Zhu Jinghong looked around at the crowd and said: "Everyone, the honor and disgrace of the emperor will be fought here. I hope you will kill the enemy with all your strength!"
"I and you are born together. Let’s die together!”
As the commander-in-chief, he personally went to the front line to boost morale, which indeed played a great motivating role.
The soldiers on the flagship were in high spirits, pulling ropes to adjust guns and transporting ammunition. Everyone was busy efficiently.
As the military orders were conveyed, the Ming warships approaching the Spanish main fleet began to move south one after another, while the warships to the south were moving north.
"Commander, the enemy is showing signs of retreat!"
Hearing the reminder from his subordinates, Louis put away his telescope and said decisively: "No... they are shrinking!"
"Full the sails, move forward at full speed, and enter the effective range. Each ship will fire immediately!"
"Yes!"
As time passed, The armies of both sides gradually approached, and after half an hour they were close to the artillery range.
Zhu Jinghong's flagship was on the front line at the moment, and he himself was invited into the cabin. The generals could not let him be on the dangerous deck.
In fact, at this moment, not all of the more than fifty warships left behind by the Ming army had completed their formation.
As for the more than 30 Class A and Class B ships on the southernmost side, they have just barely broken away from the Spanish squadron and are now trying their best to turn their direction and head north.
Although it is only a few miles, it will take at least ten or twenty minutes for them to adjust in place.
As for the Liaodong Navy, which is farther away, it has received a military order for reinforcements at most, and it takes almost forty minutes to arrive.
This means that the front-line fleet commanded by Zhu Jinghong will have to resist the Spanish main force for more than ten minutes before it can receive the first wave of reinforcements, and it will take more than forty minutes for the second wave of reinforcements.
Zhu Jinghong was alone in the cabin, standing in front of the window and looking at the situation outside, with sweat in his hands.
The latest report is that, including his Class A ship, the comparison of the opponent's artillery is 730 to 830. The advantage is indeed not on his side.
War is never a simple comparison of military strength. Teamwork and morale also play a key role.
At this moment, Zhu Jinghong could only use the latter two to convince himself that although his troops were not superior, he might not lose.
"We are about to enter the shooting range..." an officer shouted outside.
In fact, the shouts from up and down the battleship have not stopped at this moment, and the junior officers at various positions are roaring.He commanded his subordinates in a roaring manner.
We are about to enter the shooting range, which means that the artillery will roar immediately, and the battle will break out completely and violently.
At this moment, the warship became quiet. Everyone was staring ahead, waiting for the last moment to come.
The distance between the two sides is five hundred meters, four hundred meters...
This is a distance that can be fired, but neither side of the war started firing, obviously they were thinking of attacking later.
"Pass the order, be sure to strike first!"
Zhu Jinghong issued another order. This was a very dangerous military order, but it had to be done.
The reason is that the Spaniards themselves have a great advantage. If they fire one step ahead of them, it will be more dangerous for the latter to get close and shoot at the Ming army.
As the orders were passed on one after another, the Ming army became more and more nervous, especially the soldiers in charge of ignition, who all became thirsty looking at the approaching enemy ships.
Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred and seventy meters...
This is an absurdly close distance. Even the Spanish commander Luis couldn't help but curse Ming at this moment. Jun is crazy.
"Fire..." Lewis ordered directly.
If we get closer, if the Ming army takes the initiative to attack and blend into the Spanish fleet, the Spanish fleet will not be able to take advantage of its own advantages.
Another point is that the confrontation will take time. Louis knows that Ming army reinforcements are coming, so he must severely damage the Ming army navy as soon as possible.
As the military orders were issued, the Spanish fleet fired artillery one after another. However, the Ming army was stunned by the military orders and did not fire a single shot before the end of the first round of Spanish artillery.
"These lunatics!" Louis was furious.
Of course, his volley did achieve results.
The Ming army suffered shelling. Three C-class ships and one B-class ship were disabled, and they were forced to abandon the ship and flee for their lives.
"Your Highness, do you want to fire?"
If his flagship does not fire, other warships will have to wait.
At this time, the distance between the two sides is still closing, and the Spaniard is trying his best to reload. Every second is very critical and precious.
"Wait a little longer..."
Zhu Jinghong has been counting the time. It will take about two minutes to reload after the bombardment is completed. Now one minute has passed, and he plans to wait for another thirty seconds. Just fire.
Time passed extremely slowly at this moment.
At this time, the warships of both sides were about a hundred meters away, and Zhu Jinghong was heard yelling: "Fire!"
"Fire!"
Boom, boom...
The Ming army started shelling. Because the distance was too close, they achieved better results. Seven More than a hundred cannons even outnumbered the opponent's 800.
The sea was filled with gunpowder smoke, and all the officers and soldiers were busy working as hard as they could. After the fight, they quickly started washing and loading. At this time, there was no need to wait any longer.
The current competition is to see who has more solid training and can shoot more shells in a shorter time.
At this moment, the so-called fleet command no longer exists. Each warship can be commanded by its captain, who will do his best in his position.
Zhu Jinghong himself stood quietly at the window, waiting for the outcome of this battle.
The next ten minutes are crucial. If you can hold it, you can win this battle. If you can't hold it, then...
Boom, boom, boom...the sound of the artillery continues. It never stopped.
The close-range artillery fire between the two sides is actually much more bloody and terrifying than the line of infantry queuing up to kill.
Because the troops were weaker, the Ming army was always suppressed and beaten, but they had no intention of retreating, which made Louis jump anxiously.
But he soon discovered the reason, so he immediately mobilized five ships and nearly a hundred artillery pieces to focus on Zhu Jinghong's flagship.
Suddenly hit, the number of casualties on the ship suddenly increased sharply, but Zhu Jinghong did not panic at all and responded to his subordinates' request to retreat.
In order to boost the confidence of the soldiers, Zhu Jinghong appeared on the deck, holding a knife and instructing the officers: "Hold on for a while, our reinforcements will arrive, and the enemy will be dead!"
"If you retreat at this time and expose your buttocks to others for beatings, do you think you can run away?"
"We will suffer a lot of damage, and the enemy will also suffer a lot of damage. Who will persist to the end?" Whoever can win!"
Then, Zhu Jinghong said firmly: "If we can hold on, we will definitely win!"
"Everyone returns to his position and continues to fight back!"
p>After he finished speaking, several more cannonballs came over, directly hitting a mast at the back, causing a large sail to slowly fall.
It doesn’t matter if the mast is broken. What’s more important is that the Chinese flag tied to it falls down.
"Hang up the handsome flag again!" Zhu Jinghong shouted immediately.
It was very dangerous on the deck at this time, but he could no longer care about the danger at this time.
"Thirteenth Master, it's dangerous outside, please go back to the cabin first!"
Lu Yuxin and several guards wanted to pull Zhu Jinghong back to the cabin. Their task was to protect Zhu Jinghong. Safety.
"The military flag must not be dropped, otherwise the morale of the army will be shaken!"
Lu Yuxin quickly responded: "I will go and hang it up myself. Mr. Thirteenth, please go into the cabin first!"< /p>
After hearing this, Zhu Jinghong felt relieved. He really trusted Lu Yuxin.
Afterwards, he was brought into the cabin by the guards, and Lu Yuxin was really alone, picking up the military flag again and climbing up the rope ladder.
Hang the military flag, of course it is dangerous, but he knows that high risks have high rewards, and he, who comes from an "ordinary" family, cherishes these opportunities.
Under the gunfire, Lu Yuxin climbed up the main mast, and then re-fixed the military flag with ropes.
Seeing that the flag was hoisted again, the other battleshipsThe morale of the Ming army was greatly boosted, and Luis on the Spanish flagship was so angry that he punched the porthole.
Since the beginning of the war, the Ming army has lost fifteen ships, and the Spanish fleet has lost nine ships. Relatively speaking, they have a greater advantage, but the Ming army's undefeated battle made him lose confidence in winning.
Of course, the Ming army's advance fleet, which had changed its direction and was being reinforced, was also a factor that gave Lewis pessimistic thoughts.
"Immediately send an order, our army will break away from contact and ride the wind to the north!"
Originally, I wanted to go all out to penetrate the Ming fleet directly, but now that things can't be done, Louis thought Stop losses promptly.
At present, the Ming army is still being suppressed and its reinforcements have not yet arrived, so the possibility of them withdrawing is relatively high.
In fact, the soldiers on the Spanish battleships, despite having the upper hand, were on the verge of collapse at this moment.
After all, these soldiers have not fought such a tough battle for many years. Compared with the soldiers of the Ming army who defended their homes and country, their fighting spirit was already lower.
As Luis's order was conveyed, the Spanish ships began to adjust the sails and prepare to escape while continuing the bombardment.
This process was also very troublesome, but after they started moving, Zhu Jinghong quickly realized their purpose.
At this moment, Zhu Jinghong finally breathed a sigh of relief. The most difficult situation had been overcome, and he managed it without having a superior force.
The enemy is strong and we are weak, but we all survived...
It was also at this moment that Zhu Jinghong's mentality changed, especially as the filter against the so-called great powers disappeared.
I sat up in shock while dying of illness, the great powers are actually myself?
Has this joke come true? Zhu Jinghong smiled for a moment.
Only after he relaxes can he think about these messy things, and only then can he have the heart to laugh.
In this version of the world structure, Spain can be ranked among the top five in Europe, and if it can beat the weak against the strong, it is not too much to call itself a great power.
As he walked out of the cabin, shells were still flying randomly, and Zhu Jinghong loudly ordered: "Pass our military order, all ships will move closer immediately, and follow the flagship to pursue!"
Cai Kang After the critical moment, he didn't want to take a breath at this time, but gathered his troops to catch up. Zhu Jinghong's courage and fighting spirit were admired by everyone.
His prestige continued to rise. No one questioned his military orders. All the warships that could still move quickly responded, approaching and firing while pursuing north.
Looking at the Spanish warships that were far away, Zhu Jinghong murmured in a low voice: "The Liaodong Navy is rushing here, I don't know if he can catch up!"
If he can! Taking the opportunity to annihilate the Spanish main fleet, the entire South China Sea will undoubtedly be much more peaceful.
Zhu Jinghong was not too worried about this, because the Spaniards were retreating north, which would cause them to get further and further away from Luzon. Even if they could not catch up, they would still be killed.
"Your Highness, they escaped, our army won!"
"If your Highness' command is stable, our army can win a great victory!"
Several commanders surrounded He came over and kept saying flattering words.
Looking back, Zhu Jinghong said with a smile: "Right now, it can be said that the offensive and defensive momentum is different!" The transcoding has been serious recently, which makes us more motivated and updates faster. Please use your little hands to exit the reading mode. . Thank you