GBP Chapter 295 Fire Attack Fails
Chapter 295 Fire Attack Fails
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Zheng's large, blue-headed gunboats retaliated with solid shot, causing some trouble for the Qiongzhou fleet, to the point that the ship's carpenters were used for the first time in actual combat. Having carpenters on board was a common practice in the West after naval artillery warfare became mainstream; carpentry was a prestigious profession on warships. The British Royal Navy placed greater emphasis on artillery warfare than other countries. Liang Xiaoming and Gao Jie, after modifying the system to suit their own circumstances, introduced this improved system to the Qiongzhou Navy. Practice proved that this well-trained wartime repair team was highly effective, preventing secondary shelling damage to damaged parts and the danger of flooding and sinking.
The force of solid shot hitting the hull was immense; even Gao Jie and his crew, commanding the massive "Guangdong," felt the shock. Some of the sailors, former pirates, panicked; based on their past experience, such bombardment was enough to destroy or sink a ship.
Van Bommel, a seasoned naval commander, knew that such panic would affect morale, so he shouted, "Don't panic! Our warships are sturdy enough to hold out in the exchange of fire. Soon the enemy's gunboats will collapse!"
As if to confirm his words, the firing rate of the Zheng family's gunboats gradually decreased. After all, with open gun emplacements on one side and heavily shielded gun decks on the other, the Zheng family was suffering too many losses, with a frighteningly high casualty ratio.
Gao Jie did not order a switch to solid shot for a firefight. In his view, as long as the firing points on Zheng's open deck were cleared, these big green-headed men would pose no threat. This would be much more efficient than using solid shot to sink the enemy.
Under the relentless barrage of shrapnel, one after another, the large blue-headed ships were forced to withdraw from the battle. No matter how valiant the Zheng family gunners were, they were still just flesh and blood; how could they withstand such a dense storm of metal?
Before Zheng Lian, who was in command, could even rejoice, the battle situation had become extremely dire. Although solid shot caused more damage than grapeshot, none of the enemy's heavily armored warships had sunk, and the counter-attack fire was even more devastating. At this rate, they wouldn't be able to hold out for long.
Just as Zheng Lian was considering whether to retreat, the next turn of events made things even worse for the Zheng family's gunboats. With a loud "bang," unlike the muffled sound of firing a cannon, a short heavy cannon could not withstand the continuous firing and exploded! The shirtless gunner was thrown high into the air by the blast wave and then fell heavily onto the deck, becoming a mangled corpse.
Liang Xiaoming's insidious trick of using white cast iron as the material finally came into play during the most intense battle. Shortly after the first cannon exploded, the second, the third and so on followed. Perhaps because they used the same material and the same casting technology, the limits of these cannons were almost the same. After firing twenty or thirty shells, they expanded due to heat, which caused cracks, and then they exploded one after another under the high chamber pressure.
This became the final straw that broke the camel's back for Zheng's gunboats. The battle was already going badly, and now the guns had exploded, making it impossible to continue. No matter how Zheng Lian shouted, the surviving gunners either took cover in the hold or jumped into the sea to escape the seemingly endless hail of bullets from the opposite side. Zheng's gunboat offensive was thus completely shattered.
Van Bommel, aboard the Guangdong, excitedly pumped his fist. Months ago, he had suffered greatly at the hands of these short-barreled guns, but now, having switched sides, he had finally avenged himself. Meanwhile, fleet commander Gao Jie had no time to attend to the local battle situation; his gaze was already fixed on the vast sea.
At this time, the fire ship fleet hastily assembled by the Zheng family was ready and waiting for the order to attack.
Although Zheng Zhilong also saw that close-quarters combat on the gunboats was not very effective and could not provide cover for the fireboats' attack, he had no other choice but to use his best tactics and go all out.
At Zheng Zhilong's command, nearly a hundred fire ships shot off like arrows towards the still unmoved "battle line." In Zheng Zhilong's view, these dozen or so huge deckboats were the main force of the Qiongzhou camp, and as long as they were burned, he would still have a chance to win.
Two miles away, the assassins on the fire ships set their vessels ablaze. A westerly wind was blowing, a favorable wind, so even if the helmsmen jumped overboard, the wind and inertia would propel the ships into the enemy lines. The Zheng family had used this tactic countless times, rarely failing.
As the distance drew closer, 1000 meters, 800 meters, 600 meters... when they were only a kilometer away, everyone was ready to jump off the ship, because if they didn't, they would be within the optimal range of the enemy's cannons, be subjected to the "baptism" of cannon fire, and risk being destroyed along with their own fireship.
At this moment, a sudden change occurred. Nearly twenty Wuxiang-class patrol ships, which had been "idling" on the outskirts, silently entered the battlefield, flanking the fire ship fleet from both sides.
The suicide bombers who were preparing to jump ship were stunned when they saw this. What was going on?
Just as they hesitated, "boom boom boom," the Caron guns on the decks of the Wuxiang-class patrol ships on both sides opened fire. Instead of using grapeshot as usual, they fired solid shot directly, seemingly intending to sink these small boats.
The people on the boat then realized what was happening and hurriedly jumped into the water to escape. Those who jumped too slowly had their heads chopped off by the iron lumps the size of human heads, and died instantly.
The raging fire ships lost control, continuing forward propelled by the wind, albeit at a slower pace. Under the combined fire of cannons from both sides, fire ships were repeatedly hit, capsizing and sinking into the sea.
As the "unmanned" fire ships struggled to move forward amidst the gunfire, the sound of cannons rang out from the opposite direction. The Yongle-class and Wuyi-class ships, having dealt with the Daqingtou, were now free to fire directly at the invading fire ships.
The fire ships, bombarded from three sides, were like rats in a bellows. Under the intense barrage, one fire ship after another was damaged and flooded, floating on the sea like floating "torches".
Seeing that the fire ships' offensive was also about to be thwarted, Zheng Zhilong felt a chill in his heart. This battle was fraught with peril, making it incredibly frustrating. After a long pause, he finally uttered, "Let Third Brother go!"
Upon hearing the order, the third brother, Zheng Zhibao, silently bowed and then left. He was taking the place of his second brother, Zheng Zhihu, and was responsible for leading the Zheng family's most elite men in a boarding action. Compared to the once high-spirited Zheng Zhihu, Zheng Zhibao now felt more helpless. Back then, it was about seizing the boat when they had the upper hand; now, it was a gamble when all other options were exhausted. He had a bad feeling that this trip would likely not result in a return alive.
By the time the Zheng family was about to unleash their final human wave tactic, the fire ship offensive had been largely thwarted. Only a dozen or so ships managed to break through the barrage of fire, finally completing their mission and ramming into the towering warships. However, the small-scale fire attack was like a tickle, and the sailors on the warships quickly extinguished the flames.