GBP Chapter 110 Naval Battle (1)
Chapter 110 Naval Battle (1)
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Meanwhile, He Rubin, the commander-in-chief of the army, was on a Fujian-style ship discussing the deployment after crossing the sea with his staff, and even mentioned the matters to be clarified after the battle.
An advisor suggested: "The bandits have been entrenched in Bofu for a long time. Although they are pirates, there must be people on land who are secretly colluding with them. After the army wins the battle, we should conduct a thorough investigation. Anyone who associates with bandits should be treated as an accomplice and their property confiscated..."
He Rubin nodded repeatedly. It was customary to investigate local gentry who had colluded with the bandits after defeating them. As for whether the collusion was real and how deep it was, it all depended on the mood of the government troops. If they knew the truth and paid their respects, they could escape this calamity; otherwise, they would inevitably be accused of being accomplices, which would result in financial loss at best and bankruptcy at worst.
Although Lingao wasn't exactly wealthy, there was still some profit to be made by exploiting it. Thinking this, He Rubin and his advisors exchanged knowing smiles, their understanding unspoken.
A soldier entered the cabin and reported: "We have received news from the ships ahead that a strange Western sailing ship has appeared on the left and is sailing near our fleet. Its intentions are unclear."
"Oh, let me go take a look." He Rubin got up and left the cabin, followed closely by his staff.
He Rubin saw a long, narrow white boat to his left, moving back and forth at a fast speed, seemingly observing the situation of the fleet.
"What kind of ship is this? I've never seen one like it before, and it's so fast!" He Rubin asked.
The staff members all shook their heads. Most of them were scholars, and they were lucky if they didn't get seasick at sea. They had no idea what kind of strange ship this was.
The Yuanhang cruiser patrolled back and forth, taking in the types, tonnage, and numbers of the government fleet's ships. Liang Xiaoming occasionally exclaimed, "Is this the kind of ship the Ming Dynasty used to fight a transoceanic war, without any armed vessels to protect it?"
These hastily requisitioned ships varied in size, but most had a displacement between 100 and 200 tons, with some even less than 100 tons. These were already considered large vessels available along the Guangdong coast. To gather enough ships to transport the army across the sea, Wang Zunde confiscated all ships along the coast, whether merchant or cargo vessels, as long as they could carry people. He distrusted the Guangdong navy's fighting strength, and given that the navy's dozen or so old ships were also on guard against pirates, he simply didn't send any to escort them.
In Liang Xiaoming's view, the Ming army's ships, which were around 100 tons each, were at most used as communication ships. They were fine for transmitting messages, but they would be incapable of transporting troops, let alone using them for naval warfare.
The only relatively large ship in the entire fleet was He Rubin's flagship, located in the center of the fleet. It was a Fujian-style ship with a displacement of about 200 tons and a displacement of 300-400 liao. It was painted brand new and stood out among the old cargo ships in front and behind.
After observing for about half an hour, Liang Xiaoming had a better understanding of the situation and ordered the ship to return. The voyage drew an arc, made a sharp turn, cut through the waves, and quickly disappeared on the horizon.
The strange ship shuttled back and forth, and the fear of the unknown kept the staff on He Rubin's ship silent. After the strange ship left, someone finally said, "That strange ship must have been sent by the Bo Fu bandits to spy on us. They were intimidated by the power of our army and returned empty-handed."
He Rubin stroked his beard and laughed, "It's probably true. Although the ship is full of soldiers and we're not afraid of the bandits boarding, it would be best if there were no trouble along the way. In the end, they're just petty scoundrels. Seeing the imposing array of our army, they still won't dare to test us." He was also a little panicked about this strange ship, but as the commander-in-chief, he naturally had to show contempt for the enemy to avoid boosting the bandits' morale and diminishing his own prestige.
The staff naturally echoed this sentiment, claiming that wherever the army went, it would be invincible and the enemy would flee at the mere sight of them. Immediately, a chorus of flattery filled the deck.
"As the Yuanhang departed Bofu Port to conduct reconnaissance at the Pearl River Estuary, five Wuyi-class warships also filed out of the port and headed straight for Qiongshan. The government troops' destination for crossing the sea was Qiongshan, and as long as they followed this direction, they would be able to meet the fleet head-on."
Although the sailors on board were new to this type of warship, they were able to adapt with a little training; however, operating the cannons was a bit challenging for them. This is where the significance of Liang Xiaoming's large-caliber Caron cannon became apparent.
Naval artillery battles differ from land-based battles. Gun positions are fixed, with limited room for adjustment; you can only fire in the direction the ship is facing. Naval artillerymen, compared to their land-based counterparts, prioritize firing accuracy over precision. Whoever can unleash more shells on the enemy in a short time gains the upper hand. Even so, the difficulty of loading and repositioning long-barreled naval guns remains a challenge for newly recruited gunners.
In contrast, the Caron cannon had a short, thick barrel, was easy to load and reset, and was easy to fire at close range. There was no need to consider the muzzle angle or range; you could just aim at the enemy ship and fire wildly. It was simple, brutal, and required little technical skill, and new gunners could handle it perfectly well.
Through repeated training, the gunners were gradually trained. One or two battles were enough for the gunners of one ship to quickly get up to speed, and the newly joined gunners became the gunners of the next ship. Through this snowballing method, the gunners of all five ships had fully mastered the basic operations. Without considering the operation of long-barreled guns, most of the gunners had already met Liang Xiaoming's standards of competence, and were more than capable of dealing with opponents in the Far East waters who did not have naval guns.
Led by its temporary flagship, the Yuanhang, the fleet sailed along the coastline and, two hours later, passed through the Qiongzhou Strait, leaving Qiongshan and arriving near a small island called Luodousha off the coast of Xuwen. There, the fleet slowed its pace, awaiting news from the Yuanhang.
Half an hour later, the Yuanhang came into view. After approaching the fleet, a small sampan was lowered from the ship. Liang Xiaoming led Liu Heizi, Lin Chuanzong and others to board the Lingao in the sampan. Liu Heizi shouted to the sailors on the ship: "The government fleet has passed the three southern towns and should be arriving at Donghai Island soon."
Donghai Island is a large island near Leizhou Prefecture. Freshwater could be replenished near this island. Beyond Donghai Island, all the way to Luodousha Island, there were no decent islands or ports where one could dock and replenish freshwater and food. Although they passed through Xuwen, at that time, Xuwen, apart from its southern facing Qiongzhou, lacked a large port to the east, and its small fishing villages were insufficient to accommodate a large fleet. According to Liu Heizi, this area was the most suitable location to attack the government army's fleet; it was isolated, with no suitable place to hide.
Liang Xiaoming straightened his collar, then made a slashing motion with his right hand and shouted, "Advance! Destroy the enemy fleet on the high seas!"
After receiving the order, all the ships in the fleet adjusted the angle of their sails, which billowed in the wind, and sailed along the eastern coast of Xuwen at their current fastest speed.
In the 17th century, maritime voyages followed the coastline, and the Ming fleet was no exception. As long as the enemy's route was confirmed, sailing towards each other along the coastline, the likelihood of the two fleets missing each other was slim. This was the source of Liang Xiaoming's confidence in devising such a naval attack plan. In later times, fleets with modern navigation technology could choose any route. On the vast ocean, where would they find each other, even if they numbered three hundred?