King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 677: Sitting up in shock while dying of illness

A large number of Class A and Class B ships participating in the battle on the front line were more than four miles away from the rear of the fleet. It took time for them to break away from the enemy and turn around to provide support.

Therefore, what Zhu Jinghong could rely on at this time were the large number of Class C ships scattered around, as well as the small number of Class A and Class C ships around his flagship.

But the more realistic situation is that of the entire fleet he ordered to shrink, only one-third had completely moved together, while the rest were still trying their best to move to the center.

Of course, these warships that were a little further away also discovered the enemy ships protruding from the side of the island one after another, and began to adjust the direction of their hulls as they approached the central 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, looking at the enemy ships in the distance, Zhu Jinghong's forehead was already sweating.

There were about fifty enemy ships, and these were the only warships he could use at the moment, most of which were Class C ships.

Including Zhu Jinghong's flagship, there were only three Class A ships and no more than six Class B ships.

Just when Zhu Jinghong was getting anxious, a deputy shouted, "Your Highness, all our ships must be assembled. We have more than 700 guns... The enemy ships probably have more than 830 guns!"

This is a rough estimate that calculates the unilateral firing capability of warships on both sides of the enemy and can show the military strength relatively intuitively.

The cannon is the truth, and now it seems that the enemy's truth is stronger, and Zhu Jinghong is sweating profusely.

But he had been through a lot, so he quickly regained his composure. After taking a look at the surrounding situation, he gave an order: "Send the order immediately, the front fleet retreat three miles!"

If the ones at the back move forward and the ones in the front move backward, the entire fleet will move closer faster and can maximize the distance between itself and the enemy fleet.

At this time, a colleague below reminded: "Your Highness, if you retreat, I'm afraid it will shake the morale of the army!"

The current situation is very dangerous. If the vanguard retreats at this time, it will have a huge negative impact on military morale, so we must be extremely cautious.

Zhu Jinghong said solemnly: "The flagship will be the last to withdraw, so the other ships will not waver!"

His warships were originally in the center of the fleet, closely protected from all directions. Sending them to the front line at this critical moment would allow other ships to see Zhu Jinghong's determination to resist.

"Your Highness's safety is of great importance. How can you risk your life..."

"Your Highness, please take back this life!"

"Your Highness, please take back this life!"

At this time, not only several commanders in charge of staff, but also the lieutenant generals and captains who actually commanded the warship, knelt on the deck and begged.

It's not that they are afraid of death, but they really don't dare to let Zhu Jinghong take risks. If something happens, they don't care if they die, but they are afraid that their families will be implicated.

"Can my safety be more important than the safety of the Ming Dynasty?"

After asking back, Zhu Jinghong said sternly: "I will not change a word of my words. Anyone who disobeys will be subject to military law!"

"Our ship can move forward, but Your Highness, please step aside!" The lieutenant general commanding the warship mustered up the courage to speak up.

This means that the flagship can follow orders and fight on the front line, but Zhu Jinghong is asked to withdraw to other ships.

But how could Zhu Jinghong do such a cowardly act? If it got out, it would be more painful for him than killing him.

"I am your Majesty's legitimate son. How can I escape from the battlefield?"

This statement was so upright that everyone was choked and unable to refute it.

Drawing his saber, Zhu Jinghong looked around at everyone and said, "Everyone, the Ming Dynasty's honor and disgrace depend on this battle. I hope you will do your best to kill the enemy!"

"I will live and die with you all!"

As the commander-in-chief, he personally went to the front line to boost morale, which indeed played a great role in motivation.

The soldiers on the flagship were full of fighting spirit, some were pulling ropes, adjusting guns, and carrying ammunition, everyone was busy and efficient.

As the military orders were conveyed, the Ming warships close to the Spanish main fleet began to move southward one after another, while the warships close to the south moved northward.

"Commander, the enemy is showing signs of retreating!"

Hearing his subordinates' reminder, Louis put away the telescope and said firmly: "No... they are shrinking!"

"Raise the sails to full capacity, advance at full speed, and enter effective firing range. All ships, open fire immediately!"

"As ordered!"

As time passed, the armies of both sides gradually approached each other, and after half an hour they were within the shelling range.

The flagship where Zhu Jinghong was located was currently on the front line, and he was invited into the cabin. The generals would not let him be in danger on the deck.

In fact, at this moment, the more than 50 warships left behind by the Ming army had not yet completed their battle array.

As for the southernmost side, there were more than 30 Class A and Class B ships, which had just barely broken away from contact with the Spanish fleet and were now turning around and heading north with all their might.

Although it is only a few miles, it will take at least ten to twenty minutes for them to adjust.

As for the Liaodong Navy, which was further away, the most they had received was an order for reinforcements, and it would take about forty minutes for them to arrive.

This meant that Commander Zhu Jinghong's front-line fleet had to hold off the Spanish main force for more than ten minutes before it could receive the first wave of reinforcements, and then have to wait more than forty minutes for the second wave of reinforcements.

Zhu Jinghong was alone in the cabin, standing in front of the window looking at the situation outside, his palms already sweating.

The latest report is that, including his Class A ship, the comparison between his artillery and that of the enemy is 730 to 830, so the advantage is definitely not on his side.

War is never a simple comparison of military strength; teamwork and the rise and fall of morale also play a key role.

At this moment, Zhu Jinghong could only use the latter two to convince himself that although he was not at an advantage in terms of military strength, he would not necessarily lose.

"About to enter the firing range..." an officer outside shouted.

In fact, at this moment, the shouting on and off the warship never stopped, and the grassroots officers in various positions were commanding their subordinates in a roaring manner.

Entering the firing range means that the artillery will roar soon and the war will break out completely and violently.

At this moment, the warship became quiet. Everyone was looking ahead, waiting for the final moment to come.

The distance between the two sides was 500 meters, 400 meters...

This was already within the range for firing, but neither side fired, apparently both wanting to strike back.

"Pass the order down, and make sure to strike back and strike back!"

Zhu Jinghong issued another order. This was a very dangerous military order, but it had to be done.

The reason is that the Spaniards already have a great advantage. If they open fire before them, it would be more dangerous for the latter to get close and shoot at the Ming army.

As the orders were passed down one after another, the Ming army became more and more nervous, especially the soldiers in charge of lighting the fire, who became dry-mouthed as they watched the approaching enemy ships.

Three hundred meters, two hundred meters, one hundred and seventy meters...

This was an absurdly close distance, and even the Spanish commander Luis couldn't help but curse the Ming army as crazy.

"Open fire..." Louis gave the order directly.

If they get closer, and if the Ming army takes the initiative to stick close and blend into the Spanish fleet, the Spanish fleet will not be able to take advantage of its own advantages.

Another point is that confrontation will take time. Louis knew that Ming army reinforcements were on the way, so he had to inflict heavy damage on the Ming navy as soon as possible.

As military orders were issued, the Spanish fleet fired one after another, but the Ming army ignored the orders and did not fire a single shot until the end of the first round of Spanish bombardment.

"These lunatics!" Louis was furious.

Of course, his round of salvos did achieve results. The Ming army was bombarded, and three Class C ships and one Class B ship were damaged, forcing them to abandon their ships and flee.

"Your Highness, should we fire?" a commander asked from below.

If his flagship doesn't fire, the other warships will have to wait.

At this time, the distance between the two sides was still narrowing, and the Spaniards were trying their best to reload. Every second was very critical and precious.

"hold on……"

Zhu Jinghong had been calculating the time. It would take about two minutes to reload after the bombardment was completed. Now one minute had passed, and he planned to wait another thirty seconds before firing.

Time passed extremely slowly at this moment, and the people below were extremely anxious, but Zhu Jinghong had not given any orders yet.

At this time, the warships of both sides were about 100 meters apart, and Zhu Jinghong shouted: "Fire!"

"fire!"

Boom, boom...

The Ming army began to bombard, and because the distance was so close, they achieved better results. More than 700 cannons even outperformed the enemy's 800.

The sea was filled with smoke, and all the officers and soldiers were busy fighting desperately. After a fight, they immediately began to clean and reload. There was no need to wait any longer.

The competition now is to see who has more solid training and can fire more shells in a shorter time.

At this point, the so-called fleet command no longer exists, and each warship can only 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 on, you can win the battle. If you can't, then...

Boom, boom, boom...the sound of cannons never stopped.

The close-range artillery fire between the two sides was actually much bloodier and more terrifying than the shooting of line infantry.

Due to its weaker force, the Ming army was always under pressure, but it showed no sign of retreating, which made Louis very anxious.

But he soon discovered the reason, so he immediately mobilized five ships with nearly a hundred cannons to focus on attacking the flagship where Zhu Jinghong was.

Sudden and severe attack caused the number of casualties on board to increase drastically, but Zhu Jinghong did not panic at all and retorted to his subordinates' request to retreat.

In order to boost the soldiers' confidence, Zhu Jinghong appeared on the deck, holding a knife and instructing the officers: "Hold on a little longer, our reinforcements will arrive, and the enemy will be dead!"

"If you retreat now and expose your butt to others, do you think you can escape?"

"We have suffered heavy losses, and so have the enemy. Whoever holds out to the end will win!"

Then, Zhu Jinghong said firmly: "We can hold on, we will definitely win!"

"Everyone return to their positions and continue to fight back!"

Just as he finished speaking, several more shells fired, directly hitting a mast at the rear, causing a large sail to slowly fall down.

It doesn't matter that the mast broke, but the terrible thing is that the central army flag tied to it fell down.

"Hang up the flag again quickly!" Zhu Jinghong shouted immediately.

The deck was very dangerous at this time, but he no longer cared about the danger.

"Master Thirteen, it's dangerous outside, let's go back to the cabin first!"

Lu Yuxin brought several guards to pull Zhu Jinghong back into the cabin. Their mission was to protect Zhu Jinghong's safety.

"The military flag cannot fall, otherwise it will definitely shake the morale of the army!"

Lu Yuxin quickly responded, "I will go and hang him up myself. Master Thirteen, please go into the cabin first!"

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. He picked up the military flag again and climbed up the rope ladder.

Hanging the military flag was certainly a dangerous thing, but he knew that high risks had high rewards, and coming from an "ordinary" family, he cherished these opportunities.

Under the artillery fire, Lu Yuxin climbed up the main mast and then used ropes to re-secure the military flag.

Seeing the commander's flag hoisted again, the morale of the Ming troops on the other warships was greatly boosted, while Luis on the Spanish flagship was so angry that he punched the porthole.

Since the start of the war, the Ming army has lost fifteen ships and the Spanish fleet has lost nine. Relatively speaking, they have a greater advantage, but the Ming army's unwillingness to fight to the death made him lose confidence in winning.

Of course, the Ming army's advance fleet, which had already turned around and was coming to reinforce, was also a factor that made Louis pessimistic.

"Send an order immediately, our troops will break contact and head north with the wind!"

The original plan was to defeat the Ming fleet in one fell swoop, but now that the situation was impossible, Louis wanted to stop the loss in time.

Now the Ming army is still being suppressed and its reinforcements have not arrived yet, so the possibility of their withdrawal is relatively high.

In fact, the soldiers on the Spanish warships, despite having the upper hand, were on the verge of collapse.

After all, these soldiers have not fought such a tough battle for many years, and their morale is lower than that of the Ming army soldiers who are defending their country.

As Louis' orders were conveyed, the Spanish ships began to adjust their sails in preparation for escape while continuing their 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 over, and he had managed to get through it despite being at a disadvantage in terms of military strength.

The enemy is strong and we are weak, but we managed to get through it...

It was also at this moment that Zhu Jinghong's mentality changed, especially the filter of the so-called great powers disappeared.

I sat up in shock from my dying illness, and realized that I was the great power?
This joke has come true? Zhu Jinghong smiled for a moment.

Only after relaxing could he think about these messy things and have the mood to laugh.

In this version of the world order, if Spain can rank among the top five in Europe in terms of strength and can defeat a strong opponent with a weaker side, it is not an exaggeration to call itself a great power.

Walking out of the cabin, the shells were still flying, and Zhu Jinghong loudly ordered: "Pass on my military order, all ships will immediately move closer and follow the flagship to pursue!"

He had just survived the critical moment, and now instead of thinking about taking a breath, he wanted to gather his troops and chase after them. Zhu Jinghong's courage and fighting spirit made everyone admire him.

His prestige continued to rise, and no one questioned his military orders. All the warships that were still able to move responded quickly, moving closer, firing their cannons, and chasing northward.

Looking at the Spanish warships moving away, Zhu Jinghong murmured in a low voice: "The Liaodong Navy is rushing over here, I wonder if they can catch up!"

If we can take the opportunity to annihilate the main Spanish 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 northward, which would cause them to get further and further away from Luzon. Even if he could not catch up with them, he could at least kill these people.

"Your Highness, they escaped, and our army won!"

"If your Highness commands with confidence, our army will be victorious!"

Several commanders gathered around, spouting flattering words.

Looking back, Zhu Jinghong smiled and said, "Right now, the offensive and defensive situations are different!"

(End of this chapter)