Great Wei Overlord

Chapter 838
Chapter 843

The expeditionary force officially marched to Manci Strait, preparing for a decisive battle with the Gupta Imperial Navy.The blue sea is like ink, and the sky is not yet white. The moon hangs high in the sky, reflecting the sea like a stream of rotten silver.

Once the huge hull is on the sea, it looks so small. Seen from a close distance, the huge waves it stirs up are enough to capsize a small two-masted boat, but viewed from a high altitude, it is just a plow on the scale-like sea surface. Faint traces.

Ship 001 has removed some of its weapons, especially the four ballistas and eight crossbows on the rear deck. At this time, the rear deck has been converted into a huge platform. One is pulled by ropes and can rise to an altitude of 500 meters. You can take seven observers, four semaphore messengers and one commander at a time.

In the era when there were no early warning radars and aircraft, this hot air balloon became the eyes of the entire fleet.The third floor of the Flying Fish battleship, in a building like a castle tower, was originally the captain's room, but this captain's room with an area of ​​more than 150 square meters has now become the headquarters of the coalition forces.

This headquarters is actually very simple. A huge sea surface is hung on the wall of the warehouse in the north, and a super large terrain sand table is in the center.The newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Navy, Severus, is using a sand table to introduce his tactics to Ran Ming.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." Severus's Chinese is actually not good. Due to his age, his learning speed is very slow.But there are some things that don't need words, and Ran Ming gradually understood Severus' strategic and tactical thinking this time.

On the sand table, Severus showed that thirty ships replaced the Flying Fish battleships and more than one hundred first-class battleships.The fleet marched in formation of wild goose wings.

Severus said to Ran Ming in Latin: "Once the Gupta Empire comes into contact with our army, the First Fleet will outflank the two wings and encircle the center. At the same time, the Second Fleet will speed up and pass through the battle area to resist the encirclement by the Gupta Empire navy." The enemy ships in the center are rescued. The third fleet prepares for battle. Once the enemy ships in the encirclement are all wiped out, the second ship begins to be transformed from resistance to counterattack, the third ship responds, and the first fleet takes a short rest."

After the translator and Severu's gestures, Ran Ming gradually understood that this so-called plug style of attack is actually very similar to the three-stage crossbow strike currently adopted by Wei Guo. After the first row of shots, take a step back, and the second The platoon advances, shoots across the first row, the third row prepares, and so on, to ensure the continuous coverage of crossbow arrows.

In specific operations, flying fish are mainly used for long-range attacks, and the first-class warships are used for close-in attacks, and Greek fire is used to burn enemy ships to damage their morale. Severus also told Ran Ming that he must first give up his prejudice against the Gupta Empire. A forced landing is a forced landing. As for after the enemy ship landed, Severu didn't say anything.

Ran Mingdao: "I don't know how to do naval battles. I will delegate power to you. In this battle, I not only want to win, but also leave an impression on the Gupta Empire that Wei's navy is invincible. The empire cannot have the courage to fight against Wei's navy!"

In water combat, the ship is like a horse under the crotch of a knight. Whether the ship can be operated with ease will definitely affect the victory of the entire battle.The Wei State Navy's ability to operate warships is not weak, the weak point refers to the mutual cooperation.In the process of marching towards the full stab armor strait, Severus strengthened the naval warships to cooperate with the drill, especially the Serbian sea tactics.

"During the process of encirclement and suppression, you must be decisive and quick. I believe you Wei warriors can do this!"

Severus said: "It must be noted that the distance between the three fleets cannot be less than three miles, nor can it exceed ten miles. This is very important. Once the distance is too close, it is easy to cause confusion. If the distance is too far, it will be difficult to cooperate with each other. There are loopholes. These problems, in combat, are very deadly."

Just when Ran Ming led the expeditionary navy with 78 main flying fish warships, 320 first-class warships, more than [-] centipede-type fast ships, a total of more than [-] warships, and a total of more than [-] transport ships Thousands of large and small ships left Ningyuan's home port and sailed towards the full armor.Just when Ran Ming was leaving, the pro-Gupta Empire forces hidden inside the Ye Tiao Kingdom and the secret agents and spies of the Gupta Empire passed the news to the Gupta Empire.

In fact, the influence of the Gupta Empire on Southeast Asia was far greater than that of Wei.Even in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty, there were no more than [-] Southeast Asian countries that paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty, and they were mainly concentrated in the Indochina Peninsula.What's more, Lu Yepo has been operated by the Gupta Empire for more than ten years in advance, and has considerable power.

However, Ran Ming didn't care about that at all.Because the way of information transmission in this era is mainly people, there may be shortcuts on land, and you can also use light and fast riding to quickly deliver the information back, but in the vast sea, everyone's speed is about the same. At that time, I am afraid that the intelligence personnel of the Gupta Empire could not pass the news to the Gupta Empire.Although the boat is lighter and faster, it has poor seaworthiness and is prone to sinking in wind and waves.

But this time Ran Ming actually made a miscalculation. The intelligence personnel of the Gupta Empire did not deliver the message by sea this time, but by land.After crossing the Sunda Strait from Ningyuan, and then riding fast from Jinzhou to Medan, we took a boat in Medan and headed for the Gupta Empire.In this way, although the distance from the sea road is still far away, the speed of the sea road is too slow, far reaching the speed of fast riding on land.What's more, most of the intelligence personnel of the Gupta Empire were from ascetic monks. Their physical fitness is very good, and they can even sleep for three days and three nights without rest, and they also have very explosive Arabian horses for transfer.

In fact, only seven days later, the Gupta Imperial Navy got the news that the Wei State Navy had left Ningyuan Port and was marching towards the full armor.As the commander-in-chief of the navy and army fighting against Wei, he immediately ordered the twelve Anigini (the military establishment of the Gupta Empire, which is equivalent to today's division-level units) to enter the highest level of combat readiness, and the four state fleets also launched from the Bay of Bengal. Transfer to the Andaman Sea.

Just when Manid Singh was preparing for the next move, he received news that the Wei State Navy had actually stopped at Kerofusa (from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, the name of the full stabbing armor in Chinese historical records), which made Manid Singh was very puzzled.If the State of Wei is seeking war on its own initiative, it should go all out and quickly pass through the narrow Manciga Strait to reach the Andaman Sea. Only in the waters of the Andaman Sea will there be enough space for large-scale battles.

On July 7, Manid Singh held an emergency high-level meeting. Five provincial lords, four generals of Akshashini, twelve major generals of Anijini, and the captains of the four major state fleets participated in the discussion of countermeasures. .

"Everyone! We have just received the latest news. The main force of Wei's navy has stopped in Kerofusa and has not entered the Andaman Sea. At the same time, the Seris people have assembled their army forces near Ningyuan, including three battalions of the Ningyuan Army ( Marine Corps), seven battalions of the Zhenyuan Army, four battalions of the Fuyuan Army, two battalions of the Funan Army, and one battalion of the Weiyuan Army, a total of 36 battalions. About [-] people, which is equivalent to one of our Gemu. From the perspective of power comparison, our Gupta Empire naturally occupies an absolute advantage. We have four Akshoshini, twelve Anigini, [-] But..." Manid Singer suddenly emphasized his tone, and said with a serious face: "Although we have an absolute numerical advantage, these Serisians are different from the enemies we have encountered in the past. They are Serisians. Not only are they well equipped, but they are also brave in combat, and their skills and tactics are very high."

A fierce general with a big beard said disapprovingly: "Marshal Singer, are you making a fuss over a molehill? Our Gupta Empire has never encountered fierce opponents. In front of the empire, they were beaten to death, could these Serisians be stronger than the Macedonian Legion?"

Hearing this, Manid Singh knew who it was without looking.Mandrap Tagore, this is Samadhara Gupta's rookie general. This tiger-like young general has gradually established his prestige in the army.

Manid Singh had a headache, and this time he came out of the mountain.Although it seems that Samadhara Gupta trusted him very much.Absolutely not.Samadhara Gupta not only appointed Devadatta as his deputy and commander of the navy, but also appointed Mandrap Tagore as the commander of the army.Although he is the commander-in-chief of the army in name, in fact, except for the personal guards, whether he can mobilize troops depends on whether Devadatta and Mandrap cooperate.

Fortunately, Devadatta did not disappoint Manid Singh. Devadatta said displeasedly: "Mandrap, your thoughts are very dangerous. Have you never seen Seris people? Don't look at them. They are usually very docile. , but once they are provoked, the consequences will be very serious. All major fleets have encountered merchant ships from the Serisians. When we taxed the merchant ships of Wei State, we encountered fierce resistance from the Serrisians. Our Galgona fleet has lost thousands of men, and I think other fleets will also lose a lot."

After the proof of the four major fleets, the original city-state fleet actually lost more than 2000 people, and there were more than [-] wounded.Almost lost a Jem.

Devadatta said again: "Don't forget, what we met were only Seres merchants. According to reliable sources, the status of merchants in Wei State is very low. Wei State is the same as us. The noblest of them are scholars. The ones are farmers, then workers, and finally merchants. In the state of Wei, their merchants, like the Sudras of our Gupta Empire, our noble warriors, were actually caused so many casualties by the most humble merchants in Seris .You can imagine what would happen if we met their taxis? Or the army?"

Finally, with the support of Devadatta, Manid unified his thinking and treated this battle with caution.

"Everyone, this time our Gupta Empire will not only defeat the Seres, but also conquer the Malay Peninsula, Jinzhou (Sumatra Island), Borneo (Kalimantan Island), and Luyepati (Java Island) Take them all." Manid Singh said: "For the Gupta Empire, for the Buddha, as long as those who dare to resist, resolutely destroy them, so that we can have no worries when we fight the Seres people!"

Manid said: "Everyone must be cautious this time. The biggest variable in the land battle is the naval battle. If the naval battle fails, our army in the Malay Peninsula and Jinzhou will inevitably face the danger of being cut off from the rear. The naval battle It cannot fail, what is the Navy's specific plan?"

"Marshal Singh, please rest assured, I have already arranged these things!" Devadatta said: "The advantages of the Seris people mainly lie in two aspects. Their warships are faster than those of our Gupta Empire, and their firepower is fierce. The distance is farther. For this, I already have a countermeasure! The battlefield of this decisive sea battle will be placed in the narrow Java Sea, not the Andaman Sea! Our four major fleets will be divided into several squadrons, although the fleets are scattered After that, we can still surpass the Wei State Navy in terms of numbers. But in terms of ship ballistas, none of us are in Wei State yet. My plan is that one squadron can entangle the Wei State Navy, and the other squadrons will We can swarm up and surround Wei's navy! At that time, even if Wei's navy has the advantages of speed and range of naval guns, it will not be able to use it! We will win this battle!"

Devadatta said confidently: "I didn't expect that Wei Guo's navy would seek their own death, and the narrow Manjaka Strait would become their grave."

The Galgona Fleet of the Gupta Empire was wiped out by the Wei State Navy, which made the Gupta Empire pay more and more attention to the Wei State Navy.This is just a matter of emphasis. The number of warships in the Wei State Navy is very small, only one tenth of that of the Gupta Empire.Even the new first-class warships manufactured by Ningyuan Shipyard were not detected by intelligence personnel.

Ran Ming has adopted a closed militarized management in Ningyuan Shipyard. After entering, don't even think about coming out.It is difficult for outsiders to get the news inside. As for the new warships manufactured, they will not even be placed in the inner harbor for sea trials, but placed in the open sea.Wei's merchant ships will stay away from the area where the navy first ascends to the stage for training, and ships that enter the training area inexplicably will be regarded as provocations and directly become the objects of the first-stage training.

Devadatta also knew that Ning Yuan would build new warships, but he had no further information.However, Devadatta only speculated that Wei Guo could add dozens of warships at most.After learning about the performance of the warships of the Wei State Navy, Devadatta was anxious for the staff to think hard, and finally came up with a set of combat plans that he thought were effective.Of course, this plan has not been tested on the battlefield, so it is hard to say whether it will be effective!

Others also nodded one after another, and they all approved of Devadatta's battle plan.When technology is not as good as human beings, there is no way but to work hard.

In the Manchuga Strait, the Wei Jun Navy is conducting knife-sharpening training.Ran Ming stood on the deck, looking at the warships that were training.Severus was yelling at the head translator: "Order, speed up from X73 to X85L, pay attention to changing formations during the march, X73 will take the lead, and walk the front line."

At this moment, a large number of false enemy ships rushed up.These imaginary enemy ships are dilapidated and rotten ships, and their purpose is to serve as target ships for future generations.The first-class battleship was within a range of thirty to fifty steps, and Severus ordered: "Fire!"

"Boom!" As the Greek fire gas tank filled the oil tank with high-pressure air instantly, the fierce fire oil sprayed out raging flames, igniting the target ships one by one.

"I've said it many times, attack quickly and retreat decisively!" Severus roared, "You only have one chance to make a move. No matter what the result is, you must retreat immediately. The result is the moment you attack. formed, and no matter how you look at it, the result is the same."

"Flying fish pay attention to follow up, long-range suppression, cover the stage and retreat first!" Severus was dissatisfied with the flying fish's slow-moving appearance, and pointed to the 032 ship: "His Royal Highness, I suggest you relieve F32 from the captain position, he is too incompetent Yes, in the recent days of training, countless mistakes have been made, and what is even more unforgivable is that he made the same mistakes repeatedly. Naval battles are not a play, because he alone will make Xian Deng According to the shooting speed of the longbowmen of the Gupta Empire, those battleships that landed first will encounter at least [-] arrows. It's a rocket, the consequences will be more serious!"

Ran Ming didn't think about it at all, and said directly: "The military order ordered the captain of the 032 ship to hand over his command immediately and serve as the first officer to see the effect. The original first officer was promoted to the post of captain, which will take effect immediately. The entire army will be notified. If there is any disobedience According to military orders, military law shall follow."

In fact, Ran Ming also discovered this problem. Many captains or sub-captains didn't care about Severus' orders at all.They feel that they shouldn't listen to the red-haired ghost.Having this kind of thinking is very detrimental to this naval battle.Ran Ming is also establishing his command authority for Severu.

By dismissing Captain 032, Severu's prestige has gradually increased a lot. These generals of Wei State really made Ran Ming give them military law, not to mention decapitation, but dismissed them from their posts. They went to this naval battle, and they had nowhere to cry.

(End of this chapter)