New Shun 1730

With the entry of the main force of the Dashun fleet, the two Dutch warships on the left and right sides of the Tianyuan quickly lost their combat effectiveness.

Eight battleships passed through the same position, and the cannons on both sides took turns firing at both sides, forming a very good concentrated fire effect.

Nearly 600 shells were poured on the two Dutch warships in just five minutes, almost at a distance where they could spit at each other, bringing the advantages of the battleship's heavy artillery to the fullest.

This was not the debut of the new French 74-gun battleship, but it was the first successful debut.

Because the real debut took place a year ago, when the French 74-gun battleship's debut went wrong and was captured by several British cruisers, and has since been imitated and became the main force of British battleships.

After all, this type of battleship brings together the best talents in France. Just one mast alone made Euler, who was 27 years old, take the second prize in mathematical design application, and won the first prize of "Mathematical Application of Ship Design of the French Academy of Sciences" set by Colbert during his lifetime, Pierre Bouguer, who was called the "Father of Naval Architecture".

These warships that Liu Yu exchanged for Minié bullets, wooden shrapnel shells, buying French woolen cloth every year, and even giving away French American ginseng and mink fur trade now seem to be worth it.

The Dutch did not expect that the heavy battleships in their impression could reach this speed.

The commander of the Dutch fleet did not make a big mistake. Based on experience, especially years of experience, he judged that the speed of the battleship could only bite the tail of the fleet.

But he did not expect that the battleships that had been suppressing the speed before could achieve such a speed and inserted into the queue of the Dutch fleet.

The two Dutch warships had lost their combat effectiveness, and the stern and bow were severely damaged. The close-range heavy artillery directly reimbursed the masts of the two ships, leaving the two ships floating on the sea.

As for sinking, that is impossible. Perhaps eight battleships can sink the ship after bombarding it for half an hour.

But a warship that has lost its power has lost its ability to fight, and is a lamb to be slaughtered.

After passing through the Dutch fleet, the Tianyuan continued to move forward and did not turn immediately.

As the lead ship, it ensured that the seven battleships behind it could pass through before turning south with a large radius.

The speed of the battleship is relatively slow, and it is even more unsuitable against the wind, so it has to turn south and still bite the tail of the Dutch on the side of the open sea.

If the Dashun warship is 1 and the Dutch fleet is 0, the cruiser led by Chen Qinghai in front of the Dutch fleet also passed through, forming a 01010 situation.

The main battleship led by the Tianyuan bit the last 0, and the main cruiser led by Chen Qinghai bit the first 0. The Dutch fleet separated in the middle is temporarily ignored.

Because of the blocking of the two columns of Dashun, the part of the Dutch fleet separated in the middle could not turn easily, and it was very troublesome whether to escape or continue to maintain the battle formation.

No matter which direction they turned, they had to face the side artillery blockade of the warships in the front and rear columns of Dashun.

The moment the Tianyuan passed through the Dutch fleet, the Dutch fleet commander turned pale.

In fact, when the Tianyuan suddenly accelerated at full sail and was about 400 meters away from the Dutch fleet, his face was already pale.

Only then did he understand the significance of the strange formation of Dashun. The battleship is tough and slow, so it is in front; the cruiser is fast, so it is in the back.

From one column to two columns, relying on the speed difference between the battleship and the cruiser, it can ensure that the two fleets almost pierce the Dutch fleet at the same time, completely dividing the Dutch fleet.

The battlefield is out of control, the Dutch fleet can no longer maintain the line, and the fleet divided in the middle can't turn at this time. In an instant, the entire Dutch fleet fell into chaos.

Fighting alone is the most ridiculous order. The role of the fleet commander is almost zero when fighting alone.

But now, the formation has been broken, and there is no remedial measure except fighting alone.

The flagship of the Dutch fleet, the St. Michael, is the great-grandson of all the warships of Dashun, judging from the inheritance of the ship name.

During the Tianqi years of the previous dynasty, this ship was the first to rob the Manila ship, attack Macau, and rob Zhoushan. More than a hundred years have passed, and it has become a paradoxical ship: the St. Michael, whose wood on the ship has been basically replaced, is still the St. Michael.

The flagship is at the back of the fleet, within the range of eight battleships such as the Tianyuan.

Fortunately, the Tianyuan interspersed position and fiercely attacked the warships on the left and right sides, and the St. Michael did not suffer any damage for the time being.

However, the fleet on the Dashun side can focus on the nearest ones on the left and right sides, while the Dutch side has lost command and control and is in a state of fighting each other. The few artillery pieces scattered on the huge fleet of Dashun have become tickling.

The difference between focusing and not focusing is very, very huge.

The commander of the Dutch fleet knew that he might have failed, but he hoped that even if he lost the battle with honor, he would at least fight for a result, so that Dashun would know that the Dutch navy tradition of more than a hundred years is not so easy to bully.

"Turn! Attack the Chinese flagship with all your strength!"

The fleet was already in chaos, and the commander of the Dutch fleet issued an order to his flagship. He hoped that he could become a flag bearer and let those confused warships know what to do.

He could no longer take care of the warships that were separated in front. The Dutch flag signal technology was not mature, and the bombardment caused a lot of smoke, so it was impossible to convey the message.

The only thing that could be done at this time was to use the flagship as the flag bearer, relying on the Dutch naval tradition and excellent senior captains, to spontaneously fight back in this chaos, and win a little honor of defeat for the honor of the Dutch Navy.

The movement of St. Michael turning to get close to Tianyuan was very obvious. Tianyuan continued to move forward for the time being to prevent the fleet behind from being unable to pass and deploy, and had to turn around a huge radius.

So St. Michael could catch up with Tianyuan with a faster speed and lighter turns.

It has to be admitted that the Dutch naval tradition of more than a hundred years is indeed effective. The Dutch courage to fight with bayonets in naval battles also played a role at this time.

Even if the smoke was thick and the fleet was in chaos, the four surrounding ships immediately supported their flagship spontaneously after seeing the movement of the flagship.

There was no command, but these senior captains knew what they should do with their experience. Fighting on their own, they still need to cooperate.

Off the coast of Jingliwen, a tragic and heroic picture of the Dutch was staged.

With a belief that they must die, the two Dutch warships stood in front of the battleships behind the Tianyuan, blocking the view of the Dashun battleship fleet firing at the St. Michael.

They knew that they could not shoot at the St. Michael, let alone seven battleships, even one.

But only in this way could they create an opportunity for the St. Michael and the nearby Haarlem to get close to the Tianyuan and board the ship for a melee.

The right-hand string guns of the seven battleships on the Dashun side, facing the two 800-ton armed merchant ships, started the fastest rounds of volleys in the world's navy at this time.

With the blessing of the flintlock and the gunners trained with krypton gold gunpowder, the firing rate of these battleships of Dashun was unparalleled in the world.

But at this time, their shooting angle was blocked by the two warships. The Haarlem took advantage of its lightness and tried to get stuck between the Tianyuan and the subsequent warships, creating a situation of more people fighting fewer people in a local area.

The auxiliary ships behind the Haarlem also realized the intention of the St. Michael and quickly and spontaneously surrounded the Tianyuan.

Because the Tianyuan had to pull out the distance for the subsequent fleet to pass, the turning radius was a bit large, which made the St. Michael seem to have a chance to get close.

But in fact, even if it got close, it would be useless, and the battle had already failed. It can even be said that the moment the Tianyuan hit the Dutch fleet, it had already failed.

However, even if it failed, it was necessary to retain a little bit of the dignity of a naval power and a little bit of the dignity of not being defeated in Southeast Asia for 120 years-Travancore was in India a few years ago, and the fight with Zheng Zhilong earlier was not in Southeast Asia. The Dutch can still say that they have not been defeated in Southeast Asia for 120 years.

The Dutch intentions were too obvious. On the Tianyuan, Liu Yu and Li Xi looked at the Dutch's movements and could not help but sigh at this tragic scene.

If the Tianyuan was like a 200-jin strong man, the St. Michael was like a 12- or 13-year-old half-grown child, and the auxiliary ships behind were just five- or six-year-old children.

After the formation was disrupted by the Dashun side, these five- or six-year-old children and 12- or 13-year-old half-grown children resolutely surrounded the 200-jin strong man, the Tianyuan.

It was like the fool who rushed towards the windmill giant in the Western story; it was also like the courage in the Eastern culture that I will go forward even if there are thousands of people.

"In fact, there is a truth that the Dutch should know best. With the material advantage of strong ships and powerful guns, so-called courage is not very useful. If courage is so useful, then the Dutch would not have been able to occupy the South China Sea for so long with only three to five thousand people."

Looking at the Dutch ships that surrounded this side with courage and consciousness, Liu Yu smiled. He did not respect the courage of the Dutch, but just slightly sighed at their consciousness. The naval battle tradition of more than a hundred years is still useful after all.

Li Xi smiled and said, "It seems that they want to board and engage in hand-to-hand combat?"

"Your Highness is right. It is useless to surround and fire at them for an hour. The two ships block the view and cannot block it for long. The Dutch will definitely want to get close and engage in hand-to-hand combat. Only in this way can we seize our flagship in the short time we have. Guns and cannons are blind. Your Highness, please take shelter for a while and let the men fight."

Li Xi shook his head, knowing that this was an opportunity to gain prestige and gain recognition from naval officers. He touched the short gun on his waist and said, "I have been missing an eye since I was a child, but I don't have to close my eyes when shooting. My shooting skills are not unparalleled, but they are not bad. I want to be on the deck and let the Dutch know that we are not lacking in courage."