20demayo Page 2143
Page 2143
Only seven or eight sailors were hit.
Limited ignition effect
After all, this wasn't a fireboat loaded with firewood.
Then, taking advantage of the lull in the Chu army's sailors as they were putting out the fire,
The other two Ming warships have been reloaded.
Although only a dozen or so warships were equipped with arquebuses
But the remaining warships were all equipped with wooden cannons!
The advantage of wooden cannons is that they are cheap to make.
The disadvantages are that it has low power and is not easy to preserve for a long time.
It was used not only during China's War of Resistance against Japan,
Even Germany had wooden mortars during World War I.
Japan also had a large number of wooden cannons during the Russo-Japanese War.
It is not a structure made entirely of wood.
Dense wood must be selected.
It also needs to be encased in iron hoops.
More particular
Iron plates would be embedded in the cannon barrel.
Or the cannon barrel might simply be made of iron plates.
And when adding the iron hoops, a layer of leather was added.
"Boom boom boom!"
More than ten wooden cannons opened fire in succession.
A large number of small stones flew out like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.
Anyway, this thing is relatively weak.
The Ming Dynasty navy was specifically designed for close combat.
Used to attack enemies a few meters to tens of meters away.
They're even too lazy to use iron bullets.
Shotgun shells were fired directly from small stones.
Yang Yao suffered a broken tibia after being hit by a small pebble.
The tiger's mouth holding the shield was also shattered and bleeding from the impact.
In a panic, he endured the pain and shouted:
"Ram them and seize the ship!"
The guards dragged Yang Yao back and hid him.
"General, we can't fight anymore!"
"The bandits have powerful firearms,"
"So many brothers have died!"
Chapter 1899 Let's Escape
Yang Yao peeked out.
Sailors exposed were discovered.
A large number of them have been killed or injured.
Nobody dared to stand outside anymore.
Last year's naval battle...
The Ming Dynasty navy was not even equipped with wooden cannons.
This year, however, they were all installed.
The tactics of the Ming Dynasty navy were as follows:
At long range, use arquebuses directly.
Use the trebuchet and the Divine Arm Bow at medium range.
At close range, they used wooden cannons to fire shot.
Encountering enemy fire ships
They can also launch rockets simultaneously to ignite the ignition in advance.
How could the Chu navy possibly fight this way?
No matter how brave and fearless Yang Yao was,
Knowing he had no chance of winning against the cannon fire and shrapnel, he instructed his personal guards:
"Send a message to Lord Lei,"
"Tell him to retreat with his entire army immediately,"
"I will lead the vanguard warships to cover the rear and defend against the enemy!"
Redjin quickly recognized the flag signal.
But the arrow was already on the string and had to be released.
The Chu navy has deployed and is charging.
It's too late to withdraw now.
Most warships,
Even if you receive a retreat order,
An orderly retreat would also be difficult to achieve.
They would inevitably be hunted down by the Ming Dynasty navy.
"Surround them!"
Redjin had no choice but to proceed according to the original plan.
That is, to use regular warships at the cost of lives to hold back the Ming army.
In the midst of the chaos, they used thousands of fire ships to set the city ablaze.
British officials used a telescope to observe the situation.
Seeing the actions of the Chu navy,
I couldn't help but sigh, "Alas!"
The location where the two sides clashed
In the transition zone between Dongting Lake and Qingcao Lake.
The Ming Dynasty navy had hundreds of warships.
It gradually dispersed into twenty-odd crescent-shaped segments.
The naval officers and soldiers called it the "Reverse Crescent Moon Formation".
Zhao Yuan said this was a battle line.
Meanwhile, the Chu navy...
Still using traditional naval battle formations,
They also knew how to fire rockets and crossbows.
The Chu warships, seemingly desperate, attempted to board the enemy ships and engage in close combat.
After finally managing to get close despite the mid-to-long-range firepower,
They would all face close-range shotgun fire from wooden cannons.
Manichaean soldiers are also human beings.
They were also afraid of death.
Many warships have already been frightened into retreating.
Seeing that a melee at boarding point was hopeless,
Redjin could only pin his hopes on the fireship.
More than a thousand small boats were filled with firewood.
Sprinting swiftly through the gaps in the battlefield
Every now and then, one of them gets overturned by the waves.
These are cannonballs from arquebuses and trebuchets.
The splashes created when it falls into the water.
Finally, some small boats rushed closer.
Instead, they were met with a barrage of rockets and shotgun shells.
The rocket landed on the small boat.
The firewood was quickly ignited.
The sailors and fishermen on board had no choice but to jump into the lake to escape.
There was simply no way to get the fire ships to the Ming warships.
"Retreat to the shallow water!"
With tears in his eyes, Lei Dejin gave the order.
This war is unwinnable.
It was lucky that a quarter of the warships managed to escape.
Dozens of Chu warships were left behind to cover the retreat.
They launched a suicide attack.
They wanted to entangle the Ming Dynasty's navy.
Even Yang Yao, who had a broken shinbone and a split between his thumb and forefinger,
He was also leading his warships forward.
Unfortunately, another shotgun shell fired.
The pebble hit the shield.
It bounced off and hit him on the forehead.
Yang Yao fainted immediately after blood started flowing from his forehead.
A piece of shattered shield wood was embedded in his cheek.
The left hand holding the shield had been fractured by the shock.
The command flags of the Ming Dynasty navy waved.
Several battle lines changed formation and launched a counterattack.
They surrounded and cut off the fleeing enemy ships.
For the Chu army,
The situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
Even some of those responsible for covering the rear,