From a son-in-law to a favorite of the empress

Chapter 804

Upwind, fast speed, long range of shells, smoke backwards, and blocking the opponent's return journey, the Self-reliance and Confidence ships took the initiative in the war from all aspects. The anger that had been suppressed for too long finally broke out, and Xie Shidun chose to fire without hesitation.

The earth-shaking roar resounded across the sea in an instant.

It was dark, the wind was still howling, and the flames from the broadside guns were the most beautiful scenery on the sea.

Coolies, boatmen, sailors, soldiers, officers, and even the people who were bullied along the coast, and even the entire Dajin, have been looking forward to this loud noise for too long.

So Xie Shidun's roar was exhausted, and he kept shouting: "Fire! Go to them! Bomb their cabins!"

The Confidence ship on the other side was also about to open fire. Captain Ouyang Gong was very wise. He was not in a hurry, but calculated that the first wave of firepower of the Self-reliance ship was about to end, and then ordered to open fire.

In this way, when the self-confident warship opens fire, the independent warship can complete the loading of a new round of shells, realize circular firing, and keep the firepower.

Cool!

The sound of the gunfire is deafening! It seems to ignite the blood in everyone's body.

The four Dutch battleships are facing a more embarrassing situation. They have more firepower, but it is difficult to do broadside in this situation.

Because once they are broadside, the two cruisers in front will run away. Adjust the sails and continue to move forward, and the opponent will start broadside shooting again.

Busy on the road, the four battleships can't stay on the sea, so they form a passive situation.

But it must be said that these Dutch can also withstand the beating. The cruiser has forty broadside guns after all. With such a round of bombardment, even if they are just facing forward, they should be severely damaged.

But surprisingly, the falconet guns are loud and powerful, but the effect is very average.

"They've split up!"

Ouyang Gong suddenly shouted, "Old Xie! They've split up!"

Xie Shidun looked back carefully and saw that the four battleships began to change their formation. One battleship on each side began to change direction to the north and south, as if they were going to bypass the two cruisers and rush directly back to Dongfan Island.

The gunfire had stopped, and now it was time for both cruisers to reload.

Xie Shidun said: "We can't stop them! We must not chase them separately. We just need to stop the two ships in the middle and do enough tricks."

"As long as we are still blocking them, the other side will panic and rush back to Dongfan Island at all costs."

Ouyang Gong thought about it and responded: "But there are hidden dangers! When we bombard the remaining two battleships with broadsides, our speed will be greatly reduced and we will be easily surrounded!"

Xie Shidun said: "Don't be afraid! If they are surrounded, we will split up and meet at Fuzhou Wharf."

"No!"

Ouyang Gong shouted: "Night is not daytime. We can't see far. Once we are surrounded, we can't get out."

"Old Xie! We can't take such a big risk! We have to retreat at full speed!"

Seeing that the battleships on the left and right sides of the Dutch had entered the vast darkness, Xie Shidun became nervous.

If it was really a broadside bombardment, it would be very likely to be surrounded against the remaining two battleships.

Under such a sight, being surrounded means that they can only fight hard and cannot get out.

But being bombarded by four battleships in all directions, the Confidence Ship and the Self-reliance Ship cannot bear it at all.

The cost is too high, and we cannot take risks.

"Retreat!"

Xie Shidun shouted: "Brother Ouyang! Let's go directly to Fuzhou Wharf! Sail at full speed!"

In any case, their mission this time has been successfully completed, and even excellently completed.

The two cruisers quickly moved forward, and as expected, they saw two battleships coming from the left and right sides.

Xie Shidun was still in shock. Damn, it was a good thing that they didn't fight each other just now, otherwise they would have been surrounded, and then they would have died here.

This group of Dutch people can think of counterattack at such a critical moment, which is really not simple.

He blew the sea breeze and began to think about the experience he learned this time.

A gentleman works hard all day long, and he has the best habits.

…

“The key is, what should the self-reliance ship and the self-confidence ship do to lead the Dutch battleship back.”

At the night of the Southern Tour Palace, Zhou Yuan looked at the map and said in a deep voice: “Look, this is the dock of Dongfan Island, and the Dutch warships have been parked here.”

“According to the time, they should have been gone for at least a day, and the Chaozhou merchants’ fleet is heavy and numerous, so the speed is naturally slow, and they will be caught up in two days at most.”

“The time left for the self-confidence ship and the self-reliance ship is very tight.”

Everyone looked serious, looking at the map illuminated by the lights, and fell into deep thought.

Zhou Yuan said: “Because McPherson boldly gave up guarding the Fuzhou dock to the east, it means that Dongfan Island must have reached an agreement with him. So when they noticed that the Chaozhou merchant fleet was heading south, they must have followed, and there were quite a few of them. "

"Confidence and independence are blocking against the wind, and the task is very difficult. Although Xie Shidun and Ouyang Gong are experienced, if the Dutch are determined, it will be difficult for them to have a good solution. "

In fact, everyone doesn't know much about naval warfare. Except for Zhou Yuan who has common sense in a relative sense, only Kolodiya knows a little bit.

She frowned and whispered: "The strategy you just mentioned is indeed a good strategy. The Dutch have been in Dongfan Island for more than 30 years. They have deep roots and have built a large number of factories and infrastructure. They are definitely reluctant to give up. "

"And Dongfan Island also brings them a lot of wealth every year. Compared with fulfilling the agreement with McPherson, they will definitely choose to defend the island. "

"So I am more inclined to the answer we yearn for. The Dutch can't stand the test. They will turn back if they are too concerned. ”

Zhou Yuan nodded and said, "I think so too. It all depends on whether Xie Shidun and Ouyang Gong can understand this point."

Kolodiya said, "I am worried about whether the two captains of the Confidence Ship and the Self-reliance Ship can accurately judge the sudden changes in the war at sea."

"Especially at night, everyone is blind. If the cruiser handles the battle situation inaccurately and decisively, it is likely to be surrounded. In that case... Facing battleships that outnumber them, the Confidence Ship and the Self-reliance Ship will not be able to protect themselves."

"If they don't handle it well, they may be wiped out."

Zhou Yuan smiled bitterly and said, "At this time, I have no choice but to trust them. After all, they have rich experience in naval warfare."

Zhang Tao said, "It's not a good idea for us to just wait like this. Otherwise, we can take advantage of McPherson's ship to go out and kill Haojing first."

"They only have one battleship and one cruiser left. They will definitely not be able to stop the attack of our Henggao and Hengfeng ships. "

Zhou Yuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "We have to wait until the Chaozhou merchant fleet really comes before we can take action."

"After all, we don't know where McPherson's battleship went."

"Maybe they went to find the Chaozhou merchant fleet, but they may also be lying in ambush in the Lantau Strait, waiting for us to take action."

"If we are surrounded by an encounter at that time, the situation will not be optimistic."

He tapped the map and said loudly, "Man proposes, God disposes. No matter what, we can't be dragged by the situation."

"Now we are still on the plan! Wait! Wait until June 25th! Hand over the prisoners!"

"At that time, open fire on Haojing!"