Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 9: Seizing the Ship (Part )

"Move a little closer!" Navigation instructor Captain Kuang Xu held a 95 assault rifle, aimed intently at the Spanish galleon in front, and gave orders.

If we get closer, the risk will increase and we will likely be hit by Spanish musket fire.

But when the distance is closer, you can ensure that the shot is more accurate, and the bullet cannot be wasted!
Upon hearing this, the cadet who was driving the motor lifeboat immediately started the engine and moved the boat forward dozens of meters, only sixty meters away from the Spanish ship.

"Bang! Bang!"

The two assault rifles fired in succession, hitting again a Spanish sailor who was trying to fight back with a musket with half of his body exposed.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

Just when the Spanish sailors on the ship thought that the "muskets" on the small boat needed to be reloaded with gunpowder and bullets, they all showed their heads and prepared to fire a volley at them, but they never expected that the "muskets" on the small boat would fire again and again, and several sailors were hit on the spot, screaming in pain, and the rest lay down behind the deck again, with horror in their eyes.

Were those really the only two muskets the natives had?

"Come closer!"

The motor lifeboat moved more than 20 meters and was only more than 30 meters away from the Spanish galleon, almost getting close to it.

If the Spaniards were not afraid of sacrifice at this time and all stood up bravely to launch a round of musket fire, it would inevitably cause certain casualties to their own side.

At this time, not only were two 95 assault rifles aimed at the side of the ship, ready to launch precise strikes on any Spaniards who showed their heads at any time, but even two pistols and three harpoons were aiming their crosshairs at the large ship so that they could "plug the leak" at any time.

In less than ten minutes of approaching the Spanish ship from the lifeboat, thirteen shots were fired, killing and wounding six people. According to the shooting test results of officers and soldiers, it was not excellent, but barely passed.

After all, this is shooting at sea, and the opponent is a "moving target."

"Bang! Bang!"

The two Spanish sailors just stuck their heads out to see what was happening below, but were immediately hit by two bullets, both of which were shot in the head.

Suddenly there were exclamations and curses from the big ship.

Oh my God, these damn natives, what kind of muskets are they using?
"Come closer!...Stick to it!" Kuang Xu stared at the big ship, still holding the assault rifle firmly in his hand.

“…” Navigation instructor Captain Dai Duanping hesitated for a moment and whispered, “…Isn’t it too dangerous?”

"I'm worried the Spanish will use...artillery," Kuang Xu said. "And they might even use grapeshot."

"Hiss..." Everyone felt their scalps tingling when they heard this.

Although the accuracy of artillery at that time was extremely poor and the firing frequency was very slow, if the enemy used grapeshot, at such a close distance, and fired in their general direction, hundreds of lead bullets and gravel would fall on their heads, which would definitely cause several bloody holes in each of their bodies.

Only by getting close to the bottom of the Spanish galleon would the enemy's artillery lose its angle and naturally pose no threat to our side.

In addition, the closer the distance, the more powerful the assault rifle will be. At a distance of less than ten meters, it can hit wherever it is pointed. Anyone who dares to show his head will be shot in the head.

After the boat started, it moved forward slowly until it was almost close to the Spanish ship, then it turned off and stopped.

In the calm bay, a large ship and a small boat formed a subtle and strange confrontation.

The dozens of Spaniards left behind on the large ship all lay on the deck, not daring to stand up, let alone show their heads over the side of the ship close to the small boat.

It was terrifying. The natives on the boats actually possessed advanced muskets they had never seen before. They required no reloading or lighting of the matchlock, yet they could fire continuously. Even more terrifying, their muskets were incredibly accurate. In just a few moments, eight people were hit, several of them with headshots. The white brain matter mixed with the bright red blood was a bloody sight, terrifying to watch.

Judging from the posture of the natives, they must want to capture their ship "St. Louis" and capture all of them.

Oh, and of course, the natives might just kill them all!
"Captain..." Gunnery Chief Kerville's voice came from the deck stairs, "We can't hit them with our artillery! I think that small boat must be close to our hull, so our artillery lacks the necessary firing angle."

"Oh, damn it!" Captain Goyle cursed under his breath.

"...Captain, we can try to dive into the water and attack the small boat the natives are on." A sailor suggested in a low voice beside him.

"Hmm?" Captain Goyle's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he looked up and down at the clever sailor.

“…” The sailor felt bad when the captain looked at him like that.

How foolish of me to have given the Captain this idea!
Diving into the water was dangerous, and there was a high probability of being attacked by the natives on the boat. In such cold weather, the sea water must be icy cold, and what good would it do to jump into the water?

"Very good! You, you, and you, take your axes and chisels, and go and drill a hole in the natives' boats for me, and let them all sink into the sea to feed the fish!" Captain Goyle immediately ordered the clever sailor to take his two companions, lower them into the sea with ropes from the other side of the ship, and then dive under the natives' boats and sink them.

In order to cover their actions, Captain Goyle ordered the sailors on the deck to continuously throw debris down, including discarded wooden boards, smelly salted fish, solid shells, wooden barrels filled with water, and even feces and urine wrapped in rags and oilcloth.

During this time, some brave sailors picked up their matchlock guns, raised them above their heads, and fired in the general direction of the natives' boats.

However, these actions were met with sharp counterattacks from the natives below, and three people were hit by muskets one after another, which frightened the sailors so much that they dared not show their heads easily.

However, more than ten minutes passed, and the three sailors who went to attack the natives did not move at all. Their small boat seemed to be normal as well, and they were still staring at their big ship with a fierce look.

Could it be that they were all killed in the water by the natives?
"Captain, they've swum back." A sailor, lying on the side of the ship on the other side, shouted in surprise.

"Pull them up!"

However, there was only one "them" who was pulled up, and his face was blue and purple from the cold, and he was shivering all over.

"They...they were all shot to death by the natives with bows and arrows (spear guns). If I hadn't dived into the water and swam away for a distance, I might have been killed by them...Oh, God, they are so terrible. They shoot sharp arrows at us like fishing, and then they can retrieve the arrows..."

"You didn't pierce the natives' boat?" Captain Goyle looked at him disappointedly.

"Oh, that's right." The sailor suddenly became excited, with an expression of disbelief in his eyes. "That boat is not made of wood. It...it is made of iron! Oh, God, this is shocking! ...The boat is made of iron and cannot be chiseled!"

"A small boat made of iron?" After hearing this, the many sailors present looked at each other in confusion.

Could this guy have been frozen stupid by the sea water?
When iron meets water, doesn't it sink immediately?

If a boat is built with iron, how can it float on the sea?
"Boom!"

Just as they were lost in thought as to whether the iron boat could float on the water, a small iron can was suddenly thrown up from below, with thick smoke coming out of it and a faint pungent smell.

what is this?
Before they could react further, one smoking iron can after another was thrown up, filling the deck with smoke. Every breath of smoke made their mouths and noses burn and feel extremely uncomfortable.

The simple "tear gas" made from chili powder, acetic acid, water and cans instantly threw dozens of Spanish sailors on the deck into chaos. Violent coughing, uncomfortable roars, and terrified calls were heard everywhere. Everyone was trying to avoid the dense smoke and hide in a safer place.

Just as everyone was running for cover, several grappling hooks were thrown up and tightly clasped the side of the boat. In a moment, three people climbed up along the ropes, their faces covered with scarves, revealing only a pair of vigilant eyes.

(End of this chapter)