My Portable Ming Dynasty

Chapter 281: Boarding Battle

Penghu, Tainan, anchorage of the Ming Dynasty Navy.

After the Ryukyu people moved south, the Ming Dynasty navy arrived in Penghu.

Although the ships had docked and anchored, Admiral Li Chao still gave orders that the crew members could only take turns going ashore to rest, and that each ship should still have enough mobile personnel on duty.

The sailors had no choice but to obey the admiral's orders. The envoy Chen Hao was also the fleet's supervisor. If they violated military regulations and were caught by him, it wouldn't be as simple as just being put in solitary confinement.

After two voyages, the entire Ming Dynasty navy had gradually developed a tacit understanding and was transforming into a mature navy.

For the navy, nothing is more challenging than actual combat navigation.

When sailing on the high seas, each ship is a small, cohesive group that needs to work together to deal with various dangers at sea.

The crew obeyed orders and gradually built a bond of trust, which became the navy's fighting strength.

"Chief Zhang, it's your turn to disembark."

Zhang Jingxiu responded, wrote down the weather in the ship's log, and then came out of the cabin.

After studying at the Denglai Maritime Training Institute, Zhang Jingzheng happened to be there when the Ming Dynasty Navy was being established, and he naturally joined the Ming Dynasty Navy.

Graduates of the Maritime Training Institute automatically became officers, and Zhang Jingxiu's initial position was deputy fire chief.

The chief fire officer is responsible for ensuring navigational safety on a ship by using astronomical observation, hydrological calculations, and compass operation techniques. He is the third most important person on a ship, after the captain and the bosun.

Zhang Jingxiu's ship was named Zhigu. The new ships of the Ming Dynasty navy were all named after the port cities that were opened to foreign trade.

The Zhigu was a modified three-masted sailing ship. Its main structure was made entirely of kudu fir. After incorporating the sails and hull structure of Western sailing ships, it also added the cabin and rudder system from Eastern shipbuilding technology.

With the latest astronomical navigation technology of the Ming Dynasty, the Zhigu successfully completed two ocean voyages from Dengzhou and Laizhou to Ryukyu, and then from Ryukyu to Penghu.

The ship's fire captain fell ill while sailing to Ryukyu and was placed there to recuperate. Zhang Jingxiu took over as the new fire captain of the ship.

The position of fire captain, who helps guide the ship's direction, is very important.

Although the boatswain is the second-highest-ranking officer on the ship, his position is more like that of a master sergeant, a respected veteran promoted from among the ordinary seamen.

Therefore, although the fire captain is only the third-ranking officer, when the captain is unable to perform his duties, the fire captain will take over as captain, bypassing the boatswain.

No one would let a boatswain who doesn't know how to navigate steer a ship.

Besides these three officer positions, a ship also has a helmsman (who steers the ship), a ship's doctor, and other officers; the rest are ordinary sailors.

The main officers of the Ming Dynasty's navy were mostly graduates of the Dengzhou-Laizhou Maritime Training Institute. For example, the captain of the Zhigu was Zhang Jingxiu's instructor at the training institute.

The sailors were recruited from soldiers in coastal garrisons and fishermen in coastal areas. The navy was well-paid, so the crew members cherished this opportunity.

Zhang Si was the lookout of the Zhigu ship, a sailor directly under the command of the fire captain Zhang Jingxiu.

He called out to Zhang Jingxiu to come out of the cabin and stroll around the dock in Tainan.

Sailing is a unique experience. In the enclosed cabins, the small group abandons everything else, and the relationships between crew members are very close.

In other military units, officers and soldiers are clearly separated, but life at sea blurs that line.

Zhang Si's original name was Zhang Si, which was changed by Zhang Jingxiu. Because they both had the surname Zhang, Zhang Si gradually became acquainted with Zhang Jingxiu.

Because of the Ming Dynasty navy's docking, a regular market appeared at the Tainan pier.

As the number of boats coming and going to Tainan increases, some markets have begun to be converted into shops.

Tainan is truly a magical place.

Every time Zhang Jingxiu disembarked, the dock would look completely different. This time, the commercial area of ​​the entire dock was already quite large, and it was hard to imagine that this place was still a wasteland half a year ago.

More than a year ago, Li Wenquan brought plantation owners to Penghu. The sugar trade attracted more Fujian and Guangdong merchants to cross the sea to Penghu, and more plantations were established.

With plantations in place, the sugar needed to be transported out, so Li Wenquan led the merchants to build the Tainan Wharf.

The docks were transformed into ports, and the Penghu Patrol and Inspection Office was moved back to Penghu and located in Tainan, which further accelerated the development of Tainan.

A new type of lighthouse was built, which uses whale brain oil for lighting and special glass lenses that spread out like water ripples, yet can focus the light onto a straight beam.

On fog-free nights, the light of the Tainan Lighthouse can be seen from twenty miles away.

A temple dedicated to Mazu was also built, located right next to the lighthouse.

The Mazu Temple brought with it temple fairs and markets, and soon after, the commercial district at the wharf began to take shape.

"Gentlemen, please enjoy this fine sugarcane wine for free!"

Zhang Jingxiu stopped in front of the wine shop.

Sugarcane wine was the sailors' favorite drink. The Ming Dynasty navy prohibited drinking on ships, but did not restrict sailors from drinking after disembarking, as long as they did not get so drunk that they could not return to the ship on time.

These days, the sailors' cabins on the ship reek of a mixture of alcohol and vomit. The officers' attitude is that whoever vomits first is simply punished by having to clean the cabin.

Life at sea is already stressful enough, and even the strictest captain understands the importance of balancing work and rest.

"Chief Fireman, don't you not drink alcohol?"

Zhang Jingxiu frowned and said:
"This seems to be a brand of sugarcane wine from Denglai."

"This sir has good taste! Our shop sells genuine Golden Sugarcane Wine! And it's all produced on this island."

The waiter then poured the sugarcane wine into a glass; the wine was an amber-gold color, and Zhang Si couldn't help but swallow.

Golden sugarcane wine is a higher-end sugarcane wine than ordinary sugarcane wine.

It is said that ordinary sugarcane wine is aged in wooden barrels for a period of time, incorporating the aroma of the barrels, and the wine will turn golden, hence the name Golden Sugarcane Wine.

The sweetness of this sugarcane wine has been completely transformed, and its unique color has made it a high-end variety of rum, which has also become popular among the upper class and elites in Beijing.

Zhang Jingxiu knew all this because he helped his classmates with math at the school, and after earning his first money, he bought a bottle of Golden Sugarcane Wine for his father.

It was precisely because Zhang Juzheng used Jinzhe wine when hosting banquets in his mansion that Jinzhe wine gained a good reputation and increased sales among the upper class.

The body and aroma of the wine are almost identical to what I smelled in Dengzhou and Laiyang; it is indeed the real deal.

Zhang Jingxiu asked in confusion:

"Isn't Golden Cane Wine only produced by distilleries in Denpasar and Laiyang?"

"Sir, the young master has already built a winery in Tainan. This Golden Sugarcane Wine is produced on the island. Now, merchants from Southeast Asia come directly to the island to purchase it."

Tainan has indeed developed rapidly.

The cinchona trees planted in Tainan have begun to produce cinchona syrup. After realizing that mosquitoes spread malaria, Li Wenquan also cleaned up the ponds in the city to control the number of mosquitoes when building Tainan.

In addition, Tainan also has mosquito coil factories that use incense coils mixed with mugwort leaves, which can effectively repel mosquitoes indoors when lit.

As a result of these measures, malaria outbreaks in Penghu have been greatly reduced, and craftsmen are willing to work in Tainan for higher wages.

Originally, industries such as sugar processing and sugarcane wine brewing were to be located in the ports of the Ming Dynasty because these places were the only places that could recruit craftsmen. The craftsmen were also worried about "miasma" and were unwilling to go south.

But now that the malaria problem has been solved, craftsmen are willing to go to Penghu for higher salaries.

This is actually the most efficient way: processing sugar and sugarcane wine directly at the place of origin can save a lot of transportation costs.

Moreover, Penghu's location is crucial, being a key node on the South Sea shipping route, which naturally led to the prosperity of trade.

Just then, a bugle call sounded from the dock. "Damn it, we just disembarked and they're already assembling."

Zhang Si muttered a complaint under his breath, but Zhang Jingxiu said:

"Hurry up, didn't you hear there's more than one kind of bugle call?"

Zhang Si then realized what was happening, and asked with a hint of excitement on his face:

"Captain, are we about to set sail?"

Zhang Jingxiu nodded, and a commotion broke out on the dock as the crew of the Ming Dynasty navy returned to their respective warships.

Back on the warship, Zhang Jingxiu and Zhang Si heard the news of the departure, but their expressions changed when they learned that the destination was Luzon and Manila.

Some sailors even muttered about it in public.

But all the discontent vanished when the eunuch behind the captain coughed.

The supervising eunuch under Xuanwei Envoy Chenhao was in charge of military discipline on the Zhigu ship. Obeying orders was the navy's duty. Although everyone wanted to return to port as soon as possible, they all swallowed their dissatisfaction in the face of this strict eunuch who enforced military discipline.

The supervising eunuch then said:
"The Pacification Commissioner has petitioned the court to grant double pay for the Manila leg of the voyage, and to award officers a commendation for their service."

Upon hearing this, everyone cheered.

Go home! Go home what?!

According to the new regulations formulated by the Ministry of War, the promotion of naval officers depends entirely on their military merits.

A commendation for merit is a very important thing for officers. If they want to be promoted to key positions, they need to accumulate enough military merits.

Thus, the Ming Dynasty navy set sail from Tainan Port, following the "Fujian Maritime Manual" issued by the imperial court, and headed towards Manila.
-
Two days after the voyage.

Zhang Jingxiu had memorized the entire "Minhai Needle Classic," which is indeed a very detailed acupuncture classic.

Guided by the compass needle, the fleet navigated around many reefs and caught a favorable wind, by which time they could no longer see land.

"Release the joint board!"

The sailors shouted commands as they lowered the planks, one section at a time, into the sea.

As soon as Zhang Jingxiu raised his hand, the sailor shouted again:
"Retract the board!"

Speed ​​gauges are wooden planks used on a ship to measure speed. These planks are placed in the sea section by section during navigation.

After a certain period of time, the speed can be roughly estimated based on the number of sections lowered.

By using the departure position and direction on the nautical chart, the ship's position can be easily calculated.

With the aid of the newly issued sextant, the latitude of the ship can be calculated. Finally, by adding the records of maritime landmarks in the "Needle Classic", one can complete the maritime navigation in the South China Sea.

Of course, this is not enough to achieve transoceanic navigation.

The navigation problem for transoceanic voyages can only be completely solved after the issue of longitude measurement is resolved.

In fact, the transoceanic voyages of the Spanish during this era were basically gambles with their lives.

Su Ze traveled back in time and found that there were quite a few Spanish treasure ships sunk at the bottom of the sea.

Just then, a rapid gong sounded from the mast.

"Southwest! Southwest!"

Zhang Jingxiu looked up at Zhang Si, the lookout on the mast. The gong continued to ring, and Captain Li Jing also came out of the cabin.

Zhang Jingxiu then picked up his binoculars and looked towards the waters to the southwest.

"Captain, pirates!"

Li Jing walked over without saying a word, picked up his binoculars, and sure enough, saw two oared sailboats appearing on the southwestern horizon.

"Captain, the wind has stopped!"

"When the helmsman, Lao Liu, spoke, everyone's expression changed."

In windy conditions, galleys can never catch up with three-masted sailing ships.

Li Jing calmly gave the order:
"The Rising Dragon Flag!"

The sailors quickly raised the dragon flag representing the Ming Dynasty navy on the mast, but the two galleys did not stop; instead, they accelerated even further.

"It seems there's no escaping it. Light the signal fires and prepare for battle!"

Captain Li Jing was very experienced. He had spent most of his life at sea, serving as a captain in a coastal defense unit and leading merchant ships to evade Japanese pirates.

Li Jing knew very well that in calm weather, sailboats could not outrun oared sailboats.

The oarsmen on the pirate ships were crew members captured by pirates. They were chained to the bottom of the hold and could not leave to eat, drink, or relieve themselves.

If the Zhigu were to be defeated, the sailors on board would become slaves of the pirates, serving as "expendable materials" on the pirate ship.

The average lifespan of a rower is two months.

Zhang Jingxiu quickly thought it over. He realized that the Ming Dynasty's dragon flag had been displayed, yet the pirates still dared to charge over, clearly indicating that they were specifically targeting the fleet.

The vast ocean is much larger than the land. Even when a fleet is sailing, in an era when ships can only communicate with each other using flag signals, the distance between ships in the fleet is still very far.

The Zhigu was located at the stern of the fleet, making it unlikely that it would receive support in the short term.

Li Jing understood this principle, and his order to light the beacon fires was merely to appease the people.

Zhang Jingxiu felt a little nervous. This was the first time the Zhigu had fought at sea. Everyone looked at Li Jing, and at this moment, the captain was everyone's backbone.

"Prepare for artillery fire, shotguns."

Li Jing gave the order again, and naturally, messengers went to the gun emplacement.

Zhang Jingxiu had been studying diligently, and he quickly understood Li Jing's decision.

In calm conditions, oar-powered sailing ships are propelled by their oars, so chain shot, a type of cannonball specifically designed to attack masts, is unsuitable.

Chain shot consists of two iron balls bound together by an iron chain. After being fired, the chain helps the iron balls rotate, which can tear sail ropes and smash masts.

The Ming Dynasty navy called it the "Broken Mast Cannon," a new type of cannonball equipped by the Ministry of Works.

Ordinary solid cannonballs are used for long-range attacks.

Clearly, this distance is also unsuitable.

Then naturally, a shotgun should be chosen, as these are shells that can kill enemies at close range.

The Zhigu was taller than the two pirate galleys, putting the pirates at a disadvantage in boarding action because they would have to climb onto the Zhigu's deck.

Shotguns can be used to kill climbing pirates.

But that's not enough.

Li Jing patted Zhang Jingxiu on the shoulder and said:
"You stay on the ship and take my place."

"Grab your weapons and prepare to board!"

(End of this chapter)