The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 118 The Ming Navy Sailing Galleons
Five or six days later.

The St. Anne loaded all the cannons, gunpowder barrels, and furniture back onto the ship, and re-tied the mooring lines and canvas before returning to the port of Houjiangwan.

Just then, the fourth batch of cargo convoy returned from Macau.

After the fleet docked at Houjiang Bay, it unloaded firearms, silver and other goods in sequence.

Lin Qian frowned: "It seems like there are fewer firearms this time?"

Jose flattered, "The captain is indeed insightful. This time, we only purchased ammunition, and the number of cannons and muskets is less than before."

"what happened?"

"The artillery foundry in Baccarat has already sold out of its stock," José said with a wry smile. "The foundry is ramping up production."

These days, firearms are all made to order. Even large factories like the Bucharau Cannon Foundry don't keep much inventory.

It's already quite an achievement to be able to support four deliveries while simultaneously producing and selling off inventory.

Jose said, "I have placed an order with the cannon factory as instructed by the captain. If the captain finds it inappropriate, I will make the changes."

Currently, Lin Qian has ten Haicang ships under her command, seven of which have been converted into Seawolf-class frigates. With this purchase, the remaining three will be armed.

Ten Seawolf-class frigates are sufficient for the short term.

Therefore, in accordance with Lin Qian's previous instructions to Jose, the subsequent transactions mainly involved the purchase of matchlock guns, cannonballs, and gunpowder.

Once the Santa Ana has completed its cargo hold conversion and a second gun deck has been built, we will purchase more large-caliber guns.

Lin Qian said, "Let's proceed with the current orders for now. Come to the St. Anna tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Jose arrived as promised, only to find Huang Hetai on the deck. The two greeted each other awkwardly.

On the stern deck, Lei Sanxiang looked at Huang and He and said, "Helmsman, why did we call these two here for training today?"

Lin Qian glanced at the two men on the deck and said calmly, "Naval combat training cannot be done behind closed doors. These two are familiar with the naval tactics of the Ming Dynasty and Europe, respectively, so they may be useful."

Chen Jiao walked up from the bow and said, "Helmsman, all the ships participating in the training have arrived."

Lin Qian gave the order: "Set sail."

Chen Jiao loudly commanded: "Wind to the northwest, heading due west, weigh anchor!"

Lei Sanxiang took three steps at a time and went down to the gun deck, ordering the crew to go up to the deck and hoist the anchor.

Half an hour later, the mainsails on the masts of the Santa Ana were lowered one by one, and the brand-new canvases reflected a dazzling white light in the winter sun.

"The ship's speed seems a bit faster?" Chen Jiao said with delight, waving his hand to catch the wind.

This is not an illusion. After the inspection, the barnacles on the bottom of the Santa Ana were completely removed, reducing forward resistance and naturally increasing the ship's speed.

This was Lin Qian's first time boarding the large sailing ship after its repairs were completed, so she simply said, "Let's go, let's go up to the deck and take a look."

After saying this, Lin Qian walked down the stern deck, with Chen Jiao following behind her.

Upon seeing this, Huang and He came up and bowed to Lin Qian before following behind.

Lin Qian walked to a deck in the middle of the ship and stopped. She noticed that the color of the deck plank was different from the rest of the deck.

During the suppression of Li Kuiqi, a hole was punched in this deck by the wooden planks from the explosion of the ship city.

The flat deck we see now was repaired with camphor wood.

Lin Qian squatted down and ran her hand over the deck. It felt smooth and oily to the touch, not sticky, and she could feel the texture of the wood.

They knocked around the deck again, but the sound was no different.

Lin Qian stood up and walked towards the bow of the ship, passing by the breech-loading cannons on both sides of the bulwark, their bronze barrels gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

Around each Franco cannon was a bucket and five loaded rounds.

Five gunners lined up around the breech-loading cannon. When Lin Qian arrived, they all stood at attention and saluted.

At the bow, three triangular sails billowed to the left, facing a gloomy sky and a vast, azure ocean, with a faint line of land visible in the distance.

The bow cuts through the waves, splashing up a spray of cool water mist, mixed with a fishy, ​​fresh smell that invigorates the senses.

The Santa Ana had passed Dajianshan Mountain, and Chen Jiao ordered the ship to head southeast, change the rudder and sails.

Lin Qian felt the ship tilt slightly to the right, a result of the centrifugal force of turning and the tailwind to the port side.

The sailors came to the bow and pulled the sail ropes as the ship turned.

With a whoosh, all three triangular sails billowed to the right, catching the wind and sailing southeast.

The perfect coordination between the helmsman and the helmsman ensured that the boat remained remarkably stable even with such a large angle of turn.

Lin Qian inspected the deck, bulwarks, sail locks, and support cables. Every part of it was soaked in tung oil, and every part was properly repaired.

He then inspected the main anchor at the bow. The broken anchor chain had been repaired, and the anchor itself was taken from an old Haicang ship. Although it was not the right size for the large sailing ship, it would still work.

Lin Qian walked back to the stern deck, and the others followed her aboard.

Behind the large sailing ship, seven Seawolf-class frigates followed, and on either side of the Seawolf ships, more than ten single-bird ships accompanied them.

Standing on the stern deck, one sees a forest of masts and sails that fill a large expanse of the sea, creating a truly impressive sight.

To accommodate the speed of the Seawolf, the top sails of the three masts of the large sailing ship were not lowered.

After sailing southeast for about two hours, they arrived at an open sea.

Lin Qian ordered the sails to be lowered and the ship to anchor.

Several sailors carried a wooden frame to the stern deck and placed it against the captain's cabin wall, while other sailors took five large flags and inserted them into the frame.

The flagpole was about sixteen feet long, with five square flags of different colors—red, blue, green, black, and yellow—hanging from the top. Each flag was seven feet long and three feet wide, and hung vertically on the flagpole. The ends were nailed shut with wooden strips so that they could not flutter in the wind.

The flags are all made of Chaozhou silk, with bright colors that reflect light in the sunlight, making them particularly eye-catching.

While the Santa Ana was busy making the five-colored flag, the crew of the Bird Ship took out a raft made of coconut shells, attached a simple red sail, and placed it on the sea.

After a stick of incense had burned, a fleet of coconut shell target boats appeared on the sea, sailing majestically southeastward under the northwest wind.

On the large sailing ship, five messenger flag bearers were already in position in front of the flagpole.

Everyone remained silent, awaiting Lin Qian's instructions.

Lin Qian took out her binoculars, looked in the direction of the target ship, estimated that it had drifted a mile or two away, put away the binoculars, and said in a deep voice: "Let's begin."

"Training begins!" Chen Jiao shouted the order.

The lookout, already prepared, immediately reported, "Enemy fleet spotted, one thousand paces ahead on starboard."

Lin Qiandao: "Order the fleet to maintain its line formation, head southeast, and engage the enemy on the starboard side."

Chen Jiao shouted, "Raise the red flag! Sail southeast, raise the sails halfway!"

At a command, the entire deck of the St. Anna sprang into action, with sailors swiftly climbing the barges and untying the sails.

The flag bearer in charge of the red flag picked it up and ran to the stern deck to stand.

The crimson flag shone with a blood-red light under the cold winter sun.

Upon seeing the red flag, the ships behind raised their sails, lined up in a row, and followed the St. Anne, with the bird ship following behind the Seawolf.

“Enemy fleet, 500 paces away.”

“Enemy fleet, three hundred paces away.”

The lookout updates the distance.

Lin Qian put down her binoculars and said to Chen Jiao, "Maintain a distance of two hundred paces and fire."

Chen Jiao said, "Open the starboard gun port and engage the enemy on the starboard side!"

“Enemy fleet, two hundred paces away.”

Chen Jiao immediately ordered, "Slightly steer to the left, maintain a distance of two hundred paces! Wave the red flag, and the fleet shall fire!"

At a command, the flag bearers standing at the stern waved red flags to the left and right.

The Seawolf's breech-loading cannons and the sailing ship's siren cannons opened fire almost simultaneously.

Dozens of cannons exploded instantly, like thunder roaring, and the deck trembled slightly.

The entire starboard side of the line was surrounded by thick smoke from gunpowder, and the smell of gunpowder was so strong that it almost suffocated people.

The target fleet was surrounded by a large spray of water, creating a terrifying scene, but only a few ships were hit.

Most of the shells landed nearby, and the resulting waves pushed the target ship further away.

The Sirens cannons were still being loaded when the Seawolf behind them fired two more rounds of shots, and only three or four ships were hit.

Although the target ship was too small, two hundred paces might still be beyond the firing range of the Franco cannon.

Lin Qian said, "Order the Sea Wolf ship to approach and fire."

Chen Jiao said to the flag bearer, "The blue flag is swirling!"

Upon hearing this, the flag bearer pulled out the flagpole, strode onto the stern deck, tensed his arm muscles, and swirled the blue flag around.

At the bow of the Sea Wolf One, Bai Langzai, holding a large Miao sword, squinted and saw the swirling blue flag. He ordered his men, "Turn to starboard and get close!"

The Seawolf I then turned right and headed straight for the target fleet, with the remaining six Seawolf ships following closely behind.

Lin Qian, observing the movements of the Sea Wolf ship, ordered, "Large sailing ships, cease firing!"

"Stop the shelling!"

"Stop the shelling!"

The order was relayed through Chen Jiao and Lei Sanxiang, and the siren's song stopped abruptly.

The biting northwest wind dispersed the thick smoke, revealing the Seawolf ships lined up in a row, like long serpents on the sea, coiling around the target ship.

The Seawolf ships proceeded in a line from east to west, fifty paces from the target ship. The lead ship fired, followed by the other ships in turn.

The Franco cannons were not very powerful, and the splashes from the shells were small, but the intervals between shots were short and the number of shots was large. The constant shelling on the sea surface made the water around the target ship look like it was boiling, which was extremely spectacular.

In the boiling sea, the target fleet was in deep trouble. Ships were constantly hit by cannon fire, torn to pieces, coconut shells flew everywhere, and sails were riddled with holes.

Soon, all five bullets of each cannon were fired, and the Seawolf's gunfire ceased.

Logically, after the breech-loading cannon has fired all its bullets, it should be immediately immersed in water to cool down, then reloaded with propellant and ammunition for subsequent firing. Five bullets would be enough to keep the cannon firing continuously.

However, the gunners were not yet familiar with the Franco cannon and could not achieve such a fast loading speed.

In addition, this was the first time the fleet had engaged in combat, and everything from fleet command to artillery performance needed to be worked out.

This is the significance of Lin Qian organizing the training.

After a short pause, the cannons of the Franco cannons roared again, and the remaining target ships were once again destroyed.

After five shots, the shelling stopped again. At this point, half of the target ship remained on the sea.

The St. Anna was downwind of the Seawolf formation, and the northwest wind carried gusts of smoke. The sulfurous smell in the sea breeze was so strong it felt almost tangible, seeping into the lungs and making eyes water. The pause in the shelling was relatively short, less than half an incense stick's time before firing again. However, the intervals between shots were longer, clearly indicating that they were loading and firing simultaneously, which made the gunners somewhat flustered and unable to keep up with the supply.

Lin Qian did not call a halt, and the shelling continued for almost half an hour.

Only a dozen or so target ships remain scattered on the sea.

On the stern deck of the St. Anna, everyone was covered in the smell of sulfur and felt rather sticky.

Lin Qian's throat itched, and she lowered her voice, saying, "Order the Seawolf and Bird ships to board!"

Chen Jiao said, "The green flag and the black flag are waving."

The black flag bearer, upon receiving the order, pulled up his flag and went up to the deck, where he fought alongside the blue flag bearer, the two flags swaying back and forth.

On the distant sea, the Sea Wolf ships and Bird ships were lined up, each with its sails fully unfurled, charging toward the scattered target ships.

The hit rate of naval artillery fire was very low, and since the shells were solid, a large wooden ship would hardly sink even if hit by hundreds of shells.

Therefore, most naval battles end with boarding maneuvers.

The primary purpose of the Franco cannon was to inflict as much damage as possible on the enemy's deck crew before boarding.

In everyone's sight, more than twenty warships, like wild horses, headed toward the target ships, and in just a moment, they rammed and sank the target ships.

This was just an exercise; there was no real close combat.

In fact, what Lin Qian was most worried about regarding this fleet was boarding action.

Most of his crew members were Tanka people, who were brave and fierce but lacked training in close combat formations. However, naval battles, especially boarding maneuvers, require one-on-one combat and simple formations, such as the Mandarin Duck Formation.

The crew members might be better than the garrison soldiers or battalion soldiers when boarding the ship. However, they are definitely no match for the true elite troops of the Ming Dynasty, and far inferior to the servants of the commander of the Haimen Guard whom I saw last time.

That's why Lin Qian used live ammunition to train the gunners regardless of the cost, in order to reduce the disadvantage in boarding action.

Seeing that the "boarding action" had been won, Lin Qian said, "Order the entire fleet to withdraw."

"Sound the retreat! Raise the red flag!" Chen Jiao shouted.

Soon the red flag bearer once again raised the red flag and went up to the stern deck, while the other two flag bearers went down with their flags and put the flagpole back into the wooden frame.

The sound of the gong echoed far across the sea.

Upon receiving orders, the Seawolf and Bird fleets disengaged from the battle and returned to port, rejoining the stern of the large sailing ship and lining up in a single file.

At this moment, the thick smoke on the sea had been blown away, and a few snowflakes began to fall from the sky.

Lin Qian turned to face Jose and Huang Hetai and asked, "How is it?"

José flattered, "So this is the flag signaling of Ming Dynasty ships? I've really broadened my horizons today."

Lin Qian: "Say something useful."

Knowing Lin Qian's personality, Jose straightened his expression and said, "The command of the Spanish fleet usually consists of flag signals, lights, communication via transport ships, and the captain's ability to adapt to changing circumstances."

Because Spanish is written with letters, simple commands can also be given using flag signals, which might be more convenient than in the Ming Dynasty.

Perhaps because he had spent so much time in the Ming Dynasty, after José finished speaking his true feelings, he changed the subject and began to flatter: "But the five-colored flag of the captain is obviously more convenient for transmitting orders. The entire training session only used three colors, which is much more convenient than the Spanish flag for transmitting orders!"

A crew member handed her a wet towel, which Lin Qian took and used to wipe her face. After wiping, the towel was covered in sticky, grayish-black grime.

"I didn't invent the five-colored flag; I learned it from the book 'Jixiao Xinshu'."

Jose gave a thumbs up: "The Ming Dynasty truly produces many talented people!"

Lin Qian wiped her hands as she asked, "What does Commander Huang think?"

Huang Hetai was about to offer his praise when Lin Qian interrupted him, saying, "No need for flattery, just tell me what's wrong with that?"

Huang Hetai paused for a moment and said, "This set of five-colored flags was indeed passed down from General Qi back then, and it is still used in the Southeast Navy today, although it is slightly different from the flag signals of the captain."

Lin Qian handed the used towel back to the crew member and explained, "I made some changes."

These words were simple, but Huang Hetai still sensed from them that Lin Qian was determined to be an enemy of the imperial court, and he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Lin Qian said to Chen Jiao, "I'll trouble you to continue the training, brother."

Chen Jiao clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes!"

Lin Qian led Huang and He to the officers' mess hall. After they sat down, a crew member brought them hot tea.

"What tactics does the Ming Dynasty navy use in naval battles?" Lin Qian asked, lifting her teacup and blowing on it to cool it down.

"This humble official is of limited talent and learning, and dares not..."

"Say only what you know," Lin Qian said calmly.

He actually had some understanding of the Ming Dynasty navy's tactics, but there's always a difference between theory and practice, so it would be better to have a professional confirm it.

"Then I will dare to speak frankly: the Ming navy mainly uses the tactics created by General Qi, which can be summarized in two sentences: firearms first, boarding the ship later; use the small to defeat the large, and use the many to overwhelm the few."

The *Jixiao Xinshu* states: "If the enemy's ship is small, we should use a large ship to close in on it and quickly press them forward. We should have our soldiers first fire firearms, then shoot arrows and rakes, followed by slingshots..."

As they were talking, a series of crackling sounds came from outside the cabin, which was the sound of live ammunition being fired by the ships.

Amidst the smoke of battle, Lin Qian inquired about Qi Jiguang and Yu Dayou's attack on Nan'ao, and also about the rewards given to Li Kuiqi and Li Zhong for their two previous suppressions of pirates.

Huang Hetai smiled wryly and said, "The results of the campaign to eliminate Li Kuiqi came down half a month ago, and the court rewarded him with some silver. Li Zhong's results have not yet been reported. He has been busy with many matters in the court recently, so he must have been delayed in the cabinet and the Directorate of Ceremonial.

"Oh." Lin Qian took a sip of tea, neither confirming nor denying.

The training continued until noon. After lunch, the sound of gunfire resumed. Lin Qian, in the cabin, discussed naval warfare tactics between the Ming Dynasty and the West with Huang and He.

As the sun set, the fleet gradually came to a stop.

Then, Chen Jiao walked into the cabin and said, "Helmsman, a ship is coming from the south."

"Oh?" Lin Qian stood up.

The place he chose was seven or eight nautical miles offshore, which was considered the outer sea by Ming Dynasty merchants, and almost no ships would pass by there.

It's rather strange to encounter a sea vessel.

Lin Qian left the officers' mess, walked onto the stern deck, took out his binoculars, and looked in the direction Chen Jiao had pointed out.

Between the sea and the sky, a sail could be seen, clearly a two-masted Western-style triangular sail, obviously not a Ming Dynasty merchant ship.

As the ship drew closer, Lin Qian recognized it as a Caravelle sailing ship.

These ships were not heavily armed, but they were fast and extremely maneuverable, making them very popular with explorers. Two of the caravels were among Columbus's fleet that explored the Americas.

Lin Qian frowned slightly, deep in thought.

At that time, Britain had not yet extended its reach into East Asia. On the waters between Fujian and Guangdong, only Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands possessed caravels.

With the prevailing northwest monsoon, it was clearly not a good time to travel north to trade with Japan, and the caravel was not suitable as a merchant ship.

Therefore, this ship does not belong to the Portuguese.

Of the remaining two, the Spanish are currently enemies of Lin Qian, while the Dutch are enemies of the entire Ming Dynasty.

In short, the visitor is not friendly.

As Lin Qian observed the approaching ships, the Caravel sailboat also lowered its sails, clearly observing Lin Qian's fleet from a distance, creating a very subtle atmosphere between the two sides.

"Captain, what should we do?" Chen Jiao asked.

Lin Qian naturally wanted to capture the incoming ship, but the Caravelle sailboat was agile and light, and its triangular sail had excellent seaworthiness, so it was impossible to catch up directly.

There must be a way.

Lin Qian glanced at the wind flags on the mast. The northwest wind was strong, and the air was filled with scattered snowflakes.

The most suitable winds for sailing are crosswinds and cross-headwinds. It is rare for a ship to sail directly downwind, especially for a caravel with a triangular sail, as a direct downwind would make it difficult to utilize Bernoulli's principle to reach its maximum speed.

Therefore, the ship is unlikely to flee to the southeast.

Lin Qian glanced at the sky again; low-hanging leaden clouds and fine snowflakes were falling.

In this kind of weather, sailing out to sea is extremely dangerous if you get lost, so the Caravelle sailing ship will not sail due east.

The west side is the shore, which is also a dead end for the Caravelle sailing ship.

Therefore, once Lin Qian's fleet gives chase, the approaching ship will most likely flee in a south-southwest direction.

This sea area, due south and slightly west, is the coral reef lagoon where the ship city is located, which might be used to block incoming ships.

Lin Qian quickly estimated the speed of the two ships and the location of the coral reef, and decided that she could give it a try.

Thinking of this, Lin Qian asked José, "Do you know Spanish flag signals?"

Jose nodded: "I only know a little."

Lin Qian: "Go to the bow of the ship and signal with flags that we are the Ming Dynasty Navy and that they should stop the ship for inspection."

Jose, having taken two triangular flags, went to the bow of the ship.

Lin Qian then said to Chen Jiao, "Order the fleet to line up in a row, with the large sailboats fully loaded, and to pursue the approaching ship at full speed."

"Raise the red flag diagonally!" Chen Jiao shouted. "Raise the sails, head southwest, and pursue the approaching ship."

The flag bearers, following orders, signaled with flags on the stern deck, and the Seawolf and Bird ships gradually formed a line on either side of the large sailing ship, sailing rapidly southwest with the St. Anne.

The Santa Ana was fast and quickly broke out of formation like an arrow.

At this point, José had already taken two triangular flags and was constantly signaling with them at the bow of the ship.

Flag signals would be most effective in creating confusion, but it's not essential; after all, the Santa Ana is already charging at full speed, and we can't expect the approaching ship to stand still like an idiot.

Sure enough, after a moment's hesitation, the Caravel raised its sails and fled southwest.

……

Meanwhile, aboard the Caravelle, Spanish Vice Admiral Juan was observing the enemy fleet through binoculars, his brow furrowed.

The first mate, after checking the signal flags of the approaching ship, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Your Excellency, the approaching ship says they are from the Ming Navy and are just conducting a routine inspection."

Juan put down his binoculars and cursed, "Idiot, have you ever seen the Ming navy sailing galleons?"

The first mate was taken aback and quickly raised his binoculars. Sure enough, he saw that the ship in front had a high freeboard, its Western-style soft sails billowing, its bow cutting through the waves, and it was traveling at a high speed, leaving the two hard sailing ships far behind.

The first mate asked nervously, "Could it be... pirates?"

Juan licked his lips and said nervously, "And she's a big pirate, it should be Lin Qian."

"Lin Qian..."

Upon hearing this name, the first mate and the surrounding officers all tensed up.

The story of the pirate Lin Qian, who hijacked the Manila Galleon with only sixty men, about half a year ago, is still deeply etched in everyone's minds.

(End of this chapter)