The Black Sails of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 138 The Macau Navy is Annihilated
Early morning of the first day of the twelfth lunar month.

The weather was bitterly cold, and a thin fog blanketed the sea off Macau.

In the fog, twelve enormous shadows gradually emerged on the sea.

The Dutch fleet slowly sailed into the Lingdingyang, and was spotted by the Macau militia when it reached a point a thousand paces east of Macau.

The watchtower's alarm bell rang, and soon a chorus of alarm bells rang throughout the city.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Moments later, the bells of the Church of Sant'Antoni rang out rapidly, their sound echoing throughout every corner of the city.

The city awoke with a start, immediately enveloped in a cacophony of sounds: cries, commands, footsteps, and sirens blaring.

The militia split into several small groups and surged onto the forts, city walls, and beaches.

The other men took up arms to guard their homes, while the women and children went to the church or underground to hide.

The shadow of war loomed over every citizen.

In the council chamber, Macau legislators gathered, but André, bound by his duties, could not join them.

General Hill, north of Macau.

A host of officials, including the Deputy Commissioner of the Guangdong Coast Guard and the Assistant Inspector of the Maritime Circuit, gathered on the hilltop to observe the situation at sea.

Xiangshan County has lit the beacon fire and sent a fast horse to Guangzhou to deliver the message.

At 9:00 a.m., the Dutch fleet arrived at its designated position and began probing shelling of the Carnegie Hall Fortress on the southeast coast of Macau from a distance of 600 meters.

The Dutch fleet consisted of twelve ships, with over a hundred broadside cannons. The combined force of their fire was truly awe-inspiring.

Even from a great distance and with a low hit rate, the area around the Jiasilan Fort was shaken violently, as if the earth were turning upside down. The mud splashed up by the shells fell like rain, and the artillerymen, caught in the turmoil, could not even open their eyes, but they still managed to fire back.

At this distance, even coastal artillery would have difficulty hitting the target, and after several rounds of shelling, neither side suffered any damage.

The Dutch fleet immediately ceased firing, raised its sails, and continued sailing north for about a kilometer before firing again to probe the enemy. The Portuguese ash furnace forts returned fire.

This process was repeated several times. By noon, the Dutch fleet had sailed all the way from the east of Macau to the northeast, still probing with fire from a distance of more than 600 meters.

At this time, Xu Zhaokui, the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, and other officials, including the magistrate of Xiangshan County, had already arrived at General Mountain on horseback.

Because of the recent unrest caused by the "Red-haired Barbarians," the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, Xu Zhaokui, temporarily set up his headquarters in Xiangshan, which is why he was able to arrive so quickly.

"Minister Xu." The officials on the hill greeted the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi with clasped hands.

Xu Zhaokui dismounted, tossed the reins to his personal guard, and, keeping a close eye on the situation in the Lingdingyang, asked in a deep voice, "How is the battle going?"

The deputy naval commissioner of Guangdong recounted the Dutch army's long-range artillery bombardment that had lasted all morning.

Xu Zhaokui's face darkened. "This is bad. They're testing the Australian defenses. The red-haired barbarians are looking for an opportunity to land!"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding officials all felt tense. The Portuguese naval defeat was not of great concern to the officials, but if the Dutch army were allowed to land and occupy Macau, it would be a loss of territory. If the Dutch were allowed to invade Xiangshan and advance on Guangzhou, the crime would be even greater.

Xu Zhaokui asked, "Where have the Fujian and Guangdong navies reached?"

The Guangdong Commander-in-Chief said, "Your Excellency, the official document was only issued a few days ago, and the various naval camps are probably still reorganizing their sailors and ships."

Xu Zhaokui cursed inwardly, but kept his expression unchanged. He then asked, "Where is Ma Chenglie? His Zhelin Bay is closest to Macau, and his navy is well-trained. Where is he now?"

Since Lin Qian landed on the island, the Nan'ao Island Navy has repeatedly achieved military exploits.

At the beginning of the year, Ma Chenglie submitted a memorial, stating that with the troops from Zhelinzhai and Nan'ao Island, he had resisted the attack of more than 100 warships of Li Dan, killing more than 200 enemy soldiers. This impressed Xu Zhaokui, who then praised him for his "well-trained navy".

The Guangdong military commander wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, thinking to himself, "The official document was sent out only a few days ago. I don't even know if it has reached that man surnamed Ma. How am I supposed to know anything about his navy?"

He replied perfunctorily, "General Ma is a capable commander; the South Australia Navy should already be on its way."

Xu Zhaokui frowned, thinking to himself, "It's winter now. The journey from Nan'ao to Macau should be smooth sailing, taking at most two or three days. The Franks will have to hold on during this time."

"Gentlemen, please come and have lunch."

As the sun reached its zenith, soldiers set up tables and chairs and took out various wines and delicacies from food boxes.

The officials, who had been watching the battle all morning, were now starving and gladly went to join the fight.

Xu Zhaokui stood with his hands behind his back and said calmly, "I'm not hungry."

The officials paused, abruptly stopping in their tracks. They looked at the table of fine wine and delicacies, swallowed hard, and then stood back beside Minister Xu.

On the sea, the Dutch army changed their shelling positions to probe the enemy, and sailed all the way to the beach at Tua Go Wan northeast of Macau, finally finding a blind spot for the Portuguese fortress.

The Dutch governor, Cohen, was overjoyed and ordered the soldiers to have lunch.

At 1 p.m., the Dutch officially landed by small boat.

At 2:15, the Portuguese army's last two warships suddenly appeared in the Lingdingyang, followed by three armed merchant ships, and charged straight toward the Dutch fleet.

To prevent the Dutch from blockading the port, these five ships had been hidden in the harbor of Niushan Island, east of Macau.

The Portuguese troops in Macau waited until the Dutch landed before signaling the five ships to rush out, preparing to launch a crossbow attack.

Onboard the Batavia, Cohen lowered his binoculars and sneered, "The rats have come out of their holes. Order the Zellander Griffin and the Night Watchman to continue transporting soldiers ashore; the rest of the ships will follow the flagship to engage the enemy!"

The messenger went to the stern of the ship to signal with flags.

Twenty minutes later, the Batavia raised its sails and turned southeast, followed closely by nine Dutch warships lined up in a row.

At this time, a northeasterly wind was blowing across the sea, putting the Dutch warships downwind. However, they had the advantage of being at the bow of the ship, and with their superior numbers, their broadside cannons were fierce.

The Portuguese warships dared not charge forward, so they turned southeast and sailed sideways to face the enemy.

The two armies were basically parallel and approached each other slowly. Two hours later, the distance between them was less than 500 meters.

At this point, the disadvantages of the Portuguese army using armed merchant ships to make up the numbers became apparent. Their sailors lacked experience in maintaining the battle line. During the long tug-of-war, one armed merchant ship fell behind, and the remaining two shielded each other's sides.

Cohen seized the opportunity and ordered the rudder to turn left, closing in on the enemy ship.

Immediately afterwards, the Dutch flagship Batavia turned left, cutting sharply towards the Portuguese, bringing the two battle lines closer together.

When they closed to within 300 meters, the Portuguese troops opened fire first.

Both the Portuguese and the Andalusian were galleons, each with twenty cannons on a single side.

The salvo was incredibly powerful, hitting Batavia three times in a row, followed by Polaris being hit twice.

The solid iron bullet pierced through the hull of the Batavia in an instant, leaving three large holes in the hull.

However, for a warship of this tonnage, three shots are of little consequence.

Cohen did not order a return fire, and the Dutch troops quickly closed in.

After entering the two hundred-meter mark, the Batavia righted itself and opened fire. Its sixteen cast-iron cannons on the port side roared, and the shells landed on both sides of the Portuguese ship, creating towering columns of water.

The Dutch ship Polaris was launched immediately, followed by other Dutch warships.

In an instant, cannonballs rained down from all sides of the Portuguese warships.

In just one salvo, the Portuguese was hit by more than ten shells, and shards of wood, like blood, splattered from the body of this Galen behemoth.

The Dutch battle line was longer, and the ships at the back of the line, instead of attacking the Portuguese, poured their shells on the three armed merchant ships.

The two ships stacked together were hit the most. The armed merchant ships were small, and in just one salvo, one of them was hit in the waterline, slowed down, and had to withdraw from the battle.

Another armed merchant ship was hit by fifteen cannon shots, with half of its starboard hull destroyed and the gun deck almost completely destroyed, rendering it incapable of combat.

As the battle lines of the two armies drew closer, the distance between them gradually decreased to one hundred meters, eighty meters, fifty meters, twenty meters...

At this distance, the artillery's hit rate is extremely high; it can almost hit exactly where you point it.

The Dutch fired a volley, and the remaining two Portuguese warships were hit by at least twenty or thirty shots each, with most of their gun decks exposed.

On the sea, ten Dutch warships were linked end to end, like a sea dragon, relentlessly pouring cannonballs at two Portuguese warships.

The disparity in firepower between the two sides was too great. Before they could withstand five rounds of bombardment, the gun decks of the Portuguese warships were almost completely destroyed, leaving them only able to passively endure the attacks.

Around 5 p.m., amidst the crimson sunset, the Portuguese was hit in the powder chamber, causing a secondary explosion that split the entire hull in two, sending a mushroom cloud rising from the sea.

The powerful blast wave sent shards of wood flying everywhere, some even landing on the deck of the Batavia.

A few minutes later, on the gun deck of the Portuguese, a gunpowder barrel also detonated, the explosion shaking the sea and creating a wave, like the mournful cry of a giant beast before its death.

The fire started on the shattered hull, and the flames quickly spread to the sails. With the northeast wind, the fire grew stronger and stronger, and soon all the sails on the mainmast and the stern were ablaze, like two torches standing on the sea.

The sailors of the Portuguese jumped overboard to save themselves.

The Dutch shifted their main attack direction to the Andalusia, firing at one ship out of ten.

After three more rounds of shelling, the same fate befell the Andalusia. It was hit by multiple shells at the waterline, and the ship sank rapidly and visibly.

The cannons on the Andalusia continued firing until the very last moment before it sank, but it was all meaningless and sounded more like the wailing of the Portuguese navy.

After dealing with the two Portuguese warships, Cohen ordered the fleet to turn back to the beach of the straggling Portuguese army. On the way back, they also took care of the stragglers Portuguese armed merchant ships.

On the beaches of Macau, tens of thousands of Macau residents witnessed the armed merchant ship being fired upon by ten Dutch warships in turn. It was hit by more than fifty cannon shots, and almost no planks of the ship remained intact.

Even the mainmast was broken by a single shot, and the entire ship disintegrated on the spot, turning into a piece of driftwood on the sea, a truly tragic sight.

The surviving Portuguese sailors jumped into the sea to survive, clinging to planks and drifting on the water. However, they all froze to death within half an hour, becoming floating corpses.

Looking out, the sea was covered with planks and stiff corpses. Further away, the sterncastle of the Portuguese was still burning fiercely on the sea, turning the sky fiery red.

Tens of thousands of Macao residents stared blankly at the scene without making a sound; the atmosphere was extremely tense.

A moment later, suppressed sobs came from the crowd, and the cries quickly merged into one, floating in the air above the beach.

The news of the complete annihilation of the Portuguese navy reached the council chamber along with cries of anguish, causing an uproar among the members of parliament.

Everyone knew that the Dutch had strong ships and powerful cannons, and that the Portuguese navy's Don Quixote-like charge was doomed to failure.

But when the news of the complete annihilation came, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom.

"What should we do? What should we do now?"

"God, save us."

"Surrender! We've already lost. The Dutch will spare us out of respect for our noble status."

The speaker slumped in his chair, too exhausted to call for silence any longer.

Andrei collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably. He fantasized about how wonderful it would be if he could turn back time to the day when Zheng Zhilong came to negotiate with him.

Let alone twelve cannons, even twenty-four cannons, Andrei would send them out without hesitation.

Amid the commotion in the council chamber, Andrei recalled Lin Qian, the pirate captain who had hijacked the Spanish sailing ship in Manila with only sixty men.

And somehow, they gained a foothold in southeastern China. They even accurately predicted the Dutch attack.

Could such a ruthless character have foreseen that Zheng Zhilong would refuse him, and perhaps he would have taken advantage of the Dutch's unpreparedness to launch a sneak attack?

Although Andrei himself knew it was impossible, in his despair, he could only console himself with this fantasy.

……

Inside the chapel of St. Anthony, hundreds of women and children sat on the floor, their faces filled with terror, and some were sobbing softly.

The nuns lit candles in the church and went through the crowd distributing blankets and quilts, hoping to bring some comfort to the people.

The priest stood in the crowd, chanting scriptures in a low voice to dispel the fear in the hearts of the people.

Suddenly, a terrified cry came from outside the church: "The navy is annihilated! The Dutch have captured the Ash Furnace Battery!"

Screams immediately echoed throughout the church, and the women rose in fright and ran out of the church.

It took the priests and nuns a great deal of effort to calm the crowd down.

The priest stopped reciting scriptures, a look of hesitation on his face, but finally made up his mind and said to the eldest nun, "I have to go out for a while. The church is in your care!"

The nun quickly stopped him and whispered, "Father, what are you going to do? The church needs you."

The priest said firmly, "Prayers won't drive away the Dutch; the fort needs me more!" With that, the priest pushed the nun aside, opened the door, and left.

Although the priest left through a side door, many people still noticed, and a sense of panic once again spread through the church.

Someone suggested leaving the church to escape, a foolish idea that was immediately approved by most of the people present. The crowd rose up and approached the church door.

The nuns tried to persuade her, but to no avail.

At this point, someone said, "Isn't it just throwing your life away to escape into the streets?"

These words were harsh, but the tone was calm and peaceful, and everyone looked at the speaker.

The speaker was a young woman from the Ming Dynasty, dressed simply, but with fair skin and a calm demeanor, clearly from an official family.

The majority of the people in Macau are Han Chinese, and the churches are half Han Chinese and half Portuguese, so it is not surprising that a woman from the Ming Dynasty appeared there.

The woman then announced loudly, "My family is from Fuqing, Fujian. When I was a child, my hometown was plagued by Japanese pirates. I know how to deal with them. If you all want to live, you must listen to me!"

What was remarkable was that the woman actually said these words in both Chinese and Portuguese.

The women present knew they had nowhere to go outside the church, but with the priest gone, they lost their anchor and were momentarily panicked.

Now that someone has come forward to take charge, and the person in charge looks calm and composed, people have become somewhat convinced and gradually quieted down.

The woman assigned tasks to everyone.

"Listen to me, everyone. Now, dismantle all the benches in this hall. Use the short wooden sticks as weapons, and the long wooden strips to block the doors and windows."

“Pull out all the candles, and the candlesticks can be used as weapons.”

"Each candle must be guarded by a designated person, and the candle must be extinguished as soon as any sounds of chaos from the enemy outside are heard!"

After a series of well-organized arrangements, the women acted according to her instructions.

……

On General Mountain, Xu Zhaokui looked at the firelight on the sea and asked, "Have troops been deployed near the Lotus Stem?"

The Guangdong military commander cupped his hands and said, "I have already dispatched five hundred men to guard the area."

"Hmm." Xu Zhaokui felt slightly relieved. Judging from the current situation, the landing of the "Red Barbarians" was unstoppable. He could only hope to keep the trouble within Macau.

The Australians were just a small, foreign people, so it didn't matter if they suffered more casualties.

As for the Ming Dynasty people in Macau... we can only ask them to make do.

On the sea, ten Dutch warships sailed back to Tua Go Huan Beach in a show of force, where a landing force of more than 300 men had already landed.

The Dutch then brought more soldiers to the beach, and soon the total number of soldiers reached more than 800.

The Dutch soldiers were dressed in various styles, but a group of ronin with samurai swords at their waists, wearing kimonos, wooden clogs, and strange hairstyles on their heads stood out.

General Hill is only four miles from Tugouhuan Beach, offering a commanding view.

The magistrate of Xiangshan immediately recognized the ronin's identity and exclaimed, "Japanese pirate!"

The Guangdong Maritime Patrol Deputy Commissioner angrily exclaimed, "The barbarians and Japanese pirates are indeed birds of a feather, colluding with each other in their wicked ways!"

The Inspector General of the Maritime Circuit bowed and said, "Sir, I am willing to personally lead the Lotus Stem troops to suppress the Japanese pirates!"

Throughout the southeastern part of the Ming Dynasty, from officials to common people, everyone hated the Japanese pirates with a passion. The Inspector of the Maritime Route was an official position specifically created to defend against the Japanese pirates, so it was only natural that he would volunteer to fight at this time.

Xu Zhaokui shook his head and said slowly, "The lotus stem is important and cannot be lost. Besides, the bandits are powerful, so don't be reckless."

On the beach, the Dutch advanced by both land and sea and quickly captured the ash furnace fortress.

The troops defending the fort included Portuguese soldiers as well as a large number of militia composed of Ming Dynasty civilians.

The Japanese pirates charged forward and hacked and slashed, killing all the defenders. They then cut off the defenders' heads and proudly displayed them in their hands.

Upon seeing this, the patrol officer's eyes reddened, and he bowed again, saying, "Sir, there are also people of our Great Ming in Macau. It is my duty to do this and I cannot stand idly by. Let me lead the troops there."

Xu Zhaokui shouted angrily, "Shut up!"

The Dutch army numbered eight hundred men and was equipped with naval guns and firearms. Lotus Stem's five hundred soldiers were no match for them. From the perspective of the Governor-General of Guangdong and Guangxi, it was impossible for him to agree to send troops rashly.

……

On the beach, the Dutch army pressed on southward with great momentum, and soon reached the foot of the Garslan fortress.

This is the last fort outside Macau. Once it falls, Macau will have to face the Dutch directly.

Therefore, the defenders of the fort were very determined to resist and repelled the attacks many times. The two sides engaged in a tug-of-war, and within an hour, dozens of corpses had fallen around the fort.

It was already dark when the Dutch army commander ordered a retreat to make repairs and to attack again at daybreak.

The garrison troops who had fought a bloody battle for a long time finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The priest of the Church of Sant'Antoni, his face blackened by gunpowder smoke, collapsed beside the cannon, utterly exhausted.

The fort commander ordered his men to tally the losses. A dozen minutes later, his men reported: "Captain, the fort's defenders have only twenty-three men left, and only three cannons remain."

"Understood." The commander's tone was heavy.

The defenders kept their heads down, no one spoke, and everyone knew in their hearts that with such a small force, they would not be able to withstand the next attack.

As soon as dawn breaks, everyone's death will come.

That night, the commander leaned close to the priest and whispered, "Father, promise me one thing."

"please say."

“If Macau falls, take this with you and escape.” The commander said, taking out a piece of paper and handing it to the priest. It contained the names of the fort’s defenders. “These young men died for their country and should not be forgotten.”

The priest solemnly tucked it into his robes and said firmly, "Rest assured, Macau will be protected; God is with us!"

……

The Dutch troops ceased their attack and set up camp on the beach. For a moment, the Lingdingyang Sea fell silent, with only the howling of the northeast wind and the sound of the waves.

Cohen glanced at the wind flag, a triangular stripe stretched taut by the northeast wind.

The northeasterly winds are strong tonight. In this kind of weather, boats moored in the wind are easily blown sideways. Macau is unfamiliar waters for the Dutch. Once blown to shore, they are likely to run aground or run aground.

Cohen then said, "Order the fleet to anchor, and have the Zellander Griffin and the Night Watchman patrol and guard the area around the ship's location."

"Yes, sir!" the first mate replied, and then notified the messenger.

"Enemy ship spotted to the southeast, 5,000 paces!" the lookout of the Batavia suddenly sounded the alarm.

Cohen remained expressionless and raised his binoculars to examine the area.

Using the last glimmer of light before sunset, he could see clearly on the distant sea that there were indeed two single-masted sailing ships. Their hulls were slender and their sails were wide, making them look different from Ming Dynasty ships and European ships.

However, both ships were small, and even if they were equipped with cannons, they would certainly be small-caliber and would not pose a threat to the Yahat ship.

Cohen judged that the two ships were either merchant ships or fishing vessels, and ordered, "Have the Zellander Griffin and the Night Watchman drive these two ships away."

Two Dutch warships received orders to head towards the merchant ships, but before they had gone halfway, the two merchant ships wisely turned around and fled into the darkness.

Cohen glanced at the sky; the last rays of the setting sun had disappeared, and the sky was completely dark.

A slender crescent moon hung in the sky, its light extremely dim, and visibility on the sea was very low. In such weather, it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe, making a night raid on the sea impossible.

Relieved, Cohen gave the first mate a few instructions, then returned to his cabin, changed into his pajamas, and went to sleep.

After giving a few instructions, the first mate returned to his cabin to sleep, and soon only the officer on duty and the sentry remained on the deck.

In the latter half of the night, snow began to fall on the sea. With the northeast wind blowing, it turned into gusts of white sand that blew straight into people's faces, further reducing visibility.

The lookout on the Batavia was so cold that his hands and feet were numb and his whole body was shaking. Unable to bear it any longer, he simply climbed down from the mast.

There was no way around it; the crew members were from tropical regions, and despite wearing thick coats, they couldn't withstand the harsh winter cold of the north.

Moreover, on nights like this, with wind and snow and no moonlight, even if the lookout is standing on the mast, he can't see anything.

The officer on duty was taking shelter from the wind at the stern, so the lookout went to the bow to chat with the sentry.

The sentry took out a small bottle of coconut wine that he had hidden away. The two of them looked at the dark sea and drank the wine to keep warm.

The sentry said, "I hope I can enter the city after it falls tomorrow. The Portuguese must have a lot of gold."

The lookout sighed, "Forget it. The governor won't let the sentries off the ship. Sigh, I really envy those bald monkeys. They get mercenary pay and looting income on top of that."

The sentry took a sip of coconut wine and sneered, "These Japanese mercenaries seem to love killing more than gold. A bunch of barbarians."

A gust of cold wind, carrying snowflakes, crept into the lookout's neck, making him shiver. "This weather is truly bizarre... Christmas is almost here, and the governor said this year..."

Seeing that he didn't speak, the sentry continued, "Did you pass through Macau?"

But the lookout didn't respond to his words; instead, he widened his eyes and pointed to the distant sea.

The sentry looked in the direction he was pointing and saw a sudden flash of light on the dark sea.

In the blink of an eye, several more fireballs lit up.

Within five or six minutes, more and more fireballs appeared on the sea, spaced a certain distance apart, numbering in the dozens, and were heading towards the Dutch fleet with the help of the northeast wind.

From a distance, the entire sea surface looked as if it were on fire.

(End of this chapter)