Late Ming Dynasty: The Counterattack Begins with Sea Pirates

"Actively search and encircle any Dutch fleet that is spotted."

Not long after he finished speaking, Pang San pointed behind Chi Honghai and said, "Master, it seems that's not necessary..."

Turning around, I saw five sailboats approaching.

Chi Honghai picked up a monocular telescope and looked over, only to discover that in addition to the three armed merchant ships, there were two other sailboats that he hadn't seen much of before.

"Instructor Lang, I've never seen the other two ships before. They have four masts."

"The Clark sailboat, sir."

"A Clarke sailing ship? I've never seen one in Macau before."

Instructor Lang said calmly, "This thing used to be alright, but now it's basically being phased out by galleons. Maybe it's because this is the Far East, and the Dutch are still reluctant to bring galleons here."

"Traditional carracks were built by the Portuguese and were mainly used for ocean exploration. Their advantages were that they were large, had a large carrying capacity, and carried a considerable number of cannons."

Listening to Instructor Lang's explanation, Chi Honghai understood somewhat. Looking at the Clark sailboat in the binoculars, he asked, "This ship is quite large; it must be rather bulky."

"They are relatively bulky, but they have a lot of firepower; they have three decks."

"How does it compare to the Tianquan?"

"That's different, sir. While the Clark sailing ship carries ample firepower, it also needs to meet the needs of transporting cargo and personnel. The Tianquan is a third-class battleship, born for naval warfare."

"Instructor Lang forgot one thing: we have the wind at our backs, so we should form a team and press forward!" Chi Honghai said.

As Chi Honghai's four ships pressed forward in formation, the Dutch in the distance also spotted the "Spanish fleet" ahead through their binoculars.

"Battleship! Battleship!" The ship's alarm bells rang quickly. Everyone understood what it meant when the Spanish fleet appeared in front of them for no reason, especially since a battleship was waiting for them ahead.

The two Gayclade sailing ships sped up and pulled ahead of the three armed merchant ships.

But none of the Dutch present had any idea what to expect.

They knew that the ark was already being phased out in Europe, and the galleons were the mainstream now. However, their galleons had previously been used to contact other colonies. The distance from Malacca to Taiwan was not far, so they had not assigned galleons to this route.

The main reason is actually that the Spanish did not invest that much naval power.

Although it was a struggle for territory, it was a small territory for them. The other side was still a dynasty they couldn't afford to offend, and they couldn't knock on the door to trade. Although the two sides were fighting, the overall investment was not as large as it was in the Americas.

But who could have imagined that the Spanish would actually bring this battleship here, as if they were determined to take over Taiwan and drive the Dutch out of the north of Southeast Asia?

"Captain! They seem to be going very fast, they're closing in!"

The captain, sounding a little guilty, said, "What are you afraid of? Our two ships have more cannons than the enemy! We also outnumber them. If a real fight breaks out, we don't know who will win!" He then swallowed hard, "The enemy only has four ships, while we have five!"

Chi Honghai stood on the bow deck of the third-class battleship, looking at the two Clark sailing ships approaching from not far away, and smiled.

"Instructor Lang, do you think that ship can hold out after this round of bombardment?"

"If it's the Clark sailing ship, it's hard to say, but if it's one of the other three small armed merchant ships, I think it's fine. Their cross-section is too weak and can't withstand such strong naval gunfire."

"Let's see how many rounds this carrack can withstand."

"Sir, although Clark is a bit cumbersome, it has a considerable number of artillery pieces. If we engage in a firefight, we will also suffer substantial losses."

"Who went to fight them? Instructor Lang, don't forget what kind of training we received in the navy before, and don't forget the time when one of our ships chased two pirate ships."

After saying this, Instructor Lang understood Chi Honghai's intention. In his view, the things that Chi Honghai had previously led his crew in simulated and live-fire training were all particularly advanced combat methods.

Although it hadn't gone through large-scale real combat, Coach Lang initially had some doubts about this training method, and Liu Qingjiang and others shared the same opinion, but Chi Honghai firmly pushed it forward.

It's important to know that the true battle line didn't appear until the Third Anglo-Dutch War in 1672, but this was at the end of 1639.

This transcendent understanding of combat clearly impressed Instructor Lang greatly. In addition, the tactics Chi Honghai used against the pirates at that time were also a very classic "T-head" tactic in naval warfare. This tactic first appeared in the Battle of Tsushima in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, which was more than two hundred years later.

"The wind is just right! Prepare for a hard port!" Chi Honghai raised one hand, his fingers curled, and only closed them just before the bow of the ship was about to engage the enemy.

"Hard to left!" Pang San shouted!

"Hard to port!" a crew member responded.

As the rudder turned fully to the left, the Tianquan instantly drifted across the sea, tilting its tall hull sideways toward the opposite side.

At this moment, all the gun ports on the two gun decks were pushed open, and the gun muzzles were moved out of the windows. Looking out, the dense array of black holes was chilling.

"Captain, what are they trying to do? Why are they turning around at such a distance?"

"Could it be that they're afraid of us? Is that all the courage the Spaniards have?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a large plume of white smoke appeared on the other side, followed by a series of loud bangs, like popcorn popping one after another, muffled yet resounding.

Sixty-four shells flew over, some with a radius of more than one, and hit the deck directly. The first two rows of masts collapsed instantly, and the bow was blown to pieces. The gun holes and wooden spikes were side by side, and from the front, it looked like a honeycomb briquette that had been punctured.

With that bombardment, the leading Clark sailing ship essentially lost its power at sea. Before it could fully react, a second volley of shells, along with those from the following fleet, came crashing down at an angle, washing the entire surface deck clean. Few people on deck survived, including the ship's captain.

Two rounds of artillery fire, while not enough to sink the Clark sailing ship directly, were enough to paralyze him, rendering him unable to move.

Upon seeing the flagship of a fleet destroyed, the Dutch did not rally their fighting spirit, but instead began to turn and prepare to flee.

But escaping is never easy.

It's impossible for three fully loaded sailboats to escape; they can't outrun them. Even if they run and unload the cargo at the same time, it will still take time.

As for the remaining Clark, it was inherently cumbersome. Although it was suitable for long-distance ocean voyages, that was its past experience. Compared to a dedicated battleship, it was simply outmatched and unable to escape.

"Chase after them! Don't let a single one escape!"