Global colonization began with Ming Dynasty pirates.

In general naval warfare, unless the difference in size between the two ships is too great, ramming is rarely used.

After all, forces are reciprocal. When the tonnage difference is not significant, both sides will be damaged in a collision, and the spoils of war will also be destroyed. If the other ship sinks, there will be nothing left.

Zhou Daye ultimately chose to back down. Although he said there was still one ship left, he dared not gamble on the loyalty of his men.

So what if we avoid it? Even if the other side gains an advantage, as long as we delay until the other ship arrives, we can still win. Then we can simply use the other ship as our new vessel. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

With this in mind, his ships eventually parted the channel to avoid the brunt of the attack.

A head-on collision results in mutual destruction, but avoiding a head-on collision greatly reduces the relative speed of the two ships and significantly weakens the impact. However, the consequence is that the ship that avoids the collision will bear all the damage, since it is only exposing its side.

It's hard to say what a good choice this is, but Zhou Daye felt that the other party's bravado was definitely just a pretense, and that he was forced into it. He thought that while he was making way, the other party would also avoid him in the opposite direction, and then escape with the wind at his back.

To Zhou Daye's disbelief, the other party not only did not take the opportunity to escape, but instead slightly adjusted its direction and charged straight at him.

"Oh no!" Zhou Daye broke out in a cold sweat. "Please don't let it sink!"

The hundred-meter distance passed in the blink of an eye. To the pirates' horror, the bow of the Fujian ship slid sideways and crashed into the starboard side of the pirate ship.

Click!

As a sickeningly loud sound rang out, the two ships collided violently, instantly throwing the people on the pirate ship to their knees.

Bang!

The moment the impact occurred, the two ships changed their positions and pressed against each other. This time, the sides of the two ships were pressed together hard, and a large crack appeared in the side plank of the pirate ship, but it held on. Ships in the coastal waters of the Ming Dynasty were basically densely packed with watertight compartments, so this little bit of water ingress was not enough to sink the other ship.

"Haha, good, brothers, the enemy has delivered themselves to our doorstep. Charge in, seize these guys' boats, and I'll let you all party for three days!" Zhou Daye was the first to get up from the ground and quickly called on everyone to seize the boats.

Normally, when robbing, it takes a lot of effort to pull the other ship over and risk being attacked by the other side. You have to slowly pull it with a grappling hook. But today, although I was scared at first, the ships were close in tonnage. Even from the side, the other side was unable to sink me. Instead, the two ships were brought close together in an instant.

The situation had reversed, and he was now thinking about how to enjoy the Lin family's wealth and women.

Many pirates shared the same thought, so they scrambled to their feet, roaring as they charged toward the enemy's ship, ready to leap over and wreak havoc.

Lin Hao's Fujian ship was hit head-on, so it suffered almost no damage. The swaying from the impact was also forward and backward, not left and right, so it recovered the fastest.

"Everyone, don't panic! No one is allowed to attack without my order! Swordsmen and shieldmen, protect the musketeers! Light the matchlocks on the muskets!"

To prevent the musket from being accidentally triggered during the impact, although it had been loaded, there was no fuse. Only after Lin Hao gave the order did everyone begin to light the fuse in an orderly manner.

At this moment, the enemy's arrows had already begun to be fired sporadically.

"what!"

Although swordsmen and shieldmen were specially assigned to use shields to block the bullets, one person was still hit directly by a shot, fortunately in the shoulder.

The boy who was shot turned pale, but he gritted his teeth and stopped making a sound, while continuing to light the fuse in his hand.

At the same time, several grappling hooks flew over and landed on the Fujian ship. The other side then quickly tightened them, pulling the two ships, which were about to separate due to the wind direction, back together.

Several planks were quickly erected, and several shirtless pirates with fierce expressions prepared to climb over.

"Haha, brothers, those guys are just a bunch of greenhorns, they're already scared out of their wits. I'm taking the credit for this!"

The first bald, burly man to stand on the wooden plank held a knife in his right hand. He stood as steady as a rock on the swaying plank, clearly a seasoned bandit with extraordinary skills.

At this moment, he felt he had already won. Apart from ramming the ship, the other side hadn't made any move. Based on his extensive experience in hijacking ships, he figured these people were probably terrified. Victory was just like he had experienced countless times before: once he boarded the other side's ship, they wouldn't dare to resist.

However, he forgot a crucial thing: their artillery had fired twice and was still not reloaded, while Lin Hao and his men's artillery had not fired at all.

"Fire!" Lin Hao gave the order, and the two breech-loading cannons roared instantly.

Both of these breech-loading cannons were loaded with shotgun shells, specifically for this moment.

The Fujian ship was already taller than the enemy ship, and now, from its superior position, hundreds of cannon shots roared out from both cannons at the same time. The pirate who was standing on the wooden plank was instantly turned into a rag doll, with half of his head missing and his body full of holes, turning into a bloody mess in an instant.

The pirates crowded at the back, though they escaped being riddled with holes, weren't much better off. Hundreds of stones and nails ravaged the enemy ship, and most of them were instantly wounded.

But it's not over yet.

The Franco cannon had low power and short range, and because it was breech-loading, its airtightness was poor, making it easy to burn the gunner. However, it had one advantage that no other cannon of that era could match.

That is, it can fire rapidly. The breech-loading cannon is also known as the "mother-and-child cannon" because it is often equipped with several cannons. After the breech-loading cannon fires, the gunner can quickly remove the fired cannon, replace it with a new cannon, and then continue firing. A skilled gunner can fire the breech-loading cannon 4 to 5 times per minute, which is much faster than that of a musket.

The pirates had barely recovered from the initial burst of cannon fire when a second volley came. Even as they desperately fled for cover, several were still killed.

"Brothers! Charge while their artillery is reloading! Otherwise, we'll be riddled with bullets!"

Zhou Daye loudly urged everyone to go up, but unfortunately, no one listened.

"boom!"

Another round of shotgun fire came, and several more pirates fell down with cries of pain.

"Bucktooth, you lead the men and charge! If we get past them, we win!" Zhou Daye, hiding in a corner near the end of the building, kicked the buck-toothed guy away. "Charge! Or you're dead!"

The buck-toothed man was terrified at the sight, but even so he didn't dare to go forward. He rolled and awkwardly hid behind a wooden barrel, trying to block the cannon fire.

Seeing this, Zhou Daye was furious, but he knew he had no choice but to come out, as he couldn't rely on these people. So he rushed out, brandishing his knife and roaring, "If you want to play with the rich lady, come on, charge! Charge and you'll win!"

Seeing this, the pirates on the ship, who were being forced to run around in panic by the cannons, were greatly encouraged. They knew that if they dodged left and right, they would die sooner or later if they failed. They might as well charge forward and maybe they would win.

With their leader setting an example, morale instantly soared, and the pirates were instantly aroused. A large number of pirates picked up their knives and guns and rushed towards the Fujian ship, while the rest of them frantically shot arrows at the two gunners. Even the two shield-bearing boys that Lin Hao sent to cover the gunners had their shields covered with arrows, and each of them still had several arrows on their bodies, but they still did not retreat an inch.

"Kill them!"

The pirates roared and charged forward. The boys did not retreat, but the two gunners were trembling with tension. Their loading speed dropped drastically. In his haste, one of them did not grip the cannon handle tightly, and the cannon slipped from his hand. In his panic, he tried to grab it, and immediately screamed in pain as his hands came into direct contact with the scorching hot cannon barrel, making a sizzling sound like roasting meat.

This scene terrified the other gunner, causing him to load the gun even more slowly.

"Their gunners are in disarray! Brothers, charge!"

Zhou Daye, being the closest, immediately noticed this scene, which greatly boosted his confidence. This delay was enough for them to rush into the enemy's ship. At that time, the situation would reverse again.