Whether it was rockets, garang cannons, or even the defensive, blocking, and assault formations, these were all actual combat exercises conducted by the Ming Navy.

Such an opportunity is so rare, it cannot be compared with normal training. Although there are target ships in the training exercises, and the bombardment of rockets and artillery may seem the same, it cannot compare with the mentality and situation changes on the battlefield.

Therefore, training is essential and only increases proficiency. Actual combat is the tempering and testing of soldiers, allowing them to adapt to the battlefield environment and maintain a relatively stable mentality.

The more actual combat they experience, the better soldiers adapt and the more stable their performance.

Because of this, the Ming Navy used various tactics to test their effectiveness in practice. Even if it resulted in more casualties, it was worth it.

Only the experiences and lessons learned through blood will be unforgettable and enable people to learn better and make improvements.

Of course, this is a tactic that will only be adopted when one has an absolute advantage and is sure of victory.

There were only six galleons, but the Ming navy was almost fully prepared.

In fact, this was also meant to be a training exercise. Even if there were too many people to help, the morale of the navy officers and soldiers would be boosted by seeing the naval battle, or even the tragic defeat of the red-haired barbarians.

The red-haired barbarians are nothing special. If you have this impression in your mind, you will not feel afraid when going to war with the Dutch again, but will instead have some psychological advantages.

It turns out that this arrangement is correct.

The dense rockets dealt a sudden and fierce blow to the Dutch, while the garangs dealt the final blow at close range. The heavy shells of the same caliber as the cannons caused devastating damage to the Dutch warships.

More than a dozen assault warships swept past the three enemy ships, and the bombardment of hundreds of galans immediately sank two galleons, and the other one was severely damaged and lost its combat capability.

The assault fleet passed the enemy ship, drew a graceful arc, turned back, and was about to bombard it with the broadside on the other side, but the battle was over.

The remaining Dutch lowered their sails and flags, sending a signal of surrender.

Blue's face was bleak as he ordered the resistance to cease. This fierce round of bombardment shattered his remaining illusions. With so many heavy artillery pieces, these few galleons were no match for them.

Until now, he didn't know that the Ming army used cannons, which had large calibers, thin and short barrels, and short range. Although he was very puzzled as to why the Ming army's warships could carry so many cannons.

"We won!" Zheng Zhihu felt a little unsatisfied, even though he was full of confidence in victory before and during the battle.

The drills and actual combat are completely different; one is more relaxed, the other is intense and exciting. Watching the enemy ships being hit by shells and burning is thrilling and exciting.

Huh! Hong Xu let out a long breath, and his tense body and mind relaxed.

Despite the intention of actual combat training and testing, the smaller the casualties, the better. Although the specific figures had not yet been reported, he had a rough idea. It seemed that our fleet had only suffered heavy damage, but no one had sunk.

Gan Hui from another fleet had the same idea. He looked around with a telescope, estimating the battle damage of his own fleet.

There was no all-out melee, but the Dutch suffered heavy losses through long-range bombardment with rockets and cannons, and most importantly, the absolute advantage in the number of ships and artillery, which greatly weakened their combat effectiveness.

An unfair victory?! Perhaps that was the thought, but in the first battle after the formation of the navy, ensuring victory was paramount.

………………

Outside Guangzhou city.

Zheng Zhilong, dressed in neat official uniform, was supervising large-scale construction on the open space outside the city.

The commercial district has begun to take shape, and the final construction will be completed soon. This is the commercial port established by Guangzhou.

Although Guangzhou had trading houses before, the current ones were several times larger, accommodating thousands of merchants. Of course, this was only the first phase of expansion.

There are not many trading ports with thousands of trading houses, and it is not the largest in Southeast Asia.

Taking the Zheng family of Annan as an example, in the middle of the 16th century, they specially opened up Gongxian (now Xing'an, Haixing Province, Vietnam) in the southeast of Jiaozhou City as a commercial port where merchants concentrated for trade.

Later, Nanzheng allowed the Dutch to set up trading houses in Gongxian, and Japanese and Siamese also entered Gongxian in large numbers. The total number of merchants from various countries reached more than 2,000.

Because of the prosperity of commerce, the cities of Annan were "capital ranked first, followed by Gongxian".

Historically, during the Chongzhen period, due to domestic wars, many merchants from Guangdong and Fujian also engaged in business in Guangxian, mainly engaged in businesses such as traditional Chinese medicine, cloth, spices, honey, silk and silk fabrics.

Apart from the extremely expensive formal channels, Quxian became the only source of raw and cooked silk for China. The Dutch and British successively established trading houses here to engage in the silk trade.

Now, the expansion and improvement of Guangzhou's commercial port and the opening of maritime trade have changed history again. The decline of Guangxian is inevitable, while Guangzhou's prosperity will reach its peak.

Zheng Zhilong withdrew his gaze and turned to the officer who was striding towards him. A smile appeared on his face and he took a few steps forward to greet him.

"Sir Zheng." The officer bowed and saluted.

"General Wang." Zheng Zhilong did not dare to be negligent and returned the courtesy as usual.

Wang Huazhong is not well-known, but he has studied martial arts and served under Shen Youhua for many years. He participated in the Battle of Port Arthur in the Denglai Navy and later led troops to expand the territory in Mekong Province. He has rich practical experience.

"The army is ready and can march to Haojing at any time," Wang Hualong said straight to the point. "As for the war with the red-haired barbarians, our army will undoubtedly win."

Zheng Zhilong nodded repeatedly, showing no doubt about this, but he still said cautiously: "When our navy returns victorious and demonstrates our military might to the Portuguese, it won't be too late to march into Hao."

After a pause, he added: "If the Portuguese resist with force, the navy's heavy artillery bombardment and destruction of the forts will be enough to break their will to resist."

Wang Hualong smiled and said, "The Portuguese are not good at close combat on land, and their forces number only two or three hundred. Our army is well-armed and can defeat them in one battle. The fortress artillery is mainly used to defend against attacks from the sea, and its impact on land is very limited."

The Portuguese did have very few troops in Macau. Although they were said to be only two or three hundred, they were basically all armed, even the black slaves were counted.

Despite this, the Ming army, which had 3,000 elite soldiers and generals equipped with flintlock rifles and artillery, did not want a battle to break out.

Using power to suppress others is not only the emperor's intention, but also a strategy allowed by reality.

Portugal, weakened, could no longer pose a threat to the Ming Empire, and it could still remain an additional trading partner in Europe.

With hundreds of warships demonstrating their military might in front of Macau and thousands of marines armed to the teeth advancing, the Portuguese should not have the confidence to reject the conditions of the Ming Empire.

You should know that although the Portuguese obtained the right to reside in Macau during the Ming Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty government still set up official offices here, which were directly governed by Guangdong Province.

If it weren't for the frequent changes of dynasties and wars in history, the Portuguese would not have had the strength to seize Macau.