When Kong Youde's navy gathered and sailed out of the port, the Ming navy was divided into two.

The large warship was moving slowly in the distance, and the small warship was approaching the shore quickly, preparing to go ashore.

Although the fort attacked with artillery, the small warships were small targets and moved quickly, making it difficult for the shells to hit them.

After firing two rounds of blank shots, the Ming army's bird boats got closer and closer to the shore.

boom!

Kong Youde used the ship's cannons to attack the Ming army.

The Ming army's bird ships retreated immediately, and Kong Youde used flag signals to convey military orders on his ship: occupy the upwind direction from the left and right wings, and then concentrate firepower to attack the Ming army's ship (flagship)!

Kong Youde was a subordinate of Mao Wenlong and was familiar with naval warfare.

He knew very well that as long as he sank the Ming navy's ships, the Ming army would collapse without a fight.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Shu immediately ordered: Follow the boat closely.

He had to stay away from the range of the coastal defense artillery and fight Kong Youde face to face.

As they were sailing against the wind, both sides chose to zigzag.

Kong Youde's warships carried no food and were lightly loaded, so they quickly caught up with the Ming army.

The two sides began to drive side by side.

On the sea, the distance between the two fleets was getting closer and closer.

From east to west, they are the left wing of Kong Youde's navy, the right wing of the Ming navy, the left wing of the Ming navy, and the right wing of Kong Youde's navy.

Silently, Kong Youde completed the encirclement from both sides.

Just when Kong Youde's navy wanted to continue sailing upwind, the Ming army warships suddenly approached them.

"Fire quickly!" Kong Youde shouted excitedly as he watched the Ming army ships getting closer and closer.

"Sir, we are not yet within the artillery range," someone reminded.

"Be prepared in advance, and fire immediately once you enter the artillery range..." Before Kong Youde could finish his words, the Ming army's artillery fired first.

boom!

Four projectiles were fired from the Ming army's ship, three of which missed the target, and the last one hit the side of Kong Youde's warship.

Bang! The huge impact force caused the entire ship to shake.

The wood on the side of the ship can withstand ordinary light artillery, but it cannot withstand the Red Cannon.

A cannonball smashed a hole in the side of the ship.

The shell still had momentum and rolled forward on the deck.

The soldiers dodged and caused a commotion.

Kong Youde was a veteran on the battlefield, and he quickly realized that the Ming army had moved the red cannon onto the ship.

"Damn it! The Ming army is so arrogant that they even moved the Red Cannon onto the ship!"

It is no wonder that Kong Youde sighed. According to the ordinary method of casting cannons, the cost of a red cannon plus its supporting ammunition and gun carriage is about 600 taels of silver.

And the cost of a bird boat is only eight hundred taels of silver!

Money is secondary; the time required to cast a cannon is the biggest problem.

Once the ship sinks, the cannon that was cast with great difficulty will also sink to the bottom of the water.

Seeing that the Ming army's red cannons were about to be reloaded, Kong Youde hurriedly ordered, "Retreat quickly, don't march side by side with the Ming army!"

The soldiers hurriedly adjusted the sails, changing the battle from sailing against the wind to sailing with the wind.

Under the influence of wind, Kong Youde came to the rear of the Ming army, which was downwind of the Ming army.

Yuan Shu was waiting for this opportunity. He sneered and ordered, "Attack!"

The Ming army's naval officers and soldiers operated the sails and rudders, and under the influence of the wind, the warships rushed towards Kong Youde's ship like an arrow.

The wind was howling on the sea, and the towering waves kept hitting the hull, making a banging sound.

Kong Youde was shocked because his warship was downwind.

The smoke produced after firing an artillery piece will not only block one's own vision, but will also greatly reduce the effectiveness of weapons such as rockets and missiles.

In desperation, he could only order a further retreat.

Amid the howling sea breeze, Kong Youde's boat rushed out several miles away.

Yuan Shu did not chase after them, but instead commanded his ship to attack other enemy ships.

The warships of both sides began to fight on the sea.

boom!

The four red-haired cannons on another keel gunboat of the Ming army fired first, and the other cannons followed suit.

The large solid bullet easily shattered the wood and penetrated into the cabin.

Because the bullet hit at a high location, only a small amount of seawater poured in.

Upper deck.

The Ming army's artillery did not fire in unison, but fired one after another, suppressing the opposite side with continuous firepower.

The dense array of bullets made the Jiannu soldiers unable to raise their heads.

Although they also fired artillery in an attempt to fight back, the number of artillery pieces was too small and there was no chance to reload after firing.

"Shoot at the waterline of their warships!" Zeng Ying commanded the Red Cannon to fire continuously.

"Get closer to them."

Amid the sound of cannon fire, the two warships were less than a hundred steps apart.

At eighty steps, the Ming army's bird-gun soldiers fired their guns, continuing to suppress the soldiers on the opponent's deck and preventing them from counterattacking.

When they were fifty steps away, the Ming army fired rockets at the sails of the enemy warships.

Once the canvas caught fire, there was no way to rescue it. The entire ship completely lost power and could not move, so it could only stand there and take the beating.

The general on the enemy ship knew this very well. He raised his shield and shouted, "Lower the sails, lower the sails quickly."

Whoosh——

Rays of fire shot out and stuck to the sails, starting a huge fire.

The Jiannu soldiers held up shields, braved the rain of bullets and fire, and used seawater prepared on the deck to put out the fire.

The thick smoke from the flames and the steam from the fire extinguishing made them lose their vision.

"Raise the sails quickly and retreat!" the Jiannu warship commander ordered.

Now their warships were being pinned to the sea by the Ming army. If they didn't leave, their ships would be destroyed and people would die.

While they were busy, Zeng Ying's warship had already arrived twenty steps away.

"put!"

With Zeng Ying's order, the Ming navy launched the second wave of offensive.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!