Before the 15th century, the main power source for warships of various countries was a combination of sails and oars.

That is, it has both sails and oars.

Use sails when there is wind; use oars when there is no wind.

Between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, human knowledge of the ocean began to increase.

They found that there was basically no lack of wind at sea, and even if there was no wind, the warships could sail with the help of ocean currents.

As a result, warships of various countries gradually abandoned oars and used sails as power.

By the mid-seventeenth century, warships powered solely by sails became the mainstream.

While warship power is being reformed, naval warfare methods are also being improved.

During the Middle Ages (5th-15th century AD), the main weapon in naval warfare was the bow metal.

Simply put, it is to wrap a sharp and raised piece of metal on the bow of the ship, and when encountering an enemy ship, use this piece of metal to hit the hull of the enemy ship, causing it to be damaged, leak, and then sink.

In addition to the bow metal, there are also long-range weapons such as catapults and crossbows, as well as melee weapons such as spears, swords and shields.

The naval warfare tactics at that time were also very simple and crude, first using the metal ram on the bow of the ship to ram.

Next, the two ships boarded each other.

Some soldiers used long-range weapons to suppress the other side, while other soldiers hooked the other side's ship with iron hooks and pulled the rope behind the hooks hard to fix the two ships together.

Afterwards, the soldiers jumped onto the enemy ship with swords and shields and engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

This tactic is also known as boarding tactics.

To the mid-seventeenth century and beyond.

Due to the rapid development of firearms, traditional metal ramming and boarding tactics were gradually abandoned, and giant ship and big gun tactics became the mainstream naval warfare thinking.

To put it simply, it means building big ships and installing heavy artillery.

Sink the enemy ship at medium and long distances, and don't give the enemy a chance for close combat.

This tactic lasted from the mid-seventeenth century to the mid-twentieth century, until the rise of aircraft carriers officially marked the end of the era of giant ships and giant guns.

Zheng Zhilong and the Zheng family army were born as pirates.

After they were summoned to become the Ming army, they absorbed the idea of giant ships and giant cannons, but they did not forget the boarding tactics.

Take October of the sixth year of Chongzhen as an example. Zheng Zhilong, who had surrendered to the Ming Dynasty for five years, led his navy in a naval battle with the Dutch in the Kinmen area.

In this battle, Zheng Zhilong used boarding tactics to burn one enemy ship and capture another, and the Dutch were defeated and retreated.

Therefore, before fighting with Shang Kexi, Zheng Chenggong had made clear his tactical thinking: use artillery at long distances and hand-to-hand combat at close range.

On the sea.

The first warship of the Jiannu navy and the last warship of the Ming army sailed in parallel.

Although the Jiannu's first round of attack was extremely fierce, the Ming army was not afraid at all.

Faced with the flames from the blowtorch, they used bamboo poles to pick up wet cloth to block it.

When the fire bricks arrive, cover them with wet clothes and wet cloth. If that doesn’t work, pour water on them.

As soon as the person in front was shot, someone else took over.

Others hid behind the side of the ship to avoid attacks and wait for an opportunity to launch a counterattack.

Artillery fire from both sides roared, and bullets and arrows flew like rain.

The helmsman on the Ming warship quickly steered the ship and moved closer to the enemy ship.

When they were seven or eight steps away from the enemy ship, a Ming general shouted in the hail of bullets, "Throw the hook!"

Five or six Ming soldiers holding iron hooks quickly stood up, ran a distance on the deck, and then threw the iron hooks in their hands with force.

The iron hook flew across the sea and sky and landed on the inside of the Jiannu warship.

Then the soldiers pulled the rope behind the iron hook, and the hook hooked the enemy's ship's side tightly.

"Come and help pull it together!" At the soldiers' call, dozens of Ming soldiers rushed forward to pull the rope.

With the help of human power, the two ships were getting closer and closer.

Seven steps...six steps...five steps...

The Jiannu soldiers quickly realized the Ming army's tactics. While attacking with various long-range weapons, they leaned forward with swords in hand to cut the rope behind the iron hook.

Ding ding!

The knife hit the rope, sparks flew and a harsh metallic sound was heard.

"The rope is wrapped in iron, so it can't be cut. You have to use fire..."

Before the soldier who was cutting the rope could finish his words, a bullet from the Ming army's artillery pierced his body.

Hot blood gushed out from the wound, flowing down the side of the ship, dripping into the sea and turning into nothingness.

Amid the smoke, the two warships were already facing each other side by side.

The Ming army soldier who was pulling the rope quickly fixed the rope and followed other soldiers in launching a charge.

"Kill!" The first batch of soldiers jumped into the enemy ship with swords and shields in hand.

Although the Jiannu soldiers put down their blowtorches and fire bricks and picked up cold weapons, they were no match for the Ming army in their hasty fight.

An Eight Banners soldier raised his knife and tried to fight back, but was slashed in the stomach by a Ming soldier.

Naval soldiers fighting at sea almost never wore armor. Even if they did, they wore rattan armor and a rattan or bamboo helmet.

Only some generals wore armor containing iron.

After all, the sea is humid and iron armor is prone to rust. In order to prevent rust, it needs to be wiped with grease after each wear, but the price of grease is very high and ordinary soldiers can't afford it.

The Eight Banners soldiers, who had no armor to protect them, had their stomachs slashed open, and their internal organs and blood fell onto the deck.

The scene was horrific.

"Kill these bastards!" The second batch of Ming troops boarded the Jiannu warships.

They quickly expanded the battle line and forced the Eight Banners soldiers to the other side of the warship.

At this time, the Eight Banners soldiers had recovered from their panic. They picked up everything they could find on the deck and launched a counterattack against the Ming army that had boarded the ship.

Seeing that no one was paying attention, a Ming soldier reached out and picked up a blowtorch from the deck, lit it with a fuse, and aimed it at the sail of the Jiannu warship.

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