Chapter 160: Surprise is coming (3rd update, please subscribe)

Public international law is just a piece of paper, or a few pieces of paper.

Who would comply? Not only would no one comply, but the answer from the artillery completely angered Ress, who spoke to Davis with an angry face.

"Mr. Douglas, you've seen it, they've rejected us!"

"Um……"

Pursing his lips, Davis stared at the artillery above the cliff and said.

"Colonel, what if we fly the merchant flag and enter?"

"Sir, you are a diplomat. You should know that once we raise the merchant flag, it means we acknowledge the other party's identity! Then the basis for negotiation will no longer exist!"

For a moment, Resas even wanted to question Mitre in person, haven't you ever studied international public law?

You actually sent a fleet here, and now the other party is shutting you out. You must be dumbfounded now!

Now you are in a dilemma!

"Now they have locked us out, sir. If you agree, I will immediately blow open their door and force them to admit that this is Argentine territory!"

Hearing this, Davis frowned.

"Colonel, are you sure?"

"Sir, you must know that gunboats are the passport to the whole world, and diplomats' confidence is given by the fleet!"

Resas, who had studied in the UK, learned all the British ways. Although Argentina did not have the strength of the British navy, it did not prevent him from learning the British ways.

Although he was reluctant to admit it, Davis had to admit that what he said was true.

"That……"

After thinking for a moment, Davis shrugged and said.

"Let them face reality!"

Face the reality!

Reality is the ultimatum!

“Your company is ordered to open the port and raise the Argentine flag within 24 hours, otherwise you will bear the consequences.”

Faced with the Argentines' ultimatum, Zhu Xianhai's answer was also straightforward and concise.

"Tell them that America will never make any concessions on matters of principle!"

The negotiations broke down before they even started.

After this response, the artillery and the fleet immediately got busy.

"Well, gentlemen, let's teach them what reality is!"

The atmosphere on the cruiser "General Belgrano" immediately became boiling, and the sailors shouted as they stuffed the heavy shells into the muzzles.

The sea breeze from the Atlantic Ocean blew on the artillery positions on the peninsula. Although the temperature was quite pleasant at this time, the atmosphere on the artillery positions seemed a little tense. The gunners stood at the tail of the wooden gun carriage of the Armstrong cannon. They were either squatting or standing, occasionally looking at the commander not far away, and the artillery chief Ding Wentao stood there waiting for orders.

Standing behind the fort's protective wall, Zhu Xianhai looked out at the blue Atlantic Ocean and stared at the three warships, no, three targets.

"Are you ready?"

"Report to the commander-in-chief, we are ready."

"Then let's get started!"

"Ready to launch!"

Following the order, the gunner behind the gun position immediately rushed to the gun position, and the gunner on the left used a wooden hammer to hit the bolt at the gun breech. Then the two of them quickly turned the bolt. That is the bolt called "Armstrong screw", which is its tail bolt. After turning the bolt, the vertical air-blocking plug is pulled out, the ammunition is loaded, and then the bolt is turned. The so-called gun breech bolt is simply a large hollow screw, which is why it is called a "screw gun".

Looking at the gunners twisting the breech block, Zhu Xianhai just pursed his lips slightly. This cannon was too complicated to operate.

When the gunners lifted the shells to load, he narrowed his eyes slightly. The shells they loaded were completely different from the commonly used shells. The cylindrical shells had sharp streamlines in the first half, and they were longer and heavier.

Whether it is the original British Armstrong 110-pound cannon or the Nanhua imitation, the caliber is 7 inches. This cannon, which was finalized in 1859, can be installed on a land-based gun mount or a naval gun mount. The gun mount is a mixed structure of wood and iron. Its metric caliber is 177.8 mm, and the weight of the projectile is 90 to 109 pounds, which is 40 to 50 kilograms.

Zhu Xianhai knew its performance very well. After all, it was once Nanhua's main cannon and was used to guard the gate. He even had two cannons transported there during the expedition to Araucanía. Originally it was intended to be used as a siege gun, and later it was used to strengthen the defense of the coastal fortress.

However, it now uses a new type of artillery shell designed by Zhu Xianhai - a 100-kilogram shell. Its weight has doubled. The reason for designing this kind of artillery shell is to tap the potential of the Armstrong cannon - its caliber is about 180 mm, and firing a 50-kilogram shell is really a bit of a waste of talent.

100 kilograms is just right. As for the range, because the new artillery shells have a streamlined shape, the range has not been shortened and still maintains a range of 3,200 meters!

Zhu Xianhai smiled slightly.

This is his secret weapon - a more powerful artillery shell!

The shouts of the gunners were heard one after another on the battery.

"Gun position number 3 is ready."

"Gun position 4 is ready"

…

As the twelve Armstrong cannons on the fort finished preparing for firing, Wang Sanwei, standing next to the wooden gun carriage, stuffed the firing tube into the breech block, fastened the firing rope, and then stared at the target on the sea. Everyone was waiting, waiting for the Argentines to fire.

The gunners on the cruiser "General Belgrano" had just finished loading, and when they pushed the nine-inch Dahlgren cannon out of the gun port, the gunners on the starboard side shouted "Ready!" and Lesas nodded in high spirits.

"Fire!"

Following the order, the gunners on the cruiser "General Belgrano" pulled the fuse one after another, and in an instant, clouds of smoke and flames erupted from the side of the ship.

Ding Wentao shouted almost at the moment Argentina opened fire.

"Fire!"

The moment Wang Sanwei pulled the fuse with great force, accompanied by a loud bang, the Armstrong cannon on the gun carriage recoiled violently along the wooden shell, and the flames and smoke from the muzzle instantly enveloped the entire turret.

As one shell whistled out, another cannon opened fire, and for a moment the battery was filled with the sound of cannon fire.

When the deafening sound of artillery fire was heard, Zhu Xianhai, who was in the bunker, looked at the sea with a relaxed expression.

There was no suspense at all in this conflict, after all, the Argentines' wooden-hulled ships were simply vulnerable.

As if to confirm his speculation, when several huge water columns exploded near the Argentine warships, a huge explosion of flames was seen from the midmast of the cruiser General Belgrano...

(End of this chapter)