Chapter 396: Small Boat vs. Warship (First Update, Please Subscribe)
On the tranquil Paraná River, the gun ports of the Brazilian fleet's flagship frigate, the Amazon, were wide open, with the black gun barrels pointing directly at the river. The muzzles of the Brazilians' other four coastal defense ships and four gunboats were also pointed forward.
"Tell them this is Paraguayan territory and ask them to evacuate immediately!"
Admiral Inacio da Fonseca stared at the small gunboats of various sizes on the river. The commander of the Brazilian fleet, who defeated the Paraguayan fleet in the "Battle of Riaccheiro" and forced Paraguay to withdraw most of its troops from northern Argentina, weighed the matter in his mind for a moment and came to a conclusion!
"The advantage is mine!"
It is no wonder that Admiral Inacio da Fonseca came to such a conclusion. Although the South China Army has as many as a dozen gunboats, the tonnage of those gunboats is limited. Those small gunboats of about 100 tons do not even have cannons - is a Gatling six-barrel machine gun considered a cannon?
As for the mortars… well, they were simply not prepared for a naval battle!
Or maybe they never thought about having a naval battle here.
And what about the Brazilian fleet?
The flagship "Amazon" is the most powerful warship in the fleet. With a tonnage of 1,500 tons, it is absolutely a behemoth on the Paraná River. Its hull is extremely strong. In the "Battle of Riacchus", it turned the tide, rushed in and out on the river, and sank four warships of the Paraguayan Navy with its solid hull.
In addition to the sturdy hull, the "Amazon" is also equipped with two 7-inch muzzle-loading rifled guns and two 64-pound muzzle-loading rifled guns. The two 7-inch guns are installed on the central axis of the hull and can fire to any side by rotating the gun body. The 64-pound guns are fixed on the side gun ports through gun mounts.
The powerful firepower and sturdy ships gave Admiral Inacio da Fonseca enough confidence, making him conceited and even a little arrogant.
"Warn them that if they do not immediately withdraw from Paraguayan territory, we will exercise our responsibility to defend Paraguay!"
"Your Mightiness,"
The adjutant beside Inacio reminded.
"us……"
"We are here to perform our duties and to defend the dignity of Brazil."
Admiral Inácio da Fonseca interrupted his adjutant's question and said.
"Send the signal."
When the Brazilians issued the warning through flag signals, Li Weinan, who was standing on the gunboat, opened his eyes wide with surprise in his eyes.
"Fuck, a bunch of bandits who occupied other people's land are actually trying to protect them. How shameless!"
"What do you mean by shameless? Captain, I'm just a robber protecting his dirty stuff!"
Robbers protect dirty stuff!
It's instinct!
And it turns out that most of the time, the robbers who protect dirty things are the most combative.
Faced with the threat from the Brazilian Navy, Du Guofeng, captain of the Second Detachment, gave orders without delay.
"Send flags to tell them that this is the Argentine occupied area. We have the right to take over this area. Tell them to get out of the way immediately!"
Without any hesitation, the dispatch team's twelve gunboats also entered combat readiness.
"Brothers, prepare for battle!"
Li Tao, the gunner, roared and rushed to the gun position. As he set up the tail of the machine gun, his right hand had already tightly grasped the turning handle and his eyes were fixed on the front. His comrades directly opened the magazine in the armored fence, ready to load ammunition at any time.
But they were like a joke in front of the Brazilian fleet - the total tonnage of these twelve gunboats combined was not as large as that of an "Amazon". Moreover, they also had four coastal defense ships of about 1,000 tons and four gunboats.
The power disparity of several times is enough to make anyone afraid!
But under the leadership of Du Guofeng, they went forward without hesitation, and no officer or sailor questioned the order.
After all, from the day they entered the navy, the naval spirit has been engraved into their bones.
What is the naval spirit?
It is the spirit of taking the initiative to attack regardless of the relative strength of the enemy and ourselves. In Europe and the United States, this spirit is called the Nelson spirit of "killing the enemy when you see him." Even if you know you can't win, you must resolutely attack and fight to the end, destroying the enemy's body and will with sacrifice and blood.
This spirit of fighting as soon as you see the enemy is even written into the British naval regulations - if you receive a signal but don't fight, if you encounter an enemy ship that you are responsible for attacking but don't fight, if there is a possibility of a battle but don't lead your subordinates to fight bravely: the fleet commander, captain, and commander should be sentenced to death or other imprisonment by the military court. All people in the fleet who do not fight bravely and surrender cunningly and cowardly should be sentenced to death by the military court.
As a good student, the South China Guard Fleet directly copied the Royal Navy's "Naval Discipline Act". In the education of the Naval Academy, emphasis was also placed on cultivating the naval spirit of "fighting the enemy as soon as you see them". If the spirit is not enough... inject the rod!
"Send a signal to the troop transports and have them land according to the established plan. My dispatch team will do its best to cover their landing!"
After the signalman on the gunboat sent out the flag signal, Zhou Ze, who was standing on the deck, had a solemn expression. Looking at the dispatched fleet that was determined to fight, a strange idea popped up in his mind!
“They’re crazy!”
Not to mention the Brazilians, even Zhou Ze, his colleague, had this thought in his mind - the gap in strength between the enemy and us is too great!
Even as an army officer, he could tell the difference in strength between the two sides. Rushing forward like this would simply be courting death. After all, in a naval battle, it was almost impossible for a small boat to defeat a warship.
But they still won regardless.
Why are they taking such risks!
It is to cover the landing of troops!
"Land the troops immediately, deploy artillery after landing, and prepare to assist the fleet in combat!"
When the army troops began to land, the soldiers crowded the side of the troop transport ship. They all silently watched the dispatch fleet heading towards the enemy fleet. They held their rifles tightly, with expressions full of grief and anger.
"Really, you are worthy of being a Nanhua athlete!"
Tian Zhong, who was squeezed against the side of the ship with a rifle in his hand, was squeezed so hard that he couldn't even move, but he saw the twelve escort ships heading towards the enemy ship.
Now facing the Brazilian fleet whose tonnage is five or six times larger than its own, this escort fleet, whose tonnage is so small that it can be compared to an ant, just went forward to meet it!
The admiration that came from the bottom of their hearts made everyone's expression become somewhat tragic.
"This kind of courage is only matched by the bravest warriors! The warriors of Nanhua are truly role models for our generation!"
For a moment, thousands of officers and soldiers of the Second Mixed Brigade were all sighing with admiration in their eyes.
"Sir, Nanhua's troop transport ships have begun landing!"
Inacio didn't need his adjutant's reminder at all, as he could see the actions of the South China transport fleet. What surprised him even more was that the twelve small gunboats were actually sailing towards them.
"Are they crazy?"
Ignacio couldn't help but be surprised.
"Don't they realize how vulnerable they are?"
"Oh My God……"
With his eyes wide open, Captain Antonio Valentino could not help but make the sign of the cross on his chest. He almost subconsciously thought of - massacre!
Once the naval battle begins, it will not be a fair fight, but a battle with a huge disparity in strength and no suspense.
"Raise the 'Z' flag! Prepare to engage the enemy!"
The moment Du Guofeng gave the order, a "Z"-shaped flag consisting of four colors: black, yellow, blue and red was raised.
Since Nelson raised the "Z" flag at the Battle of Tragavalle, with the determination to fight to the end and fight Napoleon's naval fleet, this flag has since had a special meaning of "fight to the death, good luck and glory". There have been examples of flying the "Z" flag to boost morale in many battles.
When the "Z" flag was raised on the small mast of the gunboat, the officers and soldiers of the Brazilian fleet all looked at the flag with complicated eyes. As naval soldiers, they certainly knew the meaning of the flag.
"No matter what the outcome, no one can ignore their courage!"
Standing on the command tower and gazing at the approaching enemy ships, Ignacio's expression showed a hint of a faint smile while he sighed.
Not many people knew that this was exactly the opportunity he was waiting for. What kind of opportunity was he waiting for?
Only Inacio knows the answer, but the opportunity is right in front of him, how can he not seize it?
"Gentlemen, although the courage of the other side can be relieved, it is for the dignity of Brazil and to complete our mission."
Ignacio ordered.
"I order the Excellence to fire warning shots at the Nanhua troops landing on land, asking them to stop landing immediately, and at the same time demand that the Nanhua gunboats stop advancing!"
I have set up a book club: 335260551. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.
(End of this chapter)
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