Although the hit rate at this distance was impressive, the Portuguese had too many guns. In a round of starboard salvos, five or six shells hit at long range, killing some unprotected Ryukyu rowers and punching a hole in the deck of one of the galleys, which also penetrated the bottom of the ship.

Ryukyu's galleys could not be equipped with watertight compartments, so once there was a large-scale leak, the ship would sink.

Zheng Xun quickly ordered other ships to pick up the sailors on that ship, and the galley sank soon after.

The pirates cheered when they saw this. Today's result was three to one, and the Portuguese were the winners!

Uh, wait, there's another caravel going to sink too? That shouldn't be possible, the Portuguese are awesome at damage control, they'll definitely be able to salvage it...

The Portuguese tried their best to rescue the ship, but by noon, the caravel, which seemed intact, still sank due to a cannon shot in the waterline.

~~

"That's three to two, Master Portuguese is still the best!" Lin Daoqian shouted excitedly at the afternoon gathering of the sea owners. No one looked happier than him, and it was hard to tell that he had just cried because he was worried about his sister.

"Yes." Zeng Yiben also cheered up again and said proudly: "I said that the Portuguese sailing ship is the key to victory. Did you see it? The cannons of the Jiangnan Group can't hurt it at all!"

His fleet was beaten to a pulp by a caravel in Macau, and his status in the martial arts world has plummeted since then. Now that he sees that the Jiangnan Group's fleet is also avoiding the caravel, he thinks this is a way to save face.

The other sea lords also nodded and said that it seemed that the Portuguese still ruled the sea. The Jiangnan Group had to be controlled even if it was a dragon.

The original surrender group fell silent, and the pirates suddenly changed their attitude.

Finally, they discussed and decided to continue to follow the Portuguese. Of course, they had to be smarter this time and not let them be used as cannon fodder again...

~~

Aboard the Duke of Goa, however, the atmosphere was solemn.

With the bass playing of the Orwellian violin, Domingo and other Portuguese generals attended the noble funeral of Lieutenant Colonel João Carlos, which was presided over by the Jesuits on board the ship.

Then an empty coffin containing only his naval uniform was lowered into the water from the side of the ship.

Major Alfonso looked at the beautiful coffin with a cross pattern on the surface, which slowly sank under the weight of the heavy object. In the end, only some white rose petals were left floating alone on the sea.

He said sadly to the adjutant beside him: "Little Lucas, I actually liked that one. Now I have to choose another one, but the others are not as pretty."

The young and handsome adjutant was stunned for a moment before he realized that the major was talking about the coffin. He didn't know why his superior was so pessimistic, but he still comforted him softly: "Sir, our large sailing ships are well designed and made of expensive materials, especially the Oriental Princess, which has been launched for less than five years. It is the best time..."

"Haha..." The major looked at the adjutant who was kept in the dark and couldn't help but smile bitterly. Just as he was hesitating whether to tell him that our ship had been ruined, Commander Domingo spoke over there and asked all commanders to hold a meeting in the senior officers' restaurant.

The major swallowed his words, left his adjutant behind, and followed the other commanders to the spacious and luxurious senior officers' dining room on the top floor of the stern deck.

He was still holding onto a lucky mentality. After all, nothing had happened for such a long time... It shouldn't be so strange that something would happen at this very moment, right?

~~

After everyone arrived, Domingo asked his adjutant to close the door and stopped pretending completely.

"Gentlemen, today's results are shocking!" Domingo loosened the white silk scarf around his neck and said with a sullen face, "The artillery of the Jiangnan Group is actually more advanced than ours! The Ottomans couldn't sink any of our caravels!"

"Yes." Everyone nodded. They all knew that the difference lay in the artillery.

Although the Ottoman Empire's warships were also equipped with artillery, they were prepared for boarding battles. Their numbers were limited and their power was even more limited.

Therefore, compared with the Calais galley, it was much more flexible and faster; compared with the Arab sailboat, it was much taller and had much more powerful firepower, and it had always been in a state of having no natural enemies.

Until today, they encountered the Jiangnan Fleet, which also relied mainly on artillery, and whose artillery could fire farther than theirs... No matter how fast the sailboats were, they could not be faster than artillery!

Once the range is inferior to that of the enemy, the caravel will not be useless, but its effectiveness will definitely be greatly reduced, and the risk of being sunk will increase sharply!

This was difficult for them to accept. Although the cannon was invented by the Chinese, the Portuguese believed that their manufacturing technology was already superior to that of the Chinese. As a result, the people of the Ming Dynasty had to imitate their cannons to replace those backward big firecrackers and named them "Falangji".

But in fact, the Portuguese, who regarded artillery as a national treasure, did not teach the Ming people real artillery. The so-called "Flangji" was just their smallest eagle cannon. It was not even counted when calculating warship artillery.

The Ming people were overjoyed and thought it was better than all the cannons in their country. This made the Portuguese in Macau, who had always felt inferior, finally regain their confidence.

Unexpectedly, within just a few years, the people of the Ming Dynasty used the cannons produced from the Bugalao Cannon Foundry to imitate the more powerful snake cannon, the long snake cannon!

If they were given a few more years, the gap would definitely be even bigger.

And according to intelligence, they also imitated the galleon...

"So gentlemen, if we can't win this battle, we will most likely be forced out of the Far East within a few years. Even if the Malacca Fleet arrives, it won't change the outcome." Domingo said sternly, "I don't need to say how serious the consequences will be, right?"

Everyone nodded. Although the colonies in Africa and India continued to supply the country, and the South China Sea trade was also very profitable, it could not compare with the Far East trade. The Far East route was the original intention of the great voyages, the jewel in the crown of the empire! It must not be lost.

"But the enemy showed high morale and excellent command, especially the commander of the medium-sized fleet. If he escapes this time, I'm afraid it won't be so easy to eliminate him again." Captain Conde, the captain of the 'Regaleira', was a handsome man with a beautiful beard. He expressed deep concern, "And their main fleet didn't show up today. It seems that the enemy commander is very patient."

"Yes." Lieutenant Colonel Silva, the captain of the Pena, nodded and said, "Colonel, you are right. I think the commander doesn't want to fight with us. He just wants to wear us out."

"I have to say, this is a wise move." Major General Domingo nodded. Time was indeed not on his side. Even if he didn't have to worry about the pirates, the combined fleet of him and Lin Hongzhong had reached 15,000 people, and the daily consumption was astonishing. They would definitely not be able to hold out for long.

Moreover, as time went on, the quality of food declined, and with so many people crammed onto one ship, the sailors and soldiers became physically and mentally exhausted, and war-weariness would soon set in.

"I've decided that starting tomorrow, the main fleet will cruise outside Qing'ao Bay!" Domingo made up his mind and said in a deep voice, "If we can't get supplies, they can't either! Remember, don't get entangled with those small boats. Just like today, you must act as if you are determined to force their main battleship to show up!"

"Yes, sir!" The commanders responded with understanding.

~~

For the next three days, the Portuguese fleet cruised off the coast of Qing'ao Bay, preventing the fleets of the Jiangnan Group from entering the bay for supplies.

However, they were well aware of the power of the artillery and would never dare to enter the bay.

As a result, the sea returned to calm within three days, and almost no gunfire could be heard.

Because the sea lords have realized that they can't beat anyone, they have decided not to be cannon fodder. The caravelle, which has suffered a great loss, dares not leave the large sailing ship and wander around freely. The three squadrons of the Jiangnan Group dare not provoke the Portuguese fleet with a large sailing ship.

As for the legendary Jiangnan main fleet, it never showed up from beginning to end, which even made the enemy doubt whether such a fleet existed.

By the fourth day, Zheng Yu's Ryukyu fleet was the first to collapse and had to withdraw from the battle and move to the No. 2 supply point, Zhelin Bay in Raoping County, for replenishment.

In fact, Zhelin Bay is only fifty miles away, and there is a government-run Zhelin Water Fort stationed there. Mr. Zhao is the co-governor of Chaozhou Coastal Defense, and Zhelin Water Fort is under his control. With the help of the Jiangnan Group, it is like his own backyard.

This is the advantage of fighting at home, you can get supplies everywhere.

The sea masters were in a miserable situation. They had been at sea for more than ten days since they set out from the mouth of the Pearl River. Most of the food and fresh water had been consumed and they were in urgent need of replenishment.

Penghu could originally provide supplies, but it was destroyed by Zhao Hao before the war, and all the people on the island were relocated away, leaving not a single hair behind.

Then we can only rely on our old business? However, Chaozhou Prefecture has been warned, and all counties have moved individual households without walled houses and towers to the county town to avoid being robbed by pirates. This is why Zhao Hao waited until after the autumn harvest to start the war. If it was a month earlier, it would be difficult to achieve the effect of fortifying the city and clearing the countryside.

As for Zhangzhou Prefecture, Yu Dayou has already gone to Zhao'an County in person to take charge. If anyone doesn't want to live, just go there.

The sea lords, who were at their wits' end, had to inform the Portuguese through Lin Hongzhong that their men were already very upset. The emperor had no shortage of hungry soldiers, so if they held out for two more days, everyone would have to flee.

Domingo had anticipated this and had been waiting for this day.

On the high poop of the Duke of Goa, after listening to Lin Hongzhong's words, he suddenly said without thinking: "Jeffrey, the south wind is blowing."

"Oh, really?" Lin Hongzhong naturally understood what he meant, and hurriedly looked at a small flag next to him, and sure enough, it turned and fluttered towards the northeast.

"God is really helping me." He said with relief.

"No, you should say Hallelujah. The power of the Almighty God can also reach the Far East!" Domingo said with excitement in his eyes, "Invite the people on the list immediately. I want to assign them a decisive battle mission!"

"Okay, my brother!" Lin Hongzhong touched the cross around his neck and felt a sense of awe.

In fact, although his and the Portuguese fleets were both very capable of loading cargo, there were too many people on board this time. If the south wind didn't turn, even they wouldn't be able to hold out for a few days, and this scene would end in embarrassment...

"Hallelujah..." This was the first time Lin Hongzhong said it so sincerely.