lcionline Chapter 184 Exercise
Chapter 184 Exercise
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Zheng Zhilong decided to be frank. Since war was inevitable, having this kind of cannon would greatly increase his chances of winning.
"General Liu, I'm not going to beat around the bush with you anymore. Sell me those cannons, name your price. If I defeat the Dutch and Liu Xiang, it will only benefit you. If I lose, and you want to get involved in Japan's trade in the future, Liu Xiang and the Dutch won't be as easy to talk to as I am."
After going around in circles, we finally got to the point. Liu Ye perked up and said, "We are all officials in the same court, and I would naturally not refuse to lend a hand if it would be helpful. However, besides cannons, I have another suggestion: why don't we form an alliance to deal with Liu Xiang and the Dutch?"
"An alliance?" This suggestion came as a huge surprise to Zheng Zhilong. He didn't believe Liu Ye was helping out of loyalty; he must have ulterior motives. But how much benefit could he gain from it? If he and Liu Ye were in each other's shoes, staying in Guangdong and watching the fight from the sidelines seemed like a better option. It wouldn't be too late to place his bets after the battle in Fujian had reached a decisive point.
"What benefits would I gain from this alliance? What benefits does General Liu want? Please speak frankly." This was a matter of great importance, and Zheng Zhilong would not agree easily. He wanted to find out what the other party was up to.
"For General Zheng, the benefit is gaining an ally. Although I have fewer ships, I am confident that my cannons are as good as the Dutch's. With the Dutch helping Liu Xiang, I can also help General Zheng make up for this shortcoming. The benefits for me are also obvious. I also want to go to Japan to do business and make some money. Fujian is a necessary route. Compared to the three forces fighting each other, it is naturally more advantageous for me to have General Zheng in control of the situation. My fleet can pass through safely."
Zheng Zhilong closed his eyes and thought it over carefully. Liu Ye's words sounded reasonable, with no obvious flaws. However, agreeing to an alliance would inevitably lead to interference in trade with Japan, which was probably their true objective. Should he accept this offer that had been presented to him, or not?
Zheng Zhihu, standing to the side, was getting a little anxious. He simply didn't believe that this seemingly refined Guangdong military officer had any qualifications to talk about an alliance with his elder brother. Perhaps the other party had some skills on land, but at sea, the Zheng family was the boss. The current situation was all achieved by the Zheng brothers through their own hard work and fighting. Why should outsiders be allowed to interfere and take a share of the spoils? Even without the other party's cannons, he was convinced that he could defeat Liu Xiang and even the Dutch.
However, since his elder brother hadn't expressed his opinion, he couldn't directly refute him, so he subtly probed from the side: "I heard that General Liu's cannons are quite good, driving away Liu Xiang's managers, even fighting five against one. I wonder if our Zheng family's ships could outnumber them?"
Zheng Zhilong opened his eyes and shouted, "Second brother, you mustn't be rude!"
Liu Ye laughed and said, "This must be Second Master Zheng, right? It's alright. Seeing is believing, so it's understandable that Second Master Zheng has this question. Why don't we move to the dock and have a live-fire exercise to see how effective this cannon really is?"
Zheng Zhihu said loudly, "That works. Whether it's a mule or a horse, we'll find out when we take it out for a spin, haha."
"Second brother!" Zheng Zhilong shouted angrily, then said to Liu Ye, "My second brother is a rough man, General Liu, please don't take offense." Actually, Zheng Zhihu's suggestion suited him very well, but it was not appropriate for him to say it; it was better for Zheng Zhihu to say it.
"It's alright. Even if Master Zheng hadn't brought it up, I was already thinking the same thing. Whether it's selling cannons or forming an alliance, I have to show General Zheng the real deal. Talk is cheap." Liu Ye knew perfectly well that the two brothers were playing good cop and bad cop, but it would be good to intimidate them with the Caron cannon. It would be beneficial for the negotiations. He could use "fighting" to promote the talks.
Both sides arrived at the dock and made their respective arrangements. Since it was a demonstration, real people couldn't be used as cannon fodder. The Zheng family dispatched ten 200-ton ships, slightly smaller than the Wuxiang-class, to surround the enemy. Dozens of adult-sized planks were erected on the decks, secured at the bottom with iron nails. On Liu Ye's side, Li Fei led three Wuxiang-class patrol ships, with all the guns on both sides in position, aiming at the enemy.
The two sides agreed to simulate ten ships surrounding three Wuxiang-class warships, preparing to board them. The Wuxiang-class warships would have half an incense stick's time to counterattack. If they couldn't inflict heavy casualties on the decks or sink the enemy ships, they would lose. In reality, at a distance of less than 200 meters, half an incense stick's time was enough to get close enough to board. Once boarding was successful, the battle would be over. These gunboats with few sailors were unable to withstand intense hand-to-hand combat, while the Zheng family's sailors were seasoned veterans of countless battles. Outnumbered, it would be a one-sided massacre.
Zheng Zhihu personally placed an incense stick on the table and asked with ill intent, "General Liu, would you like to use a longer one?"
Liu Ye responded with a smile: "Thank you for your kindness, Master Zheng, but I'm sure I won't need it."
Zheng Zhihu sneered and remained silent. In his view, Liu Xiang's men were too incompetent, which was why they lost even with five against one. No matter how powerful Liu's cannons were, could they be more powerful than the Dutch? The Dutch, with their strong ships and powerful cannons, were once invincible, but they still obediently hid on Dayuan Island and dared not come out.
A command cannon fired at the dock, Zheng Zhihu lit incense, and the sea drills began.
The three Wuxiang-class ships, each with six 32-pounder caron guns on both sides, were already ready. In order to kill the enemy's "sailors" as quickly as possible, they used only shot—solid shot would hardly guarantee sinking the enemy in a short time, and if half of the ships got close, it would be considered a loss.
From the establishment of the Qiongzhou Naval Base, this was the first time that full firepower was unleashed, with salvoes fired from both sides. This firing method was actually harmful to the ship's structure, as the recoil from both sides could not be dissipated, resulting in excessive pressure on the hull. This could cause cracks in minor cases and breakage of the keel and ribs in severe cases. However, for the sake of the overall situation, these concerns could not be ignored.
At the flagship's command, a continuous barrage of cannon fire erupted, and orange-red flames burst from the sides of the three ships as they unleashed scorching shells in all directions.
The sight of over thirty cannons firing simultaneously was quite spectacular. Flames shot from the ship's sides, the cannons roared, thick smoke billowed, and countless projectiles, whistling through the air, flew towards the surrounding Zheng family ships. A torrential downpour of metal swept across the decks, and the human-shaped wooden planks were almost completely swept away with a series of cracking sounds. Some were torn to pieces by the projectiles, while others were pushed into the sea by the impact. One ship's mast was unfortunately hit by several projectiles at the same time, and unable to bear the weight, it collapsed with a "crack." The heavy sails soaked into the sea, and the hull was severely weighed down, listing heavily, and it looked like it was about to capsize.