novelnext Chapter 112 The Peril of Dinghai!
Chapter 112 The Peril of Dinghai!
The midday sun shines brightly in the sky, its rays condensing on the azure sea, while wisps of invisible moisture are dispersed by the sea breeze.
Nineteen large warships in the waters in front of Dinghai City slowly emitted the aroma of roasted beef and rich wine.
It was midday, and the soldiers on the British ship were enjoying a hearty lunch on the deck.
A long wooden table was placed on the deck, completely covered by a clean white tablecloth. On the table were tender grilled steaks and glasses of sweet wine.
The soldiers hurriedly picked up their utensils and rushed to the table, forking up steaks and drinking delicious wine.
They would never have asked for such a good lunch under normal circumstances, but today is a special day.
Because they are about to capture Dinghai!
Once they capture Dinghai City, they will have a supply base and won't have to worry about delays in their sea supply routes.
Moreover, I've heard that there are many cattle and sheep in Dinghai City, so it would be very convenient for them to go in and roast them directly.
"Gentlemen, let's drink to our afternoon battle!" Mr. Guo said to everyone on the deck during the meal, raising a glass of wine in celebration.
Judging from his words, Dinghai City was already theirs to take.
"Cheers!" The soldiers on deck were as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood, and they all raised their glasses to echo Mr. Guo.
At this moment, Bo Mai clinked glasses with Mr. Guo, then smiled and encouraged the soldiers, saying, "Warriors of the British Empire, we will definitely win Dinghai City and achieve ultimate victory!"
"Victory!" "Victory!" "Victory!"
Hearing the commander's speech, the soldiers' enthusiasm and fighting spirit soared even higher, and they kept shouting "Victory!"
The sound almost shattered the sky, reaching the ears of the soldiers guarding the city walls of Dinghai. Startled, they thought it was an enemy attack and immediately peered out to check the situation.
Unfortunately, they didn't have advanced telescopes, so they could only see tiny black dots of British ships cheering and jumping around, and they couldn't understand what those British barbarians were doing.
Even though it's lunchtime, the Dinghai garrison isn't made of iron; they also need to eat lunch to replenish their energy.
However, their lunch was worlds apart from that of the British army.
At the foot of Dinghai City, rows of soldiers were queuing up to receive their lunch, which was quite simple.
A bowl of water and two palm-sized steamed buns.
There was nothing they could do about their meager diet. Corruption was rampant within the imperial court, and very little of the military pay actually reached the local areas. In addition, the empire had been embroiled in numerous wars in recent years, and its economic strength was also weak.
They were also exploited and suppressed by the three families. The upper-class nobles sometimes lived in poverty, let alone the common people at the bottom of society.
These low-ranking soldiers were lucky to get two steamed buns for their meal, as they usually only got one.
Zhang Chaofa ate steamed buns with the soldiers, showing no airs of superiority. However, he always had a worry in his heart: what would happen to his family if he didn't return?
His children are still young, who will take care of them in the future?
Thinking this, the steamed bun in Zhang Chaofa's mouth became increasingly bitter. As soon as the bitterness dissipated, he hurriedly gulped down several mouthfuls of water.
"Reporting, sir, it's almost time."
Having just swallowed a few mouthfuls of water, Zhang Chaofa heard a young soldier announce the time. His eyes turned cold, and he immediately smashed his bowl in his hand, declaring with boundless pride, "Brothers, how dare these lowly barbarians invade our Celestial Empire! Shouldn't we teach them a lesson they won't forget!"
Boom!
Upon hearing of the barbarian invasion, the Dinghai garrison threw down their porcelain bowls, their faces contorted with rage, eager to kill the enemy.
"Your Excellency is right, the majesty of the Celestial Empire is inviolable! We must teach these barbarians a lesson!"
"Yes! Let's wipe them out completely!"
"Send them all back to their lair! Let's see if they dare come back!"
Seeing the soldiers' indignant expressions, Zhang Chaofa felt greatly gratified and ordered, "Very well, let's board the ship and set sail! Let's crush the British!"
"Yes, sir!" The garrison soldiers received the order and began to move about.
Last night they recruited 800 new soldiers and requisitioned dozens of fishing boats, giving them a larger fleet than the British.
Moreover, almost every ship was equipped with cannons, and dozens of soldiers were ready to board and fight the British!
They are also very confident that they can win this battle!
The garrison at Dinghai was preparing for battle, while the British forces on the East China Sea were also waiting for the right moment.
"Mr. Guo, look, they're here," said Bermay on the main warship, holding a long cylindrical telescope and carefully observing the movements of the garrison.
Mr. Guo took the binoculars from Mr. Bo Mai and looked at them as well. He said with a hint of sarcasm, "An ignorant man from the Chinese dynasty, carrying a cannon in a small boat, came over and died."
Upon hearing this, Bermay smiled, then turned to signal the messenger on deck to prepare for the attack.
The messenger nodded upon receiving the order, waving two flags, one red and one green, and giving different instructions.
The sound of wheels turning suddenly came from below the deck, and hundreds of cannons appeared on the three decks of the huge British warship on the sea. Without exception, the cannons were pointed at the small boat in the distance, and the British soldiers next to the cannons were waiting for the final instructions.
Zhang Chaofa was startled when he saw the enormous warship, but he still stood on the small boat in the center and observed the British ships lined up in a row.
When the British ship was close to the small boat, he immediately ordered the bow of the ship to be aimed at the British ship, because their cannons could not be moved and were so heavy that they could only fire in one fixed direction.
"Fire!" When all the cannons on the small boat were aimed at the British ship, Zhang Chaofa gave the order, and the defenders picked up fire sticks and lit the fuses.
boom! boom! boom!
One cannonball after another burst from the muzzle, the enormous recoil causing the small boat to recoil slightly by a few meters.
On the Willis, Bermuda heard the sound of cannon fire, but even though he was standing at the bow of the ship, he did not panic at all. Instead, he calmly ordered a return fire.
Because the defenders' artillery couldn't hit them at all; instead, all of their cannons fell into the water.
Just as Bo Mai had expected, Zhang Chaofa's naval cannonballs missed completely. He then seized the opportunity while the enemy was still reloading their cannonballs and ordered a counterattack!
"Fire!"
boom! boom! boom!
A dozen or so British warships unleashed their cannons simultaneously, as densely packed as meteors streaking across the sky, their targets aimed directly at the defending small boats. In an instant, towering waves surged across the sea, and screams of agony echoed through the air.
"what!"
The defending small boat exploded the moment it hit the cannonball, blowing the entire boat to pieces!
Because their small boats were almost always packed together, if one was hit, none of the other boats would escape unscathed.
"grown ups!"
"The adult has fallen into the water! Run!"
"Run!"
Seeing the defending troops fleeing in such a disheveled state, Bo Mai glanced at the gold pocket watch in his hand and curled his lips in contempt.
Nine minutes.
They defeated the Dinghai navy, which had more than 2000 men, nearly 100 ships, and more than a dozen cannons.
When the first British warship fired its shell, Zhang Chaofa, the commander-in-chief of the Dinghai Navy, was hit and fell into the water.
The remaining rabble had almost no chance of escape under the fierce gunfire of the British warships.
On the beach near the Dinghai coastline, hundreds of corpses floated to the shore, and the nearby sea was already dyed a glaring scarlet. On the broken wooden planks in that sea of blood, many naval corpses were also laid.
In this battle, the British suffered no casualties, while the defending navy was almost completely wiped out.
After being rescued ashore, Zhang Chaofa, the general of Dinghai, died from his serious injuries.
"Landing, take Dinghai City!"
At the bow of the USS Willis, Bermuda once again picked up his binoculars to observe the battle situation, then drew his naval sword and shouted orders for the soldiers to land.
As the ships docked, hundreds of British soldiers in red uniforms were unloaded from the landing decks and charged towards Dinghai City like tigers among sheep, armed with flintlock muskets and smoothbore guns…