Chapter 380 Defeating the Scapegoat
This was really what he was afraid of. Liu Xiang's eyesight went dark and he almost fell down on the deck. Although he is just a pirate, he has experienced many battles, large and small. Naturally, he can think that it is not a coincidence that Haihan's warships appeared at this juncture sooner or later. The Haihan people released their fleet to attack Wanshan. Hong Kong, I am afraid that it has already decided on the strategy of using this as bait.
Liu Xiang forced himself to calm down, shook Liu Xin aside with a shake of his leg, and asked loudly: "Where is the Haihan warship? How far away is it?"
At that moment, someone came forward and reported: "Thanks to the master, there are about ten Haihan warships. At this time, they have fought against the brothers who stayed outside the harbor!"
After hearing the news, Liu Xiang felt a little calmer. There were more than ten or twenty ships left outside the port. As long as he could block the Haihan warships for an hour and a half, no matter whether he continued to attack Port, or turn around and evacuate here, there is still enough time to adjust.
However, his mood only lasted a few seconds, because at this moment, there was a roar of artillery fire from outside the harbor - Liu Xiang was sure that this was definitely not an illusion, nor was it the shore defense artillery in the harbor. Fire was being fired, but the sound was actually coming from outside the harbor.
The warship of the Haihan people! Liu Xiang subconsciously deduced the truth, because there were no cannons on the ships left by his family outside the harbor. The sound of cannons could only come from the warships of the Haihan people. However, such dense gunfire made it difficult for Liu Xiang to believe that there were only a dozen Haihan warships outside. But regardless of whether there were more ships or more guns, Liu Xiang was certain of one thing - the ships staying outside the harbor would never be able to withstand this powerful firepower offensive.
Liu Xiang found that he was really in a dilemma. If he continued to attack the port, his men would inevitably suffer heavy casualties from the Haihan people's muskets and artillery, and they would probably not be able to take the Haihan people's position for a while. But if we withdraw our troops from the port at this time and challenge the Haihan fleet, wouldn't all the casualties in the harbor be in vain?
However, the reality no longer allowed Liu Xiang to hesitate any longer. After another round of bombardment from more than 20 artillery pieces in the harbor, the hulls of two more pirate ships began to roll due to water intrusion. Among the more than 50 pirate ships that rushed into the harbor, one-third of the ships had injuries, and the ships that had been attacked the most had even begun to sink slowly.
"Pass my order, the rear team will become the front team, and withdraw from the port!" Liu Xiang gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind. If it continues to be delayed, it is hard to say whether the Haihan position in the port can be defeated, but the possibility that the own fleet will be blocked in the harbor and unable to get out is very high. By then there will be artillery fire from all directions, and it will be difficult to escape.
Hearing the hasty gong sound from the ship, the panicked pirates quickly retreated from the shore. In less than five minutes of the landing battle, the pirates paid a price of more than 200 casualties. Even Liu Huo, Liu Xiang's nephew who was sent ashore to supervise the battle, died among the rebels.
At this time, the battle on the sea outside the harbor was another scene. After the fleet led by Wang Tom sailed out from behind Xiaowanshan Island, they formed a long vertical snake formation and rushed towards Wanshan Port. Although the pirate ships outside the harbor also came to intercept them, most of the ones left outside were helpless. They were not at the same level as the Haihan warship, which was at least 300 tons in size. Moreover, the bow part of the Haihan warship had The added V-shaped stainless steel bumper will not retreat at all from those who dare to block the car. If you don't want to be directly hit and sunk, you can only get out of the way obediently.
Wang Tom did not choose to use these small boats outside the harbor as his main opponents. He asked the fleet to choose a route that cut diagonally directly to the entrance of the harbor, and then used broadside gunfire to shoot into the harbor - dozens of ships were densely packed. Crowded in the harbor, the naval guns can hit the target with almost no need to aim. The intensive artillery fire that Liu Xiang heard came from the first round of attacks after the fleet arrived at its position. However, this attack did not have a big impact on the pirate ships in the port, because most of the shooting angles were blocked by several pirate ships parked outside due to the tilt of the hull.
At this time, Liu Xiang had already seen the Haihan fleet passing by outside the harbor from his position. He suddenly discovered that these warships were much larger and stronger than he had imagined. The artillery configuration on the ship was not the bow cannon of a Chinese sailing ship. , but used the side gun emplacements of a Western-style sailing ship. When passing through the outside of the harbor, the side guns fired one by one. From Liu Xiang's position, he could even clearly see the black shells piercing the air and then hitting a pirate ship in the harbor, tearing a washbasin-sized hole in the ship's hull.
Although Liu Xiang has issued an order to retreat to his subordinates, on the one hand, it will take some time for the pirates who have already landed to retreat to the ship. On the other hand, dozens of pirate ships are crowded in the small harbor and want to turn around at the same time. But it is not an easy task. Originally, Liu Xiang wanted to let the large forces rush into the port together to facilitate the gathering of troops during the landing, but now he discovered that the drawbacks of this decision had become apparent. The narrow port made it impossible for a large number of ships to maneuver flexibly in a short period of time, so that Now we are in a dilemma.
However, when the pirates were panicking, the dozens of artillery in the harbor did not stop and wait for them to slowly adjust. They still fired cannonballs at the pirate ship at the established frequency. It has only been half an hour since Liu Xiang and his group rushed into the harbor, but now there are more than five pirate ships in a sinking or semi-sunken state, and as many as a dozen ships have been damaged and flooded. At this time, it can still be maintained There are very few pirate ships left unscathed.
"Quick, quick, quick! Go help hoist the sail! Ask Qian Laoqi's boat to move aside and clear the way!" Liu Xiang was also anxious at this time, seeing that the channel out of the port was tightly blocked by his own boat. In fact, he had to start shouting orders to try to get the chaotic situation under control.
"Attention, fort, attention, fort, now start targeting ships leaving the port as the first target!" Chen Yixin saw the pirates' movements very clearly on the shore, and immediately issued new orders to the coastal defense forts on both sides of the harbor through the walkie-talkie.
So just as they turned around and tried to rush out of the harbor, several pirate ships immediately became targets of the fort. After dozens of cannonballs hit them, the speed of these pirate ships immediately slowed down.
At this time, Wang Tom's fleet had completed the first round of attacks outside the harbor. The warships were heading to the open sea. They had to make a circle on the sea before they could return to the same position to launch the second round of attacks. .
After paying the price of multiple ships being damaged, Liu Xiang finally rushed out of Wanshan Port with a group of defeated soldiers. The Haihan warships had not returned yet, but Liu Xiang was no longer interested in fighting and directly ordered a retreat. The pirate fleet turned south and retreated from the battlefield along the route it came from.
However, Wang Tom had no intention of letting them go. After the warship fleet took a circle on the sea, they chased after them and chased the pirate ship. The difference in speed between the two ships was fully reflected at this time. The pirate ship only had an average speed of three to five knots, while the Haihan warship could reach a speed of eight to ten knots under the same sea conditions.
At first, the two sides were still several nautical miles apart, but after catching up, the distance between the two sides became closer and closer, and some of the damaged ships in the pirate ship began to slowly fall behind. In order to escape, the pirates on these ships had to choose to break away from the large group and flee south or north alone. Naturally, Wang Tom would not divide his troops to pursue these pirate ships that escaped alone. He would just keep a close eye on Liu Xiang's ship and continue the pursuit.
"These guys are not done yet!" Liu Xiang looked at the Haihan warship that was clinging to the rear. Apart from helplessly cursing, there was no other better way to vent his anger. He did not dare to stop and fight the Haihan people. When he rushed out of the port, he had already noticed that these Haihan warships had at least five cannons on the sides, and all the ships on his side combined , they could only make up seven or eight cannons, and their combat effectiveness was simply incomparable.
And the traditional gang-hopping combat was of no use at this time. If the subordinates who had lost their spirits were still asked to attack the Haihan warship, it would probably cause a mutiny. The only way is to try your best to escape. As long as you can escape the pursuit of the Haihan people, you will eventually have a chance to make a comeback.
However, ideals are full and reality is hard. Liu Xiang's fleet headed eastward and was overtaken by Haihan's fleet before they could escape to the waters of Dangan Islands. The Haihan warship rushed directly from the middle unscrupulously, using the gunfire on both sides of the ship to shoot at the pirate ship. If it were a normal battle, Wang Tom would never let his warship risk being approached by a pirate ship to insert into the opponent's fleet. But at this time, the pirates had lost their hearts and were only focused on escaping, with no thought of resistance or counterattack. Wang Tom was also happy to use this opportunity to beat up the drowned dog, and at the same time, he could also use this opportunity to exercise the sailors' actual combat capabilities. After all, like this Large-scale maritime operations are not something that can be encountered all the time.
Wang Tom was cruel this time. He chased Liu Xiang's fleet for more than 40 nautical miles from morning to dusk. After sinking and damaging many pirate ships, he finally retreated with satisfaction. Although Liu Xiang escaped in the end, the result of this battle has greatly exceeded the pre-war expectations and seriously damaged the vitality of Liu Xiang's pirate gang. Wang Tom has nothing to regret.
Liu Xiang's fleet fled overnight to the vicinity of Haifeng, Huizhou. After confirming that the Haihan people had given up the pursuit, they stopped to count the losses of the battle. There were eighty-three ships at the time of the trip, but now there were less than thirty ships left, and almost every ship was more or less decorated. Of course, not all other ships were captured or sunk by the Haihan people. Many ships escaped during the escape, so it is difficult to estimate the actual losses for a while. However, according to Liu Xiang's own estimation, at least half of the more than a thousand men brought out this time have been damaged, and not all the ships that escaped along the way will be able to return to their hometowns. In the end, it will be thankful to God that half of the ships can be saved. .
This expedition used Liu Xiang's capital accumulated over the years. In addition to the reward of several thousand taels of silver given to his men before departure, the various materials consumed by these thousands of people on the road were not a small amount. In addition, The damaged ships and manpower, and the tens of thousands of taels of silver inside and outside, were all invincible.
After settling the account, Liu Xiang was so excited that he almost vomited blood. This expedition of nearly a thousand miles back and forth did not even catch a hair, but the loss was so huge that it would even directly affect his future status in the "Eighteen Zhi". It can be said that the gain outweighs the loss. If Liu Xiang could be given another chance, he would definitely choose to swallow his anger and not provoke these evil stars.
But it is too late to regret at this time. How to stabilize the morale of the military and maintain the existing hearts and minds of the people is the most urgent problem Liu Xiang is facing at the moment. Liu Xiang thought for a long time, and finally made a shocking decision: "Here comes someone! Tie up Liu Xin, who is incompetent in doing things, has an affair with a foreigner, and leaks the secret of war plans!"
Liu Xin was shocked and said: "The big boss and the young ones are trying their best to find out the details of the Haihan people in Guangzhou. They are all under the orders of the big boss. There is no such thing as any illicit affair!"
"If you didn't reveal our details, how could the Haihan people have set up this trap in advance for us to exploit? I think the Haihan people have always been at peace with us, so why did their attitude change after letting you go to Guangzhou? Being so tough and even willing to fight against us, isn't it because of your role in the process?" Liu Xiang asked with a dark face.
Liu Xin was not a fool. After hearing these words, he knew what Liu Xiang was planning - such a serious defeat would definitely hurt Liu Xiang's internal prestige, so someone had to take the blame. That's fine, otherwise it would be difficult for Liu Xiang to explain internally. As the leader, it was definitely inappropriate for Liu Xiang to take the blame himself, so he had to find someone to take advantage of. Unfortunately, the only person who could be dragged into the whole process of fighting the Haihan people was Liu Xin himself. Regardless of whether he wants it or not, he will be blamed for the defeat of this battle.
Several of Liu Xiang's cronies immediately came over and pushed Liu Xin to the deck, then took out ropes and tied him up. Liu Xin struggled and cried out: "Master, there is a misunderstanding about this fact. I am wronged!"
Liu Xiang winked and went out, and someone immediately stuffed a ball of torn linen into Liu Xin's mouth to stop him from continuing.
"If this guy hadn't betrayed us, we wouldn't have lost so many ships and brothers in this battle! You thief, I really can't let you go!" Liu Xiang, who had not slept all night, had red eyes at this time, but he was angry and unwilling. The emotions are played out vividly and perfectly.
"Kill him!" "Kill this rip-off thing!" "Get out of the way and let me kill him!"
A group of pirates who didn't know the truth immediately became excited. They seemed to have found the best way to vent their emotions for yesterday's defeat. They all clamored for Liu Xiang to make the decision to deal with this traitor. At this time, Liu Xin could not speak out to defend himself except falling on the deck and shivering.
Liu Xiang raised his hand to signal everyone to quiet down, and then continued: "The Haihan people have strong ships and powerful guns, and their strength is better than ours. It's okay. We can't defeat them today. We will invite Master Zheng and the Eighteen Zhi another day." 'The brothers sent out troops to attack together, but the main culprit of our defeat cannot be let go."
Liu Xiang glanced at Liu Xin, deliberately ignored the other's pleading eyes, and loudly announced the punishment: "Since Liu Xin has been following me for many years and has done his best in work, I will leave him a whole body! This is a disaster." Not as good as his family, Liu Xin’s family will still be taken care of by me, Liu Xiang. All brothers will bear witness today!”
"The boss is benevolent and righteous!" "This thief is taking advantage!" The pirates praised Liu Xiang's "generosity" one after another, and at the same time expressed their disdain for Liu Xin's fate.
So under the auspices of Liu Xiang, the "traitor" Liu Xin was hanged. A strong pirate strangled him to death on the deck with the ship's cable. The body was thrown directly after the signal was sent to each ship. Into the sea. After dealing with this scapegoat, the pirates' mood recovered a little. They temporarily put yesterday's defeat behind them and sailed back to their hometown in Chaozhou.
Compared to the despairing pirates, the atmosphere at Wanshan Port is obviously on the other extreme. Except for a few personnel who were on duty in rotation, all armed personnel on the island got a rare two-day holiday to rest and recuperate. The civil affairs department also took out the meat and alcohol stocks on the island to express condolences to the militia soldiers who fought bravely. Of course, senior military officers are not able to participate in the post-war celebrations at this time. They must still count the results of the war, calculate the military exploits, and write a post-war report to the Executive Committee.
Compared with the previous combat experiences of the militia, the results this time were actually not great. Regardless of the number of enemies killed, the number of prisoners, and the trophies captured after the war, all the data were not outstanding. Since some of the sunken ships could no longer count the number of casualties, the number of enemies killed could only be calculated based on the pirates killed on the pier and the floating corpses inside and outside the harbor. The total number was only a little over 300, but the officers believed that the actual number of enemies killed It should be greater than this statistical result. Some people have a more optimistic estimate that the number of enemies killed should be at least 500, because there are also many injured on the pirate ships that escaped, and the medical and health conditions on pirate ships in this era may not be as good as before. Let the more seriously injured among them have a chance to survive to shore.
The prisoners in this battle mainly came from a small number of pirates who failed to board the ship in time to evacuate the dock, as well as the crew members of the pirate ship who were unable to leave the battlefield because the ship was severely flooded, a total of more than 140 people. If nothing else happens, what awaits them in the future will be day and night excavation work at the Tiandu Iron Mine.
(End of chapter)