Chapter 1154 Show off force
The first batch of soldiers and civilians transported from Phi Island to Chang Son Islands were settled on Guanglu Island, which is closest to the mainland. This island with an area of more than 30 square kilometers has a flatter terrain than other surrounding islands. The soil on the island is fertile. There are sufficient fresh water resources, and it used to be the main grain-producing area under the jurisdiction of Dongjiang Town. However, after Shang Kexi, who was guarding this place last year, coerced all the soldiers and civilians of the Changshan Islands to surrender to the enemy, the island was completely deserted. Many living facilities needed to be renovated before they could be used. Therefore, among the personnel selected this time, carpenters, plasterers and other craftsmen also accounted for A considerable proportion.
"Even the door panels were all removed! What Shang Kexi did is really amazing!" After landing from Liutiao Port on the south side of the island, Shen Zhixiang inspected the original residential area on the island and was quite dissatisfied with the state of destruction.
Wang Tom smiled and said: "Don't complain. He didn't set fire to all the houses on the island when he left. It was already merciful. We came here last time and saw all the valuables on the island. Apart from removing all the valuables, no major damage was done. The craftsmen you brought here only need to make some simple repairs and arrange for people to move in. ”
Shen Zhixiang thought for the same reason. If Shang Kexi had set fire to all the houses on the island, it would have required a lot of manpower to rebuild the residential area. I'm afraid it would be difficult to settle in before the cold wave came. Although all the door panels of these houses have been removed, the structure of the houses has not been damaged, and it will not have much impact on the people moving in.
This group of residents to be resettled on Guanglu Island amounts to more than 2,000 people. To this end, both Dongjiang Town and Haihan sent a large number of soldiers to maintain order, organize the people to transfer the materials ashore as soon as possible, and then arrive according to the establishment assigned in advance. Arrange accommodation. Although most of the people have become emaciated due to long-term famine, returning to Guanglu Island is undoubtedly a shot in the arm. They think this is an opportunity for Dongjiang Town to make a comeback, and their mood for work is still relatively high. .
Haihanjun stayed on the island for two days, and after confirming that the immigration process was smooth and that there were no safety hazards in the surrounding waters, he left Guanglu Island and sailed to Jinzhou Bay in the southwest. Before leaving, Pan Yan, a previously released prisoner of war and former Dengzhou Navy officer, volunteered to serve as a guide for the Haihan Army. He happened to be one of the trainee officers recommended by Shen Zhixiang to Haihan to complete this mission. After that, you can take a boat to Zhifu Port.
The last time the Haihan fleet visited the Liaodong Peninsula, Pan Yan happened to be on the ship, but at that time he was a shackled prisoner of war. He could be thrown into the sea and fed to fish by the Haihan sailors at any time for saying something wrong. His situation was completely different from today. The same cannot be said. After he was bailed by Shen Zhixiang to Pidao, Dongjiang Town appointed him as a naval commander, and he returned to his status as a Ming army officer from prisoner.
However, Pan Yan had experience fighting with Haihan, and had stayed on the Haihan warship for many days. He had long known Haihan's strength, so even though he had changed his identity now, he still behaved very humbly in front of the Haihan people. . After boarding the ship, he saw the officers of Haihan with rank marks on their uniforms. They all responded with humility and caution, not daring to show any airs.
"General Wang, Pan Yan, who is of humble rank, come and report!" After Pan Yan entered Tom Wang's captain's cabin, he immediately knelt down on one knee and saluted.
"Get up and talk!" Wang Tom had dealt with the Ming army a lot, and he knew that this was a common routine among the Ming army, so he didn't mind asking him to get up and speak.
After Pan Yan got up, he stood with his eyebrows lowered and his eyes calm, waiting for Tom Wang's instructions.
Wang Tom saw that his attitude was quite upright, so he said: "Pan Yan, this time we go to Jinzhou Bay, we probably won't be as cautious as last time. If we want to fight against your past colleagues, how ruthless can you be?" Are you determined? ”
Pan Yan responded: "We have different camps. We are all fighting for the masters we serve. Why can't we take action? However, if the other party is defeated and captured, I will still intercede for them because of my old friendship."
Wang Tom said: "As long as you are not a heinous person, you can still save your life after being captured. Our purpose is not to kill people. Besides, your colleagues in the past were all Han people. You don't have to worry too much about this. We have our own sense of proportion." ”
Pan Yan said: "General Wang is kind and righteous. I have thanked them in advance! Please rest assured, General Wang. On the battlefield, I will do my best and never slack off!"
Wang Tom was quite satisfied with Pan Yan's statement, and immediately assigned him to the flagship deck to serve as the deck artillery commander and learn the sighting operation of the Haihan artillery and basic naval artillery warfare techniques.
Wang Tom is not worried that letting Pan Yan know the performance of Haihan's weapons and combat methods will cause leaks, because these are based on the ships and artillery equipped by Haihan Navy, and the military technology gap between the two sides is really too big. Even if outsiders knew this information, they would not be able to find a way to defeat the Haihan Navy on the frontal battlefield. Previously, Haihan helped the local navy train senior officers in Fujian, and all of them were taught on Haihan's battleships. The effect was very satisfactory. After the Ming navy officers realized the gap in combat power between the two sides, it was more dispelling in their minds. Hidden thoughts of resistance.
With his past practical experience, Wang Tom had already made arrangements for training officers for Dongjiang Town. The naval personnel selected by Shen Zhixiang for training this time have already set off with the Haihan Fleet, while the infantry officers will take a boat directly to Zhifu Port for training after settling down on the Changshan Islands.
In addition to Pan Yan, there are also several other Ming army officers currently deployed on other warships, temporarily assuming the responsibilities of various grassroots operational positions. And the effect of receiving training under such actual combat conditions will be far better than empty theoretical explanations in the classroom. This is the last maritime operation in Northeast Asia this year. Wang Tom plans to take this opportunity to see if there is any talent among these Ming army officers. If there is any talent, he will take it back to Zhejiang to train hard for a winter. .
The civilian passenger and cargo ships in the Haihan Fleet will continue to help transport personnel and materials between Guanglu Island and Pi Island. Therefore, except for a few supply ships, the fleet heading towards Jinzhou Bay are all combat ships. The voyage from Guanglu Island to Jinzhou Bay was only more than thirty nautical miles, and the Haihan Fleet only took half a day to arrive outside Jinzhou Bay. Wang Tom sent an order to raise a flag, and asked the supply ship to wait southward near Dashan Island outside the bay, while other ships lined up aggressively into Jinzhou Bay.
It had only been less than two months since the last time the Haihan fleet came here to demonstrate. The Houjin navy stationed here has obviously learned from previous lessons and strengthened surveillance near overseas. As soon as the Haihan fleet sailed into the bay, they saw small boats on the shore and on the sea setting off warning fireworks signals at the same time.
"I've learned a lesson!" Wang Tom looked at the conspicuous fireworks signal in mid-air with a sneer on his face. Now that the traces had been exposed, Wang Tom completely gave up the idea of quietly approaching the enemy's dock to carry out a sneak attack, and ordered the steam propulsion system on the ship to be activated to move forward at full speed. In addition to the flagship "Weiyuan" where Wang Tom is located, there are two other expedition-class warships in the Haihan Army that are also equipped with steam power. However, this thing is too noisy when used, and there is soot and smoke. Steam was continuously vented from the chimney, so it had not previously been put into use.
Pan Yan was concentrating on observing the situation on the sea to the north when he suddenly felt some regular intermittent vibrations coming from the deck under his feet. He turned to look at others, only to see that the faces of Haihan's crew and sailors were all as usual, and they seemed not to be. Didn't feel anything unusual. Just when Pan Yan was wondering if he had an illusion, the frequency of the vibrations gradually accelerated, and the vibrations became clearer. Pan Yan knew that this could not be his imagination. He was looking back to see if Tom Wang was commanding from behind the deck when he saw a large plume of smoke starting to come out of the waist-thick chimney at the stern of the ship.
Pan Yan had previously thought that the chimney led to the kitchen below the deck, and had always thought that the Haihan people's design in this detail was really weird, and they actually had to build such a big chimney for ventilation, but now look at the smoke emitted from the chimney , this is obviously not something that can be produced by cooking and cooking in the kitchen.
Pan Yan grabbed the arm of officer Haihan next to him and said: "Something... something happened!"
The officer said angrily: "You are so panicked by shouting! Hasn't the fight started yet?"
"No! Look at the back!" Pan Yan quickly pointed to the chimney at the stern of the ship and said: "It's on fire below!"
"You're such a big-headed guy! Keep your eyes on the front and don't get distracted!" When the officer heard this, he naturally knew why this guy was panicking. This was not uncommon among the personnel trained on the flagship. Many of them experienced the steam engine for the first time. There were similar speculations and reactions. However, they were already in combat mode, so they didn't bother to explain the secret to him, and just asked him to concentrate on dealing with the enemy first.
When Pan Yan saw the officer getting angry, he knew that his guess must be wrong, and he did not dare to ask any more questions at the moment. However, as the vibration frequency of the ship's hull gradually stabilized, he found that the speed of the ship he was on seemed to be accelerating, and the other ships that were traveling together were slowly being left behind. Pan Yan has served in the navy for many years and can be considered an old sea dog. He is certain that this change in speed is not his illusion, but may only come from some operation on the ship that he is not aware of. .
Is there someone rowing below to help? Of course this was impossible. Pan Yan knew that the sides of the ship were densely packed with gun emplacements, and there was no room for paddling. And he was certain that this was not due to a sudden change in the wind at sea. This could be clearly judged from the state of the sails hung on the mast. Pan Yan was puzzled at the moment, but he did not connect this abnormality with the vibration of the ship's hull and the large amount of smoke coming out of the chimney, because he really could not imagine that Haihan was in the bottom of the ship. A mechanical monster that surpasses the understanding of this era is placed in it.
However, the shadows of sails appearing on the sea in the distance soon made him no longer interested in pondering the mystery of the change in speed. The enemy navy anchored in Jinzhou Bay responded very quickly. Just a moment after receiving the warning, several sailboats came out to fight.
But it is a pity that the opponent they face is the most powerful maritime warship in the Far East in this era. It has ultra-high speed, powerful firepower, solid hull, and a group of well-trained and experienced combat ships. The regular navy, even if they are not afraid of death, cannot take any advantage from such an opponent.
"There are only six ships... let's destroy them first!" Wang Tom looked at the oncoming enemy ships through the telescope. He didn't feel much nervous because he knew very well that with the tonnage and firepower of these ships, it would be difficult to deal with them. His own flagship poses a threat, and even engaging in close combat is delusional.
The "Weiyuan" used its power advantage to seize the top position, quickly passed by the west side of the enemy navy, and used its naval guns to launch two rounds of rapid-fire attacks at the enemy ship from a distance of less than fifty meters. .
Pan Yan's task before the war started was to count the number of effective strikes during the battle, and to record the approximate location and effect of the shells hitting the opponent's hull, so he also lay on the side of the ship and watched very carefully, lest he Details are missed.
According to Pan Yan's observation, at least seven shells hit three enemy ships in these two rounds of attacks. The effect of these shells hitting the hull was almost exactly the same, opening large holes in the ship's deck. The impact point of two of the rounds was near the waterline, which would soon cause the other party trouble with water entering the hull.
Pan Yan could only express his admiration for the intensity of this firepower output. The firepower of this Haihan battleship was so powerful that it was almost as powerful as the entire Ming navy combined. Pan Yan is very familiar with the counterattack methods that the opponent can use, because these ships are obviously warships that used to belong to the Dengzhou Navy, and the long-range weapons that can be used on the ships are nothing more than some rockets and small-caliber copper cannons. , Folang machine cannon, its range, power and shooting accuracy are not enough to threaten this behemoth. There were a few projectiles fired from the opposite side that made a splash on the side of the "Weiyuan", but they were not enough to penetrate the thick hull of the ship. There was a slight dent left on it.
But the bombardment that these ships of the other side had to withstand did not end there. Pan Yan saw that the other two Haihan battleships following the "Weiyuan" also began to engage with it. They were also bombarded by naval guns, and he could faintly see Thick smoke billowed out from the warships of the former Dengzhou Navy. It was probably because the shells fired by the Haihan warship hit the igniters on the ship.
Pan Yan secretly sighed, knowing in his heart that these ships were no match for the Haihan fleet. Those former colleagues were caught in such a battle of unequal strength, and I was afraid that the outcome would be disastrous.
(End of chapter)