Bright Spring

In an instant, a row of square holes were opened one after another under the deck and on the side of the battleship lying across the water.The black muzzle and the golden copper cannon protruded from the ship's hole.

Almost a moment later, two rows of intersecting red pennant flags were also hoisted, followed by bursts of whimpering horns.

"Boom boom boom" Yuanmai's thunderous cannons suddenly sounded everywhere.Because the distance is very close, the sound of the guns and the light of the fire were felt by the people of Chenla almost at the same time.The flames on the sea were shining brightly, and white smoke rose here and there.Amidst the smog, the flames sprayed from the muzzle were like lightning in the clouds.

The cannons of the Ming army continued to roar for a long time, and when it stopped for a while, the vibration between the sea and the sky still continued; the rumbling war drums were beating on all sides, like the echo and reverberation of the sound of cannons.

Amidst the sound of war drums, some warships behind the Ming army's formation had already raised their sails.People use slip ropes to pull up the hard sails, almost in an instant.The big ship swelled its sails with the wind, and began to accelerate slowly forward.

General Chenla stood at the bow, clenched his fists tightly, and stared ahead.The sound of war drums in the distance could not cover up the noise and hustle and bustle of the coalition fleet.The terrified shouts and screams sounded together, "buzzing" in the wind.

And the envoy who was full of thorns beside him was already stunned in shock, and he was dumbfounded, as if he had been stunned by the cannon.

After a long time, the envoy of Mancijia said in an unbelievable tone: "Why? How is it possible?"

"General, what should we do?" Another voice came from behind.

General Chenla did not answer right away.

The earth-shattering bombardment just now was very terrifying, but the lethality was not too great.Although the two sides were relatively close, many of the shells of the Ming people still missed their targets. Even if they hit, one or two solid bullets could not sink the ship immediately; most of them caused the hull to rupture or cause casualties.Moreover, the damaged warships of the coalition forces are only the front row, which is not enough to affect the strength of the entire army.

The most dangerous place at this time lies in the warships that the Ming army dispatched to counterattack.They will then come close to the eyes and launch a devastating attack on the coalition forces.

The general of the Chenla Ministry said again: "The people of the Ming Dynasty came prepared, please order the general to retreat!"

The general remained silent, he thought to himself: It's too late.

Damn - damn northeast wind!

The wind direction, the least important detail of this campaign, has now become the deadliest point for the coalition forces.The northeast wind is a tailwind for the Ming army that is counterattacking, allowing them to approach the coalition navy formation very quickly.

Facing the enemy ships that had already started sailing in columns, the Chenla people and Mancijia people turned the warships around temporarily. How could there be time?

There is one more fatal place.There are so many ships in the coalition forces, if the flagship only sends messages through the golden drum, a large number of warships may flee immediately; because only through simple sounds, people can't tell the difference between retreat and escape.

However, it is unrealistic for the general to convey more accurate and detailed military orders.At this critical juncture, how can we still have the opportunity to send ships out and convey military orders verbally?

However, there was no need for the general to order a retreat, and many ships in front of them had already turned around and wanted to run away without authorization.

The general watched the various situations on the sea, and thought: Countless warships are still there, but the situation is beyond control.At present, I am afraid that it is not a matter of choice, but that no one can control the situation.It's like when a hurricane has come, people can only endure and watch the situation develop step by step, but cannot escape.

"Order to retreat." The general said simply.He didn't have the shock and panic of the envoys, but only powerlessness and helplessness.

... The sound of drums on the water was endless, and various warships of the Ming Navy were shuttling to the southwest from the gap between the formations in front.They even slowly rearranged while sailing, gradually forming a two-ship, double-column attack formation.

Huge noises enveloped the inside and outside of the treasure ship. In addition to the drums coming from all sides, there were also shouts, yelling and cursing from above and below the deck.Before that, there was a tense and busy atmosphere on board.

The person who played the zither before was naturally Liu Ming, the envoy of the Ming Dynasty.At this time, only civil servants have no business to do.

During the war, he couldn't help, but he was very emotional, so he wanted to play the zither and sing.Before and after the battle, he never panicked.

There is really nothing to panic about.

Shi Jinqing, the consolation envoy from Jiugang, came to Da Nang and brought some news; Shi Jinqing first told the eunuch Wang Jinghong and general Chen Xuan, and later all the important civil and military officials and eunuchs in the army knew about it.

Liu Ming already knew the general content in his heart.Shi Jinqing wanted to make meritorious service through informants so that he could be the actual helm of Jiugang.

The news is that Shi Jinqing's people bought a dignitary in Angkor Thom through bribery, and found out some secrets of the Chenla Army's pre-war planning.But Shi Jinqing believes that it is indeed possible for the people of Chenla to carry out operations according to the plan; so he came here at the risk of his own life, and focused on seizing the opportunity to make great contributions.

Since the strategy of the Chenla people has been known to the Ming army's central army for a long time, and the Ming navy is already powerful and worthy of the Chenla army; then, Liu Ming can't think of anything to worry about.

This battle made Liu Ming feel that it was not as dangerous as the hurricane encountered in Fujian and Guangdong last time.

After a row of broadsides below the deck fired a salvo, Liu Ming stopped playing the kite.The thunderous sound of cannons has already made the music unhearable.

Just now the ship's hull was shaking-shaking very violently, the sound of the guns stopped for a while, and Liu Ming's hands were still pressing the zither and teacups on the table to prevent them from overturning and breaking on the floor.

Fires were not allowed on warships, and the cup of tea in Liu Ming's hand was obtained after soaking in cold water for an entire hour.Now he has not tasted a bite, it would be a pity if he fell.

He confirmed that the sound of the cannon will not be heard again for the time being, then let go of the guzheng, picked up the teacup in his left hand, closed his eyes and took a sip, letting out a comfortable sigh.

After drinking the tea, Liu Ming walked out of the official hall and came to the wooden railing to watch the battle.

The faint white smoke in the air has not dispersed, and the wind still carries the smell of gunpowder.The deck of the treasure ship he was on was empty, and the mast was still empty.But many other warships have already filled their sails, and the forwards have crossed the formation and are slowly approaching the enemy.

On the sea in the distance, the enemy fleet that can be seen with the eyes is already a little messy, and the formation can no longer be seen.Liu Ming observed carefully and found that many boats were turning around.

The battle is still going on, and it will be a long time.Liu Ming even thought that if he waited for him to soak another cup of tea in cold water, he might still not be able to see the result of the battle.

On the deck below, many generals were watching from the side of the ship.Although the sergeants are in their positions and ready to fight, they can no longer see the busy scene.Everyone seems to be just waiting.

A military general walked to the railing outside the official hall, and when he saw Liu Ming, he cupped his fists and saluted.Liu Ming also exchanged a few greetings in return.

The general turned his head and looked ahead, and said, "We have to wait for a while, when the forwards have killed all the generals, we will form a row and sweep to clear the battlefield from behind."

Liu Ming said: "So that's the case."

The general said again: "We are relatively light today. After fighting the battle here, we can swim around Saigon Bay and catch people in the water. Those brothers in front, the work is not over yet."

Liu Ming asked, "Where is Commander Tang?"

The general raised his head and pointed: "The command upstairs is probably the same as us, standing and watching."

After hearing this, Liu Ming bid farewell to the general and walked towards the wooden stairs.If the battle is fierce, Liu Ming is not willing to interfere with Tang Jing, but right now he can talk a few words.

He turned his head again on the wooden ladder and glanced at the front of the treasure ship.A quick glance, too short a time, creates the illusion that the countless enemy ships in the distance are not moving, just floating there.

The scene between the sea and the sky was very grand and shocking, but at this moment it was very peaceful.

Liu Ming suddenly stopped temporarily, he felt that the scene at this moment could be made into a picture.

Chapter 888 The Battle Drums Don't Stop

Between the sea breeze, the slow-paced beating of the big drum never stopped.The sound of the drum is like the beating of the heart in the body, and people can feel it anywhere, as if it is everywhere.That was the result of multiple battleships of the Ming army beating drums together.

General Chenla has discovered the arrogance of the Ming army.The Ming army broke into the large formation of the coalition forces with two columns connected end to end; such slender columns were extremely vulnerable to boarding and siege by several coalition warships.But the Ming army didn't seem to care about it.

The sound of cannons in the distance came one after another, mixed with the sound of the waves, forming a continuous and huge noise.

The general's ship had already turned to the southwest. He stood on the deck and watched the gradual change of the situation coldly.He didn't have much to do at this time. The pace of the naval battle was relatively slow, but the tactical arrangements and preparations were slower. There was really not much he could do now.

Both columns of the Ming army were turning.They first relied on the wind and came head-on to the southwest; after entering the coalition army formation, the Ming army turned around at this time and was sailing diagonally to the south.

"The enemy ship on the starboard side is approaching!" Someone suddenly shouted.

The general had already seen the direction of the enemy's long column, and such a report was not sudden.He walked quickly to the side of the ship, and immediately saw a huge warship slowly approaching.

Such a huge battleship is of course a warship of the Ming people.The general moved his eyes upwards, and took another look at the gray and white huge hard sails of the Ming people. His gaze stayed on a flag with a blue background and a yellow pattern for a long time.