I'm really not the carpenter emperor

Again, the current strength of the Xu family is weak, and the Zheng family has the protection of the court, and their own power is not weaker than them, so they still need to find a backer!

This backer, Li Dan is not good enough, even if he goes to the government, at most he will be on an equal level with the Zheng family, maybe he will not be able to be sealed as a guard, and he will still be hammered at that time.

If you want to have the capital to fight Zheng Yiguan at sea in the future, you have to find the court!

Xu Cheng smiled awkwardly, and said, "After saving my brother, the two of us plan to settle in Japan like Li Dan, and we won't go back to Jiangnan."

Zheng Yiguan nodded lightly, didn't say much, just said quietly:

"That's very good. You should go to Penghu to meet the Dutch as soon as possible. As an internal response, when Penghu is recovered, I will have to mention you and Xu Xinsu's contribution to Futai."

Xu Xu was cursing from the bottom of his heart, but his face was sunny:

"Thank you Zheng Shoubei for helping me rescue my brother!"

2 Fifty Chapters of Ridiculous Navy

In the vast sea, a Dutch fleet with only nine warships is strictly sealing Zhangzhou Port in Fujian, the Ming Dynasty.

Zhangzhou Port is one of the most prosperous foreign trade ports in the Jiangnan area. It was blocked by the Dutch fleet for half a year. The Fujian Navy had no way to do it, and the daily losses were immeasurable.

Thanks to Nan Juyi's proper handling and tough attitude, the Dutch have not been able to further control more areas in the past six months.

The reason for the blockade of Zhangzhou Port is also very simple. The Dutch wanted to use their strong ships and guns to open up new trade routes to Asia.

The Dutch firmly believe that leading the route to Air Asia will give this coachman empire, which is gradually coming to an end, a new vigor and vitality.

In the past few years, the Dutch fought several naval battles in Malacca with the local aborigines, as well as Portugal, Spain, England and other powers.

Since the African area is being divided up by Western countries, the competition is very fierce. The Dutch had no choice but to give up their plans to establish footholds in Malacca and the Spice Islands, and instead focused on the Penghu and Ryukyu areas.

The Dutch found that if they could occupy Penghu or Ryukyu, it would obviously help them open up the sea route to Asia and New Zealand.

Soon, the mobilization of the Fujian navy attracted the attention of Gao Wenlu, commander-in-chief of the two Dutch fleets.

For such a large-scale military operation, the Dutch could guess the intentions of Fujian General Yu Zizao even without any eyeliner.

On this day, Gao Wenlu was standing on the wall of the fortress they built in Penghu, took out his binoculars, looked at the calm sea ahead, and said:

"Mr. Xu Xinsu, we are here this time, although we have the order of the chief, to investigate the situation of Ming's control here in the Penghu area, and to test the strength of their navy."

"But my fleet has blocked Zhangzhou Port for half a year. They frequently mobilized their navy to counterattack us, and we have not suffered any damage."

"The gap in combat power is so huge, my dear friend, do you think we have already succeeded more than half?"

Now Xu Xinsu, with his glib voice and keen sense of maritime trade, has long been a guest of Gao Wenlu's, and is even respected.

He smiled flatteringly when he heard the words, and said:

"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, the strength of Fujian is completely incomparable to the navy newly established by the imperial court in Tianjin, but as far as Penghu is concerned, this should be their last struggle."

"Mr. Xu, after repelling their desperate attack, I will ask your Emperor Ming to relax the restrictions on the export of silk. At that time, you will be able to serve our East India Company all the time."

"I can't ask for it."

Xu Xinsu smiled slightly, although on the surface he was respectful to the Dutch, but in his heart, he still hoped that Daming's navy could win this battle.

After all, no matter what, he was still a subject of Ming Dynasty.

If the navy wins this battle, as a "smart work" to break into the Dutch, he promises that he will make great contributions and become prosperous from then on!

If unfortunately the Dutchman wins, it will have a great impact on Xu Xinsu.

In the short term, Xu Xinsu will get asylum from the Dutch, and it is convenient to go to the chamber of commerce along the southeast coast, but this is not a long-term solution after all.

The Dutch could withdraw as soon as they said they wanted to. Xu Xinsu could never go to the East India Company to wait on them. Once he was left behind, he might be treated as a traitor.

Just as he was thinking, he saw Gao Wenlu put away the binoculars, put them in the small bag he was carrying, and said with a big smile, "Tell my captains, let my crew be fully armed and board the deck!"

"When the battle at Zhangzhou Port is almost over, we will take the second fleet to clean up the battlefield and receive the spoils of war."

"I heard that Ming's navy is still using the very outdated tactic of connecting strings. I'm curious if they can board my galley and surprise me!"

From Gao Wenlu's point of view, after more than half a year's testing of the port closure, although Daming's navy has a large number, the strength of its warships is not a star and a half behind his own.

This is no longer a battle that can be won with numbers. If they insist on fighting, it can only be a massacre.

……

On the outskirts of Zhangzhou Port, eight galley warships and one Galen warship with extremely powerful firepower are continuing to blockade the entire port.

Over the nine Dutch warships, the brightly colored flag of the Dutch is flying high.

At this time, the captains of almost every ship were using their monoculars to observe the Ming Navy that suddenly appeared on the sea level.

With a sound of order, the Dutch lowered part of the flag, half of the galleys, and the Galen battleship, aimed hundreds of cannons at the densely packed warships ahead.

Approaching in front of them were the Fujian navy led by Yu Zizao, the general soldier of Fujian, Wang Mengxiong, the guerrilla of Haiphong, Liu Yingshan, the battalion officer of Shuibiao Battalion, and Hong Jiyuan, Hong Yingdou, the commander-in-chief of Penghu Coastal Defense Battalion.

Because this time was a decisive battle, the Fujian navy dispatched almost all the ships it could mobilize. Their scale made these proud Dutchmen amazed.

Many people were amazed. They had been sailing at sea for many years, and a normal naval battle would only be limited to dozens of ships. But this time, only Daming's side dispatched as many as a hundred ships.

The Ming Navy, which is speeding towards this side, is flying the iconic bright yellow flags. There are more than [-] Cangshan warships as the main warships.

In addition, it is equipped with a large number of firearms such as fire dragons and water, fire dragon boats used to burn enemy ships, and assault boats that use wolf pack tactics to fight strings. There are countless stars around the Cangshan boat. .

The captain of the Galen battleship slowly put down the binoculars, and the initial contempt disappeared. This time he said slowly:

"If what we are facing is not a navy with outdated equipment, but a navy with the same equipment as ours, will this battle still be fought?"

This question went straight to the hearts of the chief officers, and they couldn't laugh anymore. Indeed, if the opponent's weapons and equipment were the same as their own, a navy of this size would be almost invincible.

After a long time, only one person looked at it with a binoculars for a while, and said:

"I saw it, Your Excellency the Captain!"

"The first ship among them looks like a merchant ship, but I didn't see anything like a weapon. What is that..."

Just as he was talking, the first mate couldn't help but laugh: "Oh my God, what did I see? Then... is that an extremely huge crossbow bolt?"

"Yes, more than one!"

Many people also said: "I also saw that the dozen or so merchant ships they led, each of which was equipped with six of these huge crossbow bolts."

After speaking, there was a roar of laughter on the boat.

Someone even laughed so hard that they almost couldn't breathe, and said hysterically: "Why, are they going to use their own crossbow bolts to shoot our warships into hedgehogs at sea?"

"I haven't seen this kind of weapon, but I guess it should still have a little bit of lethality, as long as we don't hide in the cabin, haha!"

The sailors on the Galen battleship, like those on other Dutch warships, were pointing at the outdated weapons and equipment of the Fujian Navy when orders from the fleet commander Raun came from ahead.

Chapter 251 Overwhelming Battle

Commander Raun's order is unimaginable. Seeing this order from the flag waved by the sailors of the flagship, many Dutchmen on the Galen battleship found it incredible.

This order is to tell them to persuade the opposing fleet to surrender!

"Could it be that the sailors saw such a large-scale fleet for the first time, and like us, they got nervous, so...they made the wrong semaphore?"

A first officer lowered his binoculars and heard the rest of the crew grumbling.

"Is he crazy?"

"We, a dozen ships, are going to persuade a fleet of at least 100 ships to surrender?"

"I think he was dazzled by the previous victory!"

The more than [-] Dutch crew and sailors on the Galen battleship quickly began to talk about it. At this time, the captain looked at the semaphore again from the flagship and believed this fact helplessly.

Commander Lawn, let them persuade the approaching Ming fleet to surrender!

In fact, the captain also thought this was incredible, after all, the opponent had at least 100 ships, and he had only nine warships.

No matter how big the difference in equipment was, the opponent would not be frightened by himself and would surrender directly.

But no matter what, Lawn's order has been issued. Even if the captain hated to disagree, he had no choice but to put down the binoculars in his hand and said to the first officer:

"Pass on my order, raise the white flag, and persuade them to surrender!"

With this order, the sailors and crew of the Galen battleship quickly started to yell again, but these complaints did not affect their speed of boarding the deck in the slightest.

On the opposite side of the Fujian Navy, a warship refitted from a merchant ship requisitioned from the people was at the head, equipped with six giant crossbows, more than a hundred muskets, and various firearms.

Surprisingly, before the fight started, a battleship from the opponent waved a white flag and slowly came to a stop in front of them.

Just when the navy on the Ming warship was completely at a loss, the Dutch on the Galen warship began to slow down, and under the captain's order, they sent several crew members to board the watchtower and signal to this side.

It was the first time for many officers and soldiers of the Daming Navy to come into contact with the semaphore, and even this commander with a little combat experience couldn't understand what the other party meant at all.

"what does that mean?"

Facing the Shangguan's question, the guard Xiaoqi officer silently shook his head:

"I've heard that this is the semaphore used by Hong Mao Fan when he was sailing at sea, but I don't know what it means exactly."

"Fuck."

Subconsciously scolded the general manager, frowning tightly.

Perhaps because he found that the other party did not respond to his semaphore, the Galen battleship continued to fly the white flag, and slowly approached the Ming warship. When the distance was almost the same, the Dutch flag bearer found a Chinese-speaking translator and began to shout .

The distance is not very close, but the voice of the other party is very bright. If you calm down, you can probably understand what it means, and your expression changes immediately.

It turned out that this warship was a lobbyist sent by the Dutch to humiliate themselves. The content of their propaganda made people feel indignant and annoyed.

The Dutch claimed that the East India Company had announced the receipt of the entire fleet and Zhangzhou Port, and ordered the Fujian Navy to surrender immediately, and if they did not want the ship to be destroyed, everyone must immediately lay down their weapons.

Although Boss knew it would be difficult to defeat these red-haired ghosts, he was a man after all, and he was so humiliated in front of his subordinates, so he immediately clenched his fists and replied:

"This is the Daming sea frontier, and you are the ones who invaded without authorization!"

"Come on, call me!"

The translator on the Galen battleship is actually a half-baked guy, and the general speech is very fast, which makes it particularly difficult to translate.

The more the captain listened, the more he felt something was wrong. It was obvious that the Fujian navy in front of him took his persuasion to surrender before the war as a malicious humiliation.

When he heard the second sentence, his face suddenly became frightened.

Because of the poor Chinese level of the Dutch translator, after the captain figured out the meaning of Ba Zong's two sentences, the Fujian navy warship in front of him was ready for battle.

Seeing countless assault boats and fire dragon boats encircling them, the captain turned pale with fright, and hurried back to the cabin, giving orders to stay away from these small boats.

Soon, the giant crossbow on the Fujian navy warship began to fire, and the translators on the Galen warship, as well as the crew members who played the semaphore, were directly penetrated and fell into the sea water.

Seeing the seawater under their feet gradually stained red with their own blood, the Dutchman finally knew that this seemingly outdated crossbow was so powerful in melee combat.

Soon, the Galen battleship began to turn the rudder, and the sailors and crew on it picked up the advanced muskets leaning on one side, and counterattacked the vanguard fleet of the Fujian Navy.

The assault boat, like a colony of ants, quickly began to implement wolf pack tactics to encircle and wipe out the huge Galen battleship in front of them.

Under the firepower of the Dutch, the Ming army on the assault boat desperately got close to them side by side. The officers and soldiers of the Ming army navy threw hooks with ropes and hooked the bulwarks of the Galen warship from all sides.

After that, with steel knives in their mouths and long spears on their backs, they began to climb up the Galen battleship along the rope.

Faced with such a situation, the captain of the Galen warship panicked and quickly discovered that the opponent's tactics were actually as rumored and extremely old-fashioned.

Including the slightly larger merchant ship in front of me and the densely packed assault boats, there are almost no heavy weapons.

In contrast, Mo Shuo's Galen warship, which can sail across the sea, and the eight three-masted galleys behind it are overwhelming to their firepower.

Perhaps because he knew that his firepower was not as good as that of the Dutch, the warship converted from a large merchant ship in front of him had a lot of barbed wires around it, and it protruded obliquely upwards for at least two meters.

In this case, it is very conducive to fighting on board. Once the opponent is hooked, it is extremely difficult to escape, and the sea is full of the opponent's assault boats and fire dragon boats, and it is impossible to jump ship and board a small boat to escape.

However, he was not in a hurry.

Realizing that the Fujian navy was just flamboyant and not equipped with any decent weapons at all, the captain of the Galen battleship made a very wise decision-"fire directly".

The Dutch Galen battleship seemed to have given up on being chased and intercepted by the assault boats and fire dragon boats. They began to turn the rudder, exposing all the more than [-] cannons equipped on the side boats, aiming at the Fujian navy warship in front of them.

Soon, there was a thunderous explosion, which shocked everyone for a moment.

"Boom--"

The cannons on the Galen battleship began to continuously tilt their firepower towards the Fujian Navy's vanguard fleet. The side ship's cannon fired only one round, and it directly blasted the leading Fujian Navy warship in front of it.

That's right, it exploded directly...

In the face of such powerful firepower, the Fujian Navy's vanguard fleet's attempt to use wolf pack tactics to encircle and annihilate the Dutch Galen battleship quickly failed.

The gun on the left fired and exploded a Fujian navy warship. Soon, the Dutch turned the right boat and aimed at another Fujian navy warship that was still in a daze.