monarch

In the middle of the British fleet, the flagship "Britannia", as tall as a hill, was sailing smoothly on the sea, with all sails lowered and full of wind, grabbing the upper wind around her The British fleet is heading straight for the huddled Spaniards.

In the early morning of this day, Sir John Hawkins got up very early. He rode a small boat among the ships that were having breakfast, cheering loudly to the crew and officers on each battleship.After the inspection, Sir Hawkins boarded the flagship of the fleet, and soon, the semaphore was hung on the mast of the "Britannia" that was as tall as the pillars of Westminster Abbey-"England expects every Personal due diligence."

At 10:30 in the morning, the sail shadow of the Spanish fleet finally appeared on the distant sea horizon. At noon, the forwards of the Spanish fleet and the British fleet began to exchange fire.

The Spanish fleet was huddled like a giant tortoise shell, just to keep the fleet safely through the strait; the deployment of the British fleet was just the opposite: the entire fleet was divided into three parts, arranged in an extremely long line from north to south. Crescent formation.The northern and southern squadrons each had about sixty warships, while Sir Hawkins himself led the most powerful one hundred warships in the middle to collide head-on with the Spanish fleet.The deployment of the British fleet is clear, that is, to use fewer but better ships to block all the advance routes of the Spaniards and never allow them to pass through the strait smoothly.

The change in wind direction caught the Spanish fleet by surprise, and for British sailors sailing in such weather was like rowing on a calm pond.The queue of the fleet is still orderly, just as magnificent and neat as when anchored in the harbor.

On this sunny June noon, two of the largest fleets in Christendom, propelled by the wind and ten thousand oars, amidst a hail of white-smoke-dripping shells in the air, among the lead shot from muskets Among the feather arrows shot by the archer and the crossbowman, they collided unwillingly.Countless battleships are crowded in the straits, and even the wind and the sea feel overwhelmed by these heavy giants.

The "Britannia" is like a huge sea castle. She rushed into the Spanish fleet first. The more than 100 cannons on the ship, like a hundred eyes of the giant Argos, burst into flames due to the burning of gunpowder. red light.The pungent smell of gunpowder smoke and blood mixed together, enveloped the two fleets that were inextricably killed.The burning red cannonballs flew around, beating the unlucky ghosts encountered on the road to blood, and when the cannonballs finally hit the wood of the cabin, the splashed wood chips were like daggers, piercing deeply. Into the human body that is near.

Musketeers and archers stood at their posts, firing at the enemy on the opposing ship, like defenders in a castle.It's just that the defenders of the castle are fighting on towering stone towers, and the castle of these brave sailors is just a ship made of wood, drifting on the sea, the castle is not easy to collapse, and the ship may fall It will sink to the bottom of the sea in seconds.

The British fleet originally planned to break away from the Spaniards immediately after a blow, and use its own artillery range advantage to attack the Spanish fleet at a longer distance. However, the increasing wind and waves made the arrays of the two fleets staggered, and the battle became A complete melee.However, in this melee, the technical advantages of the British fleet were still fully utilized. The long range of the artillery also meant that the amount of gunpowder was loaded, and the artillery was more powerful.The shells fired by the British artillery hit the plank of the Spanish warship made of inferior wood, just like tearing a piece of paper, smashing the plank to pieces; Like an old lady's panting, the feeble cannonball hit the wall of the British battleship, and was easily bounced off like a tennis ball, leaving only a black sunken mark on the hit place.

The battle lasted for less than half an hour, and blood flowed on many warships.Amidst the miserable groans of the wounded, black blood flowed everywhere on the deck, and they even seeped down along the gaps between the timbers, dripping drop by drop from the ceiling of the cabin below.The gunners who fired the artillery wiped the sweat from their foreheads with their hands, but saw dark blood stains on their hands. Only then did they notice that a blood rain had just started falling on their heads .

To prevent the crew from slipping, large amounts of sand were poured on the deck to absorb the disgusting blood.The golden-yellow sand, saturated with blood, also turned a muddy, dull black—the color of death.

Sir John Hawkins was wounded by hot shrapnel from the muzzle of some Spanish musketeer, which splintered the Britannia's mast, of which A piece of it had just enough kinetic energy to shatter the shoulder blades of Sir Hawkins standing on the side of the mast commanding.

"It seems that from now on, every time it rains, I will curse the Spaniard who shot the gun." When the doctor took out the shrapnel for him, Sir Hawkins' face was sweating from the pain, but he still opened his mouth with pale lips. Squeezing out an ugly smile, he teased in a joking tone, "At this time, I really wish I was a Spaniard, at least there isn't so much rain in that ghostly place!"

"The shrapnel is out." The doctor bandaged Sir Hawkins' wound, "but you'd better go back to the cabin and rest."

"Even if another hundred bullets hit me, I will not leave here." Although the young commander was injured, his tone was filled with bloodthirsty excitement, "Can't you see? At this critical moment, do I want to leave my post at this time? No, unless I become a corpse, then you can carry me wherever you want!"

As if in response to his words, the battleship under his feet fired another salvo of artillery, and there was a thunderous muffled sound below the deck, like an earthquake, and the recoil of the artillery made the whole ship tremble.

The Spanish warship not far away from the artillery attack was immediately shrouded in smoke and dust when the shell hit it. After about half a minute, a little fire appeared in the smoke and dust, and then the fire turned into a bright flame. group.

The Spanish battleship "Immaculate Conception" exploded into a huge fireball in front of tens of thousands of officers and soldiers on both sides.The huge sailing warship was like a house made of building blocks, and it was kicked and smashed by the reckless urchin of Gunpowder.Flames shot out from all the openings, and the uppermost deck lasted a few seconds before collapsing, along with the tall masts of the battleship, and when they fell, they looked like It is like a reed broken by a strong wind.Those complicated sails like spider webs and the pure white sails embroidered with blood-red crosses were also torn to pieces by the huge pull of the mast falling.

The exchange of fire between the two fleets was temporarily stopped because of this shocking scene.The sound of gunfire and shouting stopped, and everyone, regardless of their nationality or status, opened their eyes wide, watching the mushroom cloud rising above the rapidly sinking wreckage of the "Immaculate Conception".

"It's the ammunition depot!" Sir Hawkins heard a naval officer standing behind him say, in a trembling voice full of awe, "their ammunition depot must have exploded."

Everyone in both fleets was aware of the terrible fact that every battleship under their feet was a hill of gunpowder.And what they are doing now is throwing ignited logs at each other's gunpowder mountains.

The "Immaculate Conception" sank into the bottom of the sea under the watchful eyes of the two fleets. When the vortex caused by the sinking calmed down, there were only countless pieces of wood left on the sea surface, and not even a single survivor could be seen.

After a brief pause, the clamor of war enveloped the sea again. For the people on these ships, killing has become their instinct, and such a breathtaking scene can only calm them down for a moment.On the other hand, what drives them is fear. The best way to avoid the terrible fate of the victims on the "Immaculate Conception" is to let this fate befall the enemy first.

On the deck of the San Martin, the flagship of the Spanish fleet, Admiral Dorea was also injured. He was lying on a soft couch that was moved to the deck, with a piece of head wrapped like a Bedouin. Funny gauze, he has two lead bullets on the left side of his body, and he is shaking on the recliner because of excessive blood loss.

"You take command." The weak admiral pulled the arm of his deputy, the Marquis of Santa Cruz, "The fleet has already shed enough blood...don't forget that your duty is to get her to Antwerp, as far as possible Save more ships..."

His voice became smaller and smaller, and finally he couldn't hold it anymore, he let go of his hand and passed out.

The Marquis of Santa Cruz took over the command, but at this time it could be clearly seen that the balance of this naval battle was slowly but unstoppably moving towards the British side.In the left front of the "San Martin", the two most powerful Spanish warships, the "Holy Trinity" and the "King Alfonso", seemed to be doomed, and the two warships stopped on the sea like seriously injured beasts , The mast broke, smoke and flames raged on the ship, the desperate crew tried to put out the fire with sea water and blankets, and even started to use dead bodies to try to suppress the flames, but all was in vain.The timid crew members of the two warships had already started jumping overboard.

The situation of the St. Martin was not much better. Under the feet of the Marquis of Santa Cruz, the ship's bilge had accumulated three feet of water, and the whole ship was like a patient suffering from edema. Staggering and struggling slowly.Cannonballs were fired from all directions, and the British surrounded more Spanish warships with fewer warships, but the latter had difficulty tearing the encirclement.

The captain of the San Martin walked up to the Marquis of Santa Cruz, his face was blackened by the gunfire, and the sweat was drawing a star-studded ditches on his black face.

"I suggest you change the flagship, Your Excellency." The captain lowered his head, his voice full of despair, "This ship is about to fail."

The Marquis of Santa Cruz sighed and nodded resignedly. He realized that the naval battle was lost, and the only thing he could do was to rescue as many ships as possible from the iron grip of the Britons.

A rowboat was put into the sea, and half a quarter of an hour later, the Marquis of Santa Cruz and Admiral Doria, who was unconscious on a stretcher, were both sent to the rowboat. The oarsmen rowed vigorously, Heading towards the new flagship "Cid" chosen by the Marquis of Santa Cruz.This warship named after the famous Spanish hero is inconspicuous compared with the galleons such as the St. Martin, and it is even less likely to be the target of concentrated attacks by the British.

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the naval battle had been going on for more than two hours, and the sum of the warships sunk by both sides had reached triple digits.Since Octavian and Antony fought for the dominion of Rome since the naval battle of Cape Actium, there has never been a sea battle of this scale in Europe.At this time, the weather also began to change, the bright sun began to be shrouded by dark clouds, the wind on the sea surface became stronger and the waves became higher and higher, putting those severely damaged warships in extreme danger among.

Sir Hawkins' face became gloomy like the weather. He looked indifferently at the rising waves, and the formation of the British fleet in the distance involuntarily became chaotic.

On the new Spanish flagship, the Marquis of Santa Cruz also noticed the effects of the changing weather. He realized that this would be the best chance to escape, and if he could not save the entire fleet, at least he could save himself. These ships of war all around bring out the traps of the Britons.

"Turn starboard three times, set foresail, second and third sails!" ordered the Marquis, "and signal to all warships: 'Follow me'!"

The Cid banked to starboard, heading southeast, where a change of wind briefly created a gap about a mile wide between the British South and Center fleets.Behind her followed a long line of Spanish warships who had seen the flagship's signal.

"Damn it!" Sir Hawkins slammed his fist against the railing in front of him. "Signal! Stop them!"

Fengshen was now on the side of Spain, and the British crew used all available methods, and the gap gradually narrowed, but it did not close fast enough.

On the Spanish warships, in order to speed up, the crew threw everything that would not interfere with the navigation into the sea.First came the vats of black powder, followed by all the detachable guns.Behind the Spanish fleet, there are countless quilts, fodder and broken planks floating.

The "Cid" rushed out of the gap in the first place, and the increasingly strong sea wind inflated her sails. Around her, a large group of Spanish warships crowded like worker bees surrounded by a queen bee. around the flagship.

"Wait a minute." On the new Spanish flagship, the Marquis of Santa Cruz suddenly had a flash of inspiration. "If we turn south now, maybe we can turn around and surround the squadron on the southern side of the British."

He excitedly looked at the captain and wanted to ask the other party's opinion, but the other party's face was very embarrassed.

The Marquis of Santa Cruz seemed to understand something. He looked at the other crew members on the ship, and they all lowered their heads, not daring to look at him.

"You don't want to?" The Marquis of Santa Cruz seemed to have been slapped, his face turned pale with anger, and his voice became a little sharp, "Do you know what kind of crime is treason?"

The captain looked at the Marquis of Santa Cruz in embarrassment. He walked up to the ear of the commander and whispered: "Please don't say that... Maybe you will really cause a rebellion! They just saved themselves from death Even the devil can't make them turn the boat around now!"

"Even if we obey your orders, how many other warships do you think will follow our footsteps? They will just ignore our signals... You can't stop a herd of frightened horses, you can only wait for them to calm down by themselves Retame them!"

The light in the Marquis Santa Cruz's eyes disappeared, he let out a long sigh, his muscles relaxed, and he seemed to be a head shorter than before.

Seeing the pieces of sails painted with red crosses gradually heading southeast by the wind, the Spanish warships still in the encirclement panicked. They hung up the remaining sails one after another, trying to find the gap between the British warships. Gaps to escape from birth.But at this time, Fengshen seemed to be deliberately teasing them, and the wind direction changed to the northeast wind again, and the British fleet regained the upper wind.

Sir Hawkins was relieved to see that the gap had been filled again.He looked angrily at the Spanish ships that escaped from the encirclement, the flames in his eyes almost turned into two sharp swords, stabbing out from his pupils.

"Send a squadron to follow them." A deep and hoarse voice came out through his clenched teeth, "Not one of the remaining Spanish warships is allowed to leave the battlefield! If they want to leave, the only way Just sink!"

The British fleet began to tighten the encirclement, like an executioner tightening the noose around the neck of a condemned prisoner.The sailors on the British battleship had expected that the surrounded Spanish warship would collapse at a touch, but the beast trapped in the corner was often the most dangerous.These patchwork crews on the Spanish warships, these forced peasants, criminals sentenced to hard labor, nobles who have served in the army for generations, and sailors transferred from merchant ships, these people are a mass of loose sand, but in Under tremendous pressure, sand can also turn into diamonds. When the shadow of the doomsday enveloped their heads, these cowards who were thinking of escaping just now were also transformed into red-eyed beasts.

The Britons had already planned to accept the enemy's surrender, but when they shouted to the enemy ships, the Spaniards responded with intensive gunfire and roars of death.They threw everything that could be thrown from their warships at the British warships, and even tried to use their warships to ram the British, and both sides died together.

By four o'clock in the afternoon, the weather was getting worse and worse.As the sun gradually slanted westward, the morale of the Spanish fleet finally dimmed like a fading halo on the horizon.The Spanish warships that are still in the encirclement are all bruised and bruised, and most of them have lost the ability to sail, floating on the sea like dead fish with white belly.As the waves rose from wave to wave, the situation of the Spanish sailors who remained on these marine garbage dumps became more and more dangerous.It seems that the only way out before them is to bow their knees and surrender or be buried in the belly of a fish.

The white flag was hoisted on the first Spanish warship. For the remaining Spanish warships, this was a signal they had been waiting for for a long time. The white flag that had been prepared was immediately hoisted on the highest point of each warship.Those who were the first to bow their knees were called cowards, and those who followed were seen as helpless.

On the galleon all the sails were furled, and on the galley all the oars were held aloft by the oarsmen in a sign of submission, and the Spanish fleet in the encirclement surrendered.

Sir Hawkins put away his binoculars impassively.

"Report your victory to His Majesty." His tone was light, and he did not feel the joy of winning at all. For him, this was an incomplete victory, and only a commander who has won a complete victory will win for himself. Qualifications for celebration.

Night finally fell on the sea full of wreckage and corpses. Those abandoned Spanish warships burned alone on the sea, and then went out like candles in the wind, until finally everything was in darkness.