Anti-Qing: Starting from the Reincarnation of the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 153 Qianshan Sea Battle
But the problem now is that neither Britain nor France currently has the ability to project troops across half of the world to the Far East.

They can't even maintain an army of hundreds of people in the Far East now!
Not to mention moving his main fleet to the east!
Not at all realistic!
Didn’t you see that they are now using only a few merchant ships to participate in the war between the Ming Dynasty and Britain and Portugal?

In this era, the only countries capable of maintaining military presence in the East were the Netherlands, Spain, and Portugal.

Because, the Netherlands has Batavia!

Spain has Luzon!
Portugal has Macau.

They are all colonies that have been in operation for 300 to [-] years, and their foundations have long been established.

The current colonies of Britain and France, even the closest ones to China, are still in India.

Their warships might not even be able to pass Malacca!

Ciel on the side stepped forward and spoke.

"Say a few words less."

"Be prepared for war with the British and Portuguese."

"This is the condition I use in exchange for the Chinese opening trade to us, France."

"Anthony, you must not let me down."

Hearing this, Anthony bowed slightly and said.

"Don't worry, Sir Charles, the brave young men will let the proud British taste the taste of failure in the Far East."

After saying this, he ordered the ships to continue to follow the Ming army's fleet and sail towards Macau.

……

Macau, City Hall!

George and Shadanye received urgent news that Ming Dynasty was about to attack Macau.

Now, Ming Dynasty has cut off Macau's connection with the mainland.

The islands occupied by the Portuguese along the coast of China were actually not just Taipa Island, but also the Macau Peninsula and Coloane Island.

The Ming Dynasty cut off Macau's connection with the mainland. In fact, it first surrounded the Macau Peninsula.

The plan is to capture the Macau Peninsula first, and then attack Taipa Island and Coloane Island.

Because Taipa Island and Coloane Island are just two isolated islands. As long as the Ming Dynasty surrounds them and cuts off the water source, they will collapse in a few days.

Therefore, if the Ming Dynasty wants to regain Macau this time, the key lies in how to capture the Macau Peninsula.

Obviously, not only Ming Dynasty knew this, but the Portuguese were also very clear about it.

Shadanye's face was full of anxiety as he listened to the reports from the people below.

"Sir George, what should we do now?"

"Once the Chinese cut off Macau's connection with the mainland, we will lose water here and we won't be able to hold on for long."

When George heard this, he said very calmly.

"Your Majesty the Governor, please don't panic."

"You know, we are now on a peninsula. If the Chinese want to block us, they can only use their fleet to cut off the Qianshan waterway."

"But with the surface power of the Chinese, they can't do it."

"Our warships can tear their blockade to pieces at any time..."

After hearing this, Shadanye slowly breathed a sigh of relief and his expression relaxed.

"That's good, that's good!"

Shadanye took a deep breath, calmed down, and then spoke.

"Send our fleet to tear apart the Ming Navy's blockade of the Qianshan Waterway and give them a powerful look."

Shadanye immediately ordered his fleet to prepare for war.

Although Portugal was in decline at this time, they had managed Macau for more than 200 years and still achieved results.

In terms of Galen merchant ships alone, there are now no fewer than ten in Macau.

Although these Galen ships are said to be merchant ships, there is absolutely no problem in using them as war ships.

Such a force may be nothing in Europe, and it cannot even make waves.

But in the Far East of this era, it can definitely be regarded as a decisive force.

Because, even if you look at the entire Far East, it is difficult to find a maritime power that can rival it.

Not to mention, the British still have several merchant ships docked in Macau.

……

More than ten Galenic sailboats all set their sails and headed towards the Qianshan waterway in a mighty manner.

The Portuguese flag and the British Union Jack were hoisted respectively.

This fleet headed straight for the Qianshan Waterway, preparing to break through the Ming army's blockade of the Qianshan Waterway.

Clank!Clang, clang!

The piercing warning sound resounded throughout the battlefield, and the Ming army, which was dragging upstream of the Qianshan waterway, also discovered the mighty British-Portuguese combined fleet coming to kill them.

Zhang He boarded the deck of his ship and looked into the distance.

Looking at the dozen or so Xiyi warships as huge as hills on the sea in the distance, a trace of solemnity and faint fear inevitably flashed in Zhang He's eyes.

But he soon regained his composure and ordered in an orderly manner.

"Instruct the whole army to adjust their array, with the big ship on the left and the small ship on the right, keeping an appropriate distance."

"When the distance between the two sides closes, the small boat quickly moves up and uses a salvo of rockets to defeat the Xiyi fleet."

Zhang He kept giving orders, and with the flag waving, the Ming fleet began to adjust its formation.

The big ship is on the left side, which is the side facing the enemy, ready to resist damage.

The small boat was hiding on the right side of the big ship, preparing to wait until the distance between the two sides was closed before the small boat swarmed up and used rockets to give the British-Portuguese coalition a big shock.

At the same time, the three French and Dutch galenic ships that were asked to be at the forefront were also preparing for battle.

The sailors were busy adjusting the sails, preparing to turn the ship's hull to face the enemy sideways.

As for seizing the upper hand...

How should I put it? The battlefield of this naval battle was within the Qianshan waterway, not on the wide sea.

The waterway is inherently narrow and there is not much room for maneuver.

Therefore, there is no need to seize the upper hand.

Just line up the array, prepare the distance to close in, and then the naval guns will fire.

However, the Ming army's boats had good maneuverability in such a narrow waterway.

The fleets of both sides were moving towards each other, and the distance was constantly being shortened.

The sailors on the Ming army's boat had already begun to prepare to load the rockets.

The rocket launcher is installed on the side of the ship, which saves them the effort of aiming. They only need to wait for the distance between the two sides to close, and then directly fire the salvo.

……

On the other side, on the watchtower of St. Paul's Fort, George and Sardanye also raised their telescopes and looked at the Qianshan Waterway in the distance.

Always pay attention to the battle situation over there!
"Damn the French and Dutch, they really chose to side with the Ming people."

George looked at the French ships and Dutch ships that appeared on the battlefield, and his face couldn't help but look a little ugly.

Originally, he thought they could win the battle on the Qianshanshui Road with ease!

Unexpectedly, the French and Dutch ended up.

If this is the case, there will be variables in this battle.

I'm afraid it will be difficult to fight!
Shadanye couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

"Can the artillery on the fort reach Qianshanshui Channel?" George asked.

Hearing this, Shadanye shook his head with a look of embarrassment on his face.

"I'm afraid it won't work. Most of the artillery on the St. Paul's Fortress are older and older. If they are fully loaded, there is a great risk of exploding the barrel."

“But if it’s not full of explosives, it will be difficult to reach the Qianshan Waterway.”

People are lazy. Macau has not experienced war for a long time, so the Portuguese naturally did not pay attention to the armaments of the fort.

Many of the artillery pieces on the fort were cast when the Ming and Qing Dynasties met.

At that time, mainland China was in turmoil for years, especially Guangdong and Guangxi, and the Ming and Qing Dynasties went back and forth several times.

The Portuguese in Macau were worried that they would be affected by the war, so they began to strengthen the fort and added several heavy cannons to enhance the defense of the fort.

However, as the Manchus pacified the world and peace was restored in East Asia, the Portuguese naturally became less concerned about the forts.

Over the years, the fort has long been abandoned.

Especially the artillery on the fort has not been replaced for several years.

Hearing this, George took a deep breath and didn't feel comfortable saying anything else.

After all, Macau belongs to the Portuguese, not the British.

What can he say?

At this moment, with the sound of several cannons, the naval battle in Qianshan Waterway finally started!

……

The first to fire was the British ship Princess Maria, the leading British ship in the Anglo-Portuguese combined fleet.

This is a Galen ship with a carrying capacity of more than [-] tons. There are a total of fifty gun windows on the ship.

Cannons protruded from the gun windows on the side of the ship, and the black muzzles emitted a terrifying light.

This boat travels in the narrow channel of Qianshan, which looks like a small mountain.

With a loud rumble, a cloud of smoke suddenly rose from the port side of the Princess Maria.

A black 32-pound cannon shell came out of the barrel and flew towards the Ming army.

Under the effect of the recoil of the artillery, the hull of the Princess Maria tilted obviously to the right, and ripples appeared on the water surface, spreading outward.

Obviously, the British were quite confident in their artillery skills, and they took the lead in firing even though there was still a certain distance between the two sides.

And the target they aimed at was not the Ming army's ship, but the Galen ship flying the French flag.

How should I put it, Britain and France are old friends, and they want to kill each other completely.

Now that the French are standing opposite themselves, in the eyes of the British, the French ship is definitely the first priority target.

With a bang, the shell accurately hit the side of the French Galen ship.

The shells embedded themselves hard into the hull, and the flying wood splinters claimed the lives of several French sailors.

Seeing this scene, the British sailors on the Princess Maria couldn't help but cheer.

"God forbid, kill that damn Frenchie!"

"Long live Great Britain, go to hell with the French!"

"The French are like shit, do you know how powerful Princess Maria is?!"

"..."

Anthony's eyes turned red when he saw this scene, and he immediately ordered.

"Fire, fire, let the lads aim at the British ships, hit them hard and, God willing, sink them for me, and send the damned Brits out to sea to feed the sharks."

Soon, the French Galen ships also began to fight back.

There was a rumble of shelling, and several shells were fired at the Princess Maria.

There was a back-and-forth shelling between the two sides.

The shells were heavily hit by shells, causing the ship to sway left and right, and the shells were deeply embedded in the wooden hull.

Even big holes were made in the hull!

Some cannonballs also fell into the water, shooting up water jets.

Since the battle was in a waterway rather than on the sea, the impact of wind and waves was minimal, and the naval guns on both sides had a very high hit rate.

Dutch ships and Portuguese ships followed closely and joined the battle.

The rumble of artillery fire echoed across the battlefield.

Zhu Jing'an stood on a low mountain, looking at the naval battle in the waterway of the front mountain with dark eyes.

"The Xiyi people are indeed ahead of our Ming Dynasty in terms of navy."

"After this battle, I, the Ming Dynasty, will have to ride and shoot with the Hufu of King Wuling of Zhao, learn how to fight with the cavalry of Beidi, and learn naval warfare from the foreigners."

"If Zheng He's fleet was still around, why would it be like this?"

Zhu Jing'an's words were full of emotion.

"If it weren't for the narrow-minded people in the imperial court who just went to the West and opened the sea ban, why would our Ming Dynasty be bullied by foreigners until now?"

There is no doubt that the person with narrow vision that Zhu Jing'an is talking about is referring to Zhu Zhanji, the great sage grandson of Yongle.

If it weren't for Zhu Zhanji's Xuande withdrawal, abandoning Annan, abandoning the old port, abandoning the Duoyan Three Guards, quitting the Western Ocean, and establishing a sea ban...

The history of Ming Dynasty may be rewritten!
If the Ming Dynasty in the Chongzhen year could have food from Annan, it would help the refugees.

If only the benefits of maritime trade could fill the national treasury deficit.

If we could have several strongholds in Nanyang, we could attract refugees who couldn't survive to colonize Nanyang instead of rebelling in the mainland...

How could the Ming Dynasty be destroyed by the Manchu Qing Dynasty?
If the Ming Dynasty did not have internal rogue rebellions that continuously bled the court, it would not have been so easy for a mere Manchu Qing Dynasty to defeat the Ming Dynasty.

Zhu Jing'an really didn't understand what Emperor Xuande, a good sage grandson, thought.

His grandfather had worked so hard for half his life to build the foundation, but he had given up more than half of it because of Xuande.

If Zhu Di knew it, he would probably be angered by his good saint grandson!
Everyone around heard the words, but no one dared to speak up and agreed, and just remained silent.

Zhu Jing'an dared to complain about his ancestors, but others did not.

It was okay for Zhu Jing'an to complain, but it would be taboo for others to complain too.

Complaining about the emperor?Don't want to live with you?
Zhu Jing'an let out a heavy breath, and then continued to cast his gaze on the battlefield.

……

In the Qianshan Waterway, the sound of cannons rumbled!

After the artillery battle began, the Ming Navy's navy also joined the battlefield.

Started to use naval guns to bombard the British and Portuguese forces.

Boom!Boom!
The narrow Qianshan waterway was filled with gunpowder smoke.

Cannonballs flew in the air one after another, and the whistling sound of projectiles piercing the air was clearly audible.

A shell roared in and hit a Ming army warship.

A large hole was suddenly made on the side of the Ming army warship, sawdust flew out, and several Ming soldiers beside it screamed in agony.

Qian Lang watched helplessly as a man's throat was cut open by the flying wood chips, and blood sprayed out like a fountain.

Warm blood spread all over his head and face.

But the expression on his face was still firm, and he quickly operated a 120-meter naval gun in front of him.

"Hurry up!"

"Aim, load, release!"

There was a burning sound of the fuse, and in the next moment, the propellant in the gun barrel exploded rapidly, and the high-temperature gas generated pushed the shell out of the gun barrel.

(End of this chapter)