Imperial Master of the Ming Dynasty

"Chen Zuyi's pirate gang has about five to six thousand people. It is divided into four fleets, which are ambushed in different bays and promontories. Two of the fleets are warships, and the other two fleets are transport ships or capable Merchant ship with mounted artillery.”

There was a special telescope on the ship to observe the hot air balloon, so the Eagle Guard quickly passed the semaphore and gradually passed back the detected situation to Zheng He's fleet.

At the same time, the sentries and the communication system behind them quickly reported back the situation of the Ming fleet.

But the so-called "large Kongming Lantern" did not receive Chen Zuyi's attention.

He had only heard a few fragments about what happened in Luzon, and he knew nothing about the role of hot air balloons here.

In fact, the Old Port and Manila are five thousand miles apart. Even this fragmented information came from merchants who were fleeing the war there.

Therefore, Chen Zuyi's understanding of the Ming fleet was actually very limited.

Moreover, this pirate king looked down on the newly established Ming Army's ocean-going fleet from the bottom of his heart.

For an old captain like him, who has been traveling in Southeast Asia for more than ten years, these Ming fleets, which have just transformed from river naval forces, are like babies that have just learned to walk after being born. In front of him, who has rich experience, they seem to be So ridiculous.

The stubborn empirical naval warfare expert is still obsessed with his past glorious achievements and has no concept at all of integrated sea and air warfare.

The most terrible thing is that the fact that there were people on top of the "Large Kongming Lantern" did not reach Chen Zuyi's ears at all.

No way, you can't expect the pirates, who use semaphores and musical instruments as their main communication methods, to deliver messages accurately. They are not an army, they are just a group of pirates, even experienced pirates.

At this moment, Chen Zuyi said disdainfully: "It's just a bunch of rabble. Since these idiots dare to break in, don't blame the hell! Let the Ming army enter the old port area, and wait until the Ming army fleet begins to approach the dock and the formations pile up. Attack as planned and try to hit the snake seven inches!"

At this time, Liang Daoming, who was preparing for the welcome ceremony on the shore, knew what Chen Zuyi was going to do.

Liang Daoming's plan was very loud, and he was just sitting on the mountain watching the fight between tigers. Although his envoy was brought back by the Ming army, leaving him little time to react, he could still roughly understand what happened. Guessed.

But Liang Daoming didn't care much about these things.

Whether Chen Zuyi succeeded in ambushing the Ming army, or whether the Ming army succeeded in counterattacking Chen Zuyi, he would not intervene. In other words, the only thing Liang Daoming cared about was whether the Ming army and Chen Zuyi could fight to the death, causing both sides to suffer losses and fall at the same time.

No matter what, Liang Daoming believes that he is the one who will profit in the end.

But Shi Jinqing didn't come back either, which gave him a vague headache.

"See if anyone in the Shi family has done anything strange." Liang Daoming ordered his cronies around him.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

The Shi family is a local wealthy family in Old Port, and Shi Jinqing is working for him. Now his whereabouts, life and death are unknown. Even if there is a suspicion of making a separate peace with the Ming army, it is impossible for Liang Daoming to attack the Shi family at this juncture. Do it by hand. Otherwise, you will make yourself the object of suspicion and suspicion by all your subordinates, which is equivalent to pushing yourself to the opposite side of everyone, even if the Shi family is indeed strong enough to threaten you.

At this time, hundreds of warships from Zheng He's fleet were sailing into the old harbor in a neat formation in a mighty manner.

The news that Chen Zuyi's hundreds of various ships, including merchant ships and transport ships, were hidden in different bays and promontories also shocked the top brass of the Ming fleet.

To be honest, without air power reconnaissance, just from the sea level, the old harbor is indeed a rectangular natural harbor. They would not be able to tell that there are so many dangerous waterways hidden in it, let alone see it. Not far away from them, so many enemies were quietly lurking.

At this moment, Zheng He was standing on top of a treasure ship, looking down at the approaching port in the distance. His face was somewhat gloomy, and he murmured to himself: "Chen Zuyi is indeed cunning. Fortunately, he was prepared in advance."

This news also made Shi Jinqing a little shocked.

As a local force in Jiugang, he certainly knew the bays and headlands that could hide ships, but the problem was that what he knew about Chen Zuyi's strength did not match what the Ming army had detected from the air.

In other words, Chen Zuyi quietly hid another force under their noses.

Shi Jinqing can fully imagine the intrigues in the old port. I am afraid that Liang Daoming has already taken the method of withdrawing all the maritime power in the old port, and then tacitly transferred these powers to Chen Zuyi. It was under this circumstance that Chen Zuyi The power he had hidden was transferred back to the narrow bay in the old harbor.

If Chen Zuyi succeeds in his surprise attack, I am afraid that the next step will be to use the power of victory to annex the old port.

In addition to being extremely vicious, the characteristics of pirates are cunning and cunning. This is particularly evident in Chen Zuyi. He always likes to put all his chips on the table to disrupt the situation or fish in troubled waters at critical moments.

But this time, Chen Zuyi was able to endure it for so long, and no one in Old Hong Kong was aware of this trump card. This kind of thing made Shi Jinqing feel dangerous.

Thinking of this, a solemn look appeared on Shi Jinqing's face, and he persuaded: "Eunuch Sanbao, although the old harbor is wide, for hundreds of warships and hundreds of small boats lurking across the way, once a naval battle breaks out, it may be... It’s so crowded that the fleet can’t all go in, otherwise it will be difficult to keep the distance, and the small boats will take advantage of the small and wide.”

Zheng He nodded. Shi Jinqing's suggestion was very reasonable. Zheng He did not rely on too much. Although the Ming Army was at an absolute disadvantage in terms of the total number of ships, this thing was not just based on numbers, but also on tonnage. The Ming Army A treasure ship with two thousand materials is equivalent to how many small fishing boats and cargo ships are on the opposite side?

You know, although Chen Zuyi's pirate gang has hundreds of ships, it only has a few thousand people in total. To put it bluntly, there are less than ten people on a ship on average. It is easy to imagine the size of this ship.

But these "old and young" who are worthy of the name do not have no chance to make a comeback in naval battles, that is, to close the distance.

Because in this era of naval battles, although we call them naval battles, in fact, due to the insufficient popularity of artillery, many times the battles turned into boarding battles. In the boarding battles, these large ships of the Ming Army would directly It was reduced to a battlefield and lost any room to play its role.

"Come here! Order the left and right sides to spread out in a wild goose wing formation immediately!"

"I will obey your orders!"

Following Zheng He's order, the left and right sides of the entire Ming army fleet immediately began to change formations. From the sky, the Ming army looked like wild geese with a pair of wings spread out.

This formation obviously represents the Ming army's extremely high level of vigilance, and they have made targeted arrangements for possible ambushes on both sides. It seems that the Ming army's warships have already been prepared here to wait for Chen Zuyi's pirates. 's arrival

This scene was caught in Chen Zuyi's eyes, but he showed no fear at all. Instead, he sneered again and again.

The special terrain of Old Port is not the only weapon he counts on for victory.

As a veteran pirate leader, Chen Zuyi knew very well that victory in any naval battle required not only strong strength, but also sufficient wisdom and courage.

In Chen Zuyi's view, the reason why the Ming army looked terrifying was solely due to its large number of people and powerful weapons and equipment, but these were not the most critical things.

The most important thing is how to confuse and disrupt the situation on the battlefield. Only by disrupting the battle can he have a chance of winning.

In this era, pirates have an advantage over the regular navy in terms of how to fight, because they have richer combat experience. However, the newly formed ocean-going navy like the Ming Army lacks this necessity. Experience, even though the current formation looks good, if it really comes to a fight, then it may not be what it is.

But no matter what, Chen Zuyi will definitely not sit back and watch the Ming army fully deploy its formation, and now it can only be said that most of the Ming army has sailed into the old port. Although it is not in line with the perfect situation he expected, Chen Zuyi still decisively Seizing the opportunity, he gave the order.

As gongs and drums sounded in the mountains on both sides of the Old Port, soon the people who were lining up to welcome him at the Old Port saw an incredible scene.

Like swarms of locusts, small boats swarmed out from the hidden bays and headlands on both sides of the old harbor, covering the bay with darkness at extremely fast speeds.

The Ming army's response did not exceed Chen Zuyi's expectations.

At the end of the wild goose wing formation, the Ming warships closest to the promontory saw the boat approaching and began to release the powerful crossbows fixed on both sides of the ship.

In naval battles, as a long-range weapon, crossbows are more practical than bows, have a wider range of applications, and are more lethal.

Sure enough, as the crossbows were launched, the pirate ships that swarmed out immediately suffered casualties.

If it is a serious warship, then the range of the crossbow is not very far on the sea. In addition, the deck and ship sides are extremely strong, so the crossbow arrows are difficult to cause any damage to the hull and can only kill people.

Facing these merchant ships and transport ships, the damage effect of the crossbow is more obvious, but it is limited after all.

Therefore, in naval battles, the Ming army could only rely on the tall and sturdy warships to restrain the number of pirate ships, but pirates were not vegetarians.

Chen Zuyi has personally trained these pirates and trained them how to use small things to achieve great things, so Chen Zuyi has full confidence in this.

As for Chen Zuyi's tactics, to put it bluntly, it is simple, that is, relying on human lives to pile up.

Just like a group charge is enough to break through the arrow rain barrier, as long as there are enough pirate ships and they move quickly enough, they can break through the long-range firepower of the Ming army.

The tactics of the outermost Ming army did not seem to exceed Chen Zuyi's expectations. They kept turning, increasing their speed, keeping a distance as much as possible, and then harassed the pirates with crossbows to delay the entry of the pirate ship cluster. Harbor pace.

However, this is destined to be in vain. For the large number of pirate ships, this method can only bring them some slight harm, not even an obstacle. However, this method is not suitable for ordinary pirates. , fatal indeed, for they had no idea when they would be shot upon the deck.

As the distance got closer, under such circumstances, the pirates no longer hesitated. The captain of a pirate ship immediately waved his scimitar and shouted first: "Brothers, get on board!"

"rush!"

"Kill them all!"

Seeing that these men who were attracted by the loot did not obey orders, the pirate leader in charge was helpless and had no choice but to go with the flow.

"Pass my order to have the people on the ship join the battle. First deal with the warships on the outer edge of the Ming army, and then slowly deal with the Ming navy inside!"

As the pirate leader issued the order, the surrounding ships took action one after another, and some changed their original courses and went around to both sides of the Ming army fleet.

The remaining pirate ships continued like a tide, overflowing the outermost "reefs" of the Ming army, and rushed into the Ming army fleet, trying to completely disrupt the Ming army fleet's formation.

The pirates were so excited that they could not wait to capture these tall warships and loot the wealth on them, but they seemed to have forgotten that the Ming fleet was not the merchant ships they usually robbed.

"Bang! Bang bang."

When the pirates entered the Ming Army's Wild Goose Wing Formation from behind both wings, they immediately encountered a head-on attack!

The Ming army set up a diagonal formation and aimed one side at the invading pirate ships. These Ming army warships were equipped with a lot of artillery. When fired in a salvo, hundreds of cannonballs fell down, killing them instantly. Countless pirates were injured, screams and moans continued, and the scene was extremely miserable.

The pirates did not expect that the Ming army's firearms would be so sharp, but in the face of the huge temptation of interests, these pirates still insisted on driving their ships and continued to charge. They knew very well that as long as they could get close to the Ming army warships, they could reverse the situation and gain Enough wealth to have food and drink for the rest of his life. The Ming army carried a large amount of goods and currency, which has been exaggerated to the point of no return.

After paying heavy losses, they still persisted in charging.

But these pirates were surprised to find that at this time, the Ming army's artillery began to roar again, and this roar was different from the previous small cannons.

This is the shocking roar emitted by the bow main guns of nearly twenty Ming army battleships of the 1,500- and 2,000-level battleships!

Rows of huge cannonballs roared down and smashed into the pirate warships, immediately destroying most of the flimsy ship. The wreckage and masts fell one after another, and the waves were so powerful that the sky was filled with waves.

"Puff! Puff!..."

Countless pirates fell to the ground and died, and their blood dyed the sea red.

In the era of giant ships and cannons, naval battles were based on gun caliber and armor thickness. This was an eternal law in any world!

As for pirate ships, not to mention those plundered merchant ships, fishing boats, and transport ships, they are the so-called pirate "warships". What protection can they have?

Under the bombardment of the main gun on the bow of the Ming army's battleship, at a speed that is enough to destroy everything, even without explosive bombs and high-explosive bombs, it is no different from paper.

Chen Zuyi, who was watching the battle on the mountain, saw this scene and his heart twitched slightly.

These pirates are also equipped with cannons on their ships, but their cannons are basically still in the era of firing stone bullets, and they are not commonly used. Therefore, the main tactical idea is still in boarding battles. This is Inevitably, there was a generational difference with the Ming army.

However, Chen Zuyi still remained calm. Although many of his ships had been destroyed and hundreds of people had unfortunately lost their lives, Chen Zuyi believed that his men would definitely be able to find a way out!

The sea began to become chaotic, with fire, ship debris, and people...

But none of this could stop the pirates from fighting to the death.

"kill!"

The pirates' eyes flashed with cold light. In the chaotic battlefield, they did not need to wait for orders. Instead, they spontaneously and tacitly followed their usual habit of cooperation and began to fight independently, choosing a Ming army warship as their own. Target.

Accompanied by shouts of killing, hundreds of pirate ships surrounded the Ming army fleet from all directions, trying to swarm up and kill the strong Ming army one by one like ants eating elephants.

Despite the fierce artillery fire of the Ming army, the pirate fleet continued to approach. They believed that they could successfully board the deck of the Ming army as long as they broke through the fire blockade of the Ming army in one go.

At that time, the Ming army, which is not good at boarding battles, will become a lamb to be slaughtered by them.

In fact, this was the last belief that inspired the pirates to move forward.

These cunning and cruel pirates never lack cruelty to themselves, but this cruelty is by no means unlimited.

But at this moment, just as they were about to pick up the ship, the Ming army's warship suddenly fired countless fire arrows, and arrow feathers as dense as locusts flew over, which immediately hit many pirates.

"Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooh"

"Swish swish"

The sharp sound of arrows piercing the air and the screams intertwined to form a soul-stirring note.

Moreover, what made them even more panicked was that the flaming arrows seemed to be carrying something, and quickly ignited the combustible materials on the surface of their ship.

Waves of panicked shouts echoed across the sea, but the Ming army did not hold back at all. While dodging the arrows fired by the pirates, they violently shelled and fired fire arrows, causing the pirates' casualties to continue to increase.

There is no doubt about the determination of the pirates. Many small boats are very fast and are always squeezing in like swimming fish. They do not give the Ming army a chance to completely destroy them. As the distance between the two sides continues to get closer, the pirates begin to attempt to attack the Ming army. Military warships carried out boarding operations to offset the Ming army's firepower advantage.

These experienced old pirates had already made adequate preparations. The ships quickly turned their bows to form the same side as the Ming army warships to avoid being knocked over.

Then, unable to swing or build boards due to the height difference, they began to circle their arms and throw rows of ropes with long-handled hooks.

The pirates raised their shields to cover their heads and bodies, then bravely followed the ropes and jumped onto the Ming army warship.

All this was expected by the Ming army. After the pirates boarded the ship, before the smiles on their faces and the madness in their eyes disappeared, they saw a scene that made them despair.

Both sides of the deck were densely covered with fixed caltrops.

You know, this thing is enough to deal with the charging heavy cavalry, and the pirates are used to going barefoot and don't even have a pair of shoes. Wouldn't this cost them their lives?

The pirates who jumped without blinking, or the pirates who were pushed and jumped by their companions behind them, suddenly let out a cry.

Streams of blood stretched out from under the pirates' feet, and thorns firmly pierced and fixed their legs and feet, rendering them incapacitated.

At this moment, the Ming army finally showed its fangs.

"Puff. Puff!"

The Ming gunmen on the ship kept pulling the triggers, killing these living targets.

The warships without firearms also had heavily armed Marines, who used long knives and spears to beat the pirates back steadily, making it impossible for these pirates to gain a foothold on the ship, and eventually had to jump off the Ming army's battlefield. The boat made a splash and disappeared into the vast sea.

The warship on which the pirate leader in charge was trembling and shaking violently during the bombardment was obviously seriously damaged.

"Retreat! Retreat."

The pirate leader felt as if the entire warship would capsize at any time, so he made a prompt decision and prepared to retreat temporarily.

Although these pirates are brave, they are not stupid. If we just talk about their will to fight, they are probably not as strong as the brainwashed White Lotus believers. What inspired them before was nothing more than the attractive wealth and "the ability to pick up the ship." Victory" propaganda.

Now all this is obviously impossible to achieve, so these pirates quickly calmed down from their hot-blooded state. Those who eat this bowl of rice naturally know how to preserve themselves.

However, how could the Ming army let them go so easily?

"put!"

Following the order from the officer on the Ming army warship, iron ball shells roared out of the barrel and smashed into the pirate ship, either on the deck or in the cabin.

Suddenly, screams continued to sound, and under the baptism of artillery fire, the bravest group of pirates who rushed at the front were almost completely lost. Their corpses were scattered in the sea, and blood flowed. Suffocating.

"Run!"

The pirates who followed the charge panicked and fled in small boats. However, they could not escape the Ming army's artillery shells. Wave after wave of artillery fire fell, constantly destroying the small pirate ships. Then the Ming army It relies on formations to control the sea surface and constantly drive away pirate ships.

Seeing the ships of the Ming army following closely behind and continuing to pursue them, the pirates who were busy turning around and fleeing had no time to avoid the gunfire or rescue their companions. They could only watch helplessly as their companions were sent to the west.

In just two sticks of incense after docking, the pirates lost more than seventy or eighty ships, while the Ming army's losses were minimal, and the remaining pirate ships also suffered many injuries.

At this time, it was obvious that no one could hold these pirates back. They had completely lost their will to fight and began to swarm around.

Although the pirates also have hundreds of ships and thousands of people, and some warships are also equipped with many long-range weapons, the sturdiness and firepower output of these warships are very different from those of the Ming army, so in This technology has already appeared in naval battles, and its disadvantages were quickly exposed.

And on the battlefield, no matter how fast your ship runs, as long as it cannot escape the enemy's artillery coverage, it will be a moving target, and it will be destroyed sooner or later.

The pirate ships at the front had lost all their strength, and the ones that followed also began to retreat. This inevitably led to the pirate ships at the back having to retreat even though they had not even engaged in any battle.

Under the fierce offensive of the Ming army, the warships of Chen Zuyi's pirate gang began to retreat like a dike. Soon after, the pirate ships completely lost control. At this time, even the king of heaven could not command them.

"Kill!"

Amid the shouts of Ming soldiers and sailors, the pirate ships began to be driven near the reef island at the entrance of the Old Port Bay. At this time, the pirates were surprised to find that the way forward was blocked!

Yes, the Ming army did not use all its strength in this battle. There was also a relatively weak squadron, with a total of twenty-eight warships hidden behind the main fleet, used to meet friendly forces or intercept the enemy's retreat, so as to allow the enemy to retreat. The Ming army was in an invincible position.

Although the total number of ships in this squadron is not amazing, they are all warships equipped with broadside artillery.

They lined up in a row, blocking the pirates' retreat.

At this time, there was a loud noise on the sea,

It turned out that the artillery on the side of the Ming army launched an attack on the pirate fleet.

The power of these artillery is not amazing, but the density is large enough, and the accuracy is accurate enough. Because the formation of pirate boats is too dense, several pirate ships will be destroyed in one round of shelling, and due to the fast loading speed , in large numbers, and under the repeated bombardment of hundreds of artillery pieces, the pirates who wanted to escape from the Old Port Bay were bombarded with howling ghosts, and injured pirates continued to fall into the sea, with no bones left.

For a moment, the sound of gunfire resounded through the sky like exploding beans. The pirates did not dare to stop at all. Hundreds of pirate ships fled in all directions. Only at this time did they feel that time seemed to be stuck in a quagmire, passing extremely slowly.

"boom!"

A pirate was rowing an oar vigorously, but unexpectedly a cannonball passed through him, and his human form suddenly disappeared. His internal organs and intestines were scattered all over the deck, and the smell of blood was extremely pungent.

More than this, once the pirates were hit, they were basically killed on the spot. However, there were some lucky ones, or those with natural dodge points, who were lucky enough to save a life.

However, the artillery on the Ming army's warships was still roaring continuously, and waves of gunpowder smoke were spitting out, sweeping towards the pirates. No matter who they were, as long as they were close, their bodies would be wiped out.

The naval battle of Old Port finally ended with the Ming army's complete victory.

Hundreds of pirate ships, only a few managed to escape.

The cunning Chen Zuyi was watching the battle on the mountain side of the bay beforehand. At this time, he wanted to escape, but was blocked by people sent by the Shi family. After a moment of entanglement, he came to his senses "in hindsight". Liang Daoming also sent people to arrest him, and Chen Zuyi was captured on the spot.

At this point, the largest pirate gang in the world that had been operating in Southeast Asia for more than ten years was wiped out. Chen Zuyi was imprisoned on the ship and prepared to be taken back to the Ming Dynasty for trial after the fleet completed its voyage.

Accompanying him was Liang Daoming, King of Srivijaya, whose meritorious service required personal recognition and awards from the Ming Emperor.

No one knew whether Liang Daoming wanted to return to his homeland or not, but after the Ming army landed, they had completely taken control of the old port. He accepted the Ming army's proposal with half relief and half resignation.

There is no doubt that Liang Daoming will serve as an example of "buying bones for a thousand gold" and become a landmark figure in the important transformation of the Ming Dynasty's national policy from "sea ban" to "opening up the sea and enriching the country", and promote the Ming Dynasty's attitude towards its overseas meritorious people.

As for the long-disintegrated Srivijaya Kingdom and the Majapahit Empire that was eyeing it nearby, Zheng He's fleet was temporarily unable to take care of it.

The significance of this naval battle at Old Port is very important. Not only did the Ming army gain a powerful hand in controlling the eastern end of the Manchuria Strait, but it also captured one of the most important trade nodes in Southeast Asia and eliminated many obstacles that affected maritime trade in Southeast Asia. stabilizing factors.

In order to commemorate the new look of Nanyang, Zheng He renamed the old port "New Port".

Shi Jinqing was naturally appointed as the Xingang Ambassador, fulfilling the same powers as Xu Chailao in Manila.

Zheng He's fleet replenished supplies and rested ashore for a while, leaving part of the land and sea armed forces to maintain the situation in Xingang.

Then, they embarked on the last leg of their first voyage to the West, which was to cross the Strait of Manchuria and head to Tianzhu, opening up the trade channel between the Ming Dynasty and Persia, and resuming the official trade that had been cut off for more than thirty years.

Once this matter is completed, Ming will be able to get a large share of international trade. Daming does not need other dealers to increase prices, but can directly sell silk, tea, porcelain, cotton and other commodities directly to Tianzhu and Persian regions in the traditional sense.

At the same time, the Ming Dynasty's fleet completely managed the Nanyang sea, which meant that countries outside the Malacca Strait could safely go to the Ming Dynasty for trade. It was like threading a needle and thread, transfusing the blood of the Ming Dynasty from both sides. The main artery has been opened up, and this will undoubtedly become a new growth point for Ming Dynasty's tax revenue.

After all, the Shipping Department system not only required domestic merchants to sell goods, but also required foreign merchants to come to Ming Dynasty to conduct transactions in order to collect tariffs.