Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 25 Determination

   "Hey, are you really here?" The fat captain's tone was very relaxed, but when he saw the unkindness of the visitor, he had an expression of Zhizhu in his hand: "Raise the flag, raise the flag of the navy."

   Sailors climbed up the main mast, and the blue and yellow pinstriped flag, which symbolized the Ocean Blue Republic, was removed and replaced with a striking red-bottomed diagonal cross flag fluttering in the wind.

   This flag represents the Veneta Navy, the blue symbolizes Veneta, the red symbolizes blood, and the meaning of the flag is that the Navy used blood to establish the Navy Republic.

   But in fact, the real reason for the use of red was that the designers of the flag thought that red was more conspicuous and could be recognized from a distance. The explanation of the blood came only later, and it turned out to be an official statement.

   The fat captain put his hands on his hips and boasted to the landlubbers of the army: "On the inner sea, the pirates will give the navy a face no matter what. Seeing this flag, the wicked scoundrels withdrew themselves."

  The captain's command Ruoding's attitude infected the apprentice officers. It seems that there are no pirates today, and Winters still has a little regret in his heart.

   But then things turned out of the Fat Captain's predictions. Winters watched the other's ship show only the mast, then the sail, then the deck, and finally the whole ship appeared in his field of vision.

   If it wasn't for the hallucinations, the distance between the two ships was shortening.

  The fat captain is still calm: "It is estimated that the flag is too far to see, give them some time."

After    "a little while", Winters could clearly see the other side's bare mast-tops - the other side was not flying any flags. This means that the other party can already see the flag of the Skua clearly, and the visitor is not deterred by this naval flag.

   "Put down all the sails and go full sail." The fat captain was a little anxious. The sailors climbed up the mast along the locks at the command, and the bundled canvas was re-stretched, and the Skua's mainmast and foremast were hoisted again.

  The sails on the three masts of the Skua were suddenly full of wind, causing the people on the deck to stagger under their feet. No matter how sluggish the passengers were, they could feel that the ship was slowly accelerating, and the unidentified trainee officers stepped onto the deck one after another from the cabin, and even Major General Layton and Major Moritz came out.

   "It's alright, their sails are small and they're not fast at full speed. The Skua can get rid of them in a while." The fat captain said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "

   The bulging sail of the Skua suddenly began to gradually become deflated. The sea is a fickle lover, and the power of the sea wind is weakening.

   "It doesn't matter if the wind is small, the Skua has more sails than them, we are slower and they are slower." The fat captain judged confidently.

   Before he finished speaking, under the watchful eyes of everyone on the Skua, a pair of wings stretched out on both sides of the opponent's side and began to beat the water.

   is an oar, and the coming boat is not only equipped with sails, but also oars. The wind decreased, but as the oars swung, the speed of the approaching ship increased instead of decreasing, and the distance between the two ships was accelerated and shortened.

  In fact, the galley-sail hybrid is the standard configuration of the Cenas Bay in this era. Most of the boats sailing in this area are flat-bottomed sailboats, which rely on the sails downwind, and are equipped with a set of oars for use when the wind is upwind.

   And a ship like the Skua, which is equipped with complex rigging and powered purely by wind, is an outlier in the inland sea. Although this self-sustaining sailboat with fewer sailors represents the future, when it comes to short-range maneuverability in weak winds, it will be hoisted up and beaten by the old galleys.

   The two boats were so close together that Winters could see ant-sized people climbing between the sails of the other boat.

  The man climbed to the top of the mast and raised a red and black half-colored flag on the flagpole.

   "Whose flag is this?" Layton asked in a deep voice, he had already figured out the current situation of the Skua.

   "No one's flag." The fat captain said with a weeping voice: "This flag means that if we don't stop the ship and surrender, we will all be killed, not a single one of us will be left alive."

   A red light suddenly flashed at the bow of the incoming ship, and a white smoke rose. "Boom!" A cannon sounded, and a gray object flew from the opponent's bow to the back of the Skua's hull, causing a splash of water.

  The side of the galley is reserved for the rower, so the main artillery is arranged in the bow. This shot was clearly a demonstration against the Jaguar.

"Pirates are nothing more than money and goods. If they can't leave, just give them the things in the cargo hold." One of the travelers on the Skua opened up. They were obviously unwilling to risk their lives for the benefit of the shipowner. , anyway, robbing things is not robbing them.

   "Here, give it to them, if they only want the goods, it's fine." The fat captain's legs were weak and he could hardly stand up: "I'm afraid they still want a boat! The most valuable thing at sea is not the goods, but the boat!"

"Give him a hammer! Not even a pinch of dirt!" The thunderous voice frightened the fat captain to the ground. Major General Layton was furious. ? Shit! When this news spreads, where will I put my face?! Where is the face of the Hailan Army?!"

   There was no hope of escape, and the fat captain had already planned to surrender. The future of the empty cargo made him extremely sad, but it was better than losing his life, right? But seeing Major General Layton's tough attitude, he suddenly found the backbone and felt that there was still a glimmer of hope to save the ship and the cargo.

"Yes, the general is right, this group of pirates may not be able to match us if we really fight." The fat captain muttered and began to settle accounts: "We have more than fifty people on board, and all of them are good men. The pirate ship that came here is not big, and there may not be many of us."

   "That's right!" The fat captain shouted with determination, "We will definitely win a battle."

   "Then **** him!" Major General Layton slapped the ship's side hard.

   "Don't be impatient!" Several passengers did not know why they were involved in the battle with the pirates: "What if the other party directly sunk us? They have artillery."

   "No, the pirates want money. If you sink the Skua, you won't have any money." The fat captain changed from a surrender faction to a main battle faction: "And we also have guns, just in the cabin."

   "Why don't you put a gun on the deck and put it in the cabin if you have a gun?" Major Moritz, who had not spoken, pointed at the fat captain's nose and asked.

   "The Skua has a shallow draft and a high building, and the center of gravity is unstable. I'm afraid the ship will capsize if the guns are placed on the deck." The fat captain licked his lips: "There are four six-pounder guns on board, as well as a few revolving guns."

   "Bring them all up!"

"This general! Please wait..." An elegant, well-dressed middle-aged passenger stood up: "You must understand that you are going to take your officer's life to guard the property for the owner of this ship! "

   "I am protecting the honor of the Veneta Army!" Major General Layton refuted sharply.

   "This has nothing to do with honor!"

"Honor is the life of a soldier! If my officer can't even take honor in order to survive, then he doesn't deserve to be an officer! You said that I don't cherish the lives of my subordinates? I'll be the first to jump in the gang after a while!" Layton The Major General's words silenced everyone on the deck.

"It's not safe to surrender." The first fat captain who came to his senses quickly helped: "The pirates will rob you of all the money on you, and then hold you for ransom. If you don't pay the ransom, you will be sold to the tower. Neria's plantations as slaves."

  The middle-aged traveler who obviously had a little social status stopped talking. He didn't know whether he was intimidated by the major general's aura, or was frightened by the fat captain's indistinguishable words.

   "Stop talking nonsense! Prepare your weapons!" The Major General slammed a punch on the stern mast.

He walked to the poop, looked directly into the eyes of the warrant officers standing on the deck, and said angrily: "The one behind is a pirate ship, and it's here to find us. Some people think that you are all trash and can't beat pirates. It's better to surrender. Whoever wants to surrender, stand up and I'll give you a boat for you to surrender!"

He glanced around, and the warrant officers did not move at all: "Very good, Veneta man, how could you surrender to the pirates? You are the army officers with blood training, it's time to see how good you are! Are you a coward or not? Hero, try it today and you'll know! A bunch of scumbags born of (expletive) dare to come and trouble us? Go get a weapon! Kill this bunch of **** with me!"

   The warrant officers were yelled at by the major general, and Winters also felt like a fire was burning in his chest. He jumped off the stern and went straight to the cabin to get his long sword.

Major   Moritz said to the fat captain in a bad tone: "You are lucky, today's battle seems to be inevitable, and the surrender of the dignified army to the pirates is indeed unreasonable. But we may be able to make a reasonable plan..."

   Winters jumped off the two-story **** and went straight to the cabin to find his luggage. His long sword was with the luggage. Although his longsword was the unbladed sword used in fencing class, it was the only weapon he could think of in a hurry.

   But after he actually got the sword in his hand, he realized that this weapon does not seem to be suitable for use on a ship. The long sword is too long. If it is to be swung without obstacles, the height of the surrounding space must be at least three meters five.

  If it is used in a narrow and low space in the cabin, it is easy to knock on the roof or bulkhead. It also doesn't work well on deck, as there are cables all over the deck that are more likely to get caught.

   But Winters didn't have any other weapons at hand, so he brought a long sword, after all, it was better than nothing.

   Winters suddenly remembered that the female thief's dagger was still there, so he hurriedly searched for it. Ike carefully wrapped his satchel in his duffel bag, and he quickly found the dagger.

  This dagger was once used as a casting material for the light spell, so the surface changed from a normal metallic color to a red and black color. Winters tried it, and it was still sharp, so he pinned the dagger to his belt as a spare.

Bud also went into the cabin to get the long sword, and saw that Winters was putting the dagger in his belt, he quickly stopped him: "You are so miserable, don't even think about going to help, your arm is just stitched with a needle. , didn't it collapse again after trying hard?"

   "Break it open and then sew it up!" How could Winters let his classmates and comrades fight and install the wounded in the back.

   After he fought against the female thief, he knew that the actual combat was dangerous and would really kill people, but he was even more reluctant to be a coward.

   "Go and help the guys in the artillery department fiddle with the artillery, you are not inferior to hand-to-hand combat." Bud said firmly.

   Winters didn't hear it, and went straight out of the lower **** where a few of the casters and wounded were resting. As soon as they went out, they saw the chief mate and a sailor lift a wooden barrel full of swords onto the deck, and they were dividing them one by one among the people on board.

   Winters also hurriedly changed to a one-handed machete. This machete has a wider blade, a shorter length, a forward center of gravity, and a large tang.

   Winters can often see sailors with these knives. He measured it in his hand, and he immediately understood why sailors liked to use this weapon.

The shorter    length makes it more convenient to use on narrow boats and is not easy to be caught by the hull or cables. The wider the blade and the forward center of gravity, the more powerful it is to slash. Sailors don't wear armor, so the slashing effect is outstanding.

   "A few more people, help carry the cannon! Come on!" Just after changing into a better cutlass, Winters heard the sound of help from the cabin, and he immediately went to help.

  When Winters climbed down the ladder to the lower cabin, several trainee officers of the artillery section were using their milk strength to carry an iron cannon.

  The artillery on the ship is a short-barreled gun with a small caliber but a thick bore wall, and it is also covered with a circle of iron hoops, which is extremely bulky. And the cabin is cramped and full of cargo, and the warrant officers have nowhere to go.

   Winters looked at it and thought that he had to unload the goods first, so that it would be easier to move, but it was obviously unrealistic to unload the goods now. So Winters could only go over and give a hand, and the artillery could only rub out inch by inch.

Major Moritz also went down to the lower cabin and saw the trainee officers carrying artillery pieces. He felt that he was about to cry foolishly by these young people: "Don't move these tattered six-pounder guns, can you move them? Is it too late? Isn't there a revolving gun? Where is it?"

   Seeing the revolving cannon equipped on the Skull, Major Moritz's eyes lit up: "Or install the cannon after careful consideration? Good! It's just right to deal with pirates."

"Where's the gun? Find all the guns first." The major started rummaging around in the lower cabin, and finally found the gun with the revolving gun in several wooden boxes: "Go some people and charge the gun first. , it is enough to lift one revolving gun body."

  The rear-mounted revolving cannon on the Skua is known as the Folang machine and the sub-cannon in the silk country. Gunpowder and shells were packed in a sub-gun, which was tucked into the rear compartment of the main gun when used and fired. The combustion process mainly occurs inside the sub-gun, and the main body of the artillery acts as a barrel.

The advantage of    is that you can prepare many sub-guns in advance, and change one after the other. You don't need to load one shot at a time, the rate of fire is fast.

The disadvantage of    is that it is limited by the level of craftsmanship, and the air leakage at the junction of the sub-gun and the gun body is serious. Therefore, the power of the artillery is very low, and it can't hit very far. However, it is perfectly fine to use it in close-range engagements.

   Winters and a few artillery warrant officers left the 6-pounder gun behind, and turned to lift the revolving gun.

"Don't bother to lift the cannon, go to charge the guns, and take all the guns." Major Moritz saw that these young men first moved the cannon, and then moved the revolving gun. Funny: "Take it easy, there are only dozens of pirates, there will be more scenes than this in the future."

  Winters was turned around by the major, and he and another artillery warrant officer climbed to the lower deck with more than a dozen revolving gun canisters.

   The lower deck was already in a mess by this time, the warrant officers and the sailors were running back and forth, everyone didn't know what they were doing, but everyone was busy.

   Winters stopped the first mate, who was carrying an arquebus in one hand, and let the first mate take the two men to get gunpowder and lead.

   This guy, the fat captain, is very stingy. He is a guy who can't get in and can't get in. Everything is very precious.

  Cannons, revolving cannons, arquebuses, swords, gunpowder, everything an armed merchant ship should have. But he locked it all up, kept it carefully on the boat but never took it out for the sailors to practice, for fear of being damaged by the rude sailors.

  The most important thing in the eyes of the fat captain is to stop the depreciation and depreciation of the ship and all the property on board.

   But when the chief mate broke the lock and opened the powder keg of the captain's "collection", Winters was dumbfounded. He only used arquebuses, but he had never learned how to fiddle with artillery.

   "This...how to charge it?" Winters was carrying a few revolving guns in his hand and didn't know what to do.

   "It's like charging a musket!" The artillery warrant officer's tone was reproachful, and he was busy working without looking back.

   "I mean how much? How much gunpowder? How about cannonballs?" Too little gunpowder is not powerful enough. Too much gunner will kill the gunner first.

   "It's too late to look for cannonballs, just load lead, and use it as a shotgun. As much lead as you can load, you can load as much gunpowder."

   "Are you talking about volume or weight?"

   "Okay, go find the match!" The artillery warrant officer snatched the gun from Winters angrily and drove Winters away.

   (end of this chapter)