The Sun and the Lion

"It seems that the intelligence is good. The enemy's flagship is here." The excited Hussein saw the two Karak ships that were not ready for combat and ordered the gunners to open fire. The bow cannons of the five Egyptian warships roared one after another. Get up and quickly fire stone bullets at the enemy ship.

In this round of shooting, only two stone bombs hit the hull of the Portuguese flagship, but they did not cause serious damage and the casualties were minimal. The Portuguese sailors who had reacted returned to their gun positions. Since the ships were parallel to the river bank when docked, instead of perpendicularly, this allowed the broadside firepower of the two small Karak ships to be used.

Hussein's flagship was hit several times because the deck was packed with people like an Indian train. The shells and flying wood chips caused significant damage. Fortunately, there was no leakage below the waterline, and the sails that provided thrust were not damaged. This allowed the Egyptian warships to continue closing in on the Portuguese.

"Get ready to fight!" Hussein looked at the Portuguese who were getting closer and closer, and ordered the soldiers on the deck to prepare for battle. The Egyptian fleet did not use broadside firepower and continued to rely on bow guns and archers on the deck to attack the Portuguese. output.

Arrows hit the deck and mast of the flagship "Saint Michael" like locusts. Although these Turkic and Arab archers had poor accuracy on the water, they could shoot fast enough to suppress the exposed and lack of protection Portuguese in large numbers. , there are many people who are hit by arrows.

Even so, under Lourenco's organization, the Portuguese sailors still used crossbows and matchlocks to fight back, and lead bullets and crossbow bolts hit the Egyptian warships, but this loss was not painful to Hussein.

The "Saint Michael"'s side artillery fired again, which not only once again caused a major reduction in the Mamluk fleet, but also pierced the waterline of the flagship that was hit hard. Hussein had to divide his troops to the lower deck to plug the leak and use water pumps to drain the water. To maintain the buoyancy of the battleship.

Seeing that the exchange of fire between the two sides had reached a stalemate and that his own side was beginning to show weakness, Hussein planned to end the battle directly through gang-hopping. However, before giving the formal order, he carefully observed the battlefield situation and found that the situation was not right.

The reason why the Mamluk fleet dared to attack the Portuguese flagship so recklessly was because Hussein regarded Ayaz's 40 First ships as uncompromised combat power.

But in order to preserve his strength, Governor Diu decided to stop the main force not far from the mouth of the river to watch the battle. He only symbolically sent two galleys to follow Hussein deep into the river, and informed Hussein: "Your Excellency, The Governor is very sorry, but our fleet has encountered difficulties now and cannot all enter the river for the time being. This is the will of Allah, may Allah bless you!"

This made Hussein furious, but in order to win over the Governor of Diu to join the war, he could not directly rebuke his allies, so he had to send heralds to maintain communication between the two, and strive to gain an advantage and enhance the confidence of the Gujarat navy in the Mamluks. .

At the same time, the admiral also sent people to inquire about Jiaoer City's attitude towards the two armies, hoping to win the support of the local people.

In this way, the Portuguese warship docked at the mouth of the river had enough time to react. Ayaz watched all the Portuguese sailors return to the ship and get ready for war. The two fastest galleys had already gone to reinforce the flagship, and the remaining The Portuguese ships fell into disagreement after being observed by lookouts.

"You have to think carefully, Pedro, Lord Lourenco is under siege now. You have also seen it. They are five Karak ships, and their hulls are larger than any of our current ships. This What does it mean? More Muslims and artillery! The siege cannot be solved by just two galleys, because there are also two Muslims inside, and more reinforcements are needed to break the existing disadvantageous situation."

"..."

In desperation, the captains were divided into two groups. One group believed that rescuing the flagship as soon as possible was the most important thing. The fleet must restore unified command. If the flagship sank and the commander and deputy general died in battle, the scattered ships would be at the mercy of the Muslims.

The other group cast their eyes worriedly on the Gujrat galleys. Although they have not taken any action yet, no one can guarantee that it must be internal strife among the enemy rather than a conspiracy. Therefore, this threat should be eliminated first. By then, the Portuguese fleet occupying the estuary will be caught in a turret.

In the end, a Karak ship blocked the river mouth, blocking internal and external traffic, and monitored Ayaz's fleet. The remaining Karavel ships followed the galleys upstream to support the flagship.

The two galleys were the first to approach the battlefield, but were intercepted by the First ship as expected. The four ships were immediately connected by hooks and ropes, and then put on a springboard. The Portuguese sailors directly came into contact with the Gujarati sailors.

The Gujarati sailors had never seen firearms. Although bows and arrows achieved certain results, the shooting of matchlock guns and breech-mounted revolving guns quickly stunned the Indians. The Portuguese nobles protected by sophisticated armor took the lead and were swept away. On the deck of the First ship, the Indian sailors who fought with him were slaughtered wantonly.

Hussein, who was on the ship's deck, watched the battle between the First ship and the Portuguese galley. He did not expect that the battle would be so surprisingly one-sided. In anxiety, he ordered the captain closest to the First ship to Help support them in intercepting Portuguese reinforcements.

Finally remembering that the broadside firepower was available, the Mamluk fleet fired at this time, looking for Shuyuan www. zhaoshuyuａan.com surprised the Portuguese sailors. Although they had the advantage in the gang-hopping battle, this could not change the situation of being a living target.

It’s just that the Mamluk gunners’ artillery skills are really unflattering. Several rounds of fire failed to hit the four-rowed sailboat in the middle of the river. The Portuguese discovered that what fell on them was the water splashed by the cannonballs, and they all laughed: "You and me at night." Is the mother-in-law like this in bed too?"

This burst of sarcastic laughter did not reach the gunners on the Karak ship, but it also dispelled the worries of the Portuguese sailors and boosted everyone's morale - the enemies they faced were just cunning and sinister but powerless people. A waste that cannot be won by a fighter plane.

"The Lumu people have big ships and cannons, but they can't shoot accurately and can't kill people. They are really bastards~ bastard fishes. The bastard Lumu people should go back and practice their artillery skills~"

The Portuguese side was laughing and laughing, but Hussein, who was watching the battle, broke through the defense. The hulls of his five warships were more or less damaged by the opponent's artillery, and the casualties should not be underestimated. Under such unfavorable circumstances, the reinforcements failed, and he would soon face the enemy's confluence and flanking attack, and Ayaz remained unmoved. More than thirty galleys continued to park at the mouth of the river, not knowing what they were doing.

Seeing that the situation was so unfavorable, Hussein directly gave up the attack and planned to take advantage of the wind blowing on the river bank to sail upstream. Five Karak ships lined up closely together, docked on the opposite bank of the "Saint Michael", and then sailed upstream. Make plans.

"Your Excellency, the Muslims have retreated and the Rum people have been repelled! God bless you." Seeing the Mamluk warship trying to distance itself, the officer on the side congratulated Lorenzo and thanked God for his help.

The Portuguese who survived the battle prayed and saluted God and their patron saints in order to win the next battle.