Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 258: Waves Rising (V)

November 11, Fort San Diego.

When several Spanish warships sailed into San Diego Bay one after another, the residents who rushed to greet them were stunned by the scene before them.

Their sails were riddled with holes, their masts were askew, and their hulls were covered with bullet holes and charred burn marks, as if they had just escaped from hell.

More than two months ago, when these warships passed by Fort San Diego, they were still so majestic and imposing. The carved decorations on the poop were shining in the sun, and the flag of the Kingdom of Spain on the stern was flying high, as if declaring the supreme glory of the empire.

But now, all this is in the past.

They were like a group of wounded beasts, dragging their heavy bodies and struggling to enter the harbor.

The leading flagship "Salti" was once the pride of the entire fleet. It had a displacement of more than 700 tons and looked extremely majestic, but now it looks particularly desolate.

Its mizzenmast was broken, leaving only half a broken wooden pole standing alone on the deck.

The carved decorations on the poop were blown beyond recognition by the artillery fire, and the flag of the Kingdom of Spain at the stern was torn into several pieces, hanging limply on the flagpole, as if silently telling the shame of this devastating defeat.

The situation of the Endless Ocean, which followed closely behind, was even worse.

Two huge holes were pierced on its starboard side by enemy shells, less than 2 pieds (1 pied = 12 purgadas ≈ 27.86 cm) from the waterline, which was a shocking sight.

Half of the stern tower was destroyed, and it was filled with broken wood and a large pool of blood, making it a mess.

The other ships were also damaged to varying degrees and looked in a very miserable state.

The sailors were obviously relieved after landing, but their faces were still a little panicked. They kept making the sign of the cross on their chests with their right hands and prayed softly.

What was even more surprising was that when this fleet passed by San Diego a few months ago, there were a total of eight warships and transport ships, but now there were only six ships appearing in front of them.

Hiss, this expeditionary task force was defeated!

Rosario Garda Lopez, the head of Fort San Diego, and Father Serra, with some surprise, welcomed the fleet commander General Gomez and a group of officers into the town, and then asked the residents to prepare food immediately and comfort these compatriots who came from afar.

General Gomez seemed to be in a bad mental state. From the time he got off the ship until he entered the small town, he did not say a word. He did not respond to the greetings from Mr. Lopez and Father Serra. He just nodded politely and hid in the room arranged for him, choosing not to go out.

Seeing this, Lopez and others looked at each other in confusion and turned to look at others.

Several senior officers and captains of the task force avoided their gazes with awkward expressions, as if they had something to hide that they couldn't express.

Looking at the situation, it was obvious that the fleet was defeated by the pirates from the north, and they might have suffered such a heavy loss that they had to retreat in embarrassment.

By the way, do those pirates really have the strength to defeat the special expeditionary fleet?
"The pirates' strength far exceeded our imagination!" Captain Calles of the San Jose sighed deeply when asked by Lopez about the details of the battle. Then, with a bitter expression, he said, "Our expeditionary fleet suffered a devastating defeat. ... Yes, a complete and utter defeat!"

"...a disastrous defeat?" Upon hearing this, Lopez looked at Father Serra next to him with an expression of disbelief on his face.

"Didn't you notice that the number of us returning is much smaller than before?"

"Huh?" Lopez was stunned for a moment, then seemed to realize something, "Could it be that those soldiers..."

"Yes, they were completely wiped out..." Calles smiled bitterly, "and we also lost two warships, and then we fled all the way back."

"Haha, can you believe this? Our entire fleet was chased back by a pirate ship. Moreover, we were attacked endlessly along the way, almost causing the entire fleet to collapse!"

"Were they chased back by a pirate ship?" Lopez looked at him in surprise.

Mr. Calles, you must have lost the battle and have become mentally unstable, so you start talking nonsense here!

Can a pirate ship fight against an entire expedition fleet on its own?
Even if you lose two, you still have six warships!

Why does this sound so magical?
Are you sure you're not telling a fairy tale?
"Oh, God, that pirate ship is a nightmare for us..." Calles muttered. As the Spanish expeditionary fleet sailed near San Francisco Bay, the pirate ship's attacks on them became more frequent, and the damage it caused became increasingly severe.

It seems that in the process of continuous attacks, it gradually found "good" methods and means.

Relying on its super-fast speed and strong maneuverability, it always swims around the periphery of the fleet like a shark in the sea, waiting for an opportunity to strike and continuously biting them.

When the fleet was sailing in column, it rushed to the rear and fired several rounds of artillery fire at the last Spanish warship.

When other warships in the fleet came to its aid, it sailed away at high speed, hid far away, and continued to look for the next opportunity to attack.

When the fleet was lined up in a horizontal formation, it moved left and right, wandering around the outside of the two wings, looking for opportunities to hunt down Spanish warships.

During the journey of more than ten days, everyone in the fleet remained extremely vigilant, ready to respond to its attack at any time, which made everyone almost collapse.

I hit it, but I couldn't hit it.

I can't hide.

Even if it used the cover of night and kept changing its course, it would always find the fleet's location within two days, and then begin to launch frequent attacks, making the entire fleet miserable.

Two days ago, just as the fleet was approaching San Diego Bay, the pirate ship attacked them again.

In the melee, a shell accidentally hit the waterline of the starboard side of the "Our Lady of the Rosary" at a distance of more than 200 meters, creating a terrifyingly large hole.

In an instant, the sea water rushed into the cabin.

Although the sailors on the ship tried desperately to block the gap with planks and canvas, the hull began to tilt uncontrollably.

When other warships in the fleet came to the rescue, the poor "Our Lady of the Rosary" was already slowly sinking. The sailors on the ship grabbed anything that could float and jumped into the sea, trying to get away from the sinking ship.

The pirate ship sailed away from the Shura battlefield at a leisurely pace, and then watched from afar as its prey slowly died.

"In other words, the six or seven warships of your expeditionary fleet were powerless against it?" After hearing Calles's narration, Lopez opened his mouth wide, his face full of shock.

"...Yes." Calles closed his eyes in pain.

"So... is it still following you?" Lopez said, subconsciously looking towards the sea.

"I don't know." Calles shook his head. "Maybe it's outside the harbor, waiting for us to get out. Or maybe it's already ahead of us, preparing to attack us again somewhere."

"It followed us all the way here. Doesn't it need water and supplies?"

"..." Calles was stunned for a moment. "Perhaps those pirates are the incarnation of the devil. They don't need food or fresh water to persist in attacking us. ...Oh, God, this expedition is simply a sloppy farce and a terrible nightmare. Not only did we lose more than a thousand soldiers, but our entire fleet has suffered such torture."

"We shouldn't have attacked them from such a distance!"

Looking at the dejected Captain Calles, Lopez sighed slightly, his heart filled with sympathy and pity for him.

"Dangdangdang..."

Just as Lopez and Calles were talking, a rapid bell suddenly rang outside the harbor.

Someone could be heard shouting faintly: "Pirate ship! ... A large pirate ship has appeared!"

The residents and soldiers in the harbor suddenly fell into panic.

The pirate ship appeared outside the bay like a ghost and stopped there far away, as if provoking.

(End of this chapter)