Wind Rises in North America 1625

Chapter 61 Suddenly
The ocean in the early morning is like a girl who has just woken up, with a hint of shyness and freshness, showing her gentleness.

A faint light filtered through the mist, creating slight golden ripples on the sea surface.

Several birds were dancing above the sea. They sometimes circled and sometimes dived into the water, stirring up a series of splashes.

The light clouds in the sky were dyed pink and purple by the morning light. Gradually, the outline of the sun began to become clear. A red sun gradually rose, dyeing the sea surface orange.

In this tranquil yet vibrant ocean, everyone is moved by the natural beauty, and their hearts are filled with awe and gratitude for the ocean.

The waves are still singing softly, as if telling the ancient legends of the ocean, and those legends are given new meaning in this new day.

"...Pirate ship discovered!"

"Pirate ship! ... Northeast, less than half a league!"

With a shrill and sharp roar, the rare peaceful atmosphere on the "Maria" was instantly broken.

Under the illumination of the rosy clouds, a slender three-masted sailing ship was running rapidly from the direction of the rising sun, like a demon from ancient mythology.

The sailors looked at the rapidly approaching pirate ship in panic, and a very puzzling question emerged in their minds.

How did the pirate ship find them again after a night of sailing?

"Oh, damn it! ... What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and move! Adjust the sails and increase the windward surface. ... Get rid of them!"

When Captain Jose was awakened by the first mate on duty, he hurried to the stern without even putting on his clothes, looking at the pursuing pirate ship with an expression of disbelief.

Suddenly, as if stabbed by something, he grabbed the dock and shouted at the sailors who were still hesitant and confused: "Speed ​​up the ship! Speed ​​up, speed up! Get rid of that damn pirate ship as fast as possible! ... Otherwise, all of us will be mercilessly killed by them and thrown into the sea to be eaten by fish!"

"Alvaro, go get the muskets and swords out of the cabin and bring them up on deck immediately!"

"Morata, take a few men and throw all the ballast rocks and copper materials in the bottom cabin into the sea to reduce the weight of the ship!"

"...Captain, do we need to drag the guns out of the hold?"

"Fool, do we still have time to drag out the cannons? Oh, damn it, at this moment, I wish I could just throw these cannons into the sea so that our 'Maria' can sail lightly!"

"...Captain, we can give it a try," First Mate Aaron Negus Escrapes whispered. "Even if one of our cannons fires, it will be a deterrent to the pirates."

"Hmm?" Captain Jose paused, then waved his hand. "Then hurry up! Oh, God, we should have put the guns in place before we set out. ... I was so stupid to listen to those merchants and empty the gun deck!"

With the sailors' dedicated efforts, several sails were quickly adjusted to the most favorable windward side, and the slowly moving "Maria" suddenly increased its speed in an attempt to increase the distance between it and the pirate ship.

However, the pirate ship behind them was like a flying fish, approaching at an astonishing speed.

One third of a league.

One fifth of a league.

One tenth of a league.

Getting closer!
Some sailors were beginning to panic.

You know, the "Maria" is a Manila sailing ship with a fully loaded displacement of 700 tons. It can be said to be a giant in this vast Pacific Ocean.

However, the pirate ship chasing behind was no smaller than the Maria in terms of shape, and its sail area was larger and its hull was longer, presenting a graceful streamline.

What made the sailors even more desperate was that it was so fast that it caught up with them at a distance of half a league in less than an hour.

More importantly, they have artillery!

At this time, it was not yet noon.

This means that the other side has enough time to "cook" them, bombard them indiscriminately with artillery, threaten them with intimidating language, and circle around them constantly, just like a hunter, leisurely torturing the prey to death, and then slowly enjoying it.

It had been only forty years since Drake's Golden Hind attacked the Cacafugo, and only thirty years since Cavendish captured the Santa Anna. However, these two major pirate attacks did not seem to have taught the Spanish any lessons.

Their merchant ships were still exactly the same as before. Either they had no cannons on board, or all the cannons they were equipped with were discarded in the cabins to make room for cargo, and the crews were completely unprepared for a fierce battle.

Although the captain had dozens of muskets and swords, he was ready to fight the incoming pirates to the death.

However, everyone was holding a musket and a sword, and their faces were extremely ugly.

Will the pirates engage in a boarding battle with them?

"boom!"

This time, the pirate ship did not fire its cannons until it was within a hundred meters of the "Maria".

The huge projectile whizzed towards them and landed on the sea surface about ten meters to the left of the ship. Perhaps it was too accurate, or perhaps it was a warning.

But this shot made all the sailors' hearts tighten.

After firing a shot, the pirate ship slightly adjusted its direction, moving from directly behind them to the left rear, preparing to increase its speed to keep pace with the "Maria".

This means that the enemy will bombard us with more intensive broadside fire.

At this time, most of the sailors had given up their work of sailing and slid down from the mast one after another, holding various weapons and guarding the towers at the bow and stern, waiting for a possible boarding battle.

Thirty meters. The pirate ship was almost approaching, and the sailors could already clearly see the pirates' faces.

Some have European faces, and some have Oriental faces.

They leaned their heads over the side of the ship and looked carefully at the Maria.

In the middle of their deck, there were several cannons placed prominently. Several pirates were gesturing with their hands, as if they were aiming.

"shooting!"

The boatswain shouted, then pointed his musket at the pirate ship and pulled the trigger.

Take the initiative and disrupt the pirates' attack deployment.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

A cloud of smoke rose, and more than thirty muskets fired one after another, and dense bullets flew violently towards the pirate ship.

Faintly, I could see the pirates on the opposite side lying on the deck, using the retaining wall on one side of the ship to avoid the musket fire.

"Reload! Reload!"

“…Hurry up!”

"Prepare for the next round of shooting!"

"..."

The sailors were busy loading ammunition, while occasionally glancing at the pirate ship in the opposite direction.

The other party seemed to be enraged by this wave of musket fire, and a vicious curse was heard in the wind.

I vaguely seemed to hear a few words in Spanish.

Ok?
Could it be that there are Spaniards on the pirate ship?

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Three violent artillery roars rang out, and several huge projectiles flew over.

"Click..."

"Wow..."

"what!……"

A shell passed over the hull and landed on the other side of the sea.

Two shells hit the poop, and broken wood chips flew everywhere, affecting two sailors. They screamed, hugged their injured parts, and squatted on the deck in pain.

Seeing this, the sailors were startled and their movements became faster.

Damn it, we can’t let the pirates bombard us so recklessly.

fight back!

Fight back resolutely!
During this period, you could say the Spaniards were arrogant, lazy, or even jokingly call them stupid.

But all the enemies of Spain, including the famous pirates who plundered Spanish merchant ships, praised the bravery and fearlessness of the Spanish.

Even without artillery defense, they did not immediately lower their flags and surrender in the face of the pirates' threat of force, nor did they casually fire a few shots or engage in a few symbolic hand-to-hand combat for the sake of face, and then shamefully kneel down and surrender.

They usually fight a desperate battle and show their perseverance and courage to the enemy with their bravery.

Because they know very well what might happen next.

Besides humiliation, there might be death.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The pirate ship, with its superb driving skills, brought the two ships closer together.

Another salvo of fire, three shells with powerful kinetic energy slammed into the bow of the Maria. One of the shells pierced the towering tower, leaving a terrible hole.

Oh my God, we are completely in a passive position at this point!
　Some writers say that after publishing an article, it is best to ask readers to read it again or vote for it, so as to improve the ranking of the novel.

　　But I feel very ashamed and even embarrassed about it.

　　Isn’t the purpose of writing a book to please readers or to resonate with them?

　　If the writing is good, readers will naturally praise it. If the writing is bad, it is like dog shit. There is no point in asking for votes or readers!

　　Well, that's it.

　　If you like it, just vote for it. If you don’t like it, just curse at it.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)