Southern Ming, my destiny is too abstract

Chapter 108 The Sea Carriage is also a Car

A group of seabirds circled over Poki Island. After confirming that the fighting among the two-legged beasts on land would not stop for the time being, they spread their wings and flew to the nearby island.

Vanderlan glanced at the seabirds.

Poki Island is a major gateway where the Karnaphuli River flows into the Gulf of Bengal.

It is a defensive fortress guarding the river and port of Mrauk City.

He hasn't completely left Mrauk-U.

Of course I can't just leave like this.

At least we have to take along the more than 30 merchant ships that are preparing to transport slaves.

They had only five warships and fled hastily to the sea.

The East India Company's property has not been taken away yet.

Because Kii imprisoned and killed some Han people on Dongfan Island, Batavia charged him with a serious crime. Moreover, Vanderlan caused the company to lose more than 30 merchant ships.

That's right, the Vanderlan Alliance, which returned empty-handed from Dongfan Island and made a wasted trip, and the former governor of Dongfan Island, Felberg, who was at odds with Kiichi and is now a member of the East India Council.

The accusation against Kui was that he imprisoned the Chinese colonists and made Dongfan Island lifeless.

If the slave goods are gone, we can still find ways to capture and purchase them.

The merchant ship is gone, but it will take several years to rebuild it.

Vanderlan kept adding tobacco to his empty pipe, and watched the last batch of Dutch merchant ships coming from Mrauk U in the cloud of smoke. His frown finally relaxed a little.

The adjutant suddenly shouted, "Commander, there are Arakanese warships firing at our merchant ships from behind."

Vanderlan coughed violently twice and took the telescope from his adjutant.

At the exit of the river, more than a dozen large sailing ships were closely following the Dutch merchant ship.

In order to maximize profits from trade, the Dutch merchant ships were all capable of transporting cargo and could not be equipped with artillery.

A few sailors fired back with muskets at the enemies who attacked them, but in an instant the Arakan warships turned around and aimed their cannons at them.

Faced with the flying shells, the Dutch merchant ships could only run away and dodge continuously, which made their escape even slower.

Seeing the sail mast of a merchant ship broken, Vanderlan made a quick decision:
"All of Siddhartha's Arakanese have surrendered to Zhu Cixuan. Go and meet them and protect our companions."

If you flee without fighting, you will become the next Kiichi.

Vanderlan watched as his adjutant used flag signals to inform the other four warships and immediately turned the rudders.

If I can’t defeat the Ming army, can’t I bully you slightly civilized pagans?
The sails rustled on the masts against the merchant ships and Arakanese warships passing in front and behind, but Vanderlan ignored them.

When the Dutch warship in front arrived at the position, the four warships formed a rough straight line.

Vanderlaan turned the rudder and took last place.

Five warships formed a battle line.

The ammunition that had been loaded long ago flew out of the bronze cannon barrel at the loud shout of the stubborn lieutenant John.

Hundreds of cannons spewed gunpowder, and the smell of sulfur filled the Dutch warships.

The dense bullets in the air instantly covered the sky above the enemy, which was several times larger than their number.

The 24-pound cannon unleashed a thunderous roar, and the whistling sound of the flying shells suppressed the enemy's cries.

The bangs continued, each one representing an enemy ship being hit and torn apart.

Vanderlan put down the telescope. The enemy had nowhere to hide at the mouth of the river, which was more than 300 meters wide. With just this one round of salvos, most of the pursuing Arakanese ships were destroyed.

By waving flags, the last two or three enemy ships were driven away.

Vanderlan planned to stay on Boki Island for another hour, blocking the exit and letting the merchant ship go far away before leaving.

When they reached the sea, with the monsoon, Arakan's ships could no longer catch up with them.

At this moment, the adjutant suddenly called out in panic: "Commander, the Dolphin has been hit."

Vanderlan was surprised and said, "What? The artillery of Mrauk City can't reach here."

The adjutant said hurriedly, "They said it was an enemy ship."

Hearing the sound, Vanderlan raised the telescope again and saw that Arakan had sent out more than a dozen ships.

"Have the Tulip and Windmill move sideways to cover the Dolphin."

Looking at the Dolphin's constant flag signals, Vanderlan was stunned and felt that they were making a fuss out of nothing.

Since it didn't hit the ammunition depot or the waterline, there was no immediate threat to his life.

However, Vanderlan was shocked to see that before the Tulip and Windmill could take position, the bow of the Dolphin was destroyed by a cannonball, and the sailors and officers on the deck abandoned the ship and fled.

When the Dolphin was unmanned and moved downstream close to the river bank, a strange-looking warship was revealed.

Vanderlan recognized the warship. It was one of the larger ships of the Arakan Kingdom, built with the help of the Portuguese, and had a total of twenty-four guns.

But what was unfamiliar to him was that there were two useless wheels hanging incongruously on both sides of the hull.

Vanderlan rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing things.

Two weird carriage wheels would be fine, but is the guy in golden armor and steering the ship Zhu Cixuan?
The Crown Prince of the Ming Dynasty can also sail a boat?

No matter how talented Zhu Cixuan is, his skills are comparable to those of him who has been working at sea for more than 20 years.

Vanderlan discovered that the warship driven by Zhu Cixuan dodged left and right between several sunken Arakan ships and rushed through the gap without slowing down.

Some doubt about life.

However, the next scene made him begin to doubt God.

The Tulip and Windmill landed, and more than sixty guns fired at the same time, a barrage of bullets hitting the approaching enemy ships.

Another four or five Arakanese ships were hit, their planks torn apart and seawater poured in.

Zhu Cixuan's ship suddenly turned and sailed straight to the right, just enough for the Dutch barrage to fall in front of him.

Then, with another full turn of the rudder, the warship turned around and continued to sail towards the Dutch warship. When they found that Zhu Cixuan relied on the same trick to dodge the Dutch warship's cannonballs again.

A series of my gods rose and fell on the deck.

Vanderlan swallowed his saliva and looked at his adjutant blankly: "Please tell me, there is something wrong with my eyes."

Is Zhu Cixuan driving a boat or a car?

The "Sea Coachman" is just a metaphor, exaggerating the Dutch people's transportation of goods by sea.

Only Zhu Cixuan drove the boat like a horse-drawn carriage on land.

Various sudden turns and stops.

The water resistance, the ocean currents and the wind direction, it seems like they all help Zhu Cixuan.

It was incredible that the ship had not broken in half.

The adjutant's eyes were equally bewildered. "Commander, I think I saw the Crown Prince of Ming dodging two volleys of cannon fire."

Vanderlan turned his head and continued to watch. The muzzle-loading smoothbore cannon could fire a salvo in less than a minute.

But adjusting the altitude and re-aiming takes some effort.

Given the speed at which Zhu Cixuan was approaching, the Tulip was too late to fire a third salvo.

Zhu Cixuan, who was chasing him, turned sideways and twelve cannons fired at his face.

The Tulip's deck and hull suddenly exploded and twisted.

Vanderland even saw that the captain of the Tulip was nailed to the deck by a spear of the Ming army.

Vanderlan finally understood why the Dolphin abandoned ship and fled. He looked at Zhu Cixuan who defeated the Tulip and rushed towards the Windmill.

Scratching his hair, Vanderland immediately called out to his adjutant, "Without more than ten warships forming a battle line to block the sea, there's no way we can hit Zhu Cixuan."

VanderLaan gasped and paused for a moment.

Batavia only sent ten warships to attack Hongsavadi.

Except for a few privateers equipped with cannons, all of them were big-bellied merchant ships carrying cargo.

Half of these ten warships were supported by the port of Malacca.

The Dutch, the maritime overlords, certainly had thousands of warships, but those were all on the routes that transported spices.

Last year, Vanderlan sent ten warships to Dongfan Island.

As soon as he left Batavia, the governor prepared twelve warships to support Dongfan Island and resist Koxinga.

Batavia had no more warships to call upon.

Before sending warships upstream, we need to discuss the decision with the Dutch headquarters.

"Go, go now, and walk as far as you can."

Fear filled Vanderlan's eyes as he gritted his teeth and said, "With Zhu Cixuan's devilish sailing, without thirty ships surrounding him, there's no way we can deal with him at sea."

Seeing the Dolphin also being approached by Zhu Cixuan's S-shaped movement, Vanderlan couldn't help but wail: "Who is the coachman of the sea?"

……

A sea carriage is also a car.

Zhu Cixuan had long discovered that the bigger the car, the better he was at it.

He was at a disadvantage against the thin Princess Toungoo, but Li Haiyue, who had some muscles, was able to tie with her.

And the Siamese princess, who has European ancestry, can ride a horse at full gallop.

He drove an elephant cart at the speed of a horse-drawn carriage.

Is there any vehicle in the world today that is bigger than the Sea Chariot?

When Zhu Cixuan found out that the Dutch had not left, he directly ordered people to fix two wheels on both sides of the hull.

He rushed up in a big truck.

After defeating three Dutch warships, Zhu Cixuan chased the Dutch to the sea.

Watching the two Dutch warships fleeing side by side.

Zhu Cixuan directly chose the larger flagship.

When Fan der Lan found out that Zhu Cixuan chose him, he immediately started cursing.

However, the galleons that used to be able to run faster with the help of the monsoon seemed unable to outrun the indigenous sailing ship built by the Portuguese.

Vanderlan helplessly turned the rudder and fired the cannon.

As he expected, Zhu Cixuan drove like a devil again, avoiding the shells and heading straight for the Stubborn John.

With a loud bang, the bow of the ship collided with the stern of the Arakan warship.

European technology was superior after all, and Vanderlan could already hear the creaking and breaking of the enemy ship's keel.

But at this moment, the Ming army had already rushed up from the bow with the Arakan sailors.

The adjutant raised his hand and fired a musket bullet, which was immediately pierced through the body by a spear from a Ming army general.

The spear pierced three people and nailed the foot of a Dutch sailor to the deck.

He discovered that the Margery was already speeding away towards the horizon in the distance.

Amid the cries of the Dutch soldiers, Vanderlan spoke Chinese with a strange accent.

He learned it from the Chinese people on Dongfan Island.

Faced with capture and imprisonment by Dutch colonists, Chinese farmers often cried out.

"I am wronged, I am innocent."

(End of this chapter)