Southern Ming, my destiny is too abstract

Chapter 118 The ship is sinking and the music is still playing
The hot and humid summer monsoon made Jacob very uncomfortable.

Although Batavia is dry and windless, its heat waves are completely different from those in the South China Sea.

The air from the East Sea of ​​Middle-earth is like steamed syrup, clinging to every inch of skin.

The heat wave wrapped in humidity almost engulfed people.

Jacob missed his days at Leiden University in the Netherlands, when the hottest weather was no more than the winter in the Land beneath the Wind.

My classmates said New Amsterdam in the New World is nice.

Maybe after I deal with Koxinga, I can get some money from the company to start my business in the New World.

Like Jacob and Vanderlan, he looked down on the effeminate Chinese soldiers.

When he set out from Batavia, he heard that the Arakanese and Dutch coalition forces had captured several counties in Pegu.

The regular Ming army in Xiahongsha was like this. Their territory was even smaller, and they were driven out of China by the Tatars.

Haha, just a bastard pirate.

The Prime Minister made a fuss out of nothing. He had been praising Koxinga for a whole year, but in the end he was caught off guard.

Batavia already knew about the fighting situation on Formosa Island.

The Dutch army miscalculated the route of Koxinga's fleet, allowing the enemy to land on the island.

Beder, that bag-washing bastard, didn't even send out scouts to spot the enemy, leaving the musketeers trapped on both sides.

The three Dutch warships in the sea off Formosa Island were also unlucky.

The flagship Hector accidentally ignited the gunpowder on board and exploded, directly leading to the Dutch defeat in both naval and land battles.

The city of Provintia was forced to surrender, and the city of Zeelandia was besieged by the enemy.

Jacob felt disdainful.

God was on their side, and the Maria sailed against the monsoon to deliver the message to Batavia.

Because they had fought a war with the Ming Dynasty in Maduba at the beginning of the year, the Ming Dynasty's prince supported the British in regaining control of Southeast Asia.

The East India Company's Council has decided to declare all-out war on the Ming Dynasty.

Vanderlan brought ten warships, and Jacob brought twelve ships loaded with gunpowder and food to support Formosa Island.

The three large warships under his command, with giant 36-pound and 48-pound guns, are enough to defeat Koxinga.

Kiichi must hold on.

In April, the Maria sailed south for help, but Batavia only learned the news in May.

Vanderlan attacked first, and Jacob had to go to Champa, Siam to purchase food and sign a treaty.

We didn't go through the Makassar Strait and wasted a lot of time, so we estimate that we won't be able to reach Formosa Island until early August.

"It's only been less than four months. If you can't even hold on to this, then my trip was in vain."

Jacob muttered.

"Commander, there are more than twenty ships ahead."

The adjutant who was watching the surroundings suddenly spoke up, interrupting Jacob's reverie.

Jacob took the telescope and stood looking.

Looking at the structure of the ships, I found that they were merchant ships and warships from Malacca.

Malacca was a Dutch colony, and Siam had signed a treaty with Batavia to jointly resist the Ming Dynasty.

They are friends, not enemies, but they are in a hurry now.

Jacob, who was unaware that Malacca and Siam had already surrendered to the Ming Dynasty, was about to wave his hand to let the fleet bypass.

At this time, he saw that one of the merchant ships was flying the Dutch flag.

Squinting my eyes, I saw that there were indeed quite a few Dutch people on the ship, and many of them looked familiar.

"Commander, the ship is flying a red flag and has two lights hoisted on the flagpole."

The red flag means danger, and the two lights are a call for help.

The roar of cannons immediately reached the Dutch fleet.

The shells landed on the sea, creating waves.

The Dutch merchant ship rode on the waves and rushed towards the Dutch fleet.

Seeing this, Jacob hesitated for a moment.

Judging from the fact that this place is four or five days away from Formosa Island, it is possible that Koxinga's ships, which have been trading with Malacca, are chasing the rescue ship sent by Kiichi.

Jacob waved his hand and said, "Change course, disperse the broadsides and fire to protect our merchant ship."

The adjutant immediately waved the flag and ordered the fleet to form a strict single column.

When the last Dutch ship completed its turn, the twelve Dutch ships forming a battle line, with the bow and stern teams making a roar like a tsunami.

Hundreds of bronze cannons spit out tongues of fire one after another, smashing into the ships whose identities were unclear, whether they were friend or foe.

Upon discovering the arrival of powerful enemy reinforcements, the fleet flying various flags immediately slowed down.

Seeing that the merchant ship they were chasing had been hit below the waterline, under the suppression of Dutch artillery fire, they turned their bows and fled into the distance.

"Commander, they are now going against the wind. Should we catch up and surround them?"

Very pleased with the Orientals' behavior of fleeing at the sight of the Dutch fleet, Jacob said with a smile:

"No, they're heading south, and they'll probably go straight to Luzon. We won't have time to chase them against the wind."

The structure of the galleon is basically to reduce wind resistance and sail with the wind.

Against the wind, the speed was not much faster than these backward Eastern sailboats.

Jacob frowned as he watched the Dutch merchant ship approaching the flagship. There was a hole in the hull, and seawater was pouring in.

Why were those people playing music and eating on the deck instead of lowering their boats to escape?

So not afraid of death?

Not watching those familiar-looking Dutch people waving at him.

Jacob really didn't want these lunatics to board his warship.

Jacob's anger finally erupted when he saw the native soldiers from Southeast Asia climbing onto the boat with two wheels tied to them with ropes.

"What are you doing with wheels, idiot?"

"This is sea, not land. You are adding weight to my ship."

Seeing that the native soldiers turned a deaf ear and boarded the ship and ran around everywhere.

The Dutch officers below Jacob could not help shouting and waving their guns.

Who would have thought that the native soldiers would push and snatch the weapons of the Dutch officers.

Jacob angrily shouted at the Dutch who were still boarding the ship:

"Your slaves are too disorderly. I need your permission to throw them into the sea to feed the fish."

Jacob paused, and seeing a familiar Dutch fleet commander, his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Vanderlan, why are you in the East China Sea? Didn't you go to Hongshawadi?"

Relying on the [Sea Power Strategy] and the monsoon, he caught up with the Dutch fleet and boarded the Dutch flagship by relying on the [Hongmen Banquet].

Zhu Cixuan, who had quietly moved around Jacob, shouted, "Go!"

Two jade scepters fell on Jacob and his adjutant.

The two men's bodies fell uncontrollably onto the deck, as if something deep in the sea was magnetically attracting them.

Jacob and the other man fell on the deck, then rolled with the wind and slid straight into the sea through the gap in the forecastle railing.

Zhu Cixuan was stunned for a moment and glanced at the system.

[Jade Scepter God of War: If you hit someone with your Jade Scepter, they will fall to the ground.]

There is no land in the sea, so it just falls directly onto the continental shelf?
When Hu Yiqing, Ma Bao and other Ming army soldiers heard the prince's order, they immediately drew their weapons and attacked the Dutch on the ship.

The Dutch soldiers who discovered that their commander had fallen into the sea and were trying to rescue him in a panic were suddenly attacked and killed by surprise.

In an instant, all the Dutch officers and soldiers on the upper deck were killed.

Vanderlan hurriedly shouted to the Dutch on the lower deck to surrender.

When Zhu Cixuan sent two more people to the continental shelf, the surrounded Dutch saw the commander of Batavia surrender and quickly dropped their weapons.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Zhu Cixuan effortlessly captured the Dutch warship.

Throw out the two wheels and hang them on both sides of the boat.

Zhu Cixuan fired a cannonball at the gunpowder chamber of the Dutch ship three hundred yards away.

There was a loud bang, and the target was hit, but the imagined explosion did not happen.

"Where are the howitzers that can explode and create sparks?"

Vanderlan calmed down the Dutch surrendered soldiers a little, and looked at the aiming of the Prince's artillery in surprise.

I instantly understood what the prince was going to do.

"Your Highness, cannonballs cannot penetrate the ship's planks. The gunpowder chambers are protected by moisture-proof insulation, making it difficult to detonate them directly with cannon."

"The only way to destroy the warships is to use incendiary bombs and fire ships."

Noticing the flagship's confusion, the other Dutch warships, from which the enemy had already seized the flagship, began to turn.

Zhu Cixuan turned to the helm and asked people to take out the food from the warehouse and set up a banquet on the spot to entertain the entire ship.

"Then play music, then dance."

Vanderlan bared his teeth, ready to witness the Crown Prince's amazing sailing skills once again.

The great God must have bestowed some of his ability to control all things on Prince Ming.

The ship and the monsoon, as if listening to him, caught up with Jacob in an incredible way.

……

"Devil, there must be a devil on that ship."

A Dutch captain covered his head and said in pain.

The commander, who was familiar with water, fell into the sea and never reappeared.

Eleven warships besieged their flagship.

At such a close distance, most of the shells missed the enemy.

The few shells that hit the flagship only cracked some wooden boards and did not hurt any enemies.

Instead, the group of devils, eating and drinking, fired cannons, knocked down the masts of four warships, and hit the hull of a ship below the waterline.

In an hour, the enemy twisted and dodged like a devil, and despite being outnumbered, they lost half of their warships.

Seeing that other enemy ships from the South China Sea had surrounded them.

The remaining six Dutch warships immediately called out to each other, abandoned their companions, and turned to flee north.

However, to their despair, the devil ship was still chasing them.

Two more ships were destroyed, and the remaining Dutch warships were forced to turn to Luzon, hoping that the Spaniards there would accept and rescue them.

(End of this chapter)