Water Margin: The opening scene involves assassinating Emperor Huizong of Song and forcibly taking L

"..."

Just as the naval battle was about to break out, seven or eight thousand Sri Lankan army troops were advancing from the direction of its capital, Polonranuwa.

These guys are really bold, daring to rob a clearly powerful Ming Dynasty fleet!

Inside the Ming Dynasty's flagship, there was a special clock room where the astronomers would hide during battle.

The clock here is enormous and even has a second hand system.

Every single component is meticulously crafted by top artisans.

Unlike the pendulum clocks in Kaifeng and Luoyang, the pendulum clock on the flagship has two symmetrical pendulums connected by springs.

The escapement was also scrapped and redesigned, or rather, most of its parts were redesigned.

Marine clock!

"Boom boom boom!"

The faint sound of cannon fire could be heard outside, but the astronomers in the clock room were chatting idly.

Chief Astronomer Lee Nam-heng stared at the hands of the marine chronometer and said, "I have a feeling that the error of the marine chronometer has increased recently."

"The storm last month probably affected the marine chronometers," said Zhou Yicheng, a clockmaker on board the ship.

"You've been conducting tests in the East China Sea for six months, haven't you thought about how to deal with it?" Li Nanheng asked.

Zhou Yicheng said, "When testing the marine chronometer, how could we dare to venture into a severe storm?"

Li Nanheng said, "We can build a machine on land, put the nautical clock on the machine and shake it vigorously to simulate a great ocean storm."

“It can’t be simulated,” Zhou Yicheng said irritably.

Li Nanheng said, "I estimate that since we crossed the Strait of Srivijaya (Malacca), the longitude we measured has been inaccurate."

"You still need to improve this marine chronometer."

"What about your lunar probe? Isn't it ready yet?" Zhou Yicheng asked.

Li Nanheng shook his head and said, "It's still early. We need to perfect the star map first."

To use a lunar surface to determine longitude, two prerequisites are required.

First, the lunar trajectory must be accurately predicted.

This falls under the Earth-Moon-Sun three-body problem, and anyone who has read the novel "The Three-Body Problem" knows that this problem is unsolvable.

However, since the three have vastly different masses, an approximate value can be obtained.

Furthermore, astronomical observations can be used to assist in this process, as there is a cycle every eighteen years or so, during which the Earth, Moon, and Sun will return to a similar position.

Therefore, this prerequisite has been basically resolved.

Secondly, a very complete background star map is required.

This prerequisite is difficult to meet; it requires long-term, on-site observations in multiple locations.

Therefore, measuring longitude using the lunar distance method is currently impossible; the only option is to use the marine chronometer method.

The problem is that marine chronometers are unreliable; a big storm can make them inaccurate!

"Boom boom boom!"

Then came another series of cannon shots.

……

Decades ago, Vijayapahu resolutely raised an army, broke away from the Chola dynasty, won national independence, and unified Sri Lanka.

The king at this time was the hero's grandson.

The one who led the attack on the Ming fleet was this hero's son-in-law, named Parakramabahu.

Chapter 3631 Buddha's Tooth

Parakramabahu was even more influential, a legendary hero in Sri Lankan history.

He will reunify the country and raid India and Southeast Asian countries from time to time.

Many powerful rulers thereafter used this name, followed by titles such as Second, Third, Fourth, etc.

The Buddha's tooth relic in Sri Lanka was stolen from the Malays by the third king.

"Charge over and seize the ship!"

Paragalambhava drew his sword and roared.

"They've made it! They've made it!"

"Vajya is truly brave; it was his fleet that was the first to board!"

"..."

In order to protect merchant ships and transport ships near the port, the Ming warships did not indiscriminately bombard the area.

After sinking several enemy ships, the British ordered them to ram the enemy ships.

The first to engage was a 2500-ton warship, whose hard and sharp bow rammed a large hole in the enemy ship.

But they were quickly surrounded by several enemy ships!

Those Ceylon warships were known for their speed, had relatively long and narrow hulls, and were powered by oars during combat.

They were all smaller than the warships of the Ming Dynasty!

One after another, grappling hooks were launched, either nailing or grabbing the Ming warships.

This Ming Dynasty warship was simultaneously bound to four enemy ships.

The Ming Dynasty sailors, already dressed in leather armor and carrying knives, came over and cut the ropes.

The enemy ships hurled arrows at the Ming warships, and after a volley of arrows, they began to prepare to board them.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

The Ming Dynasty sailors raised their flintlock muskets and fired, all aimed at the enemy about to board.

"Boom boom boom!"

The eight broadside cannons opened fire in succession, and the distance between the ships was getting closer and closer until only a few meters remained between them.

Artillery fire from a distance of a few meters...

Each strike created a hole, immediately sending sawdust flying everywhere.

"Pear Blossom Firecracker, light it!"

The Ming Dynasty's "Wolverine" had already been designed, and Zhao Yuan, with his wicked sense of humor, named it "Rain of Pear Blossom Needles," while the naval officers and soldiers simply called it "Pear Blossom Cannon."

Each group of pear blossom cannons had more than a hundred rockets, which whizzed toward the enemy ships.

Before the two ships even came together, the enemy soldiers who had boarded were still waiting for their chance when they were instantly stunned by the Ming Dynasty's firearms.

"The enemy knows magic!"

"Hide now!"

The island of Ceylon practices Mahayana Buddhism, and the demons and magic they speak of are naturally related to the celestial demons in Buddhism.

Vijaya was the leader of these warships. He was directing the boarding action when he suddenly discovered that his soldiers were in disarray and no one dared to stand in the open areas of the deck.

Even his warship was hit, taking three cannonballs.

"Follow me!"

Vijaya rushed out with a knife in hand, grabbed the rope, and prepared to personally lead the way in jumping onto the board.

This guy must have been extremely prestigious, because his soldiers actually overcame their fear and stopped hiding from the firearms.

"Bang bang bang!"

Sporadic gunfire rang out, and the Ming Dynasty sailors had already reloaded their ammunition.

Vijaya was dangling in mid-air, clinging to the rope. Because of the high speed, he was not killed even at a distance of several meters, but a bullet hit his thigh.

When I was shot, I didn't even feel anything.

It wasn't until he boarded the ship and landed on the deck of the Ming Dynasty vessel that he felt a sharp pain in his thigh.

His legs went weak, he lost his balance and fell face down on the deck.

Several sailors rushed up and started hacking at Vijaya.

Vijaya quickly rolled to dodge, but his calf and left arm had already been slashed three times.

This thing was truly brave; it actually managed to stand up on its knees while rolling over.

With his injured leg kneeling on the ground and his intact leg half-squatting, he swung his knife and struck a Ming Dynasty sailor in the shin.

"puff!"

Blood trickled from the corner of Vijaya's mouth as he was stabbed in the heart.

The combat units of the Ming Dynasty navy were divided into musketeers, pikemen, and sailors.

The first two types are combat soldiers, who can also engage in amphibious operations and are generally referred to as sailors.

The latter type belong to auxiliary soldiers, who mostly serve as sailors and wear leather armor and carry swords to assist in combat during wartime.

Vijaya, the bravest warrior on the island of Ceylon, was thus surrounded and killed by a spearman and a few sailors.

The battle on the ship is drawing to a close.

Many of the enemies who boarded or came aboard were shot down in mid-air.

Especially the pear blossom firecrackers, a set of hundreds, once lit, shoot wildly, hitting a large area in front.

The few enemies who managed to reach the Ming army's deck were quickly surrounded and killed.

"That enemy ship is sinking! Cut the ropes!"

"Pear Blossom Cannon, load rockets!"

About fifteen minutes later, the enemy ships that were engaged in battle withdrew on their own initiative, and the combat personnel on board suffered heavy losses.

Four more ships were listing and sinking, three ships were flooded and unable to move, and more than twenty ships were captured by the Ming Navy after a counter-attack.

"The little hawk freely pursues and kills the enemy!"

"Giant Falcon Formation, in pursuit!"

With the command flags waving wildly, the Ming Dynasty warships, having received the order, began to speed off in pursuit.

The commander-in-chief, Parakramabahu, who was located at the rear, had no idea what was happening.

All that could be heard was a series of sounds from the battle, and then their own frontline ships collapsed.

He had never encountered this situation before.

Chapter 3632 The whole island's father-in-law

Parakramabahu went to the battlefield when he was a teenager, following his father-in-law who unified the whole island, and went to sea to attack the fleet of the Chola Dynasty.

The Chola warships have been terrified by them, and over the decades, they have captured hundreds of enemy ships.

In his thirty-year naval career, he has never been defeated!

Parakramabahu also managed his internal affairs very well. He built water conservancy projects in his fiefdom, and his agricultural technology was extremely advanced, even surpassing that of South India.

He was different from other pirates.

Pirates target lone merchant ships; they won't bother with fleets of more than ten ships.

In contrast, Parakramabahu would not plunder scattered merchant ships or small fleets.

He would "escort" those merchant ships to his port, without forcing them to buy or sell, but simply compelling the merchants to pay heavy taxes.

As a result, more and more Arab merchants are choosing to stop in the northeastern part of Ceylon.

By doing so, one can obtain shelter, replenish food supplies, and repair ships, paying only a port entry tax.

The port of Parakaramobahu's fiefdom became increasingly prosperous, even surpassing the outer port of the capital.

He made a fortune every day by collecting taxes, supplying goods, and repairing ships.