Traveling through the late Ming Dynasty to promote Chinese civilization

Chapter 234 Battle of Liaoluo Bay (4)

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Putmans stood at the bow, his eyes fixed on the occasional bursts of light from the Zheng family fleet—the result of the Caron cannons firing. Clearly, these cannons were recently acquired; the Zheng family hadn't possessed such naval weaponry when they previously annihilated Li Kuiqi's pirate gang. It wouldn't make sense to say that Zheng Yiguan had concealed his strength specifically to deal with the Dutch. The Zheng family suffered heavy casualties in the battle against Li Kuiqi, and Zheng Yiguan himself nearly perished, yet such cannons hadn't appeared at all. This self-inflicted injury was far too costly.

After observing for a period of time, Putmans discovered that although the cannons newly equipped by the Zheng family fleet had a large caliber and could fire continuously—and seemed to have a slightly higher rate of fire than the Dutch cannons—they always deliberately maintained a relatively close distance, seemingly in order not to leave the effective firing range.

That's it, range! Putmans' eyes lit up.

The caliber of this cannon appears to be larger than their own 24-pounder cannons. Based on common sense, such a cannon would likely weigh over 4,000 pounds, and this weight would increase further if we consider the Ming Dynasty's poor cannon-casting technology. Dutch warships, with larger displacements than Zheng's ships, still couldn't support the weight of more 24-pounder cannons, relying primarily on 18-pounder cannons. How could Zheng's small boats possibly bear the weight of cannons with calibers exceeding 30 pounds? The immense weight, combined with the recoil, would be enough to capsize these small boats. Considering the Zheng fleet's consistent focus on close-range artillery fire, this cannon must have been similar to some kind of howitzer, with a shortened barrel and sacrificed range.

Putmans slammed his fist on the gunwale: "That must be it! As long as we create enough distance, we can regain our advantage."

Zheng's fleet.

Zheng Hongkui, who was commanding the artillery battle, couldn't stop smiling. The frustration of being hijacked by Liu Xiang and attacked by Zhongzuo on Kinmen Island was completely swept away. This was the first time he had found confidence in an artillery battle. In the past, when he encountered large, flat-hulled ships like the Dutch, he had no way to defeat them except by charging with fire ships and boarding them with his own men. Even then, he still needed to find a suitable battlefield. On the open sea, neither fire ships nor boarding battles could get close enough to the enemy.

He said to his trusted subordinates beside him, "Damn it, this battle was so satisfying. When have we ever faced a skirmish like this before, with real swords and spears?"

The subordinate chimed in, "That's right, that's right. In the past, when the cannons of the skiffs opened fire, our brothers would die in droves, without even touching a hair on their heads. Now, with this kind of fighting, we certainly suffer casualties, but the red-haired devils aren't having an easy time either. For every two or three of our brothers who die, the red-haired devils will lose at least one. When it comes to fighting to the death, who are we afraid of? Three-legged toads are hard to find, but there are plenty of two-legged men who can go to sea on the waters off Fujian!"

Zheng Hongkui smiled as he looked at the panicked red-haired man opposite him. He thought to himself that this battle would not only make the Zheng family proud, but also clear his name of guilt. After the battle, he would still be the glorious Fourth Master of the Zheng family.

On the Zheng family flagship at the rear, Zheng Zhilong, observing the battle situation through a telescope, could not hide the smile on his face.