Chapter 78: Tacking Through the Wind

With the Santa Ana firing all guns at once.

Li Kuiqi's fleet suffered another devastating blow head-on.

One Cangshan junk took a cannonball to the bow, was shot clean through, and broke apart on the spot, scattering into a sky full of wood splinters.

Another bird junk was hit on the deck, and a dozen or so pirates were instantly turned into mist of blood. The entire deck was dyed bright red, and chunks of flesh were flung two or three li backward, splattering onto the bodies of pirates on many of the ships behind.

Li Kuiqi, standing spread-legged on the deck like a statue, heard a series of whooshing sounds whizzing past his ears.

Behind him on the sterncastle, a crackling patter of bullets embedding into wood rang out, and flying splinters struck the back of Li Kuiqi's head, making his imposing frame tremble slightly.

There was no fear on Li Kuiqi's face, but in his heart, panic was already stirring.

He had seen the official army's crossbows and arrows; he had also tasted the tiger-crouch cannon, the Dragon Emerging from Water, and the Folangji.

Never had he felt anything like today.

Every time Lin Qian's cannon ship fired, the sheer force of it shook his heart into frantic pounding. Before they could even close for boarding, his men had already suffered heavy casualties.

Fortunately, they were very close now!

Lin Qian's cannon ship was sailing from southwest to northeast, while his fleet was heading from south to north.

After paying the price of three or four ships lost or damaged, the fleet was now less than a hundred paces from the cannon ship.

As long as he could get close enough to board, with his body that could stand against ten thousand foes and his numerical advantage in men, Lin Qian would surely be no match for him.

Then he would seize this cannon ship, and with it roam freely through Fujian and Guangdong—perhaps even stand as an equal against Li Dan.

All he had to do was sail right up under the cannon ship...

At this thought, Li Kuiqi's face twisted with excitement, but the very next second, his arrogant expression froze solid.

After firing another round of broadsides, the Santa Ana nimbly turned about and sailed off toward the north.

On the Santa Ana's deck, Lin Qian lowered his telescope and commanded, "Course due north."

Chen Jiao: "Course due north, wind on the port bow, turn the rudder and trim the sails!"

With the aid of the three triangular sails at the bow, the Santa Ana turned far more nimbly, and soon completed its change of course.

As the sails once again filled with wind, the speed of eight knots gradually took hold, and before long the Santa Ana had left Li Kuiqi's fleet two or three hundred paces behind.

At that moment, another thunderclap split the sky, and then heavy rain began to fall without the slightest warning.

Matchlock muskets could no longer be used in the rain, and the stern chaser on the sterncastle deck was likewise unusable.

"Enemy at four hundred paces!" the lookout at the mainmast reported loudly.

Lin Qian said in a low voice, "Course southwest, port side to the enemy!"

Chen Jiao: "Course southwest, tacking through the wind, starboard side with the wind, turn the rudder and trim the sails!"

Tacking through the wind means the bow must cross the dead-headwind zone pointing due northwest. If the ship lacks sufficient speed, it may stall in the dead-headwind zone, be blown backward, or even capsize—extremely dangerous.

Unless combat demanded it, very few ships would ever tack through the wind.

As the helmsman hauled on the wheel, the Santa Ana's bow gradually pointed northwest. The wind pennant on the mast swayed for a moment, then ran parallel to the hull, pointing straight back.

Everyone's heart was in their throat, and time seemed to crawl.

After a moment, the bow slowly drifted westward, gradually leaving the dead-headwind zone, and the sails once again filled with wind.

Everyone let out a long breath of relief.

Lei Sanxiang shouted from the gun deck, "Enemy on the port side, everyone to port! Prepare to load!"

Through the gunports, Lei Sanxiang could clearly see that Li Kuiqi's fleet lay not far to the southeast of the galleon.

Once again, both the field of fire and the distance were excellent.

"Fire!" Chen Jiao roared.

Lei Sanxiang: "Let it loose!"

After reloading was complete, Lei Sanxiang said, "Let it loose!"

After several rounds of bombardment, Lei Sanxiang's throat was hoarse, his throat was full of the taste of sulfur, and his skin was sticky with grime—but every muscle in his body trembled with excitement, and his eyes blazed with fervor.

This was how a battle should be fought!

On the stern deck, Lin Qian saw that Li Kuiqi's fleet had lost another three ships, and behind them the wake was strewn with burning planks and mangled corpses.

At this moment, the Santa Ana was to the northwest of Li Kuiqi's fleet. For the fleet to catch up, it would have to sail straight into the dead headwind, tack through the wind repeatedly, and follow a zigzag course.

That would be no different from dancing right in front of the Santa Ana's gunports.

Being shot at for free, and still unable to catch up.

This was the advantage of seizing the weather gauge in the age of sailing warships.

In Lin Qian's view, Li Kuiqi's fleet had already tacked through the wind three times, and was being shot at will by the Santa Ana like a live target.

To fight so miserably and still keep charging head-on—that was truly something rare.

But that was just fine. Watching the enemy get shot for free always put one in a good mood.

After Li Kuiqi's fleet tacked through the wind for the fourth time, it finally learned its lesson and began sailing southwest, planning to circle around in a wide arc before charging again, so as to stay out of the Santa Ana's field of fire.

Lin Qian commanded, "Starboard, slight rudder—keep the port-side field of fire!"

Chen Jiao relayed the order at the top of his lungs.

As the Santa Ana slowly turned to port, Li Kuiqi's fleet came back into Lei Sanxiang's view.

From below the deck came Lei Sanxiang's wild laughter: "Hahahaha... you motherless thief! Let's see where you run now!"

Li Kuiqi's fleet was now sailing almost parallel to the Santa Ana, which made the cannon hit rate noticeably much lower.

But that didn't matter when the cannonballs were being fired as if they cost nothing.

Along the way, more of Li Kuiqi's ships were struck, and two bird junks broke apart.

By now, after several tacks through the wind, his fleet had gradually worked its way to the northwest, into the windward position.

And the Santa Ana had gradually fallen to the southeast, into the leeward position.

Having seized the weather gauge, Li Kuiqi was filled with grief and fury. He looked back and saw that fewer than sixty ships were still following him.

These were the assets he had painstakingly accumulated bit by bit over more than a decade—the very flesh of his heart.

Watching his men turn into mist of blood one by one, and his warships burn to ashes vessel by vessel, was as agonizing as being sliced to pieces with a small knife.

If they had died in an honorable, face-to-face fight to the death, that would have been one thing—but to be blasted to death by cannon fire, dying without any value, dying... so pathetically!

Fortunately, the deaths of his brothers were all worth it. He had now seized the upper hand, and as long as he sailed downwind, he could take that cannon ship in one stroke!

To be sure, Lin Qian could turn around and flee again, but this place was already near the edge of the lagoon, and not far ahead lay coral reefs lurking beneath the waves.

He, Li Kuiqi, had roamed the South Sea for over a decade—he was no fool!

He had precisely used his brothers' lives as bait, little by little forcing Lin Qian into a dead end!

As long as he could charge through and seize the galleon, then everything could still be saved, everything would still be worth it. He would still be the overlord of Fujian and Guangdong, and the likes of Lin Qian would be erased from the seas!

At this thought, Li Kuiqi's tiger eyes brimmed with tears. He raised his ghost-head saber, turned around amid the wind and rain, and cried out in blood to his men: "The time has come to avenge our fallen brothers! Follow me in the charge, board their ship, and slay this fiend!"

The pirates were moved by his bearing, their blood surging hot, and they raised their blades as one.

Amid crashing thunder and driving rain, Li Kuiqi's fleet set sail, charging solemnly and tragically downwind toward the Santa Ana!

On the deck of the Santa Ana, Lin Qian looked through his telescope and saw Li Kuiqi say a few words at the bow, after which the entire fleet charged forth like arrows loosed from a bowstring.

At that moment, Chen Jiao pointed at the port bow and said, "Helmsman, look!"

Lin Qian followed his gaze. On the ink-black sea surface battered by countless raindrops, a ring of indigo-blue seawater had appeared.

They had unknowingly sailed to the very edge of a coral atoll.

Only then did Lin Qian understand—Li Kuiqi's frantic, wild maneuvering had all been to lure him to the edge of the coral reef, using the hidden shoals to restrict the Santa Ana's maneuverability.

To have conceived such a countermeasure in the heat of the moment was truly remarkable.

A pity.

A cold sneer curled at the corner of Lin Qian's mouth as he commanded, "Half rudder to port, heading due east!"

Yahei

Pink Round

Pen