Chapter 1197: The Students Have Nails (Seeking Subscriptions, Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"David, are the Chinese firing rockets to call for help?"

"Yes, General. It seems my students are very clever — they know they've run into a powerful enemy. But it doesn't matter. Even if the two escort divisions join up, they still won't be a match for us!"

On the slightly raised aftercastle of the Zeeland Provincial Council, Major General Tromp was discussing the battle situation with Colonel David Jones. Because David Jones was an old China hand, Major General Tromp had now come aboard the Zeeland Provincial Council with his flag, making this warship his flagship.

The Zeeland Provincial Council was also a "Council"-class ship. At over 950 tons burden, she was 130 tons larger than the Yingtian Prefecture class, yet faster and more agile. For this class of great ship, the Dutch had chosen the fearsome 40-pounder short-barreled bombardment gun, with an effective range of up to 1,500 yards, capable of easily piercing the protection of any known ship of the line at 1,000 yards.

Like the design adopted for the Yingtian Prefecture class, the "Council" class also abandoned the idea of placing 40-pounder cannon on the upper deck. All fourteen 40-pounders were placed in the ship's "belly." To prevent fires from triggering chain explosions, the Dutch naval architects had also designed seven gun compartments for this type of warship, each compartment able to hold two cannon.

In addition, the Dutch placed the powder magazines below the gun compartments, and during battle the shot was hoisted up from below through a hoisting hatch. It was troublesome, but it ensured the greatest possible safety.

Besides powerful firepower, the Dutch, like the Chinese, had adopted the concept of concentrated protection, reinforcing the side planking of the gun compartments and magazines with extra-thick oak, so that the gun compartments and magazines could resist the impact of heavy shot to the greatest possible extent.

But no matter how much the protection was strengthened, the "Council" class was still ultimately a wooden ship, and withstanding 30- and 40-pounder shot remained very difficult.

So some in the Dutch navy worried that these expensive heavy warships would become "single-use" weapons — that is, they would lose their fighting capacity in a single engagement against ships of the same class. Hit by one exploding 40-pounder shell, whether or not the ammunition detonated, the ship would be nearly half wrecked!

Therefore, some naval officers proposed taking the route of numbers, building as many bombardment gunboats as possible, with protection, speed, and burden tonnage all appropriately reduced.

Other officers put forward the opposite view, arguing that protection should be further strengthened, and that the question of designing ironclad ships should even be studied!

Since at present the only countries capable of building large bombardment-gun ships of the line were the Ming, the Netherlands, and England, and since until recently no war had broken out among these three, there had been no actual combat to test the design of bombardment-gun ships of the line. No one knew how this new type of warship — with excessive firepower and insufficient defensive capability — ought to develop.

But both Tromp and David Jones knew that after today, the bombardment-gun ship of the line would find its direction. For the navy, a brand-new era was soon to arrive.

"General, our scout ship is firing rockets too!" a Dutch naval officer shouted.

"Your students have arrived!" Tromp smiled at David Jones, then took out his pocket watch and checked the time: 2:15 in the afternoon.

He put the watch away. "Time to teach them a proper lesson with cannon!"

"Lookout has sighted the Dutch fleet — more than five vessels, all light craft, pursuing our sea sentinels!"

At around 2:30 in the afternoon, the lookout on the Wuchang Prefecture sighted the light craft of both sides engaged in a running fight. The Dutch had sent out five East India Company fast ships. These light, swift sailing ships were the East India Company's main combat vessels — the company's daily opponents were still pirates and the small-state navies around Java, so large warships were impractical, and small ships remained the mainstay. These small ships varied in tonnage: the larger ones were under 300 tons burden, the smaller ones only a few dozen tons. The ones now pursuing the five Ming sea sentinels were all large and medium light swift ships of around 200 tons burden — fast and not weakly armed.

The sea sentinels were two-masted oar-and-sail boats that the Ming navy used for odd jobs. Liu Guoxuan's formation had five such small boats, all around a hundred tons burden, formed into a small detachment patrolling ahead. They had run into six Dutch light swift ships far larger than themselves, and of course could only flee for their lives. The Dutch, whose aim was merely to follow them and locate the main Ming fleet, had not pressed the pursuit too hard, which was why they had been able to rejoin Liu Guoxuan's detachment unscathed.

Seeing the five sea sentinels return to the formation, Liu Guoxuan felt a little more at ease. With these fellows around, he would not have to worry about the Dutch using fireships to disrupt his formation.

The Strait of Malacca lies in the equatorial doldrums, and is calm most of the time — though not entirely windless. Every winter and spring, under the influence of the northeast monsoon, easterly winds are common in the strait, and the water flows from east to west. Every summer and autumn, under the influence of the southwest monsoon, westerly winds are common, and the water flows from west to east.

It was now the seventh month of the lunar calendar, and the strait was under the influence of the southwest monsoon. A moderate southwest wind was blowing — very favorable for sailing. The strait runs from southeast to northwest, so when a southwest wind blows, ships sailing either southeast or southwest can use the wind.

Moreover, because the wind and waves were not strong, it was also good for the gunners on both sides to observe, aim, and fire. It truly was a fine day for a sea battle!

"Commander, the enemy detachment is turning and falling back!"

The report from the detachment staff officer rang out again. Liu Guoxuan, standing on the command platform at the bow of the Wuchang Prefecture, raised his telescope once more. By now he could clearly see through it the six Dutch light swift ships formed in a line-ahead column turning to port.

"The Dutch main fleet should be nearby. I just don't know how many ships there are." Zheng Jing spoke again, his voice a little dry, betraying some nervousness.

"Destroy the enemy on sight!" — if the enemy is not destroyed, then we are destroyed. How could Young Master Zheng not be nervous? He was the heir of the "Yiguan faction," the future richest man of the Great Ming!

Liu Guoxuan lowered his telescope, turned his head to glance at Young Master Zheng, and suddenly asked, "Captain Zheng, has the Wuchang Prefecture test-fired the new 15-jin guns and the nail-head shells?"

"Yes, they have," Zheng Jing replied.

Liu Guoxuan smiled and said, "Then that is our advantage! Our Dutch teachers don't know about it yet!"

Hearing Liu Guoxuan say this, half the fear on Zheng Jing's face disappeared, replaced by an expression of anticipation.

Because he had just remembered the scene three months earlier, when the Wuchang Prefecture had test-fired the nail-head shells newly issued to the unit!

The so-called nail-head shell was simply a wooden-base explosive shell with a pointed steel spike fitted to its front, making the projectile look somewhat like a nail.

The purpose of this steel spike was, of course, to pierce the side armor of an enemy warship. In this age there were no steel armor plates — only wooden planking. Wooden planking might withstand the impact of a round-nosed shot, but it certainly could not withstand the steel spike of a nail-head shell. If it could, that would be unscientific. Even if the nail-head shell could not punch entirely through the planking, with the help of the steel spike it would lodge firmly in the ship's side. Once it exploded, no wooden planking could survive!

And once the hull planking was blown to pieces, the inside of the ship would instantly become a hell on earth of splintered wood flying everywhere!

"Enemy main force sighted! More than twenty-five vessels!"

The latest enemy report made Zheng Jing's just-relaxed nerves snap taut again. Not counting the small boats used for odd jobs, Liu Guoxuan's detachment had only eleven warships in total, while the enemy numbered more than twenty-five. That was an advantage of more than two to one!

Zheng Jing turned to look at Liu Guoxuan and saw that the detachment commander's expression had also grown grave. Eleven against more than twenty-five — it really was a bit precarious!

"Commander, how shall we fight?" Zheng Jing asked.

Liu Guoxuan said, "We'll fight by the book — line ahead to meet the enemy, open fire at 1,000 yards, keep as much distance from the enemy as possible, and avoid boarding actions.

Hoist the battle flag!"

(End of Chapter)