Chapter 1503: My God, This Is Far Too Many, Is It Not?

The strength of the New Continent United States Navy's fleet was actually not weak either; its main force consisted of the old-style "Prefecture-class" battleships that had been phased out by the Great Ming Navy.

This class of battleship was not weak in either load tonnage or firepower, carrying 32 fifteen-catty long guns. Calculated by the weight of shot delivered in a broadside, its firepower was exactly the same as the new Pacific-A class!

It was just that the fifteen-catty long guns used by the "Prefecture-class" battleships had a slower rate of fire than the twelve-catty long guns, and they also carried eight fewer guns, so in actual combat their weight of shot delivered fell far short of the twelve-catty long guns. Although the destructive power of a fifteen-catty spike-headed solid shot was somewhat greater than that of a twelve-catty spike-headed solid shot, against wooden hulls the destructive power of a twelve-catty (pound) spike-headed explosive shell was already more than enough — what need was there for fifteen-catty ammunition?

If a twelve-catty (pound) spike-headed explosive shell could not directly pierce a wooden hull (in most cases it could), it could still lodge in the hull like a spike, and when it burst with a boom, how could the hull not shatter? If it did not shatter, would it still be wood?

So the twelve-catty (pound) gun became the standard for the navies of all nations. As for lighter explosive shells, because they were not very convenient to cast, their cost was actually higher than the mass-produced twelve-catty (pound) ammunition, and they were also not very safe — too light a shell meant too thin a shell wall, which was not only difficult to cast but also easily crushed by the higher bore pressure of the long gun.

And under current technical conditions, the twelve-catty (pound) explosive shell was certainly the optimal choice.

Apart from the fact that the firepower of 32 fifteen-catty long guns was inferior to that of 40 twelve-catty long guns, the "Prefecture-class" battleship's defense was also unsatisfactory — not that its wooden hull was bad (there were no iron hulls, after all), but rather that the layout of the gun deck and magazine was unreasonable. The design separating shells from guns might at first glance seem able to prevent the magazine from detonating after the gun deck was hit, but in actual combat it was discovered that when the gun deck was hit, there were usually some explosive shells inside it, so the probability of a sympathetic detonation was extremely high!

Moreover, the consequences of a hit on the magazine were often fatal as well! So separating the shell and gun compartments not only failed to reduce the danger, but actually increased the risk of sympathetic detonation.

In addition, the design of two guns sharing one gun compartment was also unreasonable — because a single shell hitting the gun compartment could put both guns out of action!

It was precisely because of these defects, which were difficult to modify, that after the Great Ming Navy acquired the new Pacific-class battleships, it began gradually phasing out the old "Prefecture-class." However, it did not scrap them, but instead resold them to the wealthy navies of the New Continent United States, the Kingdom of Japan, and the Kingdom of Siam.

Furthermore, the commercial houses that possessed large fleets and played a major role in Pacific shipping — including the Yiguan Party Trading House, the Sea Sand Gang Trading House, the Pacific Trading House, the Batavia East India Company, and the Portugal-Macau Company — also, at the suggestion of the Great Ming Navy Ministry, "hired" some "Prefecture-class" ships to serve as flagships of their escort fleets.

And the New Continent United States had the largest number of "Prefecture-class" ships, eight in total, all of which were now lying in Kinmen Harbor, caught red-handed by the combined French, Spanish, and Dutch fleet that had come to raid them!

However, they were not moored at the docks waiting to be shelled; instead, they had formed a bombardment column in the broad Kinmen Bay, positioned exactly to block the entrance to the Kinmen Strait.

By the light of the burning fire ships on the sea, the commanders aboard these eight "Prefecture-class" ships all spotted the rapidly approaching enemy vessels, and immediately gave the order to open fire!

All eight "Prefecture-class" ships fired from their starboard sides, a total of 128 fifteen-catty guns roaring in succession. Although it was not a simultaneous broadside, the scene was still quite spectacular.

Although visibility on the sea was not high, the gunnery of these eight battleships of the New Continent Navy was surprisingly accurate. After several salvos, more than twenty floating "torches" had appeared on the sea. But these "torches" only burned and did not "explode," and what was more, they kept charging forward while burning, showing no sign of sinking.

As they drew closer and closer to the bombardment column formed by the eight "Prefecture-class" ships, the New Continent naval officers and men, who had been firing away happily, finally realized something was wrong — these were enemy fire ships!

These Spaniards (all Spanish-style galleons) were really going all out! Using such large ships as fire ships — if one of those rammed into you, would it not mean the destruction of both ship and crew?

No good, we have to get out of here fast — no, get the ships out of here!

The bows of the eight New Continent "Prefecture-class" battleships were all pointed north. A southeast wind was blowing over the sea, so they could set sail and run, but they could not run far — they could only flee north into the northern bay of Kinmen Bay. Kinmen Bay could be subdivided into three bays: north, middle, and south. The southern bay was the largest, the northern bay the second largest, and the middle bay the smallest. And the entrance to the Kinmen Strait opened directly into the middle bay, where the eight "Prefecture-class" battleships were now located.

And once they fled north, they would pass from the middle bay into the northern bay. The passage from the middle bay to the northern bay was relatively narrow and could easily be blocked off.

In addition, the main docks of Kinmen Harbor were all concentrated in the middle and southern bays; there were no docks to speak of in the northern bay.

If these eight "Prefecture-class" ships entered the northern bay, then even if the French, Spanish, and Dutch combined fleet was temporarily unable to destroy them all, it could at least bottle them up first.

By then, all the rich pickings in the middle and southern bays of Kinmen would belong to the French, Spanish, and Dutch combined fleet. There were many ships in Kinmen Bay, not just the eight "Prefecture-class" battleships. According to intelligence, there were also many old-style "Garrison-class" warships in the bay, as well as many merchant ships and armed merchantmen. Some of them belonged to the New Continent United States Navy, some to the Great Ming Navy's Eastern Ocean Fleet, and still others to various trading houses and companies. Once they were separated from the eight "Prefecture-class" ships, they would become targets for the French, Spanish, and Dutch combined fleet to slaughter!

The eight "Prefecture-class" ships of the New Continent Navy seemed somewhat "green." At the sight of fire ships charging toward them, they completely lost their composure. In their panic to "get the ships out," they fled blindly, abandoning all formation, and scrambled pell-mell toward the northern bay of Kinmen.

By the light of the fires on the sea and the moonlight pouring down from the sky, Vice Admiral Duquesne was so excited he could barely keep from dancing with joy!

"Quick, quick, quickly send orders to the Dutch — have them pursue the Chinese's eight battleships! This is a fine chance for them to avenge the Battle of Malacca!

Then order the Spanish into the southern bay. There are plenty of fat, juicy merchant ships at the commercial docks in the southern bay — have the Spanish seize them all. That is our profit!

Order the French Navy to break formation and begin a general melee. Our task is to annihilate the Chinese fleet in the middle bay of Kinmen!"

"Yes, sir!" Tourville cheerfully received the order, then ordered the ship's signal officer to transmit the commands by signal lamp.

Victory was before their eyes, rich pickings were before their eyes. The officers and men of the French, Spanish, and Dutch navies, who had long been nursing a bellyful of resentment, all grew excited, and like madmen they steered their warships and charged straight into the Kinmen Strait.

The Dutch went north, the Spanish went south, and the French, with their nine battleships and two fast-sailing warships, charged like fierce tigers straight toward the Kinmen naval harbor docks, less than six nautical miles from the entrance to the Kinmen Strait.

A distance of six nautical miles, for eleven French warships sailing eastward with the southeast wind, would take about an hour. What an hour to look forward to!

Vice Admiral Duquesne, who had successfully commanded the surprise attack, stood on the stern deck of the Lorraine, one hand on the railing, the other gripping the hilt of his command saber, his gaze deep and fixed straight ahead. The pose was worthy of an oil painting — one could even give it a title like The Great Marshal Duquesne at Kinmen Bay!

"Ahead — lights!" Tourville shouted at that moment.

Vice Admiral Duquesne looked, and saw that in the darkness ahead, seven or eight points of light had appeared. He smiled: "It seems there are seven or eight more Chinese warships hiding in the naval harbor of Kinmen Bay. They are all our prey!"

"Lights — and more..." Tourville's voice was already somewhat tense.

In the darkness ahead, the points of light were rapidly multiplying, as if by magic. In what had been a stretch of darkness, a dozen, then twenty-some, then thirty-some, then forty-some, then fifty-some — very quickly they lit up into a whole expanse, as if the stars in the sky had descended, turning the nighttime sea into a sea of stars.

And every one of those points of starlight was a warship of the Great Ming Navy!

"My God!" Vice Admiral Duquesne murmured, "This is far too many, is it not?"

(End of Chapter)