Chapter 1812: Under Attack

On the shipping route to Tasmania.

The support force hurriedly organized by Xie Fang was driving several Yinzhou ships, cutting through the waves and speeding toward Tasmania.

Because it was an emergency mobilization, there were only three warships that could be spared.

The ships carrying the Longyan support force were still sailing ships from the Great Age of Discovery, relying on the wind to travel, and were much slower in speed than steam warships like the Yinzhou ships.

Although it was a rush, the sailing speed was not fast due to the nature of the ships.

Now, all information from Tasmania had been cut off.

The last time they received news was through a merchant ship of the Chamber of Commerce.

When they sailed to the port on Tasmania, they discovered that the port had been completely blockaded, and they also saw the Flag of the French forces swaying in the wind, feeling that things were very bad.

They hurriedly escaped.

Having escaped death and rushed back to Australia, the ship was damaged and in a sorry state upon their return, and many crew members had been injured due to the attack by the French forces.

The captain hurriedly reported this news.

Only then did Xie Fang know that something had happened on Tasmania; Delu had also escaped at this time.

On a Yinzhou ship, the general sent by Xie Fang, Cao Xi, looked at the situation on the sea through a Telescope.

On the calm sea surface, as time progressed, the French Flag slowly appeared within his sight.

His brows knit together sharply; he had not expected to encounter the French Fleet so quickly.

Cao Xi ordered: "Everyone, prepare for battle!"

It was too late to hide at this distance; Cao Xi could see them, and the other side could naturally see him as well.

The French warships had long since blockaded this shipping route.

In these four days, Huo En had made sufficient preparations and had long been guarding against reinforcements from the Longyan army.

His request for troops had also been transmitted back to the French Colonial Zone in America.

Their warships had also sailed over and were waiting for an opportunity to launch an attack on the Australian continent.

The support force led by Cao Xi happened to run into the French forces at this time.

The other side had four warships, and they were all cruisers, a type of steam warship.

Although their speed could not be compared with the Yinzhou ships, the power of their Cannon was absolutely capable of easily destroying the sailing ships carrying soldiers behind Cao Xi's fleet.

The speed of those sailing ships was a grade slower than the steamships, although the specifications of their Cannon were not inferior to any steamship.

However, the sturdiness of their hulls lagged far behind these iron lumps driven by a Steam Engine.

The sailing ships still used wood, while these steamships already had hulls made of iron.

They could withstand more powerful Cannonball bombardments.

Cao Xi stared with a calm gaze at the approaching French warships; his mission was to escort the Longyan army on those sailing ships to land and fight.

Therefore, he absolutely could not let the French warships get close to these sailing ships.

"Yinzhou ships, disperse and entangle the French fleet; you must not give them a chance to attack our sailing ships!"

"General, would doing this be a bit too risky? Although our hulls are sturdy, once we get close, we will enter the firing range of the French forces."

"The enemy's numbers are greater than ours; we will sustain more attacks."

Cao Xi glanced at the soldier who spoke, withdrew his gaze, and stood ready for the approaching French fleet; Cao Xi said in a deep voice: "This is an order."

"Our Yinzhou ships also possess powerful Cannon strength."

The navy on the Yinzhou ships immediately finished loading the Cannonball, and the French forces attacked after observing the Longyan Yinzhou ships.

Just as the French fleet entered the firing range of the Longyan army, the sound of artillery boomed.

The Yinzhou ships launched the attack first; they possessed a higher firing range than the French fleet, and the Cannonball soon struck the French fleet.

However, the Yinzhou ships in the hands of the other side were merely preliminary products designed by Liu Zheng.

They were already somewhat outdated.

Although they had an ultra-long attack distance, they lacked more powerful destructive force.

The successful attack did not cause much damage to the French fleet, which was built entirely of steel.

However, the French fleet was still in a position of being beaten.

Without entering the bombardment range, the French fleet had no way to fight the Yinzhou ships.

Although it was the French fleet that was being beaten, their eyes were full of fanaticism when they looked at the Yinzhou ships.

Their purpose in attacking Australia was to obtain the powerful technological strength of Longyan.

The Yinzhou ship could be said to be one of the most perfect warships in the world.

Its speed was much faster than the French fleet, and it was also a steamship with a hull made of iron.

Under the same specifications, their fleet was just much slower than the Yinzhou ships, and even the range of their missiles was not as good as the other side's.

【Line 50 merged into 49 in source】

The French fleet endured the artillery fire of the Yinzhou ships and finally closed the distance with the Yinzhou ships.

After closing the distance, the French fleet began their bombardment.

Seven warships were entangled in battle with each other. Exit the transcoding page, please download the app to read the latest chapters.

At long range, the three Yinzhou ships were still able to suppress the French fleet.

But once the distance closed, the advantage of the French fleet's greater number of warships was revealed, and their artillery attacks became more intense.

More powerful, the three Yinzhou ships were even somewhat unable to parry.

The sound of artillery fire shook the heavens, and at this time, the Longyan sailing ships did not follow General Cao Xi's order to stay away from the battlefield.

Instead, they approached the battlefield.

Just as the Yinzhou ships were enduring intense artillery fire, the troops on the Longyan sailing ships approached the French fleet directly.

Seeing this, the French warships were ecstatic.

Entangled tightly by three ships of the Longyan Fleet, they had no ability at all to attack the Longyan sailing ship.

But now, the Longyan sailing ship actually did not withdraw from the battlefield, but instead approached the battlefield.

Cao Xi watched the Longyan sailing ship join the battlefield and was stunned for a moment; he was supposed to protect the Longyan sailing ship's departure, but now, the Longyan sailing ship was doing the exact opposite.

"General, this..."

Cao Xi rubbed his forehead; it was already too late to order the sailing ship to retreat now.

"Pass the order: protect the sailing ship with all our might."

The sailing ship carried a large amount of supplies and troops for this mission to support Tasmania, and once it sank, this mission to support Tasmania would end in failure.

And in the short term, Xie Fang did not have the ability to organize a second support team.

Just at this moment, Cao Xi looked at the signal released from the sailing ship.

He was suddenly stunned.

"What, they want to seize the ship!"

Cao Xi did not know why the commander inside the Longyan sailing ship would make such a decision, but this was undoubtedly dangerous.

To seize a ship, one needed to get close to the French warships, almost right up against them.

This would cause the sailing ship to endure unimaginable artillery fire.

Under such fierce artillery fire, this sailing ship was destined to sink.

Cao Xi would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen and immediately ordered: "All ships, protect the sailing ship with all your might!"

"Absolutely do not let the French sink it!"

Just at this moment, the Longyan sailing ship approached the French Fleet, and the sailors on the ship swung onto the French Fleet using hemp ropes from the sailing ship.

A fierce hand-to-hand battle broke out directly!