Chapter 22 of 100
Chapter 22
14 min read3,453 words
January 30, 1632. Sean Lafrance was somewhat agitated.
The situation of the Saint Christopher Company was deteriorating day by day. The attacks by the Spanish, the harassment by pirates, and the covert machinations of the English made it difficult for the tobacco-growing island to sustain itself. The initial immigrants had dwindled in number, while the English were increasing.
Perhaps it wouldn't be long before Lord Richelieu replaced the company with a more powerful one to manage Saint Christopher Island and the French territory of Santo Domingo. If that happened, Sean would have to pack up and return to his hometown of Montpellier, which was filled with the smell of fish, and his future would be bleak.
However, to save the company's precarious finances, it was extremely difficult to rely solely on the company without support from the homeland. Perhaps only by robbing a Spanish silver ship could the company be revived. But Sean could only fantasize about it in his mind. The few dilapidated ships the Saint Christopher Company had left in the Caribbean would be even more pitiful than the pirates.
Sean, who had already resigned himself to despair, accidentally heard a shocking piece of news in Santo Domingo: a group of Tartars had occupied a port on the eastern shore of the Uruguay River and were selling large quantities of exquisite Chinese porcelain. This porcelain was specially made in a religious style and was selling for exorbitant prices in the Netherlands and Germany. The news spread rapidly among pirates and merchants, and even sailors who had been to "Tartar Port" boasted that the Tartars had tens of thousands of sets of porcelain, each set valued at over 1,000 francs...
10 million francs? Sean smiled. Of course, that was impossible. But even if the Tartars had only 1,000 sets of porcelain, it would still be a fortune worth 1 million francs!
This was wealth that could drive even a king mad! This was wealth that could revive the Saint Christopher Company and ensure its great development!
Sean could no longer remain calm. He immediately returned to Saint Christopher Island and, with great effort, successfully convinced the company's upper management of his judgment: that Tartar Port held a mesmerizing fortune, and this fortune was of unparalleled importance to saving the company.
With the support of the company's upper management, Sean immediately took action. Two galleons docked in Santo Domingo were quickly overhauled, and long-unemployed sailors were reassembled. Cannons, ammunition, and firearms were fully equipped, and nearly 200 soldiers were recruited for the landing operation.
Upon hearing that the Tartars might have "a dozen" large cannons and "hundreds" of matchlock guns, to increase the chances of victory, Sean, after much painful deliberation, decided to invite an English ship and a Dutch ship to join the operation.
Many people were watching Sean's actions. After the fleet resupplied at Tortuga Island and headed south, many pirates and smugglers also set sail, following at a distance.
Sean's agitation at this moment stemmed from the followers trailing behind the fleet. However, there was little he could do about these shameless individuals, so he could only let them be.
Sean's fleet consisted of four ships. The "Resolution" and the "Saint Christopher" were the company's only two well-maintained galleons: the "Saint Christopher" had a displacement of 600 tons and 38 cannons, making it Sean Lafrance's flagship for this journey. The "Resolution" was also a new and advanced warship with over 20 cannons of various sizes.
The English ship "Goodwill" had a displacement of 350 tons and over 20 cannons. The Dutch ship "Crow" was a fluyt with 150 soldiers on board.
The fleet set sail from Tortuga Island at the end of December, stopped to resupply in Recife, Brazil, and then continued along the coast. By today, they had reached the waters near "Tartar Port."
Suddenly, the lookout on the mast signaled to the boatswain that a target had been spotted. Sean Lafrance's agitation instantly vanished, replaced by a slightly excited mood. Upon receiving the report, he immediately went to the poop deck, took out a monocular telescope, and carefully observed the coastline.
Close by was a rocky shore with no signs of human activity, appearing desolate. Sean slowly turned his gaze southward and stopped. In the telescope, a blurry gray object appeared. It was long and flat, resembling a mountain or a wall.
"Move closer, I want to observe that part of the coastline," Sean instructed the first mate behind him.
...
"Report! A formation of four sailboats has appeared in the northeastern sea."
Wang Qian, who was inspecting the first gun platform, immediately perked up: "Which country's ships? Can you see clearly?"
"They are not flying any flags or emblems."
"Hey, there's a problem," Wang Qian said, smacking his lips. "Pass this information to the army and the executive committee. Also, closely monitor that fleet. If they attempt to force their way into the port, fire a warning shot."
...
"Truly amazing!" The first mate of the "Saint Christopher" observed and sighed, "What we thought were mountains turned out to be walls built by the Tartars. They are truly magnificent, enclosing the entire bay."
Sean Lafrance was also observing with a monocular telescope: "There are several ships docked at the pier. God, what kind of ships are those?! The hulls are so large, and there are unreasonable high structures built on the mid-deck. What are those vertical cylindrical pipes? Are they chimneys? I don't see any cannons."
"Yes, there are no cannons on the mid-deck. I guess this ship cannot sail and has been docked here for a long time," the first mate commented. "And I think I see their gun platform."
As if to confirm his words, the gun platform built on the small island at the mouth of the Big Fish River removed its camouflage, and the dark cannon barrels pointed toward the fleet in the outer sea.
"Captain, if we continue forward, they might open fire," the first mate reminded him.
Sean did not speak, but observed carefully for a while before asking, "Julien, do you see any other gun platforms?"
The first mate Julien observed again and said after a long time, "There is another gun platform to our right front, facing the small island. It is a semi-enclosed structure, with the front and lower parts protected by stone, well hidden. But I guess the Tartars have also built gun platforms on the high ground inside the bay, and that gun platform is likely the main one."
"How many cannons do the Tartars have?" Sean Lafrance smiled lightly and patted the first mate's shoulder. "Order the 'Resolution' to fire on the gun platform on the left small island and test their firepower."
"Captain..." the first mate hesitated, "Why are we engaging their gun platforms here? It's not wise. In fact, we can land near the port and use the army to crush the Tartars' resistance."
"Their walls are very sturdy, and the army alone might not be able to capture it easily," Sean said, falling silent. "In fact, we may have underestimated the Tartars' strength. They have strong walls and gun platforms. In short, this operation may be more difficult than we imagined... Execute the order."
The first mate saluted and quickly left the bridge. Soon, a launch was lowered from the "Saint Christopher," and the first mate Julien boarded the "Resolution" galleon, which was closely following behind.
...
"What are they doing?" Lu Ming asked, holding a telescope.
"Who knows. But the higher-ups have already given the order. If they don't send a small boat to make contact first, they will be fired upon once they enter range," Chen Tumu said, also holding a telescope.
These two were the chief and deputy in charge of the third gun platform. The third gun platform currently had 8 gun positions, equipped with 4 12-pound iron cannons, 2 18-pound bronze cannons, and 2 18-pound steel cannons, with over 60 gunners. Each gun position was semi-enclosed, with the front of the cannon protected by thick brick walls and sandbags, and a wooden roof built on top. The gun position also had a semi-enclosed ammunition storage below. Additionally, there was a small storage for fresh water and food on the island.
"They are moving!" Chen Tumu's voice rose. "A ship is approaching us."
"Are they in range?" Lu Ming, who had already put down his telescope, observed again.
"Almost," Chen Tumu said, looking at the distance markers in the sea. "They show no signs of stopping. Should we... fire a warning shot?"
"Fire!" Lu Ming hesitated for a moment and then gave the order.
They were currently at the first gun position, equipped with an 18-pound steel cannon. Upon hearing the order, the gun crew immediately began to measure the distance, estimate the speed of the target, and consult the firing table.
"5-pound powder charge, 18-pound shot, ready to load."
"Understood! 5-pound powder charge, 18-pound shot loaded!"
"Lower the barrel by 1 degree."
"Understood! Barrel lowered by 1 degree."
"Ready—fire!"
With a loud "Boom," the 18-pound long-barreled cannon at the first gun position roared, firing the first shot of the day.
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