Chapter 23

A towering column of water splashed up beside the ship. Jules De Aubrol stared blankly at the scene, "Damn! Are those 24-pounders? They can shoot this far! They actually have 24-pounders!"

"No, young man!" Captain Adrian Flores of the "Resolution" said with a grave expression, "These are 18-pounders! But they have a long barrel, giving them a much greater range than our 18-pounder ship guns. Close in and fire the bow guns."

As the distance between the two sides continued to decrease, another cannon on the platform joined the bombardment. The enemy's aim was surprisingly accurate, and within just two minutes, the "Resolution" had already been hit in the midship. The 18-pound solid iron ball penetrated the thick side planks and landed below the deck, fortunately without causing any casualties.

The two 12-pounder guns at the bow of the "Resolution" also began to retaliate, but the rolling waves made the shots wildly inaccurate. Both cannonballs fell far short into the sea, causing Jules, who was watching from the side, to feel a wave of shame.

He was puzzled by his strange feeling of shame, perhaps because the wildly inaccurate shots would be laughed at by the Tartan. Jules shook his head and continued to watch intently, knowing that Captain Flores was a reliable old captain and there was nothing he needed to do.

Just as he was lost in thought, the "Resolution" was hit again. The powerful iron projectile penetrated the sailors' quarters on the forecastle. Fortunately, the sailors were all on deck fighting, so there were no casualties.

The distance between the two sides continued to close, and the number of cannons firing from the Tartan platform increased to four. God help us! Jules silently prayed that the ship would not be hit.

But it seemed that God was out on business today, and the increasingly accurate Tartan shots continued to hit. Two more solid iron balls struck the bow, one grazing two sailors who were moving cannonballs near the bow gun, and the other causing splinters to fly and injuring several sailors.

Jules watched in horror, but Captain Flores seemed unfazed, ordering the ship to continue closing in. After all, with the bow facing the platform, most of the ship's guns couldn't fire.

...

Lu Ming observed the enemy ship through his telescope. The platform had already fired dozens of cannonballs, but only a few had hit. Of course, the enemy's aim seemed even worse, with all their retaliatory shots falling into the sea.

"Positions 5 and 6, join the firing!" Lu Ming suddenly ordered. The enemy ship had started to turn, and he knew they were preparing to use their broadside guns.

Except for positions 7 and 8, which were limited by the angle and couldn't join the firing, the other six guns on the platform all joined the bombardment. The almost flat trajectory maximized the power of the guns, and the enemy ship was hit multiple times, causing chaos on the deck.

At the same time, the enemy ship's retaliatory shots landed on the island for the first time. Two solid iron balls bounced twice on the ground, raising a cloud of dust, and then came to a stop, having exhausted their kinetic energy. This reminded the gunners on the platform that they were not invulnerable. Of course, they responded with even more intense fire.

The two 18-pounder steel guns, due to continuous firing, had overheated barrels and needed to cool down. The spongers used wet cloths dipped in water to clean the barrels and extinguish any open flames. Additionally, the ammunition handlers began to pour water over the barrels to cool them down, hoping to restore the guns' combat readiness as soon as possible.

The enemy ship's broadside of ten guns fired in sequence, raising a large cloud of smoke on the sea. Some cannonballs flew over the sea and scattered around the platform. Chen Tumu, standing at position 3 to supervise, felt a sudden vibration under his feet as a cannonball hit the protective wall of position 3.

The wall, made of brick and stone and a meter thick, was very sturdy, and there were sandbags piled up outside for cushioning. The powerful shot only damaged one sandbag.

The 18-pounder bronze gun at position 3 roared in retaliation. The whistling cannonball struck a gun on the enemy ship's deck, penetrating two bodies and smashing the gun carriage to pieces.

...

"Damn!" Captain Adrian Flores cursed, not sure whether he was cursing the Tartan or the Sean Lafleur who had sent him to his death. "Don't drop anchor, turn the rudder, and retreat!"

Jules' lips moved, but he didn't speak. He could see that the "Resolution's" deck guns, due to the insufficient angle, couldn't directly hit the Tartan platform. The few cannonballs that occasionally landed on the platform had already lost most of their kinetic energy and couldn't cause effective damage. Moreover, the waves on the open sea were significant, seriously affecting the accuracy and speed of the ship's guns.

"We have tested the Tartan's firepower," Captain Flores said. "I think their gunners are generally poorly trained, but their platform is extremely sturdy, and their guns are of very high quality. They also have two other platforms that haven't been used yet. The distance between these three platforms is not far, and once our entire fleet enters, we will be vulnerable to attacks from the other two platforms. It's time for the army to take over."

The "Resolution" turned and fired a final broadside, but unfortunately, it was ineffective, and the ship was hit by two more cannonballs, looking quite pitiful.

Jules quickly returned to the "Saint Christopher" on a launch. Sean Lafleur had watched the entire battle and agreed with Captain Flores' assessment.

"Raise the follow flag, set a course due north. Have the army boys prepare for landing." Sean Lafleur ordered.

Thus, after rejoining the hastily retreating "Resolution," the entire fleet made a large circle and headed north, preparing to force a landing.

...

"How did they all run away?" Wang Qian, observing from the Yunsheng No. 1, couldn't believe his eyes, holding a telescope. "It can't be because our cannons are too powerful, right?"

"They don't look like they're running away," Wang Tieshuai also held a telescope, "Maybe this bunch of bastards can't get any advantage here and are thinking of landing somewhere the cannons can't reach?"

Wang Qian thought for a moment, "You know, that's probably the case."

"Wang Commissioner, has the Executive Committee authorized you to use the Yunsheng No. 1?" Wang Tieshuai suddenly asked.

Wang Qian knew what this kid was up to. "They did authorize it, but only in an emergency. Don't get any ideas. The ship is for everyone's safety, and fuel is limited. I don't think the Executive Committee would approve using it to chase a few broken enemy ships."

The news of the enemy's attack, accompanied by the booming sound of the port's cannons, quickly spread throughout the city. Not only were the time travelers worried, but the European immigrants in the city were also restless.

The First Battalion of the New Army had already gathered in the city's barracks, and Battalion Commander Peng Zhicheng had completed a brief pre-battle动员. The entire force was now quietly waiting for the order to move out.

Additionally, a few time travelers who could ride horses, armed with weapons and telescopes, rode the reluctant Jin Kela's Andalusian horses out of the north gate, following the direction of the enemy fleet.

Xu Yu, one of the few time travelers who could ride horses, led this temporary reconnaissance team, consisting of four people and four horses. Their task was to track the enemy fleet and report back to the city immediately if anything happened.

The fleet's speed at sea was not fast, and Xu Yu spurred his horse to a high point, raising his telescope to observe. The enemy was sailing along the coast, seemingly unconcerned about being discovered, and small boats were frequently being launched to carry liaison personnel between the ships.

Soon, about two kilometers from the city, Xu Yu and his three companions noticed that the enemy fleet had stopped and dropped anchor. This was important news, and Xu Yu immediately sent one person back to report, while he and the other two stayed to monitor the situation.

Soon, the situation became clear: the enemy was going to land! The largest of the four ships, along with a large, round-bottomed ship, launched many small boats, and a large number of well-equipped sailors or soldiers began to board them.

My God! These aren't pirates; they're an army. Xu Yu was secretly alarmed and sent another person back to report.

At this point, some of the small boats, now full of people, began to row towards the shore. These people, seeing the time travelers on horseback watching them, began to shout and curse, some even pointing their guns to intimidate.

As the first batch of enemies landed, Xu Yu and his companion wisely kept a safe distance but continued to monitor them. More and more enemies landed, and they even organized a small group to drive Xu Yu and his companion away.

With no choice, the two rode away and began to monitor with their telescopes.

The chaos of the landing lasted for two hours. The two who had gone back to report returned, and two hours later, the landing was complete, with no more people climbing from the large ships to the small boats. The landed forces gathered at the landing site, then organized their ranks and advanced menacingly towards the city.

Xu Yu counted the number of the enemy, about 350-380 people. He sent one person back to report, and the remaining three continued to maintain a distance from the enemy, following them until they reached the pre-set position of the time travelers.