mtl008 Chapter 347: Battle of Maguana
Chapter 347: Battle of Maguana
"Your Majesty, it looks like there will be another fierce battle."
After Felicius left, Chen Qingzhi spoke.
"hehe, not bad."
"Since you've come to die, I'll grant their wish. Pass the order down and strengthen the port patrols."
"General Liu, your navy must also be prepared."
Ning Quan nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Chen Qingzhi and Liu Rengui responded immediately.
Then the two of them took the order and retreated.
........
Half an hour later, Felicius returned.
"Your Highness, I have heard about it."
"The slave traders said they encountered the combined fleet on the Hawaiian Islands."
"If that's the case, the combined fleet will arrive in five or six days at most."
Felicius reported.
"Five or six days? That's pretty quick. Okay, go ahead and get busy."
"Tell the merchants that more slaves are needed here. If they want to make money, they should get as many slaves as possible."
Ning Yun ordered.
"I obey my orders!"
Philippius obeyed.
........
At the same time, 800 nautical miles southwest of Maguana.
The combined Portuguese and French fleets were advancing slowly.
On the bow deck, a burly middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket was watching the sea scenery.
This man was called Johnson Cotman, and he was the commander of the Portuguese expeditionary fleet.
"General, our fleet is less than 800 nautical miles from the port of Maguana."
The adjutant next to him said respectfully.
"Okay, notify all ships to speed up."
"Yes!"
The adjutant took the order and left.
On another ship, the deputy commander of the combined fleet, French Marshal Oliver George, was leisurely tasting red wine.
He thought that the joint fleet's attack on the port of Maguana was a very easy task.
The combined fleet had more than seventy warships, thousands of naval guns, and more than thirty thousand infantrymen.
How could the Daqian Empire be a match?
"Hahaha, this Marshal really hopes to enjoy the scenery of America as soon as possible."
Oliver narrowed his eyes slightly, revealing an expression of enjoyment.
"Your Excellency, Marshal, don't be too happy too soon. The defeat of the Portuguese fleet last time is enough to serve as a warning to us."
"The strength of the Daqian Navy is not weak. We must not take it lightly."
At this time, the deputy on the side suddenly reminded.
"Yeah! I understand. I won't take it lightly."
Oliver nodded.
Although he was arrogant, he was not a fool, otherwise he would not have become the French Navy Marshal.
But in his opinion, the strength gap between the two sides was too big.
They had artillery firepower several times greater than that of the enemy. Under such circumstances, the Daqian Navy was bound to lose.
time flies.
In the blink of an eye, five days passed.
"Your Majesty, our reconnaissance ship has discovered the combined fleet."
"Based on the current speed, they are expected to arrive at the port early tomorrow morning."
Chen Qingzhi stood in front of Ning Quan and reported.
"Yea, very good."
"General Liu, your navy can be dispatched now. Let's do it the old way: let them in and then close the door and beat the dog."
"Remember, you must capture all the Portuguese and French warships and merchant ships. Don't miss a single one."
Ning Quan said coldly.
"According to the order!"
Liu Rengui immediately took the order and left.
"Is the coastal artillery ready?"
"How many shells are left? Are they enough?"
Ning Quan looked at Chen Qingzhi beside him and asked.
"Your Majesty, the coastal artillery is ready. We still have more than 500 shells, enough to destroy all the Portuguese and French warships."
Chen Qingzhi answered.
"Well, so be it."
Ning Quan nodded with satisfaction.
........
The next day.
In the morning, the sun is shining brightly.
The Portuguese and French joint fleet appeared on the sea level.
"Oh my god, the port of Maguana is so big!"
"Damn the Daqian Empire, how much manpower and resources did they invest?"
"This place is even more prosperous than Drake Harbor."
In the Portuguese joint fleet, everyone was amazed.
"This place is so prosperous? If we defeat Daqian, it will be ours."
There was a gleam in Johnson Cotman's eyes and a hint of greed at the corner of his mouth.
He likes wealth, and he likes to plunder wealth even more.
"General, there are many cannons in the city of Maguana, we have to be careful."
Suddenly, the adjutant pointed at the coastline and shouted.
Johnson Cotman heard the sound and looked, and sure enough, he saw dense black shadows on the city wall.
"Well, I understand, but do they think they can stop us with this little scrap of metal?"
Johnson Cotman sneered.
"Hey, that's not right. Why can't I see the Daqian warship?"
Suddenly, his expression changed slightly.
The rest of the people's faces darkened when they heard this.
"Could it be that the Daqian navy has escaped?"
"No way, the Daqian Navy really abandoned the port and fled?"
"How is this possible? Have they given up on Maguana?"
Everyone was talking about it.
But only Johnson Cotman had a gloomy expression.
"General, what should we do now?"
The adjutant asked.
"Notify Marshal Oliver and have him send a fleet to cover the rear."
"The rest of the warships will be ready to attack in half an hour."
Johnson Cotman said after a slight hesitation.
Even if Daqian has any conspiracy or tricks, it is nothing to be afraid of in the face of absolute strength.
"Yes, General."
The adjutant immediately went down to pass on the order.
A moment later, a fleet of ten warships sailed towards the rear.
The remaining warships became busy and made final preparations.
Johnson Cotman sat on the main ship, waiting for the attack with a smile on his face.
About twenty minutes later, the combined fleet launched the attack.
More than fifty warships rushed towards Maguana Harbor, while hundreds of artillery pieces fired at the same time.
Rumble!
Suddenly, the sound of artillery shook the sky.
Rows of huge gun barrels spewed out tongues of fire, forming a fire net in the air. The bombardment that covered the sky and the sun plunged the entire dock into a sea of smoke.
However, although the bombardment seemed fierce, it was obviously not accurate enough. Almost 90% of the shells missed the target. Only a few shells hit several fishing boats, and no shells hit the walls of Maguana.
Of course, it is normal that the first round of shelling is not accurate, as artillery of this era needs to constantly calibrate the impact point.
"Adjust the range and keep firing."
Johnson Cotman shouted from the main ship.
Suddenly, the artillery pieces aimed at the target again and started firing.
"Boom boom boom!"
Shells rained down and exploded in the harbor.
The city wall was also hit, shaking violently and many stones rolled down.
But at this time, Daqian's counterattack also arrived.
Dozens of cannons on the walls of Maguana opened fire at once, pouring shells down on the allied fleet, instantly hitting several warships and killing hundreds of people.
The accuracy of land artillery is obviously much higher than that of naval guns because the distance measurement is done in advance.
In this way, the two sides launched a fierce artillery duel.