Chapter 380 Defeating the Scapegoat

This was really what he was afraid of. Liu Xiang's vision went dark and he almost fell down on the deck. Although he was just a pirate, he had experienced many large and small battles. Naturally, he could think of Haihan's warship.

It is no coincidence that it appeared at this juncture sooner or later. The Haihan people sent their own fleet to attack Wanshan Port. I am afraid they have already made a strategy of using this as bait.

Liu Xiang forced himself to calm down, shook Liu Xin aside with a shake of his legs, and asked loudly: "Where is the Haihan warship? How far away is it?"

At that moment, someone came forward and reported: "Thanks to the master, there are about ten Haihan warships. At this time, they have fought against the brothers who stayed outside the harbor!"

After hearing the news, Liu Xiang felt a little calmer. There were more than ten or twenty ships left outside the port. As long as he could block the Haihan warships for an hour and a half, no matter whether he continued to attack

There is still plenty of time to make adjustments, whether at the port or turning around and evacuating here.

However, his mood only lasted a few seconds, because at this moment, there was a roar of artillery fire from outside the harbor - Liu Xiang was sure that this was definitely not an illusion, nor was it the shore defense artillery in the harbor.

Fire was being fired, but the sound was actually coming from outside the harbor.

The warships of the Haihan people! Liu Xiang subconsciously deduced the truth, because there were no cannons on the ships left by his family outside the harbor. The sound of gunfire could only come from the warships of the Haihan people. However, such dense sound of cannons,

It was hard for Liu Xiang to believe that there were only a dozen Haihan warships outside. But regardless of whether there were more ships or more guns, Liu Xiang was certain of one thing - those ships staying outside the harbor would never be able to stop them.

Such an offensive with powerful firepower.

Liu Xiang found that he was really in a dilemma. If he continued to attack the port, his men would inevitably suffer heavy casualties from the Haihan people's muskets and artillery, and they would probably not be able to take the Haihan people's position for a while. But if he withdraws his troops at this time

If we withdraw from the port and challenge the Haihan fleet, wouldn't all the casualties in the harbor be in vain?

However, the reality no longer allowed Liu Xiang to hesitate any longer. After another round of bombardment from more than 20 artillery pieces in the harbor, the hulls of two more pirate ships began to roll due to water intrusion. Fifty pirate ships rushed into the harbor.

Among the many pirate ships, one-third of the hulls have been damaged, and the ships that have been attacked the most have even begun to slowly sink.

"Pass my order, the rear team will become the front team and evacuate the port!" Liu Xiang gritted his teeth and finally made up his mind. If he continued to delay, it was hard to say whether he would be able to defeat the Haihan position in the port, but his own fleet was

The possibility of being stuck in the harbor and being unable to get out is very high. Then there will be artillery fire from all directions, and it will be difficult to escape.

Hearing the hasty gong sound from the ship, the panicked pirates quickly retreated from the shore. In less than five minutes of the landing battle, the pirates paid the price of more than 200 casualties, and even

Even Liu Huo, Liu Huo, Liu Xiang's nephew who was sent ashore to supervise the battle, died in the rebellion.

At this time, the battle on the sea outside the harbor was a different scene. After the fleet led by Wang Tom personally sailed out from behind Xiaowanshan Island, they lined up in a long vertical snake formation and galloped towards Wanshan Port. Outside the harbor,

Although the pirate ships also went up to intercept them, most of the ones left outside were mostly small boats. They were not at the same level as the Haihan warship, which was at least 300 tons in size. Moreover, the bow part of the Haihan warship was equipped with additional ones.

The V-shaped stainless steel collision angle will not retreat at all from those who dare to block the car. If you don't want to be directly hit and sunk, you can only get out of the way obediently.

Wang Tom did not choose to use these small boats outside the harbor as his main opponents. He asked the fleet to choose a route that cut directly diagonally to the entrance of the harbor, and then used broadside gunfire to shoot into the harbor - dozens of ships were densely packed.

Crowded in the harbor, the naval guns could hit the target with almost no need to aim. The intensive gunfire that Liu Xiang heard came from the first round of attacks after the fleet arrived. However, this round of attacks had no impact on the people in the port.

The pirate ships did not cause much damage, because most of the shooting angles were blocked by several pirate ships parked outside due to the tilt of the hull.

At this time, Liu Xiang had already seen the Haihan fleet passing by outside the harbor from his position. He suddenly discovered that these warships were much larger and stronger than he had imagined. The artillery configuration on the ship was not the bow cannon of a Chinese sailing ship.

, instead, the side gun emplacements of a Western-style sailing ship were used. When passing through the outside of the harbor, the side guns fired one by one. From Liu Xiang's position, the black cannonball streaks could even be clearly seen.

It broke the air, then hit a pirate ship in the harbor, tearing a hole as big as a washbasin in the ship's hull.

Although Liu Xiang has issued an order to retreat to his subordinates, on the one hand, it will take some time for the pirates who have already landed to retreat to the ship. On the other hand, dozens of pirate ships are crowded in the small harbor and want to turn around at the same time.

But it is not an easy task. Originally, Liu Xiang wanted to let the large forces rush into the port together to facilitate the gathering of troops during the landing, but at this time he found that the disadvantages of this decision had already emerged. The narrow port made it impossible for a large number of ships to

He was able to maneuver flexibly in a short period of time, and now he is in a dilemma.

However, when the pirates were panicking, the dozens of artillery in the harbor did not stop and wait for them to slowly adjust. They still fired cannonballs at the pirate ship at the established frequency. From the time Liu Xiang and his group rushed into the harbor until now

It only took half an hour, but now there were more than five pirate ships that were sunk or semi-sunken, and as many as a dozen ships were damaged and flooded. At this time, there were only a few pirate ships that were still unscathed.

"Quick, quick, quick! Go help hoist the sail! Ask Qian Laoqi's boat to move aside to clear the way!" Liu Xiang was also anxious at this time, seeing that the channel out of the port was tightly blocked by his own boat.

In fact, he had to start shouting orders to try to get the chaotic situation under control.

"Attention, fort, attention, fort, now start targeting ships leaving the port as the first target!" Chen Yixin saw the pirates' movements very clearly on the shore, and immediately issued new orders to the coastal defense forts on both sides of the harbor through the walkie-talkie.

So just as they turned around and tried to rush out of the harbor, several pirate ships immediately became targets of the fort. After dozens of cannonballs were fired at them, the speed of these pirate ships immediately slowed down.

At this time, Wang Tom's fleet had completed the first round of attacks outside the harbor. The warships were heading to the open sea. They had to make a circle on the sea before returning to the same position to launch the second round of attacks.

.

After paying the price of multiple ships being damaged, Liu Xiang and a group of defeated soldiers finally rushed out of Wanshan Port. The Haihan warships had not returned yet, but Liu Xiang was no longer interested in fighting, so he directly

Ordered to retreat. The pirate fleet turned south and withdrew from the battlefield along the route it came from.

However, Wang Tom had no intention of letting them go. After the fleet of warships took a circle on the sea, they pursued them one after another and chased the pirate ship away. The difference in speed between the two ships was at this moment.

It is fully reflected that the pirate ship only has an average speed of three to five knots, while the Haihan warship can reach a speed of eight to ten knots under the same sea conditions.

At first, the two sides were still several nautical miles apart, but after catching up, the distance between the two sides became closer and closer, and some of the damaged ships in the pirate ships began to slowly fall behind. The pirates on these ships were trying to escape in order to escape.

, had to choose to break away from the large force and flee south or north alone. Naturally, Wang Tom would not divide his troops to pursue these pirate ships that escaped alone, but just kept an eye on Liu Xiang's ship and continued the pursuit.

"These guys are not done yet!" Liu Xiang looked at the Haihan warships that were clinging to the rear. Apart from helplessly cursing, there was no other better way to vent his anger. He did not dare to stop and fight again.

The Haihan people were fighting. When he rushed out of the port just now, he had noticed that these Haihan warships had at least five cannons on their sides, and all the ships on his side combined could only make up seven.

There are only eight cannons, and their combat effectiveness is simply incomparable.

And the traditional gang-hopping combat is of no use at this time. If you still ask the men who have lost their spirits to attack the Haihan warship, it will probably cause a mutiny. The only way is to try your best to escape, as long as you can escape

The Haihan people's pursuit will eventually give them a chance to make a comeback.

However, the ideal is full and the reality is hard. Liu Xiang's fleet headed eastward. Before they could escape to the waters of Dangan Islands, they were overtaken by the Haihan fleet behind them. The Haihan warships unscrupulously attacked directly.

Break in from the middle and use the gunfire on both sides of the ship to shoot at the pirate ship.

If it were a normal battle, Wang Tom would never let his warship risk being approached by a pirate ship to insert into the opponent's fleet. But at this time, the pirates had lost their hearts and were only focused on escaping.

Without any thought of resistance or counterattack, Wang Tom was happy to use this opportunity to beat up the drowned dog. At the same time, he could also use this opportunity to exercise the sailors' actual combat capabilities. After all, large-scale maritime operations like this are not always possible.

of.

Wang Tom was cruel this time. He chased Liu Xiang's fleet from morning to dusk in one go, chased Liu Xiang's fleet for more than 40 nautical miles, and sank and damaged many pirate ships before withdrawing his troops with satisfaction. Although

In the end, Liu Xiang was allowed to escape in the chaos, but the result of this battle has greatly exceeded the pre-war expectations and severely damaged the vitality of Liu Xiang's pirate gang. Wang Tom has nothing to regret.

Liu Xiang's fleet fled overnight to the vicinity of Haifeng, Huizhou. After confirming that the Haihan people had given up the pursuit, they stopped to count the losses of the battle. Of the 83 ships when they traveled, only less than 100 ships remained at this time.

Thirty ships, and almost every ship was more or less decorated. Of course, not all other ships were captured or sunk by the Haihan people. Many ships escaped during the escape, so in fact

It is difficult to estimate the losses for a while. However, according to Liu Xiang's own estimation, at least half of the more than a thousand men brought out this time have been lost, and it is not possible that all the ships that escaped along the way can return to their hometowns. In the end, they can

I would be thankful if I could save half of the ship.

This expedition used Liu Xiang's capital accumulated over the years. In addition to the reward of several thousand taels of silver given to his subordinates before departure, the various materials consumed by these thousands of people on the road were not a small amount. In addition,

The damaged ships and men, and the tens of thousands of taels of silver inside and outside, cannot be saved.

After settling the account, Liu Xiang was so excited that he almost vomited blood. This expedition of nearly a thousand miles back and forth did not even catch a hair, but the loss was so huge that it would even directly affect his future status in the "Eighteen Zhi".

It can be said that the gain outweighs the loss. If Liu Xiang could be given another chance, he would definitely choose to swallow his anger and not provoke these evil stars.

But it was too late to regret at this time. How to stabilize the morale of the military and keep the existing people's hearts intact is the most urgent problem Liu Xiang is facing at the moment. Liu Xiang thought for a long time and finally made an astonishing decision: "Come

Man! Tie up Liu Xin who is not doing things well, having an affair with Hai Han, and leaking the fighter plan!"

Liu Xin was shocked and said: "The big boss and the young ones are trying their best to find out the details of the Haihan people in Guangzhou. They are all under the orders of the big boss. There is no liaison between them!"

"If you didn't reveal our details, how could the Haihan people have set up this trap in advance for us to exploit? I think the Haihan people have always been at peace with us, so why did their attitude change after letting you go to Guangzhou?

Being so tough and even willing to fight against us, isn't it because of your role in the process?" Liu Xiang asked with a dark face.

Liu Xin was not a fool. After hearing these words, he knew what Liu Xiang was planning - such a serious defeat would definitely hurt Liu Xiang's internal prestige, so someone had to take the blame.

That would work, otherwise it would be difficult for Liu Xiang to explain himself internally. As the leader, it is definitely inappropriate for Liu Xiang to take the blame himself, so he must find someone to take advantage of. Unfortunately, the whole process of fighting against the Haihan people

The only person who can be dragged into this battle is Liu Xin himself. Whether he wants it or not, he will be the one responsible for the defeat of this battle.

Several of Liu Xiang's cronies immediately came over and pushed Liu Xin to the deck, then took out ropes and tied him up. While struggling, Liu Xin cried out: "Master, there is a misunderstanding about this fact. I am wronged!"

Liu Xiang winked and went out, and someone immediately stuffed a ball of torn linen into Liu Xin's mouth to stop him from continuing.

"If this guy hadn't betrayed us, we wouldn't have lost so many ships and brothers in this battle! You thief, I really can't let you go!" Liu Xiang, who had not slept all night, had red eyes at this time, but he was angry and unwilling.

The emotions are performed vividly and perfectly.

"Kill him!" "Get rid of this rip-off!" "Get out of the way and let me kill you!"

A group of pirates who didn't know the truth immediately became excited. They seemed to have found the best outlet to express their emotions for yesterday's defeat. They all shouted loudly that they wanted Liu Xiang to make the decision to deal with this traitor. At this time, Liu Xin could only fall on the deck and tremble.

Besides, there is no way to defend myself out loud.

Liu Xiang raised his hand to signal everyone to calm down, and then continued: "The Haihan people have strong ships and powerful guns, and their strength is better than ours. It's nothing more. We can't fight them today. We will invite Master Zheng and the Eighteen Zhi another day."

'Brothers, we can send troops to attack together. But we cannot let go of the culprit who leaked the opportunity and caused our defeat!"

Liu Xiang glanced at Liu Xin, deliberately ignored the other person's pleading eyes, and loudly announced the punishment: "Since Liu Xin has been following me for many years and has done his best in everything, I will leave his body intact! This is a disaster."

Not as good as his family, Liu Xin’s family will still be supported by me, Liu Xiang, from now on, all brothers will bear witness today!”

"The master is benevolent and righteous!" "This thief is taking advantage!" The pirates praised Liu Xiang's "generosity" one after another, and at the same time expressed their disdain for Liu Xin's fate.

So under the auspices of Liu Xiang, the "traitor" Liu Xin was hanged. A strong pirate strangled him to death on the deck with a cable on the ship. His body was thrown directly after the signal was sent to all ships.

Entering the sea. After dealing with this scapegoat, the pirates' mood recovered a little. They temporarily put yesterday's defeat behind them and sailed back to their hometown in Chaozhou.

Compared with the disheartened pirates, the atmosphere here at Wanshan Port is obviously on the other extreme. Except for a few personnel who are on duty in rotation, all armed personnel on the island have been given a rare two-day holiday to rest and recuperate. Civil Affairs

The department also took out the meat and wine stocks on the island to express condolences to the militia soldiers who fought bravely. Of course, senior officers were not able to participate in the post-war celebrations at this time. They had to count the results, calculate the military exploits, and write

Post-war reports are provided to the Executive Committee.

Compared with the previous combat experiences of the militia, the results of this battle were actually not great. No matter in terms of the number of enemies killed, the number of prisoners and the trophies seized after the war, all the data were not outstanding. Because some of the soldiers were

It is no longer possible to count the number of casualties caused by the sunken ships. The number of enemies killed can only be calculated based on the pirates killed on the dock and the floating corpses inside and outside the harbor. The total number is only a little over three hundred, but the officers believe that the actual number of enemies killed should be greater than

According to this statistical result, some people estimate more optimistically that the number of enemies killed should be at least five hundred, because there were also many injured on the pirate ships that escaped, and the medical and health conditions on pirate ships in this era may not allow any of them to be killed.

Those with more serious injuries may have a chance to survive to shore.

The prisoners in this battle mainly came from a small number of pirates who failed to board the ship in time and evacuated the dock, as well as the crew members of the pirate ship who were unable to leave the battlefield because the ship was heavily flooded, a total of more than 140 people. If nothing else,

, what awaits them in the future will be excavation work day and night at the Tiandu Iron Mine.
Chapter completed!