"Flagbearer, tell those arrogant Mingren that we are the Dutch naval fleet and we are performing missions in the Dutch waters and ask them not to hinder us!" Ranade said with a dark face.

It can be seen from the arrogant posture of the Fujian and Guangdong fleet that the Ming army on the opposite side is obviously looking for trouble, but he still has a glimmer of hope, that is, the prestige of the Netherlands can scare them away.

The flag bearer immediately passed on Ranald's words.

A moment later, on board the flagship Haiqing of the Fujian-Guangdong Combined Fleet, Zhu Tiangui carefully observed the Dutch fleet not far away.

"Grand Governor, the Dutch said this is Dutch waters, let us not hinder them." Flagman Hui reported.

Zhu Tiangui heard this and smiled boldly: "Dutch waters? Your Majesty asked us to take over Wansheng Island (Natuna Islands), then this is the Daming Sea!"

Liu Guoxuan on the side also deeply agreed with this sentence, "Wherever the king's flag goes, it is the territorial waters of the Ming Dynasty! Prepare to fight and drive away these Dutch people!"

Since the Dutch are asking for their own death if they don't eat and drink as a penalty, it's no wonder they took action boldly.

"Captain! The Ming fleet is approaching!"

Boom boom boom boom…

Looking at the tragic situation of the armed merchant ship Barry, Ranade looked sad and angry.

Didn't it mean that this kind of cannonball is difficult to preserve and not very powerful?

But the tragic scene of death and injury in front of me doesn't look like it is not powerful!

This is of course very powerful, sugar gunpowder + quality concept!

Above its hull was a raging fire, while below, turbulent seawater poured into the cabin along the damaged hull.

Moreover, the Dongning Manufacturing Administration has helped them upgrade long-range artillery!

The ship's ammunition magazine was hit by Ming Zheng's explosive shells, and he died on the spot!

The fireworks that shot out were like magma, swallowing the ship's hull instantly.

"The Barry is over!"

However, compared to the earth-shattering momentum when the Fujian and Guangdong fleet opened fire, the Dutch counterattack seemed quite weak.

With such firepower and few ships, the Dutch could only take a gamble.

Countless balls of orange-red flames rose from the Dutch warship, and countless pieces of splintered wood and explosive fragments turned the Dutch sailors on the deck into bloody hedgehogs.

The Dutch sailors on the deck, covered with fire, jumped into the sea crying for their fathers and mothers.

"All crew members immediately enter combat positions! The flagman informs all ships not to shoot at each other with the Ming fleet! Our firepower is not as good as the opponent's. All warships must adjust their hulls. We rush forward, attack with fire, and fight with the opponent!"

The dense shells tore through the air and roared towards the approaching Dutch naval fleet.

Today, he, Ranald, is going to give it a try and use the British tactics to create miracles!

Looking at the Dutch warship that had completed its turn and was getting closer, Zhu Tiangui smiled: "Little guys, if you get closer, you will be within the shooting distance of the short and heavy cannon!"

Boom boom boom...

This time the explosion directly ended the fate of this armed ship.

He did not expect that the artillery of the Ming and Zheng naval forces on the opposite side actually fired explosive shells!

A large amount of sawdust from the ship's hull, mixed with the remains of Dutch sailors, washed up into the sky.

Not surprisingly, this round of counterattack did not cause any losses to the Fujian and Guangdong fleets.

Moreover, he didn't have any chance of winning this battle.

The counterattack had no effect, and Ranald looked ugly, so he could only hope for a fire attack later.

Previously there were only 12-pound steel pogo cannons, but now a 24-pound poro cannon has been added, which is more powerful.

As the former maritime overlord of the Netherlands, Captain Ranade did not allow himself to retreat without a fight.

Ranald gritted his teeth, he had no way out now!

The Dutch fleet withstood the powerful firepower of the Fujian and Guangdong fleets and finally rushed into a distance of 150 meters.

Several cannonballs hit the sea, and several hit the hull of the battleship, but the impact was not significant.

Zhu Tiangui and Liu Guoxuan were very happy to see that the Dutch fleet was deliberately approaching, because the short heavy artillery was the killer move of the Fujian fleet. The 68-pound explosive bomb was a battleship killer.

Rather than fighting back, it's better to embolden yourself.

They mean to fight!

Ranald's face was livid. He had never expected that these Ming people were so hot-tempered and would beat them whenever they asked, leaving no room for negotiation.

Of course Zhu Tiangui would not give them a chance to defeat the weak.

But now he has no extra time to think about anything else.

The two sides were 450 meters apart, and the Fujian and Guangdong fleets, which formed a line formation, opened fire first.

The Dutch guns located on the bows of each ship began to return fire.

At this time, the short and heavy artillery of the Fujian and Guangdong fleet finally fired, and the breathtaking sound of the shells breaking through the air came again!

At that time, the Spanish Armada was defeated by this tactic when facing the British Navy, which was far weaker than its own.

This sortie assembled the absolute main force of the Fujian and Guangdong fleets, about a hundred battleships, and almost no small boats. Counting the five second-level battleships alone, there were already more than 400 artillery pieces. If you really want to count, it is estimated to be thousands.

There was an artillery piece, and I don’t know where Ranade got the confidence to charge forward.

Screams and wails instantly filled the entire Dutch East India Company naval fleet.

In maritime battles during the sailing battleship era, fire attack was the weakest side's best comeback tactic.

Captain Ranald ordered loudly.

But some of the shells still accurately hit the Dutch warships. There were so many shells from the Fujian-Guangdong Combined Fleet that several armed merchant ships lost their combat effectiveness on the spot.

But relatively speaking, they were lucky. Although many people were burned by the fire, they at least saved their lives for the time being, while the unlucky ones in the cabin didn't even have a chance to escape.

However, this was not over yet. Only tens of seconds after this round of bombardment, an armed merchant ship on the edge suddenly exploded like a volcano.

Captain Ranade's face changed drastically. The effective combat distance in naval battles in the seventeenth century was about 400 meters. Now that the distance is getting closer and closer, Akito's intention is already obvious.

"Blowing bullets!" Ranade's eyes widened in anger!

The distance of 450 meters is a little far for the combat distance in the sail battleship era, but the Fujian and Guangdong fleets are so confident because they have more guns!

As a result, most of the cannonballs missed their targets and hit the sea, exploding dense water jets into the sky.

Zhu Tiangui also noticed at this moment that the opponent wanted to attack with fire!

He was familiar with this tactic, because Zheng Zhilong used fire attack tactics to defeat the Dutch navy at Liaoluo Bay in 1633!

The sudden explosion of the cannon was like midsummer thunder. In an instant, the fire shone and thick black smoke erupted from the muzzle.

"Fight back!" Ranald roared with red eyes.

Some sailors on the Batavia exclaimed.

Just when Captain Ranade was still feeling sad and angry at the silence of the Barry, the exclamations of the sailors came from behind again.

"Sir! Our Batavia's mainsail is about to fall over!"

Ranald almost fainted, the mainsail collapsed, and the Batavia was left to die!

"Hold on!" Ranade wanted to struggle again.

It's a pity that the Fujian and Guangdong fleets don't want to give them a chance.
Chapter completed!