Chapter 575 - 70: Invaders
The sea in the rainy season is unpredictable, and even though Kilian’s subordinate sailors familiar with the location of the islands have been bribed, Monidez’s three armed merchant ships still spent much time on the voyage.
Though the process was arduous, this fleet preparing to clear the "pirates" never once considered that their mission would fail.
They were well-staffed, their ships were sturdy with powerful cannons, they had ten thousand reasons to succeed, and no possibility of failure—
At least, that was the thinking of the captains of the three armed merchant ships.
So besides confirming the course and handling matters onboard each day, the thing they did most was drink.
Anyway, Monidez was bearing the cost of this action entirely, so to them, it was just a sea holiday. For an old sailor, nothing was more enjoyable than cruising the sea leisurely.
When the weather was clear and the air crisp, the three captains would stand at the ship’s edge, raise their glasses to drink from afar, and burst into laughter.
The sailors on the ship, like their captains, were immersed in this joyful atmosphere.
Except when the sky turned gloomy and torrential rain fell, their faces were always adorned with smiles, as if the mission was over, they had seized the pirates’ treasures, and were back at the port indulging themselves...
...
Unlike the "Monidez Pirate Suppression Fleet," a different scene unfolded near the islands, on the Steel Bone and Iron Heart.
The veteran sailors on the Steel Bone had been trained by Sunday; though the captain had changed, it was still someone familiar to them.
Moreover, the new captain had a steady personality, was meticulous in his duties, and sincere with others, earning the sailors’ esteem.
During routine training, they all followed the new captain’s commands—
The basic training had been done thousands of times already, and being veterans of nearly a year, they’d habitually complete training and maintenance even without supervision.
While the Iron Heart had a few veteran sailors, most of its crew were newcomers. Despite undergoing nearly two months of training before boarding, their actual operations were marred by mistakes due to nervousness or fear.
As the captain of the Iron Heart, Sunday had the task of improving the new sailors’ proficiency.
Through mentoring, overtime training, note-taking, and memorizing regulations, he enforced high standards on his new crew.
These "rookies" were already tense at sea, and facing Sunday’s stern demeanor only made them more scared, barely daring to breathe.
Influenced by Sunday, every day on the Iron Heart was filled with a serious atmosphere, extending even to the Steel Bone’s crew, making them shy away from casual laughter.
Only after work, when they returned to their dorms for rest, could they joke about their "old boss" and the group of "little fools" on the Iron Heart, forgetting that they were once just like the new sailors when they first boarded.
...
At the end of 1666, nearing late December, the wind and rain at sea seemed abnormal, less frequent than in previous years.
Taking advantage of the light rain, the Iron Heart and Steel Bone conducted several simulated military exercises near the coast.
After months of integration training, the crew of the Iron Heart was able to maneuver the iron steam ship with ease at sea, though the veterans on the Steel Bone were more experienced, the Iron Heart’s performance consistently surpassed that of the Steel Bone.
When the fighting personnel were of similar quality, the ship’s performance became the pawn deciding where the victory would lean.
In several confrontations, the Steel Bone almost always ended in defeat.
Of course, both ships had cannons with near-identical power and range, even if the Iron Heart won the exercises, its hull came back battered—
All from the stains of colored bullets used in the exercises.
If they were fighting with live ammunition, both ships would only end with mutual destruction, as the thin steel sheets on the hull couldn’t withstand TNT-loaded heavy bombs.
Once the core power cabin was damaged, both Iron Heart and Steel Bone would lose mobility.
The Steel Bone’s masts and sails were just decorations and couldn’t be relied upon to dodge Iron Heart’s fire at sea.
According to the simulation results, the long-barrel, heavy cannons equipped on both ships were the most terrifying weapons, potentially causing the most devastating damage. A single 30-pound shell hitting could pierce a hole through the hull.
The mortars firing incendiary rounds proved ineffective during exercises as their range was at most 800m, which couldn’t compete against the long-barrel, heavy cannons that had a minimum range of 1000m, making them sitting targets, unable to reach the opposition.
Moreover, against steamships using a lot of metal materials on their hull, incendiary rounds posed little threat unless they hit an ammunition box, possibly revealing their potential only when battling wooden sailboats.
...
Though simulation drills and actual combat differ, knowing it was fake, the sailors might relax a bit mentally.
But without an enemy present, Chen Zhou could only use this method to hone his warriors.
More sweat during training means less blood during battle.
Even though the Spaniards had not reacted until the year’s end, according to descriptions provided by Spanish prisoners about Kilian’s style, Chen Zhou believed he would eventually come to attack the islands.
Having hundreds of pounds of gold stolen—no one would swallow such indignation, much less a captain accustomed to arrogance.
Furthermore, another armed merchant ship of Kilian had already learned about the treasure theft. They’ve been silent likely waiting for the rainy season to pass.