Chapter 578 - 71: Suppression (Part 2)
Although larger meant more cannons, it also meant they were bigger living targets.
...
Even though the three Captains were immersed in the joy of impending victory, they did not get carried away. After all, they had not yet acquired the Ruby larger than a pigeon egg; celebrating now would be premature.
As experienced old Captains, they methodically arranged the ship’s affairs.
Nearing the pirate-infested region, the lookout on the ship perked up, attentively observing the distant sea through a single telescope.
A bit further, according to the Spanish Navy’s anti-pirate tactics, they should deploy small reconnaissance boats ahead of the big ships to bring back pirate information.
The sailors on the ship were untying the ropes securing the small boat when suddenly, the lookout at the top of the mast let out a cry.
"Pirates!
It’s a pirate ship!"
Immediately, his hand holding the telescope trembled and released the telescope.
The heavy single telescope fell from the top of the mast, hitting the deck with a thud, leaving a dent in the wooden deck with its brass body.
"Damn it, you bastard!
What are you doing? Aren’t they just pirates?"
A sailor passing under the mast was almost hit by the telescope. Seeing the dent on the deck, he broke out in a cold sweat and couldn’t help but yell.
"Oh my God!
This group of pirates is completely different from the ones we’ve encountered before!"
The lookout at the top of the mast ignored the sailor below, hurriedly climbing down to report his observations to the Captain.
...
"What?
You’re saying there are two sail-less ships moving against the wind towards us at about 12 knots?"
The Captain, upon receiving the news, was incredulous. If it wasn’t for the lookout’s many years of loyal service without mistake, he might have slapped this nonsense-spouting guy on reflex.
"That’s right!
And their ships don’t seem to be made of wood, but something like steel or silver."
Facing the direction the enemy ships were coming from, the lookout’s face was still filled with panic. Since birth, he had seen countless ships, big and small, but never a monster like this.
"Give me the telescope!"
Without seeing for himself, the Captain couldn’t believe the lookout’s words and hurriedly found a telescope to observe himself.
A layer of grayish clouds floated on the blue sea. Under this gloomy sky, two small black dots were rapidly expanding visibly.
The Captain’s eyes widened as the outlines of the two ships became clearer.
He clearly saw the sword-like shape of the two ships, their hulls occasionally flashing silver and their spacious, tidy decks.
The ship in front had no visible masts on its deck.
The ship behind had masts but no sails, yet in this headwind, they bizarrely traveled faster than a fully rigged armed merchant ship, as if an invisible force was propelling them through the sea.
"Damn!
What kind of ships are these?"
Having been active at sea for many years, the Captain encountered such a situation for the first time, arousing a sense of foreboding.
But recalling the ship’s new cannons and ample ammunition slightly alleviated his unease.
Estimating the speed of the two enemy ships, he immediately ordered all sailors to prepare for battle and signaled to the other two armed merchant ships——
Be ready to engage.
The sailors rushed tensely around the ship, adjusting sails and rudders, realigning the cannons to form a "porcupine" with the broadsides of the three ships facing the enemy.
Years of life at sea had trained the sailors into excellent warriors.
Even in a hasty encounter, relying on muscle memory, they maneuvered the three ships into formation within a short time, slowing their advance to avoid breaking formation while waiting for the enemy to come within range.
However, none could have anticipated that this opponent not only looked unique but fought in a totally different manner than any they had faced before.
...
Steel Bone and Iron Heart cautiously estimated the distance, slowing down some 1000m away from the side of the three armed merchant ships.
They moved like two sharks swimming the sea, baring their sharp teeth, encircling the prey.
The lookout observed their unusual behavior but couldn’t figure out their intention.
The Captain’s foreboding grew stronger, but with the enemy ships not yet in their range, attacking would be wasting ammunition, so they remained still.
But the armed merchant ships stood still while Steel Bone and Iron Heart took the initiative.
With shooting angles already adjusted and shells loaded, the long-barrel heavy guns roared in unison.
"Boom!"
The powerful recoil of live fire made the cabin rumble, as heavy 30-pound shells flew out.
The sailors on the armed merchant ship closest to the two ironclad ships heard thunderous noise and the ship jolted violently.
On the ship’s side, a gunner standing ready by a cannon was struck by a heavy shell that penetrated the hull.
The sailor beside him felt a gale sweep past and then saw the distant comrade turned into a pile of flesh.
Bloody flesh and scattered bones mixed with fabric scraps and a dismembered lower half stuck in the cabin, striking terror in every sailor’s heart.
Time in the cabin seemed to pause for a moment.
Then panic mingled with the scent of blood spread across the ship.
Sailors used to suppressing pirates with firepower had never encountered such an opponent. They could accept losses and even death, but not being blown apart without even having a chance to retaliate.
...
"Devils, they’re devils!
These pirates crawled out of Hell, we must retreat immediately!"
With just one round of volleys, the long-barrel heavy guns punched several huge holes in the two armed merchant ships’ sides. Realizing the enemy outranged them, the Captain immediately issued new orders for a full-sail escape.
But like prey cornered by hungry sharks, since they already tore open wounds leaving bloody scent, it’s too late to escape.
The steamship’s maneuverability was far superior to that of the sailboats; while the sailboat sailors repeated tedious maneuvers to slowly point the ship’s bow, steamships merely needed to turn the rudder to achieve the same result.
As time ticked away, the distance between the two sides not only failed to increase but rather decreased.
900m, 800m, 700m...
As Steel Bone and Iron Heart approached within the armed merchant ships’ range, the cautious Sunday reduced speed, beginning an attack with mortars capable of launching incendiary and explosive rounds.
Seeing the enemy powerless to fight back, Sunday switched the goal to capturing the three ships.
Thus, the first salvo used explosive rounds rather than incendiaries, with lesser lethality against wooden sailboats.
In previous tests, explosive rounds performed unsatisfactorily.
Upon explosion inside the constructed simulated wooden ship model, the damage was minimal.
Sunday thought this attack would achieve similar effects, providing a severe deterrent yet reducing casualties, quickly forcing their surrender.
Unexpectedly, an explosive round from Iron Heart hit a gunpowder barrel inside an armed merchant’s cabin, triggering violent chain explosions.
The unfortunate merchant ship that suffered the least damage in the first heavy cannon volley, having the best chance to escape, was directly turned into a firework upon being hit by the explosive, brightly bursting over the sea.
After the deafening blast, a huge plume of black smoke rose over the sea.
Flames eagerly licked flammable materials like tar and resin, rapidly spreading on the ship.
Cry, moans, dense smoke, and sailors’ limbs filled the entire merchant ship.
Numerous holes appeared at the keel, letting seawater in faster than the sailors could bail it out, plunging all into despair.
When these leaderless sailors sought refuge from the flames and tried to find the Captain, they discovered he had already perished under enemy fire.
"They’re totally doomed!"