Chapter 580 - 72: Desperate Charge (Part 2)
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The three armed merchant ships each had their own tasks, but on the Iron Heart and Steel Bone, everything was in perfect order.
The sailors only needed to stay at their posts and perform as they did during training.
In fact, they didn’t even need to perform exceptionally well or be particularly busy. It wasn’t as hectic or tense as a military exercise; just three volleys were enough to rout the enemy completely, leaving them powerless to retaliate.
Aside from the gunners and those responsible for observing, the other sailors simply had to wait for victory.
The intent of the armed merchant ships to engage in a boarding action was quickly reported to Sunday by the observers, who, realizing the enemy’s ferocity, decisively ordered a counterattack.
The sailors, itching for action, immediately fetched rifles from the equipment room, approached the ship’s side, aimed at the sea, and waited for the enemy to come near.
The Iron Heart’s deck railing was made of thin steel plates. Although these steel plates couldn’t provide defense in modern warfare, in the 17th century they could still act as a formidable "wall of sighs" against the attacks of matchlock guns.
Of course, in actual combat, the steel plates weren’t even needed, as the matchlock guns were out of range.
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To boost morale, the Captain began singing a chant, and his fast ship took the lead, about to confront the colossal ironclad ship first.
Even if they weren’t pirates, sailors from the Age of Exploration were somewhat familiar with the essentials of boarding actions.
Now, their merchant ships couldn’t provide artillery support, and the enemy could attack from the high ground. In such a disadvantaged position, they had to use their matchlock guns for cover and then risk throwing grappling hooks to board.
Everyone knew they might well die in this charge, but hearing the Captain’s rough voice singing pirate ballads, a flame of bravery ignited in each heart.
However, courage can only determine victory if the equipment levels and tactics are equal.
Clearly, these sailors did not have any advantage.
Sunday watched as the enemy rowed their oars in unison, charging swiftly, recalling a proverb Saturday taught him a few days ago—
"Using an ant to stop a chariot."
"Aim, fire!"
With just two plain commands, the prepared sailors raised their guns and launched an attack on the enemies within range.
The sailors on the fast boats hadn’t yet loaded their matchlock guns to provide themselves cover, and bullets rained down on them like a storm.
The sea showed little ripple, and the stable deck of the Iron Heart provided an excellent shooting platform for the sailors, further highlighting the Chen Family rifles’ superior accuracy.
The leading fast boat was turned into a sieve in just a moment, and the Captain and his sailors’ spirited chant abruptly ceased, leaving only a blood-stained wooden boat gradually taking on water and sinking.
The several fast boats following the Captain suffered less attack but still experienced varying degrees of casualties.
Seeing the total destruction of their "Captain’s flagship," they unanimously ceased rowing forward, changing direction in an attempt to return to the armed merchant ships—
Although their boat had been hit, at least on board, they could find refuge and not be left exposed in the sea as sitting ducks.
The sailors, who had waited so long for the opportunity to fire their guns, couldn’t let the enemy slip away under their noses.
Sunday didn’t issue a ceasefire order, so they didn’t stop on their own.
The continuous gunfire became a sparse drumbeat, and the sailors on the fast boats fell one after another as if named by King Yama.
The Iron Heart pursued relentlessly, its cold gleaming hull casting a shadow over them long ago.
Just as the sailors left alive on the boats fell into despair, a grand and hoarse voice suddenly emanated from the Iron Heart.
The voice was in Spanish, sounding vague and bizarre, unlike something a human could produce.
But at this point, the sailors didn’t care whether the voice was human-made; they only knew it promised they wouldn’t die if they dropped their guns and held their heads in surrender.
Facing certain death and a faint hope of survival, all the sailors made the same choice—
They threw their matchlock guns into the sea and, without caring to patch the holes in their ships, clasped their hands over their heads.
Thankfully, the enemy, unlike pirates, didn’t enjoy reneging on their promises. Once everyone had their hands over their heads, they indeed stopped firing and even halted the big ship, ceasing pursuit.
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Sunday hung up the loudspeaker, continuously broadcasting the Spanish "surrender bulletin" on the wall, and ordered the sailors to toss down ropes and pull up the surrendering enemies from the sea.
This "Divine Artifact," capable of recording and amplifying human voices, was called the loudspeaker, given to him by Chen Zhou a few days before.
They had long anticipated that the Spanish armed merchant ships would be no match, inevitably leading to a rout, the only question being the speed of their defeat.
Therefore, Chen Zhou specifically had the Spaniards in prison record this message.
Seeing one enemy ship sunk, another fleeing in panic, and a third suffering heavy casualties in a desperate fight, Sunday thought it was time to bring out the loudspeaker for surrender.
As expected, the enemy indeed surrendered collectively.
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On one side, the loudspeaker was still playing the surrender bulletin as the Iron Heart salvaged the Spanish sailors from the sea and turned towards the sunken armed merchant ships—
There were still some fortunate Spanish sailors who survived by clinging to planks floating on the sea. Sunday intended to bring them aboard as well.
On the other side, the Steel Bone sailed past the Iron Heart, continuing the pursuit of the only survivor.
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From afar, the lookouts on the other ships were able to see the plight of their comrades. Realizing they couldn’t compete even if they reached the enemy ship, they urged their sailors to bail, patch, and control the sails more vigorously.
However, the speed of a sailing ship is minimally affected by manpower. With the wind direction unfavorable, no matter how hard they worked, the speed couldn’t be increased.
To make matters worse, just at this critical moment, the wind began to slow down, causing their speed not to increase, but to significantly decrease.
The mixed wooden and metal hull of the Steel Bone was drawing steadily closer, the roar of the steam engine piercing the sailors’ already fragile spirits.
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"Surrender, Captain..."
The lookout, who had witnessed the failure of the boarding attempt and the fate of sailors on another ship, saw that the ironclad ship didn’t abandon them at sea but instead dropped ropes to rescue them, as if a light of hope suddenly pierced through the despair.
He cautiously persuaded the Captain, eyes fixed on the Long Saber at the Captain’s waist, fearful of being cut down in anger.
The Captain stood by the railing, gazing at the slackened sails due to the weakening wind, his brown beard quivering slightly.
He did not draw his Long Saber but let out a deep sigh, then announced to all the sailors—
"We surrender!"
The sailors knew they couldn’t escape the enemy’s pursuit, but laying down their weapons made them easy prey.
Some obeyed the command; others hesitated, and some protested aloud.
In the brief moment the sailors ceased their work, the Steel Bone drew closer again.
With the distance reduced to less than 100 meters, all the sailors could see the long-barreled heavy cannon on the Steel Bone’s deck aiming at them, alongside the enemies at the ready.
Recalling the nightmarish artillery attack not long ago, the diehards finally gave up arguing with their comrades and ceased their final resistance.
On the bright side, at least they were luckier than those burned to death or shot, for whatever it’s worth, they were still alive, and even if they ended up as slaves to the enemy, there remained a faint hope for survival.
Having fallen to such depths, surviving was the best outcome; what more could they wish for?
Following the Captain’s lead, all sailors laid down their weapons and gathered at the ship’s edge, waiting for the enemies on the ironclad ship to take them away.
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This naval battle, initiated at the behest of the islanders, concluded hastily in under an hour.
The Steel Bone and Iron Heart achieved a clean victory without even scratching their steel hull, let alone suffering any personnel casualties.