novelSusiti Chapter 90 The Deal is Made and the Pirates are Destroyed
Chapter 90 The Deal is Made and the Pirates are Destroyed
Chapter 90 The Deal is Made and the Pirates are Destroyed
Several suicide soldiers began adjusting the angle of the Dankou Type 1 machine gun, inserting the magazine, and cranking the side handle at a steady speed to aim the barrel at the densest area of the Qing army.
The gun barrel began to spin, faster and faster, until it became a blurry shadow.
"Da da da, da da da, da da da."
A strange sound rang out, continuous yet rapid.
Li Wenmao and Chen Xianliang both stared wide-eyed at the scene before them in disbelief.
The ten barrels of the machine gun spun rapidly, and bullets poured out like a torrential rain, sweeping towards the Qing army troops in the distance.
Wherever they went, swordsmen, spearmen, and musketeers fell in droves like wheat being harvested, their screams audible hundreds of meters away.
"This, this is fucking—"
Chen Xianliang opened his mouth wide, speechless.
He had fought for several years, from Guangzhou to Foshan, and from Foshan to Jiujiang. He had seen matchlock guns, muskets, and flintlock rifles used by foreigners, but he had never seen anything like this before.
A gun with ten barrels, by cranking the handle, can produce the effect of hundreds of guns firing simultaneously.
"Sorcery, sorcery!"
Seeing their comrades fall and wail in large numbers without warning, the Qing army's vanguard was thrown into chaos again.
The soldiers who had miraculously survived at the front looked terrified, screaming as they dropped their weapons and ran backward. The soldiers behind, however, were still unaware of what was happening and continued forward according to the sound of the drums.
In an instant, the two sides jostled and pushed each other, and the pushing and shoving quickly turned into a fight, and even mutual killing.
"Hold your formation! Anyone who tries to flee will be executed!"
A garrison commander, accompanied by his personal guards, attempted to maintain order, wielding a large sword and hacking several Green Standard Army soldiers who were running away to death.
"Stop right there! Go back, go back!"
But as the machine gun fire swept across the room, all the scolding, roaring, and arguing vanished.
Bullets pierced the torsos of the soldiers in front and then into the bodies of those behind, causing them to huddle together and fall to the ground. Those who were still alive lay on the ground, some crying, some shouting, and some calling for their mothers.
Just then, the machine gun stopped firing.
"Why did it stop?"
Li Wenmao, unable to hide his excitement, said, "Put all the bullet costs on me, keep going!"
Hongwu shrugged and said, "I only brought these magazines with me. We'll stop when we run out."
"And there's no need to keep firing; the Qing army on the other side has completely collapsed."
In the distance, the Qing army's ranks had already been routed.
The ground was littered with corpses and wounded soldiers, and flags were scattered everywhere. The survivors scattered and fled, some jumping into the water, others disappearing into the woods.
Shen Dihui, who was in charge of the central army, looked at the scene before him with a grim expression.
He was both shocked and furious, but he also knew that the situation was hopeless.
The vanguard of a thousand men hadn't even seen the Red Turban rebels before losing most of their men. Even if he sent the central army up now, it would be useless.
He took a deep breath and finally managed to squeeze out only one sentence through gritted teeth: "Sound the retreat!"
Tai O, western Lantau Island.
This is a pirate's paradise.
The complex waterways, hidden harbors, and dense forests meant that the British Navy's repeated attempts to encircle and annihilate the enemy were all unsuccessful.
At this moment, inside the Great Australia, Chen Wang was drinking with his pirate men.
The British merchant ship that they had seized two days ago was ultimately not brought back, and they even lost three of their own ships.
The thought of this made Chen Wang feel like his heart was bleeding.
Fortunately, that idiot Liu Daba was wiped out because he provoked Zhao Sanjin and his gang, and all the pirates in Da'ao went to Liu Daba's lair to look for money.
Otherwise, with his power significantly weakened, he would surely have been torn apart and devoured by those wolves.
"Boss, let's take the guys on another job!"
While eating grilled fish, a member of the Red Turban Gang complained, "We haven't had a bite in days, and we're completely broke. If this keeps up, we won't even be able to afford wine."
"Do you think I don't want to?"
Chen Wang cursed and slammed his hand on the table. "Damn it, the British have gone mad lately. They've sent out all their warships, chasing after pirate ships like their whole families have been slaughtered!"
"Yesterday, the Zhou group had barely set sail when they were surrounded by the British. Their ship sank, and everyone on board perished; not a single one escaped!"
"Going out now, do you want to experience what it's like to be hit by their warships' gunfire?"
Seeing Chen Wang's anger, the pirate muttered, "Those British idiots are just plain stupid. They've only robbed a few merchant ships. They have so many ships, what's wrong with taking a little?"
Suddenly, one of the henchmen shouted from the lookout tower, "Boss, ships! Lots of ships are coming!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Wang immediately stood up, grabbed the monocular telescope next to him, and quickly climbed to a high place to look over.
In the field of vision, a row of sails appeared on the sea surface.
Not one, not a few, but more than a dozen!
Leading the way were ten small gunboats, cutting through the waves at breakneck speed. Following behind were several large vessels billowing black smoke, their gun barrels adorned with white flags bearing crosses.
All of them are steam-powered warships!
"British ships? How did they find their way here?" Chen Wang's expression changed drastically. "Damn it, with that many, it's like all the warships in Victoria Harbour have come!"
Without thinking, he roared into the harbor, "Get the hell up, all of you! The British are here! Get on board, get on board and get out!"
The harbor instantly descended into chaos.
The pirates rushed out of their huts, grabbed their knives and guns, and ran toward the ship. Several of the smaller leaders shouted and yelled at them to quickly lower the anchor and raise the sails.
But it was too late.
The entire process of retracting the anchor chain and raising the sail takes at least ten minutes.
Meanwhile, British warships equipped with steam engines were approaching the harbor entrance at a speed of ten knots.
The first ten gunboats had already rushed into the harbor entrance, their speed showing no sign of slowing down.
These shallow-draft warships were designed specifically for near-shore operations, and each vessel was equipped with a 32-pounder gun at the bow, its muzzle pointing straight ahead.
This firepower is more than enough to deal with pirate ships.
On the foremost gunboat, a British naval captain lowered his binoculars and coldly ordered, "Prepare the guns."
The gunners began loading shells and lighting the fuse.
Fire!
boom!
The 32-pounder cannon spat fire, and an explosive shell roared out, hitting the bow of the nearest pirate ship directly.
The small boat, weighing less than fifty tons, had a large hole blown into its stern, with wood chips and debris flying everywhere.
The entire ship looked as if its head had been chopped off, and the pirates standing nearby fell into the water like dumplings being dropped into a pot, thrashing about in the water.
Ten gunboats, like ten sharp knives, pierced into the harbor.
They didn't slow down at all, weaving directly through the pirate ship formation like wolves charging into a flock of sheep. Every now and then, they would bombard the area with their ship cannons.
The pirates were disoriented by the impact. Some wanted to fire their cannons in response, but the gunboats were too fast and agile, and they didn't have time to aim.
Meanwhile, several pirate ships had successfully lowered their sails and started sailing with the help of the wind, attempting to escape the harbor.
But ahead of them were five Royal Navy fifth and sixth-class ships lined up in a row, their broadsides facing the harbor.
Fire!
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
More than fifty 32-pound cannons fired simultaneously. Amidst the billowing white smoke, over 900 kilograms of shells poured out in a salvo, whistling across the sea and crashing into the harbor.
Chen Wang watched helplessly as the ship in front of him was hit by several cannonballs at the same time.
The dragon carvings on the ship were torn apart, the cabins were pierced, the hull near the waterline was cracked, and the ship began to tilt and take on water.
Before the second salvo could begin, Chen Wang took a deep breath, abandoned his men without hesitation, and jumped into the water from the boat.
There's no way to escape from here. The only chance of survival is to swim ashore and hide in Lantau Island for ten days to half a month.
Colonel William Frost, in command, stood on the deck of the fifth-class ship, watching the pirates jumping into the sea through his monoculars, and ordered, "Send out the Marines and capture all the pirates on the island."
Several hours later, the battle ended.
Most of the pirates who escaped back to the island were captured, and only a few managed to escape.
William Frost stood on the dock, watching the pirates with their hands bound as they were being escorted onto the ship.
He said slowly, his voice tinged with confusion, "I still can't believe that these weak pirates could destroy a Royal Navy class 6 ship."
The first mate beside him shook his head and said, "I can't believe it either, Captain. But it really happened."
O
William Frost was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Bring all the pirates back to base."
I must find out what really happened back then. Who gave them the courage, who gave them the weapons, who gave them the audacity?
Jiujiang Town, inside the camp.
After the battle, Li Wenmao grabbed Hongwu's arm, his excitement overflowing: "Brother Hong, today's battle has truly opened my eyes!"
"In all my years, this is the first time I've seen a war fought so easily. Not a single one of our soldiers died, and the Qing army abandoned hundreds of corpses and fled in utter panic!"
Chen Xianliang followed in, his face still showing shock.
He walked up to Hongwu, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, and said solemnly, "Brother Hong, I was blind to your greatness before, and I hope you will forgive my words."
Hongwu smiled slightly and asked in return, "The price we discussed earlier wasn't too expensive, was it?"
"Not expensive at all!"
Li Wenmao chuckled and quickly said, "It's Brother Hong. How much is that machine gun you mentioned?"
Hongwu pondered for a moment and said, "The Dankou Type 1 machine gun consumes a lot of ammunition, so we didn't bring many. We can sell you at most two."
"As for the price, each machine gun can be exchanged for five hundred able-bodied men or one thousand women."
Upon hearing the price, Li Wenmao's face paled, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "Change it!"
"Our Red Turban Army lacks everything except manpower. No matter how many men you need, I'll swallow my pride and persuade the villagers to follow you!"
After lengthy discussions, the two sides finally reached a deal.
Two Dangkou Type 1 machine guns, five hundred Pacific Type 1 rifles, and one hundred thousand rounds of ammunition were used to ultimately acquire 1,800 able-bodied men, 3,700 women, and 1,400 children.
A total of 6,900 people.
Looking at the final number of people, Li Wenmao said worriedly, "Brother Hong, I've given you the people, but how do you plan to take them away?"
Nearly seven thousand people is no small number. Your two ships can only carry a few hundred at most, right? How long would it take to transport them back and forth?
He paused, then continued, "Although we successfully drove back that old dog Shen Dihui today, I estimate he will soon mobilize new troops. We can only stay in Jiujiang for a few more days at most before we have to leave."
Hongwu smiled slightly: "Please rest assured, Marshal, I have a plan. Within three days, everyone will be transported to Hong Kong Island."
"Okay, it's settled then."
Li Wenmao didn't press for details about the method, saying, "I'll go and have someone select people right away. Brother Hong can also send someone to check along, to avoid any disputes later."
Hongwu and his entourage left the camp and prepared to return to the ship to begin the transaction.
Behind him, Yung Wing asked with a hint of curiosity, "Mr. Hung, nearly seven thousand people, are we really capable of transporting them all?"
He counted on his fingers and said, "Even if all the weapons are unloaded, each ship can only carry a maximum of four hundred people."
"If we assume 450 people, two ships would carry 900. 6900 divided by 900 means it would require eight trips."
"It's more than 140 kilometers from here to Hong Kong. If you take into account the time for waiting for the tide and getting in and out of the port, it would take more than two or even three days to make a round trip."
Hongwu listened to Rong Hong's calculations and asked in return, "Mr. Rong, who told you that we only have these two ships?"
""
Rong Hong was slightly taken aback upon hearing this: "We have other ships?"
Central, Hong Kong Island.
In the office of the shore-based logistics department, Lieutenant Colonel Harvey sat at his desk, with a logbook of ships entering and leaving Hong Kong port spread out in front of him.
The office was spacious, but contained only a desk, a chair, and a filing cabinet. Outside the window was the bustling Victoria Harbour, where one could see the densely packed gun emplacements.
He flipped through the logbook on the table, which recorded all the ships that had entered the port recently. The Mary, 500 tons, carrying tea, was departing for London in three days. The ship was too big to navigate the West River; it wasn't suitable.
The Dolphin, a 300-ton vessel carrying silk, is departing for Manila in two days. The time is too short; it's not suitable.
The Elizabeth, 200 tons, carrying general cargo, departs for Singapore in five days. This ship is acceptable.
The Lucky, a 400-ton vessel carrying rice, is currently docked at Pier 3 in the port for unloading. Its next voyage is uncertain. This ship would also be suitable.
He wrote down the names of the eligible ships one by one, and then rang the bell on the table.
The soldier outside pushed open the door, saluted, and said, "Sir, what can I do for you?"
Lieutenant Colonel Harvey pushed the notebook on the table in front of the soldiers and said, "Send some men to call the captains of these ships to my office. And be quick!"
"Yes, sir!"
Half a day later, a fleet of twelve merchant ships from various countries sailed out of Victoria Harbour, their destination being a small town called Jiujiang on the West River.