Chapter 77: Barrel Burst And Sympathetic Detonation
Before Lin Qian could react, a water column had already splashed up on the sea surface off the Santa Ana’s port side.
The point of impact was more than three hundred paces away from the Santa Ana, utterly off the mark.
Lin Qian felt a bit more at ease in his heart. Even for skilled gunners, the hit rate for shooting at a ship on the sea surface is around 10%, let alone these sea bandits who don’t even know how to use cannons.
In this era, artillerymen are the top technical soldiers.
Historically, when Great Ming bought red barbarian cannons, they even brought Portuguese instructors to Beijing together.
Using cannons is something you really can’t learn without someone teaching you.
At this time, more cannon fire came from Ship City, and water splashes from falling cannonballs rose in the vast sea area around the Santa Ana within a five-li radius.
After one round of cannon fire, Ship City fell silent.
The Santa Ana’s cannon fire was incessant. Ship City was pounded full of holes, the sea surface full of dust and gunpowder smoke.
“Helmsman.” A voice came from behind Lin Qian.
Lin Qian turned around and saw it was Zhou Xiucai and Jose. The two were panting heavily, soaked through, clothes clinging to their bodies, appearing extremely emaciated.
Lin Qian stepped forward and checked their palms. Seeing they were all intact, he felt relieved and said, “Good that you’re back.”
Zhou Xiucai choked up and said, “I’ve failed the helmsman’s trust… I…”
Lin Qian waved his hand to stop him. “With a great enemy before us, save these for later. Where is the robbed silver placed? Where did they pile the firearms and gunpowder?”
Zhou Xiucai was about to speak when suddenly flashes lit up from Ship City side, followed by cannon booms. He shouted loudly, “Helmsman, be careful!”
In an instant, water columns splashed around the Santa Ana. Scattered seawater fell like heavy rain, enveloping the entire deck.
This time’s point of impact was clearly a bit closer than last time.
Lin Qian thought to himself that these pirates had learned too quickly. He’d somewhat underestimated them.
Zhou Xiucai and Jose slowly straightened their backs. Seeing Lin Qian facing them with a straight back and no fear on his face, they couldn’t help but admire him. Influenced, they also straightened their backs a bit.
Suddenly, a massive boom came from Ship City. That roar pierced the clouds and split the day, shaking sea and sky. Even from far away, one could feel the explosion’s shockwave. Seawater was shaken into waves.
Lin Qian was also startled in his heart by the explosion sound, but he kept his composure on his face, showing no fear. He just calmly turned, took out the telescope, and looked toward Ship City.
Ship City had been blasted into five pieces. Cracks burned with raging fires, thick black smoke billowed above, almost forming a small mushroom cloud.
Ten thousand wood fragments pierced out from the mushroom cloud, burning fiercely, trailing long black smoke tails, shooting in all directions.
Within a ten-li radius, a wooden board rain fell.
The pirates had a gun burst. Judging by the explosion power, the other gunpowder had also detonated sympathetically.
“Clang!”
On the Santa Ana’s deck, a half-person-high wooden board also smashed down, burning with fire. It smashed a hole in the deck. Fortunately, it didn’t hit anyone.
The crew members used prepared sand and soil to extinguish the fire, then together lifted that wooden board and threw it into the sea.
Zhou Xiucai’s legs went soft. He was stunned speechless by this scene.
Lin Qian put down the telescope and said, “I already know where the gunpowder is placed. What about the silver?”
Zhou Xiucai steadied his mind, pointed at Li Kuiqi’s ship, and said, “All on the ship.”
At this time, Li Kuiqi’s ship had detached from Ship City, heading to assemble with the fleet at the southeast corner of the lagoon.
The remaining ships not yet detached from Ship City were basically enveloped in flames. Pirates on Ship City’s wreckage jumped into the sea to survive.
Some also launched small boats, fleeing in all directions out of the lagoon.
In an instant, Ship City was like trees fallen and monkeys scattered. Dozens of small boats fled.
At this time, Bai Langzai siblings and their subordinate crew members had also boarded the ship.
Seeing this, Bai Qing said, “Helmsman, I’ll take people to capture them!”
Lin Qian said, “Let them go. You’ve made great contributions. Rest a moment first.”
Lin Qian gravely ordered, “Hoist sail, course southeast, cannon fire three hundred paces from the enemy fleet!”
Chen Jiao shouted to the deck, “Course southeast, wind from northwest, port side with the wind, hoist sail!”
With the order, the rope men quickly climbed the mast and lowered the sails.
The Santa Ana slowly set sail. On its course, pirates rowing small boats frantically dodged.
Those who couldn’t dodge were mostly shot dead by matchlock guns or crushed into the sea by the Santa Ana’s bow.
“Boom!”
On the distant sea surface, muffled thunder rolled in.
“Helmsman, it seems like it’s going to rain,” Chen Jiao reminded.
Lin Qian looked up. The sky was overcast with dense clouds, no sunlight visible at all. Though not yet noon, the sky was like dusk.
Lin Qian used the telescope to look at Li Kuiqi’s fleet again.
At the lagoon’s southeast corner, over a hundred large and small ships had gathered, spaced at certain distances, decks full of pirates.
Though bombarded by cannons with heavy casualties and the gunpowder depot exploded, these pirates showed no panic at all. Instead, they formed battle lines, ready for a desperate fight.
In fact, the pirates were indeed fighting with their backs to the water. The coral reefs around the lagoon only allowed small boats through. Li Kuiqi’s fleet couldn’t pass the coral reefs at all.
Lin Qian raised the telescope, searching continuously. Finally, he spotted Li Kuiqi’s ship in the opposite fleet.
Li Kuiqi was standing on the deck, raising the ogre-head saber, addressing the surrounding pirates.
“Enemy at one thousand paces!” From the mast top, the lookout’s voice came distantly.
With the wind on her beam, the Santa Ana’s speed was extremely fast. Soon, the lookout shouted again, “Enemy at seven hundred paces!”
“Boom!” Another muffled thunder in the sky.
“Helmsman, they’ve moved!” Chen Jiao pointed at the opposite fleet and shouted.
The fleet hoisted lug sails one after another, sailing on a north by west course, charging toward the Santa Ana’s direction.
Lin Qian immediately said, “Hard to port, course northeast, starboard engage enemy!”
Chen Jiao said, “Hard to port, course northeast, starboard engage enemy!”
On the stern deck, two helmsmen quickly turned the helm wheel. Rope men cooperatively pulled sail ropes to change sails.
On the cannon deck, Lei Sanxiang shouted loudly, “All gunners move to starboard… You donkey-balled fool, can’t tell left from right? This side is starboard!”
With Lei Sanxiang’s loud scolding, starboard gunports slowly opened. Heavy cannons, loaded, were slowly run out.
Lei Sanxiang leaned to the gunport and saw Li Kuiqi’s fleet charging straight like arrows, distance no more than two hundred paces.
The cannons’ range and field of fire were perfect!
Lei Sanxiang itched unbearably in his heart, but without hearing the helmsman’s order, he could only endure.
Soon, Chen Jiao’s shout came from the deck: “Open fire!”
Lei Sanxiang immediately shouted loudly, “Fire!”
The gunners in turn brought match cords to the touch hole, igniting the primer.
Gunpowder burned along to the barrel, igniting the packed powder. Air instantly expanded. Explosive force pushed the solid iron shot out of the bore.
Instantly, thick white smoke enveloped the gunport.
No time to check results, Lei Sanxiang hurriedly ordered the gunners to continue loading: “Clean the embers in the bore, scrape out all dirt!”
“Control the powder charge!”
“Ram the powder solid!”
“Don’t forget the wad!”
“Carefully pour the priming powder. Whose gun misfires, they’ll clear the bore with their life!”
Under Lei Sanxiang’s scolding, the gunners successively finished loading and run out the barrels again.
Lei Sanxiang poked his head out and saw that of the fleet that was just unstoppable, two big ships had become floating broken wooden boards on the sea surface. Pirates’ mutilated limbs floated on the sea surface, pressed under the bows of following ships.
The fleet’s lead ship was precisely Li Kuiqi’s ship. He stood on the deck raising his saber high, awe-inspiring.
Anger rising in his heart, Lei Sanxiang shouted, “Fire!”
Cannons fired in sequence, gunports full of white smoke.
At the same time, matchlock gun fire came from the upper deck.
