Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 174 The Attacking Fleet ([-])

The naval fleet on the sea quickly received the signal, and a large number of small boats were placed on their ships. The sailors rowed these small boats deep into the Gambia River, and began to measure the water depth and mark the channel.

The two "Yangwu" class fast cruisers are still patrolling the open sea to ensure that the entire fleet will not be suddenly attacked.

At this time, the British built the merchant station castle on the bank of the Gambia River, and it was a moment of panic.

"Mr. Chris, I can be sure that they are people from the east coast. They have raised the national flag." Heywood, the army commander at the commercial station, pointed to the flag raised above the fallen coastal defense fort ahead.

Tony Chris nodded expressionlessly, put away the binoculars, and said hurriedly to a fat middle-aged man beside him: "Mr. Exeter, didn't you say that people from the east coast are Are you begging the Portuguese to make peace with us in a panic, saying that this war will end soon and the people on the east bank will succumb. But why did the fleet of the people on the east coast suddenly appear in Gambia?"

The middle-aged man, Mr. Exeter, was obviously speechless. He just shook his head and said: "The people on the east coast are crazy, they are escalating the war! The gentlemen of the company council will not ignore it, gentlemen, Hold on! The Corporate Council still has a few warships in Guinea, we must hold on until they come."

Chris glanced at the fat man, didn't speak, and turned around to direct the defense of the castle.

The trading station built by the British Guiana Trading Merchant Company on the banks of the Gambia River is more suitable as a village than a castle.Its core building consists of several connected stone buildings surrounded by a brick wall for protection.The height of the brick wall is about 2.5 meters, the thickness is less than one meter, and the circumference is about more than 200 meters. A stone protrusion is built on the side facing the river, and two cannons are placed on it.

Relying on this wall, the British built a large number of wooden houses, some of which were lived by the British themselves, some were lived by their black servants, and some were used for trading.These messy and unplanned buildings were built along the river bank and the wall, making the entire trading station look more like an indigenous village.

"James, I'll be back on board the Merchant of Banjul in a minute and you're here to command the battle for the castle. I'll leave you with 60 musketeers and some gunners, and you'll have to rely on them and those stupid niggers Hold on to the commercial station together, if necessary, you can gather all the personnel in the commercial station and give them weapons, everyone must fight to the end!" Chris patted his first mate James on the shoulder and walked towards the pier Said.

"Yes, Captain!" James yelled back, "God bless the Merchant of Banjul and the Wanderer, for the glory of England!"

"For the glory of England!" Chris's voice faded away.

"Children, take up your weapons, don't be afraid, the people on the east coast are nothing special. In fact, they are being beaten badly by us in the New World now." James started at the musketeers from England in the business station mobilization.These poor people, mostly from domestic refugees, looked at him numbly, which made James feel that the effect of pure verbal mobilization did not seem to be very good.

In recent years, there have been many refugees in the UK. The main reason is that more and more new British businessmen or nobles have invested in the booming textile industry to earn huge profits.These people tried their best to enclose a large piece of land in the UK, drive away the farmers who planted barley on the land, and then planted alfalfa and raised sheep to obtain the raw material for the woolen industry-wool.

Especially after the woolen woolen industry in the UK was challenged fiercely by people from the emerging East Coast, this process was accelerating.Today, more and more British bourgeois businessmen realized the disadvantages of the traditional rural hand-woven textile industry, and they began to try to set up large-scale textile factories to reduce costs and compete with foreign products.

This process has resulted in a large number of displaced persons in the United Kingdom, who wander between cities, looking for jobs that can make a living.Some of them became industrial workers in new factories, some were forced to go to the New World to try their luck, and some became sailors or worked as employees of colonial companies to Africa and Asia.

The dozens of local musketeers in front of us were once landless farmers. After several years of training in Africa, they have now become the backbone of the commercial station's armed forces, serving as elite thugs who guard the commercial station and suppress the aborigines.Of course, these mercenaries who fight purely for money are also very realistic. Don’t expect some sweet words that lack dry goods to inspire their morale.

"Mr. Exeter, look..." James turned his head to the fat man beside him.This fat man is one of the councilors of the Council of Guyana Trade Merchants Company. Theoretically speaking, he has the full power of the entire trading station at this moment, and his status is still higher than that of James.If it weren't for Tony Chris's uncle being the major shareholder of the company, I'm afraid even he would have to act according to Exeter's face.

"Okay." Exeter took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead, the hot weather and nervous mood made him drenched all over, "Soldiers, take up your weapons and fight bravely The company will give a bonus of 30 shillings to each soldier who fought bravely. After the battle, if the enemy's attack is repelled, then you can also get an additional 30 shillings. If the enemy is forced to retreat, the company will reward everyone with 60 shillings. shillings. By God, whether he dies in battle or not, the prize money will go to him or to the beneficiaries he appoints."

After some mobilization and promises, the sixty musketeers finally went to the top of the city with their weapons.Immediately behind them were more than [-] gunners. Except for the personnel manipulating the two cannons at the top of the city, everyone else had picked up flintlock or matchlock guns, ready to join the battle at any time.

In addition, the employees and handymen employed by some companies in the city wall also had muskets in their hands. They urged the black servants and soldiers to move huge stones to block the city gate and prevent people from the east coast from rushing in.

The battle broke out in the evening.

An army unit of the East Coasters attempted to advance towards the outskirts of the trading post in the setting sun, but their efforts were quickly repulsed by shells fired from the city's artillery.

"These cowards!" whistled some rough English musketeers on the walls.This group of cowardly people from the east coast, they withdrew without even scratching a piece of skin, which made these restless musketeers a little bit of confidence. Maybe today's opponents are very good?

"Their warships are moving, God, so many guns! Ah, she is heading for the dock, and our battleships are also dispatched! Mr. Chris commanded the 'Merchant of Banjul' and the 'Wanderer' to dispatch! The armed merchant ship 'The Mill' followed, aha, and the Dutch ship rushed up too!"

"Four ships are against four ships, but the enemy's warships seem to have strong firepower. Can Mr. Chris handle it?"

"Mr. Chris has systematically studied the theory of naval warfare, and has fought hard against pirates in the Caribbean region. He is a qualified commander and we should trust him."

"That's what I said, but I always feel that the warships of the people on the east coast are stronger. You see, the two double-decker battleships are lined with so many artillery pieces, and she can deal with it alone." Banjul There are two warships, the Merchant and the Wanderer. You must know that the Mill and the Dutchman's ship are not serious warships, and they are completely inferior to the warships of the East Coasters in terms of speed and firepower. .”

"God, the East Coasters are firing! They've got the upper hand, firing broadsides, God, what a volley!"

There were bursts of soldiers' discussions in James' ears, but it didn't affect him.The East Coaster's army drew back, and his attention was now fully absorbed by the fierce battle between the fleets that was taking place on the broad Gambia River.

The warships of the people on the east bank sailed into the wide river along the southwest wind, and approached the two warships commanded by Chris in a standard line formation, and then began to fire fierce side artillery.

The salvo of more than 80 artillery pieces destroyed one side of the "Banjul Merchant" and "Wanderer" almost instantly.James could clearly see through the binoculars that the topmast of the "Merchant of Banjul" was hit by two chain bombs at close range, and the thick mast collapsed, causing chaos on the deck.

Compared with the powerful firepower of the East Coast warships, our counterattack seemed somewhat insignificant. Only less than half of the East Coast artillery fired, and the calibers were generally much smaller.Those small-caliber shells hit the opponent's sturdy ship planks, causing only some seemingly limited damage.

The battle on the river between the two sides continued. The people on the east bank fired four rounds of shelling, and our side just finished the third round.James secretly sighed, the outcome of this naval battle has already been decided, there is no need to continue watching.Moreover, now he is completely pessimistic about whether he can keep the business station.It is conceivable that after the fleet of the people on the east coast has settled several ships of Mr. Chris, it will definitely turn to approach the trading station for shelling.

Let a large number of 32-pound, 24-pound and 18-pound long-barreled cannons bombard the weak walls of the trading station at close range?God, please forgive my sins, they will blow the city walls to pieces along with us!

Not only James, but other British soldiers on the city wall gradually stopped talking at this time. They pursed their lips tightly and stared intently at the naval battle on the river, which was entering its climax.

(End of this chapter)