"Boom!" A water column rose high on the side of the ship, and the ship shook violently. The sea water poured down as if it was raining, and the lookout soldiers standing on the mast were shaken directly into the sea.

"This is a warning shot. If we don't stop the boat, they will attack us." Kui Yi held on to the side of the boat and almost burst into tears.

"You scared cowards, they didn't shoot as a warning, but missed." Wu Sangui held on to the side of the boat tightly and cursed.

The ship had already sailed into the rocky beach, and it was more practical to worry about the reef than the cannonballs at this time.

The current is very chaotic, which is a characteristic of dense reefs. Wu Sangui pinched Kui Yi's neck and pressed him against the side of the ship: "You are an old sailor, so keep an eye on me. There are many sharks in places with dense reefs. You should know this.

, if we hit a reef, we’ll all be doomed.”

Wu Sangui, who had learned how to fight on horseback since he was a child, was just fine as a cavalryman, but he was still far behind when it came to playing in the navy. Now, the only person he could rely on was Kui Yi, an old navy man.

Zhiyuan relied on its high speed to hold on to the fleet. Dingyuan behind it couldn't keep up, and even flagged Chen Laohu several times as if he hadn't seen it.

What he could see through the telescope was clear. According to the shape of the ship, it should be a ship made in England. Thinking of the yellow-haired men who were killed in yesterday's battle, Chen Laohu was convinced that these were the escaped Englishmen. Maybe there were some important people inside. If he could

Capturing this fleet must be a great achievement.

Uncle Chen Fu has grown old and has gradually faded out of the power center of the Ming Dynasty. Chen Laohu is now in urgent need of military exploits. Only with a high enough official position can he become the actual helmsman of the Chen family.

If you don’t have the power in your hands, you won’t be strong-willed in your words!

"Chase, let me catch up with them. If you catch the big fish, you will be rewarded!" Chen Laohu's eyes were shining, and he stared at the fleeing English fleet with his binoculars.

"Mr. Chen! There's something wrong with the current in front of me. It seems... there seems to be a reef." The captain suddenly noticed something was wrong with the surging current.

"Reef?" Chen Laohu quickly picked up the telescope. Apart from typhoons, reefs are the sailors' biggest enemy. Even if it is an armored ship, if it really hits a reef, it will be a narrow escape.

Sure enough, the sea currents in front were turbulent, and the surging seawater drifted here and there, and even the waves collided with each other. Occasionally, you can see vortices hanging on the sea level like funnels.

"Damn it, there are fucking reefs. Slow down! Slow down!" Seeing the sea conditions in front of him, Mr. Chen's face suddenly turned pale. The Zhiyuan ship under his feet was Li Xiu's eyeball.

.If you really dare to sink this ship, you will just sink to the bottom of the sea to feed the fish.

The mountain-like battleship was already at full speed. How could it stop at the drop of a hat with its huge potential? This was the sea, and there was no such thing as braking. The order was given, but the Zhiyuan ship still relied on its inertia to rush towards the rocky beach area.

Chen Laohu's heart suddenly fell to the bottom, and his whole back was instantly soaked. It's over! These grandsons deliberately led him here.

"Both planes reverse!" the captain shouted loudly.

"Yes! Yes! Yes! Back up! Back up!" There was a tremor in Chen Laohu's voice.

The drive shaft that had just stopped immediately began to rotate in the opposite direction. The speed of the Zhiyuan ship suddenly dropped, and Chen Laohu's blood pressure, which was about to burst his blood vessels, also dropped. It was too damn suspended. The Zhiyuan ship draft was so deep, once

The consequences of hitting a rock are unimaginable.

"Thank you!" Chen Laohu patted the captain on the shoulder. He was a boy from the Zheng family. I heard he was Zheng Sen's brother. It seemed that the Zheng family was good at floating on the water.

"Where! Where! It's all you, Mr. Chen...!"

"Boom!" The distance between the ship and the ship shook, and Chen Laohu almost fell off the Jian Bridge.

"We've hit a rock! Damage to the ship! Damage to the ship!" the captain's voice broke. Once the ship hit the rocks, no one on the ship would survive.

"Left string! Left string!"

Below the waterline on the left side, a large hole more than one meter long was cut open by the hard reef. Pressurized seawater rushed in at once, and the two sailors who were working were swept away by the current.

"Go in!" Hearing Zuo Xian's report, Guan Hui immediately rushed towards Zuo Xian holding materials and tools.

As soon as the damage control team entered, Chen Laohu shouted loudly: "Close the watertight compartment."

"Master Chen! The damage control team is still inside." The captain couldn't believe his ears when he heard Chen Laohu's order. Once the damage control team couldn't control the damage and the watertight cabin was closed again, they would drown alive inside.

, there is no hope of escape.

"Close the watertight compartment, the ship is fucking sinking, let's all go down and feed the fish." Chen Laohu roared with red eyes.

"No!" The captain swallowed. Chen Laohu was right. Closing the watertight compartment was indeed the best choice.

"Captain, we have a motor that can pump water." The first mate on the side reminded.

"That's right! We have motors that can pump water. Then hurry up and go!" Chen Laohu kicked the first mate hard. Previous battleships, including Dingyuan, didn't have motors, let alone pumps.

Whether it is Chen Laohu or Captain Zheng, their understanding is still in the era of wooden sailing ships.

Once a wooden sailboat hits the rocks, the side panels of the ship will be pushed apart piece by piece under the huge water pressure, and eventually the entire ship will disintegrate. Zhiyuan is the first true steel battleship of this era. The water pressure at this depth

Not enough to tear apart steel.

"Report to Captain, the ship is beginning to tilt."

"Take care of the damage! Take care of the damage! You must stop the fucking hole for me." Chen Laohu couldn't help muttering, and he had already greeted the gods and Buddhas all over the sky in his heart.

"Report to Captain, the ship continues to tilt."

Chen Laohu sat down on the chair, and this time his prayer was very sincere.

"Pump water! Turn on all the water pumps and drain the water on the left string." The captain's voice also lost its tone.

Fortunately, the boiler was fine, and the five water pumps were started at the same time. Sea water spurted out along the drainage outlet. Seeing the thigh-thick water column, Chen Laohu's heart beat a little slower. "Maybe we can save this ship...

...!" Chen Laohu muttered softly.

"Report to Captain, the ship is no longer tilting."

"Bang!" The captain punched the side of the ship. He finally stopped. If it tilted further, the ship would capsize sooner or later.

"Continue to drain water, slowly turn the rudder and return to the ship." After the captain gave the order, he sat down on the chair, his whole body soaked with sweat.

"Well done, I'll give you credit when I get back." Chen Laohu patted Captain Zheng on the shoulder, but what he was thinking about was who was responsible for the blame.

"Sir! Their ship seems to have hit the rocks, but it's okay." The crew pointed at the Zhiyuan ship in the distance and shouted.

"What the hell kind of ship is this? It's obviously hit the rocks, but it's like it's nothing." Through the telescope, Wu Sangui looked at the battleship Zhiyuan, which had tilted obviously. Miraculously, it didn't sink. Not only did it not sink, but it actually was still there.

Powered return.

Wu Sangui was also impressed by this battleship. It would be okay if it was hit by a reef. Let alone hit it with a cannonball. Although he was not familiar with the navy, Wu Sangui also knew that no matter how powerful the cannonball was, it would not be able to hit it below the waterline.

It only causes damage to the superstructure of the battleship, and it is simply unrealistic to cause it to sink. Unless the explosion is lucky, a shot hits the enemy ship's ammunition depot.

"The navy of the Ming Dynasty will become invincible. What they lack now is some experience." Kui Yi looked at the warships in the distance and kept mumbling. In his opinion, the warships would definitely hit the rocks at this speed.

Shen no doubt.

"Don't be too ambitious. Sooner or later we will have such a battleship. I can get their gun-making blueprints and the latest gunpowder formula. I can also get the battleship blueprints. The Ming Dynasty people are greedy for money. I know it better than anyone else.

"Let's wait and see!" Wu Sangui waved his fist at the Zhiyuan ship that was drifting away, not knowing whether to cheer up Kui Yi or himself.

"I hope so!" Kui Yi muttered, turned around and walked into the cabin. His back was desolate and lonely, and his spine, which had always been still, was bent like a shrimp.
Chapter completed!