Chapter 209 Contest

Both the Jackdaw and the Swordfish raised the black flag immediately and rushed towards the Spanish treasure ship in the distance.

Zhang Heng and the others were closer to the treasure ship, but the Swordfish soon became faster and caught up from behind. However, Man Sail Brook slowed down the ship again, and it was basically the same as the Jackdaw. They obviously don't want to rush too far forward, so that all the firepower from the opposite side will fall on them.

In the end, the two ships were separated by a distance of about 200 meters. This was a distance that could support each other without losing flexibility because they were too close.

At this time, the three Spanish sailing ships on the opposite side also discovered the enemy. They immediately slowed down, then raised their hulls sideways and assumed a standard fighting posture.

Billy and Annie were both standing on the deck now, looking at the behemoth not far away, and everyone's faces showed a solemn look involuntarily.

The information Black Prince Sam had obtained before was very accurate, but it was one thing to hear something in his ears, and another thing to see it with his own eyes. This was the second giant ship Zhang Heng saw after entering the dungeon. The size of this Spanish treasure ship is only slightly smaller than the previous pride of the British Royal Navy, the Caribbean hegemon HMS Scarbury.

The battleship shape of the Jackdaw is already very oppressive when placed next to ordinary merchant ships, but it is a bit unsightly when compared to this Spanish treasure ship.

"Are we really going to engage in a firefight with this kind of thing later?" A new gunner on the deck who had just been recruited for this trip couldn't help but ask.

"It's not a firefight. As long as it attracts its attention and lures it to Parrot Island, there will naturally be four ships ambush there to deal with it." Dufresne explained.

However, his words did not make people feel at ease much. Many people swallowed their saliva when looking at the densely packed gun barrels above. In contrast, the old man who had participated in the battle to snatch the Scarbury was better at this time. On many.

Fifteen minutes later, the Jackdaw had sailed into the opponent's shelling range, but the other side remained calm.

Not only were Zhang Heng, Billy and others not happy, their expressions became even more solemn.

Because this means that their opponent this time is very difficult to deal with. A common mistake made by newcomers is to hastily fire as soon as the opponent enters the attack range, thinking that this can grab two more rounds of attacks. However, every artillery has a firing limit. Continuous firing will quickly cause the barrel to overheat and must wait until it cools down before continued use.

The first few rounds of shells fired are generally difficult to hit the opponent, and even if they hit by chance, they will not cause much damage. Therefore, truly experienced commanders will wait for the opponent to enter the truly effective killing range. Will fire.

In other words, once the opponent fires a cannon, the destructive power caused is often astonishing.

"Do we have to go further?" Billy asked. From now on, every step the Jackdaw takes will increase the risk it faces.

"Not yet." Zhang Heng shook his head and said, "Of course they can't hit us hard at this distance, but it's also very difficult for us to cause trouble for them. Once they fire, it will be impossible for us to get close to them. Since they are now Give us a chance, then let’s move closer.”

The Swordfish next door obviously had the same idea, so it showed no signs of slowing down.

The three Spanish sailing ships on the opposite side were able to keep their composure and could not fire a single shot.

The two pirate ships sailed forward for some distance until they could see the figures on the opposite deck. Zhang Heng and Brooke issued orders almost simultaneously for the ships to start turning and enter combat status.

At this time, there was a look of regret on the face of the Spanish commander on the opposite ship. Although both sides had not fired yet, the competition between them had already begun.

He restrained his own desire to fire, and was also luring the opponent to continue approaching. This plan was about to succeed. As long as the opponent came closer to 100 yards, he was sure to completely sink the opponent with three rounds of attacks.

But the two pirate ships seemed to be aware of the danger, and stopped abruptly at the critical moment. The Spanish commander couldn't help but feel extremely regretful, but then he did not waste the great opportunity of the other party to turn around, and directly ordered, "Let's fire. "

The artillery mounted on the sides of the three Spanish sails spit out flames at this moment, and the sound was like thunder.

Some people did not stand firm on their feet and were frightened by the terrifying movement and fell to the ground.

"Everyone, get ready for the bombardment!" Zhang Heng shouted from the bow of the ship.

As soon as he finished speaking, the shells had already flown over. At least a quarter of the shells in the first round of shelling hit the two pirate ships. This fully demonstrated that there was no previous round of shells to correct the impact point. This shows the opponent's gunner's impressive strength.

Being from the same navy, these three Spanish galleons are obviously all experienced veterans, unlike the Scarbury, which was dominated by newcomers.

At least seven or eight shells fell on the deck of the Jackdaw, which was a mess.

The sailor in charge of the helm was the most unlucky. A piece of splintered wood was directly inserted into his throat, and he fell down on the rudder. The Jackdaw had just started to turn around, and the bow of the ship was about to swing back again. Fortunately, Zhang Heng was there. Next to him, he pushed the body away, then lowered the rudder to the bottom again, and the Jackdaw continued its unfinished U-turn.

Then the second round of shelling came, and this time more shells hit the Jackdaw. Not only the deck, but the hull of the Jackdaw also suffered some damage. The carpenter who had been on standby immediately took action. Make repairs in order of importance.

Zhang Heng shook the sawdust on his head and continued to steady the rudder while looking back at the situation on the deck.

The opponent's firepower did not exceed expectations, but the accuracy was terrible. If this continued, he had to re-evaluate the timing of retreat.

However, when the third round of bombardment came, only a few of the shells flying in the sky landed on the Jackdaw. This was far beyond the expectations of Billy and others. Considering the level shown by the opponent in the first two rounds, it was considered inaccurate. It's not as inaccurate as this.

But then they thought of something and their expressions immediately changed. They quickly looked at the Swordfish on the other side. The latter was suddenly set on fire by three Spanish sailing ships. It was so miserable as never before.

Although Brooke escaped many attacks with his excellent helming skills, there were too many shells, and the Swordfish was modified to an extreme degree, sacrificing many protective functions for speed. The bow of the ship was directly smashed in this round of attacks. , and two masts were broken.

I have a feeling that I really want to wish you a Happy New Year again in a month. Also, happy 2019