Chapter 2022 British and French Sea Battle (3)

"The Rise of the Emperor of Europe ()"

Of the 12 English warships lined up in a row, the one in the east has a lot of background. This warship named "Boer Warrior" came from the Ball family. In other words, it was the Ball family where Edward's own sister, Princess Margaret, belonged.

Although Richard Ball, a diehard loyalist of Henry VII, was killed, his and Princess Margaret's children survived because they were King Edward's nephew. Among them, Henry Ball also inherited the title of Earl of Salisbury, Princess Margaret. However, because he has half of the rebellious blood, he doesn't have many fiefs, only a little better than the average baron.

This made the adult Henry Ball very unhappy, but he didn't dare to express his dissatisfaction with his uncle, King Edward, who had casually killed hundreds of nobles. Therefore, for the revitalization of the Ball family, he could only please Edward as much as possible.

Moreover, Edward VI only had one daughter, Margaret, which gave him hope. That is - married Princess Margaret and established the Boer Dynasty in England...

Although Edward VI has entered into a marriage contract with Marin, he is planning to marry Princess Margaret to Caesar. But many native English nobles were dissatisfied with the king's only heiress marrying the heir of a German prince.

Therefore, these people secretly united and wanted to push Henry Ball, a young nobleman who had a close relationship with the royal family, to replace Caesar as the future husband of little Princess Margaret. In this way, it can be regarded as "the fat and water do not flow into the field of outsiders".

Henry Ball was also greatly encouraged by this, and decided to seize this opportunity, show himself well, and strive to be the future husband of Margaret's cousin, replace that little German barbarian, and create the Ball Dynasty.

But first of all, he must have a certain status, and it is best to have a certain amount of credit, so that he can be convincing, so that more English nobles can support him to replace Caesar and become England's son-in-law.

He didn't lack the title, but he didn't have any credit for it, and Edward hated his father. Therefore, Henry Polk had the title of earl, but he couldn't get a position of real power.

While Ireland has basically been assessed, there are basically no wars on land in England. If you want to gain military merit and show your talents, you can only find a way from the sea.

For this reason, Henry Ball bought 5 Kirk sailing ships on the advice of his adviser at home, and used them for freight to make money in peacetime, and gathered them to fight for England in wartime, gaining military exploits from the French...

Even Henry Ball himself has been stationed in the naval port of Plymouth all year round, sitting on the flagship of the family's 5 warships, the "Poll Warrior", in order to obtain fighter opportunities and gain military merits.

Unfortunately, today the other four warships of the Boer family went to fetch goods. Only the flagship "Ball Warrior" did not go out, and stayed in Plymouth, waiting for orders while preparing for war.

Therefore, when Edward Howard urgently dispatched the fleet, the Ball family could only send one Kirk ship to join the battle. But on this 200-ton warship, there are about 150 elite top-level swordsmen. These people were recruited by the Ball family with a lot of money to guard Henry Ball and help him gain military exploits.

In a side-to-side battle, these 150 elite swordsmen alone could easily defeat a large French warship of three to five hundred tons. After all, France is seriously short of elite shipboard swordsmen. France has no shortage of people with high martial arts skills, but it lacks swordsmen who can jump and move freely on board.

However, the young Henry Ball did not expect that the French warship he encountered this time was different, and they would not fight with you...

Seeing the approaching French warships with low freeboards, Henry Pohl seemed to see a wave of exploits beckoning...

In order not to scare away the enemy, Henry Ball even ordered that the 6-pound falcon cannon on the ship's tower not be allowed to fire stone bullets, so as not to scare the Frenchmen away and affect the boarding battle. Anyway, the stone bullets fired by a few-pound Falcon cannon can also injure a few people on the opposite side without affecting the overall situation. And what Henry Ball wanted,

It is to wipe out the enemy on a French ship, and then capture a complete French warship. In this way, his credit is bright enough. Only when I return to London can I brag about my brilliance to my pretty little cousin Margaret...

Therefore, when the French Calais ship approached the "Boer Warrior", the ship did not avoid, dodge, or fire, which is very strange.

Pregent Biedus also murmured in his heart—there is no fraud...

You know, he is already mentally prepared to be wounded by the enemy's falcon cannon to injure several sailors on the deck. However, if the opponent doesn't cooperate, they won't fire...

But he is not in the mood to think about his opponent, since you don't fire, then I will fire!

So he yelled:

"Fire!"

Immediately, the gunners on the flagship "Louis" held up wooden sticks tied with matchlocks, and reached for the fuze of the lizard cannon. At the same time, in order to issue orders to the approaching warships, the herald at the bow screamed heart-piercingly to convey the order, and swung his right arm downwards again and again—that was the signal to shoot...

As a result, the six ships began to ignite the fuzes of the basilisk cannons...

Because they got closer, Henry Ball finally saw the six thick and short huge copper cannons on the bow of the opposite warship...

"No, it's a large-caliber artillery!"

The retainers of the Boer family were not slow to react, and hurriedly surrounded the young master to leave the observation position on the side of the ship, and retreated to the command room on the forecastle to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

However, they all thought too much. Because, Bidusi never thought of hitting people with shells, but hit the boat with all his strength.

You must know that because the Calais is a galley, there are a lot of paddlers on the side, so it is difficult to install side guns. Although the bow gun has a huge caliber and power, there is only one gun. Therefore, considering the gains and losses of naval battles, it is still the most cost-effective to fight a ship. Because, if the enemy ship is sunk, people on the other side will definitely be drowned. This is in the sea, the water is deep and far away from the land, if you enter the water with an injury, the bloody smell from the wound will attract sharks to bite and attack. Therefore, when the number of artillery fire is limited, playing a ship is the best choice.

At this time, the distance between the six Calais ships and the "Boer Warrior" was generally within a hundred meters, only tens of meters away. At such a short distance, even a projectile-type short-barreled gun like a mortar has a high hit rate.

In fact, if it wasn't for the purpose of escaping after the turn, Bidus would have wanted Calais to shoot in the face. In that way, the hit rate is 100%. But the problem is that the French sailors' jumping ship gang is indeed not as good as the English. If it is close to the face, it will be too easy for the English sailors to jump on the Calais boat.

Therefore, if the Calais ship does not want to be bitten by the English, it must enter within a distance of 100 meters before firing. Then, leave a buffer distance for turning around and running.

Because it was the first actual combat salvo against an English ship, the Calais ship's 50-pound stone bombs had a low hit rate, but 2 of the 6 stone bombs hit the target.

Among them, the first stone bullet hit the deck of the "Boer Warrior", and the huge stone bullet killed two elite swordsmen recruited by the Boer family on the spot. The two swordsmen had no time to react, and they were smashed to death on the spot by the 50-pound stone ball shell. Moreover, the body could not be guaranteed to be complete, and part of it was directly smashed by the stone ball. Afterwards, the stone ball ricocheted on the deck, injuring several English swordsmen of the Ball family...

This is not bad, it just hurts people, not too much damage to ships. The position where the second stone bullet hit made the "Boer Warrior" very uncomfortable. Because, this stone bomb hit the side of the "Boer Warrior" and made a loud noise...

"Crack!" After a loud noise, sawdust flew across the side of the "Boer Warrior", and a huge pit was obviously smashed out of the outer board of the side, almost piercing the side.

For an ordinary English Kirk ship, it will definitely be smashed and pierced, and then it will sink into the water.

But this "Boer Warrior" is, after all, the head ship of the earl family, the Boer family. Therefore, when it was manufactured, the hull was specially reinforced. Therefore, although it is also a Kirk sailboat, it is more resistant to damage than ordinary Kirk sailboats. After a round of shooting, the "Boer Warrior" actually held it.

But Pregent Biedus didn't care, after all, this kind of blow wasn't just one round. I saw that he asked the herald to shout and make gestures, and then the six Calais ships turned to the northeast in unison, and began to circle around...

The commander of the English navy, Edward Howard, didn't know why, so while letting the flagship "Mary Rose" advance, he ordered all the English warships to turn to the east and advance against the French warships.

At this time, it was the west wind. But the wind is not too strong, and the English warships have a speed of more than 3 knots. The French Calais ship, because of the cooperation of the sail and the oarsman, generally reaches seven or eight knots. Even if it is going in a circle compared to going straight, it is not slower than the English ship.

Then, the 6 Calais boats circled to the side of the "Boer Warrior" for the second time, and started the second round of salvo...

This time, after the previous round of test firing, the experienced Italian gunners were not as accurate as last time. Then, 4 of the 6 50-pound stone bombs hit!

One shot still fell on the deck, massacring the English sailors. The other three rounds all hit the side of the "Boer Warrior".

Of the three shells, two of them hit the parts that were not hit last time. Wood chips were still flying around, but they didn't penetrate. But one of the shots hit the side of the side that was hit the first time very fatally, causing a huge hole to be smashed out of the place that was about to fall apart. Immediately, sea water poured into the hole frantically. Henry Pole and his men, who were hiding in the command room on the forecastle, immediately felt the tilt of the ship.

"No, the boat has flooded and is going to sink!" The experienced captain Thomas immediately made a judgment.

Then, without hesitation, he took out a few life jackets from the shelf in the command room, handed them to Henry Ball and several retainers of the Ball family, and said urgently:

"My lord, the ship has been flooded and sinking is imminent. Please get into the water immediately and take refuge in another ship!"

"But this warship..." Henry Ball hesitated.

"No matter how good the ship is, it's not as important as you, Lord Earl!" Captain Thomas said eagerly. Several retainers of the Ball family also echoed, and helped Henry Ball put on a life jacket similar to the life jackets of later generations. The difference from later generations is that this kind of life jacket is not made of rubber, but made of leather sewn and glued. After inflating, the effect is not bad at all.

Marin stationed the fleet in Newcastle and recruited many English sailors. These English sailors naturally wore life jackets commonly used by the North Sea Fleet. And this kind of life jacket is not difficult to make. The English sailors naturally brought the technology back to the ships in England.

Coincidentally, after Henry Ball and his party got into the water and boarded the lifeboat, they escaped in the same direction as the English flagship "Mary Rose".

This "Mary Rose" is also a solid warship built by the Howard family, and its ability to resist penetration is much stronger than other ordinary merchant ships. Therefore, Henry Ball and his party boarded the flagship as a matter of course. As for the other crew members of the "Ball Warrior", the captain and some high-ranking people boarded another lifeboat, and everyone else swam to other ships. Many sailors didn't even have leather life jackets...

But what Henry didn't expect was that the fleet commander, Edward Howard, was a reckless general. After rescuing Henry Ball and his party, Edward Howard commanded the "Mary Rose" to continue to rush forward, seeking an opportunity to meet the French Calais ship on board.

At this time, the French fleet, led by Bidus, completed another roundabout maneuver, and once again aimed their guns at a British warship...

This time it was not the "Mary Rose" that was unlucky, but another English warship. The "Mary Rose" was delayed for a while because it was going to rescue Henry Ball and his party, so it fell behind a little.

At this time, rushing to the forefront was an ordinary merchant ship called "One-Eyed Ross". The owner of the ship is the captain, one-eyed Ross. He was originally the first mate on an English merchant ship, but during a robbery against a French merchant ship, Captain Ross was stabbed blind in his left eye when he led the sailors to fight on a French merchant ship. The title of "One-Eyed Rhodes". But because of this war, he obtained a third of the property on the French ship. It made him from a poor first mate to a rich businessman. Later, he bought a Kirk sailboat by himself, and usually traveled by sea, and robbed the French ship without incident. When he was recruited by the King of England, he also participated in naval battles to gain some military exploits. This time, his ship happened to be in Plymouth Harbor, and he was given a temporary warning.

But the "One-Eyed Rhodes" is not a sturdy warship specially built by nobles, but a cheap one, made of ordinary wood, not so strong.

Then, just two stone bullets hit the side of the side, and the side of the "One-Eyed Ross" was smashed...

"My ship!" the captain, one-eyed Ross, shouted angrily.

Afterwards, he stared at the French Calais ship ahead with red eyes, and shouted fiercely:

"Have the courage, row the boat with me, and go after the French ship!"

He then took the lead with a wooden oar and boarded one of the two lifeboats. And the sailors under him, who often follow him to play pirates at sea, are not good at anything. After getting his appeal, a dozen strong old sailors and old pirates boarded two lifeboats with knives, ropes and wooden oars. Then, everyone worked together and sailed towards the Calais at a speed exceeding that of an ordinary Kirk sailing ship.

But they have oars, and the French Calais is full of oarsmen. Therefore, they were destined to be thrown away by the Calais ship. Then in the third round, the six Calais ships eyed another English ship, the Rock.

But the captain of the Rock was more fortunate. He was so lucky that he suddenly came up with a trick—I turned around, not facing you sideways!

Then, the helmsmen of the Rock pulled the crowbar vigorously, manipulated the stern rudder, and made the ship face the Calais...

Biddus was a little dazed for a moment, but he quickly changed his target and ordered another English ship beside the fire that did not turn.

After a round of shooting, the ship was not sunk on the spot due to hasty aiming, but its mast was also broken, and it floated helplessly on the sea, losing its maneuverability...

Edward Howard, who was leading the flagship charge, was not stupid. Seeing this scene, he was immediately inspired and ordered loudly that the warship should not face the opponent sideways. Then, another ship was directed to cover the flank.

In this way, the Calais ship could not easily aim at the side of the "Mary Rose". But Biddus was not discouraged. After maneuvering in a circle again, he directly ordered to attack the British ship blocking the side of the "Mary Rose".

Then, although this ordinary British merchant ship was fortunately not sunk, its side was also leaked. The sailors tried desperately to plug the gap, but the ship could not continue to fight, but could only stop and rush to repair and seal it.

Then, after the fifth round of maneuvering was completed, the French fleet finally set their sights on the "Mary Rose"...

Edward Howard commanded the flagship to dodge left and right, and then called other ships to outflank it. The Calais fired a hasty volley, and the stone bullets hit three and two hit the hull, wounding the ship but failing to penetrate it.

But the stone bullet that hit the deck had extremely serious consequences...

What are the consequences? This stone bomb hit the deck. It didn't hit anyone for the first time, but jumped off, and then flew straight to Edward Howard...

Edward Howard was taken aback. He dodged hastily, but he still couldn't fully open. His left arm was directly broken by the heavy stone bullet...

The huge pain instantly overwhelmed Edward Howard's nerves, and he couldn't help but howl...

At the same time, the stone bomb continued unabated and hit a wooden box on the deck again. The wooden box was immediately smashed and sawdust flew across. Among them, three pieces of wood flew towards the command room so as not to die, and precisely hit the face of Henry Ball who was watching the battle by the window...

"Ah——ah——"

The young Henry Ball let out an earth-shattering scream. On his left face, three pieces of wood were hilariously inserted...

"It's over!" The hearts of the retainers of the Boer family were completely sank, thinking that the family was going to die. But if you look carefully, fortunately, the piece of wood didn't go into the vital part, but just right on the left cheek. Although it is not fatal, in the future, the young Lord Earl may be disfigured...

The on-board military doctor immediately started first aid. Their first aid methods were also learned from the military high school of Beihai State, even the gauze and alcohol produced in Beihai State.

Under the rescue of the military doctor, Henry Ball's wood chip was pulled out and the bleeding was stopped. The chief general, Edward Howard, was even more miserable. When his left arm was smashed, blood spurted wildly, which made the military doctor stunned for a moment.

Fortunately, the military doctor reacted quickly and blocked the left arm with gauze and alcohol in time to prevent the blood from spurting. But Edward Howard, the admiral of the British Navy, also passed out directly due to massive blood loss and severe pain...

Well, this sea battle can't be fought. The British wanted to retreat, and coincidentally, after five rounds of high-intensity circle maneuvers, the oarsmen on the French Calais boat couldn't stand it anymore. Bidusi had no choice but to order a retreat, unable to continue to expand the results of the battle. After all, galleys are driven by human power. When a person loses strength, he cannot continue to maneuver.

Then, the two sides returned home in a tacit understanding. But on the British side, two piercing ships were sunk and three were damaged. As for the general and the young earl, one lost his arm, and the other was disfigured. The loss is not only painful... More importantly, it seriously hit the morale of the English people...

On the other hand, on the French side, only a few oarsmen lost their strength and passed out, and the others suffered no loss. This battle is a big victory for the French!

And this naval battle changed the maritime situation in Northwest Europe and became a super event that shocked the whole of Europe!