Dominate the Country

The fleet led by Zhu Xun stayed in the Port of Nice for four full days. The French emptied the cargo of the two merchant ships and unloaded a large amount of military supplies, as well as 50 five-pound cannon and 20 eight-pound cannon. Three thousand rockets of this type were also unloaded.

It took four days to get all this done, because the cranes in the Port of Nice were either burned or dismantled, and all transportation relied on manpower. The pier was also damaged, and the trestles extending into the sea were broken. During the Battle of Toulon, the coalition navy also bombarded Nice. Now that so many large merchant ships have suddenly arrived, the speed of cargo delivery will naturally be slowed down.

During this period, Zhu Xun only met with Napoleon once. The rest of the time, he led naval warships to patrol the surrounding waters, and indeed encountered the Spaniards twice.

However, after Napoleon obtained the artillery, he immediately deployed artillery positions on the seaside and also organized the original coastal defenses. The Spaniards did not dare to push too hard.

The range of ship-based artillery is not as good as that of coastal defense artillery, not because there is a problem with the artillery, but because of the shooting angle. The firing angle of ship-based guns is very small and not as large as that of coastal defense guns, so the natural range will not be as far as that of coastal defense guns.

With the artillery position in the Port of Nice, merchant ships and warships could be well protected, and the Spanish did not dare to attack directly. But the main force of the Spanish Mediterranean fleet was patrolling outside.

Zhu Xun knew what he was about to face.

He decided to break out at night while it was dark.

In four days, the sailors belonging to the National Defense Force and the accompanying marines did not step ashore. Instead, some businessmen on the ship took a tour of Nice, but their impression of France was generally not very good.

The French army looked like beggars.

The city is also noisy and dirty.

Almost all the merchants on board the ship came from the port cities of Chen and Han. These coastal port cities are one of the cleanest cities in China. After these people are used to seeing their own territory, they will look at the Gallic rooster's henhouse. It's a bit unacceptable.

Besides, the wealth in the hands of businessmen and their quality of life are not comparable to those of the ordinary civilian class. Even if these people are not wealthy businessmen, their living standards are far higher than those of the general class. If the quality of life is outstanding, the level of cleanliness and tidiness will naturally be higher.

Looking at the city streets in France where sewage flows, feces and urine are everywhere, and the smell is overwhelming, it is really unsightly.

Napoleon did not show much affection for the Chinese fleet, although he knew that after such an incident, the Chinese were meddling behind his back, and he could not hide it from anyone who was interested.

When the Jacobins first fell out of luck, Napoleon was poor, but within two months he was living a wealthy life, and he had spare money to squander. This is not a secret in Paris, and it is easy for anyone to verify it.

But Napoleon still didn't want to be too close to the Chinese.

In fact, he cannot be too close to China now.

After such a 'transaction', I don't know if the next time Chinese merchant ships can dock on French soil again, it will be in the Year of the Monkey and the Moon of the Horse. Even the European Office pointed out this point bluntly. It was a complete coincidence that Napoleon was able to obtain this supply of materials in time.

Although this made Chen Zhan have to lament Napoleon's good luck, it did illustrate the uniqueness of the matter from another aspect.

Zhu Xun led the fleet to leave the port of Nice. From beginning to end, Napoleon never said a word to Zhu Xi, please leave more things for your brother. Even dwarfs have dignity, and Napoleon's self-esteem is higher than the Alps.

The morale of the troops has soared in the past few days. So, striking while the iron is hot, now is his chance to lead his army across the Alps.

…

At five o'clock in the afternoon, the setting sun was still hanging in the sky.

In the port of Nice, the first Chinese merchant ship raised its anchor and set sail.

When the last merchant ship set its sails and sailed out of the port of Nice, it was already approaching dusk, and the blood-red sunset spread its last remaining light on the blue sea.

The first moments of the fleet as it sailed out of the Port of Nice were a peaceful one, with everyone enjoying a twilight view of the sea. But just when it was getting dark, the lookout on the pilot ship's mast rang the alarm, breaking all the tranquility.

"One first-class sailing battleship, one second-class sailing battleship, eight third-class sailing battleships, four fourth-class sailing battleships, and more than ten two-masted battleships..." Most of these warships are hanging Spanish Navy flags Flags, but a small part appears to be a warship from the Kingdom of Sardinia.

"General, things don't look good!"

The chief of staff of Zhu Xun's squadron held a telescope and said with some worry: "The Spanish are very well prepared. They not only have big ships, but also so many small boats. It would be terrible if they were approached."

"Then we have to fight. We don't have time to go back to Nice." Zhu Xin held up his binoculars and carefully observed the Spanish formation.

The Spaniards played in two columns and seemed to want to pinch them from the left and right. The ones at the head and the rear are the battleships, and the small ships of the Kingdom of Sardinia—mainly the fifth-level sailing warships and the sixth-level sailing warships—are hovering behind.

Zhu Xun's face was ugly. He knew that the Spaniards were not going to let go of one of their warships, and the small and medium-sized warships of the Kingdom of Sardinia were the best 'light cavalry' to intercept merchant ships. Because in sea battles, there are no tricks. The only comparison is which side has more ships and cannons, whose will to fight is stronger, and whose ship's performance is better!

Merchant ships are stronger than small and medium-sized warships, but their combat effectiveness is far behind.

"General, we have no escape now. The only chance is to defeat the Spaniards in front of us, or at least to open a bloody path and cover the departure of the transport fleet with little combat effectiveness." The merchant ship has few ship-borne guns and a high caliber. Small, hitting a warship is like scratching an itch, but merchant ships are equipped with rockets to ensure that enemy ships cannot get closer to within 500 meters, nor can they directly join forces to board or rob the ship. This is to a large extent Guaranteed their 'safety'.

"As long as they pass through the Tunis Strait and enter the Ionian waters, the Ottoman navy will naturally support them on Crete. There is no other way!"

Zhu Xin thought about the words of the chief of staff, and then said silently: "The quality of the Spaniards is very poor. Even if they have warships and numerical advantages, we will not necessarily lose. Besides, it is getting late, and we have plenty. A chance to break out.”

Zhu Xun knew very well that he had no escape route. He chose to leave the port at five o'clock in the afternoon because of the night cover. With the cover of darkness, the quality of the Spanish gunners was somewhat worrying. Although they were at an absolute disadvantage in terms of numbers, they were still without hope.

If there was really no life or death, Zhu Xun would not lead the fleet out of the harbor at this time.

The experienced fleet commander, who had participated in many large and small naval battles, immediately entered combat mode and began to issue orders.

As Zhu Xun conveyed the orders, the Chinese fleet immediately changed its formation. The entire warship was divided into two parts. One part consisted of six battleships and two fourth-level sailing battleships.

——Four of the six capital ships are Ottoman warships, the Ottoman I and a second-class sailing battleship, two third-class sailing battleships, and only the last two third-class sailing battleships are Chen Han naval warships, among which One is still Zhu Xun's flagship - Li Guang.

The other two Ottoman third-level sailing battleships are the same as their remaining two fourth-level sailing battleships, as well as the two fourth-level sailing battleships accompanying Chen Han, and the two thousand-ton clipper bow warships. There are also four fifth-level sailing battleships [one on Chen Han's side], totaling 12 warships in size, serving as the escort fleet for the transport fleet.

Zhu Xun's flagship Li Guanghao raised the battle flag.

No army in the Eastern world has the tradition and practice of surrender, let alone Chen Han, who is now prosperous.

As early as when the transport fleet docked in Nice, Zhu Xun had already unified his thinking with his ship leaders and commanders.

I would rather have the ship destroyed and people killed than surrender.

The Ottoman navy Pasha Enver, who was present, said that the Ottomans would also fight until the end of their lives.

Now, while the battle flag was raised on Zhu Xun's flagship, Enver Pasha also raised his own battle flag on the Ottoman I.

There are two ponytails hanging on it.

This is to indicate the level of Enver Pasha, and pashas are also graded.

In the Ottoman Empire, both the Sultan and his vassal Khedive had the power to confer official titles on pashas. This official title originally referred only to military commanders, but later it could be applied to any high-ranking official and to unofficial people who were required to be granted it by the court.

The status of the pasha was above the bey and the aga, and below the khedive and the vizier. Pashas are divided into three levels, distinguished by the number of cow or horse tails they hold (three, two, or one, this is the Turko-Mongol tradition), and sometimes peacock tails.

In times of war, the bearer would display it on their military ensign to demonstrate their military authority. Only the sultan can hold four ponytails, which symbolizes the military commander with the status of king.

Enver Pasha could hang two tufts of horsetails on his flag, which was the symbol of 'Ferik' - in the Ottoman language, Ferik means 'lieutenant general'.

March 28, 1796, 8:20 pm.

As the lead battleship Li Guang fired a corrective round from the 12-pound long-barreled cannon on the bow, the naval battle finally broke out between the Chen-Han Empire-Ottoman escort fleet and part of the Spanish Navy's Mediterranean Fleet. .

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The powerful 20-pound long-barreled naval gun made a trembling roar. Zhu Xun led six battleships and two fourth-level battleships with great courage to drill directly into the crack that separated the Spanish.

Compared with the heavy damage that the fleet may suffer, Zhu Xun hopes that his warships can fully exert their own firepower.

This is not a 'hand-to-hand combat' of one or two hundred meters. No matter how bad the gunner is, there is a high chance of sending the shells to the enemy's warship. Now the distance between each other is six to seven hundred meters - the Spanish navy is about three miles apart. It is not just the warships that test each other. Firepower density also tests the shooting skills of warship gunners.

The lack of training of the Spanish navy's sailors was one of Zhu Xun's confidence in facing the battle head-on. Another point was that the Spanish navy's gunners had a big problem - they learned it from the French.

They liked to point their guns at the enemy's sails.

This is a traditional difference in tactics.

After the invention of rockets, naval battles in this era became longer and less lethal.

Nowadays, naval battles are a hassle for both sides of the war. Since the artillery is mainly distributed on both sides of the ship, the commander often arranges the warships in a long line to facilitate the development of broadside firepower. Such operations require the seaworthiness and firepower of ships above all else. However, the shells of this era are still mainly solid spherical shells, and a few shrapnel shells have limited explosive power. The battles are often difficult to determine the winner for a long time. In most cases, the side with stronger combat power will repel the other side. Because the breaches formed by the shells are small, there are carpenters on the warships. Once the leaks are repaired immediately, it is actually quite difficult to sink a battleship unless you are lucky.

In the previous Seven Years' War and the American War of Independence, if the warring parties want to capture each other's warships, boarding battles are still a powerful means. It's like a bayonet battle on land, with huge lethality and brilliant results.

The French have a different understanding of naval warfare from other countries. Since Louis XVI, French warships have had an advantage in speed, so they pursued mobile tactics and invented iron scrap bullets that specifically attack the opponent's rigging and sails. French gunners usually choose higher trajectories when aiming to enhance destructive power. This tactic is actually the choice of the weak, because ships that lose their rigging also lose their mobility, and French ships can escape calmly even if they are not in a good battle.

The British, who are separated from France by only a strait, and the Chinese navy established by Chen Ming, all focus on sinking enemy ships. Therefore, the trajectory of their naval guns is relatively low, mainly attacking the waterline in order to cause serious damage.

The Spanish learned from the French Navy, and they also have the habits of the French, but they do not have the perseverance and fighting spirit of the French.

Although the French Navy seems to have never won a naval battle with the British in modern history, even after the revolution in France, the fighting spirit of the French naval officers and soldiers after the loss of a large number of naval elites is also extraordinary. The Battle of Aboukir in the original time and space history proved the bravery and tenacity of the French.

——Soon after the naval commander Brueys was injured in the head, another shrapnel hit him, and then a shell blew off his left leg. The attendant wanted to help him back to the cabin, but Brueys refused. He said: "A French admiral should die on the rear deck." Brueys continued to command the ships to resist on his deathbed. Although his stupid arrangement almost wiped out the French navy, personally, this admiral was a real soldier.

The flagship Orient was on fire, and five British warships launched a siege. The main mast of the Orient fell into the water, the rear mast was broken, and the whole body was riddled with holes, but it still fought desperately. The deck of the warship was full of burning corpses, and the front and back of the warship were burning. The artillery was about to burn to the cannon that fired 24-pound shells, but the gunners at the 36-pound cannon seemed to be completely unaware of the danger, and they continued to fight with all their strength.

The French were truly brave. Even in despair, they would fight to the end. But the Spanish Navy was not like that.

The Spanish were often brave at the beginning of the battle.

But when the situation turned against them, the courage that the Spanish had inspired would quickly disappear.

32-pound, 24-pound, and 18-pound shells rained down, mixed with some hot shells and iron scrap shells.

The Li Guang, which was the first on the Chinese side, also suffered heavy casualties under the successive ravages of several Spanish battleships. The superstructure was hit in many places, and the forecastle and poop were directly hit by more than ten shells respectively.