Chapter 226 Coral Island
After everyone on the ship was awake, the Jackdaw no longer had the problem of shortage of manpower, and the artillery on the ship finally came into use. However, based on the current situation of the Jackdaw, although the cracks and loopholes in the hull have basically been blocked and no longer affect navigation, it will take a long time to completely repair it. The most important thing is the lack of sufficient materials. The repair work could only be carried out after returning to Nassau.
Therefore, it is very dangerous to fight again with the Jackdaw in its current state.
Dufresne, Billy, Anne and Harry were all present at this pre-war meeting, especially the latter. When dealing with the treasure ship, he could only listen to the sound in the kitchen with the cook Ramsay. This was also It became the most frustrating thing for him. He never expected that he would be able to personally participate in this kind of pre-war meeting that only high-level officials could participate in. He couldn't help but look excited. Although Zhang Heng ordered him not to speak, he couldn't stop him. Excitement was about to overflow on his face.
In contrast, Billy looked very guilty. He drank too much last night and was unable to be used at the most critical moment. He failed in his responsibilities. After he sobered up, he wanted to take the blame and resign as helmsman. , but Zhang Heng and others tried to persuade him to stay.
There is no one on this ship who is more suitable to be the helmsman than Billy. Dufresne still prefers to be the quartermaster. Before this, Billy has always been conscientious and conscientious. You cannot deny all his previous achievements just because of one incident. Of course, accordingly There are also penalties. Billy's loot will be halved for the next three times he goes to sea. However, he also has an additional bonus, which is similar to that of an ordinary sailor.
Now that he was back to his work as a helmsman, he said, "Are you sure they will come after us again?"
"It will definitely happen." Zhang Heng said with certainty, "They sent two ships to chase us before, obviously they wanted to catch us all, but we escaped because of the sudden storm, but after last night they will definitely We have sunk all the pirate ships on the island. In this case, we only need to leave one or two ships to keep an eye on the people on the island. The remaining ships can continue to hunt us. After all, we were severely damaged before and we are still far away from leaving Parrot Island. Only less than half a day has passed, and if they set off now, it is entirely possible for them to catch up with us halfway."
"But if they choose a few ships to act together, wouldn't we just fall into a trap?" Dufresne asked.
"This possibility is very small. Judging from the previous battles, the opponent's commander is a very powerful guy. He should be able to realize that even if we want to return to Nassau, we may choose to take a detour to get rid of the pursuers behind us, so their best The choice is to spread out and search.
"Our ship's hull is severely damaged. If we fight head-on, we won't last long. They can deal with us even if they separate. In this case, I believe their commander is willing to take a little risk and kill us."
Zhang Heng paused and continued, "Coral Island is two hundred nautical miles east of Parrot Island. It is in the same direction as Nassau, but it is further north than Nassau. We wait here for a day. If I My guess is wrong. If the Navy people act together, they should chase directly in the direction of Nassau, so they will pass us by and we will not encounter any danger. On the contrary, if my guess is correct, they will expand Once we reach the search range, a ship will meet us here, and when we capture it, we can solve the problem of fresh water and food in one fell swoop.”
"How to do it? My hull is indeed seriously damaged, and I doubt whether we can survive a high-intensity battle." Billy worried.
"This is why we need a small island." Zhang Heng said, "Actually, this is similar to the strategy we used to deal with the Spanish treasure ship before. We first removed the artillery on the ship, moved it to the island, and then used Jackdaw The number will lead the ship into the range of the artillery attack, and then launch a direct attack from the island, so as to avoid damage to the hull caused by the battle."
Zhang Hengzhi was so sure because of the system prompt that came to his ears before, that his sailing skills had been upgraded from lv2 to lv3. However, he was too engrossed at that time and ignored the news and kept waiting for the storm. Only later did he notice the change in skills on the character panel.
Previously, he drove the Jackdaw to break through the naval blockade at the port. The huge pressure also forced out his potential. His steering skills have made a qualitative leap. After successfully upgrading to level 3, he can now control the Jackdaw for a while. It feels like an arm is commanding you, and you are sure to lure the target to the coral island without being attacked very much.
However, the key to the success of this plan is that in addition to the Jackdaw being able to lure the target into the attack range of the artillery, it is also important for the gunner operating the artillery to successfully kill the target before the target realizes that he has been tricked and escapes. After all, once the opponent escapes from the cannon, Outside the attack range, it is impossible for the Jackdaw to have time to return to the island to reinstall its artillery before pursuing it.
"Let's take a look at the terrain there first. There should be a way to solve this problem." Zhang Heng said.
The nautical charts of the early 18th century were no less accurate than those of later generations. There was no satellite positioning, and the shapes of the islands were also drawn very roughly. In fact, apart from a name and an approximate distance, there was basically no other useful information. information.
Fortunately, the Jackdaw was very close to there, and after about half a day, everyone arrived at the small island.
Zhang Heng took Annie and others to row a boat around the island. The red-haired girl said, "I finally know why this place is called the Coral Island."
"Speaking of which, there are indeed many more corals here than in other places." Billy also said that everyone had seen a lot of corals on the way here, in various colors, but what attracted Zhang Heng more was the coral hidden in the water. Those coral reefs below.
"Perhaps we can find a way to keep the ship within the attack range of the artillery." Zhang Heng said.
"You want to use the reefs here to ground the ship? This is a way, but we will also face the same danger. We probably don't have time to explore all the reefs now."
"This depends on the water lines of both of us. Our ships are about the same size, but after removing the cannons, our ships will become lighter. As well as the gunners, their disembarkation will further reduce our weight. Then we will All other heavy items on the ship, including food and fresh water, were moved to the island, so that we could safely pass through the reef area."