"How much further until we're in range?"
Lord Beckett stood up, asking the question as he gazed at the increasingly clear view of Port Royal.
The weather in the Caribbean Sea was excellent, offering great visibility. Even without a telescope, Beckett could now see the distant view of Port Royal.
He could also make out a group of people apparently standing on the top of Port Royal, on the shore defense artillery positions.
In terms of the range and performance of the cannons, there wasn't much difference between the shore defenses and the shipboard cannons. However, the port's cannons had the advantage of being positioned high above, which would suppress the ships.
But this was only relative. Port Royal had at most seventy or eighty cannons, while his side had at least forty or fifty cannons on each warship, totaling over two thousand!
This difference in numbers couldn't be overcome by mere morale or a slight advantage in terrain.
"Ten minutes, and we'll be at maximum range!" Arnold looked up at the sky, then raised his right hand and dropped a feather. He confirmed the wind direction based on the feather's drift before answering.
"Excellent. I'll have all those who dare to resist His Majesty the King hanged!" Lord Beckett nodded with satisfaction. In his view, the battle was a foregone conclusion.
He had brought sixteen thousand soldiers this time, plus fifty warships. This force was more than Port Royal could possibly withstand.
His goal was to rule the entire Caribbean Sea and expand the glory of the British Empire. Let these overconfident fools become the first sacrifices after his arrival in the Caribbean!
'Boom—'
An explosion suddenly erupted on the side. A towering wave of water shot up, and the enormous impact even shook the Endeavour.
"What happened?"
Lord Beckett quickly stood up and hurried to the edge of the deck, asking in confusion.
The captains of the dozen or so warships nearby shared the same expression, all of them looking at each other, not knowing what had just happened.
"Off the mark!"
Li Qingyuan put down his telescope, sighing slightly.
Although he hadn't expected to hit with the first shot, it was still quite depressing that he'd missed.
"Just a moment, we'll get it right away!" Lamiel immediately began to instruct his men to adjust the cannon. Even though Li Qingyuan had modified it, transforming the cannon instantly from a 17th-century antique into early 20th-century strategic artillery, it still couldn't achieve a perfect hit rate.
Even in the 21st century, the hit rate of artillery was only about ten percent, not to mention this type of World War I era cannon!
Of course, ten percent was due to the need for precision strikes. Now, the enemy warships were only five nautical miles away, and they only needed to hit a warship. The hit rate could be at least thirty to forty percent.
"How strange is this cannon?" Elizabeth Swann, who had been holding back for a long time, finally couldn't help but ask, looking at the giant cannon in front of her, which was two or three times larger than ordinary cannons.
Although she was bound by a one-piece corset dress, with her hands encased in attached gloves, making her look like a mental patient in a straitjacket, she was still a Marchioness. So, when Elizabeth asked her a question, Lamiel made an effort to explain.
"This Mighty General was personally modified by the Marquis. The cannon's range is three times that of a regular cannon, and its power is more than ten times greater!"
Speaking of which, Lamiel couldn't help but caress the cannon's bore, as if she were stroking her dream lover.
"Ten times?" Governor Swann, who had been silent, raised his voice and exclaimed.
Since two days ago, Governor Swann had been in a state of conflicted distress.
On the one hand, he hoped Lord Beckett would bring people to recapture Port Royal and then execute Li Qingyuan.
But on the other hand, he hoped Li Qingyuan would defeat the fleet led by Lord Beckett!
After all, given his personal feud with Lord Beckett, the fall of Port Royal would mean the end for him and his daughter.
Governor Swann had already prepared a pistol, ready to use it to commit suicide when the fleet captured Port Royal, but now! He frantically snatched the binoculars from someone else and looked towards the British warships in the distance.
Whoosh!
Another cannonball was fired. This time, due to the adjusted angle, it didn't land in the sea but instead slammed directly into a Third-Rate Battleship.
And then!
In the astonished expressions of everyone present, the Third-Rate Battleship exploded, performing a full 360-degree spiral ascent!
"Impossible!"
Governor Swann's hand slipped, and his telescope, worth hundreds of pounds, clattered to the ground, the lenses shattering.
"What happened?" Elizabeth Swann asked, sensing the strange atmosphere.
She wanted to run over to Governor Swann to ask what had happened, but her feet were still locked together, so she couldn't move.
There was nothing to be done; this little miss had a terrible temper. Lord Beckett had instructed that unless there were special circumstances, she was to be locked up.
"Impossible!" Governor Swann slumped to the ground, still questioning reality.
"Excellent, continue!" Li Qingyuan nodded after seeing a battleship transformed into a floating ruin.
Battleships were absolute sea-based killing machines for the people of this era. Even a Third-Rate Battleship was over forty meters long, with a displacement of over a thousand tons, and loaded with dozens of cannons. Aside from natural disasters, they were almost invincible at sea.
The three layers of fifteen-centimeter-thick oak planks could withstand any physical attack. Even if hit by cannon fire, with the current power of solid shot, it would take at least a dozen shots to sink a battleship.
Considering the current cannon's appalling hit rate, it was essentially an impossible task to sink a battleship in a naval battle.
But now!
Just a single shot had sent a Third-Rate Battleship straight to the bottom of the sea.
There were also dozens of lucky soldiers, stunned and clinging to floating debris!
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
Why was I just on the ship preparing for war, and now, in the blink of an eye, the huge ship was gone?
Using cannons from World War I to bully the people of the eighteenth century was no different than an adult bullying kindergarteners.
Wooden warships had no defense against High-Explosive Shells. No matter how thick the wooden planks were, they couldn't withstand the power of a High-Explosive Shell.
Lamiel quickly ordered his subordinates to adjust the angle of the Mighty General. He was now filled with excitement.
Although he knew that this Mighty General, after being modified by the Marquis, had become incredibly powerful, seeing a Third-Rate Battleship sunk with a single shot still filled him with immense excitement.
With one cannon in hand, invincibility in the world!
For a gunner, a cannon with such incredible firepower was a godsend!
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
patreon.com/SuperTL
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
" Marvel Rise of the Spider-Verse "
" Marvel: The Multiverse Wanderer "
" Marvel: Wrath of the Dark Superman "
"Marvel's Power Fusion "
" Marvel's Divine Game Producer "
" Marvel: System of the Cosmic Devourer "
" Marvel: Hyperion Journey "
"Marvel of the Genesis Transformation"
many more are available
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)