Chapter 671 (1/2)

Simon Noel climbed into the lookout basket himself, his hand shaking slightly with his telescope.

Trembling hands have shown his current mood - fear.

About four or five kilometers away from the rear, five strange ships were shelling the three Spanish armed merchant ships. Noel saw with his own eyes through the telescope that the strange warships seemed to have formed straddle fire with only two rounds of salvo fire.

Of course, Noel does not understand what is called straddle firing now. In this era when solid projectiles are still used to fire each other at close range, there is no such special artillery term called ”pinch method”.

But Noel felt a danger. After nearly 20 years in the Navy, when he saw that the shells from those strange ships began to cover the three armed merchant ships, his intuition told him that these merchant ships could not be kept.

Sure enough, those strange ships launched two rounds of volleys. When the fifth round, each of the two armed merchant ships burst out a dazzling fire. Even in broad daylight, Noel felt harsh.

When the group's dazzling fire broke out, the sailors standing on the Atlantic horn below him also issued a cry of surprise.

More than ten seconds later, a huge explosion came. Noel's hand trembled, and the telescope almost fell down.

Since he decided to flee, Noel did not protect the three armed merchant ships. The speed of the three armed merchant ships was too slow. The fastest speed was eight knots. They couldn't run if they wanted to.

Sure enough, they were overtaken within half an hour of running.

There are nine strange ships in all. One of them looks bigger than the other eight.

Now the three armed merchant ships are being besieged by five strange ships, but the five strange ships also begin to slow down, maintain a distance of about six or seven kilometers from the three armed merchant ships, and begin to carry out continuous shelling in a fan shape.

And the other four ships are in a kind of noel never seen speed, fast toward their two warships chase.

”They are taking the three armed merchant ships as targets and conducting naval exercises!” The distant scene immediately made Noel realize what those strange warships were doing.

How can Noel not understand each other's meaning when he acts like a cat teasing a mouse?

”They were able to catch up with the three armed merchant ships very quickly, but they didn't chase them. Instead, they kept a certain distance for shelling. Obviously, they are doing actual combat exercises with these three armed merchant ships! It's just, how could their guns hit so far? And why is it possible to maintain such precision at such a long distance? ”

Noel's hands and feet are cold, and his heart is also cool. At this time, he has a clear idea of what those strange warships want to do. The three armed merchant ships are the targets of their actual combat exercises. Similarly, I'm afraid his two warships can't run away.

But Noel's mind was still thinking about the other side's artillery

The continuous sound like thunder is getting farther and farther away, and there is a loud noise from time to time. It must be the result of the guns of those strange warships hitting an armed merchant ship.