"But this ship really did open its gun ports." However, another young sailor still had some doubts about the old sailor's explanation.
The old sailor was also perplexed, watching the warship in the distance fully reveal its side, and said with some uncertainty, "Maybe they're novices, or perhaps they're just trying to scare the opponent."
"I think so too..." Hearing this, the officer who came over nodded in agreement.
"Boom!" Just as he nodded, that Elf navy ship suddenly let out a blaze of fire.
"Damn!" Since they were already quite close, the sudden sound of the cannon startled everyone.
The cannon fire was so abrupt that all the sailors who heard it instinctively shrank their necks.
Some even fell onto the deck, awkwardly complaining loudly, "Fuck! They're firing! They're really firing!"
With both hands on the wheel, the captain's eyes widened as he watched the smoke gradually clear from the side of the warship and muttered to himself, "What the hell are they doing?"
"Boom!" Just as he was muttering, another cannon fired, sending out a flash of fire, and thick smoke rolled over the waves.
This was no joke; they were really firing. Not a warning, not an intimidation, but direct combat!
They didn't even bother to confirm identities before opening fire! At this moment, the merchant ship's captain felt the other party must be a bunch of lunatics.
On deck, upon seeing the water column rise near the pirate ship, a sailor shouted excitedly, "They're firing at the pirates!"
His shouts drew the attention of a few others, and then they witnessed the second cannonball fly past and land near the pirate ship.
Another water column was smashed into the sky by the cannonball, and it seemed even closer to the pirate ship this time.
Seeing this scene, the sailors immediately started exclaiming, "My God! They are really firing at the pirate ship!"
"And their aim is not bad..." The old sailor had seen such naval battles before; he knew that to have such accuracy, the navy gunners must be very elite.
What he didn't know was that on that Great Tang Group warship, they had actually installed experimental targeting equipment. Although it was crude, compared to symbolically aiming with the cannon, the accuracy had improved several times.
Even though these cannons couldn't adjust their barrels and were still muzzle-loading guns, with the aid of targeting equipment to adjust the ship's angle for simple aiming, the accuracy of the cannon fire could still be improved.
Moreover, the distance between the warship and the pirate ship wasn't actually that far; it seemed a good distance away, but in reality, it was only about 500 meters or so.
If one relied solely on sight to aim, that indeed was the extreme range for firing, but if they used equipment to aim, then it would be... a bit too close.
The sailor crew of the merchant ship, oblivious to all this, had also started to pay attention to the pirate ship in the distance.
"The water columns are all near the pirate ship; well done!" exclaimed a sailor excitedly upon seeing the rising water columns.
"Boom!" Another cannon spat out a tongue of flame, and soon afterwards a water column suddenly sprang up close to the pirate ship.
"Fire all at once!" practically all the gun captains at the various gun stations commanded loudly and excitedly.
"Boom!" This time, almost simultaneously, the remaining four cannons on the warship's side belched out blinding flashes and white smoke.
Beside the distant pirate ship, three water columns erupted, and almost at the same time, another hole caused by a cannonball appeared next to the damaged planks of the hull.
Wood splinters flew everywhere, and it was even possible to see pirates being blown apart by the cannon fire, their bodies mangled and falling inside the ruptured hull.
The lookout in the mast immediately began shouting excitedly, "Three shots missed! One shot on target! Enemy ship damaged! Continuing to turn!"
"Close in on the target!" Bernard licked his lips and continued to command.
"Close in on the target!" The executive officer's voice echoed among the sailors, busy loading the cannons.
"Boom!" A cannon fire also resounded from the pirate ship. It seemed that they too knew that if they didn't fight back and only focused on fleeing, they might really meet their end here. Thus, they began to return fire with the ferocity of a cornered beast.
However, this shot was simply too ridiculous, for the pirate ship was in the midst of a sharp turn, so the shot didn't aim well at all, with the cannonball falling 100 meters away from the Great Tang warship's side.
In comparison with the precision marksmanship of the Great Tang's security forces, the pirates' shot was practically a joke.
Bernard shifted his gaze from the splash and, suppressing a smile, continued to command, "Close the distance! Prepare to fire all at once!"
"Cannon number 3 loaded! Cannon number 9 loaded!" On the deck, one gun captain after another stood at attention and reported loudly that their gun stations were ready to fire again.
"Cannon number 1 loaded!" With the last gun station reporting in, the deck became much quieter.
"Aim!" Bernard gave the command.
"Hard to port!" The officer responsible for aiming shouted loudly, his eyes pressed to the sighting equipment. Unable to adjust the cannon's aim, he impromptu overstepped his authority and commanded a change in course.
"Adjust hard to port!" Bernard immediately ordered loudly.
Following his command, the warship began to adjust its course.
"Three, two, one, fire!" Soon enough, the angle was found, and the officer responsible for targeting yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Boom!" A line of eight cannons almost simultaneously spewed flames, and a billowing cloud of thick smoke obscured much of the warship's side.
And with that volley, the sailors on the nearby merchant ship's deck gawked as the pirate ship, which was turning, was hit by at least three cannonballs at the same time!
It was as if an unseen giant hand had gripped the pirate ship, its hull splintering apart in an instant, wood splinters flying everywhere.
The cannon fire had shattered some of the ship's structural supports. It was visibly apparent that one of the masts on the pirate ship was beginning to lean forward as the force of the sails pulled on it. It hadn't fallen over, but it was tilted, looking rather pathetic.
Without high-explosive shells, even with sustained fire and hits, it was not possible to immediately sink a sailing warship.
Yet, judging by the damage, it was clear that the pirates aboard had definitely not had an easy time...