"Have you lost your mind? Do you have a death wish? Didn’t you see the size of that British fleet? Did you see that behemoth, the 'Queen Elizabeth'? Our cannons, even at point-blank range, might not even dent her armor, it's that thick. Otherwise, why would the British name her after an old virgin? That 'old virgin', 'Virgin Queen', has lovers by the dozens, god knows how many illegitimate children. Hell, if we get hit by just one of her shells, we’re done for. Besides, how long could we possibly hold her off? Not even five minutes! I have to be responsible for this ship and everyone on board!" Captain Alarcon exclaimed, eyes wide with incredulity.
"Captain, even if it's just for five minutes, it could allow more people to escape," Major Francis said.
Alarcon wanted to retort, "That's the Americans' problem, not mine!" But after a moment's thought, he conceded, "You're right, we can't just do nothing."
Turning around, he ordered, "Speed up, raise the British flag, prepare the forward cannon. We’re going to fire at Savannah... as a warning shot. Signal the 'Moonlight' to take the same action."
This was the extent of what they could do for the Americans.
At this moment, the British lookouts had already spotted the two French cruisers flying the tricolor.
"Damn, Frenchies everywhere!" the captain of the 'Queen Elizabeth', Hardy, cursed as he put down his binoculars. He knew these two ships were likely the ones mentioned in reports, rented to the Americans by the French. He wanted to rush over, unleash a barrage, and feed these Frenchies to the sharks. But now that these ships were flying the French flag, it made him uncertain of their identity. What if these weren't the ones leased to the Americans?
Before setting sail, the British had considered what to do if they encountered French warships, even provocative ones. During the Seven Years' War, this wouldn't have been an issue. But now, Britain was at a disadvantage, as the Cabinet demanded naval restraint, patience. As long as the French didn't show overt hostility, or to put it more plainly, as long as they didn't fire upon the British first, the British weren't supposed to attack or even provoke, to avoid complicating the situation.
"Now, France has a strong land force in Louisiana. If they find an excuse to join the war, Canada is surely lost. Even Ireland might see turmoil. So, the navy must restrain, must restrain!" Prime Minister Pitt had said to the officers before they departed.
Then, the action of the two French ships stunned the British — they raised the Saint George's flag. Not the red triangular flag symbolizing a warship's courage and desperation, but the one representing England. Wasn't this impersonating the British navy right in front of the authentic British navy? What a move!
"The French don't want to fight us. They know well that with two colonial cruisers, they stand no chance against us. It would be suicide," General Nelson emerged from below deck, "I believe they intend to warn the Americans in Savannah — they hoist our flag and then fire a shot towards Savannah — a creative approach. The French..."
"General, shall we stop them? They are openly impersonating us. Technically, we could treat them as pirates," Captain Hardy asked.
"No, at most it'll take twenty minutes, and that time won't change anything. We needn't bother over such trifles," Nelson replied.
As Nelson predicted, the two French warships flying the British navy's Saint George's flag fired towards Savannah. After firing two shots, they lowered the Saint George's flag and raised the tricolor again, right in front of the British.
What happened next was exactly as Captain Alarcon had predicted. Surrounding the two foolhardy gunboats, sudden sprouts of water columns appeared. Shortly after, the first gunboat was hit by a cannonball.
The cannonball directly destroyed the steam engine of the small gunboat, leaving it paralyzed on the water. In the following half a minute, it took five or six cannon shots, tilted, and quickly sank.
The second foolhardy vessel was slightly stronger; it managed to fire a shot — of course, hitting nothing — before the British firepower tore it apart.
By this time, 'Moonlight' and 'Windmoon' had already moved away. The two ships began to slow down, preparing to watch the battle. Yes, in this era, observing naval battles was indeed a very common occurrence.
"Captain, are we really not going to do anything?" Major Francis asked.
"No, of course, we can't just do nothing," Captain Alarcon said, "We'll watch the battle from the side. When foreign warships are observing, their actions might be somewhat restrained. You know, my friend, if we were to engage the British, we wouldn't last any longer than those two gunboats. But if we stay aside and watch, their atrocities might be somewhat curbed."
"Ah, those two American ships, they were so... so brave. But they died so terribly," the executive officer Copa sighed.
"Oh, Copa, do you know? I met a Mexican priest in New Orleans who told me something very interesting. He said, everyone dies, but different deaths have different meanings. Some deaths are as significant as the Rocky Mountains; others, as light as a feather. The same goes for warships. All warships meet their end, whether on the battlefield or in the shipyard. But a warship that dies for the people's benefit weighs more than the Rockies; if it dies serving feudal rulers, exploiting and oppressing the people, it's lighter than a feather."
"Was the priest you mentioned a follower of liberation theology, perhaps?" Copa asked.
"Ah, who knows? Nowadays, Mexico is full of those who follow liberation theology..."
As their conversation went on, the British fleet had already formed up outside the harbor, blocking the port's exit. Now, no ship could leave Savannah port.
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