Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms

Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms, Volume 80

General Discourse on Naval Planning, Part IV

Use one or two small iron chains, each five feet in length, secured with iron rings. One end of the chain should be attached to a large iron nail, seven or eight inches long, with a tip that must be forged to an extreme sharpness. On each boat, place two large iron hammers.

Select two, three, or four skilled swimmers to man the vessel. They should remain half-submerged in the water, leaning against the side of the boat to propel it forward by hand or with muffled oars. The brilliance of this tactic lies in the boat being positioned so low in the water that the barbarian ships' original: "yichuan" 夷船 — specifically referring to the tall, deep-draft Western warships of the 19th century. cannon fire original: "pao huo" 礮火 — traditional term for artillery. cannot be depressed low enough to hit them.

Once the boat has closed in on the barbarian ship—whether at the bow, the stern, or along the sides—the men can press their craft tight against the hull. They then drive the nails into the wooden sides of the barbarian ship, effectively tethering the fire-boat to it. After lighting the combustibles and ensuring the fire has taken hold, the men immediately swim away original: "qiu shui" 泅水 to safety.

Even if the barbarian ship is exceptionally large, if more than ten of these fire-boats are nailed to it and set ablaze, there is no reason it would not be destroyed. Furthermore, with fire-pots and spray tubes pentongoriginal: "噴筒" — a traditional incendiary weapon, essentially a manual flame-thrower that sprayed sparks and fire. attacking from above, brave soldiers climbing the masts to board the ship in the middle, and the fire-boats burning from below, the enemy is forced to defend against a three-layered assault. Occupied with resisting one level, they will have no leisure to attend to the others; how then could they possibly find safety?