Unlike Federich, who was already considering retreating, Clemento, who should have been at the rear of the Allied fleet, was now gradually moving towards the left flank as the Pearl Fleet set out.

His face was a sickly red, and the veins in his neck were bulging. He was roaring loudly in the cabin:

"Charge! Fire the cannons! Break through their lines!"

"This battle is either them or us! We absolutely cannot let those damned Yan people win again!"

Despite the constant barrage of shells and the continuous explosions that sank one warship after another in the center of the battlefield, Clemento remained determined to fight with all his might.

He no longer considered the ferocity of the enemy's firepower or the strength of their lines; as soon as the battle began tonight, he had already decided to carry out the strategic policy of fighting to the bitter end.

The Dawn Fleet and Pearl Fleet, which are being prepared this time, can be described as the crystallization of the nation's naval power. Queen Isabella has assembled the best warships and the most outstanding marines from the active navy into this force.

In the past few decades, the country has not fought a naval battle of such a large scale, and the significance behind the battle that is taking place now is far more than just a simple matter of victory or defeat.

The defeat in the South China Sea campaign can be attributed to carelessness and may not have had a far-reaching impact on the country. However, if the campaign were lost again, the consequences would be completely unacceptable.

How can we allow the Yan Kingdom to dominate the ocean?

If they end this battle with a great victory, the country's voice at sea will be greatly weakened, and even neighboring countries will have ulterior motives. More seriously, their status will be shaken.

Therefore, we cannot admit defeat in this battle, even if it means mutual destruction.

At this moment, Clemento's flagship also joined the battle. The Pearl Fleet, sailing on the left flank, stretched out its battle line. Most of the warships in this fleet were second-class warships. Although they could not compare with the Dawn Fleet in terms of attack, these warships were much more maneuverable than the Dawn Fleet.

Even with their greater mobility, they were still unable to successfully deploy their lines and launch artillery fire.

The Yan Army fleet never stopped sailing. In addition to launching fierce cannon fire, they continued to advance. Under the power of steam, the underwater propellers spun rapidly, providing the warships with power far exceeding that of the wind.

This power is also exceptionally stable, unlike wind, which is always sometimes strong and sometimes weak, requiring constant adjustments to the sails and the guidance of an experienced captain.

Steam power only requires soldiers in the boiler room to constantly shovel coal into the furnace, while the mechanical structure of the ship's hull provides far greater maneuverability and agility than sailing warships.

In addition, although these warships were being bombarded during their voyage, their unique forged iron armor allowed them to withstand 80% of the damage from the shells. The armored strips on the hull were dented and uneven, but the shells could not penetrate the armor and enter the hull.

The ship's central gun room, being of paramount importance, was also covered with armor. Since the shells fired from the opposite side were not very accurate, very few of them would hit the gun. Even the deck was armored, and solid shells could hardly break through it.

As the distance between the two sides shortened, the intensity of the artillery fire also increased.

In the gun room of the Yan Kingdom warship, the recoil-propelled rapid-fire guns fired shells with a "thud thud thud". This rapid-fire gun is different from heavy artillery. Its caliber is smaller and the caliber of the shells it fires is also much smaller, but its rate of fire is far greater than that of heavy artillery. In addition, with the help of rifling, its accuracy is greatly improved.

Just like now, the gunners aimed at the Allied warships opposite them, pointed their cannons at the weakest points of the hulls, and launched a barrage of shells, which rained down like raindrops.

The heavy artillery in the rotating turret is the main force, and the large-caliber shells fired by these cannons are often enough to suppress the enemy's manpower in just a few shots.

The overwhelming firepower completely disrupted the Pearl Fleet's tactics. Not only were they unable to extend their battle lines, but their warships were also constantly destroyed during their voyage. In less than an hour, the Pearl Fleet had suffered nearly half of its losses.

Meanwhile, the Dawn Fleet, which was on the front line, was now almost completely destroyed. The massive fleet had been decimated by the bombardment, and compared to the beginning, these warships were now sparsely anchored at sea. Clemento's flagship, which was in the Pearl Fleet, had also been bombarded, and its bow was badly damaged and burning. The soldiers were frantically carrying buckets of water to put out the fire.

Clemento was still roaring angrily:

"Damn Huns! They actually retreated at this time!"

"You all deserve to go to hell!"

Moments earlier, the Whale Fleet, under Federich's orders, chose to end the battle. They could no longer afford any more losses, so they turned and withdrew from the right flank. At this point, they had fewer than two hundred ships left.

On the opposite side was the rear of the Yan Army fleet.

On the Dinghai, the largest steam-powered ironclad warship in the Yan Army fleet, Qin Ze narrowed his eyes and calmly gave the order:

"Pursue them! Annihilate them all!"

At the very beginning of the battle, when the fleets of the various nations came into view, Qin Ze had already decided to destroy all of these warships.

Just like the devastating blow to the Federation fleet in the same waters a few days earlier.

On that occasion, when the Federation fleet realized that it was completely unable to fight back or escape the pursuit of the torpedo boats, they chose to rush towards the coral island with many reefs.

Because it was on the vast sea, and it was the only nearby place they could choose to go.