Nothing happened that night.

The fleet spent a cold but peaceful night, but Chick did not sleep well; the pressure of the impending battle still made him nervous.

He had a feeling that this might be a full-scale war from the Yan Kingdom.

That's why he got up very early today, and as he stepped onto the deck, he turned his head to look at the distant land of his homeland.

Tomorrow is the last day of the year.

"But I'm going to spend this time at sea..." He chuckled self-deprecatingly and walked toward the bow of the ship.

It was early morning.

Without any warning, and very suddenly, a huge fleet appeared on the sea ahead.

Chick, on the bow deck, held a binocular, his face frozen, his body stiff, only blinking rapidly several times.

With each blink, he became more certain that a fleet from the Yan Kingdom had appeared ahead.

They ended their attack on the Star Islands and occupied them.

After occupying the Star Islands, they made rapid preparations in a very short time and then set sail again, successfully making their way into the Brando Strait.

And so, they found themselves at sea.

Chick opened his mouth wide, his eyes widened, goosebumps gradually rose on his body, and his thoughts were racing.

Where are the patrol ships at the entrance? Didn't Matthias say that warships were left to patrol? Why didn't we see any warning from the patrol ships before the Yan Kingdom warships came into view?

Were they sunk? But why would they engage the enemy ships? Or did they not engage in battle, but were overtaken by enemy ships on their return voyage and thus lost track of them?

Perhaps that's how it is.

But no matter what, the current situation is absolutely terrible!

He had considered the possible bad situations, but the fact that enemy ships had appeared so openly in the strait was far worse than he had anticipated!

"Damn it!!!"

Chick's face flushed instantly. He threw down the binoculars and roared, "Quickly! Pass the order down! Turn around immediately, we need to return to base right now!"

The command, shouted in a roar, surprised the officers surrounding him.

An army officer immediately said, "Enemy ships have entered the strait; we should stop them from going any further!"

"No! We can't fight them here! Even if we have the numerical advantage, they are better at naval warfare!" Chick roared.

The officer replied, "General Bernhardt has already said..."

Before he could finish speaking, Chick interrupted angrily: "He never imagined that enemy ships would come into the strait!"

"This has seriously deviated from our plan. The only thing we can do now is to return to port immediately and rely on the shore fortifications for a defensive battle, rather than engaging them in a naval engagement here!"

“But…” someone hesitated before speaking, but Chik suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the man by the collar, and shouted angrily:

"I don't care about land, but at sea, I am the supreme commander!"

"We need to take advantage of the current distance and immediately complete the turn and return!"

"Their warships are very fast; we absolutely cannot afford to waste even a moment!"

Under Cheek's forceful command, the fleet, after a brief period of chaos, obeyed his orders and began an emergency turn.

During the turn, as requested by Chick, the slow-moving large transport ships took the lead, while the faster battleships made way and moved to the rear.

This was certainly an unconventional arrangement, but Chick considered that the enemy ships had a faster speed, so his large and cumbersome fleet might not be able to shake them off and return to Bruno port.

Therefore, if a situation arises where they cannot shake off the enemy, all battleships must provide cover for transport ships carrying more troops.

This arrangement displeased Sebastian, who was in the Black Powder Fleet, but he had no choice but to accept it.

After some time, the fleet adjusted its formation, with the Iron Wall Fleet led by Chick and the Black Powder Fleet led by Sebastian positioned at the rear of the formation, on the left and right flanks respectively.

They will escort the transport ships, striving to ensure their safe return to Bruno port.

Two hours later, it was afternoon.

Standing on the stern deck, Chik watched the Yan Kingdom warships closing in, but his face didn't show much fear. He just sighed deeply in his heart.

Then, expressionless, he issued a new order:

"Notify all battleships to turn and face the enemy; we need to form a battle line immediately!"

"Prepare for battle!"

The signal flags were quickly sent out following the order, and the battle cry echoed across the sea. The rearguard Ironwall Fleet turned around again.

Unlike Chick, Sebastian, in the Black Powder Fleet on the right flank, was pale, sweat dripping from his forehead, his body stiff, as if he had lost his soul.

In his field of vision was the steam-powered ironclad ship hurtling towards him amidst swirling smoke. Although he had never fought against this enemy fleet, Matthias had already described in detail just how terrifying their combat power was.

They can fire shells several kilometers away, and their warships are made of steel, so even hundreds of shells would hardly destroy one.

In addition to this power, they also possessed unparalleled speed, so they got closer and closer as they chased.

Can we fight such an enemy at sea?

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