"Is this gunpowder smoke?!"
"How can there be so much smoke! What on earth did those Yan Guo people do!?"
In the Dawn Fleet, almost all the soldiers standing on the deck had stopped what they were doing. They craned their necks, widened their eyes, and looked at the large amount of smoke appearing on the distant sea. Their expressions were either stunned or shocked.
The vast ocean doesn't produce white smoke out of nowhere. What makes it appear here is undoubtedly the Yan Kingdom's fleet shrouded in smoke. Some people think it's gunpowder smoke, since gunpowder also produces a lot of smoke when it's ignited. But careful observers have noticed that this smoke seems to be somewhat different from gunpowder smoke.
Perhaps because they were upwind, they couldn't smell any of the pungent smell of gunpowder.
Based on the current observations, the white smoke appears to rise and dissipate more like the gas formed when hot water is boiled.
But under what circumstances would so much water vapor be generated? Could it be that every Yan Kingdom warship contains a huge boiler filled with boiling water?
No one knows the answer to this question at present.
However, there was one piece of information that everyone accepted and clearly saw.
Even against the wind, the Yan Kingdom fleet still did not raise its sails, but their warships seemed to have begun to move.
If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would have seemed like an unreal dream.
Their warships were so enormous, at least the size of a first-class warship. How could they possibly begin to move without the aid of sails and wind power?!
Is it propelled by oars propelled by people rowing from the bottom of the hull?! How many people and how many oars would it take to move such a massive warship at sea?
That's almost impossible!
More importantly, the Yan Kingdom warships seen through the binoculars didn't have any oars moving at all!
This thought echoed in the minds of almost every soldier, including Clemento. His confident expression vanished, and he was now dumbfounded and horrified, his mind buzzing as if the white smoke floating in the air in the distance had entered his brain.
After all, what we see before us is truly bizarre and shocking!
He even felt that the Yan people had used their ancient, mysterious, and evil witchcraft to make the warship move; otherwise, how could it be explained?
"Marshal! They're really coming! They're charging this way!"
The soldiers' panicked shouts jolted Clemento out of his daze. He looked closely and, sure enough, the enemy fleet's movement was not an illusion, but a real event; they were sailing at sea at a considerable speed.
Of course, their sails were still down.
Clemento, forgetting his shock at the sight, immediately raised his arms and shouted:
"Don't panic! Don't lose your composure!"
"Stay calm! Proceed according to the original plan!"
"Don't lower the sails! Use the wind to maintain full speed, and launch a fierce attack when the enemy enters firing range!"
As the distance closed, the size of the opposing fleet became increasingly clear. Clemento did not change his battle plan precisely because he had seen the size of the opposing fleet.
Unlike the Yan army fleet seen in the South China Sea last time, the enemy's warships sailing at sea this time have been significantly reduced. Clemento roughly estimated that this number is probably less than half of what it was last time.
Although they still didn't know what force propelled their warships, the sheer number of ships they possessed gave Clemento considerable confidence.
With the enemy outnumbering us, we now have an advantage in this naval battle.
Even so, Clemento felt little joy. Although the enemy's warships were few in number, his own forces had been weakened.
He turned to look behind him and saw that the Rose Fleet had completely changed course. Not only that, they were even raising their sails and sailing against the wind at high speed back the way they came.
Clearly, just like last time, they deserted again before the big battle.
Clemento clenched his fists and swung them violently through the air several times; he was furious.
"Damn Shenglu people! Just you wait!"
"When this battle is over, when I return home, you're finished! You're finished!!!"
If the retreat of the Shenglu people during the last South China Sea battle was due to their discovery of the Yan Kingdom's conspiracy, and they had no choice but to leave the battlefield, then it would seem somewhat understandable.
This time, the enemy appeared so openly at sea, yet the Sheng Lu people once again retreated in the face of battle—an unforgivable act.
Clemento made up his mind that he would settle accounts with the Shenglu people after this battle was over!
Federich shared the same thoughts, as he was both horrified by the strange warships of the Yan Kingdom fleet and furious at the withdrawal of the Rose Fleet.
As they drove further and further away, Federich was furious. If the enemy hadn't been charging towards them, he would have ordered the Whale Fleet to bombard the Rose Fleet with several shots.
All the old and new grudges rushed in at once, and he now regarded the Rose Fleet as an enemy just like the Yan Kingdom's fleet. Fortunately, his adjutant stepped forward in time to comfort him:
"Marshal, we can't control those cowards anymore!"
"Look! The Yan Kingdom's warships are traveling at an unusual speed!"
Upon hearing this, Federich hurriedly turned to look to his left front. The Yan Kingdom fleet, which had been at a great distance just a moment ago, had already advanced a considerable distance into the sea.
This speed is unusually fast, especially considering they are sailing against the wind.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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