It was already late September, which is late autumn in terms of seasons. Compared to the coolness on land, the temperature at sea was slightly higher in late autumn. However, it was already close to evening, so a bleak chill had already permeated the sea.
But at this moment, this sea area was not cold at all; instead, it was filled with scorching heat that made people sweat profusely.
Within the Yan Kingdom fleet formation, steam gushed out from the depressurized area, causing a noticeable rise in temperature around the fleet. Meanwhile, the gunners in the gun emplacements were methodically loading shells. The shells were no longer loaded from the front bore but from the rear bore. Furthermore, these cannons were now rifled; they were breech-loading rifled cannons.
The cannons were already aimed at the approaching enemy forces. The enemy warships were numerous, almost covering the entire sea surface. They were sailing in two longitudinal battle lines in front of them, and their hulls had been adjusted to a sideways position. This meant that as soon as they entered their battle lines, the enemy would bombard them with shells.
But they didn't get that opportunity.
The gunners waited excitedly, waiting for the distance to close and for the main gunner to give the order to fire.
On the opposite side, Clemento, positioned behind the Allied fleet, was wiping away sweat. Although the temperature wasn't high, he was still drenched in sweat.
The initial excitement had vanished, leaving only tension and trepidation in my heart.
With the distance closing dramatically, the actual confrontation was just around the corner, and Clemento could now clearly see the appearance of the Yan Kingdom's warships.
The iron armor covering those warships, the completely different gun turret structures, and the white smoke still billowing out—all these strange things subtly indicated that the enemy was currently piloting something other than conventional sailing warships.
Although he was unwilling to admit it, he gradually realized that the Yan people had developed a brand-new warship in the past few months. Their warships were so advanced that they could sail without the aid of sails.
This is absolutely a groundbreaking product. It is truly amazing that a heavy ironclad warship can sail quickly at sea without the aid of wind power.
However, such warships ended up in the hands of the enemy.
So, where will this naval battle lead?
Clemento had no time to think, because there was no turning back now. The allied fleet was close enough to the enemy, and the largest naval battle in the history of the Sassanid Empire was about to begin.
"Keep full speed ahead! Gunners, get ready!! Fire our cannons at the enemy warships! Destroy them!" Clemento roared furiously.
In fact, the orders he gave at this moment were no longer important. His words from the rear could not be transmitted to the front. From this moment on, this naval battle would be an all-out struggle.
All allied warships were ordered to sail at full speed, aiming to crush all Yan Kingdom warships.
Standing on the deck, Clemento clenched his fists, his eyes fixed on the sea ahead. The enemy was getting closer and closer; they were about to break into the battle line.
"Hurry up... come in, get into our firing range..." he muttered, his face twitching slightly.
One breath, two breaths, three breaths...
Time seemed to slow down at this moment, and the noise of the waves seemed to fade away. Clemento's eyes were bloodshot, as if they were about to bulge out of their sockets.
And suddenly—
"Boom boom boom!"
A deafening roar of cannons suddenly erupted; it came so abruptly.
Clemento shuddered uncontrollably, almost losing his balance, and staggered back several steps before coming to a stop.
The scene I least wanted to see finally came into view.
The enemy warships opened fire before they even entered the battle line!
Since they are using new warships, how could their shells not have an extended range?
The Yan Kingdom warships at the front of the line suddenly fired a salvo without warning, streaks of fire flashing from their gun emplacements, and thick smoke instantly filling the sea.
The shells fired in unison streaked across the dim sky at a speed invisible to the naked eye, and only a few breaths after the cannon fire, an even louder sound appeared!
One after another, explosive shells were fired into the Dawn Fleet at the forefront with lightning speed!
The conical shells had extremely high armor-piercing power; they penetrated the wooden hull of the Dawn warship almost instantly, a result the soldiers of the Sa Ri Kingdom on board had not anticipated at all.
By the time they realized what was happening, the shells were already upon them.
And then...
"boom!"
"Boom boom boom!!"
The explosive bomb exploded violently in an instant!
The built-in explosives burned violently with unstoppable force, and the resulting impact caused the sturdy shell to disintegrate instantly. However, before the explosives had completely dissipated, a burst of flames suddenly appeared, and the high temperature contained within it almost instantly ignited the surrounding objects.
The wooden hull was ignited by the high temperature and burned instantly.
The disintegrated shell casing continued to shoot out in all directions, with countless small iron pieces inside hitting any object it came into contact with, while the conical iron piece split into countless fragments after disintegration.
With the added force of the explosives, these fragments, no bigger than a fingernail, possessed unimaginable power.
They shot into the human body at high speed, burrowing into the hands, feet, chest, abdomen, and head of soldiers, killing them while they were completely dazed.
And this is what the soldiers outside the blast radius suffered. In the center of the explosion, nearby soldiers were almost instantly disintegrated along with the shell.
Hands and feet were instantly severed and sent flying, chest and abdomen were completely ripped open by the explosion, liver and intestines were almost pulverized, and blood mist splattered out along with the blood. Even the hardest bones in the human body were forcibly broken and crushed at this moment.
Compared to solid shells, explosive shells do not result in disemboweled and mutilated human bodies, but rather in fragments of flesh and blood flying out in all directions.
Now, under the first barrage of fire from the Yan Kingdom's steam-powered ironclad warships, the Dawn Fleet, bearing the brunt of the attack, suffered a near-annihilation blow.
Inside the teetering ship lay the shattered remains of human bodies scattered everywhere, blood spraying in the air like mist, and charred soldiers beneath the collapsed masts wailing in agony.
The stench of blood was masked by the thick smell of gunpowder. Chunks of flesh clung to the tattered deck, which was ablaze with flames, and wood chips and limb fragments crackled as they burned.
The last glimmer of light in the sky disappeared when the battle officially began, but a new light appeared beneath the heavens.
That was the dazzling beam of light from the explosion, and even more so, the raging flames that erupted on countless warships.
The intense flames were reflected on the sea, as if the vast ocean itself had been ignited and was now burning.
"Boom boom boom!"
More explosive shells streaked across the dark sky, beginning a relentless barrage.
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