At 1:30 a.m., the last Black Powder Fleet warship sank to the bottom of the sea while burning.
At this point, all the fleets available for naval operations in the western naval base of the Delta Federation had been annihilated by the Yan Army. Now, only a few dozen warships remain anchored in the inner bay, most of which are patrol boats with few cannons, making their firepower negligible.
After annihilating the black powder fleet blocking their path, the Yan army did not withdraw but continued to bombard the dock from a distance of six to eight kilometers from the shore.
The bombing had some effect; the wooden buildings on the dock were almost completely destroyed, and the flames from the explosions gradually ignited these flammable materials, with raging flames burning under the night sky.
But that's all there is to it.
The coastal pier has only a few wooden buildings; most of them are bunkers built of mud, sand, and stone. The walls, more than half a meter thick, are rough and sturdy. Even if several shells hit these buildings, the damage from the explosions would not cause them to collapse.
These sturdy fortifications still stand, protecting the Golt soldiers inside from casualties. However, they are also unable to retaliate against the Yan army, as the Yan army has retreated to a distance beyond the reach of their artillery, leaving them only able to watch as the Yan army bombards them.
Given the current situation, although the Golgar soldiers had no way to use their strength, they were fortunate to have suffered no casualties. They all believed that if they fought this war of attrition to the end, they would surely win.
Could the enemy possibly bombard us for days and nights? That's completely impossible. Even if warships were fully loaded with shells, they couldn't possibly keep firing for days and nights.
However, if they really want to reduce the density of the shelling and extend the bombardment time as much as possible, it is not a bad thing for their side, because the longer the time is dragged out, the farther the emergency message will travel from this place, and reinforcements from various military regions will continue to arrive.
Once the whole country responded, even if the enemy subsequently increased their reinforcements, they still could not breach the port.
Everyone thought the same thing. Despite the relentless bombardment bombarding their eardrums, the officers in the command tower felt a sense of relief during this period.
Although the port is still being bombed, the enemy will never set foot on our territory tonight. No, not only tonight, if they can't break in now, then they will have even less of a chance later.
In this battle of offense and defense, the scales of victory are tipping in their favor.
"Whatever happened at sea, at least the black powder fleet blocked the enemy's advance at a critical moment, which bought us a lot of time."
"Their sacrifice deserves our respect!" In the command room, Dingle put down his binoculars and said to the officers around him with a somber expression.
Bernhardt, standing in the crowd, was hunched over, his eyes bloodshot, his aged face appearing even more haggard tonight.
The loss of the Black Powder Fleet was another heavy blow to him, but he could not fall down while the war was not over. He had to see the enemy forces withdraw from the port of Bruno with his own eyes.
Once the enemy troops withdrew and the battle was completely over, he realized he was no longer fit to hold any military position.
He must pay for the mistakes he made with his own life.
Watching the Black Powder Fleet disappear from sight, Bernhardt slowly removed his hat. He straightened his hunched back with difficulty, then lowered his face and silently mourned the sacrifice of the Black Powder Fleet.
The officers looked solemn and all removed their military caps.
The brief minute of silence quickly ended, and Bernhardt looked up at the crowd and said, "Their heroic sacrifice will be remembered in our history."
"Now, let's continue with the defense. The Yan Kingdom's shelling has not lessened. Judging from this, they are determined to force a landing tonight."
Dingle chimed in, "Yes, I estimate the shelling will continue for a while longer. Once the Yan people realize that the shelling is no longer effective, they will likely send transport ships forward under fire cover."
"The second half of the night will be crucial! They will not give up the opportunity to land easily." His expression grew increasingly serious.
Bernhardt frowned and said, "The fall of the Star Islands was too rapid, which should serve as a warning to us. Presumably, their port fortifications were forcibly seized by the Yan Kingdom under such fire, leading to the collapse of their defenses."
"No matter what kind of strong attack the Yan people launch next, we must hold firm in our fortifications and never retreat an inch! As they charge forward, we need to sink as many of their warships as possible to deplete their forces!"
"It's time they felt the pain!" Without realizing it, Bernhardt clenched his fists, and his face turned fierce.
"Let's see when they decide to launch a full-scale attack." Dingle lowered his binoculars, but he could still see the group of Yan Kingdom warships on the sea in his field of vision.
They stretched out their lines, widening the distance between their warships, but the shelling never stopped, as if they didn't care about the loss of shells.
After the Black Powder Fleet was sunk, Dingle thought they would press on, but they did not. Instead, they remained at a distance, launching a large-scale but largely ineffective bombardment of the coast.
'Do you have so many shells that you don't care at all? Or do you really think that such attrition can slowly blast our buildings to a pulp?' Dingle muttered to himself.
——
The snowflakes gradually stopped, and it was almost 2:30 a.m.
The air temperature had become even colder than when it was snowing. Although it had snowed lightly for several hours, no trace of snow remained on the docks of Bruno Port, as the snowflakes had been melted by the artillery fire.
"Boom boom boom!"
The shelling continued, with shells constantly falling on the dock, leaving the ground in ruins. The pass was completely unrecognizable, but the bunkers and gun emplacements still stood, and the artillerymen who were holding their posts were still guarding their cannons. They had been enduring the shelling for several hours.
Although they were not injured while inside the fortifications, their ears were almost deafened by the noise. To alleviate the strain, they had stuffed cotton into their ears. At the same time, their eyes were focused even more intently on the enemy fleet in the distance.
The enemy fleet made no further moves, only continuing its relentless bombardment, completely disrupting the tranquil night with the sound of cannon fire.
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