"Before midnight."
The words struck Dingle like a hammer blow from the sky, freezing his thoughts and his expression in an instant.
The shelling of Bruno Wharf had not stopped. The constant explosions no longer sounded like a pointless act of throwing oneself into the deep sea; they had transformed into the sinister laughter of the enemy, which grew even more unrestrained in Dingle's ears.
After a moment of mental blankness, Dingle finally accepted this shocking information.
They pursued the Black Powder Fleet in a grand procession toward the port of Bruno. With such a massive display of force, who would believe that they were merely making a feint?
With their menacing presence at sea and relentless bombardment, who would believe they were merely stalling for time and drawing attention?
Hundreds of warships fired thousands upon thousands of shells without hesitation. With such a large-scale operation, who would doubt that this was just a feint?
We always suspected they would have reinforcements, but who could have imagined that their reinforcements had already entered the strait?
Is the fleet launching its bombardment the real main force or just a bluffing decoy?
Our defenses are so tight, and the troops urgently transferred from all over the country are ready to fight. But the enemy has no intention of landing here at the cost of huge casualties. So all these arrangements are not only in vain, but also leave the troops in other ports empty.
The strange behavior was gradually unraveled, revealing a shocking truth. The temperature in the air seemed to drop even more, causing Dingle's drooping hands to tremble involuntarily. The generals in the room rushed out in a panic, and he was knocked off balance by them.
Amidst the chaos, a loud "bang" was heard.
Upon hearing the news, Bernhardt fell silent and collapsed to the ground. He slumped against the door, his face turning bluish-purple, and his breathing became unusually heavy.
"Before midnight... what time is it now?" Bernhardt asked urgently, having even forgotten that Dingle had just announced the time.
“It’s almost three o’clock.” Dingle, pale-faced, took deep breaths to calm his heavy emotions as he reached out to help Bernhardt to his feet.
The officers around Bernhardt noticed his unusual behavior and quickly came over to help him up. The soldier also came to Bernhardt's side.
He said in a panic, "Before midnight, the Yan people rushed towards Foster Harbor. I roughly estimate there were four or five hundred warships, but I can't see if there are any more behind. Maybe there are more. They launched an artillery barrage from a distance. We don't have many troops. General Harris was worried about the port being lost, so he sent us to ask for help."
Bernhardt, who had been helped up, leaned against the door. Upon hearing this, his face turned angry, but he couldn't roar through his clenched teeth. Instead, he said intermittently to Dingle beside him, "Quick...quick! Send the reserves to provide support!"
Dingle agreed, and after a three-second pause, immediately appointed the two officers beside him to lead their troops to Foster Harbor to provide support.
The two wasted no time and immediately left the command room. They would take two infantry divisions, totaling 54,000 men, to Foster Harbour.
While Dingle was giving his account, Bernhardt was still questioning the soldier who had come to deliver the message.
"Why...why did it take three hours to get here for help!"
"No, sir! General Harris sent us for help as soon as he saw enemy forces approaching from the sea! We didn't waste a second!" the soldier replied urgently.
With a loud bang, Bernhardt slammed his hand on the door and growled:
"It takes three hours to get here from Foster Harbour?!"
Upon hearing this, the surrounding officers all looked at Bernhardt with surprise.
"Sir, we can't go by sea to ask for help. As soon as the enemy appears at sea, all the warships in our port return to the dock. Under those circumstances, we simply cannot sail in front of the Yan people. They have cut off all sea routes!" the soldier replied helplessly.
His answer left Bernhardt momentarily stunned.
Yes, ever since the Yan people entered the strait, all their warships have returned to port. The sea route has long been under the control of the Yan people. Even if the warships sent from Foster Port bypassed the enemy and came to Bruno Port to deliver the message, they would encounter the enemy forces here, and the message would not be able to reach the shore.
'I've really been foolish...' Bernhardt thought helplessly to himself.
At this moment, Dingle, who had already finished giving his instructions, spoke up: "The sea route has been cut off. We will have to provide support from the land and rush to Foster Port immediately. It will take at least three hours, and that is only possible if we march at full speed."
Then, he rubbed his forehead and said in a low voice:
"It will take three hours to get there, perhaps..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but everyone around him knew what it meant.
Most of the troops on the entire western coast are now stationed at Bruno Port. The most elite forces that can be mobilized are gathered here to deal with this war, making Bruno Port a veritable fortress.
However, with troops concentrated here, the defense systems of the other two ports are not very robust. If the Yan Army were to launch a strong attack on Foster Port, it might not be able to hold it given the existing defenses there.
Nearly three hours have passed since the Yan Army launched its attack on Foster Harbor.
Who knows what Foster Harbour looked like in those three hours?
The reinforcements sent to provide support would take at least three hours to arrive, so in total, Foster Harbour would be subjected to a six-hour onslaught.
Based on their past combat experience, they were absolutely confident that the defenders would fight to the death and firmly hold the port for six hours.
However, the enemy force that has now arrived has fully demonstrated its combat power. Their warships are unstoppable, their artillery has an extremely long range, and the shells they fire are extremely powerful! Although we have not yet engaged their ground forces, judging from the fall of the Star Islands, they are undoubtedly very strong as well.
After six hours of such a fierce attack by the enemy, could the defenders of Foster Harbour really hold them off at sea?
The officers who thought of this turned pale. The battle had come so suddenly, but at least all the preparations that could be made had been made. But what if the enemy captured Foster Harbour and landed there?
So, this battle seems to be coming to an end, in a way that no one expected.
"Could it be that... Port Joplin has also been attacked?"
Suddenly, Dingle blurted out this sentence.
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