Yes, it's over.
Looking at the fleet that appeared on the sea, Augustus seemed to have all his strength drained away, his eyes were dull and lifeless, and he felt only a deep sense of powerlessness.
He considered many possibilities. For example, the Great Gan would bring five or six hundred warships to fight, and each warship might have forty or fifty cannons. This would mean a tough battle, and they would have to pay a certain price to break through and return home.
But now—
Looking at the fleet line that almost filled the field of vision, the number of its warships far exceeded expectations. Even before heading to the naval port, it couldn't compare to their number of warships.
Moreover, the situation is already dire, so how should we fight this naval battle with them?
At present, it seems that there is absolutely no chance of winning, and even breaking through their naval lines is as difficult as climbing to the sky.
Augustus could already foresee that once the distance was close enough to initiate a naval battle, his side would inevitably end up with their ships destroyed and their men killed.
Augustus was deathly pale, sweat dripping down his face, too terrified to utter a single word.
The deputy said in a trembling voice, "Marshal, they came so fast, shouldn't we... take cover?"
"In this situation, even with the Blazing Sun Fleet, we probably wouldn't be able to fight."
Augustus, utterly distraught, shook his head and asked, "Where can we hide?"
"Charge towards the naval port like the Federation fleet?"
The deputy was at a loss for words. They had just escaped from the naval port's shelling range after a perilous ordeal, and going back now was clearly not a good option. However, the fleet ahead was approaching with no chance of resistance. In this dilemma, the escape route was completely cut off.
——
"Prepare for artillery fire!"
"Get within range and destroy them!"
A powerful and steady command rang out from the Yan Army fleet. The battleships at the forefront were sailing forward at full speed with their sails raised. The gunners were ready, and the shells were already loaded into the barrels, waiting only for the fuses to be lit.
The towering Fulou also features a multi-deck structure. In terms of ship structure and carrying capacity, it is no less than the warships of any country. The only slight drawback is that it carries only a hundred cannons. However, Qin Ze directly exchanged for more cannons to place on the deck, thus making up for the Fulou's lack of firepower.
Correspondingly, the number of troops on board was slightly reduced, but in modern naval warfare, boarding and fighting are no longer the mainstream. With cannons, long-range shooting can determine the outcome.
At this moment, both fleets were sailing forward, and the distance between them was rapidly decreasing. A moment later, the sound of horns echoed through the night sky.
The first true naval battle between the Yan Kingdom and other nations has officially begun!
The Yan army fleet opened fire simultaneously in a single column, with countless cannonballs whistling as they hurtled towards the enemy ships!
The same was true for the fleets of the various nations. Their strong will to survive forced them to fight to the death. Almost at the same time that the Yan army launched its artillery barrage, they also launched their own barrage!
However, the difference is that the Yan army had stopped sailing when they opened fire. They only needed to hold this line and do their best to kill all the enemy ships. The other nations' fleet wanted to escape this sea area, so they continued to sail while bombarding, determined to fight to the death and break out of the encirclement!
Boom boom boom!
The booming explosions echoed across the night sky as cannons mounted on the decks and sides unleashed boundless firepower. Upon first contact, the Lieyang fleet was subjected to formidable firepower suppression.
Faced with a vastly superior number of warships, the Sunfire Fleet's bombardment was ineffective.
The Yan army's shells were so dense they resembled a spider web falling from the sky, with thousands of shells being fired at once. Under such intense firepower, the fleets of the various nations suffered heavy damage in just the first round of bombardment!
When the Yan army realized that they still wanted to break through, they immediately made changes. The central army continued to launch a fierce attack, while the warships on both flanks began to sail. They and the two flanks began to contract and encircle each other, gradually shrinking from a straight line to a semi-circular arc. In this way, they could maximize their numerical advantage.
Such a battle line naturally made it even more difficult for the fleets of the various nations to cope. On the "Sun Goddess", Clemento was already overwhelmed, but the more he was in this situation, the more determined he became to break through the encirclement no matter what.
He immediately ordered all warships to converge, with the [Sun Goddess] at the center and the rest of the warships blocking the outside, and then sail at full speed toward the opposite line, trying to break through a route!
Considering the upcoming voyage, Clement ordered the sails to be furled and the sailors in the lower deck to use pedals to drive the wheels. They then pushed the ship to its maximum speed and charged straight toward the Yan army's lines like lightning.
At such full speed, it must be said that some effects were achieved.
Despite the Yan army's relentless barrage of artillery fire aimed at destroying the warships of various nations and sinking many small and medium-sized vessels, the large escort ships of those nations continued to advance, eventually reaching them in a short time despite suffering heavy casualties.
Yan Jun did not choose to retreat, but quickly changed course and formed a more dense formation, blocking their path forcefully!
Therefore, it was inevitable.
"boom!"
A deafening roar erupted from the collision, the sea surged violently, and seawater splashed up from the impact even reached the deck.
Several warships collided, and wooden pieces flew in all directions from the broken hulls. Everything on board was overturned. Several large warships at the forefront of the Yan Army had huge holes punched through one side of their hulls by the warships of the Lieyang Fleet.
The Lieyang Fleet warship that launched the collision also suffered extremely severe damage, with its bow sinking into the Yan Army's hull. Due to the violent collision, both ships were in complete chaos, with most of the cannons overturned on the decks and soldiers scattered everywhere, many of whom fell into the sea.
Even so, the Yan army's artillery bombardment became increasingly fierce.
The advance of the fleets from various nations shortened the distance, allowing the Yan army's artillery to unleash its full power. From the intact warships, the Yan army's gunners roared furiously, "Smash them!"
"Boom boom boom!"
The deafening roar nearly shattered eardrums as large-caliber cannonballs fired, pulverizing every approaching enemy warship with the force of a mountain collapsing and a sea crashing down at such close range!
On the other side, the Blazing Sun Fleet was in the same boat. They knew that if they wanted to leave this sea area today, they would have to fight with all their might, so they were also shelling with all their might!
The two warships engaged in a fierce exchange of fire in this sea area. Smoke filled the entire battlefield, and shattered hulls flew everywhere. Soldiers hit by cannonballs were sent flying, their blood spurting out and their mangled bodies scattered all over the ground. The murky blood flowed into the seawater along the tilting decks.
Meanwhile, in the sea, the soldiers who had fallen into the water due to the impact were still struggling desperately, but the shells flying overhead were falling all around them, sending their desperate cries into the deep sea.
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