Far Eastern Sea.
The eighteen warships of the First Fleet sailed in a line toward Archduke Philip's one hundred warships.
The distance gradually shortened from thirty miles to twenty miles.
Archduke Philip stood on his flagship, the Queen, and looked through a telescope at the eighteen enemy ships that gradually became clearer. He felt that the other side was simply overestimating its own capabilities.
They should have fled like the ship they encountered a few days ago, but they were sailing straight towards us. It was brave, but unfortunately it was just an egg against a rock.
Well, the enemy's warships had no sails and were also smoking. The information sent back was correct. The enemy also used steam power.
But so what?
The expeditionary fleet had the same power as the enemy ships, but with more powerful artillery, richer naval combat experience, and especially with a number of warships that was six times more than the enemy's, Archduke Philip won this battle without a doubt.
He put down the telescope, walked out of the watchtower, and said to his deputy general, Boll: "Destroy them. I'll give you half an hour. I'm going back to my room to sleep for a while."
Bol also felt that this battle was easy. He nodded quickly and said, "Then I will not disturb you, Grand Duke, to rest. I will report the results of the battle to you at dinner in the evening."
"Um."
Archduke Philip really went to his cabin, where there was a woman from the Ryukyu Kingdom. Her name was Chiyuki Kikuchi, a very nice name. She was a very beautiful woman, and she understood men very well.
The hatch closed, and Kikuchi Chiyuki knelt down to undress Archduke Philip. Archduke Philip rubbed Kikuchi Chiyuki and suddenly said with a smile: "Wait a little longer, wait until the sound of the cannon fires, then the smell will be even stronger."
On the First Fleet's flagship, the Jiangnan, Zuo Mu was also holding a telescope and carefully looking at the enemy ships opposite.
More than a hundred enemy ships gradually became clear in sight. They floated on the sea level like a long mountain range.
The enemy's warships were deploying in formation, distributed in a fan shape, like a net being cast towards them.
Zuo Mu suddenly smiled, and it seemed that he wanted to wipe out his first fleet in one fell swoop. He had a big appetite, but he didn't know if your teeth were strong enough.
Fang Chaoyang, Chief of Staff of the First Navy Army, lowered his binoculars, his face solemn. "Lao Zuo, we estimate that in half an hour, the enemy ships will be within our artillery range!"
"No rush, wait until the enemy is about 300 meters away from us before attacking."
"Old Fang, in this battle, our goal is to completely annihilate the enemy. We must put an end to that brat He Sandao's arrogance!"
Fang Chaoyang grinned. The voyage from the Far East Road to Xiaye has now been shortened to five days. The top leaders of the two armies often communicate with each other. Although there have been no joint exercises, that bastard He Sandao keeps saying that the Third Army of the Great Xia Navy is the real ace, and the First and Second Armies are trash!
Who the hell can stand this?
But He Sandao's fighting ability is so high that he can't beat him, so he can only prove himself in actual combat.
The officers and soldiers of the First Army had been holding their breath for a long time, just to prove their strength to the rampant Third Army.
Now that the opportunity has finally arrived, it is time for the First Army to stand up and prove its worth.
"Old Zuo, I heard that His Majesty will come to the Far East Road?"
"Yeah, there's a big job this time!"
"What big job?"
"expedition!"
Fang Chaoyang was startled, "Hit him?"
"Yes, let's attack the enemy's lair!" Zuo Mu took a deep breath and said:
"Peng Lang's troops from the Second Army are also heading towards the Far East Road. His Majesty's instructions to us are to destroy the enemy as much as possible. If we find ourselves unable to defeat them, we are to retreat to the Far East Road and lure the enemy ashore... We still have 60,000 soldiers from the First Army who have not yet boarded the ships. According to His Majesty's instructions, if the enemy dares to come ashore, we will be at their mercy."
"Strategically speaking, Your Majesty, this strategy is excellent. It will preserve our warships to the greatest extent possible. However... Old Fang, we are the navy, and we must defeat the enemy openly at sea!"
"Only by defeating the enemy head-on in a naval battle and annihilating them completely can we prove the combat capability of our First Fleet and hold our heads high in front of that fellow He Sandao!"
Fang Chaoyang nodded. If they really adopted the method of luring the enemy deep into their territory and annihilated the enemy on land, that bastard He Sandao would definitely laugh at the First Army.
Besides, weren’t the soldiers who boarded the ship holding their breath because of the enemy they had finally encountered?
"I agree to meet the enemy head-on!"
"But if there are heavy casualties, I'm afraid we will be held responsible."
"Didn't His Majesty say that a general in the field is not subject to the king's orders? Besides... if the navy wants to truly grow, it must also go through the baptism of blood and fire."
Fang Chaoyang's gaze drifted off into the distance, his expression stern. "Talking about war on paper is meaningless. We are the first fleet guarding Daxia's first coastal defense line. Only through combat can we truly grow and shoulder the responsibility of defending our nation's borders in the future!"
"Alright!" Zuo Mu clapped his hands, his eyes gleaming with fighting spirit. "Then let's use this battle to prove that the First Fleet is the most qualified defender of the Great Xia nation!"
"Order to all troops, all ships check their ammunition again and be ready for battle at any time!"
…
On the Mozhou of the First Fleet, the commander of the Third Division, Chen Zhongshan, was in the battle compartment on the second floor of the battleship.
He received instructions from the flagship via a messenger, "All gunners, check the ammunition again!"
He was walking in the battle compartment when suddenly a loud roar came: "Are you afraid?"
"Don't be afraid!"
The eight hundred gunners in the battle cabin roared in unison, rubbing their hands in excitement. Chen Zhongshan laughed, "Great, these are the soldiers I brought with me!"
He stood in the center and said, "Let me tell you, the army has eight corps, and they have no more battles to fight. Now our navy has its chance, but such opportunities don't come often!"
"I believe that after destroying these one hundred enemy warships, this sea...will be extremely difficult to fight again."
"Also, I have another good news for you!"
"His Majesty is on his way to the Far East! If we win this battle... we can follow His Majesty across the ocean and strike the enemy's lair!"
These words were transmitted throughout the ship through the loudspeaker. At that moment, more than 2,000 officers and soldiers on the ship became excited.
What a glorious thing it is to accompany His Majesty on an expedition!
After returning from this expedition, our Mozhou will be the emperor's personal army!
Chen Zhongshan waited for ten breaths, then said, "Remember this, you only have a chance if you win. If you lose..."
"If I lose, I will thank Your Majesty with my own death!"
"Don't worry, Commander. The entire crew of the Mozhou will work together to destroy the enemy and bring honor to His Majesty and Great Xia!"
"The First Fleet will win!"
"The Mozhou will never sink!"
The voices of the soldiers shook the sky. Chen Zhongshan took a deep breath. These were the soldiers he trained personally, and these were the warships he commanded personally.
He was extremely familiar with every soldier and knew every inch of the battleship.
He was waiting for this moment!
"Alright, this time our Mozhou will destroy the most enemy ships, bastard, get ready for me!"
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