Chapter 1360: Great battle

With an order, the three Victory-class battleships lined up in a column one mile apart, slowly sailing westward, facing the enemy's direction.
In the blowing of the sea breeze, the huge eagle flag on the mast was constantly swinging and hunting.
The heavy bow, like a huge iron plow, crushed the undulating waves and split the turquoise sea, leaving a long white wake behind it.
Dozens of low-profile fast gunboats followed closely behind the battleship. They were like a group of ferocious wolves, surrounded by the three giant beasts in the middle, maneuvering flexibly on the sea.
The unique loud slogan of the Navy and the dull sound of the conch horn reflected each other, intertwined, and spread far away with the sea breeze on the sea.
At the same time, people can still vaguely hear the bursts of cannons coming from the direction of Vantino. The sound is as low and dull as thunder in the distance.
At this time, heavy snow fell one after another, affecting people's sight.
There was a grayish-white fog on the sea, and the visible range was only a few miles. No matter how far away it is, it is completely blurred, and nothing can be seen.
The sailors have already entered a state of preparation for war.
They were watching the western sea nervously, waiting for the enemy to appear.
On the high observation deck of the Victory, the lookout sentry's face was flushed by the sea breeze, and his hands were a little stiff, but he still held the same cold binoculars tightly and carefully observed the west. The sea level. Don't miss a trace.
I don't know how long it took, the sentry suddenly heard a strange voice. It seems that the snail horn is accompanied by people's shouts.
The voice is extremely weak, if you don't listen carefully. It will be completely submerged in the waves and sea breeze.
However, the keen sentry caught the sound at the first moment. He pushed the telescope to the maximum, and tried to look in the direction of the sound through the wind and snow.
A strange black faintly appeared behind the snowflakes, and the sentry was stunned for a moment, and immediately realized that it was the sail on the opposite ship.
The sentry immediately leaned out from the observation deck and shouted downward: "Found the enemy. It's seven miles away in the direction of one o'clock."
A rapid alarm bell sounded on the Victory, and the sound of "ding, ding, ding, ding" spread throughout the ship.
All the soldiers on board were tensed and ready for battle.
Captain Glendin picked up his far glasses in the command room, adjusting the focus while looking straight ahead.
The original vague lens barrel gradually became clear.
I saw it in the vast snow. A piece of sail can be seen faintly.
That is the enemy fleet~!
Glendin could not help cursing lowly.
Because of the heavy snow, the sight was affected. Completely restrict the enemy's air power. Enabling the fleet will not be attacked by the enemy's war fortress.
But at the same time, it also brings disadvantages.
The Ruman Empire fleet had not been able to accurately spot the enemy until this time.
On the chart, the signs representing the two fleets have been pasted together.
First officer Jack looked a little nervous.
He poked his neck and looked westward, muttering: "Qili. This distance is too close, the enemy will come close by turning the rudder."
For the two fleets facing each other, the distance of seven miles is too close, and it only takes less than half an hour. The warships of both sides can collide together.
This is very unfavorable for the Victory, they are at a disadvantage. The action remains the same, and a too short contact distance is not conducive to giving play to Victory’s firepower advantage.
Maybe just two volleys, the enemy will be able to lean on the side of Victory.
Captain Glendin nodded, and said calmly: "It's really too close."
The captain thought for a few seconds, then decisively commanded loudly: "Lower half the sail, forty left rudder, order the starboard artillery to prepare."
The order was quickly transmitted and executed by the sailing officer, helmsman, and artillery officer.
The sailors on the Victory immediately began to work in an orderly manner.
With a ‘brush’, all the sails were lowered in half.
Immediately afterwards, the gun doors on the starboard side opened one by one. The artillery forcefully pushed the cannon out of the muzzle.
Seeing the speed of his actions, Captain Glendin nodded in satisfaction. This group of guys are indeed well trained and their morale is high.
Naval warfare is different from land warfare. Naval warfare requires close cooperation between different departments of warships. It requires a group of skilled sailors who have been in the sea for several years or even decades.
This is not about catching a group of farmers from the countryside, stuffing them with a simple spear, training for three months, shouting a one-two-one, and walking forward, they can go to the battlefield.
The hundreds of sailors on the Victory are undoubtedly experienced elites.
"Send the gunboats to let them stay on our left side." Captain Glendin glanced sideways and looked down at the fast gunboats vying to gallop under his eyelids, curling his lips: " They can't hit the demon's capital ship."
The first mate agreed and then turned to execute the order.
The bow of the Victory, with a full load and displacement of more than 3,000 tons, turned rapidly to the left, facing southwest.
The sails were instantly filled with the harsh north wind in winter, and the speed suddenly increased a bit, and the other two battleships followed closely behind the Victory.
In the distance, a gray-black shadow has completely gone out of the snow and mist, clearly appearing in people's sight-it is the sail of a Semitic warship.
At this time, even with only visual observation, the sailors on the Victory could clearly see the Semitic warship a few miles away.
At this time, more black shadows galloped out of the grayish-white mist, slowly appearing in Glendin's sight.
They galloped out of the snow and fog one by one, giving people an endless feeling.
There were so many ships, densely packed almost the entire surface of the sea. The sea that was originally aquamarine was also dyed a dark green color.
People could not help but see the commotion.
Most enemy warships are two-deck, although not as tall as the ships on this side. But like all Semitic ships, they are extremely heavily protected, and the hulls are all reinforced. It looks extremely strong and strong.
The ships were all equipped with heavy ballistas, and huge metal angles of attack were installed above the bow, each looking hideous and terrifying.
Those Semitic warships obviously also discovered this side, and blew the horn urgently.
Immediately, dozens of ships adjusted their directions slightly, and galloped toward this side aggressively, while more ships began to circle sideways, intending to encircle this side.
"Four miles away~!" The soldier on the lookout murmured. Shouted loudly.
Glendin sneered, grabbed the intercom in the command room, and said loudly, "I am the captain, Mr. Puck, are you ready?"
Mr. Pucker said loudly, "Yes, Captain. Our big baby is cheering, you listen to it!"
Immediately afterwards, there was a vague "boom" sound from the intercom.
"Very good~!" Captain Glendin nodded in satisfaction, everything was ready.
Under the strong wind, the Victory took the lead and led the entire fleet. Insert diagonally toward the Semitic fleet.
"Two miles away~!"
The bugles and alarm bells of the Semitic fleet on the opposite side are clearly audible. Captain Glendin can clearly see the golden lightning banner on the top of the Semitic battleship’s mast, and can even see the top deck of the Semitic battleship hurriedly running. Of soldiers.
The leading Semitic warship also turned towards the southeast, seemingly wanting to get into the queue of Victory. Divide them and surround them.
Captain Glendin smiled, and the enemy moved quickly and decisively. It can be seen that it is also the elite of the Semitic navy. If in the past, it was a correct action. But he faced battleships.
Battleships, as the name suggests, are battleships lined up to bombard the enemy.
"Left rudder fifty, the direction is due south." Captain Glendin exclaimed with excitement in his eyes.
The Victory led the entire fleet to turn again, the bow of the ship turned to the south, the sails were all full, and it rushed through the waves at full speed.
The starboard cannon windows point towards the Semitic fleet in the west.
When the officers and soldiers of the Semitic fleet spotted the Victory Class for the first time, they were all shocked: Is that still a ship?
It is simply a big mountain floating on the sea.
Such a huge Cui Wei, it is really hard to imagine that humans can build such a large ship.
What made them angry was that the largest warship of the Semi was only half the size of others. It hurts their pride as a noble nation.
And what makes them feel inferior is that this kind of monster-like warship is not one, but three.
There is no need to fight, as long as they rush up and slam their bow with the bow, they can block the Semitic warship in front of it from colliding and sinking, or even crash directly into the seabed.
Therefore, at first, some people's calves trembled.
But immediately, they discovered that there seemed to be only these three big ships on the human side. In addition, there are only dozens of small clippers.
Grandma, what's so scary about.
Although these three big ships are big and scary, there are only three. How many people can there be on them, a thousand people? Two thousand people?
As the saying goes, ants often kill elephants.
The Hundreds of Semitic warships are enough to trap them to death. They can dispatch tens of thousands of people to attack the large ships of humans. This is only the force of more than 20 ships.
Some people have even figured out that to take the human ship over, this kind of big ship must be very comfortable at sea.
After the initial panic of the Semitic Navy, the morale stimulated by the "stupid" actions of mankind was greatly boosted. Soldiers waved their weapons on the deck and yelled and prepared for battle.
At this moment, the three monster-like warships suddenly turned around unexpectedly, aiming their fragile sidestrings at them. This made the Semitic officers and soldiers overjoyed. Fortunately, the man who commanded the warship was either a fool or a fire. Broken brain.
As long as they rush up, they can use the iron horn of the bow to smash its belly, nail their deck with a crow board, and then board to fight the humans, and easily kill the weak humans and destroy the big ship. Here comes the captive...
On the Victory, the sentry reported calmly: "One mile away!"
On the right side of the fleet are countless Semitic ships, extending from under their noses to the depths of the mist, and there are more than two hundred ships within sight.
Glendin grabbed the intercom. Loudly commanded: "I am the captain, each gun position. For the purpose of disabling the enemy's ability to move, fire freely~!"
Under the deck, in the gun bay full of lubricating oil, the young officer looked at the target not far away, with a hideous expression on his face, and shouted: "Load the hammer."
The artillery soldiers who had been preparing for a long time immediately pushed the shells into the barrel.
Then the artillery turned the gun frame slightly, adjusting the artillery to aim at the enemy one mile away.
If it is on land, a short distance of one mile is a good deal for artillery.
But on the undulating sea. Because the battleship will keep shaking from side to side, the hit rate of aiming and shooting will become horrible.
The greater the distance, the greater the error.
The solution to this problem is to focus on fire, and the officers in command of the artillery immediately assign tasks, aiming at one target every few guns.
At this moment, there were all Semitic warships in front of them, and for a brief look, at least more than a hundred Semitic warships rushed towards the Victory at full speed. On the right side of the Victory, line up a jagged horizontal line ten miles wide.
"Fire~!"
The No. 1 position on the upper deck fired first.
With a loud bang, a ball of fire gushed out from the cannon window. Started the largest naval battle in history.
The three battleships fired at the same time, several cannons roared at the same time every second, and the sound of "rumbling" sounded like a pearl.
The running ship on the starboard side of the battleship spit out cloud after cloud of gray smoke, even covering most of the hull.
The shell turned into a black shadow. Instantly flew a distance of less than five hundred meters, covering the Semitic warship.
The artillery shells that fell into the sea splashed water drops beside the Semitic warship, and the water splashed on the Semitic soldiers of the warship.
The hammer ball that hit the mast of the battleship changed direction after hitting the canvas and the sail lock, turning around and hitting the mast, destroying everything it hit.
The Semitic sailors lying on the sails had no time to jump off. They fell from the air screaming.
The shell that hits the Semitic hull will directly pierce the outer plank and fly through the cabin at high speed. In this case, iron weighing several kilograms will easily smash the human body.
Almost half of the people in the cabin were knocked down by the tumbling hammer ball. Many people lost their hands and feet without knowing what happened.
In the first round of shooting, a total of nearly 150 artillery fired unscrupulously on the Semites, hitting at least ten Semitic warships that rushed forward.
The battleship that was hit immediately lost all or most of its power because of the destruction of its sails, and stopped shaking at sea.
The fire like a volcanic eruption also frightened the high morale of the Semitic navy, which was advancing bravely.
As soon as there was smoke from the side of the human ship, there was a roar like thunder, and the sea crackled rocks and their masts shattered.
The Semitic naval officers and soldiers immediately judged that the enemy must be equipped with a lot of powerful ballistas or catapults.
Facing such a powerful firepower output, the Semitic warships immediately became a little confused. Some chose to immediately turn to avoidance, while others shouted loudly, speeding up and rushing straight through.
Immediately afterwards, there was a rush of bugles from the rear, and someone from the Semitic Navy shouted in unison: "Offensive, rush forward~!"
As long as you put it on, the human ballista is useless.
The Victory-class led the entire fleet straight to the south. All the Semitic fleets stepped up to catch up to the southwest. The distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer, and the fastest Semitic warship was close to the distance of the Victory 300 meters.
Glendin was very dissatisfied with the effect of the round of shelling, but he shrugged helplessly. For a distance of one mile or so, it was all luck.
But now, the Semitic warship is at the best shelling distance of the Victory.
"Load grenade and shoot freely~!" Glendin calmly issued a second order.
At this time, the gun cabin was already full of white smoke and the choking smell of gunpowder smoke.
The artillery quickly returned the cannon and began to reload the shells. For the skilled artillery, this would also take two minutes.
"Number One is ready~!"
"The number two is ready~!"
"..."
"Fire~!"
The officer gritted his teeth and waved his hand loudly.
The artillery was aimed at the nearest Semitic battleship and fired horizontally. After a loud "bang", the artillery shells accurately hit the bow of the enemy ship, making a hole and digging into the battleship.
The second gun hit the side of the enemy ship, splashed with pieces of wood in the sky, tore the bodies of several sailors on the deck in two, and then rushed into the superstructure.
At this time, the first shell exploded from the inside, and the Semitic battleship shook suddenly. A fire with wooden fragments was sputtered from the direction of the waterline, and a black hole the size of a water tank appeared on the hull.
The second shell exploded the entire superstructure into fragments, and the broken wood flew around like arrows. Dozens of nearby soldiers were picked up by the explosion, and they screamed and fell into the sea.
The shells continued to penetrate the body of the Semitic warship and shot into the enemy ship. The violent explosion tore the Semitic warship to pieces in the blink of an eye~EbookFREE.me~ Its first half was completely destroyed. Sank quickly into the sea.
The King and the Invincible also sank several Semitic warships two hundred meters away.
But there were countless Semitic ships quickly rushing up behind.
The enemy was getting closer and closer to the Victory. Several ballista arrows with thick arms were shot from the Semitic battleship, nailing them to the board of the Victory with a "duh", and they could not even penetrate the planks.
Seeing that he was attacked by such primitive weapons, Captain Glendin sneered disdainfully, and said: "Left rudder four or five, open the distance, let's fly the kite for a while."
Then he grabbed the intercom and said, "I'm the captain, Mr. Puck, it's up to you now, let the propeller turn."
"Yes, Captain~!" Mr. Puck's hands were shaking when he grasped the intercom. He turned his head and looked at the roaring steam engine in front of him and the shirtless and sweating technicians. Boys, let the guys from the train department eat shit~!
The future is our time. "
The technicians roared in unison, and then turned the lever together. With a crisp "click", the steel shaft leading to the propeller squeaked happily.
The underwater copper propeller blades trembled and then began to spin, stirring up a cloud of turbid water.
The Victory speeded up abruptly, widening the distance between the Semitic warships, and still not forgetting to give them another salvo.
(To be continued)