At 11:40 pm on September 16, 1647, the sun had already sunk below the sea level. However, this night there was no storm in the sea like last night. The bright moonlight and stars in the sky gave this area

The sea area was once again coated with a layer of light silver.

In this quiet silver light, under the dark sky, the outlines of dozens of steel castles were reflected - these were the battleships and heavy cruise formations of the Spanish and Ottoman combined fleets that were retreating towards the Colombo naval base.

In addition to the Omer and Burker that retreated early, as well as the six heavy cruisers that were sunk in the battle, and the three heavy cruisers that were abandoned due to the loss of all power, there are now seven battleships in this formation, two

Fourteen heavy cruisers.

Garcia, the commander of this fleet, organized these thirty-one battleships into a harpoon formation: twenty-four heavy cruisers formed a U-shaped formation, and seven battleships were in a straight line, inserted in the center of the 'U'

.The entire fleet, from northeast to southwest, slowly advanced towards Colombo at a speed of six knots.

All warships have strictly implemented light control. Except for the first few warships who occasionally turn on their searchlights to see the sea conditions ahead, the ships in the entire fleet maintain a distance of more than 500 meters from each other through the shadows of friendly ships reflected in the moonlight.

distance, and kept silently on their way.

On the flagship of this fleet, the Fernando V, the fleet commander, Lieutenant General Garcia, also conscientiously implemented the blackout order, and did not turn on any lights in the commander's cabin.

However, as the commander, Garcia still had a lot to do after the war. So at this time, he was asking his adjutant to hold a flashlight while he wrote a report after the war in his own handwriting.

"Dear Majesty Philip, in this naval battle, the main force of our army was used. After nearly five hours of fierce battle with the enemy fleet, the specific results are as follows... In general, in this naval battle, I think there are the following points that need to be paid attention to.

First of all, in terms of artillery fire from both sides, our soldiers should have performed at a super level in this battle. Their hit rate was about 10% higher than in previous trainings. However, the rate of fire of the Chinese warships was about seven times faster than ours.

One to one-sixth. Therefore, in this battle, when our army's hit rate is obviously superior, the hit rate obtained by both sides is not much different. Your Majesty, today's hit rate is abnormal, and I cannot guarantee that every time in the future

In battle, our soldiers can fight so accurately. But if in the next war, our hit rate returns to normal levels, and the firing rate of Chinese warships is still the same as today, then in the next battle, we will become more accurate.

Difficult. After all, on a grand battlefield with a length and breadth of more than 20 kilometers in a static state and a movement area of ​​more than 100 kilometers for both sides today, the output of firepower is fundamental. Therefore, I suggest that you instruct the academicians of the Asturian Academy of Sciences to

Let's speed up the research and development of rapid-fire guns.

Secondly, in terms of the speed of the battleships, our side was obviously lagging behind. Because the speed could not keep up, our army lost the initiative in the movement to seize the T prefix and was forced to turn in front of the enemy. This was also the loss of our army in this naval battle.

The main reason is that there are more ships than the opponent. Therefore, the improvement of the speed of our army's new generation of warships is very important.

Third, this naval battle is my first time fighting against Chinese battleships. I can clearly feel that the Chinese battleships are not only fast, but also extremely capable of resisting strikes - especially the two Ottoman battleships.

In comparison, it is simply extremely sturdy. It is fast, has good firepower, and has a solid hull. The Chinese warship designer is really an amazing guy.

In short, in this naval battle, the enemy's flagship was hit by at least 10 bullets from the main gun of our battleship, but the speed and combat capabilities of the opponent's flagship were basically not affected. This is of course related to the fact that we did not hit the opponent's vital parts. But

The opponent weighs about 15,000 tons, is equipped with six main guns, and can run at a speed of 16 knots. There is no doubt that this is not a fully armored warship, but only uses protection for key parts.

But it is precisely these key protections that prevent us from achieving a winning effect - so I really admire the Chinese warship designer, who has designed an extremely excellent warship.

Fourth, there is the problem of the use of airship troops. In my opinion, airships are very useful for reconnaissance and calibrating ballistics (of course, the above work is only during the day and the weather is fine). But when used for bombing, the efficiency is extremely low, and even the gain outweighs the gain.

If the airdrop altitude is too high, the bomb's impact point will be difficult to control, and the hit rate will be close to zero. If the airdrop altitude is too low, its slow speed will make it almost a fixed target. However, when the army goes to war in the future, hundreds of airships will

Group strategic bombing at an altitude of three thousand meters can be considered.

fifth……"

"Bang!" The heavy iron door of the commander's cabin was pushed open by an external force, and a lieutenant colonel shouted at the door in a hurried tone: "Your Excellency, commander, we have been discovered by a Chinese destroyer group!"

…

At 11:45 pm on September 16, twelve destroyers of the Third Destroyer Detachment of the Ming Dynasty led by the Qiongzhou light cruiser commanded by Dong Zhining, after searching the sea for more than three hours, finally discovered the retreating

The main fleet of the Theo Allied Forces.

For most of the day, the light cruiser destroyer formations of both sides watched the battle ten kilometers away on the sea. At six or seven o'clock in the afternoon, the sun began to enter the sea, and the main fleets of both sides slowly stopped bombarding and began to disengage.

The light cruiser destroyers watching the battle from a distance swarmed up.

Of course, the daytime naval battle only lasted for more than four hours. Although some of the heavy cruisers on both sides sank, most of them were still there. Therefore, on the one hand, it was necessary to get rid of the entanglement of the opponent's light cruiser destroyer fleet;

The opponent's more than 20 heavy cruisers with 150 guns really couldn't afford to offend them. Therefore, shortly after nightfall, the light cruiser destroyer fleets on both sides faced the opponent's main fleet that strictly implemented light control, and all lost sight of their targets.

But now, after more than three hours of searching, Dong Zhining's third detachment finally caught the big fish.

"Hehe, let me tell you, the Western Bandits have been severely damaged after so many patrols. To be safe, they will definitely not go to Calcutta but go south to Colombo. But that fool Qi Zhenzong still doesn't believe it and insists on taking the first detachment to try his luck in the north.

."

"Boss, it's gratifying to have caught a big fish, but this fish seems to be too big. Our searchlight just scanned it, and there were at least twenty big ships."

"Well, it is indeed a bit big. Then why are you still standing there? Quickly turn on the electricity and notify the surrounding friendly forces to come and fish!"

"yes!"

The communications staff hurried away to send a telegram. Dong Zhining raised his telescope and looked at the blurry outline of the enemy ship 10,000 meters away. Then he lit a cigarette and took a deep breath: "Order! Nanxiong, Huizhou, Chaozhou

The six ships of Shaozhou, Zhaoqing, and Foshan followed our own ship and circled the enemy fleet counterclockwise. The six ships of Shunqing, Jiading, Fuling, Kuizhou, Baoning, and Luzhou, led by Major Zheng Chenggong, circled clockwise.

Keep a distance of more than 10,000 meters from the enemy warships and make a circle first. I, the captain, must first understand the enemy's formation."

"yes!"

Following Dong Zhining's order, the thirteen warships of the Third Destroyer Detachment moved quickly and began to circle around the main fleet of the Theo Allied Forces at a speed of more than twenty knots.

Although it had been discovered by the enemy, Garcia did not lift the blackout order. He only asked the battleship at the core of the array to fire flares, and then the heavy patrols on the periphery carried out bombardments based on the silhouette of the enemy ships under the flares.

Unfortunately, although the destroyer detachment of the People's Liberation Army was clearly visible in the pale light of the flares, Dong Zhining allowed the detachment to maintain a distance of at least 10,000 meters from the enemy ships. Therefore, although the heavy cruisers on the periphery of the coalition opened fire desperately

, but this distance is already the ultimate range of 150 guns - in fact, many shells fell straight into the sea two or three kilometers away from Dong Zhining and other ships.

"Boss, I have only received a call back from the Second Destroyer Detachment. However, they relayed the message we sent, and the messages sent by the other three detachments were also relayed by them. Specifically, the first detachment led by Colonel Qi Zhenzong, this

It was nearly a hundred kilometers away from us at that time, and now it is impossible to catch up even if we turn around. The fourth and fifth detachments are fighting with the West Bandit's light cruiser destroyer detachment and cannot get away. The second detachment is about forty kilometers away from us at this time.

Coming at full speed."

"The fourth and fifth detachments encountered the entire light patrol detachment of the Western Bandits?"

"No!" The communications staff officer lowered his head and glanced at the telegraph newspaper: "The Western pirates fighting with them only have more than fifty warships."

"More than fifty? This is one against two, right? The situation of the fourth and fifth detachments is also very critical. But it seems that the other light cruisers and destroyers of the Western Pirates are also looking for our main force." After saying this

In short, he walked to the outdoor bridge with the cigarette butt in his hand and looked at the flares that were constantly shining in the sky. Dong Zhining's figure flickered in the darkness and brief light for a while, and then he smiled softly at the corner of his mouth.

He laughed, flipped the cigarette butt into the sea immorally, and then returned to the command room with firm steps.

"Brothers, this is what I think. At this moment, the speed of the enemy ship is about six or seven knots. It is difficult to guarantee whether the enemy ship will speed up later. Even if the enemy ship is dragged down by a severely damaged warship and does not speed up, then

It will take at least an hour and a half for the second detachment to arrive. Ninety minutes is too long, and there are too many variables. Not to mention that the West Pirates' light cruiser detachment may be nearby and will be worse than our third detachment.

The second detachment arrived earlier. It must have arrived later than the second detachment, but what if during these ninety minutes, the Western Pirates' light cruiser detachment found our main fleet?

So, what I mean is, we don’t wait for the second detachment, we start fighting first. In this way, we can force the Western pirates’ destroyer fleet to turn back and rush for reinforcements. This can reduce the chance of our main fleet being discovered, and also help our fourth and fifth forces.

The detachment is out of trouble. Of course, being a solitary person not only has a bad reputation, but is also very dangerous. So everyone, please prepare your suicide note as soon as possible."

"Hahaha, boss, haven't you prepared the suicide note and other things before setting off?"

"Yes, it's enough to write a suicide note once. If you write it too many times, it becomes a bit tricky."

"Boss, give me an order. Our third detachment is going to eat alone. Those idiots from the second detachment, let them come slowly and drool over our results."

"Okay, let's inform the entire detachment of our decision. The navigation chief and tactical staff will formulate an assault plan based on the enemy's formation."

"yes!"

After a while, calls came back from each ship. The captains with upright personalities were basically "resolutely obeying orders" and "resolutely serving my emperor with death". The captains with slightly more humorous personalities were "I need to rush."

"Be the first to eat fresh ones", "Let the Western thieves see me as the best assassin in the world" and so on.

"Boss, all the ships have expressed their obedience to the order. In addition, according to our observation, the enemy ship's formation is a heavy cruiser wrapping the battleship in the center. Therefore, our plan is to launch an attack from the north side of the enemy fleet."

"Why the north side?"

"Because the enemy patrols are heavy on the north side, more people were severely damaged by our troops during the day than on the south side."

"That's nonsense. It's all nonsense. We can't even shine a searchlight on it continuously. How can you see clearly?"

"Boss, who said you can't see clearly? When the Western Thieves' flares are fired, it's obvious that there is much more smoke on the north side, okay? Besides, you can still smell it if you can't see clearly. The wind direction at this time is easterly, but we

The smell of gunpowder smoke on the north side is obviously stronger than that on the south side."

"Ah, by the way, lookout Zhang Laosan is extremely talented. In addition to his excellent eyesight, his sense of smell is better than that of a dog! That's it." Dong Zhining raised his hand and looked at his watch: "Order all ships to regroup, Qiongzhou
Chapter completed!