Chapter 226 Fighting for Hegemony in the Furious Sea (1)
Chapter 226 Fighting for hegemony in the angry sea (Part 1)
"Relax, sir. There is still some sailing time before the port. I suggest you go to the cabin to rest, have a drink, and have a good rest. I will notify you when I find the enemy fleet."
In the end, Alves was forced to take part in the Battle of Oerengrad. However, he did not take over the fleet personally, but handed over the command to an old captain. Alves knew his strengths and weaknesses very well.
At this point, commanding the fleet in combat is not my strong point at all. To be precise, I don't even know how to command or issue orders. If this ship is really handed over to me, I will be looking for death.
"No, I still feel uneasy."
Although the command was handed over to the old captain, Alvis was still worried. This ship carried two hundred soldiers from the Iron Ring Fort. Their fate would be decided in the next two hours. Carrying these two hundred soldiers
For the rest of his life, Alves was always in such a heavy mood. He felt like his stomach was churning, and no potions or drinks could fill it.
Although the sea breeze blew his cheeks and hair, Alves always stood on the deck, carefully looking at the calm sea with a telescope. He knew that once the calm sea broke out, it would be like a sudden storm.
"Sir, to be honest, you are the first noble general to hand over command. I have been at sea all my life and fought countless battles, and I have never seen a noble general like you. Generally speaking, those nobles
The purpose of coming to the ship to command the battle is to win the so-called glory and bounty. Basically, they will deduct a sum of money from the robbery. But you are different."
Before the naval battle started, the old captain Geralf complained. He had a southern face, and his tall and thin figure looked completely different from that of the northern warriors; his skin was so dark and shiny, Alves guessed
This is the result of long years of wandering at sea. When he opened his mouth to speak, he showed a set of fine teeth. These teeth have turned black, and it seems that he has smoked a lot. Tobacco and alcohol are necessary for people who sail on the sea. They can
Help the crew eliminate tension and pass the boring time. After all, when sailing on the sea, most of the time there is actually only one scenery - the sea.
"First of all, I am not a general. Secondly, a dwarf is not a noble in the eyes of others. Even though I was born in a noble family."
Alves joked to himself. He was lying on the edge of the guardrail, looking at the endless sea. It should be said that this was his third time to go to sea. The first time he went to sea was to follow his father to the empire. It seemed to be to discuss a business. At that time, he
When he was still young, he was locked in a cabin and had to appear as a boatman. His father did not even dare to tell others that this was his child. The second time he went to sea was when he became an adult and became Aubrey's assistant. Likewise, he went on a mission
It was the Empire. Aubrey wanted to negotiate trade cooperation with the Empire, and he acted as a secretary. This was the third time he went to sea. This time, he was able to go to sea under his true identity, but he gave up his command power.
It was handed over to another captain whom I had never met.
"Well, no matter what, you make me very fond of you, and it is my honor to serve you, Lord Alvis."
Old Captain Gerald laughed, and his eyes narrowed into a thin line.
Half an hour later, the fleet of the Erengrad rebels and the fleet of the Snow Queen met as expected. Through the telescope, Alves saw a neat row of white sails on the sea level. There were about twenty of them.
I don’t know if there are more after that. If we calculate based on the size of a battleship carrying two hundred people, these twenty-odd battleships carry at least four to five thousand people. The number of the Ice Queen’s fleet is slightly smaller.
, there are only eighteen battleships, but the displacement is larger. The ship Alves is on, the Rose, is a slightly smaller one. The Black Rose battleship, which goes hand in hand with the Rose, carries a full 500 ships.
soldiers, which is twice as big as the Rose. The other ships vary in size, and on average, the total number of people is estimated to be about the same as the opposite fleet. This is definitely the largest naval battle in the history of the Gulf of Kislev. You know, Kislev
Sriv has not had much regular navy since the founding of the country, and most of the navy was concentrated in Erengrad. It was beyond everyone's expectation that the tsarina could raise such a fleet in a short period of time.
"Set the sails and move forward at full speed!"
Old Captain Gerald shouted.
The waves beat against the side of the ship, and the undulating sea surface was like a huge carpet, holding the small ships on it, as if if someone was dissatisfied, they could overturn them at any time. As the distance between the fleets of both sides became closer and closer, Al
Weiss became increasingly nervous. He grabbed the guardrail and stared ahead. Within the visible field of vision, enemy ships appeared one after another like small black dots.
The Snow Queen's fleet also slowly opened its formation under the command of Commander-in-Chief Disma. The flagship Royal Power raised a huge red sail and sailed in the center of the team. The other warships lined up to face the enemy.
The fleet rushed away.
The tragic thing about naval battles is that once a battle begins, there is no way to retreat, because it basically uses long-range weapons, artillery, heavy crossbows, and catapults. Once these projectile weapons hit the target, there is no possibility of survival. Moreover, naval battles are different from those on rivers.
In the battle, once the ship is sunk, the crew has almost no chance of survival.
"Artillery in position!"
Captain Gerald shouted.
Alves stood beside him, with sweat on his palms. Within the visible range of his field of vision, the fleets of the two armies continued to approach. However, no one gave the order to fire. He watched helplessly as the other side's ship changed from a small dot to a small one.
It turned into a large ship, and even the double sword emblem on the sail was clearly visible. However, the ships on both sides still did not fire their guns.
The Ice Queen's fleet began to charge, while Erengrad's navy began to adjust its formation and battle lines to meet. This was a duel between firepower. For gunboats, the heavy artillery on the side of the ship was their main weapon.
"Starboard load!"
"Sniper on the lookout!"
Captain Geralf continued the order.
"Hold your position!"
"Ready to fire!"
The distance continued to shorten, and the shouts became more and more urgent. Alves felt that his heartbeat was accelerating, as if it was about to jump out of his chest.
"Raise the mainsail!"
"pull!"
Intense orders are constantly being transmitted, like two wild beasts, the fleets of both sides adjust each other's best entry points for battle.
The wind direction has become the most important factor for every captain. Being able to quickly pass through the enemy ships and launch a fatal bombardment is the key to naval battles. The first bombardment is so important, just like on the land battlefield, the musketeer is the first
The timing of firing a bullet is also so important, because both the gunner and the gunner need a long time to load the shells.
Finally, the two fleets adjusted their angles. They were about to intersect and face the enemy's direction. The gun holes on the right side of the Rose were opened neatly, and fifteen heavy artillery were pushed out.