In the Name of Empress-Chapter 360 - 246: Sussex Needs Everyone to Fulfill Their Duties
Naval battles are completely different from land battles.
Naval traditions need hundreds of years of accumulation to form.
Bridges stood at the command post, and the moment he drew his sword, it was as if the legendary naval commanders of Sussex’s long history were possessing him.
At this moment, he represented the naval tradition of Sussex.
This was a battle for the Fourth Fleet to reclaim its dignity, with no retreat and no room for failure.
The Imperial Navy, engage whenever faced with an enemy!
Full sail, set off!
Although the enemy had a numerical advantage in battleships, with their main battleships on the battle line almost doubling ours, and their flagship Valmy having a displacement of nearly six thousand tons, dubbed an unsinkable fortress at sea, he felt no fear.
Since Monarch was launched, it had never been defeated.
This was his confidence.
The Imperial Navy’s invincibility relied not only on bravery and fearlessness but also on superb naval combat techniques.
Today he was going to teach Vernaf a good lesson.
This lesson was called courage and determination.
The naval cannons of this era were primarily front-loaded solid shells, with their lethality coming from massive impact force.
The cannons were precision-designed and arranged in compartments on both sides of the ship, maximizing lateral fire output.
Solid shells striking the hull would cause irreversible damage.
When the damage accumulated to a certain extent, the ship would capsize and sink.
Based on the features of battleships, naval battles of this era always followed one principle: seize the T-advantage.
Whoever could swing their fleet across with their broadside facing the enemy could easily win.
This was common knowledge in naval warfare.
But today, Bridges wasn’t planning on seizing the T-advantage at all.
Though he was confident in victory, he would not underestimate the enemy.
The Jin Yuan Fleet’s overall strength was inferior to the Sussex Navy, but in this part of the sea, they held the upper hand.
After carefully observing the wind direction and currents, and considering the number of warships and the quality of sailors on both sides, Bridges quickly calculated the result.
The probability of successfully seizing the T-advantage was less than 20%.
If the attempt to seize the T-advantage failed, this naval battle would become a one-sided massacre.
He would not only lose the naval battle and his life, but also ruin the Imperial Navy’s undefeated reputation, being forever nailed to the pillar of shame.
He had a family, and he couldn’t lose, so he had to take an unexpected approach.
Since there was no T-advantage, just abandon it altogether.
Bridges ordered the entire fleet to arrange the main battleships in a single line, full sails unfurled, to reach maximum speed.
This was an order that defied naval warfare principles.
In the age of sail, speed and maneuverability were contradictory.
Achieving maximum speed made adjusting course and fleet formation extremely difficult.
But Bridges had no intention of adjusting course at all.
He let the fastest Third Class Battleship, Perth, take the lead.
This battleship served as a meat shield and bait, very likely to be riddled by the enemy’s volleys.
Perth’s Captain Grelinn wasn’t a fool, he naturally understood this.
Grelinn used signal flags to inquire if the order was mistaken, and Bridges gave an affirmative reply.
"Victory requires everyone’s courage and sacrifice. I can’t guarantee your safety, but I promise that your merits won’t go unnoticed after our victory."
Perth’s Captain paused in silence, then responded with signal flags.
"Understood, General!"
He knew very well that this charge was likely the end of his military career, but he didn’t refuse.
Bridge’s honesty dispelled any slight resentment he might have had.
As a soldier, dying of old age on a sickbed was the ultimate shame.
He could die, but he wouldn’t die in vain.
He understood General Bridges, and he also understood Governor Roland.
As long as they could win, his merits would not be buried.
Although he himself couldn’t enjoy the title he earned, he had a family, he had children.
And that was enough.
The Lando Clan would flourish in the future, and his descendants would remember his name, Grelinn Lando.
Captain Grelinn turned to look ahead, tidying his neat uniform and adjusting his hat, smiling as he watched the enemy warships emerging on the horizon.
He was a neat-freak, and even after being at sea for one and a half months, his uniform remained crisp and clean.
Not that he was particularly industrious, but his attendants wished to avoid lashes.
Heading to the final feast named death, naturally, he had to be impeccably dressed, like an untouchable gentleman.
He raised his sword and issued the acceleration command.
Full sail, with a tailwind, pushed the Perth to its highest speed since its launch.
12.5 knots.
In an era where the maximum speed was generally 8-10 knots, this speed was akin to Bolt participating in a sports meet at a physical education school.
The Jin Yuan Fleet wanted to seize the T-advantage and maintain strict formation, meaning they had to constantly adjust the sail direction, making their speed far from rapid.
The entire fleet had to maintain formation while turning, generally keeping their speed at around 6 knots.
This speed was already their limit during a grand fleet maneuver, showcasing the strength of the Jin Yuan Fleet.
Their commander, Vernaf, stood in the control room of the flagship Valmy, calmly observing the sea through his binoculars.
He saw the Perth charging like a sword.
He was stunned.
Wasn’t the approach incorrect? Or was he just too tired lately?
Vernaf was a bit puzzled. He put down the binoculars and rubbed his eyes vigorously. Confirming his mental state was normal, he raised the binoculars again.
A Sussex battleship was indeed charging at full speed.
He wasn’t mistaken.
Though sure he hadn’t made a mistake, Vernaf was even more bewildered.
The enemy’s completely unorthodox tactics had thrown all his plans into disarray.
In his script, the Sussex Fourth Fleet was a hateful yet respectable enemy, and even with fewer ships, they would create massive unpredictability for him.
He had thought not only about how to annihilate the Sussex Navy after gaining the T-advantage but also how to adjust formation if unable to secure the T-advantage.
He had thought of everything, except that the opponent wouldn’t scramble for T advantage.
The feeling of carefully descending the stairs only to step into air is truly awful.
Stunned for several seconds, Vernaf’s face instantly turned red.
The opponent’s completely reckless actions made him feel deeply insulted. This humiliation must be washed away with the enemy’s blood.
Suppressing his anger, he gave orders to the messenger beside him.
"Maintain formation, continue to seize T advantage, no premature firing without my orders."
Although he couldn’t comprehend why the Sussex people would act so foolishly, he wouldn’t stop the enemy from committing suicide.
The rules of naval warfare remain unchanged; T advantage allows one to act at will. This blood-stained lesson comes from hundreds of years of naval history.
No scramble for T advantage, playing tricks?
There were those who tried to be clever in naval battles before, but they were all harshly educated by cannons.
He thought General Bridges was a famous commander of the Sussex Navy, but it turned out to be a fool.
The enemy’s foolishness made Vernaf feel somewhat uninterested.
The victory was too easily achieved, hardly satisfying him.
The sea breeze gently blew, waves surged.
Over fifty main battleships on both sides incessantly approached each other, while numerous auxiliary warships began to chase and fight around the peripheries.
Cruisers and destroyers had no right to line up against battleships.
Their task was to expel enemy small warships, gather intelligence, and launch sneak attacks when the opportunity arose.
Ultimately, the decisive factor in the war would be the main battleships.
The Perth Ship was drawing closer and closer to the Jin Yuan Fleet.
As the distance closed, the captains of both ships could see each other’s expressions through their telescopes.
Vernaf saw Captain Grelinn’s face.
He sensed something was amiss.
The opposing captain’s expression was calm, without any signs of anger, frustration, or desperation.
He was as composed as if attending a royal banquet.
Vernaf’s fury was ignited.
He couldn’t understand, on what basis did the enemy gain confidence?
He tried hard to calm himself, not letting negative emotions take over.
No matter how you sliced it, the numbers of main battleships were 34:18, and he had the advantage.
Moreover, the enemy’s flagship, the Monarch, had barely half the displacement of his flagship, the Valmy.
And with the advantage of snatching T being certain, he simply didn’t know how he could lose.
"All ships focus fire on the Perth Ship, sink her!"
Of course, he understood what the Sussex people intended to do—charge in for a boarding battle.
There are always fools who think their ship can outrun cannonballs; they have to be shown otherwise.
Once the Perth Ship is blasted into pieces, the Sussex people’s morale would waver. Their general might have unique ideas, but the soldiers don’t care about those; they’d only think their commander was an idiot.
Without confidence, how could they continue the fight?
This many battleships fired together, and the Perth Ship would undoubtedly sink.
Vernaf had every confidence in this outcome.
As Vernaf issued his orders, Bridges was calmly observing the battle situation.
He wasn’t focusing on the opposing commander but rather on the enemy warships’ gun barrels.
Upon seeing the cannons of the enemy ships swivel and aim at the Perth Ship, he exhaled a long breath.
Grelinn, my friend, your sacrifice will not be in vain.
He murmured.
He would insist before the Governor to award the first merit of this battle to Grelinn and all the sailors of the Perth Ship.
This was what they deserved.
Fortunately, every one of their records was well-documented, with a copy kept in the Imperial Archives and another at the Governor’s Mansion in Hansa City, ensuring their sacrifices would not be in vain.
Thinking about some of the young lads without families, Bridges fell silent.
The distance between the two fleets was shrinking rapidly, and the Perth Ship finally surged into the Jin Yuan Fleet’s range.
"Accelerate!"
After issuing his final command, Captain Grelinn adjusted his military cap, wearing a gentleman’s smile at the corners of his mouth.
The ear-piercing roar and the sharp whistle of shells tearing through the air arrived.
He couldn’t see how many shells there were, but he knew there wouldn’t be few.
He tightly gripped his sword, with the tip pointing directly at the Valmy, his roar drowned out by the waves, wild winds, and bombardment.
The area where shells landed was vast, with the majority splashing into the sea, throwing up giant water columns.
The hit rate of naval guns in this era was very low. But after all, it was a salvo of hundreds of cannons, so accuracy didn’t matter.
The Perth Ship wasn’t too unlucky, only hit by five shells.
But Grelinn’s luck was terrible; one shell hit squarely on him, turning him into a mist of blood.
The first officer took over command without changing his expression.
He stood in Grelinn’s spot, picked up Grelinn’s sword, and continued giving orders to advance.
Vernaf ordered callously for the reloading speed to accelerate and to continue the salvo.
The Perth Ship’s speed was slowing down, and with just a few more rounds, it could be sent to the seabed.
The caliber and firepower of naval guns far exceeded army cannons, but the downside was a much slower loading speed.
While the Jin Yuan Fleet frantically loaded, the Perth Ship was getting ever closer.
This was a charge driven by courage, but also a reckless action leading them into the abyss of death.
The second and third rounds of salvos came quickly.
The loading speed of the Jin Yuan people was far faster than regular warships.
The main mast of the Perth Ship was hit, and its speed decreased further, almost akin to a target ship.
The hit rate of the Jin Yuan people was also increasing.
The captain of the Perth Ship, the first officer, the second officer, and the third officer, all perished, leaving the ship without command and more than half of the sailors were casualties.
But they needed no command.
All the sailors watched as their comrades beside them fell one by one, blood boiling, with no intention of retreating.
Their only target was the Jin Yuan flagship, the Valmy.
