Under the command of a first-class officer and the control of a first-class crew, the most powerful transport ship of the Federation Army landed on solid ground with the agility of cormorant fishing. Weiss originally thought that this was a race of life and death, a race of different kinds, but as soon as the transport ship landed, an extremely unfriendly voice came from above, and the dazzling light immediately bloomed in the deep night sky...... For the federal officers and soldiers, this sudden flare is like a burglar accidentally triggering an alarm bell, although it does not mean that they are immediately finished, or that they are immediately cornered, but everyone can't help but feel nervous, frightened, and overwhelmed.

Before the flares had faded, the cannonballs struck through the air, and even though it was only a lone lightweight shell, the flames and black smoke that leapt up made Weiss's heart tremble. He hurriedly looked around, and soon found the "culprit" on the lake: a small surface ship, a patrol gunboat operating on the lake!

As the transports flew over the lake, Weiss was so focused on the enemy flying battleship that he ignored the possible threats on the lake. Logically, the special forces had already cleared out all kinds of enemy forces before they swept the town and the lakeside docks, and they had been transferred from the organization to the transport ships, and for more than an hour, the remaining defenders of the town had either slipped away or managed to destroy, how could they hide so deeply and cunning enemies? However, when he thought about it, there was indeed a logical possibility: it was a small lake, and the other side of the lake was inhabited. Since the town is a special area, the garrison must take control of the entire lake and carry out vigilance patrols in a feasible way - it is very likely that a gunboat left the town on patrol duty, thus evading the surprise attack of the federal special forces. Sensing that something was wrong, or returning from the voyage, the crew spotted the Union transport, and then used flares to detect the enemy and attack with naval guns.

So far, Weiss has not trapped himself in chagrin and self-blame, but calmly judged the situation. As far as the current situation is concerned, the biggest threat is not the enemy gunboats on the lake, nor the enemy frigates that are still far away, but the "demons in the heart". He knew that Major Harleggs had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders and was under a lot of pressure, and he also noticed his hesitation and hesitation, and at this time, he had to use both hard and soft means to coerce the Major to keep his composure: he drew his pistol and said, "Don't worry, I'll deal with the enemy", but his body stood honestly, and the muzzle of the gun only needed to be slightly deflected to aim at the Major......

The Major looked at the gun in his hand and knew that it wasn't just for the enemy. Although he should do his best to ensure that the transport plane can return for the sake of self-centeredness, he cannot be alone in the current situation. So, he said to Weiss, "Well, let's hope we're not too unlucky!" ”

"The brave wins!" Weiss encouraged, "We must fight bravely, and victory must be ours!" ”

It wasn't until Octavier arrived in the command room that Weiss hurried to the gun emplacements on the side of the transport, and joined the crew in the battle. With the development of aircraft technology, the threat of combat aircraft has surpassed that of previous flying warships, so special transport ships must also be equipped with weapons that can deal with enemy aircraft, including machine guns, machine guns and some light rapid-fire guns. Before coming, Weiss had already learned in detail about the weapons configuration and technical parameters of these transports, and he knew very well what he could use and do now. In his special vision, the gunboat on the lake was not very powerful, and it was estimated from the combat values that it was a light artillery gun plus two or three machine guns and machine guns, and there were more than a dozen combatants. Perhaps, they had rushed back before the arrival of the transport, and found that the town had been occupied, and with their little combat power, it was not enough for the attackers to stuff their teeth, so they chose to observe secretly, and when they found out that the enemy transports were coming, they saw that the posture was to directly rescue the important mission from here, and they didn't care so much......

Weiss reported clear shooting parameters, and the crew did so, although they did not know how he had determined the direction and distance of the target in the dark night. The machine guns roared, but after a round of fire, there was no loss from the enemy ships in the special field of view, which meant that their shells never hit. This large-caliber cannon, which uses magazine-fed ammunition, has a theoretical range of more than 10,000 feet, and is powerful enough to penetrate any current aircraft or combat vehicle. Now it seems that its combat play did not reach the optimal level of theory.

After using flares to detect the enemy, the Norman gunboat's shells continued to fire at a rate of two to three rounds per minute. Because of the distance, their shooting was not accurate, but the shells fell into the town and became an out-and-out murder weapon. Those who are ready to leave, those who decide to stay, as long as they are targeted by this shell, may die at any time. Weiss had no choice but to direct the crew to shoot while hoping that the remaining target personnel and special service officers and men would be able to board the ship as soon as possible. After a while, Octavir suddenly appeared next to him.

"How's it going?"

"We're trying to get the situation under control." Weiss replied, "We're not facing a very good enemy, but we can't afford to make any mistakes, and if something goes wrong with the power or other systems, we're in trouble." I'm staring here, don't worry...... Gotta keep them calm and wait for the guys to come up before they take off. ”

Before we knew it, the evacuation was nearing its end, the non-combatants had boarded the ship, and some of the Special Forces officers and men on guard on the perimeter of the town were arriving from all directions. The battleship began to shake, indicating that its levitation system was working, but fortunately it did not climb immediately, but left the ground at an extremely slow pace, and the hatches continued to remain open during the process, and the officers and men of the special forces continued to arrive and board the battleship.

The enemy's gunboat on the lake, although it could not be accurately aimed and positioned, fired more and more, and the first hit appeared: a whistling shell hit the front of the transport. A shell of this power would not destroy the main structure of the transport, but it would be enough to open a hole in the shell, which would cause damage to the equipment and casualties inside.

This shell hardly posed any threat to Weiss's gun position. He had no time to probe the damage to his own transports. With the ground personnel basically on board, the number one threat is enemy gunboats on the lake, and the second threat is enemy cruisers that are constantly approaching from the sky. The transport ship quickly left the surface and flew to the other side of the lake as originally planned. In this way, they began to get closer to the enemy surface gunboat that was firing and sneaking up. Weiss commanded the crew to lower the muzzle of the guns, while beckoning the gunners of several other guns to open fire on the target. The crews also realized that their target was getting closer, and they could finally beat each other up, so they manipulated their weapons and fired at the spot on the lake where the cannon flames flickered.

After a while, Weiss observed that the enemy gunboats began to show damage, and the abominable artillery fire stopped. Although this short battle did not delay the transfer, it caused a psychological shock to everyone here, making the atmosphere extremely tense. Before Weiss could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard the whistling of cannonballs in the sky. He knew that his transport was about to come within range of another enemy ship. It's a real flying battleship, a threat not to be underestimated!

After the threat from the lake was resolved, Weiss and Octavir returned to the command room, and Major Harleggs didn't seem to have a good expression, could it be that there was an argument with Octavir just now? Regardless of the difference in position, everyone is a grasshopper on a rope at this time, and it is only right to work together and pray that no bad luck will appear.

Seeing the two of them come in, Major Halegos stared at Weiss and said angrily: "The enemy ship is coming faster than we thought, with your ability, you should be able to judge it!" ”

The answer was yes, but Weiss did not admit it, but defended: "I have never received formal training in the flying unit, and all my previous judgments were based on the observation and judgment of a soldier, but people make mistakes, and I am no exception." ”

The major looked very dissatisfied: "However, every judgment and decision you make is related to hundreds of lives here. Whether it's the target you rescued at great cost, or our own officers and soldiers, it's all tied to it. ”

Weiss deliberately changed the subject: "My eyesight is indeed better than that of ordinary people, and I can see farther places, but the effect is definitely not as good as that of the best telescopes." Regardless of whether the enemy flying battleship was an old ship or a new one, we continued to fly forward as planned, and when we had gained sufficient speed and altitude, we flew in a circle to the north, so that the enemy could not fathom our course. ”

This suggestion was objective, but the major showed the pride and responsibility of the commander of the transport ship: "Okay, you don't have to worry about this, I will be responsible for the rest of the situation." ”

Weiss and Octavier looked at each other, and what the other said was reasonable. According to the original plan, once all the personnel were on the transport ship, it was true that the commander of the transport ship should take over. However, they did not intend to leave the command room, but continued to stay here and wait and see.

After a while, the night sky was once again illuminated by the glow of flares, apparently fired from the Norman flying ship. When the naked eye adjusted to this dazzling light, Weiss suddenly noticed wisps of black smoke floating outside the command room, which made people nervous. Immediately afterwards, an officer came to report that an enemy shell had damaged the oil tank in the forward part of the starboard side of the transport, which subsequently caused a fire. The crew is putting out the fire, and the problem shouldn't be too big.

The flying warships of this era are essentially the same as those surface ships of the industrial age in the history of the earth's civilization that Weiss knows, and they are essentially the same except for the floating power part. Flying warships need to have the ability to shoot in all directions, and at the same time, they need to consider the protection capabilities of all directions, so the fuel bunkers that can play a certain protective role are also placed between the outer wall and the inner compartment. Fuel bunkers are punctured, starting a fire is one of the most common situations in combat, and the problem can be big or small. In addition to the fire itself, the loss of fuel on the transport ship also has a certain impact on the flight route and strategic decisions.