"All gun positions, armor-piercing shell loading!"

"Gun position No. 1, armor-piercing shells reloaded!"

"Gun position No. 2, armor-piercing shells are loaded!"

"Each gun commander, the horizontal firing angle is zero, the longitudinal firing angle is positive 20, and the shooting elements are corrected!"

"The first gun position is corrected!"

"The second gun position is corrected!"

"Shooting Preparation ......"

Such a powerful command resounded in the port turret of the "Purple Star", the flagship of the Wessex Royal Fleet. Since the birth of flying warships, the guns mounted on the broadside are mostly gun-shaped single-mounted guns, and occasionally turret-type single-mounted guns, and it was not until the later part of the last war that countries began to design turret-type twin guns on the side in order to further the firepower of capital ships. For example, the Amethyst class of the Kingdom of Wessex, the Vermilon class and the Norman class of the Norman Empire, and the loyalty class of the Ulster Free Federation have all successfully achieved the dual installation of the main guns of the whole ship.

Boom...... Boom...... Boom...... Boom......

With the order of the firing commander, the four pairs of twin main guns on the bow, the front main deck, and the left and right sides of the "Purple Star" let out an earth-shattering roar one after another. A flying battleship of such a large size trembled violently under the roar of this heavy artillery, and there was a noticeable delay in the state of sailing at a constant speed.

The thunderous roar of heavy artillery gradually dissipated, and in the flagship command room, most of the Wessex officers, led by Admiral Brasigliano, stared intently ahead.

Judging by the silhouette and external features, there are three Norman battleships in sight, two of the Vermillon class and one of the Wallleg-class. They are armed with guns that are inferior in power and range to the VK-73 naval guns of the "Purple Star". The "Purple Star" opened fire close to the limit of the range, and of course they had only a dry stare.

"At what distance did the Norman armored ships use 'devil's bombs'?" Blasigliano asked in a very calm tone.

Chief of Staff Ljajch immediately replied: "According to the report of the 'Luoshan', the Norman armored ship used the 'devil's bomb' at a distance of 35,000 feet, and from what we have observed, the enemy's 'devil's bomb' has very accurately found the original position of our combat fleet, and then flew about 5,000 feet before it began to fall. In this way, the ultimate range of the 'Devil's Bomb' is about 40,000 feet. ”

"40,000 ......feet," said Brasigliano thoughtfully, "we must keep our distance from the Norman fleet, avoid closing to within 45,000 feet, and use the numerical superiority of our heavy artillery to drag them down." As soon as the Norman battleships launched a surprise attack, the ships immediately concentrated their firepower to attack. ”

"It's a great idea." Lyajic responded, "I'll go and pass on the order." ”

Brasigliano nodded in approval, and as they spoke, Captain Berenguer roared, "It's in the frame!" Good job! ”

"Into the frame" is a special term used by the Wessex Air Force, which means that the shells fired hit the vertical section of the enemy's flying ship. If the opponent adopts a multi-column battle formation, it is not very difficult for artillery shells to "enter the frame", and from "entering the frame" to "hitting", there may be only one round of artillery fire, which may be far away.

The gray-haired fleet commander picked up his binoculars and took a look: "Good job, boys, Dentz, keep shooting!" ”

Berenger immediately ordered in a tone of one degree higher: "Attention! The front main gun continues to shoot at the enemy! ”

Next, the "Purple Star" fired two rounds of artillery fire at a steady rate, and the shells were all "in the frame", and when it was ready to fire the fourth round, the three Norman battleships in the distance finally appeared in the scene of cannon flames and gunsmoke, and the Mountains-class and Champion-class battleships in the Wessex fleet also joined the increasingly powerful artillery battle. Large-caliber naval guns fired heavy shells, in groups of six or eight, streaked across the sky in an arc visible to the naked eye, and then fell with a short, high-pitched whistling.

As the shots were corrected and the distances were shortened, the "middle frame" of the shells became commonplace, and soon the first unlucky ones to be hit by artillery fire appeared: the Norman battleship in the head position of the snake was hit by a blow in the head, and the shell hit the bow and the main gun on the foredeck, piercing the outer armor and exploding inside. Although the armor-piercing shells had limited explosive power and failed to penetrate the front ammunition depot of the Norman battleship and kill them in a beautiful one-hit, it was enough to demoralize the Normans and cheer the officers and men of the Wessex fleet......

On the battlefield, the two fleets approached at a relative speed of more than 12,000 feet per minute, and only two minutes later, the number of battleships and the output of artillery fire were superior, and the Wessex fleet, which was the first to damage the opposing flagship, actually turned first, but instead of retreating in a hurry, they deflected to the right in an orderly manner. In the process, the relatively fragile thrusters must be exposed to the opponent's field of vision, but the right deflection angle can maximize the protection of this weakness and avoid the opponent's most dense forward fire......

55,000 feet away from the enemy, the Wessex fleet commanded by Brasigliano finally completed the turn neatly, the new route and the flight line of the Norman fleet were at an angle of 60 degrees, and the distance between the two sides slowed down significantly, and after changing the relative direction, the mutual bombardment of the two fleets was also "gentle" Although the first-level secondary guns of the battleships of the two sides also joined the battle, but in the heavyweight PK of battleships against battleships, the secondary guns were not able to catch both the momentum and the damage output.

In the command room of the "Purple Star", the atmosphere was no longer what it was at the beginning of the battle. Even an elegant general like Ljajic is sweating on his forehead and his muscles are protruding at this moment. He stayed near the microphone, lest he miss his subordinates' reports because of the noise inside and out.

"50,000 feet from the enemy!" The staff officer received the report from the lookout and immediately reported loudly to Ljajc.

Ljajic turned his head to look at Brasigliano: "50,000 feet!" ”

The fleet commander did not speak, but stood in front of the observation window with a staring eyebrow. Suddenly, a black shadow like lightning flashed in front of the command room, it was a cannonball fired by an enemy ship. If its trajectory deviates by more than ten feet, it will hit the battleship's command room from the side, and if it can't penetrate the external armor of the command room, it will be enough to stun the officers inside.

Almost everyone gasped at the sight of enemy shells flying under their noses, but Brasigliano was unmoved. After a few moments, he said to Lyajic in a firm tone: "Command, full speed ahead!" ”

Previously, in order to maintain the battle formation when the fleet turned as a whole, the ships were ordered to reduce their speed to 40 meters, which was only two-thirds of the maximum speed of battleships and half the maximum speed of cruisers and frigates. At this time, increasing the speed of the fleet can not only delay the speed of the distance between the two sides, rush past the closest point of the track of the two sides as soon as possible, but also play a role in avoiding enemy artillery fire. As soon as the flagship command was issued, the "Pershan" in the Wessex fleet array was suddenly struck, and a shell from an enemy battleship hit its port side amidships, piercing the armor and exploding inside the ship. Although the power of the explosion was average and the surface destructive power was very small, a moment later, strange dust and smoke erupted from the two large chimneys of the battleship, which not only slowed down the speed, but also decreased the flight altitude!

"47,000 feet from the enemy!" Ljajic reported loudly, "The 'Pershan' seems to have a damaged power system and is breaking away from our queue!" ”

The command room could not directly observe the situation behind the battleship, and for the first time since the beginning of the battle, Brasigliano showed signs of restlessness. He frowned tightly, thinking about what to do next with the damaged "Pershan", a member of the Range-class battleships, second only to the Amethyst class in combat power among the various types of battleships in the Wessex royal fleet. If a "Pershan" can be exchanged for a complete victory, this price can be borne by the kingdoms of Brasigliano and Wessex, but the battle has not yet been decided, and the Norman fleet still has a hand to kill, at this time it is not wise to let a capital ship go.

After thinking for a moment, Brasigliano commanded in a hurried voice: "Inquire about the damage to the 'Pershan' immediately!" If the flight system is struggling to keep it running, allow it to make a forced landing! ”

When the chief of staff of the fleet conveyed the order, Brasigliano walked quickly to the left-hand porthole and inspected the battlefield with a solemn face. The Norman fleet still did not change its overall course, and the two armored ships in the battle queue did not behave abnormally for the time being, except for frequent fire, but as the distance between the two fleets continued to close, the Wessex veteran was very anxious.

At the moment when Admiral Brasigliano was most worried, the double superiority of the Wessex fleet in numbers and firepower suddenly became apparent, and the three battleships of the Norman fleet were shot and caught fire one after another in less than a minute, and the Vermillon-class battleships in the serpentine position and flying the flagship flag of the fleet had been shot multiple times, leaving several obvious wounds on the hull, and the main guns in the bow seemed to have been muted.

Unlike the disarrays of the Norman fleet, only the "Pershan" was damaged in the Royal Wessex fleet commanded by Brasigliano, and the remaining four battleships and one assault ship were basically in a state of full health. If it weren't for the fear of the enemy's "devil's bomb", Brasigliano would have led the fleet to pounce on it and kill the opponent.

After a while, the voice of the chief of staff of the fleet, Ljajć, sounded in his ears again: "Sir, the 'Pershan' needs to be forced to land, and there are ...... The enemy fleet is only 43,000 feet away from us! ”

Brasigliano resolutely ordered: "Ignore the 'Pershan' for now, the fleet as a whole will turn 15 to the right, and when the distance from the Norman fleet is widened, turn back 30." During this time, artillery fire attacked the enemy flagship in full force! ”

Ljajic was about to give the order, but he heard Captain Berengue exclaim: "Attention! The enemy has launched a 'Devil's Bomb'! ”

Brasigliano was taken aback, and Ljajic followed him to the left-hand porthole. Following the gray-white smoke trails in the sky, it can be seen that more than a dozen powerful "devil bombs" have been dropped, and the vehicles that cast these deadly weapons are not the two armored ships, but the four cruisers that entered the firing position at some point.

Although they have made relatively full psychological and tactical preparations, at this moment, whether it is Brasigliano, Ljajic or Berenger, they are all nervous and frightened, you must know that those seemingly inconspicuous "devil bombs" have the amazing power of a shot into the soul, and if they are used properly, they will definitely have the effect of reversing the situation!