Betty, Xu Zhenpeng, Shen Honglie and others fell on the bridge one after another, and at this moment, the 406-mm main gun of the battleship "Republic" also opened fire, accompanied by a thunderous sound, and earth-shattering explosions were heard in the distance.

Betty felt dizzy from hitting her head on the armor plate when she fell, but when he heard an explosion in the distance, he jumped to his feet, followed the sound anxiously, and immediately saw the roaring fire rising there.

"Fight well, just hit them to hell," Betty shouted excitedly as she saw the figure of the German battleship that had been shot.

At this time, the "Constitution" behind the "Republic" also found the target and opened fire with the "Republic", and then the "Free Spirit" also began to shoot at the enemy ships.

The 406 mm giant shells hit the German ship one after another, and the German ship's hull continued to rise with huge flames, Betty anxiously raised the telescope, but suddenly felt a thin stream above her head flow down her forehead, blurring the lens of the telescope.

Betty subconsciously wiped it with his hand, and his fingers were immediately stained with blood, and he realized that he was injured, and an officer saw this, and while shouting for the doctor, he covered the wound on the top of Betty's head with a white handkerchief.

Betty didn't feel the slightest movement of his subordinates, he wiped the blood on the telescope barrel with his sleeve, and raised the telescope again, by this time the six Chinese battleships had already opened fire on the enemy ships, and the shells rained down on the German ships, which had completely lost their ability to resist at this time, and became a pile of scrap steel floating on the sea.

In the face of such powerful firepower, no warship can withstand such a blow.

Despite the terrible artillery fire, the German ship still stubbornly stopped on the sea and refused to sink, and the sturdiness of the German warship really opened the eyes of the Chinese sailors.

"The destroyer USS 'SEAL' sent a telegram saying that the enemy ship was the 'Border Count.'" An officer reported to Betty that "the enemy ship has lost its combat capacity, and the 'SEAL' intends to torpedo it." ”

"Well" Betty did not want to waste any more shells on the enemy ship, which had already lost its combat effectiveness, so she ordered the battleships to stop firing and let the destroyers launch torpedo attacks instead.

Although Betty knew by now that she had an absolute advantage in power, Betty still maintained a trace of due vigilance against the four "Byne"-class battleships that had not yet appeared.

As a skilled admiral, Betty was also very clear about the ammunition and fuel consumption of the Chinese battleships after a long battle.

"The 'Seals,' the 'Sea Lion,' and the 'Strong' are heading towards enemy ships." An officer reported.

"Let's go, let's see what's going on with the Japanese." Betty lifted her wrist, lifted her blood-soaked sleeve, and looked at the time indicated on her watch, "I hope the remaining capital ships of the Germans are all there." ”

"We're afraid our fuel won't last long." An officer reminded Betty, who was belligerent and even a little reckless, that "we are just enough to return home." ”

"It's a big deal to let the cruiser drag us back," Betty said fiercely, wiping the blood from her forehead with a handkerchief.

At this time, the British destroyer "SEAL" had approached the "Border Earl", which was floating helplessly on the sea.

"Oh my God"

Seeing the dying "Border Earl", a British naval officer on the "SEAL" who was in charge of observation couldn't help but sigh loudly.

At this time, the hull of the "Border Count" had been so shattered that it had almost lost its original shape, and thick black smoke was constantly spewing violently outward from all places. The superstructure of the ship's surface, chimneys, masts, bridges, etc., were all knocked out by artillery fire. Under the thick smoke, on the gloomy and gray hull of the ship, you can see red tongues of fire jumping high. However, it was not the smoke or the fire that attracted the attention of the British, but the huge columns of water that rose one after another around the "Border Count". In the distance, the main and secondary guns of six Chinese battleships were pouring a large number of shells on it. The "Border Count", covered in bruises, did not for a moment not be surrounded by a column of water that had nearly missed bullets. The dense rain of bullets made it impossible for the British destroyer to get close, and the people on the destroyer tried not to pay attention to the dazzling surface of the sea and to observe it as closely as possible. At this time, the British saw another kind of situation: on the battered hull of the "Border Count", from the bow to the stern, shells were exploding one after another, and the smoke of the fire was spewing outward like a volcanic eruption. The British could clearly see that all the main turrets of the "Earl of the Border" were finished, and the roof of one turret had been completely removed, and the muzzle of the other was raised high, while the muzzle of the other turret hung weakly to the maximum depression angle. However, in a place near the stern of the ship, one of the guns was still firing. It shot shell after shell at a dimly blurred Chinese battleship in the distance, and the British saw that, in the midst of the fire and smoke, some German sailors were still desperately trying to load, aim and shoot...,

Soon, one by one, the Chinese battleships stopped shelling, the sea became quiet, and the "Seal" boldly approached the "Border Count", and at the moment when it rushed closer, the British saw an amazing sight, and there were still many figures on the "Border Count" shaking there, they were still incredibly alive in the continuous explosions and rising flames, these people climbed over the dilapidated deck, jumped from the blazing battleship into the rolling sea.

At this time, the crew of the "SEAL" witnessed the highest performance of the navy of this era, and witnessed how the warship, which had inflicted great damage on the British Navy in the Battle of Jutland, was destroyed by a high concentration of powerful firepower. At this time, the British could not help but feel bitter in their hearts that such a powerful force came from a warship of the Chinese, whom they had always looked down on.

By the time the Seal and several other British destroyers approached the Border Earl, the Border Count was already in flames, thick smoke, and in tatters. The huge hull is slowly sinking. "Seal" fired two torpedoes at close range at the starboard side of the "Border Count". Immediately after that, the destroyer "Strong" went around the port side of the "Border Count" and fired two torpedoes, accompanied by four loud bangs, the huge hull of the "Border Count" turned over and sank under the waves of the North Sea in the thick smoke, leaving only countless floating debris and German naval officers and sailors struggling desperately on the water.

"The Border Count has been sunk, sir."

An officer reported to Betty, who was wrapped around her head like a Muslim, and Betty's mouth showed a cruel smile, and he nodded, and ordered the fleet to sail in the direction of the fierce battle of the Japanese fleet.

"Let's see who the Japanese have encountered."

"Vice Admiral Berne's fleet has returned," a staff officer reported to Betty, "and they had engaged in a brief exchange of fire with four German battleships before losing their target." ”

After listening to the staff officer's report, Betty, who had become excited about sinking three enemy ships in succession, turned gloomy again.

"I'll never be able to forgive myself if I let them go." Betty looked at the watch on her wrist, looked at the subordinates around her, and said in a deep voice, "Let's hurry up and act, gentlemen"

Several officers were busy giving orders, and soon, the massive body of the battleship "Republic" began to turn and sail in the direction where the Japanese fleet was located.

"We hit them"

On the bridge of the "King", Vice Admiral Barnke held a telescope and said while observing the battle situation.

At this time, a huge column of smoke was rising high from the "Ibuki".

Captain Brauninghouse saw the same thing through his binoculars.

"It was a Japanese warship." Brauninghouse said, "If I'm not mistaken, it's the 'Ibuki.'" ”

"It's a large armored cruiser, but the Japanese seem to have thought of it as a battle cruiser." Vice Admiral Barnke put down the binoculars in his hand and sneered, "It's the first time I've seen a battle cruiser running so slowly. ”

"If we had one more main turret that could be used, we could have sunk it just now." Brauninghouse's words could not hide a deep sense of regret.

Because the "King" had been fighting hard with the Chinese battleship for a long time and had suffered extremely heavy losses, when it was easy to get rid of the pursuit of the enemy ships and came to Helgoland Bay, only one main turret could still be used, and at this time the "King" happened to encounter the Japanese fleet that had come to intercept it, and the Germans, who had already put life and death behind their minds, were discovered by the Japanese fleet and immediately opened fire, and the Japanese cruisers, which had been knocked out by the German ships, immediately scattered and fledThe ship stepped forward to launch a fierce attack on the German ship, but did not expect that not only did it not pick it up, but let the Germans repair it fiercely. …,

At the beginning of the artillery battle, the 350-mm main guns of the battleship "King" accurately hit the "Kurama", turning its ship into a sea of fire, and the two main turrets of the "Kurama" were all abolished.

Although the "King" now has only two 350-mm guns that can be used, the power of the German large-caliber armor-piercing blasting shells is beyond the capacity of the "thin-skinned" "quasi-battle patrol" like the "Ibuki", and although the 305-mm main guns of the "Ibuki" have repeatedly hit the scarred "King", they have never been able to inflict real fatal damage on the "King" because of the insufficient power of the shells. And after being hit by two 350-mm shells fired by the "King", the "Ibuki", like the "Kurama", hurriedly pulled smoke and fled for their lives. If it weren't for the fact that the "King" was seriously injured and difficult to pursue, these two Japanese "quasi-battle cruisers" would have hung here.

"There's no news of the flagship yet, right? Quite a few words"

Looking at the Japanese warship that disappeared into the fog with fire and smoke, Vice Admiral Barnke asked.

"Nope." Captain Brauninghouse shook his head, "We haven't received any signal since we separated from them. ”

Hearing Brauninghouse's answer, Lieutenant General Barnke's face showed a hint of inexplicable relief.

"That means they might come home safely." Vice Admiral Barnke said, "We have finally saved the fire of the High Seas Fleet. ”

"But what's the use?" Brauninghouse sighed, "This battle shows that we have lost our supremacy of the sea, and we are back to before the Battle of Jutland, while our enemies are stronger. ”

"The Chinese battleships are not invincible, and when our 'Kaiser Wilhelm' class battleships and 'York' class battlecruisers are launched, we will achieve another Jutland-like victory and regain sea supremacy." Lieutenant General Barnke said with confidence.

"Enemy ship found" lookout post suddenly shouted loudly.

Barnke and Brauninghouse raised their binoculars in unison, and sure enough, in the vast mist, huge ship shadows flashed in front of them.

"It's a Chinese battleship." Brauninghouse recognized who it was and couldn't help but say with some despair.

"For the sake of the honor of the Imperial German Navy, we can only choose to fight." Vice Admiral Barnke looked at the captain and said in a deep voice.

As if knowing that they would make such a choice, before they could give the order, the King's only remaining main turret began to roar. Probably because of the desperate situation, the German gunners fired with extraordinary accuracy, and the first salvo hit the target accurately. Looking at the flames rising from the huge Chinese battleship, Barnke couldn't help but admire again.

"The lads didn't do it today in a 'good' way."

The "King's" artillery fire immediately provoked terrible retaliation, and the Chinese battleships opened fire on it one after another, and the entire sea suddenly boiled, and with the rumbling cannon sound and bursts of bullet rain, countless tall water columns were stirred up around the "King", and the thick smoke from the hull of the bombed ship, mixed with the gunpowder smoke fired from the artillery, swirled and floated over the rough gray sea.

"They're calling 'The King', aren't they?".

At this time, in the dense fog not far away, four bullet-riddled "Byrne"-class battleships were quietly moving fast, and on the bridge, when an officer handed over the intercepted radio communication information of the enemy ship to Scheer, Scheer subconsciously asked. …,

Since successfully escaping the attack of the Chinese battleships under the cover of dense fog, the four "Byrne"-class battleships have maintained radio silence according to Scheer's orders, and have fully monitored the communications of the warring ships in Helgoland Bay, so that Scheer can clearly understand the situation on the battlefield.

"Yes, General." The officer said with some sadness, "According to what we have heard, the Earl of the Frontier, the Elector, and the Crown Prince William have all been sunk by enemy ships. Now they are attacking the 'King'. ”

"There is nothing more painful than knowing that our comrades are suffering and we are unable to act." Scheer sighed, looked up at the former main turret of the battleship "Byrne", which had been twisted and deformed, and shook his head sadly.

The previous engagement with six large Chinese battleships was a nightmare that Scheer never wanted to recall.

Now, these four "Byrne"-class battleships, which managed to escape from the encirclement of the Chinese fleet with the help of "God's breath" (the sudden dense fog in the North Sea), have dropped their combat effectiveness to the point of no return.

At this time, Scheer could only accept the shame of a deserter. Although he knew that at this time, Lieutenant General Barnke and his subordinates on the "King" would not blame him even if they knew about his decision.

"Let's get out of here quickly," said a staff officer, seeing the unbearable expression on Scheer's face, pointing to a beacon lighthouse that appeared not far away, "We are about to get home, and we must not be discovered by the enemy." ”

Scheer nodded gloomily, he did not speak again, but took one last look at the distant fire, turned away from the bridge, and came to the officer's quarters. By this time the restaurant had gathered a large number of people, and after the battle was over, hungry officers took turns to come here for noodle soup, hot coffee, and canned beef. Seeing Scheer come in, the officers stepped forward to shake his hand and greet him, congratulating everyone on each other's good spirits, looking forward to seeing the iron bridge of the Kiel Canal again, Scheer saw that everyone had a smile of joy on their faces, and couldn't help but sigh in their hearts again.

At this moment, there was a sudden thunderous explosion outside the restaurant, and several officers unconsciously looked back at the porthole, while Scheer sat there, took a sip of hot coffee, and did not turn his head to look at it like his men.

Or more accurately, I can't bear to look at it.

"It exploded."

On the bridge of the battleship "Republic," officers from China, the United States, and Britain held binoculars together and looked at the "King" struggling in flames and smoke.

"Order the ships to stop shelling." Betty looked through the binoculars at the German sailors who were carrying the wounded onto the lifeboat, and commanded in a hoarse voice......,