"Reload three, armor-piercing bullets!" In the huge A turret of the Shenyang, the flagship of the Ming battleship formation, watching the gunners put bags of silk-wrapped propellant into the gun chamber, the shirtless gun commander with protruding muscles picked up the phone and roared loudly, "The armor turret is loaded!" ”

"Sir!" Inside the bridge of the Shenyang, which was wrapped in incomparably strong alloy armor, all the officers looked at Vice Admiral Wang Haibo, the commander of the fleet. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info

At this time, the battleship formation of the Ming Navy had already been killed from the flank and was outflanking the Japanese battleship formation. The Japanese fleet, which had discovered the traces of the Ming fleet, was hurriedly turning around and preparing for battle. It's a pity that the Daming battleship formation rushed out from their flank and successfully seized the T-head. If the Japanese battleship formation wanted to meet it, it could only turn the whole fleet around.

If you turn to the right, you will drive to Tokaao Island, and there will basically be no room for maneuver, and in the past, you would suffocate yourself. The Japanese fleet could only turn to the left. However, the battleship formation of the Ming Navy was outflanked on the left, and even if the Japanese turned left and readjusted the formation to enter the shelling position, it would take at least twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes, the Ming fleet, which has already pulled out of the battle line and has entered the effective range, can fire at least thirty rounds of salvos with full load!

Thirty rounds of salvos, with the help of fire control radar, at a distance of only more than ten nautical miles at this time, the hit rate of the Ming Navy will definitely be very terrifying.

"What are you looking at me for?" Wang Haibo frowned, put down the telescope in his hand, and said in a deep voice, "Fire!" ”

"Boom !!"

The sight of the battleship's main guns firing a salvo cannot describe the shocking scene unless you see it with your own eyes. Nine 400 mm guns fired continuously at intervals of one second, and the long muzzle flames almost ignited the sea in front of the muzzles!

The huge recoil generated by the launch of this caliber cannon is enough to push a battleship weighing tens of thousands of tons more than a meter in the sea!

Takasu Shiro clenched his hands tightly, his eyes bloodshot from too much force. Looking at the long line of lights that seemed to strike a match in the distance, Takasu Shiro was about to crush his teeth.

There was a mistake, there was a major mistake! Takasu Shiro felt his head dizzy. The previous fight was smooth, sinking the Ming warships one after another, but he had no losses. Confused by the huge results, although he felt from the firepower that the opposite side was not the main fleet of the Ming army, he still did not make adjustments, but chose to continue the attack in exchange for more results. As a result, the retribution of greed came.

The main force of the Ming army did not choose to ambush in the waterway, nor did it choose to bravely face the battle head-on. They opted for a flanking attack.

Use a fleet as bait to lure the Japanese fleet into falling for it. Then he came out from the flank and flanked the rear of the Japanese army. The situation in front of Takasu Shiro is very bad now.

Someone robbed the T-prefix, and he could only maneuver to one side. It will take at least twenty minutes to reposition the shelling battle. During this time, the Japanese battleships could only use the front main guns to meet the Ming fleet with full firepower.

Moreover, because of the need to turn, many battleships in the rear were blocked by the battleships in front of them many times and could not fire. The situation is simply terrible.

"Rush in?!" A crazy thought flashed through Takasu Shiro's mind. That is, regardless of this Ming fleet, our own fleet rushed into the Kerama waterway at full speed to attack those transport ships that had no protective power! Wait until the Ming fleet catches up and then fight the Ming fleet in the waterway!

This seemed to be the best option for the Japanese fleet, which only flashed through Takasu Shiro's mind, and then he abandoned it. The reason is very simple, the Japanese Navy only has such a small foundation, and he can't risk these capital ships!

At this time, the rain on the sea began to gradually weaken at some point. The weather officer reports that there is a high chance that the rain will stop tomorrow.

It was close to two o'clock in the morning. If the Japanese fleet rushes into the Kerama waterway and bombs indiscriminately, then it will fight a decisive battle with the Ming fleet. Although it can destroy the Ming convoy, take out the front-line airfields on various islands, and even defeat the Ming battleship formation in a naval battle.

However, what time has it been after this scuffle? It was dawn at that time!

From the stage. Bay Island, from the front-line airfield, from the Ming aircraft carrier formation that never left far, and even those overwhelming fighters flying from the main road will drown the entire fleet! Time is running out for Takasu Shiro.

"Boom !!" Dozens of heavy shells fell around the Japanese fleet, stirring up a column of rushing water!

"Your Excellency!" The staff officers on the bridge were all anxious, and shouted in unison, "Please give the order!" "No matter what, how should I decide and give orders to react, how can I be beaten like this now?

"Command!" Seeing that the first salvo of the Ming army was so close, Takasu Shiro twitched the corner of his eye and said sharply, "The fleet turns to the left, ready to meet the enemy!" ”

After a pause, Takasu Shiro then spoke, "Order the Eighth Sentai to rush into the Kerama Waterway with the First and Third Mine Sentai to destroy the Ming army's transport ships. ”

In the end, Takasu Shiro still chose the way to fight formally. He did not dare to risk the last hope of the entire Japanese Navy.

In his opinion, even if he could wipe out all the transports in the waterway, it would be of little practical significance. With the strength of the Ming Dynasty, he killed the entire fleet tonight, and tomorrow the Ming Navy will be able to send two more convoys of the same kind!

The desperate fight was just to postpone the end of the Ryukyu Campaign a little later, causing more casualties to the Ming Dynasty.

Japan still has its own territory, and Japan still has allies. Takasu Shiro can't bury the future of the country and the navy here.

"Hmph." Watching the Japanese battle line begin to turn to seek artillery positions in the dense artillery fire, Wang Haibo, who was holding the telescope in both hands, snorted coldly, and a disdainful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, "Coward, don't dare to rush in!" ”

Wang Haibo hoped that the Japanese army would be able to enter the Kerama waterway. Because although there will be heavy losses, it will also mean that the last strength of the Japanese navy will be consumed here, and the war will be over for Japan.

"Pass my orders." Wang Haibo said in a deep voice: "All ships concentrate their firepower to attack the Japanese leading battleship, sink it for me!" ”

The Japanese naval fleet was headed by the battlecruiser Kongo, the flagship of Takasu Shiro. The Japanese Navy copied the Ming Navy, and it copied in all aspects. The flagship's occupation of the first place in the fleet is no exception.

When the Kongo-class was built, it was originally a battle cruiser that pursued high speed, but with the rapid advancement of technology, the speed that had been regarded as an advantage began to gradually catch up. Just like the provincial capital class battleship of the Ming Dynasty, the maximum speed has been able to reach thirty knots.

In this case, the Ming Dynasty can use this kind of chicken-like battle patrol. The Japanese Navy, which is tight on money, has chosen round after round of upgrades, overhauling the warships that have been in service for many years, constantly squeezing the potential and extending the service life. The warship, which originally had a standard displacement of only 28,000 tons, was transformed into nearly 32,000 tons.

However, after all, the foundation of the battleship is only a thin-skinned and stuffed battle cruiser, and it is impossible to change it to the armored defense capability of a new battleship. When the 400 mm and 380 mm heavy artillery shells of the Ming Navy hit the King Kong-class armor, the armor that the Japanese themselves were worried about was penetrated without any suspense.

By the time the Japanese naval fleet turned, the Ming Battlefleet had already fired three salleys in succession. With the help of fire control radar, plus the distance is not too far. Each round of salvo hits closer to King Kong. By the time of the second salvo, a straddle had already been formed around the Kongo.

Takasu Shiro felt in danger at the time, but before he could give any new orders, another volley came in.

Eight Ming naval battleships had at least sixty or more main guns. And they occupy the T-junction and can launch an artillery strike with full firepower. In this case, dozens of heavy artillery shells fell in the waters around the Kongo, which not only caused many near-misses, but also caused the Kongo's waterline armor to be damaged, cracked and leaked. And at least three large-caliber shells hit the thin-skinned battleship.

A 400-millimeter shell hit the ship's mass, destroying several secondary turrets and igniting a large fire in an instant. A 380 mm shell hit the position between the No. 1 and No. 2 turrets, rendering them instantly ineffective. The Kongo's firepower suddenly weakened by half.

The third shell hit the towering bridge of the King Kong, and it was a fatal shell. The thickness of the bridge armor of the Kongo was only 254 mm. Although other parts including the waterline, deck, and frontal armor of the turret have been thickened during several rounds of major changes, it is unknown why the armor thickness of the bridge has not been increased.

254 mm thick armor could not stop the chiseling of 380 mm caliber armor-piercing shells. The bridge, which weighed thousands of tons, was destroyed in an instant. All officers, including the fleet commander, Vice Admiral Takasushiro, and the captain of the ship, Tomiji Koyanagi, were killed. The officers were all wiped out in one pot, causing irreparable damage to the Kongo.

The boiler compartment on the ground floor increased its speed according to the previous order, the rudder did not change direction in the slightest, and there was no one to direct the pipe damage everywhere. So much so that the entire fleet fell into a brief period of confusion.

Ten minutes later, when the chief engineer took command of the ship, the King Kong had no hope of salvaging. The entire battleship was beaten into a burning volcano by a dense rain of bullets, which stood out in the darkness of the night.

Because there was no one to command, the King Kong turned halfway and then drove straight into the middle of the two armies. In addition, a fire broke out on the battleship to expose his target, and in a short period of time, it was washed into a sieve by the rain of bullets. Eventually, the King Kong was killed by the fire-induced detonation of ammunition.

The battleship, which was used by the Japanese as the main force, sank to the bottom of the sea with their commander and more than a thousand naval officers and men. (To be continued.) )