The pear-shaped open-air turret is encased in a thick armored bulkhead at the bottom, providing unprecedented protection and successfully blocking armor-piercing shells after successive breakthroughs, preserving a vital glimmer of life for the battleship. Because, below the inner layer of the bulkhead, is the ammunition compartment of the turret!

The powerful destructive force formed by the explosion poured out from the breach and the upper deck respectively, and the bulkhead that had been knocked out of the depression before served as a reflection bottom plate, which greatly gathered and reflected the explosive force of more than ten kilograms of charge, and hit and destroyed it in other directions, almost destroying most of the compartments in the entire bow.

But in the end, the last bit of protection that was crucial was maintained, and the flames did not rush directly into the ammunition bay, but only the maximum damage to the armor. As long as one more shell comes out, even if it is a 152mm armor-piercing shell or some other shell explosion, there is only one fate waiting for this world's most powerful battleship - self-detonation!

The moment the flames rose in front of him, Lieutenant General Seymour's head buzzed with a bang! The sound of the explosion that was close at hand deafened his ears, and the wave of torch gas rising into the sky close to the front turret shattered half of the deck in front of the turret, and the sailors tore it apart, and rolled together to form a pillar of fireworks tens of meters high!

Countless fragments spread out along with the blazing radiant heat, and the command tower at the front of the pestle bore the brunt, and the smashing clanged loudly, sweeping the scorching heat of the person dry across the amidships, and the steel cables broke in response.

Many of the officers who bravely stood on the platform and in the middle of the mainmast to observe the commanding officers were beaten to pieces on the spot and screamed repeatedly, but they were all covered by the explosion.

What seems to be a bit of a lag blast shock ensues. The hull of the "Counterattack" seemed to have been struck hard by a giant hammer. Skewed to the left. The column of fireworks dozens of meters long erupted from the starboard breach raised a strange arc, and the splinters that splattered out swept a cascading torrent like an explosive version on the sea.

The whole process took less than a second, and everyone who saw this scene couldn't help but open their mouths wide and hold their breath for fear of missing a single detail.

Running on the German ship "Elector", which was one position behind on the right, Commander Dietrich slammed forward, his vision filled with the rapidly rising firelight, and he couldn't help but shout: "Oh! Poor Brit is out of luck! ”

The captains and staff officers next to him turned abusive. Shocked, he cried out, "God! What a terrible blow! It's incredible! ”

How strong the "Sovereign-class" battleships were, they did not have enough intelligence to judge. But judging by the size of the body and the caliber of the main gun, it is conceivable that it must be no worse than the German flagship. In recent years, according to the habits of various countries in building ships, the main armor belt is at least 400mm or more forged steel.

But such a powerful armor was actually blown through by someone, and how amazing the destructive power must be to cause it?

Everyone looked at the "Dingyuan" in horror, and after the gunpowder smoke that had just dispersed, there was still a trace of white smoke swirling from the muzzles of the two cannons standing majestically. It's like the breath of a dragon that has just breathed out deadly flames!

Including Dietrich, he swallowed his saliva involuntarily. The face has become extremely ugly!

At a distance of 10,000 yards, even a steel behemoth more than a hundred meters long looked like a blurred shadow to the naked eye. If there is an artillery bombardment, there is almost no hope of hitting.

But that guy actually easily gave the "counterattack" a heavy punch in the wild run, and he could also hit such an amazing destructive effect, it was ...... Terrible!

The German staff officer sternly reminded Commander Dietrich: "General, we must consider the role we will play in this battle!" If none of the powerful ships of the British could resist it, and we would never be able to rush up to serve as a shield, it would be very dangerous! ”

Dietrich nodded thoughtfully, but deep down he was still unconvinced, and said toughly: "We don't have to snatch the main battle rights of the British, but the navy of the German Empire will not be frightened by the enemy." Gentlemen, cheer up and give the Chinese a little color with our artillery! ”

Now, you can only hope for a fire hit, and give the opponent a little color first.

On the "Counterattack", the command tower where Lieutenant General Seymour was located was not comfortable at all. However, he didn't have time to care about anything else, and after the billowing smoke passed, he hurriedly glared and found that the front main gun was basically paralyzed. Even if another group of artillery rushed forward, it would not be possible to restore the combat effectiveness in a short period of time.

What's worse is that the hull of the explosion guide is tilted and bumpy, so that the major turrets cannot be put into battle, but the speed has not slowed down. This means that for a long time to come, he will face a one-sided bombardment.

With such a terrible shell power, a few more rounds, he didn't dare to imagine how terrible the consequences were!

Seymour was worthy of being an excellent commander, and immediately ordered the "Revenge" and the two "Nile-class" battleships behind to act together, and immediately turned the rudder to the right to intercept from the periphery of the column's advance, and each overtook the ship to the right front, and took the first step to aim the artillery at the attacking opponent. Even if it is possible to cause a collision at sea, it will not hesitate.

Seymour seemed to calmly make a decision: "In any case, the Chinese only have two powerful warships, as long as they are all killed, the rest is not to be feared!" ”

It should be said that his reaction was quick and correct, but there was one point, the battleship he faced was no longer the limit state they imagined they could reach!

On the "Dingyuan", facing the fireworks pillar rising in the distance, Liu Buyun just smiled confidently. He has not seen this kind of explosion scene once or twice, and the backward 305mm Krupp guns in the past can play pleasing effects, such as new new cannons, new shells, and it is natural that they are better.

However, after seeing the explosion and fireworks in the past, the "counterattack" that still rushed out with its head held high was just a fire raging and churning in the bow of the ship, and did not explode with it, Liu Buyun frowned slightly: "It seems that this guy is rough and thick-skinned." Then, keep banging! ”

"Boom! Knock knock! ”

A succession of shells fell around the battleship, smashing out clear columns of water. It was the coalition fleet on the opposite side desperately firing and intercepting, but all of them fell into the air. I didn't even have a chance to make a shot.

Liu Buchan is also good. The rest of the officers and sailors on the "Dingyuan". No one blinked at this, and the forward main gun and the three 152mm secondary guns on the starboard side continued to be reloaded steadily.

At the top of the bridge, an eight-meter optical sight and another 4.5-meter sight were directed to the main gun and the secondary gun to adjust the coordinates of the elements, and the number jù was loudly reported one by one, and the pitch angle of the fire was obtained by the fire control computer in the command center and entered into it.

The large and small guns of the "Dingyuan" were immediately adjusted into position, and the moment the hull of the ship briefly balanced to the range of several jù in the undulating waves, it was violently activated!

Such advanced shelling techniques did not appear until the Second World War. It's not just as simple as being one or two eras ahead, the effect has skyrocketed exponentially!

In this era, firing from a distance of 5,000 meters has an outrageously low hit rate, 10,000 meters away is a pure waste of ammunition, and not so long ago, the vast majority of artillery could not even kill a target at that distance.

The "Dingyuan", which can be rearmed by Yang Hao with technology that transcends time and space, has already surpassed his peers and become another awesome killer at sea!

It was still a one-minute interval, and the straight-line distance between the two sides was shortened to about 9 kilometers, which was actually beyond the optimal strike distance of this 305mm naval gun. But for the officers and soldiers of the Beiyang Naval Division who came from the period of hand-to-hand combat. It's the farthest distance they can take. They could hardly imagine the scene of throwing shells at each other twenty kilometers apart.

Battleships bombarded. In essence, two hard walnuts wielding a sledgehammer smash each other, depending on whose hammer swing faster, more accurately, and more violently.

"Dingyuan" has an undoubted all-round advantage, and it has the opportunity to take the lead, of course, it can't let go of a good opportunity to beat the water dogs!

Another salvo, the recoil of the turret tilting at an increasing angle, caused the hull to tilt slightly to the left, but not so much of a distraction.

The three 152mm guns on the right side lined up in a line, each aiming at the upper deck of the "Counterattack" with armor-piercing shells at a large angle, and even the main guns rushed away in an instant, and one of them accurately hit the upper deck on the right side behind the command tower!

The six-inch gun, also from the standard of World War II, was just as powerful, sweeping away all the members of the unobstructed single-mounted turret on top!

The two lifeboats hanging above it burst into flames, and the sparse planks sprayed all over the center. But they had only just begun their flight when they were chased by another, more ferocious explosion, which propelled them farther away!

This is a 305mm armor-piercing bullet fired at about the same angle! Shot at the lowest pitch angle, it sank slightly after crossing the air, and the warhead touched the upper deck of the "Counterattack" and collapsed the hood, and then formed an oblique downward penetration.

And the weakest armor layer of the entire battleship couldn't stop the heavy iron lump squeezing at all, and the horizontal armor layer after layer all collapsed, giving it a final blow, rushing into the inboard gun silhouette of the unique design of the "Sovereign class", and exploded with a bang!

Now, it's lively!

The design of the "Sovereign-class" battleships can be regarded as a model for the redefinition of the development of world battleships, which is undoubtedly groundbreaking.

However, her flaws are also very obvious, as the roof of the main turret lacks a canopy of sufficient strength compared to the mature version of the Sea Behemoth decades later, which can be fatal due to the steep angle of the shells fired by some of the reduced charges.

Of course, this is not a big problem, after all, even the battleships fifty years later are the same, and the probability of shells falling from the trajectory of the fallen leaf ball is too low.

The real problem was that the British had designed a passage of ammunition inside the ship that communicated the two turrets. The armor on the outer layer of this passage is not thick, and the cabin cannon profile formed by it is simply the best smoke and fire channel, no matter which angle it hits and ignites, it will become an accomplice to the spread of explosions and fires!

Of course, in the original history, the British had not fought a major naval battle for more than ten years since the establishment of the "monarchy", so they did not know how much this problem would affect. So much so that in a series of battleships built later, this flaw was retained.

But today, they are unfortunate enough to encounter an enemy who has crossed time and space. Not only can she hit a high hit at a distance of up to 9,000 meters, but she also pinpoints her flaws as soon as she comes up, and she makes a contribution with one blow!

A wave of blast gas from the high-explosive charge rushed through the gap into the cabin gun. The enveloping flames instantly heated the air inside. The inner teak explosion-proof lining plate ignited in response. The airflow, flames, and debris that were rushing at a speed of thousands of meters per second first made countless dents to the bulkhead on the opposite side, and then bounced off and roared to the sides!

From a distance, between the amidships, the command tower and the unique side-by-side twin chimneys of the "Counterattack", a shock wave swept out horizontally for dozens of meters, almost washing the entire upper deck of the ship, but it did not seem to bring widespread damage. It was just that the support legs and pulling cables of the foremast were broken several times, and several of the pieces of debris opened several holes in the barrel mast body. The mainmast squeaked and began to tilt.

Immediately after, I saw that the front and rear turrets of the battleship were located, and two puffs of turbid smoke were spewed out almost at the same time, and the high temperature visible to the naked eye even burned and distorted the air for a time!

This is the unobstructed ammunition corridor, the rapidly expanding fireworks pierce through both ends, not only washing all the people and things in the passage, but finally rushing to the end, taking the rear main gun that has not been used, and all the members of the front main gun that have just been replenished. Rolled in!

"God ......!"

Lieutenant General Seymour was so startled by the fireworks that rose again in front of him that he couldn't calm down what he said!

He jerked his head back. His mouth, irritated by the smoke billowing from the hideous hole in the amidship, was almost crooked.

Blaze! Explode! Destruction! Screaming! The tooth-aching scream of steel twisting! It was as if hell had suddenly opened its doors, and countless calamities rushed out of it and befell him and the warship!

He couldn't figure out how a single shell could have such an effect. It looks like the battleship is about to end!

The captain shouted desperately, ordering the sailors to hurry up to extinguish the fire and rescue them, while maneuvering the battleship to the left to try to avoid another attack that was sure to be coming from a distance!

But at this point, it's not so easy to get out of the way!

The "Counterattack" undoubtedly shook again, and in the next short minute or two, the 152mm shells that were rapidly sprayed by the "Dingyuan" smashed into the face, hitting five or six grenades in a row, and the explosions broke out one after another from all over the hull, and the outside of the command tower and the upper deck were hit one after another.

The lifeboat hanging on the right side was almost completely destroyed, and the other two secondary guns and small guns on the top were blown up one after another, and there were more than 20 casualties!

The most terrible thing is that the propellant placed on the side of one of the guns was triggered, and with an earth-shattering loud noise, a fireball with a diameter of tens of meters was exploded and engulfed the entire amidship, and the chimney on the right side became a broken sieve in response, and the smoke began to rage in private!

And that's not all, the explosion also destroyed the top 76.2mm deck, killing and injuring all the people in the cabin inside, and also destroyed the centerline waterproof bulkhead below, and led a boiler to strike.

The "Counterattack" was smoking everywhere, the whole ship was on fire, and the damage management personnel tried their best to put out the fire, and it was almost impossible to launch a counterattack operation.

After this toss, the "Dingyuan" rushed into more than two kilometers again, and the distance between the two sides was more than 6,000 meters. Through the binoculars, you can almost see the figures in the towers of the commanders of both sides. The thick cannons on both sides are even clearer!

Lieutenant General Seymour was busy looking at the two cannon muzzles in the telescope that seemed to be pressed against his head, giving him a kind of tension and pressure that pierced his brain. And just as he was staring at it, the two cannon barrels burst out at the same time, spewing out a large ball of firelight, and the black shadows of the two projectiles flashed!

He shuddered and threw himself back so hard that he almost fell on his head!

It's like someone pointing a gun at his Heavenly Spirit Gai and firing! The thrill, the thrill, it's indescribable!

Seymour couldn't maintain the dignity of a gentleman, and subconsciously wanted to hide, and the people around him had already let out an exclamation, and they seemed to see with their own eyes that two cannonballs and arrows were blasting straight over, and then the whole ship trembled in unison!

"Boom!"

A violent explosion erupted from the depths of the amidship of the "Counterattack"!

An armor-piercing bullet grazed the top of the waterline armor and blasted in, and the main armor belt with a thickness of 457.2mm actually did not resist, and smashed it into the boiler room, and the explosion swept everywhere, destroying three of the boilers, and by the way, dozens of boiler workers inside were killed, and the hot high-temperature steam broke free from the shackles and rushed out unscrupulously, mixed with the explosion and fireworks, and the armor breach was expanded again!

The "Counterattack" was like an old cow that had been beaten with a stick, and a series of explosions were emitted from the power compartment, and the running speed was sharply reduced. At the same time, due to the complete rupture of the waterproof compartment of the centerline of the two explosions in succession, a large amount of seawater poured into it along the gap, and the bulky hull began to slowly tilt sideways.

It's going to be fatal.

The distance between the two warships is not large, at this time the distance between the two warships in a straight line is only six kilometers, and the distance between them is almost five kilometers parallel to it to form a straight line, and each other's front main guns need to fire more than 80 degrees horizontally to hit, and the rear main guns, which have not been able to exert their strength, can also fire and strike calmly.

Finally, after a short period of calmness, the "Dingyuan" fired its first two-turret salvo to the right!

"Boom ——!"

The wide hull, which has increased to a full row of 10,000 tons, tilts to the left, and four shells are discharged one after another at intervals of milliseconds! The distance of five or six kilometers is carefully designed and manufactured with modern technology, and there is a fire control computer to accurately control the timing of firing, bringing unprecedented high precision!

Brush the shells flying across the sea and hit the target fiercely! The first shot hit the stern, destroying its right rudder and opening a water intake from the stern, causing the turret to suffer another heavy blow from the turret.

But another shell, next to the previous one, blasted through the armor and smashed into the engine room, scrapping one main engine on the spot, and the other one struggled for a long time before it came to a halt!

The battleship "Counterattack" was like a whale that had been hit countless times in a row, and finally could not withstand the heavy injuries, and in the boiling fire, it ran crookedly and slower and slower, and became a live target! (To be continued......)