Compared with the British Navy's 'Iron Duke-class' battleships, the Imperial Navy's 'Zhonghua-class' battleships had 5,000 tons more tonnage. So the armor thickness was thicker than that of the 'Iron Duke-class' battleships. The Iron Duke class battleships had only 305 mm of waterline armor, 280 mm of turret armor, 64 mm of deck armor and 280 mm of conning tower armor. The Imperial Navy's 'Zhonghua-class' battleships had 350 mm of waterline armor, 330 mm of turret armor, 75 mm of deck armor, and 350 mm of conning tower armor. From the point of view of defense, it is natural that the 'Zhonghua-class' battleships of the Imperial Navy are much stronger.

In terms of firepower, the 'Iron Duke-class' battleships were five twin 45-caliber 343mm guns. The 'Zhonghua-class' battleship, on the other hand, had three triple 343mm guns of 50 times the caliber. Although the number of main guns is less, the body barrel is longer, and the armor-piercing ability is naturally stronger. In terms of speed, the 'Iron Duke-class' battleships had a maximum speed of only 21.25 knots, while the Imperial Navy's 'Zhonghua-class' battleships had 25 knots. In terms of other sighting equipment and fire control systems, the Imperial Navy's 'Zhonghua-class' battleships were more dominant.

Therefore, in a one-on-one duel, the British Navy's battleship 'Ben Bauer' and the battleship 'Emperor of India' suffered very much.

At 7:54, the battleship "Shenzhou" of the Imperial Navy scored a hit in this round of salvo. A 343-mm shell hit the stern of the battleship 'Ben Bau'. The shell pierced the aft deck, blowing up several compartments under the stern.

Two minutes later, the battleship 'Shenzhou' made another hit. This time it hit the side of the battleship 'Ben Bau' and blew a large hole above the waterline.

At 7:58, the battleship "Yan Huang" of the Imperial Navy hit the battleship "Emperor of India". This shell. Directly hit the command tower of the battleship 'Emperor of India'. Only 280 mm thick armor was torn apart, and most of the officers, including the captain, were killed, leaving the battleship "Emperor of India" in command confusion for more than ten minutes.

The battleship "Yan Huang" seized this opportunity and frantically fired the "Emperor of India" battleship cannonballs. An attempt was made to sink the battleship in order to relieve the pressure on the battleline of the Imperial Navy.

At 8:02, the battleship "Iron Duke" of the British Navy hit the battleship "Huaxia" of the Imperial Navy, and this 343-mm shell hit the main turret of the stern No. 3 of the battleship "Huaxia". However, the armor up to 350 mm thick was strong enough to withstand this shell. After the shell exploded, more than a dozen sailors on the aft deck were killed. It also caused the gunners in the main turret to be shocked to death.

It was not until the spare gunner entered the turret that the main turret was able to continue firing. But. The time to stop firing in the middle is up to five minutes. During these five minutes, the battleships "Iron Duke" and "Marburg" of the British Navy frantically poured shells on the "Huaxia" in an attempt to sink the "Huaxia" battleship.

At 8:06, the battleship 'Shenzhou' of the Imperial Navy completed the defeat of the battleship 'Benbao'. A 343-mm shell, a tricky angle. Directly hit the ammunition depot of the B main turret on the foredeck of the battleship 'Ben Bau', tearing open the armor command of the ammunition depot. Explode inside. As a result, hundreds of shells stored in the ammunition depot exploded. The tremendous power directly blew up the first half of the bow of the battleship 'Ben Bao'. The sea water poured into the battleship even more frantically. In less than two minutes, the battleship 'Ben Bao' sank into the sea. It became the first capital ship to be sunk in this main showdown.

The sinking of the battleship 'Ben Bau' boosted the morale of the Imperial Navy. Now the strength comparison between the two sides has become 9 to 15. As long as the ships continue to work hard. There is no problem at all in further narrowing the gap between the two sides.

On the other hand, the morale of the British Navy was affected. They had an absolute advantage in the number of capital ships, but they were not able to achieve the result of sinking first. It seems that on the surface, luck is not on the side of the British Navy!

Marshal David Beatty. His face was even more gloomy, as if he could drip water. Almost everyone knew that His Excellency the Marshal was in a very bad mood right now. Therefore, the officers in the command tower did not dare to make a sound, for fear that it would arouse the dissatisfaction of His Excellency the Marshal and become the object of venting their anger.

However, five minutes later, the British Navy's battleship 'Marlborough' avenged the battleship 'Ben Bau'. In this salvo, two shells hit the battleship 'Huaxia' in succession, and one shell pierced the boiler room, causing the hot steam inside to leak out, killing the sailors inside in an instant. At the same time, the speed of the battleship began to constantly decrease. Another shell destroyed the stern main turret.

Under such circumstances, the captain had no choice but to request a retreat. Because soon, their speed will not be able to keep up with the speed of the battle line.

Marshal Cheng Biguang agreed to the request of the battleship 'Huaxia' and allowed them to withdraw from the battlefield. The strength of the two sides became 8 to 15.

At 8:14, the battleship "Yan Huang" of the Imperial Navy once again hit the battleship "Emperor of India". In this round of salvo, two shells also hit the target. A shell pierced the waterline armor underneath the bow of the battleship 'Emperor of India', causing a large hole in the ship's underwater armor. Another shell hit the chimney of the battleship 'Emperor of India', blowing the high chimney off.

The captain of the battleship 'Emperor of India' had no choice but to order the leak to be plugged while asking Marshal David Betty to retreat. Marshal David Beatty, after a moment's hesitation, allowed the battleship 'Emperor of India' to retreat. The contrast of strength between the two sides on the battlefield became 8 to 14. The British Navy still has an advantage in the number of capital ships. However, this advantage is currently shrinking.

"Damn, why do we have much more capital ships than the Chinese, but the losses are greater than theirs? If this continues, how will we defeat them? Marshal David Beatty's face turned pale. He found that it was completely different from what he had expected. Although the Chinese Navy has fewer capital ships than them, it is still able to match them.

At 8:22, the battlecruiser 'Howe' hit in this volley. A 381 mm shell fired from the stern C main turret hit the command tower of the Imperial Navy's battleship Fuxi. However, because of the angle, this shell did not tear through the main turret of the 406 mm thick armor of the battleship Fuxi. The shell was ejected and exploded in mid-air. Shrapnel was everywhere, causing heavy casualties to the sailors on the starboard side of the battleship. However, there were not many casualties.

"Bastard, what a pity! Why didn't they penetrate their conning tower armor? Marshal David Beatty was very sorry. If the armor of the command tower of the battleship Fuxi could be torn open and exploded inside, the commander of the Chinese Navy would be killed. In this case, the British Navy may be able to complete the reversal of the situation.

In the command tower of the battleship 'Fuxi', everyone couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. The command tower was hit just now, and the dull crashing sound made them think that this time they were dead.

"It's so dangerous, we almost did our best for Your Majesty." Lieutenant General Liu Guanxiong couldn't help but wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

"As the saying goes, if you don't die in a great disaster, you will have a blessing. I think we have won this naval battle. Marshal Cheng Biguang said with a smile.

The other officers in the command tower couldn't help but laugh. The tense atmosphere disappeared all at once.

The battleship 'Fuxi' was hit, and even the commander of the navy was almost killed, which caused the officers and men of the Imperial Navy to feel a little shocked. However, soon the battleship 'Fuxi' was still colored.

At 8:31 a.m., in this round of volley, a 410-mm shell fired by the battleship 'Fuxi' hit the battlecruiser 'Hood' again. The shell blew off the mainmast of the battleship Hood. The telegraph antenna, rangefinder and other equipment on it were all blown up. Not only did the accuracy of the shelling of the battleship "Hood" drop to a very low level, but it also made the battlecruiser lose its qualification to become the flagship.

"Marshal, we have to replace the flagship. In the meantime, let the Hood go back for repairs. He couldn't help much in this naval battle. General Charles Madden suggested.

Originally, the two main turrets on the foredeck of the battlecruiser 'Hood' were destroyed, and only the two main turrets on the aft deck could continue firing. Now, even the rangefinder has been destroyed, and they want to hit the target, which is simply delusional. If you continue to stay and fight, I am afraid that in the end, there will only be one result, and that is to be sunk.

Field Marshal David Beatty nodded, agreeing to replace the flagship and to withdraw the Hood from the battle. However, in the choice of a new flagship, Marshal David Beatty made a mistake. After the battlecruiser "Hood" withdrew from the battle, the battlecruiser "Hao" will be able to deal with the battleship "Fuxi" of the Chinese Navy alone, and the situation will be very threatening. If he had switched to the battlecruiser 'Howe', he would have been in danger as well. The battleship "Queen Elizabeth" behind the battlecruiser "Hao" was also overwhelmed by the battleship "Shennong" of the Chinese Navy, and it was not suitable as a flagship. Eventually, Marshal David Beatty chose the battleship 'War Weybathy' as the new flagship. (To be continued.) )

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