The sun was setting in the west, the glow was dim, and the sky gradually turned into a desolate blue, and the waves were inspiring. If you love to play and watch, you can come...... The cold wind was howling, his clothes were rolling, and Jericho, who was standing on the bridge, was as painful as this heavenly dome at this moment; When his eyes turned, he no longer had the high-spirited look he had in the morning.

Two hours earlier, the captain of the Pavrel had announced the abandonment of the ship. The 23ooo tonne behemoth lost control of the water ingress after being hit by a single torpedo in the stern: the sea flooded the aft ammunition depot, surged over the high-rotating engines, devoured the blazing boilers, and finally passed the full reserve buoyancy of the battleship. After six hours of all-out salvage, the British destroyer came up to pick up all the officers and men, and ended the short service of the George V-class battleship with two torpedoes. When the water column of the torpedo explosion surged, Jericho's heart also felt a sharp pain like a needle cone.

By this time, his attack had failed. Although two of Germany's main battlecruisers were sunk, they themselves completely lost two battleships, and one battleship suffered heavy losses: in the case of a large gap in the strength of the two sides, this was definitely a situation that the British home fleet, which was overstretched in the number of capital ships, could not bear it. What's worse is that the damaged Ajax can only maintain a 1o knot voyage at this time, which greatly slows down the fleet's movements, and it is still unknown whether he can escape by taking advantage of this dark night!

"The Queen Elizabeth-class battleship that is about to enter service. The same Philip? Woltz as the main designer; Even if the Royal Navy accepts these ships, will it really be able to reverse the current decline? "Facing the cold and howling night wind. Jericho muttered bitterly. In peacetime, the weak protection of one's own warships is not a big problem, and it can be well compensated for after returning to the shipyard for some renovation: however, the current situation in the European war is urgent, and the German fleet, which frequently attacks, can still tolerate the main ships of the large fleet to stay in the dock leisurely while the eyebrows are burning? Somehow, Jericho suddenly had a situation in his mind that he had never dared to think about before: the Royal Navy, which had reigned supreme on the throne of the sea for more than three centuries. Maybe like Carthage, the Ottomans, and the Spanish Armada once did. It's time to let the glory fade and hand over the trident, a symbol of supreme sea power, to the young and heroic lion!

"General, the perimeter cordon has been deployed. Identification light signals are transmitted to the warships, and the fleet is about to implement night light control. A staff officer hurried onto the bridge and reported to the slender figure in front of him, who looked a few years older. Jerry froze for a moment, nodded slowly, and said, "Order, the fleet turns right to a compass point and maintains the current course." We will first withdraw to the port of Southampton. ”

The stars are twinkling and the moon is rising in the east. The vast expanse of the sky and the sea were dark. Only in the sea area with a radius of less than two thousand meters can you still see faint outlines in the sparse moonlight. The waves gently lapped against the side of the battleship, and the water splashed and the sound was pleasant. In the silence of the night. Jericho's bitter and sad mood gradually eased, and he regained his calm. In order to be able to return to his home military port as soon as possible, he had chosen the nearest shipping lane, and the next 11 hours of darkness would be a natural umbrella for the Grand Fleet. If Thomas had done a good enough job to make the main force of the German High Seas Fleet attracted to his fast fleet, he would have had every chance of escaping before the Germans arrived. After all, the German fleet had a limited range and number of days to sustain itself, and it was impossible for it to stay in the Atlantic for too long.

"I'm going to rest for a while. If something is out of the ordinary, wake me up immediately. Exhausted, Jericho said a word to the aide-de-camp who was waiting beside him, then turned around and walked straight to his living room.

Once the scheduled flagship of the world's most powerful navy, the Trafalgar has a different upper cabin layout from its sister ships in the George V class. In addition to the captain, a single room of nearly 7 square meters was reserved for the fleet commander, which was already an extremely superior treatment on an early dreadnought. Due to his early debut, Jellico, who has been in the top position for many years, still maintains the demeanor of a civilian official after more than 3o years of service, and washes meticulously before bedtime. However, the mood of mixed joy and sorrow, tension and anxiety a few hours ago was not completely eliminated from his mind with his deliberate self-suggestion before going to bed. Jericho's brow furrowed in his sleep, still not getting some rest in his dreams.

He saw the raging waves and the torrential rain, and the angry sea crashing. Giant ships with triangular masts slowly capsized in a rain of flames and bullets, and countless British sailors jumped into the sea screaming in flames, only to be sucked into the eternal darkness of the ocean floor by the whirlpool of the sunken ships. Countless St. George's flags burned in the flames, reflecting the hideous smiling faces of Tirpitz: in an instant, he was alone under the guns of the German fleet, and the earth-shattering roar of cannons burst into his ears!

"Boom!" The thunder was loud and deafening; Jericho, who was shocked in his heart, jumped up from the bed with a thud, and the nightmare in front of him disappeared, only to realize that he was already covered in cold sweat. Looking out of the window, the originally clear night sky has been obscured by dense clouds. During this time, the lightning danced like a silver snake, accompanied by the thunder rolling and roaring, and it seemed that the last scene of his dream was not a pure hallucination. However, there was no sense of joy on his face, and a strong sense of foreboding enveloped his heart. But anyone who has served in the army for many years has an inexplicable intuition that alerts him, and Jericho has always believed in this!

Jericho, who was completely sleepy, immediately put on his military uniform and walked out of the lounge, and was about to enter the spacious sailing room. Seeing the appearance of the commander of the fleet, the officers on duty were full of surprise when they saluted; It's just past two o'clock in the morning, and Jericho's devotion to duty must be too diligent, right?

"How's it going?" Without the slightest hesitation, Jericho immediately went straight to the point and asked.

"Your Excellency, we have encountered a wave of force 4 near midnight, and in order to prevent the irretrievable intrusion of the Ajax, the fleet voyage has been reduced from two hours ago to seven knots. And as things stand, the sea conditions in this area are set to get even worse. Without thinking, the captain on duty immediately reported the situation of the Grand Fleet to Jericho, "There is no abnormal situation from the destroyers on the periphery who are on guard, except for the reduction of the voyage, the overall situation is almost exactly the same as before you left. ”

Hearing these words, Jericho's hanging heart relaxed slightly, but his face was still a solemn look, like a black cloud that was surging in the sky at present. The fleet was further reduced, which was definitely not a good thing for one's own return journey; What if the Germans chase after them and intercept themselves tomorrow daylight? The current Grand Fleet really doesn't have the strength to fight the other side head-on!

The wind is howling, the sea is rushing; In the midst of the roaring thunder, there was a slight strange tremor. The officers on duty did not show up, still watching the sea in order; Jericho, who had always had a premonition, suddenly changed his complexion, and strode out of the door and walked straight to the outside of the bridge. Cold, fine raindrops rushed in his face, penetrating through his neck socket, and chilled all over his body; However, at the moment, Jericho didn't care about it at all.

After a while, another series of thick roars came from the distant sea, like the dense sound of war drums; Jericho's body stayed in front of the railing, and he didn't move for a long time. This time he heard clearly, it was the roar of small-caliber artillery fire. Is this the German submarine being driven away by the German destroyer, or is it the German battleship that the Grand Fleet is most unwilling to face at this moment?

"Your Excellency, the 5th Destroyer Squadron has sent a telegram that they have encountered 1 German light cruiser and 3 torpedo boats, and are now engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy ships!" An adjutant ran briskly up the bridge escalator and shouted to Jericho, who was standing outside the Vulture. The corners of Jericho's mouth moved slightly, and there was already a hint of hoarseness in his voice: "The Germans are really here." The order was given, and the fleet immediately disbanded the cruising queue and entered the first level of combat readiness, ready to evade torpedoes at any time. The destroyer fleet spread north, searching for the main German warships; As soon as the target is present, a torpedo attack is immediately launched. The adjutant said yes awe-inspiringly, and turned around and ran away.

Jericho turned, slowly walking to the command tower below; As I moved, thousands of thoughts had already turned in my heart. He really did not expect to encounter the German fleet in this form, and the great uncertainty of the night made the victory or defeat of the battle more dependent on unpredictable luck than on the strategic strategy of the commander. For this reason, the cautious Jericho was most taboo about the main fleet fighting at night, and in the extensive fleet regulations he codified, there was no mention of it.

But what could he do now? The Germans rushed straight to him, and the only way to meet him was to fight to the end. A qiē arbitration depends on the favor of Lady Luck. The door to the 3oo millimeter thick tower slowly opened, and Jericho reverently drew a cross on his chest and strode inside.

If the sun rises suddenly, then the sailors on both sides will see an indescribably magnificent and complex scene. More than 12o warships of various types on both sides appeared in a sea area of less than 4oo square kilometers, and their peripheral ships have been stirred into a pot of porridge. The second decisive battle of the British and German navies kicked off in the middle of the night on the Atlantic. (To be continued.) (。 ))

ps: Thank you for the monthly ticket support of the book friend Xichen, the sleeping animal, the past life and the present life, and the German song, zhouyu1976 for the reward~~~

Tips: The new domain name "biquge.info" has been launched by Biquge, and the original domain name is about to be discontinued. Please tell each other, thank you!