The morning light is dazzling, the breeze is warm, and on the blue sea, a small fleet of several warships is making a splash and carrying out its daily cruise. They are slender and slender, with traditional Victorian livery accentuating the deep blue of the sea; St. George's Navy flags fluttered in the wind as the ships sailed, showing the world which British camp they belonged to.

British Naval Rear Admiral Corey stood on the flybridge on the foredeck, sweeping into the distance. The misty North Sea is like a curtain of smoke and rain, and it is difficult to find any trace more than 15 kilometers away. Major Corley did not pay much attention to this mundane scene, which often occurred at the mouth of the Thames; After making sure that there was nothing unusual around him, he leisurely lit a cigar for himself and began to kill the boring time at sea. On the decks of the bow and stern of the battleship and on the side of the battleship, in addition to the personnel on duty who were still sticking to their posts, the British sailors in white military uniforms were walking and talking casually; The topics they talked about, except for which neighborhood in London had the best girl sitting on the stage, almost without exception were the Mediterranean war that had just ended.

"Although we have suffered two naval defeats before, it is the merciful and majestic God who has challenged the Anglo-Saxons in the new age. He wanted to use guò as a way to test whether the Royal Navy, which was shrouded in countless halos, was still capable of holding the Poseidon's halberd after ruling the seas for three hundred years. Thankfully, with a strong will and a thirst for glory, we were able to survive the toughest of times and prove that the Royal Navy is still the absolute master of the blue sea! ……”

Fearless on a semi-open, single-mount 102 mm deck gun emplacement in the bow. A young sailor is giving an impassioned speech. And several sailors next to him also listened with relish. Leisurely and fascinating. Although the British Mediterranean Fleet also had 3 old man star pre-dreadnoughts sunk in naval battles, and the other 2 were seriously injured and withdrawn from the battle, these losses were obviously insignificant compared to the great exploits of Betty's fleet after the Landing on the battlefield. As for the losses of the French fleet, John Bull, who despised the French Navy from the bottom of his bones, would only draw a line with the French, believing that these Gallic roosters had nothing to do with the sea at all.

It was a pity that the German fleet would only cower in Wilhelmshaven, protected by shore artillery mines, or go to the Baltic bathtub to bully the fleet that the Russians had lost in 1905. There is simply no guts to ride the waves in the rough North Sea. And that shameful Mr. Baby Killer only dared to shell and harass me Britannica, and did not even dare to approach within 12 nautical miles of our territorial waters. One of the sailors took out the kettle on his waist and poured a few sips, and said angrily, "And our Harwich fleet is on guard duty in the Strait of Dover and the mouth of the Thames, and there is no way to trouble those Germans." If the Germans dare to come near the mouth of the Thames, we will make these Hans feel what it is like to despair! ”

"How could the Germans have the audacity to come to the mouth of the Thames?" Another sailor spoke, with a deep sense of pride, disdain, regret, and contempt. Since the last decade of the 19th century, with the rapid advancement of the second wave of industrial revolution, Britain's industrial leadership, which once monopolized the world, collapsed under the violent impact of the United States and Germany in less than 20 years; However, the supreme glory that has hung over the Royal Navy for more than 300 years. But it is these sailors who are ignorant of the key factor that underpins the power of the sea on the economic basis cannot adapt to the drastic changes of the environment of the times. They are still reeling in the glory of the epic Battle of Trafalgar a hundred years ago. He also believed that all the fleets of the great powers, except for the British Navy, were poor, ugly, and frustrated beasts and barbarians with no combat effectiveness. After Betty defeated the Allied Combined Fleet in the Mediterranean with invincibility, the British sailors took it for granted that the German Navy was just as good as their allies; As long as the two sides have a "fair" main showdown, the Royal Navy will definitely blow each other to the ground.

The sea breeze blows, and the sharp bow splits the blue sea surface layer by layer; After a while, in the morning mist as thin as fine sand in the distance, a few faint gray shadows suddenly appeared. The British sailors stopped their beautiful longing for the total annihilation of the German navy and turned their heads to look at these uninvited guests, but there was no nervous or solemn look on their faces. For more than three months, not a single sampan with a black vulture cross had dared to appear in the waters, but there had been many encounters between several patrols belonging to the Harwich's fleet. The captain of the ship, Major Korey, waved his hand and asked the communications room to confirm the identity of the other party with a radio signal, and he was still spitting clouds and fog on the flybridge, and he had no intention of preparing the soldiers for battle.

The machinery whistled, the waves rolled, and the cruiser Fearless sent two telegrams in succession, but the other party still did not respond. Major Korey raised his binoculars with some exasperation, ready to see for himself which of his reckless warships had entered his patrol area. As time passed, the silhouette of the ship in the mist gradually revealed. The smooth and rigid square bridge and the simple and slender three chimneys all show the unique identity of the other party, that is, the light cruiser of the German High Seas Fleet!

"God, the Germans are coming! Immediately sound the battle alarm, the boiler is on fire, and it is ready to meet the enemy! ”

"Boom!" The two shells roared and thundered, slamming into the sea dozens of meters in front of the side of the Fearless, and the water column sprayed into the sky. Looking at these two thick jets of water rushing out, Major Korey couldn't help but start cursing loudly. This power can only be caused by 6-inch (152 mm) shells, and its own ship is only equipped with 4-inch (102 mm) guns, and although the rate of fire is amazing, the power per shot is almost three times less than the former. According to the tactical guidelines of the Harwich fleet, his cruiser was to be used as a destroyer leader, and in close combat, it used a storm of fire projection to directly defeat the opposing torpedo boat force, rather than facing the German light cruisers armed with 150 mm guns. However, the British already had no bigger ship on the field. The Royal Navy's tradition of attacking the enemy also made it impossible for Major Kore to choose to evacuate directly without determining the opponent's lineup and battlefield situation.

Led by the Intrepid Intrepid, three other British destroyers also began to accelerate to their maximum speed, rushing towards the German battleship that appeared in the mist, intending to carry out the most complete reconnaissance of it. A large number of white splashes suddenly appeared on the sides of the British ships. On the foredeck, one level above the rear, British sailors who had previously claimed to be going to beat the Germans were gearing up for a repeat of Betty's record in the Eastern Mediterranean two days earlier. However, their three-minute enthusiasm was quickly extinguished by the enemy lineup that appeared in the mist. Because on the sea in front of them, there were 4 German light cruisers and more than 20 torpedo boats, and the steel ships dotted around directly frightened these British sailors into paleness!

For these few British light battleships that dared to approach, the German light cruisers did not have the slightest mercy; The 150-millimeter cannon erupted with brilliant orange light, exploding in surging waves of water around it. The small destroyer USS Cornet, with a light load displacement of 550 tons, was hit by a high-explosive bomb in the middle of the hull, and the deck exploded in an instant, and the red light exploded angrily, and the flames rolled into the sky. The terrifying energy unleashed by the violent explosion of the high explosives effortlessly shredded the fragile hull of the ship, which was much weaker than the strength of the capital ship, and the sea water rushed through the shrapnel-infused hole. Major Kore saw that the ship was frantically engulfed in smoke and fire, and that the speed at which it depended for its survival was plummeting at a sharp rate.

"Hurry up and send a report to the headquarters that Detachment C has found a large number of German battleships in the coastal waters, and it is towards the mouth of the Thames, and the enemy lineup is expected to have 4 light cruisers and 20~30 torpedo boats!" In a row of thick columns of water, Major Kore hurried into the telegraph room and shouted at some of the scrambled signal soldiers. The light patrol with a displacement of 3,440 tons made a deftly turn on the surface of the sea and rushed at full speed in the direction of the base. Although the British Navy advocated attack, it was definitely not a reckless death; After obtaining information about the battlefield, the British, who have a huge disparity in strength, will definitely choose Flashman!

Shells continued to fall on the surface of the sea, stirring up columns of water that soared into the sky. The Fearless ran with all its might at a high-pressure ventilation speed, and finally escaped the effective range of German artillery fire. To the horror of the frightened Korey, the German light cruiser did not chase his battleship at full speed, but only opened fire to disperse, as if he was carrying out a tight escort mission. However, Koray did not have the courage to return to the battlefield after all, and instead commanded the remaining warships to sail quickly towards the harbor. The red sun rises in the east, and the light shines. The morning fog that hung over the sea gradually cleared over time, and visibility returned to normal and ideal conditions. When Korey turned back to observe the German fleet again, the scene in front of him made him feel like he had been struck by lightning, and he instantly froze in place.

A majestic fleet, so large that it could not be seen from the beginning to the end, suddenly appeared in the sea and sky in the east like a city wall embankment. Billowing coal mist erupted from the dense forest-like chimneys, turning the sky into a pale black cloud. On the periphery of these capital warships, countless light warships shuttled back and forth to escort them; And the German ships that fought with him before are also impressively guarding the forest of ships!

"Germans, the main force of the High Seas Fleet ......," Korey said with trembling lips. (To be continued......)

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