On the battlecruiser HMS Hood, the flagship of the British fleet, Marshal David Beatty lowered his binoculars and was somewhat dissatisfied with the test launch of the battleship.

"Every 381 mm shell is not cheap! Let the artillery aim a little. Marshal David Betty commanded.

"Yes, Your Excellency." The staff officer nodded, and immediately went to deliver the order.

As the battleship "Hood" began its test launch, other warships of the British Navy on the battle line also opened fire. The 381-mm guns of the 'Admiral-class' battlecruisers and the 343-mm guns of the 'Lion-class' battlecruisers began to fire one after another, and the rumbling sound of the guns echoed on the surface of the sea as if it were thunder.

However, because the distance is too far, the accuracy of the British Navy's shelling is very low.

The British fleet was fighting lively, but the Imperial Navy was silent. Relying on the current observation and sighting equipment, the distance of 15,000 kilometers is completely the limit of engagement. If you want to hit the target, you often need to get closer to the shelling. Otherwise, it's a waste of shells. You must know that the armor-piercing shells of large-caliber naval guns are inherently very expensive. It's a little bit more to be able to save!

At 11:52 a.m., the distance between the two sides had narrowed to 13,000 kilometers. At this distance, the level of shelling of the British fleet was getting higher and higher. The nearest impact point has reached about 100 meters. If you're lucky, you might be able to get a near miss.

"Order the ships and start firing back!" Lieutenant General Li He gave the order to return fire.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "The four twin guns of the battleship 'Longxing', equipped with 50 times the caliber 343 mm main guns, began test firing. The battleship Longfury followed, and the other battleships on the battle line also began shelling.

Although, the caliber of the main guns of the battleships on the battle line of the Chinese Navy was generally inferior to that of the British Navy. But. Under the influence of the new sighting equipment and fire control system, the accuracy of the Chinese Navy's artillery bombardment is actually better than that of the British Navy. In the first round of test firing conducted by the battleship "Longxing", the nearest impact point was 200 meters. Later, in the second round of test firing, the impact point was even closer to 100 meters. By the time of the third salvo, the impact point had been narrowed to a few tens of meters. For shelling targets more than 10,000 meters away. To be able to do this is already quite impressive. If you're lucky, you might be able to hit it directly.

"Lao Lin, it seems that our artillery level is no worse than that of the British!" Lieutenant General Li He said with a smile.

"This is not the credit of our sailors, but the credit of our technical level." Major General Lin Jianzhang said. After the defeat of Germany, the whole country faced collapse. The Chinese Empire took the opportunity to acquire a large amount of advanced technology from Germany. Carl Zeiss optical instruments are naturally the focus of the empire. Plus the technology that the Reich acquired from Germany during World War I. And the help of engineers and technicians from Germany, the Imperial Navy was completely at the forefront of the world in terms of sighting equipment and fire control systems. The quality of the British Empire's navy is indeed the best in the world. However, technological prowess had fully helped the Chinese Empire to bridge this gap, and had put the Chinese Navy ahead of the British.

On the battlecruiser 'Hood', Marshal David Beatty's face was already gloomy as water. The Chinese Navy launched a preemptive strike, and the accuracy of the shelling was even higher than that of the British Navy. How can he accept this?

"Damn, is the Royal Navy also depraved? Why can't we even compare to those yellow-skinned monkeys? What the hell is wrong with this world? Marshal David Beatty muttered. Before the naval battle began, he was still full of confidence. But now, he finds himself looking a little too optimistic. The Royal Navy of the British Empire was not as strong as he expected. And the Chinese Navy is not as bad as he imagined.

However, the naval battle has already begun, and now it is useless to talk about this. The only thing Marshal David Betty could do. It was to lead the Royal Navy to victory in this naval battle. Otherwise, the British Empire will pay a heavy price for it. The throne of the sea hegemon who has been in control for hundreds of years will be handed over. If that were the case, then David Beatty would undoubtedly be the sinner of the entire British Empire.

"Send a telegram to the ships. The fate of the British Empire is at stake, and everyone must go all out to defeat the Chinese Navy! Like Marshal Nelson, we will lead the Royal Navy to victory! Marshal David Betty ordered.

The staff officer nodded, and immediately went to telegraph.

David Betty hesitated, then ordered the communications officer to send a telegram to Admiral Charles Madden, asking him to lead the main force of the expeditionary fleet to the battlefield as soon as possible.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "The Imperial Navy's battleship 'Longxiang' is undergoing test firing of five twin 505-caliber 305-mm guns. After flying for more than 20 seconds, the five shells smashed into the battlecruiser "Rodney". However, none of the five shells were able to hit the target. Four shells fell into the sea on the left side of the battlecruiser Rodney, and one shell fell into the sea on the right side of the battlecruiser Rodney. The shells exploded in the sea, and the splashed water column rose into the sky.

"Well done!" The officers and men of the Imperial Navy on the battleship 'Longxiang' shouted one after another.

"Turn to fire!" The commander of the battleship 'Longxiang' gave the order. Suddenly, five twin 50-caliber 305-mm guns began to concentrate fire, and the amount of shells projected was doubled.

On the other hand, the morale of the British fleet inevitably suffered. The fact that the Chinese Navy is one step ahead of them in forming a straddle shot does not mean that the Chinese Navy is completely ahead of them? You know, after forming a straddle shot, it is very easy to hit the opponent. Hit the other side, that's just a matter of time.

"Damn!" David Betty scolded.

"The Chinese must be lucky, that's all." David Beatty blamed luck for this.

At 11:57, the battleship "Longteng" of the Imperial Navy directly hit the battlecruiser "Howe" of the British Navy. This round of test firing should be a burst of luck, otherwise, there would not have been such a coincidence.

The shell fired from the No. 3 turret hit the bow of the battlecruiser 'Howe'. Even if the 305-mm shell was not powerful enough, it easily tore through the deck armor up to 76 mm thick and exploded in the compartments below, not only blowing up several compartments, but also causing a raging fire.

"Long live the Empire!" The officers and men of the Imperial Navy cheered.

Everything seems to be going very well. The first straddle shot was done by the Imperial Navy, and the first hit was also made by the Imperial Navy. The Imperial Navy seems to have a great advantage in this battle!

Of course, all of this is just a superficial phenomenon. In naval warfare, there are too many uncertainties. If you don't get to the end, it's too early to tell.

At 11:59 a.m., the bad luck of the British seemed to be gone. In this round of test launches, the battlecruiser "Hood" formed a straddle fire.

"Well done! Lads, shoot and sink the flagship of the Chinese. Marshal David Betty shouted. It was as if the previous dissatisfaction and anger had suddenly vanished.

However, three minutes later, the battleship "Longxing" of the Imperial Navy doubted the color, and in this round of test firing, a straddle fire was formed. Immediately, the battleship switched to concentrated fire. Four twin 50-caliber 343 mm guns fired desperately.

With the passage of time, more and more warships formed a cross-firing battle, which also made this naval battle more intense.

At 12:05, the battlecruiser "Tiger" of the British Navy hit the battlecruiser "Longfei" of the Imperial Navy. A 343-mm shell hit the side of the battlecruiser 'Longfei', blowing up a secondary gun, and several sailors who were at this post were blown to pieces.

At 12:08, the Imperial Navy's battlecruiser "Longhui" hit the British Navy's battlecruiser "Queen Mary". A shell hit the No. 4 main turret in the stern of the battlecruiser 'Queen Mary'. Only 229 mm thick turret armor could not withstand armor-piercing shells fired from a 305-mm gun of fifty times the caliber. The armor-piercing shell easily tore through the turret armor and exploded inside, knocking the entire turret into the air. Fortunately, there were no shells in the chamber at this time, and ****** had not yet been raised. And the fire door was closed as soon as possible. So, it's just that this main turret is destroyed, otherwise the battlecruiser 'Queen Mary' will pay an even greater price.

"Bastard, let the 'Queen Mary' report the loss!" At the sight of smoke rising from the stern of the battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary, Marshal David Beatty's heart was on the verge of his throat.

Five minutes later, the battlecruiser HMS Queen Mary reported the loss of only one of its main turrets. This was a relief to Marshal David Beatty. One main turret was lost, and the battlecruiser 'Queen Mary' also had three main turrets, and it still had a strong fighting force.

From 12 o'clock onwards, the battle between the two sides became more and more intense. Ships are constantly being hit, dealing damage. Although, for the time being, no battleship has been sunk. However, as the naval battle continued, it was only a matter of time before the battleship was sunk. (To be continued.) )

PS: The thirty-sixth is here, ask for a monthly pass and a reward!