Inside the command tower of the battleship 'War Wey', the atmosphere here was almost frozen after the headquarters of Marshal David Betty moved here. As the tide of the war became more and more unfavorable to the British Navy, the expression on the face of Marshal David Betty became more and more gloomy, so that the officers in the commander looked solemn as if they were attending a funeral.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! "The four twin 381mm guns of the battleship 'War-Wey' are firing at the Chinese Navy's battleship 'Shennong'. It's just that in this round of shelling, not a single shell hit the target. All the shells fell into the sea, and there was no more effect than a splash of rushing water.

"Marshal, the current situation of the war is becoming more and more unfavorable for us. The reinforcements of the Chinese are definitely already on their way. Otherwise, let's retreat. General Charles Madden suggested.

Of the entire fleet, Admiral Charles Madden was the only one who dared to make such a suggestion at this time. Others don't have this list at all. Field Marshal David Beatty was on the verge of rage, and no one dared to mention it, for fear that he would be dealt with by those who disturbed the morale of the army. Therefore, everyone can only hold it in their hearts and dare not say it.

"Chief of Staff, can we still retreat now?" Marshal David Betty had a wry smile on his face.

"If you really want to order a retreat, except for the battlecruiser 'Howe', I am afraid that none of the other capital ships will be able to escape." The 'Vengeance-class' and 'Queen Elizabeth-class' battleships, as well as the 'Iron Duke-class' battleships, had lower speeds. None of the capital ships of the Chinese Navy on the other side had a speed of less than 25 knots. If we retreat, they will definitely pursue. The Chinese are not fools, how can they give up the victory that is already in hand? Therefore. If we were to retreat, we would not be able to escape, we would just have to wait a little longer. Marshal David Betty continued.

General Charles Marden's face suddenly turned pale. Listening to Marshal David Betty's words, he realized that the situation of the Royal Navy was already very difficult. The war has come to this point. It's not like they're going to be able to retreat if they want to.

"If it's night, we might be able to evacuate under the cover of night. However, it's still morning. There were still more than ten hours left before it got dark. More than ten hours is enough for the Chinese Navy to kill us all and win this naval battle. Marshal David Betty continued. In fact, when the war was not going well, he also thought about retreating. However, then he thought about it, unless the Chinese Navy abandoned the pursuit. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to withdraw at all. As the saying goes, one wrong step, one wrong step. The defeat of the Royal Navy's expeditionary fleet was foregone from the time Marshal David Betty led the fleet to the south this morning.

"Marshal, then what shall we do? Is it just that you can only continue to fight knowing that you are dead? Admiral Charles Madden asked with some aggrievedness. He probably never expected this battle to be like this. At the time of his appointment as Chief of Staff of the Expeditionary Fleet. He also dreamed of a fleet defeat of the Chinese Navy, and they were welcomed back to England by flowers and popular applause. But now. When he woke up from the dream, what unfolded in front of him was a cruel reality.

"If we want to survive, there's only one way. In the last hour or so, inflict heavy losses on the Chinese fleet. Only in this way will they be put in the event of heavy losses. Give up the pursuit of us. This is the only way for us to survive. Otherwise, we're dead. Marshal David Beatty's eyes flashed with determination. Even now the situation has reached a point where it is very unfavorable for the British Navy. But Marshal David Beatty still did not give up his insistence. He still believes that as long as he persists, there will be a turnaround.

"It seems that this is the only way to go." Admiral Charles Marden nodded heavily.

Subsequently, Marshal David Beatty personally drafted a telegram. It was sent to all warships, and told everyone the predicament they are facing and the solution without reservation, so that everyone believes that the only way to survive is to do their best to defeat the Chinese navy in front of them.

This method made the morale of the British fleet, which was originally somewhat sluggish, rise a lot. Obviously, these officers and men of the Royal Navy, they don't want to die, they want to go back to England alive. Their wives, parents, or children are still waiting for them.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! For a while, the British fleet, which had not been so intense in its shooting, became fierce again.

After two hours of fierce fighting, the energy and physical strength of the officers and men were almost exhausted. However, the British navy suddenly became stronger again, and it can be seen that their morale has changed.

"Humph! Has morale been revived again? Unfortunately, this is not in the slightest. Marshal, the reinforcement fleet led by General Li Dingxin, will enter the battlefield in half an hour. Lieutenant General Liu Guanxiong reported.

"Well, that's good. They came just in time. This time, these capital ships of the British will definitely not be able to escape. Marshal Cheng Biguang said with a smile. His tense expression was also able to relax.

Reinforcements are about to arrive, which means that there will be no more variables in this naval battle. The number of capital ships remaining in the British Navy is still quite large. However, under the siege of the Imperial Navy, all of them will be wiped out.

"Boom! Rumble! Rumble! ”

The three triple 410-mm guns of the battleship Fuxi, the flagship of the Imperial Navy, were still firing fiercely, and although the gunners were already hungry, no one cried out that they were tired or tired. Everyone knows that this naval battle is related to the future fate of the empire, even if they are asked to pay for their lives, I believe that no one will frown. Not to mention being a little bitter and tired.

Nine shells weighing a ton roared towards the battlecruiser 'Howe'. Of the four 'Admiral-class' battlecruisers of the British Navy, two were sunk and one was heavily damaged, and this one was the only one left to continue fighting.

"Boom!" A loud explosion sounded on the foredeck of the battlecruiser 'Howe', and an orange-red fireball exploded.

This shell hit the main turret B on the foredeck of the battlecruiser 'Howe', despite the turret armor being 381 mm thick. However, it was still not able to withstand this shell. After the turret armor was torn open, the shells exploded inside the turret. The entire turret was destroyed. What is even more tragic is that at this moment there are two 381-mm shells and thousands of kilograms of ****** in the barrel. Suddenly, the two shells and the ****** also exploded. The tremendous power swept through the entire foredeck, blasting the foredeck into a large crater. Even the ammunition depot under the turret was affected. Although, the fire door was lowered in the first place. However, the violent explosion caused the fire doors to be blown away. A large number of 381-mm shells stored in the ammunition depot exploded under the action of the shock wave.

This kind of power is not something that the battlecruiser 'Howe' can withstand. In the violent explosion, the front half of the hull of the battlecruiser 'Howe' was destroyed, and even the keel was blown off. The sea frantically poured into the battleship from the fractured place, causing the battleship to plant into the sea. In just two minutes, the battlecruiser 'Howe' sank into the sea with its stern facing upwards.

"Well done!" Lieutenant General Liu Guanxiong shouted loudly.

Marshal Cheng Biguang also nodded with the same satisfaction: "The 'Fuxi' shifted the target of the shelling and fired at the battleship 'Queen Elizabeth'. Cooperate with the battleship 'Shennong' to sink this battleship in the shortest possible time. ”

"Yes, Marshal." The captain immediately gave the order.

After the sinking of the battlecruiser Howe, there were only 12 capital ships left in the British Navy. And the lead ships of the Imperial Navy, there are 8 more. The gap in strength between the two sides has been further narrowed.

'Bastard!' Howe was also sunk. "Marshal David Beatty was furious. From the beginning of the battle to the present, they have lost three capital ships, and one has been heavily damaged, while the Chinese Navy is only a capital ship that has been heavily damaged. Such a battle loss ratio made him unacceptable.

However, then Lady Luck seems to have turned to the British. The battleship "Malaya" of the British Navy, in this round of salvo, had two shells hit the battleship "Pinghai". In the previous battle, the battleship 'Pinghai' had already been damaged. This time, these two 381-mm shells directly hit the fatal place of the battleship 'Pinghai'.

As a last resort, the captain of the battleship 'Pinghai' had no choice but to ask to abandon the ship. Marshal Cheng Biguang allowed the ship to be abandoned, and the ratio of the number of capital ships on both sides on the battlefield became 7 to 12.

The sinking of the battleship 'Pinghai' greatly boosted the morale of the British Navy. You must know that the battleship 'Pinghai' is a powerful battleship equipped with 410 mm main guns, and it is definitely the main force of the Chinese Navy. The sinking of the battleship 'Pinghai' gave the British Navy hope again.

But then their hopes shattered like glass falling to the ground.

In the northeast direction of the British Navy, a large number of columns of smoke appeared, and the figures of huge warships were already visible in the distance. Reinforcements from the Chinese Navy arrived, and the British fleet was in a deadly predicament. (To be continued.) )

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