On the battleship 'Fuxi', the flagship of the Imperial Navy, Marshal Cheng Biguang and Vice Admiral Liu Guanxiong were all paying attention to the development of the war situation. The two 'prestige-class' battle cruisers surrounded by the Imperial Navy are obviously already turtles in the urn. The Imperial Navy will take it out step by step. It's just a process, it's just time.

Although, the two 'prestige-class' battlecruisers were still resisting. But, on the whole, their resistance seemed so weak and powerless. It's like a sheep facing a lion.

"The main fleet of the British should know where we are. If I'm right, the main fleet of the British must be rapidly approaching here. Time is running out. In half an hour, settle the battle, and then, prepare to meet the main fleet of the British. In addition, let General Li and them prepare to move closer to us. Let them go around to our south. And we keep an hour's flight. Marshal Cheng Biguang ordered.

By the time the main fleet of the Imperial Navy laid siege to the two 'prestige-class' battlecruisers of the British, they must have already asked for help from the main fleet of the expeditionary fleet. From this, it can be seen that the main fleet of the expeditionary fleet must already be on its way. A showdown between the navies of the two countries is about to begin. At this time, the Imperial Navy naturally had to be prepared. The detachment led by Vice Admiral Li He also needed to further close the distance between it and the main fleet, so that after the fierce battle broke out, it could be quickly reinforced. In addition, in order to avoid being discovered by the British, they also need to hide their tracks. Otherwise, if the British found that their two 'prestige-class' battlecruisers had been sunk and all the capital ships of the Imperial Navy had converged, the British might have chosen to retreat. In that case, the Imperial Navy would have lost the opportunity to inflict heavy losses on the British.

Though. In this naval battle, the Chinese Navy had already eaten six British battlecruisers, and was about to eat two battlecruisers, so that the British Navy's losses would rise to eight battlecruisers. Such losses are already very large. However, it is equivalent to the powerful British Royal Navy. Such a loss is not really going to break their bones. In order to ensure the superiority of the Imperial Navy, the Imperial Navy must maximize the results of the battle. Therefore, the main fleet of the expeditionary fleet has become the target that the Imperial Navy must solve this time. Only in this way will the British know the strength of the empire and be able to remove them from the throne of world hegemon.

"Yes, Marshal!" Lieutenant General Liu Guanxiong nodded.

"Boom!" A violent explosion rang out, and an orange-red fireball was seen rising from the stern of the British Navy's battlecruiser Repulse Bay. A 410-mm shell fired by the battleship Regulus of the Imperial Navy hit him. Shells weighing more than a ton. Easily smashed open the thin deck armor and exploded inside the battleship. The power was so great that it almost blew up the stern of the battlecruiser 'Repulse Bay'. Not only several compartments were blown up, but also the ship's transmission was also destroyed. The speed of the battlecruiser 'Repulse Bay', which began to decrease sharply at a speed visible to the naked eye.

On the command tower of the battlecruiser 'Prestige', Commodore Thomas held a telescope in one hand and saw a fireball rising from the battlecruiser 'Repulse Bay'. I couldn't help but curse secretly. His broken hand had been simply bandaged. But. It still hurts so much that his face is a little distorted.

"General, the Repulse Bay reports that their gearing has been damaged and the speed of the battleship is rapidly decreasing." The communications officer reported.

"What?" Brigadier Thomas's face changed suddenly. Only then did he realize that the wound of the battlecruiser 'Repulse Bay' was worse than he had imagined. In the midst of such a fierce naval battle. Once you lose speed, you must know what it means.

Commodore Thomas knew that the battlecruiser Repulse Bay was hopeless and should be sunk soon. But. His 'prestige' battlecruiser was also a dead end. It should soon follow in the footsteps of the battlecruiser 'Repulse Bay'.

At this time, the battlecruiser 'Prestige' shook violently again in the midst of a deafening explosion. Commodore Thomas knew that this was another sign that the battlecruiser 'Prestige' had been hit.

"Where was it hit? Is the loss serious? Brigadier General Thomas asked aloud.

It was two minutes before someone reported to him.

"General, the bow of the ship has been hit. The main turret A was destroyed. ”

The main turret armor of the battlecruiser 'Prestige' was only 229 mm thick. How could it be possible to withstand 410-mm shells?

"Is the ammunition depot watered?" Brigadier General Thomas hurriedly asked.

The main turret was destroyed, albeit with heavy wounds. But if even the ammunition depot is detonated, that's the real damage.

"The ammunition depot has been filled with water." The staff officer replied.

Brigadier Thomas's heart that had been hanging was put back in his stomach. The main turret was destroyed, but the ammunition depot was not destroyed, which was a blessing in disguise.

It's just that Brigadier General Thomas's heart, which has just been put down, immediately picks up again.

The battleship 'Shennong' of the Imperial Navy once again fired a salvo. In this round of salvo, two of the nine 410-mm shells hit the battlecruiser 'Prestige'.

One of them hit the amidships of the battlecruiser 'Prestige' and was near the waterline. Only 179 mm of waterline armor in front of 410 mm shells, almost no different from paper paste, was torn apart in an instant. After the shell exploded, it directly pulled the nearby steel plate apart. Near the ship's amidship waterline, a large hole more than two meters long was left. Sea water poured frantically into the battlecruiser Prestige through this opening.

Another shell hit the stern of the battlecruiser Prestige, destroying half of the stern, including the steering gear and propeller, in a violent explosion. This made the battlecruiser 'Prestige' not only lose the ability to turn. At the same time, the speed of the battleship was also drastically reduced.

The battlecruiser 'Prestige', which had lost speed and could not turn, was no different from a live target. Coupled with the constant flooding of the broadside, this could have been a death sentence for the battlecruiser 'Prestige'.

In the next two minutes, the battleships 'Fuxi' and 'Shennong' of the Imperial Navy once again hit the battlecruiser 'Prestige', and more than three shells hit the hapless battlecruiser. The heavy injuries caused the battlecruiser 'Prestige' to begin to sink rapidly. Commodore Thomas also had to hurriedly give the order to abandon the ship. Since the sinking of the battlecruiser 'Prestige' has become a foregone conclusion. Well, there is no need for twelve hundred officers and sailors of the Navy to accompany him to his funeral.

However, even then, less than 300 people managed to escape. The rest, including Brigadier General Thomas, sank their heads to the bottom of the sea. The badly damaged battlecruiser 'Prestige' became their iron coffin.

After the sinking of the battlecruiser 'Prestige', the firepower of the three 'Three Emperor-class' battlecruisers was concentrated on the battlecruiser 'Repulse Bay'. Within only five minutes of the sinking of the battlecruiser 'Prestige', the battlecruiser 'Repulse Bay' was also sunk. The Repulse Bay, which had severely slowed down, simply could not dodge the increasingly dense shells.

After the two 'prestige-class' battlecruisers were eliminated, the remaining two 'C-class' light cruisers and two 'R-class' destroyers were not able to escape.

The 'C-class' light cruiser, with a displacement of 4,200 tons, was armed with two single 45-caliber 152 surface naval guns, eight 45-caliber 102-mm secondary guns, as well as six small-caliber rapid-fire guns and four 533-mm heavy torpedo tubes. The maximum speed is capable of reaching 28.5 knots. It should be said that the overall performance is not bad. However, in the face of the siege of the light cruisers of the Imperial Navy, these two 'C-class' light cruisers were not able to hold out for much time at all. Almost as soon as the two 'prestige-class' battlecruisers were sunk, the two 'C-class' light cruisers were sunk.

The same is true of the two 'R-class' destroyers. The 'R-class' destroyer is a good destroyer, though. But compared with the destroyers of the Imperial Navy, there is still a big gap. Not to mention that it is under siege at this time.

From the beginning to the end of the battle, two 'Prestige-class' battle cruisers, two 'C-class' light cruisers and two 'R-class' destroyers were sunk in a tight period of only an hour and twenty minutes. Although the Chinese navy surrounded them, it was mainly the 'Three Emperor-class' battleships that really attacked. The Imperial Navy's 'Three Emperor-class' battleships have been in service for so long, and this is the first time that they have experienced actual combat.

"Rescue the British sailors who fell overboard. Then, get ready to take on the main fleet of the British. Marshal Cheng Biguang ordered.

Dealing with two 'Prestige' battlecruisers was just a minor episode before the start of the Great War. Next, the duel with the main fleet of the British fleet, this is the most important thing. However, with the loss of two 'prestige-class' battlecruisers, the strength of the main fleet of the expeditionary fleet has once again been weakened a lot. The superiority of the Imperial Navy has risen once again. The chances of the Imperial Navy winning have naturally increased a lot. (To be continued.) )

PS: The forty-ninth is here, ask for a monthly pass and a reward!