Chapter 1908: Magic Torpedo (II.)

From the very beginning of the project, Roland attached great importance to Morozov's "torpedo" project, which not only allocated sufficient funds for research and development, but also asked Leonid, Kafta and other military experts to cooperate with Morozov in tackling the torpedo project, and strive to come up with results that can be used in actual combat as soon as possible.

By the beginning of April 1625, with the help of many parties, Morozov finally completed the task and created an experimental magic torpedo equipped with a pneumatic drive and a "sounder". Roland visited the test site and was very satisfied with the results. The Far East Type 1625 Magic Torpedo is designed to have a speed of up to 42 knots, a maximum range of 3 nautical miles, and a charge of 1,000 pounds, which is enough to deal a fatal blow to the main warships currently in service with the navies of various countries.

At dusk on 3 May, the waters of the Golden Horn became a stage for the Far East's Type 1625 "Magic Torpedo" to shine. Victoria led the 2nd Submarines Squadron to fire magic torpedoes at the main warships of the Empire from two nautical miles away, and this weapon used for the first time in actual combat lived up to her expectations, hitting the "Charlemagne" again at 8:05 p.m., causing the flagship of the Empire to completely lose power.

On the bridge terrace of the "Charlemagne", Commander Lucien clenched his hands on the barricade, feeling remorseful. Recalling that when the "Crown Prince Frank" reported "thunder", he should have been vigilant, but unfortunately he only regarded this as an accident at the time, and secretly laughed at Lieutenant General Moreau's bad luck. As a result, he has now suffered retribution, and his flagship is in an even worse situation than the "Crown Prince Frank" at the moment.

Regret could not solve the problem, and despite all his reluctance, General Lucien had to make a difficult but wise decision: to abandon the "Charlemagne".

Five minutes later, under the cover of night, General Lucien led his staff team away from the already scarred flagship, first boarding a frigate, and then transferring the headquarters to the only preserved Imperial battleship on the battlefield, the "Empress Teresa".

The entire process of the transfer of the command took about twenty minutes, and in the twenty minutes of the command failure, the Imperial fleet completely lost the last chance of victory.

When the ironclad giant ship is moving towards the waves at a speed of nearly 30 knots, once there is a deviation, the spatial relationship between them will change every second. At the most critical juncture of the Battle of the Golden Horn, the "Charlemagne", which embodied the entire combat spirit and direction of progress, was abandoned by the commander of the Imperial Navy at this time and was paralyzed, and the Imperial fleet became fragmented, and the warships of all levels were forced to fight on their own because they could not get in touch with the command.

The Far East Fleet, which had been pressed and beaten before, got a chance to breathe, and took advantage of the situation to divide and surround the Imperial Fleet that had fallen into chaos and hit it hard!

At 8:30 p.m., night was already falling over the Golden Horn, and the momentum on the battlefield became more and more unfavorable to the Imperial Navy. General Lucien's frigate Endeavour, braving artillery fire and torpedoes, finally approached the "Empress Theresa", but not long after Lucien boarded the only remaining Imperial battleship, he also brought bad luck with him.

A sudden and heavy shelling came from behind, taking the "Queen Teresa" by surprise, and the deck was in chaos. General Lucien, drenched in the waves of the shells, stumbled into the bridge command hall, grabbed Lieutenant Admiral Werneuf by the shoulder, and asked where the shelling had come from.

"The Far Eastern Fleet is in the northeast of our army, why are there shells flying from the southwest?"

Vice Admiral Vernav's face was still calm, but it revealed a sickly paleness, and he gently pushed away the commander-in-chief's palm, which was soaked in sea water and cold sweat, and replied in a bitter tone: "I am sorry, Your Excellency, that is the fleet of the Parnias, who have just arrived from the port of Parnia to join the battle. ”

General Vernav had gone to great lengths to blockade the military port of Parnia, but just two hours earlier, his worst fears had happened.

In order to meet the Far Eastern Fleet that was heading south to rescue Parnia, the Imperial Fleet had to temporarily leave the harbor and rush to the open water thirty nautical miles away to fight the enemy. The Parnians did not miss the opportunity. When Prince Carroll learned that the Far Eastern Fleet had arrived at the Golden Horn, he immediately boarded his flagship "Vijees" and ordered the Parnia, which had been blocked in the depths of the military port for several days, to set sail immediately, and to break through the blockade as soon as possible at all costs and go to the Golden Horn to participate in this decisive naval battle that was vital to the survival of Parnia.

Prince Carroll made use of all the auxiliary ships he could collect in the harbor and ordered them to explore the way and clear the mines laid by the Imperial Navy. This "death squad" made great sacrifices, and in just two hours, it penetrated the obstacles laid by Vice Admiral Werneuve, and at the cost of 23 minesweepers being struck and sunk and more than 300 lives buried at the bottom of the sea, opening up a safe passage for the main fleet.

The "Vijees" led two light cruisers and four destroyers to bypass the sunken ships and minefields, rushed out of the harbor without danger, and arrived at the area of engagement at 8 o'clock that night.

If it were a different time and place, Commander Lucien and General Verneuve would not have taken the tiny Parnia's fleet seriously, but in this and now, after suffering countless heavy blows from the air, the sea and even the sea, the counterattack of the Parnias became the last straw that broke the camel's back, forcing the troubled Imperial fleet to finally fall into a rout.

"In this extremely passive situation, in the face of many uncertainties, it is no longer practical to continue fighting, and it will only incur heavier losses." Lieutenant General Vernav made the last exhortation with difficulty, "Your Excellency, it is time to retreat. ”

Commander Lucien was speechless, as if in a dream, still unable to believe that he had lost to the Far Eastern Navy, which was far weaker than his own fleet no matter how you looked at it. The bitter fruit of defeat is hard to swallow, but he knows that his spirit cannot just collapse, and since defeat is a foregone conclusion, as commander-in-chief, he must take responsibility and lead the troops to evacuate this sea area as quickly and as intact as possible.

At 8:40 p.m. on the evening of 3 May, the Empress Teresa, the acting flagship of the Imperial Navy, issued an order to all the officers and men of all its ships to retreat.

At this point, the victory and defeat of the Golden Horn Sea have been divided.

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