Ironclad cruiser "Boulder".

"Fleet George, what do you think of this Earl of Queensland?" The questioner was Colonel Joe Howard, a naval officer with a beautiful beard, only 34 years old, who spoke with an authentic London high society accent.

"Your Excellency, I think it's a catfish thrown into the pond, and it does make the other fish swim desperately, but it also muddies the water, and to be honest, I hate unruly people, especially ......" Captain George, the captain of the "Stubborn Stone", made a gesture of disdain for the skin, which made Colonel Joe Howard laugh.

"Hahaha...... It's funny what you said, this catfish is indeed an anomaly, and this skirmish on the surface of the sea has at least made us less boring this afternoon. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency, it's a super lightweight fight, but it's a good way to kill time." Also a Royal Navy Captain, Captain George's licking marks are still very heavy.

It was now close to three o'clock in the afternoon, and the sea chase was going on, and the distance between the two fleets had been reduced to about 5 nautical miles.

Several British naval officers sat leisurely in the upper cabins, drinking afternoon tea while watching the battle on the sea through the open hatches and windows.

They are the Royal Navy's Task Force Observation Group in India, and in this era of the development of steam-ironclad warships, the Royal Navy will not spare any possible naval battle, learn from the experience of naval warfare, refine naval combat tactics, and demonstrate the absolute influence of the Royal Navy everywhere.

Among these officers, the two colonels had the highest ranks, but there was no doubt that Colonel Joe Howard was the core, and Captain George also put down his responsibility for the command of the ship and respectfully accompanied him.

After all, it was a bystander, and out of the self-confidence of the Royal Navy of the British Empire, no one dared to smash the shells over.

Colonel Joe Howard comes from the old and noble family of the Duke of Norfolk, is the second son of the family, although he is not the heir to the Duke's title, and out of humility to the noble Duke's family, he must also be honored Lord Lord.

The heir to the Duke's title, his eldest brother, Rear Admiral Philip Howard, is the hottest assistant minister to the Royal Admiralty, and it is rumored that he will be promoted to the rank of deputy minister in the near future, and will become the out-and-out boss of the Royal Navy.

While talking

The "Albatross," which was galloping all the way on the sea, opened fire first, and with a "boom," accompanied by a huge cannon sound, the hull of the "Albatross" shook significantly, the dazzling muzzle flame flashed, and the cannonballs smashed into the area near the sail warship in front.

Following the opening of the lead ship, the "Flamingo", "Pelican" and "Heron" opened fire one after another, stirring up three high columns of water near the Dutch sail battleship fleeing in front, and a classic naval battle began.

Colonel Joe Howard raised a noticeable eyebrow, and as an experienced naval officer, he could hear what was conveyed in the sound of the German-made 239mm guns.

The sound of the cannon is strong and powerful, without any delay, and professionals can hear that this breech-loading screw main gun is very airtight, and the corresponding gun has a longer range, higher accuracy, and slightly greater power.

He said with a smile on his lips; "The Germans are indeed progressing very fast, and they should be congratulated, these Germanic barbarians who came out of the Black Forest have embraced modern civilization with astonishing speed."

"I couldn't agree more with you, Your Excellency." Captain George took a bite of the delicious plum biscuit and delivered a well-timed assist.

Colonel Joe Howard took a sip of his teacup and said with a hint of undoubted arrogance and domineering; "From the Spruance Strait to the English Channel, this small pond in the Mediterranean Sea is too small, and unfortunately there is no room to accommodate the Germans, and the North Sea is the traditional hunting ground of the Royal Navy, and if the Germans come, there will be no place for the Royal Navy artillery drills, and I think they are clearly aware of this, so they show due respect."

"Your Excellency, in comparison, I personally think that the Germans, as the land core to resist the Franco-Russian alliance, have done a good job of maintaining the continental balance."

"George, as the arbiter of the situation in Europe, we must treat Germany and the Franco-Russian alliance as equals, although I don't like the Russians either." Colonel Joe Howard shrugged his shoulders helplessly, his words full of superiority; "They are rude and greedy, and have an irrepressible desire for possession of the land, oh...... By the way, this is similar to Mr. Earl Queensland, a new nobleman from the old Eastern Empire, who does not spare even a deserted island, which is really insulting to the demeanor of an English gentleman, and I have to mention that my aunt, Princess Catherine, is from the Dutch royal family, and I respect her very much. ”

……

The rumbling of artillery on the sea ahead did not affect the arrogant British officers in the slightest to chat, leisurely drinking afternoon tea and pointing out the country.

"Major Spencer, where is it now, could you please explain this interesting chase to us?"

"I am glad to serve you, Your Excellency." Lieutenant Spencer stood up and walked to the porthole, raised his binoculars to observe the battlefield carefully, and said;

"In the chase

The rear Queensland fleet took turns firing calibrated shells and shortened the distance with the Dutch fleet in front with an astonishingly high speed, which was now about 4.2 nautical miles.

In about 20 minutes, the Queensland fleet has reduced its firing coverage to within 500 yards after five rounds of test firing, and it is very likely that it will hit a close-arrow round in the last few rounds of firing, which is undoubtedly a good way to save shells.

It has to be said that the performance of these officers who graduated from the Manchester Naval Academy is above the passing line, which is worth looking forward to.

I think there is a certain merit in the way of multiple rounds of test firing.

For Mr. Earl of Queensland, who was known for his wealth, the navy was still an expensive toy, and the province still had to save a little.

As for the Dutch fleet fleeing all the way ahead, judging from the Royal Navy's rich experience in fighting with them, this kind of blind escape is not in line with the Nordic hard-line style, and it is likely to be a strategy to lure the enemy into the depths.

It is well known to everyone that the ocean-going cruisers, produced by the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in England, were incredibly fast, dwarfed even by the sailboats, which were known for their agility and speed.

Oh sell ga......

In the sixth round of test firing, the distance of the water column of the shell explosion had been reduced to 150 yards, and the Dutch sail battleship was obviously pushed by the water pressure generated by the explosion, and the course was slightly deviated.

This is a very good shooting result, and it must be admitted that they have an excellent artillery commander who calculates the shooting elements very accurately.

Please let me see which ship this is?

Oh, it was the "Flamingo" that took the lead in firing a near miss, it is now the main gun, the secondary gun is firing with all its might, and 6 shells have a small barrage in front, although it did not hit, but it also caused big trouble for the other side.

The question is where exactly is the main Dutch fleet?

According to calculations;

The area of engagement should be within 50 nautical miles of the port of Medan, and a large number of Dutch warships led by the Seven Provinces could be besieged at any time, and the prospects for the Queensland fleet were not optimistic.

Oh...... There was a big maneuver in the Dutch decoy fleet, oh my God, hit ......"

With Major Spencer's exclamation, the other British officers couldn't help but rush out of the cabin and carefully watch the rumbling of artillery in front of them.

On the sea

The tall sails of the three Dutch battleships with a wide range of turns turned violently, and more than a dozen tall water columns exploded nearby, including a 120-mm shell that hit the foremast of the largest sail battleship.

Accompanied by a huge ball of fire and rising smoke, the 1,200-ton wooden sail warship seemed to have been punched by a sea giant, and the bow of the ship sank to the surface of the sea, and then jumped up under the influence of huge buoyancy, revealing the tattered bow of the ship.

The nose mast had been blown away, and the nearest tall foremast made a tooth-aching snapping sound, which could still be heard clearly at a distance of more than 8 nautical miles, and then fell down with a "boom".

"Oh my God, it's the hapless Limburg, and his situation doesn't look good. Captain George gasped.

"No, no, Mr. Captain, please look at the position at ten o'clock, the Dutch main fleet has come up, which may be bad news for the Queensland fleet." Major Spencer said.

Several British Royal Navy officers followed the prestige together, and sure enough, on the surface of the sea, the tall masts of one, two, three, four, and five sail warships were revealed, and a few minutes later a sixth and a seventh appeared......

"Watt, is there no one?"

When the seven sail warships surrounded them violently, the British naval officers looked at each other in surprise, completely confused.

"Perhaps...... The Dutch ambushed the main fleet in a certain area of the sea, well, this reason cannot even convince me. Captain George had a hellish look on his face.

"Is this a new tactic?"

"It's hard to say, the way the Dutch battleships are thrown in one by one is hardly a good choice, anyway, I'm not optimistic, even if the final victory is achieved, it will inevitably be costly."

"God, these Dutchmen are far less brave than their ancestors, and this is a disastrous strategy."

Compared to the steam-ironclad battleships equipped with thick bulletproof armor, the wooden sail battleships are purely crispy, and the survival rate is very low under the bombardment of modern large-caliber artillery, which is a complete disaster.

If the Queensland fleet is four light cavalry, the cruisers of the "Seven Provinces" in the Dutch fleet are heavy cavalry, fully able to withstand the frontal onslaught of the opposing side, and the sail battleships are a group of peasants in cloth clothes, although they hold deadly spears and blades in their hands, but their protection is too weak.

Only the cruiser "Seven Provinces" withstood the onslaught head-on, and the other sail warships swarmed up to shred the Queensland fleet, which was the most reasonable and only correct way.

The British officers were surprised by the absence of the cruiser "Seven Provinces" and the fact that the Dutch fleet was much smaller than expected, adding to the suspense of this fierce battle at sea.

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