The steam engine was repaired...... You can escape!

If the turret can't be repaired, then you can only escape!

Moreover, the instructions given to Rear Admiral Cochran by the commander of the Second Indian Fleet also included "luring the enemy", that is, after destroying or severely damaging the armored cruiser detachment of the Ming Army, the Ming battleship formation that rushed to reinforce it was led to the west, and the main force of the Second Indian Fleet led by Vice Admiral Hood was there!

In total, the main formation of the 2nd Indian Fleet had 22 battleships and 15 airship carriers....... That's the real hole card of the Royal Navy!

As long as the four powerful heroes of the Nanyang Fleet are deceived and killed, then the winner of the battle of the Strait of Malacca is still the British Empire!

Thinking of this, Major General Cochran said with a firm face: "Turn to the northwest, strong pressure and ventilation, extreme speed!" ”

"Yes, Major General!"

"Major General, are we going to escape?"

A voice suddenly asked.

"No!" Major General Cochran said, "We are going to lure the enemy...... Lead the enemy's battleships under the guns of the main forces of the 2nd Indian Fleet! Even if we can only attract one hero, we are the winners! ”

A Hero-...... Twenty Edgar-class!

No matter how you count this transaction, it's a loss, but it's better than not being able to exchange it for one!

Thinking of this, Major General Cochran said, "Issue an order...... Disband the formations, retreat separately, may God bless everyone! ”

Rear Admiral Cochran actually knows very well that it will be a bit difficult for those Edgar-class ships with large targets to run away from a few ships, but now there are many second-class and third-class cruisers and destroyers belonging to the British and Indian Navy on the battlefield, and most of the second- and third-class cruisers are slower old ships, which fell behind when the Edgar-class charged, and the destroyers followed, but their targets were too small, and they still had a chance to escape.

Now, run away if you can...... Just keep the people, go back and build more battleships with thick skin and thick firepower......

"Boss, that Blake-class has turned, as if it's going to run! Do we want to chase it? ”

Zhang Bao had just commanded his battleship "Huo Jinghuan" to hammer out an Edgar-class, and it seemed that he was on the rise, and when he heard the report of his subordinates, he hurriedly raised his telescope and looked at the Blake. This Blake class is Edgar's "big brother" (Edgar is Blake's "youth version"), which is stronger than the Edgar class in all aspects, and of course the value is extremely high.

Just as Zhang Bao was thinking about whether he could catch up, the communications officer suddenly reported loudly: "General Town, the telegram order to close the military gate...... Let's not pursue the fleeing Blake class, and end the battle within 30 minutes, withdraw to the Batam anchorage, and not fall in love! ”

"What? 30 minutes to end the battle? ”

Zhang Bao hurriedly raised his binoculars to look around, and there was already a "chaotic battle" on the sea, with four Hero-class, eight Emperor-class, and seven Hero-class ships fighting with more than a dozen Edgar-class ships that had been beaten to smoke. Although these Edgar class are not the opponents of so many "heroes, heroes and emperors", it seems that it is not easy to sink them all - after all, the shells are very open under the waterline of the enemy ship, and if they do not hit the ammunition depot or something, it is quite difficult to sink a patrol of more than 7,000 tons at once.

The Edgar class, on the other hand, is a new first-class ship that was built using nickel steel with a hardened surface. When the pointed armor-piercing projectile hits armor steel of this hardness, the tip of the bullet may be shattered, and it is easy to jump when it hits inclined armor with a certain inclination, and the effect is not very good. Although the Ming Navy has begun to equip blunt-headed armor-piercing shells, the number of blunt-nosed shells carried by each warship is not very large, so it has to be spared...... After all, there are still a lot of stockpiles of pointy ballistics to go to!

In addition, the main guns of the Great and Haohan warships are both 240 mm, and their destructive power is not as good as the 280 mm main guns of the hero class. The few Edgars that were sunk before were almost all heroic.

Thinking of this, Zhang Bao ordered loudly: "Right full rudder...... Let's go play Edgar and sink two for Lao Tzu in 30 minutes! ”

"Yes! Total Town! ”

The helmsman of the battleship "Huo Jinghuan" responded, and forcefully struck the steering wheel to the right to the end, and the giant ship of more than 20,000 tons turned again, letting go of the Blake, which was "luring the enemy", and pounced on an Edgar-class that had been beaten to the ground......

Seeing the battleship "Huo Jinghuan" turning, Rear Admiral Cochran, who knew that he had failed to lure the enemy, breathed a sigh of relief, and said to the communications officer in a sad tone: "Use the long-wave radio to send electricity to the battleship Victory...... Our troops failed to lure the enemy, the flagship Blake had to withdraw from the battle because of turret failure, and the rest of the armored cruisers were besieged by more than 20 capital ships of the Ming Nanyang Fleet, and the situation was critical......"

......

Rear Admiral Cochran's report was sent by tick-tock radio waves to the Victory, the flagship of the Second Indian Fleet, which had entered the Strait of Malacca and was heading for Lubadao. This Victory-class and its sister ship are mass-produced ships that were spelled out by the British working class with "997" as a hero-class nemesis. The second Indian fleet alone received 10 ships.

In addition, the Second Indian Fleet also has 12 ships that are enough to fight against the Great Emperor class of the Ming Dynasty.

A total of 22 cutting-edge warships are a trump card in the hands of Kaiser Wilhelm!

According to the estimates of the Duke of Wellington and the Marquis of Nelson, relying on these 22 battleships and dozens of Victory-class, Indomitable-class ships that are currently being delivered and built...... The British Empire could theoretically have the upper hand in the battles of 1830, 1831, and even 1832!

But this start seems to be a bit unfavorable!

It was obviously a very clever plan to lure and destroy the enemy, and the enemy also took the initiative to divide his troops, giving the Royal Navy various opportunities to break through...... How did it become a lure to the enemy and be lured by the enemy, and the enemy was annihilated by the enemy?

What's the problem?

As the second generation of the Hood family's elite navy, James . Vice Admiral Hood was once a classmate of Kaiser Wilhelm at the Naval Academy, and later trusted and nurtured by the Marquess of Nelson, and was considered the future star of the Royal Navy......

Moreover, he believes that his talent definitely deserves such a reputation. And in this military operation, his command was also impeccable, and it can be said that it reached a level of perfection.

Such a large Second Indian Fleet almost imperceptibly bypassed Africa and reached the Indian Ocean. It has been hidden until now, and it has not been revealed...... It shouldn't have been exposed, right?

But......

"Vice Admiral," the voice of the fleet communications officer rang out, "the telegram from the Blake...... Large enemy formations are retreating at the eastern junction of the Straits of Malacca. ”

"What? Are they retreating? "James. Hood was stunned for a moment, "And what about our losses?" ”

"Lieutenant General, we, we have lost at least 18 Edgar-class ......," replied Earl Howe, the chief of staff of the fleet, in a low tone of mourning, "and two other Edgar-class ships managed to escape, but they were also heavily damaged.

In addition, the Strait Fleet lost ten shallow water heavy gunboats. In total, the losses of cruisers of the second and third ranks exceeded twenty-one. What a loss! ”

The losses are indeed huge, very heavy!

The losses of armored cruisers, shallow water heavy gunboats, and cruisers together amounted to 39 ships!

Although in these years, the size of the Royal Navy of the British Empire is amazing! And the shipbuilding strength of Britain is no less impressive, and it can make up for all the above losses in a very short time.

But the loss of so many warships at once would still strain the Royal Navy in the coming months.

In addition, there were at least 10,000 naval officers and sailors on those 39 warships...... Most of them were real British, or professional sailors!

This is the real heart-wrenching loss!

"Lieutenant General, what do we do now?" The chief of staff of the army asked, "Is it to withdraw to the Ceylon base for the time being, or to continue to seek a decisive battle?" ”

"Can't retreat!" Lieutenant General Hood snapped, "The battle has just begun...... The Royal Navy has not yet used its real strength! ”

As he spoke, he glanced at the sky outside the bridge and said, "The Royal Navy not only dominates the seas, but also the skies...... Where did the Ming fleet that bypassed Sumatra go? ”

"Lieutenant General, they're already approaching the Gretel Strait!"

"Good!" "We're going to fight them tomorrow morning," Hood said...... The Royal Navy will attack from the air and from the sea! ”