Admiral William Payne, commander of the Royal Navy's Atlantic Task Force, never imagined that their return journey would be so arduous and so dangerous.

On the morning of the day after the end of the battle, after learning of the heavy losses suffered by his side, Payne's hard-fought ambition to re-engage was shattered by the misgivings that had subsided his passion.

According to the report of Vice Admiral Tibor Raymond, commander of the Internal Guard Fleet, it can be said that the course of several hours of fighting yesterday can be said to have launched a one-sided massacre against them by the steam warships of the Qi State.

Like sharks in the sea, the steam warships will spew black smoke as long as they see the gap, and pounce fiercely at the British battleships that are difficult to turn. When nearby friendly warships came to help relieve the siege, they quickly avoided it with their nimble and swift maneuverability.

Then, waiting for the opportunity to move, peeking at its next target, and the cycle repeatedly, round after round.

After the war, Admiral Payne explained his change of mind at this time in a text message to Count Edward Barlow, Chairman of the Naval Commission: "The enemy has steam warships of superior performance and, in battle, have an incomparable superiority in maneuverability. In addition, their guns are more powerful, and their flowering bombs and rockets can easily threaten our ships. We suffered some losses in this battle, several capital ships were sunk and damaged, and the morale of the army was also severely damaged. Once I have worked hard to protect the remaining battleships and put my fleet in order, I will seize the opportunity to maintain the vitality of the Royal Navy in order to survive. ”

The "some losses" mentioned in Payne's letter did not include the fact that the two badly damaged warships could not be repaired the next morning, and the officers and men had to abandon them and scuttle them into the sea.

As a result, the Royal Navy lost 11 warships in this battle, accounting for more than 20% of the entire fleet size, many of which were also the main 1st and 2nd class battleships, which were already broken and difficult to fight again.

Just as Payne led the fleet and was about to return to the mainland of England, the rearguard fleet sent a signal, and the Qi warships followed behind him, which couldn't help but cast a shadow on General Payne's heart.

Although he was still confident in the face of the officers and men of the fleet, he was full of determination that the Royal Navy would eventually defeat the Qi expeditionary fleet and then defend the mainland of England and the maritime trade routes from being violated.

But deep down, he was already keenly aware that the future mode of warfare at sea may be completely changed by the large-scale application of steam warships.

In several naval battles, the Qi fleet was far inferior in the number of ships of the Royal Navy, but it repeatedly inflicted heavy losses on the Royal Navy in battle. In addition to the professional quality and superb combat command ability of the officers and men of the navy, this all depends on the outstanding performance of the steam warships participating in the battle.

Yes, in front of the steam warship, the traditional style warship has been outdated, making the steam power form a crushing blow to the traditional sail technology. Payne didn't dare to imagine that if all the ships sent by the Qi State were steam warships, then the Royal Navy of England would not be able to match them at all. When it comes to the sea, all sail warships will become their prey.

With the advanced technology and strong national strength of the Qi people, they can definitely equip their navy with more steam warships. Then, when the war broke out, the reason why the Qi people did not mobilize more steam warships to come to Europe, but mainly used sail and steam mixed warships, was that they had not really realized the overwhelming advantage of steam-powered warships over sail warships, and they were still exploring and testing the combat methods of steam warships.

Payne believed that after this war, the Qi navy would inevitably add more steam warships to their fleet, thus establishing their military superiority over the navies of all nations and expanding this superiority.

Of course, this kind of long-term strategic consideration is not in Payne's worries, and he is thinking about how to completely get rid of the entanglement and pursuit of those Qi steam warships like maggots.

It is also ridiculous to say that although the Atlantic Task Force has suffered heavy losses, its strength still exists, and there are still as many as 30 ships that can be used in combat, and there are also more than 10 first, second, and third class battleships, which are several times that of the Qi steam warships that follow behind in terms of number and firepower density.

But the problem is that they have great strength, but they have never been able to turn this advantage into victory, and they are not able to drive them away on the way back, so that the other side has been hanging behind the fleet. Whenever a ship is left alone, or thrown into the queue due to weather and wind and waves, it will be attacked by them quickly.

"On 20 November, the badly wounded 'Pavrel' and 'Northumberville' were left behind the rear of the fleet, and the Qi steam warships pounced on it like sharks smelling blood, and sank the 'Northumberville' soon before our fleet could rescue it. Despite our efforts to rescue the officers and men who had fallen into the water, more than 50 sailors still died in the sea. ”

"At 3 a.m. on 21 November, the 'Levistan' and the 'Juwiny' collided, and a breach was made on the right side of the ship's side. At 9:20 a.m., the 'Levistan' was attacked by Qi warships when it was temporarily suspended to repair the damage. During the battle, it lost two side masts, a third of its deck was also damaged by shells, half of the mainsail was burned, and more than twenty people were killed. Fortunately, the crew acted quickly and quickly extinguished the fire and avoided the doom of the ship to stop. ”

"On 22 November, at 8 a.m., we had to abandon the badly damaged 'Bavler' and, after transferring all the officers and men on board, scuttled it. At 11:25 p.m., the fleet was hit by a sudden storm that disrupted the formation of the entire fleet. By evening, the storm had subsided, but we faintly heard the rumbling of artillery from the southwest of the fleet. I have reason to think that it must be that the ship that has been blown off course by the storm is being attacked by the Qi fleet. But in the rain and fog, we could not see anything, and even less dared to send a cruiser to summon the lost battleship. There is nothing we can do but pray for the lost warship and its officers and men, that God will bless them and that they will return safely. ”

"In the early morning of November 23, after counting, we found that the four warships 'Achilles', 'Giant', 'Royal Warrior', and 'Nepson' did not appear in the fleet array. With a solemn expression, each of us kept looking at the sea, but in the end we found nothing. Oh no, in the northwest direction behind the fleet, a few black clouds of smoke and dust faintly appeared. There is no doubt that they are the steam warships of the Qi Kingdom, and they are still following us. ”

"At 11 a.m. on 24 November, the good news finally reached my flagship, and the lost 'Giant' and 'Royal Warrior' returned to the fleet. Yes, they looked at everything unharmed, only to be blown off course by the storm. But the other two ships that had lost their news never appeared, and we sincerely hope that they would have deviated from course as well. ”

"On November 25, at about 6 o'clock in the evening, under the light of the setting sun, four steam warships of the Qi State suddenly rushed into our rearguard fleet, attacked the 'Delford' and 'Grantham' on the right flank with very heavy artillery fire, and then sailed away quickly. During the engagement, both ships were hit by several bullets and suffered significant damage. The 'Delford', in particular, was in flames on half of the deck, and several sails were quickly burned to the point that it was temporarily deprived of power. In order to protect the 'Delford', the entire fleet had to stop and take a defensive position to meet the attack of the Qi fleet. As night falls, the enemy may have no chance to take advantage of it and disappear into the depths of the ocean. ”

"On November 26, at 5 o'clock in the morning, the Qi fleet took advantage of the dawn to quickly pass by the port side of the fleet and shelled our ships again. With the officers and men of the fleet in full position, the enemy inflicted only minor damage on us, three cruisers were hit, the sides and decks were damaged, and sixteen casualties were imposed. After this raid, the Qi fleet disappeared into the sea and was never seen again until evening. ”

"On the 27th of November, the wind was beautiful and the wind on the sea suddenly weakened, which immediately put the whole fleet in a state of tension. Because, in this situation, the mobility of our ships will become very poor, and it is easy for the Qi fleet to find a flaw and then launch a surprise attack. But fortunately, they did not show up and have been out of sight since yesterday dawn when they launched an attack. ”

"My guess is that the Qi people must have given up on pursuing us - oh, it's embarrassing, we have such a large fleet to let an enemy fleet far smaller than us pursue it all the way. The tactical staff members unanimously agreed that the coal and ammunition on the Qi steam warships must have been consumed at a very low level, so they had to sail away from our fleet. ”

"Many staff officers, including Admiral Madden, have suggested to me that our troops should take this opportunity to launch a counterattack against the fleet of the Aligned Nation in order to restore the reputation of the Royal Navy. At this time, it must be when they are at their weakest. Because, after a big battle, coupled with so many days of high-intensity pursuit, the coal and fresh water that Qi's steam warships rely on the most must have been exhausted, and maybe the ammunition is gone, which is the best moment for our side to launch a counterattack. ”

"After thinking about it for a long time, I accepted Madden's proposal. We divided the fleet into two, with Vice Admiral Raymond leading fifteen ships with varying degrees of damage and carrying the wounded back to England first, while I led an attack fleet of more than twenty warships in relatively good condition to return to pursue the enemy. Yes, we will abandon the cowardice and fear that sprouted a few days ago, and regain the courage and confidence to fight. ”

"Although the Qi people have been away for more than twenty hours, it is enough to make their warship disappear into the depths of the ocean. But we will be able to find them, and then destroy them, destroy them. May God bless us! ”

William Payne put down his quill, gently closed the logbook, stood up, walked out of the cabin, looked at the vast expanse of the ocean, and let out a long breath, his face full of determination.

——

December 1, Faroe Islands, Vogue Island.

Hannes Merton climbed the ship with great effort, hand and foot, and with great effort, along the soft ladder, and was then driven to the bottom by several Qi sailors.

The whole bilge was very dim, and only a few corners were lit with candles, and there were enough shadows, and there were already a lot of people. Merton cautiously poked his foot out and fumbled his way to the side of the vent. But he didn't take a few steps before he was stopped by shouting and shouting and fists that were constantly being thrown in secret.

Yes, the best position in the vent has long been occupied, and he, as a latecomer, simply can't squeeze through.

With a sigh, he found an empty seat by the side of the boat and sat down.

In addition to all kinds of rancid and sour smells in the bilge, there was also a pungent smell of soot. I reached out and touched the floor, and there was a lot of floating dust, and I didn't know what it was.

"Coal." A voice came from the side, "This bilge is supposed to be where the coal is stored on the ship." If the guess is correct, the Qi people should have burned the coal, so they vacated this cabin and stuffed us in. ”

"Oh, is it? How do you know this is where coal is stored on the ship? ”

"It smells like it smells in the Birmingham coal mine where I used to work. Oh God, when I first entered this cabin, I thought I was going down the mine again, and there was a strong smell of coal. Yes, that smell, I will never forget it for the rest of my life. ”

"Then how do you ......?"

"Yes, how did I come here and become a prisoner of war of the Qi people?" There was a sadness and helplessness in the man's voice, "It's all this damn war!" The work in the coal mine is too hard and too dangerous. …… Do you know? I'm married and have a child. I need to feed my family, and I want to make their lives more abundant. So, I became a sailor. Hehe, can you imagine? A miner who had never seen the sea turned out to be an ocean-going sailor. Oh, but my luck was terrible, I had just completed a year of sailor apprenticeship, and then I was captured by the warships of the Qi people. And I, too, became a poor prisoner of war. Oh, everything is so bad, it really is...... Too bad. ”

"Everything will be fine." Merton comforted: "The war will eventually end, and when the time comes, we will be released by the Qi people, and we will all return to England and see our families." ”

"I hope so!" The man's tone relaxed slightly, "I hope this war ends soon, and I also hope that the people of Qi can treat us poor people kindly." Oh yes, my name is Dennis Pol and I'm from Winsbury, Birmingham. ”

"Merton, Hannes Merton, from Colchester."

"Where do you say the Qi people are going to take us?"

"I don't know."

"They hurriedly evacuated the island and abandoned the temporary camp on the island, was it because they were defeated by our Royal Navy and were ready to flee back to Hanzhou?"

"Perhaps." Merton smiled bitterly and shook his head, "On the deck just now, I saw several Qi warships with bullet marks on both sides, and they were still replacing damaged masts, and their military doctors also boarded those ships one after another. I guess they must have had a fierce battle with our Royal Navy of England. As for the sudden departure from here, it is likely that we are afraid that we will be found here by the main fleet of England. ”

"Wherever they move us, it's better to be in a warm place. Oh, and it's so cold on this small island. Every night, I had to wake up from the cold countless times. ”

"Yes, one of my companions died there miserably from starvation. Oh, may they be redeemed in heaven and no longer suffer the tribulations of the world. Merton's expression darkened, and his right hand made a cross on his chest.

As he was talking, he suddenly heard the sound of anchor chains pulling up, and the sound of officers' orders and sailors' shouts came from the upper deck. It didn't take long for the ship to tremble, and the ship began to move slowly.

Oh, set sail.

I don't know where the destination is this time, is it really to follow the Qi people back to Hanzhou?

(End of chapter)