"We've won. ”

Putting down the binoculars, Count Beauarne sighed with satisfaction, and the officers immediately chimed in.

It's not just flattery. Pull out a guy with some experience in fleet operations and look at the situation in front of him, and he will surely come to two conclusions: Charlemagne has won, and the commander of the consortium's transport fleet is a fool who doesn't know how to use troops at all.

From Charlemagne's point of view, they still had 10 cruisers, and the convoy consisted of only 5 armed convoys, of which only the largest flagship was equipped with large-caliber naval guns, and the rest were only equipped with salvo guns against flying beasts. That kind of continuous rapid-fire fire is a terrible death in anti-aircraft operations and broadside battles, but it is useless in battle-line duels that rely on the caliber and number of artillery and the skill and courage of the crew. So far, I haven't heard of the ship being killed by a rifle-caliber thing.

It is always the battle line and artillery salvo that determines the outcome of the battle, whether it is the sky, the sea, or the land, this is the eternal truth, and the rest are scum and evil ways. It is true that the navy successfully used flying beasts and special attack weapons to inflict heavy damage on the royal navy of Albion, the overlord of the sea, but it was an undishonorable sneak attack after all. If it is on the high seas and the other side has already entered the combat state, those annoying birds can only add a little chaos to the enemy's army, and in the end, they will have to divide the superiority through a dignified fleet decisive battle.

Having said that, the naval thieves are also engaged in these unpopular gadgets, and the mainstay of the kingdom is still the even army. The thieves should be ashamed, they should be ashamed, Dajian is the patent of the army, and the sister-in-law's destiny is the army......

Retracting his passion for "a big build" and his ridicule of the navy, Boarne refocused his attention on the battlefield, where the formation of the two warring sides resembled the navy's three-column battle line based on the middle queue. On the left are six steam-powered wooden-hulled cruisers, in that order, the flagship La Galissonier. Jean de Vienne, Duguet Truin, Georges Leger, Moncam, Glory, and on the far right are four sail cruisers, in order: Magnificent, Able. Thundering, Pride, and in the middle of it is the Consortium's steam-powered carriers.

Generally speaking, relying on technological superiority, the conglomerate's transport ships have more power than warships, and it is not much of a problem to escape before the opponent forms an encirclement network. But that's the general case, and the fact that the ships that are now fully loaded with supplies and can maintain the same speed as the La Galissonier is a remarkable achievement, and if you continue to increase your speed, you will have to lose your engine. What's more, there are flying beasts above their heads, if they don't react quickly enough to form an air defense formation. I'm afraid it's already a mess and surrounded by divisions. From this point of view, the commander and his men are doing pretty well.

But that's all they can do. Due to the threat of flying beasts, the transport fleet was unable to change its formation, and in order to maintain its formation, its speed was further restricted, and as a result, it fell into a dilemma where it could not win or escape. And Boarne was able to calmly arrange the battle line of the flanking battle, and the original fear of the Earl was that the opponent's dog jumped over the wall in a hurry, at the expense of 1 or 2 transport ships. Shock sail cruiser columns. You know, the firepower of the sail cruiser is quite enough. However, the maneuverability can not be flattered, although the ship is equipped with a change wind attribute mage to control the wind direction, but once it encounters a relatively large maneuver such as an emergency U-turn, it has to be turned around by the traditional way - under the tug of the dinghy. If that commander had been calm and cold-blooded enough, he would have ordered the entire fleet to form a single column, ignoring the salvo of flying beasts and sail cruisers. If you break through the middle link of the battle line at the cost of 1~2 transport ships, there is no way for Boarne to do it. He could neither expect a column of sail cruisers to quickly change formation to stop the enemy's pig advance or turn in pursuit, nor could he expect his squadron of steam-powered cruisers to cross the distance and stop the enemy before they could do so.

Thankfully, the commander of the flotilla didn't, probably because he was slow to react. Or maybe it's a fluke, fantasizing about bringing the entire fleet back to port safely...... No matter what the commander had in mind, Count Beauarne was not interested in exploring it, nor was he going to match the rhythm of the other party.

"Right drive 20, let's go to end this boring game. ”

##########

"The enemy on the port side will soon take a detour to the way of the fleet, and the enemy on the starboard side will cooperate with the turn. ”

Sitting cross-legged in the conductor's seat, Parsifal calmly asserted.

"Do you want to complete the T-shaped cross-head position and realize the flanking attack on our army?"

Captain Fallenhead asked, frowning. So far, the battle situation has not been ideal, the transport fleet is empty of advanced weapons, but the lack of professional night combat equipment and the interference of flying beasts make it difficult to target enemy ships sailing in the dark. The enemy ships were well prepared for night battles, not only equipped with a large number of magicians and non-commissioned officers for night vision observation and communication, but also fully run-in, even on this moonless night, it sailed as neatly and smoothly as day. If the enemy ship succeeds in re-positioning, the ship's side gun gallery guns will not be able to play a role, and the enemy can calmly enter the range of the ship's guns.

Another problem is ammunition.

All five ships were cargo ships, not professional warships or assault ships. In order to rush supplies, the amount of ammunition carried was reduced to the limit. In the case of the Ruida, the 128mm shells only carried 1 base, and the average number of shells for each gun was only 20 shells, and with the high rate of fire of the 128mm machine gun, it ran out in three or two strokes. The rest of the ships fared no better, carrying only one and a half base 88mm shells on average each.

Some of the shells had already been depleted in previous engagements, and continuing to shoot inaccurately would only bring the fleet to a corner, and a one-hit victory was the only solution to the current dilemma.

"Are we going to turn around and keep parallel to the enemy ships, just to bring them into our control?"

"It's useless. Now that we can maintain a wheeled formation, we can sail almost to the limit, and a hasty turn will bring chaos, and those flying beast troops overhead will not let go of this great opportunity. Alas, it is really convenient to have air supremacy. ”

The defenders, who always control the sky, also have times when they are suppressed by the enemy's air units, and Parsifar can't help but sigh at the thought of this.

"Besides, even if you barely turn to success. We are already one step behind, and when the time comes, we will still plunge headlong into the 90-degree angle of the enemy's two cruiser detachments, and we will still be covered by crossfire. ”

The commander of the enemy fleet was by no means an ordinary person, as evidenced by his performances from the beginning of the battle to the present day. Old-fashioned, calm, and decisive enough to send such a person to command such a low-level battle. It fully shows how seriously the mastermind behind the scenes attaches to this operation.

(It's a real feeling to be taken seriously...... ）

Parsifal couldn't help but complain in his heart, he had already deduced from the other party's cautious performance that the other party's target was the materials on the ship, and the ulterior identity of the crew members. Once the above secrets are mastered, Charlemagne's top management will undoubtedly have an extra trump card that can restrain the consortium. As long as he doesn't completely turn his face, Charlemagne can use this card to get a lot of money from the consortium.

It's just that he can't understand why Charlemagne thought of playing this hand with the consortium after the war with the countries, and the profits from the success of the war are certainly huge. When it comes to war with other countries, setting up a strong enemy within is simply the way to die, and this is a stupid thing that only a loser with a big head can do. What the hell was Charlemagne's top brass thinking? Didn't they learn from the failures of the past?

A hint of anger welled up in Parsifal's heart. A soldier's vocation is to obey orders. It is his fate to go to the battlefield and shed blood and sacrifice. But because of the foolish ambition of the Governor, and paving the way to the bloody hell for many more people, he also called this "the death of loyalty and honor...... I am afraid that this is the greatest insult and irony to those who shed blood and sacrificed. And in this crazy farce designed by the big guys, he is playing a character who has to send those people to hell in order to survive, which is not a pleasant feeling for Parsifal, who aims to become a historian.

"I can only do it......"

Drinking dry black tea in one go, there is less of the jerky taste of brandy spreading on the tip of the tongue.

"Right rudder 20, the whole fleet turns around together!"

"What?!"

It's not just the unconvinced captains. Captain Falenheitt, who had been calm and relaxed, was also stunned.

I just said that the enemy army is waiting for our side to turn, why is it cooperating with the enemy's intentions at this time? What kind of trouble is this?!

"Execute the order!"

Parsifal paid no attention to the frozen atmosphere around him. The fighter plane is fleeting, and it is not the time to explain it one by one, and if you continue to cooperate with the guy who turns his head slowly, he is likely to miss the opportunity and fall into danger.

"Each ship was loaded with white phosphorus incendiary bombs, and the target was in front of 2 o'clock, with a depression angle of 35 degrees. Three salvos!"

"This, this...... What the hell is going on!!"

After stammering for a long time, Captain Schneider shouted.

It's already stupid enough to act in line with the enemy's intentions, and what the hell is it to shoot shells into empty places?

The same question was on the minds of every member of the transport fleet, from the very beginning. Many officers regarded Parsifal as a yellow-mouthed son of a fox and a tiger, and now a series of nonsensical orders confirmed their minds. Some of them began to use their brains to escape from the fleet.

"Don't worry, this official has no thoughts of defecting to the enemy or committing suicide. ”

A calm voice spread through the fleet, and Parsifal continued in a high-spirited tone:

"As long as you follow the orders of the officer, you will be saved! If you want to survive, you must first be unfazed and follow the instructions. Although the current situation is not good, it must be our army that survives the last moment and wins! We will definitely not lose!"

“......”

Silence and dazedness pervaded the fleet, and with Parsifal's accurate prediction of the enemy's fleet before, the crew was somewhat convinced. Whether the result of this overly sudden order will be good or bad, no one can predict, and no one knows what to do.

At this moment-

"Right rudder 20! Full door loaded with white phosphorus incendiary bombs, target 12 o'clock direction, 35 degrees depression angle, three salvos after the turn is completed!"

Once again, a sonorous voice woke up the bewildered officers and men, and the summons and recitations sounded in order, and the cargo ship slowly turned its bow and sailed parallel to the Charlemagne cruiser.

Parsifal glanced gratefully at Captain Fallenhead, and when he saw that the other man was looking ahead without squinting, he had to shrug his shoulders and stare at the dark night sky in front of him as well.

"Sure enough, he's a fool who doesn't know how to use soldiers. ”

Look out at the navigation lights in the distance. Count Beauarne gave an icy sneer at the convoy that had been one step late. Since the opponent is so stupid, wouldn't it be even more stupid if he didn't completely solve the opponent?

"Full speed on both sides! Prepare for a close fight!"

"Your Excellency, look!"

Boarneh followed the prestige, only to see the convoy burst into a flash of light, in a fleeting bright light. The figure of the ship making a U-turn was faintly visible, and one second later, one fireball after another rose from the ground in the distance.

"Are they mad or are they giving up on themselves? Shooting at the empty ground?"

One of the staff officers shook his head, the sight of which gave him a hint of pity. I'm afraid that the crew members of those ships have been driven crazy by the fear of stepping up to the guillotine, and they have begun their final vent in despair that they can't do anything and do nothing.

"No, they're planning to use the smoke as a cover to escape. ”

The Count of Beauharne frowned, pointed to the firelight, and said:

"You see, the point of impact of the shell is exactly the course of the enemy ship after turning and going straight. If we continue to move at the current pace, by the time we complete the flanking formation, the enemy ships will have already rushed into the smoke. As long as the cabin is completely enclosed, it is possible for them to stay in the smoke until they are out of pursuit! Immediately order the fleet to speed up and open all the cannon doors! Order the Flying Beast troops to disrupt the formation of the enemy fleet at all costs! Never let them rush into the smoke before our army completes the flanking formation!"

Count Beauarne waved his fist excitedly, contrary to his previous cautious appearance. The Earl, who thought he had seen through the tricks of the other party, was now full of interest in the commander of the transport fleet, and he couldn't wait to see who that cunning bastard was.

The 15 ships of the two armies began a race against the clockwise direction. Leading the way was the detachment of the Count of Beauharne, and in second place was the convoy of convoys. The third was naturally the sail cruiser detachment, which, due to their relatively internal position, could barely maintain the column formation while biting the tail of the transport fleet.

Both sides were scrambling for the fire, especially the Charlemagne, who managed to get their prey into the corner. The other party created a gap in the trap and tried to escape. Seeing that the boiled duck was about to fly, the red-eyed Charlemagne was bent on getting in place, and he didn't notice that the transport fleet had disbanded the wheeled formation and was slowly forming a column queue. Even if one or two people find out. I also thought that the Flying Beast troops had successfully disrupted the enemy formation.

The Count of Beauharne looked proudly at the convoy, and at this moment the three convoys formed the shape of a letter Z, the top horizontal was the fleet under his command, which successfully closed the last escape door of the enemy ships, and in the middle was the prey standing on the execution table, and the bottom horizontal was the sail cruiser fleet that cut off all hope for the prey. Both sides were within range of the ship's guns, and beneath their feet the flames burned like the bottom of hell.

It was just flawless.

The Count, intoxicated with the pleasure of his spirits, was almost moved to tears, and as an important step in opening up a great future for his country and for himself, there was nothing wrong with this battle, and now there was only a perfect ending left. Licking his lips, Boarne raised his left hand, ready to put a stop to the fight.

Just when Charlemagne thought that the goddess of victory was lifting the corners of her skirts to them, a strong wind blew on them.

"This ...... What's going on?!"

Clung to the railing to avoid the tragic fate of being thrown out, Boarne shouted. But no one could answer the noble Earl. The staff officers were either thrown out by the violent concussions, or fought for their own survival, as did the rest of the crew. No one knew exactly what was going on, and the only thought in everyone's mind was not to be thrown down and turned into a kebab.

Not only the flagship Ralis Gallisonier, but Charlemagne's warship and the flying beast were swept into the raging air current, and a pair of frightened and desperate eyes reflected the rising Ruida.

"I see, the burning forest produces hot air and creates an updraft?"

Captain Fallenheitt had a look of abrupt realization, and the crew and other captains around him were also incredulous.

Theoretically, the ceiling of the floating ship is determined by the load capacity of the ship and the output power of the Tianjing, and it is not impossible to lift the output to climb when it is fully loaded, but it is impossible to maintain the altitude continuously, and there is a risk of damaging the entire floating circuit. Once it loses buoyancy, if you are lucky, you will land urgently and wait for the opponent to slaughter, and if you are unlucky, you will fall directly into a patty. It is precisely this consideration. The one behind Boarne will be relieved and bold to let his men look for the bad luck of this overloaded fleet - if you can't win and can't run away, where can you find such a good prey?

But they underestimated the force of the transport fleet itself, and what was even worse was the preconceived notion that "the other side will never be able to climb high", which was deeply rooted in the hearts of everyone in the raiding fleet.

The most dangerous thing in the world is not the backwardness of weapons or technology, but the rigid and fixed concepts. Looking back at past battles, Charlemagne and his opponents were not so much defeated by advanced weapons and tactics. It's better to be defeated by their own rigid thinking. This time it was still like this, clinging to the idea that "the other party cannot climb", and approached recklessly, but was swept into the air flow generated by the climbing of the transport fleet, and ended up unable to move, under the light of the raging fire, like a conspicuous target.

"It's like magic. ”

Captain Falenheitt groaned, and before his thoughts could resonate, Parsifal began to order.

"Goals. Enemy ships on the left and right sides, each ship shoots freely!"

"Yes!"

The voice in response to Parsifal was loud and majestic, and the previous contempt and dissatisfaction were swept away, and after witnessing the miracle performed by the commander, they deserved to repay it with respect and achievement.

The muffled sound of the turret operating came from the bottom of the ship, and Parsifal closed his eyes as the cannon rumbled.

Now there is no need to give any orders, and the enemy fleet is unable to move in the turbulence. The height difference also made it impossible for them to fight back. Not only did the transport fleet have an altitude advantage, but the problem of the difficulty of conducting night fire was solved by fire. The overly eager pursuit of the enemy ships allowed the transport fleet to exert firepower on both sides. With so many favorable conditions, what will follow is probably a one-sided slaughtering artillery show. Parsifal, who was a little faint and bloody, couldn't bear to witness the scene of the other party's slaughter, so he had to pretend to close his eyes and recuperate, sipping black tea and using the fresh fragrance to remove the fatigue in his body and the wailing that seemed to echo in his ears.

The artillery of the Wehrmacht did not disappoint the designers of the General Armament Department, and the gunners proved their excellence with their actions. Except that at first a few shells were missed due to the turbulence of the air current, they quickly corrected the error. In less than 5 minutes, the Dige Truan and the Moncam were knocked out of all deck buildings and masts, and were immediately shattered by the explosion of the ammunition depot. Neither ship survived. Trying to escape the shelling hell, the George Legge unexpectedly appeared in a maneuvering position in front of the Glory due to a change of course, and as a result, the bow of the Glory slammed into the port side of the George Legge, and the bow mast and bow tower were smashed on the spot, and the bow seemed to be embedded in the deck of the martyrdom. The elven gunners certainly didn't miss this great opportunity, and after 2 volleys, the two floating cruisers, which had only been in service for 3 months, turned into a pile of burning coke. And the four sail cruisers, except for the Pride at the end of the queue, saw that the situation was not good, and the remnants of the flying beast troops were recovered and slipped away early. The remaining 3 ships only lasted 3 minutes before disappearing into the vast night sky.

The only remaining Les Galissoniers and Jean de Viennes had only one breath left, and at the moment of the explosion of the Duguet Truon and the Moncam, everyone's morale had already fallen to the bottom, and by the time the rest of the wingmen sank and fled, they were simply struggling to survive. Just as the gunners of the transport ship were licking their lips and preparing to end the battle, a request for surrender was issued from the flagship La Galissonier.

"I demand that my men be treated as prisoners, and if this is not met, our ship will fight to the last bullet, and it will not hesitate to blow itself up. ”

After five minutes, Parsifal agreed to Count Beauharne's request. The shells were almost depleted, and continuing to fight would only add variables, and if it weren't for the sake of getting a more advantageous position in the negotiations, I'm afraid he would have agreed at the beginning.

At 0:13 a.m., the Marines boarded the white-flagged cruiser Charlemagne. After disarming the captives and taking them into custody, Parsifal boarded the La Galissonier. In the captain's cabin, he saw the body of the Count of Beauharne.

The Count sat in his chair, his head tilted to the side, a hole in his mouth that led to the back, a pistol in his drooping hand, and a golden fleur-de-lis banner draped over the Count, the delicate decoration behind which was covered with dried blood.

Parsifal took off his military hat and silently saluted his opponent, who had taken all responsibility, and then exited the captain's cabin, and through the vacant gaze of the captives and the eager eyes of his own soldiers, the young lieutenant leaned against the side of the ship and looked thoughtfully into the distance.

"What's the matter, Lieutenant, you should be happy to have made such a great martial achievement. ”

Turning back and seeing the tall figure of Captain Falenheitt, Parsifal laughed bitterly:

"Nothing...... Just something suddenly came to mind. ”

"Oh? ”

“...... I've learned a little bit of history, and whenever it's time to start a war, people shout that truth or something is more important than life, and when people want to end a war, they shout that nothing is more important than life. For thousands of years, the same thing has been repeated over and over again. ”

“......”

"I don't want to dwell on how stupid creatures are doing these things repeatedly, I just think, after all this bloodshed, what is the equivalent of it?"

"Anyway, we won and survived, that's the most important thing. ”

Fallenheitt leaned over and whispered:

"Soldiers and captives are looking at you. Well, Lieutenant, there's still a lot of work to do. For example, the reception and treatment of prisoners, the disposal of war trophies, and the reporting of engagements. I don't think the big guys above will believe what is happening here, and think that we are lying about our achievements. Either way, rewards are indispensable, and as for whether you will get a promotion or a medal as a lieutenant, I don't know. ”

"Well, then when this place is cleaned up, let's leave for home, and I'll leave the battle report to you, Captain. Oops, I don't know how much an enemy ship is worth for a pension......"

Falenheit, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, stumbled and almost fell to the ground. Looking at the lazy back, and thinking back to Parsifal who calmly commanded the fleet before, the kind captain sighed.

Persifal, who was calculating his retirement, and Fallenheitt, who was worried about how to write a battle report, did not realize that this magic show battle had officially sounded the war horn for Alfheim and Charlemagne. (To be continued......)