Munitions Empire

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When he changed the combat orders, causing chaos, he felt more and more that he was going to lose this crucial naval battle.

Because his opponent had already broken through the weakest part of his fleet and was gradually devouring it!

Perhaps "devouring" is not precise enough, for the enemy's attack was akin to engulphing—engulfing his fleet!

The fleet of the Taren Kingdom had four warships in poor condition that did not participate in this fight; Valen had ordered these four warships to protect the transport fleet from a further distance.

So this time, the actual combatants of the Taren Kingdom's navy consisted of 66 warships, with one side comprising a detachment of 21 warships and the main force with 45 warships.

Now, Valen was certain that the detachment of 21 warships was practically annihilated. Even if he were to win now, the number of people that could be rescued from the sea would not be many.

Moreover, he hadn't even finished the fight yet... His fleet was being pursued by the enemy, something he had never experienced before.

"This cannot go on, General!" Even his adjutant realized this and spoke uneasily.

"Shut up! I, of course, know this cannot go on!" Valen snapped desperately, staring at the distant sea, and lashed out at his adjutant.

He had originally thought that attacking Hotwind Port would be an easy task, but now it seemed it was not the case at all.

Hotwind Port was not an easy target, not something that could be manipulated at will. This time it seemed he had kicked an iron plate.

One does not feel the pain until after the foot has struck the iron plate. Just as his fleet was forced to face annihilation after bumping into an unbeatable fleet... There was no potion for regret.

"Should we rearrange the battle line?" his adjutant hesitated but still offered his suggestion.

He felt that if they did nothing, they would continue to be passive and eventually everything would be out of control.

"Any further orders, and our formation will completely collapse!" Valen lamented in despair.

He wished he could issue orders to rally the fleet, but his commands had to reach the nearby warships first and then continue to spread outwards.

This took time; he had never seen anything like a wireless telegraph, nor did he have any illusion that his orders could be relayed to all the warships in a single second.

Since transmitting orders required time, executing them would be delayed. The kind of operation where one drags a mouse across a computer screen to select troops and then issues commands simultaneously can only be done in games. Your journey continues on

In real-life situations, there are no such smooth command transmissions. There will always be exceptions, especially in the chaotic state of battle.

In today's battle, Valen's fleet had effectively lost the ability to be directed properly. The fleet's formation was too complex and had completely diverged from the tactical arrangements made before the battle.

There was no choice; this was a direct problem caused by backward tactical communication. It's like how many today do not understand Dong Cunrui blowing up the bunker—a story with parallels here.

In an environment without individual communication systems and where effective battlefield communication was unachievable, the bugle was the command, and the pre-planned strategy was the truth that had to be followed.

Once a link in the chain broke down, it would immediately result in significant casualties, requiring soldiers or small units at the lower levels to stubbornly solve the problems and get the plan back on the predetermined tracks.

If Dong Cunrui hadn't sacrificed himself to destroy the enemy's bunker, the general offensive on this front would only be able to commence as scheduled; otherwise, the troops on the flank would have to retreat or be caught in a pincers by the enemy.

To avoid losses, the flanking troops would have to abandon their attack, leading to a complete abandonment of the offensive and starting all over again.

Therefore, he chose to sacrifice himself at a critical moment, preserving the fruits of victory gained in the offensive—a choice of tragic heroism that proved his greatness.

And at this moment, Valen faced the same issue—he could not unify his troops to make all the warships respond immediately.

The warships following close by could receive orders immediately, but those farther away were thrown into confusion, and right now, the troops being battered at the rear were still executing the tasks they received at the start of the campaign: encircling enemy vessels...

Yes, they were still carrying out the command to encircle the Great Tang fleet, even though it now seemed rather absurd.

At this moment, in Valen's main fleet, most of the warships were executing orders that appeared strangely nonsensical.

"What a joke!" Near the end of the formation, a captain saw the signaler on the mast of the warship ahead, waving his flag.

And he, who was familiar with flag signals, knew that the signal transmitted was: Increase speed, turn left to prepare to meet the enemy.

He frowned, not understanding what the command meant, for the enemy was on his right side and was attacking from behind his position.

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If he were to turn left now, wouldn't he be exposing the ship's stern to the enemy's cannon fire? And after turning left, wouldn't that be fleeing from the enemy in fear?

"Captain! What do we do?" Clearly, the executive officer on this warship also noticed the flaw in the orders and asked with some confusion.

"All the warships ahead are turning, and no one seems to know exactly what's happening," the captain replied somewhat despondently. "Given the circumstances, shouldn't we collectively turn right and encircle the opponent?"

"But the order is to turn left!" The executive officer confirmed several times that the order indeed was to turn left. The warships in front were indeed turning left, which resulted in a disorganized formation.

While saying this, he looked anxiously toward the ally warships that were turning ahead, and then reminded urgently, "Captain! If we don't make a decision soon, we'll fall out of formation with the fleet."

"Turn left!" After pondering for a moment, the captain, lacking the courage to disobey the military order and turn right on his own, issued the same command as the captains before him.

Given the current situation, even though turning left offered no better angle for counterattack, it did somewhat avoid the thrust of the enemy warships' attack, thereby alleviating some of the pressure on the fleet.

Therefore, the executive officer breathed a sigh of relief, swiftly relayed the command loudly, and directed their own warship to veer alongside the ally warships ahead.

Meanwhile, aboard the Great Tang Group's Navy Ship Wolf 1, Bernard watched as an enemy warship, amid flames, slowly sank into the sea.

"Report! The lookout confirms, the enemy fleet is turning," the executive officer brought news of the enemy fleet's maneuvers.

"Turning? Full rudder right, another encirclement?" Bernard asked with a smile.

The executive officer shook his head and said, "The enemy fleet is turning left, their intentions unclear. They might be trying to shake us off in retreat, or they could be planning to regroup."

"..." Bernard hadn't considered the enemy's actions in any other context, for he had a telegraph and was accustomed to immediate communication during training and exercises, forgetting the issue of communications delays long ago.

From this moment, the sea battle took on a completely different character; Bernard began to guess what divine maneuver the opponent might have, thus forcing him to make cautious command decisions.

He thought for a few seconds and finally ordered, "Regardless of their goal! We just need to keep on their tail! With our superior speed, no matter what tricks they pull!"

This was a relatively safe tactic, so the executive officer had no objections and immediately went to convey Bernard's orders.

Thus, the Great Tang fleet continued forward along the enemy's right side. Only when the remaining enemy warships all began to turn did they follow suit.

It was as if both sides drew half a concentric circle on the sea, with the Great Tang fleet taking advantage of its speed to turn on the outer circle, maintaining a distance of about 800 meters, nipping at the tail of the Taren Kingdom Navy, continuing a coherent attack.

Watching the Great Tang fleet calmly follow behind and sporadically sinking a sail warship, the commanders of the Taren Kingdom's fleet were utterly speechless.

Giant water spouts erupted intermittently on the sea; these were the spectacular sights of the Great Tang Group's cannonballs, deflected off target by the rocking of the ship, exploding in the water.

Those water columns, even taller than the masts, flung brackish seawater onto the decks of the Taren Kingdom warships, frightening the drenched sailors pale.

Many commanders aboard warships that had just completed their turns were pale and shocked to see the enemy ships bearing down on them once again with ferocity.

Their attempts to shake off their pursuer were in vain, and like a clinging curse or a shadowy nightmare, the enemy was relentless and unshakable.

"Fire! Fire! We can't wait any longer! The enemy warships are too fast! We have no way to close the distance!" On the ship at the very rear, a Taren Kingdom captain ordered in panic.

The side guns, which could hardly wait, immediately roared, sending a dozen shells towards the distant target, but almost all missed without a single hit.

Eventually, one solid shot struck the side of the ironclad, leaving only a small indent and failing to breach the steel side plates of the warship.

It was only at that moment that the sailors of Taren Kingdom truly confirmed that the enemy warships were indeed made of steel.

"Their warships are made of iron!" A sailor screamed in terror upon seeing his shot repelled by the enemy warship's armor.

Accompanying his scream, two bow main guns on the opposite ironclad exploded with fire, sending two shells whistling towards them. In an instant, the sail warship became a fiery hell.

Amidst flying flesh and blood, the sail warship that had just fired was torn in two, its ends lifting high, surely about to sink to the bottom of the sea...

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