Battle of pe Prire Bay
Our fleet has four Princess Class battleships. We can station one of them outside the cape to ambush them. Once the enemy pass through the cape, we will let that battleship block the route they use and strike at them using a pincer attack. While the Empire has lots of battleships, most of them are fourth class, so they cant be effectively count as firepower. From the battle earlier, we found out that the enemys main fleet does not have durable armour. It would be easy for us to decimate them once we block off their escape route.
How are we going to hide our battleship?
The Empires fleet ca from northwest direction. It will be fine if we station our ship slightly further in the southwest.
Oh?
Ah, the reason why I guessed they ca from the northwest is because the wind at the Trouin Sea is blowing at the southwest direction at this timing. Normally, any sailboat will choose to attack from the southwest. However, a commander choosing to attack from the southwest in an orthodox manner would not be able to pull off a surprise attack like today.
So its the commanders personality
Belgaria fleet commander is vice-admiral Bertram. He is soone who prefers to use orthodox thods. I believe the commander this ti is soone else who ca after their defeat at the battle of Trouin.
Hm, thats possible. How does everyone else feel?
The admiral finally released his hand which was grabbing onto Molins head. As his head was grabbed with a large amount of force, it still hurt even after being released.
Molins rubbed his head while shedding tears.
He did not notice that the other captains had already gathered at the ss hall due to the conversation earlier.
This bunch of people How dare they enter other peoples ship without asking for permission Molins thought so without daring to say it out loud.
Lorraine adjusted her scarf and moved further away from the table.
She went to brew tea.
Seawater is enough for them! Molins thought so but he still swept away the dust on the table.
Please take a seat. Welco to the Garnet.
Really, youre still such a smoothtalker.
The captain of Ship No. 1, MacCunn, was a middle age man. A black cloth was tied at his arm, most likely for mourning.
His eyes were red. Even though he just lost his son, he was a man who was committed to his work. As such, he was dissatisfied with Molins frivolous attitude.
The captain of Ship No. 5, Ballista, was an energetic youth. He was born in a noble family and was very prideful. He preferred to use aggressive strategies, which resulted in him gaining so achievents.
Be it the battle of Trouin from before or todays battle at pe Prire Bay, he was the first one in the fleet to attack the enemy.
I dont need red tea. That reminds , while this strategy is not bad, I do not like it since it ca from Molins.
Do you think I like you?!
While Molins wanted to shout it out, he still tolerated it since the other party was a youth.
The Captain of vessel number eight, Olsen, was the only captain who was older than the Fleet Admiral. He was a rare sight, from an accountancy background. He even worked as a palace chef before that.
The old-style battleship he was on before was decommissioned. Just when he thought of retiring at the sa ti, he was recomnded by the previous queen, Queen Charlotte, and thus beca the captain of a Princess Class battleship.
Our priority is to protect the supplies that are ant to be sent to the frontline That is why we took up the role of protecting the supply ships and the harbour Arent we getting our priority backwards if we just think about attacking the enemy? I do not agree with this strategy even if theres only one ship sent out for ambushing them.
The old captain spoke words of caution.
Molins lowered his head in resignation.
My apologies! Everyone is right! I failed to consider the big picture.
In actuality, Molins didnt care about the strategies.
He just wanted to muddle past the thing about him avoiding the conference.
The gorillaNo, Admiral Oxford was considering his options.
It seed that a decision was made.
Hmm, while Captain Molins idea is unique, we should prioritise our strategy in protecting the supply ships.
I knew this would happen.
Is such a passive strategy really fine? Despite what Molins thought, he still smiled and listen silently.
The admiral continued:
However, I still agree with his conjecture that the enemy would attack tomorrow morning. We have to increase our security. Ill leave this responsibility to captain Ballista.
Aye aye, admiral. If you leave it to , not even a fish will escape from my watch.
We have to finish unloading by tomorrow and leave the port the day after. We have to hurry up if we want to finish this within the scheduled ti. Ill leave this to captain Olsen.
Aye aye, Sir. Ill try my best to hasten the progress. Ill just throw those supplies that we couldnt unload in ti into the sea.
Hm. Ship No.1 to Ship No. 9, remain on standby. Do not let the fire in the steam engine go out even during the night.
Aye aye, Admiral!
MacCunn saluted.
Naturally, Molins also saluted.
Lorraine brought the tea over for everyone.
Please have so Syrian Tea.
Oi oi, dont serve such high quality tea to them. Dish water is enough for them Molins was complaining in his heart.
Admiral Oxford saluted solemnly and spoke.
My apologies, but I have to excuse myself as I have matters of grave national importance to attend to..
After saying so, he left the officers ss just like this.
The other captains also returned to their own ships.
It was finally peaceful once more.
There were five cups of tea on the table.
Molins who was still in the room leaned against the chair once more and picked one of the cup up.
Haa, they sure are busy enough that they do not even have the ti to drink a cup of tea, isnt that right?
Is this really fine? After all, we are in a crucial mont.
Even though they think that the enemy will be coming tomorrow morning, we still have to be on standby. In the end, we dont even have the ti to land.
Since its just til tomorrow morning, just bear with it for now
Is that so? How about we continue til morning since we cant alight the ship anyway?
Looks like you have yet to learn your lesson
Life would be too brief if we have to rein ourselves in all the ti like so saint. Dont you also prefer to spend your ti aningfully, rather than being bored while drinking tasteless tea?
Didnt the navys rules state that while being on standby, we need to be able to carry out the orders of the flagship at any mont.?
That rule does exist. Though I had already prepared everything. What cos next is to wait for your signal?
Even though you do not intend to wait Always
Its just that you didnt notice it, but I have already sent a signal long ago.
He stretched his hand out and lewdly wiggled his fingers.
==================================================
Tonight would be busier than the battle that happened this morning.
Regis was working around the clock
In order to avoid the enemys surveillance, Regis sat on a wooden raft that was even smaller than a fishing boat and slowly moved towards cape.
Under the guise of darkness and sounds of wave, Regis gave details instructions to the sailors.
Making full use of the sailors skill, Regis conducted so work on the Poseidon class ship that sunk.
The sea at night was cold even if it was June right now and there were High Britannia surveillance boats around, so they did not have the ti to work leisurely. Swimming towards the precise position of a sunken ship during night ti was not an easy feat.
Starting from two spots that were near the cape, the sailors tied a black rope around them and jumped into the sea.
The area where the two ropes intercept was likely to be position of the sunken Poseidon class ship.
The longer the rope, the heavier it beca. Many sailors needed to work together to pull it taut.
While this was suggested by Regis, it was not a totally new idea. This was usually used when making a map.
You sure are smart, to realise sothing that most wouldnt
I just happened to read about it before.
Regis who was praised for using this thod said humbly while waving his hands.
A really capable strategist would be able to prevent casualties on their side and able to finish off the enemys ships without the sailors needing to swim at night. This kind of magic-like strategy was sothing Regis could not do nor could he even imagine it.
This was why Regis felt like he was not competent and did not deserve their praise.
At the very least, I have to fulfill my role Regis thought as he fought off the urge to sleep while listening to the reports and gave out orders.
While this kind of battle was written in the book, it was not an orthodox strategy. Just simply giving out instructions would not work, which was why Regis ca along personally. There was no one capable enough that Regis could entrust the job with.
The worse thing was that Regis couldnt swim, but that couldnt be helped.
Even if they were near the cape, there were still waves and the vision was not that good.
If Regis, who could not swim, was to go into the sea, they would need to prepare for a drowning accident before preparing for the actual battle.
Regis suppressed that idea as the sailors repeatedly told him dont ever fall into the sea.
The water in the bay was not that deep, which was why the sunken boat was quite near the water surface.
What the sailors had to do was not complicated at all as the equipnt that was required was placed under the Poseidon class ships deck beforehand
After opening the specified box in the sea, a rope was tied to the buoys and sent out. After exiting the cabin, the buoys slowly floated to the top.
Naturally, so of the equipnt was damaged during the crossfire.
After which, the buoy was tied with so heavy objects, making it sink down while surrounding the sunken ship.
The sailors did as they were instructed without understanding what was the point of doing so.
When Regis and the sailors finished their job and left the cape, the eastern sky had begun to brighten.
While withdrawing, they were discovered by High Britannia surveillance boats!
Even though their raft was disguised as a fishing boat ...
The surveillance craft made a show of pursuit, but thought it wasnt worth the effort It probably decided that and returned to its original position. The sailors on the raft all sighed in relief and thanked god for watching over them.
As the sky brightened, the mountains at the eastern side were dyed in red.
The third rendezvous point chosen by Regis was a small island located at the northwest of the pe Prire Bay. Ships that sailed from here would move southeast.
It was like what Narissa said. The wind would blow southwest at this ti.
In accord to the wind, the ships began to move into position according to their ships height.
Sailing with the wind, the Western Liberation Fleet began moving towards the harbour.
The vanguard consisted of four Athena class battleships.
However, these ships had unloaded provisions, shuttle crafts, gunpowder and excess ammunitions. Even the number of sailors on board was kept to a minimum. It did not even reach three hundred despite usually holding up to five hundred sailors.
To reduce the number of casualties That was not the case. The main point of this strategy was speed, so they would do anything to increase their speed even if it was just a bit.
Furthermore, the eight Ouranos class ship which were on standby were added into their formation.
There should be around twenty battleships as admiral Bertram had called in the nearby ships. Though most of these ships were made to maintain order in the sea and losing these ships would result in safety-related problems in the future. Furthermore, they were not effective against Princess Class battleship, which was why these ships were left out of the formation.
The four Athena and eight Ouranos ships were moving in a double column.
The other battleships were stationed behind them with quite a gap in between. Two Athena, fourteen Selene and twelve Ouranos Class ships.
It looked fine for a fleet.
However, losing too many ships in the war would bring lots of trouble to the nations coastal security.
Perhaps another harbour would be occupied or rchant ships would be attacked by pirates. In the first place, the empire had lost a fair bit against High Britannia, so they might collapse financially.
This was not as easy as defeating the enemy and retaking the harbour.
Protecting the citizens was the armys duty.
The empire had already lost if it had to rely on reserves.
Inside the quarterdeck of the Western Liberation Fleets new flagship, Brouillard
While they were still quite a distance away from the bay, Regis returned to the conference room. Rather than for a discussion, he ca here as he could not handle how rocky the ship was.
There was a wide table with chairs around it.
There was only Altina right beside Regis.
She seed to be quite sleepy as she kept yawning. She was most likely awake waiting for Regis and the rest to return.
Perhaps she might complain that I didnt tell her before leaving Regis thought. Unexpectedly, she did not do so and complinted the sailors who returned instead.
While this might be inappropriate, but I couldnt but think that Altina is growing...
After wiping the tears away, Altina opened her eyes.
Hm? Is there sothing on my face?
Ah, theres nothing
Regis was staring at her unconsciously.
Its likely that Im going to get scolded for yesterday night. Though, I didn't really want to do it.
Well youre quite calm
Thats right. After all, what I can do on the sea is limited.
Thats the sa for everyone. Everyone has their own task after all.
Yes, thats right. Looking at them made think quite a bit of things too.
Like what?
Well I began to wonder whether its right to keep charging ahead in the battlefield.
Regis widened his eyes.
Are you having a fever?
Thats rude!
Ah, that, my apologies but didnt you keep ignoring my advice of not charging ahead of your guards? Why did you suddenly changed your mind?
Uh, well That might be so I dont intend to keep staying at the back? During battles, whats important is to help our allies and fulfill our roles. The guards have the role of protecting , dont they? If I wasto push ahead too much, I would put the guards in danger. Erics injury was likely my fault
Altinas bodyguard, Eric, was injured by the enemy when the enemy was fighting Altina.
Currently, he was recuperating at Fort Volks. Though he would definitely participate in this expedition if he was not injured.
Even though Altina just celebrated her fifteenth birthday, she suddenly seed to have grown so much when she began to consider things seriously.
She wanted to be the empress.
To achieve her ambitious goal, it was necessary for her to win in the political struggle. And to achieve that, her growth was indispensable.
Being just honest and kind disqualified her as a ruler, she must be able to think for her citizens.
If Altina obtain such valuable experiences from this battle because she took part in it, that would be wonderful.
Seeing the growth of the young princess, Regis had forgotten about the tension, anxiety and the fatigue he felt.
The door connecting the deck and the conference room opened from the outside.
It was the adjutant, Spark, who ca in and saluted.
Admiral, its about ti to co up to the deck.
Regis was the acting-admiral, and would be treated with respect as the figurehead on the battlefield. However, it might delay orders if they kept calling him acting-admiral, which was why the adjutant shortened it to admiral.
Even though they were calling him, Regis thought he wasnt worthy.
Alright Thank you, Ill be right there.
Understood!
The adjutant left the room first.
Regis followed Altina who stood up and left the quarterdeck.
The wind was blowing.
It feels rather nice once you get used to the sea wind.
Youre right
As there was the adjutant beside them when they went out, Regis called Altina as Her Highness and spoke formally.
The wind ca from the front.
Sails sure are amazing. How can we still move forward even though were going against the wind?
...Actually, no matter the direction of the wind, if you are on a ship moving forward, you will feel the wind blowing at you, right? No, I an the breeze seem to be directed at you.
Ah, is that so?
If Your Highness wishes to know the wind direction, please look at the wind vane at the top of the mast Ahh, the wind is blowing at us diagonally
Isnt the wind blowing against us after all?!
That Did you know, about a century ago, a scholar nad Bernoulli wrote a thesis. In the thesis, it was stated that an increase in the speed of a fluid occurs simultaneously with a decrease in pressure?
What is the fluid?
In this case, it would be the air.
Just say its the air then! Why do you always use words that are hard to understand?!
Ah That Even though its air, but its actually the characteristic of the fluid thats at work here, so its better to call it fluid.
Arghh
Altina pouted.
Regis decided to raise the white flag and spoke once more.
Its a long story First, we have to change the direction the sail is facing. In any case, lets have the back of the sail face the wind.
If the ship is sailing forward, even if the wind is coming from diagonally ahead, you only need to adjust the angle of the sail to catch the wind. The wind will put pressure onto the sail this way. The shape of the ship is important at this point. A ship is narrow in the front and back, but broad at the side. It would be difficult to push the ship sideways. After that, only the forward moving force would be left behind. Since the bow of the ship is narrow, it can advance through the sea easily right? So in the end, even the wind coming diagonally at it could push the ship forward. There is the disadvantage of slight lateral movent though.
Which was why the boat could sail against the wind Even so, if the angle of the wind was less than 45, the ship would not be able to sail forward. Furthermore, if the sail was directly facing the wind, the sail might break in the worst scenario.
Regis did not know whether Altina understood it or not, but she had a look of admiration.
Oh
Well, going against the wind is always dangerous no matter what kind of sailboat it is. Like the retreat yesterday, they almost caught up with us because we were really close to going against the wind.
Hmm, so its like that.
Ships going with the wind would have a more ideal speed. If the sail is big, thats even more
Ship spotted ahead!
Hearing the lookouts voice, Regis looked ahead.
What he saw was a ship.
A small craft.
The crows nest gave better vision than on the deck, not to ntion that spyglass was used.
Thanks to that, they identified the craft that was spotted as being their own unit that was sent out for scouting. The signal they sent to the flagship could be seen clearly.
The adjutant reported to Regis.
Its our own scout. Erm its report is No sign of enemy vessels in the vicinity. Coast is clear at the entrance of the bay..
Regis lowered his head and muttered to himself.
Looks like the enemy reduced their defense around the bay I see, so they decided to do this.
While adjutant Spark was a little nervous, he still smiled and opened his mouth.
Looks like the enemy thinks that we will be coming from the southwest. After all, thats what we did for yesterday since its common sense to sail with the wind.
Why is that so? If its , I will consider that theres a fifty percent chance of them attacking from northwest.
Is that so?
We have to consider about unexpected strategies that the enemy could use Since they dont have any intention to engage outside the bay, its natural that theyre not interested in which direction the enemy might attack.
Will the enemy place an ambush outside the cape?
That wouldnt be too big of a problem But it would be troubleso for us if they ambushed us with a pincer attack. We might sustain a heavy loss from it.
Indeed, thats dangerous.
Well, didnt we send out scouts as to prevent that from happening?
Understood!
While there was only one ship ahead of them, twenty small-scale ships were sent out for scouting the area near the bay.
They had begun since the battle ended yesterday.
While so sacrifice was made, it was worth it as they obtained valuable intelligence.
At this mont
The lookout reported once more.
An enemy ship spotted! Its a scouting boat!
What are your orders, admiral!
The Adjutant Spark beca tensed.
Altina also had a nervous look.
Regis nodded his head.
Its fine. Unlike land battles, the surveillance made by the defenders on sea does not have much effect.
Eh? Why is that?
... If its the land, one would normally send an unarmoured soldier with a fast horse for scouting. If they noticed the enemy, they would return to headquarters imdiately. As the enemys infantry move rather slowly, theres ample of ti for the army to prepare against the attack. On the other hand, the enemys scouting boat uses sail just like us, so our speed is about the sa.
Ah, I see!
Even if they were discovered, there was no aning if the scout could not report back swiftly.
Well The problem now is whether that ship is faster than us.
Listening to Regis words, laughter could be heard from the side He was the captain of the 4th Athena Class Ship Brouillard, which was the new flagship.
He was one of the rare fat people in the army that was filled with muscular soldiers. Though he had excessive fat, there was so muscle too. In addition, he was rather short, so he gave an impression of being a atball.
Currently, he was personally manning the helm.
Buahaha! Dont worry! Brouillard will not lose to that kind of small boat. I bet my bacon on that!
The bacon was already in his mouth, betting that kind of bacon was
Leaving aside the bacon, the captain wasnt just boasting, and they were not losing in speed.
Rather, they were closing the gap.
Regis was impressed.
I see, how impressive.
Buaha! Its ti to determine the winner
Its the difference in seakeeping is it?
Oh?! Thats correct! As expected of the admiral! The waves are higher today than usual, so small-scale ship will have their hand full stabilizing the ship.
Haha In any case, please maintain your current state.
Yes Sir!
Understood!
Looks like hes an approachable person.
Regis was not used to people who were rather forceful, however, he felt more relax conversing with soone who did not care about ranks.
When the sun had erged from the eastern mountains
pe Prire Bay was already right in front of them.
==================================================
The bells were ringing.
This bell ant that the enemy had co.
The steam engine which was inside the ship let out a sound that was like a giant beast roaring.
Princess Class, Garnets quarterdeck
Orya Orya, so noisy!
Soon after adjutant Lorraine entered the steering house, Molins ca out from the conference room that doubles as the Officers ss..
You havent put on your clothes yet, Captain?!
Eh? Oh, I forgot to put my pants on.
Youre no longer a sailor, please do not co to the deck like this. If youre seen by the admiral
I would be scolded by the gorilla.
At that point, youll be attacked.
Hehe, its fine.
Lorraine ran into the captains room and brought his pants, which were on the floor, over.
Quickly put them on!
Right! Help put them on!
Do it yourself!
Lorraine brought the pants over with a cold expression.
A shrill sound could be heard.
How cruel. Its just the bell signalling the enemys attack, you dont have to panic that much.
When will captain start panicking?
When returning ho
Lorraine nursed her temple and lowered her head.
Within the ti span of Lorraine praying to the Lord five tis, Molins had no choice but to put on the pants himself.
He was donesoon after donning his belt.
Done!
The front reported that the enemy have four Athena ships and nurous small vessels.
Those are probably scouting crafts. Looks like the enemys commander is quite cautious. In that case, it would be hard to do a pincer attack even if we placed an ambush outside the bay.
We should be thankful for the admirals calm decision.
Hehe, that gorilla who only follows the textbook wouldnt use such strategy at all though? He was just finding an excuse to reject it.
That What do you think we should have done then?
The plan was to escort an entire fleet of supply ships with six battleships. Now that we have already lost two, we should have withdrawn last night.
I believe the admiral would not agree
Perhaps I would be labelled as a coward, or be treated as a traitor. However, Lorraine, no matter what results Oswald achieve inland, hes just using strategies that rely heavily on the new cannons and equipnt. The key factor behind it is the supply ships. Which is why it is necessary to have outstanding battleship to control the sea. Even if we can replace the supply vessels, there isnt anything to replace the battleships.
The capital, Queen's Thas harbour should have three more Princess Class ships
If the three Princess Class ships were to move out, whats left to protect the harbour would be those old-style battleships. This would greatly reduce the harbours defense. The parliant wouldnt agree with it.
Although Lorraine wasnt done, she still stopped this topic.
Captain In any case, please go to the deck.
Oh, whats coming after this will be on the bed tonight.
Can you please be serious?
I wonder when you will make serious?
...
Its not bad getting glared by a beauty Molins thought.
Upon reaching the deck, there was no need for soone to urge the crew to get into position. Since the enemy had already appeared at the cape, one would quickly move to their position no matter how lazy they were.
Soon after that, Ship No. 1 and No. 5 began to move out.
Lorraine shouted.
Captain! We receive the order to move out!
Got it. Well, our crew is outstanding, so dont panic that much.
The engine room was located several floors below the deck. Even though it would take up so ti to relay the orders, it could not be helped.
Beside the steering wheel was a device that looked like a punctured barrel the engine order telegraph.
sen.wikipedia/wiki/Engine_order_telegraph >
The function of the device was to relay ssages to the engine room.
Even the relaying of ssages was done by machines.
As the engine room was noisy, this device was necessary.
tal pipes known as speaking tubes were installed in other places for communication.
By utilizing such technologies, it was not that dangerous even if the enemy was attacking with conditions favouring them. That was because they could still give orders out in the bridge that was located under the firm deck.
Oh, I didnt give any commands yet.
Molins was just looking at the scene.
He turned and shouted at the helmsn.
Garnet, full speed ahead!
Oh!!
Most of the navigation duties were perford by the crew.
When Lorraine was first posted here, she complained that this system was a violation of the navy rule as Molins neglected his work and was passing his responsibility to others. However, she was already used to this, so she did not panic nor complain. She simply looked at Molins with cold eyes.
How exciting.
They just went through a battle yesterday and now they were off to battle again.
Though, it could not be said that there would be no losses.
Reports of water leakage and damages had increased and the one responsible for this was the repairs departnt. It was arranged that the engine departnt was responsible for the steam engine, the artillery team was to asure the distance while the logistic departnt was in charge of the supplies.
Furthermore, there were dical officers performing the work of doctors when not in battle to keep the six hundred n on board healthy.
The most relaxed person was Molins.
On the bridge, there was a rather large and tall table without any chairs.
Beside the table was the captains chair, and the sea chart on the table was marked by chalk to indicate sothing.
The enemys route was even more to the north than yesterday,
Lorraine went to report to Molins when the lookout relayed the ssage via the speaking tube.
The enemy had steered to the left! The distance between Ship No. 1 and them is about 3800yd (3475m)
Oi oi, they turned?
Molins furrowed his brows.
Lorraine was also surprised by this and confird with the lookout once more.
Theres no mistake, Captain. The enemy battleships are forming up into a double column. At this mont, the front row is moving perpendicular from the left to the right Maybe they are executing a manoeuvre to outflank us?
Its plausible if their speed is fast. However, they will still lose out to the steam engine within the bay even if the wind is in their favour.
The enemys vanguard consists of four Athena class in the front and eight Ouranos in the back. Maybe they want to engage in a cross fire?
Youre kidding right?
It was impossible for the Ouranos class to contribute in a firefight. The main purpose for Ouranos class was for sea rescue or to apprehend smugglers.
Generally, battleships would maintain distance, then turn to bring their broadside to bear and fired their guns at the enemy. Even though there were other strategies like close-combat, the Princess Class which had the advantage in range would not allow the enemy to engage them in such a way.
If their allied ships turned after getting into range, they could keep firing at the enemy while maintaining the distance. The enemy would be attacked without any chance to retaliate.
With the supply ships behind them in this narrow bay, they could not retreat backwards. However, the enemy would be eliminated before it ca to that.
Lorraine said softly.
Could they have made a mistake?
Normally, that would be the case ...The Empires fleet will continue to advance when we turn and fire on them, then they will turn when they are in range, just like yesterday.
Did they replace the commander?
Perhaps.
Even so, Molins did not feel relieved at all.
Currently, the commander of the fleet should be the one who sunk two of our Princess Class ships with an ambush. Could it be that he does not understand the current situation? Or that he received an oracle?
The air shook violently.
It was due to cannon blasts.
Lorraine once again relayed the ssage she got from the lookout.
The enemy has fired, but its short.
Dont be bothered by it They are just telling us their range by firing so early.
Isnt this an opportunity?
Thats right. Normally, we would change our course and fire at them once they are in our range. Its not like they can hit us anyway.
As long they maintained a safe distance and fired at the enemy, they could easily break the enemys main fleet.
Any admiral who followed the textbook would not miss out this opportunity.
Molins poked at the sea chart in irritation.
What exactly is the enemy admiral thinking? This movent seems like the preparations of a course nu of an imperial cuisine, it feels unbearably suspicious, isn't it.
Thats right Ah, the flagship has turned! Right rudder!
Of course, the gorilla would do that.
Even if it was not him, no admiral would let this opportunity slipped away.
Unlike yesterday, they were quite far from the cape.
They were at the centre of the bay, slightly closer to the outside.
No matter what kind of trap awaited, it would not be dangerous if they remain outside the enemys range That should be the case.
Molins spoke.
Engine room slow ahead! Right full rudder! Maintain distance from them. No matter what, let us enjoy first.
Aye aye Captain!
The helmsn operated the telegraph to relay the ssage.
At the sa ti, the steering wheel was turned to the right.
They were not following the flagship, but were sailing to the rear of the formation.
Molins actually wanted to turn to the opposite direction However, he would not be able to explain himself if he really did that.
The cannons were fired.
But it was just a one-sided battle where they suppressed the empires fleet with their range.
Nothing unexpected occurred.
Molins looked through the narrow window to observe the battlefield.
Maybe Im overthinking it?
Ship No.1 and No. 5 were firing their cannons ferociously.
Slightly further was Ship No. 8.
Molins Ship No. 9 was stationed at the rear.
At this point, it could be seen that the flagship, Ship No. 1, had changed it course.
This was the mont when the cannon fire was the fiercest. Since they were not within the enemys range, there was no need to execute a Zig-zag maneuver.
However, the ship was turning at a wide angle. If they were not careful, the ship could even capsize.
What is MacCunn doing?!
Suddenly, he rembered the enemys large-ship sunk around that area.
Lorraine tilted her head.
This reminds , that seem to be the area where the Empires Poseidon class ship sunk However, isnt their technique that bad if they really hit the sunken ship?
Uh Perhaps?
Even if the firing of cannons were at their fiercest, they were in the middle of the vast sea, so it was unlikely that they would fail to avoid it. Furthermore, the sunken ships mast could not be seen, so Ship No. 1 should not have collided with it.
It was likely that Ship No. 1 panicked as they were late in realising the position of the sunken ship. Though, it would be fine once they avoid that dangerous area.
Basically, it was not a big problem.
That was supposed to be the case.
The enemy steered their boat at that distance wisely and fired the cannons even though they could not hit us, all of this was to lure Ship. No. 1 to that position. While they were quite capable, there was not much point in doing this.
This should be what the idiom the strategist dies by his own strategy is trying to say.
Molins wasnt completely relieved, but he still relaxed a little.
At this mont
From the window, Ship No. 1 rapidly decelerated, as if they were caught by a large net.
What?!
Eh Did they collide with the sunken ship?!
Even so, its too strange for them to decelerate so rapidly! There should be a large hole in the hull if they were hit!
Even though it was quite serious to have a hole at the bottom of the ship, it should not be able to cause the ship to decelerate that rapidly.
It was hard to see clearly what had happened from the small window and no ssage had co from the lookout.
Molins started dashing.
He dashed up the stairs and pushed open the quarterdeck door that led up to the deck.
Ignoring the surprised sailors, Molins leaned his body on the portside railing.
He took the spyglass from his waist and looked at Ship No. 1.
What exactly happened?!
Soon, Lorraine ca in a hurry.
Please calm down, Captain! Perhaps they slowed down to put so distance between them and the enemy!
That isnt it. Even a Princess Class battleship cannot do that kind of deceleration. Maybe they caught onto sothing Oi! Can you see sothing in the water?!
Eh? Theres nothing
Move closer to Ship No. 1! Ah, dont get too close!
Ill go relay the order!
Lorraine began running.
Molins looked at Ship No. 1 once more.
There were sailors had gathered at the quarterdeck. So even climbed up the intersection of the rope that was hanging at the mast.
Are they trying to open the sail?
Did their steam engine malfunction?
Ship No. 5 passed by Ship No. 1 which stopped suddenly.
Ship No. 8 also move close behind Ship No. 1 like a loyal dog. Most of the High Britannia ships had stop moving. Though, it was not surprising at all since only a fool would move close to it without knowing the reason why it suddenly decelerated and stopped.
Ah! This is bad!
While they were not moving, the enemy ships continued to move.
The wind was favouring them before, but the wind had changed in the enemys direction.
Really, this is such a wretched day Molins cursed.
Originally, it was his style to delegate the tasks to his subordinates while he sipped on red tea. But, he was running around the deck as if he was a fresh trainee now!
He quickly ran to the bridge and shouted a command.
Steam engine full ahead! Right full rudder! Quickly!!
Aye aye, Captain!
The helmsman was confused because of the incident, but he still relayed the ssage with the telegraph and steered the ship without any hesitation.
Captain, the lookout said theres sothing like a rope in the water!
Lorraine asked the lookout to explain in details upon hearing his words.
Molins face almost ca in contact with the speaking tube and spoke.
Molins here! Report!
This is from the Top! Sothing similar to ropes can be seen near the stern of Ship No. 1!
sen.wikipedia/wiki/Top_(sailing_ship) >
What does it looks like?
Perhaps the ropes are from the sunken ship! The propeller seems to be entangled!
Damn!
Theres another report! Ship No. 5 is heading towards the enemy fleet!
Ballista that idiot! Is he thinking about ramming them?!
The enemy was currently closing the distance while maintaining their firing formation.
Even though they would be bombarded before they drew near, the enemy still wished to close the gap and focus fire at a close distance.
Even so, considering their firepower, before one ally ship was brought down, they could sink four to five enemy battleships.
Going by that logic, Ship No. 1 which could not move was the best target since it could not point its broadside at the enemy.
Ship No. 9 turned and aid its cannons at the enemy fleet.
However, Ship No. 5 was in the middle.
To prevent friendly fire, Molins did not give the order to fire.
Ship No. 8 made the sa judgent too. Even though they moved to the front of Ship No. 1 to protect it, they did not fire after steering.
In such situation, Molins was thinking.
This is the sa as yesterday when Ship No. 4 and No. 6 were ambushed.
==================================================
In front of the quarterdeck of the flagship of the Empires Western Liberation Fleet, Brouillard, Regis held the portside railing and looked at the enemy fleet.
In order to pass down the next command, the adjutant walked towards the signalman.
Altina was standing beside Regis.
The front most ship isnt moving. Did you do sothing to it, Regis?
Yes, I tied so floating ropes around the sunken Poseidon Class.
Whats that for? That ship is being hindered by the ropes?
While there isnt any problem for sailboats, the steam ship uses a propeller. The propeller works by expelling the water to the back, thus moving the ship. Think about it For the Princess Class ships thats so huge to move faster than the cavalry, exactly how much water is required to be expelled? Furthermore, the volu being expelled is equivalent to the intake.
It looks like they have to expel quite a large volu of water
The propeller does not simply suck in water, but also trash. And of course, the floating ropes are no exception.
Can the ropes really stop them?
That depends on how you use them. If its just one rope, wouldnt it be cut into pieces? But the propeller is delicate. Though if it got entangled with the propeller shaft, it would increase the burden of expelling the water, or it might even break in the worst case Just like cleaving at a tree with a sword.
Altina pouted
What a subtle comparison. Well, I understand now.
Hahaha Though to set this trap, we had to dive into the sea and work at night. Its great that the efforts were not wasted since the plan worked.
You were able to find out the position of the sunken ship at night?
I already marked several positions when it sunk, since its impossible to just rely on the moonlight to find the ship in the water. After that, we just needed to dive down to the sunken ship with ropes. The rest of the job could then be done even with our eyes closed.
Though according to the sailors, entering the damaged sunken ship took them quite a bit of effort.
Did you dive into the sea too, Regis?
Do you think that I can dive into the sea and finish the work within five minutes without any sound like the fishes?
Ahaha Thats impossible. After all, there are waves too.
Since when did you begin thinking that I could swim if its not the sea?
Arara.
Not that Im bragging But I almost drowned in a washbasin.
Eh? Is that when youre still a child?
A, ahh Theres that Though it still occurs even now.
Regis smiled weakly.
Altina pointed at the enemy ship that was not moving.
What about that? Are we going to borrow the ship from the enemy? That reminds , but isnt our goal this ti is to obtain the enemy ships?
I do wish to have it If we can obtain that kind of high performance ship, we can still produce ships similar to it even if the ship itself isnt considered a fighting force. Though the problem is that whether this trap would damage the propeller Its impossible for the Empires current technology to repair it if its broken.
What? Isnt it aningless then?!
Thats right, even if we capture it, if the key component is broken Then that isnt sothing that I like.
Sothing that you like?
The voice of the returning adjutant covered Altinas voice.
Admiral! The enemy ship is approaching!
Ah, I see it.
Overtaking the Princess Class Ship No. 1, the Princess Class Ship No. 5 had sailed towards them.
Altina pointed at it.
Open fire! Open fire!
Dont be too hasty, Im thinking here
Ah, sorry. We cant execute the command if it isnt from the admiral.
Haha Its fine. Rather, there isnt the need to worry.
Regis showed a smile to Altina as to stop Altina from worrying.
The adjutant widened his eyes.
Although this may be rude, I think that admiral is an incredible person.
Soone that would be fired by the military?
T,that isnt it! Its just that you can still remain calm and smile even in this kind of situation. I had been the adjutant for three different admirals. No matter how they were normally, they beca serious once they entered the battlefield.
Speaking of which, admiral Bertram was also a serious person.
In my case, its not like Im trying to show anything Its just that this situation isnt sothing that I have to worry about The orders have been relayed, right?
Yes, thats the ship!
One of the Ouranos Class ship overtook the four Athena Class ships and sailed forward.
The ship charged ahead.
Altina leaned her body out.
What is it doing?!
Your Highness Its dangerous, so please co down Otherwise, you might be hurt by the shrapnel.
Eh?
Only the Ouranos ship could compete with the Princes Class in speed. Both ships were on a collision course with each other and the distance between them disappeared in no ti.
Regis, are you planning to let that ship ram them directly?!
Thats right Well, since the Ouranos ship is that small, no matter the angle, it wont deal much damage even if it collides.
The size of the Ouranos Class was not even half of the Princes Class. It was like comparing children to adults.
Since it is ineffective Therere still people on board?!
They already made preparation to jump into the sea just before the collision...
Even so, the enemy might be able to avoid it if there were no helmsn on board at the critical mont. However, Regis could only leave it to the sailors judgent.
Regis, cant we fire at them?!
With just four Athena ships, even if we cross the T on the Princess Class, theres still a chance that the enemy ship wont sink. Furthermore, we cant lose anymore battleships. Also, I wont allow it if I cant see what I like.
sen.wikipedia/wiki/Crossing_the_T >
See?
The scene that I read in a story before It illustrated the daily lives of the people there
Regis smiled at the sea.
==================================================
Lorraine ran to Molins to report.
An Ouranos ship is approaching Ship No. 5!
What?! I still have no idea whats going on What exactly is the Empires admiral thinking?
Molins had been thinking until his head hurt.
The speed of the ships from both sides were very fast.
It was impossible to be unscathed if they collided.
Even so, their ship should be fine even if they collide since the enemy ship was not even half of their size. The Princess Class ships were not that fragile.
This was sothing the enemy should know.
Perhaps Ship No. 5 could even approach the enemy fleet without receiving any bombardnt.
If this went on, they could brush aside the Ouranos ship and open fire at the enemy at a close distance.
Maybe they could even destroy the enemys main fleet with just Ship No. 5.
Oura oura Is Ballista going for a Victoria Cross?
sen.wikipedia/wiki/Victoria_Cross >
Are you interested too, Captain?
After all, it cos with a tidy bonus several tis my pay. But for , I wont even get any allowance.
It doesnt seem that way when youre this calm
Thats because I cant do anything but watch.
As the two ships closed the gap, Ship No. 5 considered for soti before deciding to maintain their course. Furthermore, they did not think of firing at them even if they knew they would collide.
The two ships were about to collide in between the two nations fleets.
In Molins eyes, the small Ouranos ship would be wrecked by the large Princess Class. Most likely, this was what everyone thought.
The sailors on board on the Ouranos began to jump overboard like rats abandoning a sinking ship.
Suddenly, Molins felt a chill.
Could this be a trap?
The Ouranos made a small crack on the bow of the Princess Class number 5.
The collision was like caressing its face.
As expected, the Ouranos bow shattered and the mast had fallen. The whole ship broke into pieces.
In that case, Ship No. 5 would break through and move ahead.
After this
A blinding light prevented their eyes from opening.
An explosion.
Molins could feel the explosion even though he was in the bridge.
...?!
The glass panels shattered.
The crew wailed.
His blood was boiling and his heart was beating furiously as if he was awakened in the middle of a night.
What happened?!
It exploded.
Ship No. 5s bow ...
Exploded along with the Ouranos ship it ramd.
There was whirring black smoke and the wreckage of the Ouranos ship could not be seen on the sea.
Not only that, Ship No. 5s bow and so areas at the side was gone.
Small scale explosion such as the bore of a cannon discharging happens from ti to ti.
Before the ship even caught fire, Ship No. 5 had already begun sinking.
Even a ship that had a large hole torn in it would not sink that fast.
It was like glass dropped into the sea.
The sailors did not even have the ti to abandon ship.
In an instant, the large warship vanished.
...?!
Molins was speechless.
That was the sa for the other crew and his aide.
The nacing Ship No. 5 about to swallow the opposing ship disappeared without a trace, just like a piece removed from the chessboard.
Ha! Lorraine ran to the speaking tube.
All stations, status report! Is our ship alright?!
Her voice snapped them from their daze.
Molins ran to the helmsn.
Hows the engine room?!
Confirming now Aye! There isnt any problem!
I see.
Lorraine grabbed the speaking tube and spoke.
Captain! The empires flagship has sent out flag signals!
Hm, they finally ca.
From the small window, he could see the ssage the enemy was sending.
Halt the ship. We will not attack if you surrender.
Molins nodded.
Fufu Do you take as an idiot!
Captain, are we going to fight?!
Are you serious, Lorraine? Are you going too? Were fleeing right now!
Ehh?!
How can we surrender when we still have the advantage in speed! Oi, Full speed, right full rudder! Sail out of the bay!
The helmsn replied: Aye aye Captain!
How can you do that! Lorraine ran over.
Arent the supply ships still at the harbour?! Also, Ship No. 1 cant move!
What about it?! We are only left with Ship No. 9 and that old man in No. 8!
Theres still two princess ships, while the enemy only has four Athena ships
Who knows how many more of those they have! Did you not see what happened to Ship No. 5?!
That what will happen to the supply lines if we lose the supply ships at the harbour?
Molins thrust his finger-tip at her breasts.
Listen carefully, Lorraine! Use your smart brain and rember this Compared to those things, Im more concern about the lives of and my crew!
Even if we lose the war...?
We will think about it after we survive Alright, sail out of the bay!
The blasting of cannons rang.
Looking back, it was Ship No. 8 that had fired.
From the looks of it, it did not attempt to escape or surrender, but decided to continue fighting.
Youre just recomnded by the queen, do you need to be this loyal?
Lorraine kept staring at him.
While Molins relaxed his shoulders.
Im sorry I cant be like a knight like Olsen who can sacrifice himself for the nation.
Even if people would call you a coward if you run away?
Let them be. Im fine with whatever they want to call
Molins mouth turned crooked with a smile.
He averted his gaze away from Lorraine who looked at him with cold eyes.
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