Another World: Naval Storm

Chapter 129 Liam's Stubbornness

"The primary mission of each fleet is to support the First Battle Patrol Squadron and try to avoid direct conflict with the Ocean Fleet!"

Since the Drakes are so fast, the cautious and conservative Marshal Jellicoe will not take any risks. Any action that may overturn the entire fleet will not be allowed by him.

Under the current circumstances, the final decisive battle between the Royal Navy and the Drake Navy is what the Drake people have been eagerly looking forward to, but the Grand Fleet cannot afford it now.

Even though the Drak people lost their navy, they still had a strong army to support them. But without the large fleet of the Talen people, the nightmare of the Drak army landing in large numbers on the Talen mainland would occur.

If the great fleet is really gone, the colonies of Talen will most likely become independent, and other opponents will not miss the opportunity to strike back. The sea will be divided again, and perhaps the Yemelica people will make peace with the Drak people by then. Every country has the skill of backstab.

All the people on the Von der Bella stopped on the deck. Colonel Mahak did not let the three battlecruisers stay. The Von der Bella had no power left, and other Drake battleships would surely arrive soon. Colonel Mahak did not want to waste their time.

The four Talen pre-dreadnoughts were still waiting for the Drakes to deal with them, and the unlucky Bharata had already been sent away by concentrated fire. The Moltke was also in great danger now, so it was the right choice to let the three battlecruisers leave quickly. All the people on the Von der Bella were on the deck waving and cheering for their comrades.

21时35分，托马斯少将率领第二侦查舰队4艘轻巡和第一驱逐舰分舰队8艘驱逐舰以27节航速直闯腹地，第二驱逐舰分舰队在领舰马勒格堡号轻巡的带领下缓缓靠近冯-德-坦恩号战巡。

"Are you okay, Mahak?" Major Deen, the captain of the Mallegger, shouted loudly to the crowded deck of the Vonderbella.

"I'm fine, but the Bella is in very bad condition. Thank God you are here!" Colonel Mahak responded, squeezing through the crowd.

Captain Mahak ordered some of the crew to transfer to the destroyers, leaving only the damage control personnel to continue the damage control operation. As the Von der Bella had lost power, it could only be towed by three destroyers, and the movement speed was very slow, but fortunately it did not sink. When the main fleet had time, it would be towed by the main battleship, which would be faster.

Before the battlecruiser Von der Bella sank, another battleship was sunk in the North Atlantic.

The Bilo hit the Union pre-dreadnought again. The terrified Vincent cursed and wished that the Monarch could come to help him. Running so fast showed that he was a coward.

Vincent was qualified to fight a favorable battle and bully the natives of the colonies, but it was too much for him to lead a fleet to compete with a few battlecruisers. This mediocre talent from a naval academy made him feel at a loss in the high-intensity war. Passive and conservative tactics were not suitable for all times. He mechanically applied Marshal Jericho's theory and led himself into hell bit by bit.

Vincent once again abandoned the Union. He ordered the Union to stay behind to block the Drakes' pursuing battlecruisers and cover the retreat of other warships.

He muttered to himself in the command room, comforting himself that this was all for the Royal Navy, but he didn't notice that other officers and soldiers in the command room were looking at him with hatred.

At 21:47, the battleship Union slowed down, and the parameters of the rear main gun were adjusted, looking for an opportunity to fire.

The three battlecruisers, Bilow, Lützow and Derfflinger, concentrated their firepower on the pre-dreadnought Union for two consecutive rounds, turning the already slightly damaged Union into a sieve.

The Union's twin rear main guns fired back very poorly, hitting no target. Another round of shelling hit it again, and it was hit by four more bullets. The damage that the Union could withstand had reached its limit. Many waterline armors were torn apart, five compartments on the port side were flooded, and more than 4 people were killed or injured.

"May God bless them!" Major General Vincent actually gestured during the battle, but his piety did not seem to move God to perform a miracle.

Vincent finally remembered that he still had an important weapon on his dreadnought. He ordered the three warships to fire their 3mm twin rear main guns while moving. Even if they couldn't hit the Drakes, it would at least give him courage.

But this is of little use, the encounter has been delayed until now and the situation is still one-sided.

After the war, Major General Vincent was labeled a coward and was subsequently tried by a military court and sentenced to three years in prison with a three-year reprieve. He had no chance of holding a military post and retired early to return home.

The Union's persistence did not buy Rear Admiral Vincent much time. The severely damaged Union had already given up. An armor-piercing shell pierced the horizontal armor and detonated the ammunition depot of the rear main gun turret. Continuous explosions came from the stern of the ship. The stern of the Union disappeared in the explosion. The surging seawater poured into the ship, lifting the bow high and high, and then the entire ship was buried in the sea in a vertical state.

"Commander, do we still want to pursue him?" asked the captain and deputy captain of the Bilo battlecruiser, Layton, as he looked at the fleeing Vincent.

General Apeven said firmly, "General Leon is still about 40 minutes away from us, and the First and Second Fleet Squadrons have more than an hour. The Grand Fleet set out earlier than us, and Jericho should be cruising nearby. Once the decisive battle begins, we won't gain any advantage with our dispersed forces!"

Leo wanted to deal with the large fleet and break the Royal Navy's long-range blockade, and Apewen wanted to do the same, so the two cooperated.

Severely damaging or annihilating Liam's First Battlecruiser Fleet is only the minimum goal, but under pressure from all sides, many people within the Drake Empire believe that Leo should stop at the minimum goal.

Apeman originally intended to go his own way and create a fait accompli in order to engage in a decisive battle with the Grand Fleet, but like Jericho, he lacked intelligence and could not figure out the battlefield situation. Both sides were now in a dilemma.

In addition, the follow-up main fleet was too far away, so Apevin had to abandon Vincent's fleet and wait for another opportunity to fight the large fleet.

"The fleet turns and heads west to save the Moltke!" Apeven looked at the heart of Shipwreck Bay with some regret. There must be the old rival of the Ocean Fleet, the Jericho Fleet, there.

Numerous telegraph signals were constantly being sent and received over Shipburial Bay. Vincent, who was in a state of panic, was still sending messages for help to the fleet, completely forgetting to look back to see if the Drakes were still chasing him.

Marshal Jericho's cautious character made him constantly urge Liam, who was chasing the Moltke, to retreat. The aggressive Liam threw aside the increasingly severe warnings. The failure of this battle was already doomed, but his battle with Leo was not over yet, and the Moltke in front of him did not escape his grasp.