Another World: Naval Storm

No one would believe that a business worth more than one million gold marks a year would cause the two powerful countries, the Franconian Republic and the Drake Empire, to fight.

Lieutenant General Thierry didn't believe it either, but as a soldier with military qualities, he was ready to fight.

"Notify the flagship, a flagship has been spotted in the northwest. It should be a fleet, the Franks are coming!" Leo, who was on the bridge, saw the situation on the distant sea earlier than the lookout.

"The Franks' army is quite large! Let the three protected cruisers cover the army's landing as soon as possible, and tell the Arminius to prepare to intercept the Frankish fleet!" Apeven responded.

At the same time, the Frankish sentinels also saw the Drake warships, one large and one small, appearing in their field of vision.

"Why are there only the Dreadnought and the Arminius? Where are the other Drake warships?" Lieutenant General Thierry asked puzzledly.

"Maybe they have already landed at the port?" the chief of staff asked uncertainly.

Thierry also divided the fleet into two parts. Two battleships and an armored cruiser confronted the two Drake warships, and the remaining three protected cruisers covered the transport fleet to bypass the Drake fleet and head towards the coast. There was no other way but to let the three protected cruisers that went to escort them to stop them.

Apeiwen was also panicking. Although he was confident in the 12 280mm heavy guns equipped by the Dreadnought, it was still two against three, with eight 8mm main guns. If something went wrong, it would be bad! The navy was superstitious about big and thick things. After all, they gave people a different deterrent effect.

"Tell the Franks that this is a war zone, and ask them to leave immediately!"

"The Franks said that the Flemish government has sold the colony to the Flemish Republic. Now the Promont area is Flemish territory. We are asked to exercise restraint and evacuate the port immediately!" The Franks responded quickly.

"Are you kidding? If you say so, then so be it." Apeven didn't believe these nonsense. "Prepare for battle, aim the main guns at the Frankish ship No. 4, and try to paralyze a battleship first; the Frankish armored cruiser will be handed over to Arminius, tell them to be careful!" As the order was given, the four twin turrets of the Dreadnaught began to turn and aim at the slowly approaching Frankish fleet.

"Aim all naval guns at the enemy ships!" Thierry had already regarded the Drakes as enemies in his heart. A century of hatred education had made the Franks unable to lose face in front of the Drakes.

As the distance got closer, the pressure on the officers and soldiers of both countries became greater and greater. Fortunately, neither side had reloaded ammunition, otherwise some soldiers would have opened fire unconsciously.

On the other side, Drake's three protected cruisers were confronting Fran's two protected cruisers. Instead of dodging, the two Fran's protected cruisers began to accelerate, hoping to rely on their own 5000-ton ship weight to ram the Drake warships that were blocking their way.

The 2000-ton old cruiser Draco was naturally no match for the enemy and had to turn at the last moment before the collision.

"Beautiful! I want to take credit for them!" Thierry was very satisfied with the operation of the squadron and couldn't help shouting out loud.

As soon as the voice fell, a ball of sparks appeared on a Frankish protection cruiser approaching the port.

"The Drakes are firing!"

"The Franks opened fire!" The tense nerves of both sides were finally broken by the explosion.

"Speed ​​up the battleship and keep your distance!" Only by keeping your distance can we prevent the opponent's rapid-fire guns from working overtime. The 280mm naval gun will teach the Franks a lesson on how to behave!

The Franks wanted to keep up with the Drakes, but unfortunately, the battleships and cruisers in the Frankish fleet were far inferior to the Dreadnought and Arminius in speed.

"We were hit!" This telegram from the Frankish cruiser made Vice Admiral Thierry determined to go to war. The flagship Charlemagne immediately raised the battle flag, and another battleship, the Saint Louis, and the armored cruiser Dupuytroube, also raised the battle flag.

The eight 8 naval guns on the two battleships fired a salvo at the Dreadnought 305 meters away. The Franks decided to concentrate their fire on taking down the Dreadnought first.

In order to target the Arminius, the Frankish armored cruiser fired shells continuously, splashing water around the ship.

As the most powerful battleship today, the Dreadnought is equipped with the latest rangefinder and fire control equipment. At a distance of 8000 meters, a single salvo made the Franks terrified, and the Charlemagne, the flagship of the Frankish fleet, was shrouded in splashes.

Arminius was the first to score a goal. A shell directly hit the side of the Dupuytrum, and the 4-inch thick armor was torn open by the projectile fired by the 210mm naval gun. This shell also caused a fire in the ship's cabin. The speed of the Dupuytrum dropped directly to single digits. Then two more salvos left the Dupuytrum riddled with holes. Two large holes several meters square appeared on the hull without the waterline armor belt.

The duel between the battleships continued. The Franks wanted to rescue the Dupuidrome but were powerless. The firepower of the Dreadnought was too strong. If it weren't for the fact that the 280mm main gun was slightly weak for a battleship, the two Frankish battleships would have sunk to the bottom by now.

"Let the Franks surrender!" Leo said as he looked at the nearly paralyzed Dupuydlo. A warship without speed is like a lamb to be slaughtered, at the mercy of others.

The Franks did not respond, but continued to fire cannonballs to prevent the Arminius from approaching.

[Report to the commander, the ship is damaged]

[Report to the commander, an 88mm secondary gun of Arminius has been destroyed]

[Report to the commander, more than 10 of our men were killed or wounded]

At 6000 meters, a few sporadic shells had hit the Arminius, causing the loss of a secondary gun and more than a dozen crew members being killed or injured.

Seeing that the Franks were stubborn, Leo gave the order to sink the ship.

More than a dozen shells hit the battleship hard, flames enveloped the entire superstructure, and the Franco-naval officers and soldiers on the deck were cut by countless shrapnel.

The Dupuytren was finished. The damage control team could no longer stop it from sinking. Finally, under the captain's order, all crew members abandoned the ship. The remaining 200-odd crew members floated on the sea in lifeboats, waiting for their fate to come.

"Order Leo to rescue!" Apewen saw the plight of the three old cruisers. Whether in tonnage or firepower, the three old cruisers were no match for the Franks.

Unlike the battle here, the three cruisers received the order to retreat, but they were too close to the Franks' protected cruisers, and retreating would require sacrifice. The three captains discussed and decided to sacrifice themselves to hold back the two protected cruisers.

"We are willing to die for the empire!" This was the last telegram they sent to Apewen.