Chapter 196: The Melee Begins

"Heading 130, maintain speed at 30 knots," Lin Haisheng ordered. "Gunnery Officer, target the Mist Island—she's closing in too fast."

"Distance eleven thousand! Optimal firing range!" Wang Zhen guo reported.

"Full broadside, fire!"

The Fuxing's eight Main Guns roared again. This time, with the Distance closed, accuracy improved dramatically. Eight 381mm armor-piercing Shells flew through the air for less than twenty seconds before striking around the Mist Island.

Two direct hits.

The first Shell struck the Mist Island's forward funnel, blasting the massive cylinder to pieces. Black smoke and steam gushed out, severely obstructing observation from the bridge.

The second Shell was even more deadly—it struck the Mist Island's forward Main Gun turret barbette. Though it failed to penetrate the turret armor, the immense impact completely jammed the turret's rotation mechanism. The Mist Island's Main Guns were instantly reduced by two.

"Hits! Two hits!" A brief cheer erupted on the Fuxing's bridge.

But Lin Hai showed no smile. He knew such victory came at enormous cost. And...

"The Vajra is turning!" the spotter suddenly shouted. "They're trying to cross our T!"

Lin Haisheng rushed to the port side. Sure enough, the Vajra had stopped pursuing and instead turned left, attempting to bring her full broadside to bear on the Fuxing's stern. If she succeeded in crossing the T, her eight Main Guns could unleash an unobstructed broadside.

"Hard right rudder! Emergency turn!" Lin Haisheng nearly roared.

The Fuxing began another sharp turn. But this time, the turn was noticeably slower—prolonged operation at full power had pushed the engines near their limits.

"Captain, turn rate is only two-thirds of normal!" Navigator Zhou Zhiwei said anxiously.

"Never mind! Keep turning!" Lin Haisheng stared at the chart. "Executive Officer Chen, send a message to the Yangtze: 'Swarm in hot pursuit, urgently need reinforcements.'"

"But Captain, we just sent one ten minutes ago..."

"Send it again!" Lin Haisheng cut him off. "Tell them we might not last another twenty minutes."

Chen Qiming gritted his teeth and ran to the radio. The clicking of Morse code sounded again—this time, the rhythm even more urgent.

Vajra's bridge.

Kato Tomosaburo watched the Fuxing struggling to turn, and a faint smile finally crept onto his lips.

"Their engines have reached their limit." He lowered his binoculars. "Order the entire fleet to concentrate fire on the enemy ship's stern. Take out their steering gear, and they'll just go in circles on the sea."

"Sir, the Mist Island reports her forward Main Gun turret is damaged..."

"Tell them to keep firing with their aft Main Guns!" Kato waved impatiently. "What about the Hazelnut Name and the Wise Comparison?"

"They're readjusting formation; they can fire another broadside in three minutes."

"Three minutes..." Kato glanced at the clock. "That's enough. Within three minutes, we will make the Fuxing lose all maneuverability."

He stepped to the voice tube: "Main Guns, target the enemy ship's stern, Distance ten thousand five hundred, all guns fire—fire!"

The Vajra's six Main Guns let out an ear-splitting roar. Six armor-piercing Shells flew toward the Fuxing's stern on nearly flat trajectories.

This time, Lady Luck sided with the Japanese.

The first Shell was a near miss; fragments pierced the outer wall of the stern steering compartment. The second Shell struck the stern deck directly, blowing away an anti-aircraft gun. The third...

"Boom!!!"

The third 356mm armor-piercing Shell struck the protective housing of the Fuxing's starboard propeller drive shaft. Though it failed to penetrate the armor, the immense impact slightly bent the drive shaft.

In the engine room, Liu Ming de felt the vibrations beneath his feet suddenly become irregular.

"What's happening?" he bellowed into the intercom.

"Starboard drive shaft abnormal! RPM down ten percent!" the monitor replied, his voice laced with fear.

"Damn it!" Liu Ming de slammed his fist on the control console. "Report to the bridge! Starboard Kinetic Energy damaged, maximum speed may drop to 28 knots!"

28 knots. That meant they would never again be able to outrun the Kongō-class pursuit by speed alone.

Fuxing's bridge.

Hearing Liu Ming de's report, Lin Haisheng's face went pale for the first time.

28 knots. Against four Kongō-class ships with top speeds of 30 knots, this was effectively a death sentence.

"Captain..." Chen Qiming's voice trembled.

Lin Hai closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, all hesitation was gone—only resolve remained.

"Attention all hands." His voice carried through the broadcast to every corner. "Starboard Kinetic Energy is damaged; we can no longer outrun the enemy. From this moment on, the Fuxing will fight her final battle."

He paused, his voice growing firmer: "I ask every person who can still fight to hold their post. Gunners, put every Shell into the enemy. Damage control teams, plug every leak. Engineers, make the remaining boilers give their last ounce of strength."

"We may not leave these waters alive. But every one of us will become an eternal monument to the Lanfang Navy. Forty-four years ago, our forefathers lost their homeland in Pontianak. Today, we are here, telling them with blood and fire—the people of Lanfang have returned. And we will never leave again."

The bridge fell silent. Then Zhao Wenyuan was the first to raise his hand in salute. Then everyone followed.

No grand speeches, no tears. Only iron-like silence, and fire burning in their eyes.

Lin Haisheng returned the salute, then turned: "Gunnery Officer, target the Vajra, all guns fire. This time, we stop running."

"But Captain, if we stop for a gunnery duel..."

"Then we duel." Lin Haisheng said calmly, "Use the Fuxing's armor to absorb their Shells. Use our Main Guns to trade for their Main Guns. One for one, we come out ahead. One for two, we come out far ahead. Even at one for four..."

He smiled, and in that smile was a calm that made the heart race: "Then we'll have cleared the path for the Bismarck formation."

Wang Zhen guo understood. He stood at attention and saluted: "Yes, Captain! All guns prepare!"

The Fuxing began to slow, her hull turning slowly to bring her port side to bear on the Vajra. This was the most classic—and most brutal—form of battleship combat: a broadside duel, until one side sank.

Aboard the Vajra, Kato Tomosaburo saw this and was stunned at first, then laughed aloud.

"They've given up! They've given up fleeing and want to duel us!" He laughed until tears came. "Good! Very good! Then let them know that the Imperial Navy's gunnery is the finest in the world!"

"Attention all hands, broadside combat formation! Distance nine thousand eight hundred, all guns fire—fire!"

Almost simultaneously, the Fuxing's eight Main Guns roared as well.

Two great warships, less than ten kilometers apart, engaged in the most brutal gunnery duel of this era.