Chapter 349: Pursuit and Misjudgment

At the same time, the Deguo High Seas Fleet's flagship, the "Frederick the Great".

Admiral Lai Yin Ha De She Er's mood was completely different from Jelico's. He stood on the bridge, holding the freshly intercepted Yingguo clear‑text telegram in his hand, a confident smile playing at the corner of his mouth.

"Latitude 56°15′ N, Longitude 5° E," he said to Chief of Staff Major General Te Luo Ta, "Jelico's main force is there, and they're 'forming a battle formation'—what does that mean?"

Te Luo Ta pondered for a few seconds, "It means they aren't ready yet. Betty's collapse was faster than expected, and Jelico may not have anticipated that we need to provide early support."

"Exactly!" She Er walked to the chart table, his finger stabbing heavily at the marked spot on the telegram, "Look, this position is about twenty‑five nautical miles to our northeast. If we keep our current course to pursue Betty, we'll arrive in an hour…"

His finger slid along the route: "Here, around Latitude 56°20′ N, Longitude 4°40′ E. That spot is a Distance of about twenty nautical miles from Jelico's main force—right at the edge of our Effective Range."

"But if Jelico has already completed deployment…" Te Luo Ta cautioned carefully.

"He couldn't have finished," She Er shook his head confidently, "Reorganizing the battle line in this dense fog takes time. And look at Betty's retreat direction—she's pulling back southwest, clearly trying to draw us away from Jelico's main force. That precisely shows the Yingguo main force isn't ready to engage yet."

He turned to face the officers on the bridge, his voice booming, "Gentlemen, this is the chance we've waited two years for! We've already sunk two Yingguo battleship‑cruisers and heavily damaged their vanguard fleet. Now, if we can take out the remaining Betty ships before the Yingguo main force completes deployment, it will be a perfect victory!"

"But Admiral," the reconnaissance fleet commander Fu Lang Ci·Feng·Xi Pe Er's voice came through the communicator—his flagship "Lu Zuo Fu" was leading ahead, "The dense fog is thickening, visibility is under six hundred yards. We've lost visual contact with the Betty fleet and can only roughly determine direction via the Signal Room."

"Then use the Signal Room!" She Er said decisively, "Maintain pursuit, keep the course unchanged. Tell every ship to load the Main Gun with armor‑piercing shells and be ready for combat at any moment. We must end the battle before nightfall."

The order was relayed. The entire Deguo High Seas Fleet surged forward, twenty‑two dreadnoughts, six pre‑dreadnoughts, eleven light cruisers and sixty‑three destroyers, like an enraged steel beast, charging southwest through the dense fog.

At the very front of the fleet, on the bridge of the "Lu Zuo Fu", Xi Pe Er felt an inexplicable unease.

The fifty‑four‑year‑old reconnaissance fleet commander was known for his caution. At this moment, he stared at the markings on the chart representing friend and foe, his brows tightly knit.

"Commander," the adjutant whispered, "Admiral She Er seems very confident."

"Overconfident," Xi Pe Er murmured, "Sometimes at sea, overconfidence isn't a good thing."

He stepped onto the open bridge, and the damp fog instantly enveloped him. Visibility was terrifyingly poor; he could barely make out the "Sai De Li Ci" five hundred yards astern. The whole world seemed reduced to a gray‑white haze, accompanied by the engine's monotonous roar.

"Signal Room, report Betty fleet bearing."

"Bearing 280, Distance estimated twelve to fifteen nautical miles, signal weakening," the signal operator replied, "They may be accelerating, or… turning."

Turning?

Xi Pe Er's heart leapt. If Betty is turning, what does that mean? It means she may not be fleeing, but guiding—like a hound leading its prey toward the hunter.

But Admiral She Er's assessment also makes sense. If the Yingguo main force has already completed deployment, Betty should head straight toward the main force rather than continue fleeing southwest; this indeed seems like an attempt to draw the Degjun away.

"Maybe I'm overthinking," Xi Pe Er told himself. He rubbed his temples, trying to dispel the ominous foreboding.

War is like that; when information is incomplete, commanders must make judgments. The correctness of those judgments often decides the lives of tens of thousands.

"Maintain course," he finally ordered, "but send a light cruiser ahead to scout, increasing the Distance to five nautical miles. I need more eyes."

"Yes, Commander!"

The order was transmitted via signal lamps. Several light cruisers accelerated forward, their silhouettes reaching into the depths of the dense fog like antennae.

Xi Pe Er watched them vanish into the thick fog, but the unease in his heart did not dissipate.

He recalled many years ago, when he first went to sea as a second lieutenant, the old captain had told him: "At sea, when everything seems to be going smoothly, it's best to stop and consider whether you've missed something."

Now, everything seemed to be going smoothly— they had shattered the Yingguo vanguard and were pressing the pursuit, while the Yingguo main force still appeared unready.

Too smooth.

"Commander!" the lookout shouted suddenly, "Starboard bearing, signal lamp!"

Xi Pe Er raised his binoculars. In the dense fog, a faint light was indeed flickering—it was Morse code.

"It's the 'Fa Lan Ke Fu'," the signalman quickly decoded, "She reports: the fog ahead has slightly cleared, visibility range expanded to eight hundred yards. No enemy ships detected."

Fog clearing?

Xi Pe Er looked up toward the front. Indeed, the fog ahead seemed a bit thinner, and the horizon was faintly visible. Yet the improved visibility did not reassure him; instead it made him more vigilant—at sea, changes in visibility often signal shifts in weather conditions, and such shifts can bring unexpected tactical situations.

"Reply to 'Fa Lan Ke Fu'," he said, "continue scouting, focus on the northwest and northeast bearings. Report any findings immediately."

"Yes!"

The click of the signal lamp echoed through the fog, like an ominous rhythm.

Inside the forward Main Gun turret of the Deguo battleship "Emperor", Chief of Artillery Ka Er Huo Si Te was inspecting the gun's loading mechanism.

This twin‑mounted 305‑mm Main Gun turret was the ship's most vital weapon, and the place where Huo Si Te had served for eight years. He knew every component and every inch of space there as intimately as his own home.

But today, the atmosphere inside this "home" was unusually tense.

"Loading complete!" loader Han Si shouted, sweat streaming down his young cheeks. Though the turret had ventilation, the tension and heat still left everyone drenched.

Huo Si Te checked the breech, confirming it was locked. "Good. Stand by now."

He moved to the sighting port, trying to look outside, but saw nothing beyond the grayish fog. The turret was a sealed steel bunker; they were like cans sealed inside, knowing almost nothing of what transpired outside.