Chapter 354: Is Nightfall a Friend of the Germans?

"Report the losses!" he shouted, his voice sounding hoarse amid the echo of the explosions.

The communications officer's face was ashen under the emergency lights: "The 'Emperor' is heavily damaged, tilted over fifteen degrees; the captain reports they are organizing abandonment... The 'Lu Zuofu' front Main Gun turret has been destroyed, the hull is taking on water, speed reduced to sixteen knots... The 'Bo Mo En' is confirmed sunk..."

With each name he reported, the air on the bridge grew heavier.

These are not ordinary warships. They are the product of the German Empire's twenty‑year shipbuilding program, the cornerstone of Wei Lian Ershi's "Territory under the Sun" dream, and the home on which more than forty thousand sailors depend for survival and combat.

But now, under Yingguo fire, they burn, tilt, and sink like paper boats.

"What else?" She Er asked, his voice suppressing a barely contained emotion.

"The 'Xi Li Xi Ya' was hit on the bridge while turning and is now under the executive officer's command... The 'Bo Sen' and 'Na Suo' nearly collided, temporarily breaking formation..." the communications officer's fingers trembled on the telegraph paper. "Preliminary count: within the first eight minutes of battle we have been struck by more than forty large‑caliber shells. Casualties... casualty numbers cannot yet be tallied."

"Forty times," Chief of Staff Te Luota repeated the figure, as if unable to grasp its meaning, "Eight minutes, forty hits..."

She Er turned to the chart. The blue markers representing the Deguo fleet were a tangled mess, like a scattered ant colony. The red Yingguo battle line, however, remained intact and orderly, like a massive steel gantry spanning the retreat route of the Deguo fleet.

"They are adjusting course," the navigation officer reported, pointing to the newly marked Yingguo fleet position. "Jielike is not pursuing at full speed; he is turning, trying to stay parallel with us, maintaining the T-head advantage."

"Smart," She Er murmured, "far too smart. He's not in a hurry; he knows we can't get away."

He lifted his head and scanned the bridge. Every face bore the same expression: shock, fear, and a hint of despair. These officers were the finest of the German Navy, seasoned by countless drills, yet no exercise could simulate today's scenario—being hammered in dense fog while the entire Yingguo Grand Fleet blocked us at the T-head.

"Admiral," Te Luota lowered his voice, "we must decide. If we keep retreating, they'll keep biting our starboard side like a pack of wolves tearing at a wounded prey. But if we turn to counterattack..."

"If we turn to counterattack," She Er cut in, "we'll crash back into their fire net. In our current state, that's suicide."

He walked to the observation window and wiped away the water spots on the glass. Outside, night was falling rapidly, the dense fog mingling with smoke, reducing visibility to under five hundred yards. He could see the silhouettes of several nearby Deguo warships, all desperately pouring out white chemical smoke from their sterns to obscure Yingguo sight.

Yet the smoke dispersed quickly in the wind, and the Yingguo seemed indifferent to visibility—their shells, guided by sonar and fire‑control computers, still landed accurately.

Another shell exploded near the left side of the 'Fei Te Lie Da Di', sending the hull sideways by several meters; everyone on the bridge staggered.

"Distance?" She Er asked, his voice unusually calm.

"Twelve thousand yards and still increasing," the fire‑control officer reported. "But our return fire... is almost ineffective. In this thick fog and smoke, our Optical Rangefinder barely works. Moreover, most battleships' fire‑control systems are damaged or misaligned during turning."

She Er nodded. He had long anticipated this. The disadvantage of crossing the T-head lay not only in firepower density but in a wholly passive tactical posture—your opponent can see your entire line, while you see only his vanguard; your opponent enjoys a stable firing platform, while you scramble to turn and evade; your opponent has complete fire‑control data, while you struggle even to range.

That's why Na Er Xun at Te La Fa Er Jia was willing to ram the Faxi United Fleet's Column at any cost—because only melee can break the crushing of the T-head.

Melee.

The word flashed through She Er's mind like a bolt of lightning.

He spun around sharply and hurried back to the chart table. His fingers darted across the map, measuring distance, angle, and time.

"Te Luota," he said, his eyes never leaving the chart, "if we turn now, not to disengage but to charge—rushing straight into the middle of the Yingguo battle line, crashing in, disrupting the fight, what would happen?"

Te Luota froze. After a few seconds he grasped his superior's meaning: "You mean... charge into their Column? Create close‑quarters melee?"

"Yes." She Er's finger traced a sharp arrow on the chart, from the Deguo fleet's current position straight into the middle of the Yingguo line. "Jielike's advantage lies in order and distance. If we shatter that distance, rush to his face, force him into close‑range gunfire or even collision, his fire‑control and formation advantages will be severely reduced. In melee, training and courage outweigh tactical positioning."

"But that would cost us huge losses!" Te Luota objected. "During the charge, our entire starboard side would be exposed to Yingguo fire. By the time we reach them, we may have already lost half the fleet!"

"We are already losing ships now!" She Er raised his voice, "At the current pace, in another hour we'll be ground down piece by piece! But if we charge, we at least have a chance to tear their formation, create chaos, and then use the night and smoke to break away!"

He stared at Te Luota, his eyes burning in the dim light: "Tell me, is it better to be ground down slowly, or to gamble everything in a desperate strike?"

The bridge fell into dead silence, broken only by the engine's roar and distant, ongoing cannon fire.

Everyone looked at Te Luota. The Chief of Staff opened his mouth, seemed about to speak, but said nothing. He knew She Er was right. In a hopeless situation, caution often means death, while risk may offer a sliver of hope.

"But Admiral," the navigation officer hesitated, "if we turn to charge, the Yingguo will have ample time to react. They can adjust course and place us on the T-head again..."

"So they need to be distracted," She Er said, his thoughts sharpening, "we need a bait, large enough to draw fire; while they focus on the bait, the main force can suddenly turn to charge."

He looked at the communications officer: "Connect to He Peier. Immediately."