Chapter 616: One Ship, Then Another

Yingguo's Optical Rangefinder is almost ineffective at this Distance—target too small, sea fog interference, cannot measure Distance accurately. But the Bismarck Class radar can. It can clearly tell the gunner: target is there, Distance twenty-two thousand meters, heading 120, speed 22 knots.

Then the Shell will fall down.

11:53.

First salvo.

Eight 380‑mm Shells whistled out of the barrel, flying toward the Yingguo fleet twenty-two thousand meters away.

Forty seconds later, the observer's voice came through the speaking tube: "Hit! Barham was hit by one Shell! Location—aft deck!"

She Er's eyes brightened for a moment.

The first salvo hit.

This is the power of radar augmentation.

"Continue," he said. "Second salvo, fire."

Another eight Shells.

Forty seconds later, the observer's voice sounded again: "Hit! Barham was hit again! This time near the bridge! Thick smoke rises!"

She Er lowered the telescope.

He watched the burning Yingguo warship, watched it slowly pull away from the formation, watched its speed drop from 22 knots to 18 knots, to 15 knots—

"Third salvo," he said, "target switch—Valiant."

When Jieli Ke heard that voice, he was ordering a formation adjustment.

It was the sharp whine of Shells tearing through the air. He was all too familiar with that sound—thirty years of service, heard it countless times. But this time was different.

This whine came from the southwest.

From that stretch of sea he had thought empty.

His mind flashed countless thoughts in that instant: impossible. They could not be this fast. One hundred twenty nautical miles, four‑hour voyage, and only two hours forty minutes have passed—

But the whine grew nearer.

Then an explosion.

Barham's aft deck was engulfed by a fireball.

Jieli Ke rushed to the starboard port window. He saw Barham's stern ablaze, thick smoke billowing up, obscuring half the sky. The warship already in flames now resembled an erupting volcano.

"General!" the Chief of Staff's voice came from behind, altered in tone, "Southwest! Two—two Bismarck Class!"

Jieli Ke raised the telescope.

In the lens, the silhouettes of two warships rose slowly from the horizon. Sleek hulls. Tall bridges. Those iconic twin‑turret 380‑mm gun turrets—

Bismarck. Tirpitz.

They were coming.

Jieli Ke's hand froze on the telescope.

He miscalculated.

He miscalculated their speed. He miscalculated their resolve. He miscalculated everything.

"All fleet!" he roared, his voice hoarse and altered, "Turn heading 220! Speed 24 knots! Close the Distance—only then can we retaliate!"

The Elizabeth Queen Class ship turned wildly on the sea. Agincourt followed closely. Malaysia also was turning.

But Barham and Valiant could not turn.

The second salvo fell. Barham was hit again—this time the bridge. The exploding fire engulfed the entire bridge, the mast snapped, and the flag fell.

Jieli Ke watched the fallen battle flag, his heart clenched as if by an invisible hand.

That was his comrade. That was his fellow of thirty years.

"General!" the lookout's voice came from overhead, "Deguo fleet Distance! They are… twenty‑two thousand meters! Maintaining Distance!"

Twenty‑two thousand meters.

Jieli Ke's mind raced.

Twenty‑two thousand meters is the optimal range for the Bismarck Class. At this Distance, their 380‑mm guns can easily pierce the Elizabeth Queen Class's horizontal armour—Shells descend from above, penetrate the deck, and explode inside the hull.

And the Elizabeth Queen Class's 381‑mm guns are almost ineffective against the Bismarck Class's Armour Belt at this Distance—the Shells' impact angle is too steep, Kinetic Energy insufficient; even a direct hit would only make a shallow dent.

This is the gap.

The Bismarck Class can strike them; they cannot reach the Bismarck Class. Even if they could, they would hardly breach the Bismarck's defenses!

"Keep closing!" Jieli Ke roared, "24 knots! Full speed! Only by closing can—"

Before his words finished, the third salvo fell.

This time it was Valiant.

The warship, already damaged, was hit simultaneously by three 380‑mm Shells. One at the bow, one at the bridge, one near the waterline.

Valiant shuddered violently, then began to list.

Jieli Ke watched, eyes wide, as it tilted to starboard—ten degrees, fifteen degrees, twenty degrees—

"Abandon ship!" he roared, "Valiant, abandon ship!"

But it was already too late.

Valiant's listing speed increased rapidly. Crew slipped from the deck into the cold sea. The liferafts could not be lowered in time, and tipped over together with the hull.

12:07.

Valiant capsized.

Its bottom faced upward, exposing a hull studded with barnacles and a still‑spinning propeller. It lay inverted on the sea for about three minutes, then sank slowly.

Jieli Ke watched the ship disappear beneath the sea, his eyes reddening.

Another ship.

Another ship.

"General!" the Chief of Staff rushed over, pointing at the radar screen, "Deguo fleet is still approaching! Distance twenty thousand meters! Entering nineteen thousand meters!"

Nineteen thousand meters.

Closer.

But Jie Li Ke knew that at this Distance, their 381mm gun still could not effectively threaten the Bismarck Class's Armour Belt. Yet the Bismarck Class's 380mm gun could fire more precisely at this Distance.

"Keep approaching!" he said, "Eighteen thousand meters! Once we reach eighteen thousand meters, we can—"

The fourth salvo fell in unison.

This time it was Barham.

The battleship, which had been burning for ten minutes, finally could not hold out. Another Shell struck near the waterline, tearing a huge breach. Sea water surged in wildly, and Barham's speed dropped from fifteen knots to ten knots, then five knots—

Then it stopped.

It lay on the sea surface like a dying giant beast, letting Shells continue to fall.

Fifth salvo. Sixth salvo. Seventh salvo.

12:19.

Barham suffered a violent explosion—its magazine detonated. Flames spewed from within the hull, engulfing the entire battleship in a massive fireball. The mast snapped, the turret was torn off, and the hull was split into two sections by the blast.

The two wreckage halves sank separately to the seabed.

Jie Li Ke closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, there were no tears left in his eyes.

Only fire.

Burning fire.

She Er stood by the porthole, watching the spot where the two Yingguo battleships sank.

Barham. Valiant.

Two.

Three remain.

"Ammunition report," he said.

The quartermaster opened the log: "General, Bismarck expended 120 armor‑piercing shells. 517 remaining."

517 shells.

Enough for four more salvos.

"Tirpitz's ammunition status?"

"They also expended about a hundred. Around 580 shells remain."

She Er nodded.

Together they still have over a thousand shells. That's enough.

"Target change," he said, "next—Malaya."

Bismarck and Tirpitz's Main Guns swivel simultaneously.