Chapter 3: The Naval Battle in the Fog (6)

  "Kiel's naval academy's three musketeers' ghost, one of the twin jewels of German Navy's strategic minds, Heide-Selheim indeed has two brushes!" The captain of Mainz number light cruiser couldn't help but sigh as he gazed out at the turbulent sea shrouded in mist.

  At 8:54, just as the Mainz light cruiser was criticizing Admiral Heidekamp's cautious command style, the first wave of reinforcements arrived. The experienced Rear Admirals Leberecht Maass and Friedrich Boedicker followed Heidekamp's lead in a strategic turnabout. At 9:04, the British raiding force emerged from the northwest, just as the German fleet had completed its turn, placing it at the head of the "T" formation.

  The thick fog certainly discounted the German artillery and optical sighting instruments, which were a source of pride for the Germans. However, the traditional emphasis on protection and firepower also paid off in this battle, later known as the "Battle of the Misty Day" - the Battle of Heligoland Bight.

  The British fleet's flagship, HMS Southampton, dodged the first salvo of the Imperial German Navy, but in their confusion, the British gave the disappointed and disheartened German gunners the best gift they could have asked for. They began to turn away in emergency turns, following tactical regulations dating back to Nelson's time, which played right into the hands of the German gunners.

  The Zhenlin did not escape the second round of shelling, and a 105mm heavy gun from Mainz directly hit the upper structure of the light cruiser Zhenlin, cutting off two 47mm secondary guns behind the stern and the first smokestack. Countless iron blocks, brain blood, and broken limbs were blown into the sky by the impact force generated by the explosion. Kaiserslautern was hit by a near-miss shell in the stern, and the rising water column was tens of meters high, directly knocking down all British sailors on the stern of Zhenlin.

  With a crash, the Southampton and Lützow light cruisers collided in the confusion, the stern of the Southampton was torn open, and she lost power instantly. The British were thrown into disorder, while the Germans seemed to see the beckoning hand of Victory.

  "Revenge for G-192, G-193G, G-195 and all the heroic martyrs of the Empire!" The gunners on Mainz stripped off their outer garments, exposing their upper bodies to the dampness and choking smell of gunpowder, operating the cannons while shouting out the voice of conquest of the continental nation over the sea.

  The flagship of the British raiding force, HMS Southampton, was heavily damaged and had to withdraw from the battle early. The British raiding force lost command and became disorganized. The Sydney and J?ms? light cruisers, which were tasked with providing cover, attempted to charge into the fray, disrupting the German line formation. Some ships began to retreat according to the flagship's last order, and in the chaos, HMS Nottingham and Southampton were sunk one after another, while HMS Lowestoft lost power and was left at the mercy of the enemy.

  At 9:13, the flag of the British raiding fleet finally rose on the mast of Melbourne, and the remaining British ships began to converge on the flagship. The disheveled John Bull was finally able to organize a decent artillery battle. The three submarines of the British destroyer squadron and the eighth submarine squadron rushed forward desperately, releasing smoke and torpedoes in an attempt to cover the retreat of the main force.

  "Kui Liu Ji Qiong!" Wang Haiting coldly hummed, commanding the First Cruiser Squadron and Third Reconnaissance Fleet Ariadne, Stettin, Strasbourg, Danzig, Stuttgart, and Munich - 6 cruisers tightly entwined with the main force of the British raiding fleet. Within less than twenty minutes, they successively sank the light cruiser HMS Yarmouth and reconnaissance cruiser HMS Adventure. The Second Reconnaissance Fleet's Rostock, Kolberg, and Tralsson, totaling 6 light cruisers and over a dozen destroyers and torpedo boats, began to annihilate the British destroyer squadron. In an instant, they achieved the glorious feat of sinking 6 British destroyers, 1 submarine, and heavily damaging 3 destroyers.

  "Mainz focuses on attacking Senlin, Strasbourg and Stettin attack Sydney, the rest are handed over to the 3rd Reconnaissance Fleet!" Wang Haitian walked out of the armored command tower, standing on the bow bridge, letting a 47mm shell splash water vapor blow his military cap to the ground.

  Within less than a kilometer of combat distance, the hit rate of the 105 heavy artillery had reached a terrible level. Armor-piercing shells and high-explosive shells rained down on the Xianlin light cruiser like raindrops. The Xianlin was engulfed in flames and thick smoke, its massive hull tilting to one side, its towering mainmast swaying precariously, and its damaged keel emitting a teeth-grinding creaking sound from time to time.

  "Commander, the Senlin has lowered the ensign and those British are shamelessly flying a white flag in surrender!" The battle had been raging on until now, with heavy casualties on both sides. The commander of the Mainz light cruiser, eager for revenge, gazed at the white flag hanging from the mizzenmast with gritted teeth.

  "Damn it, the British have sunk three of my ships. Hanging up a white flag is like preserving one's own life, no way! The enraged otaku ignored the kind advice of his staff and pointed at the Xianglin, his anger burning fiercely: "Sink it for me! Avenge my soldiers, we will not accept any surrender!"

  The Germans have a natural obedience to discipline, and after Wang Haitian gave the order as commander, the Mainz light cruiser suddenly became a joyful ocean. The gunners turned their heads and ignored the dazzling white flag, and the shells were fired at the Xianglin number without spending money.

  "Captain, the Germans say they will not accept our surrender!" The deputy captain of the Xianlin ran over, slamming his military cap on the deck, furious: "The Germans are too barbaric! This is a blasphemy against the rules of war and chivalry without reservation! This is a naked crime against modern civilization! This is a premeditated massacre!"

  "First Lieutenant, we've sunk three German ships..." The captain of the Xianglin, who had a leg bitten off by flying shrapnel and was pale from excessive blood loss, spoke in a low voice. The loud-mouthed British first lieutenant suddenly lost his voice.

  At 9:39, accompanied by a dazzling fireworks display, the Xianlin light cruiser sank instantly due to an explosion in its ammunition depot. Wang Haitie's scorching heart of revenge was slightly alleviated, he bent down and picked up his military cap that had been soaked by seawater, carefully stroking the black eagle emblem on it.

  Just as Wang Haitie was feeling complicated, a piercing and mournful air friction sound came from the air, causing the eardrums of the officers and soldiers on both sides to suffer greatly. Wang Haitie had served as a staff officer in the First Reconnaissance Fleet and had presided over the artillery training of the battleship, so he was familiar with this sound. The otaku trembled all over, whispering incredulously: "The Great Fleet? Davy Beatty?"

  At 0945, a 343mm heavy gun exploded near the light cruiser Mainz in the sea area. Although it was more than 50 meters away from the explosion point, the Mainz was still shaken by the shockwave generated by the heavy gun!

  The great fleet has joined the war! The earth-shaking explosion awakened Wang Haitian, who had no time to think about whether history would change dramatically because of this accidental factor, whether the Battle of Jutland in 1916 would be staged ahead of schedule due to his mistake, nor did he have time to consider what it would be like to fight against his sworn brother and confidant David Beatty, let alone guess whether the other party would leave a bunch of chrysanthemums on the grave of their friend after the fateful duel in the context of the war between Germany and Britain.

  "Retreat! Retreat! Rendezvous with the Atlantic Fleet!" The Maine was thrown into chaos, the 343mm heavy guns' explosions damaging everyone's eardrums, causing temporary deafness. Wang Haitian grabbed the captain of the Maine and yelled at the top of his lungs.

  Light cruisers could not withstand the thunder of battlecruisers in any case. Wang Haitian originally thought that the proud British would only send out some light ships to raid after concluding that the Grand Fleet could not sail due to tidal effects, but unexpectedly the British attached great importance to this small-scale and revengeful naval battle and generously invested so many chips!

  At 9:52, after the first salvo, the British battlecruisers opened fire again with corrected firing angles. The Strasbourg was caught off guard and hit by an armour-piercing shell which ripped it apart instantly, leaving only a patch of oil slick and bloodstain on the foggy sea surface along with several burning debris.

  Almost simultaneously, the three battlecruisers and one large armoured cruiser of Admiral Hipper's First Scouting Group also arrived on the scene.

  August 23rd, at 10:00 AM, in the North Sea, thirty nautical miles west of Heligoland Island, a thick fog rolled in. Since Germany and England declared war on each other, the world's navies had been eagerly awaiting the ultimate showdown between giant battleships and cannons, which seemed to be about to unfold.

  Hipper's First Scouting Group opened fire first, across the lingering fog bank, with a disappointing hit rate from their main guns. David Beatty's First Battlecruiser Squadron was not to be outdone, and across the scattered fleeing German cruisers, five British battleships launched a broadside, unfortunately with similarly unimpressive results.

  "Admiral, Naval Ministry telegram: Around 8 o'clock, the main force of the German High Seas Fleet sailed out of Jade Bay, heading in an unknown direction!" Lampard and intelligence staff rushed into the command room.

  "Commander, urgent telegram from the Navy Department: At around 7:30, the main force of the British Grand Fleet sailed out of Scapa Flow, heading in an unknown direction!" The chief of staff of the First Reconnaissance Fleet furrowed his brow, holding a telegram paper as he walked into the command tower.

  ****

  "Is that it for the 40,000-ton Strasbourg? Not a single survivor... not even one?" The two fleets of battlecruisers were now engaged in close combat, and light cruisers were completely useless in this level of naval warfare. Wang Hai didn't dare to risk his officers' lives to "pursue the defeated enemy" for greater military merit, but instead ordered his ships to slowly retreat southward.

  "Commander, that's David Beatty's battlecruiser!" Lieutenant Hecht felt a pang of anxiety.

  "Alright, David-Betty, you owe me 354 lives!" Wang Haitian, the otaku king, raised his middle finger at the desolate northern sky and said coldly.

  ****

  At 11:00, the sea fog over Dogger Bank gradually dispersed, and a fishing boat with a millet flag wandered in the shallow waters where German patrol boats often appeared.

  "Roy, they're back!" The old captain was excited and with his not-so-agile legs, he helped his son climb up the mast of the fishing boat to welcome the heroes' return.

  Roy's tender little hand spat out a few mouthfuls of saliva, and with several arrow steps, he climbed up the mast and sat on the frame, gazing far away.

  "How's this, what's the bearing of our victorious Royal Navy?!" The old captain said with a self-satisfied smile.

  "Dad, something's off..." Roy stammered on the mast framework: "Royal Navy... Royal Navy..."

  In the next half hour, the confident and hot-blooded old captain of the fishing boat saw a heartbreaking scene: a battered and tattered fleet was speeding past Dogger Bank under the escort of five war cruisers, rushing towards Harwich Port.

  The fleet seemed to have encountered a terrible nightmare, with the number of ships reduced by half compared to when they set out. The deep gray hulls of the barely returned warships were densely covered with shallow and deep shell holes, no longer in "ship shape". The last few warships were even more pitiful, their superstructures almost flattened, their hulls full of cracks and huge holes filled with patchwork repairs, struggling to move under the tow of the five battle cruisers.

  "It seems like the Royal Navy has been defeated......" Roy finally shouted out the last few words with a stutter.

  "Who won this sneak attack?" David Beatty stood at the stern of the Lion, gazing out at the heavily damaged and nearly annihilated Harwich Force and the First Cruiser Squadron, which had lost nine out of ten ships. His facial muscles twitched with some emotion brewing inside him.

  "It's obvious... ...it wasn't easy to humble the proud Royal Navy, Lampard paused for a moment, and remained silent for a long time before acknowledging this fact. "We lost..."

  David Beatty took a deep breath, imitating Wang Haitie's habitual gesture by extending his middle finger: "Alright, Heidi-Xilem, it seems we've finally settled this matter!"