I have to say that Tong Lei really guessed this right.

The manufacturing cycle of battleships was too long and the consumption was too high. After completing the manufacturing of one battleship, Charlie Crombell, who was worried that the war would begin before the second battleship was completed, ordered people to start the battle instead.

Build a heavy cruiser.

To some extent, this is indeed a clear compromise.

After all, according to the current situation of the empire, it was already very unwise to continue to focus on the battleships.

Now back to the topic, there is only one battleship on the opposite side. According to the reconnaissance results of the Elf Druid, the other four large-tonnage battleships, although they seem to have good firepower, are obviously impossible to compare with the battleship...

At this moment, Tong Lei also showed the decisiveness that a fleet commander should have.

"Pass the order, maintain the speed of twenty knots, and the entire fleet enters the first level of combat readiness. In the southeast direction, all battleships are ready for bombardment!"

As this order was issued, the heavy main guns of the four battleships suddenly began to rotate slowly.

By the time the Imperial Fleet discovered the existence of the Yangtze River Fleet, it was already too late.

The moment the opponent entered the attack range, the battleship's main gun, which had been locked in general position, after a relatively efficient adjustment, a salvo swept over!

The powerful bombardment directly caused violent shaking in the entire sea area. The Imperial fleet was caught off guard and lost the opportunity as soon as it started.

Two of the civilian warships sank on the spot after being hit by the shelling of the battleship's main gun, failing to create even half a point of value in this battle.

There was no time to think about it. As a naval commander who was pushed out of the battle when the country was in crisis, Pol Kloof could only bite the bullet and issue a counterattack order at this moment.

Here, by the way, it is worth mentioning that the name of the battleship he was riding on was the "Counterattack". One can imagine the meaning of this.

The situation was urgent, and the triple main gun located at the bow of the Repulse fired first, but failed to hit any enemy ship.

Although from the beginning, he did not expect it to hit with one hit, and at the same time he was mentally prepared, but now faced with this result, Pol Kruff still gritted his teeth.

Obviously, at the moment when the cannon was fired, he still hoped that a miracle could happen, such as directly sinking the enemy's battleship or something. By then, it would not only weaken the enemy fleet's naval combat power, but also improve his own morale.

A substantial improvement.

Of course, now we can recognize the reality clearly, and orders are issued quickly. As the only battleship in the imperial fleet, the Repulse slowly moves sideways and adjusts its bombardment angle.

At the same time, the four heavy cruisers also bravely rushed forward and joined the battle of competing firepower.

The situation at sea is undergoing subtle changes.

In this regard, the Yangtze River Fleet, which temporarily had the advantage in range and firepower, naturally would not show mercy. The four battleships opened fire frequently and launched a merciless naval attack.

A naval battle in the South China Sea of ​​the Empire officially kicked off at this moment!

At the same time, Yuan Xi, who was not yet aware that the empire's maritime fleet had been dispatched, was rushing back to the South China Sea as quickly as possible along the Grand Canal, which ran through most of the northern border, with half of the Yangtze River Fleet's combat strength.

Compared with the earlier time when they went around the outer sea area, this canal channel within the empire is obviously much faster and can save them a lot of time.

But even so, after setting sail from Manning City, it would probably take two to three months to get back to the South China Sea.

In order to obtain information about the South China Sea as soon as possible, he had already sent the elf druids accompanying him to fly back to confirm.

But after that, Yuan Xi still couldn't help but feel worried.

"Colonel, with Lieutenant Colonel Tong Lei here, nothing will happen, right?"

The person speaking at this time was another lieutenant of Yuan Xi, Wang Sheng.

At only twenty-six years old, he is already a captain of the navy. He is considered a promising young man among their Yangtze River fleet, and he is also one of the young talents that their navy is currently focusing on cultivating.

His qualifications are much lower than Tong Lei's, and he still has a lot to learn, so for now he is temporarily following him and acting as his deputy.

When he heard Wang Sheng's words, Yuan Xi, who was frowning slightly, shook his head.

"Lieutenant Colonel Tong Lei's ability is certainly no problem, and his many years of experience in the military are extremely rich, but..."

Speaking of this, Yuan Xi's voice paused slightly, as if he remembered something and couldn't help but sigh.

But he didn't continue talking, or he didn't know what to say.

Because Tong Lei has a shortcoming, that is, he is too rigid in doing things and lacks flexibility.

To put it simply, if he and Tong Lei conducted a battle deduction.

Then, before starting, Yuan Xi could accurately report all of Tong Lei's operations from the first step to the tenth step. It was definitely a textbook operation that was extremely formal, without any surprises.

And it is precisely because of this that Yuan Xi is worried.

Now, judging from the entire naval battle situation, their civilization of all realms has an absolute advantage.

The naval combat power of the enemy empire was completely suppressed by them.

But after the fleet now led by him showed up on the battlefield in Manning City, the fact that their Yangtze River fleet had been dispersed was naturally exposed.

If the opponent wants to make a comeback, the perfect opportunity will be when their Yangtze River Fleet's combat power is dispersed.

In other words, even if one's own warships are outnumbered, the other side will start the war with a "fighting" mentality.

Under this premise, if the opponent wants to win, they will inevitably use some special tactics.

And it is this special tactical method that Tong Lei is least good at dealing with...

There is no doubt that as a player, Charlie Crombell also knows this.

As the commander of the fleet, Pol Kloof was a good general. Charlie Crombel did not expect him to save the world, he only needed him to execute the plan. It was quite reliable to think about it.

I saw that while the heavy-fire warships of both sides were exchanging fire, the enemy's civilian warships and destroyers, which were small warships, quickly evacuated. Then, they actually used an outflanking formation to charge towards the Yangtze River Fleet on a large scale.

Came over.

In this regard, Tong Lei, who confirmed the situation immediately, behaved quite calmly and directly signaled his destroyers to come forward to attack.

At this moment, above this sea area, the second phase of the battle has begun!
Chapter completed!