[I was originally going to write about the moment when the dawn first came, but I found that it would take more than a thousand words, so I had to break it into two chapters. But why is the greatest battle in the steam era about to begin, a great era with a boiling blood!]

In the fog, the main force of the Ocean Fleet is carefully sorting out the formation, hoping to kill the old enemy on the right wing with thunder. The British fast fleet is completely unaware of the upcoming danger and is still searching carefully for the fictitious First Reconnaissance Fleet in the fog. The so-called "First Reconnaissance Fleet" runs desperately with the cover of the sea fog and approaches the Seventh Detachment.[]

"Major General Moore sent a telegram, the German ship No. 2 drilled into the fog area, and the Second Battle Cruise fleet lost its shelling target!"

After sinking the No. 3 ship, the four fast battleships of the Second Battlecruising Fleet, which were still unsatisfied, began to gather fire at the German ship No. 2, but the rangefinder had not yet bite the opponent's Germans and had already penetrated into the fog area.

The high-pitched mood that had just risen suddenly became weak, and the passionate and rainbow's momentum were paused. David Betty, who had been timid in the melee all night, couldn't help but clench his fists and smashed it hard at the Lion's ten-inch-thick Commander Tower armor.

"This damn sea fog!" After a few deep breaths, Betty forced herself to calm down, turned her head and asked his assistant Lampard, "Deputy Commander, what is the result of the battle?"

"The Tiger, the Urgent, and the Urgent three battle patrols gathered fire at the German ship No. 2, which severely damaged the enemy ship No. 2; the Second Battle Cruise four battle patrols gathered fire at the German ship No. 3, and the target ship ammunition depot sank." Deputy Commander Lampard waved his arm and made a powerful gesture, proud: "The Moltke, who claimed to never sink in the naval battle of Doger, survived for several months, but was finally caught in the artillery fire of the British Empire!"

"Wait, Major General, it seems that something is wrong with the other party!" Although Victory's glass of wine was sweet, Betty sensed the smell of Hamlet-style poison from Lampard's pride. After hesitating for a moment, he wanted to compete with Heidi Sileme, a lifelong enemy, and gradually faded to repay Dogel's terror. Betty will encounter the whole story of the so-called First Reconnaissance Fleet and play it repeatedly in his mind, and soon found the obscure clues: "Have the Germans fought back?"

"German No. 1 has had a counterattack, but their main gun shells seem to be smaller than usual, with a very fast firing rate, but the power of the secondary gun is greatly enhanced." Major General Lampard was also immersed in the excitement of severely damaging one German battle patrol and sinking another. He was somewhat distracted by David Betty's doubts: "Commander, the German main gun shells have always been light bombs, high initial velocity, and the use of shells with strong penetration and insufficient damage is also appropriate; after the Battle of Dogers, almost all German main battleships returned to the shipyard to be renovated, and it is not known that the German battle patrol replaced the secondary gun with stronger performance and larger caliber; as for the rate of fire, half-air shooting technology of the entire turret is common, perhaps this is the reason for the high rate of fire."

"No!" Betty's answer was firm, and the worry between his eyebrows almost condensed into ice: "Ship No. 1 is obviously a Deflinger-class battle patrol. Its main gun has a caliber of 350 mm. Even if it uses the latest light bomb, the power of the large-caliber shell is not limited to this! As for the rate of fire, even if it is a full turret half-cannon, the Germans' rate of fire should not reach the firing frequency of nearly 240 main guns. Moreover, the range-finding tower has not made much correction to the combat distance after each round of artillery fire, but the angle correction is quite considerable, which means that the speed of the target ship cannot keep up with the 24 knots of the fast fleet."

Major General Lampard graduated from the Portsmouth Naval Academy with a serious senior command major. He has a poetic temperament, but he is also a veteran in naval combat. After reacting, Lampard quickly pulled out paper and pen and converted the correction angle he had ignored before.

"The German fleet's speed is only about 19.5 knots from beginning to end!" Cold sweat instantly wet Major General Lampard's chest and back, and shocked news blurted out: "So, that's not the first reconnaissance fleet!"

Lampard's exclamation attracted the attention of the busy fleet staff and department commanders in the tower of the Lion Battle Commander. Everyone was shocked. The concise and effective instructions of David Betty, the pride of the Royal Navy, had been issued.

"Order, the fast fleet will quickly escape from the battle, the right rudder will thirty, the heading will be northeastern, and the 40-degree correction will be made. Each ship will strictly implement radio silence and light control, and move forward at full speed! Notify Admiral Jelico that the fast fleet will encounter the main force of the Ocean Fleet, and it is impossible to break through the northwest direction. Please respond to the Skagrak Strait!"

The orders were executed without reservation, and everyone knew that they used their ignorance and arrogance to attract unshakable opponents.

"The Ocean Fleet comes faster than you think, so what about the Great Fleet?" This was Betty's doubt.

****

"The Great Fleet is still twenty nautical miles away from the Skaglak Strait." The Chief of Staff of the Great Fleet truthfully revealed the desperate situation faced by the fast fleet, and gave a cold conclusion at the end. The Chief of Staff has tried to be calm in front of his subordinates, but the word "and" inadvertently leaked the little worries.

In March 1915, the British Empire suffered a crushing defeat in Mudros Bay. The despicable Turks used cheap torpedoes to destroy an export-type battleship. Even though Navy Secretary Winston Churchill and Navy First Minister of Maritime Affairs Wilson both stepped down, the resignation of the Navy Chief of Staff Study could not calm the anger of the Londoners. Faced with the parade and riots that the army could not suppress, the Conservative Party leader who had only been in power for several months, in order to maintain the throne, the current Prime Minister Andrew Bona Lau announced on the night of March 3 that the fleet took strong actions at Downing Street and the Parliament Building, which would surely restore the passive situation on the 4th.

What Prime Minister Andrew Bona-Lao, who was ordered in danger, did not know that his revenge operation was already in a difficult situation: the rapid fleet with high hopes only severely damaged or sunk a German battle patrol, and the other result might be Nassau-class, Helgolan-class, which represents glory, or a rags such as Brunswick-class, and Prussian-class.

Against the backdrop of the Royal Princess being sunk and War-Welfare being forced to withdraw from the battle, this faint victory could neither save the doubts and curses of the British Empire's people of the Great Fleet, nor could it perfunctorily respond to the Prime Minister's eager expectations. Time went to 2:50, and the fast fleet of eight battle patrols accidentally "collided" with the main force of the Ocean Fleet, which almost closed Jelico's last retreat.

Keeping a weak victory has become a luxury, and the question to think about now is how to lead the young men home!

Inside the commander's tower, his eyes focused on the dark face of the commander-in-chief of the Great Fleet, and threw bitter glory or heavy responsibility to the admiral who was criticized by them.

"There is the pursuit of the Ocean Fleet behind, the interception of the Sileme Battle Cruise in front, and the fast fleet is on the right wing of the Germans. Relying on its own strength, Betty may find it difficult to break through the siege and arrive at the Skaglak Strait contact point." Jelico, who has been sane and steady for half his life, was paced with his hands behind his back in the crowded commander tower of the Iron Duke battleship, gradually becoming cold and sharp gaze swept across everyone's faces, and spicy words kept popping out of his dry mouth, pacing word by word.

Admiral Jelico's calmness made everyone feel ashamed. He was used to talking about the interests of the rice-shaped flag, but at the crossroads of choice, they bluntly betrayed their once ambitions and neatly shirking the responsibilities they should have.

The general did not blame anything, he chose to take responsibility. More than a hundred years ago, the naval god of war, Horazio Nelson, spent two hours in Cape Trafalgar to decide the final formation, while Jelico issued the "Rice Flag Fighting" in Jutland in just twenty seconds, a decision that was enough to change history. This may be the boldest and most incredible decision in his life, but the reward was the silence of the large fleet and the unpredictable naval battle!

"Notify the fast fleet that the contact point will be translated 50 nautical miles toward the south-west 20 degrees. You must get rid of your opponent as soon as possible and meet with the large fleet!"

Jelico lay on the crumpled chart room, with his back facing the telegraph room confidential officer, and gave the final decision. The confidential officer brushed and recorded the orders full of historical killing on a yellow telegraph paper, and immediately handed the telegraph paper together with a heavy pen to the commander-in-chief of the fleet.

The gentle British gentleman unconsciously fastened the military uniforms, turned around slowly, smoothed the wrinkles on his clothes, straightened the military cap on his head, scrubbed the medal on his chest, picked up the pen and signed his name on the telegraph paper, and trembled with all the most effective bets for the British Empire's century-long destiny and the Empire's empire.

“This is our supreme Lord,

"He makes the abyss dry,"

He opens up the ultimate path for us to the world!”

The confidential officer had already walked away, and General Jelico stared blankly at the corner where the confidential officer finally disappeared, his eyes were turbid and confused. Suddenly, Jelico was about to recite Jiplin's "Song of the English", a magnificent poem that symbolized the national temperament of the British Empire.

The depression between the lines of "Song of the English" once inspired generations of royal navy to fight the wind and waves and fight the ocean. The poems of grass have been separated by decades, and the lead type has dried up, the white paper has worn out, and the ideal has been forgotten. This time, can the British Empire with dull air hold on?
Chapter completed!