I will be crowned king

Along with the terrifying loud noise, the hull of the Crown trembled violently while spitting out gunfire. More than thirty heavy cannons were like lit firecrackers, sending out a series of roars towards the oncoming Green Dragon.

Among them are especially the two 68-pound carronage main guns. For Clovis, whose navy is weak, the large-caliber heavy guns on the battleships that far exceed the conventional equivalent are returned at the expense of the number of naval guns, which can be used in the shortest time. The "sharp weapon" that causes the most objective harm.

If ordinary naval guns are spears, swords, and scimitars, then these "main guns" are lances, siege crossbows, and explosive packets... As long as they can hit, they can reverse the originally unfavorable battle situation and let the enemy win. A warship with fewer gun ports can gain the strength to challenge one or even two or three warships of the same level.

The disadvantage is that if it cannot hit, it will not be able to defeat even the same level of warships; and if you want a cannon to hit 100 times at sea, it must be the enemy deliberately seeking death, coupled with the unabashed deflection of the Ring of Order.

And the current encounter is very much in line with the above two harsh conditions...

“Boom——!!!”

Amidst the screams that tore through the air, two 68-pound solid shells dragged out an almost solid trajectory on the sea. Under the "stars holding the moon" of dozens of shells, they roared towards the slowly approaching The Green Dragon in motion.

Huge water columns began to explode around the ship one after another, rushing into the sky one after another, forming a "blue curtain" that almost completely blocked the ship.

When the curtain dispersed, half of the dragon head carving on the bow of the Green Dragon ship was smashed, and the remaining part was stained with a layer of burnt black in the raging fire. There were also several more quilts on the deck. Blood-stained holes.

"The shell hit and destroyed the enemy ship's bow!"

Looking at the soaring flames on the huge ship opposite, the crew on the deck of the Crown even forgot the fear and panic just a few minutes ago, and cheered excitedly.

"It actually hit..."

After taking a long breath, William Cecil, who was finally relieved, was still full of surprise, and his tone was full of disbelief: "Why didn't they react at all, and didn't even hide? ?”

He had already pointed both main guns at the opposite side, and the starboard side was directly in front of the bow of the Green Dragon... Isn't this obvious enough?

"Maybe, they really don't think we will fire." The first mate put down the monocular telescope in his hand and said quietly:

"The Green Dragon is one of the most powerful battleships in the empire. Although it is a bit old, its firepower is still twice that of the Crown, and its protection is unrivaled... Even if it has two sixty-eight-pound main guns, if It's broadside to broadside, and we'll probably still be torn apart."

The young fleet commander pursed his lips tightly and did not answer. He already agreed with the first officer's judgment in his heart - if the opponent really chose to fight with all his strength, it would be impossible for the Crown and the Believer to defeat this terrifying monster alone.

But precisely because it is impossible to defeat under "common sense", it becomes more and more obvious what a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity it is right now... If the most important flagship of the imperial fleet cannot be abolished now, the "White Whale", which is mainly a merchant ship, will "Hong Kong" fleet has almost no room to fight back.

Even if the Green Dragon is actually a bait released by the enemy to attract the Clovis fleet to the waters close to the New World for a decisive battle, and the main fleet takes the opportunity to attack the empty Northport military port... the consequences will be unimaginable!

Up to this moment, William Cecil still determined that the "Green Dragon" opposite was definitely the flagship of a certain squadron of the empire - because any normal person with some sense would not be in a situation where there is no frigate. Next, let a single battleship penetrate deep into the routes and waters controlled by the enemy.

The problem is that this battle has nothing to do with "normal" from the beginning...

"The Crown continues to fire, firing salvos on the starboard side - don't worry about wasting the shells, try to use the shortest possible time to break the main mast of the Green Dragon!"

The young captain, who was trying his best to suppress his inner nervousness, loudly ordered that his goal now was no longer just to "sink", but to completely bankrupt the empire's attempt to destroy the Clovis navy and colonies.

The Crown, which was sailing at full speed, continued to cruise at the top of the T-shaped head, desperately pouring firepower on the slowly moving Green Dragon.

And it seemed that it finally realized that it was impossible not to fight back. After being hit by two salvoes that smashed the statue on the bow and washed the deck, the Green Dragon finally began to fight back with the cannon and short-bore mortar on the bow.

The choking gunpowder smoke began to fill the water, and countless ballistic missiles roared in the air, stirring up countless water sprays.

The deafening bombardment lasted for nearly half an hour, continuously shaking the hulls of the two battleships, but apart from the damaged decks and sides, they failed to leave enough fatal damage.

In order to ensure that it would not be caught by the enemy's broadside cannon, the Crown, which was stubbornly holding on, took advantage of its speed and always kept it on the edge of the firing range with the Green Dragon; while the Green Dragon, which was suffering from slow movement, also It could only respond with the limited artillery on the bow.

In long-distance shelling on the sea, the probability of hitting is almost the same as winning the lottery... Except for the first two rounds of salvos that smashed the statue on the bow of the ship, the two 68-pound main guns that the Crown had high hopes for did not hit anything. Excellent results.

Although William Cecil still did not give an order to stop firing, he knew very well that if this level of salvo fire continued for at most an hour, the Crown would be out of ammunition.

At the same time, the Green Dragon, which was covered in battle damage and even its sails were burning, still did not lose the ability to move. It was wrapped in billowing black smoke, like a ferry boat sailing from hell to the world, and continued to sail towards the Crown with infinite pressure. approaching.

Getting closer.

"Turn around, full right rudder!"

The young fleet commander roared loudly, and the choking smoke almost turned his face black. He clung to a cable to fix himself to the ship: "Turn the direction of the main gun, and the port gun went into preparation - pull the gun Door!"

The Crown, galloping into the wind, showed extraordinary maneuverability. Under the control of the helmsman, it drew a half-arc that was comparable to a racing car turning. The sailors on the deck were in a hurry, operating the two main guns at one end and the other as the hull tilted. Start turning back, ensuring that the muzzle is always locked in the direction of the Green Dragon's bow.

But at this moment, Ed Levent was no longer nervous at the beginning, and even felt a little comfortable.

Facts have proved that the captain of the Green Dragon's judgment was completely correct. The Crown's firepower was not worth mentioning to the behemoth at his feet; the only two 68-pound guns that could pose a threat had poor accuracy.

As long as it does not hit the ammunition depot, it is impossible to cause any substantial damage, but it must be close to the side of the Green Dragon... The captain of the Crown on the opposite side is obviously not mentally prepared for this.

And just when he and the entire crew felt that this nightmare was finally about to see a glimmer of light, bursts of gunfire suddenly rang out from the left rear of the Green Dragon.

Ed Levent, who was hiding in the captain's cabin, turned around suddenly and looked through the hole pierced by a twelve-pound solid bullet; he saw another black and red King Clovis flag cutting through the waves towards the green dragon. The number rushed straight up.

"That's...the Believer's Number?!"

………………

"Your Excellency, Captain, I must make the most solemn protest - stop the ship!"

On the deck of the Believer, the black-robed priest clinging to the side of the ship was messy in the wind. With a mournful face, he yelled at the captain who was personally at the helm: "The mission of this ship now is to transport immigrants like us to the colonies, not to the bottom of the turbulent sea!"

Karin Jacques is now in despair. His mind is completely blank. He wishes he could go back to more than half a month ago and warn himself that he would rather be wanted by the eldest lady of the Franz family than get on the train bound for North Port. Steam train.

The expressionless captain of the Believer ignored his complaints at all, still staring at the huge monster he had to look up at, holding the rudder and giving orders to his crew:

"Believer, fire!"

The two twelve-pound cannons and the swivel cannon on the ship's side were aimed at the Green Dragon, and began to spit out cannon flames in the roaring sea wind mixed with waves.

Scattered shells crossed several semi-arcs in the air and landed on the Green Dragon's hull and the surrounding water; apart from some smoke and damage to the hull, they hardly caused any substantial damage.

The black-robed priest was so frightened that he almost cried. He couldn't figure out why the other party would choose to actively provoke and seek death.

"Because we can't escape."

The captain of the Believer wrote lightly, picked up a bottle of rum placed next to the rudder, bit off the cork, and poured the orange-red liquid on his face.

"We are an immigration ship, and hundreds or even thousands of lives are tied to this ship - if the other party fires a cannon to break open one of our cabins, at least dozens of people will be killed by the shells; even if the remaining people can escape, If it explodes, it will be drowned alive by the incoming seawater."

"And in order to prevent more people from dying, we have to seal the flooded cabin; how much chaos will be caused, how many people will struggle to survive, how many people will impulsively drag everyone to hell in order to survive for themselves?! "

"Then you're going to take all of us to hell immediately?!"

Karin Jacques is really going to collapse, what nonsense is this!

"No! I want to lead everyone to survive, at least most of them." The expressionless captain looked extremely calm, but the rum-soaked cheeks made his calmness look very unconvincing. :

"We are now aiming the bow of the ship at the side of the Imperial battleship. The threat from firepower at this angle is the smallest. As long as we can rush up at this angle and use the ramming angle to break its hull and give the Crown a chance, we can save everyone. In exchange for a glimmer of hope—do you understand?”

"I……"

The collapsed black-robed priest was about to say something when fire suddenly lit up on the opposite hull.

"boom--!!!!"

It was a loud noise like thunder on the ground - the Green Dragon, which had been so high-spirited just now, noticed that the Believer was trying to sneak attack, and became angry and fired a volley at this insignificant opponent.

The speeding cruiser USS Believer was struggling in this sudden and terrifying rain of bullets: dozens of shells instantly covered all the surrounding water, and the ballistics were so dense that there were almost no gaps, and they directly spread out in a fan shape on the sea. The violent gas. The waves kept breaking the water curtain.

"Snapped!"

With a terrifying loud noise, a twenty-four-pound cannon shell directly smashed the swivel gun at the stern of the ship. Two sailors and the cannon disappeared without even a scream.

The tragedy continued, with chain bombs, explosive shells, shrapnel... Facing the Disciple who forced its way into the firing range, the Green Dragon was no longer as "merciful" as it had been with the Crown before, pouring out its firepower to its heart's content, almost It is a unilateral devastation.

In the blink of an eye, a quarter of the figures had fallen down on the deck that had just been crowded with people, a mess of blood and flesh; almost all the masts and sails of the ship were damaged in the battle, and all two cannons and two revolving guns were missing. fly.

"More importantly...we are the Royal Navy."

The captain of the Believer roared, gently wiped away the flesh and blood sprayed on his face, and took a sip of the rum dyed scarlet:

"The Wang family navy...is advancing but not retreating!"

“There’s no way back—!!!!”

Moderate shouts echoed on the scarlet deck, and everyone's expressions looked so sober and calm.

But the more sober and calm they became, the more the black-robed priest felt that they were all crazy.

"I want to ask another question..."

Karin Jacques, who was trying to remain calm, raised his right hand tremblingly: "Did you decide on this wonderful 'battle plan' yourself, or was it suggested by someone?"

"It was a suggestion from a friend, an old friend!"

The captain of the Believer suddenly raised the corners of his mouth and revealed a mysterious smile: "A troublemaker, an adventurer, a good old man... Oh, it is said that he is also a novelist."

"The savior of North Port, the bastard who ended a riot all by himself - Draco Vertes!"

Karin Jacques: "..."

With an ashen expression on his face, the black-robed priest, who was blown away by the sea wind and the shell waves, stood on the deck of the damaged ship and rushed towards the Green Dragon's gunfire without hesitation.

……………………

"The Believer...what are they doing?"

William Cecil said in disbelief as he slowly opened his eyes and looked at the cruiser shrouded in gunpowder smoke in the distance.

"It seems... they are trying to attract the Green Dragon's attention and buy us time." The equally surprised first mate gave an uncertain reply.

"To gain time?"

"Even if they fire a volley over the side, they can only use the collision angle to cut open the hull and force the Green Dragon to stop... They don't have artillery that can hurt the Green Dragon."

"Yes, they don't...but we do." William Cecil said in a daze.

He suddenly trembled and turned to look at the first mate: "Isn't the artillery ready yet?!"

"The two main guns are still turning, and the front gun is just parallel to the hull, facing the bow."

"Then stop it and let the helmsman continue to turn right!"

"Turn right?"

"Turn the rudder right - aim the main guns at the bow of the Green Dragon, and we will charge directly towards it!"

Staring at the Believer in the smoke, the young fleet commander said in a slightly hoarse voice:

"The Wang family's navy...is advancing but not retreating."