Realm of Power

The deck of the flagship of Frye's squadron was in a mess. The Dragon-class flaxen disc main gun on the bow of the flagship was completely disabled after Frye fired 11 shells in a frantic manner. The red barrel hit the seawater and made a squeaking sound. ,

"Is it over?" The bearded Frye leaned on the base of the main gun on the bow with a dejected expression, staring blankly at the sky. As the Falcon Empire squadron in the most intense battle, Frye's fleet was slanting horizontally. After quickly blocking the salvo, it fell into a chaotic battle. It completed the task of attracting the enemy's attention and taunting the enemy very well, creating a good opportunity for the North Sea Fleet to launch a surprise attack.

The Tigel Squadron on the other side of Frye's fleet also took the opportunity to cut into the diagonal line at the same time. This caused the entire attack line of the Strand Navy fleet to deflect unknowingly, like a stretched line. The school of fish was finally bitten off the waist by the lurking North Sea Fleet wolf.

However, as the target of Strang's navy's crazy focus of fire, the flagship of Frye's squadron was completely severely damaged. The deck was full of large holes made by stone bombs. The upper deck had been broken, and the sails on the mast were roaring in the flames. There was a roaring sound, the rope was blown around by the sea wind, the side of the ship was cracked, the stern rudder was shattered, and the sturdy Dragon-class hull also suffered irreparable damage.

"Commander, the ship's hull is tilted severely and we can no longer hold on. We need to abandon the ship." The adjutant limped and reported to Frye, who was sitting on the deck. Thick burning smoke filled the air behind him.

"Abandon the ship? Bastard, who gave the order? Have you ever seen the commander of the Imperial Squadron abandoning his flagship? My Arlia will never sink!" Frye jumped like a rabbit whose tail was burned. Get up, gnashing your teeth and wanting to bite someone

"Yes...it was an order from Lord Dustrunkai," he said..."The adjutant's face was ugly and he hesitated to speak. Everyone knew that the commander had a bad temper. But only fear Dustrunke,

Sure enough, Frye's angry face calmed down a little when he heard that it was Dostronkai's order, and he said in a low voice, "What did you say, sir?"

"If you don't abandon the ship, he will send a handsome young man to your home... He said that a medal is enough for the dead. It is more important to take care of the living..." The adjutant hesitated.

"Asshole! Shameless! My Alia!"

Before the adjutant finished speaking, Frye had already cursed angrily. He had just given birth to a daughter and named his flagship after her daughter, and his wife was still very young. It can be said that Dostelenko hit his Achilles heel and walked onto the lifeboat dejectedly. Fry stood on the lifeboat and watched as the huge hull of the Dragon-class battleship was gradually engulfed by the sea water and turned into a huge whirlpool.

"The flagship sent a signal, stop the pursuit!" The Imperial Navy fleet received the order and began to stop. In front, the Strand navy, which was arrayed with sharp arrows in a desperate strike posture, seemed to feel something.

"It seems that it worked!" The young man standing on the first Poseidon flagship murmured as he looked at the Falcon Empire Navy fleet in front of him that began to slow down and gave up the pursuit. If you look at the scene on the battlefield at this moment, you will find that the confrontation between the two navies presents a concave arc. Although the Falcon Empire naval fleet is in an advantage, overall, it can be found that the Falcon Empire Most of the Navy's Dragon Teeth battleships were injured, and the entire fleet was completely dispersed during the pursuit. Facing the regrouped Strand fleet, it was too risky to continue the pursuit.

"We are saved!"

Everyone on the deck of the Strand battleship breathed a sigh of relief and cheered loudly. At first, everyone thought it was over. Going south was a tailwind, and turning the bow was a headwind. Although the wheel of the Strand warship could travel in headwinds, it was definitely not a hunter with two rows of auxiliary propellers like a giant sea reptile. The opponent of the Eagle Empire's Dragon Tooth-class rowing battleship. If I had just escaped blindly, I am afraid that not more than one-third of the people who would be able to recover the northern port would eventually be able to recover.

"The enemy has stopped pursuing"

The adjutant was in high spirits and looked at Stinker with admiration. "Should we fight back? The opponent's formation looks very loose."

The young commander shook his head. "We have tried our best to force the enemy to stop pursuing. We no longer have the strength to fight. In line with the enemy's breathing, we will also retreat!" The warships on both sides began to distance themselves. , just like two beasts fighting each other, they began to have a trace of respect for each other.

"Commander, a signal is coming from the other side!" The adjutant's expression became nervous again.

"Translate!" Stink waved his hand, and finally no longer had to stand on the bridge under pressure. Taking on the responsibility of a fleet is not as fun as driving a warship around when he was a pirate, but under the spotlight of thousands of people, The feeling of being down is really a bit nostalgic,

"Then I'll read it!"

The adjutant nodded. He was a flagman himself. He only relied on his eyesight to say word for word, "The Imperial Navy will remember the sneak attack from the Sea Kingdom and will repay it many times over. Blood for blood, tooth for tooth. This is the Empire." The original purpose, Dustronkai... is over!"

"Dustronkai...Navy Slayer, is this a threat?"

Stink's expression of joy dimmed and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. He was not an ordinary person who said this, but the Commander-in-Chief of the Falcon Empire Navy who had defeated two Imperial Navy in a row and caused heavy damage to the sea country. He was like this. Compared to a small character, the other party's words are enough to cause the sea to roll. The power of the Falcon Empire Navy is eye-catching. If I hadn't been forced to take a gamble, I don't know what the current situation would be like!

"What should I do?... Do you want to reply?" the adjutant turned around and asked.

Stink shook his head and said, "No! No need. It's the fleet commander's business to reply. The other party probably won't expect us to reply. Send out a small boat and save as many as possible!" On the sea filled with black smoke, As darkness fell, the Strand fleet began to evacuate, and the Falcon Empire Navy began to gather its ranks. In fact, both sides were exhausted, and the great battle on the southern coast of Congo came to an end in the sunset.

The personnel participating in the battle included 157 Falcon Empire battleships and 27,000 sailors, and 228 Strand Navy battleships and 36,000 sailors. This was the Imperial Navy's first major confrontation in the inland sea area. According to the battle damage report, the Falcon Empire Navy lost 7 Dragon Teeth battleships, two Dragon-class battleships, and more than 1,100 sailors. The Strand Sea Kingdom suffered heavy losses. Three of the four Poseidon-class battleships that participated in the battle were sunk, 87 other battleships of various types were sunk, 114 were damaged to varying degrees, and 17,000 experienced sailors were lost. How do you evaluate this battle? Let’s not talk about fighting. After this battle, the empire's barrier to entering the inland sea was completely opened. A new era opens in front of the empire.

In the dry afternoon and dusk, the fat man picked up a document from the table and threw it to Duke Puntau in front of him. "Look at this. If there is anything that needs to be adjusted, just tell me."

"This?" Duke Putao picked up the document in confusion, opened it and took a look. He took a breath of air and exclaimed, "Is Your Majesty going to completely churn the inner sea?"

"Rolling? You can understand it this way!" The fat man smiled slightly. "This time the Imperial Fleet took advantage of the opportunity to go deep into the inland sea. It has completely controlled the Gibral Sea Channel. The Empire has established a solid support point on the other side of the sea channel. Now it is up to the navy to According to the battle report, if the Strand Navy is defeated, the Imperial Navy can completely open the door to the inland sea. I have ordered the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs to promulgate the latest commercial regulations. Shipping Act, from now on, the empire will relax the restrictions on the inland sea and allow any merchant fleet to enter the inland sea. For the sake of safety, these merchant ships need to complete some simple modifications in the southwest area, such as being equipped with necessary weapons! It will also be a rare golden period of development for Putao. Putao will soon undergo earth-shaking changes. As a ducal palace, necessary advance notice is still required!"

"The empire completely opens up its inland seas. This... how many merchant ships will go south!"

Duke Putao's eyes were bright. He had seen the scene of thousands of merchant ships juxtaposed in the southwest port. The densely packed masts of merchant ships could not be called a forest.

And that port is just one of the port groups in the Southwest District. There are rumors that the total number of merchant ships in the Falcon Empire is nearly 20,000. This is an absolutely terrifying number. However, Duke Putao is convinced of this. He thinks of the merchant ships of the Falcon Empire that are as dense as locusts and swarm in after the restrictions are relaxed. In the inner sea, Duke Putao felt that his whole body was boiling.

Such a large number of merchant fleets will be used as a technical center on the coast of Putau, and the goods in the inland sea and the outer sea will increase several times compared with the current level. In this environment, Pu Tao has truly become a veritable golden place!

"Winter has just passed, and some merchant fleets are still in the empire. A conservative estimate should be between 7,000 and 8,000 ships!"

The fat man looked at the blue sea outside through the window. He was silent for a moment. He tapped his hand on the inland sea map spread out on the table and said with a sly smile, "But this should be enough to keep the people of Strand busy." It was a while ago”

"Strand people?" Duke Putao was confused. Does the empire allow merchant fleets to enter the inland sea on such a large scale? Does it have anything to do with the Strand people?

"Strand is known as the sea country. He has not broken up before. The empire must have certain qualifications to enter the inland sea, and at least the third level of the Business Alliance is required." The fat man nodded with an affirmative look. "Now that he has broken up, then There is nothing to worry about." The fat man licked his lips. "The Strand people have been operating in the inland sea area for hundreds of years, and their rich heritage is not It can be shaken in just one battle, and the empire does not have that much energy to fight a protracted war with such a country. The foundation of the Sea Kingdom is in the inland sea area, and it uses a large number of merchant fleets to attack the inland sea trade circle. Even if it cannot defeat St. The roots of the Strand people will be uprooted, which will at least shake their dominance! Within a few years, Strand's so-called sea country will be in pieces!"

"That's what you say, but your Majesty is not worried about this war at all?"

Duke Putao said cautiously, "As the overlords of the inland sea, the Strand people are very familiar with the situation in the inland sea. And I also heard that this time the Strant people joined forces with the Confederate Empire and received a lot of material support." , Gang Fei’s army paired with Strand’s navy, this is definitely a troublesome combination for Barrow in Central Europe! "

"According to Dostelenko's command ability, there is no need to worry about this! On the contrary, the Duke's Palace may be a little busier,"

The fat man curled his lips slightly. The result of the naval battle had not yet come out. Naturally, it was impossible for him to tell the Duke of Putau the secret of mobilizing the Empire's North Sea Fleet to follow and lurk. He stood up with confidence on his face and came to the window. He looked around with his eyes, and finally turned his gaze Landing on a large transport ship in the distance, the imperial reinforcements that arrived in Putau from the Southwest District were coming off the deck. This time, 20,000 troops were mobilized from the Southwest District. In this way, the empire's military strength in the Putao area reached 100,000, which was one to two compared with the 200,000 Congolese Southern Army on the opposite side.

"So..." A trace of worry flashed across Duke Putao's face. If there is no problem in the naval battle, the next step will be the land battle. Although the Putao area as the rear area is no longer what it used to be, it is still very stressful to fully supply an imperial-level war. The 100,000-strong Falcon Army only consumes a huge amount of food. It is estimated that the Duke's Palace All the grain obtained last autumn must be packed. The Duke of Putao is still planning to use this grain to exchange for some useful specialties with merchants. For example, slaves from Fezer in the south,

"Don't worry, the Duke's Palace won't bear all the burden!" The fat man glanced at the embarrassment on his face, knowing the cowardice of this guy, and said with a smile, "The Burrows family wants to break away from Putao and establish a country. Just the contribution of intelligence is completely insufficient." . This time most of the military supplies are taken care of by the Burrows family."

"I heard that the Burrows family sent special envoys to the inland sea countries a few days ago to persuade these countries to support their founding of the country! This should be His Majesty's instruction!" The Duke of Putao immediately became happy when he heard that the Duke's Palace did not have to shoulder the responsibility. laugh,

The fat man nodded and said in a positive tone, "Yes, the naval battle only destroyed the barrier of the inland sea. It is these inland sea countries that really determine who is the master of the inland sea! The empire's counterattack is not only about the trade line, but also the Strand people. A proud alliance"

"Bang bang!" There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." The fat man stood at the window and shouted to the door. An imperial guard walked in hurriedly holding a pure blue report. It seemed that he had run all the way. He put the report in his hand respectfully on the table. Up, panting, "Your Majesty, naval battle report!"

"Okay, I get it. Just put it there." The fat man nodded and waved to the guard. His face was so calm that there was no trace of fluctuation.

"It's an urgent message from the navy!"

Duke Putao's eyes paused on the report with a pure blue cover, and he swallowed in embarrassment. Didn't the Vekia Falcon know how many people were looking at it now? Are they all focusing on the southern coast of the Congolese Empire? The Falcon Empire Navy was so powerful that it captured most of the ports in southern Congo in seven days. It was a miraculous frontal assault. The sharp blades of the Strand Navy also filled all countries with various speculations. Is it tit-for-tat, a surprise attack, or... The roulette rush that Strand Navy is best at is like an unsolved puzzle. Now it’s time to reveal the answer.

"Your Excellency, do you want to take a look?" The fat man smiled slightly on the other side and made a sign of please.

"This... of course..." Duke Putao looked embarrassed and wanted to refuse, but he really couldn't bear the temptation of this battle report related to the entire inland sea pattern. He hesitantly stretched out his hand and saw the Vekia Falcon opposite. There was really no indication, so I opened it carefully.

After a quick glance, although he was mentally prepared, Duke Putau's face was still extremely stunned, and his eyes were bulging. Sure enough, the Strand Navy chose the best fighter that appeared, but. . . . How is it possible that the Strand Navy, the overlord of the inland sea, was severely damaged by the exhausted Falcon Empire Navy when it launched a surprise attack?

"Nearly a hundred battleships were sunk and more than 2,000 Strand navy sailors were captured." The figures above shocked the Duke of Putau.

"More than two thousand prisoners!" The Duke of Putao saw that he could only breathe air-conditioning. As a country that once had a good relationship with the Strand Navy, the Duke knew very well that he could fight against the Strand Navy. What does it mean to obtain more than 2,000 prisoners? The Strand people must have suffered a heavy loss in this sea battle.

Under normal circumstances, the number of people killed in a naval battle should be more than five times the number of prisoners. From this, it can be calculated that the loss of the Strand people was more than 10,000 people. For the entire country with a total population of less than 700,000, the navy sailors were about The country of Hainan, which had 50,000 people, lost more than half of it in one battle. This was a record that had not been recorded for many years.

Such losses are definitely considered tragic. Looking at the Falcon Empire Navy, although seven Dragon Teeth battleships and two Dragon class battleships were sunk, the number of Dragon Teeth battleships in the Imperial Navy exceeds one hundred, and the number of Dragon class battleships has already been After breaking through thirty ships, this kind of loss is not even one-tenth. It is simply an insignificant loss.

Duke Putao sighed gloomily, "In this sea battle, the Falcon Empire Navy can be said to be a complete victory! The era of the sea kingdom is over!" He closed the report in his hand and put it gently on the table, thinking in his heart I secretly feel sorry for the people of Strand, Strand is okay. The news of the defeat of the fleet will soon spread throughout Obarro like an earthquake. Once the naval myth of the Sea Kingdom is broken, Strand's special status will also end. In addition, the Falcon Empire will be divided between sea and land. With a two-pronged approach, the glory of the Strand people has come to an end.

"This is a sign of the coming of a new inland sea era. Fortunately, the victory is won by the Falcon Empire, which I rely on. The gate of the inland sea has been opened, and the empire is ready to send thousands of ships into the inland sea. If my Putao region does nothing in the face of such an opportunity, it will be a shame to our ancestors. We Putao people were once the conquerors of the sea!"

"Your Majesty, there are some urgent matters in the Duke's Mansion." The Duke of Putao felt that he could no longer sit still, so he stood up and said goodbye to the fat man