Another World: Naval Storm

Chapter 107 Death Notice

[Warning! Your light cruiser Kolberg has suffered heavy damage! ]

"??? What's going on with the Kolburg?" Leo wanted to go to the bridge to observe again, but was stopped by several staff officers in the command room.

"General, the light cruiser Kolburg was hit by a 343mm shell by the battle cruiser Talen. There is no need for rescue, and the remaining officers and soldiers have been evacuated!" Three minutes later, the intelligence staff came to report the situation.

"Shouldn't we ask them to join the second and third scouting fleets?"

"It must have been a Talen cross-fire, an accidental hit!"

"I have always envied the large-caliber naval guns of the Taren people. If we had naval guns larger than 340mm, I would dare to have a decisive battle with the Royal Fleet right now!" Leo said with regret.

"There's nothing we can do. After all, we are a land power, and the empire has invested heavily in the army!" It's very realistic. Even if Emperor William likes and supports the navy, the army still takes the lion's share of military spending.

The two battlecruiser squadrons were fighting fiercely. The light cruisers were not even qualified to join in the fun, and the Broad armored cruiser could only barely participate in the battle line.

This was the second confrontation between Liam and Leo. Due to the thick sea fog, the hit rate of the main guns of both sides was not ideal. Overall, the hit rate and firing rate of the Drake Navy were slightly higher.

"General! The Navy Department sent an urgent telegram that the main force of the Drake Empire's Ocean Fleet has sailed out of its home port and its whereabouts are unknown! According to analysis, it may be the First Reconnaissance Fleet coming to support Leo!" Alex hurriedly reported to Liam with the intelligence staff.

On the other side, Leo also received news that the main force of the Talen Royal Navy Fleet sailed out of Qilasa Bay, definitely to rescue Liam and Harden.

"Telegram General Apewen and ask him whether he wants to have a decisive battle with the Taren people! We have some advantages now!" Liam's first battle patrol squadron has begun to retreat.

The telegram came back quickly, not allowing Leo's First Reconnaissance Fleet to pursue. The current Ocean Fleet was not ready for a decisive battle. The Emperor also sent a telegram ordering them to stop while they were ahead!

Leo had no choice but to command his First Reconnaissance Fleet to slowly retreat southward, and work with the rest of the fleet to salvage people from both sides who fell into the water.

"Anyone else? We are the Drake Navy!"

More than a dozen lifeboats shuttled across the sea, salvaging the remains and bodies of officers and soldiers from both sides from time to time, regardless of nationality. The Drake Navy won the battle, but the familiar faces of the young sailors could no longer be seen.

Faced with the mountain of corpses filling the lifeboat, everyone shed tears of pain. The simple numbers on the list of casualties were all their colleagues and comrades, whether familiar or unfamiliar.

[Battle ends, settlement begins]

[Under your command and assistance, we sank 5 light cruisers, 8 destroyers, and 2 submarines, severely damaged many warships, and achieved brilliant results.] The warships sunk by the second and third reconnaissance fleets are considered assists, and the merit value is halved.

[Congratulations Commander, you have obtained the Merit Points]

"General..." Captain Lawrence interrupted Leo's thoughts with a document, his voice choked.

"What's wrong, Lawrence!"

"General, this is the casualty list that has just been compiled!" His shaking hands showed his uneasy heart.

The light cruiser Kolburg and three destroyers sank, the light cruisers Gullong and Strahd were seriously damaged, and three destroyers of the Second and Third Scouting Fleets suffered heavy damage.

The First Scouting Fleet alone had a death toll of 1,100, with 75 missing. The death notices were being printed quickly, and only a small portion was placed on Leo's desk.

Every notice of death of officers and soldiers of the First Reconnaissance Fleet needed to be signed by Leo personally. After signing a hundred notices, Leo was already in tears, and the notices were wet from time to time.

Each death notice represents the brokenness of a family. Leo's hands are no longer steady and his signature begins to become sloppy.

"Erwin Miller, 19 years old, graduated from Carey Naval Academy!" Leo stopped writing. This was his junior who had to join the navy early due to the war.

"Dawson, he is so young, this damn war!" Leo has never been a cruel person. The peaceful education in his previous life has made him unable to adapt to the cruelty of war in this life.

"General, someone has to sacrifice for the empire. If it's not him, it's you and me!"

"I know, but he is too young, he has not yet married, he has not yet enjoyed life... yet..."

“General, this is not our fault! The Empire has gone through countless wars to stand at the top of the world. It is iron and blood that forged the Drake nation!” Dawson said carefreely, “We must always strive for living space for the younger generations, if not us, then our next generation! Instead of letting the younger generations die, it is better to end everything here!”

"What I'm afraid of is the never-ending war!" Leo murmured to himself.

At 12 o'clock in the morning, Zangchuan Bay lived up to its name. The fog dissipated and the sea was calm without any trace, as if it had not swallowed up a dozen warships at all.

At the Harwich Naval Port, the father and son of the fishing boat who had returned long ago spread the news of the fleet's dispatch throughout the port. Many people skipped lunch and waited for the victorious return of Harden's fleet.

"Dad, they are back!" Kata, who climbed onto the port's gantry crane, was the first to see dozens of plumes of green smoke in the distance.

"Great, they must have beaten the Drakes!" The crowd watching nearby agreed. In their eyes, the Royal Fleet was the best in the world, and the last time it was just a small defeat that allowed Leo to run away.

"Look carefully, boy. Remember, our Royal Navy is unrivaled in the world!"

"Dad...something's wrong!"

Half an hour later, the remaining Harden fleet entered the Harwich naval port under the escort of four battlecruisers.

"The Royal Navy was defeated?..." This made the old navy, who was full of honor, extremely painful. The crowd, whose hopes were dashed, threw the flowers they had prepared in advance into the sea, and the atmosphere of sadness spread outward from the port.

The fleet suffered a terrible blow, and its size was reduced by more than half compared to when it set out. Many warships were covered with dense craters. The superstructures were not intact, and the worst-condition warships were towed by four battlecruisers.

"Marshal Fisher is right, this crappy plan should not be carried out, and the Naval Intelligence Department is also rubbish!" Liam, who was at the stern of the Lion, looked at the defeated army with a hideous face twitching.

"Indeed, we lost!" Alex was reluctant to admit it, but reality is reality, even worse than last time. Although it was not the fault of the Liam Battle Patrol Squadron both times, the people of Tarun would not think so.

"Sooner or later I will seek justice from Leo. This feud has been established!"

"But you need to face the wrath of Admiral Jericho first!" Alex pursed his lips and motioned Liam to look to the side and back.

There were the 1st and 2nd Battle Squadrons of the Talen Grand Fleet, who also came to the Harwich Naval Port under the leadership of Admiral Jericho.

The arrival of more than 16 battleships in total filled the Harwich naval port. These huge ships helped the Tarun people of Harwich regain a sense of security.