I Will Be The Crowned King

"Send a message to the believer, so that they don't easily enter the battle, just block it on the periphery, make sure to block the enemy's retreat, and don't let it escape!"

Looking at the imperial battleship that was almost sailing alongside him, William Cecil leaned against the side rail, and locked the opponent's bow with the monocular in his hand, and his excitement was almost directly written on his face.

Although he currently only has one flagship "Crown" and the cruiser "The Believer" that happened to pass by, the opposite is just a single battleship... The strength gap is not so big that it is necessary to avoid battle.

According to the storm a few days ago, he guessed that this should be the flagship of a fleet of the empire. Because of the storm, the warship in charge of escorting was out of touch and separated; if the interception could not be completed here, Beluga Port is likely to be ready to fight. A whole fleet is ready!

"Colonel, are you really going to fight here?"

It was the first mate of the Crown, who stood behind the young captain worriedly, and asked in a slightly nervous voice: "The number of our shells is very limited, and they all add up to less than a base - even if all hits , it is not enough to put the opposite..."

"Then you can't let it go!"

Putting away the telescope suddenly, William turned his head and shouted at the first mate: "There is less than a week's voyage from here to Beluga Harbor... If you don't kill this fleet here, you intend to make Clovis the most important in the new world. Is the port destroyed?!"

"I understand your concern, Colonel; but so far only one warship has appeared on the other side, and there is no flag to fight or ask for help. Maybe the other side is not planning to attack Beluga Harbor, there may be something else..."

"I don't care!" The young admiral directly snatched the first officer's words:

"An imperial warship ran to the route controlled by the Royal Navy, and it was also a battleship - let it leave with such a swagger, I can't do it!"

"Boom!"

Before he finished speaking, a loud bang exploded on the sea not far away.

The two who reacted instantly focused their eyes on the direction of the sound, and gray smoke rose on the deck of the cruiser "The Believer" galloping in the wind.

That wisp of smoke was different from the gunpowder smoke after the ordinary gunfire. It didn't immediately spread to the surroundings, but gathered and lifted up continuously, like a thin "gray line", which was unparalleled and eye-catching on the endless sea.

"It's the signal they sent - The Believer is willing to assist us and block the imperial battleship on the opposite side!"

William Cecil shouted excitedly, he rushed to the helm and drew his saber to the busy crew and sailors below: "The Believer is coming to support us! Full speed ahead, let the Empire's The old fur seals have seen the glory of the Royal Navy!"

"Destroy the opposing battleship, and I guarantee that everyone will be promoted to one level - plus twenty boxes of rum and ten boxes of chocolates collected on the Crown, to celebrate tonight!"

"Long live Clovis——!!!!"

There was thunderous cheers on the deck. Encounters at sea can get support from friendly forces, which is an extremely boosting morale, and it will even completely reverse the outcome of the battle.

As for promotion... For a group of sailors who have lived a boring life at sea all year round, this event may not be as motivating as the temptation of rum and chocolate.

Fueled by alcohol and luxuries, the Coronet tore her sails in an attempt to overtake the Imperial battleship that had found herself being hunted, also at full speed.

"They are also accelerating."

Staring at the enemy ship that was already close at hand on the opposite side, the frowned chief mate suddenly looked at the captain with an eager expression: "The other side is already pulling the gun port, do you want to hit back and interrupt them?"

"Don't worry about it, just continue to speed up." Although excited, William's eyes were still full of uncontrollable tension:

"Our firepower is not as good as the other side, and firing the gun first will only waste precious ammunition - it is better to wait for the enemy ship to fire first, and find a way to take the opportunity to circle directly in front of its bow."

At this point, William can see clearly that the firepower of Clovis warships is generally inferior to that of the Empire. Even if the number of cannons is covered by the Believer, there is still no chance of winning; and those who can pose a substantial threat to enemy ships, There are only two 68-pounder Caron main guns in the Crown.

If you want to sink the opposite side, you must take advantage of the speed and flexibility of the two warships to constantly pull and surround them; then smash the other side's mast, making it completely incapacitated.

Near here is the waters controlled by Clovis. As long as they can bite the opponent, it is only a matter of time before they are sunk or even captured... This is also an important reason why Wilhelm still insists on starting the war knowing that he is not prepared enough.

Being able to encircle and suppress a lone imperial ship, and it is a battleship, in the case of one's own home field and an advantage - this is a good thing that can only be hit by the blessing of the ring of order.

But being clear doesn't mean you can't feel fear... Under the blue sky and blue sky, the imperial battleship was also crowded with people, and the gun doors on both sides of the ship's side were pulled open, revealing its densely packed muzzles that were as numerous as honeycombs.

Just by visual inspection, you can feel that the number of artillery pieces on the side of the ship alone is equivalent to the firepower of the entire Crown!

Even though he was already mentally prepared, William Cecil's face suddenly turned pale, and an ice cold surged behind him and shot straight to the top of his head.

The others didn't give in too much, exclaiming and gasping for air one after another on the deck.

"It's been checked."

In the tense atmosphere, he remained calm. The first officer took the documents handed over by a crew member, and said calmly: "The opposite is the 'Green Dragon', which is directly under the emperor himself in the imperial fleet, and is also one of the largest battleships. There are nearly one hundred and ten guns, the largest of which is the thirty-six-pounder, and there are as many as thirty."

"One hundred and ten doors..." William gritted his teeth tightly, and kept cruising between the countless gun muzzles on the opposite side:

"It doesn't matter, even if the number of artillery is large, it does not mean that the opponent can hit accurately; and the speed of the Crown is much faster than that of the Green Dragon. As long as it survives the first round of artillery, it will have a chance to rush out of the opponent's shooting range. !"

"Let the crew not be nervous, no one is ordered not to fire the artillery to meet them, and they are ready to take cover at any time to protect themselves from the enemy's broadside salvo."

"Yes!" The first officer nodded immediately.

There was a sudden panic on the deck, and the calm sailors continued to maintain the maximum speed, allowing the Crown to enter the shooting range on the left side of the Green Dragon.

The young admiral held the side of the ship, staring intently at the muzzle that almost covered his line of sight; the first officer behind him stood motionless within three steps behind him, always ready to throw the cannon at the moment of firing. fall.

Under the cloudless dome, the two warships moved closer and closer at a speed visible to the naked eye; the crews of both sides could almost see the expressions of the enemy on the opposite deck, and heard each other's bosun and second and third mates giving orders. swearing and shouting.

Everyone is waiting quietly, waiting for the moment when all the cannons are fired in unison and the fire is soaring into the sky.

But until the crown's bow surpassed the Green Dragon, the dark muzzle on the opposite side was still quietly sticking out, and there was still no sign of firing, not even a symbolic calibration gun.

So the two warships, armed to the teeth, went side by side to staggered while no one opened fire; the Crown, which was advancing at full speed, escaped the Green Dragon's firing range, leaving only a graceful trajectory.

How is this going?

Surprised, William turned his head to look at the first mate behind him, and found that the other party also had the same expression as himself; the two of them looked at each other and couldn't say a word.

………………

"What did you say, there are no cannonballs?!"

In the captain's cabin of the Green Dragon, Ed Levant, the emperor's special envoy, widened his eyes incredulously: "The dignified battleship Green Dragon, one of the most powerful flagships of the Empire, how could there be no shells when it set sail. Woolen cloth?!"

"Of course not, it's strange if there are cannonballs, my esteemed Lord Ed Levent!" The captain of the Green Dragon, who was reprimanded by him, blushed, and used a natural posture to talk to the "Lord Special Envoy" rebutted:

"The order that this ship has received from the imperial front only includes 'escorting' you from the port of Edland to Sail City. This section is all escorted by Edland's 'grand fleet', and there is no threat at all. Of course, there is no threat at all. It won't carry as much ammo."

"Now all the artillery shells in the whole ship can support at most two or three rounds of salvo fire from one side of the ship's artillery. The firepower is not to mention the opposite Crown, and even the smaller Believer may not be able to sink. ; If you run out of shells now, are you planning to capture them next?!"

"Then we can't just passively be beaten like this!" Eddie said in a little angrier:

"The speed of the Clovis warships on the opposite side is much faster than that of the Green Dragon. Once they are robbed of the upper hand and more warships are besieged, we really have no room to fight back - what are you going to do? ?"

"Uh... We're going to wait and see."

The captain's answer was quite straightforward.

"Wait?!"

"Yes, wait - as long as we don't fire, we may be able to keep the enemy confused, maybe the enemy will be shocked by the green dragon's former splendid name and dare not take the initiative to provoke; as long as we can maintain the current state until the North Sea In the waters controlled by the three countries, we may be safe."

As long as, maybe, maybe, it's still possible... Listening to the captain's seemingly righteous answer, Ed was almost out of breath - he almost said "One-sided beating, until the enemy's artillery shells use it. When it's over, you don't have to be beaten anymore."

Of course, the idea of ​​what to say is not unreasonable: the Empire's battleships are very strong, and even if they don't fight back at all, it is not so easy to be sunk.

No matter whether the Crown or the Believer, the size and firepower are vastly different from the Green Dragon. Even if it withstands several rounds of salvo, as long as it does not damage the critical part such as the ammunition depot, it is almost impossible to suffer any substantial damage. .

"Wait, something isn't quite right!"

Ed Levent suddenly realized something, and immediately stopped the captain who seemed to want to sneak away: "If I remember correctly, even if the warship has no combat mission, it must carry a considerable amount of artillery shells and munitions; on the one hand, In order to make sure to deal with the situation, on the other hand, it is to suppress the position - how can there be no shells?!"

"Uh, of course it's because of some other special reasons."

Speaking of this matter, the captain's expression became unnatural: "After ninety-five years of the saint's calendar, the Green Dragon has not had a combat mission for a long time, and some of the military supplies used for ballast have been stored for many years. It has also been idle, so..."

"so?"

"Cough cough... Do you remember that before you arrived, we asked you to stay in Sail City for a few more days. When you return to the mainland, we will offer you a little 'surprise'?"

Looking at the captain's increasingly secretive expression, Ed Levant, who gradually guessed the truth, gradually expanded his pupils until his entire eyeball was about to bulge out:

"You...you...you actually brought the cabins used by warships to store weapons and ammunition...smuggling?!"

"Please don't make such a fuss, it's not a big deal." The captain defended:

"It's traditional at best."

"Tradition?!"

"Of course it's a tradition, otherwise you wouldn't think that with the little reward given by the emperor every year, you can make the empire maintain two 'big fleets' at the same time?" The captain looked at Eddard as a matter of course:

"What's more, do you think Your Majesty doesn't know about this? Every year, apart from the regular protection fee paid to Archduke Edland, at least a quarter of the income from the 'private activities' of each fleet is to be turned over to the court. …”

"Okay, don't talk anymore, I don't want to know this!" Ed hurriedly raised his hand to interrupt the captain who wanted to continue:

"So, what did you ship on the ship?"

"The ore~www.wuxiaspot.com~ is mainly coal ore."

At this point, the captain has nothing to hide: "These things are almost worthless in the New World, but as long as they are shipped back to the mainland, they can be sold at least ten times, or even twenty times the price; every year these coal mines are worthless. The profits of smuggling, throwing away the part of the money that must be handed over, are enough to provide the cost of maintaining and refurbishing all the ships of the Imperial Navy."

"Coal mine?"

Ed Levent hesitated for a few seconds, and his expression became confused: "Is Adland's coal mine business doing well?"

"It's not a port in Adelaide - they only take iron ore and lumber there, and coal is not very affordable." The captain explained: "We occasionally ship some lumber, but only those precious ones That's it."

"Isn't it Edland's port? Which port do you usually smuggle to..."

The words stopped abruptly.

Ed Levant, whose expression was instantly frozen, stared at the captain with an almost stiff face: "You, you mean, you sold all the smuggled coal mines to..."

He didn't finish his sentence... The next moment, a huge thunder sounded in his ears.

"Boom——!!!!"

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