Munitions Empire-Chapter 1164 - 1084 saw the ontology
"The last Styx Missile! The previous five missiles have all hit their targets!" The weapons officer reported the status of their warship to the captain on the bridge of Beiyuan 91 Destroyer.
Early destroyers, and even later ones, were often incapable of reloading anti-ship missiles at sea. This was simply because the missiles were too large, and warships retrofitted as missile destroyers could not accommodate an additional loading system.
Moreover, a destroyer being able to fire all six of its carried anti-ship missiles was already impressive, akin to Emperor Qin Shi Huang cutting power lines and claiming victory. Theoretically, they wouldn’t usually get enough opportunities to fire all these missiles before being sunk.
However, due to the overwhelming advantage in weapon technology, the Tang Army destroyers faced issues that most missile destroyer captains had never considered: their anti-ship missiles had... run out.
"Find a target and fire the last anti-ship missile! Our mission is complete!" The captain of Beiyuan 91 Destroyer said with excitement and pride.
Since becoming a destroyer captain, he had never imagined he’d have such a moment of glory: he was the first destroyer captain on this planet to successfully hit enemy ships using anti-ship missiles, and Beiyuan 91 Destroyer had become the first missile destroyer to launch a salvo of anti-ship missiles!
"Yes! Captain!" Upon receiving the command, the weapons officer picked up the phone receiver again and issued the order, "Continue missile launch! Fire the last one!"
Following his command, the missile from the Beiyuan 91 Destroyer roared out again and flew towards the horizon.
After watching the anti-ship missile disappear beyond the sea horizon, a military officer carrying a message walked onto the bridge of Beiyuan 91 Destroyer: "Message from Beiyuan 11 Destroyer! They report that the enemy fleet is brightly lit, suggesting they may have lifted their blackout restrictions!"
"Additionally, they confirmed that at least two enemy ships had been hit and caught fire; however, they didn’t dare approach too closely, so they couldn’t verify specific battle results." The officer paused for a moment before finishing the report received from Beiyuan 11 Destroyer.
The captain of Beiyuan 91 Destroyer nodded, "Understood! Instruct them to stay safe! Also, notify Beiyuan 97 Destroyer—it’s their turn to open fire!"
"Yes! Understood!" The officer stood at attention, saluted, and left the cramped bridge.
"Maintain course at 95!" The captain glanced at the data illuminated by the panel lights before raising his head and giving the command.
"Course 95!" The helmsman beside him immediately echoed the order.
"What’s going on with the 7th Fleet? I’m still waiting for them to act on the flank!" The captain of Beiyuan 91 Destroyer addressed his first officer, who had been communicating with other fleet units.
The first officer promptly responded, "Message from the 7th Fleet! The remainder of the operation is up to them!"
The captain chuckled. He had completed his mission, and the subsequent battles were no longer relevant to his warship. "Could it have gone any other way? We’ve fired all of our anti-ship missiles!"
Since their destroyer was devoid of torpedoes—the space for torpedo equipment had been converted to missile launch racks—there was no need for them to risk close-quarters combat to fire torpedoes.
A communications officer hurriedly returned to report another message: "Message from Beiyuan 29 Destroyer! They’re wishing us luck as they turn their course and prepare to fight!"
The early Beiyuan-class destroyers had not been retrofitted and remained equipped with conventional artillery, torpedoes, and anti-submarine depth charges. Hence, numbered 29, the warship was now repositioning itself and preparing to find an opportunity for torpedo salvos.
Meanwhile, the Tang Army’s torpedo squadron formation had already become chaotic. Banking on their radar capabilities, several destroyers began closing the distance, taking advantage of the night’s cover to launch torpedo attacks aimed at disrupting the Shen Army’s main fleet navigation.
After a few seconds of silence, the captain of Beiyuan 91 Destroyer finally broke it, "Wish them luck as well! Don’t get too close! Whether the torpedoes hit or not isn’t too critical."
He wasn’t sure whether his advice would be taken seriously by the recipient, yet he said it regardless, uncertain of the outcome.
On the other side, amidst the distant darkness, a streak of light skimmed across the sea horizon, accompanied by a piercing noise—the Beiyuan 97 Destroyer was launching a Styx Anti-ship Missile.
Having prepared well in advance, the Beiyuan 97 Destroyer soon fired its second Styx Missile, dragging a luminous tail flame into the distance.
Within the destroyer fleet of the Great Tang Empire, there were at least 60 Styx Anti-ship Missiles. Breaking through the defensive line set up by Tang Army’s destroyer squadron amidst such an overwhelming missile barrage was no simple feat.
Not to mention, an additional Tang Army destroyer squadron was closing in from the flank—another fleet recently mentioned via message: the 7th Fleet.
Once this squadron joined the fray, the Shen Army fleet would confront attacks from both flanks, ensuring dire consequences for them.
Minute by minute, the Shen Country fleet drew closer to the landing zone. Bernard’s battleship squadron had already positioned itself to block the Shen Army’s route.
Though Bernard had only two battleships, he remained confident in halting the enemy fleet: under the cover of night, these two radar-controlled battleships could likely prevail against Shen Army’s four battleships with little difficulty.
Moreover, Bernard even suspected whether the Shen Army’s main fleet would have a single surviving warship to witness his Dongwan 1 and Dongwan 2 Battleships.
Almost simultaneously, aboard the Shen Battleship of the Shen Army’s main fleet, Shen Haifeng crumpled the order to proceed south into a ball.
He understood that this order amounted to a death sentence… but as the fleet’s Supreme Commander, he had to carry out the mission—it was his responsibility.
Thus, he issued his command, "Maintain course! Damaged warships are to make way, and follow full speed behind the fleet."
In truth, he intended to have all damaged warships withdraw and return to Ben Island, but he feared losing too much of his fleet’s strength before the final confrontation.
The heavily damaged Snow Mountain Heavy Cruiser likely couldn’t keep up with the fleet. The warship, weighing 14,000 tons, had flames pouring out near its smokestack, and its speed had dropped to half its maximum. Forcing it to keep pace risked it falling behind midway.
If this cruiser encountered even a few Tang Army warships, it would likely be the first ship of the Shen Army’s main fleet to be sunk.
However, leaving behind the Snow Mountain would also mean stationing the crippled Giant Serpent to protect it… a loss that would cost the fleet two essential warships.
"General!…" Suddenly, a streak of light fell onto the nearby sea surface in a massive explosion that jolted every Shen Army sailor’s nerves. Fortunately, the projectile did not hit any Shen Army warships, offering a collective sigh of relief.
Yet, due to its sheer speed, no one had managed to clearly identify the object’s shape. As a result, Shen Haifeng remained unaware of the type of weapon he was up against.
Soon, however, he "luckily" got the chance to witness the weapon firsthand: a meteor streaked through the night sky, captured by the giant searchlights mounted on the side of the Shen Battleship.
The soldier controlling the searchlights seemed skilled, as the beam tracked the distant silver flash. Shen Haifeng scrutinized the object throughout its trajectory, eventually realizing he still couldn’t describe it.
Roughly teardrop-shaped, the front rounded and bulbous, narrowing toward the rear where it featured an airplane tail-like structure. It resembled… a pilotless aircraft without a cockpit or propellers.
He watched as the object collided with the Loyalty Battleship, piercing through its No. 2 turret (B turret)…
Equipped with four triple-barrel 350mm caliber main guns, the Loyalty Battleship was considered an older-class battleship in the Shen fleet. Its relatively smaller caliber allowed it to mount four triple turrets, boasting a total of 12 main guns.
Much to Shen Haifeng’s dismay, just as he had ordered all battleship main guns to be armed, the Styx Anti-ship Missile’s penetration of the No. 2 turret caused one of its 350mm caliber cannons to misfire.
The resulting damage caused the gun’s recoil to tear the barrel from its mount, embedding it into the turret’s internal structure. The 350mm shell fell not far offshore, almost hitting a Shen Army destroyer.
This incident led to over 40 casualties aboard the Loyalty Battleship, rendered the No. 2 turret unusable, and caused malfunctions in the rotation mechanism of the No. 1 turret, disabling half of the main guns.
As of now, the Shen Navy had endured severe damage to three battleships; two cruisers were also similarly wounded. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
In such circumstances, Shen Haifeng determined his fleet could no longer approach the Tang Army’s landing site: his remaining fleet included nine battleships, 13 cruisers, and 22 large destroyers.
Though this fleet seemed formidable, Shen Haifeng faced immense pressure—both from the Tang Army aircraft poised to launch attacks at dawn and the constant threat of these mysterious weapons. He had no idea how much longer he could maintain his advance!
"Send a telegram to headquarters! Inform them that the Tang Army deployed a nighttime weapon resembling a small, pilotless airplane that can accurately target our warships!" Despite everything, Shen Haifeng promptly shared the newly acquired intelligence with his rear-echelon allies.
"I cannot ascertain how many such weapons the enemy possesses… therefore… request permission for damaged warships to return to base." After reconsidering his prior stance, Shen Haifeng ultimately decided to allow injured warships to retreat, preserving some vestige of strength for the Shen Navy.
