Munitions Empire-Chapter 1168: The 1088 cannon battle begins

"The enemy fleet has entered firing range! The computer is calculating ballistic parameters! All main guns are loaded and ready!" The weapons officer aboard Dongwan No.1 Battleship was reporting their combat status from the bridge.

As a frequently modified "new-generation" battleship, the Great Tang Empire’s Bismarck Battleship had diverged significantly from its original design.

Primarily, an advanced radar system had been mounted above the main island of the ship, while fire control radars had been installed in place of the floodlight mounts on both sides to guide the ship’s artillery systems.

At a range of approximately 20 kilometers, the precisely engineered main guns of the Great Tang Empire were already elevated, with their barrels aimed toward the approaching enemy fleet.

The central ship-based catapult had already launched a reconnaissance plane equipped for artillery calibration using rocket propulsion, belonging specifically to Dongwan No.1 Battleship. As dawn approaches, the guidance from the calibration plane would ensure even greater accuracy for the artillery.

With the aid of a highly automated loading mechanism, the Great Tang Empire’s Dongwan-class battleships boasted faster reload rates for their artillery, integrating numerous advantages of battleship designs while eliminating several flaws, rendering their combat capabilities formidable.

The 20-kilometer range mentioned by the Tang Army weapons officer referred to the firing parameters provided by the onboard computer with a high hit probability. However, in reality, the main guns of the Great Tang Empire’s battleships had a range exceeding 30 kilometers, even approaching 35 kilometers.

The automatic loading mechanism somewhat restricted the elevation of the main guns, which resulted in a slightly reduced maximum range for Tang Empire battleships.

Given the Great Tang Empire Navy’s emphasis on "global deployment," its warship designs adhered to high standards for various sea conditions instead of pursuing extreme performance metrics. As such, the Empire’s battleships leaned towards versatility rather than extremes.

"Adjust the firing angles according to the computer’s parameters," ordered the captain of Dongwan No.1 Battleship, standing on the bridge with a sense of boredom.

As a battleship captain, not being able to engage in direct artillery duels with the enemy warships within visual range was undeniably disappointing.

With the advent of ship-based seaplanes, long-range artillery calibration became possible, significantly reducing opportunities for visual-range artillery duels.

Furthermore, with radar installations onboard, Dongwan No.1 had connected cables from its onboard computer and cleared additional cabin space, turning visual-range artillery battles into a mere joke.

In training exercises, when targeting simulated objectives, the enhanced fire control computer allowed battleship main guns to "roughly hit" targets with just two to three salvos.

With five salvos, a battleship-sized target would often end up critically damaged. This is progress in technology, a fundamental shift in the rules of naval warfare.

However, when the appearance of Styx Anti-ship Missiles onboard destroyers became prevalent, battleships of the Great Tang Empire turned into mere shields, damage absorbers, and the objects of "abuse" during drills…

This combat mission was a clear testament to that role—a shield in front of the carrier fleet, buying their Aircraft Carrier Fleet the last vital hour.

Frankly, the Tang captain, confident in his warship’s defenses, believed that even if he allowed the enemy to bombard his vessel unhindered for two hours, they might fail to sink it.

That being said, regardless of his ship’s ruggedness, he couldn’t let the enemy strike at will, could he? Hence, the Tang battleship raised its barrels, revealing its double fists.

"Artillery firing parameters corrected! Ready to open fire at any time!" the weapons officer shouted.

"Open fire!" The captain issued the order to attack.

"Open fire!" The weapons officer grabbed the phone and loudly repeated the command.

Suddenly, outside the bridge windows, four bursts of fire almost simultaneously erupted, dazzling everyone’s eyes. The light in the darkness even silhouetted the figure of the neighboring Dongwan No.2 Battleship.

The entire ship trembled slightly, and soon after, flames burst from the stern of Dongwan No.2 Battleship as its four 380-caliber main guns released spectacular muzzle flashes. The rolling fires churned and faded into the distance.

As dawn approached, eight shells weighing over one ton each flew from afar, crashing into the formation of the Shen Country’s main fleet.

Columns of water soared into the sky, shaking the Shen Country sailors as they observed through the glow of their fleet’s blazing fires in horror.

"General! We’re under artillery fire! It’s the Tang Imperial Fleet!" The staff officer exclaimed urgently upon seeing the rising columns of water nearby.

"Order the fleet to turn left! Heading 54! Bring our broadside to bear against the enemy!" Shen Haifeng knew the ultimate test had arrived. The opposing fleet had revealed itself—once they broke through this defensive line, his fleet would successfully reach the enemy landing zone.

Now, he aimed to exploit his fleet’s artillery strengths, delivering a harsh lesson to the Tang Empire Navy at dawn!

"An observation post reported spotting faint flashes ahead! Likely the muzzle flashes of the enemy fleet!" News soon reached Shen Haifeng.

"Excellent! We’re already seeing the dawn of victory!" After an entire night of anticipation, Shen Haifeng finally sighted the enemy, thrilling him greatly.

The enemy’s decision to fire first in this darkened state clearly highlighted their inexperience. He felt firing too early had exposed the Tang Fleet’s position!

Moreover, judging from the water columns caused by the shell impacts, the number of enemy warships didn’t exceed three—a massive advantage!

Shen Country’s Navy had long estimated Tang’s battleship fleet to comprise six to ten units. But now, it seemed the Tang military hadn’t allocated nearly that many battleships to this location!

Perhaps some battleships had been drawn northward by Shen Hai’ang’s fleet, or maybe Tang Navy retained forces to ensure coastal safety. Regardless, at this moment, Shen Haifeng believed his heavily battered fleet still possessed a numerical advantage against the Tang forces!

"Fantastic! They have only three, at most four battleships! We still have six battleships! The advantage remains firmly with us!" Shen Haifeng clenched his fists in excitement, loudly motivating his crew: "All main guns to port! For the Shen Emperor! Fight to the death!"

"For the Shen Emperor!" The others echoed energetically, shouting loudly. After enduring frustration for ten hours, they finally found an outlet for their rage!

As a nation founded on maritime dominance, Shen Country’s Navy was highly trained and boasted exceptional combat capabilities, easily ranked among the world’s elite navies.

Under a series of rapid commands, Shen Country’s fleet began turning, bringing its port side toward the Tang fleet. One massive main gun barrel after another began aiming toward the distance.

Compared to the Tang Army’s battleships, armed solely with 380-caliber main guns, Shen Country’s battleship artillery was far more varied: 460-caliber, 410-caliber, and 350-caliber guns made up their arsenal, with almost every level of battleship possessing a distinct caliber.

On the one hand, this stemmed from Shen Country’s reliance on externally developed technologies, leading to rushed iterations. On the other hand, it reflected Shen Country Navy’s eagerness to gain artillery superiority.

Just as Shen Country’s fleet began turning, the Tang Navy’s second round of shellfire descended. This timing slightly exceeded Shen Haifeng’s expectations due to the shockingly short interval between Tang artillery salvos.

For a moment, Shen Haifeng even considered the possibility that Tang’s four battleships were firing alternately in two groups. Soon, however, he dismissed the hypothesis, as the intervals between shellfire clearly didn’t fit such tactics.

The Great Tang Empire, constantly innovating technologically, had achieved faster artillery firing speeds for their battleships—something Shen Haifeng quickly acknowledged. Yet, in his view, such "tricks" were futile because of his absolute numerical advantage.

The second salvo from Tang’s guns still failed to inflict substantial damage on Shen Country’s warships, though some sailors began noticing critical details.

"The shell impacts are closer... It seems they’re targeting South Island Battleship!" A sailor stationed on the deck of a cruiser trailing South Island Battleship squinted suspiciously.

He had seen the impact points from the first artillery salvo, scattered around the fleet without a clear target.

But the second salvo produced water columns alarmingly close to South Island Battleship, which was now positioned at the edge of the formation due to a turn.

Before he could voice his observations, however, a Styx Anti-ship Missile struck the cruiser where he stood.

Indeed, Tang forces hadn’t ceased their missile assault, with Tang destroyers maintaining spectral shadows on the flanks. The explosion instantly engulfed the sailor on the deck, leaving him no chance to speak again.

The missile’s jet stream pierced through the light cruiser, blowing away one of its smokestacks and obliterating all anti-aircraft guns and other facilities in the ship’s midsection.

Thick black smoke billowed from the cruiser as flames erupted within its hull. Cries, shouts, orders, and the crackle of flames filled the air.

Explosions resounded intermittently, and as fire consumed the vessel, distorted steel groaned and screeched under stress. Someone dashed past the fallen sailor’s half-charred corpse without sparing it a second glance.

Approximately two minutes later, Tang artillery fired a third salvo, and one shell pierced South Island Battleship’s smokestack, taking out part of one smokestack and sending the spotlight mounted nearby flying.

On the bridge of South Island Battleship, which was mid-turn, all officers flinched instinctively as their gaze met shared expressions of… fear.

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The second update of the day is delayed; you can read it tomorrow morning.