At first, Admiral Proudmoore believed that the departure of the Schindler National Navy Fleet was just a smoke bomb; as for the news that King Dane himself was on board, it was even more nonsense.
But later, it didn't take long for this news to be confirmed to be true by Pudri and the intelligence agencies of the Duchy of Florence.
Schindler's fleet did leave Ghostknife Harbor and never came back; King Dane's was indeed on board the Yellow Dragon—at least when he boarded.
After the news was confirmed to be true, Admiral Proudmoore began to suspect that there must be a conspiracy in this matter.
Dane was so talented that within five years, he had unified the well-known chaotic land of Schindler, and established a traditional powerhouse that made Florence and Pudri , People from a powerful country who have to unite to deal with them. How could he do such a thing of death, and put himself in danger
A king, can be so stupid
The admiral didn't believe it.
But there are some things that are true.
Soon, the United Fleet detected the location of the National Fleet through the Sea Eagle Cavalry.
Just as the information at the beginning said, the National Navy Fleet has indeed left Ghost Knife Port. They are now floating on the sea at least four days away from the port. Their speed is not fast, and they don't seem to have any clear purpose. They are just heading towards Shawan Port.
As for whether King Dane is still on board now, that is something no one can know.
The battleship formation composed of ten ships is floating on the sea, and all the surrounding sea areas have been swept away by the United Fleet in the past period of time. There should be no other hostile forces, even if There are no sea monsters that may be encountered occasionally.
Under such circumstances, Proudmoore couldn't think of where else could hide danger.
In fact, the admiral still insisted from the bottom of his heart that there was a trap in this matter.
However, all the facts show that the enemy may indeed be the head of the show.
He still hesitated, the decision to attack was not so easy to make. The powerful combined fleet is almost a collection of two-thirds of the main battleships of the Principality of Florence and the Kingdom of Pudri, and there is absolutely no room for mistakes.
But fighter jets are a fleeting thing.
According to the analysis of the intelligence department, the Schindlers probably couldn't bear the blockade, and the domestic food reserves were in crisis, so they had to take this risky act as a last resort. The warship left the port and transported materials to Shawan Port to solve domestic urgent needs.
There is some truth to this analysis.
The coalition forces have an intelligence network in Schindler. This intelligence network is not very strong, but at least some information can be obtained.
The coalition forces do not know the exact number of grain reserves in the Kingdom of Schindler. But judging from the current situation, this number should not be too much.
One of the most direct evidences is that on the defense line in the east of Schindler, the supplies of the Fifth Army have been significantly reduced; The suspension was announced half a month ago, and the food subsidies for people who opened up wasteland and built land were also temporarily cancelled.
It is precisely because of this performance of Schindler's official government that the analysis made by the intelligence department of the coalition forces has a certain degree of credibility.
Admiral Proudmoore hesitated for almost a whole day. To be honest, if it weren't for his great reputation here, the generals and officers below would have fallen apart long ago.
In their view, how could such an obvious good opportunity not be seized
On the second day, when people found out that the general had still not made a decision, some people lost their composure.
The one who couldn't hold his breath first was, of course, the Florentines. Proudmoore is the admiral of the Pudry Kingdom and a hero of the Pudry people, but he has nothing to do with the Florentines. Although the admirals of Florence have all heard of the great reputation of this colleague, and they don't have much opinion on him being the commander-in-chief of the United Fleet, but after all, each belongs to two Different countries.
If Proudmoore struggles for a whole day, he can bear it; but if he struggles for two days, it will be a very fucking thing: if he continues to struggle, his warships will all arrive at Shawan Harbor!
This time, the two countries formed a joint fleet and came to Schindler's waters. Isn't the purpose to complete the naval blockade and force the Schindlers to submit? This family has sailed out of the port swaggeringly, but they dare not fight. What interception and obstruction are they talking about
Let people sail between Comilla Island and Sandy Bay Harbor? If they take over the merchant ships of the Shire again, or do something else, will they have to stand aside and watch
So what's the point of forming a joint fleet and running to carry out naval blockade operations
Florence's admirals approached General Proudmoore.
Their persuasion finally moved the admiral, and he finally decided to take the initiative.
After all, fighter planes cannot be delayed.
Now that a decision has been made, Proudmoore does not intend to hold back.
Under the command of the admiral, the ships of the United Fleet in the entire sea area were all launched. Except for leaving a small formation and continuing to sweep across the vast ocean, all the main forces rushed towards the Schindler National Fleet.
As soon as the order was issued, the thirty-two main warships headed in the direction of the enemy traces detected by the Sea Eagle Cavalry.
The admiral had realized that if the enemy dared to leave the port, there must be a reason for daring to do so. It is impossible for them to make any changes to the ships in the short term, and they have not found any signs of sea monsters around Schindler's National Navy fleet.
Then, the most likely situation is that the battleships of the Schindlers are equipped with some kind of powerful weapon that makes them feel that they can turn the tide of the battle.
Although, Proudmoore, as an old general who has spent half his life at sea and fought in naval battles, he does not think that there are any weapons that can truly ignore the gap between warships and make up for the huge gap in hard power between the two sides. But this kind of risk still has to be guarded against.
Captains at all levels are required to be mentally prepared for a tough battle, and the Seahawk cavalry is required to prepare for air support. Seven dreadnought-class battleships are fully loaded with rows of artillery, as well as the entire ship of naval soldiers and ammunition. Well ready for battle.
The entire battleship formation is composed of two parts. The vanguard moved forward in a wild goose formation, with three Dreadnought-class warships distributed among them, and seventeen frigates and cruisers cruising beside them. They will be the main force to attack Schindler's National Fleet. After discovering the enemy and entering the combat distance, the wild goose formation formed by the forward fleet will be like an awl, slamming into it fiercely.
Leading the forefront is a dreadnought-class battleship of the Principality of Florence—the Iron Torrent. The flagship of the Duke's fleet with a displacement of 11,500 tons is the most heavily armored and most powerful ship in the integrated combined fleet. Although it has some slight disadvantages in flexibility, it is also made up for by its super protective ability and surging firepower.
Moreover, even the slightly cumbersome Iron Torrent is more sensitive than the pseudo-warships of the Schindlers, and the two sides are not at the same level at all.
This leading Dreadnought-class battleship is even equipped with an ancient ram at the bow. When it enters the enemy fleet, it is tantamount to a tiger breaking into a flock of sheep. No warship can withstand the impact of the Iron Torrent, and when he enters, the power of nearly 150 cannons on both sides of the ship, fired together, will shock everyone who sees this scene the human mind.
If it was close enough, the Iron Torrent could completely kill a 10,000-ton battleship of the opponent with a single salvo.
After the Iron Torrent, several battlecruisers should not be underestimated either. Each of them has the ability to single-handedly win against the crippled 10,000-ton battleship of the Schindlers.
At the same time, in the middle of the goose formation, the other two battleships are also lined up. If the battleships in front fail to gain a crushing advantage in a short period of time, they will immediately join the battle.
Sending out such a large force against Schindler's National Fleet actually has the meaning of "killing a chicken with a bull's knife".
But even so, Admiral Proudmoore still felt a little shaky.
Therefore, in the battle formation he arranged, there was a fleet of twelve battleships at the rear.
These twelve capital ships will be arranged in a diagonal formation, following the wild goose formation. All four battleships, including the prestigious Empress, Holy Knight, Holy Infant, and Colossus, will be among them.
Normally speaking, the wild goose formation in front is enough to easily destroy the Schindlers fleet with the advantage of crushing, even if the Schindlers are equipped with powerful weapons on board, theoretically It is impossible to survive the attack of the vanguard fleet.
Even in case of any accident, Proudmoore himself is on the Empress, and this legendary admiral will immediately lead the follow-up diagonal fleet to support it.
This should be foolproof, and the admiral can hardly imagine that there is any other way for the enemy to defeat him.
He can finally relax.
…
Two days later, the leader of the wild goose formation in front of the United Fleet, the captain of the Iron Torrent, and Lieutenant General Paparos of the Principality of Florence, sent a message to the Empress, saying that they had been able to use the The Schindler National Fleet was seen with the naked eye.
This proves that the distance between the two sides is not too far away.
The Iron Torrent can spot the Schindlers, and it will naturally be found.
The national navy fleet is very normal. After observing an enemy attack, it chose to speed up and flee.
A few minutes after Admiral Paparos sent the message, he received the next order from Admiral Proudmoore—to adjust the direction of the wild goose formation, intercept the Schindlers' fleet in advance, and force them to change course and stay away from the Sandy Bay Harbor.
This is something that must be done. After all, they are now only a day's flight away from Shawan Port. If you chase them foolishly, maybe they have already entered the port before you catch them, so the chase is useless.
Changing the course and intercepting in advance may make the chase longer and temporarily distance the two sides, but as long as the Schindlers don't want to bump into the interception line of the United Fleet, they must also change direction. Therefore, under the circumstances that they could not go to Shawan Port, the vast sea, the United Fleet chased it casually.
Anyway, the speed of the United Fleet is much faster than that of the Schindler National Fleet.
After this pursuit and escape, four days passed.
The Schindlers did not dare to confront the United Fleet head-on. After discovering that the United Fleet led by the Iron Torrent was about to block in front of them, the National Fleet immediately changed its course and headed further east.
Everything was going in a good direction, and nothing was beyond Proudmoore's expectations.
The admiral's mood became even more relaxed. He even felt that his worries at the beginning were a little ridiculous. This war was no different from any battle he had fought against pirates in the past, and it was even easier. You know, those pirates are a group of guys who have been wandering the sea all their lives. They are cruel and cunning, as slippery and elusive as loaches in the ocean, but not so easy to catch.
The Schindler National Fleet is not as smart as those cunning pirates. Obviously, this fleet, which has only been established for more than a year, is not yet mature enough, and is far from reaching the point where it can compete with the real maritime hegemony.
This is true no matter from the strength of the fleet or the experience of the admirals.
The National Navy Fleet, which was blocked and had no choice but to flee to the east, was finally captured on the sixth day after the official start of the pursuit.
At that time, Admiral Proudmoore was sitting on the deck of the Empress, looking up at the blue sky and ocean. His adjutant sent a message that the Iron Torrent was ready for battle and was about to lead the First Formation of the Combined Fleet to launch an attack.
Proudmoore's heart didn't fluctuate, he just waved his hand lightly to show that he knew the news.
He no longer doubted the outcome of this war, he just had to wait for the news of the frontline victory.
In fact, there is no need to wait. In fact, Proudmoore can see the distant battlefield and see the majestic figure of the Iron Torrent when it launches an attack.
The Iron Torrent of the Florentines was indeed a good ship, no worse than the Empress, and it even made him feel a little jealous.
But then, this bit of jealousy was thrown out of the blue.
The situation on the battlefield seems to be a little bit wrong.