The historic "218 Naval Battle" was the second naval confrontation between the Commerce Alliance's Invincible Fleet and the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet. After the battle was over, the Invincible Fleet claimed an unquestionable victory, and the North Sea Fleet did not refute it.
Judging from the results announced by the Invincible Fleet, the victory of this naval battle should have belonged to them. The Invincible Fleet's Fourth B Squadron was the only one who participated in the battle. They took back more than thirty merchant ships full of military supplies that were held hostage by the North Sea Fleet and escorted them back to Hidden Gold Bay. At the same time, they destroyed two Thunderbolt Warships and four large armed warships of the North Sea Fleet.
However, the Invincible Fleet did not announce their losses. In reality, the Fourth B Squadron could be said to have been crippled if they were to calculate the number of ships destroyed. Of the hundred or so large armed warships that participated in the battle, less than fifty made it back to Hidden Gold Bay. More than half of them had to return to the shipyard for repairs. This was also the real reason why the Fourth B Squadron had holed up in Hidden Gold Bay before the rainy season arrived. They had lost seven thousand men and a great swordmaster. It could be said that the Fourth B Squadron no longer had the courage or capital to fight at sea again.
No one expected the North Sea Fleet to be so cruel and cunning. When the two Thunderbolt Warships and one large armed warship fell into the Fourth B Squadron's hands, the upper echelons of the fleet sighed in relief. Capturing three enemy warships and rescuing more than thirty merchant ships was enough for them to report back even if their losses were a little high. Moreover, they had captured two of the North Sea Fleet's main warships and brought them back for research. Maybe the Invincible Fleet could equip those bronze cannons in the future, and they wouldn't be defenseless against the North Sea Fleet again.
It was just that the Fourth B Squadron's commanders were celebrating a little too early. No one had expected the North Sea Fleet to turn around and attack the Fourth B Squadron's two Thunderstruck Warships and the large armed merchant ship after they had broken through the encirclement. Not only that, they had also concentrated their fire on the Fourth B Squadron's two Thunderstruck Warships and the large armed merchant ship. Not only did they sink and destroy three warships, they also concentrated their cannon fire on the great swordmaster who single-handedly captured a Thunderbolt Warship. The great swordmaster fell into the sea without a trace...
This was a heavy blow to the Fourth B Squadron. Victory was right in front of their eyes, but they did not expect the enemy to still have the strength to slap themselves in the face. It was at this moment the third and fourth waves of warships that had flanked them from the left and right had rushed over to rendezvous. The Fourth B Squadron still had nearly a hundred warships gathered together, and other than the dozen or so warships that were severely damaged by the artillery bombardment, they still possessed great combat strength.
However, the Northsea Fleet had already escaped the encirclement, and the fourteen Thunderbolt Warships were cruising a thousand meters away. The commander of the Fourth B Squadron decided to end the battle. He ordered the fleet to form a defensive formation and search for the merchant ships that were running around. He abandoned the heavily damaged warships and prepared to return to Hidden Gold Bay. In the distance, the Northsea Fleet did not seem to have any interest in continuing the battle. They turned in another direction and quickly disappeared into the dark sky.
According to the Invincible Fleet's past experience in naval battles, this battle was already over. However, they did not expect that Sunbarwood, who had suffered a great loss, would not give up just like that. To the Northsea Fleet, today's encounter was a great humiliation. Not only were four large armed warships destroyed, even two Thunderbolt Warships had fallen into the enemy's hands. Although they were destroyed in the end, the death toll of almost a thousand crew members and the loss of six warships was proof of a great defeat.
The final attack had allowed Sunbarwood to discover an opportunity to defeat the enemy. In terms of the number of warships, the Northsea Fleet was inferior to the Fourth B Squadron, but the speed and agility of their warships and their superior long-range attacks were enough to overwhelm any enemy warship. That was how the Norton Family's Sea Wolf Tactic, which struck terror into the hearts of enemy fleets, was born. Like a pack of wolves hunting a herd of bison on the grasslands, the Fourth B Squadron's warships had become a herd of bison in the eyes of Sunbarwood and the Northsea Fleet.
Sunbarwood led the remaining fourteen Thunderbolt Warships in a big circle and suddenly appeared behind the Fourth B Squadron around three in the afternoon. Then, he launched a sudden attack while the enemy was in a panic. Every Thunderbolt Warship would leave immediately after launching an attack. They would never engage the enemy in battle. However, the first attack had disrupted the Fourth B Squadron's defensive formation. The five middle-sized rapidly-armed warships at the very back were directly sunk. At the same time, a dozen or so warships and merchant ships were damaged by the cannon fire.
The commanders of the Fourth B Squadron were in great pain. If the situation continued like this, the entire fleet would be in a situation where they couldn't fight back and would collapse sooner or later. But even if they wanted to fight back, they had to be able to reach the enemy first. Right now, any Thunderbolt Warship of the Northsea Fleet was as slippery as a loach. They couldn't even catch them. If they sent a warship to chase after them, they would immediately turn tail and run. If they chased after them too far, they might not even be able to return. A few Thunderbolt Warships worked together to deal with the ships that had been lured out. But if they ignored them, the Thunderbolt Warships would bombard the Fourth B Squadron whenever they were within firing range. Right now, the entire fleet's morale was growing lower and lower.
It wasn't like the Fourth B Squadron had never fought back before. They were planning to surround the Northsea Fleet again with their advantage in numbers. But this time, the Northsea Fleet didn't fall for it. They learned from their mistakes and immediately turned tail and ran the moment they discovered that the Fourth B Squadron had split into three directions to flank them. Then, they drew a large circle and bombarded the warships on the right flank. It was only when the warships on the right flank had retreated that the commanders of the Fourth B Squadron realized that the dozen or so warships were never coming back...
Then, it was time for the Northsea Fleet to perform. Sunbarwood split the fourteen Thunderbolt Warships into groups of three or four and launched surprise attacks on the Fourth B Squadron from different directions. They would fire a round of cannons as soon as they entered firing range, continue firing if they didn't chase after them, and run away if they did. They would lure the pursuing warships to the perimeter before launching a joint attack...
At the time, the commanders of the Fourth B Squadron thought that the fleet would soon collapse and be completely annihilated if this continued. They began to wonder if they should raise the white flag and surrender. But the darkening sky and the Northsea Fleet finally ran out of ammunition gave the Fourth B Squadron an unexpected chance of survival. When the night passed, the Fourth B Squadron returned to Hidden Gold Bay the next day in a terrible state. Only fifty or so of the one hundred and twenty warships that went out valiantly and energetically three days ago had returned. More than half of the warships' hulls still bore the marks of damage caused by the cannons' bombardment and temporary repairs.
The only thing worth praising was that the Fourth B Squadron had rescued more than thirty merchant ships held hostage by the Northsea Fleet and escorted them back to Hidden Gold Bay. These thirty or so merchant ships filled with military supplies had finally solved the problem of insufficient military supplies for the hard-pressed executives of the Chamber of Commerce. Now that the sea passage had been cut off by the Norton Family's Northsea Fleet, and the news that nearly fifty merchant ships and cargo ships filled with military supplies and provisions had been held hostage and were being driven to Shirovas Island had already reached the Chikder Merchant Association by land. They would no longer be foolish enough to send merchant ships and cargo ships to deliver supplies into the wolf's mouth.
The executives of the Trade Alliance helplessly realized that they had to defeat the Norton Family's Northsea Fleet if they wanted to rely on sea transportation to obtain supplies and reinforcements. They were prepared to order the Second B Squadron and the Chikder Merchant Association's armed fleet to march north in large numbers after the rainy season. On one hand, they would escort supplies and reinforcements to Morent City, and on the other, they would fight the Norton Family's Northsea Fleet at sea. If possible, they would also want to occupy Shirovas Island and completely eliminate the threat the Norton Family's Northsea Fleet posed to sea transportation.
But very soon, the Fourth B Squadron's summary report of the naval battle reached the executives of the Trade Alliance. In this report, every commander of the Fourth B Squadron who had participated in this naval battle signed their names to ensure the accuracy of this report. The executives of the Chamber of Commerce were shocked by the battle they described in the report. They almost couldn't believe that the Invincible Fleet could not fight back at all in front of the Norton Family's Northsea Fleet.
An experienced captain stated a fact in his report: most of the Invincible Fleet's warships were far inferior to the Norton Family's Northsea Fleet in terms of long-range attacks. At a distance of more than three hundred meters, the iron bullets fired by the Northsea Fleet's cannons could easily shatter or break through the thick wooden hull of a warship that was ten centimeters thick. At a distance of more than a hundred meters, they could break a mast that was as thick as an arm. On the other hand, be it the Twisting Stone Cannons or the latest catapults, even if they hit the opponent's warship within a range of a hundred meters, they would only leave a small mark on the ship's hull. They could not cause any threatening damage at all.
Not only that, even in terms of warship design and defense, the Invincible Fleet's large and medium-sized armed warships could not compare to any of the Norton Family's main warships. The warships that could fire cannons were extremely nimble when it came to maneuvering. They were much faster than the Invincible Fleet's warships, and their seaworthiness was even better than the Invincible Fleet's warships.
Perhaps the Invincible Fleet had an advantage over the Norton Family's Northsea Fleet in terms of numbers, but the Invincible Fleet could only rely on their small rapid-impact warships to compete with the Norton Family's fleet in the southern seas. But once they encountered strong winds and waves, these small rapid-impact warships would be useless. That was why the commander of the Fourth B Squadron hoped that the Trade Alliance's higher-ups could allocate a large amount of funds to research cannons and rebuild new warships that could compete with the Norton Family's fleet.
The Trade Alliance's higher-ups smiled bitterly as they read the report. They had long since learned that the Norton Family had invented a very powerful cannon that was not much inferior to the legendary Dwarf Kingdom's national treasure, the Dwarven Cannon. Last year, the great swordmasters they had sent to the Northern Lands to assassinate the heavily injured Laurist had been attacked by the cannons when they searched for the cannon training base. Four of them died and three were injured. Although the remaining great swordmasters had massacred the soldiers of the base, the power of the cannon had still reached the Trade Alliance's higher-ups' ears.
Unfortunately, the great swordmasters had obtained a lot of new and powerful weapon blueprints from the Norton Family, but none of them had any information related to cannons. Moreover, they had no idea where the Norton Family had gotten their hands on gunpowder. However, looking at the many hills and mountains on the map of the Northern Lands, the Trade Alliance's higher-ups believed that the Norton Family had probably excavated a saltpeter mine to produce the gunpowder needed for the cannons.
The Trade Alliance had placed their hopes on the Dwarf Kingdom in the Titanic Mountain Range when it came to researching cannons. However, the negotiations with the Dwarves had not gone smoothly, and it would take some time and effort. However, the large amount of research funds needed to build a new warship had left the Trade Alliance's higher-ups at their wits' end.
Although the Trade Alliance was known for its wealth and power, it did not mean that it possessed endless wealth. Ever since the Glass War, the Trade Alliance had been viewed with hostility by the surrounding countries. Their commercial activities were suppressed, and in the end, the Trade Alliance had no choice but to adopt a policy of expansion to protect their commercial interests and sphere of influence. After spending so much time and effort, they finally defeated and disintegrated the hostile Southern Kingdom Alliance, making the Trade Alliance the largest country on the Galinthea Continent in one fell swoop. However, they were now at war with the Andinac Kingdom, and the intensity of this war was even greater than the wars the Trade Alliance had participated in before.
The Trade Alliance could no longer bear it. Now they had to grit their teeth and fight to the death with the Andinac Kingdom, and see who would collapse first. The newly expanded territory had not been properly sorted out and managed, and now they had to fight the Andinac Kingdom to the death to see who would collapse first. To put it bluntly, the Trade Alliance had already invested all of its resources into this war. At such a critical moment, where could they find large amounts of funds to carry out research on some new warship …
The post-war summary report submitted by the 4th B Squadron made the higher-ups of the Trade Alliance come to a consensus. That was to destroy the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet at all costs and capture Syrovas Island. Since the development of the Norton Family's fleet had far surpassed that of the Invincible Fleet, and the Invincible Fleet could not catch up or surpass them in a short period of time, then they would take advantage of the small size of the North Sea Fleet to use the Invincible Fleet's advantage in numbers to eliminate this enemy. No matter how many sacrifices they had to make, they had to pull the Norton Family's naval forces to the same level as the Invincible Fleet, and then they could compete and develop together.
As long as they captured Syrovas Island, the Norton Family would not have to worry no matter how much effort they put into developing their naval forces. If the Norton Family lost Syrovas Island, it meant that they would lose the initiative in the naval battlefield and their base of anchor. They would no longer be able to pose a threat to the trade route south of Hidden Gold Bay. The higher-ups of the Trade Alliance were very confident that with the golden coastline of the Sunshine Sea in the central south of the continent, the Invincible Fleet would only develop faster and faster. On the other hand, how could the Norton Family compete with the Trade Alliance's Invincible Fleet again by relying on a remote and desolate northern land?
The higher-ups of the Trade Alliance once again expanded the size of the northern fleet. This time, they were prepared to let the Invincible Fleet stationed in the Chigda Kingdom's first B Squadron go north with them. They would first meet up with the second B Squadron, then work with the armed fleet of the Chikde Merchant Association to escort provisions and military supplies, as well as reinforcements to Hidden Gold Bay. Then, they would gather all the fleets and head straight for Syrovas Island. So what if the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet was very powerful? How could a dozen or so warships equipped with cannons fight against seven or eight hundred warships? Even if they were to be used as targets, they would not be able to hit that many warships …
Just as the higher-ups of the Trade Alliance were thinking about how to attack Syrovas Island and remove the threat that the Norton Family's fleet posed to the sea … Senbarwood also led the fourteen Thunderbolt warships back to Syrovas Island. In the eyes of Senbarwood, this attack was a failure. Not only had four large armed warships been destroyed, even two Thunderbolt warships had been sunk under his orders. To Senbarwood and the members of the North Sea Fleet, this was an intolerable humiliation!
But later on, the North Sea Fleet adopted the correct sea wolf strategy to surround the enemy. Seeing that the fourth B Squadron's warships were getting fewer and fewer, and that they would be able to completely annihilate them with a little more effort, the North Sea Fleet had run out of ammunition. Senbarwood could only resentfully lead the fourteen Thunderbolt warships back to Syrovas Island. Senbarwood was very unhappy with the failure at the last moment. Now, he only hoped that the warships that had gone to Oxhorn Bay to be modified and equipped with cannons could return as soon as possible.
But the rainy season was coming soon, and Senbarwood did not have the time to set sail again to the south of Hidden Gold Bay to find trouble with the Invincible Fleet. This time, the Thunderbolt warships that returned from the battle would more or less need to be refurbished in the training dock. Senbarwood could only keep his thoughts of revenge to himself and look forward to settling the score with the Invincible Fleet after the rainy season.
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