The Indian Ocean near Java was prone to frequent storms, and a huge wave could be set off at any time.
On the 16th of November, due to a well-planned naval battle, the Java Kingdom's Badong Fleet had set up an ambush and surrounded the Great Xia Royal Fleet.
More than two hundred fortress warships, more than five hundred Taowu warships, and thousands of Scarlet Horse Boats appeared on the surface of the sea. It was a daunting sight.
On the Badong Fleet.
The Java Kingdom's leader, Uis, stood on the deck with a carefree expression. He smiled and said, "The Great Xia Royal Fleet isn't as scary as the rumors say. They were easily surrounded by us. Let's see how they can escape now."
The commander beside him chimed in, "Sir is wise and mighty. The Great Xia Royal Fleet is just a bunch of weaklings." Those who didn't know better would think that the Badong Fleet had already won a great battle.
"Haha!"
Uis was extremely pleased. He wanted to use this battle to pressure Shan Da and the rest of the moderates.
…
Admiral Gan Ning wasn't afraid at all when he saw that he was surrounded by the Badong Fleet. He calmly adjusted the formation of the fleet. The forty Z1 warships gradually spread out and formed a line, forming the standard formation of a sailing battleship.
The cannons extended out of the cannons one by one, revealing their ferocious fangs.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The cannons fired in unison. Although the scene was shocking, the following battle wasn't very exciting.
The two fleets engaged in a dull and repetitive barrage of cannon fire. It was like two boxers sparring with their fists. There were no fancy moves. You punched, and I punched. Every punch landed on flesh until one side completely collapsed.
At this time, the power of the Z1 warships was displayed. The ninety new cannons spat out tongues of flame like fire dragons, engulfing the enemy ships one by one.
The Great Xia Royal Fleet suppressed the Badong Fleet in terms of both the power and density of the cannons.
In less than an hour, although the Java Kingdom's Badong Fleet had the absolute advantage in terms of the number of warships, they gradually fell into a passive position and were suppressed by the Great Xia Royal Fleet.
This was considered a spectacle.
At this moment, the originally calm sea suddenly surged with huge waves. The blue sky was covered with dark clouds. In the blink of an eye, lightning flashed and thunder roared. A storm was about to descend.
The entire sea seemed to be boiling, rolling up and down. Countless battleships drifted helplessly under the huge waves, unable to control their own fate.
A huge wave came crashing down, and some of the Scarlet Horse Boats capsized in an instant. Even some of the Suanni Battleships were overturned. Only the gigantic battleships and the Z1 Battleships were able to survive.
"Damn it, why am I so unlucky?"
Uis cursed as he gripped the railing tightly.
Under the onslaught of such a huge wave, the Badong fleet could forget about aiming at the enemy ships. It would already be good if they could even successfully fire their cannons. The accuracy of their attacks plummeted like a roller coaster, and they were basically unable to pose any threat to the Great Xia Royal Fleet.
It could even be said that a huge wave suddenly came over and the warship shifted to the side. The cannonballs that were originally aimed at the enemy warship suddenly changed direction and hit their own warship without warning. The scene was as embarrassing as it could be.
The entire Badong fleet was in a state of panic.
At this moment, the long-brewing storm finally poured down, affecting the Badong fleet's command. The entire fleet was almost paralyzed.
The Royal Fleet, however, presented a different spectacle.
With Mazu's protection, the Great Xia fleet's ability to resist the storm was far superior to that of other fleets. Although the storm was fierce, it couldn't compare to the one they'd encountered during their first voyage.
The Royal Fleet remained as steady as a mountain amidst the rolling waves.
The Royal Fleet's command system was also more advanced than Java's. Apart from flags, they also had war drums. Even in the midst of the storm, the entire fleet operated in an orderly manner, not panicking or disorderly.
Gan Ning naturally wouldn't miss such a golden opportunity. He commanded the fleet to launch an even fiercer attack on the enemy ships.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Even though the sea was already filled with lightning and thunder, it still couldn't drown out the loud rumbles of cannonballs. The deafening sound was accompanied by thunder and bolts of lightning. It was as if the end of the world had arrived.
This time, the Badong fleet was in trouble. They were like live targets, unable to fight back. In just half an hour, more than ten fortress warships had been sunk. Wuis's heart ached.
Back then, Wuis had almost emptied his fortune in order to build the Badong fleet. In order to keep it a secret, the Badong fleet had always kept a low profile, apart from fighting pirates in the Indian Ocean. Even the ASEAN lords didn't know much about them.
Unexpectedly, the first "performance" of this frozen fleet was about to be ruined.
Wuis's face was as pale as the lightning. Gnashing his teeth, he said, "Retreat!"
If they continued like this, they would be gambling with their fortune. The Great Xia Dynasty was a large empire. Even if the Royal Fleet was crippled, it wouldn't matter. Wuis, however, didn't dare take such a huge gamble.
This was the difference in strength.
Even though the order to retreat was given, the Badong fleet stuttered when it received it. Fortunately, the fleet's soldiers were already afraid of battle. Seeing that the warships were retreating, they didn't bother to confirm the order and quickly retreated.
The sea, which had been extremely crowded, instantly became "clear".
A sudden super naval battle ended anticlimactic because of a sudden rainstorm.
… …
Seeing the Badong fleet flee, Gan Ning finally gave up and stopped his pursuit. The bad weather would affect the Royal Fleet as well. If he wasn't careful, he'd be the one to blame.
The Royal Fleet hadn't won this battle easily due to their numerical disadvantage. They'd lost eight Z1 warships, more than twenty warships, and over a hundred Scarlet Horse Boats.
The price had been high, but the results had been generous.
In this battle, they had sunk a total of thirty-five warships of the Badong Fleet, almost destroying an entire formation of the Badong Fleet's forces. They had given the Badong Fleet a ruthless slap in the face, smashing away Uis' arrogance.
After this battle, the Kingdom of Java would probably be depressed for a while. This was extremely beneficial to the Great Xia Dynasty's plans in ASEAN.
… …
Ouyang Shuo stood on the deck. The downpour didn't shake him in the slightest. His back was ramrod straight as he silently watched the Badong fleet disappear into the distance. Gazing at the bobbing heads on the surface of the sea, he said, "Do your best to rescue the soldiers who've fallen overboard."
"Yes, sir!" The messenger turned and left.
Both the Badong fleet and the Royal Fleet had lost a great number of soldiers in the storm. If they weren't rescued in time, their chances of survival were very low.
Who knew where they'd be swept by a single wave?
No matter what his considerations were, Ouyang Shuo couldn't abandon his sons and disregard them.
By the time the storm passed, the Royal Fleet had only managed to save less than half of their men. The rest had been washed away. Their chances of survival were slim.
After cleaning up the battlefield, the Royal Fleet set off again.
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