123: Chapter 33 Pyrrhic Victory

Three days after the battle ended, Li Ling finally had time to tally the losses.

"Sir, this is the detailed battle damage report." Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan handed over a thick document, his voice low.

Li Ling took the document and flipped through it page by page. With every page he turned, his expression grew darker.

"dragon might" Dreadnought, heavily damaged. The port side was hit by enemy main guns, the armor was pierced, three boiler rooms were flooded, and the hull was listing more than fifteen degrees. It needs to return to the dry dock for major repairs and will be unable to participate in combat for at least three months. The repair costs are estimated to exceed five hundred thousand taels of silver.

"longxiang dreadnought" Dreadnought, lightly damaged. The main turret was damaged, two secondary guns were lost, the bridge was hit by shrapnel, and three officers were killed in action. It requires one month of repairs.

"dinghai pre-dreadnought" Pre-dreadnought, sunk. It was hit by an enemy Cruiser's torpedo in the ammunition magazine and sank within five minutes of the explosion. Of the four hundred and twenty-three officers and men on board, only seventy-eight were rescued.

Three Torpedo boats were sunk, and two were heavily damaged.

Officers and men killed in action: four hundred and fifty-six. Wounded: over six hundred.

Li Ling closed the document, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

Four hundred and fifty-six people. Four hundred and fifty-six lives. He thought of those young faces—some were new recruits who had just enlisted, some were veterans who had followed him for years, and some were even still children. Some would joke with him on the training ground, some would hand him a cigarette during lulls in battle, and some would grit their teeth and say it didn't hurt after being wounded. Now, they were all gone.

"Has the list of soldiers killed in action been compiled?"

"It is ready, Sir."

"Double the pension payments. Send people to offer condolences to the families. Every household must be visited, and every household must be comforted properly."

"Yes!"

After Chief of Staff Zhang Wanshan left, Li Ling sat alone in the cabin, looking at the sea outside the window.

The sea surface was sparkling, a few seagulls were flying in the sky, and everything seemed so peaceful. But beneath this peace were over four hundred souls who would never return home. He thought of the families of the fallen soldiers, thought of their expressions when they received the tragic news, and thought of the mothers and wives wailing by the docks.

"System." He said softly.

"Hmm?"

"Tell me, was I too ruthless? To win this battle, so many people died."

"Host, you are not killing people; you are protecting them." The System's voice was calm and firm. "If you had not fought this battle, more people would have died. If the coalition forces had succeeded, the coastal civilians would have been massacred, and your family, friends, and subordinates would all have become ghosts under their blades."

"I know." Li Ling clenched his fists. "But every time I see those lists, I still feel... sorry for them."

"Host, you have already done very well. If it were someone else, the losses would only have been greater."

Li Ling was silent for a long time, then stood up and walked to the window.

"Pass the order: in three days, the fleet will return. Return to port for rest and refitting, and replenish ammunition and fuel."

"Yes!"

Three days later, the fleet slowly sailed back to Jiangning Naval Port.

The dock was already crowded with people waiting to welcome them. The civilians waved flags and shouted "Long live Young Master Li". The Princess, Empress Su Wanqing, and Emily were all waiting on the dock. The eyes of all three women were red, clearly having not slept well these past few days.

Li Ling walked down the gangway, and the three women immediately crowded around him.

"Husband, you are back!" The Princess's eyes were red, and her voice was trembling.

"Brother Ling!" Empress Su Wanqing threw herself into his arms, tears streaming uncontrollably, soaking his lapels.

"Li Ling, are you okay?" Emily also hugged him, her voice choked with sobs.

Li Ling was hugged so tightly by the three women that he couldn't breathe. "I'm fine, I'm fine, I'm doing great. Just a little tired."

After returning to the mansion, the Princess cooked a sumptuous meal herself. Empress Su Wanqing helped him change his dressing—his left arm had been scratched by shrapnel during the battle, and although it wasn't serious, the wound hadn't fully healed, and faint bloodstains were still seeping through the gauze. Emily, meanwhile, chattered away about what had happened over the past three days, trying to cheer him up.

"Li Ling, do you know? In the days you were gone, Sister Su Wanqing went to the shrine to burn incense for you every day, Her Highness the Princess stared in the direction of the sea every day, and as for me..." Emily paused, "I counted every day when you would be back."

Li Ling looked at them, and a warmth welled up in his heart. "I've made you worry."

"It's good that you know." The Princess walked over with the soup. "You are not allowed to risk your life like that again in the future."

"Alright, alright, I won't." Li Ling smiled and took the soup bowl, taking a sip. "However, this war isn't over yet; the new fleet from Meijian Country is still on the way."

The three women fell silent at the same time.

After a while, Empress Su Wanqing said softly, "Brother Ling, no matter how long it takes, we will wait for you to come back."

Li Ling put down the bowl and held her hand. "Rest assured, I will come back."

That evening, Li Ling held a post-battle summary meeting in his study.

The generals sat around the long table, all with grave expressions. Although they had won, it was not an easy victory.

"In this battle, although we defeated the coalition forces, we also exposed quite a few problems." Li Ling got straight to the point. "First, our number of warships is still too low. Six Dreadnoughts facing fifty enemy ships—although we won, the losses were not insignificant. If it happens again, we might not be able to hold out."

"Second, our anti-aircraft capability is almost zero. Although aircraft have not yet participated in combat in this era, Meijian Country is already developing carrier-based aircraft. If we do not prepare in advance, we will suffer greatly in the future."

"Third, our damage control capability needs to be improved. After 'dragon might' was hit, it took the damage control team a full two hours to control the flooding. In actual combat, those two hours would be enough for the enemy to fire a few more salvos."

The generals nodded one after another, and some took out notebooks to record.

"Therefore, for the next three months, our work will focus on three priorities." Li Ling held up three fingers. "First, accelerate the construction progress of the new Dreadnoughts and strive to add three more within half a year. Second, start developing anti-aircraft weapons, at least by installing anti-aircraft machine guns on the warships. Third, strengthen damage control training; every crew member must master basic plugging and fire-fighting skills."

"Yes!" The generals responded in unison.

After the meeting, Li Ling remained alone in the study, looking at the sea chart on the wall.

"System, tell me, will Meijian Country really send a new fleet?"

"Intelligence indicates, yes. The President of Meijian Country has already ordered a batch of warships to be transferred from the Atlantic Fleet to form a new Pacific Ocean fleet. It is expected to arrive in half a year."

"Half a year..." Li Ling pondered. "That's enough. Half a year is enough time for me to build three more Dreadnoughts."

"Host, the System reminds you that Meijian Country's new fleet may be equipped with more advanced weapons. They have purchased some technology from the German Empire; although it is not as advanced as the Host's technology, the gap is narrowing."

"I know." Li Ling nodded. "So I will not stop my progress. As long as I am still developing, they cannot catch up with me."

He walked to the window and looked at the pitch-black night sky outside.

"The war is not over yet. But I will make it end. In my own way."

Half a month later, in the dry docks of Jiangning Naval Port, three new Dreadnoughts were being built in full swing.

Li Ling would go to the dry dock every day to check the progress. The huge hulls were gradually taking shape amidst the welding sparks, and the workers were working in three shifts, day and night without stopping. The sparks from the electric welding flickered like stars, illuminating the workers' faces. The air was filled with a mixture of steel, paint, and welding fumes, and the sound of mechanical roaring and metal clashing filled his ears.

"Old Zhao, how is the progress?" Li Ling asked the person in charge of the Production Base.

"Sir, the progress of Dry Dock No. 1 is forty percent, Dry Dock No. 2 is thirty-five percent, and Dry Dock No. 3 is thirty percent." Old Zhao reported. "It is expected to be completed in four months."

"Four months..." Li Ling calculated. "That's in time. Meijian Country's new fleet won't arrive for half a year, so we have a four-month buffer period."

"Sir, there is one thing I must remind you of." Old Zhao lowered his voice. "The resource reserves at the Production Base are running low. If we continue to maintain the current construction speed, we can only support it for at most two more months."

Li Ling frowned. "Resources are not enough?"

"Yes. Special steel, copper, aluminum, rubber... all kinds of raw materials are in short supply."

"I see." Li Ling nodded. "I will find a way to handle the resource issue."

He walked out of the dry dock, stood on the dock, and looked at the sea in the distance.

"System, how can I solve the resource problem?"

"The Host can import raw materials from the German Empire, or develop new mineral deposits domestically. Satellite reconnaissance shows that the Northeast region has rich iron ore and coal resources; if they can be mined, it could significantly alleviate the resource pressure."

"The Northeast..." Li Ling pondered. "That place is currently Zhang Zuolin's territory. To mine the resources, I must deal with him first."

"Therefore, the Host should accelerate the progress of the Northern Expedition."

Li Ling was silent for a moment, then smiled. "You are right. It is time to accelerate the progress."

He turned around and strode towards the headquarters.

Behind him, the sea breeze blew, and the waves crashed against the reefs, making a dull sound.

And further out in this sea, a new storm was brewing.

* * [Chapter 33 End] * *