77: Chapter 77 The Combined Fleet's Last Stand

At 4:00 AM, a thick fog rose over the sea, reducing visibility to less than five hundred meters.

Li Ling was awakened by the system's alert: "Host, the Radar has detected a large-scale fleet approaching, approximately eighty nautical miles away, heading southwest, with about forty ships."

Li Ling sat up with a start and rushed to the bridge.

On the Radar screen, dense clusters of light dots were moving in his direction; judging by their speed and formation, it was the remnants of the United Fleet—Fisher's final act of madness.

"Good heavens, he's really going for broke," Li Ling sneered. "Pass the order: all ships are to enter combat status and prepare to engage the enemy!"

The order was quickly transmitted via radio throughout the entire fleet.

Six Dreadnoughts and three Pre-dreadnoughts slowly adjusted their formation, lining up in two columns, with their main guns aimed in the direction of the incoming enemy ships.

Torpedo boats and Submarines were also urgently deployed, setting up a perimeter around the fleet.

The fog on the sea was very thick, as dense as inseparable cotton wool.

Li Ling stood on the bridge of the dragon might; through his binoculars, everything was a vast expanse of white, and he could see nothing.

But he was not anxious, because he had Radar and satellites; every move the enemy made was under his watchful eye.

"Host, the enemy fleet is sixty nautical miles away, approaching us at a speed of fifteen knots," the system updated the enemy situation in real-time. "Judging by the formation, the enemy has at least ten Battleships, fifteen Cruisers, and fifteen Destroyers and Torpedo boats."

"Fisher has emptied his entire war chest," Li Ling frowned. "Is he not afraid of total annihilation?"

"Host, Fisher has no way out. His supply lines have been cut, and his ammunition and fuel are only enough to support one day of combat. If he doesn't force a decisive battle soon, his fleet will collapse from lack of supplies."

"Then let him come," Li Ling sneered. "I'd like to see what he's capable of."

Two hours later, the fog gradually dispersed.

On the horizon, dense silhouettes of ships appeared.

The remnants of the United Fleet were arranged in a tight combat formation, surging toward Li Ling's fleet in a grand display.

The flagship was a large Battleship, with Fisher's command flag hanging from the mast, fluttering in the morning breeze.

Li Ling raised his binoculars and carefully observed the enemy fleet's formation.

Fisher was indeed a renowned general of the British Navy; even in a desperate situation, his formation remained strict and orderly, with the distance between ships perfectly maintained, allowing them to support each other while avoiding gunfire.

"He is a troublesome opponent," Li Ling lowered his binoculars. "However, today is his doomsday."

"Pass the order: all Dreadnoughts are to aim their main guns at the enemy flagship and wait for my command."

"Yes!"

The 305mm main guns of the six Dreadnoughts slowly turned, their muzzles pointing toward the direction of the enemy fleet.

The gunners nervously adjusted their firing parameters, waiting for the order to fire.

The enemy fleet grew closer.

Ten nautical miles, eight nautical miles, six nautical miles...

"Fire!"

At Li Ling's command, the main guns of the six Dreadnoughts roared in unison.

A dozen 305mm shells tore through the sky, trailing orange-red flames as they smashed toward the enemy fleet.

In the first salvo, two shells struck the enemy flagship.

Amidst violent explosions, the bridge of the enemy flagship was blown away, and thick smoke and flames shot into the sky.

"Direct hit!" the gunners cheered.

But there was no joy on Li Ling's face.

Although the enemy flagship had been hit, it had not sunk, and its main guns were still returning fire.

Furthermore, more enemy ships were flanking from both sides, attempting to overwhelm Li Ling's fleet with their numerical advantage.

"Enemy Cruiser formation spotted on the port side, five nautical miles away!"

"Enemy Destroyer formation spotted on the starboard side, approaching at high speed!"

Li Ling calmly observed the battlefield situation, his brain working at high speed.

Fisher's tactics were clear—use the Battleships to pin down the front, and use the Cruisers and Destroyers to flank, attempting to drown Li Ling's fleet with torpedoes and shells.

"In your dreams," Li Ling sneered. "Pass the order: Torpedo boats and Submarines are to launch an attack to intercept the enemy's flanking formations. The Dreadnoughts are to concentrate fire and take out the enemy flagship first!"

After the order was given, eight Torpedo boats and six Submarines quickly deployed, charging toward the enemy Cruisers and Destroyers.

On the sea, the small vessels of both sides engaged in fierce combat; torpedoes carved white tracks through the water, and shells kicked up towering water columns on the sea surface.

A Torpedo boat was struck by shells from an enemy ship; its ammunition magazine exploded, blowing the entire boat into two pieces, and it sank rapidly.

The officers and men on board did not have time to jump into the sea and disappeared from the surface along with the Torpedo boat.

Li Ling gritted his teeth, forcing himself not to look at the sinking Torpedo boat.

"Dreadnoughts, salvo!"

The main guns of the six Dreadnoughts roared again, and a dozen shells smashed into the enemy flagship in a concentrated volley.

In this salvo, three shells hit near the waterline of the enemy ship; the massive holes caused seawater to rush in madly, and the enemy ship began to tilt.

"Well hit!" the Chief of Staff punched the air in excitement.

But the enemy flagship's counterattack was becoming increasingly fierce.

Although its main guns were not as large-caliber as the Dreadnoughts, their rate of fire was faster, and shells fell like raindrops around Li Ling's fleet.

"The dragon might has been hit on the port side! Armor pierced, third boiler room taking on water!"

"The dragon leap's bridge has been hit, communications interrupted!"

"The longxiang dreadnought has been hit on the starboard side, fire started!"

Bad news followed one after another, and Li Ling's expression grew increasingly grim.

He knew this was a desperate struggle.

Fisher had no way to retreat; he wanted to drag Li Ling down to hell with him.

"I cannot let his scheme succeed," Li Ling gritted his teeth. "Pass the order: all Dreadnoughts, concentrate fire, and sink that enemy flagship for me!"

The main guns of the six Dreadnoughts fired a salvo again; this time, six shells struck the enemy flagship.

The violent explosions were deafening; the enemy flagship's ammunition magazine was detonated, the entire warship was blown into two pieces and quickly sank to the bottom of the sea.

Fisher's command flag floated on the sea for a moment before being swallowed by the waves.

After the enemy flagship sank, the morale of the United Fleet completely collapsed.

The remaining ships began to flee in all directions; some attempted to break through, while others directly raised the white flag to surrender.

"Pursue!" Li Ling ordered. "Do not let a single one escape!"

The six Dreadnoughts gave chase, their main guns roaring continuously, sending fleeing enemy ships to the bottom of the sea one by one.

Torpedo boats and Submarines also pursued madly, torpedoes and shells weaving a net of death on the sea surface.

The battle lasted for a full three hours.

When the smoke cleared, the sea was littered with wreckage and oil stains, a scene of chaos.

Of the United Fleet's forty ships, twenty-eight were sunk, nine were heavily damaged, and only three managed to escape.

Including Fisher, over three thousand officers and men of the United Fleet were killed in action, and over two thousand were captured.

Li Ling's fleet also paid a heavy price: one Dreadnought was heavily damaged, two were lightly damaged, one Pre-dreadnought sank, three Torpedo boats were lost, one Submarine was lost, and over five hundred officers and men were killed, with over six hundred wounded.

Li Ling stood on the bridge of the dragon might, looking at the smoke-filled sea, and remained silent for a long time.

"System, we won this battle."

"Yes, Host. The main force of the United Fleet has been completely destroyed, and the navies of Japan, Meijian Country, and the UK have suffered heavy losses and will be unable to commit further aggression in the short term."

"But we lost so many brothers," Li Ling's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Over five hundred people, over five hundred lives."

"Host, this is war. It is a matter of life and death, with no way back."

Li Ling closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He knew the system was right. War is just this cruel; it is either you die, or I die.

All he could do was minimize casualties and end this war as quickly as possible.

"Pass the order," Li Ling opened his eyes, his voice as cold as shards of ice. "Clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded, and compile the list of the fallen. Issue double the pension for all fallen soldiers. Arrange the best treatment for the brothers who are seriously wounded."

"Yes!"

After the order was given, Li Ling turned and walked back to his cabin. He needed some time alone to quiet his mind.

Empress Su Wanqing stood at the door of the cabin, and seeing him walk over, her eyes were filled with worry.

"Brother Ling, are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Li Ling managed a forced smile. "Just a little tired."

Empress Su Wanqing did not speak; she just silently followed him, poured him a cup of hot tea, and then sat quietly beside him.

Li Ling took a sip of tea, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

"Wanqing, tell me, am I too cruel?" he suddenly asked. "Killing so many people, destroying so many families."

Empress Su Wanqing was silent for a moment, then said softly: "Brother Ling, you are not killing people; you are protecting people. You are protecting us, the people on this land. If we do not fight, more people will die."

Li Ling opened his eyes and looked at her: "Do you really think so?"

"I really do," Empress Su Wanqing said earnestly. "Brother Ling, you are the kindest person I have ever met. You kill the enemy to protect more people. This is not cruelty; this is responsibility."

Li Ling was silent for a long time, then reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"Wanqing, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?" Empress Su Wanqing leaned against his chest. "I am speaking the truth."

Outside the window, the sun was setting, and the clouds on the horizon were dyed blood-red.

A new day was about to begin.