93: Chapter 3 The Fleet Sets Sail

Ten days later, Jiangning Naval Port.

A light mist drifted over the sea in the early morning, and a few seagulls occasionally swept across the grey sky, letting out clear, bright cries. At the pier, six Dreadnoughts, four Pre-dreadnoughts, twelve Cruisers, sixteen Destroyers, and twenty Torpedo boats were lined up in perfect order, their masts covered in signal flags that fluttered sharply in the sea breeze. The massive hulls gleamed with a cold, metallic luster in the morning light, and the turrets stood tall, pointing toward the distance.

More than ten thousand naval officers and soldiers, dressed in brand-new navy blue uniforms, stood in formation on the pier; viewed from above, they looked like a deep blue ocean. They stood straight with piercing gazes, their entire beings exuding the murderous aura that only battle-hardened elites possess.

Li Ling stood on the bridge of the flagship "dragon soar", overlooking this massive fleet, a surge of pride rising in his heart.

It had been five years. It had taken him five years to go from a greenhorn with only three dilapidated little ships to the naval commander who now possessed the world's most powerful fleet. In these five years, he had fought countless naval battles, experiencing the joy of victory and the pain of defeat. Many of his brothers had sacrificed their lives, but he had never regretted it.

Because not a single drop of blood had been shed in vain.

"Sir, all ships are ready and can depart at any time." The adjutant ran onto the bridge, stood at attention, and saluted.

"Depart." Li Ling commanded briefly.

The ship's whistle blew long and loud, and the fleet slowly pulled away from the pier.

The six Dreadnoughts formed into two columns, cleaving through the waves as they headed out to sea. The massive hulls churned up white spray, leaving long white tails in their wake. The four Pre-dreadnoughts followed closely behind, the Cruisers and Destroyers escorted on the flanks, the Torpedo boats kept watch on the perimeter of the fleet, and the Submarines glided quietly underwater.

Li Ling stood on the bridge, the sea breeze blowing against his face with a salty, fishy scent. He raised his binoculars and looked into the distance. The sea and sky merged into one, vast and boundless, as if the entire world were beneath his feet.

"Sir, the first wave of landing troops has already departed and is expected to arrive in Jinhai in two days." The Chief of Staff walked over and handed him the latest sailing plan.

"Two days?" Li Ling lowered his binoculars. "Too slow. Have the fleet accelerate to eighteen knots; aim to arrive within a day and a half."

"Yes!"

After the order was given, the fleet's speed increased from twelve knots to eighteen knots; the boilers burned at full capacity, and thick black smoke poured from the funnels. The massive hulls sailed at high speed across the sea, churning up even higher waves, while the ships' bodies trembled slightly, emitting a low roar.

Li Ling walked down from the bridge to patrol the deck.

On the deck, the sailors were busy. Some were wiping the gun barrels, some were checking ammunition, and others were cleaning the deck. Seeing Li Ling approaching, they stood at attention and saluted one after another.

"Thank you for your hard work, brothers." Li Ling greeted them with a smile. "This voyage isn't for fighting a war; it's to save people. The capital is surrounded by rebels, and the royal family is trapped inside, waiting for us to rescue them."

"Sir, when have we ever lost a battle?" an old soldier said with a grin. "Rescuing the royal family will be a piece of cake, won't it?"

"Don't brag." Li Ling patted his shoulder. "In war, there are no certainties. You must treat every battle as a fight for survival; you cannot underestimate the enemy."

"Yes!" The old soldier stood at attention and saluted.

Li Ling continued walking forward. When he reached the aft deck, he saw a group of sailors gathered around a large barrel, wondering what they were doing. He walked over to take a look and realized they were boiling dumplings.

"Good heavens, you brought dumplings on a voyage?" Li Ling laughed.

"Sir, today is the first day of the lunar month; eating dumplings is for good luck." A sailor scratched his head and smiled honestly. "We will surely achieve victory in our first battle on this voyage!"

"Fine, then I'll have one too." Li Ling picked up a pair of chopsticks, picked up a dumpling, and popped it into his mouth. It was pork and cabbage filling; the taste was not bad, though the skin was a bit thick.

"Delicious!" He gave a thumbs up.

The sailors burst into laughter, and the atmosphere on the deck lightened up considerably.

After eating the dumpling, Li Ling returned to the bridge to continue commanding the fleet's voyage.

The mist on the sea gradually dissipated, and sunlight streamed through the clouds, casting dappled light and shadows on the sparkling sea. In the distance, several fishing boats were returning home, and the faint, melodic, and ancient sounds of the fishermen's chants could be heard.

"Sir, unidentified warships spotted off the starboard side, about twenty nautical miles away, speed twelve knots, formation is orderly; they should be warships." The lookout suddenly reported.

Li Ling frowned and raised his binoculars to look at the starboard side. On the horizon, several grey ship silhouettes were gradually growing larger. Judging by their outlines, they should be Cruiser-class vessels, numbering about six.

"What about the Radar? Did the Radar detect them?" he asked.

"The Radar detected them too and is currently analyzing the target attributes." The Radar operator reported. "The target formation is strict, heading due west, intersecting with our course. Judging by the speed and formation, they should be… warships from Japan!"

Li Ling's expression darkened.

Japan. After the destruction of the United Fleet, this country had been well-behaved for less than half a year before starting to stir again. They dared not confront his fleet head-on, so they resorted to underhanded tactics—supplying weapons to the rebels, sending spies to gather intelligence, and even sending warships to patrol the coast of Qingxia in an attempt to constrain his movements.

"Sir, shall we engage?" The Chief of Staff asked.

Li Ling stared at the approaching ship silhouettes, his mind racing. Six Cruisers, their firepower was not weak, but compared to his Dreadnoughts, they were on a completely different level. If he wanted to fight, a single broadside could send them to the bottom of the sea. But the problem was, what then? Japan would use this to provoke an incident, and perhaps they would unite with the great powers to intervene.

"Do not engage." He shook his head. "But we cannot let them be too arrogant. Pass the order: the fleet is to turn and head toward them. Let them see our strength and retreat in the face of difficulty."

"Yes!"

The fleet adjusted its course and sailed toward the Japan fleet. The massive hulls of the six Dreadnoughts fanned out on the sea, their turrets slowly rotating to point at the six Cruisers.

The Japan fleet had obviously discovered them too. The six Cruisers immediately turned, attempting to increase the distance, but their speed was only twelve knots, while the Dreadnoughts' speed was eighteen knots; the gap was too large. In less than half an hour, the distance between the two sides had shortened to ten nautical miles.

Li Ling stood on the bridge, watching the six Cruisers through his binoculars. The Japan sailors on board were pale; some were running around on the deck, some were operating the turrets, but most were looking at the six steel behemoths in the distance with expressions of terror.

"Send a signal." Li Ling said. "Tell them this is Qingxia territorial waters and request them to leave immediately, otherwise they will bear the consequences."

The signalman sent the signal using lights. The Japan fleet was silent for a moment, then turned and retreated in disgrace.

"Sir, they ran away." The Chief of Staff laughed.

"Running away is fine." Li Ling lowered his binoculars. "No need to pursue; our mission is to save the capital, not to fight Japan. We will settle this score later."

The fleet continued north, and the sea returned to calm.

But Li Ling knew that this was just the calm before the storm. Japan would not give up, and the great powers would not abandon their interference. The true test was still to come.