The Rise of the Empire

Chapter 223: Collapse

After a round of melee just now, the formations of both sides were a little scattered. The Japanese wisely temporarily distanced themselves to readjust the order of engagement, and waited for the return of the two protected cruisers. After some adjustments, the order of battle proposed by the Japanese changed to Fuji and Yashima against Iowa at the same time, Asama against Bayan, Yakumo against Parada, Nisshin against New York, and out. Cloud cooperated with the other two protected cruisers to deal with the remaining 5 American protected cruisers.

The current situation can be understood even if you think about it with your knees! If the US fleet continues to fight, it will end up being crushed! The only question worth considering was, at what point would the line break down, from the New York, or from the protected cruisers behind? The British watching the game have even set up bets! 40% of the people think that New York is over, 30% think it is Olympia, and another 30% think it is the USS Iowa, the flagship of the Americans!

And at this time, Dewey, as the commander of the fleet, suddenly issued an order that was difficult for outsiders to understand! "Send the order, disband the fleet, everyone run for their lives!" Just after Dewey finished speaking, a liquid with a fishy smell rushed up, sweetened his throat, and Dewey's eyes darkened and he almost fainted. He knew very well that after he issued this order, he and the Iowa would be in a situation of doom. Any other warship might run away, but only himself and the flagship had no chance! The speed is too slow. And he is the commander of the fleet, the Japanese really want to capture him, right? He has only one choice, sinking with the ship. And whether he fell to the Japanese or not, he would always be a disgrace to the U.S. Navy because of the loss of this crucial battle, or so he thought at the time.

"Live on and avenge all the warriors who died in battle!" After the Iowa sent out the last semaphore, the American warship suddenly turned its rudder and rushed towards the two Japanese second-class battleships in the distance, and then , When this order was sent to other warships, the battle line of the US-Russian fleet began to disintegrate. I have to say that the Russians were very interesting. Instead of running away immediately after receiving the order, they chose to convey the order and then evacuate.

After receiving this order, most of the U.S. military officers and soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief. The more than an hour-long battle has brought their physical strength and spirit close to the limit. Speaking of fear, the behavior of the Japanese army has been clearly demonstrated in the Sino-Japanese War, not to mention the blood of thousands of people on the hands of this fleet. Americans don't think that savage Japanese monkeys will follow any international conventions. So they cannot be captured, and it is better to die in battle than to be captured.

And when this order was issued, except for the battleship Iowa, which used its own life to buy time for the fleet, the battleships below Bayan began to evacuate everywhere. Escaping is also a science. There is no chance for everyone to get together and run away. Yes, it must be scattered. Although the self-protection ability is poor after dispersing, they will definitely not be able to beat others together! There are two keys to running, one is to run fast enough, and the other is to run faster than your teammates...

"Damn it! Did you just run away?" Seeing the US and Russian fleets leaving in all directions, the Japanese were taken aback for a moment, then figured it out. Seeing that this was originally a proper rhythm of group annihilation, now it has directly changed from an annihilation battle to a defeat battle. Except for Iowa, the remaining battleships of the US-Russian fleet are all cruisers, and they are not slow at all. Unlike Dingzhen in the Yellow Sea battle, they couldn't even run, they could only die. What the hell!

The two Russian cruisers took the lead to turn around, how about the brothers in battle, if you want to run, everyone should run together! But Dongxiang Heihachiro, who found that the situation was wrong, immediately took Asama and Yakumo to catch up.

The remaining 4 Japanese warships suddenly found themselves chasing six targets! Immediately some dazzled.

"Follow the big one first?" Shimamura Hayao looked at the New York that had started to run away and the Olympia behind. It stands to reason that these two warships are the strongest, and the opponent will definitely not be able to beat him, so it is naturally better to chase them, but in fact this is not the case.

Even if there is a big difference in firepower between the two sides, the output during the pursuit battle is definitely not comparable to that on the battle line. It is a long process, and without enough firepower and time, the opponent cannot be killed.

Some people may say that the two battleships should go together, then the problem is even bigger, Nisshin and Yakumo left together, what should we do with the remaining two second-class protected cruisers? Going 2 vs 4? These two second-class protected cruisers don't talk about catching opponents, even self-protection is a problem! No way, the number of ships on my side is less than that of the other side!

Judging from the current situation, it is impossible to completely annihilate the opponent. In line with the principle of catching the big and letting go of the small, the Nisshin took the Takasago to chase the New York and the Olympia, while the Izumo took another protected cruiser to catch the other 4 protected cruisers.

When the fleets of both sides were disbanded and went to pursue their respective targets, the battleship Iowa also ushered in its last moment. Iowa is indeed very strong! Although it is only the first American battleship on the far coast, its fierce firepower and heavy armor allow him to fight back against the opposing Fuji. However, at this time, facing two Japanese second-class battleships and a group of piranhas Ordinary torpedo boats, even if the Iowa has great abilities, it can't make any waves. The 6-inch and 4-inch secondary guns have been destroyed long ago, and most of the 8-inch second-class main guns have also been destroyed.

Under the cover of the firepower of Fuji and Yashima, 8 Japanese torpedo boats launched a final attack on the most powerful warship in the United States. The remaining 6-pound guns slanted bullets raining wildly, trying to kill these deadly assassins with sharp blades. Drive away from the side, and the remaining 2 12-inch heavy guns are constantly spewing shells at the Japanese fleet in the distance. But soon, the Japanese proved with practical actions that all this was futile.

When the Americans cheered for the fact that they had just destroyed 2 torpedo boats, the other 3 torpedo boats entered the attack position and fired 5 rounds of 18-inch torpedoes from a distance of 1,000 meters to 700 meters! Two minutes later, two violent explosions were heard from the middle and stern of Iowa's hull at the same time! Countless fragments were thrown into the air by the water column and air waves generated by the explosion, and this was just the beginning. The torpedo that hit the rear of the hull even penetrated the underwater defense system of the main turret at the rear, and fire snakes rushed into the ammunition at the rear library, and ignited the remaining propellant charges and ammunition!

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