Holy Roman Empire

Chapter 1124: Chapter 138: Everyone Flees When Disaster Strikes

Azure skies hung with satin-like clouds, and the endless seas rolled tumultuously; in the distance, sky and sea merged seamlessly.

Through a high-powered telescope, one could vaguely make out a few specks on the horizon, bobbing with the swell of the ocean waves as if they could disappear at any moment.

The reconnaissance aircraft had already sent back intelligence, and Arest found the enemy’s appearance unsurprising. The fleet’s battle formation was set, now just waiting for the enemy to approach.

“Order the fleet to prepare for battle, notify the Air Force they can take off now!”

…

The enemy was closer, even closer. The sound of cannon fire thundered, and the fighter jets from the carrier behind rose one after another, forming a line overhead of the British-Japanese Allied Forces, starting an unusual welcome ceremony.

...

Bombs dropped from the sky like explosive dumplings, catching the British-Japanese Allied fleet completely off guard. The stunned Admiral Mitchell hastily ordered, “Air defense, organize air defense quickly!”

Alas, it was all in vain. The Royal Navy had undergone various naval battles but had never experienced being bombed by aircraft.

The so-called air defense firepower was actually aimed more at airships. Because of their sizable bulk, they could drop massive bombs weighing several tons, capable of damaging a warship with sheer impact.

As for the threat from aircraft, unfortunately, the Royal Navy estimated based on their own air force. Under the premise of ensuring flight range, they could only carry a few hundred kilograms of ammunition at most.

Overall, it was reliable. Even Shinra’s most advanced bombers, under the same premise, could carry a maximum load over two tons.

However, due to high costs, this advanced fighter had not been widely deployed. The mainstream bombers in the Air Force also had a load capacity of about a ton.

But those were Army fighters, not Navy ones. The bombers onboard carriers required much less flight endurance.

With just an hour or two of flight time, they met the basic needs, without considering the flying range at the moment.

With lower range requirements, the fuel load was naturally less, and accordingly, the payload was proportionately larger.

Due to the low fuel utilization rate, this number wasn’t small. Essentially, a carrier-based fighter jet of the same power, had a payload that was about twenty percent higher.

This number might seem inconsequential, but during war, such differences could be lethal.

Standard bombers carrying a ton of bombs had to exert great effort, whereas carrier-based jets did it easily.

Due to accuracy concerns, these large-bomb carrying fighters generally targeted big objects.

As the flagship and latest Dreadnought, Admiral Mitchell’s Elizabeth became the brightest target in the area.

In just five minutes, it was targeted by three enormous bombs. Though none hit directly, the explosion in the water was still significant.

Luck always runs out; although the Elizabeth evaded the large bombs, it got hit by two smaller ones.

“Small” is relative; even the smallest bomb aimed at warships weighed dozens of kilograms—nobody was dropping hand grenades to tickle.

The warship withstood the test, losing only one main gun and incidentally about a dozen soldiers, with many more wounded.

Even Commander Mitchell nearly got concussed. The much-anticipated anti-aircraft machine guns looked like clowns—despite their frantic performance, they earned no applause.

Nevertheless, the Royal Navy finally organized its air defense. Though without any achievements yet, at least the enemy aircraft didn’t dare to drop bombs from just a few meters high.

In comparison, the Japanese Navy was a tragic case. Air defense? What was that?

The Japanese Navy, learning from the Royal Navy but constrained by limited funds, inevitably cut corners on non-essentials.

Long aligned with the Far Eastern Empire, the Japanese Navy had never needed to consider “air defense.”

Even during the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, Russians didn’t bring a fleet for a decisive battle, and Russian aircraft couldn’t reach over the Japanese Navy, so the concept of “air defense” was entirely absent among them.

When the bombing started, General Ito Yohiro cursed Admiral Mitchell’s entire family. This was less a battle than sabotaging one’s allies.

The Japanese Navy was completely unprepared; apart from the officers’ pistols, they had no weapons to fire skywards.

While machine guns and artillery were carried, none could fire straight upwards—getting a jam was considered lucky; otherwise, it might explode.

Furious, General Ito Yohiro roared, “Send the order to prepare for retreat.

Also, send a message to that Mitchell, if they can’t handle the enemy’s bombing, we’ll retreat first!”

It wasn’t that there were no solutions. If willing to sacrifice, a close-quarters combat with the enemy would nullify the aerial threat.

But the problem now was that the Shinra Navy was mobile; they could retreat as easily as they advanced, and the planes could still bombard.

One couldn’t gamble on the enemy running out of ammunition, could they?

The distance to the Malay Peninsula wasn’t far; the enemy’s warplanes could make a round trip in just over an hour.

In theory, the British-Japanese Allied Fleet could have taken advantage of the enemy Air Force’s return to base to launch an attack and engage the Shinra Navy in a decisive battle.

But the enemy was not an easy target, certainly not one that could be eliminated in just an hour or two.

Moreover, who said that the enemy’s planes would only come in one wave? What if the attacks were continuous?

The elderly General Ito Yohiro, well past his impulsive teenage years, certainly had no intention of taking on a lost cause.

As the battle had progressed, several Japanese warships had been damaged, with a cruiser even slowly sinking.

Unlike the vast resources of Britannia and Shinra, the Japanese Empire had scant reserves. Once a warship was lost, it was truly lost.

General Ito Yohiro was well aware of the domestic situation. Even with a victory in the Russo-Japanese War, it would take decades for the finances to recover, with no ability to increase naval investments.

The original plan had been to collaborate with the British to destroy Shinra’s Southeast Asian Fleet and jointly divide the wealthy Southeast Asian islands.

Now, the situation was clear. Not to mention destroying the Southeast Asian Fleet, with the enemy Air Force’s attack strength, they might end up explaining themselves first.

Upon hearing General Ito Yohiro’s orders, a somewhat disheveled Akiyama Masakazu hurriedly said, “Commander, retreating directly in this situation will likely lead the enemy to immediately pursue us.

Unless we disperse while retreating, we might be able to save most of the warships, but this would put our main ships at risk.

To retreat the fleet as intact as possible, unless someone helps distract the enemy’s attention, they will not ignore us.”

Sacrifice allies?

This thought once arising in General Ito Yohiro’s mind, could not be dispelled. If not for the consideration of the British strength, he would have already issued the order.

“It’s difficult. Not to say whether the British would cooperate, even if the plan really works, how would we settle scores after autumn?

Being here today, we have already offended the Holy Roman Empire. If we offend the British as well, the Empire will have no place in this world in the future.”

Regret was inevitable; had he known this was a trap, Ito Yohiro would never have led his fleet here.

Without sending troops into battle, even if supporting the wrong side, there would still have been room for maneuver.

Supporting Britannia included many countries, and the Holy Roman Empire couldn’t possibly obliterate them all. At worst, sacrificing some interests would always allow one to get by.

Now it was different; the sides had clashed, blood had mingled, and finding a smooth resolution had become difficult.

Akiyama Masakazu said, “Commander, there’s no need to be so pessimistic. Since we can be pawns for the British, we can also be pawns for the Holy Roman Empire.

At least until the Russian Empire is weakened, the Empire still holds value. As long as there is value, there are opportunities for manoeuvring.

For the Vienna Government, using us to drastically weaken the Russians, eliminating this last threat, is better than them having to strike at their ally.”

…

Onboard the Elizabeth, Admiral Mitchell had lost his usual poise, appearing much wan.

As time passed, the British-Japanese Allied Fleet suffered increasing losses; in just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, over a dozen ships had been badly damaged.

At this moment, the Allied Fleet faced not only the enemy’s carrier group but also the Air Force that had arrived upon hearing the news.

No matter what kind of aircraft, as long as it could drop bombs, they were all now present on the battlefield.

Although the Air Force’s bombs were mostly small, just a few kilograms, even if they hit, they only caused minor annoyance to the warships. But it was hard to sustain due to their sheer number!

The warships weren’t afraid of these small bombs but that didn’t mean the sailors and marines felt the same. No matter the size of the bomb, it was lethal.

Some planes simply used machine guns to spray bullets randomly below, forcing those manning the anti-aircraft guns to keep their heads down.

“General, urgent message from the Japanese Fleet. Commander Ito Yohiro proposes we charge at the highest speed and engage the enemy in close combat.”

As if enlightened, Admiral Mitchell immediately decided, “Send a message back to Ito Yohiro, tell him I agree with the plan. In five minutes, charge toward the enemy.

Pass the order, stop all gunfire in five minutes, and the whole fleet will turn around and return to Cam Ranh Bay at maximum speed.”

A desperate decision!

This was not only about sacrificing allies, but Mitchell couldn’t even care about his own men now.

The speeds of the ships varied; if they ran at full speed, the slower ones would definitely not escape.

But at this stage, facing an enemy that “could only be hit and not hit back,” if they didn’t run, the entire fleet would be annihilated.