Stefanski really wanted to turn around and leave, not because he was a coward, but because as an admiral, he knew very well how unfavorable this narrow strait was for naval battles.
Now the east exit of the strait has been blocked by Xiao Letian, and the only exit has been covered by enemy artillery fire. The casualties have skyrocketed. If we don't leave at this time, we won't be able to leave until the Zhiyuan arrives.
After all, battleships still rely on their mobility to improve their survivability. No matter how thick the skin of the armored ship is and how powerful the artillery is, if it loses its mobility, it will be nothing more than a floating coffin in the end.
The Russian fleet must rush to the high seas to advance and retreat properly. It can fight and leave if it wants to. If you don't want to get entangled with Xiao Letian, you can go directly north to Vladivostok to join forces. Anyway, the Tsar's mission is to rescue the Russian army in the Far East. Will he grab the gold? That wasn't even part of the plan.
But can we just leave the current situation? Abandon the two land forces on the island? Or give up those noble officers of Exon and Venia? Stefanski was really about to collapse. He knew it was a mistake to stay in this strait, but he didn't dare to leave, and he definitely didn't dare to move at all.
"Glacier, Deer Hunter, Volga..." A series of warship names were called out by the commander-in-chief, and finally Stefanski called out the names of 11 warships.
"Surge out of the west entrance of the strait, use artillery to suppress the Gaoboshan fort, and protect our lifeline... Leave me alone, I will serve as your rearguard here. I must take over all the land forces!"
"The troop transport ship quickly moved closer to me, closer to the strait, and forcefully transported our soldiers..."
"Commander! It's too dangerous here. Let's stay behind. You take the St. Peter and rush out of the strait. You go and block the strait..." Other warships quickly sent semaphores.
It wasn't that Stefanski didn't want to leave but that he couldn't leave. He shook his head sadly and thought to himself, can I leave? If I abandon these armies and so many nobles at this moment, even if I finally complete the mission, I will be tortured to death when I return to Moscow, and it will be a very miserable death.
Only here can I hold on hard! If I die here in battle, my family can still get preferential treatment from the empire, but if I escape first, my family will be completely ruined!
"Stop talking nonsense! Follow my orders and act! The warships named will rush out of the strait immediately!" The decisive order made people dare not refute, and each ship moved its artillery and aimed at Gaobo Mountain and fired wildly.
The rocks on the mountains shattered amid the rumbling gunfire, the trees were blown to pieces, the camouflage of the Gaobo Mountain Fort was blown away in the smoke, and the carefully transplanted saplings, shrubs and camouflage nets were overturned and torn to pieces.
However, the Russian fleet underestimated the strength of the Chinese-designed coastal defense forts. Hundreds of artillery shells were poured onto the forts but failed to suppress any of the artillery.
"Don't worry about the enemy's warships, let them blow up! All we have to do is to destroy more troop transport ships! As long as the enemy's army cannot leave! These warships will not dare to escape, they will have to endure here..." Telegraph operator He shouted to the company commander amidst the rumble of artillery, and he read loudly the order he had just sent.
"What... speak louder... you haven't eaten yet? What... blow up the troop ship? Okay, send a telegram back to Bureau Wang. The order has been received and we will resolutely complete the mission..." The company commander pulled his neck and yelled. .
"Brothers, forget about the battleships and continue to blow up those troop transport ships! Thin-skinned and big stuffed, shoot them one at a time and send them back to their hometowns..."
Boom, boom, boom... Gaobo Mountain Fort adjusted its shooting angle, and the shore defense artillery passed over the battleship and began to bombard the troop transport farther away.
Now not only was the Gaoboshan fort firing hard, but General Luo Huo on the other side of the strait also landed. Surrounded by a group of guards, Luo Huo jumped into the sea and looked at the island and the war in the distance unruly.
He walked onto the beach in no hurry. His knee-high leather boots were just soaked in the water, and he had a cigar in the corner of his mouth, looking crooked and full of mischief.
Sting... The match flickered in the sea breeze, and the lit cigar was sprayed with green smoke. At this moment, the cameraman who had been prepared on the shore pressed the shutter to record this historic moment.
"Yeah! Be more energetic when shooting, and show the domineering force and vigor of the army's counterattack... This will become a historical archive in the future. If something goes wrong, I will ask for military justice!"
"It's the general! The propaganda team has resolutely completed its mission!" A group of more than fifty cameramen saluted Luo Huo and then set off separately to the island, recording every bit of the battle along the way.
Luo Huo jumped out of the sea at this time. He took off his boots and shook off the sea water inside and said depressedly, "What is the Prime Minister doing? Do you have to form a propaganda team in the army? A bunch of people carrying cameras won't do it." I know how to take pictures when I’m fighting... and you fucking made me stand in the water and pose!"
After grumbling for a while, Luo Huo finally shook off the water and fine sand in his boots. "Okay, let's go. Now the vanguard has probably reached its intended target. Let these Rakshasa ghosts see what our Marines can do." What a talent!"
The leading troops sent by Luo Huo have now arrived on a mountain three kilometers away from the Setouchi fishing village. The terrain here is complex and extremely hidden, with ravines and dense trees.
The Russians never imagined that there were fifty field guns hidden in this dense forest. Each one was covered with camouflage nets and branches and leaves. You wouldn't know it was a cannon unless you got close.
The soldiers were running out of breath. They had no time to rest and rushed towards the piles of leaves. They opened the camouflage net to reveal the murderous artillery underneath.
"Qinglong Division, the first artillery battalion is in position... the second artillery battalion is in position... the third battalion is in position..." The orders came one after another, and the artillery rollers crushed the rocks, making a harsh friction sound, one box after another. The shells were dug out of the soft mounds and the shining shells were loaded into the breech.
"Target Setouchi! Fire! Shoot intensively..."
Boom, boom, boom... the sound of artillery was rolling, and the Setouchi fishing village suddenly turned into a sea of fire. The Tsarist Russian soldiers who were waiting to board the boat were blown away, and their bodies were tumbling like rag dolls in the fire and smoke.
Houses collapsed, and the troop transport ships in the bay were set on fire one after another. The screams shook the entire bay.
"The Chinese are coming! What are our warships doing? Are they all useless waste?"
"Counterattack! Why not counterattack! Where is our team? Where is my company..."
In the chaos, the soldiers could not find their own team, and the officers could not find their subordinates. After three rounds of shelling, Hermansky on the bay adjusted his posture and began to counterattack with his squadron.
"Why doesn't the army press forward? The enemy is three kilometers away from the fishing village!" Hermansky turned his head and looked through the telescope, and his nose was crooked with anger.
"Damn waste! It took so long to organize two companies of troops? Are these still our elite emperors? They are all a bunch of waste!" (..)
