The Cosmos was indeed the most tragic battleship to die in the entire battle. The main gun of the Zhiyuan directly hit its ammunition depot. Under the fierce fire, the ammunition depot exploded, and the entire battleship was blown up. It broke into two pieces, and all the crew members sank into the sea before they could escape.
The Pyrenees was seriously injured and had hit the rocks and began to sink. The Banshee lost all its power system and began to capsize and was about to sink.
But these two warships were at least a little better. They gave the crew some opportunities to escape. At this moment, the sea was full of escaping sampans and sailors swimming with planks.
Only the Cosmo was the most tragic. There was a huge explosion and all the crew members survived. Some were killed directly, some were stunned, and some were simply sealed in the cabin and sank to the bottom of the sea with the waves.
Of the more than 300 officers and men on the Cosmo, not a single one survived!
Such a tragic scene completely angered the French. Hoff, who fled behind the Zhiyuan, was completely mad. He knew that if such results were reported to Paris, he would have no way to survive!
The three battleships were destroyed, but the Zhiyuan was still alive!
"Surround the entire army! Free fire! This battleship must be sunk at any cost!"
"Oh God! If we don't kill all these Chinese today, we will all go to the gallows!"
Even Hof himself didn't notice that his voice when giving orders was already crying.
The naval battle has lasted for two and a half hours now. Although the Zhiyuan has achieved brilliant results, he himself has also been scarred.
The main structure has indeed not been damaged, but this battleship has also reached the stage where it must be overhauled. The compass flybridge, lifeboats, three strong wind pressurized ventilation ducts, and even the large number of teak decks on the Zhiyuan...
These exposed parts were severely damaged, and many of the Zhiyuan's navigation functions were destroyed!
To put it bluntly, the Zhiyuan is like a capable master who has fought dozens of rounds in the boxing ring. Although his bones are amazing and he can still fight, he has countless external injuries.
The whole body is red and swollen, blood oozes from the corners of the mouth, and the eyes are swollen from being beaten. This kind of boxer will probably have a hard time even walking after getting off the ring! But there is one thing to be thankful for. This boxer's internal organs are still intact and his muscles and bones are not broken. As long as he cultivates himself a little, he will still be a good man when he comes back!
But today this hero has become red-blooded. At the critical moment when he had to retreat, he chose to attack desperately. After sinking three battleships, he even waved his iron fist at the French in a showy manner.
"Damn...who else? There...is...who else..."
When the Duke of Neukes saw the situation on the battlefield, he felt that something was not good. "No! The Zhiyuan is really seeking death! Even if France takes Zhiyuan in this battle, it will lose all strategic opportunities!"
"If the Zhiyuan disrupts the situation like this, the French's plan to attack Hamburg will be completely ruined!"
"Napoleon III is definitely lost. He is definitely lost in this Franco-Prussian War!"
At this time, the British naval officers around them suddenly said collectively, "Your Excellency, Duke, please give the order! There is a safe passage between us and the Zhiyuan at this moment, and the French cruiser has not blocked the opening yet!"
"Such a heroic battleship should not die in the hands of the French. Let's take care of it!"
"Your Excellency, the Chinese envoy has just visited our British Empire. We can't just watch him die tragically, right?"
Soldiers are soldiers, with their own simple emotions. They respect heroes, and the Zhiyuan in front of them has completely conquered them. No one can sit back and watch the heroes die tragically before their eyes.
But politicians are different from pure soldiers. The Duke of Newx shook his head regretfully, "No! We did not declare war with the French. If we intervened, it would be equivalent to joining the war!"
"I don't have this right, and you don't have any! Keep your distance and continue to watch the battle. Your mission is to record all the data of this naval battle and help the Royal Navy enter a new era of ironclads!"
"God! What a magnificent era it was! If all the warships around the world adopted a design style like the Zhiyuan, what an exciting and passionate scene it would be!"
The Duke finally made the choice that a politician should make. Although he and Xiao Letian had extensive and in-depth cooperation in interests, this could not change anything!
At this moment, he watched helplessly as the angry French cruiser blocked the narrow sea area between him and the Zhiyuan, and surrounded the Zhiyuan.
Boom boom boom... The angry cruiser fleet began to shoot at the Zhiyuan like crazy, and more than 20 warships came up from the north, east and south.
These battleships witnessed the fierce exchange of fire just now. They watched helplessly as the main battleships were sunk one by one. They were all furious but could not help at all!
After all, at that time, their position was wrong, the water pressure in the boiler was insufficient, and the speed was not raised at all. Even if they wanted to help, they were powerless!
But now, the Zhiyuan has fallen into a trap and actually got into the pocket. These cruisers don't have to bypass the main battleship array. They only need to outflank the Zhiyuan from north to south, and they can trap the Zhiyuan inside.
This is really a strange scene in the history of naval battles. I have never seen such a complete encirclement. The French actually surrounded it from all sides, forming an oval shooting array, trapping the Zhiyuan in the center.
To the west were the remaining battleships lining up to open fire, and to the east were ten cruisers along the coastline of Speke Island, also wreaking havoc on the Reach with broadside fire!
There were five cruisers in the north and south respectively, blocking Zhiyuan's escape. An irregular oval battle formation appeared on the entire sea. It was really impossible for the Zhiyuan to escape!
Countless British naval officers and soldiers watching the battle closed their eyes. They couldn't bear to see the final outcome of this legendary battleship!
The French troops who landed on Speke Island shouted excitedly in the storm, "Revenge! The navy fought beautifully! Sink the Chinese warship!"
"Long live the Empire! Long live the Emperor!"
Every time the Zhiyuan was hit by shells, countless French soldiers roared fanatically. At that moment, they couldn't even feel the storm hitting their heads and faces!
These French soldiers were completely driven out of their minds by the rage of revenge, but the British officers and soldiers watching the battle outside the battlefield noticed something strange.
"What's going on? Has the Zhiyuan's main gun been blown up? Why hasn't it fired a single shot back yet?"
"Look at the trajectory of the Zhiyuan... He is still accelerating... What on earth does he want to do?"
"Are you crazy? If they continue to charge like this, they will hit the rocks!"
