In the will of these officers, no normal commander would make such a stupid decision and let the infantry attack a battleship like a castle? What an idiotic order!
What's more, this castle has walls made of steel!
This is not commanding the army, this is murder, this is treason! Many officers were blaming him in their hearts!
Hoff, who was under tremendous pressure, could no longer control his emotions. He punched the armor plate and drew blood!
"Shut up! What do you know? This is our only choice..."
"Look at the battlefield. The British are approaching us quietly. Will they really remain neutral? I would rather believe in the devil than the credibility of these liars!"
"If we do what you said and we don't attack, how long will the siege last? With the madness of these Chinese people, will they surrender?"
"Where are we now? In the inland sea of Prussia, on their coastline, who knows when a large-scale legion will appear on the opposite continent?"
"Even if Prussia doesn't take action, our whereabouts will be completely exposed after dawn. Prussia is ready for defense. How can we attack Hamburg?"
"This mission cannot be completed, how can we explain to His Majesty?"
"Changes will happen if you delay it for a long time. What if the British take the opportunity to intervene? Are you mentally prepared to fire on the Royal Fleet?"
Hof's accusation silenced the officers present, but before Hof finished speaking, he pointed at the noses of his subordinates and shouted.
"I want this battleship, the empire also needs this battleship, and His Majesty the Emperor needs this battleship even more! We must capture him as quickly as possible. What if these Chinese people set him up?"
"What if they blow up all the valuable equipment?"
"You have figured it out! We need to capture this battleship and these soldiers in order to obtain the technology of this battleship, and we also need the political significance of sacrificing prisoners!"
"We must sacrifice this battleship to atone for our sins! This battle has turned into such shit, do you think there will be a good ending? Military court is our final fate!"
"If we don't dedicate this battleship and these damn Chinese officers and soldiers, we can't atone for our sins!"
In the end, Hof finally said what was in his heart. The officers and soldiers present suddenly realized. They looked at the British fleet and then at the Zhiyuan, which was resisting till death. They all lowered their heads and stopped talking!
Hof gritted his teeth and said harshly, "All battleships move southeast and stand between the Reach and the British battleships. The fruits of our victory must not be given to these British!"
"Send a signal to the army. The battle must be over in three hours. This battleship must be captured safely!"
"If they can't, let them face His Majesty's wrath alone!"
After Hough's order was issued, the three battleships began to change their formations, and soon penetrated to the front of the British battleships, using their bodies to block all the sea chokepoints that the British were trying to rescue.
The cruisers continued to surround the Reach, but their cannons also began to target the British, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Looking around the Zhiyuan, the waves were already filled with corpses. There were thousands of corpses densely packed. The crazy Zhiyuan soldiers even began to pour buckets of pungent liquid into the sea.
This is not kerosene. Kerosene cannot burn directly on water. When the fire started to spread along the seawater, everyone was dumbfounded. The army on the French coast watched helplessly as their brothers were burned to death in the seawater!
What a terrible scene this is. People are burned alive in the water, and the flames actually burn on the sea!
"Greek fire? This battleship actually carries Greek fire!"
Greek fire from the Byzantine era actually reappeared on the battlefields of the 19th century, but this liquid was completely different from the dark liquid recorded in history books.
This liquid is lighter, flows better, and has higher thermal efficiency!
These Europeans didn't know that this liquid was also very common gasoline in later generations!
Humanity has been researching oil for thousands of years, but the real large-scale research and use will not be until the second industrial revolution.
Before this, the most common thing people were exposed to was kerosene!
What is kerosene? In fact, it is the product of petroleum distillation. Various substances in petroleum have different boiling points. Kerosene was the first to be used by the public because of its relatively high boiling point and strong safety.
At that time, light gasoline and diesel with low boiling points were generally directly ignited and consumed as waste!
Xiao Letian would not do such a wasteful thing. The Hua Clan was already doing everything it could to research internal combustion engines and petroleum refining technology. At this time, the Hua Clan already had a certain and stable production of gasoline and diesel.
As the No. 1 battleship of the Navy, there is no problem for the Zhiyuan to store some gasoline as strategic supplies. I never expected that the gasoline would be used here!
In the raging fire, the salty smell of evaporated seawater and the smell of roasted meat were everywhere. The French army's most frenzied attack was finally repelled.
The hysterical French army began a new round of shelling. The Zhiyuan kept trembling in the sound of gunfire, and even the four-and-a-half-inch armor could hardly support it.
"Captain...Captain, we have no ammunition...all the Gatling and heavy machine gun ammunition have been used up...only a few rifle bullets are left..."
Amidst the rumbling cannons, Xiang Ying knew that his last moment had arrived. He called to Jin Sanshun, "It's too late! Lower the flag! The end is finally here!"
"Jin Sanshun, my brother...after I leave, these surviving comrades will all be entrusted to you! Your mission is heavier than mine, and enduring humiliation and burden is always more difficult than death!"
"I'm sorry, brother!"
Jin Sanshun burst into tears, "Have a good journey, Captain, I will take care of my brothers! Isn't it just to be a prisoner and pretend to be a grandson? I, fat Jin San, have always been shameless!"
Xiang Ying unscrewed the revolver and looked at the two bullets left inside. He glanced at the residual blood flag with a wry smile, and then looked toward the east!
"Master! This disciple is unfilial! I will use my life today to prove... to prove that my choice is right!"
After speaking, Xiang Ying suddenly raised his hand, pointed the muzzle of the gun at his temple, and pulled the trigger fiercely!
At this time, Xiao Letian, who was far away in Belgium, had just slept for two hours after staying up all night. Suddenly he seemed to hear something in his sleep, and his heart suddenly hurt.
Oops... Xiao Letian screamed and woke up from his sleep!
"Youngmeng is in my arms! Something big must have happened!"
