Ren Zhongping didn't wait for the opponent's patrol formation or the large mine-striking ship formation to the end, and the opponent's reconnaissance cruiser was just hanging far away on the periphery.

At this time, Admiral Weng Zhexi also got news from the front!

The Gafians did not send a patrol formation, nor did they send torpedo boats to attack them, which is a bit abnormal.

In order to avoid accidents, Admiral Weng Zhexi ordered the patrol formation not to move south at high speed, slow down, and wait for the battle formation to catch up, and at the same time ordered the Fourth Destroyer Fleet and the Sixth Cruiser Fleet to disperse and intercept possible enemy torpedo boat attacks on the periphery.

In addition, the 3rd Destroyer Formation and the 5th Destroyer Formation were ordered to continue to the waters off Bova, and now Weng Zhexi was more than 90 percent sure that the main force of the other party's fleet was staying off Bova, and they did not go there.

Sure enough, at ten o'clock in the morning, the 3rd Destroyer Fleet reported the discovery of a large number of smoke columns in the waters off Beauvois, judging by the smoke columns, the enemy's main fleet was off Beauvois.

"Since they are waiting for us off Beauva, then we don't have to make a detour, let's go south in battle formation!" Admiral Weng Zhexi quickly made a decision: "Let the Third Destroyer Fleet and the Fifth Destroyer Fleet temporarily shrink back and strengthen the anti-lightning operations on the periphery." ”

Anyway, in broad daylight, with the current torpedo slag technology, coupled with the fact that the enemy's formation is so large, it is impossible to say that it is impossible to break through to a place only four or five hundred meters away from the enemy's capital ship and release the torpedo.

If you launch a lightning strike so blindly, it is better to let them retreat and act as personal guards.

After all, if nothing else, it will not take long for the capital ship formations of the two sides to come into contact with each other and engage each other, and it is very likely that the other side will take advantage of the opportunity to launch a torpedo attack when the capital ship formations have no time to take care of anything else, so we must attach great importance to anti-lightning strike operations.

With Weng Zhexi's order issued, the first mobile fleet began to turn around and head south, the main formation was still divided into two parts, Weng Zhexi personally led four Jingzhou-class battleships as a team, and Ren Zhongping Navy Zhongqing led the patrol formation as a team, but no longer one in front and one behind, but one left and one right, separated from each other by a distance of about five kilometers and went south in parallel.

When Weng Zhexi led the main formation south, Admiral Daniel was also making final preparations, and all the capital ships were listed in dense formations according to his predetermined plan.

And it's the way the old battleships are in front and the new ones are in the flanks and back!

Because the weather was clear and the line of sight was extremely good, it didn't take long for the lookouts of the main fleets of both sides to spot each other.

At this time, the capital ships of both sides are already exposed to each other!

At twelve o'clock in the afternoon, Ren Zhongping could see a large number of smoke columns in front of him without using a telescope!

This is the enemy's capital ship formation, and they are approaching their own formation at a speed of about ten knots, and at this time, the distance between the two sides is still relatively far, about fifteen kilometers or so.

And at the same time, Admiral Weng Zhexi was also looking at the enemy fleet ahead from the command tower of the flagship Jingzhou!

The operational staff officers behind him were showing the formations of both sides on the charts based on the information gathered by the light formations at the risk of death.

The fleet of the Gaphians advanced in two columns, one in front and one behind, and strangely enough, the two columns in front were both low-freeboard battleships, while the high-freeboard ships, which represented the new battleships, were in the third column at the rear.

The first mobile fleet, on the other hand, was two columns, with the patrol formation slightly ahead and the battleship formation slightly behind.

Vice Admiral Qiu Baoyu, Chief of Staff of the First Mobile Fleet and former Director of the Operations Department of the Naval Staff, said: "Their formation seems simple, but it is extremely flexible! ”

"If we pass directly from either side of their left and right, then the two sides will enter a state of opposing the enemy on the side side, but it is worth noting that if the opponent puts the high-speed formation in the rear position, then it is possible that when we engage in line engagement with their first two formations, the opponent's third formation will make a ninety-degree turn, and finally stop in front of us and seize the T-head."

"If we turn in advance, they will most likely follow the turn and disrupt our array, and then we will also get into a melee with their first two low-speed formations, and then the opponent's third formation may penetrate from the rear at high speed and launch a fierce broadside fire strike on our fleet from the flanks."

"In other words, whether we go directly or turn to ninety degrees in advance, we will get into an engagement with the opponent's old warship, and finally be found by the opponent's high-speed formation?"

"I suggest that we turn in advance to force them to steer, but our speed is higher, and we can take advantage of our high speed to go directly around their rear, and even disrupt the opponent's formation, so as to find a favorable fighter!"

At this time, Admiral Weng Zhexi also looked at the chart of the situation of the enemy and us, and the formations of the two sides on the chart were marked very clearly!

At this time, he laughed and said: "It seems that the other party is also capable people, this formation is a bit interesting, it seems that it is difficult to exert the firepower of the cutting-edge warships, and it will even put their low-speed formations in danger, but the other party obviously wants to take advantage of the chaos to entangle us, so as to create opportunities for their new warship formations!" ”

"But he wants to let the old warship entangle us, obviously underestimating our maneuverability!"

Weng Zhexi shifted his gaze from the chart, and then ordered: "Inform the patrol formation, let them go forward and turn in front of the enemy ships, seize the T-shaped head to disrupt their formation, and this team will follow." ”

If Weng Zhexi has all the same battleships on hand, I'm afraid it will be more troublesome for this, after all, even if it is a Jingzhou-class battleship, the maximum speed is only eighteen knots, although the speed of the opponent's battleship is slower, but it is still possible to run fifteen or sixteen knots, and their third formation is likely to be able to run eighteen knots.

However, the loading and patrol formations in the First Mobile Fleet, whether they are Fengyang-class or Crane-class, their maximum speed has reached twenty knots.

With the speed of 20 knots of the patrol formation, there are more articles that can be done.

Weng Zhexi doesn't plan to play with the other party's rhythm, he must let the other party follow his own rhythm.

And the patrol formation is the best weapon to disrupt the rhythm!

After receiving the order, Lieutenant Secretary Ren Zhongping smiled, he liked Weng Zhexi's order very much!

This kind of thing of using the ability to maneuver to turn in front of the enemy fleet, force the enemy fleet to turn, and then disrupt the opponent's formation, is what the patrol formation should do, rather than running over and confronting the enemy's line like a battleship.

The order was immediately given: "Order all ships in this formation to follow closely with this ship, raise the speed to sixteen knots, and keep course!" ”