General Hao's strategy could not be realized, because he knew that the Anglo-Dutch fleet could not catch up with the warships of the Datang Navy, and no matter how they wanted to get closer, the Datang warships could easily throw them off. Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ

So, General Howe made another left-hand rudder decision. In fact, he did this in order to avoid the intensive artillery fire of the second cruiser formation of the Tang Navy, and at the same time to find an opportunity for the Anglo-Dutch fleet to carry out the necessary counterattack. Because the warships of the Datang Navy are also gradually approaching during the voyage, although this distance is still very far.

The Anglo-Dutch fleet was on the left side, and at this time, the second cruiser formation also followed, firmly grasping the T-shaped prefix in the upwind position, and the first cruiser formation led by Li Xianhua also adjusted its course, so that its side was completely aligned with the side of the Anglo-Dutch fleet.

"Fire!" Fifteen thousand yards, the 305-mm guns of the battleship Hawaii opened fire. Of course, the actual range of this naval gun is longer, but Li Xianhua set the firing distance before the war. All four shells missed the initial shelling, but Li Xianhua was not worried, and the 1st Cruiser Formation was also approaching the enemy.

"Ten thousand yards!" General Howe finally waited for this distance in the midst of artillery fire and immediately ordered his gunners to open fire. At this distance, it was not only the battleship's heavy guns that could be fired, but also the 8-inch guns on the Royal Navy cruisers were also at their maximum range. Of course, it is very difficult to say how much effect an attack can achieve at this maximum range.

The artillery roared not very neatly, and the British shells began to fall on the formation of the Datang Navy, but the accuracy was very poor, and in the first round of shooting of the British, not a single shell hit the Datang battleship.

Li Xianhua didn't have the slightest sense of nervousness, he smiled instead, and said to the people around him: "The British have opened fire, then we can only respond to them with more fierce artillery fire!" ”

In contrast, the Datang artillery has a longer range, greater power, faster rate of fire, and higher hits, which is completely overwhelming, although in the number of gun positions, the Datang Navy does not have much advantage over the British, but a Tang-made 203 mm heavy gun has a rate of fire of six rounds per minute, which is completely equal to six British 8-inch naval guns per minute, so that the difference in firepower is more obvious.

General Howe stood on the bridge of the Revenge, the battleship swaying violently as the shells exploded. His face was pale, and although he had expected the difficult situation before the battle, he did not expect that the battle would be fought like a bird at the beginning.

After the Resistance was beaten to the point of ineffectiveness, the Revenge began to become the main target of the Datang Navy, and this battleship with a full load displacement of more than 14,000 tons was not much smaller than the Hawaii of the Datang Navy. But in the face of heavy artillery fire, it still seems so powerless.

Even though the Datang naval fleet was getting closer and closer, the Anglo-Dutch fleet still could not achieve effective hits. More and more cannons were destroyed by incoming shells, and many of the battleships were already battered and billowing smoke.

At 2:29 p.m., the British Royal Navy cruiser Warweariness was hit by a 203-mm shell, which caused the ammunition depot to explode, directly lifting the cruiser of more than 5,000 tons into the air, and then sitting heavily on the water.

At 2:36, the Royal Navy cruiser Narcissus began to sink.

At 2:38, the Royal Navy frigate Penelope was sunk.

At 2:47, the Royal Navy cruiser Duduan was sunk after being hit by nine shells.

At 2:57, the 1st Escort Fleet of the Datang Navy approached the center circle of the battlefield from the periphery and fired torpedoes at the Royal Navy and Dutch Navy frigates behind the battleships of the Anglo-Dutch fleet, sinking 4 ships.

At 3:06, the captain of the Royal Navy battleship Resistance, Gambier, announced that he had abandoned ship and escaped, and soon after, the British pride sank completely under the surface. After the sinking of the Resistance, the French fleet arrived and threw itself into the blow of the British fleet.

At 3:10, the Dutch Navy cruiser Delft was sunk. At the same time, the cruiser HMS Blake and the frigate INS Odin were sunk.

At 3:15, an explosion occurred on the bridge of the battleship Revenge of the Royal Navy, and General Howe was seriously injured and unconscious, and Colonel Gambier, who boarded the Revenge, took over the command of the fleet, and at the same time announced that he would raise the white flag and surrender to the Tang Navy.

It wasn't until after nightfall that the naval battle came to an end in a chaotic manner. The Royal Navy's capital ship, the Resistance, sank completely, and the flagship, the Revenge, was badly damaged, and in the end, the Tang Navy did not tow her away, and the Revenge sank completely later that day. With the exception of the Warrior, which had previously been out of battle due to being attacked, the six most important battleships of the British Royal Navy lost two.

The Datang Navy also sank five cruisers and five frigates of the British, and the Dutch Navy also lost two cruisers in the battle. Later, another British cruiser and a Dutch frigate were eventually abandoned because they were too badly damaged. Seventeen Anglo-Dutch warships took part in the Battle of the English Channel, and in the end only three battleships survived, namely a British cruiser, a frigate, and a Dutch frigate. Even if they did, most of them were badly damaged.

The British Royal Navy has accumulated a lot of money after more than ten years of life, and although it only lost a quarter to a third of the losses in this naval battle, it was still heavily damaged. What's more, the little ambition they had just accumulated to compete with Datang was also beaten to pieces.

When the news reached London, the whole of London fell into a state of depression and depression. As a result of the defeat in the war, it led to a depression in commerce. Moreover, there are terrible rumors circulating in London that the Tang Navy is about to enter the Thames and bombard London. After conquering the Netherlands, the Tang and French would land on the island of Britain. George III had to make an urgent mobilization, calling on all the people of England to defend their country, and at the same time, before the Netherlands had completely fallen, George III and a large number of parliamentarians pressured Prime Minister William Pitt Jr. to negotiate peace with the Tang Dynasty.

The defeat in this naval battle also eventually led to the ouster of William Pitt Jr. and the second term of the Whig Duke of Portland as prime minister. And he did respond to the wishes of many British politicians and the royal family, and immediately threw an olive branch to the Tang and French, hoping for a truce with the Tang, French and German alliance.

France had a strong desire to armistice with Britain, and the Tang Dynasty wanted to turn its attention back to the European continent. So, under not too harsh conditions, the Don and French troops returned to Britain with the British troops left in the Netherlands, the two sides released the prisoners, the British gave up their support for the Netherlands, and the two sides finally reached a peace agreement. (To be continued.) )