The navy of any country or even the world almost has a little superstition and believes in luck. And luck does play an important role in naval warfare - when lucky, a few salvos from a battleship can send shells into the ammunition depot of an enemy ship, triggering an earth-shattering chain explosion. When unlucky, a few old biplane torpedo planes launched a single attack that could jam the battleship's steering gear, leaving the battleship waiting to be beaten to death.

Kolchak's luck was now hot, he had already rammed and sunk an Albian's cruiser, and in four volleys hit the upper class of the enemy ship, causing a catastrophe that was not too small.

In the telescope, a blaze erupted from the deck of the Cullen, which quickly turned into a series of large and small fireballs. Then the fire, Kolchak could see the horrors of the Albions - frightened flying beasts, dancing burning men, sailors desperately fighting the fires, and munitions dumped into the sea by terrified sailors.

The last thing struck Kolchak as incredible, it was a matter of course that the battleship was piled up with weapons, but even having so many powder kegs on the deck was pure death.

"If only I could do it again......"

The Admiral muttered with regret that the Albians had cut off the opportunity to enjoy the fireworks, that the fire on the deck had been brought under control, and that all the dangerous objects had been poured into the sea.

With a sigh, he quickly picked himself up again, recovering his grim and resolute face.

"U-turn and let's go to the waters of Pilau. ”

The vice-captain nodded, ran to the microphone, and repeated the order aloud.

There are not many humans left on the sea who can still flutter on the sea, for the sake of the face of the royal navy. In order to avenge the death of her comrades, the Cullen will become insane, and it is not a wise idea to stay within range of enemy cannons.

As soon as the Forgetfulness broke away, the cannonballs smashed in, and without bothering to pick up the remains of its companions, the Cullen quickly turned around and began to pursue.

Because the design fully considered the needs of high-speed sailing, and the fire just now did not affect the sails, the Cullen narrowed the gap with the Forgetaway little by little, and the guns on the upper deck adjusted the muzzles to create one column of water around the destroyer.

No matter where you hit. This old ship that has been soaked in water for more than 20 years will sink quickly. In the unfortunate event of hitting a mine in the tail, the entire ship will be sent to the Mother Goddess in an instant.

The people of Albion looked like they were on the safe side, but they didn't know that they were making their way to the death zone.

The sergeant on duty on the Forgetfulness rang the ship's bell. Except for the soldiers who the pulp and the gun. Everyone gathered on deck.

"Take your hat off. ”

The deputy commander, Major Stepankov, took the lead in taking off his military cap. The officers and men behind him took off their military caps and half-knelt down with their captains. In front of them, a sailor stands solemnly holding three portraits.

The Mother Goddess, the Guardian Bear Holy Georgi, and the Tsar's Little Daddy look down on this group of pious soldiers in a silver-plated frame.

Spread out the booklet of the Orthodox Holy Scriptures. Kolchak chanted solemnly:

"Lord Almighty, Savior of Him. ”

Everyone bowed their heads reverently, after they had done what they could, all that was left was to entrust their lives to the Almighty God who controlled their fate. Although there is still regret, reluctance and irritability in his heart, he has now given way to peace and piety.

"Forgive the little servants, ask for listening, ask for protection, forgive us for our sins. ”

Woo-boom!

The point of impact of the cannonballs began to approach, and the Albians seemed to have found the right head, destroying miè and dying little closer to the boat.

"The enemy is around and wants to destroy us, so I ask the Lord of the Savior, and give glory in your name. You can't make the enemy say, 'Look, God has forsaken them.'" You are our true God and the people of the world. We are the people you protect. Praise be to you forever, Mother Goddess. ”

The wet forehead touched the icon, and in the time it took to recite a short prayer, the upper deck of the Forgetfulness had taken at least three cold baths, and now no one on the deck was dry.

As Kolchak's "Sincere" prayer ended, a murmur of "Sincerely" rang out from the deck, a quick cross was drawn, and the crew rose and looked back at their Grim Reaper.

The traces of the Karen hull still lingering on it, and it looks a little wolf-like, but it looks even more hideous against the backdrop of the night. The cold wind sent the language they did not understand, and although the content was unknown, the people of Albion were happy to hear it. Their laughter was the same as that of the Great White Pig of Kyiv.

The next shelling could be dead, and with such determination, the crew of the Forgetfulness stared at the approaching giant ship.

Then they saw.

Without warning, a thick column of water rose from the side of the Karen, so thick that it could not be compared to the shells of both sides hitherto. The Cullen seemed to be held up by an invisible hand, and the cruiser's amidships were raised high and raised like arched bridges. Then, in a series of screeching noises, the bow of the ship fell, and then in the faint light they could see the structure of the cabin, and even hear the cries of someone before they fell overboard. Before he could react, the broken ship smashed back into the water, causing waves that even exceeded the mast.

"It's our mine!!"

The officers and soldiers, who had finally come to their senses, cheered, and at this moment saw that the joy brought by the fruits of their hard work was more intense than ever, and for a moment they forgot their class, the officers and soldiers hugged each other, the cheers of "Ula" and the sound of turning on vodka resounded, and a few guys who were too excited hugged the anchor on the back deck and kissed them, as if the iron tower was his wife.

A reassuring smile bloomed on Kolchak's face, which was exactly what he wanted. The Cullen was lured into a minefield, and due to the difference in draft, the Forgetfulness was able to safely navigate the death zone of Guò, while the massive Cullen ran into an anchor mine. In the face of the hydrostatic shock wave from the explosion of a full 300 kilograms of explosives, the wooden hull was indistinguishable from tissue paper.

It only took a moment, before the Forgetfulness could remember that it was time to pick up the overboard crew, and the Cullen slid down to the pitch-black ocean with her entire crew, leaving nothing but a pile of debris and broken wood to prove what had happened here.

"Don't be stupid there, report the situation here to the base. ”

Looking at the wreckage-covered sea, Kolchak let out a long breath, and then added to the excited communications non-commissioned officer:

"Sue sù them, ready to dry military uniforms and vodka. ”

"Yes, sir. ”

Right now.

"So, that's all there is to the fight?"

"Yes, General. ”

Kolchak continued to raise his head and replied in a proud tone:

"I've written it all in the report. ”

"Yes, it's all in the report, I've read it all. ”

Makarov's fingers clicked lightly on the report, and another headache swept over him.

There is no doubt that this small battle is extremely valuable, whether it is a model for tactics, technology, and propaganda. But at the political level, this is a big mistake.

The people of Albion are very face-conscious, and the virgin queen is even more neurotic in this regard, and the pirates will not remain silent about the fact that the self-proclaimed number one power on the sea has been slapped in the face by the weak duchy navy, no matter how much luck is involved.

They will definitely retaliate, and I am afraid that they will once again entangle the human alliance and fight against the principality. And the principalities did not want to go to war at this time at all.

Although a large number of new weapons were accepted, they were not available in sufficient quantities, and the orcs were not yet able to quickly and indefinitely create new toys, and their ammunition reserves were relatively limited. Coupled with the chronic diseases in the army, the entire Duchy army is in a state of fragility like a snake in its skin. Once a war breaks out, even if it may not be lost, it will be an out-and-out disaster for the principality.

What's more, His Majesty's body has ...... The crown prince looked unreliable again, and the demon monk ......

Makarov shook his head in his heart, even he was now trapped by lack of confidence and anxiety.

As for the severe punishment of Kolchak, in order to ease relations with the human side, such a consideration will not work, not to mention whether the already red-eyed Albians will accept it or not, whether they will make harsh demands. It is impossible to bow to humans at home, and it is unthinkable for orcs to bow their heads, and it is unacceptable from both religious and racial sentiments. What's more, in this incident, it was Albion that broke into the territorial waters of the principality, refused to withdraw, and fired first. In order to offend the infidels of the principality, punish a soldier who defends the dignity of the country and territorial waters? In exchange for the title of "traitor" or "national thief", it may also cause civil strife. Again, this is something that the Principality does not want to see.

With a long sigh, Makarov gave up thinking about it, it was not a question of what he could manage and what he had the power to manage. Now the only way to do this is to bite the bullet and take one step at a time. At least within the limits of power, he can still do something.

"This is your appointment. ”

Makarov took out a piece of paper from a drawer, on which the name of the lieutenant general had already been drawn, and it was stamped with the seal of the Admiralty.

"Colonel Alexander Vasilyevich Kolchak, you will leave for Smolensk to serve as a representative of the army, responsible for receiving naval technical equipment from 'that company'. Our suppliers are already working at full speed to produce new weapons – more, newer mines and other unknown toys, and you lead a team to learn how to use and repair them. ”

"Yes, General. ”

"Listen, don't think it's a distribution, your work is about the fate of the country and thousands of people. You are personally responsible for inspecting each batch of weapons produced, you and your people sign on them, and if you find a quality problem, the military court will give you a summons. ”

The Vice Admiral said word by word, his eyes blazing, and Kolchak finally lowered his chin.

"I see, General. ”

Makarov nodded, then waved his hand.

"This is the end of the conversation, Lieutenant Colonel, disband. ”

Leaning on his legs, saluting, Kolchak walked out of the office.

Before closing the door, he faintly heard a long, helpless sigh. (To be continued......)