Ironclad Ship, Boarding

Ironclad ships, boarding.

These two terms were incompatible in the pre-dreadnought era.

Logically, if one wanted both ironclad ships and boarding, it would have to be in the interstellar age, with civilizations fighting across galaxies, engaging in strong-arm decapitation strikes.

However, in the Artificial Divine Realm, 1909.

After Martial Artists, beings that defied reason, were created by Lan Yi, boarding became a possibility. It was the only way for groups of Martial Artists to defeat foreign fleets at sea when their own ironclad ships were outmatched in tonnage, speed, and firepower. It was also the choice for Martial Artists to urgently prove they could handle the invading enemy at sea.

Martial Heavenly General Huo Yuanjia.

Ghost Heavenly General Geng Liangchen.

Both Spirit Cultivation Practitioners were Human-form powerhouses. Their mind power attacks had wide coverage and long duration, proving highly effective on the battlefield. Thus, Lan Yi had dispatched them with the fleet early on.

Zhao Jian had a lot of complaints about this.

He knew his mind power was unsuitable for naval warfare, nor could he physically withstand the exaggerated caliber and propellant of the ship cannons. He could only vent his frustration through continuous screening and purging of his subordinates. After all, a group of clueless Blood Droplets or Sticky Rod Departments were lurking to the north, providing prey for this muscle-bound beast.

Against ironclad ships.

Geng Liangchen was confident.

The Yangtze Fleet had been taken down by him alone, using Hungry Ghosts.

The ordinary soldiers hidden beneath the ironclad hulls, facing the pervasive mind power that seeped through, were in the cramped, dark cabins. Their fear was at its peak, comparable to encountering an alien in a dark spaceship in outer space. In their panic, they couldn't even retaliate. It was fortunate they weren't scared to death.

However, Geng Liangchen, who was out hunting, soon discovered he was mistaken.

Ironclad ships anchored in port were entirely different from dreadnoughts maneuvering and engaging in the vast expanse of the sea!

There were differences even among ironclad ships.

The Yangtze Fleet ironclad ships captured by the Martial Artist group were all second and third-class cruisers. It wasn't that Star Han didn't have good or large ships before, but in the humiliating naval battle with Dongyang, those ironclad ships were either sunk or captured with disgrace.

As for new ships, due to a lack of funds, loss of regional control, indemnity payments, and a disastrous tax situation, they could no longer be purchased or built.

However, with the Martial Artists and the Party controlling the Jiangnan region.

The Jiangnan Shipyard and Bureau had reopened.

It was rumored they were working with foreigners to build a giant ship for Immortal Master Lan Yi to conquer all directions!

Getting back to the point.

The sun was warm, and the waves gently rolled. On the vast sea with almost no reference points, it was difficult to feel the sensation of speeding across the surface. Standing at the bow, Geng Liangchen swayed with the waves. The upper half of his face, hidden in shadow, made his slightly bared teeth appear exceptionally prominent and chilling.

This Spirit Cultivation Practitioner was observing the northeast.

There.

About thirty thousand meters away, at the limit of the Martial Artists' vision, the Punishment Fleet, which had come south with the foreigners, had appeared. The enemy had clearly also spotted Star Han's fleet lined up on the sea.

The number and quality of the ironclad ships on both sides were not on the same level.

It was like children squaring off against strong men for a brawl.

However, the strong men were extremely cautious, showing no intention of approaching the bombardment range. Instead, they kept their distance, occasionally maneuvering to probe. The children, on the other hand, were like newborn calves unafraid of tigers, always wanting to charge forward to provide the Spirit Cultivation Practitioner with a charge distance, but unfortunately, their speed was insufficient to catch the enemy ships.

The fastest speed of an ironclad ship was around 20 knots.

The opposing dreadnoughts used the latest expansion steam boiler technology, with a top speed of 25 knots.

This meant that even if the Martial Artists risked engine damage by over-boosting, the foreigners could still outrun them at a distance of over twenty-five meters per second.

"These white devils have gotten smarter," Geng Liangchen muttered to himself.

Everyone learns and improves; they aren't rigid NPCs stuck in place.

The Martial Artists' combat record in Puhai was exceptionally brilliant. Naturally, the foreign powers couldn't afford not to understand the general situation of this group that possessed supernatural combat power.

The Martial Artists' strength, their resistance to firearms, the damage inflicted by cannonballs, and even the peculiar abilities of the Spirit Cultivation Practitioners had long been investigated by foreign agents who had infiltrated China extensively. The information naturally reached the foreigners.

Lure out the Martial Artists.

Use more advanced ships to engage and sink them at sea, then attempt to capture one or two Martial Artists for research.

This was the objective of the Punishment Fleet.

The foreign powers were now extremely curious.

What kind of power allowed the weak Martial Artists to no longer fear guns and cannons? And most importantly, could this power be seized for their own use?

If not for the Qing Imperial Court's utter incompetence.

Perhaps this time, it wouldn't just be fifty-odd ships sailing south.

It would be a combined sea and land force assisting the Imperial Court in quelling the rebellion, apprehending the traitors, and executing the demons!

"Good news, the Martial Artists created by that magician don't seem to fly, and they're not faster than us," the foreign commander said, lowering his binoculars.

"Don't be careless. Those idiots in Puhai were too arrogant and careless, letting these Martial Artist monsters get close, causing the empire to lose its foothold in controlling the Far East economy," another foreign officer cautioned.

"Strange hallucinatory abilities, terrifying physical strength, and superhuman reaction speed. These should be all their trump cards. Attacking them with ship cannons is as impractical as using cannons to swat mosquitoes."

The foreign commander tapped rhythmically on the porthole with his finger.

It seemed that capturing them alive would be very difficult.

Even if they sank the Star Han's ironclad ships, it would be a huge risk for them to recover bodies or prisoners, let alone board the ships themselves.

Since that's the case...

"Draft a telegram to the Yanjing Command. The hope of capturing anyone alive is slim. I won't risk my soldiers in close contact with a horde of monsters. At best, they'll recover bodies... or a pile of shredded meat," the Foreigner commander ordered the communications soldier.

He then issued another command.

"Order the First Division to engage."

On the vast ocean, the ironclad ships that had been sailing in formation received the flagship's order and began to turn and rearrange. If viewed from a bird's-eye view, their formation, which had resembled iron chains spanning the river, transformed into a T-formation after some maneuvering. The horizontal bar of the 'T' was precisely aimed at the enemy.

Hundreds of thousands of tons of steel peaks advanced slowly and in unison, like mountains marching in step!

The sheer momentum of this scene was enough to take one's breath away!

Huo Yuanjia gazed into the distance and, upon seeing this, let out a sigh of relief.

"They finally couldn't hold back. Fifteen to twenty kilometers. It would be so much more convenient if I could just ride a cannonball over there. We really need to build ships, big ships!"