Biding Their Time

"Don't panic, just follow the rhythm we use in training!"

On the deck of a warship at Sea Surface, some officers were roaring and shouting loudly. This was the time to test the soldiers' psychological endurance.

A destroyer sank to the bottom of the sea right in front of them. On board were their familiar comrades, their respected superiors, and the Federal Navy's pursuit of power. From the very first moment of the clash, the morale of the Federal Navy plummeted.

For the current Federal Navy, there is good news and bad news.

The bad news is that the enemy is stronger than they anticipated. This strength cannot be demonstrated in war simulations; it is not the strength of weaponry or tactical command, but rather the strength of execution capabilities.

From the first test firing correction to the first salvo that destroyed the target, the speed was too fast. The combat capabilities honed by Gefra's naval soldiers in hundreds and thousands of real battles are something that Federal naval soldiers will find difficult to catch up with in a short period of time.

The good news is that, despite the severe blow to morale, there seems to be no further significant change, and the Federal Navy has abandoned its naive "I thought" mentality.

The Federal Navy faced the worst situation right from the start. The pressure on the Navy was immense. If they couldn't withstand the pressure, they would likely be dealt with on the spot. Even though the Bayer Federation is a country that highly values freedom, it would not tolerate such a deadly act as desertion.

But as long as they can endure it and gradually boost morale, the naval soldiers who survive this naval battle will form the core of the naval spirit!

Besides, even if things get worse, how much worse can they get now?

"Seventeen seconds left..." The officer directed the gunners to adjust the coordinates. They had studied the firing rate of the Gefra, which was about 28 seconds per shell. Eleven seconds had passed since the last shell.

They must retaliate before the enemy fires a second salvo, or it will further demoralize the Federal Navy.

People become "idiotic" in war. The intensity of war can cause people to lose their ability to think clearly. They will only feel frustrated that the Gefra can bombard twice while they can only bombard once.

Accuracy is less important than hit rate, but speed must keep up with the opponent.

With four seconds left, the flag bearer waved the flag, and at the same time, the ship's horn sounded. The ship, which was moving forward, seemed to be gently touched by something, and the whole ship swayed slightly.

The surrounding artillery fire momentarily deafened the soldiers, but the roaring cannons spewed out shells, instantly boosting the navy's morale.

Perhaps as they began to accept reality, the soldiers overcame their initial panic and became fully focused on the war.

This salvo was not only a gamble, but also an attempt to calibrate the artillery coordinates and boost morale.

Currently, long-range salvo firing is the most important naval warfare tactic and the most powerful combat method.

The rain of shells piercing through the clouds could not only destroy enemy warships, but also shatter their confidence! The observers continuously reported on the shelling, the gunners began adjusting their coordinates, and the loader opened the gun bay to unload the massive Shell Casings, simultaneously beginning to load new shells...

Everyone has their own job, and everyone is facing enormous pressure.

A sharp whistling sound came from overhead; the second salvo from Gefra had arrived. Two ships were less fortunate and were hit, but the good news was that the hits did not disable them or render them unable to move.

At this time, naval warfare tactics were still limited to gunnery. Whoever had the thicker gun barrel and the thicker armor had the initiative in naval warfare.

This war philosophy has been the supreme ideology of naval warfare since its inception, and the Gefra Royal Navy has taken it to its extreme.

Previously, the operations command had considered a tactical approach of exchanging fire with the Gefra Royal Navy. It seems that the staff officers believed that only by defeating the Gefra in such a fair and square manner could they truly be considered to have defeated them.

But the current situation does not allow it. The Federal Navy's salvo was embarrassing. Apart from creating some water columns and mist, it did not hit any enemy ships at all, not even those that came close.

This missed shot can be called a test firing, but the accuracy was far too poor. If they remain rigid and inflexible and continue firing at each other, the Federal Navy is very likely to suffer large-scale casualties.

If the plan of direct bombardment is not feasible, then we can only proceed with the original plan and fight a variable-speed war.

The Fleet Commander immediately issued an order: all warships were to increase their power to the maximum. Except for the four battleships, which continued to conduct evasive maneuvers and bombardment according to the bombardment tactics, the destroyers launched the first charge.

The Federal had a thorough understanding of the Gefra people's warships, but the Gefra people were unaware of the Federal's warships. Their consistent invincibility made them arrogant and conceited, disregarding any challengers. The sudden acceleration of those warships startled the Gefra people, but that was all.

They quickly calmed down. Even if these ships rushed up to them, there was nothing they could do. They also had destroyers and frigates. As long as their ammunition magazines weren't hit and caused a secondary explosion, Gefra's main battleships never considered the possibility of being sunk.

The second round of firefights broke out again. After correcting their targets, the Federal's battleships hit one of the enemy's warships this time, which was good news. When a column of smoke rose from the other side, everyone could feel a significant boost in morale.

Boosting morale is that simple—just hit the target! The soldiers' movements became smoother and more natural, and their psychological pressure was reduced.

People say that the Gefra Royal Navy is invincible. They have even achieved the remarkable feat of winning a naval battle of equal scale without taking any damage. But now, they have just engaged in battle and the enemy is already smoking. This at least shows that even if the Federal Navy is weaker than the Gefra Navy, the difference is within people's acceptable range.

The naval battles have been closely watched from the beginning, and there are many observation ships outside the area where the fighting is taking place.

Some people knew the behind-the-scenes story of this naval battle. They knew that the Federal Navy was facing the Gefra, so they came to see if the Gefra were still as invincible as they were during the war.

Some were simply there to watch the Federal's spectacle; this was the first time the Federal had conducted a large-scale military operation in an international public area.

At first, these people mocked the Federal Navy for being too cowardly, saying that they had only gone to wipe out a group of pirates, yet they had brought out an entire fleet and some incomprehensible submarines.

Their excessive focus on the pirates gave 《Military Observation》 reason to ridicule them, and they even planned how to report their observations to their own country's defense agencies upon their return.

For example, they might say things like "the Federal Navy is no match for them" or "they are born cowards," but when they saw those "pirates," they realized that it wasn't that the Federal was taking this anti-piracy operation too seriously, but rather that they had to do their utmost.

Because they were not facing weak pirates, but the Gefra main fleet, which, apart from missing two battleships and some escort destroyers, was one of Gefra's strongest naval formations.

When the Federal's first destroyer to brave the waves was sunk, everyone fell silent, for they realized that Gefra's Royal Navy was as powerful as ever, offering no incentive to even attempt a challenge.

But as the Federal Navy spread out its formation and the destroyers shifted gears, an aura that was no less imposing than that of a naval power was palpable.

They didn't panic and fought back and forth with the Gefra in a very rhythmic manner, even managing to hit Gefra warships multiple times during the exchange of fire.

The pace of the war was intense, with constant changes of direction, evasion, and salvoes over a period of more than twenty minutes. For the first time, people discovered that the Federal Navy was not as weak as they had imagined.

This change in feeling is actually quite complex, much like the astonishment people feel when a girl with a straight figure suddenly takes off her loose coat, revealing an amazing figure! The course of the war changed somewhat in the forty-seventh minute after the start of the battle, when warships on both sides were hit.

The sudden sinking of a destroyer engaged in direct combat with the Federal's assault fleet shocked 《Military Observation》, who scrambled to find out what had happened.

If it were a shelling or a secondary explosion, there would be huge flames and plumes of smoke. In modern naval warfare, warships may lose power or combat capability, but for a warship to sink, there are generally only two possibilities.

The explosion of the ammunition depot, much like the first destroyer in the Federal to be targeted by concentrated fire, directly broke the warship in two.

Another scenario is an attack from below the waterline, where the inability to quickly close the hatches leads to excessive water entering the ship, causing it to lose buoyancy and sink.

Apart from that, it is unlikely that a ship would sink if only the deck and the area above the waterline were hit.

Without any fire, what caused this destroyer to sink? A torpedo? However, torpedoes have many unresolved issues in actual combat. Although countries are developing torpedoes, their main focus remains on improving gun caliber and armor.

Not only were these 《Military Observation》 baffled, but the Royal Navy fleet Commander in Gefra Royal Navy was also completely confused. How could it have sunk so easily?

Could it be that the Federal's torpedo technology has already reached the point where it can accurately sink warships of the destroyer class in actual naval warfare? "Don't let their warships get close to our firing positions. Drive them away. Also, watch out for underwater torpedoes. They may have made a new breakthrough in torpedo technology."

"Those spies lurking in the Federal should all be hanged; they overlooked such important information!"

The Commander was no longer as relaxed as before; his face was now frosty.