Munitions Empire
Chapter 1368: 1285 Martyr

Chapter 1368: 1285 Martyr

The anti-ship missiles of the Great Tang Empire were certainly not mere decorations, but truly lethal weapons. However, what had been a deadly weapon during the naval battles with Mirage Country, could now only be used to eliminate the remnants of the enemy.

In the sea area where the main fleet of the Great Tang Empire Navy had passed, three destroyers at the forefront of the fleet were slowing down. They needed to make way for the three subsequent destroyers because these vanguard destroyers had already exhausted their anti-ship missiles.

The warships of the allied fleet that had been previously damaged and were still floating on the sea surface, as well as the destroyers and cruisers left behind for rescue, had all been greeted by the anti-ship missiles.

The naval aviation of the Great Tang Empire didn’t have the time to deal with these remnants and considered them as accomplishments, leaving them to the surface fleet units.

The surface fleet units were not polite; they calmly used their anti-ship missiles to deal with these isolated enemy warships, even more efficiently than the Air Force.

This was because the anti-ship missiles from the Great Tang Empire followed two routes: those on naval warships followed the Maoxiong rabbit route, known for their massive impact, a violent path that conquers all with sheer force.

In contrast, the anti-ship missiles used by naval aircraft of the Great Tang Empire followed the Western route, pursuing a design that was small and practical, allowing the missiles to be mounted on less advanced carrier-based aircraft, emphasizing quantity and saturation.

Thus, being hit by a Harpoon Anti-Ship Missile launched from an aircraft might still leave the possibility of surviving with severe damage, but being hit by a Hawk Strike Anti-ship Missile launched from the Great Tang Empire’s naval warships was truly beyond rescue.

The early Hawk Strike series anti-ship missiles had enormous warheads and were large in size, like a jet plane crashing directly into a destroyer… the scene was simply unbearable to watch.

The destroyers and cruisers that were sunk, along with the various damaged warships, and supply ships… due to electronic interference, they couldn’t report their encounters to the allied fleet.

They died without understanding why, the soldiers of the allied fleet floating on the water could only widen their eyes, identifying the huge silhouettes of the Great Tang Empire’s naval warships speeding past them in the dark night.

The opposing side didn’t even leave them a lifebuoy. Many allied fleet soldiers just soaked in the water, or sat in lifeboats, stupidly waiting for dawn.

The fear and despair in these people’s hearts lingered; the pitch-black night and the endless sea were devouring every bit of their sanity.

Soon, screams rang out from the darkness, causing others to shiver with fear. Nobody knew what was happening, and some people gradually sank to the seafloor from exhaustion.

Luckily, this was the southern waters of the Endless Sea, which hadn’t seen much of a temperature drop due to the climate. If this were the northern waters… their situation would be even more miserable.

Inside the bridge of the allied fleet’s flagship, the Dorne Empire’s “Viva Dorne” aircraft carrier, John Cleves was still hysterically ordering the fleet of battleships and cruisers to temporarily form a line and change course.

Five battleships and seven or eight cruisers, if they could really charge into the Tang Army’s fleet under cover of darkness and wreak havoc, they could indeed change the outcome of this war.

Even with only 350mm caliber main guns, these battleships still posed a formidable threat within cannon range. They could easily tear through the enemy warships’ armor, inflicting massive damage.

The most crucial point was that the opposing fleet would be forced to slow down, avoid these battleships, and keep their distance… As a result, this would buy enough time for the remaining six aircraft carriers of the allied fleet to retreat.

“This is the best plan! Do you understand? If you’re cowardly, you’ll just have to gather and wait to die!” John Cleves’s voice pierced sharper, echoing throughout the entire bridge.

“Get me a boat! I want to go to the Saratogaer battleship to command! I’ll personally take command!” John Cleves declared.

He previously had the notion of sacrificing himself to give the entire fleet a chance at survival. Now he was putting that idea into practice; he wanted to atone for his folly!

This was a redemption he had been brewing for hours; he wanted to redeem the fleet and redeem himself! As a naval commander, nothing was more shameful than letting his country’s fleet be destroyed.

So, no matter what, he had to die in this naval battle; he could die, but he couldn’t lose!

The Chief of Staff and other officers wanted to stop this near-insane man from pursuing death, but they really couldn’t say anything. Now that things had come to this point, they all knew that they had lost this naval battle. Since they lost, someone had to be held accountable.

Clearly, John Cleves had to be responsible. Simply put, by custom, John Cleves must die here; this was the most dignified outcome.

“Your Excellency Commander! We can’t execute your orders.” Finally, someone expressed their opinion: “Sending the battleship fleet to cover the carrier’s retreat is indeed a plan, but currently, we don’t know the position of the enemy fleet, so how do we turn the battleship fleet to block the rear?”

“Once out of range, it will be unlikely to contact the battleships again; what if they stray in the wrong direction, and we later find out the enemy fleet is in another location?” The officer looked at John Cleves and asked a question that couldn’t be answered.

“In the end, you’re just afraid to sacrifice the battleship fleet!” John Cleves shouted furiously, “Cowards! You cowards! Cowards who fear death!”

Unfortunately, his outburst failed to shake anyone on the bridge. First, they no longer trusted John Cleves’s command. Second, they genuinely didn’t dare lose the entire battleship fleet.

At the moment John Cleves found himself surrounded by betrayal, wanting to die but unable to, the Great Tang Empire’s night attack aircraft were once again in position.

The Intruder Attack Aircraft resumed their missile barrages, and on the deck of a stranded battleship of the allied fleet, rescue sailors saw countless stars streaking through the sky heading into the distance.

Those were deadly meteors, the bugles of victory for the Great Tang Empire Navy. Meanwhile, the allied fleet was still embroiled in a debate about whether or not to split their forces.

When another anti-ship missile scored a direct hit on the allied fleet’s flagship, the Dorne Empire’s “Viva Dorne” aircraft carrier, the arguments finally ceased.

Nobody cared anymore about splitting forces or not because the deck before them had already caught fire, an elevator had been blown away, and planes with folded wings tumbled into the sea…