Iron Dynasty Chapter 955

“Attack!”

Li Wei’s thunderous roar shattered the ocean's calm. At his command, the entire fleet of warships surged at maximum velocity from their hiding spots behind the coastal mountain range.

At that precise moment, twenty British vessels, packed with soldiers, were navigating the waters. These were the British warships scouting for a chance to make landfall.

The sudden emergence of the Great Yu Empire’s fleet clearly struck terror into the British. They scrambled to adjust their sails and catch the wind to prepare for the unexpected engagement.

“The Great Yu Empire’s ships are downwind! This gives us the upper hand! Sink them!” the captain of the leading British vessel barked his orders.

As a seasoned officer, he possessed a deep understanding of maritime currents and wind patterns. They had chosen to move north specifically because the environmental conditions were highly favorable to their sails.

In the coming clash, being upwind would grant them the advantage needed to execute a lethal “crossing the T” maneuver.

The other British captains reacted with equal speed, maneuvering their ships in accordance with the breeze. The wind caught their sails, gradually turning their bows so their hulls sat perpendicular to the enemy. This positioning allowed their full broadside of cannons to be leveled at the attackers.

However, their calculated movements fell into disarray during the turn. They had envisioned their twenty ships forming a perfect “straight line” to trap the Great Yu Empire’s fleet in a crossfire.

But the Great Yu Empire’s warships, which had initially appeared in a linear formation, pivoted eastward with startling agility. This rapid movement completely dismantled the British plan for a two-line crossfire.

Soon, the British would find themselves downwind in a horizontal “T” alignment—a fatal predicament where they would be unable to return fire while being systematically shelled.

A smirk of confidence crossed Li Wei’s face as he watched the British fleet descend into confusion.

The British vessels were undeniably clumsy. Li Wei was far too clever to engage in a static exchange of fire with twelve ships against a numerically superior foe.

He knew that any British force daring to attack now was likely armed with explosive shells. In a crude, stationary shootout, the battle would simply be a grim countdown of whose hull would disintegrate first.

Fighting in such a manner would lead to certain defeat and waste the technological edge of their steam engines.

Consequently, Li Wei commanded his fleet to avoid a direct broadside exchange. Instead, he utilized their superior maneuverability to circle the enemy, relentlessly seeking to “cross the T.”

His tactics proved devastatingly effective. The sailing vessels, restricted by wind and currents, were quickly outclassed by the mechanical agility of their opponents. The twelve steam-powered warships swiftly seized the dominant upwind position from north to south.

Wilson, who was desperately racing his own fleet to provide reinforcements from a distance, watched the Great Yu Empire’s nimble maneuvering with growing dread. The sight left him completely unnerved.

For hundreds of years, the British had used their vast experience to dominate naval positions and crush their rivals. Yet now, this fledgling navy of the Great Yu Empire, using nothing but these smoke-belching vessels, had effortlessly seized the tactical high ground.

Wilson’s ships were simply too sluggish. Before he could reach the fray, a thunderous roar of artillery erupted. The Great Yu Empire warships shuddered under the recoil, sending concentric ripples across the sea's surface.

As plumes of white smoke billowed from the Great Yu Empire’s decks, the British ships chasing them were caught as the vertical stem of the “T” formation.

“Boom, boom, boom…” Twelve ships opened fire as one.

The British flagship, leading the charge, took the full brunt of the strike. Massive explosions tore through the vessel, sending wooden planks flying like shrapnel as fire consumed the deck.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

The Great Yu Empire’s fleet didn't hesitate, unleashing a second volley immediately after the first. Over seven hundred shells were rained down upon the British fleet by the twelve warships.

The explosions echoed like a frantic drumbeat. A long dragon of flame stretched across the waves. Moving with lethal speed, the Great Yu Empire’s ships maintained a continuous barrage.

The British desperately tried to pursue and find a window to fire back, but they were perpetually unable to close the distance or catch their faster prey.

“Hit them harder!” Li Wei yelled. Within just two volleys, twenty British ships had been struck, turning into floating pyres.

Under his leadership, the gunners worked tirelessly to reload. The third, fourth, and fifth rounds of the bombardment commenced.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

The relentless rain of shells inflicted catastrophic damage on the British fleet once more.

However, the British, pushed into a corner, seemed to be driven into a desperate frenzy. Abandoning their unified formation, they suddenly shifted to independent, chaotic combat.

The remaining vessels broke ranks, veering off in different directions. By scattering, at least six ships managed to turn their broadsides toward the Great Yu Empire’s fleet.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

A British ship finally secured a firing line. Even though it had been hit and was currently engulfed in flames, it fought on with suicidal determination.

“Dong dong dong…”

Sixty shells tore across the water. One of the Great Yu Empire’s moving warships was unable to swerve in time and was struck by seven consecutive shells.

As the shells detonated against the hull, Li Wei confirmed his suspicions: the British were indeed utilizing explosive shells now.

The Great Yu Empire ship was left with seven gaping holes in its side, each filled with fire. Most dangerously, one explosion had occurred right near the steam engine, damaging the vital machinery.

“Damn it!”

Noticing the damage, Li Wei immediately signaled the mastman to relay orders. He commanded any disabled ships to unfurl their sails and use the wind to retreat from the front lines.

A crippled ship would only serve as a stationary target and a liability to the rest of the fleet.

“Keep the pressure on!” After giving the orders, Li Wei continued to direct the bombardment of the surviving British vessels.

Even after losing the momentum of a second ship, they successfully wiped out the entirety of the twenty British vessels. Red-coated soldiers suffered horrific casualties, with the few survivors left to flounder in the cold sea.

“Captain, Wilson’s reinforcement fleet is arriving!”

Having finished the first group, the fleet led by Wilson was now closing into firing range.

“They truly have no shortage of men eager to die,” Li Wei spat.

The twenty ships they had just destroyed weren't all British; several had been flying French colors. It was a mixed coalition.

In addition to France and Britain, he spotted Spanish flags among the approaching reinforcements.

“Even if we are reduced to a single ship, we will defend the military port and the shipyard! We must show these arrogant Westerners our true power!” Li Wei shouted to his crew.

“Kill them all!” the soldiers roared in response.

Their fighting spirit reached a fever pitch. Fear of death had vanished, replaced by a singular, burning focus on annihilating the invaders.