Iron Dynasty Chapter 957

“What in the name of God is that thing?”

Wilson found himself bathed in a cold sweat.

As the barrage from the Great Yu Empire’s steam warships began to slacken, he suspected their ammunition reserves had finally run dry. It stood to reason; in the intense naval engagement just witnessed, the Great Yu Empire’s vessels had secured a victory despite being outnumbered, which meant they had consumed shells at a much higher rate.

A flicker of hope for a turnaround ignited in his chest at this realization, only to be instantly extinguished by the sight of this new arrival.

He could tell the vessel was fresh from the shipyard, as the iron plating shielding the hull was still coated in a thick layer of rust. Nevertheless, the sight was enough to strike terror into their hearts.

A ship clad entirely in iron armor cutting through the waves—what kind of monster was this?

Wilson’s intuition was correct; the warship had been launched so recently that its official handover to the navy hadn't even occurred, evidenced by its unfinished paint job. However, it was fully prepared for slaughter; its cannons were mounted, and it had been hastily stocked with ammunition at the military port.

Their delayed entry into the fray was due entirely to this final resupply of munitions.

Xie Yuan and Ding Chang were in command. While Li Wei was embroiled in the maritime struggle, Zhang Liang had tracked them down, tasking them with bringing this steel leviathan into the heart of the battle.

Recognizing the urgency, they had boarded the vessel without a second thought. They were well aware of the fleet's hardware limitations; twelve warships, no matter how advanced, could not hope to overcome such overwhelming numbers indefinitely.

Thus, to save Li Wei from being overwhelmed once his magazines were empty, the sailing vessels were dispatched first, followed by the personal deployment of the Great Yu Empire’s inaugural ironclad.

They knew that if the naval battle was lost, the invaders would surely turn their guns on the shipyards at the port. Such a loss would be more catastrophic than any they had faced before.

“Have no fear! Charge right into the center of their formation! The iron armor on our hull is more than enough to shrug off these explosive shells!” Xie Yuan shouted, his face glowing with excitement.

The Great Yu Empire had designed these ironclads specifically to neutralize the threat of explosive shells. Traditional wooden hulls simply could not survive the impact of such modern ordnance.

Furthermore, they were certain the Westerners would soon possess similar technology. The scandal involving the Great Yu Empire defectors had been blasted across the newspapers by the imperial court for months, making it common knowledge.

Consequently, the Great Yu Empire had tightened its supervision over its intellectual talent more strictly than ever.

Upon Xie Yuan’s command, the ironclad surged forward at maximum power. Abandoning the hybrid designs of earlier ships, this ironclad was propelled entirely by its steam engine, its masts having been completely removed.

Visually, it broke away from the traditional aesthetics of the Empire’s current fleet. It featured a narrow, elongated hull—a shape far better suited for supporting the weight of iron plating.

The only familiar feature was the rows of gunports lining its sides, as this first-generation ironclad still relied on a high density of traditional artillery.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

The ironclad’s arrival immediately drew the focus of the British fleet. Numerous ships pivoted, directing their full firepower toward the steel behemoth. What followed left them in a state of shock.

The ship remained completely unharmed despite being pelted by explosive shells. Tearing through the curtain of smoke and fire, the ironclad slammed into the center of an English warship that had been firing upon it, shearing the wooden vessel in two.

“Thud!”

Driven by massive inertia, the ironclad plowed into the British wooden ship, carving a massive hole through it. Without losing any speed, the ironclad continued its advance, shoving the wreckage aside like mere debris.

Simultaneously, the cannons on both sides of the ironclad erupted in a frantic rhythm. Having plunged into the middle of the disorganized British formation, it found nearly ten enemy ships within its reach. Under the ironclad’s relentless bombardment, the British became sitting ducks. Several were struck and rendered useless in minutes.

The sheer ferocity of the ironclad’s assault emboldened Xie Yuan and Ding Chang. Their confidence soared, and they began to ignore the enemy’s desperate return fire, pursuing the British vessels with ruthless intent.

Li Wei watched the scene, deeply moved. A spark of battle-frenzy lit his eyes. He found himself wishing he could take the helm of such a magnificent ship, though he knew that dream would have to wait until the fighting ceased.

Turning to his first mate, he ordered, “Did you see that? Have the men pool our remaining shells and hand them over to the most skilled marksmen! Move!”

“Understood!” The first mate’s spirit was renewed. At this rate, victory was within their grasp.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

The Great Yu Empire’s fleet resumed its fire. Though the shots were less frequent now, they were more than enough to deal with the panicked and broken British ships.

At that moment, Wilson fell into total despair.

After obliterating its first target, the Great Yu Empire’s ironclad had set its sights on his flagship.

There was no room to maneuver and no place to run. He could only watch in terror as the high-speed vessel bore down on him.

With a bone-shaking impact, his ship shattered just like the one before it. A tremendous force threw him from the deck, sending him plunging into the cold sea.

The tide of battle had completely turned with the ironclad’s intervention. An hour later, the only two surviving enemy ships were fleeing toward Japan, disappearing into the distant waves.

“Captain, should we give chase?” Ding Chang inquired of Xie Yuan.

“There’s no need. A victory this magnificent requires a witness to go back and describe it to their masters,” Xie Yuan replied with a boisterous laugh. He savored the thought of the British Queen’s reaction when she learned her combined fleet had been wiped out.

Ding Chang scratched his head and grinned. “You’re right. Let them truly understand our power.”

Surveying the British, French, and Spanish sailors struggling in the water and begging for mercy, Xie Yuan added, “Let’s round up some prisoners first. A victory of this scale will surely bring His Majesty to Dengzhou in person. We can present these captives to him then.”

“Yes, sir,” Ding Chang replied, immediately organizing his men to fish the Westerners out of the water.

Meanwhile, Xie Yuan sent a messenger to deliver the battle report to Qingzhou Province.

Traveling by steam locomotive through the night, the courier arrived at the imperial palace at midnight to deliver the urgent news.

“The combined fleet of Britain, France, and Spain… make ready. We set out for Dengzhou tomorrow morning.”

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Qian Dafu did not hesitate to wake Xiao Ming from his sleep. The palace was suddenly a hive of activity.

“Understood, Your Majesty,” Qian Dafu answered.

He could see the Emperor was genuinely thrilled. They had dismantled over seventy warships belonging to the three-nation alliance at Dengzhou in a single stroke. This was effectively the end of Western naval dominance in Asia. This power vacuum would allow them to achieve many of their goals.

Just as Qian Dafu realized, Xiao Ming was elated. Not only had he witnessed the true potential of the Great Yu Empire’s navy, but he also knew this victory would send shockwaves through Europe. The Great Yu Empire had officially taken its first major step toward total maritime supremacy.