Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology-Chapter 1193: WWI: Battle of the Atlantic (8)

Those two pieces of information were like drops of water falling into boiling oil, instantly igniting the situation. Originally, both the Bharatiya fleet and the European fleet were supposed to recover their strength before the next engagement, but after receiving the news, neither side could hold back any longer.

"Quick, turn the ships around and advance," Edward Russell roared, then he looked at the fiery wall before him with a determined expression.

"Send out a few empty vessels forward and open me a path," He said, his voice low and hoarse.

Deputy Commander John De Witt received the orders and did not hesitate, relaying them throughout the fleet, his face tinged with worry and apprehension.

’How did it turn out like this?’ he couldn’t help but lament.

In the Mediterranean, they had carefully prepared for months. Military supplies were stockpiled along the coast, and "covert" reconnaissance vessels disguised as ordinary cargo ships were sent out. These ships were meant to be deliberately "discovered" by the Bharatiyas, leading them to believe that they were planning to invade the Suez Canal and push into the Red Sea.

On top of that, they intentionally leaked confidential, high-level information to known spies of the Bharatiya Empire within the European Navy. They were extremely confident in this plan, believing it to be foolproof. For the most part, no one doubted the claim either. Not to mention, before their fleet fully moved out, they received news that His Majesty the Emperor was mobilising the Bharatiya navy to reinforce the exit of the Suez Canal, which only confirmed that their deception had worked.

However, everything changed when the latest intelligence arrived. A completely new Bharatiya fleet was on the way, composed of twelve Maharaja Ramachandra Class battleships, twenty-four Ramachandra Class battleships, and sixty Delhi Class battleships. The moment John read this, he shivered.

Until now, they had only faced four Maharaja Ramachandra Class battleships, and just recalling their battle capabilities filled him with dread. He was already drenched in cold sweat, and now twelve more were coming straight toward him. How could he not be worried?

Edward shared the same concerns as John, so he made a firm determination in his heart. He would completely destroy the Bharatiya fleet within his grasp before the reinforcements arrived, allowing him to join forces with the European Atlantic Fleet and crush the incoming Bharatiya fleet.

With such a grand vision at stake, Edward did not mind losing a few ships to the fire in order for the path to open up, in order to defeat the Bharatiya fleet as quickly as possible.

Admiral Yashvardhan Keshav, looking through the telescope, could see that the Europeans were getting restless, and they even started to pull something off, like letting a ship sail right into the pit of fire, burning with blazing intensity on water. He knew this fire could not last long, but he still used this tactic in order to put some distance between the Bharatiya fleet and the European fleet before the fire went off.

But who could have thought they had not sailed far enough, and the Europeans had already started to make a breakthrough, even sacrificing several warships in the fleet.

’How many people should die?’

’Sigh!’

Yashvardhan suddenly squinted his eyes; he seemed to realise something. ’Huh, they are empty?’ A sense of clarity washed over him, and he understood what the Europeans were thinking.

"Fire when ready!" he ordered. He looked at the situation of his own fleet. He felt a little bad; most ships had varying degrees of damage and were not in a perfect situation, and he felt like he could not fight the Europeans, who still had over 700 to 750 warships left.

So he decided upon a defensive tactic.

If he only wanted to preserve his fleet, the better option would be to simply stay outside the firing range of the Europeans and keep firing at them, but unfortunately the fleet still had to guard the colonies they had just freed from the grip of the Europeans, so their area of movement was quite limited.

Fireworks immediately appeared in the sky, and the exchange of gunfire immediately resumed, this time much more intense than the previous sortie.

The ship Yashvardhan was on was rocking from left to right constantly, and the dense firepower of the Europeans was simply too numerous.

" This can’t go on," Yashvardhan spat, and then his eyes brightened.

’Since military tactics used in offensive warfare can be used on the sea, can the defensive tactics be used as well?’ An idea slowly took shape in his mind.

"Disperse farther and put some distance between each warship, and assume a defensive wolf formation," he ordered.

This was a new idea he had just come up with, inspired by battles on land. Normally, when facing concentrated firepower, one common tactic is to spread out, attack from multiple angles, and wear the enemy down. In naval warfare, there is no high ground or low ground, so he adopted the concept of spreading out to reduce the impact of enemy firepower. As for the defensive wolf formation, it was another classic formation drawn from cold-weapon combat.

In this way, his plan combined two distinct strategies, forming a unique approach of his own.

The orders were passed in the Bharatiya fleet, and the fleet quickly began to loosen, putting quite a distance between each warship, with the bigger and much more defensible battleships taking on the outer layer of the defensive wall, and the weaker and smaller ships taking the inner layer, lodging attacks once in a while when they get the opportunity.

The plan worked. The damage they took was reduced a lot, and the damage they could induce on the Europeans also increased, but Yashvardhan was not happy at all. Edward seemed to have gone berserk; he’s adopting the strategy of punch for punch, almost completely giving up on defences and attacking his warships like a rabid dog.

" Dammit."

Yashvardhan cursed. He only had to hold on for a few more days, and at that time, the reinforcements would be here, and he would not have to worry about the European fleet anymore.

But obviously, at the rate at which his warships were falling, he doubted if he could last that long. Although he could predict that by the time the Europeans completely defeated his fleet, they would only be left with around 500 to 600 ships, with almost 600 warships sinking to the bottom of the ocean, and hundreds of thousands of lives lost. They could probably still gain the upper hand after their Atlantic Fleet joins the remaining fleet to take on the Empire’s reinforcements.

Besides, he had just learned that among the reinforcements being sent, the number of smaller ships, such as frigates, clippers, and military transporters, was not very large, putting him in an awkward position. If he could hold out and receive the reinforcements while maintaining most of his strength, it would be like adding wings to a tiger. However, if his warships were lost, then even if the reinforcements arrived, the Bharatiya fleet would become unbalanced, and the war would certainly not be settled within a month or two.

He gritted his teeth and made up his mind.

"Turn the ships around, we’re going for a round two, and there’s no need to split into three distinct groups, two are enough," he ordered.

Vice Admiral Raghunathan was shocked, "Are you sure, Admiral? A lot of warships are in a dangerous condition and need urgent repairs."

Yashvardhan’s eyes were sharp, and he nodded without hesitation, " Yes, I’m sure. If we only focus on defence, the enemy, with their superior numbers, will wear us down one ship at a time, so we can’t afford to go on the defensive. The only option left is to bear our fangs and hurt the enemy even more."

"So simply pass the orders and have the fleet charge forward once again."

’Gulp!’

Although reluctant, Raghunathan still passed the orders, and the Bharatiya fleet that had spread out began to converge once again.

Edward had felt slightly relaxed after gaining the upper hand when the Bharatiyas shifted onto the defensive. He could tell that although much of his artillery had missed the Bharatiya fleet, their offensive capabilities had been significantly reduced. With more warships under his command, he also had more naval guns. So even if each individual hit was fewer, when viewed on a larger scale, the total damage was still considerable, and it was this advantage that had allowed him to gain the upper hand.

However, when he saw the Bharatiyas move to form a cavalry charge once again, and this time launch two direct charges without spreading to the sides, aiming straight for the heart of his fleet, his expression changed. He grew solemn, and his heartbeat began to rise.

"Quickly split two parts in the middle of the fleet and immediately reposition the naval guns and the ships themselves perpendicular to the path, and I don’t want it to be like the last time. Anyone who is not following my orders, even if it is a high-ranking officer, will be killed without mercy," he ordered, his fists clenched and his eyes flickering.

The last time the Bharatiyas charged, it was a disaster for them, with over 60 to 70 warships immediately getting destroyed, with more than two dozen of them being battleships.

"This time the outcome would be different," he said, but it felt like he was saying more to himself than the officers. It was as if he was saying those words to increase his own confidence rather than the officers he was ordering to.

The Bharatiya fleet formed into two battle groups, appearing like two sharp swords, and pulled by the power of steam turbines, these swords gained momentum, going up against an opponent like a mountain.