Chapter 256: 256

“It’s always like that.”

Because Leeha had to do it even if he knew. Moreover, the sense of distance was different on the sea than on land. It is hidden behind a small island, but the island itself cannot be seen. If that’s the case. He needed to be fast! Wouldn’t it be nice to hit it as soon as possible?

“If we deal with the enemy’s main force before the 9th Fleet arrives-”

“That won’t be possible either.”

“Why?”

“We have pretty much the same numbers. However, the performance of our cannons is not even close to being  the same.”

“When it comes to the performance of the artillery…”

Leeha knew as well. Because that was what the general store owner said back in the day when he first used a musket. The Kraven Navy has excellent gunpowder. The performance of the artillery using the gunpowder would also be inevitably different than the Fibiel Navy.

“Our artillery is ‘canon’. The effective range is approximately 0.3 nautical miles. The maximum range is up to 1.6 nautical miles, but that sounds unreasonable.”

“If it’s 0.3 nautical miles, that would be 550m. The maximum range would be 3,000m. It is said that the full-scale shooting would only be possible at around 1,000m…”

Burke nodded as Leeha muttered.

“Then what about Kraven’s artillery?”

“Most of them are comparable to our artillery. However, the ships of the Kraven’s fleet admirals and their escort have ‘Culverin.”

“Culverin……. How different?”

“3 times, no, 2 times.”

“What?”

“They are 2 to 3 times more effective. Their effective range is from 1,500m to 6000m. The operation of the ship is as good as ours while having better artillery. Do you know what I mean?”

Fibiel’s attacks can’t reach, but Kraven’s does.

Kraven was trying to catch the enemy, but because of similar operating capabilities, they are unable to chase.

And in the middle of this never-ending game of hide-and-seek, the Kraven’s actual main character, a detachment unit led directly by the enemy’s commander suddenly appeared.

“-The moment the Serpent Fleet’s battleships armed with culverin comes out, our navy could only wait for death. Our bodies can only sink deep into the sea without being able to be found.”

In a simple phrase, it was a hopeless situation. Burke knew this as well.

“T-then, what are you going to do?”

That was why the admirals told Burke that it was a nonsensical strategy. Besides, they didn’t have the power until now. They were not able to deal Kraven any significant damage ever since Ram Hwajeong left!

After hearing all the explanations, Leeha also thought Burke’s actions were reckless.

“……I owe that old man.”

“Yes?”

“This isn’t the time to save my life while the commander-in-chief Granville-nim is in danger.”

“Then, what…”

“Didn’t I tell you before? Hahaha.”

What did he say before? As Leeha was about to repeat Burke’s words, a sudden cry was heard from the watchtower.

“A lot of Kraven’s ships have appeared in front! It looks like an exhibit.”

“Good! Those pirate bastards will show up soon! Spread this order to the whole fleet, prepare for battle!”

“Aye, Aye, Sir!”

Hwa, hwaaaa-.

The movement of the ship breaking the waves became more urgent. Standing in the midst of the roaring sailors running back and forth, Leeha finally remembered Burke’s words.

‘He said that even Drake is unable to catch this ship. In other words, in terms of speed alone, this ship was the best at naval battle. And……:

What was the essence of the strategy that Leeha mentioned earlier?

‘I just need to shoot! Solo charge?!’

Leeha looked at Burke with wide cat-like eyes, and Burke was also surprised.

“Hoo, did you understand what I meant? Pretty good, right? He only sent one person, so I thought you were only sent as a messenger, but I get the sense that you will actually be a real support.”

Because he did not expect any support from the very beginning. Burke smiled and patted Leeha’s back. Leeha realized that his thoughts were correct.

“A-are you going to charge directly at Drake’s ship? All of the other ships will fight 

Kraven’s 1st to 8th fleet, and when the 9th fleet appears, only this ship will go to Drake-”

“All we have to do is approach them. Our sailors have pretty good swordsmanship. If we can attach ourselves to their ship, it will be our victory.”

What kind of reckless strategy was that? It couldn’t even be called a strategy. It only showed their resolve to die!

‘Why did it suddenly become so absurd- Commander-in-Chief Granville’s in danger? But it’s not like this is going to make things better even if they act like this!’

Rather, it would only make the situation worse.

What if the strategy fails and the ship that charged at the 9th fleed gets completely destroyed? What if commander Burke died?

Who will be in charge of the whole Dike Beach?

“Wait! Wait! No way! There’s no way commander-in-chief Granville would want such a strategy! Besides, there’s only one fleet over there, and it doesn’t make sense for us to charge with a single ship-”

“Isn’t this a war? We have to risk our lives. It means that you will instinctively feel that you are about to die. Should we just stand still?” (ed: Dude, it’s a war you’re supposed to win not kill yourselves. Don’t pretend this is a strategy)

“That…”

“We have to finish this quickly. Our forces must catch up on the Marching Plains. Only then can the main forces come back alive.”

Burke’s voice was low.

It made Leeha think that the fate of Fibiel’s main forces was set in stone. If all of this were Minis’ trap, he expected that it would be difficult to endure Minis’ counterattack even if Fibiel’s main force exceeded 1.6 million.

‘I knew it. It’s the same with the NPC’s calculations. I agree that he should lead the forces of Dike Beach as reinforcements. But what is the probability of success for this strategy? No matter how good the ship is, no matter how skillful the sailors were, it couldn’t possibly exceed 20%.’

Hearing Burke’s words, Leeha got impatient.

If so, the time is really tight. We can’t do this with two to three battles of attrition, or risk our lives to focus on a strategy that has less than a 20% chance of success!

“I agree with that idea.”

“What?”

“However, this strategy will not work.”

Leeha’s voice was low. Burke, who was looking at the sea, turned his head and looked at the sudden change in Leeha’s atmosphere.

“I don’t mind either. It’s the most reckless strategy I have ever thought of since I started being a sailor and until I got to this position.”

It meant that there was no way to defeat Kraven. In a situation where both quality and quantity were lacking.

Leeha looked at Burke’s face with a self-deprecating smile. He was definitely superior to other NPCs.

‘I have to save this person. We need someone like this to recapture the enemy’s back in Marching Plains.’

There would be no one to command the troops of Dike Beach if he died.

Will Leeha directly command them? There was no way the NPCs and users would listen to someone who had no position.

However, what if Burke stepped forward and commanded them in the form of a quest? Moreover, users who fought all over Dike Beach would not go against his words.

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“Commander.”

“Huh?”

“Would you like to hear out my strategy?”

“Strategy? You? Do you know anything about naval warfare?”

It was different from land battles. A naval battle was one where an ordinary soldier cannot change the state of war by simply intervening. In spite of Burke’s sarcastic tone, Leeha didn’t back down, he couldn’t.

“I am the captain of a special force dispatched to Dike Beach by the commander-in-chief Granville.”

“What are you even talking about?”

“It means that I don’t know about the basics of naval battles, but I know more fundamental things. For example-”

Leeha opened the leather case he carried on his shoulder. He had been thinking about it to some extent ever since he was dispatched to this place.

It was questionable whether the environment would be ready, but Burke was enough to create that environment.

Then all that was left was him.

“-It’s the basics of war.”

Burke’s expression changed moment by moment as Leeha’s new plan flowed out from his mouth like a symphony.

In the middle of the sea, ships were gathered in an orderly manner, like parked cars. Although the waves were never weak, the ships did not get pushed back, drift sideways, or crashed into the other ships.

Maintaining the position of a large ship, was in a sense more difficult than navigating. It was impossible to do without an accurate understanding of the anchor and the sail, and the winds and waves. And Kraven Navy’s four hundred ships understood these movements.

“Fibiel’s navy is approaching, Fibiel’s navy is approaching! They can be seen with the naked eye!”

They got a call from the watchman and knew it from the beginning. However, the distance is now so close that it can be seen from Kraven’s main ship watch.

“Wind up all the anchors.”

“Understood!”

“Any other admirals?”

“There are no special contacts but all ships are moving” 

Kraven’s eight fleets lined up into two rows. Among them, the ships of the four fleets in the front began to move in a hurry.

“Escort ships with the flagship, forward. Concentrate on the movements of Fibiel’s naval force and prepare to turn.”

“Understood. Culverin cannon equipped front row ship forward-! Prepare to turn according to the movements of the enemy forces! Rider! Flag bearer!”

The navigator and the deck master spread the admiral’s words to all the other crew members. The flag fluttered even stronger with the sea breeze, and as promised, a movement occurred in Kraven’s fleet at the same time.

“Unfold the mast sails! Keep pace with the next ship”

“We must not lag behind the first fleet’s admiral’s ship! If we fall behind, it would be over!”

“There, there!! Pull the ropes straight! Our contributions will double with that alone!”

The Kraven users shouted out loud.

Naval battles were different from land battles. The steering of the ship was as important as giving a heal and swinging a sword.

It was a system in which the contributions were distributed based on the damage the ship one is riding to an enemy ship. Of course, they had the desire to not fall behind the other ships.

Hwaaaaa-.

The ships moved across the current.

Like a parade of soldiers, the command of Kraven’s NPC, who can match their movements without talking, was effective and the movements of Kraven were efficient.

“Culverin-equipped ships, lead deployment complete! Fibiel’s movement is-”

“There it is! Fibiel’s fleet is turning right! They are turning right! Their entire fleet is turning to the right! Estimated angle, 10 degrees! The current distance is 5 nautical miles”

Flap- flap-!

A shout was heard from the watchtower, waving flags.

“Prepare a portion of the lead ships. Match Fibiel’s movements. Begin loading the culverins.”

“Aye, Aye, Sir!”

At the admiral NPCs’ command, users rushed again.

For users who go out to ‘raid’ using ships, it was not a particularly special command.

“Port, ready! Steering direction 350! Turn so that Fibiel could see the port side”

“Port ready, port ready!”

“Be careful not to overturn the sails”

“He’s only going to beat me by 10 degrees, but I’m afraid I won’t get the wind? Don’t worry, take good care of steering!”

The helmsman user and the users near the mass spat out swear words at each other. Still, their actions did not stop.

The ship did not turn simply by turning the key. A ship was not a car.

The sail must be maintained at all times to receive the wind in the direction it needs to go. If the rudder control and sail control are different from each other, the wind may reverse and the sail might overturn.

It meant that the wind can block the front rather than push it from behind.

It took a lot of time until the sails once flipped over to normalize again, so it was only natural for the Kraven users to exchange sharp sounds.

“Port!”

Port!

Shupaaa-!

Kraven’s ships started to turn their heads to the left at the same time. Although the sea breeze was strong, it only turned 10 degrees, and there was no frivolous sailor who overturned the sail at this level.

As soon as the ships in the front row moved, the ships in the back row chased after them.

They also did not make a single mistake.

“Culverin load! Culverin reload! Open the left side gun gate! Measure the distance-!”

“Measure the distance! We are 4.5 nautical miles away from Qidian!”

“Okay, ready to reload! Get the gunpowder out! Prepare to fire, once we are 3 nautical miles away, you’ll get an order to fire the first shot!” 

Currently, the distance between the Pubiel and Kraven fleets is about 8.3 km.

It will be approximately 3-4km ahead of Pubiel’s fleet advancing with their heads turned to the right and Kraven’s fleets moving with their heads turned to the left to begin in earnest.

First, Kraven’s Navy, who will open fire by showing his side, and Fibiel’s, who must somehow break through the navy’s gunfire

Of course, from Kraven’s point of view, there was no way to welcome such a thing.

When Fibiel approached a certain distance, they have to open fire again and chase after them.

Then what about Fibiel?

They would get angry at Kraven, who runs away, but they couldn’t chase them forever. Because they did not know when Drake would pop out of nowhere.

Besides, fighting to the death was not a disadvantage.

Fibiel always rages about them being ignorant Kraven bastards and pirates, but when it comes to ‘ships’, Kraven is better than them. As such, they have a great attachment to their ‘ships’. It meant a high level of understanding.

(To be continued…)

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