Chapter 103: The Scullflow Offshore Naval Battle, Part 1
October 2, 311 Yamato Calendar.
On this day, an order was delivered to the Londerian Royal Fleet, which was anchored in the military port of Scullflow in the northern part of Londeria.
“The Elfusia fleet is approaching the point 50 nautical miles northeast of Scullflow. The Londeria home fleet should immediately set sail, head south, and withdraw to the imperial defensive line.”
The Yamato Empire is preparing its defensive measures in the southern part of Londeria, where infrastructure has been developed. From their perspective, Northern Londeria is a region assumed to fall into enemy hands at some point.
Even though there were only old-fashioned sailing ships in the region, it was impractical to continue stationing their valuable fleet there.
It was obvious that they would be sunk to the bottom of the sea without achieving any significant results, like the Port Arthur fleet that was trapped in Port Arthur and destroyed during the Russo-Japanese War.
For that reason, the withdrawal order was sent.
The fleet that received this order responded, “Is the enemy fleet approaching? That’s a serious matter,” he said, leaving the port immediately without hesitation.
A large fleet of 40 ships in total, consisting of 4 first-class battlecruisers, 4 second-class battlecruisers, 12 third-class battlecruisers, and 20 frigates, led by the flagship Queen Elizabeth, formed into a formation and began to sail through the sea with full sails.
……So far, it has been perfect.
The fleet set sail as ordered, and there was no problem with its ability to navigate. if they had wanted to, they could have retreated to the southern port unharmed.
However, there is one problem. Yes, it is the admiral who is in command of this fleet.
His name is Nelson. He is a man with a reputation for not listening to others.
The first-class battleship, the Queen Elizabeth, is the flagship of the illustrious Royal Navy.
In the stern tower of the ship, “a man with a reputation for not listening” ――Admiral Nelson was staring at the horizon with a telescope in his hand.
The direction he is staring at is “northeast”, not “south”, which is the course he was originally ordered to take.
“Horation, the weather in Londeria is terrible today. It’s cloudy and I can’t shake off this gloom. I can’t say it’s the ideal day for a decisive battle.”
Decisive battle, he put it that way.
Yes, this is about the man who won’t listen, he intends to ignore the order to retreat and fight the Elfusia fleet.
Of course, it goes without saying that the Yamato Empire has communicated that ‘old-fashioned sailing ships can’t beat the Elfusia Frozen Ship.’
But he refuses to listen to the message. No, even though he hears it physically with his ears, he doesn’t understand it at all in his head.
“Isn’t it usual for the weather in Londeria to be bad? More importantly, why is our fleet advancing eastward? The orders given to us are to retreat to the southern port of the Kingdom. This is Her Majesty’s… No, it’s an order from the Führer of the Yamato Empire.”
Captain Horation of the Queen Elizabeth is the one who recommends “evacuation south” to a man who won’t listen.
He is the opposite of Nelson, who has the appearance of a natural-born man of the sea, he is a plain, bureaucratic-looking captain.
So, as for the suggestion made by this plain captain… As expected, Nelson is not listening at all.
He turned his bored eyes to the captain and said, “I don’t know, Horation. Listen, based on the information from Yamato, the rotten elves’ fleet is approaching up to 50 nautical miles off the coast of our country. If we do not intercept this, what kind of Royal Navy are we?” He spoke with full confidence.
“If you put it that way…”
Even Captain Horation had no choice but to yield to this.
In any case, Nelson doesn’t listen to people, but he is quite competent in other areas.
His commanding ability in naval battles is extremely high, and he is brave and courageous, with a manly spirit that allows him to take the lead in a fight when the time comes.
As a man of the sea, it is fair to say that he possesses abilities that are close to perfect. In fact, he is actually well-liked by his subordinates.
His only fault is the bad habit of not listening to the conversation.
People say, “If Nelson’s bravery is combined with Horation’s understanding, he could become a true hero.”
“Alright, the captain is also convinced, so let’s put your spirit and charge! Now, full speed ahead.”
Charge, charge, and charge again! Even if my arm is blown off, even if my heart is obliterated, as long as my body can move, I will charge forward!
That was Nelson’s creed, and everything to him.
Led by such a person, the fleet advances at full speed toward the northeast—where the enemy fleet is expected to be—while vehemently asserting that they will not retreat.
And then there’s the Elfusia fleet they’re looking for…
“Chief of Staff, is the voyage going smoothly? We should be arriving at the human nest soon…”
“Commander Kussainer, it seems difficult to say that things are going smoothly. We received a message from the man-eating bird that went on reconnaissance just a short while ago. They say they have sighted the enemy fleet. It is about 20 nautical miles ahead of our fleet, and apparently there are about 30 to 40 old-fashioned sailing ships.”
“Hohou, It is an old-fashioned sailing ship. Something like that is like a toy compared to our new frozen ship. It’s not something to be afraid of.”
The Londeria fleet had already been discovered by the reconnaissance of flying monsters, the man-eating birds that had taken off from the aircraft carrier.
As expected, the presence or absence of aerial reconnaissance can be said to be significant.
This report was received by the Elfusia Vanguard Reconnaissance Fleet, known as the Kussainer Fleet, named after its commander.
The force consists of four battleships and four heavy cruisers.
It is a fleet that serves as the vanguard for the main fleet advancing from behind.
Khoroshiy Lenin is one of the flagships of the Basileus-class battleships.
Apart for the fact that it is made of ice, its appearance is exactly like that of a modern battleship. It’s completely out of place for a fantasy world.
It was a fairly high-performance ship, with a solid ice hull that could even withstand attacks from a 30cm cannon, and equipped with four twin-mounted magic projectile launchers with the same power as a 20cm cannon, for a total of eight cannons.
Moreover, the name means “Great Lenin” in Ancient Elvish… Could it have been named by Comrade Gilieza? It is a mystery.
And then.
On the bridge of the Khoroshiy Lenin, an elf officer was in command.
In his early thirties, still quite young to become a fleet commander. He had the haughty features of an elf, neatly trimmed blonde hair, and a slim build, but he was sweating profusely, so much so that it was seeping through his military uniform.
His name is Wakiga Kussainer.
He is the third son of the Kussainer family, a prestigious family of Elfusia.
“Listen, everyone. Our Kussainer fleet is advancing at maximum battle speed. We will destroy the enemy fleet before the main forces arrive!”
“Yes sir, as commanded by Commander Kussainer.”
Upon hearing the report about the Londeria fleet, he decided to attack without hesitation.
There is no way that the state-of-the-art frozen battleship, which the elves pride themselves on, could lose to something as outdated as a sailing ship. The only option is to attack.
There must be some impatience in making this decision due to his youth.
Wakiga Kusainer was selected as a fleet commander at a young age because he came from a prestigious family. People often say that he is riding on his parents’ coattails, and for some reason, he feels like his subordinates are constantly talking about him behind his back.
I want to prove my ability. That is what he thought.
Londeria’s home fleet is led by an admiral who believes in charge as a creed.
The Kussainer fleet was led by an impatient young officer eager for achievement.
There is no way that fleets led by these guys are not going to fight. The two fleets advance toward the enemy head-on and rapidly close the distance until they are within visible range of each other.
This is the beginning of a battle later known as the Scullflow Offshore Naval Battle.
Prev Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter
If you’re feeling generous, you can support the site by clicking on the button below, it keeps me motivated and the site alive.