Chapter 52: The Astonished Elves: The Naval Battle
The Führer was satisfied with the launch of the Greater East Co-prosperity Sphere, as well as the announcement of the war plans against the Moruro, she managed to do everything she wanted to do at the Congress of Human Nations.
With a certain degree of success achieved, the congress ends, and each country will move on to the next stage.
March 14, 305 Yamato calendar.
The Führer asked, “Ayame-san, do you know White Day?” When I asked her for the White Day return gift, “You know what? Yes, I will give you myself as the present. Please enjoy your meal.” and Ayame in nothing but a ribbon, attacked me…
The southern part of the eastern continent, off the coast of the Black Elven Empire.
There, this world’s largest fleet was heading to the east. They are the Albatross Combined Fleet.
They are on their way back to their home countries after the Congress of Human Nations hosted by the Yamato Empire.
Their formation was…
Londeria’s fleet consisted of the first-class warship, the Queen Elizabeth, and four other ships. Each one of them is a first-class warship.
Within Luna’s fleet, there’s the Luna, a first-class warship, and four others. Just like the previous fleet, each of them is a first-class warship.
Lusiya’s fleet consisted of the second-class warship the Wódka and four others. Only the flagship is a second-class warship, while the rest the third-class ships.
Freyd’s fleet consisted of one first-class warship, the Char.
Dorcelli’s fleet, a second-class warship, the Eugen, and three other ships. Just like Lusiya, only the flagship is a second-class ship, the rest is a third-class ship.
This is in addition to the frigates of several small countries affiliated with the Albatross Union, together, they make up about 20 ships.
Although they are sail-powered ships, they are made with state-of-the-art Yamato steel, which means they have enough defensive power, especially the first-class warships, which are equipped with as many as 100 cannons.
There is probably no one in this world capable of organizing a fleet of this scale other than the Yamato.
That being said.
The ship’s class, armament, or steel warship doesn’t matter to those who know absolutely nothing about it.
All they have to do is to deal with the enemies that are right in front of them.
The Albatross fleet travels along the coast of the Black Elven Empire. Countless galleys lurk in the island’s shadows, hiding from their sight.
Their number is approximately 50 ships.
On board was a creature with dark skin and long ears― the Dark Elf. Indeed, it was the fleet of the Black Elven Empire.
“They are coming, admiral, it is a large ship. According to the rumors, the royals of the humans are onboard.”
“This is the perfect opportunity to show off the power of the elves. Let’s attack.”
With binoculars in their hands, they observe the Albatross fleet.
At this point, the Albatross fleet was within striking distance of the Black Elven Empire’s fleet.
There is a reason why it ended up this way.
Even though they have purchased large ships from Yamato, the Albatross fleet is still not accustomed to ocean voyages. In order to ensure the safety of their voyage, they navigated as far as possible in places where they had a view of the land.
A place from which the land is visible if said in reverse, is also a place that can be seen from the land.
A while ago, the Albatross fleet was on its way to Yamato to attend the Congress of Human Nations, at that time the dark elves received a report, “What’s that? Somehow, there’s a large sailing ship passing along our country’s coastline, isn’t there?” They have been spotted by the elves.
A large fleet of ships travels boldly along the coast of their country.
What would a prideful elf think about seeing that? Of course, there’s no way they can just ignore it.
“To think they dare to infringe upon the sacred land of elves? They really look down on us, the elves? How about we beat the hell out of them?”
So, they decided to attack immediately.
In this world where savages roam and human rights are nowhere to be found, once you’re taken lightly, that’s the end.
If someone is even slightly insolent towards them… It’s common sense to hit without hesitation.
The elves happily gathered their ships, awaited the return of the Albatross fleet, and watched for an opportunity to attack.
On the deck of a large 200-ton flagship galley named Caligula, there’s the Admiral, a fat dark elf who is counting the ships, “one, two, three… there are about twenty ships. Can we handle it?” Counting the Albatross fleet, he asked his adjutant.
“For that reason, we’ve gathered our fleet. On our side, we have 50 ships, which is double their number. And, we are elves who excel in magic. There is no way we can lose.”
“…That’s right. We, the elves, know no defeat in sea battles. No matter how enormous our opponent’s ship is, our victory will remain unwavering.”
The dark elf admiral observes the enemy’s fleet and decides to attack.
The strength of elves in naval battles has been proven since ancient times.
Compared to humans, the elves, who have many magicians, can exert much higher magical firepower. And the combat ships of this world are wooden galley ships.
If they are in direct combat with enemy ships, the elves, who have superior firepower, will burn and sink them with fire magic.
Therefore, they confidently attack the Albatross fleet.
“No matter how big the ship is, if it is overwhelmed by magic, we will win. The superior Elf race will never be defeated!”
Because that indeed is their only answer.
Immediately upon emerging from the shadow of the island, the Dark Elf fleet launches an all-out assault on the Albatross fleet.
Their speed is about 8 knots.
And, oddly enough, the wind was weak today. The waves are also calm, making it an ideal day for galleys.
Normally, it would be very difficult to catch up with a high-speed sailship on a galley ship, however, under exceptionally good conditions, the situation could be different.
It is quite possible to catch up with a sailing ship if you work hard and row desperately.
“Alright, we’ve got the enemy ship in range!”
The distance to the Albatross fleet is about 1 km.
The elven admiral raises his staff and orders the fleet under his command, “All ships, begin attack, charge.”
What he is aiming for is the Queen Elizabeth, which is at the forefront of the Albatross fleet.
“Uoooh! Kill all those shitty humans!”
“A ship that big must undoubtedly be loaded with treasure! Capture it and you’ll be rich!”
Elf soldiers have high morale as they face a target that is worth defeating.
However…
What awaited them was not the outcome they had hoped for, but a barrage of steel.
The Albatross fleet isn’t so foolish as to not notice the approach of a fleet consisting of 50 ships.
Now, come closer. They were lined up in a single column and waited in ambush, ready to bombard anyone who approached.
And the moment they came within about 1 km of firing range of the ship’s cannons… All at once, the cannons fired.
“All ships begin attack, show them the glorious power of the Royal Navy.”
A red firing flame illuminates the side of the ship. And then, a pitch-black smoke rises up.
Seeing that, Queen Elizabeth on board the ‘Queen Elizabeth’ was convinced of her victory.
On the other hand, the elf fleet was far from victorious.
A cannonball from the Queen Elizabeth hits close to the Elf fleet’s flagship, Caligula, causing a water column to rise.
“Woah! This is… Is it magic?!”
“No, admiral, there is no magical response from the enemy attacks.”
“There’s no magical response!? Then what is that supposed to be!?”
“That’s… We don’t know.”
The number of cannonballs from these 20 ships exceeds several hundred.
Although it is nothing more than a normal iron cannonball that doesn’t explode… The attack is excessive too much for the elves’ galley ships.
A few minutes after the initial bombardment, a shell hit the flagship of the elven fleet, the Caligula.
“Uaaargh!”
“Harrrgh!”
What was brought about by it was countless screams that couldn’t even be called shrieks. It’s not only 10, or 20. There probably have been two or three times as many casualties.
“Admiral! There are many fatalities and injuries amongst the rowers inside the ship due to the enemy’s attack! I think it’s close to 100 people…”
“W-what!? In just a single attack!?”
The shells used by the Albatross Fleet are simply nothing more than iron ball shells and are not as powerful as they should be. If they fire at the battleship of the Yamato Empire, it would hardly affect them, as if they had just been bitten by a mosquito. It only has as much power as is claimed to be.
However… If it’s against a galley ship?
In this type of manually rowed boat, the rowers are lined up from the bow to the stern.
And, the main mode of attack is a ram attack, where it is necessary to face the enemy head-on.
Meaning…
The cannonball comes from the ship’s bow and then flies off the ship’s stern, hitting the rowers in its path.
Sweeping away a row of enemies with a single blow.
“W-what an incredible power…”
“Admiral, it’s still too early to give up. If we can get close, we can use our magic too. We can set enemy ships ablaze with a barrage of fire magic.”
“O-oh, okay. It doesn’t matter how big the ship is. If it is on fire, victory will be ours… There is still hope remaining.”
The admiral is shocked by the extent of the damage.
However, he regains his hope thanks to the word of his adjutant.
Get close to them and unleash a magic attack… However, even that faint hope gradually fades away.
By repeated bombardment.
The range of the magic attack is about 100 meters at best. But you have to get closer, within 50 meters, if you want to maintain the power.
In other words, they have to cover a distance of 900 meters.
While being exposed to hundreds of cannons fired by 20 warships and frigates.
A march of despair.
And it’s a march that doesn’t pay off.
The elven fleet continues to take hits and advance, scattering fragments of wood. The inside of the ship has been severely damaged by the bombardment.
One by one, their ships continue to sink.
Yet they do not give up. They continue to move forward, relying on their numerical advantage.
“Now, distance 50! Admiral, they are within our effective range!”
“O-okay, all ships, unleash your magic!”
Despite taking several hits from enemy fire, the Caligula finally manages to get the Queen Elizabeth within its firing range.
Now they can cast their spell. A hundred or so elven warriors lined up on the deck, and all at once they raised their wands and cast fire magic to burn Queen Elizabeth.
Being happy to be able to do a counter-attack.
Countless magical attacks hit Queen Elizabeth directly, causing numerous explosions on the side of the ship.
The result is…
“The enemy’s fire magic has struck the ship. However, the damage is minor, Your Majesty.”
“It seems they didn’t know this was a steel ship… Deliver the finishing blow.”
Unfortunately for them, the warships made by Yamato are not made of easy-to-burn wood. The flame magic only scorches the ship’s side armor, after this, the counterattack manages to capture the Caligula.
“H-how can this happen! The elf’s magic!”
The admiral’s screams brought this naval battle to an end.
In this battle, the elves lost half of the ships in their fleet. Even the one that remained took heavy damage and retreated.
On the other hand, there is no apparent damage to the Albatross fleet. Several ships were hit leaving the sides of the ships scorched and had to be repainted, but that was as far as it went.
The elves will be greatly affected by the outcome of this naval battle.
Elf’s superior magic abilities do not lose in one-on-one battles.
That common sense has been overturned.
Using this battle as an opportunity, the various Albatross countries determined that the Yamato weapons were not only theoretically, but also practically extremely useful, and they would begin to launch a full-scale offensive against the elves.
Moreover, the Elf’s astonishment continued.
The next location is their western border. The land of Beastvania.
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Relevant explanation of ‘Yamato-made warships’ edition.
Apart from the fact that the hull is made of steel, it is essentially the same as the ships of the early modern era.
Each grade is…
First-class warship―― with a displacement of approximately 3,000 tons. It has more than 100 cannons. Despite being the most expensive, its combat ability is not much different from the second-class warship. This is a huge ship for those countries that like to show off.
Second-class warship―― with a displacement of about 2,000 tons. It’s equipped with 90 cannons. Although the number of cannons is a little less, it has the same three-layer cannon deck as a first-class warship and its combat power is not much different. If you want a practical and sturdy ship, then this is it.
Third-class warship―― with a displacement of 1,000 tons. A ship with more than 60 cannons. It is affordable and easy to assemble in quantity.
…….
The first-class warships and the second-class warships are the main force and have a role similar to battleships, while the third-class warships and below have a role similar to auxiliary cruisers, assisting the main force.
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