Yes, at a distance of 1000 meters, the precision of the optical sights on the Brunas No. 1 warship could simply be described as astonishing.
If they could not hit a target at that range, those technological blueprints Tang Mo brought from the future might as well have been better off burned.
Meanwhile, the sailors on the Brunas No. 1 warship did not even feel that combat had actually broken out at this moment.
They were merely standing firm at their posts, operating the machinery in front of them just like they would during an exercise.
But in the distance, where the Brunas No. 1 had sailed past, two armed transport ships from the Poplar Kingdom were struggling on the brink of sinking.
And the Brunas No. 1 did not intend to give these two enemy ships a chance to struggle; as its slender hull sailed past the two enemy ships, the 75-mm caliber guns deployed on both sides opened fire.
To conserve subsequent combat power, only four cannons fired their shells, and those two still struggling sailboats were completely done for this time.
The explosion had barely finished when the two sailboats began to list, and before long the sea swallowed up their hulls, leaving only splinters of wood and sails bobbing with the waves on the surface of the water.
The others ships of the Elf Race that were following behind were turning around. They had seen the scene of their two allied ships sinking ahead and were trying to present their broadsides for a counterattack.
But by turning, they exposed a larger side and also gave away the central line to the Brunas No. 1, which was preparing to shoot from both sides.
Like a tiger charging into the middle of a fleet, the rear cannon of the Brunas No. 1 had also turned to the port side, and just aimed at a retreating warship and fired.
This shot also hit its target, as the distance between them had actually shortened to just over 700 meters.
Solid shots from the other side came flying over, but to their disappointment, due to aiming issues and the violent maneuvers, most of them ended up in the sea without having any effect.
The sailboat that was hit immediately lost its ability to turn. With its stern rudder smashed, they could only maintain an unstable straight course by changing the direction of the sails.
On the other side, the Brunas No. 1's dual 120-mm caliber cannons at the bow once again spit flames. The Elf sailboat's mast toppled, its body cracked, and it looked set to capsize into the sea.
What made the elf sailors and captains despair was that their cannonballs seemed to be completely unable to rock the terrifying demon ship before their eyes. They watched as a round was deflected by its hull and fell into the sea beside it.
And as the combat continued, the guns on the enemy's side also joined the battle, and the elves, who had thought the enemy short on firepower, were utterly defeated.
"Quick! Faster! No need to turn anymore! Break off from the fleet! Escape from here!" A captain, seeing his allied ships in front of him break apart and capsize in the ocean, cried out in terror and fear.
He wasn't a real navy commander, just in charge of an armed merchant ship, and there was no need to risk his life here against such a fearsome warship.
In fact, an Elf transport ship had already raised the white flag of surrender, submitting to this powerful warship they'd never seen before.
Kidding me, even if the other party were pirates, after taking the goods on board, they probably wouldn't wipe them out completely; they'd have to give some face to the Poplar Kingdom, which was active on the seas. It wasn't time yet to fight desperately to the death.
But just when everyone was ready to hoist the white flag and offer their goods, the black warship fired again.
The ship that everyone thought was safe, flying the white flag, was directly hit this time, and then the ship disintegrated, with its masts falling into the sea.
This completely extinguished the thought of surrender in the elves, as the enemy didn't seem to intend to rob them but was conducting a massacre!
"Quick! Signal the ship beside us! Scatter and run! Scatter and escape!" The Elf captain, seeing no more hope, shouted loudly to the signalman.
Now, if they scattered and fled, the enemy wouldn't be able to pursue them, which might be their last way out.
Unfortunately, by the time they thought of this escape route, it was already too late! There were only 15 sailboats in total, and 7 had already become wreckage on the surface of the sea.
Of the remaining 8, most were within the attack range of the Brunas No. 1. Although they were divided into two groups, turning around to flee took time.
This time was clearly greater than the time it took for the Brunas No. 1 to rotate its gun turrets. So, by the time they finally completed their turn, all 4 warships on one side had been sunk.
Watching the black-smoke-spewing warship leave behind the 4 allied ships that had lost the ability to move, and rush towards them at a very high speed, the sailors on the four merchant ships closed their eyes in despair.
The speed of that ship's voyage was simply beyond their imagination. They had not felt the difference when sailing side by side, but now that it had turned into a chase, the sailors of the Elf Race realized just how huge the difference in sailing speed was.
The enemy's speed was at least three times greater than theirs, which really felt like a stifling battle where they could neither fight nor escape.
Clearly, the warship did not intend to let them go. In the process of pursuit, the warship fired repeatedly, sinking all four of their warships.
What drove them to despair was that the gigantic vessel, which had fought against fifteen others, did not hurry to leave. Instead, it ruthlessly shattered the remnants of a sailboat across the water surface and, with a weapon of some unknown model, crazyly sprayed bullets at the struggling elves in the water.
Most of these elven merchant ships carried iron and steel ingots, which the Poplar Kingdom urgently needed at the time, along with some containing food and Gold Coin, resulting in most of them being slow to maneuver.
Having no combat capability to begin with, encountering an Ironclad Warship on the sea naturally led to their complete collapse.
The land army could abandon supply wagons, but the Navy's cargo was stored in the ships' holds, which couldn't be jettisoned in the sea straightaway, making it impossible to quickly enhance their vessel's maneuverability.
As a result, this fleet was completely sunk by the Brunas No. 1 Warship in less than an hour.
To defeat an unprepared foe was not particularly surprising. At least, the opposition had not been fully prepared for battle from the beginning.
Chests of Gold Coin and piles of iron ingots went down with the sinking ships to the ocean floor. In just one hour, the Elf Race's losses were estimated to surpass 80,000 Gold Coin!
This sum included the construction costs for the 15 armed merchant ships themselves, and if one were to add the sailor's wages and the lost sailing time, the direct losses even exceeded 100,000 Gold Coin.
If the Augustin Clan of the Poplar Kingdom knew that just a single debt collection action made them cough up the full amount of the overdue 100,000 Gold Coin, they surely would have regretted their original decision.
If they had asked John to bring the money and settle the accounts back then, Tang Mo might even have transferred the blueprints and technology of the C64 howitzer to them.
But alas, there are no 'ifs' in this world, and the elves no longer had the chance to regret. They had to pay for their actions, a price they couldn't afford.
"Continue the search northward along the trade route! Sink all Poplar Kingdom ships we catch up to!" the captain of the Brunas No. 1 Warship ordered coldly after glancing at the debris on both sides.
Then, the Brunas No. 1 began to turn and quickly disappeared from the sea's horizon. It was only then that another fleet, wobbling from the other side of the sea's surface, emerged.
The gigantic sails were very noticeable, and soon the seven or eight ships of another elven kingdom's fleet discovered the battlefield.
An Elf Sailor, shocked, leaned on the ship's rail, staring at the floating Poplar Kingdom's royal flag on the water.
"My God... what on earth have they been through..." Looking at the shark fins attracted by the blood in the water and the scattered personal belongings on the destroyed ships, an Elf Sailor couldn't help but exclaim.
They could see the shattered planks on the ships and some railings and window frames bobbing with the waves.
Of course, they could also see corpses floating on the sea's surface.
Finally, they spotted a living person clinging to a piece of wood in the water, and the sailors hastily scooped the survivor aboard.
"Hey! What on earth happened to you? Was it pirates?" The captain pushed past the sailors crowded around the unfortunate survivor, peering down at the drenched figure, asking,
The fortunate yet unfortunate surviving Elf Sailor slumped on deck, staring blankly, not responding to his rescuer's question.
"I'm talking to you!" The captain, clearly growing impatient, kicked the wet sailor and cursed fiercely, "Bastard!"
"Demons! Devils! They're here! They're firing! Hahaha! Devils!
They've caught up with me! They've caught me! Ahahaha! Cough, cough, cough! Hahaha!" Suddenly, the shipwrecked elf started flailing his arms, as if to fend something off, bursting into crazed laughter and shouting.
His madness startled those around him, who quickly stepped back, then realized the sailor had clearly gone insane.
He simply waved his arms around, shouting and laughing wildly. Something had terrified a sailor who dared challenge the seas into this state.
"He's gone mad." A sailor glanced down at the poor soul who had lost his sanity, shook his head, and said.
All at once, the crazed sailor leaped up from the deck and closed in on the older sailor, whispering with a sinister smile, "They're coming for you! Bang, bang, bang... Do you hear it? That sound! They're coming for you!"
Couldn't sleep, so I kept writing, and now the update is complete.