“Enemy fleet approaching!” a staff officer shouted, his voice cracking, relaying the contents of the flag signal from a scout ship.
“Direction, to the right of Capraia Isola!”
“Enemy ship count, approximately 18! Including two Turtle Assault Ships! The Turtle Assault Ships are in the lead!”
“Single column formation!”
“Contact expected within two hours!”
The Venetian naval commander, Admiral Costanzo, nodded as he confirmed the flag signals through his spyglass while listening to the officer. “The ironclads are in the lead, as expected. And a single column… this is also just as we predicted.”
So far, everything was going exactly as he had foreseen.
“Considering the number of ships, it seems they’ve only sent out their ironclads and Challenger-class warships… Are they truly confident they can overcome a 10-to-1 disadvantage?”
The current allied fleet numbered nearly 190 ships, including the pirate vessels. Of course, if one counted only the warships similar in size to the Challenger-class, the number was closer to 120, but in any case, they held a rough 10-to-1 numerical advantage.
“Is it arrogance? An unavoidable choice? Or both?”
***
According to sailors familiar with the ‘Eastern Sea Route,’ the Imperial Navy’s favorite tactic was the ‘single-point breakthrough.’ Warships arranged in a single column would bisect the enemy fleet, attacking as they passed through, then turn around and repeat a similar attack. After repeated assaults, the enemy fleet would be broken into smaller pieces, ultimately leading to them being defeated one by one. For this tactic to succeed, overwhelming firepower and sturdy defenses were essential. Considering this, the ships built in the shipyards of Prince Henrique Port were more of a hindrance. While their firepower was among the strongest in the Mediterranean, their defensive power was lacking compared to the Challenger-class. In addition to this constraint, it was clear the Imperial Navy had absolute faith in the firepower and defense of their ironclads and Challenger-class ships.
“Whatever it is, it’s not bad for us.”
Quickly dismissing the question, Admiral Costanzo looked at the five Venetian galleasses positioned around his flagship. He, along with his staff and sailors, gazed at the galleasses with faces full of pride.
“When it comes to firepower, those children don’t fall behind either.”
To the Venetian navy, the galleass was the ultimate warship. Of its three decks, including the oar deck, the first and second levels were gun decks, equipped with about 20 cannons on each side. However, the symbol of the Venetian galleass was the gun tower located on its bow. This circular turret, looking as if it had been lifted directly from a fortress, was mounted with 12 cannons on its first and second levels. Thanks to their placement in the circular turret, these cannons could fire not only forward but in all directions. This was a tremendous advantage over other ships that only had cannons on their sides. It meant they could fire not only when showing their broadsides but also when facing an enemy head-on or at a slight angle.
On top of that, their defensive power was considerable. Their only weakness was their slow speed. But in the current situation, that slow speed was not an issue. The one charging in was the Empire.
“Two hours… we should probably start preparing. Give the order.”
“Yes, Admiral.”
Thirty minutes later, however, Admiral Costanzo was forced to recoil in shock.
“Enemy fleet sighted!”
“What? Already?”
The Turtle Assault Ships, powered by steam engines, and the Challenger-class warships, moving with purpose, were far faster than conventional European ships.
***
“Enemy fleet sighted!”
“What’s the position of those Venetian galleasses?”
“Directly ahead! And at the eleven and one o’clock positions¹!”
Captain Lim Gil-bok grinned fiercely. “Prepare to fire the Dragon’s Head Cannon²! Target is the galleass dead ahead!”
“Target is the galleass dead ahead! Target confirmed!”
After confirming the reply coming through the speaking tube, Lim Gil-bok grabbed the other tubes and issued his commands. “Proceed straight ahead!”
“Straight ahead!”
“Engine room! Engine output to standard maximum!”
“Standard maximum! No issues!”
As everything proceeded according to his commands, Lim Gil-bok’s face became brighter than ever. “I thought I was just going to waste my time after coming to the New Frontier, but to think an opportunity like this would come along! It was worth praying with fresh water every night!”
Having served as the first mate under the infamous Captain Kang Nam-gil, Lim Gil-bok had developed the exact same personality.
“All hands, listen up! This is the captain! We’re going to split those floating piles of firewood for good! We’ll show them clearly that on any sea, our Turtle Assault Ship is the strongest!”
“UOOOOH!”
At Lim Gil-bok’s declaration, the ‘Unceasing’ Turtle Assault Ship thundered with the cheers of its crew.
“This is the Dragon’s Head Cannon! Aiming complete! All preparations are finished!”
“Fire!”
“Fire!”
KUUU-AAANG!
From the mouth of the dragon head mounted on the ship’s bow, a massive gout of fire and smoke erupted forward.
***
“Enemy ironclad has fired!”
“From that distance?”
Admiral Costanzo’s surprise quickly turned to horror.
BOOM!
The cannonball from the Unceasing‘s Dragon’s Head Cannon landed just to the right of the Venetian galleass holding the front line. The problem was what came next. The 200-geun (approx. 120 kg) cannonball was no simple lump of iron. The 80-geun (approx. 48 kg) of gunpowder packed inside it caused a massive explosion beneath the surface of the water, and the shockwave it created slammed into the Venetian galleass.
The shockwave, generated by water far denser than air, caused far more damage than expected. All the oars on the galleass’s starboard side were instantly shattered, and the entire starboard contingent of rowers suffered fractures and other injuries, large and small. It wasn’t just the men. The impact of the shockwave split the seams of the planks making up the starboard hull, creating numerous cracks. Seawater began to pour through the newly formed gaps. While this was happening inside the galleass, those watching the ship from the outside had a different worry.
“Is that ship going to capsize?”
The galleass, caught in the waves created by the shockwave, was rocking dangerously. The Venetian galleass was slightly longer but also narrower and taller than other galleys. While having two gun decks above the oar deck was common, the problem was the galleass’s pride: the bow turret. The turret was at least one level higher than on other galleys, and to maintain balance, the stern also had to be made quite large. As a result, the Venetian galleass’s center of gravity was significantly higher. Because of this high center of gravity, the galleass in question was now swaying from side to side so violently that it looked as if it would capsize at any moment.
KABOOM! KRA-KABOOM!
“What was that?”
Startled by the sudden massive explosion, Admiral Costanzo whipped his head in the direction of the sound.
“The ship… the ship is…”
Of the five Venetian galleasses arranged in a star formation, the one at the front-right point was gone. In its place, only the remnants of a ship remained.
“In a single shot? Was it their good luck, and our misfortune?”
It was a result that shouldn’t have happened without a lucky fluke. Just then, another tremendous roar erupted from the front.
KRA-KOOM!
It was the sound of the second, furious shot from the Unceasing‘s Dragon’s Head Cannon—having missed its initial shot—obliterating its target. Watching two of his galleasses vanish in an instant, the blood drained from Admiral Costanzo’s face, and his legs gave out.
“Admiral!”
“Admiral!”
His staff officers, alarmed by his swaying, rushed to support him. Barely managing to steady himself, Costanzo clenched his teeth. “Their firepower is stronger than expected, but we still overwhelmingly outnumber them! There is no change to the plan! Latch onto them with all your might! Relay the order! The plan stands! It’s a boarding action!”
“Yes, sir!”
As the signalmen frantically waved their flags, the surviving Venetian galleasses began to fire the cannons in their bow turrets at the Imperial fleet.
BOOM! KWA-KOOM!
The cannonballs fired by the galleasses created waterspouts around the charging Turtle Assault Ships. The galleasses fired their turret cannons madly. A few of the shots managed to hit the Turtle Assault Ships, but they bounced off harmlessly. However, every time a Turtle Assault Ship’s dragon head spat fire, a Venetian galleass or a nearby warship would meet a futile end or be left crippled and adrift. Watching this, Admiral Costanzo slammed his fist on the bridge railing and let out a roar of fury.
“Damn it! Those monsters!”
And at some point, the Turtle Assault Ships broke through the allied fleet’s formation. Later, a socialite who had watched the battle from Corsica left this record:
-Before the battle, the allied fleet’s formation looked like a thick fortress wall. But when the battle began, before the charge of the Empire’s black warships, it became nothing more than a thick block of butter.
***
The Turtle Assault Ships bisected the allied formation so easily that it prompted comparisons to a ‘block of butter’ or a ‘block of cheese.’ Following in the wake of the relentlessly advancing Turtle Assault Ships, the Challenger-class warships fired their broadside cannons nonstop.
BOOM! KWA-KOOM! BOOM!
The cannons of the Challenger-class ships riddled the surrounding allied warships with holes. The allied warships did not just take the punishment. they too fired desperately at the Imperial fleet. However, the cannonballs they fired—lumps of iron, to be precise—bounced harmlessly off not only the steel hulls of the Turtle Assault Ships but also the hulls of the Challenger-class warships.
***
The oak harvested in the New Frontier was overwhelmingly harder than the oak from the homeland. As a result, the Challenger-class warships built in the New Frontier were overwhelmingly tougher than those built in the homeland. Because of this, the Challenger-class ships built in the New Frontier had undergone a modification. Since the defensive power of the homeland-built ships was already top-tier, the thickness of the hull planks was reduced to match that level of defense. The space gained from this was used to carry more supplies. It was an upgrade made necessary by having too few personnel to defend an overwhelmingly large area. However, once it became clear they would be deployed to the Italian front, the new Challenger-class ships being built in the New Frontier reverted to the pre-modification specifications. Thanks to this, the Challenger-class ships now engaged in battle possessed overwhelming defensive power.
***
“Breakthrough confirmed!”
At his first mate’s report, Lim Gil-bok re-assessed the situation. “How far has the rest of our fleet broken through?”
“Report says they are following smoothly, sir!”
“Good!” Nodding, Lim Gil-bok checked the sea chart and set a new course. “We’ll turn about between Pianosa Island and Montecristo Island! Then we break through the enemy line again! Inform the other ships!”
“Yes, sir!”
Having broken through the allied formation blocking the way between Corsica and Elba Island, the Imperial fleet continued south. After turning their bows between the islands of Pianosa and Montecristo as selected by Lim Gil-bok, the Imperial fleet began to charge toward the enemy line once again. The captains of the Challenger-class warships, their faces tense, shouted to their men. “From now on, we’re heading into a headwind! In other words, we have further to go, and there will be more bastards trying to bog us down! A boarding action could happen, so stay sharp!”
“Yes, sir!”
At their captain’s command, the sailors, especially those on the first deck, tightened the belts holding their naval swords and pistols.