This is not Qin's biggest loss today, because at the southernmost tip of the Western Continent, in the southern waters of the Endless Sea, a naval battle is almost over.
When the first ray of sunlight in the morning shone on the deck of the aircraft carrier Neverwinter, Combined Fleet Chief of Staff Mike Ravel showed a wry smile.
He, a mouse, could not escape the fate of being overtaken by a cat after all. The time that Navy Commander John Cleeves bought for him did not allow him to escape.
A Harpoon anti-ship missile directly hit the hull of the Neverwinter aircraft carrier. Now the Neverwinter has tilted, and the fire has engulfed the bow of the ship, making everyone on the bridge uncomfortable breathing.
"Sir! Abandon the ship!" The captain persuaded Mike Ravel: "If you don't leave, it will be too late! There may be an explosion here at any time..."
While he was talking, something exploded again, and the damage control team fighting the fire was swallowed up by more than a dozen people. The remaining people continued to pour water into the flames with water pipes, trying to suppress the fire.
"The opportunity for escape that Your Excellency Commander fought so hard for us, I can't give up casually! This battleship... is the pride of the Dorne Navy..." Mike Ravel felt the rising temperature around him and said to the captain in front of him.
.
He could not leave because his commander did not leave the Dornish Empire aircraft carrier Viva Dorne. Now, only half of the Dornish Empire Viva is left floating on the sea. Its sinking process is almost the same as that of the Titanic.
.
It's just that the explosion spread from the middle, and the battleship was quickly split into two parts. The front part entered the water too quickly and sank quickly, and the rear part is still floating on the sea...
No matter how slowly the water enters, the Long Live Dornish Empire cannot hold on any longer. Most of its rear half has been submerged in the water, and the flight deck is only less than three meters above the sea level.
Seeing that the battleship he was on was about to sink, John Cleeves, Commander-in-Chief of the Dornish Navy and Commander-in-Chief of the Combined Fleet, showed a wry smile.
Before dawn, he ordered Neverwinter and Wuyang to quickly break away from the fleet and escape with several faster destroyers.
However, the two aircraft carriers did not escape far before they were also hit by anti-ship missiles. The entire fleet was paralyzed in place, like a group of hens that had been plucked of their feathers and were waiting to be slaughtered.
It's dawn now, but the combined fleet no longer has an aircraft carrier that can take off aircraft. All aircraft carriers are burning, exploding, tilting, breaking, and sinking!
Everything has ended. Except for a few destroyers and cruisers, dozens of warships in the combined fleet will capsize today.
There is no suspense, they are isolated and helpless! The number of land-based aircraft is limited, and they are not good at naval combat, and there is no fleet around to provide cover... To put it bluntly, the combined fleet is finished, what will happen if other fleets come? It's just a loss of lives.
That’s all.
So John Cleeves no longer had any hope. A man who had lost hope was sitting on a sinking battleship in any conceivable state.
"All the lifeboats have been lowered! Sir!" The captain came over and reported the self-rescue situation to John Cleeves: "The pilots, boilers, medical and other professionals have all been arranged."
"Thank you for everything you have done for the Dornish Navy...cough cough cough!" John Cleeves choked on his saliva after saying a few words, causing him to cough non-stop.
"You... please come on board too... Sir." The captain wanted to persuade him again.
"No need! I ruined the entire United Fleet. This is my fault. I must be responsible for this." John Cleeves shook his head.
"This is not your fault! You should go back and explain the situation here clearly. The Tang Dynasty subverted naval warfare... Their aircraft carriers can actually take off jets!" the captain continued to persuade.
Yes, they now know that the Tang Army's aircraft carrier can take off jet aircraft. Because just now, two Phantom fighter jets passed over the heads of the combined fleet while patrolling. They showed off their power, as if they were revealing the final answer to the mystery.
The officers and soldiers of the combined fleet who saw these two planes finally knew what kind of monster they were fighting against during that day and night.
From beginning to end, they could not win! They were just being massacred by their enemies! Now, they had shed the last drop of blood, and their enemies showed their faces, declaring a great victory for the Tang Navy.
"After all, someone will bring this information back, and... I just have no shame and fled back... What will change? We have already lost..." John Cleeves continued to shake his head and said desperately.
For a naval commander, he still has basic judgments. From the moment his combined fleet was destroyed, the outcome of this war was already determined.
The Dornish Empire's thousands of miles of sea territory will be exposed to the iron wings of the Tang Navy's fleet. The Tang Army's carrier-based aircraft can easily destroy ports, block maritime transportation, and destroy coastal cities.
Once those rich and important ports are attacked, Dorne's economy will collapse. As long as the war continues, Dorne will continue to bleed until the blood is drained.
Moreover, the strategic route between Dorne and Qin will be cut off, and the strategic concept of mutual support between the two countries will be broken. Tang has already taken the initiative!
Once the war begins to develop in a direction that is beneficial to the Tang State, the anti-Tang Alliance will immediately fall apart. Those countries that sit on the sidelines will definitely not take action against the Tang State again.
Under the circumstances, Dorne and Qin united, and the outcome of the war against Tang was already obvious. The Tang Empire would eventually win, but Dorne and Qin had to face the wrath of Tang alone.
.
"But none of them have your vision..." the captain finally advised.
"Forget it! It's all over. I have decided to die here, and other things have nothing to do with me anymore." John Cleeves shook his head again: "I am a sinner, and sinners must
die."
Through the porthole on the bridge, John Cleeves could already see that the sea water had reached the broken flight deck, and their warship was about to sink to the bottom of the sea.
"Why don't you leave yet?" Withdrawing his gaze, John Cleeves looked at the captain of the aircraft carrier Viva Dorne Empire beside him.
"This is my battleship, sir." The captain forced a smile, obviously he was also prepared to sink with the ship.
"I'm sorry that I couldn't lead you to victory...and let you die here with me." John Cleeves apologized.
"It's not your fault. If General Strauss and General Burton were still here, they probably wouldn't have allowed His Majesty to make such a ridiculous decision as declaring war on the Tang Dynasty." The captain recalled the young man back then.
At that time, there seemed to be a bright light behind the other person.